Queensland Fishing Monthly February 2020

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February 2020, Vol. 32 No. 4

Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES Yamba 20 Ballina 22

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Fundraiser, and it will be great to be able to put some cash back into that tight-knit community.

Remember that ABT events are for everyone. In both the BREAM and the BASS events, you don’t even need a boat because you are paired with anglers who own boats. It’s a great way to steepen your learning curve and add that extra dimension to your fishing.

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stocks for when the pendulum swings the other way.

TOURNAMENT ANGLER GUIDE In this issue you can check out the 2020 ABT Tournament Angler Guide, which is stitched into every Fishing Monthly magazine nationwide in February. Even if you’re not directly interested or involved in tournament fishing, you should know that plenty of the techniques and lures that you use today have had their origins in the bream, bass and barramundi events.

Ironically, the second event of the Costa BREAM Series was scheduled to be held at Mallacoota in early February; ABT anglers from all over Australia love this East Gippsland venue. ABT is aware that it’s important to start spending money back in Gippsland as soon as possible, and so have moved the event to Gippsland Lakes. The second round will now be a Mallacoota

AUST

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you, and spend money at the local businesses. Remember that a lot of these places were emptied out during the peak holiday season, which they rely on for most of their revenue.

ARE FISH KILLS NEXT? At the time of print, we’re starting to see fish kills in areas where the ash is washing into rivers. I think that sadly, we will see more of this as we get rain. It’s a double edged sword, isn’t it… we need the rain, but we know that it will cause damage to the already fragile and drought-stricken rivers when it comes.

The best you can do as an angler? Leave the stressed fish alone. Sometimes they are pretty easy to catch when they are confined to a small area, but the last thing they need is to be caught, even if you plan to release them.

Instead, go elsewhere and find yourself an unstressed fish to catch. It’s a better challenge as an angler and better for the

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PARTNER CONTENT

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It has been a testing month for Australia. Some of our favourite fishing areas and holiday destinations have been under attack from one of the worst bushfire seasons many of us have lived through.

In the recreational fishing community, we all know people who have been affected. Some of my mates are regulars at Mallacoota every year and they were faced with a terrifying decision – pack up the family and drive through severe fire areas to get home, or stay with the family and ride out the event. Scary when you have young kids.

Fortunately, they all made it home and are planning their next trips because they’re aware of how vital tourism is to most of these communities.

An anglers, this is what you can do to help this year – visit these communities when they’re ready to take

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REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 14 Camping and 4WD 98 Cooking 96 Dam Levels 90 Freshwater 90 Fun Page 112 Sheik of the Creek 99 Tech Tricks 16 Tournament News 102 Track my fish 108 Trades and Services 110 What’s New Boating 95 What’s New Fishing 104 SPECIAL FEATURES Chatterbaits in the tropics Learning to fish close to home Barra facts: water clarity and colour ABT Tournament Angler Guide

From the Editor’s Desk...

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BOATING AND KAYAK

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TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Whitsundays 82 Ayr 83 Townsville 84 Cairns 86 Cairns NFZ 86 Port Douglas 87 Hinchinbrook 87 Lucinda 88 Cooktown 88 Cape York 89

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Rainbow Beach 40 Hervey Bay 41 Gladstone 42 Lake Monduran 42 Bundaberg 43 Rockhampton 44 Yeppoon 45 Mackay 46

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SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND The Tweed 24 Southern Gold Coast 26 Jumpinpin 28 Gold Coast Canals 29 Gold Coast 30 Southern Bay 32 Brisbane Offshore 33 Brisbane 34 Northern Bay 36 Noosa 37

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Chatterbaits are the talk of the tropics WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to try something relatively new in

the world of sportfishing.

When mucking around with something different, it might not work as expected and you could end up trying to ‘re-invent the wheel’. Luckily, that’s

not been my experience with my recent foray into chatterbaits. I’ve been testing them out for the first time and am happy to share my experience with them, as I’ve found they

Young Reef Underwood scored this PB gold-spot cod. These lures stand up to punishment well, even with hefty fish like this.

Red-throat aren’t just fun to catch and eat, they’re also extremely photogenic!

A visiting angler from Spain was amazed at how simple chatterbaits are to use.

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FEBRUARY 2020

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are big fish magnets and deserving of a spot in all tackle boxes.

LEARNING A NEW LURE One day, I was online ordering a pile of soft plastics and I happened to notice that my preferred supplier was also making and selling freshwater native lures, so out of curiosity I took a little gander. In amongst the spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and the like, I came across these fancy, shiny looking things called chatterbaits, which up until that moment (as I’m not much of a native fish angler) I had never heard of before.

Like a lot of lure anglers, I have the attitude of a bowerbird – if it’s shiny, I have to have it. That first lure was relatively small and the trailer was dark purple in colour, pretty typical of the style used by a lot of Murray cod anglers. I remember when I was first attaching the lure to a leader that I wasn’t really convinced and was wondering what I’d gotten myself into! As when trialling any new style of jig, I lowered it over the side, dropped it down a couple of metres and gave it a couple of jigs so that I could observe its action. Straight away my jaw dropped to my knees and any negativity was dispelled from my mind.

When jigged, the way that the blade in the front of the lure pivoted, catching the sunlight and reflecting it 360º, was mesmerising, and feeling the heavy pulse rise up from the lure through the line up to the rod tip also captivated me. Before even putting this lure in front of a fish, I was sold.

At the time, I happened to be drifting over a school of deep baitfish and was jigging for various pelagic species, so I put the lure down into the midst of the bait. On the very first jig of the lure, it got bit, the rod buckled over and

the tip pulled well under the surface of the water. After a short but intense battle, a 2m bronze whaler came boat side. Although not exactly a desirable species, it got me thinking straightaway – if the sharks will eat this thing so readily, what else will? That first foray with a chatterbait was brief, but it got me well and truly hooked.

From that day began the lengthy process of working out what fish would eat these things and in what

situations, what depths of water they would work in, what techniques to use, what weights to use in various situations, what colours, sizes and styles of trailers to use, what tackle to use and so on. I didn’t bumble my way through all of this alone and was fortunate enough to have the assistance of a good lure maker. It is important to point out that I am not sponsored by or have any commercial arrangements with any tackle companies,

Jason Fisher managed to land a ripper queenfish after it had been leapfrogging all over the ocean.

but I do need to tell you about Ricky Sherwood from Whacked Lures Australia. I purchased all my chatterbaits from him and without Ricky’s assistance and willingness to work with me, putting all the pieces of the puzzle together would have been much harder. He even went out of the way to design new trailer colours for me to experiment with!

Initially, I was purchasing lures straight from Rick’s store in various

weights, styles, and colours, but success was intermittent.

Most of the lures that I was using were dull to dark in colour, reasonably light in weight and the trailers were in the small to mid-sized range. Apparently this is great if you’re a Murray cod angler, but they weren’t working for me in a tropical saltwater environment. I got Rick to make a few in lighter and brighter colours, while I kept mixing up the trailer styles and jighead weights. I

started to enjoy slightly more regular success but it still wasn’t good enough.

At this point, I started to get better and more regular bites from the deeper reef fish, so I concentrated mainly on those species, using heavy models (2oz) in order to be able to get down to them, and that’s when things started to gel properly. It turns out deep fish, whether they are pelagic or bottom demersals, love chatterbaits.

Trailer style and size was

Pretty in pink! Black jew are drawn to chatterbaits like a magnet.

the last bit to work out and that was just a process of elimination. I thought that the subtleness of curly-tail trailers combined with the aggressive vibrations of the jig blade would be a winner but it was not so. Terrestrial patterns turned out to be no good as well. I moved onto using big paddle-tail trailers and voila, I had a winner!

Now, I use 2oz models all rigged with 6” paddletail trailers in the brightest colours imaginable. They are proving to be dead set winners and on most days I have them out fishing fresh bait. Not only are they attracting more bites than bait, but also they are getting bitten sooner and are attracting a better calibre of fish. Vermin species and smaller fish generally leave them alone, meaning that the bites you get more often than not are from the fish you actually want.

When I’m out drifting on the deeper country these days, depending on the nature of the clientele on board, I normally have a mixture of baits and lures being sent down to the bottom. If the baits and other styles of jigs being used are catching either small or undesirable fish and the chatterbait hasn’t been touched, that tells me that there are either no big fish down there or I’ve timed it

Kasey Gardner caught this solid black jewfish. wrong and they’re not on the chew. I’m at the point now that if the chatterbaits aren’t getting eaten then I don’t persevere; I get everyone to wind their lines in and I

move to another patch of turf and try again. I’ve gained enough confidence in these lures now that I can use them as an indicator of how To page 12

FEBRUARY 2020

11

From page 11

good the bite is and as to whether we’re wasting our time or not, which has been extremely useful.

HOW TO USE CHATTERBAITS I have experimented with casting and retrieving, slow trolling and jigging. I have enjoyed success with all techniques but by far the most successful technique has been vertical jigging in deep water. What I call deep water on my grounds is about 30-60m. When jigging chatterbaits, less is best.

They are such an aggressive lure that you only have to make them just move to get the full effect of their mad, vibrating action. If you get carried away and start jigging the lure too fast or erratically, not only will the bite rate drop off but also the trailer can easily get fouled on the leader and then the lure won’t work.

Working these things is akin to the subtleness of using a soft vibe; a simple slow lift and drop technique is all that is required. It’s common knowledge that when jigging for pelagics, quite often a fast pace turns them on and

Naturally aggressive fish like coral trout won’t leave chatterbaits alone. entices a bite. This is not the case with chatterbaits – keep your jigging technique slow and subtle.

Apart from the bite rate, there are a couple of other distinct advantages to this slow style of jigging. Firstly, it’s not laborious. You can indulge in this technique all

Trout always love eating trout, but other species will also eat the coral trout colour!

day and apart from the time spent fighting big fish, it’s not going to wear you out.

Secondly, it’s so simple! If you can hold a fishing rod, you can jig a chatterbait.

These lures are so easy to use that on any given day I normally give them to the most novice of anglers that I have on board and leave the more experienced guys to play with micro jigs or something else that is a bit more technique specific.

Quite often though, by the end of a session I’ll have more chatterbaits in the water than anything else.

TACKLE I use spin outfits rigged with either 20 or 30lb braid and 40-60lb leader for this style of fishing. The only reason that I use outfits in that size bracket is because I’m a bit of a light tackle enthusiast and that’s about as light as I can get away with when targeting big fish down in the depths. It all depends on what your intended target species is and what your personal

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tastes in tackle are; you can use just about any line class to jig a chatterbait.

I have found that due to the natural aggressiveness of the lure, you don’t have to go light to get the bite.

This is not finesse fishing

– you’re not trying to match any hatch or directly emulate any particular type of prey. Due to their size, aggression and bright, gaudy colours, they are stimulation lures that work by driving the fish mad. I’m not sure a lot of the time whether they’re trying to eat them or if they are just knocking them out of the way because they’re annoying! I don’t care though, because either way, fish wind up with a hook in them.

The rod you use for this application should have a crisp, clean, fast action. If you choose to follow my lead with regard to what lures to use then they’ll be at the heavier end of the scale.

There is quite a bit of force on the rod tip while jigging when you take into account the weight with the large trailer and the drag caused by the blade on the front of the lure. When you go to raise the rod tip and jig the lure, you want to have the lure move rather than have the rod tip bending under the load so you can achieve minimal movement

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of the lure. For this reason, soft actioned rods like micro jigging rods are not suitable for this application.

FINAL THOUGHTS I am not trying to revolutionise the jigging world or tell you that you that you should dump all your other jigs and just use chatterbaits. They are not the complete be all and end all, but I do recommend that you leave room for a couple in your jig tray, as they are a worthy addition to any jigger’s arsenal.

To date, I have had a lot of fun playing with these things and I am not finished on my journey with them yet. There are still plenty of pelagic and deep reef species I am yet to put one in front of but I’m confident they’ll get eaten when I do get the opportunity.

They should not be just for anglers in the tropics either; I can’t see why species such as kingfish and snapper in the southern part of the state won’t also eat them. Grab yourself a couple and have a go! I hope you have as much fun as I do playing around with these little bladed wonders.

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Get moving and stay mobile!

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

C’mon, don’t sit and wait for the fish to find you! Get out there, be active and hunt down your prey instead. It’s much more fun — and more effective.

but there are many ways that land-based and bank-bound fishers can improve their mobility to cover a lot more water and often increase their catch rates too.

The biggest trick in mastering mobility lies in not burdening yourself with too much tackle and related paraphernalia. There’s a lot to

Fly fishing wading boots are perfect for their intended purpose, but not always ideal for longer hikes.

The author’s new Simms Flyweights (right) are the best he’s found so far for extended trekking. also strap a spare multi-piece rod to the side of a backpack if needed. The other important thing I always include in my pack these days is a simple first-aid kit, including a compression bandage to

an important role, too. The obligatory Aussie summer ‘uniform’ of T-shirt, shorts and thongs might feel nice and casual around the house or by the beach at this time of year in many parts of the

Hooked up to a rampaging rainbow trout in the teeth of a Tasmanian gale. Staying mobile can dramatically improve your fishing results.

Believe it or not, this was the author’s total collection of terminal tackle for a three-day coastal hike on the far South Coast of NSW! When you’re covering well in excess of 30km on foot, every gram counts.

In my opinion, there’s a lot to be said for mobility when fishing. Those happy holiday danglers with their heavy folding chairs, full drink coolers and a couple of rods propped up on forked sticks at the water’s edge might be doing it in comfort and style, but they’ll almost always end up being comprehensively out-fished by an active, alert angler who’s on the move and willing to take the game to the fish, instead of waiting for the fish to come to them.

Boat and kayak anglers are obviously mobile by definition,

be said for a single, versatile rod-and-reel outfit, a small tackle box holding only what you’re likely to need, some leader material, a water bottle, a knife, pair of scissors and a set of long-nosed pliers, perhaps in pouches on your belt.

For more extended forays, you can take things a step further with a lightweight backpack or a decent bum bag. This allows you to pack a warm or waterproof jacket, a few energy snacks, sunscreen, more drinking water and maybe a camera and some extra terminal tackle. You can

Fishing vests are great, but rationalise what you pack into those multiple pockets. It’s easy to overdo it and overload yourself.

are all arguments against this omnipresent ocker ensemble.

When you blow a thong an hour’s hike from the car across rough country, you’ll quickly come to realise that you’ve made a very poor wardrobe choice.

Footwear selection is largely dictated by terrain and fishing style. Lightweight sandshoes or even open sandals will suffice in some scenarios, while others call for decent hiking boots. If you intend to go wading, there are specialist types of footwear.

Attitude and philosophy are even more important than exact gear selection when it comes to achieving fishing mobility. Being willing to stay active, keep moving and hunt your prey will make you a much better angler,

deal with snakebite. In really remote areas, consider adding a personal EPIRB or emergency locator beacon.

How you dress and what you wear on your feet plays

The author lands a lovely rainbow trout. His sling pack holds all his flies, leader material and other tackle, as well as drinking water, a camera, snacks, extra clothing and a basic first aid kit.

There’s a track winding back… to a great fishing spot!

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FEBRUARY 2020

country, but it’s not the ideal get-up for safely racking up some kilometres along a remote riverbank, lake shore

or rocky shoreline. Sunburn, scratches from vegetation, insect stings and the everpresent threat of snakebite

not to mention keep you fitter and healthier! Make the commitment to be more mobile this year.

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Tech Tricks

How to decommission your expired EPIRB BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

For anglers venturing more than 2nm from shore in open waters, carrying a 406mhz digital EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is not only sensible, it’s the law. Even for those fishing smooth or partially smooth waters, an EPIRB is advisable as it could save your life in an emergency.

For those not familiar with this piece of safety equipment,

an EPIRB is a small electronic device that, when activated, will assist search groups to pinpoint your position so they can rescue you. If your craft was to overturn, get damaged and begin sinking, or even if you have an injured person or a person suffering a medical condition aboard, being able to be found promptly could avoid disaster and save lives.

EPIRBs come in several forms and brands. The best one to get is an EPIRB with GPS as this is much more accurate and will put rescuers within 100m of your position.

EPIRBs without GPS will not give such an accurate signal and will only put rescuers in the general area.

All EPIRBs must be registered to the vessels on which they are to be used.

The details kept will include the name of the vessel’s owner, emergency contact details (phone and email), the beacon Hex ID/UIN, beacon serial number, model and manufacturer. In most cases, registering a beacon is required by law. It is a simple task on the website (https://beacons. amsa.gov.au/registration/) and

is free. Details of the vessel are also kept in relation to craft type, colour or other distinguishing features to assist rescuers in finding you promptly.

EPIRBs must be re-registered every two years with AMSA. This ensures details are kept accurately, especially if someone has bought a different boat and previously forgotten to change details. Beacons generally have a 10-year battery life and the entire beacon will need replacing after the battery expires. With EPIRBs costing

around $250-350, this is cheap insurance at a yearly rate.

Once your beacon’s battery life has expired, you need to dispose of the beacon.

Do not discard it in a bin at the boat ramp or anywhere else as I have seen some people do. If the beacon goes off, rescue groups will be wasting time and money looking for the beacon. I had a faulty beacon go off at my house some years back and was called immediately by the rescue group. I told them it was a false alarm but still had to get to the beacon and turn it

off within 30 minutes or they were going to bash down the door to locate it. I left work and got there in time but it was awesome to see such a prompt response.

Expired beacons must be disposed of correctly.

Some battery shops will take the EPIRB, then remove the battery and dispose of it for you (generally a fee is charged for this service).

However, this is easy to do yourself. Following is a basic instruction on how to decommission your EPIRB to make it safe and inoperable.

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1

This GME Accusat 406MHz EPIRB is one of the more commonly owned models available for boat owners. While other brands are out there, this model offers good value and reliability. The decommissioning of most EPIRBs will be similar to this regardless. The only tools required are a Phillips head screwdriver and a pair of cutters or snips.

3

Details on the other side of the beacon will be permanently printed on.

This will advise of the date when you need to replace the beacon with a new one. Once the expiry date is reached, it should then be decommissioned.

5

When you separate the top and bottom, you will see there is a wire still connecting the two together. This connects the working parts with the power source.

16

FEBRUARY 2020

It is advisable to confirm with AMSA that you are decommissioning your beacon and removing it from use, especially if you are not replacing it for some reason (such as you no longer own a boat). If you are selling it with a boat, you should notify them and remove your details from the beacon.

This sticker is provided by AMSA each time you re-register your beacon and they will contact you to remind you to re-register it every two-years. It must be affixed to the beacon.

4

The top and bottom half of your EPIRB will be held together with four screws. These must be removed to separate the two sections.

6

Pinch the clasp together and pull up to remove the wires from the panel in the top section.

Tech Tricks

8

If you look inside the base section, you will be able to see the battery inside. Use the screwdriver to remove the two screws holding it in.

7

With the wire detached, the EPIRB is now inoperable and safe.

The two sections can now be separated totally.

10

Peel the rubber casing off one end to expose the wire connecting them.

9

Pull the entire battery out of the base. Generally, it will be two batteries held together with a casing of some kind.

12

11

Cut the wire connecting the two batteries to avoid a short.

Remove the batteries entirely from the rigid casing and separate.

You can take the rope off the EPIRB casing and retain the stainless steel screws to re-use if you wish. The batteries are best disposed of at a battery recycling depot. These 3v lithium batteries are about the same size as a standard D-Cell and can be disposed of at any ALDI stores or battery shops that have a disposal method in place. The casing can just go in with the regular trash, or you could use it as a practice device in case you need to activate an EPIRB in the future.

FEBRUARY 2020

17

BLACK MAGIC

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Chasing the dream: fishing off the beach Ocean beaches are a great place to catch a range of species, from bread and butter stuff like bream, whiting and tailor through to larger predators like mulloway and sharks.

Most of the time these areas are not only productive fishing areas but also easily accessible by foot or 4WD, making them ideal locations for anglers of all skill levels from kids to hardcore mulloway anglers.

Regardless of what species you want to target from the beach, it’s important to get the fundamentals right, as without them you will struggle.

Some beaches are dozens of kilometres long and only a small percentage of that will be typical fish holding country. Shallow areas that are constantly bombarded by waves should be avoided. Instead, look to fish the deeper gutters

as they usually disappear once the low light period is over.

LARGER PREDATORS Mulloway are without doubt the holy grail for beach fishers and while they can be caught a variety of different ways, the most effective method is fishing after the sun goes down with large baits. In order to cast out larger baits, you need a stiffer rod around 10-12’ matched to a 10,00020,000 sized reel spooled with 10-15kg mono line. My preference again is the Black Magic Velocity Surf Line, as it casts great and provides

Black Magic has you covered when it comes to beach fishing.

A promising looking gutter. and troughs. These can be easily identified by places where waves don’t break and darker coloured water.

Gutters will often funnel back out to sea while some troughs can run horizontal behind, in front or between sand bars. Fish are attracted to these places, as food sources like pipis, worms and crabs are pounded out of from adjacent banks and washed into them.

On top of this, the deeper water also offers a bit of protection and rest zone for large schools of fish especially during annual mullet, luderick and bream migrations.

Once you’ve narrowed down where to focus your efforts, it’s time to fish the area in the right manner for the desired species.

There are three ways to fish from the ocean beaches 18

FEBRUARY 2020

once the sun goes down.

The easiest way to rig a mulloway bait is to use a three way swivel with a star sinker attached to the bottom swivel eye and a 60-80cm length of 40-60 Black Magic fluorocarbon leader coming off the side swivel eye.

Hook size will depend on your bait size and can be anywhere from 6/0-10/0.

I always snell two hooks together when targeting beach mulloway and the best hooks I’ve ever used for them are the Black Magic C Point range. With

– one for your bread and butter species like bream and whiting, another for smaller pelagics like tailor and salmon, and then the third for larger predators like sharks and the mighty mulloway.

BREAD AND BUTTER FISHING This is the simplest way to fish the beaches, but it’s extremely effective when done right. Use a 10-12’ rod with a light soft tip paired with a 40006000 size spin reel spooled with 6kg mono, preferably something like Black Magic Velocity Surf Line, as it’s made specifically for this type of fishing. Mono line is far better suited than braid when fishing the beaches, as the swell and turbulence will often throw the braid over itself and make some epic knots and birds’ nests.

The rig is very simple and Black Magic makes it

even simpler, with the perfect pre-made rig ready to go in the Sandy Snatcher. It is a twin long shank rig, which is the ideal hook to use from the beach. Bait these up with live beachworms or pipis and you can’t go wrong.

This is an effective way to catch things like bream and

whiting but you can also score loads of welcome by-catch species with dart, salmon, flathead and even mulloway often taking a Sandy Snatcher Rig. The best time to fish these areas is around the high tide, especially when you can get one that corresponds with dawn and dusk periods.

Smaller pelagics like tailor and salmon also frequent the surf zone, making them a popular target for recreational anglers. The best rods to target tailor on ocean beaches are between 8-10’, with a 40006000 sized reel spooled with 20lb Black Magic Rainbow Braid to a 30lb 80cm length of fluorocarbon leader. Braid is the preferred option in this instance as you are constantly casting and retrieving, which eliminates the problems braid can give to anchored baits in the surf. The best thing to use is a whole pilchard, garfish or a metal lure around 20-40g.

Early morning and late afternoon are prime times for both fish, especially for tailor,

The Sandy Snatchers are lethal on bread and butter species. unmatched knot strength.

The favoured mulloway baits are whole squid or even better if you can source it, some live yellow-tail, mullet, whiting or tailor. Many anglers will get to the beach well before dark in order to catch a live whiting or tailor to put out

The ultimate prize for every beach angler: the mighty mulloway.

these hooks, you will rarely miss a hook-up.

CASTING FURTHER Occasionally you’ll come across good-looking mulloway territory by way of a trough or gutter that’s just out of casting range and this is where Black Magic Longreach Rig comes into its own. It’s great for smaller live baits such as small yellow-tail or dead baits like whole squid. It comes pre-rigged with a KL5/0 and 3/0 hook attached to a plastic clip at the bottom of the rig near the sinker. This makes it super aerodynamic, allowing for much further casts than traditional rigs.

It also has a small, inbuilt float that lifts your bait up to waft around rather than letting it sit on the bottom and be picked apart by crabs and rays.

One of the best months for fishing in Yamba YAMBA

Dave Gaden

After enjoying a summer break of fishing and laying around on the beach, February is the time for

That being said, February is one of the best months for fishing in my part of the world, so much so that it’s a shame the holidays can’t be changed to February and March.

Warmer waters offshore

south of the Clarence bar holding enough fish to keep you busy. 6” pink squid trolled behind the boat will find its way into the very toothy mouth of one of these critters. Try to set the skirts about 25 seconds behind the boat and troll at around 9 knots, looking for working birds, showering baitfish or bait shoals on your sounder close to the surface.

If you are targeting larger Spanish mackerel, a rigged live bait trolled at dead idle around the bait shoals will bring them unstuck.

When the water is hot and alive with bait, you can catch just about anything.

Cobia, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and mahimahi are all common catches for a morning of trolling.

For those travelling wide offshore to the 50-fathom line, this month can be a bit of a worry. True, anything that floats out here

will hold good mahimahi and they will be easy to catch, and if you’re fishing the bottom for pearl perch, snapper and pigfish, there will be no shortage of fish out there. However, the current is a big concern. It can get up to well over 4 knots at times, making it almost impossible to get a bait to the bottom, even when you’re using 1kg of lead. It’s a gamble; it can be very rewarding when it pays off, and horrible when you’ve travelled all that way and can see fish but can’t catch them.

The closer reef to the south of Yamba from Angourie to Sandon will be an easier fish and will have nice plate-size snapper and a few larger pearl perch and mulloway this month. If conditions allow, drift over the grounds as much as you can and anchor when the northeasterly picks up. By

Jess was happy with this beautiful tuskfish.

Turbo from Glen Innes with one of the quality mulloway you will find on the northern grounds this month. most anglers to go back to work or school. For guys like me who make their living in the tourism industry, it’s the opposite – a time to unwind a little after a busy season of fishing charters.

will have the mackerel running red-hot this month.

Both spotted and Spanish mackerel will be a fairly easy target for even the most inexperienced angler this month, with almost every bit of reef north and

Mark with a tasty pearl perch. The close reef off Red Cliff will be the spot for these fish in February.

drifting you will find the areas the fish are holding early, making the spot to anchor a little easier when it’s windy.

Over the summer months we spend a fair few of our days on charter fishing the northern reef from Black Rock to South Evans Reef. There are a couple of reasons for this.

Firstly, the trag up here are in great numbers and of a good size (around 50-60cm) with the odd big snapper and mulloway hanging around the shoals. It’s a really nice reef up there and it’s easy to find the fish.

Secondly, we tend to go north a fair bit because of the wind. Most afternoons, the wind will pick up from the northeast and blow pretty hard by 2pm. This is a tailwind for us heading home to Yamba, and it’s a safe and easy drive.

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ESTUARY FISHING In the estuary, this month is the time to try to catch that big mangrove jack you’ve always wanted.

