Queensland Fishing Monthly April 2019

CATCH AN EASTER FEAST

Boating & Kayaking Prepping for winter kayaking • Three Savage boats put to the test • New Polycraft 300 Tuffy • Yakking in Pumicestone Passage •

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Rod handling techniques • Peacock bass update • Fly fishing for barra • Death of a river: fish kill

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Tried & Tested Bone Voyage rod series • Strike Pro Guppie sinking glidebait • Bassco Tornado with 115hp Mercury Pro XS • Stessco Breezaway 460 with Yamaha F90hp •

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April 2019, Vol. 31 No. 6

Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES Yamba 18 Ballina 20

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Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128 Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Annie April Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich Wayne Kampe Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

Advertising Enquiries: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Nicole Kelly nkelly@fishingmonthly.com.au Printing: APN – News Corp Australia Production: Karen Millward Keith Hawley Website: www.fishingmonthly.com.au Distribution: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd Subscriptions: Kym Rowbotham Office Manager: Marie Dykstra

Jason Ford proudly displays his first big Spanish mackerel.

A Mick Underwood image.

TO SUBSCRIBE SEE PAGE 29 FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO COMPETITION PAGE 85 Queensland Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the first week of each month (latest sale date 7th of the month).

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SINCE 1987

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QUEENSLAND FISHING MONTHLY

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the years, including from companies that court events to come to specific council areas, estimate the spend of tournament competitors at around $1000 per competitor per event. That’s a big boost for a weekend in some regional areas.

I’m all for commercial fishing – just not for longlived species, with nets, in areas that rely on tourism.

GREENBACK TAILOR COMP Speaking of tournaments, the 32nd Lions Greenback Tailor comp is being held on 8-9 June, at Pottsville in Northern NSW. You can fish any tidal waters in Queensland or NSW, as long as you bring your catch back to the tournament venue at 9am on the Sunday.

If you buy an earlybird ticket you’ll be in the running for a Fishing Monthly subscription, and you can find out more at lionsgreenback.com.

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they start calling you names!

If the pros created their Facebook page to help build their flagging social licence, they definitely need more compelling arguments.

In any case, we are sure that the local businesses, accommodation providers and food outlets loved that fact that the travelling roadshow came to town, spent money and left with 100% of fish caught returned to the water. Numerous studies over

AUST

SPECIAL FEATURES Rod handling techniques Fishing with vibration lures Peacock bass update Fly fishing for barra Death of a river: fish kill

for their licences. I don’t know about you, but if and when my business becomes unviable I won’t be baled out with public money. It’s far more likely that the ATO will take my house!

Of course, the online discussion went the same way as all discussions go on social media: first propaganda, then a bit of fake news and then playing the man and not the ball. You know you’re getting the upper hand when

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REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 16 Camping and 4WD 70 Cooking 88 Dam Levels 60 Freshwater 60 Fun Page 94 Sheik of the Creek 89 Tech Tricks 14 Tournament News 77 Track my fish 86 Trades and Services 92 What’s New Boating 97 What’s New Fishing 72

We’re fresh back from a couple of weeks on the road, including some boat tests and BREAM tournaments in Victoria. The weather was great, the fishing was pretty good and the locals were friendly, no matter where we were.

The only negative feedback we got was from the nameless complainer behind the Australian Professional Fishermen’s Facebook page, who thought that our sharing photos of caught-and-released fish from a tournament weigh-in showed that the Gippsland Lakes net fishers have been hard done by. The fact is that the net removal was an election policy, the people voted for it and now it will happen.

Even better, the remaining netters in the increasingly unproductive fishery will be compensated

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From the Editor’s Desk...

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BOATING AND KAYAK

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TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Whitsundays 54 Ayr 55 Townsville 56 Hinchinbrook 56 Port Douglas 57 Cairns 58 Cairns NFZ 58 Lucinda 59 Cooktown 60 Cape York 60

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Hervey Bay 42 Rainbow Beach 45 Gladstone 46 Bundaberg 46 Gladstone surrounds 47 Monduran 48 Rockhampton 48 Yeppoon 49 Stanage Bay 50 Mackay 51

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SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND The Tweed 22 Southern Gold Coast 24 Gold Coast Canals 26 Jumpinpin 28 Gold Coast 30 Southern Bay 32 Brisbane 34 Northern Bay 36 Brisbane Offshore 37 Noosa 38

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Practising good rod handling techniques WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

As a fishing guide I get no points at all for having people on my boat not catch fish. It’s one thing for me to go out onto the ocean each day with a group of keen anglers, find some nice fish and whip them up into a frenzy. But to then have the crew onboard fail to get fish after fish to the boat is obviously not desirable.

This can be due to a whole bunch of reasons, but often it’s due to poor rod handling techniques. If this happens I end up with a boat load of frustrated anglers, which isn’t exactly ideal.

You can refer to someone in my position as a charter skipper or guide, but I consider my job to be more that of a sportfishing teacher. It is necessary for me to assume this role in order to consistently get good fish to the boat. The guide part to the job is at the beginning of each session where I take the boat and clients out to some location and do my best to find a pile of big, active and hungry fish. Once the fish are found, the guiding is finished. From that moment on I am a teacher – continuously talking to and assisting the crew onboard on how to firstly hook the targeted fish, keep that fish on the hook, and then to do whatever is necessary to get that particular fish to the side of the boat.

These rod handling skills and techniques can be applied when targeting any fish by any means at any water. It doesn’t matter whether you’re throwing a

dry fly at a high country trout, dropping a jig down to a kingfish or casting stickbaits at flathead, the basic fundamentals of using a fishing rod don’t change.

I am now going to take some time to share with you in print what I share

with people verbally every day. I hope that you get something out of it and that it assists you in some way with your future angling endeavours.

First up, a little bit of history that I feel is highly relevant to this

Nick demonstrating high sticking on a deep fish.

You can see that the tip section of the rod is working hard and taking the load. This will allow a fish to bounce around and work the hook loose and the fish can point its head in whatever direction it wants. As much as possible we need to dictate the terms of battle to the fish, not the opposite way around. It may be necessary to shoot a rod this high when striking a fish in order to set the hooks, but it is a fatal mistake to pause and rest at this angle.

Straight away wind the rod tip back down to the water, load the butt section and lift the fish’s head.

whole subject. I’m sure that you have all heard our magnificent sport being referred to as angling and those of us that indulge in it as ‘anglers’. The term ‘angling’ derives from using a rod and line to create and use effective angles in order to get a fish to the net as efficiently as possible.

With the exception of the next paragraph or two, the whole guts of this article will be talking about creating and using the correct angles required to fight fish effectively.

LINE TENSION One of the first and foremost rules is that you must maintain constant pressure to your fish. Fail to do this and the rest simply doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a 20/0 circle hook for billfish or a size #16 nymph hook for trout, when a hook is first set into a fish it is set into a small hole and that’s the way we want to keep it. By increasing or decreasing pressure to a fish, that hole will quickly transform into a slot or long elongated hole.

Once this has happened all an astute fish has to do is create slack line for a brief second and the hook will simply fall out. This can happen in a myriad of ways and normally it’s in the blink of an eye. A fish jumping clear of the water, shaking its head at the side of the boat, and briefly

Nick demonstrating a good low angle for lifting stubborn fish. Note how the butt section is loaded and doing all the work. To achive this good fighting angle, keep the butt of the rod as high as you can. Up in your armpit like Nick has here is ideal. This may not be possible with some stand up tackle but with modern spin gear that the majority of us use, it’s not a problem. swimming at the boat are just a few examples of how this can happen.

The most common cause of these hook-loosening problems is when anglers

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Nick showing us a good angle for fighting a fish that’s out on the horizon somewhere – isn’t it nice when that happens. Note how Nick has the butt section of the rod loaded and taking all the strain. Don’t pull back too far in this situation, you won’t achieve anything trying to fight a fish with the rod tucked back behind your right ear lobe. When working high rod angles keep the butt of the rod low. Jam it in on your chest such as Nick has done here, or even lower down around your stomach/groin areas if that’s more comfortable.

are pumping and winding a rod in order to retrieve line on a fish. So many anglers rip back on a rod as hard and as far as they can increasing the pressure on a hook immensely and then decreasing pressure by bowing the rod towards the

fish as quick as they can, trying to see how many turns of the reel handle they can get in as little time as possible. This is where it all begins to go wrong.

Lesson number one is keep your heart in your chest and take your

Nick showing us how to use side angles.

time – stay focussed on maintaining constant pressure to your hook. You don’t have to get 10 turns of your reel handle every time you drop the rod to retrieve line. On a stubborn fish you might only get half a turn of the reel handle, which in most situations is perfectly acceptable as long as you stay focussed on maintaining constant line pressure.

If you take the time to watch tournament anglers plying their trade on YouTube or one of the fishing shows on television, you will notice that when these anglers are fighting a fish that the bend in their rod very rarely changes all through an entire fight.

This is because these guys are experts at maintaining constant hook pressure.

You don’t have to be a competition angler to gain this skill; it is a basic skill that we all need to use when we fish to help ensure regular success.

FIGHTING FISH VERTICALLY (DEEP FISH) This is a common scenario for a lot of us, especially boat anglers.

With so much coastline around this country and most of it littered with reefs and other forms of deep structure, a high percentage

With the side angle, once again note how the butt section is doing all the work. of Aussie anglers fish out of a boat with their lines dropped vertically over the side. Be it jigging for pelagics mid-water or soaking a bait for a tasty reef fish off the bottom, once a stubborn fish is hooked the technique required to get a fish up from the depths remains the same.

In this situation it is imperative to keep the rod angle low so that the butt section of the rod is taking the majority of the load. Once a deep fish is hooked the tip section of

a rod serves little purpose, apart from that of a shock absorber. Raise the angle of your rod too high and load the tip section of your rod on a deep fish and you’re handing the odds straight back to the fish. This is for a couple of reasons.

The first reason is that when the rod is raised high with a loaded tip section and you have a fish shaking its head from side to side somewhere in the depths underneath you, every time that fish shakes its head it is increasing and then

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decreasing pressure to the hook, slowly but surely working it loose. By using a high rod angle on a deep fish you simply lose your ability to maintain that ever-important constant hook pressure.

The second reason for not using high rod angles on a deep fish, in particular a fish that you want to keep out of its snaggy home on the bottom, is that once the tip section comes into play the fish has the ability to turn its head whichever To page 12

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From page 11

way it wants. Naturally a fish that lives in bottom structure will want to turn its head in that direction, and once it has you can bet top dollars that the damn thing will do everything in its power to get back down there. It is vital that when pulling structure dwelling fish up vertically that you do everything possible to keep that fish’s head pointed up and that is achieved by using low rod angles and keeping the butt section of the rod loaded as much as possible.

You’re possibly sitting and thinking at the moment, well how high should I lift? There are a few variables here. Soft actioned slow taper rods

will require a little more lift to bring the butt section into play adequately, whereas fast actioned rods with a stiff butt section will require a lot less lift to create the desired effect.

As a general rule I don’t like to see people lifting past horizontal. This is not a golden rule and there are exceptions, especially with some jigging tackle and in particular micro jigging gear. A lot of these technique specific rods are very soft actioned and will require a bit more lift to get the butt sections loaded adequately.

Another negative with high sticking – as it is sometimes referred to – especially with graphite rods, is that the higher

the rod angle you use the greater the chance is that your expensive equipment will make an almighty crack and break in your hands.

FIGHTING FISH HORIZONTALLY (SHALLOW FISH) A typical example of this scenario is targeting fish that will, by habit, want to stay up in the more oxygen rich water close to the surface. There are many different species around our country that will want to do this. Two examples here in my home waters of the Whitsundays are the Spanish mackerel and the cobia. Both of these creatures are brilliant sportfish that consistently just want to bolt for the horizon.

On this particular day the author was on a recreational trip with a couple of mates out in the shipping lanes fishing in 55m of water. The other two lads onboard were fishing with fairly heavy tackle and apart from a few sharks they caught very few fish. By fishing light (20lb line, 30lb leader) the author was constantly hooked up to quality fish and by using working angles with his jig stick the vast majority of the fish made it into the icebox.

A couple of local lads Dave and young Nate Morris. This cracking longtail tuna was hooked and fought by Nate on a reef flat in less than 3m of water. This young lad caught this fish largely unassisted due to good rod technique and coaching. Catching big fish on light gear has nothing to do with strength or brawn, it is in the technique.

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Other scenarios would include any form of shallow water fishing where the hooked fish can’t go down, and can only swim horizontally away from you. Sight casting on the flats is a prime example of this.

As we have already discussed, when the fish are down keep the rod down – now it’s the opposite, when the fish is up high then keep the rod up high.

Don’t just keep it up, keep it loaded. Don’t overcook it, but the more pressure you have to your hook the easier it is to keep the pressure consistent. Too many times have I seen an angler with a good fish hooked up high in the water column a couple of hundred metres away from the boat and they either drop the rod tip briefly or just don’t maintain enough pressure to the hook and then that’s it, fish gone.

Keep a high rod angle and keep it loaded.

Whether you’re fishing on a lake, on the flats or out on the wild blue, once a good fish has finished its initial bolt for the horizon that’s when the fun begins.

You’ve got to get all that line back onto your reel and keep the hooks in the fish at the same time. As with the deeper fishing, keep your heart rate down, take your time and remain focussed on maintaining constant hook pressure.

As opposed to the deeper vertical fishing off a stationary boat, where all we can do is try to muscle the fish up. Fighting fish up in the shallows there are a few more tricks that you can employ to help tilt the odds in your favour.

If fishing out of a boat, we can use the boat to create effective angles and/or get

closer to the fish (more on boat handling to come). If you are fishing shore-based or from a boat and for whatever reason you don’t have the ability to chase your fish then you have to use some different tactics.

If you are fortunate enough to have hooked up to that monster you’ve been chasing for eons and it’s ripped a hundred or more metres of line off your spool, then more than likely there’s going to be an arc of line in the water and you won’t have a straight line pull to your fish. In this situation a little finesse is required. Before I go into angles, another thing to be aware of in this situation is drag pressure. Once a good fish has stripped a couple of hundred metres of line off you and there is a big arc of line in the water, then that line in the water is creating a considerable amount of pressure to the hook all by itself. Too many times have I witnessed people freak out and then wind the drag knob up, increasing the pressure. This will almost always result in a lost fish.

Do the opposite; back your drag off a notch or two to compensate for the extra pressure exerted by the line in the water.

A lot of the time up in the shallows it is necessary to use side angles with the rod (side sticking).

The main thing initially is to work with the fish not against it. If the fish, is way out in front of you and swimming left to right, then angle the rod across to your right hand side and try to coerce some line back off the fish from there. If the fish turns and starts to swim right to left out in front of you, then alter your rod angle over to your left hand side and pull from there.

Once the fish is close enough that most of the arc has gone out of the line and you have a straight line pull to the fish, that’s when you can amp things up a bit and start making the fish work. If the hooked fish is swimming left to right out in front of you then angle your rod over to the left and pull against it. Straight away you will feel through the rod tip the fish start to beat its tail and work harder trying to get away from you.

Inevitably, the fish will get annoyed with this caper pretty fast, turn in the opposite direction and come back to the left.

When this happens, raise your rod as the fish swims back across in front of you, wind on some easy line and then as the fish starts to move out to the left, angle your rod to the right and pull back against the fish again. By applying pressure against the fish as it swims back and forth in front of you, and taking the easy line in between changing the angles of pull you are literally beating the fish up and halving the length of the fight.

I realise that there is a lot more to using a fishing rod than what has been mentioned here, but what has been laid out for you in this article are some basic skills that we all need to master in order to catch more and bigger fish on a regular basis. No one likes to come home with tales of the one that got away. We all love to come back to the dock grinning from ear to ear, ready to boast about the one that we did get.

I hope that helps you out a little. Now grab your rod, get out there, have some fun and put it into practice.

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Tech Tricks

A bit about baits for fishing Moreton Bay BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With the cooler months approaching, anglers will notice an increase in the number of snapper, mulloway and several other tasty aquatic species.

Many choose to target these on artificial offerings and achieve great success.

However, some prefer the more relaxed approach of fishing with baits, a historically proven method.

While some just pin any bait on a random hook, there is no denying that using quality, well-rigged baits will heighten results. This month I am going to look at some of the more popular fish baits used in Moreton Bay and

means the bait will bunch up, without them feeling the steel or finding it difficult.

However, that said, this is a personal preference and many anglers still manage to catch quality mulloway and snapper on ganged hook rigs.

Large single hooks also have a lot of merit in many baits.

Let us look at some baits that are ideal for our main target species, plus some rigging options to maximise our chances.

1. PILCHARDS Probably one of the most readily available baits is the humble pilchard. These are available at virtually any outlet that sells bait, however quality can vary. They’re a rather oily and relatively soft bait, therefore good rigging is essential to increase hook-up opportunity and keep the bait

the top of the head, just in front of the eyes, this bait will withstand quite strong current without spinning.

For a whole pilchard targeted at species without razor sharp dentures, I recommend the snelled hook rig, as it offers good flexibility and purchase on the bait. I use ganged hooks when fishing pilchards for mackerel as they are a snatch and run merchant, not mouthing the bait tentatively like snapper and mulloway can. The flexibility of the snelled rig means that the bait can be mouthed, crushed and swallowed with little difficulty.

For cut pieces of pilchard you can use a smaller two hook ganged rig, however, I prefer a slightly larger single hook (usually a

on the hook.

Many anglers present pilchards on ganged hooks.

If you do, inserting the hooks down through the back centrally is ideal as it allows the pilchard to waft in the current with the majority

suicide pattern). With this single hook rig, adding a few half hitches of the leader around the tail will help secure and present the bait. If using the head half with a single hook, push the hook through the pilchard’s

tougher and will hold onto the hook better, however, they will require some extra preparation. I previously did an article on this in the April 2017 edition of QFM. 2. WHOLE FISH Snapper and mulloway have quite an appetite, readily eating a wide array of whole fish including mullet, garfish, yakkas, slimy mackerel, pike, diver whiting and numerous others. Obviously live offerings are the best option, however, that would be an entirely different article with different rigging options.

Whole dead fish are best when fresh, but previously frozen offerings will still attract plenty of bites. Due to their size, for rigging whole fish there are two main rigging options – the snelled hook rig and ganged hooks. However, some may still prefer a large single hook. As stated previously, I think that the flexibility of a snelled rig is better than the stiffer ganged hook rig for snapper, mulloway and the like. Snelled rigs

eye socket until the leader is passing through it. Insert the hook into the meaty back section to hold it more securely. Salted pilchards are

commonly consist of two or three hooks, however, on long thin baits such as gar and pike, sometimes more hooks are used to adequately

1

further afield to target quality snapper and mulloway, however, many other species will also be attracted to such offerings. Additionally, we will explore rigging options that offer great presentation and hooking potential. In the May edition I will be going through several more great bait and rig combinations.

Obtaining quality baits is only half the battle when targeting snapper and the like. Presenting them so that they appear natural without spinning in the current will heighten bite potential.

Quality rigging is also important for increasing the hook-up rate. You’ll want the hooks unobtrusive, yet wellplaced so that they will find the mark when the snapper, mulloway or other species mouths the bait.

Hooks shouldn’t be too large for the bait, they should be fairly well hidden in the bait, yet with the point accessible in the offering.

I like a good flexible rig when using multiple hooks and prefer snelled rigs over ganged hook rigs for mulloway and snapper. I like the fish to be able to mouth the bait easily, which sometimes 14

APRIL 2019

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of the hook’s gape through the tougher back section and the points in the soft belly area. With the leading hook centrally through

cover the bait.

With larger, whole fish baits, many believe in rigging the bait with the bottom hook in the head of the bait (opposite way round to shown here), as snapper and mulloway commonly eat bait head first, because it is easier to swallow that way. This is a good option when there is little current, however, I think that a bait dragging backwards in current looks unnatural as it is more likely to spin in faster flowing water. Using baits that are common in the area where you fish is highly recommended. Diver whiting are a popular Bay bait option as a result, but a broad array of whole fish baits can be used successfully. Just ensure to use a hook that is big enough so that the points are still exposed once it is inserted in the bait.

3. FILLETED AND BUTTERFLIED With some whole fish baits, anglers will remove one fillet, totally fillet leaving just the head and frame, or cut out the spine and tail to leave two fillets flailing (butterflied). Doing this will increase flexibility of the bait without decreasing the profile of it too much. This will make it easier for the fish to mouth.

A gun bait in the Bay is the diver whiting frame.

Many will fillet their diver (trumpeter) whiting while on the water due to the fact that they have no minimum size limit. Once filleted, you are simply left with the head, spine and tail of a whiting.

Many use these for snapper bait, starting a berley trail of heads and frames and then feeding an unweighted head/ frame down with a large, single short-shanked hook in the head. Just play out the line until the bait gets eaten, engage the reel and hang on.

Another useful offering, which can be deployed into a berley trail or just dropped to the bottom, is a head with just one fillet left

attached for a bit of taste and enticement. This produces a large profiled bait with plenty of flavour, ideal for large specimens. For this I recommend a snelled hook rig with the top hook up through the mouth of the fish to keep it closed, minimising spinning in the current.

The butterflied fish (in the middle of the image) is fairly similar, except both fillets are left on. Many will fish this with a large single hook inserted through the head or attached to the top of the head with a rubber band or waxed thread passed through the eye slot.

This bait will have a lot of movement in current and is second only to a live bait for large predators. Large, succulent baits like these are great for attracting the XOS snapper and mulloway.

The pickers will still have plenty to chew on and it will give that big, wary knobby lurking on the fringe time to find and inspect the offering.

The particles released from the aggression of the smaller fish will act as a berley until the big knobby can’t resist any longer.

Large baits like this are also ideal for mulloway.

Being a lot softer than a fish with backbone intact, the mulloway can mouth them easier, increasing hook-up potential.

4. BONITO AND TUNA Pelagic species such as bonito and tuna possess a lot of natural oil in the flesh and skin, which makes them flavoursome baits.

Fillets from freshly caught specimens make ideal baits with heaps of blood and oil to leach out. However, once frozen, flesh from bonito and tuna will become rather soft, often to the point where chunks of flesh will fall away from the skin. Salting the flesh will toughen it considerably and slow the leaching of these delectable juices to make a long lasting and tasty bait, especially for snapper.

Tech Tricks Long thin strips can be fished on a snelled hook rig with the leading hook in the tip of the bait. Smaller portions (like those cut across the fillet) can be fished on a 3/0-6/0 baitholder hook (which has barbs along the back of the hook shank to help with bait presentation).

To begin, I usually pass this entire hook (including the eye) through the fillet from the skin side until the leader is passing through the skin/ flesh. Next put the point back through the fillet (from the flesh side), then the point back through the skin near the bottom of the bait so the

4

point ends up on the flesh side. This aids in preventing the bait from scrunching up in the hook gape.

With a small, chunky cube of bonito or tuna flesh, a single octopus (suicide) pattern hook is generally the best option. Additionally, an octopus circle pattern or nautilus circle is a good hook option, but only if the rod is being fished from the holder or a situation where the fish is allowed to take off after swallowing the bait. If you strike when using a circle pattern, you will usually pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth. The tension needs

to take up slowly with the fish swimming away from your position. With all of these flesh baits, it is recommended that you insert the hook so that the hook point is on the flesh side for presentation and increased hooking potential.

5. FILLET BAITS Probably one of the more used baits, especially for snapper, is the fillet bait. Fillets can be cut from fish such as garfish, mullet, pike, tailor, mackerel, yakka, slimy mackerel, whiting and almost any other fish you can think of, including those pesky grinners. Some

5

like to use a whole fillet, which gives those larger fish plenty of time to get to the bait before the pickers demolish it.

The most common rig is the three hook snelled rig.

These can be pre-made or easily assembled on site, depending on the chosen size of your bait. Fluorocarbon leader with octopus or circle hooks will work a treat. A decent set of ganged hooks can also be used if you prefer. Gangs joined with swivels are better than those ganged eye to eye, due to the increased flexibility and strength. Two or three

hook gang rigs are useful and which one you use will depend on bait size and thickness.

Smaller strips of fillet are ideal when targeting those moderate snapper and sweetlip. They can be fished on a large single hook such as a baitholder. The construction attributes of the baitholder hook will help to hold the strip flat, which offers good presentation and hook setting potential. Fresh fillet baits are the best offering, however, frozen isn’t too bad. Softer fillet baits (and pilchards) can be salted to increase durability. I have done articles

on salting baits over the years and these can be accessed on the Fishing Monthly website.

Large baits (whole fish, filleted fish, head/frame, butterflied and large fillets) are recommended when searching for those bigger snapper and mulloway, however, if you are happy with just a few legal snapper for the table, then the smaller strip baits and half pilchards are likely to get you more bites.

Next month we will look at other good bait options including squid, prawns, gut, crabs, chicken fillet and others.

APRIL 2019

15

A few tips for playing fish NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Landing that whopper is about keeping your cool, having a game plan and understanding exactly how your gear works.

I’ve detailed the basics of hooking, fighting and landing

the ‘high’ that keeps bringing us back for more — but it’s what you do in those vital seconds or minutes after setting the hook that will ultimately spell the difference between landing a good fish, or adding another sad story of the “one that got away” to your growing collection!

If the fish you’ve just hooked is relatively small

extreme cases, your rod might even snap!

Strong, active fish like tailor, salmon, snapper, trout, barra or tuna are all capable of breaking a line with a rated strength greater than their actual body weight. Many anglers are surprised to learn that a fish of less than 3kg can easily snap a 4-5 kg line in a direct pull, but they certainly can! That’s exactly why larger, more active fish need to be ‘played’.

‘Playing’ a fish doesn’t mean mucking around simply

slightly more.

Game fishers chasing line class records often set their drags against calibrated scales.

But very few of us carry spring balances or weights around to test our drags. Instead, we develop a ‘feel’ for the right setting, and learn how to sense when the drag is too tight or too loose. If the line whistles and sings in the breeze, there’s a good chance your drag is set too tight! If in doubt, it pays to err on the lighter side. On the other hand, if the drag’s too loose, the fish may be

This is about as high as you should ever lift the rod when pumping and winding to recover line.

Even a modest trout like this could snap light line or tear free of the hooks if your drag is set too tightly. fish a couple of times over the seven years I’ve been writing this column (yes, it’s really that long!). However, it’s one of those critical but often overlooked subjects that’s always worthy of a quick refresher, especially considering the fact that

in relation to the gear you’re using, you can simply raise the rod to about 45º above the horizontal and crank smoothly on the reel handle to bring it in. However, landing bigger, stronger fish require a bit more thought and skill.

Attempting to use sheer

Your rod acts like a giant shock absorber to soak up the lunges and dives of a hooked fish. This is fly gear, but conventional tackle works much the same. new readers are constantly coming on board.

As I’ve explained here before, hooking into a fish is one of the most thrilling moments in angling — it’s

muscle to haul in a fish that’s heavy and strong in relation to your tackle is very likely to result in disaster. The line might break, or the hook could tear free or straighten out. In

When a big fish is running hard and taking line against the drag, keep a bend in the rod but don’t try to crank the reel. Wait until the run comes to an end, then smoothly pump-and-wind. to prolong the fight for our own entertainment. Instead, the term means taking your time and bringing the fish in slowly and smoothly while using the flex of the rod as a shock absorber to protect the line and hook. It also means, if necessary, allowing the fish to run, or take line against the reel’s drag mechanism, which you should set every time you go fishing.

As a rough rule, your drag should be set somewhere between a quarter and a third of the rated breaking strain of the line, measured in a direct pull from the reel. In other words, if you’re using 4kg breaking strain line, the pre-set drag pressure at the reel should be around a kilo or

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angle, begin turning the reel handle as you smoothly lower the rod towards the horizontal.

Repeat this process to bring the fish in.

Be careful to maintain tension at all times. If you don’t, loose line can wrap around the rod tip, or create slack that might allow the fish to throw the hook. The best way to avoid slack is to start turning the reel a split second before you begin lowering the rod. Maintain enough pressure to keep at least a slight bend in the rod right through the down stroke.

Most importantly, stay cool and have a game plan in mind… It’s amazing just how large a fish can be landed on light gear if you keep your head!

Lift without winding until the rod butt is angled about 45º above horizontal or a little higher, then wind the reel as you smoothly lower the rod to recover line.

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impossible to bring in, or it may even strip all the line from your spool. It’s about finding the right balance.

As soon as the fish you’ve hooked stops pulling line from your reel against the drag, you need to begin recovering lost line and bringing that fish in.

The best way to recover line is to ‘pump-and-wind’, which means lifting the rod without cranking the reel, then lowering the rod while turning the reel. Begin by smoothly lifting the rod from just above the horizontal until the butt or lower portion is angled up at least 45º above the horizon.

Don’t crank the reel as you lift or pump, because that’d put unnecessary strain on your gear. When the lower portion of the rod passes that 45º

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See you all out on the FAD! YAMBA

Dave Gaden

April is here and although it is the middle of autumn in this part of the planet the water hasn’t started

south. This happens quite a bit but the upside for us is that they have to return home as the waters south start to cool. In recent years we have had a great run of mackerel during April and May when the cold water

produce a lot of quality fish. You should always have a floater out for the mackerel this month, as they sometimes show up even in the middle of the day around the boat. Fish as light as you can on the floater, 20-30lb

hovering over them at first light of a morning.

The wider grounds in 50 fathoms are very productive this month for those who don’t mind putting in the miles to get fish. Yamba has two good reefs, one 19nm eastnortheast and one the same east-southeast of the bar. I really like the northern reef this month; if the current isn’t too hard the snapper show up in big numbers and are easy to see on the sounder. We had one drift over this ground last April for 42 snapper, now that creates happy punters! It’s a bit different out there this month, normally the drift will give you a mixed bag of different species but I usually find I’ll get just snapper in one spot then pearl perch mixed with morwong and pigfish in another. It’s important to have a cast line ready for the mahimahi when fishing out there, as they will just swim past without notice and dropping a big handful of bait off the cutting board

Kiara with a nice pearl perch. will hold them until you get a line to them.

Speaking of mahimahi,

the FAD has been very productive again this year.

Check the fisheries website

Phil with Riley helping each other to cradle this monster mulloway. to drop in temperature significantly at all.

Summer this year for those wanting to chase the mackerel was a great disappointment.

With the consistent northerly winds that in turn dragged cold water up from the south, make for the mackerel to go wide of the coast and followed the hot current past us heading

held them off in December and January. The southern grounds from one-man to the bommie would be my pick to hunt these guys with float baits of pilchard my preferred method.

This month the grounds off of Brooms Head start to fill with nice snapper, pearl perch and venus tuskfish.

Drift fishing in 35-45m of water with cut baits will

leader with 20lb single wire about 200mm long should work.

The close grounds off Plumbago in the south and Woody Head in the north this month will be great for those chasing the larger snapper on plastics. Even in 10m of water you will find some amazing fish, just look for the kelp beds on the sounder, they seem to love

Lachlan with his PB mulloway.

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for the GPS location.

I mentioned many times before that we positioned the FAD out in 65m of water on some productive, albeit unspectacular looking reef. If you have your fill of mahimahi or they just don’t show up, then get your bottom gear out. The reef from the FAD to 2nm south will hold some nice fish. There are times when it’s all blue spotted flathead, but others when it’s snapper and trag.

Many times we get nice big mulloway on the bait shoals and big tuskfish.

Mulloway will be the big target up on the northern reef this month.

Black Rock to South Evans Reef will have the usual suspects of big trag and bluespot flathead, but the chance of taking a big mulloway are well above average in April. As I’ve said before, anchoring just down current from a shoal of yakka seems to be the most productive. Catching

Quality mahimahi will be in good numbers this month.

One of the Yamba FAD mahimahi. the livies and swimming them straight back down will drive the trag nuts and wake up the mulloway.

These bigger fish need to be handled with care, meaning you need to fish with very light drags. They really are hard to lose if you are patient, but bullying them will pull hooks or snap light lines. You may lose the odd fish that swims back into a cave, but it’s really rare.

In the estuary, the flathead will be moving around the downstream section of the system this month. For those who know the area well try the north arm on Iluka side around the entrance to the Esk River and Nihill Island. Flicking plastics here is by far the best way to get a feed. Further upstream the entrance to Serpentine channel around the old cane barges at the start of the run-out tide is

another favourite. If you want to just lay back and take it easy then trolling small hardbodies around the islands at the entrance to Lake Woolawayah is just about the nicest way to spend a morning on the water and get a few nice fish for dinner.

The crabs have been running well this year and even though the end of the month is school holidays and there will be thousands of people here and I’m sure we might nearly have enough crabs to go round.

Blue swimmers should slow down this month (old rule: only crab in months with R in them) but with the late arrival of warm water this summer I think there will still be plenty here. Muddies won’t be a problem, with them moving downstream this month.

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Get moving because the bait is!

BALLINA

Joe Allan

If you’re after a feed of flathead this month, be sure to try the stretches between Pimlico Island and Broadwater. White bait and fresh prawns are the go if you can get them. The prawns are on the move at the moment so if you can find them, you’ll find great numbers of tasty fish.

The best hooks for these are a #1/0 and #2/0 Gamakatsu Long Shank.

The longer shank in the hook keeps the line away from their teeth. If you’re into throwing hardbody lures try tolling the Atomic Shiner 75mm that will get down past 3.5m easily in the holes around the Wardell

Kim Richter caught and released this beautiful big flathead from the town stretch of the river.

Bridge and areas close by.

Bright colours are best. Once you’ve found the drop offs, it’s always a good idea to have a 3-4” soft plastic with a 1/4oz jighead ready to go.

The beaches around Ballina and Lennox Head have been fishing really well and should continue to get

better. Look for gutters on Patches Beach and back to South Ballina as well as the beaches along Seven Mile – north of Lennox Head. There have been good catches recorded of tarwhine and flathead on soft plastics and blades. Both styles of these lures use 1/4oz weight. If it’s

A thumping 1m flatty caught in a drop-off along Pimlico Island.

too windy this might be a struggle. There are still good numbers of pipis around and these little fellas are a great fresh bait for most bread and butter species. Just remember that you’re not allowed to take these from the beach.

The rock walls have produced some good size mangrove jack. While not in good numbers the better size specimens have come out to play in recent times.

These guys will become less active now that the water is cooling down. The break walls have been seeing some good mulloway towards the bottom end of the tide. Live mullet seem to be producing the best catches up the river in the holes, however, down on the walls be sure to try some big deep-diving crankbaits.

Dans Lane and Pimlico Island flats have been very consistent producers of bream. If you’re into soaking bait then nippers are one of the best baits and are good fun to catch with the kids around. If you’re into throwing lures, small crankbaits and small topwater poppers are always my go-to.

You’ll pick up a few whiting, although the dirty water has hurt the numbers of these being caught.

The freshwater stretches of the Richmond and Wilsons River have been patchy. Reports of people catching 15-20 fish one day and then going back the next and getting only one or two. The best lures are spinnerbaits with big gold blades and lipless crankbaits with bright colours. The noise and flash is what’s attracting these fish in this dirty water. The creeks around Bangalow and Corndale are worth a cast now that they’ve cleaned up a little. Down

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Anthony Melchior with a nice Aussie bass caught at Coraki. size everything that you’d normally throw in the main river. You’d be surprised how big the fish that live

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Rain equals movement THE TWEED

Anthony Coughran

The storms have given most systems a real good shake up this month. It has a lot of different species doing different things. Anglers are having plenty of fun, although studying the tides, currents, moon phases and wind will majorly help your results.

While the offshore has had its moments this month with Spanish and spotty mackerel, most anglers have been focusing on estuary species due to the weather with one species that just keeps giving them grief – mangrove jacks. These red dogs are still running amok in most systems with the bait moving around due to the storms. One day they are up river and the next they are

getting flushed down towards the mouth – depending on how much fresh is around.

The mahimahi also love conditions after the rains and storms, as it creates a lot of floating debris.

Don’t forget the bass that also love to move around with the rains and storms.

OFFSHORE The mahimahi have been loving the aftermath of the storms, as it creates a lot of

Nothing beats hooking up to a Tweed marlin after it munches on your skirt.

The early bird gets the marlin!

floating debris, making for current and dirty water lines and stirring up nutrients which in turn stirs up the bait.

Your best bet is to work the current lines until you find the debris that are holding a school of mahimahi. Fish this area with metals, jigs, stickbaits or casting plastics with a fast retrieve. mahimahi are one of the fastest growing fish in the sea and are eating machines, so anything that looks like a fleeting or injured baitfish should get eaten. Working your lures at

bommies. There’s a few spotties around the isolated rocks and small reefs in close. Floating and trolling pilchards, trolling hardbodies and throwing high-speed metals are all working. In saying that, they are still far and few between and there is only a small window before they switch off again.

The snapper and pearl perch are starting to show up again, as well as some good mixed reef species. Jigs and drift baits are your best bet.

Tweed reef systems are still

the pick for most anglers with all the storms around. The jacks are really feeding up at the moment, as they stock up for their winter hibernation, eating just about anything.

Live baits, large strip baits, whole fillets and even small fish heads have been catching the bigger jacks. Myself and lots of other anglers who fish heavy structure are still struggling to stop the bigger ones over 60cm, even with 60lb braid matched 100lb leader.

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APRIL 2019

the right speed will always produce the gold.

Black marlin are still out there, with the odd wahoo in between fish. The odd Spanish and spotty mackerel are sitting around the 36s and 50s, although it tends to fish best when we have at least two days of southerly wind for them to get going. Towing baits, working poppers and throwing stickbaits are all working and proving the best techniques for the bigger Spaniards. Surface lures also doing some damage, catching a few smaller ones off the

fishing best for the Spanish and odd spotty, along with some mixed reefies, the odd mulloway and cobia. Wider reefs off Tweed with good current and dirty water lines have blacks, mahimahi and wahoo on them, along with the odd pack of yellowfin tuna. Hastings Point has had odd spotty, cobia and GTs hanging around. Lastly, the reef east of Brunswick has had some quality mackerel, mixed reef species and yellowfin!

ESTUARY The estuaries have been

still hitting a wide variety of lures during the day. Some techniques that are working well include plastics, vibes and surface lures. Even the lure guys are loosing a few with 30lb braid and 40lb fluorocarbon leader.

But remember, persistence will pay off.

There’s still lots of whiting around, with surface lures and quick retrieves being a deadly combination.

Bloodworms and yabbies are also catching some great fish.

Be sure to work those run-in tides to ensure you catch a

feed. If there is a lot of fresh in the system, fish the deeper holes for them.

Plenty of trevally are still getting around. Try the bridges that hold bait of a nighttime, and the canals, rock walls and lakes during the day with various lures.

The odd mulloway has been taken around the mouths with all the bait and the fresh moving around. Plastics and hardbodies are still the best bet during the day. Fishing

good when it’s available to fish and the conditions are good. School mulloway, tailor, dart, bream, flathead, trevally and whiting have all been on the target list. Work those conditions and don’t push your luck. If the swell is too big or the rock walls and headlands are too messy, don’t bother – it’s better to be safe than sorry. Beach worms, yabbies, pipis, pilchard, white bait, and even plastics are all fishing well at the right times.

is the way to go. Cicadas and insect lures are lures are another great choice, typically working better during dusk and dawn in the cleaner pools.

With yet another season change upon us, we will see the usual summer species such as wahoo, mahimahi, mackerel, billfish, mangrove jack, whiting and bass start to slow up and the winter species will slowly start to take over. In saying that,

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Scott Isaacs with a nice brassy trevally, which munched his Bassday Sugapen off the sand flats, before pulling some serious string. rock junctions and the eddies of rock walls with live baits will also put you onto a nice mulloway.

Muddies are moving around with all this fresh, so try the deeper holes under all the freshwater or around the bridges.

BEACHES The beaches have been

SWEETWATER The bass are using the storms to push their way back upstream and into the upper reaches of the most systems.

Finding and working pools, rapids, over flowing drains and flooding creeks and fishing with various lures such as spinnerbaits, various hardbodies, plastics and vibes

Tweed has and can experience a late mackerel run and will normally start around the start of next month. So having a few different options on hand will help keep you occupied.

The bass will keep pushing upstream, therefore targeting them right upstream around weir walls will put you onto some decent fish.

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Weather changing, fish biting SOUTHERN GOLD COAST

Mark Ward markward222@bigpond.com

It’s finally cooling down but the water temperature is still warm enough to keep the summer fish on the bite. It’s a great month to target bream, whiting, trevally and mangrove jack with surface lures. Without ruling the native – bass, which will also be starting to whack surface lures.

when land based.

Whiting on poppers can be a lot of fun and there seems to be a lot of techniques that work. For what it is worth, l like a full tide, a little wind to put some chop on the surface and a small cup faced popper. I work it fairly quickly and add a couple of pauses on the way back in. They hook themselves so just keep winding it in even if they are boiling on the back of the lure.

Trevally have been smashing bait fish in the canals and around the rock walls. Anywhere that there is current and baitfish will attract the trevally. Surface lures work well on these fish at night and during periods of low light, but they are ferocious feeders and love a live bait. Mangrove jack can be found in the same areas and will also respond to live baits.

BEACHES Whiting and dart have been dominating the catches on the open beach. Pipis and worms have been working well. This month you’ll start to see a few bream and the odd chopper tailor working the gutters. Some of the bream that appear in autumn are in the kilo plus club and pull a lot harder than the whiting and dart.

FRESHWATER Fishing for bass in impoundments can be as simple as throwing a lure near a snag or point some days and other days you can throw the entire tackle box at them and you end up with nothing. This

time of year can be like that.

But I have a few tips that help me out when the fishing can get a little tough.

I find that the bass can find the warm water a little too much and prefer to sit at a depth that is comfortable for them. If they aren’t on the weed edges, snags or points I always assume that they are sitting at a comfortable depth and go about finding what the depth is.

Thermoclines are changes in the water temperature. This is often only a few degrees but this is a significant change for the fish that can’t regulate their own body temperature.

If you have a quality sounder, the thermoclines can be found by moving into water at least ten metres deep and adjusting the sensitivity until a district line can be seen which would be the change in water density due to the different temperatures. I dial the sensitivity right up to 100% where my screen almost blacks out, but my Humminbird will display a yellow line where the thermocline is.

Jacob Ward with a decent bream he caught casting lures around structure.

ESTUARY The canals, creeks and rivers have been fishing very well. Lots of whiting have been caught in the shallows at the top of the tide and on the weed edges at night.

Bloodworms and wrigglers are superior to beach worms but all work very well. If having to use beach worms, I will add a little red tubing and a bead to the line above the hook. This brings the whiting in like a bull to the red flag.

