New South Wales Fishing Monthly - January 2014 by Fishing Monthly

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Shallow flathead tactics • Trolling lipless crankbaits •

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Jamie Mathys landed this impressive 10.4kg snapper on a Black Magic 6/0 Bleeding Pilchard rig rig. Jamie was fishing from Portland, VIC.

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A Black Magic 3/0 Tarakihi Terror was used by Michael Thomson to catch these 4.3kg and 6.4kg snapper. Michael was fishing out of Melbourne.

Stephannie Liechti landed this 22lb kingfish whilst fishing at the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Stephannie used a Black Magic 7/0 livebait rig rig.

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A Black Magic Snapper Snatcher 5/0 ‘original’ was used by Liam Bradford to land this salmon.

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January 2014, Vol. 19 No. 5

Contents BYRON COAST The Tweed The Clarence

12 14

COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour Coffs Game South West Rocks

16 18 19

MACQUARIE COAST Port Macquarie 20 Forster 22 Harrington 24 HUNTER COAST Hunter Coast 26 Port Stephens 28 Central Coast 30 Swansea 32 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 34 Sydney North 36 Pittwater 38 Sydney Harbour 40 Sydney South 41 Sydney Rocks 42 Botany Bay 43 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 44 Nowra 46

From the Editor’s Desk... What’s your 2014 resolution? With New South Wales Fishing Monthly now into its 20th year of publication, we Fishing Monthly staff took the time over the Christmas break (yes, we get one and close the office for a couple of weeks to catch fish and watch Test matches) to reflect on the year that was. And to think up some improvements for the next twelve issues. A lot of what we do comes back to our core editorial values – if we run a story in NSWFM, it must be aimed at helping you catch more or bigger fish. Also, it must have the information to be repeatable for the reader. After all, nobody likes reading a story about the world’s best fishing and there’s no chance you’ll ever get to have a crack

at it because all the author is doing is bragging about antics involving ‘secret lures’ in ‘secret spots’. If a story like this slips through the cracks, then we’re happy for you to tell us all about it. Don’t hold back. That doesn’t mean that we’re into publishing ‘Spot X’ type stories. Not at all. It means that if you put all of the pieces of the puzzle together, then you’ll be able to have a crack at discovering the quality of fishing you’re reading about yourself. We can tell you what to look for. The satisfying bit is to put the pieces together yourself. RESOLUTIONS We, at NSW Fishing Monthly, resolve to make it easier for you to subscribe on-line. There you go. There’s a resolution from us. And, we’ve already got the

platform in place to get it happening. Previously, you’ve had to tear out, photocopy, print out or download a Subscription Form and send it in with a cheque/Money Order. Now you can do it on-line by clicking the SUBSCRIBE link on www.fishingmonthly. com.au and use your credit card. Saves you trundling off to the newsagent each month or makes a great gift for the angler in the family. MISSED AN ISSUU? Missed a recent issue of NSW Fishing Monthly? We’ve started archiving digital copies of the magazine at www.issuu.com. Unlike the website (www. fishingmonthly.com.au) which archives articles and releases them three months after the publication date, the Issuu platform lets you

read the full magazine in the format that it was printed. For free. Just search for “Fishing Monthly” on the Issuu website (issuu.com). MORE FROM THE SHORE We’re aware that there’s a lot of fishing activity that is land based. We’re always on the lookout for shore-based contributors – especially in metropolitan areas. If you’re a Sydney angler that does well off the bank and wants to contribute to Fishing Monthly, then you should shoot us an email. Sydney Harbour is a great fishery and we’re always hearing about how to catch fish in there in boats. Time to even the ledger. Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 47 Narooma 48 Merimbula 48 Bermagui 49 EDEN COAST Tathra 50 Mallacoota 51

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SPECIAL FEATURES Trolling lipless crankbaits Shallow flathead

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 68 Boating 83 Dam Levels 63 Fun Page 77 Kayak Fishing 78 Tides 88 Trade Directory 80 Tournaments 69 What’s New Fishing 63 What’s New Boating 83

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FRESHWATER Canberra 55 Batlow 56 Jindabyne 58 Lithgow-Oberon 59 Maitland 60 Wagga Wagga 61 Robinvale 62 Yarrawonga 63

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Troll a lipless crankbait BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Every so often a new lure or lure concept comes up and every keen fisho just has to get their hands on some. Not so long ago that lure was the lipless crankbait. They are now regarded by many as the lures to turn to when casting for freshwater fish on both good and tough days.

In the June issue I wrote about how to cast with these versatile lures for river and impoundment fish, and now I’m going to explain why they are also invaluable when trolling for freshwater fish. Yes, trolling. The greatest asset of these lipless lures is their versatility. They can be fished at any depth required, which is an awesome trait for any lure. They are also made in a variety of sizes and weights

and normally come with massive rattle chambers, which can attract fishes’ attention from many tens of metres away at times. The main target species with these lures used to be bass and golden perch, but it is now acknowledged that they catch a whole host of freshwater species, from carp to Macquarie perch and everything in between. Most people will tell you that you won’t get a much better casting lure than a lipless and I agree.

This trout was caught in the dead of winter on a 50mm lipless crankbait. The size and running depth of this lure was well suited to the trout and the depth that they were holding.

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But if you’re not in the right area you could cast for weeks and not land a fish. And if you simply don’t like to cast, you probably wouldn’t even own a lipless crankbait. I love casting lures at edges and structure

on the cast is also their greatest on the troll – they can be worked at whatever depth the angler requires. And when the fish are located, you can instantly cast back for more. HOW FAST? People often ask what

SNAGS Most lipless crankbaits are prone to snagging and if you’re fishing a heavily-timbered dam or river, you will get your fair share of snags. A good way of limiting your snag rate is to cut the down-pointing hook off the front treble (be sure you cut the right one). You can do it to both trebles if you really want for far fewer snags but I’ve found just taking that front one off is enough to reduce snags significantly without necessarily reducing your hook-up rate. Alternatively, single lure hooks or assist hooks that swing free behind the lure can also reduce snag rates significantly. but I stumbled across the awesome abilities of the lipless on the troll when I was a little lazy one day. I simply chucked my lure out the back and started to troll to another spot while having a bit of tucker. To my surprise, I didn’t get to eat much as I started hooking fish after fish. That day we boated Murray cod, golden perch and redfin, proving that not only do lipless cranks work sensationally well on the troll, but pretty much every fish that swims will hit them. I have since trolled lipless cranks with great success for over 10 years at Mulwala for Murray cod, Glenbawn Dam for bass, Windamere for golden perch and Blowering for goldens and redfin. Trout are also big suckers for a slow trolled lipless. Any day is a good day to troll lipless crankbaits but those times when you just can’t seem to find the fish, no matter what you’re targeting, are probably the best. Their very loud rattles can often switch on even the most shut-down fish and their greatest attribute

slow if your lure does not work at that speed. The best thing to do is to hold the lure in the water beside the boat, then work out the speed by watching your lure. You don’t have to have the lure working like crazy. In fact, a lure that is just ticking over but still working generally catches more fish then a flat-out lure. Just don’t go so slow that your lure does not work at all. DEPTHS There are a few different ways to get lipless cranks to swim at the depth you require. For starters, you can change the angle of your rod in relation to the water or simply let more

There aren’t too many species that won’t smash a slowly trolled lipless crankbait. Even carp get in on the action. speed is best to troll lipless cranks. I say it’s the same as when you’re running any other lure; you must let your lure dictate your speed by the way it is working. It is no good going dead

line out. These techniques alone can vary your lure’s running depth by a couple of metres or more. Another simple way is to use lighter line, because it cuts through the water

TACKLE Gear depends on your target species and the type of environment you are fishing. Anything from an ultra-light spin outfit with smaller lures for trout, redfin or bass up to a heavy baitcaster with bigger lures for golden perch, Murray cod and even barramundi will do the job. Remember, finer lines get the lure down deeper.

much easier and will get your lure deeper than a lure run on heavier line. For example, a Jackall TN60 fished 30m behind the boat on 20lb braid will swim at 3m-4m, but if you were to use 4lb braid the same distance back your lure would be swimming somewhere around 6m-7m. If you need your lure to swim only a metre or so deeper, you could just add extra weight to the lure with lead tape or copper wire around the trebles. Or if you own enough lipless cranks you could just put a heavier or lighter lipless lure on. With so many different

models and variations on the market, finding one that will troll at the specific depth you want is so much easier. There are now floating models, silent models, plastic and rubber models, and their size and weight varieties are staggering, from tiny 30mm models which weigh only 2g up to 100mm-plus models of 26g or more. With so many weights and sizes to choose from, these days I just change lures to achieve the running depth I require. TECHNIQUES For more strikes from trout, redfin and Murray

cod I slowly to moderately draw the rod forward 50cm80cm almost constantly. A stop-start technique with your boat motor will also do the job, as long as that lure is rising and falling in the water column. I also employ the stopstart technique when I have trolled over a big bottomhugging fish several times without a strike. I stop the boat long enough to get the lure all the way to the bottom and in the fish’s face, then resume trolling and using the lift-and-draw technique. Most of the strikes occur as the lure rises back

This thumping 652mm Blowering Dam golden perch hit a slowtrolled lipless in the shallows in the background. up off the bottom as though it’s trying to flee. When trolling for golden perch and bass, I’ve found the best results come by letting the lure do a slow, steady wobble rather than a rising and falling pattern. It is important to keep a close eye on your sounder so you know exactly what

Murray cod regularly hit trolled lipless cranks, especially on a stop-start or slow dragging technique.

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depth you’re in at all times. More importantly, you can see exactly what depth the fish are holding at. Colour selection varies from day to day and dam to dam, so experiment with colours until you find what works best on the day. In general, natural colours with white, gold and silver or black, red and purple are the

more consistent fish-takers. There is an ever-growing range of new lipless lures, yet there is a whole host of fishos who have not yet realised their potential as freshwater trolling tools. Don’t miss out! And I wonder how some of the new highly-tuned metal blades would go on the troll?

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Jump into January’s treats THE TWEED

David Solano

Just thinking about fishing the Tweed River in January gives me goosebumps! It is one of the best months of the year to fish the river, particularly this year as we haven’t had massive amounts of rain. Although we did get some cracker storms through November and December and that really livened things up. The bait in the river is awesome to see, there’s big mullet, prawns of all sizes, poddy mullets, everything that a marauding GT could want. And where would you catch a GT on the Tweed you ask? Well, just about anywhere, using a simple slug lure or popper and some heavy-duty gear. When I say anywhere I

As the river in the middle of the day is pretty packed it can be hard to find a place to fish from the banks, so the best time to go out is night or very early morning. It was during the night I caught my PB 10kg GT and a PB 7kg tailor at the Jack Evans Boat Harbour next to Twin Towns. It has two entrances to the river with pylons positioned in a way that they make a perfect casting platform. I was casting the slug as far as I could then ripping it back across the water – when these GT hit a lure on the surface it really gets the adrenalin going. You’d better be quick as they move fast. The good news is they often come through the harbour in massive numbers. One night my mate Richard Creighton said to me, “Can you hear that?” I could hear something but I had no

THE AUTHOR I’d like to introduce myself, my name is David Solano and I’m a local Tweed fisho. I live on the water and spend a lot of time chasing all the various fish the Tweed River has to offer. I’m going to share with you my tips, hot spots and always a good yarn as this place goes off.

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idea what I was listening to. Then I saw it – a massive school of trevs smashing bait and heading straight for us. I’ve never seen anything like it, a luminescent blue/silver glow changing constantly, charging, stopping then switching directions, what a sight! We were standing on rocks right next to the water when they came straight at us, bait fish started jumping out of the water and landing on our feet, both our lures got smashed first casts on the drop. We caught a few each in quick succession then the fish moved on chasing the fleeing bait. All this while listening to a concert at the Roxy Pro over the hill – a pretty good fishing spot Another great and challenging place to catch trevs and jacks is the oyster leases in Terranora Broadwater near Seagulls. The fish love this place, maybe because they feel safe in amongst the narky, snaggy

The Tweed can offer a variety of species this month, such as this great looking bass. leases. I suggest you up your leader to at least 15lb, I use 25lb as I’ve been smoked so many times there. To extract a fish out of the racks, you’ve got to be quick and ruthless and that heavy leader allows it. I don’t use a slug, but a popper instead as this allows you at high tide to cast over the leases without snagging up. As I said, be ready to strike quick because it all happens in the blink of an eye. I often see boats on the outside of the racks casting into them from the safety of the deeper water, but to fish them properly you’ve got to get in amongst them. My yak and Richard’s boat both have quite a few scratches from the racks. We’ve caught so many fish there from trevs to bream

and once I ran into a school of jacks, but that’s another story, an expensive one. I can remember hooking up to a nice dish size GT right in the middle of the racks and I only had 8lb leader on. The fish proceeded to go screaming straight up the tram lines out into deeper water where I landed him, he could’ve done me any which way, but didn’t. To get to the leases be careful, as the Tweed is pretty shallow in some areas down that way, lift your motor up a little and take it slow. With predictions of warmer weather the big fish will start to show up around Barneys Point, which is another good spot. This time last year a local fisho caught a 19kg GT under the bridge, he reckoned it put up a good fight!

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Early rise catches the fish ILUKA

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Summer is in full swing now and hopefully it won’t be as wet as the last couple. The crowds will be out in force and the traffic everywhere on the beach, river and outside. If you want to get a bit of quiet time, early starts are essential. Get up in the dark and be at the spot you want to fish as the first rays of the sun come

over the horizon. This is key if you want to have quiet at this busy time of year. Late afternoons are also a good time, as everyone heads back to the campfire for a few cold ones to end the day, you can often sneak a fish in by yourself if you’re lucky. Another hint to help everyone get along at this stressful time of year is a bit of etiquette. I know it gets crowded but you don’t need to pull up 2m from someone and start fishing. Give everyone a bit of space and it will make

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There have been plenty of school mulloway caught off the rocks on plastics. it a lot easier for everyone to get along. On the beach there should be plenty of light action with dart, whiting, tarwhine and flatties, which is the norm at this time of year. A gun bait for dart and tarwhine will be pipis, but worms will do a lot better for the whiting. The Z-Man have been dynamite on the flatties, but if you want to throw some bait around then use anchovies or whitebait. While we are on the subject of the beach, just because you have a 4WD doesn’t mean you can drive it anywhere. If you haven’t driven on a beach before it is best to have a go with a more experienced mate that can give you a hand if you get in over you head. Generally 1-2 hours around the high is all right to hit the beach. Off the rocks there should be some school mulloway around on plastics. However, if you want to chase some decent-sized specimens local lure maker Steve Patti of Croaker Lures Jewie Jewel has been doing very well on the local population of late. The Jewie Jewel is a great quality, locally made product. There have also have been a few nice trevally around hitting surface lures. The standout lure is the Money Works 140 stick bait in colour galaxy; it has a great erratic darting action and has accounted for fish up to 6kg. Up river there should be a few of those mighty Clarence bruising bass hitting the surface in the low light period of the day. The last couple of cod trips have seen them also very active on the surface, with the average fish around 65cm. They provide plenty of fun on light gear.

Some of the author’s favourite colours in the Croaker Lures Jewie Jewels range.

Steve Patti with a decent cod. They have been quite active on the surface.

Phil Tonkin caught this jew-of-a-lifetime at South West Rocks while on holidays. It measured 1.45m and ate a 7” soft plastic lure. And it was released after the pic. Great fish, Phil!

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Fishing in the crazy season COFFS HARBOUR

Stephen Worley worleybirdfilms@hotmail.com

We are smack bang in the middle of crazy season in Coffs Harbour, with a big influx of school

Boambee Headland, Sawtell and Bundagen there is plenty of reef that you can stalk around to find a nice bit to yourself. A lot of boats head that way but there are large tracts of reef, both near shore and out wide, that give you some room to spread

great launches that are close to mackerel and snapperholding reef. If we have the warm current running right into shore, anywhere from the back of the beach to the islands and wide grounds will hold plenty of mackerel. Trolling hardbody lures or

The headlands are offering great fishing for those chasing mulloway on lures. Throwing plastics or hardbodies around the cracks and crevasses is the way Nathan Medland got this mulloway. holiday visitors. It seems to take twice as long to get anywhere by car, and there’s a line-up in the surf, the chip shop and the boat ramps. One of the great things about the Coffs area though, is that there’s plenty of space to spread out and get away from the crowds. If you want to launch your offshore boat without a decent 4WD, unfortunately you will be stuck with the morning line-up to launch in the harbour. Once on the water, however, you have a plethora of top marks to go to and hopefully get away from the pack. The Islands always fish well but they’re often the first place people go. Heading south towards

out. Inshore around Sawtell and Bundagen are always good for mackerel and snapper at this time of year. Another option you can take is to reference a map for general reef areas and just go hunting for your own marks on the sounder. Remember to take a Solitary Islands Marine Park map with you to ensure you’re fishing in permitted areas. For $2.99 you can buy the Marine Park app for your phone. It’s well worth it when it could save hundreds of dollars in fines. If you have a 4WD and you’re happy to launch off the beach (I would only suggest this to those with experience), there are a few other options. Sawtell, Woolgoolga and Arrawarra Headland can be

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live baits is a great way to cover ground if you have no ‘favourite mark’ that you wish to sit on. If you do find a likely-looking drop-off or pinnacle that’s holding bait, it may be worth anchoring and drifting live baits out the back while flicking a plastic or dropping a bait down to the reef. Cobia will also be on the cards this month, along with longtail tuna as long as the East Australian Current is running well. Mahi mahi (dolphinfish) can be found around the FAD, fish traps or any other floating objects in the warm current. Trolling lures past these sites can be irresistible to dollies of any size, but a live bait is almost guaranteed to tempt one of these fish if it’s nearby.

A big live bait drifted around the islands will be very tempting for any of the larger predators, including mackerel, kingfish, cobia, wahoo and marlin. If you’re stuck on land, or you just prefer to keep your feet firmly on it, there are plenty of options other than Muttonbird Island and the break walls around the harbour. Almost every headland north of Coffs Harbour has fishable platforms where mulloway, tailor, snapper, kingfish and other pelagics are all within reach. Most of the better headlands sit to the north of Coffs Harbour, with many headlands south of Sawtell being mostly shallow and sandy. For the family there are plenty of estuaries out of town that offer great fishing from the bank, kayak or boat. Large flathead will be very active in all the estuaries from the mouths to the upper reaches. Whiting have been all over the flats and are the perfect target of some estuary surface fishing. They have been hitting poppers well throughout spring and summer so far. Schools of small trevally will be harassing baitfish low down in the estuaries, but upstream there should be some good size GTs and mangrove jack stalking the snags. The upper catchments are the best option to find

For the family all you need is a float, small hook and some bread and it’s smiles all round. With a little sand and bread berley, it’s possible to get bream, mullet, garfish, herring and even luderick. some bass away from the crowd. Look at Google Earth and maybe having a casual chat to a local landholder if you want to get onto a waterway that’s not heavily pressured. All the eastern flowing creeks hold good bass so it’s a matter of finding the best looking creek you can get access to. Obviously the more accessible the creek, the more likely you’ll be fishing with someone else – or at least fishing water that someone’s fished in

very recent history. Surface lures are aworking well with the cicadas in full song. Medium diving minnows and spinnerbaits in deeper sections will also work well on the big fish. With so many people around – in, under and on top of the water – please make sure you play safely and consider others around you. Everyone’s here to enjoy the same thing, the great outdoor offerings of the Coffs Coast. Have a great month.

There are 100s of kilometres of bass water in the Coffs Harbour region. Here’s Tom Gwalter in just one of those creeks with a healthy bass caught from his kayak.

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Spearfish surprise COFFS GAME

Glen Booth

And still the weather continues to mess with our heads! One of these days I’ll write a column that doesn’t contain a single whinge about the wind, but don’t hold your breath

waiting for it. The ‘6 days of wind, 1 day of calm’ cycle continues to dog the Coffs coast, making it hard to get out for a marlin fish — especially when the weekend rolls around, as that’s when the breeze seems to be at its malicious worst. The Coffs Harbour Game

Fishing Club’s Hot Currents tournament was held back in November and it copped 3 and a half days of fresh to frightening conditions. It was a shame, as there were certainly nice fish to be had. Just half a day of good weather made it tough on the competitors, especially those fishing from smaller

The champion team aboard Out of Radius with the second of their spearfish from a double hook-up.

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boats. Monday afternoon’s thunderstorm was an absolute cracker, reminiscent of the Deadliest Catch conditions that competitors faced on the first day last year, but fortunately without any associated wind. Still, you couldn’t complain about the quality of the fish, with most of the warm water species in attendance. There was an incredibly stocky 211kg blue weighed, yellowfin to 48kg, mahi mahi to a shade over 24kg, and an Australian record 16kg wahoo caught on 8kg line by junior angler Kaysie Fancett. The ultimate champion tag and release boat Out of Radius snared a double hook-up on spearfish. These highly prized mini billfish are rare enough at the best of times, with many experienced anglers never having caught one, so to pull off a double header is quite a gamefishing achievement. A blue successfully tagged after a short fight on 15kg tackle rounded out a great comp for them. Hot on their heels was Solitary Islands Game Fishing Club boat Better Than Vegas. A 60kg black, a 140kg blue, and a pair of solid yellowfin all tagged accumulated a mass of points, and they also weighed one tuna of 44kg. Since then, the blue

SOUTH WEST ROCKS

marlin fishing has been steady, steady. The water has been patchy at times, and then at its brilliant best. This is very much the result of what the current is doing, and for a few days there it had stopped flowing altogether. The best fish to date was

wave recorder buoy should start producing at any time now — we just need the bluer water to push inshore a bit. Aside from Better Than Vegas’ somewhat lost black, the little ’uns are yet to put in an appearance, but reports from the Gold Coast and

Healthy numbers of mahi mahi have been filling in time between blue marlin bites, and it always helps to have fillets on hand to buy brownie points with. estimated at around about 230kg, which is certainly nothing to be sneezed at. After a couple of years’ absence, there’s been an encouraging mix of by-catch in the form of sizeable mahi mahi. These fish take the sting out of missing out on the billfish front, and if you can return home with some prime fillets, it certainly assists in accumulating domestic credits for when the weather eventually does settle down. The FAD and the

ports further north will soon tell us when to prepare for the onslaught. Little blacks inshore or blues out wide — what a pleasant dilemma to be faced with over the coming months! The good thing about the former is that you can still chase them when the seas are up, but this summer is going to be one of light and variable winds, blue water and epic bites, because you just know I’ve been good all year — haven’t I, Santa?

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Reefs still producing the goods

ROCKS

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Brent Kirk

Marine

kempsey@compleatangler.com.au

The Macleay River has sprung to life after months of no rain and crystal clear conditions, thanks to a series of afternoon summer storms bringing a high volume of rain to the catchment and a much needed flush through the system. Anglers chasing mulloway were the first to benefit, with good numbers being caught including plenty of fish up to 10kg. There has been an abundance of pike in the river and back creek. These have by far been the best bait for the bigger fish. Failing this, 5-7” paddle-tail and jerkshad soft plastics have taken a close second. Decent-sized fish have been caught throughout the lower Macleay, from Belmore River through to the mouth of the river. Large flathead have been lurking in the same haunts and falling for the same baits, as well as

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ROCKS MARINE BAIT & TACKLE The deeper reefs are still producing, with snapper taking both baits and plastics. specimens up to 16kg. Most fish have been concentrated in the first few kilometres of the river. However, some have been showing up in some unexpected areas way upstream. In mid-November the Macleay River hit its lowest level in 20 years. Recent rain activity has allowed the river to rise about a foot and has

Bellbrook. Bullshark numbers are very high in the river at the moment so it is important to be aware when handling fish boat-side. These sharks are in most holes in the river, and they’re ready to snatch your fish or your fingers if you are not careful! REEF AND BLUEWATER Reef fishing is still productive on the deeper

There have been good catches of pearl perch in recent weeks. live herring and mullet strips. Another welcome visitor to the river has been schools of large kingfish, with

allowed the bass migration upstream to proceed. This has resulted in good catches of bass all the way through to

reefs with good catches of large pearl perch and snapper as well as plenty of marauding kingfish. Small

knife jigs and octo-style jigs are proving to be the best methods. To date, mackerel catches have been low but this fishery will be firing any day now. It will not be hard to know when they are on. Simply head north to the grounds off Grassy Head and if you are confronted by a massive crowd of boats, the mackerel are on! At this time, with so many boats in one area, it is important to show respect to the boats around you. There will be plenty of fish to go around. If you set yourself up with a good berley trail the fish will come to you. Slow trolling live baits around the very outskirts of the groups of boats and their berley trails is also a very successful method of catching mackerel. Cobia and black marlin will also be thrown into this mix from now through to Easter. These fish will be found from Grassy through to Hat Head in good numbers and in close proximity to the shore. The grounds located out from Trial Bay Gaol are usually a good place to start, with trolled lures and live slimy mackerel being the best methods of capture. It is worth having an outfit rigged with wire, as Spanish mackerel also frequent these grounds at this time of year.

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New fishy resolutions PORT MACQUARIE

David Poulton pmbc@drsm.com.au

Last year my New Year’s fishing resolution was to do more bass fishing. What was yours? Did you fulfil

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it? I know I did, and I even revived my love of fishing with a baitcaster. That leads me to consider what fishing resolution I should make this year. Should it be to update some fishing gear, or purchase more spinnerbaits? One thing’s for sure is I’ll be working on developing my fishing in all areas from terminal tackle to hardware and locations to fish. This month I’d like to look at different locations or types of structures you could target on the Hastings, Maria and Camden Haven rivers. The first thing to consider is what your target species is and how are you going to fish. At this time of year estuary anglers are

Craig Ainsworth with a lovely Maria River bass that couldn’t resist a Damiki spinnerbait. land-based anglers as they can drift a live bait or slab bait along the coal wall and easily walk along with the bait, keeping it close to the

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thinking primarily about two species: flathead and bream. Two species, two new types of locations for fishing bait and lures. FLATHEAD This month flathead are cruising most of our estuarine systems, from brackish water to sitting on the coal walls at the mouth of the river. They aren’t too hard a target on lures as well as bait. A spot to consider for land-based anglers using bait on the Camden Haven River is the small coal wall on the Dunbogan side of the river. This is a great bank for

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bottom and moving naturally with the tide. Flathead are ambush predators and will sit along most coal walls and wait for a well presented bait. If you’re looking for a new lure place, the shallows in the Maria River can be an excellent place to present soft plastics and diving minnow hardbody lures. An area to try is the flat bays just past the row of houses up the Maria River at The Hatch. These shallow water bays fish really well on the last of the run-in and the start of the run-out. Because they have good, sandy bottoms with small channels and weed beds, they’re an excellent place for flathead to chase mullet, garfish and smaller baitfish. Random casts will catch fish, but I like to approach areas like these methodically and plan to fish an area with water movement and cover the area with casts in close proximity to cover as much water as possible. At this time of year flathead love moving into shallow waters, and other spots on the Hastings River and Camden Haven will work just as well, especially Watson Taylors Lake and Gogleys Lagoon. BREAM This month is a great opportunity to catch some

quality bream, and bait fishing is an excellent way of doing it. At this time of year bream can be found throughout our system, and they have a lot of summer haunts upriver. A top spot to consider for the land-based angler this month will be some of the spots along the Hastings River in Wauchope. Rocks Ferry Reserve is a great starting point. An early morning session or an evening session will see some good bream fooled. An essential tip for catching bream in this location, and other locations around Wauchope, is no sinker or as small as you possibly can fish. Prawns and whitebait are the best baits to use. If you’ve got access to a boat, a top location to consider this month will be Limeburners Creek off the Hastings River. This great little waterway has some excellent flats in its upper reaches and, with some mixed in abandoned leases, is a great place to surface fish for summer bream. Top lures to use are fizzers, pencils and small profile poppers. Long casts over the flats in search of fish is the key. Once you find a pattern, target that area vigorously. Other flats areas

OFFSHORE Offshore action this month will be excellent, with kingfish, teraglin, snapper and mahi mahi (dolphinfish) key target species. Some big snapper have been taken on the inshore reefs, and hopefully that will continue this month. The reefs off Nobbys are a good place to start, with squid and soft plastics the primary baits to getting some good reds. Mahi mahi and kingfish will be lurking around the FAD, and well-presented lures will do well. Still, the invested time in caching some live baits on the bait ground north of the Hastings Bar will prove very beneficial, and possibly irresistible to some fish. BASS The bass are pushing upriver, and top spots this month will be around Ellenborough and Longflat. Canoe or kayak are the best options, with early morning or late afternoon sessions being the optimum times. Surface lures will work well but it’s always good to have a variety of lures on hand. Spinnerbaits and blades have proven to be good lures in recent months. So what is your New Year fishing resolution? No matter what it is, the fact that

The author fulfilling his New Year’s fishing resolution. These bass came from the Wilson River at Telegraph Point. in the Hastings River at the mouth of the Maria River and Queens Lake on the Camden Haven River will also be excellent places to surface lure for summer bream.

you’re reading this magazine means you love fishing, and it’s time to get out and enjoy the varied summer fishing we have on offer in the Hastings Region.

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Go early to find the summer fish FORSTER

David Seaman dseamo@bigpond.com

The summer season on the Mid North Coast is as close to perfect as you can get. The early morning sunrise and the warming, clear water of the lake and estuary

encourage fish activity throughout the system. The bait schools get pushed inshore by the north-easterly winds and with them come the predators like kingfish, cobia tuna and marlin. The beaches also spark up with school jew, whiting, bream and dart while the surf fringes and rock washes

Big bream like this 1.2kg model are making their way up into the river snags, just waiting for an expensive surface lure to land close to them.

protect schools of tailor and bonito. It’s definitely a good time to be an angler in and around Forster and Tuncurry. In spite of the growth in the holiday population there are always options to escape the crowd and enjoy a peaceful, undisturbed fishing session. The best way to avoid the crowds of people and jet skis is to start early and be off the water by 10am or so. Alternatively, you could just head further afield in the lake and rivers to escape. The upper reaches of the Wallamba, Coolongolook and Wallingat rivers will produce heaps of pan-sized flathead, along with bream that have pushed up the rivers to take advantage of the growing prawns. THE LAKE Through summer the lake will provide as many fishing options as it possibly can. Everything from garfish, mullet and leatherjackets to bream, flathead and stud whiting are on offer, and it is just a matter of gearing up and taking advantage of it. Bread berley, from an anchored boat over a shallow weeded area will soon have gar, mullet and bream busting through the surface. The garfish and mullet make ideal whole or cut bait for jew, tailor, bonito and

bream so it is worth the effort to collect some for future use. CRABS AND PRAWNS Reports suggest that the mud crabs have been fairly active in the rivers and around the Forster Keys/ Pipers Bay areas while the blue swimmers in the lake are a little spasmodic. The weedy edges from The Step to Pipers Bay have produced, as has the area west of Yahoo Island. Remember that there is a location restriction on crab traps and witches hats and they cannot be set bridge side of a line from Hell’s Gate to the Tuncurry boat ramp. Prawning in the channels and around the bridge on the dark of the moon has been brilliant. Large king prawns as well as the channel prawns have been in enough numbers to satisfy most anglers, and there’s the added bonus of blue swimmers and squid to make the late nights/early mornings well worthwhile. Breckenridge channel is by far the most popular spot to dip a net, though there are plenty of other locations that will produce. My hint is to find the pelicans and you’ll find the best run of prawns. LAND-BASED Reports from the break wall are scarce, with the

There are still flathead up the rivers for those not brave enough to fish the lower lake area for their flatties. The fish are dark and any shallow bend should produce. usual holiday crowd casting all manner of tackle from the walls. Live pike on the slack tide is your best chance of a decent mulloway, while lightly-weighted prawn or yabby baits drifted with the current will produce bream. Yabby baits are also brilliant for casting around the shallow gutters on the beaches over summer, and with light gear you can have a ball on whiting and dart. Some whiting have moved out onto the beaches after spawning and will remain on the sandy strip until late autumn, so take advantage of it. Beachworms are perhaps the best of the baits off the beach, and with the warmer weather they should be very active and

hungry along Seven Mile beach. Beachworms are also available to buy from boat sheds like Blue Peters. OFFSHORE Offshore there should be good schools of bonito turning up and a quick troll will locate them. At this time of year the mahi mahi (dolphinfish) should be around the FAD and the kingfish will be over the heavier reefs from Crowdy Head to Seal Rocks. Some small snapper, trag jew and sand flathead are the mainstay of the bottom bouncers. My pick for the month has to be bream on surface lures up the rivers. It’s away from the crowds and some of the fish are around the 1kg mark and at that size, on the surface, they are hard to go past.