Just remember that these fish are hard work; I reckon you would land one in five that you hook if you’re lucky.

The Clarence has plenty of jacks in it, but being such a big system they are spread a little thin sometimes. The gantry wall behind the trawler fleet on Yamba side is a great place to start, and if you get the right size live bait you’ll maximise your chances.

You should use heavier than normal tackle to stop the beasts taking you around one of the pylons or under the boats. You will hook some extreme fish here and land very few, but it’s still the sport of kings!

Other spots to try include under both Oyster Channel and Romiaka bridges. You have a better chance of landing a fish

Max (13yo) on his first deep sea trip with a monster snapper he will never forget.

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Col Morris (87yo) from Yamba showing the rest of the boat how to catch snapper.

here, but the average size is smaller than the ones in the harbour.

Flathead will be in good numbers if we get the expected February rain.

If we are to get droughtbreaking rain, this is the month we’re most likely to get it. Although a big fresh or even a flood causes a few problems, our river could really do with it.

Either way, the flathead will be in the lower reaches of the river. The entrance to Lake Wooloweyah, between Turkey Island and the Serpentine Channel and the back channel behind Goodwood Island at the entrance to the Esk River are all worth a shot.

As always, if you are heading this way, call into my shop at Yamba Marina and we’ll let you know what’s happening and where.

Bluefin Sports 57-59 Musgrave Street North Rockhampton QLD 4701 Phone 07 4922 2211 bluefinsports@bluefinsports.com.au

Bribie Boat Sales 143 First Avenue Bongaree, Bribie Island, QLD, 4507 Phone 07 3408 4621 bribieboatsales@gmail.com

Gold Coast Boating Centre 64 Kortum Drive Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 Phone 07 5576 7388 sales@goldcoastboatingcentre.com.au

Unit 1, 3361 Pacific Hwy Slacks Creek QLD 4127 Phone 07 3290 6370 sales@neptunemarine.com.au

Townsville Marine 943 Ingham Road Bohle QLD 4818 Phone 07 4774 3777 sales@townsvillemarine.com.au

Whitsunday Outboard Centre 1 William Murray Drive Cannonvale QLD 4802 Phone 07 4946 7286 woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

Barney’s Marine Shed 3A Nissan Street Pialba QLD 4655 Phone 07 4124 3170 realservice@barneysmarine.com.au

FEBRUARY 2020

21

Ballina ain’t busy now BALLINA

Joe Allan

How good is Christmas and summer holidays! But… now they’re all over and everyone is back at work or school again.

bait, the right equipment and you don’t make them stick out in the sun for too long.

In the main river try Mobbs Bay, or the weed flats past the ferry with the little ones. Your local tackle shops are a great source of advice on good locations and what are

some lures around, there are great numbers of whiting on the flats around Pimlico Island, along with plenty of bream and flathead. The Bassday Sugapen 70 and 95 are still producing great numbers. The larger ones will often help you cast just that little bit further,

Dean Overhall with a cracker snapper caught on a close-in mark just off Ballina. what some people might think.

I’ve caught some of my biggest whiting on the 95mm models.

The freshwater reaches of the river have produced some great Aussie bass fishing of

you may be surprised at how many quality fish you can come up with. Take care when traveling on the beaches, as it only takes a small mistake to spoil the fun for everyone.

This flatty was caught on an Atomic Plazo 4” Shad in the upper salt reaches of the Richmond.

This time of year, we do still see numbers of families lining the river, with kids hoping to catch something and it is great to see. Getting kids into fishing is something that is easy to do if you use fresh

the best and freshest baits to use. We’re lucky we have two really good local shops that are both a fountain of knowledge when it comes to bait fishing in the lower stretches of the river.

If you’re after throwing

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late, with the water quality in the upper river reaches of both the Wilson and Richmond rivers being very conducive to fishing. Cicada imitations have been working really well and accounting for some great numbers of quality fish.

During the brighter sunlight hours, spinnerbaits and skirted jigs have worked really well. I’ve been adding 4” soft plastic trailers.

The beaches of South Ballina are holding good numbers of dart and whiting.

When the swell is down, try flicking blades and plastics for flathead in the low tide gutters. This can be a really productive technique, and

The offshore grounds have been producing some quality fish when the weather has permitted. The area around the 32s is holding snapper of average size and you can pretty much guarantee a good feed of fish at this size.

The FADs are holding mahimahi, with the bigger models coming from the 48s when the tide is really moving.

The mackerel and marlin have been a bit quiet since Christmas.

There have been some big flatties caught in the town stretch of the river lately. The holes from the waterslide up to the RSL seem to be your best bet. Live bait produces the best numbers, but a rigged soft plastic can definitely bring the big mummas out to play.

Crabs have been around in good numbers, especially the blue swimmers. Remember to mark your pots properly, as NSW Fisheries have been around confiscating unmarked equipment and issuing fines.

They will take anything either not marked or not marked as per regulations. They are also checking fishing licences, fish size and bag limits. If you haven’t got a licence, it’s worth getting one. The money goes back into the fisheries and facilities and above all else, it’s just not worth the fines if you’re caught without one!

Until next issue, tight lines!

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Summer species going crazy THE TWEED

Anthony Coughran

What a great summer it has been! Tweed anglers have been having a field day on the summer pelagic species. Mahimahi, black and blue marlin, wahoo and yellowfin tuna have been in great numbers and are dominating offshore catches. Try to find that 26°C water and you will find them.

There are lots of kingfish around at the moment, and some really large models have been taken on livies in recent weeks.

Mangrove jack are on fire at this time of year. The warm water and the impulse to spawn makes them hungry, and if they aren’t spawning they are feeding and building up fat reserves.

Brad King seeing red with the help of a swimbait.

Whiting have been caught in good numbers over the last month, and anglers drifting skinny sand banks on a run-in tide have been cleaning up.

The freshwater boofing bass are out and about this month, and it’s a lot of fun catching them on topwater insect imitations.

OFFSHORE I know I said it last year, but it’s been an amazing summer pelagic season! The Tweed has yet again seen a great run of billfish, and skirts and skip baits have both been catching good fish. However, live baits have been catching far more. I recommend that you always have a good supply of yakkas or slimies on board, as this will ensure you score the billfish you’re after.

Some absolute cracker mahimahi have been caught over the month, with the 24s, 36s and 50s all producing some great fish. If you can’t troll one up, head to the FADs or try to find a buoy, floating debris or working birds. However, if you troll cup-faced 6-9” skirts in pink, purple/black or lumo along these reefs, you’re likely to

Damian McKay after a successful day on the water. you can find them by finding the birds.

The bigger kingies have moved in. If you’re specifically after the bigger models you can catch them on live baits, or you can use

Andrew Strong and James Walks with a Tweed blue boatside.

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Jay Calbiano with a nice flathead caught while fishing for jacks. connect to one of these gold bars of goodness. Casting 30-80g metals around the FAD and floating debris works well too. If you find a pack of mahimahi and they still won’t hit a lure, try floating out an unweighted half pilly or live bait.

There are still some big yellowfin tuna around out wider, and trolling skirts has been working best. The yellowfin still seem to be in 400-1000m of water, and

metals, jigs or plastics for the smaller kingies. Just find them on your sounder and get your lures and baits down.

A few Spanish mackerel have been encountered around the close reefs.

Trolling baits is still your best bet for a Spaniard, and good options include slimies, yakkas, bonnies, mac tuna or even pike. If you’re lucky you may also pick up the odd Spaniard on a stickbait or trolled hardbodied lure.

The occasional spotty mackerel is showing up in catches. Try pressure points in the reef such as Point, the yellow marker, Cook Island, the back side of Fidos, Kingy Reef and Hastings Point bommie with floating pillies, unweighted pillies, metals and hardbodies for a Tweed spotty.

There are still some very nice pan-sized reefies out there. Bottom bashing and micro jigs are producing pan-sized snapper, pearlies and the odd tuskfish and spangled emperor.

ESTUARY Mangrove jacks are one of the dirtiest and hardest fighting fish in our waters, and they mean business this month. They are pretty much hungry all the time at the moment, and will feed right up until the moment they spawn. They will spawn around the full and new moons, and in the weeks after the full moon they will be even more hungry than usual.

Live baits and strip baits are working best at night on the run-in tide, and are getting all the larger models. Having said that, heaps of jacks are being taken on various artificials, including 3-5” paddle-tail soft plastics, 60-120mm deep diving hardbodies, soft vibes, swimbaits and surface lures. Stand-outs include the MMD Splash Prawn, Lucky Craft G-Splash, Chasebaits Drunken Mullet, Bassday Sugapen, Jackall Squirrel, Lucky Craft Pointer, Lively Lures Mad Mullet and the trusty old gold Bomber. Using your side scan and down scan to help you pinpoint the fish helps a lot, and will save you hours of casting.

Failing that, the best way to catch a jack is to find its home, which is usually structure that has a good current flowing past.

The jacks like to sit behind the rock out of current, conserving energy, and feed on the steady supply of food that comes along. Depth doesn’t really matter; you can get them anywhere from 1ft-40ft of water. As long as the structure is there and the food is in good supply, the jacks will sit there.

Finding a bite time is an other thing, as bait fishos know all too well. You could sit there for four hours for

one run, while at other times you will get a consistent bite all night.

The whiting are prowling the yabby-laden banks on the making tides, and those anglers who are fishing yabbies and worms while drifting these banks are catching a great feed. A bait drifting along the bottom really gets the whiting intrigued. As they watch it move away from them, they think it’s escaping and they

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instinctively pounce on it.

Some really good elbow slappers have also been caught off the top lately. A small popper or stickbait and a high rod and a fast retrieve is all you need to have packs of whiting fighting over your lures. It’s very addictive and a lot of fun.

The bull sharks are hungry this month, and the mothers are pushing up the river and creeks to drop their live young. These young are about 30cm, and most have used their egg sacks and are already voracious predators.

The mums are especially hungry after birth, having used up all their fat reserves.

Large pieces of eel, whole fish like mullet, tuna, bony bream and even stingrays are the best baits to use. Please remember that all sharks over 1.5m are protected and must be released unharmed.

There are lots of crabs out and about after the recent rains, so get those pots up in the back creek for the best muddies.

BEACHES The beaches have been fishing well for bread and butter species such as dart, whiting, bream, flathead and trevally. Fishing small baits like half pillies, pilly fillets, small strip baits, pipis, worms and whitebait in those deeper filling gutters has been producing great mixed bags.

You can still pick up the odd tailor at night in those gutters soaking a ganged pilly.

FRESHWATER The bass are out in force, sucking down all the morning and afternoon insects. The northern river back creek is fish heaven, with good numbers of bass smacking lures off the top at dusk and dawn. Google Maps is your friend; just remember that some places are private property and you’ll need to get permission to fish those areas. If you can tap some of these spots you will find un-fished grounds.

Once the sun is up, switch to jig spins for best results.

NEXT MONTH The summer pelagics will continue to dominate the fishing offshore, and live baits will play a crucial role as the season goes on.

Mackerel will continue their push south with the warm water, capitalising on any bait schools that get in their way.

Storms will play a big role in what happens in the rivers this month, dictating what bites where. Big rain events cause the bait to get flushed out of the back

creeks and drains, being pushed downriver, which changes the home ranges of mangrove jack. They will follow the bait, so you should follow it too and you’ll find the fish.

With the storms whiting will look for the deeper holes to sit in the saltwater below the fresh. This is when mulloway, flathead and trevally will pounce, feeding up on the schooled whiting.

The storms also fire up the muddies, and they will be on the move next month.

Look to river junctions for the best results.

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25

Mix up your methods this month SOUTHERN GOLD COAST

Mark Ward markward222@bigpond.com

Fish act a little different this month. Bream do strange things like attacking surface lures meant for whiting. Whiting will take surface lures that look like prawns even though there are none around. Flathead will watch everything swim past, not doing too much; and trevally, mangrove jack and herring often make the baitfish very nervous… The latter is not

which is strange considering prawns are at their best in winter. Perhaps the predators just miss eating the tasty little crustaceans. The Bassday Sugapen works well, but don’t dismiss anything small that can be found in the bargain bin at your local tackle store. Work it so it resembles a fleeing prawn and you will do very well.

The better days have a light breeze to break up the glassy surface of the water.

The breeze can also be used to push long casts well away from the shore or boat. These fish are found in very shallow

the early morning high tide when the water flooding the flats has not had time to warm up and in some cases, is a little cooler than the deep. Flathead love this cool, clear water and will get in as shallow as 1ft of water to ambush mullet and whiting up there having a feed. The trick is to keep the water depth to no more than 3ft, as they are too lazy and big to move to the surface if it is deeper than that. They will happily take a lure meant for whiting or bream as well as big bent minnow style lures.

If shallow water flathead are your thing and you’d like to try something different, try a big glidebait on the flats. Massive jointed lures like the Zerek Affinity and the Barambah Lazy Mullet have been catching big flathead in the shallows when all other lures have been ignored. I guess it is a matter of the difference in energy the flathead wants to exert chasing a 3” plastic as opposed to a 220mm glidebait. The lures are expensive but come with interchangeable weights and the Barambah Lures even have a chamber for scent.

The smaller flathead are still about in good numbers and also prefer the cooler water. In the heat of the day, they can be found in the deeper edges that have currents bringing cooler water to them as well as baitfish they can ambush.

Early mornings will still see them on the flats so find the cooler water and you’ll find them.

Trevally and mangrove jack have been taking lures in the canals. Some days they are easy to find and can be seen harassing baitfish on the surface. Most of the time, fishing diving lures or plastics around structure

Cody Ward caught a mangrove jack on a soft plastic skipped into a snag. that unusual, but still it is a great month to get on the water and do a few things a bit differently.

ESTUARIES There is surface action galore this month. If you like lure fishing, you need to get on the water with a handful of various surface lures and try mixing it up. As I have already mentioned, bream and whiting love a surface lure that resembles a prawn skipping across the surface,

water and they love it to be crystal clear, so long casts are a must. With the water being so clear, the leader and main line needs to be very light. There is no structure for them to run you into, so don’t be worried about going as light as 4lb in the leader.

Flathead also love a surface lure this time of year. The bigger ones can be found in the shallows as long as the water temperature is not too hot. I like to fish

has been the way to go.

Surface lures can be very productive at night, so that is another option.

BEACHES Dart are in plague portions at the moment, but if you can keep a worm on the hook for long enough there have been plenty of whiting willing to play the game. If you want to get whiting without as many dart pinching the bait, the best option is to find gutters that are hard up against the shore. This will see the waves break on bare sand some of the time. Whiting can be found feeding just behind the breaking waves.

This is sometimes so close to the shore that you need to stand well back to make your casts so you don’t scare them away.

FRESHWATER The rain we have been getting lately might mean that I can launch my boat in Clarrie Hall again. The dam has been too low and

The author’s son showing him how to catch bigger flathead! These fish will be holding up in the cooler water this month. now that all the lilies and weed has filled the boat ramp area, it hasn’t been a good season for chasing bass in the Tweed region.

The upper reaches of the Tweed have been fishing well for bass around the reedy

Lots of dart in the surf makes it ideal for the kids to get involved.

edges. Bream have been pushing up into the brackish and even freshwater of the river, and catching bream and bass from the same bank is always exciting.

Hinze has been producing some excellent bass and while I haven’t been there for a while, my friends have been showing on social media just how well it is fishing. The bigger fish have been scattered, so keeping on the move as you cast or troll around the points has been the best option. I don’t know if the boats are scaring the fish and making them spread out or if they are all just actively feeding at this time of year, but they are certainly spread out and not schooling.

They have been caught on a whole range of lures from paddle-tail plastics to big vibration baits. The Hot Bite Jets Tail Spinner can get them to bite when things are a little slow but when they are spread out and feeding, I normally run a small paddletail plastic on a 1/4oz jighead and catch plenty. Keeping it simple is often best.

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Fish firing this February JUMPINPIN

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Like last year, tailor have shown up chasing schools of bait off the beaches of North and South Straddie and just inside the bar.

There have been some quality fish amongst them with some specimens over 70cm.

Top tailor times are early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Try spinning for them with

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small chrome lures, or use pilchards and whitebait for the best results.

There have been some nice whiting on the bite through January. They should continue to be on the chew right through February with good quality fish at well over half a kilo (around the 40cm mark) on offer. Try to time your whiting fishing around the larger tides as they love fast running water. The Logan River has produced some decent fish of late around Ageston Sands and

Marks Rocks and should be a great starting spot. Also try in Canaipa Passage near Slipping Sands, NW Mosquito Island, the Never Fail Islands and the Gold Bank. Worms and yabbies are still the best of the baits but for a bit of fun try luring for them in the shallows using small stickbaits or poppers.

It’s a great time of the year for those wishing to head out chasing a feed of

the brutes and speedsters that frequent our coastline and just inside the bar this time of year. Mackerel, tuna, and small black marlin will be on offer with the chance of mahimahi, bonito, cobia or mulloway off the close reefs or bait schools. The pelagics will try to ball the bait up so keep an eye on your sounder. Try either bait jigging up a slimy mackerel or yakka by putting it out as

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a livy with a small weight or trolling lures around the school, and hopefully you should get a strike Bream are also going to be heavily targeted all month, as there is a lot of

fishos getting into luring these great fighting fish.

Using light 1-2kg braid on a matched rod of your choice around canals, jetties, rocks, pylons and similar is a great way to target bream. They are a very aggressive fish and will smash a moving or sinking lure. Vibes, small poppers, hardbodies and small plastics are all working and be sure to put a little effort in and persistence and the rewards will speak for themselves.

For bait fishers, stick to all the usual bream haunts like Rocky Point, Kalinga Bank, Cobby Rocks and the dead trees at the bottom of North Straddie. The last couple of hours of the run-in tide along a berley trail should produce the better quality fish.

A lot of sandies have been caught in the northern parts of the ‘Pin area north of the Powerlines

to Karragarra and in Canaipa Passage along Russell Island. It’s been a great season for sand crabs around Jumpinpin, which is great because it has probably been the worst mud crab season I’ve ever seen.

Banana prawns have turned up on cue, with small schools being caught towards the mouth of the Logan River and in the deeper holes down towards Jacobs Well. They should start showing up in bigger numbers towards the end of the month, so don’t forget the cast net if you’re heading out.

• Thanks for all your reports and please keep those fish coming in! If you’d like any advice or up-to-date info on what’s happening at the ’Pin, drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on 3287 3868 or email gembait@ tpg.com.au.

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www.custommarinewelding.com.au FEBRUARY 2020

Marty with a thumping greenback he caught while spinning lures inside the bar.

Hot fishing over dry summer GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn Instagram: @josh__dunn__

The last month of summer is upon us and it has been an incredibly dry past few months. In fact, a study from Brisbane Times states it has been one of the warmest summers on record. Hopefully we’ll get some rain in the coming weeks.

Fishing has still been productive. Pelagics have been getting around in the cleaner water chasing bait, flathead have been holding on the drop-offs and it is currently still prime time for jacks.

To put a few pelagics on the deck, there are a few key factors that you will need to remember. Firstly, times and tide; keep in mind that the best bite period will be sunrise and sunset. I find that the incoming tide in the

morning and the outgoing tide in the afternoon have been some of the better sessions I’ve had of late.

Secondly, find pressure points and eddies. Baitfish normally seem to congregate mostly around spots with a lot of flow and clear water.

I catch more pelagics in the cleaner water in the Broadwater over the creeks.

In saying that, don’t rule out the creeks and canals, as those areas can hold some

The author caught this 50cm jack around tight structure.

solid fish at times.

Lastly, keep your gear light. Recently, sessions on the water have resulted in quality GTs and I am certain that downgrading my tackle from 20lb to 12lb has helped with the bite. You may lose more fish, but the hook-up rate will be a lot higher and it’s plenty of fun.

This time of year, flathead fishing can be up and down. However, if you stick to the basics and fish areas where flathead are known to be, you should be in luck. I’ve been using a ZMan Trick ShotZ, gliding it along the weed beds and into the drop-offs just off the sand flats. I rig these plastics with a TT Lures Hidden Weight System jighead to get the maximum action out of the lure and eliminate weed wrapping around the lure.

I recommend sticking to natural colours and fishing them really slow.

Within the next month or two, water temperatures are set to rise, creating bait movement throughout the estuaries. The run-out tide after a large tide has been producing a lot of fish, especially trevally, as the water flows a lot harder.

Night fishing for pelagics is

Kyle Walsh proves there are plenty of pups getting around – a great sign for the seasons to come. a great option, as these fish feel more confident to feed on baitfish not only around structure but also in the open.

I’m very hopeful we get a good amount of rain!

ACTIVE TRANSOM

February will be a warm month but with excellent fishing. While the offshore fishing should be firing, the canals wouldn’t be a bad plan ‘B’ when the swell is up.

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FEBRUARY 2020

29

Hoping for rain to flush out the estuaries GOLD COAST

David Green

February is a great month for chasing pelagic gamefish off the Gold Coast. This season has seen good numbers of blue and black marlin, although strong current has at times made things difficult on the wider grounds from the 80m line out. Fishing in the estuaries has been tough due to the lack of rain, but whiting have still been active.

OFFSHORE This month is one of the prime times to pursue blue marlin wide of the continental shelf. These spectacular fish require plenty of line and 37kg outfits are the best option when fishing from a small boat. It is not unusual to have a decent blue marlin take 300-400m of line from the reel on the first run, and it is important to chase the fish to avoid being spooled. Large skirted lures are generally the best option when chasing blues.

I use a single hook placed at the back of the skirt, rigged stiffly by attaching

Kane Barclay scored this impressive wahoo. the hook to a short piece of cable and then taping it so it lies straight. This is known as a gaff rig and works very well, giving me a superior hook-up rate to the double hook rigs I’ve used in the past.

Closer to shore, there have been quite a few black marlin between 20-50kg as well as mahimahi and the odd wahoo. Bait has been erratic and when the current is strong, most of the bait has held close to

the bottom. Trolling skirted lures has been effective when you need to cover ground but once you find a decent bait school, drifting live baits is usually a better option.

Mackerel should be in

numbers this month on the close reefs off Southport, as well as around Palm Beach and Mermaid Reef.

Anchoring and berleying with chopped pilchards and fishing a mix of pilchards, live baits and

metal lures are reliable methods for spotted and Spanish mackerel. Trolling dead baits is another good method for bigger Spanish mackerel, particularly when used in conjunction with a downrigger. The best tides for mackerel are generally a high tide between 7-9am.

Sometimes when fishing close reefs such as Palm Beach, the bite will slow down at around 8am and it is often worth heading out to deeper grounds such as the Gravel Patch off Burleigh or the 24-fathom line off Southport.

There should be a few wahoo about in February.

The Tweed Nine Mile is usually worth a look if the current is running, as well as the 36-fathom reef. Trolling high-speed metal headed lures, deep diving and bibless minnows or small live tuna are all very effective methods for wahoo. A few good fish over 20kg should turn up this month. When you catch a wahoo, it is important to quickly bleed the fish, scrub it with a scrubbing brush to remove the sheen of fine silver scales and place the fish on ice. They are a superb eating fish.

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Bottom fishing this month is often quite slow due to the warmer water and prevailing current. Despite this, there should still be a few snapper, teraglin, tuskfish and mulloway on the close reefs. Out wider

there will be pearl perch, rosy jobfish, amberjack and pigfish, current permitting.

BROADWATER AND RIVERS The prolonged lack of rain means there hasn’t been much bait around and apart

Susan Sullivan caught her first mahimahi!

from whiting. Most species have been quite shut down.

The crabbing has also been very slow. If we get some good rain this month, things should improve markedly.

Species to target will include mangrove jacks, trevally, whiting and mud crabs. There should also be some good bream up in the canals and the odd flathead on the flats early in the morning. While the mud crabs have been slow, there should be plenty of sand crabs in the central part of the Broadwater.

Mangrove jack are very active in February, particularly early in the morning when they tend to roam around a bit more away from structure. At these times they respond to poppers and shallow running surface lures. Most of the action takes place before sunrise. A lot of these jacks are big fish over 50cm long.

The canals around Runaway Bay can be particularly productive in February. As well as jacks, these canals produce trevally, big bream and estuary cod.

Whiting should be a good species to target. During hot weather, whiting often bite better at night and using wriggler worms, yabbies and soldier crabs fished on light line with a long trace is usually very effective. The section of the Nerang River

near the council chambers is a good area to chase whiting at night on a rising tide.

In daylight hours, the first of a rising tide pushing up over the flats sees whiting move into the shallows to feed. At this time, casting unweighted yabbies is effective and it is possible to sight cast to individual fish. Small stickbaits can be productive as well, especially when the whiting are chasing small shrimp or prawns. Some of the fish on the flats are over 40cm long and in shallow water put up a great fight on ultra-light tackle. These fish taste great and boneless whiting fillets are very hard to beat.

The Seaway and Jumpinpin entrances are good potential spots to fish this month, especially when the run-in tide brings in plenty of baitfish. Tailor, school mulloway and flathead all turn up from time to time and can be caught on live baits and lures. There are often flocks of terns in the entrances when tailor are chasing baitfish. Most of these tailor are small fish, often called summer choppers. They can be fun to catch on small metal lures.

Overall, February is a good month for offshore fishing and can be a tough month in the estuaries. We desperately need some rain!

Marlin fishing should be excellent this month.

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Superb summer fishing in the South East SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

February is usually a really good month on the water in southern Moreton Bay.

There are plenty of options on offer for those willing to have a look. Jacks and whiting are firing, flatties are up in the shallows and tuna and mackerel have been caught from Peel

Island. Mulloway have been throughout the bay with a few in the Brisbane River with their threadfin mates.

Good pan size snapper and big bream have been up in the shallow reef areas.

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Mangrove jacks have been stirred up lately. There have been a lot coming from the local canal systems and the small mangrove-lined creeks. The Logan has been throwing up a few, with live baiting getting the bites. Try soft vibes over the deeper rock bars or weedless plastics through the submerged timber.

There’s always the chance of a few estuary cod, as well as Queensland groper – remember these guys are protected and need to be released unharmed. ZMan 4 or 5” DieZel MinnowZ are definitely the go-to lure slow rolled around pontoons or fished weedless in heavy natural structure.

Whiting are going off at the moment. Summer whiting are littered throughout the flats section of the mouth of the Logan River from Lone Pine through to Marks Rocks.

Run fresh or live worms with the bait or find the shallow rippling water on the flats and cast skinny, long topwater poppers through it at a fast pace. There are still quite a few winter whiting over the Navel Banks and the mid-reaches of the Rous Channel, so get amongst them.

The Brisbane River has been a little hit-and-miss of late. A few mulloway and threadfin salmon have been around in small schools and tight to structure, so a good sounder is critical.

Soft vibes like the Zerek Fish Trap or large paddletail soft plastics have been having the best results.

Persistence is key,so once you’ve found them on the sounder, concentrate around that area. Don’t leave fish to find fish.

North of Peel in the Rainbow Channel and north of the Navel Banks have been producing a few mackerel and the odd longtail. The main action has been around

Richie Lucker with a nice Peel Island mulloway.