Keep the bait moving either by allowing it to drift with the current, drifting from a boat or using a very slow retrieve

24

APRIL 2019

Flathead are well spread out but the size of the fish has been making up for the numbers. Some very big fish have been caught in the shallows even on surface lures. Sub surface lures such as bent minnows have also been producing some very big fish. Try the shallows around Elanora and the Gold Club in the Tweed as well as the upper reaches of Currumbin and Tallebudgera Creek. The canal mouths have also been producing a few fish.

Don’t be afraid to fish in as little as 30cm of water.

Bass will be looking for cooler water this month, but once found they will be on the bite.

The author was chasing mangrove jack when he reeled in this cracking by-catch.

Yellow is a fairly solid return but at 100% I can’t see fish so I dial it back to the right sensitivity so I can pick structure and fish again.

You will often find a lot of fish sitting at this depth and that always confirms for me that I have the thermocline and therefore the depth the fish prefer.

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as throwing lures at that depth. What I then do is look for structure or points that are at the depth the fish are sitting. For example, if they are on a thermocline in 6m of water I look for standing timber that is about 8m deep and drop plastics or vibes down to 6m to target the fish. There’s no point in targeting timber in less than 6m because it’s likely to be too hot for the fish. I also look for points that will see the fish schooling at 6m deep and target these as well.

While talking about thermoclines, there is another interesting phenonium that occurs around this time of

the year that will greatly affect the fishing in a dam.

That is when a dam ‘rolls over’. Sounds weird but what happens is, at this time of year the warm water on the surface starts to cool off due to the cool nights. This will eventually make the surface water cooler, and therefore thicker, so the waters will eventually mix together and this is known as the dam rolling or turning over. This is a massive event for the fish and with nowhere to go to get comfortable anymore they will often shut down and sulk while waiting to adjust to the new temperature. This can also cause large fish kills and will often last a week of so with little or no fish at all being caught.

So it’s an interesting time of the year in our dams.

Water should stay warm all month and the thermoclines will produce fish, but once you find them feeding at a certain depth, work within a metre or two of that and you should do good.

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Cooler weather making for red hot fishing Mulloway are an exceptional fish to target and can be very rewarding.

Being quite similar to flathead fishing (outfit wise), these fish hunt and feed in the deeper waters of the Broadwater, Seaway, Jumpinpin and most local estuary systems. Sounding these fish up before dropping a plastic on their head is one of the more efficient ways to target mulloway, as they are known as a schooling predator.

Within the next month or two we should definitely see temperatures drop as we near into winter months. I am

GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn Instagram: @josh__dunn__

As we really start to move into the cooler months, we are certainly seeing some very unpredictable weather. This, at times, can be frustrating, but provides great fishing when there is a gap of good weather.

With the change of seasons comes a variety of species, where you can still be catching quality jacks in the canals and also starting to get into some tailor in the Broadwater. This makes for a range of options when the weather doesn’t want to play a game. For example, there have been many situations where the wind starts to pick up on the Broadwater when fishing for tailor and I’ll head into the canals for some extra shelter and be catching jacks.

At the mention of tailor, there will be anglers starting to get amongst them. Whether that be trolling, casting metal lures into schools busting up on baitfish, dropping plastics into deep holes in the Broadwater or even soaking a pilchard for the bait anglers. It just shows there is a range of ways to

hopeful that we may see a bit more constant rain to stir up the canals, as last month it was very scattered and before you realised it was raining, the sun was back out. The strong winds from Cyclone Oma in February has barely affected fishing results, and our beaches copped most of the action.

In conclusion, doing your research to find the good days on the water will certainly pay off with some quality catches. Last month we saw some very unpredictable weather, so I am very hopeful it doesn’t carry into April. See you on the water.

The author with an unexpected blubberlip bream taken in the Seaway as a mulloway by-catch. target these toothy predators.

If you are new to tailor fishing or keen to get into it: yes, they can at times be an expensive species to target! They use their razor sharp teeth to their advantage by biting your leader and ultimately taxing your $20-30 hardbody or shredding your plastics. There’s not a whole

lot you can do but up your leader, although this could result in less hook-ups. I always recommend fishing as light as you possibly can, within reason. I wouldn’t fish with anything heavier than 25-30lb, especially if you’re in the Broadwater. All you can do is hope for a solid hook-up!

With tailor, there are also plenty of other species on the bite such as bream, flathead, mangrove jack and the odd mulloway. As we near the cooler months, be prepared to see more mulloway.

Being almost an all year round species, winter is definitely one of their more predominant months.

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Prawns bring in the predators The flathead season continues to roll on, with thumpers to 80cm still being caught, and April should be no exception.

I’m mad on trolling for flatties and there is nothing better than that first hit of the day. Trolling allows me to cover a lot of area in a small space of time and by doing this you can learn where they congregate. I use lures that dive 2-6ft and only work the areas where there is weed and keep the lure in contact with the bottom.

Try around the back of Mosquito Island, the flats near the powerlines and the Pandannus weed banks.

It won’t be long until you’re hooked on trolling too. If you love a feed of whiting then arm yourself with some bloodworms, beach worms or yabbies and head out to the sand banks off Rocky Point,

JUMPINPIN

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

April is a fantastic fishing time of year at the ‘Pin, with cooler weather, dropping water temps and plenty of fish on offer. Banana prawns should be around in good numbers in the main channel between Jacobs Well and Cabbage Tree Point, and the Logan River all the way along Russell Island to the top of Macleay Island.

They can be caught in any depth of water from 2-60ft, so pay close attention to your sounder and look for where the schools are holding. These prawns will attract bigger fish such as snapper and threadfin salmon into the ‘Pin area and this is a great time of year to catch a few.

Snapper up to 6kg can be caught using live banana prawns around Karragarra, Rocky Point, Cabbage Tree, Steglietz and Jacobs Well.

There is usually the odd threadfin salmon lurking about as well in the mouth of the Logan River to Marks Rocks, as they love a feed of prawns as well.

Some of these threadfin are well in excess of a metre and over 10kg, so be sure to use the appropriate gear.

Bream too will be in the thick of it. As the water temp starts to drop off the bigger fish will start feeding up in preparation for their breeding season.

Targeting bream is a fun and relatively easy way to get into fishing and the calm protected waters of the ‘Pin provide a haven for them, and why they are the most caught fish hands

28

APRIL 2019

Juvenile snapper should be on the bite as the prawns have arrived.

Snapper to 5kg can be caught as they come into the ‘Pin estuaries chasing prawns this time of year. down. If you are chasing bream then prawns, squid, worms, yabbies, gut and flesh are best and will almost guarantee a feed.

Deeper holes, especially those with structure, should hold good schools of bream. Berleying up will certainly improve your chances. Tailor are making their way along the coast at this time of year feeding on white bait and small pillies and can be caught mainly out towards the bar and just beyond with small metal slugs that look like these baitfish.

They move through the ‘Pin area quickly in small

schools that randomly pop up and can be gone as fast as they arrive. A great fighting and tasting fish, they’re always fun to catch.

These fish will always bite better in the early hours or just before dark into the evening.

Try chasing mulloway on the smaller tides with live mullet, pike or large flesh baits around the deep water of the ‘Pin bar, The Grave or in the Logan.

They are not easy to catch and put up a great fight so keep persisting when fishing because the fish of a lifetime could be just one cast away.

Mitch and Cody cleaned up on the threadies in the Logan River.

Tabby Island, Fishermans Channel, Slipping Sands, the Gold bank or the Never Fail Islands.

Muddies and sandies are always popular targets at this time of year and thanks to some much needed rain they should both be about in good numbers.

Try around the rivers and mangrove-lined banks where there is a drain or creek mouth and the deeper holes of the main channels along Macleay and Russell Islands. Canaipa Passage is a great spot for for sand crabs also.

• Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in. Feel free to drop us a line at Gem Bait and Tackle on 3287 3868 or email gembait@tpg.com.au for any up to date info and I’ll catch you next month.

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The speedsters take over!

GOLD COAST

David Green

April is the best month of the year to chase Spanish mackerel and wahoo. The mackerel season began strongly in late February,

and by April there should be plenty of fish between 6-15kg on most of the inshore grounds. Palm Beach, Mermaid Reef, the Gravel Patch off Burleigh and the 18 and 24-Fathom reefs off Southport should all be productive.

OFFSHORE GROUNDS Trolling whole rigged dead baits such as slimy mackerel, bonito and tailor is probably the most effective method, particularly when a downrigger is used to get the bait down to the waiting fish. Slow trolling live baits

Warwick Isaacson managed to land this feisty wahoo. The Nine Mile Reef is a great spot to target these fish this month.

is also deadly. Other methods include spinning with metal lures, casting stickbaits and trolling hardbodied minnows. Trolling metalheaded skirted lures at high speeds up to 12 knots is also very effective in the early hours of the morning. As well as Spanish mackerel, there should be plenty of spotted mackerel on the close reefs such as 12-Fathoms and Palm Beach Reef. Downsizing the lures and baits will put spotted mackerel in the boat.

Wahoo usually turn up in April on the Tweed Head Nine Mile Reef and on both 24 and 36-Fathom reefs.

These fish average around 15-20kg and are great fun to catch on medium tackle.

Wahoo like speed. Trolling metal-headed lures at around 12 knots is a great way to catch them and the strikes are sensational. Nothing, apart from a blue marlin, makes a reel scream like a wahoo in full flight. Small live tuna slowly trolled around the back ledge of the Nine Mile Reef is a great way to target bigger fish, although sharks can be a problem at times. This method can also produce Spanish mackerel, huge GTs and big kingfish.

A whopping wahoo from the Nine Mile Reef, one spot not to pass up this month.

Hidden dangers in lakes With water levels falling at some of South East Queensland’s most popular recreation lakes, swimmers and boaties are being warned of the hidden dangers below the surface.

After an unseasonably dry wet season, lower water levels at some lakes have increased the danger of submerged and semisubmerged hazards in the water, such as trees, rocks and fence posts.

The warning from Seqwater comes ahead of the Easter holidays, with thousands of people expected to take advantage of South East Queensland’s recreation areas during the break.

Seqwater Principal Compliance Officer Amber Blake urged lake users on the water to follow signage and operate their vessels in a cautious and sensible manner to avoid any hazards.

“Some of our popular lakes, such as Lakes Somerset and Moogerah, have announced 6 knot speed limits to improve public safety in the heavily timbered areas of the lake,” Ms Blake said.

“However, outside these areas, people should not get complacent and continue to be wary of hidden underwater hazards, 30

APRIL 2019

A 6 knot speed limit is being enforced in many heavily-timbered areas. No matter where you are on the lakes take care and use caution. especially while lake levels are decreasing.

“If you hit a submerged object at speed it can result in injury to those aboard the vessel or skiers, not to mention damage to the vessel itself.”

Blake warned how lakes can be deceptively dangerous. She urges for everyone out on the lakes to play it safe – if you’re unsure just slow down.

During the Easter period, Seqwater will once again be working with the Queensland Police Service, QLD Boating and Fisheries, Maritime Safety Queensland and

other leading agencies to enforce safe and responsible behaviour on and off the water.

Ms Blake said the drop in lake levels has already resulted in the closure of some boat ramps and restrictions placed on some recreation activities at lakes.

“Before heading to one of our lakes, we advise people to plan ahead and visit the Seqwater website to confirm what activities are available at each lake,” Ms Blake said.

For more information visit www.seqwater.com. au/playitsafe. –Seqwater

Wahoo also respond to trolled minnows such as Halco Laser Pros. If you are trolling metal-headed lures it is a good idea to put a crimp half way up the wire trace to stop the

the bottom, and a good prawn specific cast net is a good investment. Run-out tides are generally the most productive. It is a good idea to set your crab pots while prawning; as April is a great

Mitch Calcutt with a cracking Spanish mackerel.

From February to March there were catches coming in between 6-15kg, and this month these catches should only get better. lure sliding up to the swivel.

This prevents the lure being bitten off by other wahoo that follow the hooked fish.

When the wahoo are around in numbers lure losses can be very high and they will bite swivels and even knots.

There should be some good blue marlin fishing this month wide of the continental shelf. Trolling skirted lures on 37kg tackle is the preferred method, and when the bite is on in April it is not uncommon to encounter 5-10 blue marlin in a day. The average-sized blue marlin is around 150kg and these fish are extremely challenging from a small boat. There should also be a few striped marlin and the odd wahoo encountered on the wider grounds. Most of the bites are in depths between 200-400m and the best time is the hour around a tide change.

Bottom fishing this month is dictated by current.

There should be reasonable catches of snapper, pearl perch, teraglin and tuskfish on the 36-50 fathom lines, current permitting, and closer to shore. There should also be a few mulloway around at night, as well as teraglin and tailor.

RIVERS AND ESTUARIES April is a great month to stock up on banana prawns.

The catches in recent years have been sensational, and the lower end of Moreton Bay has seen prawns in reasonable numbers throughout February, which is very early in the prawn season. Use your sounder to locate prawns close to

month to chase both muddies and sand crabs.

As the days get a bit shorter the water will start to cool, making for some estuary fishing improvements.

Flathead

predators and chase the right lure with aggression. The ideal lure mimics a skipping prawn, and the key to success is to wind the lure at a quick pace, skipping it through the small waves with plenty of twitches. When it is windy you can make long casts with the breeze at your back, and the whiting seem less shy in these conditions and will generally bite well. I like to fish the first half of the run-in tide with the Bassday Sugapen being a favourite lure of mine.

Mangrove jack start to move about in April and a lot tend move into the Seaway area, where at times they form large schools at the end of the north wall of the Seaway. These can be targeted using live baits such as herring, yellowtail or small slimy mackerel. Don’t let them run far with the bait or they will take you into the rocks. Some of these jacks are well over 50cm in length and fight hard. Up in the canals now is a great time to chase jacks early in the morning using surface lures, and this also produces big-eye trevally and GTs. The Jumpinpin entrance is also worth fishing this month. The deep channel around the entrance of Swan Bay can produce some good mulloway on soft plastics and live bait. Pike are the number one bait in this area and can be caught over the shallow weed beds

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Kane Barclay with a decent feed of prawns. They will be around in numbers this month and the lower end of Moreton Bay is a good area to have a crack. start to show up in the usual spots, there are plenty of whiting to be caught and in the deeper sections of the Seaway and Jumpinpin Bar, there are generally a few decent-sized mulloway to be caught.

On windy days in April, I like to chase whiting with surface lures. These fish, despite their small mouths, are voracious surface

around the top end of South Stradbroke Island. Fished on a long trace with a big sinker in the back eddies, pike will often get good mulloway when all other methods fail.

Overall, April is a great month to fish the Gold Coast. There are plenty of opportunities both offshore and inshore and the cooler days make fishing very pleasant.

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Make your way to the Bay! SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

Peel Island should fish well this month in the shallows, with bream, snapper and sweetlip all worth targeting.

Small soft plastics, topwater hardbaits or small hardbodies are all a great way to target these guys right up in the shallow water.

Even up in a foot of water you’ll find fish. The deeper diving models seem

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to snag less as the big bib keeps the trebles away from the rocks and coral. It makes for great fun on light gear.

Try to find larger pieces of coral, big schools of bait or just out in the reef to target these fish. Remember anything under 8lb leader will be dicing with danger if a bigger fish is hooked. Dusk or dawn will be the best time to target these sometimesfinicky feeders.

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This mulloway was spotted amongst a school on the sounder before it was caught.

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month will be great for mulloway, whiting, flathead and bream. They will all be great targets and should be in good numbers. With mulloway schooling around the bar, the best time to target them is around the turn of the tide. Big live baits and big paddle-tail Plastics such as the ZMan 8” MagswimZ or 6” SwimmerZ are your best bet.

Try and sound around and find the large schools of

baitfish in the eddies and the dirty water current lines and the mulloway shouldn’t be too far away. You should also see some good fish schooling around Peel Island on the artificial reefs and wrecks.

There’s also been quite a few solid fish up to the 120cm mark captured from the Brisbane River over the last few weeks and this should be a continued occurrence this month with good fish all the way up to the city reaches.

Flathead have been in large numbers down around the Lagoons at Pandanus and Neverfail Islands, as well as the old bar. Work the edges around the weed with smaller soft plastics around the 3-4”size. ZMan 3.5” Trick SwimZ or 3” MinnowZ in a chartreuse pattern are my go-to this time of year. Low tide is the best time to fish the mouths of the drains.

Trolling small little hardbodies is also a productive way to cover the ground to locate schools of fish. Try to stick along the sand and weed transitions.

Working the 50mm Zerek

Cod can be a very common by-catch when fishing heavy structure.

Tango shads in 3-6ft of water will see the most action. The banks around the mouth of the Logan River have been fishing quite well for flatties as well. Try fishing the cleaner water around the top of the tide or the smaller tides around the quarters of the moon.

Whiting have been in good numbers around the Green and Gold banks, the banks in front of Slipping Sands and the bank at the mouth of Duck Creek where Squire Island used to be.

Worms have been the go to but they are also a great target on surface lures. Shallow water with a medium to fast retrieve and a long narrow profile popper is the way to go. Keep the lure moving

fast even when getting slurps and they’ll keep chasing it.

Usually a paused lure will have them shying away.

Tuna and mackerel have been fishing a bit slow in the bay recently, but we should see an improvement in tuna catches moving forward.

Most of the action has been from Mud Island North. Try not to spook the schools by coming in too hard and fast. Small stickbaits or a plastic with a small length of wire has been the best option for the mackerel.

Larger plastics or stickbaits round the 120mm size have been working better on the longtail. The Fish Inc. Wing or 115mm Flanker have been producing the goods for me the last couple of seasons.

Richard Lucker with a nice ‘Pin flatty. Trolling can be a great way to cover ground.

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Easter brings variety BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

April is usually a month with great variety. Many of the warm weather species still abound the waters and we begin to notice species such as mulloway, snapper, squid, sweetlip and perhaps tailor showing up in the bay, rivers and estuaries.

Weather conditions, water temperatures and several other factors can affect how prevalent certain species are at this time of the year. Often you simply need to get out and have a crack to see what your best options are on any given day. However there are quite a few reliable targets that you might like to consider.

these just collect shell grit and other debris from the riverbed or ocean floor. Which must be removed before the net can be cast again, slowing down the process.

It is best to pour your prawns directly from the net’s top pocket into an esky with a bit of ice, as prawns can spoil quickly. I usually put a 10L bucket in the esky and empty the prawns into this so I know when I have reached my limit.

Prawning can be hard work at times but very rewarding. At times you can fill a 10L bucket within a few casts – some have even managed a full 10L limit with a single throw of a 12ft net.

If there are a lot of prawns around, I will sometimes cull the smaller ones and release them as I go, only keeping the larger models.

When the prawns are

you will have to catch and release quite a few of these smaller fish for each quality one. Although they can be annoying, treat these smaller fish with respect and release them in good health, as they will become the larger knobbies we want to catch in years to come.

The artificial reefs, wrecks and surrounds of the bay islands are the more popular areas to chase snapper, however some anglers have isolated areas of reef or rubble where they ply their trade to target quality snapper, sweetlip, mulloway and cod. The artificial reefs can be hot and cold and the main factor that switches fish off is boat traffic and other associated noise. It amazes me how often some will drive repetitively over the shallow reefs or rubble grounds that

Mark La Brooy with a solid Brisbane River mulloway taken on a live bait. with one hook in the very top of the bait and another at least halfway along it, and perhaps a third hook too. Hook sizes need to be matched to the bait – if the hook is too small it can limit hook-up potential, too large and it will not be appealing to a fish. Check out my article in this issue on better bait presentation with a variety of baits ideal for targeting snapper, mulloway and other species.

While most will anchor when bait fishing, this pursuit can be especially successful while drifting. A light paternoster setup will work well in most areas throughout the bay. You will only need a 1 or 2oz snapper lead most of the time or a small bomb sinker. Many prefer to turn off their electronics while drifting in this manner, as they like

a running sinker rig with a minimum weight ball, bean or barrel sinker to just get the bait down in the relevant depth and current. You are best to hand hold the rod when fishing like this so that you can strike as soon as the fish solidly takes the bait.

SWEETLIP While targeting snapper around the fringes of the bay islands, anglers will also encounter a few different species such as sweetlip, both grass and yellow. The grass sweetlip (called grass emperor on the bag and size limit charts) are the more desirable table species of the two and are a tough species to extract from their reef and rubble environment.

When targeting these fish I generally look for areas where the reef and rubble are

then you are likely to have a frantic bite session as the sun breaks the horizon.

Quality fresh baits are highly desirable with banana prawns (ensure to only use locally sourced prawns), strip baits (mullet, gar, pike, bonito, tuna etc.) and small whole fish baits or half pilchards work well. Keep rigging simple with fluorocarbon leaders and a minimum sinker weight and you are well on your way to scoring some quality sweetlip.

BAY PELAGICS Even though water temperatures are slowly cooling down, there will be some quality pelagic action throughout Moreton Bay. Decent numbers of longtail tuna began to appear late in February and numbers have been respectable ever since.

Even though they aren’t

Snapper will be on the bite during April with some respectable sized fish taken on baits and lures.

PRAWNS Most of the best prawning opportunity will be in the bay by now, however the rivers could still be holding a few decent numbers, although dependent on rainfall.

Deception Bay, the front of Nudgee and around the southern bay islands are all serious options for those chasing banana prawns.

Generally the best prawning opportunity happens around the changes of the tide, with the periods an hour or two either side being prime.

When the water slows and eventually stops running, the prawns will lift from the silt, mud and debris in the deeper holes to feed. Here they are easily targeted with a good quality cast net. Top pocket nets are best for catching prawns as the crustaceans flick upwards and get held in the top pocket. From here they are easy to extract from the net by opening the top and simply tipping them out.

These top pocket nets don’t have bottom pockets as 34

APRIL 2019

on around the bay islands, there’s often large numbers of boats chasing them. Popular areas include around the last three moored boats in the eastern end of the channel at the front of Lamb Island, Saltworks (off southwestern end of Karragarra), the Powerlines (southern end of Russell Island) and numerous other channels and holes in the area. Usually if there are prawns around, there will be boats present. While many anglerssimply follow the crowds, doing a bit of searching to find your own patch can often reward you handsomely.

During the next month or two it should definitely be worth getting out to chase prawns with decent numbers and good size.

SNAPPER This time of the year can often see good numbers of snapper beginning to show up. I generally find there are heaps of undersize specimens plus some really big knobbies throughout April. This means

they are going to then drift across and fish.

Making a wide berth of the chosen fishing drift when repositioning will greatly increase your chances. Don’t drive all over the ground to try and sound out baitfish and predators before you start fishing. Using current or wind assistance (or an electric motor) whilst you drift across the ground will give a good indication as to what’s around without spooking every fish within 100m.

Quality fresh baits such as squid, banana prawns, fillet strips, yakkas, slimy mackerel and similar baits are ideal offerings. However there are still plenty of quality snapper caught each year on frozen offerings such as pilchards, squid, mullet fillet and bonito strips.

Presentation of the bait can be just as important as the type and quality. Baits which spiral and twist in the current are less likely to get eaten. Longer baits are best fished in a snelled hook rig

Throughout this month, mackerel will be taken around the artificial reefs, beacons and major channels on jigged metals, pilchards and spoons. to keep baits almost directly underneath the boat, which limits snagging while drifting.

A great way to fish baits while at anchor is to cast up current and then allow the bait to slowly drift down past the boat. Permit line to slowly play off the reel until the bait is 40m to 50m behind the boat then retrieve and repeat.

The common rig for this is

dispersed amongst patches of sand and sea grass beds. The surrounds of the bay islands have plenty of similar areas and finding a decent spot away from the crowds will definitely heighten you chances.

Early morning sessions are especially favoured. If you can get to the grounds pre-dawn so that you are anchored with baits deployed before dawn

always in the large surface busting schools we love, they have been attainable for those who put in the effort.

A wide array of artificial offerings have been working, yet at times you will need to try several different types to see what style and retrieve they favour. Stickbaits of numerous types have been popular for the larger

specimens over 10kg with plenty of good products on the market. Certain retrieve types are often favoured on a particular day and it pays to work out whether your chosen offering swims best with long slow sweeps, a constant winding, an erratic retrieve or a fast crank.

Sinking stickbaits are generally best for longtails, however floating offerings can also produce some awesome surface strikes at times. The same can be said for pencil poppers, which will skip across the surface during a fast retrieve with the rod tip held up. Due to their generous weights, moderate sized stickbaits can be fished on heavier tackle (up to PE6), which allows you to put some serious hurt on a hooked fish.

This is often the key when the sharks are around, as they will soon pounce on any hooked fish, generally resulting in a lost fish and lure. Sometimes these larger lures, worked with slower retrieves, will still produce when the longtails are feeding on smaller baits in a sedate manner. You generally need to match the hatch and go super small (such as a tiny chrome slice or baitfish profiled fly) or upsize and present them with large, slower moving offerings, which offers them reward with minimal effort.

just sighted cruising close to the surface. In this situation they are best targeted with a chromed slug or jighead rigged jerkshad plastic, such as the ZMan StreakZ 5� in bubblegum. Drifting pilchards under a balloon around the fringes of the bay islands or artificial reefs will also produce the goods on spotties and even school mackerel, which will also be around.

School mackerel will probably be more commonly taken along the edges of the main channels such as Rainbow, Rous, Pearl and Small Ships, as well as the edges of the major banks systems. They will respond favourably to spoons trolled behind paravanes, deeper diving minnow lures and drifted pilchards.

The Measured Mile and shipping channel beacons will also be worth probing with jigged slugs and gang hooked rigged pilchards.

Schools of small tuna and bonito will also be around within the major channels and even up on top of the bank systems during the higher stages of the tide. These fish are great fun to chase on light line and will generally respond to small-chromed slices and baitfish profiled flies such as surf candies, bay baits and small polar fibre minnows. While generally

cools. There will be decent numbers in the lower reaches, however those fishing around the lighted areas in the upper reaches will begin to see better numbers as well. Mulloway will be on the bite and anglers will find these well upriver into the city reaches over the coming months.

Your best bet will be to fish the deeper holes, fronts of the wharfs and edges of the declines into the main river basin over the coming months. Live baits including mullet, herring, banana prawns, pike and gar will take mulloway, threadies and snapper in the lower reaches of the river over the next few months.

Mulloway are also a serious proposition around the artificial reefs, especially the Harry Atkinson and Peel artificials.

Anglers targeting the estuaries will still encounter a few jacks, estuary cod, flathead, bream, mulloway and numerous other species.

Winter whiting will begin to improve in numbers throughout the bay and estuaries.

CONCLUSION April can be an unusual month with air and water temperatures dictating the prominence of different species. Rainfall will affect clarity and salinity in many

The bay islands will be the place to chase prawns over the next month or three. They can be very pedantic and fickle creatures at times so several different lure changes and retrieve types may be needed to get a result.

Mackerel should also be a serious target throughout April and I am hoping the spotties may eventually arrive for a late run. Up until the time of writing, these had been a virtual no show, however on any year they will sometimes appear late and albeit in limited numbers. Generally the size is respectable with 75cm+ specimens being the norm this late in the season.

Sometimes these are found in small surface feeding conglomerations or

not considered a table fish, these make excellent baits for snapper, mulloway, tailor and other species, either fresh or salted.

OTHER OPTIONS Squid will be another species that should increase in prevalence over the coming weeks and months.

Depending on water temperature and clarity they should be a serious target during April. Sand crabbing should still be good but numbers will probably taper off as it gets cooler.

King threadfin salmon will still be around in numbers and will probably start moving further upriver as it

areas and this can also have a big effect at times.

However, there is generally a great variety and often you simply need to just get out and have a look, making a call on the day as to where your best options lie.

I will generally try several different avenues on a given day and will hedge my bets by fishing both baits and lures at times.

April weather is usually rather good with the bite gone out of the midday sun and a slight cooling at the extremities of the day.

Hope there’s April action aplenty for you next time you venture out.

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Go out on a whim and catch some bream There are a lot of options this month. Whether it’s estuaries, rivers, inshore or offshore waters, there

NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

• D E TA I L I N G

• R E PA I R S

has been a little bit of something for everyone in all corners of the northern bay.

Last month’s run of southeast winds, including a visit from a tropical cyclone, pumped our northern waterways with good schools of bait giving predators the motivation to stay close in our waters.

Partner this up with the annual prawn run we are expecting to have this month and we have a recipe for good fishing.

Prawn chasers have been hitting areas like the highway bridge of the Pine River, the mouth of the Caboolture River and Nudgee Beach with great success of late. With scenes resembling the crowds at Myer Boxing Day sales, persistence has been the key around dusk and good hauls are being steadily reported. Predators have also been cruising in these areas, with anglers finding it rewarding to have a break from the cast net and flick a live bait or soft plastic down. Anglers are encountering juvenile mulloway and threadfin

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Bream numbers have been increasing with the cooler temperatures. Lightly-weighted fresh baits have been the producer this month. salmon, with bream schooling to pounce on any stray baits.

Bream fishing has been well over the last month, with water temperatures remaining relatively high but this is set to drop as cooler nights start to push through. In the Pumicestone Passage the rising tide seems to be the optimum time to catch bream, as areas like Ningi and Donnybrook Flats are producing good fish on mid-diving cranks and surface lures. From the middle reaches of Glasshouse Creek to the mouth have also produced good bream numbers, with anglers there opting for lightly weighted fresh baits like raw chicken, yabbies and mullet strips to get some numbers.

Redcliffe’s bream scene has been great recently as southeast winds have kept the bait around the reef bommies, with bream lurking not too far behind. Reefy outcrops and bommies from Osbourne Point south to Suttons Beach have all been fishing well with one hour at either side of the high tide being the prime striking times.

On the run-out tide, places of interest would be The Wells and North Reef as bream have been hanging around these rocky areas chasing bait draining off the reefs.

Being a dry summer this year, whiting numbers have been solid over the past weeks and should continue until the weather turns to cool. Lack of rain has kept waters clean with high

winds only stirring up the top column of water, with the bottom remaining clean most of the time. This has allowed scavengers, like whiting, the opportunity to cruise the sandy flats in search of food.

Bribie Island’s eastern beaches have again been popular with the diehard whiting fishers, and throughout the Pumicestone Passage, from Bongaree to Sylvan Beach, has also produced good whiting.

Live yabbies, bloodworms or fresh pipis have been the choice baits amongst anglers with some lure buffs getting some on surface lures at the mouth of Ningi Creek.

For the non-Bribie residents, the mouth of

the Pine River on the Bald Hills side has produced some quality whiting in the past weeks for those brave enough to tackle the southeasterlies, but numbers have been down.

Speaking of the Pine River, sand and mud crabs have still been filtering through, but size has been a little bit of an issue as the cool approaches. Bramble and Deception bays have still been producing the sand crabs, with little rain keeping the muddies upstream. Sifting through the many undersize crabs has left many crabbers with only a handful of legals for their troubles. But still worth the work!

Juvenile snapper have still been showing their faces around the Redcliffe Peninsula, with dusk and dawn keeping anglers on their toes. North Reef has been the pick of the locations, with the northern and southern ends outside the Scotts Point green zone also showing a few good fish. Targeting waters from 10-15ft has been prime, with soft plastics like ZMan Jerk ShadZ and Berkley PowerBaits the popular ones.

Mulloway and threadfin salmon are still being bagged at the mouth of the Brisbane River with the dark hours yielding the best results.

For the daylight fishers, prepare to fish deep with vibes and heavier weighted plastics as it’s in the later hours when mulloway and threadies feed in shallower waters. Be sure to use your sounder to find moving bait schools, as many of these larger predators stay below these schools prowling for a feed and often find a vibe or large shad style plastic irresistible!

There has been a great run of prawns, and everyone in the area knows it. Try fishing dusk for decent results, and remember persistence is key.

Post-southerly spoils BRISBANE OFFSHORE

John Gooding

Cyclone Oma tossed up plenty of big seas and swell throughout February and early March, and offshore fishing in the South East was out of the question.

We haven’t done a charter since early February, so fingers-crossed we have a good run of weather through March and April. The one positive is that the fishing is normally good after a big southerly blow – with reef fish more active in the shallower water, the right amount of tucker present, and the southerly weather pattern also pushing the cleaner water closer to the coast, the pelagics shouldn’t be too hard to find.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous couple of reports, Spanish mackerel and wahoo should continue to be active off Moreton and North

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A group of happy anglers with a catch of trag, amberjack and mahimahi. All these species should be on the menu this month.

Stradbroke. The past few seasons have gone well into the cooler months, so we still have a fair chance of a decent run of Spanish mackerel.

On the bottom fishing scene, the closer reefs around Point Lookout should produce good catches of mixed reef species. Venus tuskfish, pearl perch, Moses perch and juvenile snapper are all on the menu for those fishing paternoster rigs.

Those floatlining the

shallower water fishing as light as possible will have a good chance at some good quality snapper and spangled emperor.

Out on the wider grounds, April sees the water temperature begin to cool a little and juvenile snapper start to show out around 90m.

For the floatlining fishers who persist, there are some good catches to be had. May and June will see the bigger schools arrive as the water cools further.

A horse trag that nailed a livie.

QLD FISHERIES REVIEW As I mentioned last month, there is a snapper and pearl perch review underway.

In the eyes of Qld Fisheries, both stocks are over fished and urgent steps need to be taken. I believe their data is questionable and there are many factors at play, including the obvious rise in water temperature that is pushing snapper south, as well as northern species pushing into our neck of the woods.

The biggest joke of it all is that no matter what steps we take the NSW fish trappers will win. NSW Fisheries are looking at their current size and bag limits but are continuing to permit trapping snapper, with traps sitting on the reef all year right up to the border.

Qld Fisheries are not going to listen to reason, so when the consultation appears shortly, make sure you have your say if you want continued access to these iconic species.

• Until next month, enjoy your fishing, take care on the coastal bars and if you’d like to join me on charter (max. 8 persons) give me a call on 07 3822 9527 or 0418 738 750 or visit my new website www. outlawcharters.com.au.

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APRIL 2019

37

Get into some great Easter family fishing fun NOOSA

Peter Wells

What a month April is going to be, with Easter, school holidays and public holidays there is no excuse not to get out for a fish.

The Sunshine Coast is one place that offers a great many angling options.

Whether it be beach, offshore, freshwater or the many waterways, the Sunshine Coast has it all covered.

Starting with the beach, the Noosa North Shore comes alive with plenty of families heading up for a camping holiday. The kids will love catching dart and whiting in the close gutters with pipis yabbies and beachworms perfect baits for these feisty little fish.

If you are not into collecting your own baits then prawns, curedworm and squid will get you catching. For the more serious anglers, night fishing is the go with some bigger tailor, trevally, bream and even the odd mulloway on offer. Down on the southern beaches Peregian is becoming a hotspot for quality whiting. The run-out

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APRIL 2019

tide seems to be the best with some real elbow slappers amongst catches.

For the rock hoppers, the Noosa National Park, Double Island, and the rocks at Yaroomba are all prime spots for snapper, sweetlip and long tail tuna. Mulloway are also a great catch and plenty of these have been taken from the rocks. Larger baits of fresh mullet, bonito fillet and tailor fillet all do the job when it comes to chasing mulloway.

In the fresh, Borumba Dam is a great place to take the family. Having a boat will get you the best results and will also get you to those bigger bass and saratoga.

If the water temperatures doesn’t drop too much the bass should be very active and can be taken on sub-surface lures including Westin Swim and Rapala Twitchin Mullet. First light has been the best time with fish feeding very hard on the bony bream. FroggerZ and Vortex spinnerbaits are also claiming some fat bass and toga during the daytime.

If the fish are schooled up and you are struggling to get a hit, then working a micro jig through the schools can quite often get

Armie Graveson with a cracking sweetlip taken at the Gneerings out of Mooloolaba. a reaction bite.

In the Noosa River things are also on fire with the mangrove jack season still on offer. Water temperatures remain quite high so these fish are still in good numbers. Lures such as the Jackall Hank Tunes and the Lucky Craft Pointers

trolled around the rock bars up at Johns Landing have been very successful.

Casting at the many fallen trees that line the banks has produced plenty of fish.

Mulloway numbers are also very healthy, with plenty of soapies up to larger fish taken around the

deeper holes along the Ski Run stretch and the mouth of Lake Cooroibah. Larger paddle vibes and swimbaits have been working well with the Live Target Mullet a real favourite with locals.

Around the Tewantin stretch of the river flathead numbers have been good

with plenty of larger females taken on soft plastics. The Keitech 4� Easy Shiner has been fantastic on the flathead. These lures are made of a vinyl material and swim beautifully. Make sure you are using the correct weighted jighead to get you to the bottom, with a slow roll seeming to be the most productive recovery.

Down around the Woods Bay area there are plenty of trevally to choose from with GT, big eye, diamond and goldens on offer. Fishing first thing in the morning on an incoming tide has been the most productive tidal phase. Surface lures like the Lucky Craft G Splash popper and the Bassday Sugapens Surface Walkers have claimed some good fish, as the fish feed on the surface chasing smaller baitfish. The Frying Pan has been good for whiting, with plenty of fish taken on live beachworms.

Down on the Maroochy there has also been plenty of action, with the river mouth holding decent sized bream around the coffee rocks. The standout baits have been half pilchards and cut mullet strips. Whiting have been in good numbers around

Chambers Island, with small poppers or surface walkers claiming some quality elbow-slappers.

Trevally and queenies are coming back onto the bite inside Twin Waters with the fish responding well to live baits and soft plastics.

Upriver the stretch from Coolum Creek to Dunethin Rock has been fishing well for school-sized mulloway.

Look for those deeper sections of the river. Try slow hopped Transam vibes as the mulloway seem to love them.

On the offshore scene there has been plenty on offer with both pelagic and reef species on the

live baits with tuskfish and sweetlip being taken on pilchards and squid. Longtail tuna are still about in good numbers with both metal slugs and smaller sickbaits claiming some solid fish.

There are still plenty of mackerel hanging around and they are taking large trolled baits, like whole bonito and slimy mackerel.

Nomad DTX minnows have been the standout lure for catching these fish as they are a deep diving job and can be trolled at up to 12 knots.

North Reef has produced good catches of Maori cod, tuskfish, sweetlip, cobia and a few good-sized pearl perch. Further out the

Gneerings has also seen some good trout, juvenile snapper and sweetlip. Quality snapper, sweetlip and Moses perch have been on Murphys Reef and Caloundra 12 Mile, with the bigger fish mainly been taken at night. The best baits for these reefies has been pilchards, slimies, local squid. And don’t forget to berley. There are a great range of ready-made berley products available in store, either frozen or dried pellet form or simply cut pilchards.

• Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa. com.au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams at

Andrew and Luke Munro with a couple of quality mackerel taken off Coolum from their kayak.

Jack Conray picked up this quality 55cm tea-leaf trevally on a micro jig while fishing Twin Waters Canals. chew. Sunshine Reef has been fishing well for grass sweetlip, Venus tuskfish, juvenile snapper and coral trout. Some thumping great trout have been caught on

Barwon Banks has seen good snapper, pearl perch and Moses perch, with the pearl perch coming from the deeper water.

To the south, the

Davo’s Tackle World Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

APRIL 2019

39

I’m fishin’ some good vibrations FEATURE

Joel Edwards

With so many lures available these days, it can be sometimes be some of the oldest creations, like lipless lures, that still catch the most fish. While not always the most effective choice, they are incredibly versatile and easy to use, and many fishless days have been turned around by using these strange lures.

Spot. I hunted one down with Australian bass in mind. I’d begun to notice a few guys I looked up to experiencing success on a whole manner of species using these noisy baits, I had to have one and try it out. I had no idea this would start a life long obsession with all things lipless.

The appeal for me was that I could work this type of bait at any depth and almost any speed.

The great thing about

Australian natives. Baits such as the Jackall TN series have been a go to for weed bed dwelling Aussie bass since their late ‘90s inception.

The Maxy Vib has claimed more yellowbelly than most other baits.

Having said that, these baits are equally deadly in the rivers and salt on a number of species. Our native fish are very responsive to the whiz and bang of a rattling lipless crank.

Lipless lures come in all shapes, colours and sizes, and can be used for just about any predatory fish species.

GOOD LIPLESS VIBRATIONS Versatility is the first word that comes to mind when describing a lipless bait. Hard, soft, rattling, silent, sinking or floating – there is a lipless for your fishing needs. From cranking for Aussie bass to hopping a soft vibe for dusky flathead to deadsticking for yellowbelly, there is a plethora of baits, species and retrieves to explore that come under the ever popular ‘lipless’ banner.

I purchased my first lipless lure when I was a teenager; it was a gold Cotton Cordell Rattlin’

these baits is they work for just about any angler, from tossing it out and cranking it in, to honing your techniques and increasing your productivity, the lipless journey can be as in depth as you make it.

With the vast amount of lipless baits on the market and the techniques that accompany them, it would be impossible to cover them all in this article. So let’s focus on a few.

The rattler The first thing that comes to mind when I think of rattling lipless cranks would be stocked impoundment fishing for

Bream are an excellent target when fishing blade style lipless lures.

40

APRIL 2019

versatile baits available to the modern angler. They have a silent, soft and more natural approach as opposed to the whiz-bang of the rattler. Soft vibes has become one of the most popular baits in Australian waters and the world.

Soft vibes have a completely different sonic signature to other vibes due to their soft plastic construction. This construction produces a totally unique presentation.

A lifelike, soft feel helps aid in the deception of your chosen quarry. Like all other lipless cranks, these baits can

The next big mulloway that snaffles a vibe won’t be the last.

Vibes, particularly blades, are just as deadly in the fresh as they are in the salt.

Rattlers are designed to induce a strike from a predatory fish, often the sound is tuned to mimic the sound of a fleeing baitfish or in some cases designed to sound like a predatory fish attacking a bait school. This sound attracts the predator to an area where the lipless bait can be easily inhaled.

There are some beautiful lipless cranks on the market. Each bait is designed meticulously to set them apart from the already flooded lipless market.

So if you’re searching your box to find a bait that will induce a reaction, a rattler will 100% create a stir.

The soft vibe In my opinion the soft vibe is one of the most

Soft vibes are perfect for offshore predators like snapper.

be fished at any depth with a variety of speeds. Most soft vibes are produced with a through wire construction that creates strength and security in the event of an XOS model eating your bait and you having to tighten down on it.

The soft vibe, in particular the Fish Trap by Zerek, has been a deadly bait for me in deeper water.