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Holiday fishing the best HARRINGTON-TAREE

Ian Pereira ianpereira@aapt.net.au

Last month I wrote about how unusual the year had been, especially in regard to tailor and their appearance on our beaches. I said that the tailor had left and headed up the coast, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! Recently we had a fishing outing for the club and a couple of decent tailor of 1.5kg and 1.2kg cleaned were weighed.

Quite a few smaller fish of 600-700g cleaned were presented as well. At the time of writing the Manning is full of schools of small tailor about 10cm long. This harks back to the 1960s and ‘70s when the river was full of small tailor up to 30cm long. ESTUARY We have had plenty of rain and strong southwest to southerly winds in recent weeks. While this weather has made fishing difficult, catches have been good in the estuary. Flathead have been on the bite in the lower

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reaches of the river on soft plastics and flesh baits. The best results have come from along the weed beds and near the rocks and shell beds in the river. Luderick have continued to take weed during the day and fresh yabbies at night. School jew (mulloway) moved into the river as the moon rose to full, and some nice fish to 5kg were landed. Some larger fish to 26kg were taken from the end of the sea wall fishing into the mouth of the river with soft plastic lures. Bream continue to bite well from the retaining walls at the mouth of the river at night on yabbies and flesh baits. BEACH AND ROCK The beaches were rather quiet until the tailor turned up again, and with them came the salmon. The salmon come in two sizes – about 1kg and larger fish going 2.5kg. All the salmon are roed up and ready to spawn. A few nice catches of bream have been made from the southern end of Crowdy Beach on worm baits. Fish to 600g are average. The rocks have not yielded many fish, with the drummer being scarce and only a few small groper being landed. OFFSHORE It has been hard work trying to get consistent catches from outside, with some boats scoring a good catch of snapper to 3kg while other boats scoring only a few blue spot flathead and the odd red rock cod. Surface fish have not turned up, and flocks of seagulls and terns have been absent from our skies. THIS MONTH Overall, January is a top month for estuary anglers

Shaun Chapman with a summer mahi mahi. Photo courtesy of Kris Hickson at Harrington. With up to 8000 holidaymakers here over the school holidays, there will be plenty of people on the walls and in boats in the lower parts of

the river. Luderick and flathead will be the most prolific species but bream and school jew will also be on the menu. Around the rocks

blue groper will be the fish to catch on crab baits while a fresh slab of tailor floated along the drains on a bobby cork rig is the way to hook a good jewie. C

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Fields of flatties HUNTER COAST

Gary Earl earlybird13@optusnet.com.au

All signs indicate that our region will have an outstanding start to 2014. We have had a lot of rain in recent times, but don’t let that put you off your fishing outings because a lot can change in a short time. Anyway, some fish love dirty water, and when you are near river mouths and places where

Sometimes all hell can break loose! Tailor, bream, flathead and jewfish all love a bit of dirty water and use it to their advantage, hunting small fish that are fleeing downstream to where the salinity levels are better. Flathead are coming in, and some of them are monsters. I have seen some nice ones at a few local ramps lately. Bream have also featured in catches, and both species have been taken just outside the Hunter River mouth on lures.

A basic, easy-to-make trolley to carry your gear down a large break wall can be handy and let you carry more gear. the tidal flow pushes back the discoloured water, you can enjoy some great fishing.

Flounder, squid and the odd mulloway (jew) have grabbed baits presented to

A nice dusky flathead that ate a live herring drifted across a sand bottom. them on fairly light gear. Mullet strips and prawns have been their undoing. Still in the estuary, the blue swimmer crabs are around, and the numbers are up this year. Some of the big buck [male] crabs are enormous. Please remember to check the sizes and let females go to protect our future stocks. Whiting are moving into their local haunts over the sand flats around the front of the sailing club in Stockton, and all around Kooragang island. Try drifting peeled prawns, pieces of worm or small red Gulp soft lures. I recommend adding a small red bead to all of these; I swear it works well. When you’re targeting whiting, don’t be surprised if a flathead grabs your lure or bait. OFFSHORE There is word out that every reef is covered in teraglin and school jewfish, as well as

nannygai, huge bream and the odd pearl perch. Just watch the weather because we’ve had some nasty seas around here lately. Advise the coastal patrol that you are going out, and log on and off with them. It really gives you peace of mind while you’re out there chasing your favourite fish. Trolling has been fantastic as well. Mahi mahi (dolphinfish), huge bonito, small black marlin and some big blues have grabbed wellpresented skirt and bait layouts. In closer, sand flathead and whiting can be taken behind the surf breaks. Salmon are still with us, so trolling lures out at a safe distance should see the salmon and tailor play ball on light gear, which you can pass to the kids for a bit of fun. BEACHES Fishing the beaches has been like getting stuck in a

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wind tunnel so I haven’t heard a lot, other than the odd report of tailor and whiting being around. Still, conditions can change overnight! One thing I have heard is that some of the tracks leading onto Stockton beach have been severely chewed up by trucks going through in the wettest conditions, so be careful. Still, it’s not all bad; when

seas pound in they create new channels and gutters for us to fish in, and bream love the rough water. If you do venture in and it’s rough with a cloudy sky, expect some big bream. With all the kids enjoying their school holidays, please be careful driving and keep a lifejacket on your kids if you go boating. Happy fishing.

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Big Broughton Island snapper PORT STEPHENS

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With the New Year upon us the fishing is certainly hotting up with mahi mahi and marlin offshore, and some quality flathead and whiting in the estuaries. What more could you ask for? The warmer currents are starting to push their way down now so we should start to see a run of tropical species such as cobia and mackerel. OFFSHORE There are some great shallow water snapper being caught up around Broughton Island, with the popular spots being Cod Rock and the Sisters. Fish low-light periods with very

A good haul of prawns. Unweighted peeled prawns are irresistible to drummer. lightly weighted baits, and don’t forget to berley. The trag are still around the reefs. The 21 and V get pretty heavily fished but can produce a good bag of

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trag at night. Live yakkas will also give you a good chance of a jew. Daniel thrift caught his first 20lb snapper at Broughton recently on a 5” Gulp Jerkshad on a very light set-up with only 15lb line. He uses a fighting technique called ‘softly softly’, which is basically backing the drag right off to let the fish think it is in control. This makes it more likely that the fish

won’t wrap you around any structure. The gamefishing is starting to really heat up, with some mahi mahi starting to show in numbers, and reports of marlin out wide. Out at the shelf the water temperature is 23 degrees in patches so hopefully we should be in for a good season. A few drummer are showing up in the white water around Little Island. Chuck an unweighted peeled prawn into the white water for some light tackle fun. ROCKS The pelagics are starting to turn up now, and most headlands are producing good catches of kings and bonito. Metal lures or Halco poppers are great, and a live yakka under a balloon is a reliable way to connect to a king or an early season longtail tuna. Live squid are the best bait, if you can get them. BEACH If it’s whiting you’re after, the beaches are the

Some quality snapper are being caught around Broughton Island. This one scoffed a 5” Gulp Jerkshad. place to be. There are plenty of good-sized fish taking live or fresh beachworms. I

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heard of a 45cm fish which was falsely called for a small mulloway until it was washed onto the beach. Fingal, Box and Stockton are all producing fish, and I recommend concentrating about an hour before and after high tide. A bit of red tube on the line can greatly increase catch rates. BAY There is plenty of kingfish action around the break wall, with loads of rats and the odd 10kg hoodlum. As the water warms it should only get better. There are also some very nice snapper turning up around the break wall, and to catch them you’ll want to use large baits and sort your way through the millions of pickers. The blue swimmers are starting to show up now too so it is well worth chucking out a few witches hats while you fish. Just keep a close eye on them, as I have heard a few reports of stolen traps.

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Top time for topwater CENTRAL COAST

Glenn Ellis-Helmers

With the new year comes new angling opportunities and it’s a good time to set some new goals as well. This year it could be to increase the size of your personal best bream or flathead. Or maybe your very first marlin or jewfish could be something to strive for.

time of year to catch most species that you are likely to come by here on the Central Coast. Bream are one of my favourite fish to chase, and luckily we have some excellent bream fishing opportunities this month. For topwater lure casting it doesn’t get much better than mid to late summer around our lakes and Brisbane Waters. With some good rains towards the end of

While they are not big there should be no shortage of flathead around the lakes to keep holiday makers entertained this month. Fortunately, this month and the following few months are about the best

last year the local prawns are abundant and this sets up everything nicely for

a morning or afternoon throwing around your favourite topwater lures. Some good bream are still caught on bait these days as well, and that’s the way a lot of people still prefer to chase them. Many big bream are caught in our waters on baits, especially at night. At this time of year it’s much easier to put in the hours after sunset than it is through winter. Try soaking good quality bait like fresh or live prawns or freshly pumped nippers at places like the rocky points around the lakes or the oyster leases around Brisbane Waters. Many people also do well on the bream at The Entrance at night. The whiting and flathead will continue to come easily for those who put in some time with first class baits or lures. The same applies to jewfish in some parts of Brisbane Waters or Lake Macquarie. The Rip Bridge, Paddys Channel and Woy Woy are some places to start if you want to catch jewfish. PELAGICS As is the case elsewhere along NSW, a lot of anglers will now be dusting off their large lever-drag reels and servicing their

A nice silver trevally caught by the author recently. big eggbeaters, ready for the pelagic run. For some anglers that means heading out wide for striped or black marlin, and for others it could mean slow trolling live yakkas or squid around our bommies and headlands for kingfish. Other fishers who get a buzz from light tackle may be quite happy just to spin for bonito. The main thing is that it’s all starting to happen, and now it’s just a matter of making yourself aware of where the warmest ocean currents are and trying to score a free day to get out there. Those without a boat can still get stuck into these pelagic fish from the rocks,

but we don’t see too many marlin swim right in close on the Central Coast so our targets are mainly kingfish and bonito. Still, you never know for sure and each season is different, so it’s well worth being prepared for marlin to come right into the rocks or even tuna like longtails or yellowfin. It can and does happen sometimes. There’s also a chance that you’ll hook up to a big king off the rocks at places like Wybung Head, Terrigal or Avoca. Beach fishing is another rewarding form of fishing in the middle of summer. There can be nothing more relaxing than having a bait out for

whiting, and a great thing about fishing for whiting at the beach is you don’t have to be there super early to catch them. It’s mainly about using the right bait such as beachworms, bloodworms or pipis, and fishing during a rising tide. The only negative aspect of beach fishing right now though is the chance of being stung by a bluebottle. They can be very nasty. So we have a lot of different options this month. Take care because there are many more people around the water through the holidays and things may get a little busy at boat ramps or some of our more wellknown fishing hotspots.

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leading into summer and cold temps in the low 20s, and terrible bushfires with raging high temps. The poor fisherman can be forgiven for wondering just what’s going on! Well the good news is that the fish don’t seem to be too bothered by it. Water temperatures are very good, with temps in the mid-20s all around the place, and the fishing is even hotter. Whichever fishing spot you’re able to get to, odds are you will come across a good feed or two along your way. THE LAKE The Lake has been fishing extremely well of late. Some good kingfish have returned to lake this year, which is something many keen local anglers have been looking forward to. There is no one method doing the damage. Some anglers are having success with poppers and other lures while the bait fishers are doing well on live squid and other live baits. The Swansea Bridge, the drop over, coal point and

Dom Perrone with a decent Lake Mac mulloway that couldn’t resist his soft plastic smeared in the new UV Dizzy Scent. battle with these brutes. The Lake is fishing well for a variety of species at the moment. Bream and whiting are firing on the flats, and the sand islands are hotspots in summer. Due to the increased boat traffic, early morning or late afternoon sessions are generally more productive, and if you want real success on the flats you’ll find that a little bit of wind is a plus. The fish are far less spooky in those conditions. If you’re using bait, anchor on the edge of the flats

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Young Ava showing her dad how to catch a lovely Lake Mac flathead. Her smile says it all. Wangi all hold kings at this time of year, and all are worth some effort. If you are serious about catch a Lake Mac king, you need to ensure your tackle is up to the challenge. That means new leaders, good knots and solid tackle capable of doing

and set a good berley trail to lure them out. Ensure your baits are as lightly weighted as possible for the conditions, and use fluorocarbon leaders in this clear water. Lure fishers are doing well throwing a variety of topwater lures such as poppers

and walk-the-dog stickbaits. Shallow diving hardbody lures are also proving to be very productive. The Lake continues to impress me with the number and quality of jewfish (mulloway) that come from our waterway these days. This year has been a ripper of a season with loads of jews in that 6-8kg range, and quite a few in the 8-12kg range as well. Lures are very productive, and soft plastics around 4-5” are fishing well. The top end of the lake has been providing fishers with regular catches of quality jews and we continue to see time and time again that you don’t need to soak a livebait all night if you want to connect to a silver slab of Lake Mac jew. I have been landing my jewfish in the middle of the day in sunny weather on lures, which sure makes fishing more pleasant than doing an all-nighter. The key to increasing your chances of hooking a jew is to locate the bait. Some anglers really do underestimate the importance of a quality fishfinder; a good sounder really can make the difference between a successful trip and a blank scorecard. It’s critical to know whether the bait is there, otherwise you’ll generally be wasting your time. Find the bait schools such as tailor and you can bet there will be a jewfish not too far away. The flathead fishing has been steady. I personally prefer the cooler months for chasing flathead in the deeper water, but during these warmer months there are plenty on offer from

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the shallower 0.5-4m areas. Boat moorings, drops-offs and bays such as Belmont Bay are all producing. Half pilchards and mullet strips are doing well for the bait anglers and soft plastics are producing their share. My favourite at the moment is the 5” Damiki in white. OFFSHORE Offshore fishing is kicking into gear. Bait balls are on the rise and the pelagics just can’t resist them. Everything from Mahimahi through to marlin will now be on offer offshore. Mahi mahi from the fisheries FADS are generally smaller than those located out wider however in a good year you should see some nice fish on them and those who soak a live yakka out there will see the better fish. Cut pilchards are also productive but generally the smaller fish will hit these offerings. Marlin can be encounter by slow trolling a live Slimy around these bait balls when located or you can pull a spread of quality skirted game lures to locate some action. Those anglers after a feed offshore have plenty on offer as well. Great kingfish action with plenty of rats for hours of fun and plenty of quality fish as well for those putting in the effort. Jigging the reefs is particularly effective as is dropping live bait down deep at the offshore and inshore reefs. Working the washes is also productive at this time of year and will be for a few months still. Generally smaller fish but still legal fish in the mix.

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An abundance of activity THE HAWKSBURY

Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au

This month usually sees an abundance of pelagic activity in the lower

reaches around broken bay, Cowan and Pittwater. Frigate mackerel, mac tuna, salmon, tailor and kingfish will be actively feeding in the warm waters that lick the east coast. Throw in the odd

The yellowtail kingfish will be on many anglers’ wish lists this season. You will need quality tackle and a tank full of live baits to be in the game with these powerful pelagics.

northern visitor in the form of spotted mackerel and cobia, and a day of live baiting and lure casting can be a real lucky dip. Live yakkas and slimy mackerel are prime baits for flatlining, downrigging or setting up at anchor. They are quite easy to catch by simply setting up a fine particle berley trail of bread or chook pellets, and using either a bait jig or a long-shank hook on a handline with a small piece of prawn. If the live bait is tricky or hard to locate, lures are your next best option for finding some summertime speedsters. Diving birds will lead you to the action, where small metal slices and slim soft

Keeping it up top, the surface fishing on the flats will be heating up as well. Pittwater, Cowan and Berowra all have productive sand and weed flats for luring bream, whiting and the odd flathead. Small poppers and walk-the-dog stickbaits are proven fish takers, and the choice on the tackle shop walls are endless. Try to keep your offering as small a practical to be able to cast a reasonable distance to these flighty fish. All colours will have their day, but I find the clear/ translucent colour schemes to be the most consistent. If the surface bite isn’t happening, a slow-rolled shallow crankbait can get you back into the action. Another alternative is a

David recently lured this 36cm bream from a rock wall near Spencer on a Z-Man 2.5” Grub. some huge mulloway on the full and new moon phases this month. Don’t forget the bug spray though

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very lightly weighted soft plastic that imitates a prawn or yabby, slowly twitched across the bottom. Keep your approach as stealthy as possible and avoid any unnecessary loud noises. Mooring the boat up and wading is a common tactic for a stealthy approach. The main river has been fishing reasonably well from the rail bridges to Wisemans ferry, with plenty of reports of quality eating-sized flathead and the odd bream and school jew falling for both bait and lures. Focus your efforts around the prime times of dawn and dusk when the sun is low in the sky and boat traffic is at a minimum. It can get quite busy on the Hawkesbury, with most ski parks and boat ramps loaded with holidaymakers in the upper reaches near Wisemans ferry. Alternatively, a night-time session in the lower reaches can prove rewarding for those targeting the elusive mulloway. Live baits and big fresh cut baits rigged on stout tackle can take

– the mozzies can be a nuisance after dark. The bass had a great opportunity in late November and early December to migrate back to their sweetwater haunts, with several good dumps of rain putting enough water over the shallow rapids for them to negotiate their way upstream. Small surface lures that represent the abundant cicadas can be fished all day in those smaller creeks and streams that have a dense canopy to keep the bright sunshine out. The other standout lure for working the skinny water is a 1/8oz spinnerbait with a single gold Colorado blade. They tend to be quite snag-resistant and can be fished at any depth, making them one of the most versatile lures for this style of fishing.

Stuart Buckley caught his first Aussie bass using a Stiffy Popper on a recent charter in the main river near Windsor. These fish have made their way to the smaller creeks and streams to seek food and shelter during the height of summer.

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Terrific topwater tension SYDNEY NORTH

Darren Thomas

January is my favourite topwater month for both the salt and the fresh out here in Sydney’s north. First and foremost, let’s start with the obvious pelagics in the salt. Tailor and salmon schools are common catches at the moment from the shore and from the boat. Casting into a thrashing school of fish provides

unparalleled fishing action. As the summer winds move in, be sure to pick a wellweighted popper or surface stickbait. It’s likely you’ll be casting into the breeze, and a heavier topwater lure will help punch through the wind. My favourite lures for this style of fishing are Strada Tournament poppers in 80mm and 120mm, and the Rapala X-Rap Walkers and Skitter Pops. When the action hots up or if it is bigger fish you are after, try your tricks on the kings.

They’re not called ‘kings’ for nothing! If at first you don’t succeed… just get hungrier, swap out lures, change your actions, try different speeds and so on. Anywhere there is saltwater in coastal NSW there will be kingfish, including the upper reaches of all estuaries. When choosing your land-based spots, assess whether the terrain will let you land your fish. It’s no good hooking them if you are unable to get them up. My favourite topwater

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lures for these fish include Shimano Orcas, River2Sea Dumbbells, Strada Poppers, Evergreen Amazons and Maria Loadeds. FLATS FISHING If you’re after the kind of fishing that’s a little more relaxed, I recommend that you go and topwater the flats. Venues like Palm Beach, Bayview, Narrabeen Lakes, North Harbour and Clontarf all have superb sand flats to target whiting, bream and even flathead. Before wading in, be sure to get a cast or two from the edge because whiting in particular often frequent super-

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Replacing rear trebles with stingers, like this Ecogear ZX hook, can boost your catch rate on the flats. shallow water. Small poppers and topwalkers (walk-the-dog lures) are well suited to this style of fishing. You’ll need an extra-light graphite rod and fine braid to cast those lightlyweighted lures and get them walking. Super-short leaders up to 20” will help to prevent

can also be a bit iffy, so try sunup and sundown. Although these are popular lures, some tweaking may be required if the fish are shy. I am a big fan of replacing rear small trebles with Ecogear ZX stinger hooks on various models, because they just

seem to hook more fish on the turn. Don’t be surprised if you catch more than the odd flathead while chasing whiting, as flatties are pretty partial to eating anything small that comes too close. Out here on the beaches we have a few creeks in which to chase bass, and the balmy evenings are my favourite time to hit these topwater spots. We also have a freshwater impoundment (Manly Dam). The fish here might not be big, but they are fun on the light gear and certainly don’t mind attacking lures crossing the surface. Finally, one of the most important aspects of surface fishing is the barometer. Most bass fisherman prefer the falling barometer or just slowly rising, so next time you see a weather change coming over, check the barometer and get out there.

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Warm water has arrived at last PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

It’s been a long time coming but the warm water has finally arrived and is crashing into the rivers and coastline. With the warmer water the pelagic species are firing up, and there is some great fishing to be had by those anglers willing to start early and get off the water

before the northeast sea breeze kicks in around lunchtime. Our charters have started as usual, gathering live baits so we can travel along the coast targeting kingfish. Besides the kings, there are a few oddball species starting to show up already. There are bonito still hanging around, but for those of you that love to hear a screaming reel, mac tuna and striped tuna are also taking cast or trolled Shimano Waxwing

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lures as well as bibbed hardbody lures. The areas along the coast to try for pelagic species are dictated by the schools of baitfish. Not every headland has baitfish so it may take a bit of searching before you find a school of panicking slimy mackerel or yellowtail. However, once you’ve found them, you can rest assured the bigger boys won’t be that far away. The areas that have been most successful for us over the last couple of weeks are Long Reef through to Newport Reef. Whale Headland has been a bit of a hit-and-miss affair over the past month, but when the fish have shown up there have been quite a few bigger specimens lurking beneath the schools of baitfish. The best method to target some of the bigger fish is to grab a small slimy mackerel and downrig it underneath the school of baitfish.

quite a bit of activity for those fishing the bottom. For the snapper fishermen, if you start early, anchor and float down baits there are some fish to 5kg to be caught. The areas we’ve tried have varied from charter to charter, but a great depth to start at is 40m. If the action is slow, try moving out to 60-80m and start again. There is a lot of current out wider. Sometimes the strong current has meant that we’ve had to fish the shallower water as it’s no fun to fish with sinkers heavier than 12oz. For those who do persist there are snapper, flathead and nannygai, but with such heavy weight you have to use braid if you want to feel the bite. Pittwater is also firing up. Unfortunately the commercial fishermen are still making it difficult for fish to move into Pittwater, as the pros are still emptying

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Morwong are still being caught in the deeper cooler water when the current allows. The predators haven’t been driving the baitfish to the surface but have been feeding on them down deep in the cooler water. I recommend putting GlowBait on your livebait to make it a stand out target. Wider offshore there is

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the river of baitfish, squid and your bread-andbutter species. So, in short, if you want to fish along Pittwater, be prepared to travel to find baitfish. If the levels of food for the predators aren’t that great, the predators will

Squid like this one are gold! Whack a hook in it, troll and the kingfish won’t be far behind. move on and find better grounds – and so should you. For those who like chasing kingfish along Pittwater, the better areas to try are along the Kingfish Highway, The Supermarket and The Motor at Palm Beach. There are fish to play with as the sun rises at Barrenjoey Headland, and these smaller kingfish want to play with yellowtail or squid strips. These fish normally make an appearance on the surface every 20 minutes or so, and can also be targeted with soft plastics or my favourite, Shimano Waxwings in the silver pattern. Flathead are being caught on the run-out tide at the drop-off at Palm Beach, and drifting up the drop-off using soft plastics has been very productive. On occasions when we have used pilchards or prawns, there have been way too many smaller pickers about, stripping our baits before a flathead has been found. Other areas to try for a flathead are Towlers Bay, The Hill and the drift in front of Portuguese Beach. Broken Bay is starting to fire up as well. The better

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areas to fish have been Flint and Steel, Middle Grounds, Juno Point, Gunya Point and Walkers Point. All of these areas have fish to be caught, ranging from flathead and jewfish through to bream and flathead. To target jewfish, use fresh squid heads or butterflied slimy or yellowtail, and pick the change of the tide for your best chance. If you are going to fish for a jewie or three, remember to scout around an area first to find structure or a drop-off. Make sure that you anchor accurately, and if that means re-setting the anchor a few times – so be it. Accurate anchoring will provide you with the chance to catch jewfish at other times of the tide instead of just on the change of the tide. I hope this article sees you wanting to hit the coast and our wonderful waterways. If you are after some of the above mentioned species, give us a call and let us show you a great day on the water with friends and family. • Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au

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Kiama: Something for everyone. Plus fishing.

Kiama is set on one of Australia’s most beautiful stretches of coastline and is only one and a half hours south of Sydney - just a slight detour off Highway 1. The region is a rich mosaic of historic towns, dairy pastures, rugged sea cliffs and lush green hills that literally meet the sea. There are plenty of activities to entertain visitors of all ages, from alfresco dining at many of the exquisite restaurants, cafes and wineries to some indulgent retail therapy along the village high streets

and quaint terrace shops. Discover the region’s various attractions, including the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk, Kiama’s famous ‘Blowhole’ and the thrills of Jamberoo Action Park. There’s a wide choice of water activities at one of the many beaches, rock pools or rivers, or the chance to simply relax and unwind. And where better to stay than at one of the five award winning Kiama Coast Holiday Parks, situated in Kiama, Gerringong and Gerroa. Fishing enthusiasts

are spoilt, with the choice of estuary, rock and beach fishing, as well as local fishing charters that offer deep sea, light tackle, big game and reef fishing.

tailor, snapper, leatherjackets, sole and flathead Kendall’s on the Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and depending on the

Some great fishing available out from Kiama Harbour. Take in and enjoy the abundant coastal scenery.

There is a great family atmosphere at Surf Beach.

HOLIDAY PARK FISHING GUIDE Kiama Harbour Cabins – Kiama Harbour is a great family fishing spot, with the choice of bream, blackfish and squid, or a choice of fishing charter boats. Kingfish, snapper, drummer, trevally, salmon, tailor and groper can all be caught from the rocks. Surf Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and a wide variety of fish to catch such as salmon, trevally, bream,

time of year, the keen angler can catch flathead, whiting, salmon, bream, blackfish, drummer, kingfish or groper. Werri Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and the ability to catch salmon, trevally, whiting, snapper, flathead, bream, tailor or mulloway. Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park – is located between Seven Mile Beach (offering rock or beach fishing and the chance to catch whiting, bream,

tailor, salmon, flathead and mulloway) and Crooked River which is a popular place for prawns and good sized bream and flathead. The Parks offer some of the best cabins in Australia, with spacious living areas, fully self-contained kitchens, reverse cycle air conditioning, Foxtel, gas log fires, spas, free in-house movies and private verandahs equipped with their own BBQ. Standard cabins, Eco-Safari tents and Surf Shaks are also available, as well as a range of en suited, powered and

unpowered sites for the avid caravanners and campers, together with clean, modern amenities and facilities and the friendliest of staff. If you’ve ever imagined the perfect seaside holiday with the ocean on your doorstep, an abundance of fish to catch, eateries and shops just a short stroll away, discovery and adventure available to entertain the entire family within just a few minutes drive, or the perfect place to just relax, then stop imagining and do yourself a favour and enjoy the wonders of the majestic Kiama Coast.

A month of seasonal variety SYDNEY HARBOUR

Craig McGill craig@fishabouttours.com.au

We are starting to see some quality fish move into the harbour for the start of the season. There’s also plenty of variety, with both bottom and surface fish starting to fire. The salmon are thick, as are the tailor. Kings have started to trickle into the harbour with a few up around the one metre mark. Big flatties are getting more common every year. We are having a cracker trevally run and they are better than average size. We even nailed a lone blue groper that picked up one of our kingie baits. Both the kings and surface fish should be in full swing by now, and if the metreplus fish that the boys have been pulling at Long Reef are anything to go by, you’d better make sure your gear is in top working order. TREVALLY Trevally have traditionally been considered a winter fish but in my experience they are much more prolific and bigger in spring and early summer. They are a great fish to catch and very underrated as a tablefish. Cooked properly (rare) they

are as good as any of the best pelagics, with a similar flavour to their close relatives, kingfish. Raw they are sensational, and in Japan they’re highly regarded as sashimi. Trevs generally like deep, clean water, and can be found well upstream during dry conditions. I’ve seen them caught as far up as Roseville Bridge in middle harbour and Cockatoo Island in the main harbour. The upstream fish are

big, but they are usually on their own and not found in the large schools common on the lower reaches. These big loners are mostly taken as a welcome bycatch by anglers targeting bream. Further down on the lower harbour, the trevally are widespread. They can be found around the channels, headlands, boat moorings and deep holes. At night, dusk and dawn they move into shallower

Cooked properly, trevally taste as good as any of the best pelagics.

regions. Sow and Pigs is a classic dark spot, along with the shallows around Balmoral and Washaway Beach. Unlike most fish, trevs are not fussy about the freshness of your bait. In fact, I’ve found they prefer baits like salted mackerel, day old pilchard fillets and slightly iffy prawns over live nippers or bloodworms. Maybe it’s a symptom of the competitiveness created by living in large schools. To catch trevally, use heaps of berley and fish your baits as lightly weighted as possible. A light 3kg eggbeater outfit works the best as it allows you to fish bail open and allow a natural drift down the trail. Don’t rush hooked fish, as you will be using small hooks (I use no. 4 Penn Baitholders) and trevs have soft mouths. You could tear their mouth if you go nuts. Occasionally you will see trevs feeding on top, at which time you can catch them by flicking small 10g slices or tiny soft plastic stickbaits at them. Sometimes trevally hang around under surface-feeding salmon, and you can pick them off by letting a small chrome slice fall through the salmon and bring it back with a jigging retrieve.

Kingfish are suckers for small, unweighted stickbaits. Keep in mind that we now have a new size limit of 30cm and a bag limit of 20 on trevally. SURFACE FISHING While you can expect some bigger kings down deep, January is also a good time to find the trifecta of salmon, smaller kings and tailor feeding on the surface. You might also find some bonito, but they are less reliable; they’re a ‘boom or bust’ species. Some years there are millions of them, some years they don’t show up at all. If you want to catch the surface kings and salmon consistently you’ll need appropriate gear for the task. This means a light threadline spinning outfit in the 2-4kg range, 2-4kg braid and some tiny, unweighted stickbaits. You’ll soon understand why you need the ultra light casting

gear, but the catch 22 is that some kings will do you on the bottom and the salmon will take forever to land. At least the wide gape hook used with stickbaits will give you a good hold. Cast into the boil and use a flick and pause retrieve. There’s no need for speed with stickbaits. Fortunately the tailor aren’t so fussy and will take bigger cast or trolled lures. The bonus with tailor is that even if they are feeding on tiny bait they don’t get obsessed with it like the kings and salmon do. Tailor will happily take almost anything you throw at them (ditto with bonito), including the trusty old metal slug. • If you are interested in doing a guided fishing trip on Sydney harbour with Craig McGill please call 0412 918 127 or email craig@ fishabout.com.au.