Myora and north of Lazaret gutter between the Navel Banks, but there’s quite a bit of activity around the Four Beacons area in the northern part of the bay as well. Try and find the bird activity and find the areas with the most fish on the sounder.

There have been quite a few flatties still up on the banks. Trolling has been producing the goods, with heaps of fish coming in on Zerek Tango Shads. Once you have found them, put the effort in around that area with soft plastics. The edges on the eastern side of Garden Island and the eastern side of Macleay and Lamb have been producing the goods. Just be careful of the green zones around the eastern side of Lamb Island.

Fish the edges on the last of the run-out tides.

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Josh Chin landed this hefty threadfin.

Make room for Spanish mackerel on board BRISBANE OFFSHORE

John Gooding

With the water temperature up around 26°C east of the South Passage Bar, the pelagic fishing should continue to improve over the next couple of months, with school and Spanish mackerel, wahoo, rat-sized yellowfin tuna and mac tuna all available.

The Group off Point Lookout and the shallow coffee rock reefs along the front of Moreton Island are the pick of the areas to target Spaniards.

On a couple of recent charters, when fishing out wide was

These happy anglers scored multiple hook-ups on amberjack.

A few mackerel from the Point Lookout area.

near impossible due to strong southerly currents we trolled the Point Lookout area. On one trip we managed a few Spanish on slow towed live baits and on another we picked up a couple on fast trolled Halcos, so there are obviously a few in the area. However, I have heard from a couple of mackerel fishers that sharks have been an issue. February and March have usually been productive months for mackerel in the South East, so now is the time to troll a bait or lure for this top sportfish.

If we get some good

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current lines pushing in close to Cape Moreton and Point Lookout, we should also see wahoo numbers increase.

Fast trolling either hardbodies or skirted lures will do the business but make sure your hooks are razor sharp!

On charter of late, we’ve been mainly working the wider reefs but the current has made it hard work some days and we’ve had to push back in close. On the days the current has allowed, we’ve had some red-hot sessions on ambos and to a lesser extent, snapper. We didn’t chase snapper as much but there have been some quality fish on the 90m line, northeast of the bar. Both fish should be a good option on the wider reefs this month.

Mahimahi have also been in good numbers around the Point Lookout wave buoy and to the new FAD 4. The new FADs will become more consistent in time but we will need a couple more in the Point Lookout/Moreton Island area, as traffic usually shuts mahimahi down quickly.

I would like to wish everyone affected by the bushfires the best and hopefully life will get back to normality as soon as possible.

• 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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33

Feisty fish come to the front in February BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

As we roll into the last official month of summer, anglers will likely notice increased baitfish activity throughout the bay and estuary. Combined with the warm weather, this has promoted more aggressive feeding activity from a host of species. Storms and fluctuating barometric pressure have helped to stir up prawns and crabs in the estuaries and bring forth nutrients into the systems.

At this time of year, the rainfall can be all or nothing, so the effect on the creeks, rivers, estuaries and bay can be varied. Regardless, February is a great month to be on the water getting among some quality specimens.

PRAWNS Usually by now, prawns have begun showing in the northern systems such as the Pine and Caboolture rivers.

Late December saw the first decent catches of medium banana prawns in these systems and numbers have fluctuated since. Casters can generally get a 10L bucket

The amount of rain received will dictate the prominence of prawns in the numerous systems. Increased rain results in the prawns moving down the system and even out into the bay around areas such as Deception Bay, Nudgee and sometimes even further south. Without good rainfall, prawning can be difficult, with most of the action limited to the upper reaches of creeks and rivers.

Prawn sizes can vary a lot at this time of year, with plenty of mediums plus some larger bananas being taken.

Obviously keen prawners prefer the large prawns, however these are not always on offer. The current bag limit is 10L of prawns per person or a maximum of 20L per boat with two or more casters aboard.

MANGROVE JACK Keen estuarine anglers know that February offers some great conditions for targeting mangrove jack.

With storms building, barometric pressure generally rises, which aggravates the jacks into some fairly aggressive feeding activity.

While it is probably not advisable to be out in big storms, especially those with lightning, these conditions

pattern hook with 30-50lb fluorocarbon leader and fished close to prominent structure, these baits rarely go unnoticed. Lures such as hardbodied minnows, soft plastics, stickbaits, swimbaits, soft vibes, poppers and numerous other offerings can tempt jacks and other estuarine species.

Paddle-tail plastics rigged in a weedless manner are very handy for fishing heavily snagged areas. These offerings can be cast deep into the structure where mangrove jack like to hold and then worked through it, rarely fouling up. A good degree of rod work and luck is required to prise these fish from their sanctuary. Line classes in excess of 10kg are desirable if you want to bully a mangrove jack from heavy structure. Sometimes this is still not enough and anglers are left with nothing other than a broken line wafting from the rod tip and a ‘one-that-got-away story to tell’.

BAY PELAGICS Moreton Bay offers anglers a wide array of pelagic species. Mackerel, tuna, bonito and several other pelagics are on offer for those who want to target

Dylan recently nailed this solid jack while casting lures around structure at night.

A live baiting session produced another solid Brisbane River threadfin salmon for Billy. of prawns within a few hours if the prawns are around.

The best prawning often comes around the changes of the tide when they lift out of the sediment, making them easier to locate.

Top pocket cast nets are favourable (maximum 12ft drop are most common), however some anglers use a conventional bottom pocket net with success. It will often require more cleaning between casts, as the bottom pockets tend to collect debris off the bottom.

34

FEBRUARY 2020

offer great fishing. Evening, early morning and night sessions are also prime times for anglers targeting jacks.

During this period, activity is heightened, with mangrove jacks and by-catch species such as estuary cod, trevally, tarpon and numerous others caught regularly.

Many will target mangrove jack using lures.

These artificial offerings can imitate the species jacks like to feed on including prawns, baitfish and crabs.

When rigged on an octopus

them during February.

Surface feeding schools of mackerel, tuna and bonito can be quite common at times. Anglers venturing throughout the bay are advised to have a spin rod rigged with a chrome slice or small stickbait ready for when the action pops up in front of them.

Spotted mackerel are one of the more highly desired targets during this time of year. These silver speedsters are a great sportfish and also highly favoured table fare.

With the bag limit being five mackerel per person over the size of 60cm, anglers can secure a great feed within a short period.

Spotted and school mackerel will be tempted by a wide array of lures. Highspeed offerings including chromed slugs, stickbaits and even jighead rigged jerkshad plastics work well.

Casting to the side of the school then retrieving as soon as the lure hits the water will decrease biteoffs. Mackerel are tail biters and will snip at the tail of a fast moving offering to immobilise it. Slow moving offerings are commonly engulfed in their entirety, resulting in bite-offs when using monofilament and fluorocarbon leaders.

While adding some wire to your rigging may seem like a good idea, it will greatly limit the amount of strikes you receive as they commonly shy away from wire leader.

Mackerel can be located at various areas throughout the bay. Searching around the shipping channels, the Measured Mile, the northern side of The Paddock green zone, Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel and Middle Bank will likely put you in the general location of surface busting schools.

Sometimes the schools

are very easy to approach and anglers will have no trouble getting a lure to the feeding melee. On other occasions, you will require a stealthy approach to get within casting range. Even if the school has dissipated by the time you get there, having a few casts will often reward, as some mackerel will return to clean up the wounded and dying baitfish left by the savage onslaught.

Birds sighted from a distance are a good indication that some form of pelagic activity is happening. These birds are generally above the water a similar distance to how far pelagics are below it.

As the birds get closer to the water, you know that the predatory fish are also getting close to the surface, so get into position to cast once the marauding fish break the surface. Pilchards fished around the shipping channel beacons, especially the Measured Mile, will also produce mackerel of both species.

Longtail tuna are a highly desirable species at this time of year. Sizeable schools of large fish, which often reach weights in excess of 25kg, can be located at numerous locations throughout the bay. These large predators will sometimes only respond to the smallest of offerings,

depending on the size of the baitfish they are currently feeding on. At other times, large offerings such as pencil poppers, stickbaits, jighead rigged jerkshad plastics and a variety of other lures can be used to target these sashimi torpedoes. Usually, longtail tuna are around 8-11kg and even fish of this size are a challenge on light tackle. Anglers are best to fish tackle in the 15kg range to have a good chance of getting these fish to the boat without sharks attacking them and in good enough condition that they can be released when not kept for the table.

CRABS Mud and sand crab numbers should be healthy during February. Mud crabs can be very plentiful after periods of good rain, which lowers salinity levels and flushes them from high up in the mangrove systems.

Setting pots at the mouths of the small drains and gutters leading from the mangrove expense or in deep holes is likely to reward. Pots can be baited with fish frames, whole mullet or chicken carcasses. Small baits such as a handful of pilchards or a few chicken necks can be put into a mesh envelope and then secured into the pot.

Sand and blue swimmer crabs can be caught well

out into the bay at a host of locations. Setting pots in the deeper channels and gutters surrounding the bay islands will put you in with a good chance of securing a few crabs. Take note of the depths at which the commercial guys are setting their pots, as it will give you a good indication of the rough depths at which you should deploy yours.

However, do not set pots near to commercial pots as these guys are trying to make a living from their trade and may not be happy having your pots near theirs.

Remember to check current regulations and ensure that your crabbing apparatus complies before setting out for a crabbing session. Note also that different crab species have different size and bag limits.

Failure to comply with regulations may result in you losing your crab pots or even being fined.

THREADFIN SALMON Threadfin salmon have been available in good numbers during the warmer months with large schools often found down towards the mouth. Numerous areas here can hold numbers of threadies and those with a good sounder will be able to locate schools of these quality fish. They can reach lengths in excess of 130cm

Spotted mackerel have been taken sporadically in Moreton Bay over the last few months. A high-speed chrome slug was the undoing of this specimen. and respond to a wide array of baits and lures.

Live bait is obviously one of the best options with mullet, herring, prawns, pike, garfish and a host of other offerings producing the goods. During a falling tide, threadfin are often located along the declines into the main riverbed and good side imaging sounders will quickly detect these

fish. Anchoring along these declines and deploying baits is one of the more popular and relaxing ways for anglers to target threadfin. Lures including paddle-tail plastics, soft vibes, blades, micro jigs and a host of others will also work well.

Even though large schools of threadfin salmon can be located, they are often very hard to tempt and don’t

respond favourably to lures, especially when feeding on prawn schools. At other times they can be voracious, engulfing anything presented to them. Large numbers of fish may be hooked in a single session yet you may have to bide you time until they decide to chew. Obviously, handling these fish carefully and not removing them from the water will increase the

chances of them swimming away healthy once released.

SHARKS For anglers who like to target sharks, February offers some exciting possibilities within Moreton Bay plus the rivers, canals and creeks feeding into it. These are predominately whaler sharks and will respond to a wide array of dead and live baits.

In addition to the whalers, other species including tigers, hammerheads (now a protected species), whites and numerous others are also likely to engulf bait, especially out in Moreton Bay. The Brisbane River holds good numbers of bull and spinner sharks and these respond well to live catfish, eel segments, herring and mullet. In the Brisbane River, sharks can be caught from almost any land-based position extending from Mount Crosby all the way down to the mouth.

Out in Moreton Bay, sharks are prevalent around the bay islands and in the more prominent channels where they will take a wide array of dead and live baits.

Several fish can be caught in a session and you never know whether the next bite will result in a small whaler shark or a massive tiger shark.

Sharks are a lot of fun to catch and are an especially good way to teach newbie

and junior anglers the skills in fighting a tough adversary.

When dispatched quickly after capture and bled well, smaller sharks are quite palatable and can produce a good amount of white fillets.

Check the list of no-take shark species before heading out and be aware of the maximum size limit of 1.5m on those you can take.

CONCLUSION While conditions can be varied during February, the fishing can be rather good with a broad array of both pelagic and demersal species on offer. The warm weather will require you to slip, slop, slap and slurp to avoid the effects of the heat. A cooling swim at one of Moreton Bay’s island beaches will be an invigorating experience and a great way to break up the day for the juniors.

In addition to the previously mentioned species, whiting, flathead, cobia, trevally, tarpon, snapper, sweetlip, mulloway, tuskfish, morwong and a host of others are serious possibilities.

Although sitting in the air conditioning playing video games or watching the cricket may seem like a good idea, getting into the outdoors and catching a quality fish will be a more memorable and personally rewarding experience. See you out on the water!

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Pleasant conditions inshore and offshore NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

What great fishing weather we have had!

There’s been the occasional rainy overcast day and windy weekend but on the whole, the days have been quite favourable for anglers both inshore and offshore.

As we soldier through a balmy summer, fishing has been quite good throughout the northern bay with the staple species of bream, sand whiting and flathead showing us the value of a day out on the water.

lizard somewhere in the northern bay. We don’t quite breed them as big as the southern coast waters but we commonly encounter numbers around the 60-70cm mark.

Fast flowing tidal areas with swirling waters are a perfect backdrop to hooking good lizards.

Be on the lookout at your local fishing hole for these areas, with anchoring up being the best option. Live baits or mullet strips are favoured by flathead in the summer months, with soft plastics being a great option for the lure fanatics.

The 3” ZMan GrubZ, 3” Atomic Jerk Minnows

been the pick of the spots up at Bribie Island. Margate Beach has also shown some decent numbers during the fuller tides.

Bloodworm and squid strips are the standout baits.

When fishing the surf, pipis are definitely worth a try as there is the off chance you may even get some good dart during your session.

The addition of red plastic tubing above your hook has been a must for whiting anglers for years and has proven its worth of late.

BREAM A reliable indicator for increased bait schools in an area is usually the presence of bream. The

Tammy Spina caught this healthy Deception Bay bream.

Summer whiting can be fun for all the family!

Offshore has also been fruitful for adventurous anglers with mahimahi, spotty mackerel and small black marlin hitting the decks with high frequency, which means baitfish have been holding well in the bay.

During the start of summer we experienced plenty of northeast winds, which had quite an effect on the northern bay as it pushed all the bait schools down to the south.

However, during this last month we have had our seasonal eastsoutheast winds making a comeback, which has fired up the bay and brought back the much-needed food to the northern waters.

FLATHEAD I love this time of year. Fishing estuaries and inshore waters you can pretty much guarantee you are going to encounter a 36

FEBRUARY 2020

and 3” Keitech Easy Shiners rate high on the agenda with bright colours catching the eyes of these bottom feeders. Try a 1/8 or 1/6oz jighead in your trials, depending on water depth, with a 1/0 being most suitable.

Hot spots over the last month have been White Patch, Mission Point and the mouth of Elimbah Creek in the Pumicestone Passage.

Also try Hays Inlet, beneath the Ted Smout Bridge and Bald Hills Creek in the Pine River and the mouth of Cabbage Tree Creek, especially during a low light ebbing tide.

SAND WHITING Sand whiting numbers have been steady at this time of year, which should continue while the hot weather is around. Outside the Powerboat Club at Caloundra and the surf side around Skirmish Point have

Redcliffe Peninsula has shown better than average numbers of bream with good consistency of sizes around 27-28cm to the fork.

Many of these have been roaming in packs of 6-8 so be sure to remove your

hooked fish quickly as there is a high chance you may hook up again.

Mullet strips, chicken breast and peeled prawns have been the most successful baits this summer.

A lot of anglers have also been getting good hauls on hardbody lures and soft plastics like Cranka Cranks, Atomic Crank 38, Jackall Chubbies, ZMan GrubZ and Gulp Crabbies. Transparent colours have been working a treat, as water clarity has been quite good.

The Peninsula hasn’t been the only place firing with bream. The estuaries

that have shown good form of late are the Pine and Caboolture rivers and the Pumicestone Passage. The Pine and Caboolture rivers have been working better on the incoming tide, with the bream chasing bait up into the rivers and amongst the mangroves. This is quite a contrast from Pumicestone Passage, which has been firing on the receding tide.

This is a good time to take advantage of the many creek mouths in the Passage, as anchoring at these mouths can ambush fish on the move. Light sinkers with baits and deep diving

Threadfin have still been in abundance in the upper Brisbane River.

crankbaits can ensure your presentation remains in the strike zone for longer.

SAND AND MUD CRABS There has been a great spread of these crustaceans over the northern bay, especially the times after a little rain. The flushout into the channels have lead to good catches in the upper reaches of the Pine and Cabbage Tree Creeks, with Pumicestone producing around the mouths of its major creeks.

For sandies, the lower reaches of the Pumicestone have been working well along with Deception and Bramble bays being the pick of the wide spots.

MY GOODBYE Since constructing my first report for October 2010, I have finally decided to hang up my keyboard from this wonderful magazine to concentrate on family and fishing life. I can’t thank QFM enough for the wonderful opportunity they have presented to me, and most of all a huge thanks to all my loyal readers who have followed me along this journey for the last 9 years. Thank you everyone and best wishes on and off the water!

Hot times on the Sunshine Coast NOOSA

Peter Wells

With this year’s summer season blisteringly hot and some amazing temperatures being reached on the Sunshine Coast, the fishing has been quite dramatic.

The mangrove jack season this year has left us all with our mouths open, as the number of jacks being caught has astounded even the most seasoned angler. The warmer water temperatures have been quite dramatic and this in turn has really gotten the red dogs fired up. Warm water

up poddy mullet or herring cast around structure. For those that love to be out early, casting surface lures in the timber and around the many pontoons in the Noosa River system has been a fun way to target them. I love to use darker colours first thing in the morning, as I feel fish see the silhouette more clearly. As the sun gets a little higher in the sky, anglers have been moving to diving suspending lures.

The Lucky Craft Sammy in MS black has been very effective for surface fishing and the Bassday Sugadeep has been outstanding for suspending lures.

great numbers with some quality table fish taken on the run-out tide. The area upriver from the Tewantin boat ramp around the bottom of Makepeace Island and the edges of sand and mud banks have been where most of the fish have been taken. For the plastics anglers, flathead is relatively easy to target. Prawn profiles are all the rage at the moment with the slow roll across the bottom seeming to be the best retrieve. Making sure your jighead is heavy enough to get you to the bottom is extremely important when chasing flathead. The Live Target Fleeing Prawn has

off Double Island should see you come into contact with some great pelagics. For those in smaller craft, Jew Shoals and Sunshine have also been producing. The Davo’s Spanish Special lure has been productive and comes rigged with a large set of ganged hooks so you can load them with large pilchards, slimies, pike or garfish.

Plenty of large tuna schools have been moving into the area with good fish taken in the bay. Having a good mix of slugs is important, as they have been feeding on small pilchards and rainbait so trying to match the bait can be a little tough. Profiles around 20g have been pretty good.

Bottom bouncers have taken plenty of quality fish on the closer reefs. Sunshine Reef, Jew Shoals, Hancock Reef and the Gneerings are all prime reefs to target. Sunshine is one of the popular reefs to head to, as it always seems to have a good population of coral trout at this time of year. Having live bait is a great idea and will definitely improve your catch rate. If you don’t have a live bait tank on board, it is easy to set

Evan Pearson was fishing the rocks at Point Arkwright with plastics and picked up this nice 76cm mulloway. one up with a live bait bucket and an aerator. You can also expect to find snapper, sweetlip, parrot, pearl perch, cobia and mulloway all feeding on the live bait that you have on offer.

Anglers fishing plastics have also been picking up some nice fish. The key to fishing these lures is to make sure you have them weighted right to get you to the bottom.

This can change from one trip to the next depending on the run, so make sure you have a good mix of jighead weights.

Father and son team Jamie and Leo Ager fished the Caloundra 12 Mile and landed this pair of quality mahimahi. The biggest measured 165cm. and stormy weather get them feeding and it seems we are in the midst of the perfect storm as far as jack hunting goes.

Using good quality braid between 15-20lb and a fluorocarbon leader up to 25lb will help. Rod and reel selection are also important; I like to run a 7’ 3-6kg rod and a 4000 size reel. The larger reel will give you better drag and more line capacity.

Live baits have been perfect, especially at night, and a jack will quickly gobble

Bait anglers have been using freshly pumped yabbies, beachworms, soldier crabs and peeled prawns when chasing whiting around the Frying Pan, Dog Beach and the flats in Weyba Creek. Some of the better fish have been on the start of the incoming tide.

Plenty of elbow slappers are moving into the area to feed on morsels of food disturbed by the run-off. Surface lures have also been working well but only on the clearer run-in tide.

Flathead have been in

been hugely successful since its launch last year.

On the offshore scene, the pelagic season is in full swing.

Mackerel numbers have been good and this will continue for quite some time, as the warmer currents seem to be hanging around longer. Spanish and spotted mackerel have been plentiful with plenty of goodsized Spanish already being accounted for, and these will only get bigger as the season progresses. Fishing the Hards, Barwon Banks and the reefs

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On the beach, there are plenty of gutters in close.

Whiting and dart have been in good numbers feeding on pipis and beachworms. This is perfect for families heading up on Noosa’s North Shore, as the younger anglers will have no trouble casting to those closer gutters.

Mulloway numbers have improved with a lot of goodsized fish taken. Fishing the incoming tide early morning or into the evening has seen the best results. Mullet fillet, pilchards, bonito fillet and tailor fillets have all been great baits.

Flathead have also been in the gutters and anglers have been taking their smaller 7’ outfits down and working plastics on larger jigheads. It is quite interesting to see what is swimming so close in, with both large flathead and good sized trevally being taken.

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

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Red-hot fishing ahead RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

A beautiful run of weather has seen anglers frequently out over the last month.

numbers of quality tuskfish.

Bottom bashing with any fresh cut baits has been very productive. Other fish on the bite have been snapper, pearl perch, Moses perch and red emperor.

Schools of small longtail tuna have been providing some good fun for the dinghy fishos in the calm waters, and small, silver slugs have been doing the trick.

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Karl scored a sensational Rainbow Beach red emperor.

OFFSHORE The pelagic fish have been a welcome treat, with big schools of spotted mackerel and good numbers of Spanish mackerel on the go. Slow trolling pilchards has been working the best at this stage.

Out wide, anglers have still been catching big

GREAT SANDY STRAITS This has been the best mangrove jack season I’ve ever seen. They are everywhere from jetties and pontoons to main creeks and deep mangrove holes, even right at the boat ramps.

Jacks have been smashing live baits of herring and poddy mullet.

FEBRUARY February is generally a good fishing month. In the past, it has been a red-hot mackerel month.

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FEBRUARY 2020

39

Barra are back in town!

HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

Mark it on the calendar – 1 February is barra open season! With a dry lead up, most of the systems are boasting good water quality, even the upper reaches of the larger systems like the Mary and Burrum.

As there has been a lack of rain, prawns have been very scarce; nevertheless there have been some jelly prawn movement on the larger tides around the lower reaches of most systems. The smaller river

herring and mullet are also in abundance, which is a promising sign for the barra fishing.

The usual target areas around River Heads, down the Straits and up the Mary and Susan rivers will all be viable options. The building tides around the moons should see good numbers of fish congregating around the rocky outcrops and headlands. However, the massive tidal influence can make it a little tricky to fish, so timing is crucial, and really searching for those prominent back eddies is key. Soft vibes are a key presentation in

The author with an 86cm barra caught while twitching and stalling a suspending hardbody.

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this scenario, especially in the deeper areas fished vertically or twitching and stalling larger suspending hardbodies. On the smaller neap tides, efforts would be best focussed further up the systems targeting likely structures, like fallen trees, mud slides and rock bars. Twitching and stalling suspended hardbodies is one of my preferred techniques when trying to cover an area, or you could slow roll a larger soft plastic presentation, like the ZMan 5 or 7” DieZel MinnowZ. Another favoured species to target this time of year is the king threadfin salmon. They have been quite prolific throughout the lower reaches of the heads on the larger tides gorging themselves on the jelly prawns being pushed out of the drains. This can be a very frustrating, yet rewarding, style of fishing and often takes a lot of patience as you wait to stalk out a milling or feeding fish working a bank or drain. Smaller offerings work best in this scenario as it presents more subtly in front of the feeding fish.

Attempt to match the hatch of the micro jelly prawns they are feeding on. Paddleand curly-tail soft plastics, 2-3” in length, will work and so will smaller soft vibes. An exciting new lure on the scene the Jackson Bottom Magic proved dynamite last season and is sure to be a favourite once again, head into your local Tackle World store to check one out and how best to rig them for drain feeding threadies. Nevertheless, if all else fails sometimes a larger presentation is worth a cast to tempt a reaction strike.

The Great Sandy Straits could be another great option to hunt a thready down, but if no rain falls, these areas may be too

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Fishing the bottom resulted in this double hook-up of a tasty coral trout and golden trevally. clear and will possible spook the fish. The last few hours of the run-out tide is definitely the most conducive to a better bite.

However, be careful not to get yourself stuck in certain areas, especially the creeks on the western side of Fraser, as they get deceivingly shallow.

Fishing the techniques mentioned above will work well. If venturing down that way you will undoubtedly also encounter barra, jacks, grunter and flathead.

The Burrum River houses an abundance of barra right throughout its entire system and tributaries, with stocks continually trickle fed by Lake Lenthall. However, the drought over the past few years means that recruitment event has not happened. The upper reaches of the main system boasts some great looking rock bars and big snaggy structures often covered in fish, provided there is a good bait supply and your timing of the tide is right.

One key factor in locating and successfully targeting barra consistently in any system, is finding the back eddies. A back eddy is the still water behind a structure that is deflecting the tidal influence, often distinguishable by the oil slick looking surface of the water. Barra use this to their advantage exerting minimal energy as they sit and wait in ambush for baitfish to swim by or be swept past by the current. This is the ideal scenario for a lure addict and a variety of different presentations can be used to entice that bite, such as soft vibes, suspending hardbodies and soft plastics.

Mangrove jack will often be a welcomed by-catch while targeting barra and will snap up a well-presented lure tight to structure, while the humble cod is the last

resort consolation prize.

Grunter will be another productive species to target in the Burrum, as they typically begin to school up around the river mouth in the main channel around the moored boats and over on Black Bank. Bait fishos can catch some exceptional numbers of large fish this time of year on fresh herring, mullet fillet, squid or banana prawns. When located, these fish can be found schooled in large numbers, with prized fish to 60-70cm often amongst the mix. For lure fishos, soft vibes and heavily weighted curly-tail and prawn style plastics hopped along the bottom will also draw the bites.

The shallow reefs surrounding the inshore islands have been teeming with life. Anglers are reporting good catches of sweetlip, coral trout, cod, blackall and blueys.

Fresh baits have been working best with pencil squid, banana prawns and live crabs the proven choices. Fishing these baits as lightly weighted as possible will get the best results. Hopping curlytail and prawn soft plastic presentations or slow trolling a medium running hardbody are also both viable options for these species in similar areas.

The deeper wrecks and artificial reefs have been producing some better quality sweeties and trout, however getting them past the sharks has been a real issue. Even if you manage to get them past the sharks you still have to keep them away from the XOS GT at the top that hang around the wrecks. Always keep a squid jig handy as there have still been pencil squid around in patches.

For the crustacean lovers this is a fantastic time of year to set the pots

and prep the cast nets ready for the anticipated rain that will move the crabs and propagate the prawns.