It impersonates a herring, small tailor or mullet, and these little beauties are irresistible to a host of estuarine dwellers –

particularly mulloway.

The blade Now for the slimmer side of the family – the blade offers a slight twist on the lipless term. They are often constructed from lead, metal and even polycarbonate.

These violent, vibing vectors are about as versatile as baits come.

A good point of difference the blade has over many other lipless baits is that they often have multiple tow points. This creates an opportunity to

Fishing close to the bottom is the way to go with soft vibes.

vary the speed in which you fish the bait as well as changing the vibration level to suit your chosen application.

Blades are a favourite amongst bream and bass anglers, and it has a place in many tournament anglers’ tackle bags.

The blade is designed to be fished slowly and close to the bottom, inducing strikes from even the most timid of adversaries.

I’ve even seen blades manipulated to mimic a piece of shell that has been dislodged from structure and simply come to rest on

Sometimes the smallest lures can fool some thumping fish, and blades fished for big yellowbelly like that are a great example.

Blades rigged with assist hooks are deadly on fish that bite lures timidly.

the bottom. If the angler ‘deadsticked’ the bait for a length of time the bream would mistake the bait for a shell and pick it up off the bottom.

The blade is a lipless presentation you should never leave home without.

TOP 3 TIPS TO LIPLESS SUCCESS Line control The biggest mistake anglers make when fishing lipless lures is not staying in contact with the bait.

A good lipless crankbait angler will be in contact with their bait at all times.

When hopping a soft vibe along the bottom it is vital to keep the line tort to control the sink rate of the bait. This not only ensures the lure is swimming nicely on the drop, it also keeps the angler ready for the often subtle bites that accompany this style of fishing. The same goes for medium rolling a rattling lipless – pauses need to monitored and controlled, as a lot of the bites will come at this stage of the retrieve.

Keep in contact!

Lengthen your leader Lipless cranks are more often than not rigged with treble hooks. While increasing the odds of a hook-up, small treble hooks can pull quite easily.

With braided mainlines

being most anglers’ line of choice, including mine, I’ve found that adding an extra metre of length to my leader gives me that little bit more of a shock absorber or cushion to assist in keeping those hooks in. A lot of largemouth bass anglers in Japan and the U.S.A choose to use straight through monofilament or fluorocarbon line for this very reason. This results in more stretch and less pulled hooks.

Vary and monitor your retrieve I’ve found that in many cases it can only take a slight change in retrieve to

induce a strike when fishing a lipless. For example, smaller hops or larger hops, letting your bait sit longer between hops, burn and kill, or fast then slow – it’s all trial and error.

By all means mix up your retrieve, however, take a mental note of what retrieve you’re trying.

There’s nothing worse than eventually cracking a pattern and getting that bite and not remembering what induced the strike.

So, if you haven’t already, get some lipless baits in your box. They may just be the bait that fools your trophy!

Vibes often get eaten properly by hungry estuary dwellers like mulloway.

APRIL 2019

41

Wind, wind, please blow away HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

Fishos and boaties have had to endure some dreadful weather conditions this year, with consistent moderate to heavy south to southeasterly winds blowing throughout the Fraser Coast, limiting

throughout Platypus Bay working the bait balls. Most would already be aware of the arsenal required to tangle with these tuna species, which include your fairly standard 10kg high speed spin outfit and a selection of small metal slugs such as the Arma baitfish series, jerk shad style plastics, preferably ZMan 5” StreakZ

Mother and daughter duo holding a solid threadfin salmon that they tempted with a live bait from one of the major river systems. fishing options. Not to mention the unpredictable weather patterns as a result of cyclone Oma that threatened the coast before dissipating into a low-pressure system. This unprecedented weather, along with the lack of rain, has made predictions quite tough.

Gaps in the weather have been few and far between, although for those anglers who have braved the conditions or bagged one of the half decent days the pelagic activity has been fantastic. Sportfishers keen to head up the island will find plenty of tuna, longtail and mac, scattered

in bubblegum pink and sinking stickbaits.

If heading up along the beach for protection from the wind, keep an eye out for packs of queenies feeding along the southern beach section especially adjacent to any creek mouths holding aggregations of hardiheads.

The northern beach from Wathumba to Roonies Point will also be well worth a glance if in the vicinity for longtail tuna moving across the flats. Fly fishers should try sight casting to an unsuspecting fish, or if using conventional tackle a slow sinking stickbait has been working.

Golden trevally can

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APRIL 2019

be found over many of the Platypus Bay reefs by sounding around and locating bait schools and active predators. Dropping micro jigs to these big trevally is rarely ignored, though you can also tempt them to take a range of presentations including soft plastics, soft vibes, blades, slugs and spoons.

Reef fishos seeking a little protection up the island have found scarlets, grunter, sweetlip, cod, trout and juvenile snapper on the chew, with the better quality fish falling to live baits. There will also be a few anglers with local experience that may start to find a few better quality snapper turning up.

Sharks are in abundance and in many cases they are relentless and once they hone in on an easy feed they won’t give up. So, be prepared to move some distance to escape them, as they will follow your boat if you’re only moving short distances.

The only reprieve from this rather relentless blow is that it has taken a lot of angling pressure off our reefs and given fish stocks time to replenish. Therefore, we should see some quality fishing coming from the Gutters and offshore reefs over the next few months with coral trout, reds, tuskfish, sweetlip, cod and Moses perch commonly caught.

Night fishing can be very productive this time of year and as we lead into the cooler months is a prime time to start targeting prized species such as snapper and mangrove jack, which love to feed up into a berley trail and intercept a wafting bait. Hopefully the shark population starts to thin out and allows for some good fishing.

Spanish and school mackerel will either be a bonus or a nuisance, depending on your view on the toothy brigade. They can be quite thick and hard to avoid out there this time of year, so take plenty of spare lures if tea-bagging for reef fish is your preferred option.

There have been next to no reports from Break Sea and beyond, however, those who can venture out may find that the current is up. For deep dropping this can make things difficult, although if you can escape the run, catches of bar cod, flame tail, pearl perch and snapper can be expected.

Once again, there have not been any reports of billfish being caught from the shelf, although going off last season there should potentially still be good numbers of blues, blacks and stripes in the 200-600m mark. The shallower country in and around the shoals

will produce a mixed bag of reef species. Pelagics will be a draw card for topwater enthusiasts wishing to lock up on one of the XOS GT or Spanish mackerel haunting the bommies.

Our inshore reefs continue to give up a few coral trout, an abundance of cod and some decent scarlets and sweetlip for those lucky enough to get out during those all-too-brief breaks in the weather. Banana prawns and squid are prime baits for most species, but you will do better on the trout with a live pike during the turn of tide.

Sharks are still a problem inshore, with the only ‘sharkfree’ option being the shallow reefs and ledges. Many of us have gone to great lengths to protect our reefs and keep them healthy by releasing larger cod over the years, and it is even more appropriate for us to do so now. We can only hope that they are getting back to the reefs past the sharks after release.

The bay islands have been prolific with good numbers of queenfish this season. They have been taken on varying techniques using small plastics and stickbaits, targeting the current lines coming off the rock ledges on the island’s perimeter.

Tuna fever! Delvan was stoked to sight cast to this beast milling across the flat on fly. the shipwrecks on the Roy Rufus Artificial Reef and will often come up to inspect a topwater lure.

Mac and longtail tuna schools should make their way into our local shipping channels and may be found working schools of tiny herring from Pelican Banks down to Kingfisher. They can often be very finicky, only taking smaller presentations.

School and broad-barred mackerel will be active over the inshore reefs and beacons, and can be targeted in many ways. Those not knowing where to find them would be well-served putting a couple of 120 Laser Pros out the back and going for a leisurely troll around our shipping channels

Local gun angler Nathan with a solid longtail tuna he sight cast to using a Nashy’s Custom 120mm sinking stickbait.

The queenies can be found in as little as a metre of water at times when they are herding baitfish, but are more commonly found in the surrounding deeper water.

Diamond trevally can be quite common this time of year and are a welcome catch.

Their mirror like appearance makes a very cool happy snap, however, be aware that they handle very poorly, so have the camera ready early for a quick photo and release. GTs can be found working the current lines off these same bay islands on the bigger tides, as well as from

and beacons, or along the Gatakers Bay area. Chances are you might find more than just mackerel, with queenfish and trevally also possible from some areas.

The rivers have been inundated with extra boat traffic due to the lack of offshore opportunities, resulting in the local crab population experiencing some extra pressure. There have been mixed reports from all of our major systems, with very few consistent reports coming in. The most success has come from those willing to put in the extra effort to

get their pots right up the back reaches of the smaller creeks and tributaries, hopefully after a good rain it will push them back out into the main systems.

We should start to see better quality prawns schooling from Beaver Rock to the Heads, as well as the lower reaches of the Susan, Bensons Creek and within many of the creeks throughout the straits. You can either locate prawns with your sounder in the deeper parts of the slower-moving channels or look for them along muddy banks and around drains and creek mouths as the tide ebbs.

Some will spend hours to secure a bucketful, while others will do so with a few casts of the net. The difference is not necessarily in your casting ability but in your willingness to leave small patches to go looking for a better haul. If we get an early season westerly blow it may trigger a run of prawn along the beach at Woodgate.

River Heads has been producing threadfin salmon, they can be found actively feeding around drains and the small feeder creeks during the run-out tide, and often over shallow rock bars during the flood. This goes for the Mary and Susan rivers and for parts of the straits.

The neap tides will offer a better chance at chasing threadies in the rivers, and you can expect to find them several miles upstream from the Heads.

Barra will also be a prime target from the rivers during the smaller tides. Over the big tides the fishing should improve with threadfin salmon and grunter being the main species encountered by many, with the creeks south of the Heads all worth a look, especially if there are good numbers of prawn in the area. Whiting, bream and flathead can be found up on the flats along the mangrove line during the flood tide and good catches have come from in and around Shoulder Point.

Quality bream are starting to move down river and can be caught around many of the major rock bars To page 45

2019 Open for registrations

The 2019 Fitzroy River Barra Bash, Australia’s richest barramundi fishing tournament, is now open for registrations

Advertorial Anglers will be vying for a share of over $20,000 guaranteed cash and prizes on offer at the Rockhampton event, which runs from the 23-26 May 2019 and limited spaces are available.

Frenchville Sports Club in Rocky are proud to conduct this prestigious event and Club General Manager Damien Massingham said that the 2019 event will be bigger and better, with the introduction of a number of new initiatives.

“In addition to the actual two-day barramundi tournament, the event this year has three new exciting additions – a Family Fishing Competition, Family Fun Day at the Club and Iron Jack Ambassador, Nick Cummins aka the ‘Honey Badger’ will be the events special guest,” he said.

“Nick will be joining us throughout the weekend, no doubt with a few of his colloquialisms and will also host an exclusive lunch on Sunday 26 May 2019 with tickets on sale now.”

“Also this year we are very privileged and thankful to have the support of both the Queensland Government and the Rockhampton Regional Council for the 2019 event.”

Barry O’Rouke representing the Minister for Tourism Industry Development the Hon. Kate Jones MP said the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland is delighted to support the 2019 Fitzroy River Barra Bash.

“Three years ago, the State Government ended net fishing in the Fitzroy River with the aim of increasing recreational fishing opportunities and thereby supporting tourism and economic growth,” she said.

“This event aligns with our strategy to build visitation and economic growth via tourism for Central Queensland.”

Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Margaret Strelow also expressed her support for the event.

“Council is thrilled to support the 2019 Fitzroy River Barra Bash and its aim of increasing tourism to the Rockhampton Region,” she said.

“Our Advance Rockhampton team has worked hard to build awareness of our Recreational Fishing Voluntary Code of Practice so we are

delighted to see events like this further promote how great it is to fish in the Fitzroy.”

The Family Fun Day will include a free Family Fishing Competition on the Fitzroy River on Sunday 26 May 2019, with prizes including Biggest Barramundi and Mystery Length Barramundi.

Following the Family Fishing Competition there will be a festival on Ryan Park at Frenchville Sports Club with free entry from 2pm to 8pm. The Festival will include food, drinks, inflatables, casting competitions, virtual fishing, live entertainment, with presentations of the winners of the Family Fishing Competition from 6pm.

To top it off you don’t even have to fish to be a winner! Everyone attending the Family Fun Day has the chance to win a new boat, a Polycraft 410 Challenger valued at over $24,000, by purchasing a raffle ticket, which are now available from the Frenchville Sports Cub Reception.

For all the details and to book you and your families spot go to www.fitzroyriverbarrabash. com.au. – Fitzroy River Barra Bash.

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APRIL 2019

43

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Fire up as April cools RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

We’re having a rough trot with the weather lately, but the fishing is very good. There is something for everyone when out offshore, on the beach or at the straits.

OFFSHORE Unfortunately, the weather conditions haven’t been great but it is to be expected for this time of year. However, when we get out, the fishing is very good. There has been plenty of pelagic action with big

Allan with some great Rainbow Beach pearl perch. You’ll have a good chance for some fish like this if you head out and target the reefs.

have all been on the chew and all fresh bait and soft plastics are doing the trick.

BEACH This month our beach has been a bit of a mess after Cyclone Oma passing. There are a lot of exposed rocks

in places, making access difficult. The upside is that big flathead love hanging around the rocks. I’ve also heard reports of snapper and sweetlip being landed on the beach, which is not uncommon when the rocks are out like this.

GREAT SANDY STRAITS Mangrove jack are still running strong, and live herring has been the best bait at the moment. Bream, whiting and flathead are being caught around Carlo and Teebah creeks. April is very similar to March, with plenty of pelagic fish. There will also be an increase of reefies, like pearl perch.

• To enjoy a day on the water with Keely Rose Fishing Charters phone Ed Falconer 0407 146 151 or visit www. keelyrosefishingcharters .com.au.

accounting for school and broad-bar mackerel with a few large queenfish also taking baits.

Flathead will also be worth targeting with live baits in the shallows and on the drop-off. Often large fish can be spotted hugging a pylon and will annihilate a bait dropped in front of it. On the larger tides it will be worth soaking a bait along the beaches or around

one of the rocky groins, as there is a possibility of catching a feed of whiting and flathead.

The annual Burrum Heads Easter Classic is held this month, which will increase traffic on the river over the course of that particular weekend, so take extra precaution.

This is a great event for families, as it is a very kid friendly environment.

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There have been plenty of cobia on the bite lately.

Live bait has been a good way to get them fired up. schools of cobia turning up in lots of random spots, and having some live bait on hand gets them fired up. It is a very similar situation with the Spanish mackerel. On the reefs, pearl perch, snapper, Moses perch, and tuskfish From page 42

in the lower reaches. Rocks further upstream continue to hold bream around the 40cm mark for those working small artificials alongside and behind these rock features.

As our waters cool further, the rocks along South Head will be a haven for good numbers of bream as they gather for the winter spawn.

Expect to have a late season run of barra and jack from the middle to lower reaches of all systems before it starts to cool down. Some good quality whiting are possible from the lower reaches, but stealth is the key, particularly in the shallow creeping flood tide on the flats. Concentrating your efforts at night will often produce some of the monster elbow slappers this system is renowned for and may even produce a few quality grunter. Bream and flathead will also be a regular catch in similar areas, especially for those working smaller soft plastic imitations.

There have been varying reports from the Urangan Pier, however, enough to still keep people interested.

Live baiting has been the most productive method,

Chris Nash with a local GT that he tempted using a 180mm popper while targeting a pressure edge on one of the local inshore islands.

APRIL 2019

45

Looking for a weather window GLADSTONE

Liam Jones

The wind certainly didn’t ease up for the first half of March. Some anglers were lucky enough to find a good weather window and sneak out. Those that did manage to get out scored some absolute cracker red-throat and some big trout to go with them. The reefs have had pretty much three months of no fishing, so I’d

some big grunter in the Devils Elbow and top sections before the highway bridge. Small herring and poddy mullet have been doing the most damage, however, those that have been throwing small plastics at them have been having some absolute cracker sessions! The 3” Gulp Shrimp is pretty hard to go past when it comes to lure fishing for grunter.

Barra have been fishing really well in just about every system from Turkey Beach

Brodie Hunt and Milton Peters with a quality barra caught in the upper reaches of the Boyne River. expect them to go absolutely crazy once we get a decent run of good weather.

Luckily enough the creeks have been fishing really well, keeping people occupied while they’re unable to get out to the reef. The Calliope has been producing

to the top of the Narrows.

The top of the Boyne has been keeping the local kids busy with some massive fish being caught, including a 126cm brute that was caught last week.

Some big healthy chrome barra are being caught from

Toolooa Bends and the Calliope River. Vibes and prawn imitations seem to be doing the damage over the past few weeks. When it comes to vibes, I still believe it’s hard to go past the trusty Jackall Transom, however, the bigger Yakamito and Zerek vibes have been accounting for some quality fish recently.

When the fish are holding deep in a bit of current the 93mm Madness Shiriten vibe has been the go to. The beauty of these vibes is they are a silicon vibe rather then rubber and the through wire system is solid wire rather than wire cord. They can be bent to make them vibe much harder and they also withstand toothy critters a lot longer than your traditional vibe.

The Narrows has been producing plenty of jacks, golden snapper and king salmon throughout March.

The smaller tides have been accounting for the larger quantities of fish, mainly due to the cleaner water and longer fishable periods. Barker Creek and Ramsays Crossing have been the standouts.

Awoonga has just started fishing well again after a decent period where the fish went into hiding. The constant 25+ knots of wind shut the fish down for a few weeks, but it is good to see some decent numbers popping up again.

Plenty of small fish are being landed in the weed, however, the bigger fish are all coming from the deeper timber. Locally made Happy Rock Softies are accounting for plenty of fish along with

Castaic Jerky J Shads in the plastics, while the Zerek Fish Traps are working well when the fish are hugging the bottom. If last year is anything to go by we should have an absolute bumper April out there. The fish should be having a big feed right before that first colder snap comes in.

The crabs have been ordinary throughout March and I’d expect it to stay much the same until some decent rain comes in. The first bit of cold weather should see them move a little and you should be able to scratch up a feed.

As we move into April I’m hopeful the weather will come good and see some people get offshore.

April is generally a good month for reds as the water begins to cool a little. If we get the chance I know I’ll be sounding those deeper contours putting some

Karl Hunter with a solid golden snapper caught on a Yakamito soft vibe from the Narrows. effort in to find some of the XOS reds I’ve been so long without.

Here is hoping that next issue we have plenty of reef pics and some epic catches to report on.

• For more information on what’s biting, or to stock

up with all the tackle and bait you need, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler Gladstone at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. You can also check out the latest news, photos and specials at Facebook Compleat Angler Gladstone.

The author with a decent little saltwater barra caught on a 5” Lunker City plastic.

Hop into fishing fun BUNDABERG

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

Hot and dry has been the story in our region this year and as we move into April we will start losing the chance of getting any monsoon rains. On a brighter note, in April the trade winds that have pretty much kept most bigger boats locked up in the shed will finally calm down.

With the holiday break looming in, I am sure there will be many a frustrated fishers keen to wet a line.

BURNETT RIVER With a few storms dropping a bit of fresh in the Burnett, the prawns have been everywhere. It hasn’t taken long for the word to get out and hopefully over April there should still be enough around for a feed.

The mud crabs have also been on the move in 46

APRIL 2019

the river. I would sit close to your pots to keep an eye out for those share farming, as there have been reports of the odd confrontation going on. If you do see someone touching your pots, or even someone else’s, the best thing to do is report it to Fisheries on 1800 017 116.

Bream, grunter and flathead have all been a regular catch for the bait fishos, while mangrove jack and barramundi have been hitting lures as well.

The mouth of the river has seen a lot of pelagic activity, with tuna and mackerel chasing the big schools of bait congregating around the mouth.

BAFFLE CREEK The Baffle has been fishing well with salt pushing right up into the upper reaches of the system, which is spreading the bait and prawns around. This has meant you do have to work a little harder to find the fish, but they are biting when you

do find them.

The new moon is on 9 April, and the full on 19 April. So, if you want to give yourself a great chance at some mangrove jack and barramundi in the Baffle this month plan a couple of trips leading up to these dates.

April will be a busy month on the Baffle with holidays, but it is a big system so early morning will give you a better chance of getting into a few.

WOODGATE The beach at Woodgate has been producing a few whiting and flathead on fresh prawns or live yabbies. The creek is getting very low and hard to fish towards the last of the tide, but if you have a kayak it’s well worth a look.

The artificial reef has had big golden trevally hanging around in amongst the mackerel early in the mornings. Slow trolling live baits has been a hit with the odd big Spanish being caught there, too.

Golden trevally look good and fight hard but aren’t that good on the table – this one was released. They are in especially good numbers around the artificial reefs early in the morning.

The Burrum River will be the busiest system in the area over the break, but it still produces some quality fish. Again, the early bird

gets the worm and so does the bird that looks hard at the places that are getting less pressure.

Enjoy your break if

you’re lucky enough to get one. I will be at the 4x4 Outdoor Show, Fishing & Boating Expo checking out all the new cool stuff.

Offshore opportunities few and far between GLADSTONE SURROUNDS

Dylan Christie

The weather in Central Queensland has been far from kind, but it hasn’t stopped the keen fishos from getting stuck into the fish. The main focus has been on Awoonga Dam and the estuaries, with offshore opportunities few and far between.

Awoonga is fishing very well at the moment with plenty of reports

and fresh bait.

Toolooa Bends (south trees) is the go-to spot for grunter, with captures of fish up to 800mm not uncommon. As for barramundi, they have been more predominant in the Calliope, especially the upper reaches around the Historical Village.

Mangrove jack are one, if not the, most aggressive fish in the creek and river systems. They can be found throughout the Boyne, Calliope, Narrows and

The author with a sunrise jack. Turkey Beach has been one of the best places to target this species. coming through of barramundi in the 60-90cm bracket, and we’ve even got the odd fish cracking the magic metre. The growth rate of barramundi in the dam is unbelievable, with fish growing as much as 1mm per day, which shows the fish are aggressively feeding.

Early morning and late afternoon are continuing to produce the best numbers and with the build up to the full moon some anglers are even fishing throughout the night and having some great success. Majority of fish are still being captured in the main basin around standing timber as well as heavily weeded bays.

However, some local anglers have been fishing the back reaches of the dam from kayaks around Flutter Creek and finding some great fish.

Lures doing the damage at the moment are the Lucky Craft Pointer 100XD, Duo Realis 100 DR along with surface frogs and paddletail soft plastics such as the Keitech FAT Swing Impact.

For the estuaries, this time of year is the perfect time to hit them as there are plenty of good quality fish on offer. The latest reports show good captures of grunter, barramundi and mangrove jack, and they can be targeted on lures

Turkey Beach, with Turkey being one of the go-to locations for many keen jack anglers. There is also a vast range of by-catch available.

Bread and butter species are still on the move, with captures coming from Wild Cattle Creek and the mouth of the Boyne River.

Fresh baits like herring and mullet are working quite well for bream and flathead, whereas prawns and yabbies are smashing the whiting.

Crabs have started to slow down, but with

persistence you can still get a good feed working the larger tides around the moon and pushing your pots right into the back of drains and small creeks.

The wind can make the harbour an ugly place, especially on the larger tides. If fished during the right time the harbour is a ticking time bomb, producing some awesome barramundi, black jewfish and golden snapper fishing.

The harbour is best fished on the neap tides for black jewfish. Golden snapper can be caught around rocky outcrops, islands and artificial structures such as rock walls.

Keep in mind there is an exclusion zone around all the wharfs in the harbour. As for the harbour barra, most of these fish are being captured on the bigger tides up on the flats and around the bung walls on the neap tides.

While the offshore opportunities have been few and far between, when the conditions are fishable the reports are good. The warmer months are the best time to fish offshore as the fish seem to feed better, the unfortunate part is the weather windows are much harder to jag. Rock cod shoals are producing quality red-throat along with tuskies, stipeys, coral trout and the odd Spanish mackerel. The anglers who headed out to the wider reefs were rewarded with some great captures of mixed bags including coral trout, red emperor, red-throat, tuskfish as well as some other mixed reef species.

In April the barramundi should continue to chew at Awoonga and in the salt.

Providing we get some rain, the crabs and prawns should be on the move not to mention the predators hunting the baitfish and

Ryan Stimson with a beautiful saltwater barramundi taken on the Zerek Fish Trap. prawn. Spanish mackerel will also start showing up closer to the coast, especially around Rundle Island and Bustard Head.

Some winter species, such as blue salmon and bream, should start to pop their heads up a bit more frequently around the river mouths and harbour. We must be due for a patch of good weather.

• For all the latest info on what’s biting and where, drop into Pat’s Tackle World at 23 Lord Street, Gladstone or give them a call on (07) 4972 3692. You can also find news, catch photos and special deals on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ PatsTackleworldGladstone) or check them out on Instagram (@ patstackleworld).

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47

Feeling that flow of fresh fishing ROCKHAMPTON

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

With the flow of the fresh settling down, a lot of barra have been caught recently and a lot of the species that moved towards the mouth have made their way back up.

The estuaries have been a great place to escape the wind but there have been far more opportunities to head offshore than the past few months. With a few big storms rolling through, the freshwater creeks and lagoons have had a little top up but still need quite a bit more.

FITZROY AND THE NARROWS The Barrage Gates have been intermittently open, keeping the river a bit murkier and not letting it clean up again. However, as a result of this there have been a number of barra pushing through into the salt with quite a few captures of the freshwater models as they move into

The author with a healthy Spanish mackerel that was taken on a Rapala X-Rap Magnum in psycho pink. this side of the system.

Some good areas that shelter them from the flow are the rocks under the main highway bridge, the rocks on the south side between the two bridges at low tide, behind the bowls club in

Call Jamie today to book your next trip Ph: 0407 434 446

Moores Creek and, lastly, Gavial Creek.

Slow rolling and even slowly twisting the hardbodies in these areas have produced result on lures like Rapala Triple X-Raps and suspending Barra Classics. Trolling has been another good option for them of late, as there have been a lot of single fish moving out in the open but not holding on any structure. A lot of people have been catching them on the pink coloured 14A Bomber.

ESTUARIES AND OFFSHORE With a couple good breaks in the wind here and there many anglers have been able to head out and target pelagic and reef species. Mackerel have been sitting along the contours and have been caught trolling hardbodies and jigging up metals. Some

key lures would be the X-Rap Magnum 20 and the Halco Twisty 70gram.

The estuaries are all firing at the moment with a good number of prawns around, Corio Bay is fishing particularly well especially Black Bank and Deep Creek.

The Causeway Lake is also fishing well and is a great kid and family friendly spot for an afternoon fish.

Some great lures in the estuaries at the moment are the Savage 3D Shrimp XD, which is a great prawn imitation, and the Rapala X-Rap 8 and 10, which are great shallow diving minnow imitations.

FRESHWATER LAGOONS The freshwater has been a very viable option with all the rain, not only targeting the lagoons and creeks, but

Trent Deen caught this solid freshwater lagoon barra on a ZMan Trick SwimZ in mood ring. very low but with plenty of big fish in them, like the Woolwash Lagoon.

The current water level has left a lot of the

A 4” ZMan SwimmerZ in pearl white was the undoing of this quality toga. hitting any of the areas with visible flow. There have been a few areas that have still had very little rain over the past few years and are

old structure and dead tree lines high and dry and a lot of areas that many people haven’t fished before are now fishable. The areas

that have received the rain are also fishing quite well, especially targeting any visible flow areas just after some rain.

They key target species lately have been barramundi and saratoga, both of which will take slow rolled plastics and surface walking lures.

CRABBING Crabbing is pretty good at the moment with many people catching a heap of bucks in Corio and Coorooman.

There have been a few good reports from the mouth of the river and down the port area. Running the pots every hour or so and moving any non-producers has certainly yielded better results, but you definitely get less time flicking lures this way.

A good tip we have picked up through work is when you are filleting fish, freeze the skin, off-cuts and frame pieces into the crabbing mesh bags, that way you can just zip tie them in your pot on the day and save a lot of messing around.

Follow the wind for big bites LAKE MONDURAN

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APRIL 2019

Winter is on the way and Mondy barra will come out to play. The prominent wind through April comes from a southwest and south direction early in the mornings, then it tends to swing to the southeast and east during the day and late afternoon. These winds are fantastic for early morning and late afternoon bite sessions.

Many anglers are under the popular belief that barra will not bite during these cooler months leading into winter, I’m very confident in saying that this theory has been debunked and it has no place at Monduran.

For the last five to six years bite sessions through winter

have been just as good as the warmer months, if not better.

The best areas to fish in these wind conditions are points and bays from White Rock up to Two Mile Creek on the Kolan River system.

Just remember to fish on the side where the wind is blowing, but when the wind swings around as the day goes on you will need to move with it.

For bite times other than early morning and late afternoon, always keep in tune with a fisher’s almanac for guidance – these predicted ‘bite times’ can be highly accurate even though the lake is not influenced by tidal movement.

The lake has been dropping fast over the last few months due to a very dry summer. This has halved our weed bed areas and flushed most of the resident

barra out, forcing them to run up and down the weed edges to feed.

Suspended hardbody lures have still been an outstanding performer in this situation. Jackall Squirrels and Lucky Craft Pointers have been the go to lures and are best used casting to or along the weed edges and retrieved using subtle twitches with a pause in between. Alternatively, you can just slow roll them back to the boat.

Soft plastics like the ZMan 4 and 6” SwimmerZ and ZMan Hard Leg FrogZ coupled with Tackle Tactics jigheads have also been great for these areas. Another common practice these days is jigging Zerek Fish Trap soft vibes straight up and down when barra are moving underneath the boat. This method is highly successful

and addictive as the hit comes from close quarters.

• If you are looking for a great destination for the Easter holidays look no further. We have a heap of activities on offer for the kiddies over this period like movies under the stars, slip and slide, reptile show, sand art, craft and a huge Easter egg hunt. For the adults we do our famous Sponsor a Barra Raffle. The raffle raises money to restock this awesome fishery and there are over a thousand dollars worth of prizes up for grabs. We look forward to seeing you at Lake Monduran for some great fishing and Easter holiday fun. Please contact us for fishing and accommodation info on 07 4157 3881 or email us at info@lakem.com.au.

Catch yourself a feast this Easter YEPPOON

Scott Lynch ifishcq2@bigpond.com

The grunter I mentioned last month have started to show in numbers and size at many of the local estuaries. Last new moon was a return to previous years, when the big estuary grunter were the size of the offshore fish in the 2-4kg class.

Spots such as Causeway Lake and Coorooman and Waterpark creeks are the prime locations around here.

You need to find features such as holes and undulations where the grunter can hide under or out of the main tidal flow.

Cockle beds in Coorooman and Waterpark creeks are easily found if you keep an eye on your sounder when travelling.

As the temps start to drop some of the biggest bream around appear in many of the local systems. The big bream will school up by May ready for breeding. There are lots of areas where you can find the larger bream at this time of year. The oyster covered rock bars and mangrove stands bordering the deeper channels near the estuary mouths make good starting points.

Prawns, yabbies, pilchards and mullet strips top the bait list. Berley is one of the best tools for bream bait fishers and even the lure guys. It can get reluctant fish into feeding mode and bring on the bite in a slow session. These days for berley I soak a bucket full of dry dog food in water until it is all small and crumbly. Then it goes in the freezer in halfkilo bags. Whenever I defrost mullet or pilchards for bait I keep the juice to throw in the mix. All this and a squirt of tuna oil frozen in a flyscreen bag can release a slow stream for over an hour.

By the time bream get to a reasonable size they have

become pretty cagey and your gear needs to be as light as you are game to fish with. In a recent session we put the theory to the test and the light gear won with baits and lures.

Lighter line not only doesn’t deter the fish as much, it casts much further and allows you to get into spots from a distance.

Big bream are easily spooked and reluctant to return to the bite straight away. If you can keep the noise down and fish that bit further away, you will get more fish.

Recently I have started chasing jacks in tight country up deep into mangrove stands using skip casting techniques.

The by-catch were a lot of serious big bream. I have adapted the same method but with baits for bream. The results have been outstanding.

Again, the lighter you can fish and still get to the zone, the better.

Bream can be finicky at times and a lure that works today may be unattractive tomorrow. I have a few favourites that come out on every trip if things are slow.

Plastics are my go-to. The old Atomic Prongs that have been in the kit for years are getting a new run and prove that they will catch anything that eats prawns.

Unweighted and weedless is the go if conditions allow.

Once the tide moves a bit quick I add a tiny pea sinker into the loop knot. This lets the prong flutter as it drops without looking like a dart.

Ironically I seem to be getting a few jacks as by-catch when bream fishing. Small poppers and hardbodies are my choice over the flats, in the channel edges and more open country. I prefer them around 35-45mm, as these lures are still small enough to get whiting and big enough to grab the eye of decent flathead holding in the same reaches.

Barramundi and king threadies are cruising along as

usual with a number of quality fish landed in the past few days. The local systems all have reasonable populations that can be caught almost every day.

As far as barra go, the bigger fish have started moving towards the estuary mouths, bays and coastal headlands.

We fish a little differently for them and spend a lot more time working the flats and channels with the tides. The smaller fish have come into the mangrove-lined bays and work the shallows again using the tides to access the spots holding baitfish.

The exception to the rule is the Fitzroy River. There are so many variables that determine where the fish will be that it is a lot of trial and error when things are quiet. The jetty rats

big school mode and the schools are sitting in the deeper holes over low tide before spreading out over the incoming. These schools have seen an enormous amount of lures and can be very hard to get to bite. Persistence is the key and mix things up a bit by changing the lures, the method of retrieve and your angle of approach. Sometime it can be as simple as casting from a different direction to trigger a response.

Mangrove jack continue to amaze in a year that has over taken all previous. There are more juvenile jacks than I have ever seen outside the northern systems. As long as we act responsibly, the following years should be even better with larger fish.

Time to get back into

Jay Stockley with a quality Central Queensland golden snapper. had forays into local territory lately. If the weather holds we could get a reasonable season. The patches heading north from Cape Capricorn, down through Quartz and then

are worth a crack, from the islands to the shoals will fire at some stage. Manifold, Conical Rock, Outer Rock, Man and Wife, Liza Jane and Barren are favourites.

Doggies are usually in fair quantity over the cooler months and the weeks coming into winter are the prime period. The spots from the harbour and headlands are accessible for the shorebased crews and the smaller boat fishers. Other locations close by include Farnborough Ritamada, Ironpot, Forty Acre and Conical Rocks, and they all go very well when the fish are here. Nearly all of the islands out from Yeppoon, Emu Park and Zilzie hold mackerel when the weather drops out.

All of the general reefies are in form at present and that should continue through the coming weeks. Coral trout, red-throat, grassies and tuskies have topped the catches this month. Black jew and golden snapper are appearing in some captures at places like the Pinnacles and Manifold. Both of these fish species suffer badly from barotrauma and should not be released in water more than 10m. Once you have a couple it pays to move and target something else.

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Matthew Hildebrand landed this mangrove jack in one of the local creeks. There are plenty of juvenile jacks around, which means the jack fishing will hopefully improve every season. and the town reach baitfishers are getting great results at night using spangled perch or big live mullet obtained from other creeks. Virtually all of the platforms, jetties and banks have barra cruising by all the time.

Threadies are back into

macks. Nearly all the travelling mackerels will pass through this month if the conditions allow them to come into the bay. Spotted mackerel, although depleted by ring netters over recent years, have

the Emu Park grounds and finally into the middle bay have been the best spots.

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Make the best of both worlds STANAGE BAY

Pee Wee

Welcome everyone to what looks like the beginning of our nice cooler, calmer weather – finally! April looks like it’s shaping up to give us the best of both worlds from the creeks and the reef.

Barra have been going crazy in the nearby creeks of the bay. They have been taking to trolled lures, soft plastics and live mullet. We

are seeing some great photos, measurements and of course stories of the one that got away. This is very exciting for those barra anglers.

Alongside the barra there has been a few blue salmon and bream.

Black jew are still about, with anglers still having successful outings at the Jew Hole. No monster reports, but still a good feed.

Mud crabs are definitely living up to their size title, with one group managing to only catch crabs over 2kg,

which was great to see as it was their first ever trip to Stanage Bay. It’ll come as no surprise that they will be back.

Reef trips are becoming more frequent now that we’re finally seeing some decent

weather. Some great stripies, sweetlip and parrotfish are out and about at Percy Island.

Marble Island has plenty of sweetlip and coral trout on offer, and not to forget the beautiful feed of cod available at Hexam.

Fred with her steelback salmon – a fun capture for this area.

This month has been a barra frenzy, with the nearby creeks producing good numbers.

Damo with his muddies. It will be common for catches to be over 2kg this month.

Off the land Flat Rock is still being fished for whiting. Porters is home to some great salmon and it’s definitely worth pulling out the lures to chase barra.

Given that this is just the beginning of the cooler months, I can’t wait to see what other incredible species come about and hopefully they’ll be generous enough in size to keep the anglers coming back.

• School holidays are almost here again, so if you’ve not already made plans, Stanage Bay Marine &

Accommodation is a great option to consider. The camp ground is currently vacant and won’t cost you a dime. There are other accommodation options available also. If you need help with anything, we are more than happy to assist from the Bait Shop. Call Pee Wee on (07) 4937 3145 or email stanagebaymarine@ bigpond.com for any further queries on Stanage Bay. Until next time, enjoy the photos.

For more pics, find them on the Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation Facebook or anywhere on the web.

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The property is comfortably appointed as a holiday getaway, and is currently being leased part time as a holiday rental. The property will be sold with all existing furniture and fittings.

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Everything an option at Easter MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

Autumn has finally arrived with some relief from summer heat and humidity and April is starting to get into the change over of species towards the cooler months. But there is still plenty of action around with barra being the main target for most anglers.

Easter is traditionally nearing the end of the hot barra bite and it is usually either pouring rain or glorious calm seas.

Either way anglers are looking forward to the time out from other commitments and will be either heading offshore chasing reefies or hugging the creeks, estuaries and the dams. Options are almost endless and I am looking forward to working some fly magic during the month.

One issue and species that has been getting plenty of attention is peacock bass. MAFSA members and other thinking anglers are astounded at some of the social media comment in favour of these ‘feral cats of the waterways’. I reported last month that DAF were a bit slow off the mark, but to their credit they got into gear, mobilised and had the Gooseponds in North Mackay electro fished by Catchment Solutions and two more peacock bass were found and have been taken for DNA sampling. They also found heaps of tilapia and locals report catching them up to around 400mm now on worms, so at least some are getting removed from the system.

Disturbingly, I have just been told of a 100mm peacock bass that was caught in the Gooseponds and the kids who had it said they would take it into the Tackleworld Mackay, but I checked with the staff there and it has not been handed in. The concern is of course that the previous four larger fish known to have been in the Gooseponds may have

spawned in there. MAFSA is forcefully requesting follow up electro fishing be done as soon as possible.

Anyway, enough of feral fish. What can we look forward to in April, beside barra?

How about this for a list: king threadfin, blue salmon,

support for the NFZ. Getting back to our species list, their availability will depend on weather, specifically how much rain we get. If we keep getting showers and storms that dump up to 70-100mm of rain the creeks will be alive with fish as our systems clear

Josh Meale from Seaforth sounded up some barra in a hole off the bank in the background and a soft vibe caught this neat 70cm barra. grunter, estuary cod, jacks, flathead, whiting, bream, snubbies (oyster crackers or permit), golden trevally, golden snapper, prawns and mud crabs will all be around and that’s just the creeks and estuaries. Throw in barra on top of that lot and there is plenty on offer to cater for all tastes and expertise or lack thereof.

The NFZ is powering on with anglers catching heaps of quality fish. Last month I mentioned ‘Taking the Pledge’ for the NFZ to look after the stocks now and in future and after doing so I received a great surprise from Mackay Regional Council in the mail. A stubby cooler, decal for the boat, and a decal 1200mm measurer, and a pamphlet arrived and this is a terrific initiative and well done to the local Council. Go to www.hookedonmackay.com and sign up and show your

Isaac Kumar with a 72cm suburban barra he lured in the Gooseponds using a white Rapala X-Rap.

Barra are still on the chew in the Pioneer River and the rocks near the highway bridge are always spots worth targeting on a run-out tide. Live baits or weedless plastics are probably the best bet here as there are snags aplenty and although soft vibes work well, the lure losses and the money can soon mount up.

Further upstream, plenty of barra are being caught on lures near the top of the tidal influence. Remember there are regulations about how close it is permissible to fish near Dumbleton Weir and the pool directly below the weir is out of bounds. Patrol regularly checks the area so be warned, stay out of there or risk a hefty fine. There are plenty of other spots further down that fish well for barra near the top of the tide and there are usually a few jacks in the area as well.

Big plastics and hardbodies go well here.

Flathead in our area tend to be mainly near the mouth of the creeks and rivers and usually don’t tend to go too far upstream, probably due to the prevalence of muddy bottoms instead of sand.

Just a small sample of the sooties MAFSA members are feeding in the hatchery.

They will be released in early April. really quickly. This type of rain also stirs up the baitfish, prawns and muddies, all of which really gets the food chain moving.

Look for barra around the creek junctions, and at high tide up on the flats in skinny water, but roar up with an outboard and they will be long gone. Sneak in on an electric or drift onto these areas and you are in with a big chance of a lovely salty. As the tide starts to drop, look for the small gullies draining and if you see prawns nervously flicking then hammer that gully mouth. This is a prime spot for not only barra but threadies and flathead.

Baits lures or flies cast up the gully and worked out is the go here, and don’t ignore shallow water as barra will often sit with water barely covering their backs.

Not a bad spot for dropping a pot in for a muddie either.

The Pioneer runs clear and blue over numerous sand flats and these are top spots for flatties, but best spots are downstream from the hospital area.

These sand flats on the top of the tide will also produce small trevally, queenies and snubbies as well as the odd barra. And all this happens right in the heart of Mackay city.

For those chasing fresh baits, there are many yabby beds straight across from the boat ramp, and a cast net around the mouth of Sandfly Creek will often turn up prawns or mullet baits. On the run-up tide you will find whiting on the move up with the tide.

Threadies and blue salmon are where you find them and can be caught almost in freshwater right to the channels, out the mouth of the creeks.

Blues tend to school, while

All anglers love the NFZ around Seaforth.

Catching sweet-eating grunter like this is becoming more common. threadies are either loners or in small numbers and both can give themselves away at times. Threadies will often be right along the edges hoeing into prawns and the blues can at times resemble tuna, smashing into surface bait. Both are great fun to catch and top eating if bled straight away and iced down.