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Chasing summer species? Have a plan ‘B’ in Botany Bay include Towra Point, Silver Beach at Kurnell, the back bay in Yarra Bay, the end of the third runway, and the stretch of beach from the entrance to the Cooks River to the Captain Cook Bridge. You could also try the stretch of water from the Como Bridge to Lugarno in the Georges River. In the Woronora River you could try the area near Bonnet Bay. Port Hacking has a number of bays, and in the back of many of these you’ll usually find a stretch of sand leading to a drop-off to deeper water. These areas are a great place to target flathead at

SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

In January the crowds on the water in Sydney tend to ease off a bit, so it is a great time to get out on the southern waterways of Sydney and target kingfish, bream, flathead, whiting, tailor, Australian salmon, bonito, bass and snapper. It doesn’t matter whether you want to bait fish or chase them with lures, as long as you are well prepared and always have a plan B and maybe even a plan C to fall back on. If I have decided to target kingfish with lures, I always bring a half a kilo of prawns and a small bucket of chicken pellets to berley and catch a few live yellowtail. These hardy live baits can be easily trolled at 3-5 knots. I also have a few squid jigs to hopefully catch a couple which can also be trolled. When t a rg e t i n g kingfish in Botany Bay, I follow a predetermined trolling plan that has start and finish points. I usually start my trolling run at the western side of the second runway, just on the outside of the yellow markers, slowly working my way east to the end

Most of the time I use soft plastics and blades when targeting dusky flathead, but I always bring hardbodies as a backup option. Botany wall and along to Monilex Point, turning left and travelling parallel to the end of Yarra Bay. This location is a great

the bombora and head over to Henry Head. You could then turn around and follow the same route back. If not you could work your way

Trolling for bream with hardbodied lures is my fall-back plan if other approaches don’t work. of the third runway, then I follow a straight line to the entrance to Port Botany. From there I work my way over to the western end of the Port

high tide and right to the bottom of the tide. You could also try working along the main channel from the entrance to Gunnamatta Bay to the sand flats at Lilly Pilly. Another stretch of water in the Port Hacking that is worth a shot is from Greys Point to the Audley weir. BONITO, TAILOR AND SALMON When trolling or casting for bonito, tailor and Australian salmon, I always have a selection of metal lures that range from 20-100g. My back up plan is to use plastics, and to that effect I always carry a few jigheads and minnowstyled soft plastics.

place to anchor and berley up yellowtail and squid. From here I troll the drop-off in Yarra Bay until I come to Bare Island, and I then skirt the outside of

over to the Kurnell side and work the Kurnell Peninsula and over to the end of the Oil Wharf (remember you have to be at least 100m away). From here you

could try circumnavigating the mooring drums and work your way along the eastern channel markers. BREAM During January I like to target bream on bait. I go to main bar in the Port Hacking and pump my limit (100 per person) of pink nippers, take them home and putting them into a fish tank to keep them alive for the next day’s outing. If you don’t have a set up like mine you could always buy a small battery-operated aerator and run it overnight. The following day, replace the water in the bucket with fresh saltwater. If the bream are not readily taking the live nippers (yes, this has happened a few times) I use back-up baits like Hawkesbury River prawns, salted fillets of bonito or slimy mackerel and a few pilchards cut into half or fillet. I also like to bring a big container of berley. FLATHEAD When it comes to targeting flathead in January, I always start with soft plastics and/or blades, but once again I have a plan B. In this case, it’s the ability to get a few live baits. My main live bait for chasing dusky flathead is poddy mullet, and all you need to catch a few is a poddy mullet trap and a loaf of bread. Good flathead locations

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Snare Sydney snapper All the summer species are on the chew now, and there’s no reason to stay home! I often have clients mention to me, “Are the

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conditions flat enough for the outing?” or “The prediction for Saturday is moderate seas”. Don’t worry! All respectable guides have safety in mind when it comes to putting their clients onto fish. We constantly monitor the seas and swell size. If you want to improve your ability as an angler, catch that fish of a lifetime, and learn about fishing safety, go out with a respectable guide. It’s an investment! BREAM Rob Marich, one of my regulars, always looks forward to the summer run of bream off the rocks. They are one of the key species to improving your ability as an angler. They are timid, require searching skills (e.g. which structure to fish at certain stages of the tide), they help

Snapper respond well to a berley trail of pilchard cubes or a mixture of pillies and bread. to search for fish in this area. You’ll get one here, none there, a few at another spot…

Whiting are making a lot of beach fishers happy. you understand the undulated ocean bottom that is critical to successful rock bream fishing, and much more. Rob recently caught a nice bag of bream to 800g from Long Reef. One of the bags was from the south face and on the very next trip from the north face. Be prepared

there are literally dozens of spots that can be fished for bream at Long Reef. The same applies to a lesser extent at south Curl Curl, from the ocean pool to freshwater corner. Try bream fishing along this length of rocks for good bags of fish to roughly the same size. Expect

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the odd tarwhine as well. Further North, fish Barrenjoey Headland and Newport Headland. The ultimate bream bait in my opinion is a pink nipper, and coming in at a close second is a Hawkesbury prawn. Half pilchards will generally get you a swag of fish as well. SNAPPER SALMON AND KINGS Snapper catches are good this month, with reports of fish to 2.2kg. Chris Nessi caught a nice fish of about 1.5kg, with a couple of reddies to 37cm. The salmon seem to be hanging around later than usual, with a showing of bonito to 2kg on live baits meant for a king or on metals like 45-65g Spanyid Snipers. Although the snapper fishing is not as good as the South Coast or near Mid-North Coast, Sydney anglers still manage to get good bags of snapper. Distance casting at Bangalay Head near St Michaels Cave has been producing a couple of fish an outing to 1kg. A cast of at least 75m is required, and you’ll need to take quite a few spare rigs because of the snaggy terrain at most distance casting snapper spots. North Curl and Dee Why can be worse notoriously snaggy. A 90-100m cast is required there.

Put a salted stripy, slimy mackerel or squid head on a 3/0 hook with sinker weights from 3oz to 6oz, depending on the conditions, to ensure you hold bottom. The preferred distance casting rods are 4-5m suitable for 8-12kg line. When it comes to wash outfits, a 3.2-3.8m length suited for 6-8kg line is the most you need. Wash fishing (fishing the white sudsy waters with deep water in front) is often good for a snapper. Light sinkers. 6-8kg line and a nice snapper equates to great fun in this line class. A berley trail of pilchard cubes or a mixture of pilly and bread deployed consistently, not intermittently, is the way to a few snapper. The odd bonito and salmon have been showing up in bags as well. Kings are definitely there for the consistent rock fisher! Spinning Eastern Sea gar, live bait and poppering are all producing good fish. North Whale has its good days. A client recently caught 3 fish from 68-77cm on an independent trip. They were spun up on garfish. Other locations producing are Dobroyd in North Harbour, Bluefish, South Curl Curl and North Whale, although this could change as the month progresses. River2Sea 43g Dumbbell Pop Continued page 43

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The summer run of bream provides lots of fun for rock fishers.

From page 42

200s are accounting for some fish, as well as live bait. BEACHES Off the beaches the whiting are on, with the oft-neglected Whale Beach producing some big whiting to 39cm. The odd big bream to nearly 1kg are a bycatch, and there are salmon and tailor to be caught in the evenings. David Masters had a great session catching his first 3 beachworms and 8 whiting to 40cm. That was his first beach session ever! Another angler fishing Bilgola Beach caught a 7kg jewfish on fresh squid caught in Pittwater. Other good whiting options are North Narrabeen, Collaroy when the kelp is not there, and that also applies with Dee Why. When the seas are up from the South, give Dee Why Corner a go. It can be a very reliable whiting spot. The salmon and chopper tailor are on from Curl Curl and Manly beach. Manly is

a good producer at night for a tailor. These beaches are also producing good catches of whiting. Narrabeen, Curl Curl and Manly. They’re also serving up sand and dusky flathead to 58cm. Ganged pillies, whitebait and plastics are all producing. I recommend you bring a carry bag and a spin outfit with quality 2-4kg braid (I use TD Sensor), and a good prawn imitation like the Zerek Live Cherabin. Take some metals from 25-65g (I use Spanyid Snipers) and you have it covered for a fun-filled outing for flathead and salmon/tailor. There’s a new bag limit of two jewfish and minimum of 70cm, so take the measuring stick and perhaps start upping your hook size to reduce throat and gut hook-up, otherwise a released jewfish may not survive, which would be a shame. Use a wet cloth when handling a fish that you want to release, as it minimises slime loss. You will have to

be prepared to get wet also, because releasing a fish into the sand-churned shore break doesn’t do it much good. I use a 20L bucket of seawater with an aerator to let the fish revive, and then walk out as far as safely possible before releasing the fish. It gives it a much better chance of surviving to fight another day. Finally, during the holiday period we all need to be aware of the people around us. Anglers can be ignorant of hidden dangers, like looking behind you when casting so you don’t get a hook up from a reveller. Swimmers, surfers and kids can be ignorant of anglers, so be courteous and move or cast very accurately to avoid a bad situation. Happy New Year to all. • 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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We’ve been hit with another wild ride into summer this season. There has been too much rain in December again. Although we did need it Sydney, the Bay was dirty for weeks. It was windy from the south, southwest and right around to the northeast – all in one day. This pattern repeated itself quite a few times. However, all of the above will only turn the fishing on in January and into February. Let’s hope the rain will now hold off and the kings will push into the Bay in big numbers, as they have done in seasons past. If you want to catch kingfish just anchor in deeper water around spots like any of the marker poles, Trevally Alley, Watts Reef, Bare Island the Oil Wharf just to name a few. Any spot in 10-20m will put you in with a chance, with small live yellowtail or squid as bait. Just don’t fish too light. I fish 15kg or heaver because most fish hooked love driving to structure to cut you off. You’ll want 10kg and up to give yourself some stopping power. Bream in the summer months are a top species for all anglers, but take the kids out and you will have an absolute ball. Just anchor in 3-5m right in the middle of the Bay on the run-in or run-out tides.

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Deploying a good trail of berley is a great way to attract kingfish. Fish with a ball sinker, long trace and prawns as bait, and remember that the most important thing you need is tidal movement. If you have no run, move and re-anchor you boat. Shore-based anglers will also do well along Brighton over the summer months on bream and whiting. Early mornings and late afternoons always seem to fish better when you’re fishing from the shore. Surface action will heat up for anglers looking for light tackle fun on tailor, salmon and the odd bonito and kingfish.

Your key to this is finding feeding sea birds. Once you’re spotted some birds, start a drift above feeding fish and drift into them, casting small metals like Bumpa-Bar lures or small poppers. It’s great fun. Trevally will be feeding deeper so let your lures sink before working them. I also catch good numbers of flathead under surface-feeding fish, so keep this in mind. Try a plastic along the bottom and you may be surprised. All in all, summer is a top time to be on the water so drag the kids out and spend a day on the Bay.

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JANUARY 2014

Getting down to business ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

January is when we really get down to business; it’s the time we wait for all year. Christmas is nice but now the ocean will give us all the presents we wish for, like those hot water gamefish. The black marlin run can show up at any time from New Years Day on, and the action gets better with each passing week. Australia Day is always

a special if you chase billies, with most of the offshore spots like Bandit, Wollongong Reef, The Trap Reef and beyond all producing fish. It is a bit of a lottery, with black, blue and striped marlin available. Many anglers think marlin are the millionaire’s fish, but nothing could be further from the truth. A 40-60kg black or striped marlin is really a pushover on average gear. All you need is a smooth drag and a bit of patience, and in most years there are plenty around given

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the right conditions. The anglers who get a lot of fish are proficient at targeting marlin but for that once-in-a-lifetime fish that most anglers dream of, it is not out of reach. They pop up in the strangest places; all you have to do is have a livebait out at all times when fishing and the run will come. We caught one last year in 6m of water right in the surf, it was 30kg but great unexpected fun. A few years back we got one of around 80kg in 8m of water, only 100m from the beach. We were looking for other fish but had that livie out just in case. Just about anything will do for livebait, from mados to sweep, but a yellowtail or slimy mackerel is preferred. If you really want a marlin, try the aforementioned reefs and slow troll your mackerel or yellowtail there. The good thing about chasing marlin in these spots is the bycatch. Yellowtail kings are always on the cards and usually good sized ones grab those mackerel and yellowtail marlin baits. Just remember to keep an eye on

the sounder if you are working the bait schools. If you mark a few fish, drop a knife jig down and rip it back, even when you are slow trolling. The kings can’t resist that extra speed and angle. For better results on the kings, try livebaits around the islands, the back of Bellambi Reef, Bass Point and The Humps. Other bycatch on the marlin hunt are mahi mahi (dollies, dolphinfish). The further out you go the more dollies you encounter, but they are in closer too, particularly when the current is running hard from the north. The FADs have already produced a few and it will only get better as the water gets warmer. As always, put out the big livebaits for the big dollies and don’t be too surprised if a marlin grabs it. If you want to use a lot of fuel you could try dragging some plastic about the place, but the results will not be as good. You may also get abused by the guys slow trolling the bait schools if you scare them down with your noise, but there is that bycatch in the

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form of any yellowfin tuna or wahoo that may be about. Most of the ‘fin will be under 30kg, with most just jellybeans. Still, they are fun and go well on the BBQ. Usually the first sign that the wahoo are around is that your expensive lure has been bitten off. A little wire on the next lure will fix that. INSHORE Closer to shore there’s heaps of action from the smaller pelagics, with frigate mackerel and striped tuna working baitfish along the coast. As always there are plenty of salmon, bonito and a few legal kings in the mix. The stripies and frigates can be put to good use as there are some nice snapper

January is a prime time for catching marlin. in close around the reefs and shallow bommies, and more than enough little panners over the inshore reefs to keep you busy. Try 30m of water east of Seacliff Bridge and keep your eye on the sounder. The evenings seem to be fishing the best, with a little bit of berley not going astray. Small whalers and hammerheads can be a bit of a pain in the berley, but they can’t be helped. On the plus side, they fight well and the little ones are alright on the chew. Flathead are back on the menu, with plenty over the sand patches. However, they have thinned out up north around Stanwell Park. Throw in patches of leatherjackets and it can get frustrating for recreational anglers. If you drift onto the reefs there are more samsonfish about at the moment, mixing with mowies and some pigfish as well. There may even be a few trag jew about, as they have made an appearance along the coast. THE ROCKS The rocks from now on are really worth a look, particularly the deeper ledges, as you just don’t know what will swim past next. The point at Cathedral Rocks, Kiama and Marsdens is well worth a look with livebaits for a marlin this month. Anglers do catch more just down the coast on the JB peninsula, but if everything falls into place you only need that one run. Solid kings are patrolling the same ledges. An early morning livebait with squid or a freshly spun-up frigate mackerel just on daylight and you will be unlucky if you don’t get a run from a descent king. If you use smaller live yellowtail, the salmon and bonito will give you a hard time stealing those precious baits. If you like chasing boneys and sambos, chrome lures and ganged pilchards

will get you your share. Just remember: if you are not familiar with the place and the rocks are wet and have barnacles on them, fish somewhere safer. You just can’t take the chance, but sadly I know some holidaymakers will. BEACHES A better spot to fish and great for the whole family is the beach. With a large variety of species and warm water and sand on your toes, it doesn’t get any better than watching the sun come up over the surf on a warm summer morning. Early in the morning and late in the evening is seeing plenty of salmon and some very solid tailor on most beaches with a deep gutter. There are some big tides around early this month so work the top of the tide in the gutters for the salmon, tailor and jewies with freshbait. On the bottom of the tide, work what is left of any deeper gutter with plastics for some flathead and the odd jewie, or use beachworms for the whiting and dart that are increasing in numbers. Throw in a few bream and it is all good on the beaches. THE LAKE For more family fun hit the lake or Minnamurra for plenty of flathead action, they are everywhere and range in size from tiddlers to fish up to 70cm. Don’t forget the Wollongong Sportfishing Club’s annual Family Flathead Classic in January, as there will be heaps of sections and prizes to be won. Down at the entrance and over the eastern sand flats and main channel there are plenty of whiting willing to grab worms or small live prawns. The prawns will run this dark so head out with the kids and get a feed, some fresh bait and have some fun as well. There will be prawns all along the lake foreshore and down at the entrance. Just look for the lights.

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Hitting top gear NOWRA

Greg Reid info@bayandbasinsportsfishing.com.au

Welcome to summer, friends! We’re in top gear on the piscatorial calendar, with everything on the chew from the bluewater to the backwater. While it’s fair to say one of the best ways to put a

feed on the table is to soak a bait on the briny, from a sportfishing perspective most species are look skywards to chew off the top. Make no mistake, if you haven’t lured a fish off the surface, you’re missing out. January sees most of the offshore focus directed towards the inshore run of kingfish and baby black marlin, with live baits

accounting for the majority of captures. Whilst squid is perceived to be the gun live bait for kings in this part of the world, a slow trolled bridle-rigged slimy mackerel would be my preferred choice. With your bait in the water, you can then maximise your chances with a few strategically placed casts with a decent popper, stickbait or big soft plastic. If you haven’t fished for kings in this way, I can tell you it’s well worth trying. The use of a very erratically worked lure cast slightly ahead of the boat whilst slow trolling is a very effective way to draw in fish from either side of the boat to the vicinity of the live bait. Poppers such as the Williamson Jet Popper

and the 90mm Rapala X-Rap Walk mimic a wounded baitfish, and that’s something that hungry pelagics find irritable. Put into the mix a white 9” soft plastic shad (I use Silstar Slapstix) on a 1oz jighead with a solid 8/0 hook, and this will give you the ability to cover the whole water column as the fish home in on all the activity. The minimum starting point for tackle is 30-50lb braided line with 80lb leader. This should hold fish to 10kg, which is the most common size class for this time of year. Coming off the back of a warm spring, the flats have now warmed to around 24 degrees. The whiting are fighting to eat fresh nippers and a range of smaller walk-

is to be prepared for long queues at the ramp and be patient at this time of year. Make sure your boat is serviced and well prepared, and check the weather regularly – particularly for Jervis Bay, which can turn from idyllic to your worst nightmare in minutes. Speaking of Jervis Bay, give the iconic tubes a wide berth in the boat. The hard-core land-based crews could very well be hooked to a black marlin off the rocks, with over 500m of line off the spool a common occurrence. Failing that, let’s hope the Banks north of Currarong fires up for the annual run of inshore beaks later in the month. See you on the water.

Young Kyuss and Gary Fyshwick making memories before releasing this 92cm Basin big girl. It’s important to put the big breeders back.

SA005

Ozzie doing his usual thing on a king from The Banks. We should see more of these this month.

Gary Trotter with a 56cm horse of a Shoalhaven River bass that was released.

the-dog style stickbaits on finesse estuary tackle. The key catching to whiting on lures is a constant retrieve. Expect bream as bycatch and the odd big longtom, which really play up if you can get the hooks to stick in their fine mouths. Whiting don’t seem to mind excessive boat traffic at this time of year, but if history is anything to go by the edges will slow as the fish move to deeper water to avoid the skiers and tubers till the end of the month. For a more serene option, Tallowa Dam will be devoid of any boats, and a canoe or kayak session will produce bass in the timber around the edges. The best advice I can give to the holiday boaters

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Holiday time is upon us and the waterways are congested with hopeful anglers trying to find a piece of action on the water. By getting up before or on sunrise you will give yourself the best chance of success. The combination of minimal angler pressure together with low light conditions make the fish a little less cautious at this time of day. MULLOWAY In the Clyde River we are experiencing a magnificent run of small to modest sized mulloway (jewfish) on soft plastics. Fish from 0.5-8kg are eagerly grabbing soft plastic lures and soft vibes. In particular, there have been loads of fish following lures right to the rod tip which look more like small pike than the jewfish we have come to expect from this system. This indicates that the bigger fish are breeding well and introducing plenty of new recruitment to our river. Wade Eaton has been consistently scoring on

jewfish virtually every trip, as have other regulars Ray Smith, Scott Thornton, and Narooma correspondent Stuie Hindson. The regular guys have also been finding the odd double figure sized fish biting their lures, and the night brigade are nailing a few solid fish on bait around 15kg. WHITING Whiting will be biting well with the warm water flooding the flats, and surface popper fishing is

If, however, you’re not into the lure scene, I recommend using live nippers fished on a lightly weighted rig and a small circle hook. This is a positively deadly technique to employ. Simply leave the rod in the holder and the fish will hook itself. Great for getting the kids onto a fish and having it stay on the hook! OFFSHORE Anthony from Top Cat Charters reports consistent action for those chasing

Top Cat Charters have been finding an abundance of big mowies lately, along with similar-sized snapper. hard to go past for them. It is highly visual, not to mention effective, so I don’t bother with bait much these days.

bottom species. His clients have been bagging big morwong lately both on baits and on soft plastic

lures worked deep. Snapper are about as well, with fish to 4kg common. Kingfish have been making an appearance also and should really kick into gear this month. I’ve got a score to settle – actually a bunch of scores to settle – with these fish after last season. I will be working hard off the rocks, from my kayak and in the boat, to achieve this. Big lures and big live squid will be my weapons of choice. It’s also marlin month, with the fast warm currents either side of the continental shelf the place to start looking. This month the Batemans Bay Gamefishing Club are hosting the annual Tollgate Classic. This event is always a great indicator for how the season is faring, and it always receives a solid showing of competitors. BEACH Despite the holiday crowds you can always find a quiet stretch of beach devoid of anglers where you can find an abundance of salmon, tailor, bream and whiting. There have been some decent rainfalls opening creek mouths in conjunction

with solid swells so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a decent gutter to cast a line. Choose a light rig rather than anchoring a bait to the ocean floor and you will catch more fish. It’s a bit harder work as you need to walk at times to maintain contact with your bait,

but you will cover ground and hopefully present your bait to where the fish are feeding. Strips of fish fillets, beachworms, pilchards and pipis are all worth trying, and a light berley trail can really spark up a good beach session.

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Super top water luring time NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

With the water temperature around 22-24°C it’s a great time of year to wet a line, in spite of the crowds that the holiday period brings. REEF AND OFFSHORE Offshore anglers are in for a good time. Both bottom bashers and gamefishers

are going to have a great month, with all species playing the game. On the reefs snapper are continuing to chew, with fish to 2kg common. There’s been the odd better fish to 4kg but most are school fish and they are in great numbers at present. Most reefs are holding fish but the southwest corner of Montague Island has been excellent, especially when the current has slowed.

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With the reds you can expect ample morwong, with solid tiger flathead which is a little surprising as they usually like deeper water. For those after a feed of sand flathead it shouldn’t take too much; concentrate your efforts in 35-40m of water straight off Kianga and Dalmeny headlands. Those after kingfish are doing well, too. The kings are responding to jigs, live bait and squid on flasher rigs. Where they turn up on any given day is a lottery, as a lot depends on current and temperature, but at the moment the Fowl-house reef and the northeast corner of the Island in 70m of water has been the pick. The kings will only get better as the weeks pass, so some great angling can be expected. Further offshore the game brigade are getting excited, as marlin – both black and striped plus the odd blue – are there for the taking. There have already been a few captured to 110kg which is awesome to see. Trolling skirted pushers, skip baiting and switch baiting will all work at times, so having a solid understanding of all techniques should put you in the firing line. As always there will be a smattering of yellowfin tuna to 50kg captured, plus the chance at a short-billed spearfish or wahoo if the water is warm enough. We seem to get a few northern species every season so l can’t see why this year will be any different. Start fishing around the 70 fathom line if the water looks good enough. The shelf and second drop will be where most anglers will start their fishing. There’s ample bait out wide with striped tuna schools and slimy mackerel plentiful, though the slimies seem to be deeper so having a quality sounder is paramount for best results. ESTUARIES

eurobodalla

In the estuaries it’s firing up nicely, but you’ll need to get on the water early to beat the increased boat traffic. It’s not uncommon to have 40 boats or more on the water by mid-morning, so the earlier you start, the better the fishing will be. Most of the estuaries will fish well, with Mummaga and Corunna excellent for flathead, especially if you’re after a feed. These two systems are relatively shallow, with 5m of water the maximum depth. The water warms up quicker than the bigger systems, which is why the flattie fishing is so good. Smaller 70-80mm soft plastics will work a treat, with the average size of fish around 40cm. You do get the odd bigger fish in both systems, but predominately schoolsized fish. This style of fishing is ideal for families or if you’re new to the sport. In Wagonga it’s still loaded with tailor, and l mean loaded – they are everywhere. They are feeding better on the surface around the tide changes. There are a few cracking tailor to over 2kg being caught, mainly by fishos trolling bigger deep divers around the perimeter of schools. You would expect the mulloway to be following them and I’m sure there are, but with so much feed around, trying to entice a mulloway to hit a lure has been a challenge. If a jew is for you, your best option is an evening session

Scottie with a 70cm flathead caught on a surface lure. with live bait or fresh strip bait. Further up the Lake around the oyster racks has been good for bream and whiting on surface lures, and this will only get better as the water warms further. Bait anglers fishing live prawns or nippers have been getting bream and whiting as well. Up at Tuross the fishing has been OK but you do have to work for them. I’ve found the bigger flatties (fish over 80cm) a little harder to find but there are plenty of fish to 50cm. The flats are holding good schools of whiting and the odd bream, and the snags in the river section are good for estuary perch. THE ROCKS On the rocks anglers are catching plenty of salmon and bonito which are both great sport on the right tackle. Spinning with metal shiners to 50g has been popular, though the go-to method is to cast a pilchard on ganged 5/0 hooks with a size 1 ball sinker straight onto the top hook. I know of a local angler who caught 30 fish

Sizzling surface action MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

It’s been a busy time of year around Merimbula with the holiday crowd, but those anglers putting in the time are reaping rewards with some exceptional fishing on offer. The local beaches have been excellent, especially for bream and whiting, with

water. This has helped big time, with lighter outfits used on the bread and butter species. Some fishers have gotten their bags in short periods of time. Bream to 1kg or so and whiting to 46cm have been captured; good sport on the light tackle and not too bad on the plate either. The better baits to use include pipi, fresh prawns and live beachworms with North Tura, Tura Main, and

130 kilometres of coastline, 83 beaches, 4 major river systems and countless estuaries and lakes. Whether you’re after some serious big game or just a bucketful for the BBQ, we can help with licences, great deals on accommodation, hiring a boat, or booking a fishing charter.

Dan with a brace of quality black bream. These fish have been responding well to surface lures.

www.eurobodalla.com.au BATEMANS BAY, MORUYA, TUROSS HEAD, NAROOMA, MONTAGUE ISLAND

BATEMANS BAY AND NAROOMA VISITOR CENTRES 1800 48

JANUARY 2014

802 528

for a morning session. Once the sun got up the metals didn’t work, but slowly winding in the pilchards got him a heap more fish. This month should see a few kings, with Mystery Bay or the Golf course rocks the places to fish. Anglers fishing the beaches shouldn’t have too many worries getting a feed with bream, whiting, salmon and tailor all there for the taking. After the recent heavy seas there’s some cracking gutters on many beaches with Tilba, Narooma main, Brou and Blackfellows all worth a look. Live beachworms and pipi would be the pick of the baits for bream and whiting, with pilchards, blue bait and tuna strips excellent for the pelagic species. Those after the holy grail of beach fishing, the mighty mulloway, could do worse than target them this month. I would be concentrating around the flooding tide deep into the evening with big bunches of live beachworms the best bait.

most beaches holding fish. After the recent heavy seas, deeper gutters have formed in close just past the shore dump, making it easy for anglers to reach the deeper

Haycock beaches the pick. There are plenty of salmon around also. At times they are thick and play havoc when using the light gear, and if you target them

on paternoster rigs you’re in for some fun. I’d expect a few mulloway and gummy sharks to be caught for those who have a go. Fishing the evening flooding tides into the night leading up to the full moon should pay rewards. North Tura would certainly be the pick of beaches for a jewie. ESTUARIES In the estuaries it’s fishing great guns and this will continue. Both Merimbula and Pambula are firing for most estuarine species, with flathead, whiting, bream and luderick plentiful. It really depends on how you want to target them with different techniques. Bait fishers are having a ball in the channels while anchored. It really doesn’t matter which tide you have as long it is running. Use a fairly decent-sized sinker on a running sinker rig with fresh prawns or striped tuna strips and you will have plenty of action. If lures are your go-to method, you won’t be disappointed either. Fishing the channels on a draining tide using stickbait style plastics will see plenty of Continued page 49

Party time on the warm water Esprit BERMAGUI SOUTH COAST NSW BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

Water temperatures have increased dramatically offshore, in the estuaries and the freshwater sections. Now, with the heat being on, combined with school holidays, it’s party time and fish are at the top of the guest list. No matter what type of fishing you enjoy or what species you wish to pursue it’s all good. It should stay this way and even improve over the up and coming months. Offshore, marlin numbers are increasing as they follow the many bait schools now prolific along our parts of the coastline. As this season has already shown, fish are where you

seasoned skippers that fish were in the area resulting in multiple hook ups. Although this instance occurred very close to shore the same scenario can happen out and beyond the Continental Shelf with the 12 Mile Reef being most prolific for striped marlin at present. Trolling lures in the early part of the season will account for many hook ups and, more importantly, indicate to anglers where the fish are concentrated. This will allow different methods in which to pursue this species like live or switch baiting. Blue marlin are also a regular visitor to our waters in January were they are often found wide in the deeper canyons. Lures are by far the best way to locate this species and by doing so other fish, such as albacore,

From page 48

fish, especially bream, trevally and the odd salmon. If you’re in the main basins of either lake, concentrate your efforts along the ribbon weed edges in 4-5m of water for best results. The most productive lures are blades and soft plastic paddle-tails in various colours. January always sees some monster flatties active so if a croc is your desirable target you will have a great chance at a, 80cm-plus fish. l recommend fishing bigger plastics around 100mm, especially in Merimbula Lake. This system is a little deeper along the drop-offs and the bigger lures are definitely more effective on the larger flatties. Now that the water has warmed to around 22°C, surface presentations will also work on bream and

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No matter what type of fishing you enjoy or what species you wish to pursue, it’s all good this month!

yellowfin, striped tuna, mahi mahi or even a short billed spearfish, can be a welcome by-catch. The bait schools that make the fishing so prolific in this area may consist of slimy mackerel, pilchards, yellowtail, white bait through to your smaller tuna species, like striped or mac

form of kingfish and bonito, which are at present up at Montague Island or along the coastline were they are joined by schools of salmon, with some nice tailor thrown in. Baitfish don’t always stay on the surface and when they go deep other reef or bottom dwelling species have their chance to feed. Tiger flathead will often have yellowtail or mackerel inside them and it is quite surprising just how big a baitfish they can swallow. So find the bait were you can to be sure the flathead are not far behind. Most other forms of reef fishing are also on the cards at present with good snapper, plenty of morwong, some gummy sharks and the odd kingfish combined with an assortment of less desirable species making up the bag. On shore activity is fairly hectic too, with the beaches and estuaries primed and fishing well. Along the coast, schools of salmon are providing plenty of entertainment for kids on

whiting. This technique is great fun, and poppers and walk-the-dog lures are both effective. Most flats will hold fish but look for ones that have a mixture of sand and weed, not just sand. You will get better results with a mixture. REEF AND BLUEWATER Outside anglers are licking their chops, with good catches coming from the reefs. The snapper fishing has been excellent of late and l can’t see any reason why this won’t continue. The fish are widespread, with most reefs holding fish. The average size of the reds is only around 1kg, but what they lack in size is made up for in numbers. Most crews are getting a dozen or more reds in a session, which is pretty good fishing in my book. Lennards Island to the

south has been a hotspot, as has White-cliffs to the north. A little further offshore, the pelagics are in full swing. Marlin, yellowfin tuna, albacore and a host of shark species have all been on the chew at times. With the water around 22-24°C, this action will only get better as the weeks pass by. Trolling has been the best method, as it allows you to cover a lot more ground, giving you a good chance of crossing paths with a marlin. Both black and striped will be the prominent species but in January, and you have a big chance at a solid blue marlin. Every year a few huge models get hooked, but most win their freedom as the tackle used is usually under-gunned for such a big fish. Hopefully some crews get lucky and the hook sticks, but only time will tell.