Prawn Gutter, China Bite, Power Creek and many of the smaller creek systems throughout the straits or on the western side of Fraser Island are good areas to start searching for a feed of prawns.

Moving on to pelagics, typically around this time of year the western bay from the mouth of the Burrum River up to Woodgate Beach sees large aggregations of baitfish balling in the deeper waters. In turn, this attracts predatory, fish such as tuna, trevally and queenfish.

These fish can often be there one day and gone the next so some searching may be required to locate where they have moved.

Look for working birds, it will be your quickest and most accurate indication.

It is quite a spectacle to witness schools of predatory fish the size of a football field gorging themselves on the helpless schools of bait, and the fishing can be awesome.

Smaller 100-120mm stickbaits, such as the Nashy’s range, and pencil poppers can account for some incredible topwater action. Old faithful ZMan 5” StreakZ in bubblegum pink hopped or cranked quickly will also draw the strikes.

Spotties have also been present in the western bay right through to Platypus Bay, however their numbers will start to taper off as they continue their migration further south. As one season finishes another starts and the longtail tuna will typically become the new flavour of the month. Their numbers will rapidly increase throughout Platypus Bay as they settle in to start gorging

themselves on the bait balls for the next few months, bring on the line burning action! As per usual the birds are a dead giveaway as to the whereabouts of the tuna as they flock together to take advantage of the bait being forced to the surface.

The ‘Hervey Bay Special’, ZMan 5” StreakZ in bubblegum pink should be in every angler’s arsenal when targeting longtail tuna – they have proven irresistible to tuna when rapidly retrieved. The same plastic presentation sunk below the tuna schools and worked with an erratic hop or burn and kill retrieve can often account for other pelagic species, like queenfish, trevally and mackerel feeding on the scraps below. Other alternatives to carry in the box is a selection of slugs varying from 20-40g, with the Arma impact and anchovy range being dynamite.

Top water is another very exciting and affective technique to target longtails, especially when they are feeding on larger baits like longtom, gar and flying fish. Pencil poppers or sinking stickbaits like the locally handcrafted Nashys customs in the 100mm and 120mm range have been

Chris Smith with a 6kg solid coral trout caught off some newly found country. proven performers.

The stretch of beach between Wathumba Creek and Roonies Point will be well worth a prospect this time of year. Quite often large bait balls get pushed in along the beach where packs of queenfish, golden trevally and longtail tuna can be found smashing into them in shallow waters. Lure offerings as mentioned above will all work. Don’t forget a squid

jig if they interest you, as they can be found around the coffee rock.

The fishing across Break-Sea Spit has been fairly quiet with limited opportunities to venture offshore due to the weather.

Although the current typically roars this time of year, making it difficult for reef fishos. On the other hand, for pelagic anglers this current is what you have been waiting for,

especially when targeting the trophy sized GT off the top. There’s also the never ending list of possible by-catch from high flying Spanish mackerel, mahimahi to yellowfin tuna and kingfish you name it, you never know what may try to intercept your popper or stickbait. Trolling is another very successful method this time of year, especially on the Spanish mackerel, mahimahi and yellowfin tuna. When working the shallower 15-30m line, fast running hardbodies and skirted lures are great options. If the fishing is proving a little tough, try opting to slow troll some wog rigged swimming baits, like gar fish, as they can often prove irresistible.

As mentioned previously, the offshore reef fishing possibilities have been limited of late.

However, if conditions allow, the reef fishing should be quite good if you can fight the current, with a large variety of species on offer from red throat emperor, sweetlip, hussar, tusk fish, gold spot wrasse, trout, coronation trout, cod, reds, green jobfish, just to name a few of the more common species. Gathering live baits is a worth while exercise and can often

produce some better quality fish, and fresh pencil squid, mullet and bonito fillets, pilchards and pike are all great alternatives.

The southern and northern gutters typically fishes exceptionally well throughout February for mixed reef fish, and the highly prized coral trout is often the favoured target species with XOS fish exceeding 7kg quite common. Live baiting the ledges with pike or yakka is a proven technique on

anchor, but it can often prove testing with many quality fish finding their lair. Over the last few years, anglers have been doing exceptionally well using soft plastics vertically tea bagging them along the ledges. Sweetlip, Moses perch, hussar, tusk fish, cod and the odd red will also all be present over the reefs and will take a liking to a well presented cut bait fished either on a running ball sinker or paternoster rig.

Andrew with a solid jack that crunched a well presented plastic!

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Fantastic February offerings GLADSTONE

Dylan Christie

February hosts plenty of opportunity for Gladstone anglers, especially with the saltwater barramundi season reopening. The warm waters have really fired up the estuary and harbour fishing and I expect that to continue throughout this month.

Reports of quality grassy

sweetlip and coral trout from inside the harbour around North Entrance as well as Gatcombe Head have been quite common. It’s a great time of year for this type of fishing, as there has been slightly too much wind to get offshore. The species list is endless in these areas, with lots of variety on offer including bluebone, stripeys and estuary cod. While bottom fishing is probably the best all round technique

The author doubled up on mangrove jack at night.

for these species, it’s always worth putting a lure out the back and going for a troll over the shallower rocks and reefy outcrops where the large ambush species like coral trout and estuary cod are lurking.

This season has been right up there for golden snapper in Gladstone Harbour, with some of the best quality fish we have seen in a long time. Neap tides always make this species a little easier to target, as they will be often found sitting in deeper rocky structure off the islands throughout the harbour. Bait is one of the best giveaways when targeting golden snapper. If you find bait balled up on the surface, golden snapper won’t be too far away.

Barramundi can be found in similar areas but they also like the big tides where they can move up on the flats and feed before retreating back to some deeper water.

Artificial structure is always worth a scan on the side imaging as they often create perfect eddies for fish to sit out of the main current flow and actively feed on any cruising past.

The estuaries are still continuing to fish well, especially for grunter and mangrove jack. The small amount of rain we have had

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has gotten the jelly prawns on the move, which should also have the fish firing. The most consistent area for big grunter has still been South Trees Inlet with fish up over 70cm taken on soft plastics and vibes. If you’re not into casting lures a fresh prawn, herring or gar fillet will have you covered.

Mangrove jack have been on fire since the last bit of rain and the surface action at the moment is crazy.

Lures such as stickbaits and poppers are very effective but I still prefer a fizzer so you can get the fish really fired up. Make sure if you going to give this fishing style a crack that you’re on the water for sunrise to optimise your chances, as the fish are much more active at this time.

My bet is that barramundi will still be quite spread throughout the local systems and they will be high on most people’s target list, as they have been off limits for a while now. Don’t forget to throw a crab pot while you’re on the water. Crabs haven’t been thick but the ones that are around seem to be good quality.

Awoonga is continuing to fire with plenty of great reports coming in. Some local customers have been bagging upwards of twenty fish in a session. Some standout lures include the Barambah Bony Shad, Kietech Swing Impact, Zerek Live Mullet and the Chasebaits Flick Prawn, with most plastics being rigged with Owner Flashy Swimmer weedless hooks.

Wind direction is a key factor in where the fish are sitting at the moment. Fish can be found everywhere throughout the dam but your best bet is fishing the wind blown points and bays, particularly when the wind is over 15 knots as it and the oxygenated water attracts more bait. Surface lures have also proven to be effective up in the shallow bays with the smaller fish. However, it pays to be ready because there is still the potential of a big fish showing up.

The build to the full moon is the best time to fish Awoonga, especially the late afternoons and into the night.

There’s no better time to be

Surface fishing has been the method of choice for jacks. on the water than now, so get out there and enjoy.

• 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. The team have their finger to the pulse to what is happening in the

area, and are sure to point you in the right direction.

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).

Grace and Jaide McGowan with a school shark they caught from a boat just off Coochiemudlo Island near Brisbane.

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Monduran’s magic metre barra are back LAKE MONDURAN

Rob Howell

After a lengthy couple of years of waiting to see metre-long barra hitting the decks again, we’ve finally had them show their presence. January was on fire, with plenty of barra in the size range of 80-90cm being caught, and just recently the metre models have come out to play.

Due to drought conditions, Lake Monduran’s water level has been dropping fast, faster than I’ve ever seen before over my 15 years of living here.

This has affected the feeding habits and the way we usually target Mondy barra.

As many anglers know, barra love feeding in the shallows on points and windward bays. This method has not been so productive lately but it’s still a good option to

keep up your sleeve.

Now that the water level is dropping fast, there is a vast majority of barra moving off the shallow banks and they have been feeding in the deeper water amongst the treetops, anywhere from 4-12m deep. Barra have not been targeted like this at Monduran for many years.

Trolling is a great option when targeting barra in these conditions. When barra are scattered through the treetops

Will McNee scored this 102cm barra.

Stephen Wilson was thrilled to land a 101cm barra.

or when they are sitting out in open water around the thermocline, trolling can be very successful as you can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

The Bundaberg Toyota Golden Barra Competition has brought anglers to the region from all over Australia. While the elusive Bundy Toyota Golden Barra and 9 other tagged barra are still out there waiting

to be caught, we have seen many barra caught on Rapala Lures for the guaranteed Rapala monthly $1,500 prize pack giveaway for the biggest Barra caught on a Rapala lure. Three of these prize packs have already been given away to some very happy competitors.

The competition finishes on February 19, so get to Lake Monduran for your chance to win big.

• Our team here at Lake Monduran look forward to seeing you in the near future for some barra action.

For charter, houseboat and accommodation bookings please contact us by email info@lakem.com.au or call us on (07) 4157 3881 or my mobile 0410 599 147. Check out my Facebook page for up-to-date barra info, Lake Monduran Guidelines Fishing Charters.

Expect the unexpected this opening season BUNDABERG

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

The start of every new year brings different changes and challenges, and this year is no exception. With the really hot and very dry start to our warmer months the rivers, creeks and dams are all reacting differently to last season.

The Burnett River had a decent fresh run from the release of water from the Paradise Dam debacle, but it is now back to normal. The upper reaches of the fresh is starting to drop quickly meaning there is not a lot of flow coming through the weir. The river, however, has produced some great fishing for grunter, mangrove jack and some cracking golden snapper. Live baits and lures have been working well and as we get February started this action should continue.

Of course, now that barramundi season is open, they will be on the target list as well. Mud crabs where moving in the river during January’s big tides and they should do the same this month. The full moon is the 9th and the new moon is the 24th so mark these dates for the big tides and get those pots in.

INSHORE When the weather has settled down, which wasn’t much over January, the guys getting out were rewarded with some nice mackerel.

There were some big Spanish, good grey and a few school mackerel about and pretty much just around the river mouth. Anglers fishing the

bottom around the dumping ground were getting into some great grunter and, barring any major weather events, this pattern should stay throughout February.

THE BAFFLE Well I managed a few trips to the Baffle lately and have been having a ball. As we have had next to no rain at the time

Queenfish are hunting in big schools around most of the river mouths.

of writing, the saltwater has pushed way up the system and a lot of species have followed.

On my last few trips, in which I generally target mangrove jack at this time of the year, we have managed to put around ten species of fish on the deck on lures each time.

I have been fishing up stream from the ferry crossing and using a small craft as when the tide drops there is very little water left in the system exposing the many big trees and rock bars. It’s these areas that have been holding the bait that in turn holds the predators.

Over February we usually find that the water temperature can get very hot and the fish activity tends to be restricted to the early and late hours of the day. The river mouth has been producing some good fishing with flathead and grunter eating soft plastics around the edges of the weed beds. There has been some pelagic action happening right at the mouth, with mackerel species and queenfish moving in and out of the mouth with the tides.

FRESHWATER Impoundment barramundi scene is back with a bang and, yes, I too have reignited the flame. We are so lucky in SEQ with a number of dams coming back online with great fishing. From Bundaberg you can drive to Lake Lenthall within an hour and a bit, Lake

Monduran under an hour or even Lake Awoonga, which is only two hours away.

All these dams are fishing really well at the moment and will continue to do so.

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Barra action awaits!

ROCKHAMPTON

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

February 1 could not come soon enough to barra anglers in CQ. With minimal rain so far this summer, the water is still pretty clean, which can be very good for fishing but with a more subtle approach.

The amount of bait around at the moment is very conducive to productive

fishing, if you match your lures and target the correct areas. Some key areas to try and land a monster in the opening month are Port Alma and surrounds, or if you are up for the journey, Awoonga, Callide and Maraboon.

FITZROY AND THE NARROWS The closed barra season is finally over for the region.

The old ‘drought on the land, drought in the ocean’ saying hasn’t really held true this

This beautiful giant herring was pulled off the flats on an Ecogear SX40.

year, with the river fishing doing very well so far with bait galore despite minimal rain. The rubble patches around the old bridge have been holding fish through to the green buoy, along with the deeper holes of water around Train Bridge through to the rocks under the new bridge.

Every day is different from the last – some days the fish come easy and others you have to work really hard. On the hard days, you can still get numbers of fish by finding a few different schools and working them on different bite windows. Freshly gathered bait isn’t hard to come by with a cast net and makes for a great session, especially with the large amount of prawns and massive schools of herrings in the town reaches at the moment.

Alternatively, lures are a great way to cover more ground and pursue actively feeding predator fish. Zerek Hot Legs Live Shrimp, Absolute Shrimp and Fish Trap have all made working deeper water very easy. For shallower water and mid-water column fishing, the Jackall Squirrel Hank Tune 79 is excellent and comes pre-rigged with terminal tackle.

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Scott got a decent cod by-catch with a Jackall Squirrel. places like Corio Bay, The Narrows and Coorooman.

Moses perch, swarms of grunter and cod have also been caught.

The best places to target a majority of these estuary species would be the headlands along the beaches, off the sides of deep channels or rubble patches with moving water. Soft 3-5” plastics will work wonders. I have been reaching for the ZMan

dry but just out of town in most directions, there are still freshwater creeks and lagoons that hold some good fishing, and if you head out even further the big three local dams can be very productive.

There are plenty of active insects and small terrestrials

Pat Egan displays a nice salmon from a tough fishing day.

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RIVERS, CREEKS AND BEACHES The local creeks and beaches are full of bait at the moment and it has made for some great flathead and bream fishing. Both can be caught on very similar gear and lures.

Flathead have been caught on top of the flats and ledges, rather than in the channels and drop-offs.

This is unusual for this time of year but it could be due to the amount of bait in the system, as they don’t have to work as hard or stealthily.

While chasing flathead on the top of these sand bars and mud flats, there is every chance of some great giant herring action, which can really put your gear to the test. Bream, especially pikey bream, have been a very common catch for people heading down to

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Trent Deen caught a stonker cod on a 4” ZMan StreakZ Curly TailZ.

just using lightly-weighted yabbies on the calm flats areas of the estuaries.

FRESHWATER LAGOONS Freshwater has been turning it up in the mornings just as the sun starts to rise, especially when it correlates with a major tidal change.

While the change isn’t noticeable in the freshwater, the fish still feel it and get triggered to feed. Many of the normal local areas are pretty

to mimic. If you pick lures similar to the size and action of the common food source, you should have no trouble catching the fish. The Lucky Craft Sammy and Savage Gear Top Prey are sure to induce a bite with their sideto-side action. If you have a steady slow wind, the Savage 3D Glide Swimmer Mullet and the 3D Rad Rat can give off great action too.

Heading west to escape the wind will see a few different species caught.

These areas have been a bit low and need rain desperately, but are still holding a great supply of active saratoga, sooties and catfish.

CRABBING Crabs really need that hit of freshwater flow and nutrients to bring them on.

There are certainly some good ones still around but we have seen much better Januarys and Februarys when there has been some decent rain flow into the system.

Be mindful of any regulation changes, especially the ones in regards to how the pots are identified, so you aren’t caught off guard.

Spaniards on their summer run YEPPOON

Scott Lynch ifishcq2@bigpond.com

All the barramundi addicts have been waiting for February to arrive to get their fix. The closed season

least. The lack of rain in the Fitzroy River catchment has kept the fish right here for the moment. Barra have been grabbing vibes, divers and paddle-tails as well as live baits. The Fitzroy delta should also produce plenty of fish and the number of boats will be

Trent Hall caught this great baby black marlin near the islands. has given everyone time to sharpen their casting skills, get their gear in order, buy that special lure (that should make all the difference) and watch a few videos to get the latest techniques from the pros.

All the freshwater spots have been on fire over the closure and our local, Awoonga, was charging with numbers and sizes. We can now try for some in the estuaries again! It should be a very good season, going by the ‘by-catch’ numbers from the salmon chasers.

King salmon have been in fine form in recent months and quite a few barra were (accidently) landed among them. There is a ridiculous amount of fish in all the expected spots heading

much more spread out than the town reaches.

Coorooman Creek will have quality barra in the coming weeks as sounder shots are showing some of the schools in nearly all the usual areas. Barramundi sit in the deeper holes over the low before spreading out over the flats and along the banks as the tide comes in. Most of the tighter radius bends will have a deeper hole. There are a number of rock bars where the fish can move out of the current when the tide is rushing and pick off critters as they pass. Corio is another area that has several decent schools of barra. Waterpark, Depp, Sandfly and Corio Heads are all good spots to look. These fish, as with the river and Coory, have seen just

Matty Meggle with a nice red-throat emperor. downstream from town.

The Barrage limit rocks and the bridges down to Devils Elbow is the place to go for the immediate future or until we get some decent rain at

about every lure on the market and can be extremely hard to entice at times. Daylight and sunset are the regular bite times for most species and if the tide starts to slow or just

flowing, it is even better. In the areas of high boat traffic and pressure, switch to night sessions over the moon phases.

There are plenty of decent prawns around, which are one of the best and easiest baits to use for nearly all the estuary species. Golden snapper, mangrove jack and salmon continue to improve in form as the school holiday pressure has eased. Bream, whiting, flathead, blue salmon, jew, cod and grunter have featured in the area’s estuaries or beaches.

The current run of conditions has allowed the beaches to fish well, from the river up to army country.

Farnborough Beach to Corio has had some fine dart, and whiting in the gutters from Bangalee heading north.

Beachworms and pipis can be caught right at your feet on the lower parts of the tide and they make the best baits as well. The Causeway Lake over the run-throughs has produced some very nice jack lately. Right around the lake and feeder creeks there are lots of great spots and it seems that nearly every mangrove has a fish. Many of the jacks here are juvenile and at times you lose concentration and become complacent, which is normally the time the big fellas make an appearance.

Live mullet, prawns, mullet strips and soft plastics are the pick for the lake jacks. Hard shallow divers can work, but getting them in and out of the very tight country can be a battle.

Black jew have once again been taken in the Fitzroy River.

The cleaner system has meant they have travelled right up to the Devils Elbow grunter hole.

This week a few of the guys chasing grunter were smashed up on their light gear by big jewies. They first thought they were bull sharks until one was landed on the bigger outfit.

Large prawns and fresh squid were the choice baits although they did get a take on a vibe.

Port Alma and Connor both have jew holes. Early evening or first light are the peak periods and over the moon is the best time of the month. Offshore jew have all moved from the holes around the headlands to the deeper areas. If you are really keen to tag a big jew, then The Pinnacles and most of the local wrecks, particularly around the full moon at night, are a worth a crack. Fingermark and grunter are the likely by-catch, which can reward the effort.

Small-mouth nannygai have had a good run in recent months at the above spots and many of the rubble patches around the islands. We got onto a few nannies amongst the grunter at Quartz Rock last week.

The run of pesty cobia is going full steam. Many of the local reefs from inside

the bay to the patches outside the islands and heading to the shoals will have cobia at present. It seems that you can’t get away from them in some spots. There are some big schools of smaller fish around the 750mm class on the rubble and fern country.

They move around a fair bit and turn up when you are just getting into a few nannies or reds. These smaller sized fish go great on the table if they are bled properly and iced up on capture. The bigger fish have mostly been caught in either ones ore twos. There have been some trophy size cobes at Findlays, Forty Acre and Greasy Alley lately.

The bigger cobia are very tasty if eaten the first day or two after capture, but I don’t like to freeze them so I don’t hang around once they turn up at a spot. Big flesh baits and squid go well and we get the odd fish on lures. Pillies are just about the best average bait for most fish and cobia are no different. At times they will grab a ribbonfish or bonito that is being towed for Spanish mackerel and that’s when I get most annoyed. The will often follow a berley stream right up to the back of the boat and you can almost select the fish you want by floating a pilly down in

Mitch Dowling caught this 1.31m Spanish mackerel off Emu Park. front of them. Over the years I have seen some gear lost or get wrecked when the drag is too tight and they hit a line dangling over the side of the boat. Cobia are a fun sport fish and nothing beats watching a newby getting nailed and then fighting a tractor until either of them gets beaten.

The summer run of Spaniards is going well so far.

Lots of good-sized fish have been scored around the islands and up the coast. This time of year they are in smaller schools around lots more places. We always float a pilly or livey at the rubble or fern grounds out from Yeppoon

while chasing reefies. The bigger fish, as usual, are in smaller numbers at places like Manifold and Perforated.

While the dry continues, Spanish have plenty of forays into the bay and can turn up at the lesser mackerel spots like Double Heads, Findlays, Ritamada and Ironpot. These days I have raised the size of the gear I use to chase doggies after getting cleaned up a few times.

Most of the usual reefies are in at the moment from reds to trout and sweeties. The closer grounds are working although the bigger fish are mostly on the wider grounds.

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Good prawn run indicates bumper barra bounty MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

Good rain late in December and early January saw all the creeks and estuary systems get a good flush out. This triggered a good run of prawns and, as everyone knows, prawns are the top barra tucker down in the salt. Provided we don’t get huge flooding rains in February, we can expect a bumper start to the 2020 barra season.

Conditions permitting, I know where I will be the first few days of February – haunting a couple of our saltwater creek systems on the hunt for some barra. The Pioneer River system fishes well early in the season as long as it is not in flood, and barra can be found from the headwaters above

the weirs right through to the mouth and nearby Flat and Round Top islands.

The Gooseponds in North Mackay hold good numbers of smaller barra, with the odd one up around 80cm.

In the salt, the pick of the spots will be around the highway bridge and nearby rocks, the main city bridge, and the rock walls running down to the V. For bait anglers, prawns can usually be cast netted near the boat ramp or there is mullet and whiting available on the flats. In the river, the run-out seems to be the most productive and low light or during the night misses the heat of the day and can be prime times.

In the Gooseponds and further upriver in the freshwater, most anglers prefer to lure or fly fish.

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these days but a good selection of large plastics, vibes, hardbodied minnows and surface lures should see plenty of action. With topwater, use both the popper style and walkthe-dog style lures. One of my all time favourites is the Cultiva Tango Dancer in the largest size.

Dam barra will still be on the chew and the same lures work in the dams. One disturbing practice has been noticed at Kinchant Dam when Sunwater are pumping into the dam – people have been using live bony bream for bait. There’s no sin in that, but a lot of these people have been using a cast net to get bony bream and it is illegal to use a cast net in freshwater.

Unfortunately, a live bait that has gut-hooked a big barra will reduce its chances of survival, compared to a lure-caught fish that is usually hooked around the

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Anglers will be out in force chasing saltwater barra, like this 78cm beauty Tim Galletly caught at the mouth of the gully behind him.

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mouth area, which is much easier to remove. I also usually de-barb two of the three hook points on a treble to simplify removal.

There will be plenty of barra options elsewhere in the district during February but again this will be affected if we have flooding rains.

Mangrove creeks in the NFZ around Seaforth will surely garner plenty of attention, as will nearby areas like Reliance and Constant creeks in the north and Bakers, Sandy, Alligator and Plane creeks to the south of the city.

Hotspots will include any creek junction or run-off gully as the tide turns to run-out, and any rock bars or isolated rocks. Keep an eye out along

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understand and get their head around, so I suggest dropping into the local tackle shops to get some up-to-date advice on where the barra are biting and on what. The staff are often keen anglers and can give sound advice regarding tides and the like.

While barra will be the main target in February, due to the reopening of the season, there are other opportunities for locals and visitors. There will still be good supplies of creek prawns around.

The recent rains have seen muddies on the move and out of the hard-to-reach gullies and holes. Drop in a pot or two while chasing barra and if you score a doughnut on the barra, a couple of

humble whiting through to big king threadfin. If the water is dirty from flood rains, threadies will be the best bet. They roam right up almost into freshwater and tiny prawns flicking in the shallows can be a good sign they’re around.

They also show up pretty well on modern sounders including those with side scan capabilities. Threadies turn up in the most unlikely places and are at times a very frustrating fish, but they are great fun to catch and not too bad on the plate either.

The offshore scene has quietened down, as most of the smaller pelagics have moved on following the bait schools towards the end of January. Queenfish are still active around the headlands and close inshore islands along with several varieties of trevally, so the pelagic scene is not a complete loss. However, if there is a great plume of freshwater extending out from the creeks and rivers, the pelagic activity will come to a grinding halt.

Deepwater reef fishing is still pretty hot during February, but strong winds and rain will hamper this activity. There is also the chance of cyclone activity, and if one threatens, then all areas will fish well immediately before the cyclone. However, most people are too busy getting cyclone ready to be going fishing.

Overall, February can be a month of outstanding returns, particularly for barra, but if we have floods then it

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Balin Tweddle knows the Gooseponds well and recently caught and released this 72cm barra. the mud and sand banks for nervous baitfish or jumping prawns, as that is a very likely sign of barra activity. Single mangrove trees will often have a couple of barra under them, particularly around the top of the tide.

The big tides can be a problem for visitors to

mud crabs may just save the day. Good pot baits include fish frames, mullet, or even a couple of pilchards (but as they are soft, put them in something like a piece of gutter guard secured with cable ties or wire).

All other creek species will be available, from the

can still be a productive time spent servicing your gear and checking the boat over.

Whatever the weather, there is always somewhere in the area worth casting a line at, so fingers crossed for enough rain to keep the prawns and muddies running and the fish hungry! See you at the ramp.