On the freshwater scene, the dams have settled down following their overtopping and barra are back on the chew. The big news on the freshwater scene is of course the World Sooty Championship event at Eungella Dam, which is to be held on the May Day weekend. Go to MAFSA’s Facebook page for directions on how to nominate online and remember your support for this event helps to provide MAFSA with funds to stock the Pioneer River areas not covered under the SIP scheme. The local

‘guns’ are out fine-tuning their lures and retrieve techniques for the event. It is a great weekend, so don’t miss out as nominations are capped at 100 anglers.

MAFSA has around 35,000 sooty fingerlings up to about 20mm long in the hatchery and these should be stocked out at the beginning of April. They are mainly destined to be a ‘top up’ for Eungella Dam, although there has been some natural recruitment with sooties spawning in Broken River.

Sooties are a great sportfish, taking spinnerbaits, poppers, hardbodies, vibes, soft plastics and flies and in the timber they are a real challenge. Sunwater prepare the grounds for the event and if you want to get an idea of the event, there is a video on MAFSA’s Facebook page.

So, that’s a bit of a round up on what’s on the bite during April in paradise.

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51

Mackay’s peacock bass saga continues MACKAY

Troy Kippen

About 12 months ago a young angler stood on the banks of Pioneer River near Mackay for a photograph holding up a large fish he caught below the Dumbleton Weir, where the freshwater meets the salt.

He had never seen anything like it in the river before, so after the photo was taken he released it.

That photograph recorded the first time a peacock bass, a Amazon River native, had been caught in Australian waters.

When that photo was shared and the fish identified

native fish, but the bad news was they didn’t find the fish that was photographed.

Finding so many native species and no peacock bass gave local anglers cautious optimism that it was an isolated case, but that initial optimism was short-lived when two more peacock bass were caught recently in the Gooseponds, a sub catchment that spills into the mouth of the Pioneer River.

Scientists electrofished the creek and removed a further two mature male bass from that waterway.

Now Mackay marine scientists, with the help of Mackay Recreational Fishers Alliance (MRFA), are scrambling to hunt down any remaining pest fish.

Matt Moore with one of the two peacock bass removed from the Gooseponds last month. on social media it caused a stir amongst local anglers who were already reeling from the discovery of another pest fish, tilapia, in the river system only a handful of years earlier.

Unknown to the angler at the time, the apex predator he released back into the water has the potential to wipe out native fish in the catchment.

Weeks after its discovery, scientists with the support of Fisheries Queensland, electrofished the water around the weir to work out how established this new pest was in the river system.

The good news was there was a healthy number of

Catchment Solutions’ fisheries ecologist Matt Moore said the race was on to eradicate the pest before finding a foothold in the catchment.

“Right now intensive sampling is needed, we have to go now. There was two in the Gooseponds in different locations. We have to get out there quickly and find out exactly where they are,” he said.

“Time is of the essence.

It’s almost impossible to eradicate pest fish, the only chance you have got to eradicate them is at the start.”

Mr Moore and the Catchment Solutions team

Fisherman Jason Crofts caught this jaguar cichlid in the Pioneer catchment. It’s another aquarium fish that found its way into the ecosystem recently.

52

APRIL 2019

tourists looking to bag the apex predator that had a reputation as an aggressive fighter on the hook.

But according to Mackay Recreational Fishing Alliance president John Bennett, any potential gain from the species’ introduction in Mackay’s waterway was not worth what would be lost.

“We don’t need the peacock bass. We have got the barramundi, we’ve got the threadfin salmon and the mangrove jack. We have got so many fish that

Mr Bennett said it has been a steep learning curve to understand how the introduction of peacock bass will affect the waterways around Mackay.

“Eighteen months ago I didn’t even know what a peacock bass was. But when the invasive species flag gets raised, that lifts our interest level considerably, considering the tilapia problem in the last four or five years,” he said.

“We are concerned about the aggressive nature of these peacock bass.

Two peacock bass were removed from the Goosepond after an electrofish of the waterway. knows all too well how important it is to act quickly to eradicate the peacock bass threat after its recent experience with another pest fish.

In 2014, the team initially discovered tilapia in the area and, despite working hard to eradicate them, the fish has spread. The presence of the tilapia was discovered in the Gooseponds when one of the Catchment Solutions staff was collecting fish and captured a small fish with an unusual pattern.

It was later confirmed that the fish was a tilapia.

The species had already infested some river systems in Queensland, but had not been found in the Pioneer River catchment before 2014.

The team immediately looked at ways of eradicating the pest, including a dramatic idea of poisoning the Gooseponds.

Ultimately it was decided to trial the release of hundred of juvenile barramundi to feed on the pests. But the attempt to eradicate the tilapia failed after a flood in 2015 spread the pest outside the potential containment area.

Last year tilapia was discovered in Bakers and McCreadys creeks.

McCreadys Creek is a small catchment to the north of Mackay, while Bakers Creek is to the south.

While the dreaded tilapia has spread widely, it’s the peacock bass that has the potential to cause more damage to the ecosystem.

Tilapia compete with native fish for food; while peacock bass is an aggressive predator that only eats other fish, making them a direct threat to the native species that move into freshwater for part of their breeding cycle. “[Peacock bass] are a voracious predator. They will eat anything in their mouths,” Mr Moore said.

“They have acid in their guts so they can break it (food) down quickly and keep eating.”

He said they also reach sexual maturity extremely fast, with the male maturing in one year and female in two years..

A scientific study of the impact of introduced peacock bass in Brazil’s Rosana Reservoir and upper Paraná River revealed that native populations in the two waterways collapsed.

The density of native species declined by 95% in only a few years of the introduction of peacock bass, and some small species

Catchment Solutions staff electrofished below Dumbleton Weir and found a healthy population of native fish.

Catchment Solutions staff electrofished and netted around Dumbleton Weir in the hunt for the released peacock bass. disappeared completely.

Ironically, bass were introduced in Florida in the 1970s to control other aquarium species let loose on the state’s marine ecosystem.

The peacock bass spread rapidly and now dominate the ecosystems where it’s found.

The fish became a sortafter trophy for Florida anglers and even attracted

tick the box of sought after trophies that are Australian natives,” he said.

“We don’t want to put that fishery at risk. This is going to have long-term devastating impact on the whole Queensland coast ecosystem with its fishery.

“Of the ten most invasive species these fish are up there.”

“The indigenous juvenile fish spend a lot of their time in the freshwater as part of their breeding cycle. If you have this aggressive fish sitting in the freshwater when a baby barramundi goes past it just becomes food.

“The native species go to the billabongs to breed for the relative security and safety. If you have an aggressive fish like this bass in the billabong, the recruitment numbers of native fish are going to be significantly lower.”

Just how many peacock bass are in the Pioneer River’s freshwater is unclear, but if unchecked it won’t take long for a few individuals to establish the species permanently in the waterway.

Scientists are doing sampling to determine the extent of the problem, while MRFA has put a bounty on their heads.

MRFA, with sponsorship from Tackle World Mackay, and Reef Marine, has offered

The first peacock bass was caught in freshwater pools below the Dumbleton Weir in the Pioneer River.

anglers $50 vouchers for every dead peacock bass more than 30cm brought to Tackle World.

“We talked to a couple of small businesses who will be impacted. Everyone waits for the government to try and fix something, but the cogs turn too slowly,” Mr Bennett said.

“If we get those adult fish then they won’t come back.”

Mr Bennett said the bounty would be offered for three months or until the money runs out, and there was a minimum size to avoid people from fishing peacock bass out of their

aquariums to take advantage of the bounty.

As far as MRFA was concerned, the bounty on offer was money well spent.

The appearance of peacock bass has the potential of unravelling the work to grow Mackay’s reputation as a fishing destination.

MRFA spent years campaigning for and then championing a net-fee zone, increasing participation in recreational fishing and developing a fishing strategy with the Mackay Regional Council to attract tourists.

“We are going to be put on the map for the wrong reasons. We won’t be put

This 92cm barramundi was discovered while elctrofishing the Gooseponds for peacock bass.

on the map for the good work we are doing, like the net free zone, encouraging recreational fishing or the net free zone data collection,” Mr Bennett said.

“We have the highest fishing participation rate in Queensland and the highest boat registration per capita.

Fishing is what we do, and to have this thing happen here is just devastating.”

Mackay’s fishing community has answered the call, with thousands of people responding to a social media post committing to fishing for the pest. Days after the bounty was announced dozen of anglers were at the Gooseponds trying to snag a peacock bass, and the tilapia.

When an angler takes a peacock bass to claim the bounty, the details of where and how the fish was caught is recorded and the specimen is taken away for DNA testing to determine its origin.

“This is citizen science at its best,” Mr Bennett said.

In the first weekend of the bounty there were no fish taken to the participating businesses.

Anglers and scientists are responding to the threat quickly, but they are in for a fight, not just to the threat now but also in the future.

The peacock bass is not only a trophy fish for

anglers, it’s also a prized fish on aquariums.

According to Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, peacock bass are prohibited from import into Australia.

But, despite the ban, there are already many bass in Australian aquariums that are breed and sold.

A mature peacock bass can fetch hundreds of dollars on online auction sites.

It’s their financial value and reputation with anglers that has Mackay fishing groups worried.

Mr Moore said as soon as you put a value on them, unscrupulous people will release them in dams to catch them when they are matured.

Tilapia were able to spread to nearby estuaries because of their tolerance of saltwater, but peacock bass is solely a freshwater fish and survives in warmer waters.

Unfortunately, North Queensland is the perfect environment for this tropical species.

It might be too late for the Pioneer River, but Mr Moore said the most likely way peacock bass would spread to other catchments was through human intervention.

Mr Bennett said it’s people’s ignorance of the potential damage that could lead to it infesting other waterways.

This threatened jungle perch was discovered in one of the freshwater pools below the Dumbleton Weir during the electrofish survey.

“There is a generation of young sports fishers, young kids, that idolise these peacock bass fish as a trophy fish. If you look at some of the comments on social media I don’t think people

are giving it the seriousness that it needs,” he said.

He said if these fish are moved to other waterways, then it would have a devastating impact on northern Australia fisheries.

Peacock bass take up to two years to reach sexual maturity.

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53

Terrific times in the tropics WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

It sure has been good to see a decent wet this year, although I, along with all other Whitsunday residents, feel despair and sorrow for our Townsville

freshly tied up bucks. The biggest conundrum locally at the moment is deciding whether to have a crab or a prawn ‘sanga’ with a coldy at the end of the day. Life sure is tough in the tropics!

One of the ongoing benefits from the rain is the amount of prawns that

and the first of the cooler water fish will be starting to make an appearance.

Up in the estuaries mangrove jack will be a viable target, it has already been a good season for these incredibly feisty little critters and they should bite aggressively for a few weeks

Nick Gilchrist posing with a cracker of a grass sweetlip that measured in at 54cm. It’s pretty cool when you can catch fish like this within a couple hundred metres from the mainland. neighbours just to the north of us. The poor people have copped an absolute flogging and I wish everyone up there all the best with the rebuilding process.

Back here in the Whitsundays, the recent deluge has helped to set the stage for a good year of fishing to come. Some of the effects of the rain on the fishing have been immediate, and we will benefit from it as we progress through the year. The first positive effects of the rain have been experienced up in the estuaries and anyone who has been out prawning or crabbing recently will attest to this. The recent run of prawns has been excellent and all indications are that they should be around for a while yet. The mud crabbing has been the same with plenty of people coming home with bins full of

are currently making their way out of the creeks into Edgecumbe Bay and the waters beyond. Over the upcoming months they are going to provide a stable food source for so many critters out there. When I look back through my photo stocks from the last few years it’s amazing how many fish that are caught through autumn and early winter on prawn imitation lures. Bring it on, I can’t wait.

April is an exciting month as there is such a variety of offerings for all anglers to chase. The worst of any cyclone risk is behind us and the wet is all but over with the exception of a bit of shower activity. Basically, April is when things start to stabilise as we make the transition into the dry season.

The water is still warm enough that the summer bite will be rolling along nicely

Reef Underwood with the spoils of his first ever sight fishing mission with a fly rod.

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APRIL 2019

to come. Small soft plastics and soft vibes are a great way to target these guys in

grounds and with them came the pelagic brigade in their droves. I am praying that the bait comes in again this year and if it does the fishing will be awesome. If the herring do come in, then scores of school mackerel will be with them looking to get their bellies filled. Moving inshore to feed on the little mackies will be some massive Spanish mackerel and giant trevally. Fighting 30kg giant trevally or Spanish mackerel in 2-3m of water has to be experienced to be appreciated.

The reef fishing action hasn’t been too bad of late and April normally sees this trend continuing with most bottom dwellers on the chew. For the majority of the summer we have had to endure an unusually long run of dirty silted up water that hasn’t made lure fishing for reef fish very easy and it has been basic cut baits that have been getting the job done. Typically, as the water cools each year we normally get a run of some cleaner water and I am hoping that pattern will happen for us again this year and allow a bit of reliable lure fishing for some tasty reef fish.

Around the outer edges of the islands, the deeper rubble and fern patches will start to fire up from now

Kasey Gardner with a horse of a golden trevally that did its best to try and pull her out of the boat. amongst the mangroves. Your casting needs to be accurate though, make sure that you get your lures right in tight amongst the mangroves.

With soft vibes, although they are deadly they can get expensive to use in tight structure, especially if your casting arm is a little rusty or you’re having an off day. Soft plastics are highly effective as well and a lot more economical, and if you rig weedless with a worm hook and a small ball sinker it’s even friendlier on the hip pocket. When using plastics on jacks, try to keep the size down. I generally like plastics in 70-80mm length and rig them as light as I can get away with.

Last year April saw massive amounts of herring move onto our inshore

Fingers-crossed that the bait schools move inshore and we can get into these guys nice and early again this year. and keep going normally until about the end of spring.

Already this season there have been some magnificent golden snapper and nannygai getting caught, which is nice to see.

As the water cools, grunter and black jewfish should start to feature in catches as well. All we need to happen to enjoy some good sessions on these fish is some nice settled weather.

If the southeast trade breezes are slow to start this year you won’t hear any complaints from me.

To conclude, April is a great month to enjoy a fish in paradise, as there is something on offer for anglers of all interest levels.

But you sure as hell won’t catch anything sitting at home on your backside.

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Barra should be biting as estuaries clear AYR

Steve Farmer

The Burdekin fishing is battling to recover from recent flooding that hit much of North Queensland.

The good news is that (provided we don’t get any further late-season weather events) it can only get better from here. The Burdekin delta estuaries should be clearing now and April onwards is usually a great time of year to be wetting a line in North Queensland.

At the moment there are already plenty of keen anglers back on the water and I’m tipping most are trying their luck on the barramundi fishery, which should be running hot after the major floods that surged through local rivers and creeks.

Water conditions remain muddy, meaning that live baits are probably still the best bet – and the larger the better.

Fringing island reefs are popular snorkelling spots, especially as the waters are often clear. frog imitations, etc.) but also try rattlers and any lure with a strong action that sends out sound waves that can be detected by feeding fish. Where you are fishing

This bay on Middle Island is protected from the southeasterlies, making for some pleasant fishing.

the form of short flicks, pauses and jerks, especially while the lure is in the strike zone. As well as producing plenty of attention-grabbing noise, this also gives the fish more time to hone in and crash tackle the lure.

Floating hardbodies with a strong, immediate action are ideal for this type of fishing.

Some sort of lure retriever can almost pay for itself in one outing when fishing dirty water. If you can’t see the snags just a few centimetres below the surface, you’ll get hooked up (and lose expensive lures) more often than if you were fishing in clear water.

A likely and welcomed by-catch for anglers targeting barramundi are mangrove jack and golden snapper,

well-placed lure or bait.

EASTER ESCAPES April is a popular month for anglers wanting to get

the Molongle Creek ramp traditionally one of the busiest over the Easter long weekend. On long weekends parking is at a premium and ramp traffic is hectic at the peak launching times, as dictated by this tidaldependent ramp. With a badly silted channel as a result of recent flooding, boaties will have to contend with an even shorter window to get in or out of the creek this year.

You’ll need 2.4m of tide to navigate the channel, but that may change. Check with the caravan park caretakers or a knowledgeable boat club member for the latest figures.

You can avoid the tide-dependent launching problems by heading further south to Bowen. This pretty, coastal town boasts excellent, protected, all-tide launching facilities in the small boat harbour with reasonable fishing grounds just minutes from the harbour mouth.

Most anglers are pleased

from shore. These easily accessible waters are ideal family fishing grounds.

Those with larger vessels can venture further afield to the fish-packed pylons of the Abbott Point Jetty. This underwater forest attracts and holds a variety of pelagic and bottom-dwelling species.

For many Burdekin anglers the clear water and handy reef and pelagic fishing around Bowen is a pleasant change from the Burdekin’s creeks, especially at this time of year.

Bowen’s mainland and islands feature picturesque beaches, which are ideal spots to stop for a picnic, or to let the kids run or swim for a while. Many also boast fringing reefs providing excellent snorkelling in the often-clear waters.

Gloucester and Middle islands lie further offshore and are certainly worth the run if conditions are favourable.

The Abbott Point Jetty attracts and holds a variety of bottom-dwelling and pelagic species. away for a long weekend, with Easter and ANZAC Day holidays falling in the second half of the month. Burdekin fishers are lucky to have two exciting boating and fishing destinations within just a couple of hours towing to the south.

For Cape Upstart the choice is obvious, making

with a selection of reef and pelagic fishing just a few kilometres from the harbour and centred around rocky headlands, islands and fringing reefs. The bonus is that in calm weather even small-boat fishers can troll up a mackerel or two or bag a tasty coral trout from shoals just a few kilometres

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This queenfish hit a trolled lure just a few hundred metres from one of Bowen’s popular mainland beaches.

Anglers who prefer to troll or cast lures need to choose lures that kick up as much noise as possible in the limited visibility. Surface lures are an obvious choice (think poppers, stickbaits,

will also influence your choice of lure.

Adjusting your retrieve speed will pay dividends when fishing dirty water.

Slow down as much as possible and add action in

although the latter are more likely to be heading for clear water by now. Plenty of jacks, on the other hand, are bound to be holed up in the estuaries, possibly hungry and receptive to a

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55

Washing away for a clean start TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

While many of us watch news reports of unfolding natural disasters, it can be hard to comprehend what’s actually happening at ground zero. It seems that the weather on a global scale has largely changed and is much less predictable than in previous seasons.

I’ve spoken to many

natural indicators, and I remember writing a couple of months ago about how the crocs had been way back in the scrub, higher than normal, building nests and coming out from way back from the river banks. This was not only unusual, but eluded that there was plenty of water on its way in the near future.

Not to mention the big schools of barra that were sitting out off the rivers, waiting for a more substantial

– but when there is an across the board change in behaviour you can believe a large weather event is on the horizon.

Barra have undoubtedly had a massive spawn response to the big rains, and prawns and crabs are already showing signs of thriving thanks to this mind-blowing influx of freshwater.

Traditional seasonal events for barra chasers have been a cracker, and the Aplins Weir phenomenon was in full

When the water has warmed up, traditional sized lures like this Halco Laser Pro 120mm are the go, but when that temp drops after windy stretches or a time of freshwater influx and the increase of small bait, downsizing works well to get the action. old timers about the events of the last few months and a couple have drawn attention to the fact that when there are flooding events in the northern hemisphere earlier in the season, it is a fair indicator as to what will happen for northern Australia as our wet season approaches. Several old time farmers had predicted and prepared for what eventuated in February 2019, and were very confident in their estimations.

I’m also a believer in

downpour than the ones earlier in the year. While the earlier rains were enough for a few girls to move up and spawn, the majority hung out wide, waiting for what they knew was on its way. It looks like they’ve done that and this will set us up for a few years now as far as barra stocks go.

There are the age old natural migrations when rain is forecast – like ants moving to higher ground, mangoes flowering earlier, and pigeons head south earlier than normal

swing a few days after the rains had dissipated. It actually lasted quite a while this year as the Ross Dam, which at one stage hit 250%, gradually released its load over a week or so. Barra fishing was red hot, and plenty of big fish came up to the artificial barrier to gorge on bait that had come over the wall from the fresh, and were unable to escape downstream due to the salt – apart from the damn tilapia.

They were sitting ducks for any barra that was up for a

feed, and that was basically all of them.

Many bigger models that had been stocked and grown in the freshwater reaches of the Ross, thanks to the Townsville Fish Stocking Society, went over the walls and made their way downstream, many of which apparently ended up in the commercial nets. It is a bit sad to realise that a big percentage of the barra that we had all released over the few hectic days of catch and release fishing were going to end up in a net. As long as the laws support it, there’s nothing we can do or say about the legal netting of barra, no matter how much we disagree with it.

It was actually quite astonishing to witness how well everyone worked together for the Aplins fishing event, and live bait fishers, along with lure fishers, all worked in together to make the best of the congregated fish without any conflicts or blues. Not that we witnessed anyway.

We watched a young fella named Trent Donoghue catch one after another from his prime spot at the base of the fast water, and it was admirable to see him keen to share his vantage point and success with my son. We were sitting back preparing for our turn to step into the conveyor belt of hook-ups that progressed continuously along this short stretch of bank, and the way it usually works is that when one person hooks up and plays out their catch, the next steps in and has their shot. It works well, and is a very fair way for all to have a shot at this short event.

Trent had just released his third in three casts, and turned to my son Tannhym, who he had never met before, and said, “Come over here mate,

In the systems that don’t have any water flow entering from the top end, the fish often move out towards the mouth, as this one did. and cast there.” An incredible gesture on its own, but he also handed my young fella his rod and this resulted in an instant hook-up for Tannhym.

Trent stood next to Tannhym ready to help land his catch and release it.

There was a definite pattern that had formed in the initial stages of the run-off, and that meant the difference between between the metre+ fish, and the sub 90cm models. It seems that the bigger baits such as Tarpon Milk had fish congregated on the southern side of Alpins in a defined backwater, and the smaller mud herring and bonys had found refuge in the faster flowing torrent on the northern side.

Lure and live bait fishers mingled, with the average fish going around the 70cm size range, with just the odd one breaking the metre mark. The exception to this was a small boat, which had launched downstream and worked its way up into the centre of the river where the

oxygenated water flowed over the broken rock structure and broke the water’s momentum considerably.

Big fish congregated here and the angler landed around eight fish that would have all been over the metre mark.

Uninterrupted water courses, void of artificial structures, such as weirs and walls, saw fish migrate far up into the reaches of the initial drains that only normally see water on the biggest of tides. As the water gradually receded, the fish moved back down the systems toward the mouth, many heading out into the bay to gorge on the bait that had also exited the upper reaches.

Prawns are also schooling, and cast netters that had found these congregations have caught many good hauls.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise that barra were also close by.

So the potential is there, and so are the barra, it’s just a matter of finding where they’re going to be now.

Everything is bigger this April PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

From all indications it seems the worst of the wet season has well and truly past and conditions in the tropics have settled down. We are experiencing moderate rains, but nothing to the extent of a month or so ago.

Day temperatures are a lot more comfortable and there are ample windows of opportunity to hit the blue water and our calm water fishing inshore has settled nicely.

Without question the best fishing is still occurring out wide on the outer Great Barrier Reef with all sorts of species to target. Calm days with a good run in the tide 56

APRIL 2019

are producing some amazing giant trevally catches when fishing the pressure points of reefs holding bait like banana fish or fusiliers. Fish up to 30kg are providing one hell of a ride for some lucky anglers when they cast in the vicinity of these shoals with big poppers and stickbaits.

Tides leading into the moons are fishing best, with the exception of the full moon itself where the fish can be a bit finicky.

On these similar tides there are some quality Spanish mackerel to troll up using hardbody diving lures and garfish wog head rigs. The fish have been on the larger size, with 15kg and better typical at this time of year as they are often big rogue mackerel cruising by themselves.

Fishing off the bottom still continues to impress

and has to be by far the best summer run we’ve seen in a long time. All the prized fish are snapping away, including red emperor, large and smallmouth nannygai, and coral trout. They have been on the larger size and have provided a lot of entertainment.

Some bonus species to add to the above include cobia, goldspot trevally, baldy bream, cattle dog cod and spangled emperor. Naturally, bread and butter species such as stripeys, sweetlip and Moses perch have been part of the daily catch. The key has been to avoid the sections of reef or open water with a raging current, which at times has been almost impossible to get a bait to the bottom. It is expected that the awesome fishing won’t change too much as water temperatures slowly decrease as the weeks go by.

Inshore the rivers and creeks have settled down beautifully with less rainfall, and it has been enough to keep stirring the pot and circulating bait around the systems. By far, mangrove jack have been the busiest locally and have been tempted by several means, including live and dead bait plus a range of lures and soft plastics. They have been prevalent around the bends where there has been a pressure point built up on a bank. There have been plenty of cod in the same areas and of decent size.

Our barra catches are still coming from around the river and creek mouths and live baiting with mullet has seen the better results, particularly on dusk or after dark. For this reason night fishing charters have been very popular. Other fish patrolling the mouths

Fishing across the reefs has been producing dozens of big trevally like this. have included some decent blue salmon and extra large grunter or javelin fish. Finding fresh live bait in the form of sardines, mullet, prawns or mud herring has been relatively easy of late and well worth the effort of pursuing before you start fishing.

April, weather providing, is always a marked calendar month being a crossover period of the year as the wet season slowly dries up and the cooler weather creeps in.

The fishing can fire on all cylinders, whether offshore or along the coast.

Try committing to jigging HINCHINBROOK

Ryan Moody info@ryanmoodyfishing.com

The Hinchinbrook barramundi season so far has been good, but only during periods of stability.

Combine stability with tides making up to each moon and you can be rewarded with very good sessions on large oceanic fish. Then on the other hand, if you get instability on the falling tides after the moons then you can experience some pretty boring wet and windy days.

That’s what it has been like, with a feast or famine routine so far. If we don’t get any more big rains then I guess we can’t complain too much, as the season was reasonable and further south of us are really copping it.

Provided there are no more floodwaters, then fishing will return to its normal habits.

There have been some reasonable gaps in the weather for offshore fishos and this has allowed us to get out and have some fun slow pitch jigging trout and other reef species. Jigging is becoming more popular by the day with offshore anglers.

The fish readily take them and there is no messy bait or preparation beforehand.

Simply tie a jig onto the leader and you are away.

Coral trout and scarlet sea perch are two species that find them irresistible. After a slow rise off the bottom, let the jig fall under its own weight but be prepared to feel the take through the slight slack braid as the jig is falling. This is when you get 95% of your bites. For most species up here, I like using an 80g jig, like the trout treat

from Twitch lures.

On another trip we went out to film sounder recordings off the shelf and found some great country in 180m that had some great schools of big rosy jobfish, yellowfin and some dogtooth tuna among the mix. However, the sharks intervened with the first five fish and some bite-offs from the doggies saw us pack up and head in a little closer. We then finally found some good deep shoals back in 60m and caught some good fish.

Reports from other

offshore fishers have been consistent, but most are finding that trout in the shallows this time of year are of a smaller size. The larger fish are mostly out wider during the warmer water period.

As we head further away from the monsoon season, now usually means the start of some good weather and April, May and June are traditionally good weather periods. We may start to see some early winter species such as Spaniards inshore.

There are some great trout being caught in deep water on jigs at the moment.

The making tides leading to a full moon combined with stable weather leads to amazing barra catches.

By the end of April there is the possibility of some of those different trevallies that call the headlands and island home for the winter. Goldens and diamond trevallies would be the most common and are great fun on light tackle. They are easily caught on slices and plastics in the deeper pockets around the islands, although you do have to find and identify the schools first.

•It doesn’t matter what species you are fishing for at Hinchinbrook, you do have

to find them first. The only way to find any school of fish and get to know their habits is by understanding your sounder inside out and we have just created an online course on the practicality of depth sounders that give my personal insights on how to get the most out of your equipment. It’s seven hours of concept and demo infield videos that has had rave reviews. Check out Sounder Skills 2 at www. fishsmarter.com.au.

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57

Wind and water temperature are the key CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

Wind and water temperature will be the key factors for fishing this month in the Cairns area. April usually marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the winter pattern for southeasterlies. This brings with it a drop in water temperature.

When this process begins and how rapidly the water temperature drops will significantly impact the fishing. If the warmer northerly winds hold on longer then the water

temperature will remain higher and summer species like barramundi, mangrove jack and golden snapper will remain active inshore.

Reef anglers on the other hand will be hanging out for the temperatures to start dropping, as the red species will start schooling up and mackerel will become more prevalent.

Coral trout will continue to be caught in reasonable numbers in 20-40m of water and if the last few years are an indicator, large bar-cheek trout up to 5-6kg will be among the catch. Largemouth nannygai and red emperor have been around in reasonable numbers and

A drop in water temperature should see large-mouth nannygai, like this beauty caught by Barry Wedrat on a recent visit to Cairns, schooling up in the deep water.

There should be a few cobia, like this one caught by Jack Fourie, around the inshore wrecks, rocks, reefs and islands. hopefully a dip in water temperature will start them schooling up in the 50m+ depths. Catches will mostly be a bit of a piscatorial rainbow, with a sprinkling of red, yellow, brown, black and silver in the form of nannygai, trout, stripies, cod of all colours, spangled emperor, trevally and mackerel.

Sharks continue to be an issue at all depths, leaving many anglers very frustrated. Other lucky boats have been able to avoid the razor gang, but they seem to be in the minority from reports I’m hearing.

Smaller Spanish

mackerel, in the 6-8kg range, usually show up first and are often down deep. It is not uncommon for bottom bashers to pick them up on their reef rigs, so have at least one mackerel bait well down in the water column. It’s a bit of a Catch-22 when fishing deep for mackerel.

If you let the bait get too close to the bottom you will get bricked by bottom dwellers, but if you are not deep enough you miss out on the mackerel. Weighting your bait so it sinks very slowly through the water column but pulls up short of the bottom takes a bit of fiddling around but is

well worth the effort. In deeper water you can do this by simply keeping the line length short enough so it can’t reach the bottom, but in shallow water this can result in the bait being too close to the boat. Try gradually increasing or decreasing your sinker weights until it stops sinking about two thirds of the way to the bottom.

Inshore, cobia, large-mouth nannygai, golden snapper, trevally and mackerel will be congregating around wrecks, pinnacles, isolated rocks, reefs and islands. It will really be a matter of try it and see to find out what’s about this month.

Go out with a number of different tactics and bait/ lure presentations in mind and keep switching and changing every 20-30 minutes until you come up with some action.

The headlands will still be holding a few quality barra and golden snapper for anglers prepared to put in the time. Live baiting from a boat or luring off the rocks are my pick of techniques for chasing these species. Luring from a boat is more effective for golden snapper rather than luring from shore, as most fish over 60cm will bury you in the rocks. You need the advantage of being able to pull/steer them away from cover when chasing bigger golden snapper.

In the estuaries the big

wet should be having a positive impact on fishing, provided the water has cleared. Baitfish should be prevalent and there should be plenty of prawns around as well. Where there is bait there will be predators in the form of barra, mangrove jack, golden snapper, grunter, threadfin and blue salmon, queenfish and trevally.

Barra are a bit more temperature sensitive than most species and will often shut down when a cool change comes through.

They do, however, still have to eat, so after a few days they will be back on the bite. Just because it’s cooler doesn’t mean stop fishing for them. Salmon will be more prevalent if the northeasterlies hang on into April.

Queenfish generally like the clearer, high salt content water, so the rain will need to be gone for them to show up around the mouths of the Daintree, Russell and Mulgrave rivers. Hopefully the Net Free Zone will allow them to start appearing in the mouth of the Barron River delta this year.

Prawns may still be around, especially on the hospital flats, in Cairns Inlet and around Machans and Holloways beaches. All the estuaries and creeks will be worth dropping a few pots in. Good numbers of quality muddies are becoming harder to find close to Cairns, however.

Fall into some great fishing CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

With April comes the warning bell for those anglers chasing a big barramundi on the Trinity NFZ. As we move deeper into autumn water temps will begin to fall, making it a little harder to get old bucket mouth to bite.

Thankfully catches have been fairly consistent along the NFZ with plenty of trophy fish being caught both up the creeks and along the headlands and beaches. With the big rains we had earlier in the season there was plenty of water pushing out of the creeks, making for some excellent headland fishing. These areas were producing some trophy-sized barramundi for those casting and trolling lures as well as fishing with live baits.

Plenty of anglers have been targeting the points on the headlands, especially 58

APRIL 2019

around the tide changes as this is when the barramundi have mostly been on the move and feeding. Colour changes have also been areas worth fishing, especially for those trolling big lures with plenty of noise. As the water has begun to clear up these fish have become a little easier to target on casting lures and vibes in

these spots, so it is definitely worth the effort especially on those calm days.

The beaches, like Machans and Holloways, continue to give up plenty of salmon for those flicking off the beach at dawn and dusk.

An incoming tide is always the best time to be fishing these areas.

With the creeks clearing

up jacks have been biting better now they can actually see lures. Small paddletails and prawn soft plastics have been the go-to patterns when snag bashing for these fish. They will still be very aggressive in April, so make sure your drags are tight!

The Cairns Recreational Fishing Group has been busy working with the council

The author with a beautiful NFZ barramundi that was released.

Mangrove jack have been firing since the creeks cleared up after the rain.

around boat ramp upgrades and design. A few weeks ago we met to discuss design improvements to the work being done at Bluewater boat ramp, which has seen the lanes widened and a better walkway pontoon. The ramp at Yorkeys Knob has also been extended an additional 5m and dredged out deeper with further dredging to

commence. Audits have also been done across the NFZ to identify areas where signage to help fishers is needed and these signs (some 30 of them) will be going in soon. The Cairns recreational voluntary code of conduct will be going to council and out for public consultation very shortly, so stay tuned.

Waiting for the weather to wind down LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

There are plenty of great options at this time of year here at Lucinda. Normally the wet season is over and done with, the weather patterns relax and fingers crossed the wind drops out.

It has been a horrid few months, which is typical of summer here in NQ.

and rivers that you knew very well and finding brand new snags, holes and other fishy things. Floodwater can alter the entire landscape of creeks and we have had plenty of it up here over the last few months.

HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL Currently the weather continues to be terrible.

But this will result in some explosive fishing. The major target species will be

Even when the fishing is slow, the Palm Islands’ views are perfect.

The best part of floodwater is that barra are everywhere.

April is one of my favourite months to fish.

Pretty much all fish species are active and the water is full of life after having plenty of freshwater pumped out of our major rivers for the last few months. It has been a great wet season and this will mean some great years of fishing in the future. It is very cool checking out creeks

barramundi and these fish should be about in great numbers. Best of all, they will be active and aggressive.

Most people this time of year will be targeting drains and small creek mouths for the schooling fish and also headlands for the larger fish.

As always, pick your spot and be ready to punch out long casts that will have the

This mahimahi was too quick to get sharked.

lure or plastic swimming over the drains or flat you have chosen. In this style of fishing being able to make long casts will help you get more bites, this is simply because you will spook less fish. By keeping the boat as far away as possible your presentation will get more attention.

Matching your soft plastic with the correct weighted jighead will make a massive difference. You want your plastic to look natural; in shallow water the last thing you want is your plastic smashing into the water and scaring fish around it. This is why I choose to use lighter spin combos when I fish the flats, they allow me to use lighter braid and leader and I can get great distance with my casts. There are rarely many obstructions over the flats, which allows lighter drag settings, personally I find this great fun as fish rip drag and the battle is prolonged.

The fishing should also be great for golden snapper, bream and grunter as the freshwater that has been pumping out for the last few months should bring plenty of baitfish and life into the channel. Spending some quality time in front of the sounder will pay off if you find some good rubble or a secluded rock. Next step is to gather some good baits and get a good anchor in while you wait for rods to bend. Those that go the extra mile and gather fresh and live bait will always do better in the long run.

JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF I have very little to report about when it comes to the blue water fishing, as the wind has kept pretty much everyone inshore and the windows to get out have been very few and far between. All I know is that when the wind allows the fishing will be going off, the reef will be loaded with coral trout and they should be active.

Around this time of year I like to find good structure in about 25-35m of water, anchor and drop baits down.

Fresh fish flesh is great but my favourite bait by far is mac tuna, it’s oily and tough and a single mac tuna can often provide bait for quite awhile. I never drive past a tuna school and always have a rod rigged and ready to cast into a school

A good spin rod that is rated around the 6-8kg mark and a reel in the 5000 size with 20lb braid is perfect. It means

This Hinchy chrome was worth the wait! After weather events these fish are always aggressive. if they are busting up bait.

Tuna are not only great bait, they are so much fun to catch as they take blistering runs and fight until the end.

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(07)

Mangrove jack are always around, rain, hail or shine.

you can make long casts with a small soft plastic or slug easily and get fish to the boat without too much of an extended fight.

My major problem with tuna

is that when they are very active I can spend hours catching and releasing them and this means I won’t have as much time fishing the reef as I originally planned.

There should also be some cracking red fish like emperor and nannygai about in the deep water. These fish, especially the solitary trophy size, can be caught a lot closer to home now as they move in after flooding.

The Palm Islands should also be worth some fishing time as all the freshwater that has been pushing out from the flooding should have pushed plenty of new structures and bait around them, which means predatory fish should also be around. There is no shortage of structure around the islands, but personally I like to sound around trying to find areas of reef or rock that are away from the main reef edge. These smaller patches seem to hold better quality fish.

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59

Big storms mean big fish COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

It is amazing the amount of rainy weather we have had up north lately. This will be good for the fish stocks as the barramundi reach higher up into our waterways and the flow of freshwater makes deeper river openings at the mouths of our creeks.

At this time of year our focus is on finding the opportunity to get a calm window where we can head out to the reef and catch some fresh reef fish for the dinner table. The weather in the last month has had us experiencing strong westerly winds that make it

uncomfortable to head out too wide, but allows fairly decent conditions along the coast.

Close wonky holes have been hit hard, but word is that they fire one day and shut down another, so they can be as unpredictable in nature as the weather at this time of the year. One session had us load up on largemouth nannygai and we had to leave them biting. My experience with wonky holes is that they seem to have large fish, but you usually only catch one or two good fish before it goes quiet.

We have experienced some nice days and nights where the sea has been calm enough to venture out to the outer reefs. I love the

Keith caught this 7kg Chinaman while out fishing for coral trout.

opportunity to go out chasing monsters from the deep.

Night fishing is an exciting prospect on the reef as you are never quite sure how it’s going to go and what you might encounter. I’ve seen whales, big sharks and recently had a whale shark swim around the boat and come so close that you could reach out and pat it. Amazing to see and a real bonus to when you head out fishing.

My friend Keith and I went out chasing reds with my son Joshua recently. The fishing was slow but the catch of the night belonged to my son. He smashed the family record for red emperor by catching an 11.6kg monster. I would say a fish of a lifetime for him. I know there have been bigger red emperor caught, but this size is becoming quite rare.

What amazes me is how fishing tackle and techniques have changed so much, and now enable young kids to capture such trophy fish. The days of having handlines with line all over the deck and finger protectors (bike tube) on are almost a thing of the past.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the tussle with fish on handline with rubber tube over my fingers as a drag and protection, but with quality rods and reels becoming more affordable

the transition is becoming easier. Considering it allows kids to really tackle some fish without the danger of lines wrapping them when fighting those bigger models.

A nice jig stick (line class PE 5-8) with 80lb braid and 100lb leader on a reel that can handle 15kg drag is idea for chasing big red emperor.

The best bait I’ve found is squid with a pilchard inserted inside. They can’t resist it.

I managed a few day trips for coral trout with Keith and he managed to land a quality passionfruit trout, which have amazing colours and are rare to catch in these parts. He also managed to get a rather large Chinaman fish around 7kg and it fought so hard he thought it was a shark at first. If anyone has caught these fish before they would know how hard they fight. They just don’t give up and when you see them coming up all red you think it has been all worth it until you get a closer look.

Chinaman are a no-take species due to the high chance of getting ciguatera poison on consumption.

Next month I’m looking forward to chasing some barramundi as soon as weather conditions improve.

They will hopefully have had the chance to spawn the next generation into our waterways and will

The author’s son Joshua caught this whopping red emperor that weighed in at 11.6kg. An impressive catch for anyone. be moving back down the systems hungry and ready to inhale my lures.

Getting to my favourite locations is still difficult due to the conditions of the roads at the moment, but things should dry out soon.

Although, you can never really count the wet season over until after April.

If the rain does subside, the water starts clearing up and the roads dry out, then it might be time to go out and see if I can get my lures to work. If the water clears and the baitfish start returning to the wharf, it will be a good opportunity to take the kids down to do some fishing.

They love catching bait and there’s always the chance to catch a barramundi while we are there. The kids can catch as much bait as they like, as the herring and pike make great bait out on the reef.

If we get a few we salt them down and place them in the freezer. There should still be some calm days on the horizon where the opportunity to do battle again out on the reef will present itself and having fresh bait will work a treat.

They may not be as good as an oily WA pilchard, but they are a lot cheaper and the kids have a great time catching them.

Rivers reset for another season CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

Some great all-round fishing can be expected in April throughout the Cape. This is the first month many of the West Coast rivers begin to clear up and have saltwater move back upstream.

with baitfish and crustaceans moving upriver. This is the time for some of the larger systems in Queensland and the Territory to shine through and reveal their larger fish.

Local knowledge is the greatest individual factor in repeatedly catching the best fish at this time of year. Knowing when and where to troll, cast or fish live baits will be paramount

next few months of lethargy to follow.

Finding fish on modern sounders with side and structure scan capabilities gives some anglers an advantage, especially with regards to targeting big barra. These fish, with their distinctive swim bladders, show up clearly on many of the modern sounders when set up correctly. These days vibes, jigs and sinking plastics allow fishers to target barra holding deeper over structure, rock bars and holes in the river.

Finding bait congregating around points and junctions will bring

estuarine anglers up against a myriad of species, including mangrove jack, threadfin salmon, queenfish, golden snapper (fingermark), cod and trevally.

Fishing snags and around visible structure is one of the most enjoyable types of fishing, and April is a great month for this. Other visible types of fishing will be found amongst the shallow bays and inlets and around coastal sand bars. All manner of smaller pelagic species can be found actively feeding on small critters fleeing a receding tide.

On the north and western margins of the Cape, black

A nice jewie taken on the first drop of the day.

Barramundi anglers will find some of the year’s biggest fish at this time of year. Entire food webs will be supercharged 60

APRIL 2019

in putting lunkers on the boat. Larger fish will also have begun to congregate in certain sections of the river, preparing themselves for the

This whopping blue bastard was taken on a jig.