Marlin numbers are increasing as they follow the many bait schools now prolific along the coastline. find them, with yellowfin tuna being captured in 12 fathoms of water within 200m off Bermagui main headland. Look for the signs, as one particular day most of the game boats went straight past the obvious signs of gannets circling and diving on a bait school, which indicated to

tuna and frigate mackerel. This bait will also attract smaller predators in the

old paternoster rig with the humble pilchard will account for most, while lures may provide faster and more energetic action. Not to be out done schools of bream, whiting and mullet are also around providing fun and dinner on a lighter scale. The place the kids can really have some fun is in the estuaries. The waters are warm, which have the fish fired up, and with the abundant food supplies available anglers are finding it pretty easy going. Most of your common species are available with most lakes and rivers producing. The estuaries are so good this season as a result of the amount of prawns around at present. Nearly all the systems have their share, so if you are visiting the area this season get geared up to take the kids prawning as you won’t be disappointed, and they taste just great.

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JANUARY 2014

Summer holiday destination TATHRA

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

The summer school holidays are a great time for families in the Tathra area. There are theme parks close by, some of the best beaches along the coast surrounded by national parks, and all the watersports you could imagine – with the best of them being fishing, of course.

Tapping into the area you have options aplenty, whether you are fortunate enough to have a boat capable of venturing offshore for game, reef or light tackle fishing, or a smaller one to handle the delights of our many estuaries and lakes. There is also excellent shore-based angling, with top locations like the old steamer wharf to satisfy your needs. An assortment of fish species congregate around this wharf,

Whiting are a favourite around Tathra either in the estuaries or off the beach.

offering a variety of choices for anglers. The slimy mackerel are very popular, especially with the kids. These fish usually hit in large schools, creating mayhem for anglers while the feeding lasts. Sometimes gamefish follow these schools, so anglers with a well set up outfit may just cash in on a passing predator in the form of a kingfish or tuna. All in all, there is plenty of action to be had from daylight to dusk and beyond here. Passing schools of salmon will provide plenty of entertainment from the stones adjacent to the Wharf, right around to Kianinny Bay. Lures are probably the most fun to use when targeting salmon, and some of the other larger predators like tuna, kingfish or bonito also have a liking for lures. If it’s the bigger fish you are targeting, try using live baits fished under a balloon. While you wait, throw some berley in the suds where bream or trevally will keep you amused. REEF AND OFFSHORE Kianinny also allows anglers access to the offshore fishery, with a well-constructed boat ramp and safe access to the ocean. Out from here,

gamefish in the form of marlin, tuna and sharks are currently harassing bait schools, giving anglers an opportunity to pursue them. Trolling lures accounts for most hook-ups, and allows you to travel more to find where the fish are concentrated. Once you have found the fish, work the area over thoroughly until the fish go off the chew, then motor over to other grounds or try live baiting. Live mackerel are best, however a striped tuna is likely to encounter a good marlin or hammerhead shark.

The Bega River is hosting many a good flathead. numbers. Out in the deeper water tigers are prolific in and around the 50m mark, where the odd gummy shark is also being taken. Over the reefs, both north and south are producing plenty of action on the snapper front.

Trolling the headland will produce a variety of species like this salmon. Bottom fishing is excellent, with flathead leading the way. In close, out from most beaches, sandies are in mixed sizes but in good

They’re not overly large but numbers are making up for this. Try soft plastics on the inshore reefs, especially after heavy seas. This often

accounts for large snapper or quite a few of those heavier pelagics patrolling the coast. ESTUARIES As a result of a good prawn season (which will provide good prawning in the last two weeks of January) the estuaries are in terrific form. This season has seen many large flathead come out of the Bega River on both bait and lures. Not to be outdone, most other species have also been on the chew. Some lovely bream and estuary perch have been taken on lures, while baits are producing just about everything in all the estuaries surrounding Tathra, including some exceptional whiting. Venture a little way inland and you’ll arrive at Brogo Dam, where the bass are fired up in an aggressive feeding mood. Evenings and well into dark has produced some excellent surface fishing, and when the fish are in this frame of mind you can expect them to hit bloody hard.

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Salmon and summer species in full swing

small dusky flathead around Goodwin, Doran Bight and the John Bull marker for anyone who wants to drift around with some small, live poddy mullet or cast any sort

all you’re allowed to take. This protects the valuable breeding females and will ensure that Mallacoota has a finned carpet of flathead for years to come.

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

. WH AD

PE R RY

Mark Taylor and Dave McLean with the type of bream that are available in January on the south coast.

Although the lake has been dirty, there’ll be plenty of sight fishing opportunities for these fish through January. And don’t discount catching them on topwater baits, too. There’s been the occasional mulloway around. A recent flathead competition in Mallacoota saw one lucky angler catch a big mulloway each day. That’s some quality by-catch. MALLACOOTA OFFSHORE Over summer expect a mixed bag of gummy sharks and tiger flathead from the offshore grounds. If you’re unfamiliar with the popular flathead drifts, start up near Gabo Island and drift back towards Mallacoota with the nor’easter. Kingies should be showing up, but exactly when is anyone’s guess. The kingie fishing seems to get better each year in this neck of the woods, so I’m expecting a great season for them. Start looking for kingies on the grounds off the

of soft plastic bait – these fish aren’t too fussy. Remember the size limits for these fish when you’re taking home a feed – five fish per person between 30cm and 55cm is

Summer means kingies. Just where and when is still open to debate, but they will come!

. BASS . JEWFISH . F LA

There isn’t a month of the year where all of the coastal towns are pumping like they are at the moment. The towns are crowded, the ramps are full and there’s a swag of summer species to satisfy the fishing itch from estuary to offshore. MALLACOOTA ESTUARY Some of the best family fun at this time of the year are the big Australian salmon that have been frequenting Harrisons Channel between Mallacoota Bottom Lake and the ocean. These fish have been receptive to lures and baits, but trolling metals or minnows along the inside edge of the island is a sure fire way to get the kids into the action. As usual the sand whiting are prolific in the Bottom Lake, Harrisons Channel and Goodwin Sands. Bait, blades and poppers are doing the damage and these will continue to be a popular summer target. There are plenty of

Aerodrome aerials just south of Mallacoota. WONBOYN Also very busy in January, Wonboyn will fish well early in the morning, and again when the sea breeze picks up. The clear water fish in the lake love a bit of ripple on the water to get them feeding. There should be plenty of flathead, mulloway and bream to go around and there’ll always be a little quiet corner to settle into and catch a feed. EDEN Night prawning in the local lakes is another great family activity over summer. A prawning light and scoop net are all you need to put a feed in the bucket without the need for gallons of sunscreen. The beach fishing for Australian salmon should continue to be good – especially at Quandolla and Haycock beaches. Currently both of these places had good, deep gutters that these predators like. Offshore from Eden can be a real bounty in January. Marlin, striped tuna through to kingfish and flathead are all on the radar. Mowarry through to Green Cape is prime kingfish area and the kingies are still a little show, however, by time this magazine hits the shelves this may have changed. It can change overnight at this time of year! I think that Captain Kev may be back at the helm next month, so thanks for reading these reports.

EAM . BR

Chris Wright

MERIMBULA

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Shallow flathead trolling FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

I’ve been getting right into trolling for flathead in shallow water lately and it’s something that is really appealing. Punting along nice and quiet just waiting for the rod to buckle over and a cranky flathead to start stripping line from the reel. It’s pretty addictive. I’ve spoken to lots of anglers and lure makers about how they go about trolling for flathead in shallow water and there are many and varied techniques, so here’s how I do it. Keep in mind a lot of these techniques are borrowed, learnt from or changed slightly to suit my fishing. I didn’t invent it, not claiming to have re-invented it, but I really enjoy it. WHAT’S SHALLOW? Shallow, in terms of flathead trolling, is water less than 1.5m, or 5’ in the old scale. This is skinny water and flathead love it. Captain Kevin Gleed once said of the flathead in Mallacoota in Vic that they push up onto the shallows to warm themselves up, just like a massive solar panel and I reckon there is some merit in these observations. It also happens that a lot of whiting, prawns, shrimp, mullet and

crustaceans are found right up in the shallow water and flathead eat all of these. Weed is also abundant in the shallows, commonly in the intertidal zone and it extends to just below the low tide mark. Weed is an important ingredient. Rocks, hard and black mud banks, and draining channels are all found in the shallow water too. All of these features attract flatties. Thanks to the cagey Shane Gartner from Pig Lures and his amazing success rate in shallow water, we have learnt that 1.5m is not necessarily shallow enough. He commonly trolls in water that sees the motor trimmed up and the skeg still brushing the

bottom every now and then. That’s having you in water that is around 60cm deep! Think about that the next time you reckon you’re trolling too shallow. Of course shallow trolling is nothing new. Gold Coast legend David Green knew about the shallow trolling thing years and years ago. He even helped with the development of the universally popular Lively Lures Micro Mullet to fish these shallow waters. This lure was specifically designed to target flathead in water shallower than 1.8m and it works every bit as well in 60cm of water as it does in 1.8m of water. Other lure makers like

a dozen flatties up to about 50cm. We could see the lures swimming behind the boat and then they’d simply disappear in a brown and white hole. It was amazing. So trolling in very close works. A standard trolling set up will see the lures somewhere around 10m behind the boat. This is about the distance of a good-ish cast and seems to be

Mako recommends a copper base with a blue mirror and high definition filter. Copper has been a favourite of anglers for many years as it highlights colours well. When visibility is poor due to cloudy or murky water, overcast skies or flat light (dawn or dusk) these coloured lenses will really come into their own: They will highlight dull colours making fish more visible. The high definition filter is added to the lens to filter out yellow and orange wavelengths, increasing contrast and clarity.

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Trolling has become a very important part of my fishing arsenal for flatties.

SHALLOW FISHING

A big flatty cuts it up as it feels the net. Most times the fight is not over at this stage as many a good flatty has leapt from the net!

Reidy’s and Warlocks have trimmed down their traditional offerings and designed lures to take advantage of this shallow water too. And they work really well with different actions and different colours and features from the old time favourites. And let’s face it, designers such as Jeff Reid and Rob Gaden have been at it for years and know just what’s needed. And of course the plastic chucking brigade help you gain confidence that fish are found in this shallow water. Who can forget the amazing Flathead Fred chucking homemade jighead-rigged plastics for the stonkers of Mallacoota, Bemm River and the Snowy/Brodribb system? He knew these fish loved it shallow and it’s a lesson we all need to remember. TACTICS Trolling shallow is like any other fishing style, there are several ways to skin a cat. Some anglers feel the need to troll their lures a long way back in the shallow stuff believing the boat has spooked the fish. Other anglers troll ridiculously close to the boat

believing the boat attracts the fish! I’m an each way bet on most occasions although I have trolled lures really, really close to the boat and I have trolled way out the back. Let’s look at some of the benefits of various distances from the boat. Keeping the lures in tight to the boat was first brought to my attention when Shane Gartner smashed the fish in a recent Flathead Classic on the Gold Coast’s heavily fished waters. Shane trolls literally less than 3m behind the boat on most occasions and in really shallow water. When I had the chance to speak to Shane about this he told me that he keeps it in short to avoid the constant fouling of the lure with weed. In the Gold Coast’s waters, strap or ribbon weed is abundant and makes a mess of your lures when you’re trolling them. It limits your actual fishing time and Shane’s tactic dramatically reduces the amount of time spent out of the water de-weeding your lure without impacting on the catch rate. His Pig Lures were made just for this purpose and they do it very well. We tried this method, as like most anglers we found it hard to fathom, and on the first try we landed half

about what most do – chuck the lure out the back, flick the bail arm over and go trolling. This distance from the boat allows you to ease your mind that the boat is not spooking all the fish while still allowing you to steer the lures in and around floating weed and underwater obstructions pretty easily. I like this type of distance best and on our last trip out we landed half a dozen flatties in 60-75cm of water up to an impressive 70cm. With the right lures you

can rip the rod and de-weed them while they are still in the water and not lose time reeling them in to clear the weed off. This is important and lures that are hard to clear don’t last long on anglers’ rods. This distance back also allows a bit more stretch and give to be in the whole system. An important factor when big fish are skin hooked and going too hard on them will rip the hooks out of the skin. Going for distance is a popular tactic as well. It seems logical that a boat travelling in shallow water will spook fish and by the time a lure that is 20m behind the boat eventually comes past the spooked fish, it may have settled down and be back on the job in terms of feeding. That sounds all good to me and in practise, trolling a long way back works really well. Distance gives you an ability to run a lure a little deeper and also gives you more stretch room when a fish hits. However the more line you have in the water, the more weed you pick up. It’s also harder to rip the lure and clear the weed and it takes longer to reel it in to clear it manually. In clear water, I like the distance approach, but when the strap weed is thick it simply gets too hard. One solution that Alan Dolan gave me, he’s the

The Lively Lure Micro Mullet is one of the all time greats!

guy who makes the Lively Lure Micro Mullet, was to place a weed stopper a couple of feet in front of the lure. He uses a small surface walker with the hooks removed and this lure stops the weed as it slides down the line to the lure, essentially leaving your lure clean to continue its search for fish. It’s a great idea that really does work! LURE CHAT Trolling shallow necessitates the use of smaller lures that dive to around 1.8m. Why 1.8m? Simple. You need the lures to be hitting the bottom to push up those enticing puffs of silt, sand and

mud and also to allow you to still do that when you’re trolling really short. Lures in the 4-7cm range are ideal. Most can loosely imitate a small whiting (a flatty favourite) or a herring or similar baitfish. What a fish really thinks a lure is, is well beyond me and all the fish I have caught refuse to tell me, so let’s just say we are imitating baitfish. Action is an interesting one, as one day the fish will respond to a tight shimmy, while the next a wider sway will work. This may have something to do with the most abundant baitfish in the

The RMG Warlock has gained a strong following amongst lure trollers in recent years.

area but I haven’t really come to any great conclusion on that yet. Just means I’ll have to fish more! Colour is always, always contentious. Pink is a go-to favourite for flathead anglers whatever they are doing and there is no denying its ability to attract flathead. In weedy areas though a muted gold or brown works well to imitate forage fish that live in weed, and bright green and metallic work really well in dirtier water. My favourite colours start with pink and include a metallic pink, green and black, gold and black and rainbow trout patterns. I am yet to come across a colour that doesn’t work and strangely the colour you have the most faith in gets trolled the most and therefore catches the most fish. Amazing! Grab a variety of colours and try them all. WHERE TO TROLL This is a difficult subject as flathead live absolutely everywhere. It’s no use trolling in thick, luxurious weed as it’s just too difficult to manage weed on your lures. The fish are there, it’s just hard to keep a lure in the water long enough to attract their attention. My favourite situation is a clear sandy or muddy bank that borders a low tide weed edge and has plenty of drains coming off a flat (see

The Reidy’s Little Lucifer has performed very well for us on the troll. diagram). This type of area has potential with a capital P. If you fish this area during the last of the run-out and the first of the run-in, the flatties will be stacked up along the weed edge, and doubly so where a drain enters the channel. This same area can be trolled at high tide except

you move on top of the flat and target the drains and undulations. This high tide trolling is an ideal situation to troll short as you’re usually in fairly shallow water. If this type of area is difficult to find, look to the sand bar edges and low water gutters. Sand bars congregate

bait and this makes them ideal for ambush predators to wait for unsuspecting prey. Low tide gutters have to have fish in them as there is no water anywhere else. It all seems so simple. The problem is it’s not and the fish always teach you something. GET ON THE TROLL Trolling at its core is not difficult but to be a good flathead troller you do need to understand, adapt and learn. After some early lessons from people like Gary Prerost, Flathead Fred and some old friends from uni days, it’s really only been in the last five years where trolling for flathead has become a way more serious option for me. Inspiration from David Green, Shane Juttner and Shayne McKee, lessons from Shane Gartner and Alan Dolan and plenty of kilometres of trial and error have all combined to make trolling for flatties a very worthwhile tactic when I am on the water. Tough days, dirty water, wrong tides, harsh winds and sometimes sheer laziness are all reasons to go and have a troll. Look for the signs, choose some of the great lures available and give it a crack. It’s a fun way to get amongst a bunch of fish and have yourself some really exciting times in shallow water.

JANUARY 2014

 Atomic

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Shiner

The all new Atomic Shiner is a range of lures designed with a tight wobble and roll action that is ideal for trolling the shallow water for flathead, whiting, bream and a host of other estuary species. The 65mm lure is perfect as a trolled lure for flathead and dives to 2.5m, putting it right in the zone where flathead like it. Weighing 7.3g, it can also be cast and slow rolled back to the boat over the shallows and weed banks to entice fish. The 45mm and 60mm models are suspending, so pauses and subtle twitches near structure will work as well as a steady retrieve and it is often these pauses and twitches that force a flathead to strike. They are available is a variety of flathead enticing natural colours, the range of Atomic Shiner lures will be an important part of your flathead fishing arsenal. Price: SRP $15.95 www.atomiclures.com.au

 Savage

3D Prey

Gear

The Savage Gear 3D Prey series has models aimed at bream, bass, flathead, barramundi, mangrove jack, trevally, mulloway, tailor and Australian salmon. This suspending hardbody is designed to be fished effectively using a number of techniques. Running to depths between 2ft and 6ft, the 3D Prey is at its best when a twitch and pause retrieve is employed, allowing the lure to suspend slowly into structure which holds predatory species. With Savage’s integrated long cast system and tournament trebles and components, the 3D Prey comes in a number of colours and sizes, making it an extremely versatile hard lure for all conditions. Sizes currently available are 50mm, 65mm, 71mm and 95mm, and you can check them out at your nearest BCF store. Price: RRP $14.99 www.bcf.com.au

 TiCA

Cetus GV800

TiCA has released this fantastic mini spin reel that is sure to be a hit with the ultra light sports fishing brigade. The Cetus GV800 is a little reel crammed full of features. It features an aluminium spool, computer balanced rotor, one way clutch, instant anti reverse, solid aluminium bail wire and 4 (RRB) Rust Resistant Bearings. This smooth little reel also features a micronic clicking drag for precise adjustment. The Cetus GV800 will be ideal for estuary anglers who want a small reel to balance up on an ultra light rod. Price: RRP $79.99 www.jurofishing.com

Lively sign of the times

A

Long established Australian lure manufacturer Lively Lures has made the difficult decision to reduce the number of retailers it supplies with its popular range of lures. Instead the company will now sell directly to the public through their brand new online store. In 1987 owner of Lively Lures Alan Dolan saw a need for a quality, tough and durable hardbodied fishing lure that would withstand the harsh treatment Australian fish can dish out. JANUARY 2014 54

Rather than work with a two part plastic lure, Alan decided to travel a different path and use polyurethane which provides a stronger end product that is solid bodied with all components built in. This gives the angler a lure that will stay together and swim even if it has been punctured by sharp teeth. This makes them unique. It has been very gratifying for Alan over this long period to receive positive feedback from the general public stating that he did in fact go down the correct path. Alan hopes that you too will enjoy catching your favourite species on one of his many models in your home waters. Alan said that going online was the only way his company could move forward in light of the cheap imports flooding the Australian market at the moment. The positive side of this move is that Lively Lures will be competitively priced to customers purchasing online and the best way Lively Lures can even up the playing field in the current economic climate, especially for those keen to get their hands on the number one flathead trolling lure, the Micro Mullet. Price: from $11 www.livelyluresonline.com.au

 Okuma

RTX Pro

Predominately constructed of our C-40X elongated carbon fibre material, Okuma’s RTX Pro delivers a 25% reduction in weight and 50% increase in strength over traditional graphite reels of a comparable class, drastically reducing body flex commonly found in lesser reels. Internally the RTX Pro features a custom, multi-disc carbonite drag stack with Hydro Bloc watertight seal; and a 7HP bearing system with quick-set anti-reverse. Okuma’s EOS aluminium gearing is incorporated to increase smoothness, longevity, and to assist in achieving additional weight reduction on top of the impressive C-40X construction. Additionally Okuma has fitted these reels with a durable one-piece aluminium bail wire, a machined two-tone aluminium spool and a practical lightweight EVA handle knob. As with all Okuma reels, the RTX Pro comes complete with a Lifetime Guarantee and will serve you well in all of your flathead trolling endeavours. Price: SRP $219.95 www.okuma.com.au

 Abu

Vantage

The Vantage has been developed with cutting edge technology for added strength and durability. The new design is precision engineered for a balanced feel, with 30 ton graphite that utilizes advanced IntraCarbon technology. IntraCarbon technology uses very thin layers of multidirectional carbon fibres within the construction of the blank. These layers increase the rod’s compression strength, making it less susceptible to failure when the rod is put under intense loads. The 30 Ton rating indicates a superior grade of graphite. The result is a lighter rod with increased sensitivity. The higher the tonnage, the stiffer the fibres used; stiffer fibres more efficiently transmit vibrations to your hand so you can feel more strikes. Other features include Advanced Casting System (ACS) guides to minimise casting knots with braid or mono, split grip high density EVA handle design with ventilated rear grip for balance and feel, and IPS style reel seat. There are 11 spin models and 2 baitcast models, ranging from the VNTG602LSP (6’0”, 2-piece, 2-4kg line rating) through to the VNTG591BCMH (5’9”, 1-piece, 8-10kg rating). Price: RRP $99 www.abugarcia-fishing.com.au

Have fun with fishing comps CANBERRA

Bryan Pratt

Anglers are a funny lot. Mostly they seek seclusion and privacy when they are fishing. They like to keep their special spots, flies, lures, baits and techniques to themselves. Mention a fishing competition, though, and all the rules change! A fishing competition is a challenge to one’s ability; a chance to pit your skills and ability against those of your fellow angler. The chance of catching the most or the biggest fish is irresistible. Canberra’s five urban lakes and the surrounding waterways in NSW provide ideal locations for fishing competitions. The philosophy underlying each event varies. Sometimes they are just for fun. Others raise funds for fish stocking or for charity. Some are used to gauge fish numbers and the health and wellbeing of a fishery. Carp competitions raise awareness of a problem species and help garner support for research. All have a secondary importance of providing information to fisheries biologists responsible for management of particular fisheries.

Some competitions are more successful than others in generating information about the fishery. One redfin competition we had in lakes Tuggeranong and Ginninderra in late winter was a fizzer – only 13 redfin to 27cm were caught in two days with fly, lure and bait. It was simply the wrong time of the year to catch them. A native fish and redfin comp held in Lake Burley Griffin several months later was more successful. Water temperatures were up, the weather kind and the fish bit well. The best golden perch was 47cm and the best redfin was 36cm. The winner took home $1000 and we got a good appreciation of the fish populations in the lake. Special techniques often are employed to win a competition. One event was

run in Lake Ginninderra for 4 hours each Thursday night for 8 weeks. It was won by an angler who caught redfin, carp, golden perch and Murray cod on every competition night. He used yabbies and scrub worms for bait and his special technique was to fish close in to the shoreline – he never fished more than 7m out from the bank. It proved that that was where the fish feed at night. It’s valuable information for all fishers to note. The Scouting movement also benefits from an annual fishing competition in Lake Ginninderra. Girl and boy Scouts of all ages gather at the lake to learn about basic fishing techniques and compete to see who can catch the best fish. It’s a valuable addition to the outdoor skills practised and refined by the Scouting movement.

Native fish caught in competitions are usually carefully measured then released.

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Some competitions are useful social equalisers. Canberra, for example, has a large diplomatic community, not all of whom get along together because of differing social and political attitudes. Once a year, though, they meet on neutral ground at Lake Eucumbene for the two-day Diplomatic Fishing Tournament. On this weekend all rivalries except the quest for the biggest and most fish are forgotten. Your politics don’t matter, just your fishing skills. Some competitions are bigger than others. The Snowy Mountains Trout Festival fished each year in Eucumbene, Jindabyne and Tantangara attracts large numbers of anglers from all over Australia in the quest for the largest rainbow or brown trout and Atlantic salmon. These anglers act as a large survey group, providing valuable data on the health, population structure and wellbeing of each of the fisheries involved and helps guide fisheries managers in decision-making. The Brogo Bass Bash is another competition solely aimed at fundraising. It’s held at Brogo Reservoir on the south coast of NSW each year and the money raised is used directly in purchasing

Carp competitions help focus attention on the need to control these and other pest fish species. more bass fingerlings for the reservoir. It’s a good example of anglers supporting and paying for their future fishing. Carp feature heavily in competitions. The Great Carp Catch is held at Lake Tuggeranong each year. This is promoted as a great family fishing day and, because all trophies and prizes are awarded for Mystery Weights in each category and angler age groups, every carp or redfin caught has an equal chance of winning. It’s a great way to run a competition. Yass township also stages a Carp Catch. Anglers are invited to catch and remove as many carp as possible from the newly-enlarged Yass Weir prior to stocking with native fish. It’s an excellent low-cost culling operation with a great chance of success. Coarse fishers also have their own fun. Once a year

coarse fishers from all over Australia and sometimes New Zealand gather at Lake Burley Griffin for the Canberra Classic. This 3-day event gives the public a chance to see some of the best light tackle anglers in Australia catching carp in the classic European tradition, and it’s a delight o watch. Finally there is the big one, the Yamaha Cod Classic, staged at Lake Mulwala each year just as the Murray cod season opens. Thousands of anglers head for this one, for the chance of meeting other anglers, to learn new techniques, to compete for big prizes and generally have fun. It highlights the importance to the community of native fish generally and Murray cod specifically, and illustrates just how far we have come in our appreciation of native and other fish. That’s what competitions are all about.

THIS

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or see website for entire range and nearest retailer

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WESITNONF SEHROW B /13 2010/11

JANUARY 2014

Cracking creek action BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

The middle of summer can be a challenging time on the water. For starters, the heat in the middle of the day can be unbearable at times, not just for anglers but for the fish. And because so many people are on holidays at this time of the year, the number of anglers on the water is about as high as it gets. The small creeks are great in January because the trout are very active and are very willing to hit stuff off the top. In any case, most major lakes will be getting hammered by fishos and skiers, and the major rivers can be very busy during the summer holidays as well. If fishing a river I try to get to some private property or head way up or downstream of any reserves or major access points. By doing the hard yards and putting in

that extra bit of time, it is still possible to get some great water to yourself at this time of the year. BLOWERING DAM Blowering is very popular over the holiday period, and there can be thousands of water users on and around the lake. This can make fishing a bit difficult at times, with waterskiers and fishos whizzing past almost constantly, but if you look hard enough you should be able to find a bank or bay that isn’t too busy. It is in these areas that the best fishing is to be had. Quite often during January the natives can become very hard to catch due to the amount of boat and fishing activity. However, like I said, if you can find an area that isn’t getting too much boat activity the fishing can still be good. Alternatively, leave your fishing until after dark when the fish become more at ease and the temperature is much more comfortable for

anglers as well. Redfin should be your target fish during the day as these guys don’t let a bit of boat traffic affect their feeding. Jigging is always good at Blowering Dam – simply find a school by sounding or trolling, then hook into them with some jigs, blades or soft plastics. Trolling for redfin can be sensational during January. Schools will be spread out but once you find them you could end up with multiple hook-ups. When you find a patch I’d suggest pulling up and casting lures like lipless crankbaits or blades. If you’re not into casting, simply turn back around and troll back through the school, then continue to do this until the fish

The author’s other half hooked up to a feisty wild stream trout. fishing can be sensational, particularly at sunset and after dark. Trolling and casting

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Jamie Robinson with a small stream brown trout. Fishing the smaller creeks is a great way of avoiding the summer crowds, and most trout are more then willing to smash lures and dry flies. stop biting. Small hardbodies, lipless crankbaits and blades are your best lures to troll. That’s right, I just said blades! These lures are typically known to be casting lures, but so too were lipless crankbaits and they are now one of the most successful trolling lures you can use. Next time you’re out, chuck a little blade on the end of your trolling rod and have fun hooking into redfin all day long with the odd golden perch and trout bycatch. TROUT LAKES The trout lakes up top like Tantangra and Eucumbene will certainly be worth a visit this month. There will be far fewer anglers to contend with up there and the trout

lures in the middle of the day can yield a few fish, but concentrating your efforts on the last hour and a half of daylight and through the night will increase your catch rate tenfold. Bait anglers will have to wait until late afternoon to get some fish as well, because most trout will not feed in the middle of a hot day. You can still get the odd one to strike a lure out of aggression during the day, but if the fish isn’t hungry or doesn’t feel like eating, it won’t hit your bait. For this reason, if you fish during the middle of the day you are far better off casting lures to try to get a reaction strike from the trout. The best lures I find up here are soft plastics, particularly the Ecogear Grass Minnows. Any natural colour is good, but the best colour in my experience is easily the rainbow trout imitation. Other great casting lures up here are the Jackall TN50s and Mask Vibes, the Balista Juggernauts, Rapala CD5s and CD7s, Balista Triggers, IMA Sukaris and blades. I like to use conventional blades up here but I also do

quite well on the Ecogear ZX range. The ZX blades, which look very different from a traditional blade, are designed to imitate a shrimp or yabby. They have long feelers and swinging hooks off the back which makes them look very much like the real thing. Given that a lot of the big brown trout in these lakes are predominately crustacean eaters, it makes sense to use a lure that imitates one of their main food sources. TROUT STREAMS As I said earlier, the trout stream fishing can be sensational at this time of the year. There are so many creeks around the area that are worth exploring with a light rod, including Nimbo, Stinking, Gilmore, Adelong, Yaven, Tumbarumba, Mannus, Jounama and Buddong creeks. Paddys River and the top end of the Eucumbene and Murrumbidgee rivers can also offer some sensational dry fly action at this time of the year That gives you a heap of fishing options to choose from, so slap on a heap of sunscreen and insect repellent and go get amongst them.

Blowering dams natives will be best targeted after dark this month, as extra boat activity during the day can shut them down.

Preventing the spread of WATER WEEDS Can’t see the fish through the weeds? Don’t let your favourite spot get like this.

Help prevent the spread of water weeds! WHAT ARE WATER WEEDS? Water weeds are invasive plants that pose a threat to the economic, environmental and recreational value of our waterbodies.

HOW DO THEY AFFECT ME? Water weeds can form large floating mats, dense submerged thickets or extensive stands along the bank. They create poor water quality conditions affecting the diversity and abundance of fish and other aquatic life. Heavy infestations restrict watercraft navigation, prevent access to fishing spots, foul fishing gear and make it difficult to land fish. Water weeds can be spread by fishers and boaters. Propellers and anchors can cut plants into fragments and spread them within and between waterbodies. Fragments can spread from an infested waterbody to a weed-free waterbody by attaching to watercraft, trailers and fishing equipment. Some weeds can survive considerable time out of water and a single plant fragment can start a new infestation. WHICH WEEDS ARE CONSIDERED A PROBLEM? Weeds such as alligator weed, salvinia, water hyacinth, water lettuce and

cabomba can have serious impacts on the health of water systems, as well as restrict access for recreation (e.g. boating and fishing). Recent outbreaks of water hyacinth on the Dumaresq river near Tenterfield and alligator weed on the Namoi and Peel rivers near Gunnedah and Tamworth raise serious concerns about the invasion of water weeds in the Murry/Darling river system. HOW CAN I HELP? WHAT SHOULD I DO? You can help reduce the spread of water weeds and prevent new outbreaks by:

SALVINIA (Salvinia molesta): a floating water weed.