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Costa BREAM Series Qualifier Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Grand Final Australian Open Queensland Open

BREAM SERIES

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Qualifier Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Grand Final BASS Australian Open

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Date 4-5 February 8-9 Feb 7-8 March 11-12 March 4-5 April 30-31 May 25-26 July 29-30 August 26-27 September 6-8 November 29 April - 1 May 22-23 February

State VIC VIC TAS TAS WA NSW QLD NSW QLD NSW NSW QLD

Location Gippsland Lakes Gippsland Lakes Derwent River St Helens Mandurah Forster Bribie Island Richmond River Gladstone Port Stephens Sydney Harbour-Hawkesbury River Moreton Bay - Gold Coast

Date 21-22 March 25-26 April 23-24 May 20-21 June 18-19 July 8-9 August 3-4 October 12-13 September

State NSW NSW NSW QLD QLD QLD QLD NSW

Location Lake St Clair Clarence River Glenbawn Dam Cania Dam Wivenhoe Dam Somerset Dam Cania Dam Glenbawn Dam

Sponsor Sufix Megabass Keitech Bassman Spinnerbaits Ecogear Evinrude Sufix Rapala

Casino Outdoors and Disposals BASS Electric Series

Qualifier Date Round 1 1 March Round 2 5 April Round 3 2-3rd May Round 4 7 June Round 5 12 July Round 6 23 August Grand Final 19-20 September BASS Electric Australian Open 17-18 October

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Date 30-31 October 26 November 27 November 29 November 1-2 December

State QLD QLD QLD QLD QLD

Location Tinaroo Kinchant Dam Teemburra Dam Peter Faust Dam Peter Faust Dam

Sponsor Edge Rods Wilson Fishing Lowrance Power Pole Samaki

BARRA Australian Open

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State VIC NSW VIC WA NSW QLD NSW WA NSW TBA

Location Bemm River Sydney Mallacoota Blackwood River Woy Woy Gold Coast Forster Albany St George’s Basin TBA

Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Australian Championship

Date 29 Feb - 1 March 28-29 March 18-19 April 2-3 May 16-17 May 20-21 June 19-20 September 3-4 October 17-18 October TBA

2020 West Australian Bream Classics

WA BREAM CLASSICS

Location Richmond River Coldstream River Lostock Dam Moogerah Dam Hinze Dam Clarrie Hall Dam TBC Wyaralong Dam

Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5

2020 Hobie Kayak BREAM Series 12

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Sponsor Costa ZMan Cranka Mercury Sunline Daiwa Garmin Atomic Mercury Costa Daiwa Samaki

Event Boat Round 1 Kayak Round 1 Kayak Round 2 Boat Round 2 Kayak Round 3 Boat Round 3 Kayak Grand Final Boat Grand Final

2020 Vic Bream Classics Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Grand Final

Date 15-16 February 8 March 24 May 14 June 13 September 25 October 14-15 November 28-29 November

www.hobiefishing.com.au Sponsor Strike Pro Cranka Lures Mortgage Corp Lurefans - JML Atomic Tackle Tactics Lowrance Power-Pole - Gerber Pro Lure Daiwa

Facebook: WA Bream Classics Location Nornalup Inlet, Walpole Swan River, Perth Moore River, Guilderton Murray River, Mandurah Peel Inlet, Mandurah Swan River, Perth Murray River, Mandurah Blackwood River, August

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au Date 1-2 February 21-22 March 25-26 April 20-21 June 17-18 October 28-29 November

Location Marlo Metung Mallacoota Nelson Warrnambool Marlo

Sponsor Atomic Club Marine Daiwa Glenelg Shire Glenelg Shire NS Rods Sunline

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We are ready to roll!

From a little company established in 1998, ABT’s done some pretty big things over the years. Established in the era of consolidated media and a real bait fishing and trolling culture, I truly think that we have changed the way we fish.

You guys are innovators and early adopters. You’re

always the first to take on new tackle, techniques and gear and happy to share the fruits of your labours. Every year, more and more of you are happy to run cameras and show the fans what you’re doing out on the water.

‘Who Shares Wins’ has never been more relevant or more widely adopted. Thank

This is where we all want to be – holding up the perennial trophy at the end of the season and enjoying the accolades being an ABT winner offers. The new boat is nice, too.

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you for that. It helps the industry grow, our sport grow and it helps you raise the bar as anglers.

Increasingly, we are able to reach more and more people with what we do. Fifteen years ago, it was magazines and the AFC TV show that promoted growth in our sport. Nowadays we still use the magazine network (after all, you’re reading this in one) of Fishing Monthly Magazines, and a variety of other channels to get out our other content. Last year, ABT produced videos reached 549,000 people through our digital platforms. That number rises every year.

All of it has a hub on the ABT website (www.abt. org.au). Each event, the front page story for that event has links to the preview stories, results, image galleries, videos and everything else we publish - wherever we publish it.

So you don’t need to trawl through a site, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get what you need. Just visit the site and it’ll all be there for you.

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that we will be transitioning our platform for our live weigh-ins from the Facebook platform to our YouTube channel in 2020. It may take a while to train our viewers to look for it there, but remember, it’ll also be embedded in ABT’s page for that event. If in doubt, go to www.abt.org.au.

If you’re a YouTube

Main: You’ll see this van kicking around the ABT circuit again this year, sometimes with a stage trailer on the back and sometimes with the Fishing Monthly boat. Say g’day if you see us on the road!

Above: The ABT website is the hub of all ABT information and media streams.

You’ll find the 2020 weigh-ins embedded here from this year forwards. subscriber, the channel to follow is ‘ABT Tournaments’.

Make sure you subscribe and hit the little bell – that way you’ll be notified when we go live from each weigh-in – just like Facebook occasionally does for you now. And like we see every year, you can watch it from your phone, from your computer at work or streamed to your 70” telly at home!

We have a new boat sponsor this year – Bluefin Boats is back. Bass Cat is still a minor ABT sponsor (through Manning River Marine) but the declining Aussie dollar has put the brakes on a Bass Cat for a major prize for the moment.

We’ve given away plenty of Bluefin boats in the past, some at BASS Electric Conventions and some at the ABT Grand Finals. Graham Franklin and Neil Kelly won a pigeon pair at the Lake

Macquarie BREAM Final in 2017 and Jeremy O’Connell won one at a BASS Electric Convention at Hinze that I saw on the water at the Australian Open this year.

Brad and his team from Bluefin Boats have been long time supporters of ABT. This year, we have a prize boat for the boater winners of both the BREAM and the BASS Grand Finals AND for the winner of the BASS Electric Grand Finals.

That’s three Bluefin boats that’ll go to new owners at the conclusion of the tournament season.

A BassPro 498 in the BASS, a Bass Pro 463 in the BREAM and a decked out P-Series in the BASS Electric.

And if you think that we’re just giving away tinnies, think again. Bluefin’s new Alloycraft Bass Pro

models have the looks, the storage and the affordability to be a serious contender for boater bucks when it comes to getting on the water.

Check out their rigs on www. bluefinboats.com.au.

ABT also gets great support from outboard motor suppliers. After all, at our first BASS series in 1999, the average horsepower on a tournament boat was under 30hp. Nowadays, most fields average between 150 and 200hp and we are definitely spending more money on our boats than ever before.

Mercury in the BREAM and Evinrude in the BASS offer owner bonus programs to reward ABT anglers who perform well and support their product.

We also have some out-of-industry sponsors who help the machine roll. Neil Carstairs from Mortgage

Corp immediately saw the value of live broadcasting and has been helping us do it ever since. Without Neil’s help you’d still be wondering what’s going on at weigh-ins and on the water. Instead, we can stream it to you – LIVE! What you mightn’t know is that Neil can also help you with your fishing. He’s a specialist at re-financing your mortgages in your favour. The way it works is that the less you have to pay the banks, the more you can spend on boats and doing what you love.

Seriously, give him a call if you think that you’re a slave to your bank and see what he can do about it for you. It won’t cost you a cent to ask and he has helped more of your fellow anglers than you’d think.

And lastly, of course, there’s the broad range of tackle sponsors that keep ABT ticking. We’ve always had a theory that a lot of companies kicking the can a little bit is the healthiest thing for our sport. A GFC, dozens of natural disasters, a massive change in the media landscape and a generational change in the anglers and we are still going strong thanks to their support.

They provide the product for the prize packs and some coin to pay our

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After 20 years, there’s plenty of history being created. Aaron Sharp named the Queensland Open trophy ‘Geoff’. After all, he’s been looking after it for a lot of its life. hard working ABT staff.

New sponsors on board this year include VMC hooks, Megabass and we see the return of Atomic, BKK Humminbird and ProLure.

We have a new ABT Tournament Director starting this year, so we hope that you’ll make him welcome.

Want to know who it is?

You’ll find out at the BREAM Queensland Open when he starts his role.

Nicholle Smith has become the backbone of ABT sponsorship and media and Kym Rowbotham the hub of all entries at the ABT head office in Shailer Park

in Queensland. Plenty of you met them during the year and at the Grand Final dinner on the Gold Coast. Keep playing nice with these ladies and they’ll make your tournament smooth and enjoyable.

And finally, there’s you guys. Thank you for your business and your

membership of ABT. Your membership fees help to keep the wheels turning back at the office and it is appreciated.

We’ve had excellent uptake of the digital subscription tokens that we send out each month with the ABT member email newsletter. Instead of a single,

posted copy of the magazine for your state, we now offer you all four of the Fishing Monthly magazines in a digital form for you to read at your leisure.

Going to a tournament interstate? No worries – read up about the areas before you go. That’s where it’s powerful.

Not getting your ABT member newsletter? Call the office and make sure that we have your correct email address. Also, check your Junk Mail folder, sometimes your mail server doesn’t know the difference between quality email content and that letter from the Nigerian millionaire that wants to give you all the cash.

Prefer a printed copy?

Call the office and Kym will swap you across to a print version for your state. Call (07) 3387 0888.

There are several event changes in 2020, you can read about them in the pages of the 2020 Tournament Angler Guide. We’ve added a BARRA event in Tinaroo, added an event to the Costa BREAM Series, changed the Samaki BREAM Queensland Open to a multi-venue, weekend event and we’re leaving the BASS Pro tour exactly as it is!

See you on the water in 2020.

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Samaki Queensland Open changes for 2020 The Samaki Queensland Open has had an interesting history. It’s an event that has had many names over the years. It was an Invitational at the old Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and it’s been both a teams and singles event at the Cleveland Boating, Caravan and Outdoor Expo for a number of years. And now 2020 sees the format become more mobile and locked into a two-day, weekend footprint.

The Daiwa BREAM Australian Open uses multiple venues to test anglers across the tournament days.

Brisbane’s waterways have the same potential, so from 2020, the Samaki Queensland Open will feature two

There’s a great mood involved in a Queensland Open event. Anglers fishing a wide arena tend to look after each other and share some great days on the water.

How’s this for a mean assortment of breamers? We expect fields to increase in 2020 with a reduction in days to two-days and a weekend footprint.

Payouts are based on 100% of entry fees paid back plus added prizes.

SAMAKI QUEENSLAND OPEN Event: Samaki BREAM Queensland Open Dates: 22-23 February 2020.

Venue: Gold Coast (1-day), Moreton Bay (1-day).

Venue order will be weather dependent.

Entry Fee: $550, 100% payback.

Coverage: Full ABT Live weigh-ins plus

Garmin highlights cameras.

Format: Boater-only with paired

observers is available.

days on two different sections of Brisbane and surrounding waterways.

And with the massive arena divided, anglers will need to formulate different plans if they’re able to take the trophy off encumbent Queensland Open Champion, Jamie McKeown.

The arena will be divided at the Powerlines at the mouth of the Logan River.

ABT Director, Steve Morgan said, “The split of the Sydney arenas has had nothing but positive feedback in the Australian Open, so we’re looking To page 8

McKeown displays the bait that caught him the winning fish in the 2019 Queensland Open – the Tiemco Lonesome Sweeper.

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forward to rolling out that theory in the Queensland version.

“We’re also aligning the event with a weekend footprint to see if we can encourage more Queenslanders to come and test themselves in this boater-only, Open format.

“Naturally, we’ll also have spots available for observers, so that if you want to spend a day aboard with some of Queensland’s best breamers, you just

Tournament Angler Guide need to let us know and we can allocate you with the leading anglers. It’s a great way to accelerate your learning curve.”

McKeown, who is currently looking after both the BREAM Australian Open and the Samaki BREAM Queensland Open trophies, added, “It’s such a big arena and you’ll need to have a variety of spots and plans if you want to take the title in 2020.

“And you don’t need to be a local to do well.

We’re unsure how often this will happen. Jamie McKeown won the 2019 Daiwa Australian Open and the 2019 NuLook Floors Queensland Open in the same year. Amazing effort!

Dave Mackenzie (commonly known as TNB: Tristo’s Non Boater) chanced his arm alone at the 2019 Open and finished just out of the money. His name is on the perpetual trophy plenty of times.

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abt.org.au Last year South Australian, Wally Fahey, fell one legal fish short of a win by focusing on a simple, canal fishing pattern and sticking to it for the whole event. Get in the groove and anyone can take home the win,” he continued.

The other change for the Queensland Open this year is the time of year. Originally held at any time between March and September, the last few years have seen it run in spring. The move to late summer will mix it up again,

with bream in a different phase of their yearly cycles.

Are you keen? You just need an ABT capable boat (3.7m or greater with 20hp or greater) and a 60L recirculating livewell. Fill out the entry forms when they become available and you’re in.

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN

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Moreton Bay rat Denis Metzdorf is always up there at a Moreton Bay event. His success in the Queensland Opens, Australian Opens and Grand Finals has elevated him into the top 5 ranked BREAM anglers at the end of 2019. The Queensland Open gets you plenty of rankings points.

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Barra events expand in 2020 Arguably, the ABT BARRA tour is the best fun you can have fishing. Socialising by day and catching barra by night, the 50-odd anglers who make the trip each year sample the best that the Mackay and surrounds can offer when it comes to catching big, impoundment barra.

In 2019, there was plenty going on in BARRA events. We added the Venom Rods BARRA Australian Open at a resurgent Lake Awoonga to take advantage of this fishery, which is coming back strong. A 100% payback and some great prizes from Venom will

Mick Detenon broke through for his first BARRA event win at Faust in 2019. Let’s hope he can continue the momentum in one of the six 2020 BARRA events.

Who could forget the 137cm Kinchant Dam beast that graced the deck of John Campbell’s boat in 2019? At a tad under 50kg, the 2020 events will still reward big fish with their estimated weight, but the AOY points will reward numbers of barra a little more. This fish set social media alight!

ensure that this event grows from year to year.

In 2020, this event will be held on the lead up to the early October full moon, a few weeks later than the 2019 event. According to Awoonga guide, Justin Nye, this is the best time of the year to catch these fish. It’s a three-day event with the final night landing right before the full moon.

And, for the first time in over a decade, ABT BARRA is headed back to Tinaroo Dam. A lake famous

What would a BARRA Tour be without a Colin Brett? This man is dangerous with a barra rod or a beer in hand. for world record barra, it’s a fishery on the rise and according to locals, it’ll fish great on the early November full moon when the event is scheduled.

There are two full moons in November. The one at the end of the month is

traditionally when the Zerek BARRA Tour is held, and 2020 will mimic the popular rotation of lakes in a weeklong, four-event series that will end up crowning the 2020 BARRA Team of the Year.

There’s a calendar hereby for you to lock in the dates,

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but there’s also a full BARRA Tournament Angler Guide published later in the year, so keep an eye out for that in the Fishing Monthly publications.

BARRA TEAM OF THE YEAR There was a lot of discussion on the 2019 BARRA Tour about trying to reward the teams who catch a limit of fish. With the length/ weight curve used to run the

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abt.org.au events, a big barra can beat a whole limit of little fish.

ABT won’t be changing the app-based system that converts verified lengths into weights of fish in 2020, but we will be modifying the points system that we use to decide the Angler of the Year to reflect the numbers of fish caught.

Teams have always received 100 points for an event win and one less point

for each place down the list they finish. In 2020 there will be a bonus point awarded for each barra caught in the session (up to a limit of 5 fish). Therefore, you can now technically get up to 105 AOY points in a one day event, and each fish caught matters in the AOY race.

So we now have a Team of the Year trophy that’s skewed to reward consistency, and an event system that’s designed

Jimmy Reid’s now retired from running tournaments and weighing fish, but you may well see him around with a rod in the hand in 2020 events. to reward big fish.

Finally, the 2020 Team of the Year will count your top 5/6 events, allowing you to drop or miss a round. Canny anglers will also realise that a three-day event will offer plenty of opportunities

for bonus points (up to 15 bonus points available in a three-day event) where a single day event will only offer potential for an extra five points.

That makes the Australian Open look

appealing, doesn’t it!

Want to get on board?

Lock in the dates, stock up on your Zereks and organise your time off. We’d love to have you there for any or all of the BARRA events in 2020.

2020 BARRA EVENTS Date Event Sep 29 - Oct 1 R1: Venom Rods BARRA Australian Open Oct 30-31 R2: Edge Rods Tinaroo 2-Day Nov 26 R3: Wilsons Lake Kinchant Event Nov 27 R4: Teemburra Dam Evening Event Nov 29 R5: Faust All-nighter Dec 1-2 R6: Faust 2-Day

Dylan Brier-Mills is stoked that the Zerek Barra Series is coming to Tinaroo in Spring 2020. He’s a gun on the lake and reckons that fishing will be ‘grouse’.

Location Lake Awoonga Tinaroo Dam Kinchant Dam Teemburra Dam Peter Faust Dam Peter Faust Dam

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Humminbird BASS Electric Open to boom in 2020 ABT

Joey Urquhart

With the new year upon us and the regular BASS electric season about to get underway, let’s fast forward to the end of the season to the pinnacle of the calendar, the BASS Electric Australian Open.

2019 saw the inaugural Valleyhill BASS Electric Open take place at Wyaralong Dam in Southeast Queensland, and following

its initial success, it’s back in 2020 with a new naming sponsor: Humminbird. It promises to be bigger and

Day 1 Highlights

better while offering 100% pay back in cash plus prizes to all bass anglers wanting to get their hands on the trophy.

Most people won’t have heard of Wyaralong Dam as it only finished construction in 2011. Only weeks after construction, however, the large catchment area received massive rainfall which filled the dam in a matter of weeks.

Located about 15 minutes’ drive west of Beaudesert and only a 1-hour drive from Brisbane and northern NSW, it’s perfect for day trips.

This puts a new meaning to catching them in the trees. Blades fished right amongst the timber yielded results in 2019.

Two typical size Wyaralong bass. That’s right – this is the average size when you fish reaction baits in the right places. These fish came from heavy timber.

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Wyaralong is an up and coming lake that is jam-packed with plenty of big bass and huge numbers of small bass – but rest assured that the by-catch of carp and tilapia will keep you busy.

The dam offers great access for all types of boats, whether it’s a 3m tinny or a 20ft bass boat, with great car park facilities to accommodate all trailers.

You can leave your petrol motors attached, you just

can’t use them.

BRINGING IN THE BASS Wyaralong is really a bass fisher’s dream, offering everything from rocky banks, sunken timber and lily pads to reed-lined foreshore. There’s something for every angler to target, no matter what your favourite technique is.

2019 saw the bar being raised yet again in the BASS Electric Australian Open held there. Wyaralong turned

it on with nine 6kg+, 5-bass limits, with the largest for the tournament coming in at just over 8kg. The Big Bass prize was fiercely contested, and the eventual winner tipped the scales at 2.03kg.

It is really one of those lakes where you can catch them on anything, although there were some stand-out lures from the 2019 Open.

Day one leader Charles West chose to target sunken timber using his lipless

cranks to great effect, and I also opted for the same technique, which helped to put me in the top three going into the last day. Talking to anglers after the tournament showed that more then half the field opted for this same technique, while eventual

Day 2 Highlights

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There are plenty of these in Wyaralong – big timber standing in open water. The bass love these areas.

Adrian Wilson weighed a cracking bag on Day 2 of the 2019 BASS Electric Australian Open with quality fish like this.

Want to be treated like a BASS Pro angler?

The BASS Electric Australian Open has the same payout percentage and coverage as the BASS Australian Open on Glenbawn. Boom.

winner Jake Schwerin fished the same structure throwing a spinnerbait, keeping it in contact with the timber at all times.

The trusty old blade played a big part in filling people’s limits, although the average fish size on blades was a lot smaller than those caught on reaction baits.

You can see lots of the angler highlights in the videos captured at the event – just scan the QR codes hereby or search on ABT’s YouTube channel (ABT Tournaments).

WHAT’S IN STORE IN 2020 Jumping forward to this year’s event, I think we will see a lot more of this lake

unlocked as anglers search and find that something a little different.

In saying that, I think if you were going to fish this event you would be silly not to have a lipless crank tied, and searching different ground from the community spots could prove crucial.

Rain could also play a big part in this event. Having large amounts of rain that cool the water down could see the edges fire with jerkbaits, but that’s totally weather dependent.

Another way to bring in a large limit I feel could be the very popular skirted jig.

It’s a technique that hasn’t been fished there a lot and To page 16

Dean Thompson’s old man was the inaugural BASS Pro Angler of the Year in 1999. The young bloke can catch them pretty well, too.

abt

TAG 2020

15

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au dam permits you to leave your petrol motor on the boat, there’s no excuses not to come.

For more information on this event or any of the BASS electric events jump onto www.abt.org.au and follow the links to the entry forms and rule sheets.

As a wrap, I personally love this dam and if you love catching XOS bass on a number of different techniques you will be mad if you miss this one. Will we see that elusive 10kg limit come in or even a 3kg bass?

I know one thing for sure and that’s there’s every possibility of both happening.

Hope to see you there.

From page 15

if done on the right structure at the right time could be the winning combination. Be assured though that anything could produce a big bag as it’s really undocumented and there’s a lot more to learn about this lake.

The Open format allows anglers to fish for a 5-fish limit while not having the pressure of someone else in the boat. You also have the chance to take home some big prize money and at only $250 per angler entry, its great odds.

This event is open to all boats, providing they are only run by electric power and given that Wyaralong

There’s a lot of great looking country in Wyaralong. Bring your own favourite baits and techniques to dissect it for yourself.

Adrian Wilson spends a lot of time at Wyaralong. “The secret is out,” he said after the 2019 Open.

A small electric-powered boat or a big bass boat are both fishable in Wyaralong. You can leave your petrol motor on while fishing the event.

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Tournament Angler Guide

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Braid v fluoro: what’s the best for your fishing?

ABT

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

It’s been interesting watching the trends of fishing line in this country.

When I started working in the tackle industry in the 1980s, everyone used nylon monofilament line.

Working at Mossops and The Tackle Warehouse in Brisbane, you’d sell spools of mono to customers.

ANSA (Australian National Sportfishing Association) and GFAA (Game Fishing Association of Australia) guys demanded pre-tested monofilament nylon line to claim their lineclass records, because if your line broke over the designated class, your claim would be refused.

Heavy tackle game fishers and fly anglers used non-stretch braided Dacron lines for their specific applications (mainline for marlin guys and backing for fly fishers). Dacron, however, wasn’t thin for its breaking strength and wasn’t eminently castable like modern braids are.

The birth of ABT BREAM and BASS events 18

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and the broad uptake of soft plastic baits went hand-inhand with the acceptance of braided and fused lines made of fibres such as Dyneema and Spectra.

These fibres were super strong for their diameter and eminently castable off spin and baitcast reels.

Aussies, as soft plastic newbies, needed to ‘feel’ the bites to keep their confidence up, and products like Berkley Fireline – a cheap, no-stretch line where the fibres are fused together rather than woven into a braided form – took over the market. Tipped with a fluorocarbon leader, anglers

had the feel of braid and the confidence with 5-8ft of low visibility leader connecting their lure to the highly visible main line.

Switched-on anglers in general, and bream anglers in particular, became partial to the suppleness and durability of very fine, expensive,

Main: We all have our favourite lines, but how much thought have you put into choosing the right combination for your presentations? Above: Generally, if you want to set hooks and bully fish, use braid and leader. If you use a lure that you don’t impart action to, why not use straight through fluorocarbon?

woven braids that cast amazingly well compared to the fused offerings.

Subsequently, breamers worked out that there was a middle ground between the zero-stretch braid and the very stretchy nylon monofilament. Fluorocarbon line fell right in the middle of the elasticity of these two products. It had more ‘feel’ them nylon and more ‘give’ than braid. And, you could use a whole spool of it at once and fish this fluorocarbon ‘straight through’ to the lure.

I make no secret of the fact that I use braided lines only when and where they are needed. To me, there are only a few situations where braid is the best, and they are usually scenarios where you need to combine good castability with either a heavy leader and/or some hook setting power. These situations include: • Fishing topwater baits (where the braid floats and you set the hooks after the fish eats the lure on a slack line); • Oyster rack fishing (where you need to take charge and skip the fish over racks with no stretch); • Sight fishing with weightless plastics (especially where the

fish eats the offering on a slack line); • Using jigheads with bigger baits in deeper water; and • Any combination of the above.

Everything else on my boat gets fished on straight through fluorocarbon.

I’m also a believer that if you use moving baits, the fish can be spooked by the ‘line shadow’, and a solid braided line is more visible in the water than a fluorocarbon line. I know this by years of fishing with non-boaters in ABT events. Dozens of times I’ve fished side-by-side with some excellent co-anglers in clear water, with both of us using the same crankbaits.

It’s incredibly rare for the angler using braded line to out-fish the angler using mono. It’s that simple.

Within the fluorocarbon classes, you have to fish as light as possible while still retaining the best chance of landing the fish.

In open, super-clear water, I have no problems using 2lb fluorocarbon straight through, even in Tassie where the bream weigh on average the same weight as the line’s breaking strain. By doing this, I hook many more To page 20

Tournament Angler Guide

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Tournament Angler Guide

From page 18

fish and still land nearly all of them.

When the water is dirtier or the structure I’m fishing is more rugged, I’ll up the line class to 3lb or 4lb when I think I’ll still hook plenty of bream. If I’m fishing a bridge pylon in dirty water or the same water over rocky reef, 5lb or 6lb fluorocarbon is the natural choice – I don’t have to make long casts in those conditions, the fish aren’t put off by the diameter, and the pulling power is sometimes a blessing.

There’s a fine balance, though, between having the pulling power and actually using it. Sure, fluorocarbon stretches, but it’s still possible to tear the hooks out of a bream’s mouth with stretchy line. When I used to fish crankbaits on braid,

Straight-through fluorocarbon should be right in the zone for crankbait anglers, especially for yellowfin bream where a straight retrieve often works well.

I’d lose heaps of bream with pulled hooks. It didn’t matter how soft my rods were, there was still a percentage of fish that wouldn’t stay connected, no matter how skilful I thought I was.

The answer is to fish all line classes as if the bream is only just hooked. Treat your extra diameter (and breaking strength) in your fluoro as simply more abrasion resistance. Just because you’re fishing 6lb doesn’t mean that you have to have a heavy drag. The bonus with doing this is that if the fish does make it home into some structure, it will be much harder for the fish to break a line under less pressure.

Any line, at breaking point, will part instantly when it touches a sharp, underwater object. The same line at only To page 22

abt.org.au

Fishing unweighted plastics, you need to set those hooks hard, which means the braid and leader combo is the natural choice.

SPOOLING FLUOROCARBON

SPOOLING BRAID

I’ve read plenty over the years on the best ways to spool line. Spooling light fluorocarbon onto a small spinning reel is the easiest process ever.

1. Thread the line down the guides and tie it onto your reel.

2. Stick a pen through the middle of your spool.

3. Wind the line onto the reel with a small amount of pressure.

There’s none of this having the line come off this side or that side of the spool to counteract the twists. That’s all rubbish. The line is untwisted when it’s sitting on the spool you buy it on. It twists slightly as the line is spooled onto the reel. As you cast, these twists are removed. Don’t make it any more complicated than that.

The main danger in spooling up fluorocarbon is to not overheat the line.

Heat kills fluoro very quickly, and you can create too much heat if you’re trying to wind the line on under too much pressure. Add the pressure with your bare fingers, and if it gets too hot for your fingers, it’s too hot for the line.