Quality golden snapper like this one are available to those who venture offshore. jewfish will be congregating around deeper points along the coastline.

Golden snapper and grunter will be very welcome by-catch when trying to target the hard-pulling jewies. Plastics, jigs and fresh strip baits will all be successful on each of these species and a change in tide will often be a trigger point for the bite.

April can quite often see the commencement of the high-pressure systems that dominate East Coast Australia over the northern dry-season. These persistent trade winds can render much of the next six months unusable in terms of offshore fishing and the chasing of

larger pelagic species. April and September can be the shoulder months on either side of this predictably difficult period for boaties.

Generally, April is a great month for a range of species that prefer the warmer water temperatures characteristic in the Cape. Captures of many species will be hitting the scoreboard, especially on the tides leading into and falling away from the new and full moons. Take advantage of the more settled conditions, keep a weather eye on the bureau and get amongst some of Cape York’s endless array of fishing destinations.

A world of fun on offer at Weipa Fishing Classic

If you could make it to only one fishing competition a year, the Weipa Fishing Classic is the premier outdoor event to attend.

With three days of fishing, fun, food, a lifestyle expo and over $150,000 worth of prizes given out, the Weipa Fishing Classic is the ‘Ekka’ of all fishing competitions!

Weipa is located on the western coast of Cape York, in Far North Queensland (approximately 800km by road from Cairns).

Complete with rich cultural heritage, breathtaking scenery and superb fishing opportunities, Weipa and the annual fishing classic should be on every angler’s bucket list.

Each year the Weipa Fishing Classic grows bigger and 2019 promises no less. Anglers from all over Australia travel to compete for bragging rights and a prize pool of more than $150,000! This includes the top prize of a fully kitted out 4.9m SeaJay Velocity – valued at over $45,000.

Regardless of whether you have a successful weekend out on the water or not (but you most likely will), every registered entrant in the classic is automatically in the running to take home the boat or one of the other 30 top prizes,

as well as dozens of random prizes drawn throughout the event!

There are also great prizes for the winners of each of the following fishing categories: •Catch and Weigh (Open) – the nine eligible species are king salmon, golden snapper, tusker, grunter, mackerel, red emperor, nannygai, coral trout and cobia only.

•Catch and Release (Open) – the three eligible species are barramundi, trevally and queenfish.

•Catch and Weigh (Junior) – the four eligible species are king salmon, blue salmon, bream and grunter.

•Catch and Release (Junior) – the two eligible species are barramundi and queenfish.

•Catch and Release (Billfish) – the two eligible species are sailfish and marlin.

And that’s just the action out on the water!

Throw in activities for the kids, casting competitions, tug of war showdowns, live entertainment, dance groups, community displays, exhibits, food, drinks and you have got three days of non-stop fun for all the family.

Each year, business and community groups embrace the event by sponsoring, volunteering or getting in the

The Weipa Fishing Classic hosts a number of live music options over the course of the event.

Golden snapper can be targeted for the Catch and Weigh Open category. various activities, stalls and exhibits. The annual Fishing Classic is a great opportunity for local community and sporting groups to hold stalls and raise much-needed funds.

Additionally, in 2018 the Weipa Fishing Classic donated

June 7-8-9 2019

more than $75,000 back to local community groups and recognised charities.

Whether you’re a mad keen angler or just looking for good old-fashioned North Queensland hospitality and festivities,

One of the top prizes includes a fully decked out boat valued at $45,000. the Weipa Fishing Classic has something for everyone.

From camping to ‘glamping’ to hotel stays, Weipa offers a variety of accommodation

options. So get your tackle in order, pack the kids up, and we’ll see you in Weipa 7-9 June! –Weipa Fishing Classic

WEIPA’S OWN LONG WEEKEND!

3 Days of fishing family fun

• Over $100,000 in prizes • Weipa’s largest community event • Live entertainment • Food and bar facilities • Games and stalls • Site displays SMOKE-FREE • Official Weipa Fishing VENUE Classic merchandise • Fun-filled fishing and family event

Don’t forget it’s our local Weipa Fishing Classic Public Holiday Monday, June 10, 2019!

TICKETS ON SALE IN MAY! CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS WWW.WEIPAFISHINGCLASSIC.COM Proudly sponsored by CHECK OUT OUR GREAT WEBSITE, COMPLETE WITH A COUNTDOWN TO THE 2019 WEIPA FISHING CLASSIC, SPONSORS, PHOTO GALLERY AND MUCH MORE!

APRIL 2019

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Want to catch a barra? Why not try the fly! be a pretty good selection to choose from. As long as your wallet can take the strain, you’ll be well set up.

On the other hand, if you ask which fly is working well, you’ll get a puzzled or amused look. Some of the more switched-on tackle outlets might have larger Lefty’s Deceivers, Pink Things, Gold Bombers, Bush Pigs or other barra flies on hand, but nothing like the shelves of flies that you see in trout country. Sure, you

BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

In Queensland we are so lucky to have a world class sports fishery at our rod tips: barramundi.

They can be caught from shorelines and impoundments, making them easy for small boat anglers and land-based fishers to access, and the action can be just as good on a foul weather day as a calm one.

These iconic fish can be hard to understand sometimes; they’ll come readily to the landing net some days, and be frustratingly hard to tempt on other days – but that challenge is all part of

Fly fishing for barra can certainly have its rewards! This 110cm barra was caught at Kinchant Dam.

A calm morning in Lake Monduran and a weed bed to drift around quietly while casting the fly. In this scenario, stealth is everything. the appeal. Big, strong, boisterous and quite good table fare.

FLY FISHING: THE HARD WAY? As a self-confessed barra addict, I’ve chosen what some might consider the hard way to catch barra: I fly fish for them.

However, it’s actually not nearly as hard as you might think. The thing to remember is that these are apex predators which will eat virtually anything that is stupid enough to come too close. As such, they can take a fly just as readily as they take a lure (which means sometimes they won’t bite on either!) This, of course, is one of the things that keeps us coming back to these fabulous fish – the never-ending series of challenges.

So if you like fly fishing, and want to branch 62

APRIL 2019

flies, sometimes tied on 4/0 or even 6/0 hooks, so you’ll want a pretty solid rod mated to a fly line of corresponding weight.

I have found that a 10wt outfit fits the bill, as it has sufficient power to handle a 1m+ barra and, more importantly, it makes casting really big flies as easy as possible given their bulk. A 10wt intermediate sink rate fly line (with a floating line as back up) can be set up with a 1.5m length of 30kg

out into big brawling fish, why not give barra a go?

They are quite easy to access, especially in our

stocked impoundments.

Like every fishing enterprise there are things that will boost your success

rates, so we’ll look at these one by one.

FLY VS LURE First, let’s consider the logistics of barra on fly versus barra on a lure.

There’s no question that lure fishing is far more simple in execution, because a lure angler can make more frequent and longer casts in a given time than a fly angler can. That means the lure spends more time in the water.

However, your average impoundment barra will have seen far fewer flies than lures, and when it sees a mysterious morsel moving enticingly, it will try to figure out what it is.

There is only one way the fish can do this, and that’s to give the offering a little bite. Big mistake – there was a 4/0 hook in there!

One problem with fly is that it’s hard to get up-todate advice from local tackle outlets. When you find an outdoors store near a freshwater or saltwater barra fishery, the staff can readily tell you what lure has been successful lately – and with luck there should

This is typical ebb tide barra habitat. Using a fly without a weed guard would be risky.

Denise Kampe loves her barra fishing, especially when the fish is taken on a fly. can buy flies online, but I like to see what I am buying first-hand to avoid disappointment later.

An alternative is to tie your own barra flies, which many of us do. It’s by no means a bad thing, because fly tying is part of the fun of fly fishing. I will cover this in the second part of my feature, in the next issue of the magazine.

TACKLE TO TACKLE BARRA Barra fly fishing tackle needs to be big and strong, especially in the dams. Our impoundments are home to some really big fish, with some specimens well over the metre mark. Obviously, it’s best to forget the 8wt rod that you’d use for flathead or saratoga, as it just won’t handle big, powerful fish around timber. Also, fly fishing for barra involves big, bulky

leader joined to around 1m of 20kg fluorocarbon.

When it comes to line and leader, there are three big things to remember.

Firstly, the leader should be shorter than the rod length. This is to avoid nasty things happening when a metre barra is misbehaving by the boat, and the leader knot is caught up in the rod tip runner because the leader was too long.

Secondly, a loop knot is essential to ensure the fly’s action is not hindered.

When it comes to knots, I prefer the good old Lefty’s Loop, but Rod Harrison’s knot is another good one.

Lastly, that leader tippet. You might think you’d use 30kg or 40kg leader, but not so. On lures, sure, but the quickest way to stifle a fly’s action is to tie it on too heavy a leader.

Less is more.

BOAT POSITIONING In impoundments, feeding barra are mainly found in the shallows. In those tantalizing photos we see of barra on other anglers’ sounders, what depth do we usually see?

Less than 6m, and often less than 4m. I like to head for water less than 3m deep for my fly fishing, and at night I’ll fish even shallower.

The idea is to find a special spot where fish are quite likely to be searching for tucker, travelling from one patch of cover to another, around a point or along a weed bed. Cover is the trigger to successful barra fishing, as these fish like cover that’s close to their travel or feeding areas. It’s usually not hard to find a likely spot where fish will be moving, and simply anchor up (bricks tied together are good in the weed) or tie to a tree.

From there it’s a matter of playing the waiting and casting game until the line pulls tight suddenly and it’s game on! Being tied to a tree on the edge of a solid weed bed is a good recipe for success, as is one on the end of a point with timber

on each side.

Saltwater barra also like cover, preferring to tuck in tight against it to ambush prey as it passes.

Even though the boat can be steadied with the electric motor, I usually avoid it in this situation.

So long as the current isn’t too strong, I’ll simply drift or tie up to work over a likely hot spot.

The best saltwater fishing will be on the last of the falling tide or the first of the flood, simply because the fish have moved out of the mangroves and are more accessible, as are the food items coming past them. In this situation, fly fishing is admittedly harder than casting a lure; the fly has little weight, and being attached to a fly line means it will be dominated by current to an extent. That’s why the last of the ebb is so good. Less current equals easier fishing.

Remember though that barra won’t chase the fly very far from their hidey hole, so the fly needs to be right in harm’s way amongst the sticks or stones! To avoid annoying snagging you need a weed guard on your fly in this situation.

True, some anglers say that weed guards are ‘fish guards’, making it hard to hook up. Still, a snagged fly will never hook up, so I figure the weed guard is a better option here!

STEALTH FISHING IS SUCCESSFUL FISHING The stealth factor is important for the fly angler.

A lure angler can make a 30m+ cast with his or her offering (and almost into the next post code with one of those big swimbaits), but a fly angler is lucky to be cast a cricket pitch length from the boat or off the bank. Sure, the first couple of casts might go a long way, but after half an hour and more casting of that 10wt tackle, the distance will start shrinking. That means you’re trying to tempt fish that are pretty close to the boat. Hard fished barra, such as those in the impoundments, might well be attuned to the presence of a boat and react instinctively to avoid contact with any fly or lure.

Stealth matters greatly when you’re fishing at close range with the long rod, even when you’re chasing saltwater barra. If there’s a chance to anchor or tie up you should take

This is a nice barra, but sadly, the red fly seems to have gone out of favour on the author’s last few trips north. it over using Anchor or Spot Lock on your electric motor. That little motor can make a surprising amount of noise underwater.

The question arises… should we turn the sounder

We need every advantage we can get.

Keeping track of moving fish is important, but if there are fish marking on the screen and no bites happening, it

Who in their right mind wants to fish where none are showing?

PART TWO In next month’s issue I will discuss boat placement in greater detail,

A sure fire spot for a fly cast: a little group of sticks outside a solid bank of lilies.

While the timber looks enticing, the spot to get excited about would be the small point on the left side of the sticks.

SEASON

6

IS HERE!

Every Saturday 4.30pm on

off as well? I don’t think so, because it’s useful to know the fish are in the area. Whether you’re fly or lure fishing, there can be long periods without a hook-up, so a sounder is a great tool. These are barramundi, remember!

might be time to change the fly and method of retrieve and just keep plugging at it, the same as you’d do if you were lure fishing. Every cast is made with hope of success, and seeing fish is great for morale (although occasionally frustrating).

and also give you some tips for the sounder. I’ll also discuss making barra flies, the best methods of working the fly on both sinking and floating lines, and strategies for playing big fish when things are tough going.

OUTDOOR & FISHING SHOW

Listen on 5am-6am Every Saturday APRIL 2019

63

Get in on the action before it gets tough TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

We are approaching a transition time.

Shorter days and cooler temperatures will see the fish change their habits.

Sometimes it is a quick change and other times it happens so slowly, you barely notice. The cooling temperatures will not spoil the fishing fun this month and in many instances, can improve it.

On the bass scene, expect the fish to move a little deeper or closer to the bottom rather than suspending. Faster presentations will start to be less effective, so switch back from trolling lures to casting and even slow your

retrieves down a little more.

Golden perch are much the same. They get a bit less active, so spend more time jigging lures than standard cast and retrieve techniques. If casting, try a slow wind with plenty of pauses. Adding assist hooks to hardbodies can also be beneficial to turn taps into hook-ups, especially when the bites are timid.

Cod will move a little shallower due to the surface water being cooler. In the early and late parts of the day, they will spend more time in the shallows. You will still get topwater bites, but big spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are definitely the way to go. The beauty of these lures is you can fish them shallow or deep just by changing the sink time.

Once you work out where

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Cressbrook Dam remains closed due to an outbreak of blue green algae. The

Toowoomba Council will continue to monitor water conditions and will reopen the dam when they deem it is safe. You can stay informed through the Toowoomba

the fish are, you just focus more on that depth.

Barramundi in the lakes will be similar to cod. They will also spend more time in the shallower water. The bigger fish are not afraid to roam the more open areas while the smaller models will be holding closer to timber or weed. As the water cools barra love to spend more time in the weed beds that hold a more constant heat through the night.

Reading what the fish will be doing is an important part of fishing and changing seasons should always have you thinking hard well before you even hit the water. Make the most of what is on offer as things tend to slow down a bit over winter, which is not that far away. Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel!

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Weipa

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Toowoomba

BRISBANE

1 Tinaroo Falls Dam 2 Peter Faust Dam 3 Burdekin Falls Dam 4 Eungella Dam 5 Teemburra Dam 6 Kinchant Dam 7 Cania Dam 8 Lake Monduran 9 Isis Balancing Storage 10 Wuruma Dam 11 Lenthalls Dam 12 Boondooma Dam 13 Bjelke-Petersen Dam 14 Lake MacDonald 15 Gordonbrook Dam 16 Borumba Dam 17 Somerset Dam 18 Wivenhoe Dam 19 Pindari Dam 20 Copeton Dam 21 Moogerah Dam 22 Maroon Dam 23 Leslie Dam 24 Connolly Dam 25 Coolmunda Dam 26 Clarrie Hall Dam (NSW) 27 Hinze Dam 28 Lake Cressbrook 29 Callide Dam 30 Lake Awoonga 31 Lake Samsonvale 32 Fairbairn Dam 33 Koombooloomba Dam 34 Cooby Dam

in to see Fish’n’Bits in Alderly Street. They have a great range of lures and fishing gear.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Bass schools are thick around the Pelican Point area. It can still take a while to locate the fish, as they move around the point from the north side right down to the south. Spend heaps of time on the sounder to find the best patches before you start fishing and explore in 8-13m of water, as they are a

Gold Coast

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24 IMPOUNDMENT DAM

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Regional Council website.

• With Cressbrook and Cooby closed due to algae, Toowoomba anglers will need to do a few more miles to get into the fishing action.

For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports the surrounding dams, call

A golden perch thicker than the author’s arm was the reward of trolling a hardbody lure. Get them now before it cools off too much.

Gympie

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Cairns 1

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Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

5

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Rockhampton

Emerald 29 7

10

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Gladstone

30 8

Bundaberg 9

11

Maryborough

Roma

bit unpredictable from day to day. Often they will change depths just to make things tougher on the same day.

As soon as the fish thin out, it is time to glue your eyes to the sounder screen and try to locate them again. If you don’t leave it too late, you can sometimes work out which way they are moving.

This is certainly easier when trolling, but a bit harder when casting as you spend so much time focused on the one area.

More schools have also been turning up between

BRISBANE

Pelican Point and the mouth of Beams Creek. The bigger models seem to have spread out. We had a lot of success on the southern side of Pelican for big fish over the last two months, but on the last trip we caught them all over the place.

Trolling has been catching a lot of fish, but the action will slow down as the water cools. Casting has been tough for some with the usual offerings being refused. I think the fish will start to respond better to lures like spoons,

QLD & NORTHERN NSW DAM LEVELS Dam............................ % Full

        

DAMS Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen Boondooma Borumba Burdekin Falls Callide Cania Clarendon Cooby Coolmunda

JAN FEB MAR 5 5 5 82 79 76 14 10 7 38 35 32 99 97 95 85 170 104 58 56 53 83 79 77 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 19 14

Dam............................ % Full           

Copeton Cressbrook Dyer/Bill Gunn Eungella Fairbairn Glenlyon Hinze Julius Kinchant Koombooloomba Leslie Macdonald

14 12 12 42 41 39 6 4 9 88 102 100 14 12 11 25 17 12 93 95 94 73 102 99 86 98 100 47 69 71 7 6 6 100 95 97

Dam............................ % Full           

Maroon Monduran/Fred Haigh Moogerah North Pine/Samsonvale Peter Faust/Proserpine Pindari Somerset Teemburra Tinaroo Toonumbar Wivenhoe Wuruma

88 84 79 90 85 82 75 71 66 76 74 73 60 81 81 22 9 6 77 76 76 85 102 101 78 104 101 90 82 75 66 63 60 96 94 89

For fortnightly updates on Sunwater dams visit www.sunwater.com.au This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

All figures are % readings Current as of 20/03/19

(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.)

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APRIL 2019

tail spinners and blade baits.

This will be the transition month and it is likely to happen slowly as the deeper water where the bass are found is less affected by the change in temperature than shallower lakes.

Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits have produced best for us and this is a normal pattern through summer and early autumn.

The trick to fishing these lures is to drift with the wind and use the boat’s momentum to drag the lure. Cast into the wind and sink the lure to the bottom before retrieving for several metres and then dropping back to the bottom.

It is a pretty simple attack, but very effective. Once the

now that things are cooling down. The Billies Bay area is a good place to search for these fish. Often they can be spotted on the sounder, but it is best to place your casts to the edges before they move out and sit under your boat.

Casting lipless crankbaits or spinnerbaits will be the best ways to tempt them.

As things cool down even more, we may need to slow our presentations down and use deeper suspending lures like Jackall Squirrels and Lucky Craft Pointers. Don’t be afraid to throw bigger styles of these lures as well.

Often they pull down a little deeper and the bass don’t seem to mind them even at 100mm long. Just remember,

Somerset Dam wall the golden perch should still be thick. Slow trolling 3-5m divers with a kayak or casting lures like lipless crankbaits and beetlespin rigged plastics to the fish once you find them is a sure thing.

At times, good numbers of bass will school between the exclusion zone below the wall and the first bridge. A sounder on your kayak is certainly a huge help.

• Call in to see the team at Charlton’s Fishing at Redbank. They head out to the lake quite often, so you might be able to pump them for a few secrets and save some time by heading straight to the fish with the right lures.

The Midget Spinnerbait was the undoing of this bass. boat travels over 1.5km/h, there is no need to make another cast as the lure stays around the same distance from the moving boat when you drop it back.

Retrieve speed depends on drift speed. Once you get over 3km/h in strong winds, there is no need to retrieve at all. Just keep dropping back to bottom after dragging the lure until you feel you have too much line out.

• Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Friday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website www.somersetfishing.com. au. They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch.

WIVENHOE CLOSEST TOWNS: FERNVALE, ESK The schooling bass down near the roped off area at the dam wall end seem to have dissipated. They copped a fair flogging when they were found and the action didn’t last too long. Smaller schools of bass can still be found around the edges of the lake. The numbers of these fish should only increase and they might spend more time in on the weed edges

if you are changing to finer gauge hooks, you may need to add some lead or tungsten stick on weight to make the lure truly suspend.

Further up the lake around the bridges below

MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BEAUDESERT, BOONAH Maroon has fished well with spinnerbaits and surface presentations over the warmer months. Things should start

Another big bass falls victim to the Hot Bite HD Vibration Jig. to change a little and the fish will prefer a slower and subtler presentation. Try working soft plastics and deeper diving suspending hardbodies through the weed edges. Remember it is still a transition time, so the fish will dictate what they want for how long into the autumn season. With this is mind, give the spinnerbaits a run, too.

The topwater action will continue this month.

Managing to be on the water in the early morning and late afternoon is a little easier due to the shorter days. I believe the shorter days also allow a smaller feeding window and this contributes to why the fish continue to take topwater presentations into the cooler months so well.

DYER CLOSEST TOWNS: GATTON, LAIDLEY Lake Dyer is closed to all water activities due to high level of bacteria. You can check on the current status of the lake on the SEQWater website in the recreation updates section.

• Gatton Home Brew, Camping and Fishing Supplies have the most accurate information about what is happening at the lake.

If you have any questions about the fishing at Dyer (like what, where and when) make sure you call in. The store stocks a great range of tackle suited to fishing the dams around the area.

NORTH PINE (LAKE SAMSONVALE) CLOSEST TOWN: BRISBANE, LAWNTON, PETRIE The fishing has slowed down considerably at North Pine. The fish in the kayak section of the lake have copped quite a bit of pressure since it opened last year. Good numbers and quality can still be caught if you have the right plan of attack. Casting spinnerbaits around the lake’s edges has accounted for bass in good numbers. The same approach should work well this month. It pays to also have a small blade rigged up for hopping back off the edges or working through any schools of fish you find.

• For an update on the fishing and all the right advice and gear, call in to Tackle World Lawnton. The team will be able to sort you out and ensure you stand a good chance of boating a few fish.

KURWONGBAH CLOSEST TOWN: BRISBANE, LAWNTON, PETRIE This little lake on the north side of Brisbane is a great option for kayak fishers.

It provides a backup option when the wind is up too strong to enjoy the fishing on the nearby North Pine.

Good numbers of bass can be found around the edges of the lake. Most of the fish are smaller with the better quality ones a bit over 40cm long. Mixed in

are golden perch and the occasional saratoga. Casting lures to the weed edge is a good option early in the morning. Spinnerbaits and blades are ideal, but as things cool down the fish may prefer the more subtle action of a soft plastic.

Throughout the day, the fish can be found out wide of the weed edge. Suspended fish can be picked up while moving around by trolling a 3-5m diving hardbody.

If good numbers of fish are found out in the deeper water, try casting lures to them as well. Spoons and tail spinners are great options.

When they are suspended, try to keep the lures at the same depth as the fish. If they are close to the bottom, use the bottom as a gauge, dropping the lure back to it between winding. Usually 5-12 winds is enough to get the lure up into them, but the depth they are holding dictates this.

Kayak access is at Mick Hanfling Park off Torrens Road. A wash-down facility is in place to help avoid spreading the cabomba weed present in the lake.

• Tackleworld Lawnton is an ideal port of call for all your fishing needs if fishing the lakes on the north side of Brisbane. The team can point you in the right direction and help you experience some awesome fishing close to the heart of Brisbane.

To page 66

Gary’s Marine Centre

Nigel Middleton smashed this bass using a Spectre Vibration Jig.

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL APRIL 2019

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SUNSHINE COAST REGION MACDONALD CLOSEST TOWNS: TEWANTIN, NOOSA It is a great month to break out the topwater lures and hit Lake MacDonald early. Head up the lake and find the broken weed patches to work poppers and stickbaits over. Bass love a walk-the-dog style retrieve. Toga reports have been quiet but they are always a chance when fishing up the lake with surface lures.

As the sun rises, switch over to suspending jerkbaits and spinnerbaits.

These lures should buy you a few more bites before the fish drop even

deeper in the weed edge.

This is the time to rip 1/4oz blades through the edge of the weed and hop them down the face.

Fishing weed can be tricky, but it is a technique all freshwater anglers should learn. Try to work out the weed formation by fanning your casts wider until you find the edges.

Alter retrieve speeds to work out how slow you can wind to have your lures just tickling the tops of the weed as it drops away into deeper water. Sometimes bass love lures ripped out of the weed.

It triggers a reaction strike as the lure tears free of the weed strands. I always

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Cooby Dam remains closed due to the outbreak of blue-green algae. This is likely to take months to clear and we may need a cold snap in winter to help kill it off. Keep up to date on the Toowoomba Regional Council’s website.

LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK Leslie is one of the best options for golden perch and Murray cod. The dam is very low but still seems to be producing better than any of the other nearby lakes. The Murray cod fishing has been steady, but still good enough to keep those keen enough coming back to keep trying their luck.

The big monster cod have been a bit quieter but smaller fish from 50-80cm are still common. Anglers with patience and skill can expect to see a cod almost every session. Casting spinnerbaits around the rocky structure will pull the fish on occasions. Trolling is a more effective approach.

Troll 1oz spinnerbaits at around 2-2.5km/h to keep them bouncing their way along close to the bottom.

Work the structure where possible but don’t be surprised if a cod appears in totally open water. A good place to start your search is in about 4-5m of water.

Golden perch numbers will drop off this month.

Trolling conventional hardbodies will slow down as the water cools off.

Slowing the troll down to

WIDE BAY AND SOUTH BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY Last month there were still plenty of fish up towards the dam wall and out from the main points within sight of the main boat ramp. These fish were suspending in the deep water and I heard of good sessions on spinnerbaits, spoons and soft plastics.

A few boys from work had great success on

spoons and trolled and cast spinnerbaits. The trick was to keep the lure in the suspended fish, and once they worked out sink time and retrieve speed they smashed the bass.

These fish will slowly work their way back down the dam and tend to frequent the bottom rather than suspending out in the deep water. Sound around in 6-9m of water and you should locate some good fish. They may still be keen

use light gauge hooks for fishing weed. These finer hooks can rip through the vegetation more easily.

BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA Bass schools have broken up and moved around over the last month.

Several schools could be found inside the timbered arms. These fish are up both the Kingham and Yabba and are still preferring the deeper water where they are suspending. Fooling these fish can be tricky. They were very keen on spoons, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits a while ago, but their mood may be changing.

Switching to small blades and soft plastics could get a better response.

On the edges of the dam, bass and saratoga have been patrolling the weed, lilies and snags. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are ideal for covering heaps of water while in search of these fish.

A run and gun approach seems to work well. Just keep casting and moving along quickly to cover ground until you find an area

that produces fish or bites.

You can then focus more attention on the productive areas before moving off and searching again.

This style of fishing is a good way to encounter saratoga. These fish aren’t normally too fussy about the style of presentation.

It is more about covering heaps of fishy looking water

2.5km/h with an electric motor allows you to troll lipless crankbaits. Dressing one up with assist hooks can help turn the timid taps into solid hook-ups when the fish aren’t fully committed.

Working vibes and blades over structure should account for plenty of fish. When vibing with lures like Jackall Masks, Transams and Fish Traps, you need to move around a bit to find the areas where the fish want to feed. Use your sounder to locate the rock piles, timber or sharp ledges in 4-8m of water and hop your lures over them and vertically on top of them. Often you need to resort to a small blade like the ZX40 to get results, but Leslie is a lake where the bigger soft vibes excel.

• Along with getting a fishing report, stock up on all your gear while at Warwick Outdoor and Sports at 115

Palmerin Street, Warwick.

For a small store, it carries a great range at a very competitive price. Warwick is only a ten minute drive from the dam and you can pick up any supplies you might need.

COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWN: INGLEWOOD The fishing at Coolmunda has been tough. I heard of a few anglers fishing the lake last month for no reward.

I am not sure how those using bait are going, but I would expect it to be tough all-round. For now, bait may be the better option, as the water visibility isn’t the best.

Try live shrimp or saltwater yabbies. There were plenty of shrimp around the rock wall adjacent to the boat ramp, so a baited trap tossed in for a few hours or overnight might produce enough for a session.

• The Coolmunda Caravan

Park is only one kilometre away from the lake. The park is just off the Cunningham Highway but far enough away from the noise of trucks to get a good night’s sleep. It offers camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. To take advantage of this and the great fishing opportunities in the lake, give the park a call on (07) 4652 4171.

on faster presentations so try spoons, blades, soft vibes and tail spinners. If they don’t want to play, switch to soft plastics and ice jigs.

The Stuart Arm will definitely be worth a look in the deeper water, as well as up on the edges early and late in the day. Last month, there were plenty of bass and goldens caught from the section before the timber on trolled hardbodies and bait. Give it a close look, they might have moved closer to the edges where

spinnerbaits will catch them early in the day.

• Boondooma is a great place to camp right near the water and sit by the fire while enjoying the view. You could also stay in more style and comfort by booking into one of the cabins overlooking the dam. The kiosk at the main office does hot food and other basic items, including an excellent range of proven fishing tackle. For campsites, cabins and bunkhouse rooms call (07) 4168 9694. For the

latest information jump onto Facebook and check out Matthew Mott Sport Fishing for Motty’s latest fishing reports.

BJELKE CLOSEST TOWNS: MURGON, GOOMERI The fishing at Bjelke was tough last month. The fish are all stacked in the main basin and all approaches seemed to be fruitless. Trolling spinnerbaits is one of the best options when they are tough to tempt. If casting, try hopping blades through the schools or out from the edges.

• For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into Bass 2 Barra. The store stocks an awesome range of gear suited to chasing our freshwater fish and the team have all the knowledge to guide you on how to use it. You’ll find the store at 119 Youngman Street Kingaroy. Matthew Mott also runs fishing charters on the dams and you can reach him through the store for bookings and enquiries on (07) 4162 7555.

Fitting assist hooks to your TN60 Jackalls will pay off as the water cools down.

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to pull your lures past as many fish as possible.

• Davos at Noosaville has all the gear you’ll need to tackle the fish at Borumba and Lake MacDonald. The store caters well for fresh and saltwater anglers.

They can be found in the Homemaker Centre on the corner of Mary and Thomas streets.

To page 67

From page 66

• The Yallakool kiosk is all set up with a great range of tackle if you don’t happen to have the right lure or lose one. Be sure to call in and check it out. Give them a call for accommodation and camping bookings on (07) 4168 4746.

CANIA CLOSEST TOWNS: MONTO, BILOELA Cania is still fishing well. Good numbers of bass are schooling through the main basin, out from 4 Mile Creek and up through Bass Strait. These fish were suspending out in the deeper water last month, but we may see them head closer to the bottom. They are still likely to be found in deep water, so sound around in 7-10m while looking for them.

Cania bass can be caught on plastics, spoons, blades and tail spinners when they are holding in schools. Mix it up to see what offering they prefer on the day. More fish will also be found in on the edges early in the day.

Topwater may get a few bites before the sun is up. Jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits will be the way to go to keep the bites coming longer through the morning.

Trolling will still be successful. If they

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Many impoundment barramundi will be feeding in shallow water as we descend into winter. are refusing hardbodies, switch to electric trolling at around 2km/h and use tail spinners and spinnerbaits.

CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA The lake hasn’t been very busy considering the fish on offer. Plenty of big barramundi over a metre long were caught last month. These fish are huge with big fat bellies and loads of power.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE The barra fishing at Awoonga has slowed down a little. I have a feeling that over the next two months it will improve. The fish have been chilling out in deeper water in the trees. They cop a fair bit of pressure here and are more in a resting state than a feeding one.

As the water cools down, barra will move shallower and spend more time in the healthy weed beds.

In the weed they become ambush feeders and this makes catching them much easier. Soft plastics rigged on weedless hooks like the Weighted Owner Beast Hooks can be walked through the pockets in the weed. I find this style of fishing way more enjoyable

MACKAY REGION & WHITSUNDAY REGION TEEMBURRA CLOSEST TOWNS: PINNACLE, MACKAY The dam copped a heap of rain when a cyclone hammered the areas around it and to the north. This saw the water pouring over the spillway and there were fears that barra may escape. Some fish were lost but the number is believed to be very low. Only days after the event, fish were being sounded and caught so it still looks promising for the future.

Teemburra is reaching a stage where it will soon rival all the other lakes for being the number

one spot to target giant barramundi.

PROSERPINE CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSERPINE, AIRLIE BEACH The fish were tough over the last month.

Most of the action was in deeper water in the timber and creeks where concentrations of barra could be caught on vibes.

Soft and hard style vibes are ideal for this approach.

You can work these lures vertically or use a short cast and work them back.

To launch casts through the timber and hop the lure back could see things end in disaster if the fish

Most of the bites have been coming on heavier soft plastics weighing at least 2oz. Lures like the PowerBait Mullet, PowerBait pre-rigged Ripple Shad and Molix Swimbait are dynamite on these fish. Just make sure you are always using a belly stinger. A lot of bites are missed if you don’t have one on.

The lake is very open with little in the way of

weed, so you can easily see them on the sounder if you stake out a point in the afternoon and wait for fish to roll through. Throughout the day, the fish tend to stage around the bubbler and up in the timber. When they are in this mood, they are very hard to get a bite from.

Suspending hardbodies and soft vibes are two good options. Just make sure you have a lure retriever handy to get snagged tackle back.

than repeatedly casting to the same spot with a hardbody lure.

•Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake.

He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi.

Justin reports the size of the fish is increasing with the average fish now around 78cm with plenty of bigger 80-90cm models to boost the average. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit

the website gladstoneflyand sportfishing.com.au.

• Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033.

takes it as it has such a head start on you. If you are seeing fish under and around the boat, there is no need to throw long speculator casts. While tough, anglers who can read a sounder well and are prepared to put in the time searching will be rewarded with fish.

Fishing the shallows was tough last month, but hopefully a few more fish will start moving back up closer to the edges and around the weed and points soon. These fish can be caught on soft plastics with the peak bite times being early morning and late afternoon.

If the areas has a run of good stable weather

rather than the constant low pressure systems and rainy conditions, it should fire back up.

• If you need some help and guidance call in to see the team at Barra World. For all your fishing supplies or a guided trip on the lake call Lindsay at Barra World on (07) 4945 4641.

Lindsay’s barra tours can be busy in peak times so book ahead. You won’t be disappointed as he often delivers the goods and always shares a wealth of knowledge. The store is right on the highway in Proserpine and specialises in barra fishing tackle. You can also keep up to date by visiting their Barra World Facebook page.

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67

Fun times on Tinaroo LAKE TINAROO

Warwick Lyndon

April at Tinaroo generally represents several things – great fishing, good times, family fun and organised chaos over the Easter holiday period! There is no doubt that this time of year is extremely popular with locals and visitors alike, and this is not surprising, as it

is a beautiful time to be out enjoying the water.

With the dam still around 100% full, the lake is in magnificent condition and will provide excellent opportunities for all sorts of water sports to be carried out this month. Because of this, large numbers of lake users can generally be expected, and care should be taken to avoid those in slower craft, and especially kids who are

swimming or being towed.

This also makes a great excuse for anglers to travel further afield in search of that new secret spot!

The fishing has been very good lately, with many anglers hooking barramundi of all sizes. Because of the volume of water currently in the lake, there are many new places to explore. There’s lots of shallow points and bays that are holding bait and the fish

Jack Centofanti loves fishing Tinaroo and converts bites into big barra quite often!

Andrew Casella with a quality Tinaroo barra.

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are beginning to zero in on these areas.

Most of the popular spots have been fishing well on a range of techniques.

Some of these spots include the points and bays around Tinaburra, the Barron River arm, Severin Arm, Barefoot Bay and the Black Gully to Barrabadeen region.

Aggregations of baitfish are being found on the sounder and flicking on the surface, and in any of these areas the big barra shouldn’t be far away. Trolling, casting lures and bait fishing can all be successful at this time of year, so fish what you are comfortable using.

Dawn and dusk missions will deliver the best opportunity for anglers to chance their luck this month, with reduced boat traffic and wash at these times.

Sometimes around the full moon, afternoon sessions can be more fruitful than morning sessions.

Several of the locals believe that this is due to the brightness of the moon, which allows the fish to feed throughout the entire night, and therefore making them harder to tempt by the morning. Fishing deep into the night hours is also a great tactic, and being on the lake when the light of a big moon

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illuminates the countryside is a magical experience. Of course, it’s made all that much more special when a giant chrome beast is encountered as well!

If the fish retention barrier net is still in place this month, please take extreme care when navigating around.

Although crossing the net is not recommended, there are designated crossing points at either end and these should only be used by small boats and kayaks at very low speed, with motors trimmed right up and/or turned off while coasting over.

We are extremely lucky to have this resource in Tinaroo to retain the majority of the fish in the lake. If you notice any issues with the barrier net, please report these to the Tablelands Fish Stocking Society. They can be contacted via the Tinaroo Barra Bash website or Facebook page.

Forget the Easter Bunny this April – get yourself out to Tinaroo and catch an Easter barra!

As always, if you want to keep up with more of my FNQ adventures, you can like ‘Wazza’s Fishing Page’ on Facebook or ‘Wazza’s Fishing’ on Youtube.

Sarah Reid landed this impressive Spanish mackerel at the Barwon Banks.

community

The death of a river: let’s get started on a plan NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Unless you’ve been overseas or off grid for the past few months, you’ll have seen coverage of catastrophic fish kills in outback NSW, especially along the Darling River near Menindee. The scale of this disaster is staggering and difficult for most of us to comprehend. It’ll take decades for native fish populations to recover, assuming they ever do… and that’s a big assumption.

The Darling River holds a special place in my heart.

Back in 1980, my first posting as a wet-behindthe-ears schoolteacher was in Bourke, in northwestern NSW. Here, along the steep banks of the twisting Darling, I discovered the “vision splendid” of Banjo Patterson’s “sunlit plains extended, and at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.” It was here I first inhaled the intoxicating perfume of that wonderful petrichor that’s released as fat drops of rain smack onto drought-parched plains, and watched the sun slide behind a horizon so staggeringly wide you’d swear you can see the curvature of the earth.

On the downside, I also witnessed the mud-sucking peak of a spreading carp plague, and watched the disturbing phenomenon of a river suddenly flowing backwards as giant irrigation pumps fired up to feed cotton crops the size of small European nations. For me, the writing was already on the wall for the mighty Darling, and the story it told was not a happy one.

The Darling is officially described as a ‘dryland river’ and is characterised by ‘extreme climatic variability’. It has

The images of big, dead cod and other fish have been harrowing. been that way since well before the first humans of any colour reached its high banks and gazed down in wonder at what must have been a green-tinged artery of life twisting through the baked red plains. Even then, the Paaka or Barka (as it was known to the local Barkindjii people) was an ephemeral watercourse.

For every grainy black and white print of cargo-laden paddle steamers plying a broad body of water in the 19th century, there are almost as many images of those same vessels sitting like discarded toys on the cracked bed of a dry river.

This was before cotton or rice. Before today’s massive levels of water extraction for irrigation.

Before Cubby Station.

Before environmental flows or basin plans or political pork barreling.

Between 1885 and 1960, the Darling at Menindee ceased flowing on at least 45 separate occasions, and during the 1902/03 drought, it didn’t run for 364 days straight.

The natural inhabitants of the river – from the

smallest shrimp to the largest cod – adapted to its fickle nature by developing boom-and-bust survival strategies. In the hardest of times, their numbers dwindled to remnant populations in isolated waterholes or tributaries.

But as soon as new floods came – often the result of cyclonic rains far to the north – they bred up in massive numbers, quickly re-populating the swollen waters by migrating vast distances up and down the river. This was long the way of things across most of our ancient continent: on land as well as in the water.

A recently published 40-year study found that kangaroo numbers on the western plains of NSW varied from 18 million in good years to just five million during drought times. Fluctuations in native fish densities can be even more dramatic. Terra Australis refuses to march to the regimented, relatively predictable routine of European seasons.

It lurches instead from bitter poverty to boundless plenty and back again, across a

cyclic time frame much older than humanity.

Trouble is, we’ve overlaid our pervasive impact on all of this natural variability and resilience.

We’ve introduced thirsty crops and livestock from the other side of the globe, let loose exotic pests, built multiple barriers to hold back rivers and block the migration of fish, sucked out water (and baby fish) and pumped toxins back in.

So powerful is our impact on the natural world that we’ve even modified the underlying climate. The combined effect of all of this is a flattening out of the natural peaks and a dramatic deepening of the troughs in those ancient rhythms of boom-and-bust.

And now, if you’ll pardon a biblical analogy, we’re reaping what we’ve sown.

It’s not surprising that the latest fish kills have evoked so much raw, visceral emotion amongst Australians.

Anger.

Outrage. Sadness. I’ve felt all those things myself – often simultaneously – as the shocking story of a river in its death throes

unfolds across our screens.

It’s human nature to look for someone or something to blame at these times.

Drought. Climate change.

Irrigators. Big cotton.

Politicians. Bureaucrats.

And the truth is they’re all partly responsible. But guess what? So are you, and so am I. Our cotton shirts, loaves of bread, rock melons, grapes, steaks and rice don’t just magically materialise on supermarket shelves.

They’re grown somewhere on our behalf, using lots and lots of precious water.

We are as complicit in their creation as we are in their consumption.

It’s futile looking for one factor or one person to blame for the Menindee fish kills, and equally pointless (in my opinion) to call for an overnight change in the way we live our lives. We like our cotton and our wheat and our rice and our roads and our air conditioners far too much. In fact, we’re addicted to them.

Perhaps the best way forward is a gradual modification of habits and a reduction in some of the more obvious excesses of our modern, Western lifestyle? This begins with recognising that many of these excesses are simply not good for us, nor for the planet we depend on for our survival.

As an interesting aside, did you realise that for the first time in human history, we live in age when more people are dying from eating too much than from not having enough to eat?

It’s a sobering thought.

I suspect that incremental change will need to be driven by us – the people.

Sadly, our politicians (of all persuasions) have repeatedly shown themselves to be incapable of doing the ‘vision thing’ and looking beyond the next election. We can’t rely on them to fix things, so I

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reckon we’ll have to force gradual change from the bottom up instead. I’m not talking about unplugging from the power grid tomorrow, growing all your own food, wearing animal skins or living in a cave. I like my creature comforts, too! But we can definitely do a lot better. And if we want to see ecosystems like the Darling River return to even a shadow of their former glory, we’re going to have to do a lot better…

Are you up for it?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I reckon the adoption of the following five-point plan would represent a wonderful starting point: A FIVE-POINT PLAN 1.