WATER LETTUCE (Pistia stratiotes): a floating water weed.

WATER HYACINTH (Eichhornia crassipes): a floating water weed.

CABOMBA (Cabomba caroliniana): a submerged water weed.

ALLIGATOR WEED (Alternanthera philoxeroides): an emergent water weed that can also grow on land.

• Inspecting and removing any plants from watercraft, trailers and all equipment before leaving a site or launching at a new site. • Learning to recognise water weeds. Be on the lookout for new or unusual water plants. • Avoiding weed-infested waterbodies and stopping the engine in infested areas. • Reporting suspicious infestations using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Inspecting and removing water plants from watercraft, trailers and gear can help reduce the spread of water weeds.

Report to your local council weed officer or NSW DPI on 1800 680 244 or email weeds@dpi.nsw.gov.au Further information on water weeds can be found at ww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/weeds

Top up makes tip top fishing JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

January is holiday time for most people but unfortunately for us in the tourism industry we are in full swing with my daily fishing tours and flyfishing instruction. A busy time, but without it I would be a very poor fishing guide. The lake is once again looking spectacular, with a high water level and recent rain topping up the streams. The weather has been a bit mixed up in the mountains with rain and even snow over recent months. Nevertheless, with January here we can finally enjoy a little bit of warmer weather and a huge improvement to our flyfishing season, which certainly was the latest start that I can remember. With good water in the rivers and streams it looks like we will have some great river fishing from now well

into autumn, at least. January is ‘hopper season’ for fly anglers. There are various grasshopper patterns available but just have a look around and see what size and colour the real ones are and find a fly to match. In the early stages of hopper development we like to use smaller patterns and even flies, like a Yellow Humpy, can imitate the local hoppers. As the hopper develops wings then the Snowy Mountains Hopper pattern or a larger yellow Stimulator are more suitable. Likewise, keep your eyes open for evening hatches of other insects, such as the mayfly. I love the dry flyfishing at this time of year. If you are a lake fly angler, nights are the best time to fish and bigger dark or black flies, like a Woolley Bugger, or other dark streamer patterns are ideal. Craig’s Nighttime is also another Snowy Mountains

favourite; not to forget my own Snowy Mountains Gold Fish where fishing the bays and the inlets will be best places to get results. When trolling in January, we start the day off by surface trolling lures like Rapala Minnows, which are very good for the bigger brown trout. You can also troll these off lead core lines to get them a little deeper. Surface trolling Tasmanian Devils in green colours like the number 111 Willy’s Special are well worth trying and my special Red-Nosed Yellowing is great when the sun starts to get higher in the sky. On the overcast days the Holographic and number 48 Brown Bomber or other darker lures will be best. Other lures I would recommend over the coming month for trolling would be Rapala Scatter Rap, Dorago Minnows in goldfish-like colours, Balista LED for deep trolling, StumpJumpers in greens and golds. Gillies Natural Vibes will always attract a trout when they

South Arm, but if you are smart you should look for the wind lanes early in the day. You will often locate these by looking for the ducks and gulls (lake gulls, not sea gulls) because these birds are often also feeding on the surface insects that the trout love to eat. Later in the morning, the best fishing will be deep using either lead core lines, paravanes, trolling sinkers etc. but the best way to achieve results is to use a downrigger, so you know exactly what level you are fishing. At the moment the depth continues to vary from 35ft early in the day to 45ft later in the morning. Lake spin anglers will also do well in the first hour or so of light. Again, I like to spin with lures the same as the trollers but in smaller versions. Blades work on trout as well and gold colours are best; I rather like the Jaz Lure blades in gold like the little goldfish we have in the lake. Other lures that have been proving themselves very effective on the trout are the Bullet

Despite mixed weather conditions up in the mountains with rain and even snow over recent months, January will finally see a little bit of warmer weather and a huge improvement to the flyfishing season. holiday crowds. Find some deep pools or some deeper running water where the fish may lay under cover. Small minnow style lures like CD Rapalas and the old favourite green and gold Celtas or Gillies Spinners, like the feathertails, work very well. I also love the Vibrax spinners and there are some glow in the dark colours in this range that are great for

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Start the day off in January by surface trolling lures like Rapala Minnows, which are very good for the bigger brown trout.

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are lazy and you can even try trolling a soft plastic like a Strike Tiger Nymph behind flashers. Best areas to fish have been Hayshed, Hatchery and Rushes Bay and the

Lures with some excellent colours in the range, which also look a lot like the goldfish as well as the little trout fingerlings that have recently been released from the Gaden trout hatchery. By mid-morning you will have to be lucky to catch a fish on the lake in summer. It may be best heading to the alpine rivers for a spin in the creeks where the trout may be a little more active. River spinning is much better than last year because the water levels are a little higher. There have been some good trout caught, if you are prepared to walk a little further away from the

fishing in the late evening. Change lures often and never work one area of water over any more than a half a dozen casts. Bait fishing in summer is mudeye time. The mudeye is the nymph of the dragonfly, and anglers use them as live bait, hooking them through the wing case to allow them to swim around beneath a float. Early and late in the day are the best times and, again, fish the bays and move to deeper water as the day brightens up. The cooler weather this year has made it hard to find mudeyes. So if that is the case, try a local

scrub worm fished off the bottom. Scrub worms are going to catch a big brown trout that you have always wanted to catch, but they are best fished unweighted; yes a big worm cast out without a sinker. The shallow bays are the best night fishing locations, however look out for the snags. If you want to use bait in the middle of the day, then you are best to look at bottom fishing using either a scrub worm, bardi grub or one of the artificial baits. The secret at the moment to catching trout on bait is to grease up the line to stop the drag on the water and to stop it floating to the bottom into the weed and getting caught up. You need a trout to run with the bait without feeling any resistance and greasing the line will help catch more fish. Always fish with the reel bail arm open so the fish can run with the line. The best line grease is silicon muslin as it will not harm the line. Happy New Year from all of us at Steve Williamson’s Tackle Shop and Fishing Adventures. If down in the mountains this month, drop in and say hi at my shop, at Snowline Service Centre, where you will find me next to the Shell Servo. I will have the latest fishing information available and you can also book a tour with me while you are there. For those looking at learning to fly fish we still have vacancies for the 25 and 26 January Gillies Beginner Fly Fishing schools. Check out my web site or give my shop a call for information. I will also have a weekend Explore the Snowy Mountains Fly Fishing weekend very soon so if interested please give my shop a call on 02 64561551 or e-mail me swtrout@airlan. com.au and don’t forget to have a look at my web site www.swtroutfishing.com. au and my new site www. fishingcourses.com.au

Welcome to Cod City LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

We’re well and truly into cod season now. Water temperatures are climbing and the smaller fish are hot to trot. The aggressive nature of these small fish in shallow water on the right day is unbelievable – they hit spinnerbaits 3 or 4 times on the one retrieve. You can hook up, then lose the fish only to hook up again. The key to getting bigger cod can depend a lot on the water you are fishing. One thing’s for sure: they will be on the better structure. Rivers and creek systems such as the Macquarie and the Lachlan can be a little easier to read. Log jams, rocks and

Cod love a roof over their head and a bit of depth. They prefer locations where they can rise up and down in the water column without moving too far laterally. Lakes and dams like Wyangala and Burrendong can be a little harder to read. A quality depth sounder and the ability to interpret it can be a godsend. Structure above the water can also give a good indication of what is below. A rocky reef line that enters the water is a dead giveaway to something underneath. Use your boat to follow it out and it will shoot back up to a fishable depth – sometimes quite a way out. Trees are great pieces of structure. Even out in 50ft or 60ft of water, cod love to camp up at

to offer a cod: the ability to move up and down in the water column and still be tight to structure, the choice of shade or sunlight, food in the form of baitfish, redfin, crucian carp, golden perch, silver perch (depending on the dam, of course). In the right place, the resident cod can have current as well. Yes, water does move in dams! Wind in one direction for a few days can move plenty of water, and when it stops blowing the water flows back in the other direction. Large drawdowns can pull water from the bottom depths of the dam; water can flow in one direction underneath and the opposite direction up top. Obviously areas where the lake necks in is where you will see the most water movement.

Catching bigger cod is all about finding the best structure, rocks, logs, weed and current in combination. Use your sounder in lakes; it’s your eyes under the water. boulders, weed with some current close by… get any of these in combination and you have hit the jackpot.

a comfortable depth close to a big limb of the main trunk. Think about what a large, drowned gumtree has

Like most anglers I’m not an expert on lake currents, but one thing I am sure of is that it can

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Early morning sessions after a few cool days are the go at this time of year for lure fishing. Night fly fishing sessions can also be productive. position fish. That’s what we’re after – some form of predictability in an uncertain underwater world. BASS ON SURFACE The bass have had a slow start. Lake Lyell is a fickle place to fish for bass, but it’s definitely good when you get one. The storm season seems to coincide with a bit more activity from the fish, especially on the surface lures. You’ll want to get out on the water in the late afternoon and fish into the night. Your fishing session should go something like this: bloop, bloop, bloop… smash. Remember to hang on tight! TROUT The trout fishing in the lakes will tend to be on the slide, especially during daylight hours. Early mornings after a few cold days can see them back up in the shallows, but other than that it’s strictly a night time activity. Flyfishing the margins into the wee hours has never really been my thing, although I can see why other anglers might like it. It’s nice and quiet, and you

have a decent chance of getting a big fish. Mudeye patterns and beetle patterns will be the mainstay in lakes such as Thompsons Creek Dam, Oberon, and Lake Lyell. Keep your wits about you here. If the next hook-up charges off but doesn’t jump, it could well be a bass. HOLIDAY REDFIN BONOUS The holiday break is

a great time to get into the redfin action at Ben Chifley and Carcoar. It’s a great place to take the kids for some bobbing action. The fish are quite often small but it can be action aplenty – just the ticket for introducing the kiddies to such a great lifelong pursuit. Tight lines, and I hope to see you on the water soon.

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Rain gives fishing a big boost to get the fish active. At the Barringtons the fishing should really fire now as it has received good falls. Thanks to stockings over recent years, there are plenty of trout in the streams. Worms and lures are the best options unless you can find some open banks to cast a fly. In early spring, the members of Barrington Gloucester Fishing club released 106,000 rainbow and 10,000 brown trout fingerlings into the tops. The late spring rainfall would have been very beneficial to their survival. The rivers around Morpeth and Clarencetown will fire now, especially around the lowlight periods where it is a lot more comfortable to fish on very hot summer days. These systems both had a good flush in late spring and are only now starting

MAITLAND

Dave McLean djfmclean@bigpond.com

Last year we experienced some really hot days in January, reaching as high as 44°C, so it will be interesting to see what happens this year. With the very good rainfall we received at the end of spring we should see some good fishing in the dams and rivers. The river fishing was not up to par prior to the influx of rain, but they have since cleared up and are starting to fish really well. The dams also received some nice falls in their catchments. This will help put nutrients back in the water, along with some colour (both Glenbawn and St Clair were very clear). It will also add plenty of oxygen, which helps

to clear up. This is the ideal time to target bass with surface lures worked in tight to cover. As the sun rises, move to shallow running lures, worked close and parallel to the banks. Then work deeper with lures that run down a couple of metres, especially trolling. The ideal times this month in the lower reaches are between the full and new moon, as the reduced flow with the smaller tides keeps the river a fair bit clearer. Up at Clarencetown, the Williams River fishes well but you have to find the areas where you will not get affected by the skiers, as this month it is very popular up there. It is worthwhile heading upstream in a canoe or kayak or head down around Glenoak (just remember there is an exclusion zone). This river is ideal for casting small crankbaits and Betts Spins up amongst the cover and along the edges of the reeds.

here, both trolled and cast. Recently DPI Fisheries put in 12,000 bass fingerlings into Lostock, which should help to increase catch rates in future years. ST CLAIR Lake St Clair has risen a few feet thanks to the rains in late spring. It has also lost some of its clarity, and as soon as it settles down the fish will again become very active. The water temperature rose very quickly, which can make the bass hard to find, but by now it should be easier to catch a few. The dam is very popular this month with skiers so you will have to fish up the arms and around the backs of bays in the Broadwater. Every form of fishing will work this month, especially trolling on some of those hot stinking days that we can get at this time of year. The weed appears to be growing, and with the dam at its current level the fishing looks good for this month, especially on surface lures

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Lostock is also going to fish well this month as the dam has some very nice weed along the banks and the bass are in prime condition. The bass are best targeted with lipless crankbaits, hardbodies and spinnerbaits. The Jackall TN50 and Marz lures work very well

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and shallow crankbaits. This is also an ideal time to use both Bassman Mumblers and Jackall Squirrel 61s around those large clumps of weed in the 3-4m range. I like to get out very early or late and target the bass with surface lures, with my two favourites being the Jackall SK Pop, especially if there is a chop on the water, and the Megabass Siglett. As the light increases, I then go to deeper presentations in the deeper areas with crankbaits, blades and spinnerbaits. Up the Carrowbrook towards the back there are some nice areas of weed and cover with the bass really hitting spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and beetle spins, especially if there is some shade on the water. Another area to fish and get away from the skiers is in and around Gindigah point and up Reedy Cove. There is quite a lot of good structure and cover up this section, and it is worthwhile doing some

Riley, grandson of Pete and Carol from Glenbawn Kiosk, with a beaut bass he caught during a recent family fishing comp. productive sounding in this area. I have been doing some Lowrance Insight Genesis mapping here, and have located a lot of good fishholding areas. Up the Fallbrook arm there are also some really good areas that have plenty of excellent weed, and a lot of fish are taking to spinnerbaits and TN60s. Andrews Point and the northern side of Wood Bay are worth a try, and right up the back around Richards Reach are also worth a cast. Fishing with bait is a good option this month. For best results, use yabbies or live shrimp and fish the timber adjacent to the steep rocky banks. I haven’t seen too many catfish but I am sure fishing off the banks using worms should catch you a feed. GLENBAWN Lake Glenbawn receives huge pressure in January from both anglers and skiers, so it is strongly advisable to get out early. The days can also be very hot and humid, and quite often in the afternoon strong southerlies can hit. With the dam at its current level, it’s looking great for the rest of summer and into autumn. There is not a lot of weed adjacent to the banks and the fish appear to be holding tight to cover and structure. Not many bait schools have appeared, which could be a result of the very clear water. The best areas appear to be up the very back of the dam and especially around the timber and steep banks.

Spinnerbaits, Jackalls and Betts Spins are accounting for most of the fish, whilst trolling deep lures is also a very good option. Some good trolling runs are up around the Panhandle up to the Ruins and also back down the dam along the Castle rock to Boot area. The lures to run are the Feralcatts, Marz and Stuckeys, as they get down to around 5-6m. Another good trolling run is around Golden Point and south around the Sunken Cabins. Trolling 5/8oz spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits is very productive in this area also. Surface fishing is very productive around some the more heavily timbered areas, but look for areas where there is some current flow or wind lines. Bait fishing is very popular over the holidays. This means finding some trees in around 10m of water and dropping some worms or yabbies over. There are some nice catties and silvers around with some really honker goldens. There are some good areas on the North Run and up the dam around the point on the right before you get to Yellow Buoy Bay. Aberdeen Fishing club did its annual bass stocking in December with money raised by its members. If anyone wants to join or find out more about what the club is doing, check out the new website (created with the help of Karen Fontaine) at www. aberdeenfishingclub.com.au.

Sue Collings from Chifley with a decent trolled up bass on a Stuckey during a recent trip to Glenbawn.

Tackling tricky trout WAGGA WAGGA

Scott McAuliffe

It’s hot, very hot, and this can make for some difficult freshwater fishing for a couple of reasons. While our natives love warmer water, there is a point where it becomes too warm and they will shut down.

Murrumbidgee River doesn’t necessarily heat up to the same degree that our local impoundments or smaller rivers do. This is due to the constant cold water releases from the bottom of Blowering Dam. These releases tend to keep the waterway much more active throughout January and February.

This late afternoon brown was taken hopping a black and gold plastic in a very shallow bay on Eucumbene. Early mornings and late afternoons are the most reliable times to pick up fish throughout January. The second reason is that it’s just far too hot to be out on the water in the middle of the day! WAGGA WAGGA In many respects the

Anglers need to focus their attention on periods of low light at dawn and dusk. This is when the fish will be at their most active. Casting spinnerbaits or trolling

hardbodies tight to structure is always the best option before and during sunrise and on sunset. Once the sun has risen a little, casting spinnerbaits becomes a much more fruitful venture as you can really get them right in close to almost any piece of structure. At about 9am things really start to slow down, and your best option then is to baitfish under a shady tree or have a swim and wait for the afternoon session. I personally find that the evenings are always much more productive when they are spent purely casting. I’m not sure why this is, but it does seem to be more productive than trolling. EUCUMBENE There is a misconception that impoundment trout shut down throughout the really hot months, and as a result of this old wives’ tale not too many anglers target them throughout January and February. While to some extent the trout can be a little tricky, the reality is that you just need to adjust your approach slightly to achieve success. It makes perfect sense to spend the majority of

Angus and Hunter Behnke of Wagga picked up this golden perch trolling 50mm AC Slim Invaders along a deep rock wall with their dad Andrew at Burrinjuck Dam. your fishing energy on dawn and dusk, as this when the resident trout will be at their most active. Start well before sunrise and fish through to about 9am. I recommend starting your approach casting or trolling shallow grassy bays, and as the sun gets higher in the sky gradually move out to deeper water. Hopping dark coloured plastics works very well on the steeper banks as you get deeper into the morning. You can reverse this strategy of an evening as

O UT L AW

the sun is setting. Not all anglers have the luxury of a few days to fish the lake, and as a result they want to fish right through the hottest parts of the day. While this creates some difficulty in catching good numbers of fish, it is possible. Probably one of the biggest influences on trout activity is water temperature, and with Eucumbene being such a huge expanse of water, the water temperate can vary by up to 3ºC in certain places. The key to finding active

fish in the hottest part of the day is searching out these cooler pockets of water. Finding these will make all the difference. Those anglers on the long wand should have their best chance of success with mudeye patterns after sunset. Be prepared to fish well into the night. It can be a challenge for those who are new to flyfishing but the frustrations that come with flyfishing at night are far outweighed by the quality of the fishing!

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Ripper cod season ahead ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

It’s cod season, and anglers are revelling in the fact that they can once more try their luck at landing a few monster greens. In the lead-up to the opening the Murray River fished very well, with good numbers of golden perch caught on bait. Amongst the perch there were several pre-season cod, all over the metre mark – a good sign of things to come. Water clarity is still a little poor but it will not deter those keen to cast or troll a lure. I have caught

Anglers are excited to be able to target cod once again. This one was landed near Wemen on a Koolabung lure.

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some thumping cod on lures in water that rated coffee colour at best, and it’s just a matter of getting it close enough for then to take a swipe. Robinvale has fished well for some very large golden perch on bait this past month, and the rumoured capture of several pre-season cod to 90cm should have anglers excited. According to the local lock master, the fish ladder at the Euston Weir has been operational. This will have provided rite of passage to any cod that might have had the

urge to migrate upstream into the Robinvale pool water. Good numbers of perch and a few smaller cod have also been landed in the current rich stretches of the Murray near Wemen. Bait has been working very well, and with good numbers of shrimp in the Murray you can easily get some with a baited trap. Scrub worms, yabbies and bardi grubs have also worked well, and will readily catch both golden perch and Murray cod. There is no doubt the number one bait for Murray

A nice-sized grub is extracted from its hole using a fingered grub wire. This style of wire allows you to remove the grubs without damage.

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cod is bardi grubs, and it’s hard to truly appreciate their worth unless you have actually collected them first hand. I remember all too well my first grub digging expedition after getting some sketchy information at the local pub by a couple of ill-informed ‘experts’. “Just dig away the topsoil under the trees,” they said, “and you will find their holes easily. Once you find them just insert the cable, grab the grub and pull it out.” I was shearing fit at the time and took to the mallee scrub with shiny shovel, removing enough topsoil to sow a wheat field. My reward at session’s end, other than blistered hands, comprised of several large spiders, hordes of irritated ants and one very ticked off centipede. I could see a little more

Tony Bennett digging a few bardi grubs for a cod session later that day. It’s thirsty work.

Put a bend in it this summer YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Hope Santa looked after you all this year and came bearing gifts that more than likely

consist of fishing gear! It’s post-festive season and hopefully you’ll be keen to get out, get it wet or put a bend in it! Fishing in and around Lake Mulwala and the Murray River this time of year generally proves more

Cooper Bennett with a small silver bream from the Murray River. Not big but a lot of fun for the kids over the school holidays.

productive early morning and late afternoon. Those that seek quieter water away from the hordes of ‘doof doof’ boats and ‘water lice’ (jet skis) will produce better results. The areas of Lake Mulwala that generally give you solace from the urban cowboys tend to be along the northern side of the lake, up to about 1km in from the shoreline. The northern side of the lake is heavily timbered. It has less safe boating channels but allows those who poke slowly along some great timber to fish. These areas range from 2-4m in depth and are perfect for casting any style of cod specific lure, whether hardbody, spinnerbait, crank bait or chatter bait. Trolling is also very productive and should not be discounted. Fishing below the weir early in the season generally produces plenty

DAM LEVELS

Dam

% Full

Dam

of undersize Murray cod, protected trout cod and the fun to catch silver perch. Throw in bucketfuls of carp and good numbers of yellas, the Murray is more often than not a better option for the family if they are looking to put the kids onto a fish for a bit of fun. There is not much more to report at present because as I put pen to paper, it’s the calm before the storm. With only a few sleeps until Cod season, the majority of anglers have re armed themselves and are awaiting to pounce! I welcome all anglers visiting Yarrawonga/Mulwala over the holiday period to pop in and say G’Day at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski (opposite Mulwala Post Office). I’m sure we can put you onto a fish or two and make your visit to the region a rewarding and memorable one. Finally I wish all a happy New Year.

% Full

Blowering......................................... 88

Glennies Creek................................. 96

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

Hume................................................ 80

Burrendong...................................... 36

Jindabyne........................................ 84

Burrinjuck........................................ 65

Keepit............................................... 30

Carcoar............................................. 59

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

Chaffey............................................. 69

Oberon.............................................. 79

Clarrie Hall....................................... 61

Pindari.............................................. 60

Copeton............................................ 65

Split Rock......................................... 72

Dartmouth........................................ 98

Tantangara....................................... 28

Eucumbene...................................... 47

Toonumbar....................................... 96

Glenbawn......................................... 97

Windamere....................................... 54

Glenlyon.........................................N/A

Wyangala......................................... 64

(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.)

information was required. An elderly fisho steered my shovel in the right direction when he suggested I try digging under river gums that stood above the high water mark. He also suggested that sandy ground held the biggest grubs, and was also much easier to dig. He was spot on. On my next trip I dug a few dozen fat grubs that turned into several very nice cod later that afternoon. Nowadays I keep a ready supply of grubs in the freezer after blanching them in milk to toughen them up so they stay on the hook longer. While you can buy frozen grubs from most tackle stores, digging them yourself provides a rewarding challenge. It is a common perception that anglers use angling as an excuse to sit back under a shady tree in order to scull down a few cold beers. While there may be an inkling of truth in this, I prefer to believe the consumption of a few cold

beverages is generally a direct result of the bait gathering that went on a few short hours before. Either way, a good supply of bardi grubs is sure to tempt a few cod. December is generally an excellent month for cod along the Murray River for several reasons. Firstly, they haven’t seen many lures for at least the 3-month closed period. It’s all new again and the cod are more inclined to take a swipe at any lure that gets close enough. This will change as the season rolls on and they become ‘lure aware’ as they are bombarded with numerous lures over time. The water temperature is another factor that puts the cod on the chew. This, too, will change as it climbs high during the heat of summer, slowing the bite to a stop. For now, however, it’s a prime time to be one the water chasing cod. If last season is anything to go by, we should have a ripper season ahead.

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The Live Target Shrimp is incredibly lifelike, and features a number of lively appendages that produce a natural swimming movement. All of the Live Target Shrimp come pre-rigged with a premium hook, precision weighting system, and a rattle chamber that emits a subtle ‘ticking’ sound. For even more attraction, the Live Target Shrimp is also infused with real shrimp scent to provide a smell and a taste that no fish can resist. Great for salt- or freshwater, the Live Target Shrimp is one crustacean that will have anglers and fish both drooling. There are 2 models, 75mm (1/4oz) and 100mm (1/2oz). Sold in packs of 4, they’re available in a range of proven colours. Price: $19.95 www.ejtodd.com.au

DAIWA AIR EDGE SURF

The Daiwa Air Edge Surf series is the perfect light tackle lure and bait fishing technique series. Air Edge Surf introduces high-end blank innovation, design and componentry, delivering ultimate performance yet incredible value for money. The secret to Air Edge Surf is combining X45 design with HVF (high volume fibre), by increasing the fibre quantity and decreasing the resin quantity in these blanks, we have created increased muscle in a slimmer profile blank, thus resulting in an even stronger, leaner, lighter, sharper rod than ever before. Complementing this great design is Fuji’s highest quality stainless Hardloy guides, Fuji DPS reel seats with locking rings, custom manufactured alloy componentry and ultra tough EVA grips. There are 5 models, all 2-piece, ranging from the AES 96L (290cm, light action, 7-35g cast weight, 2-4 kg line rating), through to the AES 110H (335cm, heavy, 30-90g, 5-9 kg). Price: Too New! www.daiwafishing.com.au

SAMAKI CHOONA JIG

The Samaki Choona jig has already had a big impact on the Australian jig scene due to its fish catching capability. A unique round wire shape and small oval centre weight design makes this an incredibly versatile jig. During field testing in Japan, New Zealand and over Australian reefs, the Samaki team found the Choona jig to be the go-to lure in all fishing conditions. “Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro in jigging, make sure you tie on a Choona,” said Australian distributor Josh Lowry, “and be prepared for some serious rod bending action!” Ideally rigged with a single or double assist hook, the Choona Jig is available in sizes 80g, 100g and 150g and comes in 5 colours (pilly, bubble gum, gold sunset, pink silver and Aussie battler). Let the games begin! Price: from RRP $12.95 www.samaki.com.au

ICEKOOL IK35 LITRE

MAKO LAUNCHES WOMEN’S RANGE

EvaKool’s new 35L IceKool icebox (#IK 35) features a tough, fully insulated polyethylene cabinet and can hold ice for up to 4 days. It’s lightweight and easy to carry, with comfortable handles and a shoulder strap. Other features include integrated hinges, recessed latch loops, and a seamless design that’s easy to clean. It’s strong enough to use as a seat, and tall enough to stand wine bottles or 2L soft drink bottles. It measures 435mm high (340mm internal height), has a width of 480mm, a depth of 370mm and weighs 5.6kg. It can hold up to 12 wine bottles, 6 x 2lL soft drink bottles or 36 x 375mL cans, plus ice. Price: $149 www.evakool.com

Mako has established itself at the forefront of lens technology, and now it has designed a purpose-built range of women-specific polarised sunglasses with a fashion focus. The frames are injection moulded TN 90, a warp and heat resistant plastic and offer lightness, strength and durability as well as a classic look. The SeeLife and SeaBreeze sit side by side. The SeeLife has a larger frame with and 8 base lenses (curvature of the lens) while the SeaBreeze is a smaller frame with a 6 base lens (less curve and therefore flatter lens) suited to more petite wearers. Both are available in polycarbonate lenses, keeping them light and durable without compromising vision quality. The Wave is available in glass and polycarbonate lenses and again is a fashionable design created just for women. All frames are capable of fitting Mako’s Freeform Active Prescription lenses. All Mako Polarised eyewear comes with class leading lens technology keeping you outdoors for longer. Decentred lenses ensure that the vision is not warped at the outer edges of the lens, while anti-reflective coatings on the inside of the lens reduce side light affecting your vision. Price: $179.95 (polycarbonate), $269.95 (glass) www.makoeyewear.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 JANUARY 2014

What’s new fishing Powered by

GME WATERPROOF TORCH

GME has solved the problem of the torch batteries being flat when you need it most – in an emergency. The solution comes in the form of the ET100 Emergency Torch. Constructed from high visibility yellow polycarbonate, the ET100 is a near indestructible, buoyant, waterproof, multifunction LED torch which boasts a unique ‘Twist to Charge’ functionality. If you’re near a power source, you can also charge your ET100 via USB using the cable included. The ET100 also contains a can opener which doubles as a knife, a compass, a whistle, a signal mirror (heliograph), and a cable for charging other USB devices such as a mobile phone. There’s even a metal bottle opener moulded into the base of the torch. There are 3 brightness settings, and if the going gets tough, there’s a built in SOS flash. As an introductory bonus, the ET100 will be sold including a bonus ET50 ‘bug light’. The ET50 is a handy pocket sized torch, small enough to attach to your keyring, bicycle handlebar, bag or backpack. It’s waterproof, has 3 brightness modes plus S.O.S. and flash modes. Price: RRP $49 visit www.gme.net.au

FISHING VIDEOS ON PC OR PHONE

TICA TACTICA GA SERIES REELS

The makers of Fishing Downunder DVDs (formerly The Fishing DVD) now give you the option to pick and choose which stories you want. Just go to the Fishing Downunder website to purchase single stories to download instantly. Because they’re in a multi-platform format (AVI) you can: • Watch them on your PC or Mac; • Watch them on your TV by putting them on a USB flash drive and plugging it into your DVD player (nearly all DVD players have a USB slot for playing AVI video files) • Burn them onto a DVD; or • Watch them on your tablet or smartphone. And if you’re not tech-savvy, there are instructions on the website to help you. And if you prefer your fishing on DVD there’s also a huge range to purchase in the online store, along with protective fishing clothing and cutting-edge accessories. Price: $3 www.fishingdownunder.tv

The new TiCA Tactica GA reel is a low profile baitcaster that is full of features at an affordable price. The Tactica GA reel has a graphite frame with forged aluminium V-shaped spool which is braid friendly. It also features instant anti-reverse, Magforce brake system, star drag with Micronic Click, soft touch handle grips, and 6 ball bearings including 4 (RRB) rust resistant bearings. The Tactica GA has a high speed ratio of 6.3:1 The TiCA Tactica GA reels are available in right hand or left hand configurations with no cost difference to the angler. The TiCA Tactica GA reels are sure to be a hit with barra, Murray cod and native species anglers across the country. Price: RRP $99.99 www.jurofishing.com

ABU REVO MGXTREME

Weighing 137g, the MGXtreme pushes the limits of what is possible with design and engineering. Equipped with a 10 bearing system, the MGXtreme starts with 7 stainless steel HPCR bearings + 1 roller bearing. The addition of two CeramiLite hybrid ceramic spool bearings results in ultimate distance. It has an ultralight rigid one-piece X-Mag alloy frame and C6 carbon sideplates that provide significant weight reduction. The Infinitely Variable Centrifugal Brake system can be adjusted externally without removing the side plate. The MGXtreme also offers anglers the smooth and reliable Carbon Matrix drag system and Infini II spool design for extended castability and extreme loads. The compact bent carbon handle provides a more ergonomic design, coupled with round EVA knobs to provide improved grip and cranking power. RRP $799 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