You spool braided line in exactly the same way that you spool fluorocarbon, apart from the pressure. A little bit of heat doesn’t damage the braid the way it can destroy fluoro, and braid spooled under too little tension can cut into itself and create problems.

Use a piece of rag to add enough pressure to keep the braid tight as you’re winding it on.

If you’re using a shallow spool that doesn’t need backing, use some sticky tape to help anchor the braid to the spool. If you don’t do this, the whole spool of line can slip on the spool.

A deeper spool that needs backing can be backed with cheap nylon monofilament line. The braid will never slip on mono backing. Just make sure that the knot between the backing and the main line is good. You never know when you’ll need the connection to remain fast.

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abt From page 20

20% of its maximum tension will be very forgiving.

This leads me into my ‘softly-softly’ approach.

FIGHTING A BREAM SOFTLY If a bream swims around structure when you’re fighting it, the worst thing you can do is to pull as hard as you can. This will invariably break your line.

In contrast, I have landed hundreds of bream from sticky situations by

Tournament Angler Guide easing the drag back to nearly nothing and slowwinding the fish back out the way it came.

Let me explain.

When a bream is hooked, it will, naturally, swim away from the perceived danger.

When the pressure is relieved, the bream will often stop and then focus on the lure in its mouth. At this time, gentle pressure will often result in you being able to ‘lead’ the fish back along the lay of the line. If it is swum around a

abt.org.au

couple of pylons, then very often, it will let itself be led back the way it came.

It’s pretty important to do all of this work with the reel and not to move the rod much. If you try to ‘pump and wind’ the fish, the pressure is uneven and each time you drop the rod tip, the bream has a chance of turning its head around and changing direction.

You don’t want it to change direction. You want it to keep swimming the way you’re

Left: It’s a dead-set walk in the park to re-rig your fluorocarbon rods.

Cut the line, tie a knot and you’re done. Right: When it comes to connecting your braid to a leader, modern knots like the FG are vastly superior to the Albright connectors we all tied when ABT started.

The shadow of the line spooking fish may be a foreign concept to some, yet braid throws a much bigger shadow than light fluorocarbon does. Food for thought.

winding it.

Whenever I extract a bream like this, I make sure that I don’t do the drag back up when it’s clear. The line may be damaged and break at a fraction of its advertised strength. The fish will eventually see you – or the boat – and try to swim away again.

There’s no better example of why you should do this than the 1.47kg yellowfin bream I landed on the second day of a

BREAM Australian Open on Sydney Harbour. I was fishing a flat in around 3ft of water with two, large rocky outcrops on it with an SX40 and 3lb fluorocarbon straight through. The lure bounced over a rock pile and got clobbered by the bream, which then bolted up the gap between the two rocks and buried itself in a crack.

Instinctively, I loosened the drag, put the electric motor on 100% and headed straight for the rock. The

armature of the motor hitting the rock at around two knots spooked the fish, which then took off over the flats.

Drifting with the current and after nearly 10 minutes of back and forth with the light drag, the bream succumbed to the net. When I removed the hooks and tested the line, it broke at around 250g of pressure.

Keeping the drag backed off with the damaged line make a kilogram difference to my final bag.

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Joseph Urquhart

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Nathan Swanson

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2019 BASS ELECTRIC RANKINGS Ranking

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 19 19 19

First Name

Joseph Nathan Adrian Charles Aaron Jesper Matthew Pete Tom Mark Scott Dale Jake Paul Glen Nick Alan Steve Chelsey Drew Liam

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4

5

Aaron Kemp

2019 BASS ELECTRIC AOY

Surname

Points

Urquhart Swanson Wilson West Kemp Noisen Flynn Bostock Reynolds Palazzi Bryant Lucas Schwerin McHugh Swanson Nutley Britcliffe McLean Lennon Sharpe Dutton

229 203 200 192 170 168 146 139 130 129 129 119 102 99 93 90 88 88 85 85 85

Rank

First Name

Surname

Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 17 18 19 20 20

Joey Mark Adrian Dale Tom Nathan Alan Glenn Charles Jake Liam Aaron Peter Mattew Matt Stephen Jesper Luke Drew Mark Wade

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ABT BREAM and BASS rankings by the numbers 2020 marks ABT’s 21st year, and over that time a total of 659 boaters and 903 non-boaters have competed in 180 BREAM events since rankings calculations started. Many Australian anglers dream of winning an ABT event, however Anglers not only seek to win events during the year but compete for Angler of the Year (AOY). AOY rewards the angler who is the most consistently highly-placed angler throughout the BREAM rounds, with points per round allocated according to placing. Tristan Taylor (Boater) and Stuart Walker

only 102 boaters can claim to have won an ABT bream tournament. This of course means there are anglers who have won multiple ABT BREAM events. 31 of these winners have won more than once, making them our superstars of the sport.

(Non-Boater) took out this prestigious title in 2019.

ABT also tracks the form of anglers through rankings. Rankings use the best five scores in the last 12 months added to the best five scores in the preceding 12 months (12-24 months ago). The top five ranked anglers coming into 2020 are:

TOP FIVE RANKED BREAM ANGLERS 1 2 3 4 5

BOATER Steve Morgan, QLD Jamie McKeown, QLD Mark Crompton, NSW Denis Metzdorf, QLD Charlie Saykao, QLD

1 2 3 4 5

NON-BOATER Stuart Walker, NSW Mike Hodges, VIC Craig Johnson, NSW Tanya Konsul, ACT Neil Kelly, NSW

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ABT BREAM MULTIPLE EVENT WINNERS Steve Morgan Chris Wright Warren Carter Kris Hickson Russell Babekuhl Tim Morgan Darren Borg Szarn Tink Brad Hodges Tristan Taylor Cameron Whittam Andrew Howard Chris Metcalfe Scott Towner Mark Crompton Dror Pietsch Jamie McKeown Mark Mangold Steve Steer Ross Canizzaro Ben Godfrey Ian Seeto Jarrod Healey Jay Morgan Michael Metcalfe Nigel Webster Patrick Sullivan Scott Butler Spiro Spiropolous Steve Starling Graham Franklin

11 9 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

ABT BASS in 2019 saw a massive increase in numbers, which we assume is due to the collapse of BASS Nation.

As such, competition for the AOY and Rankings placings was tighter than

weighed at the BASS Grand Final in 2019 at Lake St Clair.

After a cracking year, where he won the BASS Boater AOY and the Rapala BASS Australian Open, Graham

TOP FIVE RANKED BASS ANGLERS BOATER 1 Graham Ford 2 Kris Hickson 3 Keeghan Painter 4 Stephen Kanowski 5 Jonothan Bale in recent years. In fact, Grand Final spots were at a premium. We think that it will be a long time before an entire Grand Final field logs a perfect score, like the 300/300

1 2 3 4 5

Jason Martin ended the year at the best ranked angler in the back of the boat, and 2019 BASS Non-Boater AOY Paul Mazaroli landed just out of the top five after a stellar year.

NON-BOATER Jason Martin Nick Price John Francis Mitchell Petty Trent Blake

Ford topped both lists, displacing fellow NSW angler Kris Hickson who spent a lot of his year deciding which country he was going to fish in next.

After his Grand Final win,

It’s great to see that ABT is rewarding the increased participation in BASS with a prize boat again in 2020.

The numbers back this decision up.

Anglers of the year (AOY) The other game in town, of course, is the Angler of the Year. These coveted trophies reward the angler who does the best in the season that year.

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abt

Tournament Angler Guide

1

Steve Morgan

Jamie McKeown

2

3

Mark Crompton

2019 BREAM BOATER RANK

abt.org.au

Denis Metzdorf

4

5

Charlie Saykao

2019 BREAM AOY BOATER Current

First Name

Surname

Points

383

1

Tristan

Taylor

494

370

2

Steve

Morgan

481

Charlie

Saykao

480

Ranking

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Steve

Morgan

2

Jamie

McKeown

3

Mark

Crompton

353

3

4

Denis

Metzdorf

316

4

Mark

Crompton

470

Alan

Lister

457

5

Charlie

Saykao

281

5

6

Alan

Lister

279

6

Wally

Fahey

435

Scott

Wilson

430

7

Kris

Hickson

276

7

8

Wally

Fahey

269

8

Jamie

McKeown

419

Allan

Murray

411

9

Cameron

Whittam

237

9

10

Tristan

Taylor

232

10

Chris

Head

345

Jason

Mayberry

341

11

Christian

Wardini

218

11

12

William

Carruthers

218

12

Stephen

Duff

318

Mark

Saric

314

13

Brad

Hodges

209

13

14

Jason

Mayberry

204

14

Christian

Wardini

268

Denis

Metzdorf

263

15

Scott

Wilson

203

15

16

Todd

Riches

195

16

Kim

McIntyre

257

Steven

Pryke

251

17

Ross

Cannizzaro

193

17

18

Allan

Murray

178

18

Craig

Templar

246

Scott

Towner

231

Zac

O’Sullivan

224

19

Grant

Kime

172

19

20

Mario

Vukic

168

20

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abt

Tournament Angler Guide

1

Stuart Walker

2

Mike Hodges

3

Craig Johnson

abt.org.au

Tanya Konsul

4

5

Neil Kelly

2019 BREAM AOY NON-BOATER

2019 BREAM NON-BOATER RANK Ranking

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Stuart

Walker

391

2

Mike

Hodges

3

Craig

Johnson

4

Tanya

5

Neil

6 7

Current

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Stuart

Walker

496

268

2

Travis

Ryan

470

247

3

Richard

Wootten

465

Konsul

238

4

Neil

Kelly

465

Kelly

234

5

Bernard

Kong

457

Colin

Wilson

224

6

Dallas

Blatchford

456

Michael

Thompson

212

7

Tanya

Konsul

450

8

Glen

Sturrock

210

8

Darren

Murphy

448

9

Bernard

Kong

207

9

Justin

Reeves

440

10

Dallas

Blatchford

205

10

Glen

Sturrock

437

11

Rodney

O’Sullivan

187

11

Craig

Johnson

423

12

Brendan

McNamara

185

12

Colin

Wilson

406

13

Shaun

Egan

181

13

Rodney

O’Sullivan

369

14

Richard

Wootten

169

14

Michael

Hodges

350

15

Peter

Breukel

152

15

Shaun

Egan

348

16

Nick

Penprase

140

16

Andrew

Williams

345

17

Travis

Ryan

140

17

Daniel

McNeice

333

18

Daniel

McNeice

140

18

Jordan

Armstrong

278

19

Jordan

Armstrong

130

19

Ahmad

Mahfoud

263

20

Grant

Oliver

128

20

Shannon

Hush

255

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2019 BASS BOATER RANK

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2019 BASS AOY BOATER Current

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Graham

Ford

383

2

Keeghan

Painter

379

235

3

Matthew

Langford

368

217

4

Jonathan

Bale

359

Bale

216

5

Jake

Schwerin

359

Lennox

208

6

Robert

Tilley

353

Matt

Johnson

203

7

Nick

Anderson

345

Tom

Slater

195

8

Luke

Draper

343

9

Glenn

Hayter

188

9

Kristoffer

Hickson

332

10

Mike

Nelson

167

10

Steve

Chang

328

11

Greg

Beattie

166

11

Mark

Parriott

327

12

Luke

Draper

163

12

Dane

Pryce

326

13

Dane

Pryce

163

13

Adrian

Melchior

324

14

Robert

Tilley

160

14

Philip

Nix

323

15

Phillip

Nix

159

15

Gregory

Burke

323

16

Simon

Marchant

157

16

Greg

Mitchell

321

17

Wally

Fahey

156

17

Tony

Thorley

318

18

Peter

Phelps

153

18

David

Browning

316

19 20

Jake Paul

Schwerin Aldous

149 148

19

Wally

Fahey

315

20

Brett

Hyde

313

Current Rank

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Graham

Ford

331

2

Kristoffer

Hickson

300

3

Keeghan

Painter

4

Stephen

Kanowski

5

Johnathan

6

Mark

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1

Jason Martin

2

Nick Price

3

John Francis

Mitchell Petty

4

5

Trent Blake

2019 BASS AOY NON-BOATER

2019 BASS NON-BOATER RANK Current Rank

First Name

Surname

Points

Current

First Name

Surname

Points

1

Jason

Martin

239

1

Paul

Mazaroli

376

2

Nick

Price

192

2

Mick

Eastment

367

3

John

Francis

188

3

Tim

Steenhuis

362

4

Mitchell

Petty

186

4

Barry

Reynolds

357

5

Trent

Blake

184

5

Leaon

Walker

352

6

Paul

Mazaroli

183

6

Allan

Price

347

7

Bill

Rose

181

7

Shaun

Beekman

339

8

Leaon

Walker

180

8

Trent

Blake

337

9

Tim

Steenhuis

179

9

James

Browning

333

10

Tom

Deer

176

10

Brad

Wickson

333

11

Dylan

Byron

174

11

Ian

Wratten

327

12

Mitchell

Rose

163

12

Mitchell

Petty

325

13

James

Browning

156

13

Shannon

Hush

324

14

James

Hickson

152

14

Blair

Shapland

316

15

Angus

Meyndershagen

148

15

Jason

Martin

314

16

Mark

Caneris

131

16

Blake

Chivas

311

17

Mathew

Flynn

128

17

Rodney

Thorpe

310

18

Warren

Howe

122

18

James

Hickson

309

19

Mick

Eastment

116

19

Angus

Meyndershagen

304

20

Anthony

Melchior

106

20

Malcolm

Draper

304

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Learning to fish close to home BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Where and when to start is always the burning question for anglers who are new to fishing.

There’s just so much water everywhere; what’s likely to be productive, and

The key to success in your local coastal waters is to build up an understanding of exactly what features a spot needs to have to attract fish, and then using that accrued knowledge to successfully catch them.

LOW TIDE SEALS THE DEAL Before you fish a new location you need to assess

snags but it won’t have much appeal to bream, flathead or other fish, except maybe gar.

Mangroves, rocks, rubble, a channel, rock wall edges and so on are the features to look for, and they are easy to find in many places if you take the time to look.

The second thing to check is the depth. A likely looking area to fish should

The author scores a bream at Cleveland Point. The bait was a piece of prawn tail fished under a small luderick-style float. what’s not? The answer lies in going about things methodically to shorten the time between casts and a hook-up. And one certain way of moving the clock along is to check out and fish your home waters first, either from a boat or from the shore.

concealment.

Assessing water height at full tide is easy – just look for the stain, debris or other marks left by high tides.

START WITH BAIT You’ve got the tackle and found a couple of likely spots to try it out, but how do you actually score some bites? Lures and soft plastics may be all the rage, but if you haven’t used them before, you’re better off using bait.

Using artificials is a very big step to take, not just in terms of the technique but in selecting the right offering in the first place. You have to walk before you can run!

Yes, bait is the answer, and will result in a lot more rod bending for a new angler.

Just remember that it should be fresh as possible, and that’s why a yabby pump is so great to have. Yabbies are not overly hardy critters but they can survive for at least a day if they are kept well aerated or simply packed in damp wood shavings or sawdust in a cooler.

No yabby pump? Then

Denise Kampe with a trevally from local waters. is why it’s so important to know the water depth at high tide) and watch that float.

As soon as it moves, lift the rod and feel for the fish! I have found that 3kg breaking strain mono or braided line

the terrain, and the time to do it is at low tide. When the water is a long way from the high water mark it’s easy to make observations in regard to two main things.

Firstly, there must be something to attract fish to the area. Featureless sand might be great to avoid

High tide bream territory. You can see the high tide line on this wall, along with the kind of rubble and weed that bream and flathead like.

Looking behind the boats at Scarborough’s Marina it’s easy to assess the height of a full tide on the wall, which can produce bream on the inside and flathead on the outside.

be covered by at least 0.5m of water at high tide to give your target species the confidence to move in there in search of food or

There’s some very rough ground along that wall but it’s a sure bet that bream would be there at full tide. A mangrove jack? Why not!

prawns and fresh fillets of mullet or gar will make a good alternative bait. You might pay more for good quality prawns or fresh fish as bait, but it can make a real difference to your catch rates. All frozen fish flesh is soft and far too easily removed from a size 2 bream hook by cunning pickers.

AVOIDING SNAGS Bait selection is now covered, and the next thing to think about is how to avoid snags.

The answer is the humble float. Regardless of the style you’re using, the important thing is to get a float that will easily show that you’ve had a bite, while still being heavy enough for you to be able to cast it out from the shore a small distance.

The idea is to suspend your bait strip or yabby just above the bottom (which

will see the tackle being tested before long. If you’re using braid, give it a buffer of 1m or more of 3kg leader.

Connecting braid to mono or fluorocarbon leader is not an inherent human skill – along with fly casting and boat trailer reversing – so look up the Albright or FG knots online to see how to connect your braid to the leader. Fishing experts prefer the FG knot, but an Albright is easier to tie for a beginner.

Naturally, if you are using light gear and a small float, 0.5m waves are not going to make life easy. This is one of the reasons why it’s usually better to fish early in the morning. Long casts are not necessary when conditions are calm; all you need to do is clear the close inshore areas and let the float move the bait around. To maximise your chances (especially if you’re targeting bream), use a berley of bread mixed with wet sand.

SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE You’re well on your way to successful angling if you follow these tips. This kind of fishing is relaxing, rewarding and really good fun. And even though I fish all over the state, I still really enjoy fishing my local waters. Once you get the hang of things, you will too.

A small float can keep a baited bream hook from snagging, and will instantly register a bite.

FEBRUARY 2020

79

An enduring icon: 100 years of Alvey reels to turn silky oak wood into the back and spool of the first 3” and 4” reels. The back support, line guide and ratchet parts were

BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

Alvey Reels Australia.

This name is synonymous with beach fishing and the Australian fishing scene in general.

January 26, 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of Alvey reels, but the brand so near and dear to many of us nearly didn’t get to the ‘ton’ to salute the crowd. In fact, the company has suffered three major setbacks over the past century, but it was the most recent setback that looked to be the end for sure!

On July 20 2017, Bruce Alvey shocked and saddened the fishing Community and the

was even more robust.

Charles’s work was so good that anglers called the Alvey ‘the reel you cannot wear out’.

The original Alvey factory at St Lucia, Brisbane. It was badly damaged by the 1974 floods. news. In April 2018, Bruce announced the business would be staying open after teaming up with Con Athans, a semi-retired branding and sales expert.

Alvey Reels Australia became backed by a new company, with Bruce and Glenn Alvey and Mr Athans the new co-owners from July 2018.

HISTORY Bruce and Glenn’s great grandfather, Charles Alvey, founded the business in 1920, manufacturing reels in a tin shed next to the family home in St Lucia,

One of Alvey collector Keith Beck’s original Bakelite tackle boxes. made from gun metal, which was in such demand during World War II that the production of reels was

By the 1930s, silky oak and camphor laurel timbers were used to make the spools. A brass plate

A selection of new Alvey reels and accessories. general public by declaring on Facebook: “To our wonderful customers over many, many years. It is with great sadness I have to announce that Alvey Reels Australia will be closing down.”

The community was

devastated. The only glimmer of light in Bruce’s speech was that the closure would not be immediate with Bruce adding, “We still have substantial stocks to be distributed to retailers and we will support warranties and spare parts

for as long as we can”.

Bruce’s post went viral, and new and old Alvey fans bought up with unprecedented demand. The closure was delayed three times until the company finally announced some exciting

One of the early model Alvey cedar reels.

Lightweight Stealth 65 reels ready for dispatch to tackle shops.

80

FEBRUARY 2020

Brisbane. Few people would know that side cast reels were popular at the time when Charles, who had been doing reel repairs in the city, decided he could make a better, more robust one.

Charles started out making about 20 reels a week on a treadle lathe (a foot powered tool for turning wood) in the early 1920s. He used the lathe

halted, and the factory and materials used for the war effort for six years.

After some refinements from the commonly used wedge lock and gem spring turning mechanisms, which were prone to wear, Charles and later his son Ken (who joined in 1925) changed the design to a baselock spring. He also later adopted and purchased the Ferguson patent, which

was screwed to a number of models including the 5” reel, while in 1936, Bakelite (an early type of plastic) was used for the first time on the smaller 3” and 4” models. After the factory was closed for six years during the war, camphor laurel was used temporarily, until it was replaced by the finer grained cedar reels.

In 1946, Jack, the son

of Ken, joined the growing business. Jack was also a keen fisherman and champion distance caster, and this helped reinforce a strong bond with the angling community and kept the brand in touch with anglers’ needs.

The early 1970s was a period of change, with Ken passing away and Bruce joining the business with his father Jack. In 1974, the Brisbane floods caused major damage to the factory and set it back considerably. It took eight

the 21st century, things started to get a lot tougher.

Alvey was competing with cheap imported reels and internet sales, along with high rent and electricity prices, and a move away from traditional forms of fishing such as beach and bait fishing to lure fishing.

This culminated in the sad announcement

by Bruce Alvey in 2017.

Fortunately though, customers decided the brand was too good to lose.

This meant the company survived long enough,

100-year celebrations throughout 2020.

Some things won’t change though.

“Some people said we made too good a product that never wore out or broke down,” Bruce said, “but this was our reputation and this will never change.”

WHAT’S NEW The most exciting recent addition to the traditional side cast range is the Stealth 65. It is 300g lighter than other 6.5” models, and for people like me with back problems, it

A selection of collector Keith Beck’s huge collection of Alvey reels. woven Carbontex drag washers – the hardest, smoothest and most reliable drag washers available.

This means you can pretty much lock the drag up without it grabbing. Having this incredibly smooth drag could be the difference between landing or losing that mulloway or mackerel of a lifetime. A new

version of the saltwater fly reel using these special components is also on the horizon.

The biggest shock to the Alvey range over the past 12 months though is the addition of the new Orbiter spinning reel range. As an Alvey ambassador I was honoured to be one of the first anglers to test these

can see all the specs at www.alvey.com.au. There are currently four sizes available, and hopefully a smaller 1000 size reel will be added in future.

A special treat for Alvey collectors in 2020 is the release of a limited edition wooden 65 reel for the 100th year celebration, made from Australian red

The author’s new Alvey Orbitor 65 with a flathead caught trolling. weeks to clean up the machinery and parts, and ultimately led to a move to higher ground in 1978 to the current location at Carole Park. The clean-up effort was supported by local fishing clubs who had come to love the brand.

Following this upheaval, the 1970s saw manufacturing increase to 40,000-50,000 reels a year.

Also, due to the damage to the wood from the floods, timber reels were replaced by fibreglass and Bakelite.

In 1987, injection moulding machines were introduced to make lighter spools with a smoother finish. A range of accessories were also manufactured onsite, including hand casters, tackle boxes and bait traps.

In 1988, Glenn, Jack’s youngest son, joined the company. Then during the 1990s, the first graphite back/fibreglass reels were made, with larger models following shortly after including the 6” and 6.5” models.

Following that, the Easy Cast system was introduced, and in the early 2000s lighter vented model reels were released. Then in 2008 the Turbo cast system was introduced, allowing even longer casts.

A few other special edition reels followed, but into the second decade of

with the resilience of the Bruce and Glenn Alvey, until a white knight in the form of Con Athans came along to form a joint company venture. Con has a number of new ideas and has been pushing the brand into new markets, including overseas.

100 YEARS AND BEYOND The future is looking bright.

Alvey Reels Australia have been restructuring their range of products and adding new models and colours.

The team also plan on

makes those long sessions on the beach easier on the back.

The Stealth’s light weight is due to the fact it is made from titanium, along with the strongest and lightest engineering grade carbon-reinforced plastic on the market. This reel looks and feels amazing.

The Stealth has a moulded carbon fibre backplate, spool and drag reel, and all the accessory parts (e.g. springs) are nickel plated in black, which looks great. These reels also have lightweight

New and older model Alvey reels secured on an Alvey roof rack rod carrier.

Having your nickname engraved on your reel is now an option for your much-loved Alvey.

reels after they had been pulled apart by the Alvey mechanics to ensure they met quality specifications.

My instructions were simply “to give them hell” and report how they performed.

I have been using these reels for five months and they are very sturdy and very smooth. At first reaction I wasn’t sure how I’d like the big knob on the handle, but I soon found this makes retrieval and handling a big fish a dream. Slippery fingertips from fish scents or slime on those tiny little knobs on many other reels can cause slippage, but not with these handles.

They are great quality for the price, and you

cedar. Alvey collectors will snap them up!

A must-have for the beach angler this year will be the Australian flag on the graphite back of the 6” models. You’ll have to get in quick though, as numbers are limited.

In addition to the new reels, anglers should keep an eye out on the Alvey website for 100-year clothing and patches.

There is also the option to have your name, nickname or a special message inscribed on your new or existing reels.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the past and future plans for Alvey, and let’s hope it can celebrate another 100 years!

FEBRUARY 2020

81

Pelagics have been popping off WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

The holidays are over, big kids are back at work and the little ones have their eyes fixed to textbooks.

Whatever you did and

school mackerel all feeding hard together is pretty cool and not something that happens all the time. It’s even more fun when you find them going hard on shallow reef flats and you can target them with surface lures, which we have been lucky

have been starting to see some quality coral trout and sweetlip etc. making their way into iceboxes.

Out around the outer islands anglers have enjoyed some good fishing too, but mainly for deep dwelling reef fish. The jewies have

fish to target, as not only do they pull like trains when they’re on a hook but also once they go into the icebox, all I can think about is dinner.

Looking ahead, February is always a tough one to forecast, as we are right in the midst of the most unstable period of the year in regards to the weather. This is the time of year when we get our rain, and currently plenty of it is needed right

It’s always fun to catch pelagics off the surface.

Ryan Ablett took this mackerel on a stickbait.

Golden snapper are already starting to feature more regularly in catches, like this one caught by Darren Williams. wherever you went for the holiday season, I hope you enjoyed yourselves and that you got to catch a nice fish or two along the way.

The fishing over recent weeks has been pretty good in the Whitsundays and there has been fish on the chew for anglers of all interest levels.

The little bit of recent rain has had a desirable effect, especially in the estuaries.

Mud crabbing has become a popular pastime once again and there are a few prawns beginning to appear around the estuary openings as well.

Out in Edgecumbe Bay and around the inner islands, there have been vast shoals of bait hanging around for weeks now and this has greatly helped fishing in these areas. Most pelagic species have been fishing consistently, especially for varieties of mackerel. Having Spanish, grey, spotted and

enough to enjoy over recent weeks. In the same areas, the shallow reef fishing has finally sprung to life and we

disappeared, but that has been made up for by species such as golden snapper and grunter. They are both great

Guilermo Ylera scored a cracker of a golden trevally that measured in at just over a metre.

John Williams didn’t want to be left out of the topwater bite and he nailed this XOS queenfish on a popper. across the north of our state.

Any deluges of rain will be welcome, as long as it

Darren Williams with a good grunter. These are one of the tastiest fish to come up from the deeper water.

82

FEBRUARY 2020

doesn’t arrive with any nasty whirly winds.