Immediately establish a Federal Royal Commission to examine the overall management of the Murray-Darling Basin.

2. Urgently re-assess all existing barriers (weirs, locks, barrages and dams) with an eye to removing or dramatically reducing their impact on fish migration.

3. Place a moratorium on the granting of new water extraction licences and examine the viability of buying back some of the existing allocation.

4. Actively prosecute companies or individuals found to be illegally extracting water, and investigate their potential linkages to politicians and bureaucrats.

5. Mandate the fitting of effective screens on all pump inlets to prevent millions of juvenile fish being sucked from our inland rivers by irrigators.

•This article was an opinion piece from Steve Starling on the recent massive fish kills in the lower Darling River. This article first appeared in the Fishotopian newsletter, which is part of an online portal run by Steve and his wife Jo. You can subscribe to their monthly newsletter for free at www. fishotopia.com.au.

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69

Amarok Ultimate: VW’s 580 V6 diesel ute BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Volkswagen’s Amarok made a huge impact when it drove into the Australian ute market back in 2011.

Here was a tradie-tough utility that seemed to be streets ahead of its rivals in terms of ride quality, roominess, performance and sheer driving pleasure.

The Amarok’s European sourced 4-cylinder 2L diesel engine impressed drivers

torque. This engine came with an overboost function that lifted torque output to 580Nm for short bursts at a time. No surprise then, that the majority of Amarok sales have been the V6 models.

THE QUEST FOR POWER In essence, the Amarok V6 was simply in a different class from most work utes.

Let’s look at the facts and figures of different utes in the market, giving special attention to the torque figures. After all, this is what pulls boats and camper

470Nm of torque while the Colorado with its 2.8L engine boasts 147kW and 500Nm of torque.

All of this still saw the 165kW, 550Nm Amarok taking the chequered flag in the race for power because of the overboost facility.

But, as always, the quest to be christened top dog continues, and today Ford has equipped the big Ranger – the very top shelf models – with a potent 2L, 4-cylinder bi-turbo oil burner outputting 157kW of power, as well as 500Nm of

Torque is the talk with the Amarok Ultimate 580. This ute can really pull a load and yet feels very car-like to drive.

The stop lights position in the Amarok Ultimate 580’s sports bar is a nice touch. with its output of 132kW of power and 420Nm of torque.

And linked to an 8-speed ZF gearbox, that 2L engine might have had a ‘small’ capacity but was endowed with a very big heart! The Amarok was quick off the mark and could carry a big load, yet also offered a very impressive quality of ride and handling.

Buyers were soon given a pleasing choice: the 2L 4-cylinder engine was joined by a 3L V6 diesel engine, boasting the most power and torque in its class at 165kW of power and 550Nm of

trailers through the soft sand on the beach, and indeed in all situations where push turns to shove!

The popular Toyota Hilux is powered by a 2.8L engine outputting 130kW, 450Nm of torque. The twin turbo Nissan Navara’s 2.3L engine offers 140kW of power, 450Nm of torque, while the Mitsubishi Triton offers 133kW of power, 420Nm of torque from a 2.4L engine.

Moving up to the big hitters, the Mazda BT 50 and Ford Ranger come with 3.2L five-cylinder diesels churning out 147kW,

torque. And this reportedly very smooth and free revving engine is linked to a 10-speed gearbox!

Undoubtedly this has been a smart move for Ford, but wait! There’s more…

UPGRADE FOR THE AMAROK An upgraded Mercedes Benz X350d upped the ante with an engine output of 190kW and 550Nm of torque from Mercedes’ acclaimed V6 diesel linked to a 7-speed auto unit. Not to be outdone, the VW boffins decided that the Amarok’s V6 could do with a performance tweak, which has seen an engine

Bring on the bling: Amarok Ultimate 580 has 20” alloy wheels.

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APRIL 2019

Here you can see the stitching highlights in the Nappa leather seats. upgrade to 190kW of power plus 580Nm of torque now standard. Yet an overboost to 200kW for a 10-second lift-off is still there at the jab of the right foot!

The Amarok’s 8-speed ZF gear box assists in recording some great

performance figures – zero to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds, making the 580 as quick as a Golf GTI manual! It’s no surprise that VW refer to the upgraded units with the 580Nm output as their Ultimate 580.

Model wise, there are

still 4-cylinder Core utes in show rooms, along with three models in the V6 550 line-up which are now joined by the V6 580 in upmarket Highline trim. It offers sports bars, side steps, sat nav and LED headlights.

Last but not least there’s

A couple of outstanding features are the simplicity of the Amarok’s dash layout plus the sports-style pedals.

the V6 Ultimate 580, which builds on the Highline’s features with extra fine leather seating, sports bars and steps plus 20” alloy wheels. It definitely makes a statement!

V6 ULTIMATE 580 HAS THE LOT I was lucky enough to have a drive of the V6 Ultimate 580, and it felt like a muscle car in a 4-door ute’s body! A jab of the right foot brought instant, fierce, response, and the ride and general ambience felt far more like a car than a ute, which has always been a feature of the Amarok.

The ride quality never suffered, whether it was rough bitumen, the endless concrete slabs of the M1 or a gravel road. Noise did not intrude, nor did vibrations or any kind of harshness.

External features included 20” wheels, a 580 badge on the tail gate, Xenon headlights, and a garnish under the front bumper bar.

Comfort and convenience-wise, there’s electric everything (pretty much), with wide and very supportive seats, Nappa leather trim, power front seats with heating, dual zone climate air, 6.3” touch

screen with sat nav, CD player, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tilt/reach steering wheel, rearview camera plus front and rear parking sensors.

On the road to Borumba Dam towing a 4.5m boat (the tow rating is 3500kg for a braked trailer) the Amarok smoothly loped along, the engine in 8th gear most of the time, and 1600rpm on the tachometer. On one occasion I did use the paddle shifters on the leatherbound steering wheel to overtake a caravan, and this showed me just what the 580 badge was all about with smooth

and seamless power on the uphill slope.

Towing was effortless; the suspension set-up of the Amarok plus permanent 4WD prevented any fore and aft pitching, and with a solid tub liner in the rear of the ute we didn’t have to worry about ice boxes and the like causing any damage to paintwork. On the tow test I averaged 10.6L per 100km/h, which is quite reasonable.

If you like the sound of the Amarok Ultimate 580, you can take it home for approximately $72,000 plus on-road costs.

Jack Dale with a decent Australian bass he caught up a Gold Coast creek using an RMG Poltergeist.

While towing the boat, the Amarok effortlessly loped along in 8th gear on the way to Borumba Dam.

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING NEW NEDLOCKZ COLOURS

1

With the growing popularity of the Ned Rig in Australia, the TT Lures NedlockZ, ‘mushroom’ style stand-up jighead is now available in two new colours, chartreuse and orange.

Originally available in black and green pumpkin colours, anglers were looking for a couple of strike trigger colours. Chartreuse and orange are popular highlight colours on hardbodies and blades, and are the perfect fit for pairing up with plastics to attract fish and trigger strikes. The orange head is particularly good for teaming up with natural coloured plastics.

The team from TT’s say that the NedlockZ combine perfectly with the buoyancy of ZMan ElaZtech plastics to create a presentation that is either fleeing when retrieved or standing up vertically in a feeding or defensive pose when paused, much like a crab, yabby or prawn.

NedlockZ are available in four weights: 1/15oz 2H, 1/10oz 1H, 1/6oz 1H and 1/5oz 1H. Price: SRP $9.95 (5-pack) www.ttlures.com.au

SHIMANO REVOLUTION TRAVEL 2 Shimano have refined the travel rod concept even further, with this excellent seven rod Revolution Travel series that are perfect for the highly mobile angler.

Travel rods aren’t necessarily just for jet setters though. In the car, on public transport – even people who don’t know have a lot of storage space at home shouldn’t miss out on using quality fishing tackle.

Like the standard Revolution series, the Revolution Travel line-up now feature soft touch reel seats for greater comfort in the hand, full and split custom shaped EVA grips where applicable, and Fuji O Ring Guides, where the insert is protected by the frame from knocks and scrapes.

Most importantly in a travel rod though, the ferruling system is pretty well undetectable, and in no way diminishes the feel and performance characteristics of these great baitcast and spin rods. They all break down in to three pieces, with the 904 Spin into four. www.shimanofish.com.au

DAIWA EMERALDAS LT

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Light as air and strong as steel, the famous Emeraldas name receives the LT treatment with the release of the new Emeraldas Air LT spin reel. Gifted with Daiwa’s latest design innovations, and featuring the famous Emeraldas styling the new Emeraldas Air LT is the ultimate combination of technology, looks and performance.

Daiwa’s new LT Concept heralds a new age of lightness and toughness, and the new reel also benefits from Daiwa’s famous Real Four design. The Emeraldas’ Tough Digigear heralds a revolution in gear design, with its high-precision cutting technique achieving perfect gear meshing and ultra smooth performance.

MagSeal protects from the elements, while Air Rotor, ATD, LT’s new Longcast ABS spool, Perfect Line Stopper, and Air Bail combine for unrivalled performance, power and precision.

Loaded with Daiwa’s latest design innovations and the legendary Emeraldas swagger, the new Emeraldas Air LT is the perfect combination of style, technology, and performance. www.daiwafishing.com.au 72

APRIL 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE

BASSDAY BACKFIRE

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Bassday’s expertise in the surface lure market is second to none, with the Sugapen one of the deadliest surface lures available.

Bassday’s newest creation, the Backfire, was originally designed for black porgy (sea bream) in Japan, but it has proven itself in our local conditions already. And like the Sugapen, this new lure is set to be a runaway hit.

The Backfire is 65mm long and through wired, making it strong and dependable. It weighs 7.5g and casts exceptionally well for a small lure. The large cupped face is capable of both dramatic pops, and subtle, rippleinducing pops, when using a slow and light touch.

The slim profile produces little wind resistance. The action is that of a classic popper and will be excellent for bass, bream and other surface feeders. It works best with a ‘pop, pop, pause’ technique.

The new model comes in eight colours, and all but one have been designed exclusively for Australia. For more information visit the Bassday website or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BassdayAus. www.bassday.com.au

UNIQUE ANYSINK

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Brisbane inventor Creig Adams has set out to change the way Australians go fishing with his new AnySink.

The AnySink lets you change sinkers easily and quickly with out having to cut and retie your line. The invention also allows anglers to change from using toxic lead sinkers to anything that sinks – hence the name ‘AnySink’.

“As I entered my 40s and my vision started to deteriorate, I found that cutting and re-rigging was becoming more and more difficult,” Mr Adams said. “I set out to find a better system.”

After experimenting with different designs, Mr Adams settled on a spherical plastic design that splits in half and allows the angler to place a weight inside it.

“This weight can be a lead sinker, a pebble, nut, bolt or even berley,” Mr Adams explained.

“Once you are ready to drop down your AnySink, you can also crush berley into the grated casing of the device, where it will slowly break off and attract fish.”

Price: SRP $10 (pack of 10) www.anysink.com.au

RHINO-RACK GRAB HANDLE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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Rhino-Rack’s Pioneer range continues to grow, and the latest release is the Pioneer Grab Handle. It has been designed to aid in loading, unloading and securing your gear onto all Rhino-Rack Pioneer systems.

We’ve all been there – you’re shifting item upon item up onto roof racks, tying your load for the trip and being left with nothing to hold onto while you make your descent. The new Pioneer Grab Handle solves this problem. Its large and sturdy form allows for a sturdy grip when used as a handle, and provides a strong anchor point when securing gear.

Made from diecast aluminium that is powder coated to prevent rust and corrosion, the Rhino-Rack Pioneer Grab Handle has a 120kg load capacity, and installation is quick and easy.

For more information on this and other products in the Pioneer range, visit the RhinoRack website.

Price: SRP: $59 (2 pack) www.rhinorack.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

ECOODA BLACK HAWK ROD V2

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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The Ecooda Black Hawk V2 puts Ecooda in the middle of the battlefield.

The fast matt black blanks are ideal for lure casting off the banks or in the boat.

With striking red aluminium anodized details, the cosmetics are appealing to a variety of anglers. The ultra-hard EVA grips and custom locking rings are comfortable in the hand, while stainless steel framed guides are light enough for blank reaction and smooth enough to let your line cast effortlessly through the insert.

Whether you’re targeting bream or flathead with vibes or reef species with a plastics, there’s a Black Hawk II that’s perfect for the job. It’s available in five spin models (6’10 light, 7’0 Medium Light, 6’4 Medium, 7’0 Heavy and Extra Heavy) as well as two baitcast models (6’0 Medium Heavy and Heavy).

Visit the new Ecooda website for more information and stockists, or check them out on Instagram and Facebook. www.ecooda.com.au

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REVAMPED CELTA

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Back by popular demand is the world’s most famous trout spinning lure, the Rublex Celta.

The Celta has been retooled, and is now stronger than ever before. Of course, it still offers the legendary fish-attracting butterfly spinning action that has enticed thousands of rainbow and brown trout captures worldwide.

The Celta has an inbuilt, anti-line twist system that rotates on the main shaft to prevent your line from twisting while fishing.

Armed with VMC trebles, Celtas come in 10 natural fish-catching colours and three sizes, incorporating 2g, 3.5g and 5g weight variations.

For more information visit the Rapala Australia website, or check them out at your local tackle store today. www.rapala.com.au

SILVER CREEK LT

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

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Trout fishing perfection has arrived with the release of the new Silver Creek LT spin reel. Loaded with style and gifted with many of Daiwa’s most advanced technologies, the newest addition to the famous Silver Creek family features LT design, making it feather light and ultra strong.

A Zaion body houses Daiwa’s high performance, ultra-strong Digigear II gear system, while Magseal provides unrivalled protection, ensuring ultimate durability and optimum performance.

The Silver Creek’s Air Rotor enhances reel balance, strength and support courtesy of the highly sensitive, ultra-light, precision engineered Zaion rotor, while a lightweight aluminium spool, ABS, Air Bail and Twist Buster technologies combine for ultimate spool performance and line control. Other features include ATD drag, washable design, and a machined ‘screw in’ aluminium handle. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BONE FOCUS 130

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The Bone Focus 130 is a multi-towpoint glide bait that is an ideal size for many fish throughout Australia. Featuring 4+1 towing eyelets, each with its own unique swimming action, this lure is truly revolutionary.

The ability for anglers to choose the desired swim depth when fishing in different terrains is the focus of this lure. The first eyelet serves to create a swimbait with a seductive wide wobble and roll action, mimicking a lifelike swimming action. Attaching your line to the second or third eyelets gives the lure greater diving capability. A vibration mode can be imparted when the line is attached to the fourth eyelet, as it swims in a forward position with internal bearings knocking against the body.

Additional weights can also be attached to the chin eyelet without impacting on the lure’s action, allowing the Focus to reach deeper in search of your prey. www.wilsonfishing.com

SAMAKI MAHIMAHI SHIRT

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Bright, bold colours erupt from the water as this big bull mahimahi swims and attacks the baitfish and lures surrounding the FAD, revealing the true nature of the species.

Capturing all the attractive elements of the warmer climate, with volcanic islands in the background, crystal clear waters and abundance of wildlife above and below the water, this new Samaki shirt has been a winner with all anglers.

Samaki designs are brought to you by Australian anglers. These shirts feature lightweight fabric that’s perfect for all outdoor elements, protecting you from the harsh sun with Samaki’s UV50+ technology. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable and very breathable, keeping you cool and dry.

Samaki fishing shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes from a size 2 through to a 5XL, allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water.

Price: SRP $59.95 (adults), $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au

BONE HOVERJET

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The Bone HoverJet brings together two topwater concepts in the one lure, and is unlike any other topwater bait on the Australian market.

This multifunction lure is 130mm long and weighs an easy casting 28g. Its specially designed aerodynamic shape allows the plug to cast like a bullet and reach distant targets where wary fish hold.

With its flaps closed, working the HoverJet as a topwater pencil bait on the surface is effortless as it slides from side to side, creating small splashes.

With the flaps open, the HoverJet transforms into a topwater prop bait that can be worked with a variety of retrieves to produce aggressive strikes. In fizzer mode, a straight retrieve creates that classic chop of the blade on the water’s surface that drives fish like jacks and barra crazy. If a louder fizz is needed, sharp rod tip rips produce a distinctive fizzing chop which will draw fish from afar to investigate. wilsonfishing.com APRIL 2019

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING BLACKWOLF DIRECTORS CHAIR

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BlackWolf’s new Compact Directors Chair has a strong, supportive frame, non-slip foot design for all surfaces and a solid weight capacity of 130kg, the Directors Chair is safe, reliable and able to withstand almost any environment.

The chair has padded seating, wide armrests and high back support for maximum comfort, and it also features a convenient foldaway table with a drink holder.

The chair also boasts an accessory pocket with a safety zipper for stashing much-needed items such as your phone, keys, camera, sunscreen, or other gear, meaning you don’t have to get back up to get them.

You can set up the Directors Chair in under a minute, and when you are ready to pack up, all you need to do is fold it down flat to its very compact size, and store it away for next time.

Price: SRP $139.99 www.blackwolf.com.au

NEW BOMBER COLOURS

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JM Gillies has just released new colours in the Bomber Long A and Longshot models.

Bomber’s original Long A design is one of the most effective lures on the market, and is arguably Australia’s most popular barramundi lure of all time. The larger BSW16A (150mm) and BSW17A (175mm) sizes are the preferred choice for anglers chasing 1m+ barra in the big saltwater rivers of the Top End, and are also extremely effective in the impoundments throughout North Queensland. The new Long A colours are BMDI (brown back, pale blue belly), and ABM3 (orange head, green body, black stripes).

The Longshot range of lures feature a weight exchange system that assists in super-long casts. The body is tough and durable as well as sporting saltwater hooks and hardware. It’s available in three sizes, 125mm, 150mm and 175mm. The new XM7 colour (black back, green body) is the perfect addition to the existing premium colour range. www.jmgillies.com.au

SHIMANO TEKOTA

APRIL 2019

NEMO HORNET

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A lighter tent shouldn’t mean sacrificing a good night’s sleep.

Trusted outdoor equipment brand NEMO have developed the master of ultralight hiking tents to save your back, without skipping on quality, comfort and livability. The NEMO Hornet is the ultralight hiking tent for adventures demanding a lighter load.

The NEMO Hornet is the ultimate lightweight tent, weighing-in at a mere 900g for the 2P edition, and an even lighter 765g for 1P. The Hornet 2P is equipped with two doors and two vestibules, for ultimate comfort for sharing the space.

And better still, the Unique Divvy dual stage stuff sack makes it easy to divide the load with your travel partner.

The single-hubbed pole intersections of the Hornet allow for quick setup and spend less time setting up. The Hornet can be erected without the need for ropes and a fly. If you need more space, you can also pitch the triangular shaped cords for 15% more interior capacity.

Price: RRP $549.95 (1P), $621.95 (2P) www.nemoequipment.com

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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150LB PINK SHOCK 17 LEADER Pink leader has been popular with bluewater anglers for some time, given that it is seen as less visible in certain water conditions. Although fluorocarbon options are common, Black Magic’s Pink Shock Leader is produced as a copolymer trace. This provides great value for money but still gives robust performance under stress – and Black Magic has now expanded the range up to 150lb.

Features include: retains the high performance in abrasion resistance and knot strength seen in Black Magic tough and supple trace; coloured pink to provide less visibility, particularly when water conditions are a little murkier; and provides a more affordable option to anglers than fluorocarbon. Current breaking strains are 20lb, 40lb, 60lb, 80lb, 100lb and 150lb. www.blackmagic.com

OKUMA DISTANCE 15 SURF ARENA

Whether you’re bottom fishing for reef fish or trolling for pelagics, the latest Shimano Tekota is a great all-rounder.

This enduring levelwind overhead has just undergone a big upgrade, with a number of new features that includes a main gear upgrade that is 50% stronger than its predecessor. The Hagane Body, coupled with the S-Compact Body Design, makes it comfortable to hold while waiting for a bite or fighting a fish.

Gear size has been dramatically increased, and with it comes a super fast retrieve ratio of 6.3:1. A larger handle knob than its predecessor also helps in this regard.

The CoreProtect system of seals keeps saltwater away from the internals, which includes three A-RB bearings and one roller bearing, and 11kg of drag will keep those reefies’ heads up and continuing towards the surface.

Shimano recommends matching the Tekota to the Taipan 661 Overhead. It has quality Fuji componentry, and its graphite integrated fibreglass tip (G.I.F.T) construction can take the knocks. www.shimanofish.com.au 74

PRODUCT GUIDE

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Okuma continues to offer anglers quality and excellent value for money with the release of the new Okuma Distance Surf Arena spinning reels.

Features include a Slim Blade corrosionresistant graphite body, Worm Shaft transmission system, and a Hydro Block drag system (designed to ensure water and foreign materials do not enter the system and the drag washers perform to their optimum level), and FPD (Fast Progressive Drag).

Designed for casting distance and handling big fish, with their lower gear ratios and 16kg max drag, Distance Surf Arena reels hold plenty of line on their machine cut aluminium spool, with the Even Flow line roller designed to reduce line twist.

Other features include 3BB+1RB, Quick Set infinite anti-reverse system for rock solid hook sets, Rotor Equalizing System for precision balance and smooth cranking, Rigid Metal Handle and TPE T-shape handle knob.

Built to take on the surf and its hard fighting species, the Okuma Distance Surf Arena is available in 60 and 80 sizes.

Price: SRP $119.90-$139.90 www.okuma.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

TESTED

Strike Pro Guppie sinking glidebait Cooler nights and shorter days mean that the prime time to target big Murray cod on large lures is almost upon us. More and more anglers are getting out there and giving it a go using a growing range of lures, and I would like to add one to the list: the Strike Pro Guppie. This lure isn’t new but it’s very effective, and it’s well worth considering if you enjoy this style of fishing.

Everybody notices I was lucky enough to receive a box of Guppies, and everybody I showed them to commented on the quality of the finish on the lures. It is exceptional. There are seven colours available and each has the ‘I would like to swim that’ appeal. The layering of

pattern and paint gives them an almost 3D effect, and also increases the durability.

They are an outstanding looking lure.

Strike Pro Guppie 101 The Guppie is a wooden sinking glidebait with an interchangeable soft plastic tail. The lure comes with a soft plastic paddle-tail and a curl-tail that you can interchange using the wire corkscrew on the end of the body. It is simple and easy and also allows you customise the tail if you like. On a slow, constant retrieve it glides from side to side and screams “eat me”.

Changing the plastic tail doesn’t change the lure’s action, but it does give it a different feel through the rod. The paddle-tail definitely sends more feedback

At 120g and 13.5cm long it is important to have the right rod and reel to cast the Guppie.

The Guppie comes with two soft plastic tails that are interchangeable using the wire corkscrew on the rear of the lure. through the line and the rod.

The other thing to note with the Guppie is its hardware. From the packet it comes with sturdy hooks and strong split rings – there’s no need to upgrade anything, just tie it on and fish it.

At 120g and 13.5cm long you will need a rod and reel suitable to cast the Guppie, otherwise casting something of this size and weight will be daunting.

Field Testing I haven’t yet had many opportunities to swim the lures I was sent, but I did get the chance to try them out at Lake Mulwala when I visited. There are huge expanses of water with lots of structure and Murray cod in Lake Mulwala.

I quickly learnt that long casts were not the go; the hooks of the Guppie grabbed the structure, which was quite frustrating.

The hooks are sticky sharp, and with how the lure swims, if they touch structure they grab it. However, adjusting my technique and throwing shorter casts beside and along the structure made all the difference.

In a matter of minutes a 52cm fish snaffled my Guppie as it snaked along a laydown.

Wind and weather cut short the fishing that day, but with that initial success in mind, I can’t wait for my next opportunity to swim the Strike Pro Guppies.

Check them out yourself To find out more about the Strike Pro Guppie and the other Strike Pro lures available, you can go to www.jurofishing. com or ask for them in your local tackle store. - Peter Jung

Success! It may not be a big fish, but it’s guaranteed to be the first of many cod caught on these lures.

The sky is the limit with the Bone Voyage rod series In 2017 Bone fishing rods were introduced to Australia through the team at Wilson Fishing. There are a number of ranges and models available but my interest was sparked by the Voyage series of rods. It’s a travel rod series designed for the angler who doesn’t want to compromise with the gear they use while traveling.

In my mind, the words ‘travel rod’ and ‘compromise’ have always gone handin-hand. In years gone by, we travelling anglers have been content to use rods that weren’t ideal, just so that we could go fishing. Having to compromise was a necessary sacrifice when venturing far

from home, but not anymore.

My interest in the Bone Voyage BVC704 XXH was twofold. Firstly, I wanted to jump on board the swimbait/big lures for Murray cod revolution, and secondly, I knew that my only opportunities to do this type of fishing would be travelling.

The technology behind the rod The blanks used for the Bone rods, including the Voyage series, are Toray hi-modulus graphite. The key with the Voyage series is keeping the integrity of what is an elite level blank in a travel configuration. The designers have achieved this. When loaded, the rod has a smooth bend (no flat spots) in a fast taper format. Fuji K-Alconite guides

The heavy-duty soft carry case makes storage and transport easy.

TESTED

barramundi on similar sized lures to really put the Voyage through its paces.

Where can you find them?

Bone rods are built to a high standard so they’re not cheap. The Voyage series rods start from around $350 depending on the model you choose, and in my opinion they are worth every cent.

To see the full range of rods you can go the Wilson Fishing website at www. wilsonfishing.com, or you can check them out at Tackle World Broome.

- Peter Jung Taylor McKinney Smith has been using the Bone Voyage rods since they’ve been available and absolutely loves them. complete the package.

There are 12 rods in the range in spin and baitcast configurations.

Field Testing I have had the rod for over 12 months and it has gone to Lake Eildon, Lake Mulwala, Canberra and Glenlyon Dam with me. I cannot tell you how many big lures I have cast with it, from large swimbaits to 3oz spinnerbaits. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I have not compromised with this rod. It is well suited to the fishing I have used it for, and on each trip it has gone into a mediumsized suitcase (the heavy-duty soft case it comes with is great).

Having said that, I haven’t yet caught a big fish on this rod. You can see a photo of my most recent catch in the review above (a Murray cod at Mulwala), but I am yet to really test the Voyage BVC704 XXH on a better quality fish. I will continue to try, and am planning a trip north targeting

Just a few of the lures the author has been casting with the Bone Voyage BVC704 XXH.

APRIL 2019

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BLACK MAGIC

MASTER CLASS

/ W I T H PA U L L E N N O N

Prepare well with quality hooks When it comes to fishing regardless what of your target species is it’s often the little things that add up to make huge differences in success. Hook choice is certainly one element that if overlooked, it can be detrimental to a successful day fishing.

QUALITY HOOKS There are many different things that need to be thought about when determining what size and

hooks that have never let me down are black magic as they are all made in Japan and have a hook to suit every purpose. Suicide hooks (also known as octopus hooks) are one of the most popular styles of hooks for a range of species. Starting from smaller sizes in #10-#8s for luderick to 1- 2/0s for bream, 3/0-6/0 for snapper then 7/0-10/0 for mulloway.

Larger sizes are also the go to choice when it comes to

snapper and hooking fish through super tough top jaw molars, which is an area where I’ve seen other hooks tips fold over on numerous occasions.

LIVE BAIT HOOKS Live bait hooks are ‘J-style’ hooks and are generally heavy duty with a short straight shank. They are particularly popular in sizes 6/0-8/0 when for live baiting for pelagic species such as tuna, kingfish and cobia – using baits such as slimy mackerel, yellow tail or bonito. When fishing this way, live baits are pinned lightly behind the shoulders, meaning there is plenty of hook being exposed so no need to go overboard on hook size.

Another benefit of these hooks is you can seriously lock up on fish trying to bury you into structure without the fear

fish in the corner of the jaw, eliminating the result of a gut hooked fish.

The best hook sizes for billfish are 6/0-7/0, whereas 8/0 is better suited for the fish inshore and anything above 8/0 to be fished wider. Slow trolling bridle-rigged live and skipbaits or dropping them down into bait schools with a sinker attached to an elastic band is the preferred rig when fishing this way. If you’re fishing tournaments remember your circles need to be non-offset to be legal.

Black magic KLT range are the ultimate tournament hook for this kind of work.

These hooks (especially the 7 and 8/0s) are also starting to gain a cult following for anglers who are livebaiting for mulloway – fishing straight up and down in deep water from boats.

Black magic also does

Bait holder style hooks are great for bread and butter species, making it perfect for the kids. pattern of hook to use.

Things that need to be considered are the target species and type of bait you’re throwing. Knowing what to choose will greatly improve your hook up rate, resulting in catching more fish.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, first and foremost I recommend the use of quality hooks to be vital. I can’t believe how many anglers have all the best gear, lines and leaders but then put less thought into quality hooks that cost a couple of bucks a packet extra. This blows me away as the hooks are your last first and last link to that potential fish of a lifetime.

It’s crazy to risk missing the hook up or losing the fish through a cheap hook straighten or bend.

By far my favourite

snelling two hooks together for kingfish or mulloway when using livebaits and squid. They are a perfect hook for cut and stripbaits, and take the shape of a prawn nicely.

Hook size depends on bait size and you need to find the sweet spot as too much hook exposure will turn fish off and to little hook exposure will severely impact your hook up rate.

A good rule is to make sure you always have the point of the hook to past the barb out of the bait.

Black magic C point are by far the cream of the crop when it comes this hook pattern. They are super strong and have a three-point cutting edge that provides maximum penetration during the hook set. The difference is particularly evident when fishing for bream and

Black Magic C Point hooks are perfect for snelling squid for mulloway, kingfish and snapper.

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APRIL 2019

Bait presentation is important for best hook-up rates. of the hook straightening.

This is particularly useful for big kings and also why the smaller sizes in these hooks are popular for coastal brutes like drummer and grouper. Size 1/0 hooks suit a large peeled prawn or conjevoi for drummer, whereas the 3/0-4/0 sizes are ideal for a crab when fishing for grouper. For the smaller sizes I use the black magic KS range and larger sizes above 6/0 for live baiting I use the black magic DX hooks.

CIRCLES While circle hooks can be used for a range of fishing situations, they really come into their own when livebaiting for billfish or bottom fishing.

The use of circle hooks has revolutionised gamefishing over the last 20 years, where they haven’t just improved the hook up conversion rates but also drastically aiding in catch and release survival.

This is due to the hooks almost always hooking the

the KL series which are based on the same pattern but go down to much smaller sizes – making them perfect for bottom fishing species such as snapper, flathead, nannygai, pearl perch and

Black Magic KLT hooks are lethal on deep water mulloway. trag. Circle hooks also need to be fished differently to normal hooks, as the point needs time to find its mark and roll into the corner of the jaw. If you strike a fish and you’re using circles, you will almost certainly miss that fish. When bottom fishing, a slow vertical lift up on the rod until you feel weight is all you need to do to set the hooks or you can leave it in the rod holder and let the fish hook themself.

When live baiting, it’s best to fish the reel in free spool and when you get a hit be sure to point the rod at the fish and gradually increase drag pressure, then slowly lift the rod tip once you feel the fish’s weight.

LONGSHANK/ BAITHOLDERS These style of hooks are great for bread and butter species such as bream, whiting and flathead, fishing from the beach and local

estuaries. The most popular sizes for this type of hook are from size #6 through to #2, which are perfect for delicate slender baits such as small peeled prawns, live nippers or worms.

These should be carefully threaded up the inside of the bait before coming out and leaving the barb and hook point exposed.

The longer shank allows you to perfectly present these sorts of baits with the tiny small barbs on the back of the hook shank helping it hold it in place. This really helps the bait hang on the hook and not be flung off during the cast – a common problem with those delicate baits.

They are perhaps the best hook to use for taking the kids fishing as they tend to catch smaller fish as well as hanging in there if a big flattie or bream comes along!

Choosing the right hook for the job is critical for success.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2019

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

6-7 Apr

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 4 Blackwood River

hobiefishing.com.au

13-14 Apr

ABT BASS Electric Round 2 Hinze Dam (moved from Toonumbar Dam)

abt.org.au

26-28 Apr

Variety Bass on Fly Lake Maroon

Jeremy Wakelin 0447 741 709 or redlaughter@optusnet.com.au

27-28 Apr

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 5 Nelson

hobiefishing.com.au

30 April-1 May

ABT BREAM Round 4 Albany

abt.org.au

4-5 May

ABT BREAM Round 5 Blackwood

abt.org.au

18-19 May

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 6 Woy Woy

hobiefishing.com.au

25-26 May

ABT BASS Round 2 Glenbawn Dam

abt.org.au

7-9 June

Weipa Fishing Classic Weipa

weipafishingclassic.com

8-9 June

Lions Pottsville Beach Greenback comp Pottsville

lionsgreenback.com

22-23 June

ABT BASS Round 3 Lake St Clair

abt.org.au

22-23 June

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 7 Gold Coast

hobiefishing.com.au

30 Jun

ABT BASS Electric Round 3 Maroon Dam

abt.org.au

6-7 July

ABT BREAM Round 6 Bribie Island

abt.org.au

13-14 July

ABT BASS Round 4 Cania Dam

abt.org.au

28 July

ABT BASS Electric Round 4 Lake Gregory

abt.org.au

10-11 Aug

ABT BASS Round 5 Somerset Dam

abt.org.au

7-8 Sep

ABT BREAM Round 7 Gladstone

abt.org.au

8 Sep

ABT BASS Electric Round 5 Wivenhoe Dam

abt.org.au

14-15 Sep

ABT BASS Round 6 Richmond River

abt.org.au

14-15 Sep

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 8 Port Macquarie

hobiefishing.com.au

21-22 Sep

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 9 Albany

hobiefishing.com.au

20-22 Sep

ABT BREAM Queensland Open Moreton Bay

abt.org.au

28-29 Sep

ABT BASS Electric Round 6 Borumba Dam

abt.org.au

5-6 Oct

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 10 St Georges Basin

hobiefishing.com.au

12-13 Oct

ABT BASS Electric Australian Open Wyaralong Dam

abt.org.au QLD

18-20 Oct

Variety Bass on Fly Lake Borumba

Jeremy Wakelin 0447 741 709 or redlaughter@optusnet.com.au

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

APRIL 2019

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Nord nails the first Costa Bream Qualifier Peter Nord is a local Gippsland angler and has proven his knowledge of his home waterways by taking out the win in the first qualifier of the 2019 Costa Bream Series, also being the first angler to win on our new format for little systems, with one day on Bemm River and the second day at Marlo. This was Nordy’s maiden ABT win.

Going into day one on the Bemm River Pete had a game plan in mind. He fished in anywhere from 5-10ft of water. The cool thing was that all his fish were caught on his own brand of lure.

The go to lure was a Hurricane vibe 37mm in camo crab. He was hopping his blade along the bottom on a very small lift, no more than 20mm off the bottom. If the lure was hopped any higher the fish would not have had a bar of his lure. He also noted he had seen guys from NSW and QLD fishing a blade and hopping them way too high. The trick with blacks is the smaller the hop the better. He also caught some fish on his

Slam 47mm as well, but the majority came on the blade. His day one weight was 4.32kg. He used a Duffrod custom made for blading, 7ft in length and very stiff in action.

He used 3lb line Fireline

Crystal with 4lb leader.

Day two at Marlo he had two options, he could fish the Brodribb River or Lake Corringle. He had to make a choice. He didn’t think the Brodribb would produce enough weight, so

Peter Nord took out first place at the first qualifier for the Costa Bream Series.

Peter Nord managed to secure his win by over 500g with fish like this in his bag.

Lake Corringle it was. He fished a Hurricane Twitch 50 in UV prawn colour. It took him a while to figure out what was going on.

The water in there was very dirty. So he would work the lure very slowly

banging the bottom and letting it sit. Because the water was very dirty he didn’t want to move the lure very fast, so he would just leave it sitting there giving the fish time to see it and eat it. He

would find his fish on his Humminbird side scan grazing around. Nord’s day two weight was down a little bit from the day before at 4.23kg but enough for the win with a total weight of 8.55kg.

BOATER RESULTS

Scan the QR code to see Boater winner, Peter Nord interview.

Place Name 1 Peter Nord 2 Brad Hodges 3 Tristan Taylor 4 Corey McLaren 5 Declan Betts 6 Charlie Saykao 7 Peter Stephens 8 Cameron Whittam 9 Darren Weda 10 Daryl Baird

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 78

APRIL 2019

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 10/10 8.55 $3500 + $500 Mercury Bonus 10/10 8.00 $2000 + $300 Mercury Bonus 10/10 7.38 $1250 10/10 7.01 $800 10/10 6.92 $700 + $200 Mercury Bonus 9/10 6.85 $500 9/10 6.81 $500 10/10 6.65 10/10 6.42 10/10 6.23

Scan the QR code to see Bemm day one highlights.

Bream Series presented by

Brad Hodges takes second... again!

Brad fished day one at Bemm River in the middle of the lake sitting in 8-10ft of water doing long wind assisted drifts. He used a 1/16-1/12oz jighead rigged with a 3” Berkley Nemesis in camo to get his bag. Once he got his bag he changed to a

Berkley Jigging Shrimp and Berkley Turtleback Worm.

He caught 25 legal fish for the day and upgraded about five times. He finished with a day one weight of 4.19kg.

For the second day at Marlo he fished shallow flats in Frenchs Narrow using

BREAM SERIES

SECOND PLACE GEAR Rods: Abu Garcia KRX Salty Stage 7’2” and 6’8” Reel: Abu Garcia Roxani 2000 Line: Berkley Ultra 8lb Leader: 6lb Vanish

Scan the QR code to see Bemm day two highlights.

Nord didn’t get quite as good a bag on day two, but it was still enough to push him into first place.

Boater competitor Brad Hodges claimed second place, with decent fish like this making up his bag.

a Berkley Puppy Dog in the gauge colour. He used a subtle twitch before pausing for 1-2 seconds. It was slow fishing and he didn’t fill his bag until 12pm with a couple of upgrades after that. His day two weight was 3.81kg, leaving him with a total of 8kg.

Bowen Joiner takes J-Braid Big Bream Bemm River and Marlo are known for big bream and the 1.42kg black bream

caught by Joiner was a cracking fish. As this was his first ABT event as a

boater you can imagine he was stoked with his capture.

Fish was caught on a camo

Gulp Nemesis rigged on a 1/20th jighead in a shallow drain near Lake Corringle.

NON-BOATER RESULTS

Bowen Joiner claimed the Big Bream prize this tournament with a cracking 1.42kg black bream.

Place Name 1 Neil Kelly 2 Travis Ryan 3 Colin Wilson 4 Doug Badrock 5 Daniel McNeice 6 Sam Ogden 7 Greg Cooper 8 Bernard Kong 9 Shannon Hush 10 Kim McIntyre

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 9/10 7.16 Daiwa Prize Pack + $200 Hobie Bonus 9/10 6.78 Fishtec Solutions Prize Pack + $100 Hobie Bonus 10/10 6.51 Cranka Prize Pack + $75 Hobie Bonus 9/10 5.72 Tackle Tactics Prize Pack 8/10 5.39 Sufix Prize Pack 6/10 4.98 Ecogear Prize Pack 6/10 4.95 Shimano Prize Pack 8/10 4.90 Lucky Craft Prize Pack 7/10 4.89 Keitech Prize Pack 8/10 4.71 Sunline Prize Pack

Kelly bags at Bemm and Marlo Neil is a very soft-spoken man and hard to get a word from, but he can make his rod and reel talk when chasing bream. It’s not his first win, as he won the 2017

Scan the QR code to see Non-boater winner, Neil Kelly interview.

Neil Kelly is no stranger to the tournament fishing circuit, and he showed everyone there that he still has it.

Bream Grand Final, and has now taken out the first bream qualifier.

Kelly fished each day at the different venues the same way.

He fished a ZMan curl-tail grub in bloodworm on a 1/8 and a 1/20, depending on wind and depth. He fished this lure on a Samaki rod he won in the 2017 Grand Final and a Shimano Static CI4.

The technique he used was that he would cast in after his boater and catch them. On his first day he ended with a reasonable bag with five fish tipping the scales at 3kg neat. He secured his victory on day two with a bag of four black bream weighing 4.16kg. This left him with a total weight of 7.16kg.

Joiner managed to land the Big Bream prize during his first ABT tournament as a boater. He caught this beauty on a camo Gulp Nemesis in a shallow drain near Lake Corringle.

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79

Hodges breaks his bridesmaid streak to take first Brad Hodges proved he is a gun at Gippsland Lake during Round 2 of the Costa Bream Series, the Mercury Gippsland Lakes qualifier.

Hodges fished day one up the north arm targeting snags on the edge using a Berkley Puppy Dog in the 12 gauge colour. Casting as deep into the snags as he could, he would twitch them into the strike zone and pause them for as long as possible – anywhere from 3-6 seconds – leaving the lure in the fish’s faces to trigger a bite.

He only caught five fish on day one, finishing with a weight of 4.10kg; but he found a bank loaded with fish towards the end of the day, which would be his day 2 plan.

Day two Brad had to wait for the tide to get up so he just junk fished

WINNER’S GEAR Rods: Abu Garcia Krx Salty Stage 7’2” Reel: Abu Garcia Roxani 2000 Line: Berkley Ultra 8lb Leader: 6lb Vanish

Brad Hodges had a winning bag on day two, and the biggest bag of the tournament.

With fish like this in his bag, it is no wonder Brad Hodges took out first place.

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

APRIL 2019

Cunningham’s arm until about 10am for no fish. By then, the time was right to head to a bank that was loaded with fish he found late day one. He filled his bag on the first drift with the first fish weighing around 1.20kg. After the first drift he left the bank to rest before returning two more times.

Each time he came back he got two upgrades fishing a 1/24oz jighead rigged with a curl-tail grub. He cast into 4-6ft of water and hopped his grub around the darker weedy patches. The fish would usually eat within the initial sink or first hop and if they didn’t he would burn the lure in and repeat the process to the next weedy patch.

His day two bag weighed in at 5.64kg and is now his PB individual bag. This gave him a total weight of 9.74kg

Scan the QR code to see Boater winner, Brad Hodges interview.

Scan the QR code to see Gippsland day one highlights.

for 10 bream. Hodges told us that in 2016 he was also left in 8th place and came

back with the win using the same technique with another 5kg+ bag.

Hodges managed to win by over 1kg, and also shared the boater Big Bream prize.