SCENT, LIGHT AND RATTLES

River2Sea’s Fish Candy Vibe has an enticing swimming action during the retrieve and on the drop. It also has a great tail action, so if you’re new to using vibration lures you can rest assured that the Candy will do the work for you. This soft bait weighs 20g, is fitted with Decoy trebles, and is made from 10X plastic that’s resistant to sharp teeth, cuts and abrasions. What’s particularly interesting though is that it has a hole at the back where you can insert a glow stick. This option provides yet another reason for a fish to strike, and the light can also be handy when night fishing. As well as this, there is also a rattle chamber that you can insert or remove depending on the mood of the fish. And it doesn’t end there – River2Sea also provides scent sticks that you can insert for extra attraction. Alternatively, you can just squirt some of your favourite catch scent into the hole. This versatile soft plastic vibe is available in 10 colours. To see footage of the Candy in action, scan the QR code or visit http://goo. gl/phXOl8. Price: RRP $19.95 www.river2sea.com.au

SHIMANO TECHNIUM FD

Thanks to the use of XGT7 in the body and XT7 in the rotor, these reels are light yet strong, and are no problem to hold whether spinning with lures or waiting for a bite. The Technium FDs feature X-Ship for more efficient power transmission when winding, three SA-RB bearings, Aero Wrap II line lay on the AR-C spool for effortless and accurate distance casting with Power Pro braid or nylon, and Floating Shaft II. These light to medium class spin reels are going to prove extremely popular with anglers fishing freshwater lakes, rivers, estuaries, even offshore, and are all covered by Shimano’s exclusive 10-year reel warranty. Price: from approx. $140 www.shimanofish.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

What’s new fishing Powered by

ADJUSTABLE RUNNING SINKER CLIP SETS

The SureCatch Professional sinker clip sets are designed to let you change your sinker without the hassle of cutting and re-tying your main line. The running sinker clip can be stopped in the desired position by using the included stopper. Simply open the arm of the sinker clip to change your sinker. It delivers easy and reliable fishing, saving you time and effort so you can concentrate on catching fish. These new sinker clip sets are available in 2 sizes: #309CLIPADJM Medium (5 sets) and #309CLIPADJL Large (4 sets). Price: from RRP $4.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

ZMAN 2” GRUBZ – NEW COLOURS Tackle Tactics worked closely with ZMan US to design a smaller, more finesse version of the GrubZ, the 2” GrubZ. This compact curl tail has proven deadly when the bite is tough, the fish finicky and the bait tiny. As well as catching bream, whiting and flathead, the 2” GrubZ has also accounted for bass, trout and redfin. Originally released in 10 colours, including motor oil, bloodworm and watermelon red, requests have poured in from anglers chasing more of the 2.5” GrubZ colours in the smaller profile. This has seen the addition of greasy

prawn, hardy head and gudgeon to the 2” GrubZ colour range, with all three sure to be a hit in both the fresh and salt. Features include 10X Tough construction, super-soft realistic feel, buoyant and life-like tail-up action. Price: SRP $8.95 (10 per pack). www.z-man.com.au

JARVIS WALKER FISHUNTER ULTIMATE

Estuary, beach and inshore anglers fishing on a budget will like the new-look Jarvis Walker Fishunter Ultimate spin reels. The popular Fishunter series has been upgraded with a modern graphite body and rotor design matched with a striking red and black ported aluminium spool. The attractive finish of the new-look Fishunter Ultimate reels is backed up with tough fish-fighting features, including a 3 ball bearing system, plus one infinite antireverse bearing, a stainless steel main shaft, brass pinion gear and multi-disc drag. Other features include a thick bail wire, click drag knob for accurate drag adjustments and a folding handle with a softtouch torpedo knob. Sizes 2000 and 4000 have a 5.2:1 gear ratio, and sizes 5000 and 6000 run a 4.1:1 design. The line capacities range from 210m of 8lb up to 280m of 25lb for the 6000. Jarvis Walker Fishunter Ultimate spin reels offer the features you need to catch fish without fuss, plus they’re easy on your wallet. Price: From $35 www.jarviswalker.com.au

14 13

TESTED:

Contour+2 takes it to the extreme

Contour has created two cameras that are ideal for anglers, the Contour Roam2 and the Contour+2. I’ve been lucky enough to play with the Contour+2 for last few months and have really enjoyed the simplicity, adaptability and end result. The Contour+2 is the next evolution in action video. Designed by professionals, but simple enough for the everyday user, the Contour+2 will inspire you to share new perspectives. The Contour+2 is a wide-angled video recorder (170°) that is palm-sized and comes with a waterproof case that allows this unit to submerge to 60ft (roughly 18m). This is brilliant for anglers who are in and around water all the time and need their cameras to be waterproof or come with a waterproof housing. You do need to be aware though, that unlike the Roam, the +2 is not waterproof when out of its case – you’ve been warned! Perhaps the best part of the +2 is that you can operate it from your smartphone or tablet by downloading the app (which is free). You can change settings, turn on and off recording, and do burst and time lapse photography all from your smartphone. It’s amazing and means it’s really hard to miss the action when it happens. A quick look at the features list tells you that this unit is not a muck around toy that won’t produce the results you want. It has a locking instant on-record switch, still photo mode, 1080p video (and reduced quality too!), 270° rotating lens, 170°

Interview shot on Contour camera.

wide-angle lens, laser alignment to ensure the image is taken on the right plane, mobile connectivity, GPS video mapping, up to 120fps, live streaming, external microphone jack and of course the waterproof case is included. It’s got a lot of features, all accessible via the app. One thing I particularly liked was the option to have two preset settings on the camera. I have set the camera up to record in 1080p on Setting 1 and on Setting 2 I have it set for time lapse photography, with a pic taken every second. When melded together in a movie, these 1-second pics look great! Out in the field I have strapped the Contour+2 onto my landing net and have gotten some great footage of flatties entering the net. I have also strapped it to my hat and walked around filming and of course I have

hand held the unit and taken what is pretty standard footage. I am yet to secure it to the boat, but this seems a logical extension at some stage and I can’t wait to see some of this footage of just how bad (or good) I am at fighting and landing fish. One thing I have noticed is how good the underwater footage is. The focus seems to be great and when taking footage of jungle perch and flathead underwater in clear conditions, the footage is amazing. I have to admit that most of the time I have been using the unit manually and not through my iPhone. It’s just so ridiculously simple to push the big button forward to start filming, but you do need to be aware of a little lag between the button being pushed forward and actual recording starting. When recording starts the unit beeps, so you get

used to it. When I have used the phone to record, it’s been a great experience. You can see what you have in frame and can simply press the record button on screen. When I mount the unit on the boat I will use this feature more often as having my daughter chase our blind labrador around while I start and stop recording from the lounge chair is probably not what this was intended for. Funny stuff though! Overall, the Contour+2 has been a real eye-opener for me. I enjoy using it, I enjoy watching the footage and I can even knock up some rudimentary videos for mates and for work. I use a Macintosh computer and I found the movies were easy to download, plus the iMovie program we use at work accepted the files without a problem. All in all, it’s just easy to use and that is the best part for a technologically ungifted individual like me. Check them out at www. contouraustralia.com.au or find them at various retailers like BCF around the country. - Stephen Booth Price: $499 www.contouraustralia.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

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Fishy smells that stink so well NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.me

The sense of smell is a well-de veloped and important one for most fish species, and plays a significant role when it comes to fooling and catching these critters. We know that dogs have a far superior sense of smell to humans, but it would seem that many fish leave dogs floundering in their wake (pardon the pun!) when it comes to scent detection. In fact, some scientists believe that a fish’s sense of smell is, on average, up to a thousand times keener than a dog’s, and more than a million times better than a human’s… Perhaps customs officers should be using ‘sniffer mullet’ at out

airports instead of their trusty canine companions! The low concentrations at which some marine creatures can detect substances is the stuff of legend, and it’s true that certain sharks can effectively detect a few drops of blood in an Olympic swimming pool full of seawater! Fish species with good eyesight that hunt near the surface in clear water generally rely less on smell than those grubbing around the bottom in murky conditions. For example, we can reasonably assume that a marlin’s sense of smell is probably less refined than, say, a catfish’s. Species like bream, trout, Murray cod and mulloway will rely on a combination of sight and smell when hunting. But the fact is that most of the species we pursue as anglers

do rely to some extent on their generally excellent sense of smell when it comes to finding food, avoiding being eaten and successfully reproducing (the three key motivators of all fish behaviour). Scientists have also demonstrated that many fish can determine differences between groups of chemicals, and even between separate compounds within those chemical groups, especially when amino acids are involved (amino acids are essential building-block compounds found within the cells of living organisms). Incredibly, it seems that fish have the ability to recognise the smell of specific amino acids, and that they will respond differently to each of these scents. One amino acid called L-Serine, found in natural

oils on the skin of humans, has been identified as a significant repellent to some fish species. If transferred to lures, flies or baits when handling and rigging these items of tackle, L-Serine could definitely turn fish off striking. Interestingly, it has also been shown that some people have much higher concentrations of L-Serine on their hands than others. This fact alone could help to explain why some individuals seem to be consistently ‘luckier’ anglers than others! To backtrack for a moment, we need to understand that fish ‘smell’ things in a slightly different way to humans and other air-breathing creatures. The senses of smell and taste are closely related in most animals, and this link is especially important beneath the surface of the water, where ‘odours’ are effectively tiny bits of stuff tasted by fish. This involves minute concentrations or traces of materials being carried by the water before coming into contact with receptors in the fish’s nostrils, mouth, any whiskers or barbles they might have, and even via special sensory pores on the skin. To aid in this task, the nostrils (nares) found in most fish are quite different to those of humans and other mammals. We use

Mulloway have a particularly keen sense of smell. contains millions of odoursensing cells. Water must be constantly passed through the nostrils and over these olfactory cells for scents or particles of material to be detected. Many of the fish species we pursue have U-shaped nostril canals, with water being forced in one end and out the other as the fish swims, or simply holds position facing into any current flow. The sense of smell is important in other ways,

members, but also by potential predators. Furthermore, some species produce distinct fear, feeding and reproductive pheromones, depending on prevailing circumstances. Many experienced anglers believe that this is one of the reasons why freelystriking fish may suddenly go off the bite if one of their school mates is hooked and (especially) if it’s then released in the vicinity of the school. The

Adding scent additives or feeding stimulants to lures is becoming an increasingly common practice amongst keen anglers. At worst, these agents probably help to mask human odours. At best, they could spell the difference between getting a bite and missing out altogether.

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Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing sbooth@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. 68

JANUARY 2014

Could chemical ‘fear and flight’ pheromones released into the water by hooked fish be one of the reasons that species like bream become harder to fool with lures over the course of time? our nostrils as part of our respiratory (breathing) system, whereas fish use theirs exclusively for detecting scents. A fish’s nostrils are typically positioned between its mouth and eyes and are connected to an olfactory organ that

too. Fish species that aggregate in schools are known to communicate with each other using chemical secretions called pheromones that are detected via the senses of smell and taste. These pheromones are not only sensed by fellow school

existence of pheromones may even help to explain how entire populations of fish can effectively ‘wise up’ to fishing pressure and become much better at avoiding hooks or nets overtime… It’s a fascinating subject and one we’ll be returning to in this series.

Loomzy’s Dominate AYC series September 28-29 saw Pindari Dam host to Round 4 of the Jackall Australian Yellowbelly Championships. The 49-strong field was met with great weather and active fish which made for a record 458 fish measured and an average size of 454mm. At the end of the weekend Loomzy’s Fish N Fix scored their trifecta for 2013 and wrapped up Team of the Year with 300/300

automatically qualified them for the grand final to be held in November at Burrendong Dam. Canobolas Marine Centre managed third place, adding to an impressive set of placings including a win at Burrinjuck for 2013. Daniel Finn, Jack Finn and Michael Schrader point hopped between a few points that were holding schooled fish throughout the dam. They primarily used Jackall TN60s and

484mm average. If there was any question that Loomzy’s Fish N Fix weren’t the number one team in yellowbelly fishing, it was certainly put to bed as the Forbes Duo scored their fourth win for the 2013 series. Browne and Loomes employed the same technique that won them Pindari: vertically rolling Berkley Gulp 3” Minnow Grubs deep on timber. The key to their success was a finely tuned

Sailors. Jason Hopkins and Tom Hocking fished similarly to Loomzy’s Fish N Fix by slow rolling Gulp 3” Minnow Grubs rigged on 1/4oz jigheads up timber. Hopkins and Hocking did not target specific trees but rather employed a ‘hit and miss’ approach as they worked their way up the dam from the lower reaches. Drunken Sailors finished with 15/15 for 7200mm and also received an automatic qualification on a count back. The Big Fish Award went to team ILMS with an outstanding 585mm specimen. The end of the qualifying season saw Loomzy’s Fish N Fix crowned as Team of the Year with 4 victories for 300/300 points, taking the crown from last year’s champions, JMH Spinnerbaits. With 1 event left to go, the Grand Final is sure to attract a lot of attention, with $10,000 up for grabs. Anyone interested in fishing the events in 2014 should check out www. yellowbellychampionships. com for dates and venues. - Chris Frith

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Dennis Piggot of Team Bassin, the runners-up in Round 5 at Windamere. points. Paul Browne and Jamie Loomes employed a deep vertical presentation of Berkley Gulp on trees that they had identified as holding good numbers of fish with their Structure Scan units. Their technique involved slow rolling Berkley Gulp 3” Minnow Grubs up the timber in 40ft of water. They used a variety of colours on 1/4oz Atomic Seekerz heads on 10lb and 12lb main and leader. They rotated between a few trees to fill their bag for 15 fish of 7290mm. Running in at second place was Goondiwindi based Team ‘Dreamin’ consisting of John Lowe and Richie Windon. Jamie and Richie targeted active fish schooled off points up the Severn River reaches of the dam. They targeted points using black gold Kokoda G Vibes to fill a solid bag of 15 for 7015mm. This

Mask Vibes in ghost black red belly with a vertical presentation, however they also managed to pull 2 large fish out of timber on Bassman Yellaman spinnerbaits. The Jackall Big Fish award went to Mark Hardman of Hardman Outdoors, Moree who caught a 600mm specimen in session two. The fish was caught on a Jackall Transam 13g in ghost black red belly jigged through timber up the River arm of the Dam. ROUND FIVE: WINDAMERE A strong turnout of 62 teams descended upon Windamere for the final qualifying round of the 2013 Jackall Australian Yellowbelly Championships. Windy upheld its reputation as Australia’s premier golden dam, with a total of 401 fish for an impressive

pre-fish that focused on identifying trees that were loaded with fish. They fished deep timber towards the bottom end of the lake and rotated between a handful of productive trees that equated to a full 15/15 bag for 7430mm. Team Bassin’ took out second place. John Hutchins and Dennis Pigott of Taree used their knowledge of the dam to locate and target shallow humps throughout the dam. These humps had well established weed beds, which were the focus of Bassin’s fishing. They fished black Ecogear ZX blades with the weight dependent on the wind conditions, and used a dead slow hopping retrieve to entice bites. A bag of 14/15 quality fish saw them finish on 7275mm and receive an automatic grand final qualification. Third place was secured by team Drunken

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5 YEAR NO FUSS WARRANTY For a dealer near you Phone: 07 5492 7777 sales@evakool.com www.evakool.com JANUARY 2014

BREAM SERIES

ABT BREAM CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP Mallacoota delivers for Team Gamakatsu/Atomic Father/son team Paul Malov and Alex Franchuk (Team Gamakatsu/ Atomic) have taken out the 2013 ABT BREAM Classic Championship at Mallacoota, VIC. Malov and Franchuck come out of the blocks quickly on day 1, posting an imposing 5/5, 4.58kg tournament limit. They then backed it up with a 5/5, 4.51kg limit on day 2 to take the victory by a margin of 1.29kg from their nearest competitors. On the pre-fish day the team checked out 6 possible locations for fish. The goal was to just observe and monitor activity as opposed to actually catching fish. “We actually had 4 key areas that we just left alone,” Malov explained. “We found fish, but it was all about just observing if they were in any number and how they were behaving. With 68 teams on the water we knew the key would be to manage our locations to maximise our chances.” On day 1 the team headed to Bottom Lake. They targeted bream around rock clumps and tea tree snags in depths up to 2.5m. By 8.30am the team had boated 3 bream. “We used 2” Atomic fat grubs in green gord/avocado colour rigged on a Gamakatsu 1/22oz round ball head,” Malov explained. “The technique was to cast tight to the edges and let the lure sink on a slack line. If there were no takes on the drop we gave the lure two little hops and then a pause before retrieving it using a slow roll/hopping/ pause retrieve.” The team alternated the presentations with a hardbody presentation. “We used the Atomic Crank 38 in ghost green shad,” Malov said. “It was especially

effective around shallow rock points.” Gamakatsu/Atomic then made the move to Top Lake, targeting a rock wall. Using the Atomic Crank they secured 1 fish slow rolling the lure down the side of the rock face. The team then moved to a bay where they found fish muddying in 10ft of water. “The water was quite green and we could see fish digging on the bottom,” Malov said. “In all, we caught 5-6 legal fish from the location and filled out our tournament limit.” On day 2 Gamakatsu/ Atomic decided to follow the game plan that had provided them with fish on the first day. The initial signs were good, with 2 fish in the livewell by 8.30. The rock wall proved fruitless, but a move to bay saw the team begin to gain momentum. “At the bay we caught 2

Classic Championship Video Playlist http://goo.gl/aM8Sez

First place winners Paul Malov and Alex Franchuk from Team Gamakatsu-Atomic.

Atomic 2” Fat Grub

Cast tight to edge

Sink on slack line

Two hops and pause

bream including a 1.56kg fish. By 12pm we had 4 fish and were looking at filling our limit and potential upgrades.” In an effort to find their fifth fish, the team decided to fish deeper in an area of Top Lake. Using their Lowrance HDS-12 Touch sounders, the team found fish holding tight to the muddy bottom. “Using 1/8oz Atomic Metalz in ghost green colour we attempted to get the fish to bite,” Malov said. “We also added Megastrike in craw scent to the lures. The technique was 2 small hops tight to the bottom. Using this technique we filled our tournament limit.” The team then hit the edges in hope of finding further upgrades. When this proved unsuccessful they returned to

their original location. The fish were active, but the team was unable to land 3 successive hook-ups. In a final move they hit a timbered location that had previously fished well. “It sounds cliché but on the last cast we got a fish,” Malov said. “It upgraded a 29.5cm fork bream to a 36 fork bream.” Team Gamakatsu/Atomic headed back to the weigh-in in an apprehensive mood. Even though they had filled their limit and upgraded, they knew the quality of fish available at the tournament location. “We were worried those lost fish would cost us,” Malov explained. “The one thing I wasn’t worried about was the condition of the fish; with the recent addition of livewell vents from V-T2, the fish were livelier at the end of the day than they were when they were caught! “Our limit was comprised of 3 good fish and 2 legal fish. Watching the weigh-in was still nerve wracking. This is a big, prestigious event that all teams dream of winning. “When we realized we had won, we felt this huge mix of excitement, relief and accomplishment all at once. Doing it with Dad as my partner made it all the more special. We have a great partnership and it made the whole event an experience to remember.” Malov and Franchuk took away a Mercury 4-stroke 150hp engine for the victory. The team thanked Frogleys Offshore, Lowrance and Evinrude for their support. They also thanked all the 68 teams who had assembled from around the country for attending.

Atomic Metalz 1/8oz Atomic Crank 38 Deep

Rock bar

Short little hops to keep on the bottom

JANUARY 2014

Lure tight to rock bar edge

Breamski take second Team Breamski (Steve Nedeski/ Jarrod Lye) found their limit each day, but were unable to haul in Team Gamakatsu/ Atomic. Breamski were in contention for the day 1 lead with their 5/5, 4.51kg tournament limit. On day

of water, and the key lures were the Jackall Chubby in suji shrimp and the Berkley 3B in brown/red.” The bream were active straight away, with the team filling their 5 fish limit by 8am. A 100m stretch of bank proved to be the key area, with the bream sitting on the

Runners-up Steve Nedeski (and Jarrod Lye not pictured) from Team Breamski. two, however, the team found conditions tougher and their 5/5, 3.56kg limit saw them fall short of the tournament leaders. “During the prefish we just took the time to look around and revisit places where we had previously caught fish,” Nedeski said. “On day one we headed to Top Lake to fish edges. There was a proliferation of baitfish in the area. We targeted fish on the snaggy edges in up to 3ft

drop-off into deeper water. The team then made a move to Top Lake flats where they targeted fish in 7-11ft of water. “We used a 2” Berkley Shrimp in camo colour rigged on a 1/32oz Nitro jighead,” Nedeski said. “The key was to make long, wind-assisted casts. This allowed us to cover a lot of ground and not spook any potential bites. “If the bites didn’t come on the drop we employed

an aggressive hop, pause and sink retrieve. The big rod lifts brought the fish on and resulted in 3 upgrades.” The team finally relocated to Bottom Lake, specifically Goodwin Sands, where they caught their final upgrade on the Berkley 3B lure. On day 2 team Breamski decided to revisit their day 1 locations. In Top Lake the baitfish that were prolific on day 1 had moved on. The team explored the area but was unable to secure any bites. A move to the Top Lake flats saw the team begin to catch fish using a slightly different technique. “The bream responded to a much slower retrieve,” Nedeski explained. “Also, the bream were the larger yellowfin which bolstered our limit. By 11am we had our 5 fish.” He added that a move to Goodwin Sands proved fruitless. “It was too calm,” he said. “We basically pulled up, looked around and left again,” explained Nedeski. The team finally returned to the Top Lake flats where they continued to catch fish, albeit the same size school fish around 32cm fork length. “Patience was the key in this tournament,” Nedeski said. “This included sorting through smaller fish to find the larger models. From a technique point of view, long, wind-assisted casts allowed us to cover a lot of ground. We got a lot of bites as the lure was on the drop.” Team Breamski’s tackle included G. Loomis 8205 Dropshot rods teamed with 1000 and 2500 size Shimano Stella reels spooled with 3lb Power Pro braid and 3lb/4lb Sunline V Hard leader.

TOP 10 TEAMS Place Team

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Fish Weight (kg)

1 GAMAKATSU/ATOMIC

Paul Malov & Alex Franchuk

9.36

8.07

8.03

7.9

7.56

7.55

7.39

7.37

2 BREAMSKI: Steve Nedeski & Jarrod Lye 3 MINN KOTA Warren Carter & Cameron Whittam 4 BERKLEY Brad Hodges & Michael Hodges 5 AMAZON OUTDOORS/GLADIATOR TACKLE Jason Grace & Steven Cefai 6 BLACK LABEL

Mark Gercovich & Wayne Friebe TOP 10 NON-BOATERS 7 GLADIATOR TACKLE Anthony Thorpe & Rodney Thorpe 8 COMPLEAT ANGLER BATEMANS BAY/SHIMANO Jason Mayberry & Terry Parmenter 9 COLAC TACKLE Stephen Parker & Declan Betts 10 BRUM Danni Suttil & Antony Suttil

WINNING NOTES Winner’s tackle: plastics outfit Rod: Samurai Reaction 201 Reel: 2508 Daiwa Steez Line: 10lb Unitika Aorika II braid Leader: 6lb Unitika Aiger leader

Winner’s tackle: hardbodies outfit Rod: Samurai Reaction 203 Reel: 2000 Daiwa Sol Line: 10lb Unitika Aorika II braid Leader: 6lb Unitika Aiger leader

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Winner’s edge “The keys were persistence and experience gained in other events at the same venue.. We knew the tournament couldn’t be won in the deep because the fish on the edges were much bigger, so we focused 95% of our effort on the edges. The deep water was the fall-back for filling our limit each session.”

BIG BREAM TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Cohen Morante (Team Majorcraft) secured the event Big Bream on day 2 with a cracking 1.62kg specimen. The bream came from Allen Head at 12.30 in 6ft of water. “I was using an Atomic K9 Pup in mud prawn colour,” Morante said. “The technique was to make long casts and work the lure for around 4ft before pausing it. It was a good strike and I knew it was a good fish by the fight it was giving. In all it took around 10 minutes from hook-up to landing.” Morante used a Majorcraft Crostage CRK-T702M rod teamed with 8lb Unitika Aorika braid and 3lb Unitika FC leader. - ABT

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Cohen Morante Majorcraft) TOP 10(Team NON-BOATERS with his 1.62kg fish that took out the Big Bream title.

JANUARY 2014

BREAM SERIES

HUMMINBIRD BREAM GRAND FINAL Parker claims wire-to-wire win Victorian tackle store owner Steve Parker (10/15, 8.49kg) claimed the ultimate prize in tournament bream fishing in Australia with a comprehensive win in the Humminbird BREAM Grand Final, 8-10 November. Grabbing the lead in the Gippsland Lakes hosted event on day one, Parker held his calm on the final day to secure the win and in the end achieve a very comfortable victory. Fishing in amongst the trees out the mouth of the Tambo River on day one, Parker didn’t have to wait long to find out if he was on the fish. His second cast of the session delivered him his first fish. The action wasn’t a one off with Parker quickly catching his second, and then continuing on to fill his bag within the first hour and a half.

Surrounded by a host of other boats that weren’t experiencing Parker’s level of action it was his choice of lure and how he worked it that made all the difference. “The fish were there you just needed to get their attention, otherwise they wouldn’t eat your lure,” said Parker. Fishing an OSP Dunk crankbait in 1.5m of water, Parker’s technique involved ripping the lure aggressively 2-3 times then pause it. It was on the pause that the bream would eat it. The approach not only delivered a rapid-fire limit for the day but also an additional four upgrades. Weighing in the only 5kg+ bag for the day, Parker headed into day two with a comfortable lead, and high

hopes that the Tambo would fire once again. His hopes were thwarted though with gale force winds and dangerous conditions resulting in the cancellation of day two. “I didn’t get any sleep the night I was leading, so to get a chance to catch up on some sleep and make sure I was completely ready for day three wasn’t such a bad thing,” said Parker. With improved conditions on day three and the anglers permitted to start, Parker headed straight back to Tambo in the hope that things would have remained the same as day one. An hour into the session and still with no bites Parker was begging to think about plan B and C. “I left and hit the Mitchell Flats for half an hour for no

TAMBO MOUTH PATTERN

fish, then went to Duck Arm, also for no fish, then cut my loses and went back to the Mitchell,” said Parker. At 10.30am he had no fish, but his dry spell wasn’t to last much longer with his first fish soon to follow. An hour later and he had four in the well. Fish number five proved the toughest though. “I dropped my fifth fish two times, and it took another hour and a half to catch it,” said Parker. Two upgrades followed, delivering Parker a positive end to a day that started frugally. While day one’s lure and technique was an aggressively ripped OSP Dunk, day two’s was the opposite end of the spectrum with Parker catching his fish on a slowly retrieved deep Jackall Chubby bumped across the bottom.

http://goo.gl/7JqfxN

Steve Parker dominated at the Humminbird BREAM Grand Final, winning breaming fishing’s biggest event. The last angler to hit the stage Parker needed 1.23kg to secure the win. Hefting a solid 3.06kg limit onto the scales in the end he did it easily. Parker’s win delivered him a bounty of prizes, including a Yamaha SHO outboard motor,

OSP Dunk, retrofitted with size 12 Decoy YS25 trebles

1 .5

metres deep

Rip

Fish eat lure on pause Pause

Rip Ri p

Deep Jackall Chubby (brown suji shrimp), retrofitted with size 10 Owner ST11 UL trebles

™

JANUARY 2014

AFC outdoors spot, perpetual BREAM Grand Final shield, and a highly coveted bream on a stick. The win also secured Parker the Mercury Cup for 2014, and added his name to a highly regarded list of former Grand Final winners.

BREAM Grand Final Video Playlist http://goo.gl/Fnzye2

Healey Hauls for Second Victorian angler and Humminbird supported tournament pro Jarrod Healy was Mr Consistency at the Grand Final, to secure his best result to date in a Grand Final. Fishing the Nicholson River flats and Duck Arm

early on day one it wasn’t until a late session change to the mouth of the Mitchell River flats that Healey found his fish for the tournament. “It was a late run, I caught my limit in a 400m stretch in the last hour and a half of the session,” said Healey. Healey slow rolled a

Jarrod Healey performed well in the final finishing second.

Jackall Chubby deep across the bottom and giving the lure the occasional twitch. The bite came as the lure was paused. With a day’s rest under his belt due to the day 2 being called off, Healey headed off on day 3 rested, and keen to improve his fourth place. “I headed straight back to the Mitchell hoping that they’d still be there,” said Healey. His wishes went unfulfilled, and with no fish he moved to Duck Arm, a move that paid off. With nothing else to show for an hour he moved back to the Mitchell. This time it produced giving up two fish. Eager to continue his momentum he moved to the Nicholson River flats, and with 30 minutes left he picked up fish number four. Only weighing-in four fish for the day, it was a a result that Healey was more than happy with. “It was hard to find fish on the final day, and getting them to bite was really hard. To finish second in a Grand Final full of very good anglers is very satisfying,” said Healey.

Cribbes Gets Cranky to Win Bairnsdale Glazier Mark Cribbes (5/10, 5.43kg) secured victory in the non-boater division with the local using an Austackle crankbait approach to catch his tournament winning fish. Restricted to a single day on the water due to strong winds Cribbes caught his fish on day 1 fishing the mouth of the Tambo River with day 1 leading boater Steve Parker. Fishing 1.2-1.5m deep snags Cribbes threw an estuary prawn coloured Austackle DD40F Project B Crankbait and worked it with a slow rolling retrieve interspersed with three to four twitches followed by a pause. Cribbes didn’t have to wait long to get a response

to his approach with his first fish coming in the first 10 minutes of arriving at his spot. A string of fish followed with Cribbes and Parker filling their limit by 8.30am. The second fish in the limit was the standout, a 40cm fish that anchored Cribbes win. Cribbes’ winning tackle included an Austackle Featherlight, 2-5kg, rod, Austackle Cruz PBi reel, 8lb Austackle PE mainline, and 4lb fluorocarbon leader. Cribbes upgraded the rear hook of his crankbait, replacing it with a size 12 Owner ST11 treble. With a BREAM Grand Final trophy safely on his mantle, Cribbes joins an exclusive list of Grand Final winners. – ABT

Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stephen PARKER

10/10

8.49

Yamaha SHO motor (RRP $30,000)

Warren CARTER Daniel MACKRELL Tristan TAYLOR Chris WRIGHT Matthew KEARTON Cameron WHITTAM Damien DOMAGALA

9/10 10/10 4/10 9/10 8/10 5/10 6/10

6.46 5.6 4.1 4.03 3.91 3.4 3.36

TT Lures/Zman Pack Tonic Sunglasses Pack Ecogear Pack Imakatsu/Toray Pack Duffdollar Vouchers Strike Pro Pack Starlo Stick

Jarrod HEALEY 9/10 6.66 Duffrod TOP 10 NON-BOATERS Daniel KENT 10/10 6.62 Shimano Starlo Stick/Saros Reel

For full result listings, see www.bream.com.au

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS Fish Weight (kg)

Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Mark CRIBBES Grant STINGEL Rebecca FAZIO Nigel WHITE Dave HEDGE Richard SOMERTON John WRIGHT Andrew WILLIAMS Michael HODGES Tanya KONSUL

5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 4/5

5.43 4.44 4.27 4.02 3.4 3.32 3.29 2.93 2.79 2.01

Payout

Evinrude E-Tec motor (RRP $10,000) Rapala Pack TT Lures/Zman Pack Spotters Pack Tonic Sunglasses Pack Shimano Tackle Bag Imakatsu/Toray Pack Duffdollar Vouchers Starlo Stick Starlo Stick

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

For full result listings, see www.bream.com.au

WINNING NOTES TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Winning Tackle Day 1 Rod: G.Loomis TSR 862 Reel: Daiwa Steez 2508 Line: 10lb Sunline Castaway PE Leader: 5lb V Hard flurocarbon Lure: OSP Dunk, retrofitted with size 12 Decoy YS25 trebles

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Bairnsdale local Mark Cribbes secured the non-boater title to claim his maiden Grand Final win.

http://goo.gl/sdf3yl

FISHING TACKLE

Day 2 Rod: G.Loomis SJR 842 Reel: Daiwa Steez 2508 Line: 14 Varivas Max Power PE Leader: 4b V Hard flurocarbon Lure: Deep Jackall Chubby (brown suji shrimp), retrofitted with size 10 Owner ST11 UL trebles Winning Ways Parker matched his lure, tackle and technique perfectly to the location and mood of the fish. Going aggressive and heavy on day one and downsizing to finesse on a tough day two.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

ABT, PO Box 7196, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Alternatively you can download an entry form from www.bream.com.au At any time you can call ABT on (07) 3387 0888 for help with your entry during business hours. JANUARY 2014

2013 Daiwa-Hobie Kayak Bream Series HEAD HAULS FOR GRAND FINAL WIN Darryl Head, a 46yo Basin View Hobie Fishing Guide, claimed the ultimate prize in kayak tournament fishing with victory in the 2013 Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BREAM Grand Final. Claiming a wire-to-wire victory, Head grabbed the lead on day one on the back of a 3kg+ bag then never let it go as he stormed to victory.