The barramundi season is opening this month and I’ll bet that this is the species that will be the focus of most anglers’ attentions this month. I don’t know any sportfisher whose heart doesn’t race at the thought of tangling with one of these beauties, especially in tight quarters where the fights are intense, if brief.

I quite often find in February a lot of the fish aren’t hanging around right up in the estuaries where they are normally found. They can be located anywhere along the shorelines of Edgecumbe Bay, as well as Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay. On the ends of any little rocky outcrops or out in front of one of the many seasonal creeks when they are running is a good starting

point for a land-based hunt.

When the fish are out in front on these creeks, this is one of my favourite spots, as these fish go like scolded cats and fighting them in shallow water is just a blast.

Various bait and lure fishing techniques all work well in this situation but I find it hard to stay away from using surface lures, especially at night when the fish are quite often feeding at their best. The Rapala Skitter Pop is my go-to popper and I find it hard to stay away from Cultiva Tango Dancers when it comes to stickbaits.

Onto the reefs, and there should be plenty of action to be enjoyed in both the deep and the shallower areas.

Around the inshore shallow reefs, big coral trout will be the main target for most anglers.

They are an impressive fish, To page 83

Local lad Andrew Denning caught a nice grey mackerel on a topwater lure.

Rain will put the big barramundi in the mood AYR

Steve Farmer

By the time this issue of Queensland Fishing Monthly hits the stands the barra season will again be open and dedicated fishers across the north will be feverishly swimming live baits and lures in their efforts to get the 2020 season off to a memorable start.

Of course, the success they enjoy will largely depend on the weather we get in the lead up to the opening day. If it continues as dry as it has been up until late December, then opening action will be pretty ordinary for Burdekin anglers. On the other hand, if we get some decent rain the barra could be in a different frame of mind. Even just a few late afternoon, tropical storms could make a big difference.

As well as putting the barra in the mood, a bit of rain can also broaden our choice of places to fish. A small fresh through the delta can fire up the estuaries but still leave them fishable.

The same applies to the From page 82

especially once they start to beef up a bit. You don’t have to go far to find a few; any of the patches of reef straight out in front of Dingo Beach

freshwater reaches of the Burdekin River – a small fresh livens up the barra but maintains a reasonable water clarity for fishing. On the other hand, a significant flood event is likely to wash out the estuary fishing, but it might also push a run through lagoons and freshwater creeks – streams that have been low or even dry for much of the year.

These are freshwater spots, such as the upper reaches of the Barratta creeks and the Barratta causeway, which are popular with many shore-based anglers during the wet season.

If barra are scarce due to weather conditions, estuary anglers still have the option of the two next most desirable species in our creeks – mangrove jack and golden snapper. Both have excellent table qualities and are a formidable opponent on rod and reel. Both can also be taken using a number of baits, lures and techniques.

Jacks and golden snapper can both be tempted by baits of whole prawns, squid, slabbed baitfish, whole baitfish and live baits. Baits should be as fresh as possible

and can be presented on the bottom, under a float, or drifting in the current.

Habitat-wise both species like structure and are often taken in the same area or type of structure.

However, golden snapper are more likely to favour mud or rock bars or deep, mid-stream holes containing a tangle of timber. Bottom features in open, inshore waters (such as off Cape Upstart or on the Alva Shoals) will also hold golden snapper. Fish from these spots are often larger than estuarine specimens and are usually taken on large, fresh, squid baits or skilfully worked lures, especially large soft plastics.

Jacks, on the other hand, are quite at home sheltering in snaggy bends of mangrove creeks, sometimes in relatively shallow water, making them more accessible to most anglers.

BEAT THE HEAT Northern anglers feel the heat at this time of the year, but the wise ones change their fishing habits to beat the heat and catch more fish. Simply going early and coming home early or launching late in the

Fortunately through February and March, they are normally plentiful and as an added bonus, if golden snapper are thin on the ground you should still come home with a nice

there and make sure you get your share.

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Mangrove jack are a good second option if the barra are scarce during February. afternoon and fishing into the night will significantly reduce your daily dose of UV rays and keep you far more comfortable. Fish often feed more readily after dark, so chances are you’ll have a more productive trip as well.

Of course, you’ll need to be geared up for navigating after dark and to also be reasonably familiar with the waterways you’re operating in. It can also be

wise to reduce speed while you are on the water. Good preparation can also include collecting bait and preparing your boat and tackle before dark.

If there are storms likely (as there often is at this time of the year) consider cancelling your trip until another time.

CHRISTMAS CATCHES Burdekin anglers with creek huts made the most

of the Christmas to New Year break with family and friends, targeting a fresh seafood smorgasbord of prawns, crabs and fish for the seasonal festivities.

However, overall it sounds like catches were modest, but a good time was still enjoyed by all thanks to contingency plans that ensured a BYO supply of seafood, sausages and steaks.

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Aaron Hicks enjoyed the pelagic bite, catching a prime grey mackerel. and Hydeaway Bay will be throwing quality specimens.

Venture a tiny bit further to Saddleback Island and Georges Point and there will be some nice fish there also.

In this region, you’ll catch fish on the flood and ebb tides, but I prefer the ebb.

The deeper reef and rubble patches will be worthy of attention, as this is the time of year when golden snapper really start to play the game properly.

The best catches regularly come from anglers who fish through the dark of the night and live squid is the number one bait for them.

feed of squid tubes. You’ll still catch golden snapper during daylight hours using various lure and bait fishing techniques but they can be a bit cagier and harder to get onto. The bigger numbers generally come from fishing in the evening.

Don’t forget that there are some of the prettiest beaches in North Queensland to enjoy a fish on in the Whitsundays.

The flats will be alive and there are always the shoals and the outer reef to focus some angling attention on.

There’s something to satiate every angler’s appetite in February so go on, get out

on fly, lures and bait. Reel Addiction operates from the beautiful Cape Gloucester Beach Resort, 40 minutes’ drive north of Airlie Beach.

Combined fishing charter and accommodation packages are available. For more information, contact Mick Underwood on 0413 882 153 or email mick@ reeladdiction.com.au. Resort enquiries can be directed to Julie Houston on (07) 4945 7242 or at info@capeg.com. au. To stay in touch with what’s biting, check out the Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Whitsundays page on Facebook.

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83

Barra time once again TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

No one could complain about the fishing action over this year’s closed barra season, as the jacks have been playing the game. In saying that, now we can once again

lures will work the best.

Sometimes soft vibes will catch big numbers of fish, particularly in the deeper or faster water when the run-off is substantial and you need that extra bit of weight to sit just below the torrent. Due to the way barra inhale a soft vibe, it’s often necessary to use heavier leaders for this

The RMG Scorpion 125mm is very effective on bigger fish. start to reap the rewards of last year’s floods and legally target some of the barra that have taken up residence in the local waterways since then. All through the closed season, anglers have been talking about the massive schools of barra that have been showing up on sounder screens everywhere, teasing barra fanatics up and down the coast.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if by the time this goes to print, the skies have opened and dumped some much-needed rain on Far North QLD. This will change the game from where barra have been to predicting where they will go.

Most anglers are after bigger barra, and where you find them will dictate what

type of stuff to avoid being rubbed off.

Hardbodies cast across the current and allowed to swim down deep, using the water pressure on the bib to plane them down, is another

Tannhym landed this cracking jack on a radioactive rooster Atomic Prong during closed barra season.

The Atomic 4” Prong in motor oil has been producing the goods down deep.

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FEBRUARY 2020

effective way to target the larger models. The 125mm RMG Scorpion is perfect in this scenario and comes with 5X trebles, so you can really get stuck into big fish without the need to upgrade the hooks. If you’re after a stronger action, try the 90mm Scorpion Deep, as this lure has a stronger, more throbbing action and slightly smaller profile. It is suitable for deeper casting situations but is also effective as a trolling lure.

The newfound popularity of the FG knot has allowed anglers to use more suitable leaders for their pursuits, but it has many other benefits as well. The strength of a welltied FG, if tied properly, is as strong as knots get. They allow for a slim profiled knot to be used on those light, crisp rods that have micro guides. Plus, when you do find yourself getting dragged into the timber or structure by a larger modelled fish, the extra leader length achievable with an FG knot gives a greater chance of keeping your braid away from barnacles etc. that pops braid on contact when under load.

Anglers with a SIPS permit haven’t missed out on anything, as the permit allows you to fish the heavily stocked weirs in the middle of town. Some mammoth fish reside in these artificial

waterways, and I often head down for a few flicks before work. Last month I had a chance to go and chuck a lure, and on the first cast hooked and landed a cracking big girl on my 20lb outfit. It was on a surface lure too, which made it even better.

If people tell you that freshwater barra don’t fight, many times you’ll find that they haven’t hooked one and are going off what they’ve been told by someone else who probably hasn’t hooked one either. Take the legendary Peter Faust Dam, I don’t know if the stocking group has gotten a hold of some mutant barra brood stock or if there’s some other factor, but these fish are some of the biggest impoundment

This beast nailed a Bills Bug Cricket surface lure on the first cast while the author was on the way to work. barra you’ll find. They’re also some of the crankiest, hard-hitting and fighting fish you’ll ever hook. On average I use 20lb braid with 30lb reserved for nothing but big barra in the wild, but in Faust this is classified as light and is on the sport side. Many of the bigger wild barra have been caught on a max of 40-50lb Unitika Fluorocarbon leader but those Faust fish regularly chew through 100lb leaders. If you’re fishing in the drowned forest Faust is famous for, 50lb braid and 80-100lb leader is about standard and even then, don’t expect to land them all.

WHAT TO TRY THIS YEAR We all have favourite lures and techniques that produce the goods on a regular basis, but I love to experiment and have recently been playing around with the Halco Madeyes 8” Flick Stick. It’s all about the surface bite when I rig them, and an unweighted 8/0 weedless hook allows me to work it in that appealing side-to-side action known as ‘walking the dog’. Working it over the top of the weed beds in the fresh has rewarded with some spectacular hook-ups and with no weight on the hooks to aid in throwing the hooks during a head thrashing jump, it seems to stay connected when that hook goes in. One alteration I had to make to the retrieve was to twitch it with half the effort as I was originally, and this has really increased the

achievable action.

The other thing I’ve changed with rigging anything made from super stretchy RST material is to cut the end of my leader in a needlepoint and thread it through the bottom of the nose of the plastic, then through the horizontal hook eye and out the top of the head before finishing the loop knot. This effectively

lure for golden snapper and similar, this lure has also accounted for many bigger barra, including my PB at 134cm. My preferred way to rig this lure is exactly the same as described for the Flick Stick, but usually rigged on a weighted hook instead of the unweighted.

The 7/0 Seeker EWGS are my preferred hook, usually 1/4 or 1/3oz. My favourite

Plenty of big barra are waiting to play the game. This one took a sooty lure fished in thick weed. ‘pins’ the plastic and stops the head sliding down the hook when going for those big casts or when you register a bite. As with all of weedless presentations though, you have to strike to get the best hook-up rate.

One soft plastic that is pretty much my go-to for bigger fish is the 6” Paddle Prawn. While it’s an amazing

You don’t need a boat to catch quality fish.

outfit for this style of fishing is the Samurai 16-20lb Refraction baitcaster rod paired with my ABU Premier (24lb of drag) spooled with 30lb braid.

FUTURE BRIGHT FOR BARRA Since the floods, anglers were often catching fish only 150mm long at various times last year while using smaller lures for other species. A spear fisher came into the Fishing Warehouse where I work in Townsville just before Christmas, saying he’d seen a school of hundreds of big barra in deep water while he was looking for golden snapper and they were all ‘tucked up in the guts’, looking as though there’d dumped their payload of eggs. This is promising news for the fishery and is going to go a long way to setting up fish stocks for the future.

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FEBRUARY 2020

85

Shaping up to be a fantastic barra season CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

The late start to the wet should mean we get a fair dumping of rain this month, which will impact the fishing considerably.

February is traditionally the wettest month of the year in Cairns and we will need it to be to push the wet season along.

Barra will be back on anglers’ hit lists and incidental catches over the closed season indicate it should be a bumper barra season. The headlands have been holding good numbers and size of barra and hopefully they have managed

a spawning run by the time you read this. Assuming there has been plenty of rain, the headlands and run-through creeks to the north and south of Cairns, Trinity Inlet and the upstream run-off drains in all waterways will be the places to target barra. If the water is dirty, stick to gold, silver and iridescent colours for lures and in clear water conditions, go for more natural colours.

Sardines and mullet are great livies in dirty water conditions, while prawns are the go-to bait in clearer water.

Dawn, dust and bite times shown in the Angler’s Almanac are the key times to be on the water chasing barra.

The little yellow angler’s bible

Hopefully this month will see an increase in grunter, like this one caught by Peter Newlands.

is the best $8 you can spend each year on fishing. I have been using it for so long I can’t remember when I started, but I have found it particularly accurate for predicting when barra will bite, as well as reef fish.

The reef should be well worth a visit this month, weather permitting.

Traditionally the winds are low, except when there are monsoonal lows whirling about. With cyclonic weather predicting and the BOM radar on your phone, anglers have plenty of warning of adverse weather, so it’s not so risky heading out wide this month. Fish deep if the water temperature is pushing up towards or over 30°C. Grunter have been around in reasonable numbers and size, especially to the south of Cairns. Hopefully they will increase in numbers on the hospital flats, the Barron River mouth and Trinity Inlet this month, with two excellent periods of grunter around the full and new moons. Stick to the top couple of hours of the rise and fall of high tides for best results.

Bait is a bit of a guessing game with grunter and they can be fussy at times. Prawns, peeled down to the last tail joint, are the go-to bait in my grunter book and after that sardines, mud herring, mullet, gar, hardiheads, squid and cuttlefish will do the job on their day. It pays to have at least three types of bait with up to five options in your

Anglers like Jeremy Wedrat are rapt to have barra back on the hit list. icebox if you are serious about chasing grunter. Baits can be presented in strip form, cut diagonally, butterflied, whole if they are small and even live for bigger grunter. If you have three lines out in your boat, have three different baits out until you narrow down what they are feeding on.

Light mono line in the 3-5kg range is the way to go.

I have had little success with braid when bait fishing for grunter, as they are particularly line sensitive. If they feel the line too soon, bigger fish especially will drop the bait.

Use a light tip rod, as light a sinker as possible, leader around 6-9kg and free-spool to let them run before striking.

The only time you don’t need

to free-spool when bait fishing for grunter is when using peeled prawns for bait.

Quality golden snapper have been around for a while now, with the inshore reefs, rocks, islands and wrecks holding the better quality fish whereas Trinity Inlet has been making up for size with quantity. Lures and live baits have been the main producers while the odd fish has been taken on dead bait. If using dead bait, it must be as fresh as possible i.e. caught on the way to your fishing spot.

The other species on the increase around Cairns is salmon, both blue and threadfin, this can be attributed to the declaration of the Net Free Zone. Blue salmon have

been more plentiful, especially around the inner northern beaches like Machans and Holloways. Northeasterly winds are a key ingredient when chasing salmon, though you can catch them in any wind in smaller numbers.

The run-through creeks are another area for land-based anglers to target this month, as the combination of very high tides and increased rainfall will almost guarantee they are open to the ocean. Turn of the tide, particularly the high tide, is the time to have a bait or lure in the water.

Your options should be diverse this month, so it’s really a matter of watching the weather and deciding which you’d like to pursue.

Open season is upon us CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

Forget 25 December, the real Christmas day for anglers is 1 February – the opening of the barramundi season. There is no better

Moon River are exploding.

Let’s not forget to mention the number of awesome beaches and headlands also available to land-based anglers, who have a great chance of landing that metre-long trophy fish. So where should you be fishing on 1 February?

For boaties, my pick

by casting hardbodied lures and plastics at snags on the run-out tide.

For land-based fishers, I would recommend any of the local beaches using big live baits. Fish close to the stinger nets if possible, especially at night when the lights are on for your best chances. There have been some thumper barra accidently caught during the closed season off the beaches, including a few over the 120cm mark, which shows that this is the place where the big fish feed.

If you are after a bit of topwater action, hit the

The Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider has been a standout topwater barra lure. creeks early in the morning and even under the cover of darkness in the shallow water

Big barra will be high on the target list in the NFZ in February. place to be chasing a big barra on opening day than the Trinity Net Free Zone in Cairns.

Being commercial net free for a number of years now, barramundi numbers across the Cairns Inlet, Barron River, Thomatis Creek and 86

FEBRUARY 2020

would be either the Cairns Inlet or out on the headlands.

This time of year, many of the bigger barra will be out the front in big numbers and throwing vibes or live baiting out the front of creeks or creek mouths is always a good idea.

Smaller fish will be available

The author has been braining big jacks on the Live Target Slow Roll Shiner lately.

where there is plenty of bait.

One cool topwater lure I have been using in the freshwater to great success has been the Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider, so it should also be good in the salt.

Jacks have also been chewing hard and will continue this trend in February. My go-to lure has been the Live Target Easy Roll Shiner. The best time to target jacks is over the low tide when they are condensed in the snags. All creeks in the NFZ are holding good numbers of jacks at the moment. Try and choose your tides where there is less than

1.5m of run to maximize your chances.

On the NFZ side of things, we have put some great signs up along the NFZ to promote our awesome fishery. These signs not only show people where to fish but what to fish for and even include a ruler to measure their catch.

These are found across 21 sites in the NFZ. The Cairns NFZ team have also forged some strong bonds with the teams from Rocky and Mackay and are hoping to get a few cross-NFZ competitions going this year, so stay tuned.

Reef fishing delights PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

It’s been happy days in the tropics over the holiday season. If you wind back the clock just over 12 months ago, we were impeded by an early cyclone in late December, which had no effect on our local region but brought a lot of tourism up this way due to ill-informed media reporting. It was a struggle this time around for a lot of businesses to miss out on this trade over such a busy period. However, it has been smooth sailing to date in 2020 and with some brilliant weather on offer, the area has been busy and the fishing has been mostly superb, especially on the Great Barrier Reef.

Reef fishing is always a popular choice for visitors and locals alike. You could count on one hand the days in the last month when the weather hasn’t been suitable to venture 15-25nm offshore to the best fishing grounds in FNQ. Punters have not been disappointed, with quality fish caught on most days. Red and spangled emperor, coral and big bar-cheek trout, cobia and tea-leaf and goldspot trevally have buckled rods over and given anglers plenty of white knuckle encounters. There’s been a necessity to move about at times to find the bite but once found, it has been worth the effort. Even the younger anglers have found themselves tangling with fish they only dreamed of or heard about. There has been no shortage of smiling

anglers of late.

Looking ahead, we haven’t seen a lot of rain or dangerous weather so far but it will only be a matter of time before that changes. Last year we had a phenomenal wet season, but some believe it won’t reach that extent in 2020.

On the gamefishing scene, it’s all back to light tackle gamefishing chasing the likes of sailfish, mahimahi and yellowfin tuna. It has been productive off the shelf in the bottomless pit of water but it will taper off during February.

Closer to home, the beaches and rivers have been patchy. They’re in need of a decent flush out and hopefully then they’ll revive and fire up. Mangrove jack have still been smashing live baits and the old fashioned

Quality coral trout have been caught offshore. pilchard, and there have also been trevally coming through up to 2kg+ on the incoming tides.

The month ahead is always hard to properly predict. It will be entirely dependent on how much

rain we receive and what happens in the Coral Sea in regards to low pressure systems and cyclone activity.

Back to barra business HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

The locks and shackles have been taken off the closed barra season and now it’s time to get back into chasing these iconic

usually prefer the building tides up to the moons, and I load my tacklebox full with shallow or medium range diving hardbodied lures around 80-120mm long. My favourite is the Guttermaster from Old Dog Lures, which are available in different diving depths.

tide compared to others depending on their shape and size. Waiting until it’s too close to the bottom of the tide can see some of them drained completely.

For incoming tides, I prefer to look for backwaters that are thrown off points, rock walls, creek mouths

Alan scored this superb metre barra!

The author’s favourite hardbodied lure for barra is the Old Dog Guttermaster.

Australian sportfish.

How the opening of the barra season will pan out will depend on what kind of rainfall we get. If a low pressure system comes through and dumps a heap of flooding rain, it will make things a little tough until the fresh water settles after a few weeks. If we continue to get low rain or no rain, there should be quite a few fish caught in the opening week.

As it’s the most anticipated month of the year, no doubt there will be a ton of anglers hitting the waterways.

It can be a bit daunting to know where to start targeting these fish. I

If you’re fishing the drains, you will want to start just above half tide on the outgoing, as some drains need to be fished on higher parts of the

and the like. Casting into these areas with a slow retrieve usually works best and playing around with a different style of retrieve is best to find out what

the fish like. Keep an eye out for baitfish working in dirty water. I usually pin at least 40 casts into an area before moving on.

During periods of neap tides, they will usually aggregate in numbers in deeper holes and ledges, or in areas that flow too hard during the bigger tides. Once you find an aggregated school in these areas, vibes, swimbaits, live baits work best. Live baiting can be used in many areas for barra on neap or large tides. It pays to be versatile when fishing the area, as some days

they will hug the bottom, ignoring lures and wanting baits; and some days they will move around and hang close to the surface, preferring lures. Having a bait out while luring a spot is a good way to figure out what kind of attitude they have on that particular day.

Golden snapper reports

emperor and quality trout have been plentiful during the calm weather patches when anglers can get out.

Barramundi will be the bigger focus heading into March and this is one of my favourite months chasing them. Working the stable weather periods in between rain spells will be

This year’s barra season looks promising.

Greg nailed this nice 82cm barra.

have been so-so, with quite a few being lost to sharks lately. If we receive a lot of rainfall, they will be the first species to leave the area and head out to sea. There have been some fantastic reports of nice reds being caught out on the reefs and on the inshore wonkys. Good solid nannygai to 90cm,

the most productive times.

• Bookings are filling up quickly for the 2020 barramundi season starting in February, so now is the time to get in and secure your spot.

To book a charter, you can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing. com or phone 0402 339 459 with your enquiry.

FEBRUARY 2020

87

Barramundi back on the menu COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

Catching barramundi excites me and although I release most of my captures, I still enjoy a feed of saltwater barramundi.

This time of year, hunting the mangrove edges is great and I find that lone mangroves are the best for barra. There’s nothing like seeing the water erupt as your lure disappears down a water whirlpool!

Not only does it get your heart racing but also the aerial display after the hooks are set is something all fishers dream about.

Barramundi are very skilled at removing hooks and lures and many times a lure or hook will fly through the air as a barra returns free to the water.

Every angler is always wondering what the best way to make sure your lure sticks is but I think it’s just luck of the draw. However,

going too hard on a fish can test your tackle and knots.

There are occasions when if you give them a chance, they will head into nearby structure and tie your line in knots around it. At the wharf, spots at the oystercovered pylons will cut through the thickest line.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose,

but there is no doubt you will get the barramundi fever. There aren’t too many people who try for a barramundi and don’t hope to do it again. The adrenaline from fighting such a fish is hard to ignore and will get you back time and again to relive that rush.

Catching fish out on the tidal flats and river

Barramundi will throw your hook if you give them the opportunity.

mouths allows you more finesse to be able to tire your fish before capture, so enjoy the fight, relax a little and let your smooth drag do its thing. Hopefully everyone has taken the time to service their barra gear in preparation for the opening. I like to use the closure time to service my reels and change the braid.

Make sure your gear is up to the task.

The build up has come and the rain has begun. As the fresh moves into the system, it’s a great time to get your crab pots in the water, as crabs don’t like too much fresh and will move out of the river system as the floods start.

As they move, it is easier to entice them into your pots.

Fresh bait is the best and with all the calm weather we have had over the last couple of months, you should have lots of fish heads in the freezer for bait.

My kids love crab and corn soup so catching your own

Target mangrove edges for some solid barramundi. crab always ensures that there is plenty of crabmeat in the soup. Just setting down to freshly cooked crab is great, but it’s always a good idea to do it outside!

The reef will still be an option. More fresh will move jelly prawns out into open water. Spearfishing is always a risk, especially along the coast, but the further out you can go the better. Fishing can be hard with the water temperatures rising so much. Heading

out to deep water is a good option. This time of year, the storms build up and it’s always better to head out early and catch a few so you can head home early, as when the storms start building up in the afternoon the ocean can get rough quickly. Take care and remember there is always another day to go fishing.

Sometimes it’s just better to go back early than to smash your way back because you wanted more time fishing.

Barra are heating up in Hinchinbrook Channel LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

It’s always an exciting time of year in Lucinda when the wet season starts to crank up. I can say we really need a lot of rain as the place is very dry and the creeks and rivers are

literally hundreds of creeks branching off everywhere you turn. It is very possible to get lost in some areas and I have talked with a few people that have spent a lot of time trying to get out of Benjamin Flats in the middle of the channel.

Care must also be taken with low tides, as some creeks will be completely dry at the mouth, meaning many hours

Light spin gear is very handy for presenting small plastics. as low as I can remember.

A good wet season is necessary for a great year of fishing, as it means the many small creeks and rivers will flow, allowing for bait and small fish to escape to the salt and also allowing juvenile fish to make their way up into the safety of these waterways to grow.

For those thinking of visiting Lucinda and fishing Hinchinbrook, I would suggest spending a lot of time looking over maps of the area.

The channel is massive with 88

FEBRUARY 2020

stuck waiting for the tide to come in. I have seen many boats in this situation over the years and I have also made a few mistakes with timing when fishing new areas. It is never fun knowing it’s still a few hours before low tide and you’re already stuck, with the reality of waiting many hours for water to come back in.

Live baiting is a great way to fish for barra and still probably the most common technique. The key is to make sure you spend the time gathering some good

quality baits. The better baits are mullet, herring or prawns all fished live on or near the bottom, but if barra are the intended target species then a good size mullet or gar is the best bait. They are hardy and will stay alive for hours if rigged correctly, plus smaller picker fish normally ignore them, which means you don’t have to keep checking and re-rigging your baits.

The best time to live bait is the first half of the run-in tide, as the fish will move in with the current or set up in areas to ambush bait as it gets washed in. Find small feeder creeks, drains or creek mouths that will get some direct current flow. Anchor up and set a few baits scattered around the area, covering a bit of ground.

When the fish get active, you may find that certain rods get more attention so if this is the case, you can set a few more baits in that area to improve catch rates.

Rigs don’t need to be

very technical, just a sinker running down to a swivel with a tough trace line to a hook.

Barramundi have very rough mouths and if they are hooked deeper (which is normally the case with live baits) then you can find they will rub through leader, very easily leading to lost fish. I would suggest nothing less than 60lb; I use 80-100lb depending on the size of the fish I am chasing.

They are normally not a leader shy species and you shouldn’t see any less bites using heavy leaders.

For many anglers, the only way to target barramundi is by lures or soft plastics. They are an aggressive feeder at times, making them suckers for a well placed and presented lure. The most important part is selecting the correct lure.

Barramundi feed looking up – if you pay close attention, their eyes are more on top of their head,Choosing a lure that digs along the bottom will mean you are not in the

Toni had a great run of barra last season.