Gary Carruthers takes second place Gary seemed to do a bit of running around for his second place at Gippy, fishing locations such as the mouth of the Mitchell River, the mouth of the Nicholson River, Jones Bay and ‘The Cut’. He fished the flats of these areas using a Hurricane Twitch 40. He didn’t catch a fish until the wind blew in around 11:30am, but once it did he had his five fish by 12:10pm and started upgrading from there.

His technique for the Twitch 40 was a long wind assisted cast and

SECOND PLACE GEAR

Bream Series presented by

BREAM SERIES

Rod: Smith 6’6” Reel: Daiwa Luvias 2000 Line: Sunline 8lb Leader: FC Rock 3lb to shake the rod tip with some twitches and pauses and slow rolling mixed in between.

Day two he had his bag a lot earlier as it was much windier. He had his bag by 10:00am, mirroring his day one technique.

Gary’s total weight was more than a kilo off Brad, but enough to hold down second place.

Gary Carruthers had to do a lot of running around to earn his bag, but it paid off when he claimed second place.

Scan the QR code to see Gippsland day two highlights.

Rodney takes his second qualifier While this is not Rodney ‘Rocket’ O’Sullivan’s first win at ABT, he says he will remember it for a long time due to his new PB bag

Scan the QR code to see Nonboater winner, Rod O’Sullivan interview. being weighed in on day two at Gippsland Lakes.

His massive day two bag weighed in at 5.35kg and he also shared the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream prize as well, which weighed in at 1.36kg.

Rod O’Sullivan didn’t manage to bag out, but with some crackers in there he won the non-boater category.

Rocket couldn’t fill a bag on day one, he only made it to the scale with

This fish tied for the J-Braid Big Bream with Brad Hodges.

two fish for 1.16kg. But, what he did on day two was pretty impressive. Not only catching them at the back of the boat as a non-boater, he caught his PB bag fishing behind a true bream champion, Mark Crompton.

Rodney had nothing for most of the day, well nothing until the trip back and last stop of the day. He decided to use a lure he had not used in a long time, an Ecogear SX43 in the 307 colour and the first fish he caught was a 1.36kg donkey hooked in the tail. They made one more quick stop to the snags at the mouth of the Tambo River where he filled the rest of his bag. This gave him the win with a total weight of 6.51kg.

Still using the first lure rod, he brought a Shimano Rack Raider, a Shimano CI4 reel and 4lb straight through Yamatayo line.

BOATER WINNERS Place Name

Total Fish Total Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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

Brad Hodges Gary Carruthers Tristan Taylor Steve Morgan Peter Stephens Alex Franchuk Declan Betts Christian Wardini Cameron Whittam Mark Crompton

9.74 8.33 8.32 8.19 7.98 6.73 6.37 6.18 6.15 5.15

Prize $3500 + $500 Mercury Bonus $1500 + $300 Mercury Bonus $1000 $800 + $200 Mercury Bonus $700 $600 $500 $500

NON-BOATER RESULTS

O’Sullivan was pretty happy with this day two bag weight.

Place Name

Total Fish Total Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7/10 9/10 7/10 5/10 5/10 5/10 5/10 3/10 5/10 4/10

Rodney O’Sullivan Ahmad Mahfoud Stuart Walker Neil Kelly Darren Murphy Greg Cooper Shannon Hush Travis Ryan Glen Sturrock Shaun Egan

6.51 6.05 5.11 4.93 3.93 3.52 3.31 2.91 2.76 2.31

Prize Daiwa Prize Pack Fishtec Solutions Prize Pack + $200 Hobie Bonus Cranka Prize Pack + $100 Hobie Bonus Tackle Tactics Prize Pack + $75 Hobie Bonus Sufix Prize Pack Ecogear Prize Pack Shimano Prize Pack Lucky Craft Prize Pack Keitech Prize Pack Sunline Prize Pack APRIL 2019

81

Nelson goes back-to-back at Clarence River Mike Nelson completely dominated in the first round of the 2019 Sufix BASS Pro on the Clarence River with his second win in less than six months on this arena.

This shows what a true river rat he is, winning the last two rounds at both ends of the mighty Clarence River.

Nelson knew the waterway like the back of his hand and that was part of his winning formula for going up against some of the best bass anglers from around the country. Nelson expected this stretch would cop a fair amount of pressure after his win up the Coldstream, this meant he needed a new game plan

when he came back.

This time he fished upriver chasing the fresher water and concentrating on some schools of fish around Rogans Bridge that he found during the pre-fish. These fish were tricky and would only bite at certain times. They were sitting quite deep and hard to target, so he just sat on

Mike Nelson won the boater category with a whopping 7.72kg combined weight.

them knowing that every now and then some fish would push into shallower water to feed.

Once the fish started pushing up around 10am he would pitch either a jig or ZMan Trick Swim to them and target them in a depth anywhere between 8-20ft.

Running this pattern both days paid off nicely and

saw him catch 10 legal fish on the Saturday with a total bag weight of 4.11kg, and 8 fish on Sunday with that

weight going considerably lighter at 3.61kg. It was still enough for Nelson to take the win.

BOATER’S WINNING GEAR Rods Reels

ate Black Spin and an omen F green 6’8” Baitcast 2500 Daiwa Luvias and a 13 Inception Baitcast 8.1

Competitors were keen to check out the other catches as they headed back in.

BOATER RESULTS

Scan the QR code to see Boater winner, Mike Nelson interview.

Place Name 1 Mike Nelson 2 Rick Gough 3 Matthew Langford 4 Scott Sutherland 5 Taigan Heath 6 Simon Wilson 7 Graham Ford 8 Luke Draper 9 Kristoffer Hickson 10 Heath Blaikie

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

APRIL 2019

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 8/8 7.72 $3,500 8/8 7.08 $1,300 8/8 6.88 $1,200 8/8 6.38 $1,100 8/8 5.48 $1,000 8/8 5.45 $900 8/8 5.41 $800 8/8 5.33 $700 6/8 5.21 $600 7/8 5.06

Scan the QR code to see Clarence day one highlights.

Bass Pro Series presented by

Andrew’s first ABT win Andrew Lollback is very new to tournament fishing and has taken to it like a duck to water, proving this with a win for his second ABT tournament.

Lollback fished day one with Graham ‘Fordy’ Ford. Lollback said he did as Fordy told him to and fished the surface with a River2Sea bubble pop, while Graham fished deep with a jig. They had everything covered and were working as a team

and covering the bank from top to bottom.

Lollback was fishing surface most of the day in the Coldstream. He would cast his lure deep under cover and as close to the bank as he could, working his popper slowly. The fish would eat the lure within the fist 10-15m of his retrieve. If he didn’t get a hit or boil in that time he would burn the lure in and make a new cast.

For his effort, Lollback managed eight legals,

BOATER’S SECOND PLACE GEAR Rod

Pagotto Custom 7ft spin

Reel

Daiwa Freams 2000

Line

15lb Daiwa J-Braid and 12lb siglon leader

keeping the biggest four resulted in a day one bag of 2.87kg.

Day two saw him heading upriver with Matty Langford to the Orara River. After only catching a few undersized fish they headed out and fished around the mouth of the Orara. Catching a legal on the second cast told them they made the right choice. This spot saw them filling a bag and upgrading a few times.

Lollback again mainly fished surface and Langford fished jigs, which proved once again that boater and non-boater team was a winning formula. Andrew Lollback brought in four fish for a combined weight of 3.87kg. This sealed him the win.

Andrew Lollback took out first for the non-boaters, making this his first win at an ABT tournament.

Scan the QR code to see Non-Boater winner, Andrew Lollback interview.

Rick reins in Second

Rick started his day fishing up the Coldstream about 2km short of the Tucabia Bridge. He spent around two hours there for no fish. After that he knew he needed to change his plan as time was running out, so he headed further up the Coldstream to an area he calls the ‘Forks’. When

he got up there he started pitching jigs tight to the bank, which produced a fish pretty quickly. He spent the rest of the day there filling his bag, even managing to upgrade once.

Day two Rick started his day up near the Forks once again. Nearly two hours went by for nothing, but

around 9:30am the switch flicked and triggered the fish to bite. Running the same pattern as the day before he started to pick a fish off here and there filling his bag of four.

After he filled his limit his non-boater caught a decent upgrade on a Whopper Plopper.

Lollback (right) and Langford (left) proved that boater and nonboater working together gets results. Both anglers placed in the top ten in their respective categories.

Garmin Big BASS Scan the QR code to see Clarence day two highlights.

Rick Gough showed that persistence pays off, and his commitment to the area known as the ‘Forks’ had him bagging out for second place.

NON-BOATER RESULTS

Scott Sutherland managed the Garmin Big Bass.

Local angler Scott Sutherland took out the Garmin Big Bass with a long 1.63kg bass caught on a lure that he made himself.

He and the local Clarence guys know this lure as the

‘Thong Popper’. That’s right, this thing is carved from old worn out thongs.

Not sure if it’s the action of the lure or its infused foot scent that makes this lure so appealing to bass.

Place Name Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 1 Andrew Lollback 8/8 6.74 2 Craig Makings 8/8 6.40 3 Paul Mazaroli 8/8 6.25 4 Rodney Thorpe 8/8 5.99 5 Cody Banks 8/8 5.55 6 Matthew Cameron 7/8 5.46 7 Timothy Chevalley 8/8 5.43 8 Barry Reynolds 7/8 5.13 9 Mick Eastment 8/8 4.88 10 Trent Blake 7/8 4.85

Bassman Spinnerbaits Prize Pack Fishtec Prize Pack Tackle Tactics Prize Pack Sufix Prize Pack Daiwa Prize Pack Sunline Prize Pack Keitech Prize Pack Lucky Craft Prize Pack Ecogear Prize Pack Shimano Prize Pack APRIL 2019

83

Ten years of champions for Hobie Fishing Day one of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 Australian Championship presented

by Daiwa, blasted off from the Power-Pole Starting line, in Forster, New South Wales, at 7am.

It was a level playing field for all anglers who were each in brand new 2019 Hobie Outback kayaks with a forward and reverse MirageDrive 180 pedal propulsion, a remote control Power-Pole Micro anchor

him a nine fish bag weighing in at 6.33kg, the only angler to go above the 6kg mark.

The championship was Somerton’s swansong to Hobie tournaments, after a career that has earned him the reputation as an all time outstanding performer in the Australian kayak fishing tournament scene and one of the top two in the world.

Somerton tried to move around as much as possible, he checked out a few of

Jack Gammie won the Atomic Big Bream on day one, and it wasn’t enough for him to take the title but he still secured second place. system and Lowrance Elite Ti2 7” sounders with triple shot transducers.

The 45 elite kayak anglers competing in the 10 year anniversary Championship came from all over the country. They had all qualified for the championship by competing in eleven qualifying rounds held across Australia in 2018.

SOMERTON REACHED THE SUMMIT AGAIN At the end of a massively close contest the 2013 World Champion, and 2016 Australian Champion,

his favourite spots but they didn’t work for him because of the tides. So, he decided to check out a few spots a friend had recommended when he was researching the fishery and they seemed to work. The overcast day they had on the pre-fish gave him a lot of confidence, but unfortunately the skies were clear throughout the competition and that made it tough.

Somerton spent most of the time in some pretty close paddocks, but he did have a couple of runs up the Wallamba River to hit a spot.

The 45 anglers were competing on a level playing field, as all were supplied with a 2019 Hobie Outback kayak to fish the tournament.

Richard Somerton from Victoria won his second Australian Championship with a day one bag of 1.98kg, a 2.41kg bag on day two and 1.94kg on day three, giving 84

APRIL 2019

He was really struggling late in the final session, sitting on about 1.3kg, which he knew wasn’t going to be enough. He had been destroyed in one of the big

fish spots that he goes to.

He was onto a very big fish and the braid snapped as it was under so much pressure.

When he lost that one he started to get a bit worried, but he then put a 500g fish in the well and then he finally bagged out, but the final fish was only 26.5cm.

Somerton kept him because he wasn’t sure how the rest of the session was going to go. Luckily, he upgraded both of these, but after that everything went dead.

Richard Somerton mainly used the Daiwa Certate 1000/2000s reel.

He was using a Duff Rods rod and primarily used a Cranka Crab in light. If he had brought his heavies he probably would have smashed the bridge, as there were plenty of fish around there but the tide was just raging in. He was mainly throwing the Cranka Crab Fish Fiddler lure, which caught him a few, and a couple of different Berkley Gulp products such as the Camo Crabby and the Shrimp. He was using J-Braid line with 12lb FC Rock leader.

When Somerton uses a Cranka Crab, if it doesn’t get a hit on the drop he usually leaves it on the bottom for a little bit and then gives it a bit of a shake, anywhere from 10-60 seconds usually.

The fish sit there and watch the crab or they may be swimming by and see a bit of movement out of the corner of their eye and then hit it. He mainly throws into structure and not as much into the flats.

He says that every year the competitions are getting better and better, the level just keeps going up.

GAMMIE GRABS SECOND Jack Gammie ended day one with 2.44kg, day two with 1.37kg, and day three with 1.93kg. This gave Gammie a nine fish bag over the three championship days and a total weight of 5.74kg.

Gammie was leading the championship on the first day and dropped down to third place on the second, and in the end that is probably what cost him the title. He pulled in the largest fish of the tournament on day one and just couldn’t get the repeat that he was hoping for after that.

During the pre-fish day he went and tried a few different areas. When he went up the Wallamba River on the Tuncurry side he found some good fish, so he thought he’d leave them alone and went to other areas to look for more fish.

On competition day one he went back up the Wallamba and saw some big birds cruising up between

the racks, so he decided to give that a go. He had a bit of a cast and that is where he got his big fish on day one, weighing in at 1.4kg.

It was a big clunker and he was very lucky to have landed him. He moved on to another area of abandoned racks and managed to land another 40cm fish.

He didn’t get that kicker fish or even a kicker bite on day two. He was fishing up the Wallamba River in a stretch from the channel markers along a bank that has about 1km of racks just covered in oysters.

He was mainly throwing a Hurricane Fat 37 Shallow in camo crab colour and it produced every singly one of the fish that he bagged in the three days of the championship.

On day three he went up the Wallamba again and got his bag, then he came back down to the paddocks to try and upgrade, but that didn’t quite work.

For majority of the weekend he was fishing 8lb with 8lb braid using a 1-3kg

Richard Somerton won the Championship as the only angler with a combined bag weight over 6kg. two with 2.35kg, and day three with 1.70kg. This gave Greisdorf a nine fish bag with an accumulative weight of 5.73kg, which put him in third place in the Australian Championship.

Greisdorf had finished a close second place in the last championship to fellow Western Australian, Paul Burton (fourth this year) on his home waterway.

But to perform so well in a completely new arena he’d never fished before showed that this WA angler is a true gun.

Alex Greisdorf missed out on second place by 10g, but for his first time fishing this water he really showed his skill and managed to hold onto third place with a 5.73kg bag. rod with a locked drag. But, on the final day he dropped down to 6lb just in case the system was shut down.

The weather was good, the tides were perfect and the fishing was great.

GREISDORF GETS TOP THREE Alex Greisdorf (WA) finished day one with a total weight of 1.68kg, day RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

He tried different stuff over the course of the three days, but the only thing that was consistently catching fish was the Jackall Chubby in a brown suji shrimp colour. Greisdorf ran it on a 7ft 1-5kg Duff rod with a 2500 size reel on 5lb leader and 10lb braid.

Unlike other anglers, when fishing for yellowfin

Angler Richard Somerton Jack Gammie Alex Greisdorf Paul Burton Simon Morley Tyson Hayes Richard Patterson Kane Terry Danny Jobson Tony Pettie

Total Fish 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9 9/9

bream Greisdorf doesn’t let them run, he keeps them up high and winds them in to keep them away from the weed. This worked a treat for him during this tournament.

He found a spot where there were lots of big ones cruising around, but they just did not want to play the game. On his last upgrade on day three he lost two possible 40cm fish when a smaller one took the lure instead.

Greisdorf was very happy with the tournament and his performance.

Only one angler missed out on catching fish on day three, Adam Costa took home but Peter Cook from NSW still bagged himself $100 in Donut Dough. On day two there was no Cranka Donut Dough as all anglers caught fish, but on day three the Cranka Donut Dough went to Adam Costa.

Jack Gammie caught the Atomic Big Bream, the largest fish of the session, on day one weighing in at 1.40kg and picking himself up $250 from Atomic. The $250 on day two went to Richard Somerton with a 1.12kg fish, and finally on day three Jon Clisby from Victoria took home the prize from Atomic with a 960g bream.

A lucky local won themselves a Hobie Lanai kayak after entering a competition sponsored by Hobie Asia Pacific, and was presented with the kayak and an amazing package of Hobie products, worth around $1500, at the event site before the main presentation.

For a review of what was happening on the water during the event, and event at the event site weigh-in each day go to Facebook.com/HobieFishing AsiaPacific. – Hobie Total Weight (kg) 6.33 5.74 5.73 5.48 5.19 4.86 4.76 4.68 4.66 4.63

MAJOR PRIZES

FIND THE

LOGO COMPETITION

1st PLACE

1000

There are 15 logos hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly.

$

Find the logo and page number, fill in the entry form and go in the draw to win!

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

2nd PLACE

The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of each month will win a packet of the world’s finest hooks from

500

$

All entries will go into the major prize draw (APRIL 30, 2019).

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

3rd PLACE

200

$

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

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NAME ............................................................................................................

ADDRESS .......................................................................................................

QFM Find the Gamakatsu Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by 30TH APRIL 2019 Original entries only. No photocopies.

SUBURB .................................................................P/CODE ...........................

PHONE ..........................................................................................................

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MAIL ENTRIES TO:

Venturing west

In late February I made what is now an annual pilgrimage west to work with groups in Western Australia on Track My Fish projects. WA is a special place when it comes to fishing, because it combines spectacular

differences between west and east became obvious and I felt as though I was stepping back in time. I grew up in the 1970s when the coast wasn’t as populated as it is now, distances between populations were further and the roads into the coast were goat tracks. I remember the bone shaking, sometimes impassable road

connected to the land or sea and its rhythms. Their clocks are dictated by nature, not the daily commute. As such they are more direct, practical and grateful for what they have. They are under no illusions that they are blessed, equally they take nothing for granted.

Tourism is a big area where the city/country

Fig.3 Concentration of catches during 2018-19.

Angling and Aquatic Club, who in my estimation are one of the most forward thinking and innovative clubs I have seen. Like many clubs they have been under increasing scrutiny with their weigh-in events. In response their first step was to introduce a catch and release element to their monthly competitions, but that is not where the response ends.

lot of development time to providing an improved platform that makes life easier for weigh-ins. Track My Fish aims to help clubs and events to reduce the load on volunteers without favouring any fishing philosophy.

Marmion have a vision to take that to the point where the catch and release and traditional weigh-ins

of the sport through technological innovation rather than wiping it out altogether. Even more importantly, it leaves the choice with the fisher as to how they want to approach the monthly club events.

We don’t want to see an end to weigh-ins, but they have two key problem; community attitude and fisher attitude. The

Fig.1 All catches reported by Westag by species. scenery with some amazing fishing. If I was to pick a place in Australia to get away and fish, WA would be at the top of my list. This month I want to share some of experiences of the west as well as the ways that clubs in the west are innovating in tackling some of fishing’s big challenges.

THE WEST IS STILL WILD I have been to the west five times on fishing business, but prior to this trip all trips were to

into 1770. The coastline between Perth and Kalbarri is essentially seven hours of beaches, punctuated by shacks used by commercial crayfishers and small communities.

Distance wise, it’s a similar trip to Brisbane to Gladstone, but with only one sizable community in Geraldton in between. When it comes to scenery, there is sand, low lying hardy scrub and not much else. Not much of the land is sheltered from the wind which is constant and there is nothing to hold

divide is most apparent.

Decisions made in Perth directly affects the regional tourism towns and unlike the cities, there aren’t always a lot of options to get alternative clients. Given that fishing plays a big role in tourism, fishing regulations do affect the regional economies and to be honest, the fishing regulations around the Kalbarri region require a PhD to be sure a fisher is complying. Sure, the rules are intended to protect fish stocks, but I was surprised to find that

Fig.4 All catches reported by Swanfish by species.

Weigh-ins are still an important part of fishing life and even though we have an app-based system for catch and release we don’t see that as a weigh-in killer – quite the opposite. We also work with a range of live and traditional weigh-ins and we are investing a

are integrated so that fishers have the option to release fish that they don’t need during competitions.

Fish released are assessed using length-weight charts allowing weight to remain the common measure. I think this is the right approach – preserving the traditions

community has a concern that fish populations are improved and that harvest is managed to reduce the impact on wild stocks.

Being able to demonstrate responsibility in addressing this concern is key to our social license. Fishers are looking for options when

Fig.2 Average vs maximum length of fish reported by Westag by species.

Perth. This trip I finally managed to get out of Perth heading north to the town of Kalbarri. Perth is very attractive city and it’s my favourite capital to visit. I have already locked in a trip next year to do Swanfish.

It wasn’t long past the outskirts of Perth that the 86

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water above the surface.

Dry is not the word.

The harsh but beautiful environment is reflected in the people. Fishing, agriculture and sand mining are the dominant industries, with tourism offering a seasonal boost. One way or another everyone is

the regulations were much more complicated than in Queensland.

The gap in life experiences between city and country are huge.

MARMION ANGLING AND AQUATIC CLUB My first stop was to meet up with the Marmion

Fig.5 Average vs maximum length of fish reported by Swanfish by species.

it comes to participating in events. We were involved in the Boondooma Yellowbelly Family Fishing Competition, which ran both an app-based section and a weigh-in section with a 50/50 split of the fishers.

I think it will stay that way for a long time to come.

Choice in how fishers interact with fishing competitions is important to the long-term sustainability of clubs and events.

Marmion are ahead of the curve in recognizing this.

WESTAG Westag is the Western Australian fish tagging organization, a group we at Infofish have had a long history with. Like many clubs, Westag has had a tough time in recent years, as clubs disappear and

are getting regular updates on how the program is tracking and there are a lot of stats up on the Westag website, westag.org.au.

So far in 2019 there have been 591 fish reported with 58 recaptures. That effort is concentrated in three key regions – Kalbarri, Broome and Nicol Bay. Over the next few years Westag are aiming at raising those numbers and providing much more feedback to the communities they fish in.

Fig.1 and Fig.2 provide a summary of the catches so far this year.

SWANFISH Swanfish 2019 was a step up on 2018 with the number of participants, fish and fishers reporting fish all up. Overall in the second year with an app-based

me it’s a template that other capital cities should follow.

One of the interesting stats out of this years event was that fish smaller than 250mm made up 42% of the catch. That fits well with land-based fishing as closer to shore provides shelter for smaller fish, but that number indicates that the Swan River is a great place for fish to grow up. In the Fitzroy River in Queensland for example where there is now a net free zone we have seen the survival rates for juvenile barramundi drop, as there are more predators in the system. Juvenile and smaller fish are often ignored in the fishing equation, but nursery areas are critical to the long-term sustainability of fish populations, just as managing catch is.

his partner Fay runs the Kalbarri Seafront Villas. I have known Jamie for many years and heard many stories of his mulloway exploits, so I took the chance to see the legend in action, and he didn’t disappoint.

Like all good fishing trips there was an early start, in this case to take down the four wheelers

at fishing for sharks, I can say that 60 second adrenalin rush was enough to whet my appetite for a more serious go at some point. I know there is some controversy among green groups on sharks, but I can’t deny that hooking one and seeing it launch was one of the most exhilarating moments of my fishing life.

I wouldn’t call that a downgrade – I am a fan of octopus. Unfortunately, I was a couple of weeks early, and there would be more action as the moon disappeared.

On the last day, I managed a trip again out with Steve to see if we could scare up some mackerel. I hadn’t trolled

WA has long stretches of coastline that are perfect for targeting mulloway and tailor.

Fig.6 Catches in the Swanfish Event by hour compared to the tide. members age and move onto other activities. Things are starting to turnaround though. Westag moved to a direct membership and led by Steve Wiseman and Jamie Waite numbers are starting to pick up.

Over the past six months I have been working with Steve and Jamie to develop enhancements to their services. The leadership team are meeting every fortnight to see through a program of new services and there are some positive developments to come with customizable recapture certificates, a Westag specific app and new dashboards to track catch rates, species and sizes in key regions. There will also be some new member focused activities, which is a fantastic. Already fishers

event processes started to settle and with excellent weather, participation was high. It’s exciting to see the community coming together and the combination of good conditions and positive buzz led the minutes per fish to drop from 8.67 to 6.32. Over a 24-hour period only a limited number of events achieve that sort of catch rate.

I love Swanfish, it’s a unique event because it’s a community event and so far as I know the only capital city in Australia where most of the catches are land-based.

One of the benefits of an event like this is we end up with another area of the coast that has good data on fishing, nearly a third of the Westag data, with only a couple of days effort. To

SWANFISH STATISTICS

Total hours Total fishers Total fish No. Fishers caught fish No. fishers didn’t catch fish % fishers caught fish Minutes/fish Overall catch rate (fish/fisher/day) Average no. fish/fisher Total species

2019 24 272 228 89 139 39.04 6.32 0.42 0.84 20

2018 24 221 166 76 90 45.78 8.67 0.38 0.75 14

In a real sense, the Swan River is as important to the fish as it is to the people living on it. Fig.4 and Fig.5 provide a breakdown of the catch at the Swanfish event.

Another interesting analysis of the event is to look at fish caught across the tide. While the Perth tide is much smaller than the tides I am used to on the east coast, there is still a similar pattern in the fishing. As with 2018, the prime times were on the lead up to high tide and the first part of the run-out.

Fig.6 shows a plot of the tide and catches by hour.

KALBARRI Kalbarri itself is a small piece of paradise.

There are no words that do justice to the scenery on offer for the locals and they know it. Fishing isn’t just a lifestyle choice, it’s much closer to the 1970s where fishing is a natural part of daily life with groups of fishers heading out to feed the family. Kalbarri being so far from Perth, growing and catching your own food is a key part of life given the cost of transporting food to the community.

On my first day I had a taste of local life thanks to Jamie Waite who with

to a customised barge to transport them to the fishing zone. There isn’t room on the barge for more than a bike and with that weight on board it’s a gentle speed, but once at the destination, the four-wheelers made up for that crossing the terrain at high speed.

Along the trail we stopped off to check out some rocky outcrops where abalone used to be harvested. Ten years prior a current of hot water pushed through the coastline around Kalbarri decimating the stocks along with kelp, sea grasses and crayfish. Ten years on the stocks were still recovering and are a no take species. Even down in Perth abalone are only allowed to be targeted for one hour at a time on four separate occasions.

Our first fishing stop was a bust, but the second saw Jamie nailing two good mulloway at 675mm and 970mm, both tagged and released. I managed a small tailor, although I was hoping for one his larger cousins, as catches in the region average between 600mm and a metre, dwarfing the common models from Queensland.

Later that evening a boat was targeting that size class with large poppers around the rocks, highlighting that tailor of that size are serious predators.

I did manage a last cast burst of fun, as the line started peeling off and I was dragged towards the water before a spinner shark burst through the waves, cutting me off as it rolled.

Having never tried my hand

Speaking of sharks, the next day I headed out just past the mouth of the Murchison with Steve Wiseman to check out the cray pots. In my short stay, I managed three meals that consisted of crays, which made felt like I had won the lottery. We didn’t even get close to the pots before the boat was surrounded by sharks that have become used to the sound of the motor and have come to associate it with an easy feed. By the time we actually pulled the pot there were nearly a dozen 2m plus models hanging around. It didn’t take much to get them worked up as Steve slapped the water with a glove. Let’s just say, nobody was volunteering to go for a swim. With a full moon the night before there was nothing on offer, however we did pick up a good-sized octopus, which are common by-catch.,

for mackerel since I turned 12, so this was a real journey into my childhood.

While the mackerel didn’t play ball, the spectacular coastline provided pretty good compensation. Again, I was a little early, a month or so more the winds would drop and the opportunity to fish wider would open up more opportunities.

Even so, the idea of being able to go fishing in the morning before work and fresh fish, crayfish or octopus for dinner has its appeals.

At some point in my Infofish journey, I intend to withdraw to a Kalbarri somewhere on the planet.

Working seven days a week takes its toll creatively, and at some point, I know I will hit the limits of my problem solving and it will be time for a new perspective. I can think of no better place to refill the tank and reconnect with the real world.

Some ‘friendly’ visitors hoping for a free feed.

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Cooking

Back to basics: bugging out over this stock BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

For this stock/soup recipe I have used a Moreton Bay bug, but you could use any prawn shells and prawn heads, crab shells or fish frames (or a mix).

It is believed that the consumption of broths is necessary for a healthy diet.

This includes seafood broths, as they have beneficial iodine and minerals. Some

drink a glass of broth a day (either beef or poultry with or without vegetables).

Others serve broth as a soup entree, often with just a grind of salt. Next month’s recipe uses the stock/soup made in this month’s recipe in a Moreton Bay bug risotto.

The tops and tails of the leeks are used in the following broth because the ‘main’ (white) part of the leek will be used in the risotto.

Ingredients • 1 cooked Moreton Bay bug head and shell • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 leek, green leaves and root only • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme •4 cups water

1

Remove the meat from the cooked bug’s tail, reserving the head and shell for this soup/stock. Put the bug meat into your fridge until you are ready to use it.

4

7

Add the water to the pot and stir.

2

Chop the head of the bug shell in half to expose the inside of the bug’s head. Alternatives to crustacean shells (either bug shells or crab shells) include fish heads and frames, prawn heads and tails or a mixture of the skeletons from any seafood.

5

Bring the liquid in the pot to a simmer.

Continue to cook for a further fifteen minutes. Remove and discard any scum from the surface of the liquid with a slotted spoon or skimmer.

Pour the stock through a sieve into a jug. If you plan to use the stock within a day or less of making it, simply cover the jug with some plastic wrap and pop the stock into the fridge. For longer storage a sealable jar is a better idea. You can either store the stock in the fridge or freezer until you use it.

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8

3

Melt the butter in a heavy based pot and then sauté the bug shells, leek trimmings and thyme for a few minutes.

6

Remove the solids (shells and trimmings) from the stock and discard.

I have found removing the solids from the stock makes straining the stock less messy.

The clear stock will make a tasty bowl of seafood soup. Be sure to add a grind of salt.

Anti-Bradbury moment for an accomplished Dudd BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

I know almost every single person in Queensland remembers the Steven Bradbury arm-raising moment. After ten years of training, hardship, denial, sacrifice and plane flights, three blokes in front of him fell over. The look on his face pretty much says it all: “the fates have decided, the gods have favoured me, I am a lucky, lucky, lucky b@$#@&d.”

So if you can just take that special moment and store it high in your mind, and then turn that special moment through precisely 180º, you get a sort of Bizarro Bradbury’s moment. Instead of elation, feel devastation; instead of arm-raising triumph, picture shoulder-slumping defeat; instead of a smiling, joyous face, picture a crumply chin, and perhaps a silently trickling tear.

If you can feel that pain, that trauma, then you are some small way to understanding my state of mind when I dropped that barra. That onrush of confusion, disbelief and

oxygen deprivation when you realise the twenty years of planning, preparation, dreaming and knot tying that you’ve undergone has just unravelled in one slow motion nanosecond.

Of course, that feeling (which doesn’t seem a strong enough word) can be deadened a little when you understand it wasn’t your fault that fish of a lifetime has just been lost boatside.

On occasion, you can blame your line, your gear, that freak wave, a dodgy lure or treble, an incompetent netter, one of the other Dudds, or in most cases all of the above.

In my case though, I can blame no one, and that’s when it really stings.

I often see fishing gurus when they lose a fish, and they just smile a little smile, throw out a little puff of air as if they’ve just broken their scotchfinger the wrong way, and carry on. The only one I’ve seen close to my crumpled state of trauma is Robson Green the Geordie, God bless him, as he swears at the cameraman and drops to his haunches. But even Robson fails to illustrate the grief that floods the cross-wired circuitry that passes for my central nervous system, because in this case, I know it’s my fault. I went too hard at the boat in a rookie mistake that even Doughers wouldn’t make, and pulled the hooks… gone!

There aren’t too many times I’ve felt like a failure with a 50cm jack and an even bigger fingermark already on board, but this is one of them. My Bizzaro Bradbury moment kicks in, and crushes me. I can’t believe it’s happened like this. My gamble to pull this fish up quick and hard has backfired in a soul-deadening second. 20 years… more! All wasted.

But then my brain kicks into gear, and I remember where I am. I’m in the boat with Manboobs and Stuffer. I turn to them. I need emotional support in this time of fallen dreams.

A shoulder, or at least a manboob, to lean on. Stuffer stares at me. “You idiot,” he whispers. “You absolute fool.” Boobies shakes his head, his eyes slits of malice stay locked on mine, but he says nothing. I begin to understand the years of misery that lie ahead of me.

I take a deep breath, and pin another livey on.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Lost Bar Crusher turns up 2000km away A Bar Crusher that was lost offshore from NSW has turned up over 2000km away on the coast of New Zealand.

Blake’s Marine in Sydney originally sold the new Bar Crusher 615C to a customer in 2015. It was then sold to another owner, David Nash, in mid-2017.

In September 2017,

David arrived at The Peak, approximately 13km offshore from Maroubra in NSW. As he was dropping the anchor, the rope became tangled around the motor.

Before he could unhook it, the anchor took hold and pulled the stern under in the rough conditions.

When David jumped in the water to try to cut the rope, a large wave swamped the stern of the vessel causing it to capsize, only leaving the bow protruding out of the water. David dived under the boat and retrieved his EPIRB, and clung to the

bow until a rescue helicopter came about 30 minutes later, followed by the Water Police.

As the boat was being towed back the tow line snapped, and the vessel disappeared from view. A 4-hour search was unable to locate it, and it was presumed sunk.

The matter seemed closed until earlier this year, when the boat was discovered

on the east coast of New Zealand, after floating in the water for around 18 months.

One of the people who found the boat was charter operator Zak Slaughter, and he soon realised it was largely intact, aside from the damaged folding hard top/rocket launcher and windscreen. The motor was still there, along with around $1000 worth of fishing gear, much of which was salvageable, aside from a few rusty hooks. Zak offered to return David’s tackle to him, but David said he was welcome to keep it, seeing

as the cost had been covered by insurance.

The insurance company agreed to give Zak ownership of the boat, and he plans to one day have it back on the water.

“We’re going to blast off all the barnacles and get a good look at what we’ve got under there, but at this stage it’s looking pretty good,” he said. “Part of the steering system, the transducer and the trim tabs are all OK. A marine supplier has offered to sponsor some of the replacement parts we’ll need, such as electronics and wiring.”

After news broke of the boat being found, previous owner Dave Nash heard from someone who had spotted the upturned boat

while it was still adrift in the ocean. Kydd Pollock and his wife had seen it while

fishing offshore, and they had a great session catching mahimahi from it before

Kydd then decided to dive underneath.

“I was greeted by over 50 mahimahi swimming around me, and then saw ‘Bar Crusher’ on the side of the boat,” he said. “I was amazed at the amount of buoyancy the boat had to support all those huge gooseneck barnacles.

I wondered if it would eventually float ashore in NZ, and later I found out that in fact it had. It was really cool to share this experience with my family, and to know that the finders of the boat are going to put it back into use.”

The team at Bar Crusher have asked Zac to keep them abreast of the boat’s new lease of life, saying that its discovery is a great testament to the build quality and air buoyancy chambers of these boats. – FMG

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89

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93

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS WHITING DORY SNAPPER PIGFISH MAHIMAHI FLATHEAD SALMON MACKEREL LUDERICK CUTTLEFISH

BEST EATING FISH IN TIME FOR EASTER

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

BOARFISH TILAPIA TROUT FLOUNDER COD KINGFISH AMBERJACK TUNA WAHOO GROUPER

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack.

SEND ENTRIES TO: QLD Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

QLD APRIL 2019

Phone (day):

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

The ‘Real Fish Oita’ is an incredible, award winning squid jig manufactured in Europe by leading Croatian company - DTD. Taking out the coveted ‘best new product’ in its class at the EFTTEX 2015 Expo in Warsaw, this wonderful range is now available in Australia through Dogtooth Distribution.

The product imitates real fish species. This coupled with DTD’s use of only the highest grade materials available, ensures great balance and results in superior catching ability. With the unique ‘fish parasite’ feature, aimed at luring predators in for an ‘easy kill’, these truly unique jigs are set to explode into the Australian market.

FEATURES - Double weight system with inner weight designed to produce sound while squid jig is in action.

COLOURS - 7 different designs representing popular fish species.

ADDITIONAL - Luminous body, fish parasite, great balance, sound effect, quality stainless steel hooks SIZES - 5 Sizes available www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to, Ian Mackellar who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition!

Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winners for February are P Yarrow of Ipswich, C White of Taringa, and R Godwin of Gympie, who each won a Salt-Away kit valued at $99.90.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

of Raceview, W Jolley of Scarness, D Mayers of Northfield, B Frankel of Urangan, J Paul of Inverell, P Larkin of Shoalhaven Heads, L Dewar of Roma, R Treacy of Frenchville, R Quill of Tin Can Bay, M Goodwin of Cardwell, B Mumbray of Yorkeys Knob, K Cook of Bli Bli, B Freier of Ningi, G Sprott of Glenlee, R Kunde of Beerwah, T Davidson of Guyra, M Gillett of Boonah, R Styan of Toowoomba, K

Goodman of Mount Morgan, T Gyte of Aspley, A Scott of Proserpine, T Grice of Caboolture, A Roods of Port MacQuarie, D Whaite of Tuchekoi, A Bragg of Mount Isa, G Watter of Ripley, B Tieman of Buxton, J Routledge of Kepnock, B Devine of Pialaba, J Bowyer of Blackall, and P Fels of Cushnie.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

© A Cordelia Adams original artwork. Instagram: clausdoesart

FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO

GUESS THE FISH?

The answers to Find the Gamakatsu Logo for February were: 10, 15, 26, 30, 40, 45, 49, 83, 86, 88, 96, 98, 112, 125, 129. – QFM

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APRIL 2019

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Spanish Mackerel

The Find the Gamakatsu Logo prize winners for February were: A Hall of Lucinda, D Skewes of Bli Bli, C George of Carrara, P Fielder of Everton Hills, C Rowe of Loganhome, W Sommerfield of Toowoomba, C Bust of Mackay, A Hewlett of Mothar Mountain, K O’Brien of Burrum Heads, W Robinson

Answer:

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat 96 Passage paddlin’

Inside story...

Troy Brown explores the water between Bribie Island and the mainland to uncover its yak fishing options!

Stessco is an Australian owned and operated family business. With a love of fishing and boating, Stessco has built a wide-ranging network of dealerships, with the goal of providing customers with dependable, value-for-money aluminium boats. Stessco prides itself on the wide variety of options available which can be added to the already wide range of different vessels.

98 Polycraft 300 Tuffy

Made for...

102 New from Savage

Anglers who are after a reliable tinny that can be customised to suit their individual requirements and fishing style.

This month...

QFM’s Bob Thornton climbs into the Breezaway 460 with a Yamaha F90hp.

Check it out on page 106!

Bob Thornton checks out the updated version of the smallest member of the Polycraft family.

100 Winter kayak prep Justin Willmer looks at how you can prep your kayak for the winter ahead.

Wayne Kampe checks out three new hulls from Australia’s oldest aluminium boat brand!

104 Bassco Tornado

Editor Steve Morgan takes a ride in this exciting new inshore/ offshore rig, powered by a 115hp Mercury Pro XS!

APRIL 2019

95

Passage paddling at Bribie Island BRISBANE

Troy Brown

Separated from the mainland

by Pumicestone Passage, Bribie Island is unexplored territory for many kayakers.

While this is due partially to travel times from some areas of South East Queensland, it is also a result of local kayak fishers fiercely protecting the secret of their sacred fishing ground. The secret is out, as this is a kayak fishery that begs to be explored.

corner of Solander Esplanade and Sunderland Drive), Spinnaker Sound, Bongaree boat ramp, Marine Parade at Bellara and boat ramps in adjacent waterways such as Bullock Creek. Many of these launch sites provide access to the excellent canal fishing on Bribie Island, as well as the superb opportunities that exist around Sandstone Point.

Solander Esplanade is a great starting point for kayak exploration of Bribie Island.

This area features some of the best drop-offs in the region.

Cod lurk in similar areas to mangrove jack in the canals. Mark Dugmore missed a photo opportunity when a much larger model jumped from the net, but this smaller specimen made it onboard.

April is typically a transitional time for fishing in most areas, with water temperatures lowering and the species mix moving away from the traditional summer fare. Coming out of what seemed like one of our driest and hottest summers, the fishing might become tougher for certain species, but the fishers themselves will at least appreciate the cooler climate. Common fare such as bream, trevally and flathead are abundant, while summer whiting will normally enjoy a late resurgence during April.

For those seeking the ultimate thrill ride, this is possibly the last month to try taking a mangrove jack on the surface, as these fish become less prevalent in our waterways through April.

Kayak fishers are spoilt for choice in the Pumicestone Passage. The area has a number of suitable launch points, with beaches and boat ramps conveniently placed to access some of the prime fishing locations. Popular sites include Banksia Beach (the

The rocky shoreline suddenly plunges into deeper water, with fish patrolling the edges of these mini underwater canyons. If you choose to fish the shallows, reduce tackle loss by casting extremely light

Kristian Wilson displays the spoils of leaving the passage and exploring adjacent creeks. When surface fishing, Kristian favours mono leader because of its buoyancy and advises a gentle hook-set is more effective than a firm strike. or unweighted plastics and slow-rolling them back to your kayak. The water is so shallow, there is no need to let your lure settle to the bottom, as this will typically just result in a break off on the many

The canals are a haven for hard-fighting trevally.

Apart from mangrove jack, there are few fish that provide more pound-for-pound fun on light tackle.

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APRIL 2019

jagged rocks. Working the drop-off, you will encounter a multitude of species, with the most common being bream, trevally, Moses perch and the occasional squire. If working the deeper side of the ledge, consider trolling a medium diver or jigging a blade along the edge of the drop-off. The nearby exposed Avon wreck attracts an ever-changing list of species depending on the tide, while an adjacent deep hole is a known hunting ground for large mulloway and snapper.

Good quality sounders are a distinct advantage, if you wish to find the best structure and avoid expensive damage to your hull or pedal drive.