Fishing just inside the first lake heading upstream, Head fished shallow (50cm of water) and threw an assortment of different lures and used a host of different techniques to catch his fish. Day one in particular was the day when he threw his whole tackle box. “The fish didn’t turn on until the middle of morning when the tide turn and there was no real pattern or lure

that stood out. As a result I just rotated through my lures and mixed up how I worked them,” said Hedge. Throwing blades, deep diving crankbaits and soft plastics and using retrieves that ranged from slow rolls to twitches and pauses, it was a multi approach that delivered him 15 fish for the session. Weighing in a 3.46kg limit for the session it was

Kayak Grand Final Video Playlist http://goo.gl/bxlhMm

Darryl Head’s winning bag was anchored by the event’s Hogs Breath Boss Hog, a 1.74kg fish that fuelled his maiden Grand Final win.

The entire field fished from Hobie factory-supplied Power Pole, Lowrance and Ram Mount fitted out Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayaks. a 1.74kg kicker fish in his bag that anchored his leading margin heading into day two. Heading off on day two with a 690g lead, Head had a feeling that the fishing would be tough, especially with the deteriorating weather, and had suspicions that one fish would be enough to keep him in front of his challengers.

“I was happy when I caught my first fish in the first hour, then I was over the moon when I got my second fish in the last hour,” said Head. The last angler to hit the stage, Head’s two 2/2, 1.14kg in the end proved enough to relegate a strong finishing Scott Baker to second place and claim his

maiden Kayak BREAM win. “To claim the win in such strong company is truly amazing,” said a jubilant Head. Head now becomes only the forth angler to call themselves a Daiwa-Hobie Kayak Grand Final winner and joins Scott Lovig, Daniel Brown and Shane Taylor on the honour roll.

Jackall Squirrel - suji shrimp

Pause

Twitch

2013

DAIWA

HOBIE KAYAK BREAM SERIES

For more information visit www.bream.com.au or phone ABT on ( 07 ) 3387 0888 74

JANUARY 2014

2013 Daiwa-Hobie Kayak Bream Series BAKER CRANKS INTO SECOND Inaugural Hobie Fishing Worlds Champion Scott Baker produced another solid tournament result to finish second and claim his best result to date in a Kayak Grand Final. Compiling a 6/6, 3.8kg limit to secure his podium finish, Baker fished to his strength and threw a deep Jackall Chubby for the entire tournament. “The Chubby has been my go-to lure for a long time now, so when the weather was bad and the fishing tough I tied one, knowing that if any lure would get me fish it would be that one,” said Baker. Fishing a 1.7m deep

flat near the first island upriver of the start line, Baker religiously used his Power Pole to hold his Hobie in position and allow him to fish the area thoroughly. “Without the Power Pole I wouldn’t have been able to fish the area as I did, and I wouldn’t have caught the fish that I did,” said Baker. With his Power Pole deployed and his Hobie facing into the current Baker would make long casts then retrieve his Jackall with a dead-slow slow roll, bumping the lure across the bottom. “You couldn’t work the lure too slow, you just wanted it to touch its way across the bottom as you

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

cranked it back in,” said Baker. While the technique was crucial for success so was the choice of lure colour. “I could only get fish on the pink eyed, brown suji shrimp colour. While other colours looked great, I just couldn’t get fish to eat them,” said Baker. His choice of technique and lure colour produced seven fish on day one and four fish on day two. One of only two anglers to catch their full limit for the tournament Baker’s consistency and result once again confirmed his status as an angler to look out for in a big event.

BASS ELECTRIC SERIES

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS It was action stations each morning with over 100 kayaks hitting the startline.

TOP 10 KAYAKERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish Weight Payout BASS ELECTRIC SERIES

Darryl HEAD Scott BAKER Stephen MAAS Craig COUGHLAN Daniel BROWN Richard SOMERTON Chris BURBIDGE Chesney FUNG Nick MACE Grayson FONG

5/6 6/6 4/6 4/6 5/6 4/6 4/6 4/6 5/6 5/6

4.60 3.80 3.54 3.45 3.25 3.17 3.12 3.04 3.03 3.01

2013 Prize Pack, Duffrods Prize Rod Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

For full result listings, see www.bream.com.au Scott Baker once again produced the goods in a big event, finishing second, his best result to date in a Grand Final.

BASS ELECTRIC SERIES

WINNING NOTES

Winning Tackle Rod: 7’6” Millerod Control Freak Reel: 1000 Shimano Stella Line: 8lb OH Dragon PE Leader: 4lb flurocarbon Lure: Jackall Squirrel, Ecogear VX30, Jackall Chubby, Berkley Gulp Shrimp, Berkley 3B Sub Dog Winning Ways With a clear bite pattern undefined Head rotated through varying lures and techniques to maximise his chances of giving the fish something that they would eat. “There was no one lure that dominated (especially on day one) so I threw a heap of different lures in the hope of increasing my chances of giving them something they wanted.” TERS TOP 10 NON-BOA

IC SER IES BAS S ELE CTR

HOG’S BREATH BOSS HOG Event winner Darryl Head claimed the Hogs Breath Boss Hog, with the champion’s day one 1.74kg kicker fish falling to a twitched and long paused suji shrimp coloured Jackall Squirrel.

2013

DAIWA

DATE:

BOSS HOG HOGS BREATH PAY TO:

Hogs Breath Boss Hog

FOR THE SUM OF:

One Hundred Dollars

$ 10 0

ents Fishing Tournam • barra bass • bream

HOBIE KAYAK BREAM SERIES

For more information visit www.bream.com.au or phone ABT on ( 07 ) 3387 0888 JANUARY 2014

21st Hawkesbury Classic Results The 21st Hawkesbury Classic has been run and won, with the massive weigh-in on Sunday November 10 at Pitt Town Sporting Club Hosted by Pitt Town

Fishing Club Inc. The weather conditions weren’t favourable for fishing but the biggest dedicated estuary competition in Australia brings out the true anglers

that battle all elements to try to catch that winning fish. Approximately 600 anglers did battle, vying to be crowned the Hawkesbury River Champion. Craig Williams took out

RESULTS Junior Winner Junior Runner-up Ladies Winner Ladies Runner-up Open Winner Open Runner-up Heaviest Bream Heaviest Flathead Heaviest Jewfish Heaviest Whiting Heaviest Other Species

Shane Adorini Lachlan Beasley Rayna Sharma Rose Debrincat Craig Williams Ben Donzow Joshua Balzke Chris Hollier Bill Watkins Mick Buttigieg Mick Buttigieg

3.25kg Jewfish 3.13kg Jewfish 4.68kg Jewfish 2.44kg Flathead 11.20kg Jewfish 8.15kg Jewfish 1.24kg 4.20kg 5.98kg 0.53kg 6.09kg Grouper

the major place with his nice jewfish of 11.2kg, and 2 boats were also given away on the day – a raffle boat and another bigger boat as a lucky door prize donated by Blakes Marine. The Raffle boat was won by J Smith of Maroota, and the lucky door prize boat was won by local junior angler Lachlan Chugg. The event’s massive auction, run by local radio personality Steve Wilkins, provided plenty of bargain opportunities for attendees. Each year, 100% of the proceeds of the Hawkesbury Classic go to

Open champion Craig Williams, with runnerup Ben Donzow and 3rd-place finisher Nick Waltisbuhl. [Image: Philip Cusbert] local charities. This year the charity was Windsor Park P/S (a special education unit for underprivileged kids) and Pitt Town P/S.

The Hawkesbury Classic has raised approximately $500,000 for charity since the series began. – Brett Chain

2013 Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic Perfect sunny conditions with no wind greeted the 439 keen anglers who entered the 10th Anniversary of the Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic on Lake Hume. The fishing on the Saturday proved to be a little tough, but some

excellent catches were recorded on Sunday. A total of 152 yellowbelly were registered, with some big fish up around the 8kg plus mark. Also 455 redfin, 25 trout and 89 carp were presented to the weigh stations over the

course of the weekend. There were 439 registered entrants, and everyone who attended had the usual good time. The committee and helpers would like to thank all the sponsors

and entrants for making this year’s event a great success. Next year the event will be on the weekend of October 25-26, and the location will be announced soon. – HC

WINNERS Some quality trout were caught at this year’s Classic.

A total of 152 yellowbelly were registered during the competition.

Junior Yellowbelly Junior Redfin Junior Trout Junior Carp Senior Yellowbelly Senior Redfin Senior Trout Senior Carp Male Champion Angler Female Champion Angler Male Champion Angler Female Champion Angler Teams Event Best Represented Club members Early Bird Prize Lure Wall Winner Swag Pack Winner Minkota Winner Major Prize

61cm 42cm 35cm 67cm 62cm 44cm 67cm 71cm 33 Fish 4 Fish 17 Fish 9 Fish 50 Fish 32 Kinross Angling Club Sharon Dubois Matthew Hawkins Ryan O’Keefe Nathan Schmidt David Carey (Boat Package)

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P/Code Phone (day):

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Hawk Fishing cap, Hawk Fishing line, Hawk HB Lure, assorted Panther Martin lures and 3 packets of Youvella chemically sharpened hooks. SEND ENTRIES TO: VFM Hawk Tournament Competition

PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129 NSWFM JANUARY 2014

FINS SCALES & TAILS by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winners for November were J Ezzy of Castle Hill, R Cook of Currans Hill, S Hollands of Goulburn, B Williamson of Greenwell Point, B Rousell of Elanora Heights, H Van Le of Bass Hill, S Brown of Narrabeen, W Ford of Cootamundra, M Robertson of Umina Beach, A Di Cara of Concord who each won an Island Tribe sunscreen pack valued at $35. 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

G & N by Michael Hardy

FIND THE BLACK MAGIC C-POINT WINNERS The Find the Black Magic C-Point Hook prize winners for November were E Peterson of Gorokan, B Fisher of Pacific Palms, G Mineit of Taree, D Smith of Kelso, J Stranner of Rose Bay, N Moody of Saus Souci, N Morgan of Fairy Meadow, P Allen of Beacon Hill, J Scanlon of Croudace Bay, S Aniol of Cardiff South, T Kennedy of Summerland Point, P Owens of Kelso, B Jordan of Botany, C Newsome of Tregear, K Durham of Erskine Park, S Davis of Emu Plains, L Boyd of Hawks Nest, C West of Dapto, L Burraston of Armidale, D Chandler of Theodore, C Engelbrecht of Wagga Wagga, J Roberts of Camden, A Grcic of Raymond Terrace, R Waters of Temora, C Brown of Binnaway, L Field of Blaxland, A Jameson of Jilliby, N Webster of Kurrajong Heights, P Sodermans of Silverdale, P Bedingfield of Merimbula, K Thomson of Halekulani, C Carter of Richmond, B Stokes of Morwell, B Schmierer of Lemon Tree Passage, M Smalley of Ulladulla, K Markham of Tea Gardens, J Morante of Singleton, S Manthongsy of Bonython , M Walker of Cowra, L Jeffs of Gateshead, A Thompson of Ermington , R Small of Orangeville, H Miller of Kurrajong, I Hutchings of Glenfield, B Offley of Wollongbar, R Derrick of Barraba, D Ryall of Singleton, W Clark of Dubbo, D Nacinovic of Collaroy, T Hodges of Ballina, who each won a packet of Black Magic C-Point Hooks valued at $5.95! Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to Grant Cook of Pottsville, 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 75

• DECEMBER 2010

JANUARY 2014

We’re going native NSW STH COAST

Jo Starling

When every single log in the shallows makes your heart stop momentarily, and every dried fallen tree trunk looks like a sunning croc, a kayak is the last watercraft you’d consider boarding. Recent migrant from the Top End, Jo Starling, conquers her fears and launches into a new adventure—learning to ‘yak fish. Until four years ago, the term ‘yak’ had only two

meanings in my world… a Himalayan smelly creature and something I liked to do around a campfire, over a chilled beverage, with some well-chosen mates. I come from the Top End… a land where man can only claim dominance IF he doesn’t enter the water. Kayaks don’t form part of a Top Ender’s psyche. WHEN IT COMES TO YAKKIN’ Four years ago, however, I started fishing south of ‘the crocodile line’ and the charm of the ‘quiet yak’ became apparent. Once

Jo releases a golden perch from her comfy seat aboard her Native Watercraft.

NEW

I’d allayed my instinctive suspicion that a scaly man-eater lurked beneath every watery surface, I was able to see the benefits of the humble kayak as a fishing vessel. It’s virtually silent, stealthy, peaceful and can hop waterholes like a salmon! Thus a third definition has been introduced to my personal dictionary. MY NEEDS ANALYSIS Let me be blunt – I have no interest in kayaking for kayaking’s sake. Apologies to any folk who are avid paddlers, but I’m an avid fisher. It’s to the avid fisher in me that a kayak appeals, and it’s from this perspective that I fashioned my list of wants, needs and expectations. Having never fished from a kayak before, I had only my imagination and fear of crocs to guide me. My expectations were relatively simple: Stability, so that I could stand and cast (fly casting optional, but preferred); clearance, opening up shallow water options that would be closed to me in the boat; manoeuvrability, so I could get myself into likely spots and out of trouble;

A little imagination and innovation will let you make the most of your deck space. discretion, because I liked to hunt and I knew my quarry had many advantages from their unseen hidey-holes; accessible storage so that I had what I needed at my fingertips (or close too it) without limiting my already limited standing room; oh yeah… standing room! And, last but not least, I wanted my kayak to be “easy to mount”. That was so my pride would remain intact. And so it was that I set about researching kayaks that might tick

backwards! I don’t know about you, but as a fisho who likes to mix it with as big a specimen as I can find, having the capacity to pull a hooked monster away from heartbreaking structure seemed like a pretty good asset. So it was that my investigations turned to Native Watercraft. I’M IN LOVE WITH A NATIVE MARINER After a short time of weighing up options and specifications, I committed to a Native Watercraft

list with your imagination. In fact, now that hubby Steve and I have started setting the Mariner up, I would have to name innovation as one of the greatest assets of a ‘yak newbie. You really can create a very efficient fishing craft in a small space, when you put your mind to it. BORN TO RIDE With fit-out all but complete (there is still that anchor trolley assembly to do yet), the day came in late October for my virgin kayak launch. To my delight, the Mariner

35 LITRE ICE BOXES

• 12 x Wine Bottles or • 6 x 2Ltr Soft Drink or • 36 x 375ml Cans

Plus Ice!

G R E AT E VERY OCCASIO N ICEBOX The ‘live well esky’ on Jo’s Mariner 12.5 Propel has a footprint of 400x600mm, a perfect fit for the stern.

HOLDS ICE FOR UP TO 4 DAYS

CARRY HANDLES & SHOULDER STRAP

5 YEAR NO FUSS WARRANTY For a dealer near you Phone: 07 5492 7777 sales@evakool.com www.evakool.com 78

JANUARY 2014

all my boxes. To my delight, I discovered the wonders of the Hobie! My imagination went wild with the potential to troll whilst en route… let alone get to my fishing spot quicker! I quickly decided that a leg-propelled kayak was the better option for me. Some time later that I stumbled upon a magazine ad promoting Native Watercraft kayaks. They didn’t have the profile of the Hobie, but they had something else that piqued my curiosity… they had a propeller, not flippers. “So?” I hear you say. So, they can go

Mariner 12.5 Propel. They also have the option of a Mariner 12.5 Propel Angler, which comes factory rigged with two Scotty flush rod mounts, one Scotty side rod mount, a groove mount outfitting plate, anchor trolley system and anchor kit. At the time I was looking, there wasn’t an Angler handy, so I installed the extra bits myself (except the anchor trolley, which is a project for near future) to my new Mariner 12.5 Propel. My new rig is a beaut! There are plenty of options for custom fit-outs, so you can feel free to couple your wish

didn’t buck me off! In fact, it was so stable that I quickly returned to shore to pick up my ultra-eager 9-year-old daughter. I was confident that I could take her for a ride without tipping her into the drink, even though she was sitting atop my strapped-in esky/’live well’! I hadn’t pedalled far before I heard the inevitable, “Can I ‘vago?”. I objected at first, but then thought it would be an interesting test of the kayak’s ability to tick off my first requirement. So we made a plan to swap places… and we did so without fuss!

H2O Fish paddle. I have to admit that I’m useless at paddling! The pedal option suits my coordination (or lack-thereof) far better... but when the pedals are up, there is no option but for me to grip the paddle, splash around and invariably cuss! There are several reasons why I’ve opted for the H2O Fish paddle. First of all, it breaks down to 2 pieces for transport, is discretely coloured for stealth and, most importantly, it has a fish measurer along the handle – not just for small fish either, but for big fish! This just proves that I’m not

alone in my belief that I can catch a monster from my ‘yak! My tip: clip it into the paddle mount with the zero mark forward… I nearly gave myself a cramp when I first tried to measure up with the zero back behind my seat! FIRST IMPRESSIONS I’ve yet to become an experienced ‘yakker, but I am happy to give a solid 2 thumbs up to the Native Watercraft 1.25 Mariner Propel. It’s answered all my needs and although it doesn’t quite have the clearance of the Hobie Pro Angler, it has all the capabilities plus more and

weighs a lot less. Overall, I am very happy with my choice. If you are interested in seeing me putting the Native Watercraft through its paces during my first weekend on the water, there’s a review on the Offroad Adventure Show channel on YouTube. Go to www.youtube.com/user/ OffroadAdventureShow and search Native Watercraft. I’m looking forward to reporting and reflecting more as I now embark on this new adventure… Learning to yak! I hope you’ll join me over coming issues.

Mother and daughter enjoy a quiet fish together along the edges of Lake Lyell. Stability? Tick. Pedalling the craft made me aware of one thing I hadn’t considered… comfort! You sit ‘on’, not ‘in’, so you have great visibility from the comfortable webbed seat. The back support is adjustable, which is perfect as I suffer from a chronic bad back and wouldn’t be able to go far otherwise. The seat slides forwards and backwards, locking into place with adjustable strapping. This makes it easy for those of us who are vertically challenged to share with the lanky. The long and the short of it is, the kayak proved to have the comfort box ticked as well. The direct drive propulsion is an ingenious bit of kit that is fully removable (in fact, it transports separately from the kayak and is installed before launching) and therefore fully optional. It’s driven by the pedals which work just like a bicycle’s, unlike the Hobie’s stepping/pumping action. If you visualise one of those low-riding pushbikes with the pedals out in front, you’ll get the idea.

SPECIFICATIONS Length.............................................................3.81m Width..................................................................81m Weight............................................................ 39.5kg Max. Capacity................................................. 181kg Bow Hatch Length...........................................0.46m Bow Hatch Width.............................................0.30m RRP: $2760 (plus custom options) www.inmotionaus.com It’s an easy action that generates a good amount of speed. At a relaxed pedal you can maintain trolling speed, but you really do need to focus on keeping a slow rhythm. The Native Watercraft Mariner Propel was clocking 3.1 knots at my natural pace… and I’m unfit! As for manoeuvrability, the Native has it in spades. I could not believe the over-delivery on promise. The rudder sits at my left hand and is an easy tweak, even when standing. In a gentle wind, it easily manages nose direction. Pedalling backwards for reverse works like a charm, although steering is less direct, as you’d expect. The big surprise, however, is the ability to virtually stop on the spot! This is handy in so many situations, stopping when snagged on

the troll being one that I discovered very early in the piece! Holding off from action that appeared in my path was another. The elephant in the room is the clearance. Unlike the Hobie, the Native Watercraft Mariner’s pedals cannot fold flat under the hull. They can, however, be raised up through the hull to rest on the bow whilst paddling or drifting through shallow water. This is not as immediate as the Hobie paddles folding up, but isn’t difficult to do. If anything, it’s just a bit fiddly. When the propeller is deployed, my Native Watercraft 12.5 Mariner is able to get me through water 30cm or deeper. When it’s up, I save around 15cm in draft. For those occasions, I’ve taken to using an

Native Watercraft’s ability to reverse helps pull fish away from structure.

Even when the pedals are deployed, Jo finds plenty of standing room.

STH COAST - Merimbula Outboard Services 382 Sapphire Coast Drive Merimbula NSW 2548 P: 02 6495 9634 E: info@merimbulaoutboard.com.au

NEWCASTLE - Maitland Power & Marine

1800 336 603

www.polycraft.com.au

23 Melbourne St East Maitland NSW 2323 P: 02 4933 3284 E: sales@mpm.net.au

Boat range: 3.00 Tuff Tender, 4.10 Challenger, 4.50 Drifter, 4.80 Brumby, 5.30 Warrior and 5.99 Frontier JANUARY 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.

Boat Moorings

Boat Imports

Botany Bay Moorings

Import USA Boat 0435 476 177

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Boat Hire

Limited availability only a small number remaining.

$700 PER ANNUM FOR MEMBERS

Boab Boat Hire (NSW) 1300 002 622

Fish Taxidermy Bait & Tackle

MUDDY CREEK AMATEUR BOATING & FISHING ASSOC.

SLIPWAY AVAILABLE

ENQUIRE NOW. 0427 908668

Neptune’s Treasures - Your Catch Reproduced 0405 226 282 www.neptunestreasures.com.au

BYRON COAST

or 0402 055 034

Yamba Bait & Tackle (02) 6646 1514

COFFS COAST

Fish Taxidermist www.fishtaxidermy.net.au or 0428 544 841

Complete Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307

Botany Bay Moorings 0427 908 668

Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726

Boat / Trailer Modifications & Repairs Online Tackle Products

MACQUARIE COAST Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866

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

Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

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

www.fishin.com.au 0425 230 964

www.fishin.com.au

Port Macquarie Tackle World (02) 6584 9972

ONLINE BREAM TACKLE STORE

HUNTER COAST Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144

SYDNEY’S HOME OF TRAILERS!

CENTRAL COAST Umina Bait and Tackle (02) 4341 1686

UMINA

We Fix Trailers : Repairs + Services New & Secondhand Trailers Parts + Accessories

OPEN 7 DAYS

Specialising in “Tournament Quality Lures” 0425 230 964

Call: (02) 8544 8114 5 Captain Cook Drive, Caringbah

LTD BAIT & TACKLE PTY

SHOP 18, 29 KIORA RD MIRANDA NSW 2228

www.boldtrailers.com.au

MASSIVE

RANGE

OUT of the BLUE TACKLE

SYDNEY

OF TACKLE

The Boat Pimpers (Sydney) (02) 9792 7799

CHEAPEST BAIT AROUND

4341 1686

SYDNEY

Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Narellan (02) 4647 8755 Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Sylvania (02) 9522 5100 Windybanks Bait and Tackle (02) 9477 1520

BATEMANS COAST Rob’s Bait and Tackle (Burrill) (02) 4454 3350

EDENS COAST Bermagui Bait and Tackle (02) 6493 5444

CMC Marine Sales www.cmcsales.com.au

Introducing the all new INSANITY ACE REEL

3 • Gelcoat repairs 3• Insurance repairs

WINNER

of the Best Reel at China Fish 2013

3 • Transom & floor repairs 3 • 12v Electrical installations 4 Aspinall Place, MULGRAVE 02 4577 3482 www.westernboatrepairs.com.au

FRESHWATER Loomzys Fish and Fix (Forbes) (02) 6851 1425

Screen Printers / Labels

2000 , 3000 , 4000 sizes available • Slim water tight body • No external screws • Leading technology • Easy to service • Ratio 5.1:1, 8 + 1 bearings • 6kg drag

Custom Boat Covers Made by Professionals

Mobile Service Available We Do... Boat Covers • Canopies • Clears

Ph: 0417 608 344

• Spray Covers • Upholstery • Industrial Covers • Marine Carpet & Decking • Sails & Sail Handling Systems

Email: brian@outofthebluetackle.com.au

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

0431 858 176 www.RHINOCOVERS.com.au

rhinocovers@hotmail.com THD Screen Printing and Custom Vinyl 0499 073 122

Specialty Fishing Products www.specialtyfishing.com.au U-Make-Em Soft plastics ww.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au Techni Ice www.techniice.com

WANT IN? EMAIL : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

MOBY MARINE

Chandlery & Accessories

FLUSH YOUR ENGINE WITH

S E R V I C E S P T Y L T D MARINE ENGINE PARTS DISTRIBUTORS

Your one stop shop for outboard & inboard service options

Outboard and Sterndrive Specialists All Services & Repairs by Qualified Technicians We are one of the Largest Distributors of After Market marine engine parts in Australia

44 Barry Ave, Mortdale, NSW Contact us today

CORROSION CONTROL SALT REMOVING TREATMENT

engines fail from salt corrosion ACT NOW AND PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE BOAT, ENGINE, TRAILER, FISHING AND DIVE GEAR. SALT-AWAY IS A MUST FOR:

FREECALL For more info

CENTRAL COAST Blacksmiths Holiday Park (02) 4971 2858 Central Coast Holiday Parks 1800 241 342

> > > > > > >

ILLAWARRA COAST

MOBILE MARINE BOAT SERVICES

Mechanical and Electrical Boat and Jet Ski Servicing All Watercraft Repairs Boat Fitouts Break Down Service Boat and Outboard Inspection NSW Boat Code Agent (Mobile)

inutedsney! m 0 9 y Onl from Sy

www.aquacash.com.au

VISIT www.salt-away.com.au

CENTRAL COAST

Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014 Korr Lighting www.korlighting.com.au

For all your boating needs • Outboard Motor Servicing & Repairs • Spare Parts & Chandlery • Marine Electrics • Trailer Repairs

Mooring Security

TAILORED INSPECTION PACKAGES STARTING FROM

$15

PRIZE

PH: 43 444 088 Mob: 0415 904 124 donterrill@hotmail.com 15 Alma Ave, Woy Woy NSW

DRAW

PER MONTH

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

A reliable and cost effective way to safeguard your moored, penned or trailer boat.

Boatminder will check your boat, start your engine & check your bilges

www.boatminder.com.au 0456 618 718 Boat Minder 0456 618 718 www.boatminder.com.au

Breakdown Response

MACQUARIE COAST

FREECALL 1800 222 334

Kendalls on the Beach

FREECALL 1800 111 224

Werri Beach Holiday Park

FREECALL 1800 655 819

FOR MORE INFO VISIT:

www.kiamacoast.com.au Kiama Harbour Cabins (02) 4232 2707 Currarong Beachside Tourist Park 1300 555 515 Sussex Inlet (LJ Hooker) (02) 4441 2135

Holiday With Us, Sussex Inlet (02) 4441 2135 Surf Beach Holiday Park (02) 4232 1791

Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

Kendalls on the Beach (02) 4232 1790 Werri Beach Holiday Park (02) 4234 1285 Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park (02) 4234 1340

FRESHWATER Dubbo Marine and Watersports (02) 6882 2853

Holiday Rental

EDEN COAST Fishermans Rest (Eden) (02) 6496 1999

FRESHWATER Burrinjuck Waters State Park (02) 6227 8114 Providence Lodge (Eucumbene) (02) 6454 2200 Winter Keep (Snowy Mountains) www.winterkeep.com.au

CHIFLEY DAM CABINS

Just 20 minutes drive Sth of Bathurst Affordable self-catering accommodation Quiet peaceful setting Great spot for fishing

Gugegong River Park (02) 6373 0378 Grabine Lakeside State Park (02) 4835 2345 Lake Glenbawn State Park (02) 6543 7193 Wyangala Waters State Park (02) 6345 0877 Bass Lodge Macleay River NSW 0433 482 325

SYDNEY Moby Marine (02) 9153 6506 www.mobymarine.com.au Aqua Marine 0415 600 301 www.aquacash.com.au Cohoe Marine Products (Sydney) (02) 9519 3575 Blakes Marine (02) 4577 6699 Watersports Marine (02) 9676 1400 Neken Marine (02) 9979 9649 Family Boats (02) 9622 0222

FREECALL 1800 823 824

Surf Beach Holiday Park

Graham Barcley Marine (02) 6554 5866

Dave Hill Marine, Nowra (02) 4423 6137

www.boatassist24.com.au | 02·9746 6224

Marine Mechanics

Kiama Harbour Cabins

Book Now For Relaxing Break

Nowra Marine (02) 4423 3440

 Breakdown assistance  Running gear untangled  On water towing  Water pump outs HH JOIN UP NOW! HH

Great Parks

Killalea State Park, Shell Cove (02) 4237 8589

Jetty Boating (02) 6651 4002

Sunset Motors & Marine (02) 4297 2888

Providing on water marine assistance to boating enthusiasts in the Sydney Harbour region

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

COFFS COAST

ILLAWARRA COAST

Your Mates on the Water

Boat Assist 24 02 9746 6224 www.boatassist24.com.au

Don’s Mobile Marine 0415 904 124

Great Locations

Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park FREECALL 1800 666 665

Mention NSWFM and Receive a Discou nt

FREE

 Salvage  Fuel drop offs  Battery jump starts  Battery replacements  HIN numbers

Macleay Valley Coastal Holiday Parks 1300 COASTAL

PHONE: 041 5 600 30 1

WASHING BOATS FISHING & DIVE GEAR

1800 091 172

• Battery Replacement • Storm Checks • Scraping/Antifouling • Electrical Maintenance • Water Courier Service • Mooring Rope Replacement

HUNTER COAST Wangi Point Lakeside holiday Park (02) 4975 1889

www.mobymarine.com.au (02) 9153 6506

WARNING! AquaMarine 9 out of 10

ENGINE FLUSHING JETSKIS TRAILERS

COFFS COAST Pelican Park Nambucca Heads (02) 6568 6505

Charter Boats Book now on 1800 68 1000 Book online at visitbathurst.com.au

BYRON COAST Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters,0428 828 835 Sea Master Fishing Charters, 07 5524 8849 or 0415 593 901

Ben Chifley 1800 681 000 www.visitbathurst.com.au

Reel Time Fishing Charters 0428 231 962

WANT IN? EMAIL : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Trades, services, charter boats & guided fishing tours directory BATEMANS COAST

COFFS COAST Oceanic Sea Urchin II Charters, 02 6566 6623 or 0428 650 321 South West Rocks Fishing Charters, 02 6566 5298 or 0429 995 390

Top Cat Charters, (02) 4472 7340 or 0427 727 340 Batemans Bay Fishing.com.au 1800 636 396

EDEN COAST Esprit Fishing Charters, 1300 556 658

The Rocks Fishing Charters, 0412 074 147

The Sheriff - Montague Is Game (02) 4476 4664 or 0428 277 727

Wooli Deep Sea Tours, 02 6649 7100

Freedom Charters Eden (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446

Trial Bay Fishing Charters, 0427 256 556

Charter Boats Continued

MACQUARIE COAST Castaway Estuary Charters 0427239 650 Ocean Star Fishing Charters, 0416 240 877

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

FREEDOM CHARTERS EDEN

SYDNEY Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351 Sydney Sportfishing Adventures, 0405 196 253

ILLAWARRA COAST

Sea Lady Charters

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY ON THE NSW STH COAST! • Reef, Game and Kingfish • Shared and private charters • Bait and tackle supplied • Homemade morning tea • Packages available • Owner operated

WE CATCH FISH! E:

Ph: (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446 fishing@freedomcharters.com.au W: www.freedomcharters.com.au

Freedom Charters (02) 6496 1209 www.freedomcharters.com.au

PICK UP ANYWHERE IN THE SHOALHAVEN RIVER

QUEENSLAND

MV CAPRICORN STAR

• Fast Modern Boat • Specialising in Reef, Game & Bottom Fishing

EXTENDED FISHING CHARTERS

• FISH – The Banks • All fishing gear supplied

SMALL GROUPS CATERED FOR!