Moving further along the shoreline, you will find the entrance to the Dux Creek canal system. Target the area around the entrance of the creek, paying particular attention to areas with a lot of water disturbance on the surface. This area is well known to locals, with squire, bream and sweetlip catches becoming more common during April. This section is subject to a large amount of boat traffic and is best fished during daylight, as the prolific illumination from nearby housing can make your kayak difficult to see at night.

Inside the canals, the stealth and manoeuvrability of a kayak becomes a major asset.

Every piece of structure has potential to hold fish, with rock

walls, pontoons, drains and bridge pylons acting as major fish habitats. Common catches in this area will be bream, trevally, small bull sharks, cod, flathead and mangrove jack.

This month is possibly our last opportunity to effectively target mangrove jack, as lower water temperatures will see a rapid decline in catch rates.

With lots of prawn activity still expected, it is likely April will still result in some excellent red dogs being captured despite the change in water temperature, with surface lures producing screaming reels and exciting hook-ups.

Fishing for bream and jacks around the pontoons will often require similar techniques, albeit with a change in tackle. Keep your

kayak in line with pontoon edges, cast forward into the current and run your lure back past the edge of the platform. If your casting accuracy does not allow this, paddle slightly away from the pontoon, cast forward at an angle and then paddle back to a suitable position to work the lure along the edge. For bream, a small shallow running crankbait will be deadly and these will also account for some smaller jacks.

My favourite technique for mangrove jack is to work a 4” soft plastic (such as a ZMan SwimmerZ) just below the surface, trying to keep the depth just under the edge of the structure. Easily spooked bream will often favour a slower retrieve, while the jacks will often ambush a bait imitation

Big bream in the canals are common.

This 35cm beast was taken on a Berkley 3B Fat Dog Crank hardbody lure. at Sandstone Point (opposite the Bongaree boat ramp) offer some of the best shallow water fishing in South East Queensland. There is an ideal

hours to fully explore your surrounds. Take time to watch the water, assessing tidal movements while noting details above and below the

Despite living in the species rich area of Gladstone, Ron and Roxy appreciate the sensational fishing on offer in the Pumicestone Passage. that moves faster through the strike zone. Like all fishing, the rules tend to be broken, so these techniques will often need to be reversed to achieve a strike.

If water clarity is good, try clear hardbody lures with subtle colouring (e.g. ghost gill brown or ayu), with blacks or golds working well in dirty water. Mangrove jacks have a voracious appetite for the red shad colour in the soft plastics, regardless of water clarity.

With prawns running through the system, favouring natural colours and working the surface area will often produce the most exciting result possible, with an aggressive hook-up on a bullish mangrove jack.

While the jacks are considered a trophy fish in all of our systems, the Bribie canals are home to another fish that can provide an enjoyable battle. The humble estuary cod is a frequent catch, with even small versions providing some fun strikes. The canals are inhabited by large cod and often it is difficult to tell if you’ve been struck by a jack, or a very big cod. During recent visits, I have been dusted by a large fish that have taken a number of my lures and I am yet to discover if it is a cod or a jack.

While the violent strike and turn is indicative of a mangrove jack, we have captured a solid number of cod from nearby structure. Despite my frustration at the loss of lures, the rush from these big strikes makes the cost and effort worthwhile.

Leaving the canals, the flats

mix of structure between the bridge and the point, with sand flats, intermittent rocky base and mangrove-like tree structure. Due to the low water level and hazards for larger vessels, boat traffic over the flats is minimal and kayaks rule the water.

Bottom bouncing soft plastics along the shallow sand flats, or casting small diving lures such as Pontoon 21 Greedy Guts will nearly guarantee success. This area is renowned for its superb flathead fishery and is unlikely to disappoint.

waterline. The time you spend doing this will be rewarded with more fish on your next visit. Queensland Hobie Crew stalwart Lee Major fishes the area regularly and has simple, but wise advice, “Find the structure and you will find the fish. There are a lot of flats with unique structure, so check the shallows on low tide.”

For some more adventurous fishing, the passage also offers jewels such as Ningi Creek, which has plenty of natural habitat and artificial oyster leases.

These local creeks are part of

The reason for Lee Edward’s smile is obvious; Lee targets these fish by trolling or casting Zerek Tango Shads over the flats and weed beds at Bribie.

Bream are always present, but catches of larger fish are becoming more common.

The nearby Cooks Rock area holds small juvenile snapper, with catches improving as the water temperatures decrease.

When kayaking this area for the first time, consider leaving the rod in the holder and taking a couple of

a comprehensive and healthy waterway. Bribie Island is blessed with a variety of fishing options, but please be aware of marine park zonings in the area prior to hitting the water. Fish sustainably and release fish where possible, as this is a fishery that deserves to be preserved for future generations.

WHAT’S NEW BOATING HDS CARBON UPGRADE

1

The Lowrance 18.3 software update for HDS Carbon displays includes support for Active Imaging, StructureScan 3D with Active Imaging enhancements and the LR-1 Remote Control, plus a simplified user interface and new Dual Mode WiFi capability.

Active Imaging allows anglers to see structure from a greater distance, with more refined detail. The software update enables support for both Active Imaging 3-in-1 and 2-in-1 transducers.

Active Imaging enhancements for StructureScan 3D include a cleaner water column with less noise, refreshed colour palettes and enhanced sonar processing to deliver maximum detail, plus a new depthhighlighting feature.

Users can control an HDS Carbon display from anywhere on their boat with the optional LR-1 Remote Control.

The simplified HDS Carbon interface has dedicated pages for CHIRP, SideScan, DownScan Imaging, StructureScan 3D and SpotlightScan. With Dual Mode WiFi, you can maintain a WiFi connection to HDS Carbon and still use it as an access point for screen mirroring/remote control from a smartphone/ tablet.

This update is also available for Simrad NSO, NSS and GO series displays. www.lowrance.com

FUSION PANELSTEREO

2

Fusion has released a weather-proof (IP65) version of all-in-one marine entertainment system – the Panel-Stereo Outdoor. Offering AM/FM, USB, AUX and Bluetooth streaming source options, it provides exceptional sound reproduction from a single product, and flexibility in installation options.

Panel-Stereo allows boaters to enjoy the flexibility of audio control from anywhere in or on an vessel via Bluetooth from compatible Apple or Android devices. Users can also enable stereo control from a compatible Garmin watch and Fusion ARX wireless remote, or simply use the front face of the Panel-Stereo.

Designed for surface mounting with the optional 43mm surface mounting spacer, Panel-Stereo can be installed onto any flat surface with no mounting cut-out required. It’s ideal for shallow wall cavities, with only a single cut-out, where standard speakers will not fit.

Both flush and flat options are available.

Requiring only 12V DC power, ground and AM/FM connections, the set up is quick and easy. www.fusionentertainment.com

ALL-NEW 400HP VERADO

3

Mercury Marine is introducing an allnew 400hp Verado outboard - the most powerful Verado on the water.

The new engine is built on Mercury’s proven L6SC Verado platform, and is suitable for a wide range of applications including offshore boats, centre consoles and pontoons.

As well as the added power, owners will enjoy the smooth and quiet operation.

Weighing just 303kg, the same as the 350hp Verado, the newest Verado is the lightest outboard in the 400hp+ category by more than 130kg.

The 400hp Verado will exclusively use the 5.44” 1.75 HD (heavy-duty) gearcase and is compatible with Mercury Joystick Piloting for Outboards. It will be available in the same model variations as the 350hp Verado.

PRODUCT GUIDE

The 3+3=6 year outboard warranty provides engine owners with an additional three years of factory-backed protection against failures caused by defects in material or production. www.mercurymarine.com.au

KOVIX KVH ALARMED LOCK

1 4

The Kovix KVH alarmed trailer U lock allows you to secure your boat, caravan or trailer. Made from high strength 304 stainless steel, this lock is designed for Australia’s tough conditions.

The original KVH-88 model has now been superseded by the new KVH-96. The increased width of the new version (96mm) means it fits more coupling types. It is suitable for the following couplings: standard 50mm ball, standard 70mm ball, ALKO Offroad 3.5T and ALKO Offroad 2T. On most ball couplings, the KVH can also be locked on while the trailer is attached to your vehicle (use caution when driving with the lock attached, as extreme conditions may cause damage to the lock).

Features include a built-in 120db alarm system, CR2 long-life lithium battery, on and off alarm functions and waterresistant electronics.

Price: SRP: $224.95 www.kovixaustralia.com.au

CREWSAVER CREWFIT 165N

3

5

Crewsaver has released a new model lifejacket called Crewfit 165N, which is a safe, comfortable and affordable PFD for the everyday recreational boater.

The Crewfit 165N Sport uses the latest 3D technology, ensuring maximum comfort levels.

Entry level to the 3D range, the Crewfit 165N Sport has the essential features to ensure the user remains safe when out on the water.

Key features include: ISO 12402-3 (150N) approved but with superior buoyancy (165N) to float you higher in the water; Peninsular Chin support, to keep your airway well clear of the water whatever the conditions; attachment point for Crewsaver Surface Light; soft loop D-ring for attaching safety harness (with harness option); robust outer cover for durability; UML MK5 Automatic or Halkny Roberts 840 Manual operating heads; centre buckle adjuster; crotch strap (optional extra); oral tube; whistle; reflective tape; and lifting becket. www.crewsaver.com

ICOM IC-M330GE VHF

2

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6

The Japanese made Icom IC-M330, with its ultra-compact body (156.5mm x 66.5mm x 110.1mm) is the ideal marine transceiver when space is at a premium.

A combination of the directional keypad and soft keys provides simple, smooth operation, and the most used functions are assigned to soft keys for quick one-push function access.

A new speaker design delivers dynamic and clear sound over a wide bass and treble range, and the IC-M330/G provides a distortion-free clear audio even at full volume.

The radio provides reliable communication in RF busy environment like a marina. The ICM330 radio monitors CH 70 continuously, even while you are receiving another channel. The built-in GPS receiver provides your location, bearing and speed by using information from GPS, GLONASS and SBAS. The acquired position information can be used for DSC calls.

Other features include an easy-to-read full dot-matrix display, AquaQuake draining function, and IPX7 waterproof construction. www.icom.net.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

Smallest Polycraft family member gets a facelift patch up some holes, we can send a repair kit and it can easily be fixed – you wouldn’t even know it there was a hole there!”

Overall, the new hull weight is heavier than the

BRISBANE

Bob Thornton

Polycraft have some news that will interest sportfishers on a budget, and this is bound to generate a lot of excitement in the fishing and boating community!

The smallest member of the much-loved Polycraft family, the 300 Tuff Tender, has just been given a facelift, making it perfect as a small sportfishing boat. The name has also received a facelift, with this updated version being affectionately named the 300 Tuffy.

Steve Cooper from Polycraft says that the update was a logical step, and one that has already been well-received.

“Originally this boat was designed as a tender, but over time it started to develop a following as a fishing boat,” he said.

With many anglers choosing to add their own modifications, usually hatches in the rear and extended deck on the front, it got to the point where Polycraft felt the need to sell the Tuff Tender with these features – and that’s exactly what they’ve done.

“We added the extended casting deck up the front with

for the motor, and $2,000 for the Oceanic trailer, so this would only set you back about $7,500, and most people will then chose to add an electric,” he said.

If you’re after an

The new 300 Tuffy looks sporty when underway, and is the perfect outfit for an angler who wants to take the hassle out of owning a fishing boat.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Mckinstray.

storage hatch, rear seating and storage bins, we’ve also added some starboard finish on the decks, and everywhere else there’s a non-skid finish, as people like to stand up and fish in these boats,” Steve said.

“The steps on the back are now bigger, making it a lot more comfortable when stepping into the boat.”

Another small but fantastic feature of these boats

0 TUFF 0 3 E S A E L E R W E N

is in the storage, with all the hinges being made entirely out of the same poly material as the hull, yet keeping everything perfectly dry.

Despite all these changes to make it more of a fishing boat, the team at Polycraft haven’t left the Tuffy’s roots as a tender for big boats.

“This boat will still make a great tender for a Riviera, and we noticed with the last

version it had an exposed sprit at the front, and on that sprit was a bow shackle,” Steve said. “Being made of steel, some people were finding that the shackle would rub on the gel-coat overnight and cause some damage, so we’ve taken this into consideration and we’ve recessed this bolt, meaning it can’t come into contact with gel-coat surfaces anymore.”

There’s plenty of room to stand up on the non-slip starboard finished decks to fish. old version, with the old Tuff Tender coming in at 87kg, and the new Tuffy at 105kg, but the reason for that is surface area.

The Tuffy is 50mm longer, and 50mm wider. The storage bins add some weight, and the lids to the bins are also double skinned.

The boat tested on the day was fitted with a 15hp

inexpensive, trouble-free fishing boat to hit inshore water and lakes, make sure you check out Polycraft’s new 300 Tuffy. For more information you can visit www.polycraft.com.au.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of

Y

DU RA BI LI T Y Y ST AB IL IT Y & SA M E LE GE ND AR

All Polycraft boats come with superior stability, and the 300 Tuffy is no exception!

st deck • Now with ca ll design • Improved hu ut aces througho • Non slip surf rage • More dry sto BUNDABERG CAIRNS BURPENGARY GLADSTONE TOWNSVILLE SOUTHPORT CANNONVALE NOOSAVILLE -

Adrian’s Marine Centre Aussie Marine Brisbane Yamaha Curtis Coast Marine Rising Sun Honda Marine Nitro Marine Whitsunday Marine Laguna Boating

07 4153 1819 07 4033 8800 07 3888 1727 07 4972 0135 07 4759 3218 07 5532 5812 07 4948 3298 07 5442 4872

Check out the full range of Polycraft Boats at

www.polycraft.com.au

or contact us on 1800 336 603

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APRIL 2019

Storage is a major factor of the Tuffy, and being of a waterproof design with absolutely no metal, the hatches won’t give any maintenance troubles at all!

Another great aspect of this boat the ease with which an owner can make his or her own modifications.

“You don’t ever make the perfect boat that suits every angler, so with Polycraft boats, if you want to attach a bracket, add more decking, or drill any holes in the cockpit area, you’re only screwing into the inside of the boat, and not penetrating the outside of the hull at all,” Steve said.

“If you sell the boat to someone and they want to

4-stroke Yamaha and a Minn Kota electric motor, and had no trouble getting up and out of the hole, and even took on South East Queensland’s Pumicestone Passage very easily in 10-15 knots of breeze.

The 80lb bow-mounted electric moved the hull effortlessly through the moored boats, and the deck provided ample space to operate it while making casts.

“For the rig like this, we’re looking at $1,999 for the hull, approximately $3,500

SPECIFICATIONS Length.............3070mm Beam...............560mm Height…..........550mm Weight.............108kg Floatation........Basic Max hp.............15hp individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

Brisbane Quintrex moves into the southside Brisbane Yamaha Group – Australia’s largest marine dealership – has just opened a Quintrex and Evinrude dealer on the Southside: Brisbane Quintrex. With Brisbane Yamaha on Brisbane’s Northside being famous for selling and servicing quality boats and outboards, offering this service on the Southside seemed a logical step.

he wanted to provide a dealership like Brisbane Yamaha to those who were missing out on the Southside.

“Brisbane Quintrex is the same company as Brisbane Yamaha – we sell the same top of the range brands like Quintrex, Baysport, Polycraft, Yamaha, and now Evinrude,” Goodchild said.

“In the few months

we have professional fishermen and people who used to do a lot of boat testing, so these are people who understand boats, because they’ve spent so much time on the water,” Goodchild said.

“They’ve used the boats and motors they’re selling, so if they make a recommendation, you can be guaranteed that it’s based on fact, so

Owner Aaron Goodchild is very happy with the public response to the new dealership at Loganholme.

Located on the Pacific Highway in Loganholme, there is a huge range of Quintrex boats, Baysport boats, and Evinrude outboards on display, as well as many fantastic boat packages.

Brisbane Yamaha and Brisbane Quintrex owner Aaron Goodchild said

we’ve been open, the public has embraced us, and we’ve sold just over 120 boats in about four months.”

Brisbane Quintrex is looking to build on the success of Brisbane Yamaha, and Goodchild believes the main advantage they have is the staff.

“At Brisbane Quintrex

you can rest assured that you’ll be shown to a boat that’s perfect for what you want to do.”

Brisbane Quintrex is now looking to expand its premises to offer more of Brisbane Yamaha Group’s well-known great services.

“After four months we are now expanding, and

we’ve taken the property next door and this will allow us to have a much bigger footprint, with workshops and chandlery,” Goodchild said.

“If you’re thinking about buying a boat, if you’d like to come on the water for a water test, or if you just want to talk about a boat, give us a call on (07) 3133 3468 or visit www. brisbanequintrex.com.au.”

Brisbane Quintrex is located at 3775 Pacific Hwy Loganholme QLD, and they’re open 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, and 8am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. – FMG

With plans to expand to the premises next door, Brisbane Quintrex aims to be able to provide the services avaiable at Brisbane Yamaha on the northside.

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Wind woes to prepare for winter!

BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

I awoke at 4:30am to the sound of the alarm on my phone, barely drowning out the dreaded sound of the wind blowing through

tube remaining motionless in the shed while I joined a couple of mates on their boating adventures to scratch the fishing itch. I did make the most of one free morning for some kayak maintenance, getting my pedal yak back in order, ready for some glassy winter weather and

kayak would allow me to cover some ground, fish back into the wind and make my way back home against the forecast 20+ knots of breeze that gusted to well over this.

Remember, safety first, and as always I had a plan – fishing areas that would be safe with the forecast

it has a rod rack set up that can securely hold four rigged rods and I had a selection of new colours in some of my favourite soft plastic models, so was hoping to have four different plastics rigged and ready to fish. Finally, it is set up with a quality anchor running rig or anchor trolley, allowing me to move the anchor line to the nose or tail of the kayak and anchor more effectively and safely in the wind.

Launching at the local boat ramp I pedalled across the wind and set up a drift across a large flat. The first new plastic to get a run was one of my favourite profiles – a 2.5” paddletail, in the newly released green pumpkin colour. With the overcast sky and dull conditions I was pretty confident that this natural, darker silhouette colour would get eaten. Fishing in 1-1.5m of water, I had the little paddle-tail rigged on a 1/4oz 1/0 jighead. For many this would seem like too heavy a jighead, however there are a couple of reasons that I run this jighead weight.

The alternative retrieval point and trolley came in handy again with the wind blowing hard. small bream I was stoked to have it on board and took a couple of quick photos. It was my first cast with the new colour paddle tail and it was also my first fish in the

A pretty good bream was soon in the net, had its photo taken and was released. This better fish had me thinking about the coming cooler months and the quality

A simple kit – jigheads to suit the plastics, scents, snips and a few different leader weights. the trees outside. It had been a busy month of work and family commitments, topped off by what seemed like never ending wind and cyclonic conditions. I opened the front door and was greeted by gum trees blowing in the breeze and dark clouds moving across the sky. What to do? Go fishing, of course.

A lack of free time and the poor weather had seen the kayaks, SUP and float

this inspired me to take on the wind and get the yak out while I had a few hours.

I still hadn’t replaced the rudder cable on the kayak, so effectively had no steering.

I set the rudder to straight, tightened up the tension screw so that it wouldn’t move and my plan was to simply dip the paddle blade in the water on either side to steer the kayak, while pedalling to power it. Even without the rudder the pedal

wind direction and I had an alternative option to retrieve the kayak, along with my trolley, should it become too difficult to make the pedal all the way back to the boat ramp I was launching from.

There were a few more reasons for stepping up to the pedal kayak. Firstly, it is longer and larger than my small paddle kayak, so it would be much more comfortable and safer in the windy conditions. Secondly,

An anchor and running rig or anchor trolley make fishing in the wind much easier.

Just a small bream but good fun and first fish on the first cast with a new colour.

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Firstly it allows long casts, even in windy conditions, so that the lure is further away from the kayak, while fishing shallower water and often spooky feeders. Secondly I am drifting on the flat, so I am fishing fast and covering as much ground as possible, making as many casts as I can before I have drifted off the flat.

With the strong wind moving in the same direction as the rising tide I was drifting fast. A long cast across the flat and slightly ahead of the drift, a few shakes of the plastic and then a fairly quick retrieve speed, resulting in a tap, tap and hook set. A short but stubborn fight and a small bream was in the net.

Even though it was only a

kayak for a little while, with the run of bad weather and lack of time. Upon releasing the fish it powered off, giving me that bream release shower with its tail.

I added a little more scent to the plastic and looked up to find that I was already halfway along the 200m flat… the speed of the drift was crazy. A couple more casts and the drag screamed as what felt like a better quality bream nailed the plastic and sped off across the flat. The speed that the fish travel at across the flat when hooked is one of the things that make rolling plastics on the flats so addictive.

They can’t run deep, so they power off across the flat at blinding speed.

bream fishing that will be on the flats as there is an influx of bait into the system. Many anglers shy away from kayak fishing in the winter months, however, for me this is some of the best fishing, with plenty of bait being followed into the river and estuary systems by a mix of cold weather species. Winter days can also mean stable weather patterns, glassy conditions and an escape from the heat of summer.

The key with fishing in the cooler months is to get your kayak fishing apparel sorted. Layering allows you to remove or add layers as the temperature changes and it’s important to invest in some quality outer layers, including lightweight

waterproof pants and top. A headscarf and hat or beanie will keep the head warm.

There are even waterproof socks available that can keep your feet dry and warm, inside a pair of water shoes.

A dry bag is a good idea for storing additional or unrequired layers.

By the time the bream was released I was almost

and ensure the anchor locks into the bottom, then slide the anchor running rig into position and prepare for any jolt as the slack line is taken up. You do not want to end up side on in current and rough conditions.

I made a couple of dozen casts around the kayak and after only a couple of yellowtail pike

and out of the water. When the weather is better I will be giving it a run over the sand flats and picking some pockets in the weed beds.

Looking out of the mouth of the creek I could see that the wind had lifted to another level and conditions were quite rough. There were also some big black clouds looming in the distance. It

A quick clean up in the landing net while wheeling the kayak home. stopped occasionally, where the wind had pushed seaweed and rubbish up onto the bank and collected some rubbish in my landing

the environment healthier.

It had been a testing, but enjoyable morning on the water, with a few fish on some new lures and the big

rain… if I was still on the water when the torrential downpour happened the ending may not have been so happy. Make the most

Four new fish lollies, rigged and ready to go. off the flat and with it blowing hard, I decided to pedal back up the flat to drift again at that speed was not an option, opting instead to anchor near the edge of the flat. It’s important that when anchoring in wind and rougher conditions you have the anchor line and running rig sorted before you move into position

and the wind increasing, it was time to leave the flat and head for the shelter of a local creek mouth. It wasn’t so much about fishing on this trip but getting out on the water and getting the big yak back in action, so I opted to explore some new water and flick another new colour, this time in one of my go-to flathead plastics.

was time to head for home.

Hugging the mangroves as I exited the creek ensured that I was travelling in sheltered waters, until I rounded the last bend and felt the full power of the wind. The decision of whether to pedal back to the boat ramp or to pull out at the alternative retrieval point was made for me Only a small flathead, but it christened the new hot snakes colour in the ZMan 3” MinnowZ. net for later disposal. If we all do our bit and clean up on our travels, we will help to keep our fisheries and

yak back in action. I arrived home, cleaned and stowed the kayak and then the skies opened and it poured with

of your weather windows, gear up for the winter months and all the best with the fishing.

It’s nice to have the big rig back in action... just need to sort that rudder cable! to anchor. The last thing you want is the anchor line tangled around something, pulling something into the water or making the kayak unstable. Paddle back into the current, lower the anchor, clear the anchor line

After drifting for a while, I anchored on the edge of a weed bank and threw a lot of casts for only a couple of small flathead.

I can see this new colour becoming a favourite as it looked awesome both in

instantly and I only had about a hundred metres to pedal before sliding the kayak up onto the bank at the closer exit point and loading it back onto the trolley for the roll home.

On the roll home I

That’s a better quality fish and another on the new green pumpkin coloured ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ. APRIL 2019

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Three great boats for families or anglers BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

It was a boat review to remember: a day in the Southport Broadwater

assessing three popular boats from the Savage range – the brand is celebrating 120 years of alloy boat manufacturing this year. We had the opportunity to assess a pair of great family craft

plus one more suited to us anglers.

The three craft were sensibly sized rigs, ideal for the family or first time boater, easily towed by a family sized SUV or wagon and with enough features to

CELEBRATING

arouse interest in novice and experienced boat owners.

All three craft sported 3mm bottoms and topsides and were finished with some considerable attention to detail and presentation.

Savage are acknowledged

as the oldest alloy boat makers in our country and have a heritage, and reputation, that stands behind the range of Savage craft that are now manufactured by the massive Telwater conglomerate on the Gold Coast.

Founded in 1898

fitted) for some welldeserved snacks.

There is carpeted floor throughout, while a family sized see-through glove box and a dash area large enough for all electronic deviced were all standard fare.

Meanwhile, the cockpit table and bimini, plus a pair of rod holders were options.

Power astern was courtesy of a 90hp Mercury

four stroke – maximum power – and even with four passengers aboard, the 485 Beachcomber had no problem exceeding 60km/h at near wide open throttle.

Able to pull a skier? No question about it. Some useful options for the Beachcomber are a bait station, drum winch, plus a berley bucket so fishing is not overlooked.

What did impress me about the 485 Beachcomber, along with the stability at rest, was the roominess within the hull plus an easy, unfussed ride. The run out to our designated photo and test work area was far from smooth and the Beachcomber – with four aboard – acquitted itself very well in the short, sharp chop we encountered.

120 years of Boating!

BOW RIDER LUXURY, 485 BEACHCOMBER I was lucky enough to be aboard a couple of craft that could fulfil the roles of handy family runabouts or fishing craft, depending on the day’s requirements. The first, the 485 Beachcomber, was a nippy bowrider with seating for five on comfy pedestal seats up front and a wide folding lounge at the stern. Cockpit side pockets were large enough to take

care of less bulky items and there was also handy storage in the bow area within three compartments found under the plush cushioning up front.

Access forward was via a port opening windscreen section.

Personally, I’ve always thought bowriders to be a very versatile – and underrated – craft with up front seating just perfect for fun in the sun, plus it’s a handy fishing

station to have first crack at fish ahead. On family days, that extra seating would certainly be put to good use as well. A ski pole insert is fitted on this craft, so tow sports could well be part of a day on the water with the Beachcomber when conditions are right.

The bowrider area is perfect to set-up an optional table (with a floor spigot

There’s sufficient room on the Beachcomber’s dash area to set-up one of the larger sounders, via a RAM bracket.

The Beachcomber’s aft seat was well set-up with a back rest but can be folded right down out of the way to provide more work room for fishing.

Strutting its stuff, the Beachcomber was amply powered by the 90 Mercury four-stroke.

When it’s time to relax and enjoy the ambience, the Beachcomber’s optional table would certainly come in handy.

The numbers tell the story: Savage are celebrating 120 years of boating in Australia.

A close look at the Beachcomber reveals her high sides and attractive lines throughout. That bimini is a must have extra in the author’s opinion.

THE 435 BAY CRUISER Although a half metre shorter and with less beam (1.95m against the 2.08m of the 485 Beachcomber) the 435 Bay Cruiser also did very well, even with four passengers aboard. This was especially apparent during

the run out to more sheltered waters where digital images could be later assessed as suitable for publication rather than simply trashed because of focus issues.

The Bay Cruiser’s interior layout was very similar to

Anchor access within the 435 Bay Cruiser is simplified by an opening windscreen centre plus a recess in the front deck.

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that of the Beachcomber’s, with a port folding windscreen centre, a lean-through central screen section to allow anchor access and glove box in the dash. There was also carpet throughout, full cockpit length side pockets plus seating for five

via the familiar arrangement of pedestals up front and a three person lounge at the stern.

Again, the ample cockpit area ensured there would be plenty of room for fishing tackle or family orientated items – extra clothes, ice boxes and

The Bay Cruiser’s dash area was large enough to provide room for plenty of gauges plus a big screen sounder on a RAM bracket.

the like – depending upon the day’s agenda.

Like the 485 Beachcomber, the Bay Cruiser’s options included a bimini and rod holders with additional options also extending to similar fishing assets as the Beachcomber.

Set-up with a smooth Mercury 50 four-stroke, the 435 Bay Cruiser lifted onto the plane in a couple of boat lengths and cruised quietly at over 50km/h without much effort. In all, a neat and very useful runabout rig.

Four passengers aboard and the 435 Bay Cruiser with its 50 Mercury four-stroke was cruising nicely.

ABOARD THE 445 OSPREY Of the three craft I was invited to drive I thought the 445 Osprey was the more fishing orientated rig. It was a good sized open boat, with lots of work room and storage up front under the 55cm high cast deck to compliment the cockpit side pockets, the 445 Osprey seemed to be well set-up for fishing

and crabbing.

At the helm I found the Osprey had a nice feel about it underway, too, due to the tiller steer 40 Mercury fourstroke (max power is 50hp) being quite responsive and providing that sensation of unity of motion that tiller steer rigs always do. Cruising along, I felt the 40’s offset tiller handle plus trim/tilt

The author drove the rig over some serious wash at a good pace and was quite impressed with its performance.

at the fingertips made the journey better and just for the fun of it we recorded a speed of just over 40km/h on my handheld GPS with two aboard on the run back to base at the Marine precinct.

The ride of the Savage was also good, and when belting across a few pressure waves from the two accompanying Savage

runabouts the Osprey surprised me with its gentleness. Driving while sitting on a metal seat without padding makes it pretty easy to gauge whether a particular craft is soft riding or not.

With a beam of 1.96m the Osprey was quite beamy for length while the side height of almost 900mm would ensure there would

be ample peace of mind for Mum or Dad with youngsters aboard the craft.

The rating was for up to five passengers and a nice touch was the carpeted cast deck and floor throughout.

Options consisted of rod holders, glove box and most interesting, a side console was available as well. I’d see the 445 Osprey fulfilling

quite a few useful roles as a fishing rig for bay, estuary or impoundment work.

CONCLUSION Summing up my Savage day I formed the opinion that all three of the reviewed craft would live up to expectations of their owners and, best of all, a 4x4 is not essential to tow any of these crafts.

Time for a break! Although not top power, the 40 Mercury was an ideal motor for the tiller steer Osprey.

The Savage 485 Beachcomber and 435 Bay Cruiser on the South Stradbroke Island beach. As useful runabout craft, either would be ideal for family fishing or boating fun.

A useful storage hatch under the front deck was ideal for out of weather storage within the Osprey.

A look at the 445 Osprey’s interior: it’s a typical open fishing rig so beloved by a lot of anglers for the combination of simplicity and inherent usefulness.

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Bassco Tornado CC with 115hp Mercury Pro XS - SC

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Main: The Bassco Tornado is a locally designed and built centreconsole that is a rare combination – it holds a stack of tackle efficiently and you can seriously tackle oceanic species.

Above: Wayne Mauger is equally at home on an estuary of Port Phillip Bay in his Tornado. You’ll notice that Wayne has accessorised his Tornado to the hilt. boats seemingly well built, but they will hold the gear of the biggest tackle junkie for a social or tournament angler.

Bassco customer Wayne Mauger brought his Tornado along to the test day. He came out of an American built Triton bass boat into the Bassco and couldn’t be happier.

“This boat does

SPECIFICATIONS Length........................................................5.0m Beam........................................................2.07m Transom.Deadrise ...................................... 20° Capacity ............................................ 4 persons Max.hp ..................................................... 115hp (special build 150hp available) Hull.Weight .............................................. 690kg 104

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everything that my bass boat used to do, but I can still get out and fish offshore,” Wayne said.

“I like to sit down when I drive a centre console – which is unusual – but to me, this handles like a 7m boat,” he continued.

Unfortunately, the test day was glamour , with not a ripple on the water, so we couldn’t independently test the tide in nasty conditions, but we did see how much tackle this thing gobbles up.

With eight rods under the deck and another six around the console, the Tornado boasts 14-rod storage along with 20 tackle trays that are actually accessible.

Whether you are needing

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It’s hard not to get enthusiastic when talking to Michael Boag from Bassco boats. The Gippsland Lakes boat builder has a solid history in building big, dieselpowered fibreglass boats and only recently turned his hand to making smaller boats designed for fishing.

Cleverly, though, when doing his R&D, Michael enlisted the help of anglers.

“I know it’s a strange concept – actually talking to the guys who will use the boat,” he quipped sarcastically during the video interview (scan the QR code hereby for details), “but for me, layout and the ability for a boat to securely hold all of your gear and to keep it dry is a benchmark that I judge a fishing boat by.”

After all, locally built craft have to compete with imported fishing boats that have had decades to evolve to a point where they are a pleasure to use.

I’m happy to report that not only are the Bassco

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a livewell or a kill box, there’s a great, plumbed box under the console seat that serves both purposes.

Powered by a 115hp Pro XS Mercury, this sure is a fun boat to drive. The 2.1L 4-stroke powerplant delivered great economy at 4,000rpm cruising speed (2.4km/L at 46km/h) but stretched out to a mid-70km/h maximum at 6,200rpm.

There’s also a cavernous fuel tank underfloor, boasting 140L capacity and a theoretical range of around 350km, and that’s plenty for a weekend away!

With a package price of $50,999 for the boat/motor and trailer, it’s up to you after that to accessorise with electronics and electric motors of your choosing.

Wayne certainly hasn’t skimped in any of these

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PERFORMANCE RPM...... Speed.(km/h) Idle .......................... 4 1000 ......................... 8 2000....................... 12 3000....................... 29 4000....................... 46 5000....................... 61 6000....................... 74 6200 ....................... 76 areas, with top of the line Humminbird and MinnKota gear finishing his rig exactly as he likes it.

For more information, give Michael Boag a call on 0417 545 593 or visit their Facebook page (Bassco Boats). They don’t have a website yet, so don’t look for them there. But if you’re considering a local alternative to an imported fishing boat, you do need to throw a Bassco into the mix!

The Tornado jumps onto the plane easily with the 115 Pro XS Mercury.

Wayne likes driving his centre console while sitting down.

Top: It’s impractical to flush mount a sounder into the console, yet the Humminbird fills the console top nicely.

Above: Step up to the front deck for your lure casting. From the console forwards, it looks and fishes like a bass boat (but without any carpet).

There’s plenty of room to move up front – and the grab rail is a handy place to grab while you are doing so.

I dare any angler to be unimpressed by the cavernous central rod and tackle storage.

This one holds 8 rods and 14 tackle trays, while being dry and secure.

Moderate transom deadrise offers a balance between wave cutting ability and shallow water draft.

Top: Plenty of anglers nowadays appreciate a carpet-free interior. You do your cleaning with a brush and hose rather than a wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner.

Left: The transom is clean with access points contained behind access hatches Right: You can store more rods in the side pockets if 8 isn’t enough in the central locker. Too many rods isn’t enough.

Top: A single-axled trailer with mechanical override brakes is all that’s needed and this rig is towable behind most family cars.

Left: Single-axled trailers allow for easier manoeuvrability in confined spaces – like a standard garage.

Right: Mercury’s 2.1L 115 Pro XS 4-stroke is a class-leading power plant that adds excitement to any performance craft. It matches the red hull nicely, just quietly. It delivered maximum economy of 2.4km/L, giving a theoretical range of around 350km with the 140L fuel tank.

You know that the Tornado will turn heads at the ramp and on the water. The boat drives on and off the trailer with ease.

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Stessco Breezaway 460 with Yamaha F90hp - SC

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put on a purpose-built trailer, and not just any old trailer from a yard somewhere.

For extra peace of mind, the Yamaha F70hp comes with a 4-year warranty.

easily achievable if you were on your own or with people less experienced in boating.

Pulling the loaded trailer back out of the water can be done with a standard

Main: The 460 is the middle child in the Breezaway range, with a 440 and 480 also available.

Above: Adrian Beil from Stessco certainly made the 460 look easy to operate in a little bit of chop – probably because it was!

LAUNCHING Launching couldn’t be any easier with the Breezaway, with the boat quietly sliding off the composite bunk/roller trailer with ease, with retrieval being just trouble free. Even in windy conditions, launching this boat by yourself would be

family sedan or small 4WD, with no specialised towing vehicle needed.

ON THE WATER The Breezaway 460 has been designed with one goal in mind, and that is to make it easy to operate, and Stessco achieves this by making everything as open

takes a ski pole or bait board, which Stessco can provide.

The working space behind the cockpit is as open as possible, with only one underdeck storage hatch, which would make an ideal kill tank. There is also storage under both gunwales to stow any small or long items out

of harm’s way. This working space is extremely versatile, and perfect for taking extra people, ski tubes, fishing tackle or camping gear.

Up toward the cockpit, the new Stessco bolster-style seats are super comfortable, even with the deteriorating conditions in South East Queensland’s Pumicestone Passage, and swivel easily.

There’s no rocking or wobbling, even when punching through a bit of chop, and the seats are well-padded for comfort on those longer boating trips.

The windscreen provided protection from any splash that made it over the bow, and featured a design that allows quick and safe access to the anchor well. Under the front deck is enough room to put any larger items that need to be kept dry, such as camping gear. A lockable glove box is another handy feature not often seen in boats of this size.

The dash layout is very simple and easy to navigate, with a flush mounted sounder diminishing the need to fit and re-fit a unit every time you launch the boat, and gadgets and switches all within flicking distance of the steering wheel.

POWER The test boat was fitted with a Yamaha F70hp – the maximum horsepower for

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Length (mm) ................................................ 5054 Beam (mm) .................................................. 2100 Depth (mm)...................................................1150 Bottom sides (mm) ........................................... 3 Top sides (mm) .................................................. 3 Max. hp ............................................................ 70 Max. transom weight.....................................175 Transom height ..............................................20” Max no. people ................................................. 5 Base boat hull weight (kg) ........................... 390

and accessible as possible.

The transom is an open design, meaning there’s ready access to the battery, fuel filter and splash well, which at the same time are well housed and safe from the weather. A small transom door is perfect for accessing the boat from the rear, which is also possible from the bank, as this range of runabouts draws so little water. Not only was this boat easy to pull into the shallow water transom first – we still had to stop it from drifting away! With versatility being the middle name of this boat, it also has a simple mount above the splash well that

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Stessco has always produced fantastic boat/motor/trailer packages, and being an Australian boat builder, they cater very well to Australian conditions and lifestyles.

While they have always built great hulls for specific purposes, some buyers just want something that will get them out on the water for a day of fishing, skiing, or just relaxing with friends and family! Perfect for this caper is the runabout style hull, of which Stessco produce many.

Boaters will be pleased to know that Stessco offer not one but a range of packages for this category of buyer.

This time we will be focussing on the Breezaway 460, with the tested model sporting a Yamaha F70hp at the transom. The Breezaway 460 is part of a family of versatile runabouts, which also includes the 440 and 480. Adrian Beil joined the Fishing Monthly team to take the middle child of this family for a spin.

ON THE TRAILER The tested Breezaway came to the ramp on a Stessco trailer OEM built by Dunbier, which comes in either a galvanised or aluminium option. The Breezaway, being part of Stessco’s premium range, when housed on one of these trailers comes with a warranty of five years, as opposed to 24 months when not on a Stessco trailer.

Additionally, being a single axle trailer, it makes the whole rig very manoeuvrable not only when towing, but also in the garage with only one person pushing or pulling.

There’s no doubt that a boat will have a longer life when

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this craft – and it delivered fantastic fuel economy and a top speed of 57km/h in the choppy conditions.

Amazingly, there wasn’t a lot of difference between the most economic cruising speed at 43km/h (4500rpm), which delivered 3.1km/L, and the top speed of 57km/h (WOT), which delivered only slightly less, at 2.6km/L. FINAL THOUGHTS This boat, if fitted out correctly, could head offshore, however there are more suitable boats in the Stessco range for regular offshore work. Where the 460 really excels is in the bays, estuaries and lakes with general boating, skiing, camping and fishing in mind.

This rig is absolutely perfect for someone who wants maximum usage out of a boat and doesn’t want to have to rob a bank to afford it.

As tested, this rig would come home for around the low to mid $30,000s, with different outboards and optional additions affecting this price.

If you’d like to check out this boat or any others in the Stessco range, you can jump online and check them out on Instagram and Facebook at ‘Stessco’, or visit their website at www. stessco.com.au.

PERFORMANCE RPM .................. km/L ............................ km/h Idle ........................ 6.3 ....................................3 1000 ...................... 6.1 ....................................4 1500 ...................... 4.1 ....................................8 2000 ...................... 2.8 ....................................9 2500 ...................... 2.3 .................................. 11 3000 ...................... 2.6 .................................. 17 3500 ...................... 2.9 .................................. 27 4000 ...................... 2.9 .................................. 33 4500 ...................... 3.1 .................................. 43 5000 ...................... 2.9 .................................. 48 5500 ...................... 2.6 .................................. 55 WOT ...................... 2.6 .................................. 57

That square in the middle of the windscreen opens up to provide access to the anchor well.

An uncomplicated dash layout with a flush mounted sounder makes this rig very easy for a less experienced boater to operate.

The underfloor kill tank is a handy feature, and means there’s no need to drag a stinky esky on board if you’re after a feed of fish.

The anchor well is sensibly-sized and shaped, and isn’t complicted by an anchor winch.

Queenslanders are tough like that!

Top: The Stessco trailers OEM built by Dunbier improve the warranty deal, and almost definitely the longevity of the boat. Above: Launching the 460 was no hassle, with the rig sliding off without any back-breaking pushing or shoving.

Having an open transom means you can access the battery on the water should anything go wrong.

Although open, it was well-housed and safe from spray.

Stessco’s OEM built trailers by Dunbier come in a aluminium or galvanised option.

Side pockets offered storage for small or long items, well out of harm’s way. The work area behind the cockpit is left deliberately empty and free.

Top: Extra seating via a lounge is a great idea, and gives younger passengers the chance to feel the open air and enjoy their boating experience with safety.

Above: The open transom and work area would make any onwater activity very easy and safe for all passengers aboard.

While 70hp is the maxiumum horsepower the 460 can take, it felt just right for the boat, and offered excellent fuel economy, even at WOT! APRIL 2019

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SAVE UP TO $1,500 ON 75-150HP FOURSTROKE

The Mercury Sale is now on, with savings across selected models in the 75-150hp FourStroke range.

Be quick to enjoy the performance, reliability and efficiency of Mercury’s advanced FourStroke technology.

For Participating Dealers go to mercurymarine.com.au

OFFER ENDS MAY 31ST, 2019 Terms and Conditions apply.

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