• Operating 16 years

LIGHT GEAR SPECIALIST

FOR SNAPPER & OTHER SPORTS FISH

CALL ROY: 0411 024 402 CHARTERS AVAILABLE 7 DAYS

BOOK YOUR

2014 TRIP NOW

Brad Ireland from Moree landed this cracking 83cm snapper while on charter with the team from Reeltime Charters out of Yamba.

Swains Reef • Bunker Group • Coral Sea • Shoal Waters and Beyond

Sea Lady Charters 0411 024 402 Jervis Bay Fishing Charters (02) 4447 8177 0412 506 422 Silver Star Fishing Charters, (02) 4421 7462 or 0412 977 000 Shell Harbour Fishing Charters, 0425 216 370

SILVER STAR FISHING CHARTERS

Greenwell Point only 10 mins from

NOWRA NSW

Game and , a e S p e e D rs ing Charte Reef Fish

MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201 www.amytiadventure.com.au Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters Swains & Coral Sea 0427 125 727

MIKAT CRUISES

Swains & Coral Sea Fishing Charters

Choice of

Snapper

3 BOATS • Reef, Deep Sea and Sport Fishing • 20m Cat – Large comfortable & stable • Air-Conditioned & fast (cruise up to 18 knots) • Professional crew (over 22 years experience) • Cater for groups up to 14 for up to 10 days • Fully licensed bar • Dories available • Three large bathrooms • Blue Ray DVD + Plasma Tv’s • Desalinate unit • Trips designed to suit your requirements

Mowong Flathead Kingfish Tuna Plus more! SILVER STAR FISHING CHARTERS

Michael Ph: 0427 125 727

NSW Recreational Fishing Licence. NSW Maritime Surveyed. Jervis Bay Marine Park permit.

Fax: (07) 4972 1759

www.mikat.com.au

Mikat Cruises 0427 125 727 www.mikat.com.au

Fishing Guides ILLAWARRA COAST Bay & Basin Sportsfishing 0413 610 832

Phone John 0412

977 000

www.silverstarfishingcharters.com.au

BATEMANS COAST Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures, 02 6495 9902 or 0400 062 504

EDEN COAST Captain Kev’s Wilderness Fishing Tours 02 4474 3345 or 0424 625 160

Jo landed this great whiting while fishing plastics with the crew aboard Castaway Charters.

NEWS

FROM THE BOATING WORLD

BCF HOOKS BLUELINE BOATS

SONARHUB ARRIVES

Blueline has hooked into an exciting opportunity to launch its range of boats in Australia. These will be sold exclusively through BCF. Made from marine alloy, Blueline’s Nomad tinnies boast high fatigue strength, top notch corrosion resistance, plenty of storage and many other high quality features. BCF Managing Director Steve Doyle said he was excited to be offering customers an affordable, yet quality boat. “Offering matching gear and accessories takes away the stress and worry for our customers as everything they need can be purchased at their local BCF store,” he said. “Expanding our range to include these Nomad tinnies now makes BCF truly a one-stop boating shop.” The initial release will include a 3.4m and 3.85m hull made from 5052 marine alloy sheet. Blueline has partnered with Parsun Outboards and Endeavour Trailers to offer a range of motor and trailer options. For more information visit bluelineboats. com.au or www.bcf.com.au. – BCF

Delivering best-in-class StructureScan HD and CHIRP fishing technologies in one compact module, SonarHub is ideal for marking fish and tracking lure action, with easy-to-understand, picture-like views of structure and bottom detail. Adding StructureScan HD and CHIRP sonar technology to compatible Lowrance HDS and Simrad NS multifunction fishfinder/ chartplotter displays, the SonarHub performance module is a plug-and-play network solution. The new module’s Frequency Sweeping Pulse Compression technology (CHIRP sonar) provides high-definition detail to depths of 3500ft; while its StructureScan HD functionality provides picture-like displays. A combination of DownScan Imaging technology and side-scan imaging, StructureScan HD includes an enhanced transducer design with 3 dedicated signals. It provides digitally purified images of individual fish and clear separation of fish from other targets. When paired with an AIRMAR TM 150 transducer, the CHIRP sonar has efficient pulse generation that provides improved target resolution and noise rejection. Plug-and-play compatibility with the Lowrance HDS Gen2 and Gen2 Touch fishfinder/chartplotter models, as well as Simrad NSS Sport, NSE Expert and NSO Offshore multifunction displays, SonarHub has 3 built-in Ethernet ports for convenient networking. The sounder is compatible with a wide range of transducers. The SonarHub Sounder retails for $799, has a 2-year limited warranty and is backed by the Lowrance and Simrad Advantage Service Programs. For more info visit www.lowrance. com. – Navico

AFFORDABLE DIY PROJECTS

Josren is a new company that provides high quality, affordable toy and hobby products you can purchase online. Their products are for the DIY enthusiast who wants to build quality projects. Josren projects are for boaties, campers, home brew gurus, fishos, cooks, gardeners, or people who enjoy doing things themselves. At this stage Josren has released their Tinny Console. The Tinny Console will be the first of many projects released by Josren Concepts and they hope that through your input they will grow the product range to suit your needs. Josren kits are designed and machine cut locally, in quantities to reduce the costs to you. They ensure kits are quick and easy to complete requiring only basic DIY skill and tools. Their kits contain only the main timber components, in a bid to reduce transport costs and to enable you to make use of materials you may well already have hidden away in your shed. Why would you buy a Josren product? Because they provide high quality, affordable DIY products you’ll be proud to say “I built that”. Join Josren’s Facebook community and share your DIY experience or watch their YouTube Channel for great DIY hints. – Josren

NEW MARINE GRAPHICS DESIGNS

Australian design studio Marine Graphics Ink (MGI) has released its summer 2013/14 Stock Boat Wraps brochure, offering a stylish and cost-effective boat hull protection solution. It’s available in 16 new designs, and all you have to do is select a boat wrap from the brochure, tell MGI your boat details, and they will size the wrap to fit your hull (including positioning of registration number) and then print the wrap on premium cast vinyl with UV

over laminate. MGI will also apply the wrap to your boat if there’s an agent in your area, or send the printed artwork to you for installation by a local sign company. While the Stock Boat Wraps brochure provides a range of ready-to-go designs, customisation is also available. You can select any wrap from the brochure and replace elements with other stock designs, fish from MGI’s stock fish library, add sponsor logos and even incorporate the boat’s name. “A stock boat wrap doesn’t mean your boat is going to look the same as others on the water,” Hannan said. “Many people mix and match the stock designs or request other slight modifications to make their boat wrap unique.” Marine Graphics Ink’s summer 2013/14 brochure can be downloaded at www. marinegraphicsink.com.au. – MGI

INSIGHT GENESIS OFFER

Insight Genesis – the personal mapgeneration tool for Lowrance, Simrad NS and B&G Zeus chartplotters – has announced a new single-tier, low-cost annual subscription featuring the most popular features of this premium mapmaking service. The new subscription delivers more functionality and performance, as well as regular free updates, and users can create maps from their own sonar logs to capture the personal detail and contours for their favourite fishing areas. Replacing the one-time download and multi-tiered subscription structure that ranged up to USD$299 per year, the new Insight Genesis subscription offers customers access to the service’s full feature set for a reduced annual fee of USD$99. Insight Genesis also continues to provide free features including uploads for up to two hours of sonar logs for online viewing of maps that depict contours and depth soundings with shading, as well as automatic tidal adjustments. The new annual subscription allows customers to upload up to 4 hours of sonar logs as well as view charts online or save maps to an SD card for use on as many as four compatible Lowrance Elite HDI, HDS*, Simrad NS Series and B&G Zeus multifunction displays. Additional subscription features provide the ability to adjust contour intervals; merge multiple uploads; overlay bottom hardness and vegetation outline layers; analyse changes over multiple recordings with trend-analysis; securely store sonar logs, maps and a boaters’ critical trip and waypoint data online - accessible from any internet-connected device; and the option to keep recorded sonar data private or to share selected tripsy. Existing customers who purchased the previously available premium subscription for USD$299 will be refunded USD$200, and users who purchased a standard subscription for USD$99 will receive a free upgrade adding premium features. For more information visit insightstore. navico.com/insightgenesis. – Navico

STACER 579 SPORTSTER

Easily catering for up to 7 passengers, the Stacer 579 Sportster is fit for the entire family or a large group of friends. The 579 Sportster comes complete with all the little luxuries, including a carpeted floor, bimini and envelope, bow storage, a duckboard platform, cushioned bow lounge and finished with a painted hull. The Low Profile Sports Deck gives the 579 Sportster a new modern look, and with a max rating of 135hp and a central ski hook this boat is perfect companion for serious watersports action. It’s built with the EVO Advance Hull which combines a sharper bow design and deeper V to ensure the 579 Sportster delivers an impressive ride at rest and underway. Stacer National Account Manager Drew Jackson said the EVO Advance Hull made the Sportster stable fishing platform that performed well in all conditions. ‘The 579 Sportster can be optioned up with a casting platform infill and extra rod holders, perfect to take your crew fishing,’ Drew said. “It can also be optioned up with front and side clears and storm covers for extra protection, a Mark 5X fish finder and rocket launchers.” The 579 Sportster is available as a Stacer Ready 2 Go package with engine, trailer and a 3-year limited factory warranty. For more info go to www.stacer.com.au. – Telwater

YAMAHA PFDS

Yamaha’s new neoprene PFD’s mould to your body and are a more comfortable fit whilst the segmented style also enhances flexibility. They are certified Level 50S, Australian standards approved (AS4758). This vibrant and fresh new range focusing on bold, angular designs. Features include a front main zip; internal 38mm thick belt with buckle closure for added security; and accessories clip. The men’s models range from SM-XX and are available in black/gold and blue. The ladies sizes are 8-16 and come in an attractive black/pink colour. All come printed with the Yamaha logos on both the front and rear of the PFD. Price: approx. $140 yamaha-motor.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

Savage Jabiru Pro 415 WARRAGAL

Martin Auldist martinauldist@gmail.com

The popular Jabiru Pro series of small puntstyle aluminium boats is from Savage, of course, which gives them a big tick right from the start. The well-known company has been designing and manufacturing quality boats in Australia since 1898, and their products have forged a solid reputation as being both durable and practical. The test boat was a Jabiru Pro 415, but this proven favourite comes in a number of other lengths; the 385, 435, 455 and 485. They are all just perfect for sheltered-water estuary fishing, as many readers have no doubt already discovered. Sitting on the trailer in the yard, the boat we had our hands on was a striking sight, painted black with white trim and gold and grey stripes – but other colours are available, as well as unpainted versions. LAYOUT The first thing I noticed was that, yes, the Jabiru Pro 415 is a small boat…

but it doesn’t feel like one. Every inch of the fullycarpeted deck space is available for fishing. There is an extensive casting deck built above the forward section of the boat, below which is a huge storage area that is accessible via several large hatches. An underfloor anchor well and tray for an auxiliary battery can also be found ‘below decks’ up front, while a bow-eye for the anchor rope and a steel plate for mounting an electric motor on the bow completes the forward set-up. Simon had fitted the steel plate, by the way, with the impressive Minn Kota Riptide i-Pilot

electric motor system. In the mid-section of the boat the floor is lower and accommodates the two fold-up, swivelling pedestal seats that can be deployed in different positions. On the test boat, the driving area was covered by a bimini, which comes as an option and sure was handy for keeping the drizzle off on the day we were out on the water. There are short handrails on the gunwale adjacent to the seating positions that provide something to grab onto if things get rough. Simon had also fitted the boat with a Humminbird 798 HD Side Imaging sonar and GPS

The forward section of the Jabiru Pro 415 comprised of a carpeted casting platform with underfloor storage and anchor well, and a steel plate for mounting an electric motor.

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The Jabiru Pro 415 has plenty of fishing space for a small boat and would be ideal for keen estuary anglers. combo, which provided some reassurance when negotiating shallow water. At the back of the vessel there is another raised platform that houses an under-floor battery compartment and can be fitted with a live bait tank as an option. It could also be used as an extra fishing platform if you get backboated by your crew and need some extra space. Right at the back there are rod holders as well as handles on the back of the transom to help with manoeuvring the boat when launching and retrieving. There is also a plate for mounting a depth sounder transducer on the lower outer transom. MERCURY 40HP 4-STROKE EFI The test boat was filled with a Mercury 40hp 4-stroke EFI Big Tiller outboard. As its name suggests, this outboard is a tiller steer engine, but the 415 comes with the option of a side console with steering wheel (as do all three larger models). For the record, 40 ponies is the maximum recommended for the 415, but this increases to 75 for the largest model in the range, the 485. The Big Tiller outboard has the gear shift and tilt and trim controls in the tiller handle, so all the controls are right there at your fingertips. The engine has electronic fuel injection for quick starting and, like most 4-strokes, it is clean, quiet and fuel efficient. To cap off a great donk, the Big Tiller was fitted with a Spitfire 4 blade propeller. This prop has greater surface area than a standard 3-blader, with a better grip on the water and a corresponding increase in thrust. Like all new Mercury outboards, this motor is covered by their fully transferrable, non-declining 3+2 year warranty.

RIDE AND HANDLING Out on the water Simon and I put the Jabiru Pro 415 through its paces. The Mercury popped it up and onto the plane with ease and, once there, it certainly handled well. Its shallow V-bottom cut through the short chop easily for a comfortable ride, while

the wide 1.98m beam helps provide the Jabiru Pro with its renowned stability. Cornering was a breeze, with the running strakes getting a good grip on the water, while the reverse chines were effective at kicking water away from the boat and keeping us dry in the

Top: The Jabiru Pro 415 was pushed along nicely by a Mercury 40hp 4-stroke EFI Big Tiller outboard. Above: The Mercury 40hp 4-stroke EFI Big Tiller outboard has the gear shift and tilt and trim controls in the tiller handle, so all the controls are right there at your fingertips.

cockpit. Incidentally, the hull is constructed from 3.0mm aluminium plate all over, so it’s definitely made to last. Back at the ramp, the Jabiru was easily nestled back on to the trailer, even in the 20 knot side wind. Being a trailer made by Savage themselves, it had the advantage of fitting the boat perfectly, as opposed to many aftermarket trailers. This makes good sense, not only for launching and retrieving but also for transport; ill-fitting trailers will ultimately wear holes in your boat. One other thing I really liked was the walkway from the front to the back of the trailer – a clever feature that would surely save you from wet feet on many occasions. The trailer also featured alloy wheels that incorporated bearing buddies.

Pushed along by a Mercury 40hp 4-stroke EFI Big Tiller outboard the Jabiru Pro 415 zipped over the chop with ease. PACKAGE OPTIONS The price of the Jabiru Pro 415 as tested, complete

JABIRU PRO 415 Length:............................................................ 4.15m Beam:.............................................................1.98 m Depth:.............................................................0.83 m Length on trailer:.............................................5.50m Height on trailer:..............................................1.35m Bottom sides:....................................................3mm Top sides:..........................................................3mm Transom material:..............................................3mm Weight (boat only):........................................... 311kg Power:...................................................... 30hp-40hp Max. people:............................................................5 Max load:......................................................... 480kg

with the Minn Kota Riptide i-Pilot electric motor system and Humminbird 798 HD side imaging sonar and GPS combo, including registration and safety pack, is $25,999. However, packages for more basic Jabiru Pro set ups start at as little as $13,999 (with a 30hp 2-stroke Mercury). If you’re into your estuary fishing, with perhaps a little calm-day bay fishing thrown in, the Jabiru Pro will provide you with a stylish, functional, durable and

affordable option. For package prices, call Watersports Marine on 02 9676 1400. For details on the Jabiru Pro range go to www.savageboats.com.au. 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.

[02] 9676 1400

11 Binney Road Kings Park NSW 2148

Top: Under the raised platform at the back there is an underfloor battery compartment. Above Left: The anchor well is housed beneath the front deck. Above Right: The Jabiru Pro comes with two fold up pedestal seats positioned on lower central deck area.

MARINE

info@watersportsmarine.com.au

www.watersportsmarine.com.au JANUARY 2014

Anglapro 424 Chaser CLX with Suzuki 40hp FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

A basic tinnie that’s great value for money – that’s where nearly all of us with a boating passion started. They’re fun,

they’re cheap to run and most importantly they get you on the water – and, in my case, into some fish. And so it was with a great deal of reminiscing and joy that I took to the waters of Lake Eildon in Victoria in the Anglapro 424 Chaser CLX with Boats

and More’s Simon Ryan. Created with the vision of going anywhere and chasing down every possible thing you aim for, Anglapro says the Chaser is your solution to easy boating without limitations. The Chaser line-up gives you a big platform as a

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One up in the 424 Chaser CLX and it was very quick for a small tinny. I would have loved something of this calibre growing up when we first started chasing estuary perch, flatties, cod and goldens.

WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME ON THE WATER?

foundation to setting up your own rig the way you want it, but when you get home it’s compact enough to easily store away. At first glance I would agree with their summation of the 424. We had the lake virtually to ourselves and with V&TFM’s Eildon reporter Andy McArthy and V&TFM ad rep Peter Jung in another boat, we headed to a few steep rock walls to try our luck for a cod or golden. The trip over from the Eildon Boat Harbour gave us a chance to assess the ride and performance of the Anglapro 424 Chaser CLX. Rigged up with a 40hp 2-stroke Suzuki tiller I have to say off the bat that this little tinny really got up and moved. I hadn’t tested a boat with a 2-stroke on it for a while and I forgot just how much power a 2-stroke has. Sure, it was a bit noisier and it is not as environmentally friendly, but wow, it had power to burn! Getting on the plane was no drama; 2 up and we literally flew across the top of the water at wide open throttle. It was simply a lot of fun! SOME DETAILS The Chaser models are built with a tough construction. The design gives you room to move and heaps of storage if you want to store the gear you don’t need but like to have just in case. Standard 3mm bottom and side sheets are used in the 424 spec model, and the 424 Chaser CLX gives you the benefit of comfortable pedestal seats, structured internal layout or the option of a do-ityourself interior design. The deep V pressed hull delivered a comfortable, dry

Peter Jung taking the 424 Chaser CLX for a spin. This boat planes really easily and the Suzuki 40hp 2-stroke was simple to operate with power to burn.

Simple tiller controls and a key start with the option to pull start if your battery fails. Simple and effective. ride in the calm conditions, as you would expect from an aluminium boat of this size in the calm of Lake Eildon. We did do some cross-overs of wakes and full-lock turns and the 424 Chaser really preformed well. I can see this boat knocking around a lot of estuaries, freshwater lakes, rivers and in the bays, given appropriate weather considerations. It would be a very versatile rig. The gunwale-mounted

grab rails are positioned perfectly for the skipper to hang onto, and the stability at rest allows for two anglers to get into the action. On our test day I drove the boat in and around the many snags Eildon has to offer to get Simon into the best casting positions. I found the ability to alter the boat’s position fantastic at low speeds. A tiller steer is so direct as you can go from full port lock to

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Space is abundant in the 424 Chaser CLX and 2 up, this little rig is a real joy to play around in and fish from, especially if you’re chasing cod and goldens! 86

JANUARY 2014

full starboard lock almost instantly. Add in some shuffling from forward to reverse and you can walk this little rig sideways in very limited space, and I found this a great fishing feature. I would love to have installed an electric motor onto the bow. If I was buying this boat for fishing lures, this accessory would be mandatory and enhance the fishability of the Chaser no end. A reasonably large sized open anchor well will hold enough rope plus anchor and chain to suit most locations you would take this rig for a fish. Let’s face it, it is only a 4.2m boat so you’re not heading out deep sea fishing, so 50m of anchor rope, a good length of chain and a standard anchor would be swallowed up in the anchor well. We even stored some inflatable fenders up front and the well still looked like it had room.

One of the most appealing points though is that each Anglapro boat comes awaiting your customisation. This way, depending on the style of fishing you’re into, you can have your boat fitted out just the way you like. Starting with simple choices like the location, orientation and number of rod holders, every aspect of the internal layout can be modified to suit your wish-list. Now that’s called forward thinking and is one of the reasons this brand is enjoying such great success. However, if simplicity is your game, you can get the team at Boats and More to organise a layout that will suit your fishing preferences. The Chaser is efficient by design and with every internal square centimetre available for use, the term ‘wasted space’ just doesn’t apply. And given the Boats and More team has years of experience

ANGLAPRO CHASER 424 Length................................. 4.2m Weight................................. 250kg Max hp................................ 50 People................................. 4 Floatation........................... Basic Towing................................ Any vehicle Price from........................... $12,490 As tested............................ $13,990

on the water and in boats, their ideas and suggestions on internal layout are well worth listening to if you’re struggling for ideas. “But how did the fishing go?” I hear you ask. It was simply a tale of the one that got away. The only action we got was from a 6kg carp nailing a spinnerbait and a cranky golden around the 2kg mark following up Simon’s lure a couple of casts in a row (plus Pete got dusted up by a big cod). But it was a great day to be boating on Lake Eildon. At least, that’s what I am telling everyone! OVERALL The 3-year hull warranty aside, the great thing about the Chaser is its ability to be used for a huge variety of fishing options. Whether you want to troll for trout in the lakes, explore the bass and cod holding dams of the inland, soak baits for mulloway or even fish on the drift or at anchor for snapper, the Chaser 424 will open the realms of possibility without blowing the wallet out of the water. If you want a compact package to tow and store but don’t want to be cramped on the water, you’ve just found your new boat. As always with your new Anglapro, there

While not massive, the side pockets on the 424 will accommodate bits and pieces like gaffs, foldable nets, safety gear, keys and wallets. There is a side pocket on the starboard and port sides. is the option to build it your way. Just give them your wish list! 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.

The anchor bollard and bow sprit provided an easy option for anchoring. Although we didn’t anchor, I can see whiting, snapper and flatty anglers setting the pick and whiling away a few hours in this rig.

The 25L tote tank sits easily under the aft platform and there is a neat fuel hose hole to ensure this vital line is not damaged.

Drop in to your local Quintrex Dealer! SYDNEY (SOUTH) HUNTS MARINE / 629 Princes Hwy Blakehurst 2221 P 02·9546 1324

FORSTER GRAHAM BARCLAY MARINE / 129 The Lake Way 2428 P 02·6554 5866

COWRA ALL SERVICE MOTORS / Redfern St Cowra 2794 P 02·6342 2590

McGRATHS HILL TR MARINEWORLD / 4 Curtis Rd, McGraths Hill 2756 P 02·4577 3522

PORT MACQUARIE MID COAST MARINE / 75 Hastings River Dr Port Macquarie 2444 P 02·6583 1492

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THE 690 TRIDENT

Tough enough T O H A N D L E T H E W R AT H O F T H E O C E A N

HUNT’S MARINE / 434 Princes Hwy Corrimal NSW 2518 P 02·4284 0444 Tough

NOWRA NOWRA MARINE / Princes Hwy South Nowra 2541 P 02·4423 3440

NEWCASTLE TERRACE BOATING & LEISURE CENTRE / 23 Pacific Hwy Heatherbrae 2324 P 02·4983 5600 M 0408 872 592

TAMWORTH TAMWORTH BOAT SALES / 9 Denison St Tamworth 2340 P 02·6762 7700

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The 690 Trident is available as a Quintrex Instant Boating Package complete with boat, trailer, engine and three year factory warranty for peace of mind.

JETTY BOATING / 7 Keona Circuit Coffs Harbour 2450 P 02·6651 4002

BATEMANS BAY HUNTS MARINE / 2 Kylie Cres Batemans Bay 2536 P 02·4472 2612

COFFS HARBOUR CENTRAL COAST INSINC MARINE / 278 Manns Rd Gosford West 2250 P 02·4324 4300 JANUARY 2014

TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) JANUARY – 2014

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

Add one hour to the predicted times during periods of Daylight Saving

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

0109 0743 1423 2020

0144 0751 1352 2013

0.32 1.99 0.12 1.48

FRIDAY

0202 0834 1514 2114

12 18 0 0244 1.49 0903 0.63 1457 1.27 2107 0.53

0.29 2.04 0.08 1.51

0256 0926 1603 2206

SATURDAY 0.28 2.04 0.07 1.53

0351 1016 1653 2259

0.31 1.98 0.12 1.53

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

0446 1108 1742 2352

12 18 0 0533 1.58 1220 0.54 1807 1.21 2344 0.56

0.36 1.86 0.19 1.52

0545 0.43 1200 1.71 1831 0.29

12 18 0 0620 1.63 1304 0.48 1854 1.25

0046 0645 1254 1921

1.50 0.51 1.54 0.38

1.49 0.58 1.39 0.47

0344 1017 1606 2201

1.51 0.63 1.20 0.56

0441 1126 1712 2254

1.54 0.59 1.19 0.57

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

NSW tides 6

12 18 0 0028 0.53 0701 1.67 1343 0.43 1934 1.29

12 18 0 0108 0.51 0739 1.71 1417 0.39 2011 1.32

12 18 0 0146 0.49 0815 1.73 1450 0.36 2046 1.34

12 18 0 0223 0.48 0850 1.73 1522 0.35 2121 1.36

12 18 0 0300 0.48 0924 1.72 1554 0.35 2156 1.38

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

0338 0959 1627 2232

0.49 1.69 0.36 1.39

12 18 0 0417 0.51 1034 1.63 1700 0.38 2311 1.39

12 18 0 0500 0.55 1112 1.56 1735 0.41 2352 1.40

12 18 0 0545 0.59 1152 1.47 1814 0.45

12 18 0 0039 1.41 0639 0.62 1238 1.39 1858 0.49

12 18 0 0130 1.43 0741 0.64 1335 1.30 1949 0.52

12 18 0 0230 1.47 0854 0.63 1445 1.25 2050 0.53

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

12 18 0 0333 1.54 1012 0.56 1602 1.24 2157 0.51

12 18 0 0438 1.64 1121 0.45 1715 1.29 2300 0.45

12 18 0 0538 1.77 1222 0.32 1817 1.37

12 18 0 0000 0.38 0635 1.89 1316 0.20 1913 1.45

12 18 0 0057 0.31 0729 1.98 1407 0.11 2005 1.53

12 18 0 0151 0.25 0820 2.02 1455 0.07 2056 1.58

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

 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.

JANUARY 2014

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.

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Wollongong 5 Islands Marine 40 Princess Hwy Yallah Phone: (02) 4256 6135 | Fax: (02) 4256 6701 Email: info@5islandsmarine.com.au Website: www.5islandsmarine.com.au

Riverina Maverick Boats Hammersley & Theiss Road, Corowa Phone: (02) 6033 3222 | Fax: (02) 6033 4488 Email: sales@maverickboats.com.au Website: www.maverickboats.com.au

Sydney North West Watersports Marine 11 Binney Rd Kingspark Phone: (02) 9676 1400 | Fax: (02) 9676 7588 Email: info@watersportsmarine.com.au Website: www.watersportsmarine.com.au

Central Coast Central Coast Boat World 19 Lake St Budgewoi Phone: (02) 4399 3568 | Fax: (02) 4399 3568 Email: ccbw3@bigpond.com Website: www.centralcoastboatworld.com.au

Far South Coast Merimbula Outboards 382 Sapphire Coast Dr Tura Merimbula Phone: (02) 6495 9634 | Fax: (02) 6495 9345 Email: info@merimbulaoutboard.com.au Website: www.merimbulaoutboard.com.au

Sydney A & J Outboard & Boating Service 734 Woodville Rd, Fairfield East Phone: (02) 9728 9311 | Fax: (02) 9728 9322 Email: sales@ajoutboards.com.au Website: www.ajoutboards.com.au

Cowra Cowra Marine Centre 29 Grenfell St Cowra Phone: (02) 6342 2904 | Fax: (02) 6341 1217 Email: cowmar@bigpond.com Website: www.cowramarine.com.au

Illawarra Nowra Marine Princes Hwy South Nowra Phone: (02) 4423 3440 | Fax: (02) 4423 0486 Email: admin@nowramarine.com.au Website: www.nowramarine.com.au

Central Coast Insinc Marine 278 Manns Road, Gosford West Ph: (02) 4324 4300 Fax: (02) 4324 4400 Email: troy@insincmarine.com.au Website: www. insincmarine.com.au

Newcastle Tomo’s Marine 96 Marks Point Rd, Marks Point Phone: (02) 4945 3202 Email: tomosmarine@hotmail.com.au Website: www.tomosmarine.com.au

ACT Queanbeyan Marine 20 Yass Rd Queanbeyan Phone: (02) 6297 5457 | Fax: (02) 6299 6336 Email: qbnmarine@bigpond.com Website: www.queanbeyanmarine.com.au

Northern NSW / Gold Coast Tweed Coast Marine 147 Pacific Hwy Tweed Heads South Ph: (07) 5524 8877 Fax: (07) 5524 3324 Email: dan@tweedcoastmarine.com.au Website: www.tweedcoastmarine.com.au

Port Macquarie Hastings Marine 185 Hastings River Dr Port Macquarie Phone: (02) 6583 5511 | Fax: (02) 6583 5797 Email: sales@hastingsmarine.com.au Website: www.hastingsmarine.com.au

Sydney West Penrith Marine 4/133 Coreen Ave Penrith Phone: (02) 4731 6250 | Fax: (02) 4732 3863 Email: sales@penrithmarime.com.au Website: www.penrithmarine.com.au

Dubbo Dubbo Marine & Watersports 36 Bourke St, Dubbo Ph: 02·6882 2853 Email: bbeandel@bigpond.net.au Website: www.dubbomarine.com.au

Coffs Harbour Jetty Boating 7 Keona Circuit Coffs Harbour Phone: (02) 6651 4002 | Fax: (02) 6652 1320 Email: jettyboat@westnet.com.au Website: www.jettyboating.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

Hunter Valley Maitland Power and Marine 23 Melbourne St, East Maitland Phone: (02) 4933 3284 | Fax: (02) 4934 1544 Email: sales@mpm.net.au Website: www.mpm.net.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

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FOR FULL DETAILS VISIT MERCURYMARINE.COM.AU Terms & Conditions: *Finance for credit approved purchasers only, fees charges and conditions apply. The offer is available on a 24 month term, a minimum deposit of 20% and subject to a total maximum amount financed of $20,000. The comparison rate above is based on a $30,000 secured loan at 2.94% over a 5 year term. **Finance for credit approved purchasers only, fees charges and conditions apply. The offer is available on a 24 month term, a minimum deposit of 10% and subject to a total maximum amount financed of $55,000. The comparison rate above is based on a $30,000 secured loan at 3.94% over a 5 year term. The amount of credit provided to you and the term of your loan may be different to this. WARNING: The comparison rate only applies to the example given, different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraws and early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. Finance is provided by Mercury Finance Pty Ltd ABN 28 156 248 092. Australian Credit Licence Number 421347.