A typical Hinchinbrook barra taken on a soft plastic. strike zone and won’t see any action. In shallow water, a shallow lure will work better but in deeper water you may need something that will dive down to get closer to where the fish are holding. This is why I like soft plastics, as you can control how deep it will swim by selecting different jighead weights and counting it down after the cast lands.

By using rod angles while retrieving, you will make the plastic stay deeper or swim shallower depending on the water depth.

When it comes to gear, it is handy to have both spin and baitcaster set-ups. Your spin set-up means longer casts using smaller profiles and lighter jigheads, whereas a baitcaster set-up will allow more accurate casting or the ability to work larger soft plastics. Braid in 20-30lb is more than enough and on lighter outfits 10lb is perfect.

It is important to use heavier leader to avoid rub offs while fighting fish. If you’re using

lighter braid, you may want to use 40lb leader but make sure it’s tough and abrasion resistant.

There is so much water around Hinchinbrook Island that a lot of visitors feel lost and spend way too much time boating and not fishing. Narrow down potential spots to fish before you go. Once you’re there, look for baitfish, some colour changes and structure of some type. It doesn’t need to be massive structure; a sand or mud bank that diverts current flow, a rubble patch or a few rocks, or a fallen tree in an area with nothing else is sufficient.

If you’re lucky enough to hook up to a few Hinchy barra, treat them with respect. If you’re keeping them, make sure you put them on ice straight away.

If you’re releasing them, get a quick picture and get them back into the water as soon as possible.

Get ready for the year ahead CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

I consider February as less of a month for fishing and more of a preparation time. In Cape York, this is a signal month, which will indicate how the remainder of the year plays out. Strong rains, a low hanging monsoonal trough and the chance of a cyclone drifting across the top end are trigger events, which can kickstart nutrient cycles.

For example, look at the life cycle of the humble banana prawn.

These delicious critters are targeted on both sides of the Cape, with a special focus on the Gulf fishery around March and April. A decent flush of the mighty rivers between Seisia and Kowanyama on the West Coast will ignite a massive plume of nutrient rich freshwater out the river

mouths and into the Gulf.

Prawns will grow quickly at this time of year and exit the river mouths in huddles of similar sized critters to join others in huge boils out in the muddying waters

wide of the coast. These plumes can be spotted with the naked eye and even more easily by spotter planes signalling trawlers where to find them. Only a fraction of prawns are captured commercially,

the lure. Even a slow, consistent wind can see strong plucks through a fast-tapered rod tip. Astute anglers will be ready to strike and wind at rapid pace to keep up with fish moving towards the rod.

This barracuda was caught on a popper.

These reefies were caught on jigs near the Tip. evidenced by the repetitive nature and sustainability of the industry.

So, what implications does all this have for fishers? From jelly prawns and banana prawns, to the kings, endeavours and tiger prawns that inhabit waters out to 30m right around the Cape and Torres Strait, nearly all will be eaten by predatory fish. Almost everything with fins will nibble on a prawn at some stage or other and lure makers have recognised the huge potential of prawn imitations to trigger a bite response from predatory fish in recent years. Some of them are so realistic these days that it is hard not to pop them in a frying pan!

Hook placement within lures has evolved to make many models snagless and easily fishable. Fish them somewhere close to the bottom and hopped or twitched slowly back towards the boat or shore, keeping contact with

A lovely nannygai taken in 6m of water.

Some species with soft mouths such as threadfin salmon can be infuriating to hook. Using spin rods with high gear ratios will make

strike and wind techniques viable and fishing prawn presentations that much more successful. Many anglers these days use modern sounders and side scanners to target individual and schooled up fish below the boat. Prawn imitations can be a deadly way to target these fish and get a bite from fussy customers.

Take the time in February when the rains are pouring and monsoonal

A nice jewie taken on a squid tentacle-laced jig.

BOATS FOR SALE on SKEETER ZX190

winds are muddying the waters to fine-tune tackle and research locations for the coming season.

A good wet will in turn feed prawn populations as well as all the other crustaceans and baitfish that keep the fisheries so healthy. Experiment with prawn imitations and choose the weight, presentation and hook set-up that best resembles your chosen fishery.

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After more hot weather, the fish will be still holding out in deeper water. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will be found down near the bottom as with the warm water temperatures, thermoclines can rise in the water column and the fish will suspend around them.

These fish can be quite scattered at times so trolling is one of the best options for covering heaps of water.

If you haven’t done a lot of freshwater fishing, it is the ideal time to have a crack at it and stand a very good chance of catching fish. It can be as simple as choosing a hardbody lure, which dives to the depth the fish are holding and dragging it through them. You don’t need a boat either, trolling can be done from canoes and kayaks. I have even seen

it done from paddleboards fitted with rod holders. The reason trolling works so well is because the fish are more widespread so you stand a better chance of encountering a few. When they are all compacted into a tight school in one area, lure casters can take advantage but such schools will be harder to find and smaller in size.

There are countless options this month. All species will be fired up and ready to tackle the lures you throw at them. As usual, some areas produce better than others. Lakes, river and creeks will all produce (if they still have enough water). With the lack of widespread rain, some of the rivers and creeks are looking pretty ordinary. The drought is being felt in all areas and some of the big fish, which are lost as a result will take decades to be replaced. It is sad to think a lot of us may never see similar fishing in our lifetimes if the dryness

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Trolling will be a great way to find and catch Cressbrook’s suspended bass. The fish like to head to deeper water and suspend at comfortable levels. These fish can be quite scattered which is why trolling deep divers seems to work so well.

Dragging the lures behind the boat using an outboard motor allows you to cover heaps of water. Lures like Little Rippers, Halco Poltergeist

Crazy Deep, Blitz Baga and Kezza Freak are ideal. When trolling, be prepared to mix it up and rotate through all your suitable lures often until you find the standouts. I don’t know what it is but colour, depth and all the other minor details seem to matter more when trolling than at any other time fishing. The bass can change the depth they hold throughout the day so pay close attention and choose lure depths based on this.

When concentrations of fish are found you can try

continues. On a positive note, even the low lakes are still holding enough water to keep the fish happy. It makes you wonder how great expanses of water, now turned to mere puddles by comparison, don’t produce ridiculous fishing based on the sheer numbers of fish per area. I guess it is just a reflection of the waterways health. A lake full of water with a boom of bait and nutrients always seems to fish better than a low lake in my opinion.

If you are into catching bass, barra, cod, sooties, toga, cod or any of their freshwater friends, this will be a prime month to head out and chase them. The mornings and afternoons would be my pick when it is stinking hot. If you are fishing all day, make sure you cover up and drink plenty of water. Be smart on the water and courteous to others.

Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. working them with cast lures.

Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be standouts and vibes can also work quite well, bigger profiles seem to get the bites at this time of year. Spoons, tail spinner and blades are also good options if the fish are being fussy. The trick to casting any sinking lure is to keep it in front of suspending fish. If you can’t use the lake bottom as a guide to depth, you will need to count lures down and try to keep them in the zone.

• For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports on the surrounding dams, call in to

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Weipa

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34

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Toowoomba

BRISBANE

IMPOUNDMENT DAM

see Fish’n’Bits in Alderley Street. They have a great range of lures and fishing gear. The boys can sort you out with the right gear and give you some tips on where to find them.

The gates to the boat ramp are open from 6am to 8pm.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Trolling for Somerset’s bass and golden perch really

07 5497 1093 Search NRMA Parks Lake Somerset

National Roads and Motorists’ Association Limited ABN 77 000 010 506 is a separate and independent company from Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 trading as NRMA Insurance.

Gold Coast

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24 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

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Experience Queensland’s best bass and redclaw fishing with us. Make a whole weekend of it with a range of accommodation options including cabins, safari tents, powered and unpowered sites.

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Cast a line at Lake Somerset Holiday Park

FEBRUARY 2020

Gympie

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25

Cairns 1

26

19

33

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Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

5

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Rockhampton

Emerald 29 7

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Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Gladstone

30 8

Bundaberg 9

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Maryborough

Roma

picked up last month. The fish were responding well to lures like the Blitz Baga, Golden Child, Little Rippers and 50mm Poltergeist Crazy Deep.

Somerset Fishing also carries a great range of Aussie-made timber lures. You can’t beat a well-made timber lure when it comes to deep trolling. Lure choice should be dictated by the depth of the fish and, of course, what they want to eat on the day.

The bass tend to move around a bit at this time of year.

They use the deep water of the old riverbed as a fish highway.

When they are out in the open and suspended, they are often slowly moving to new ground.

When they find a new home, the fish will be found closer to the bottom. Look at the dropoffs to the old riverbed and the flats that are 8-11m deep. I love to sound the freshwater in feet rather than metres. The reason is feet are smaller increments and you will find on most days the fish will prefer a particular depth. On a recent trip, the magic depth was 28ft. If you were more than 2ft off this, you were out of the zone. Queen Street flats, One Tree Point, Bay 13 and Pelican Point all seem to be holding scatterings of fish. You will need to sound around to find the better schools to catch them casting.

Lure trollers should be able to work the riverbed drop-off and nearby flats all the way through this area.

Lure casters can really struggle at this time of year.

First thing in the morning, the bass are more responsive and

BRISBANE

will take blades, spoons and tail spinners. The only way I can catch them all day long is to cast spinnerbaits and chatterbaits to them. These bladed lures don’t cast all that well on the big open flats. To counter this, I troll them or allow the boat to drift with the wind. Provided you are moving at 1.5km/h, you can drag the lure while fishing it. Use drop backs to keep the lures on the bottom and then roll them up for a few metres before dropping them back. If the boat’s speed is right, you never need to wind the lure in until it is time to reposition or pull a fish in.

• 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.

MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY Bass and golden perch still seem to be holding around the timber in the lake. Locating patches of fish inside the trees is the key to catching as they won’t be everywhere you go. To do this, you can troll lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits or 3-4m diving hardbodies. Good numbers can be caught trolling once To page 91

From page 90

you locate concentrations of fish. Be prepared to unsnag a few lures though, as getting close to the timber with lures is bound to end in plenty of snags.

Casting lures to the trees is another option, and spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits are ideal. When you work out what depth the fish prefer, you can start retrieves once the lure is at the depth of the fish or just past them. Sometimes, you can use the bottom as a depth gauge but often you will need to count lures down and kick them into action once they have reached the correct depth. Be prepared to lose a few lures to fish hitting close to the structure. You can fish a little heavier in this situation, some anglers even go to 20lb braid and 20lb leader. At some point there is a reduction in bites the heavier you go in tackle. I would probably recommend running 10 or 14lb braid and 14 or 16lb leader. Focusing

on good knots and fishing tight drags with this tackle will see you winning on most occasions.

MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BEAUDESERT, BOONAH Spinnerbaits will be a standout lure this month.

Flicking these around the weedy edges and weed beds out in the middle is likely to get you into the action.

Spinnerbaits and chatters around 1/2oz in weight are fine for this lake. Spin tackle can be used but if you prefer to use heavier baitcast tackle, try going up to 5/8oz lures as the thicker lines will hold them up higher in the water column.

The early morning and late afternoon will be good times to try your luck on the surface. The calmer parts of the lake are better for fishing topwater lures as the fish can sense their presence much easier. Surface lures 60-80mm long are ideal. You can mix it up a bit by trying a combination of noisy and

SUNSHINE COAST REGION BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA There has been plenty of talk about the flutter spoon and its success on this lake in recent months. Jimbo Jones mentioned it to me quite a while ago and now the craze really seems to

have taken off. The flutter spoons being used are 4-5” long. That may seem like a big mouthful to smaller bass but they seem to hook themselves without any problems. I guess it is like showing a bigger bait to a barramundi to get more commitment in the bite.

more subtle presentations.

• For all your fishing needs call in to see the team at Charltons at Redbank.

Drew heads out to the lakes regularly and keeps fish fingers on the pulse. The store has a great range of lures for freshwater species.

NORTH PINE (LAKE SAMSONVALE) CLOSEST TOWNS: BRISBANE, LAWNTON, PETRIE Trolling will be a good option for those fishing from the kayak area. Scattered fish will be encountered around the dam while on the move so it pays to have a lure or two in tow.

With the fish a bit more scattered at the moment, fish will come from deeper schools as well as the lake edges. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are perfect for flicking around the edges of the lake. If you run 1/2oz models or heavier, you can also use these lures through deeper schools by allowing them to sink to the depth

they are chilling out.

• Tackleworld Lawnton is an ideal port of call for all your fishing needs if

Sometimes the size of the prey calls for a more vicious attack to disable it and that is why the bigger flutter spoons work on the bass.

Flutter spoons aren’t the only lures working.

Bass are being caught on standard spoons, blades and spinnerbaits. The main basin points and up into The Junction seems to be the best for schooling fish

at the moment. There are still some smaller schools to be found up in the timbered arms too. These fish are often encountered when chasing saratoga.

The togas love the snaggy waters found up both the Kingham and Yabba arms of the lake. You can catch these bony-mouthed fish by using spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. Anglers

fishing the lakes on the north side of Brisbane. The guys can point you in the right direction and help you

The Spectre Vibration Jig should be a standout offering for lure casters at Somerset this month. specialising in them like to mix it up a little more and toss all manner of lures including swimbaits and topwater offerings.

The water has been dropping at the lake. At the beginning of the year, the main boat ramp had a big drop off at the end of it so the better option is to use the gravel ramp beside it.

A 4WD would be handy

in good condition. Lures that dive 3-5m are great in closer to the weed beds.

Out in the middle of the dam and closer to the creek beds, opt for a lure which runs to 7m. Floating weed is a big problem in Cooby.

The water birds go to town on it searching for food and it then floats wherever the wind takes it. If you are in the weedy spot, it makes trolling almost impossible.

To help keep it off the line, try fishing directly behind the boat. As the boat moves along, it will part the weed and give you a clear run.

I have had a few trips to the lake and casting has been a great way to catch the golden perch.

Lipless crankbaits and blades are my preferred offerings. I locate goldens on the sounder using a combination of sonar, down and side image. It is then a case of trying different retrieves with the lipless crankbaits or hopping a blade with assist hooks vertically or back to the boat after a short cast. If you do the work and find a good patch of fish, double figure sessions are not uncommon. The mornings and afternoons are best but while the water is still a

Cooby Dam has been producing plenty of smaller Murray cod, like this one caught by Sam Morgan. bit green, they will bite throughout the day on lures as well.

Bait fishers can experience some good fishing early and late in the day when using frozen yabbies or live shrimp. The fish seem to be moving around a bit so will come through in waves. Give your spots at least half an hour before moving on.

Fishing between 4-6m deep should be the go.

NEW

for launching bigger boats especially if the gravel starts to chop up and soften.

• 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.

LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK It’s low, so take it slow. While the level is still down, the pressured fish still seem to turn on some action. The golden perch have been a bit steady but Murray cod are still being caught on a regular basis. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be good options during the brighter parts of the day.

You can cast or troll these lures to keep them down a little deeper.

If using spinnerbaits I like 1oz models, for chatters you can run a small blade model in 1/2oz or a big blade in 1oz. These are quite weighty lures but if you are fishing 3-5m, I

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA The lake finally reopened to fishing just prior to Christmas. The long closure was due to high levels of algae in the water. The dam is looking great and after the opening hundreds have flooded back to witness the great fishing.

Cooby is an electric motor or paddle only lake. The dam is pretty small and has three arms.

The northern arm and down towards the wall are holding the most water and will fish the best. These spots can easily be reached with a steady 15 minute run.

Boat launching is now from a dirt ramp below the sailing club building.

It is a gravel ramp and the angle is shallow. Bigger boats like fibreglass bass boats are still managing to launch but take care and make sure you have a 4WD. Trolling is accounting for plenty of golden perch and Murray cod. Most of the cod are smaller models but they are definitely

experience some awesome fishing close to the heart of Brisbane and even further afield.

To page 92

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From page 91

find them ideal. Focusing close to the old creek bed drop-off will see you fishing along some hard structure. The fish can move about up onto the flats but this seems to be the case more in the mornings and afternoons.

This is a good time to explore these areas with big swimbaits and big casts.

• You can suss out the fishing and pick up tackle from 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 low water at Coolmunda remains dirty and the fishing is still slow as a result. Even bait fishing has been a bit slow. I really hope the watercolour improves because if it does, the fishing will be out of control. Let’s

Double trouble! When the goldens turn it on at Cooby, be prepared to get stuck in to them.

WIDE BAY AND SOUTH BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY Trolling will still be one of the best ways to get into the golden perch and bass action at Boondooma.

Scattered fish will be found through the deep water from the dam wall right through to the Junction. Lures that dive around 6-8m are usually ideal for the fish here but keep a close eye on the sounder as they sometimes hold shallower when the thermocline rises in the water column. Certain areas will concentrate the fish. Take a close look out from any of the major points that extend into the dam, the fish love to sit around these.

Casting lures can be tricky unless you locate better numbers of fish. Lures like spinnerbaits, tail spinners and blades should get a few bites.

If the fish are suspended at a particular depth, you will need to keep your lure in them. I recommend going away from the fish to a flat area with bottom of the same depth as the fish. Count how long it takes to sink your lure to the bottom and then work on a retrieve with drop backs. Count the number of winds you take and also how long it takes to drop the lure back. Keep a record of all this and also how fast you were winding to achieve it and then go and replicate the retrieve in the suspended fish. I still do this if I am using an unfamiliar lure and it is very surprising how far out you can be until you take the time to work your counts out.

• Boondooma is a great place to camp right near the water enjoying the view. The kiosk at the main office does

hot food and other basic items including an excellent range of proven fishing

now the word about the great barra fishing is out.

The dam is so well stocked, that everyone who visits has a pretty good chance of hooking some fish.

The water temperature will still be up there so the fish will be spending the majority of their time in deeper water. This makes using a good sounder a must. Sounders should have side image to scan well out

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE Awoonga has really started to draw the crowds

AWOONGA GATEWAY LODGE

“ Right on Awoonga’s doorstep.

All set up for fishos, with tranquil surroundings. “

Casting or trolling spinnerbaits will be a productive method for bass and yellowbelly in most dams during February. 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 Great numbers of bass and golden perch have been caught over the past few months. There is probably still another month of prime fishing left before things will start to taper off. Anglers have been able to take advantage of the low water levels and catch plenty of fish from the bank.

The deeper edges around The Quarry are great for flicking lures out to deeper water. Here the bass and golden perch are well within a short cast and you can lure them on blades and spinnerbaits.

From the boat fish between the boat ramps and up towards the dam wall. Smaller blade baits

just keep hoping this happens.

• The Coolmunda Caravan Park is only around 1km away from the lake. It offers camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. Camping is also available near the boat ramp with toilets and hot showers to make your stay more comfortable.

To take advantage of this and the great fishing opportunities in the lake, give the park a call on (07) 4652 4171. will still be one of the best performers when casting. Hopping these lures around the flats near the deeper schooling fish should pick up those that are a bit more active.

Spinnerbaits are another good option. These can be cast or trolled to get the bites.

• For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into Bass 2 Barra. You’ll find the stores 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) 41627555.

• 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.

k pin a a rr ch Cat ed Ba 00! g tag in $20 to w

Right on cue – the Awoonga barra start to move more as the sun sets. This one wanted Medcalf’s Zerek Live Mullet.

• Pet friendly • BBQ areas • Saltwater pool www.awongagatewaylodge.com awoongagateway@bigpond.com

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FEBRUARY 2020

to the sides of the boat and cover the water quickly while searching for fish. I always like to try and scan at least a few fish before I start fishing unless I know the spot is a regular haunt.

If it looks fishy, it can be worth staking the spot out for 15 minutes or more to see if the fish move through the area. Impoundment barra are not a lazy fish

when it comes to moving around. Sometimes they will patrol just a patch of trees but they can move along whole shorelines, even during the day. As darkness falls, they tend to step it up a notch and really go on the prowl in search of food.

Points and bays are still the prime barra spots and if it has wind pumping onto it, it is even more

likely to produce. Don’t concentrate on the lee side of points. Place your boat right in the teeth of the wind and let it help you deliver a long cast back across the point. This definitely depends on the conditions and the type of boat you have. In the more open parts of the lake, the waves can get pretty big so To page 93

From page 92

exercise caution when the wind is up.

Soft plastics will be good around the weed edges. Rigging them a bit heavier will keep them tracking deeper during the retrieve. At least 1/2oz jigheads should be used and you may even go up to 1oz and alter your retrieve speed to suit. As a rough guide, the barra are likely to be found in 3-4m of water and you will want the lure tracking close to them. Use pauses if necessary to keep your lure in the zone.

Staging fish still seem to love the timber structure. The eastern side of the lake has plenty of timbered points holding fish and they can also be found in timber and laydowns up past Dingo Island. Here you can run soft plastics rigged weedless on Owner Flashy Swim hooks or opt for a suspending hardbody. The

Windy, dirty water and timber laydowns is the perfect recipe for daytime barramundi.

Jackall Squirrel and Duo Realis Dr are perfect in this situation and I have also

had success on 2m diving Laser Pro 120s. With a bit of work you can add

a good way to search the vast expanse of the main basin.

The edge of the tree line in the north western corner and drop offs to the old river bed are good starting points if you plan to venture away from the dam wall area. Out from the dam wall seems to be very productive but the fish are either there or not. If the answer is not, you need to go searching.

Late in the afternoons, the deep holding fish will become more mobile and will venture into shallower areas looking for food. Faust Point is the most prominent feature in the basin and fishing on the windy side of it can be very reliable. Casting soft plastics up towards the point and working them back to the boat with a slow retrieve will get the bites when the fish are there. Look for smaller

features on the point like weed formations or gullies running into it and fish near to them.

Barra will also be on the move from the deeper creeks in the timber up onto the flats, points and bays at night. Stake a spot out and work it over while keeping an eye on the sounder. If the fish don’t turn up, have a run of several spots in the area to try. Keep in mind you will be navigating through the trees at night so check it out well during daylight hours and take a good light with you.

• For all your fishing supplies or a guided trip on the lake call Lindsay at Barra World on (07) 4945 4641. The store is right on the highway in Proserpine and specializes in barra fishing tackle.

Camping is now available for a 72 hour period right at the lake with more big plans to upgrade the new facilities in the future.

WHITSUNDAY REGION PROSERPINE CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSERPINE, AIRLIE BEACH At the time of writing, there was a bit of rain around in the catchment. If there is a good downpour, it can really change the fishing at this time of year. Any run off in the river and feeder creeks can draw the barra in. The dirtier fresh water provides ideal hunting conditions and the barra are quick to take advantage of it. If the rain doesn’t bucket down enough to produce this type of action, stick to fishing the deeper water.

The main basin will be holding deeper concentrations of barra.

These fish can be trolled up or cast to when located.

Trolling a spread of deep diving lures that reach 8m is

some glue to silence them and make them suspend turning them into a more deadly weapon.

• 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. You can contact him on 0429 223

550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsport fishing.com.au.

• Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air-conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033.

CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA Fewer anglers seem to visit this lake so if you are looking for a quieter option to chase barra, this could be for you. The fish can be hard to find in this dam as they tend to move around a lot. Often there will be barra around the dam wall buoy line on the windy side. These fish are taking deep trolled lures during the day or soft plastics fished through them. At night they should get more mobile and move up closer to the edges of the lake to feed. Rolling heavier swimbait style plastics through them at this time of year can really pay off. The Powerbait Pre-rigged Ripple Shad and Molix Shad are perfect.

Further up the lake, the fish will be a bit more mobile

and harder to keep track.

Still if you can find them, they should bite at some stage of the day. Deeper locations like submerged tree lines will hold during the day and they can be trolled with deep divers or jigged with vibes. Trolling trees can be expensive as treble clad hardbodies love to snag up. The Halco Poltergeist is one of the best for bouncing off the timber as it just seems to work its way off more snags than it hooks.

These deeper holding fish will move around and are likely to disappear late in the afternoon as they go on patrol. Staking out points or flats in the bays can be the way to intercept their nightly run. Deeper soft plastics will again be the best approach. Let the wind be your friend as it will give you a pretty good indication of where the fish will move.

• The camping area at the dam has undergone some big improvements recently with an amenities block has been added to the park.

If camping or caravanning isn’t your thing, there are 5 fully self-contained cabins.

You can contact the Callide Retreat on (07) 4993 9010 for bookings and more information.

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL

QLD AND NORTHERN NSW DAM LEVELS Dam............................ % Full

        

DAMS Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen Boondooma Borumba Burdekin Falls Callide Cania Clarendon Cooby Coolmunda

NOV DEC JAN 5 5 5 64 63 60 4 4 3 23 21 20 83 75 65 80 71 61 37 34 31 63 60 57 0 0 0 28 26 23 2 2 1

Dam............................ % Full           

Copeton Cressbrook Dyer/Bill Gunn Eungella Fairbairn Glenlyon Hinze Julius Kinchant Koombooloomba Leslie Macdonald

7 7 6 38 37 37 3 3 3 97 91 86 12 10 8 3 3 3 87 85 83 78 75 71 76 59 55 34 31 29 3 3 3 86 81 74

Dam............................ % Full           

Maroon Monduran/Fred Haigh Moogerah North Pine/Samsonvale Peter Faust/Proserpine Pindari Somerset Teemburra Tinaroo Toonumbar Wivenhoe Wuruma

63 54 48 69 67 61 41 35 30 61 59 57 74 70 68 5 4 4 68 66 64 97 89 86 76 69 63 39 28 18 48 46 44 71 66 61

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 15/01/20

(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.)

FEBRUARY 2020

93

Time to capitalise on the wet LAKE TINAROO

Warwick Lyndon

February is usually a month that sees quite a bit of rainfall on the Tablelands as the wet season hits full swing. Rising water can make fishing on Tinaroo a challenge, however there are a few things that smart anglers should consider in order to turn things in their favour.

Rising water usually cools the temperature of the dam, which can make barra harder to tempt. The good news is that several aspects of the wet can also trigger the barra to feed aggressively at particular times. Capitalising on these opportunities can see you land some good fish and make a trip to Tinaroo more than worthwhile.

The storms and rain events themselves often

spark feeding activity, due to the rising barometric pressure. Like many fish, this seems to trigger barra to feed aggressively. A building storm can often stimulate some quality fish to bite but timing is paramount – make sure you get off the water before it becomes dangerous. Always keep an eye on the weather and avoid being out on the lake during any storms with electrical activity.

Mitch Turner adapted to changing conditions to nail this Tinaroo barra.

When the conditions are right, the inflows caused by water running into the lake can trigger short bite periods. Usually this occurs straight after a rain event, and targeting one of the many areas where water runs into the lake can produce a great fishing session. Barra are opportunistic feeders, and will often feed aggressively when forage sources are readily available. Giving these areas a go at the right times can pay dividends.

The main angling benefit that rising water levels can bring is that new areas around the lake become flooded. This often sees barra moving into shallower areas in order to seek food and shelter.

Shallow bays, sloping points, rocks, snags and standing grass can all attract barramundi when freshly inundated, and can become great areas for anglers to target.

In 2019, after a good wet season, the dam spilled over in early February. This was the first time in many years that this had occurred, and the water cascading over the dam wall became quite an attraction on the

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The dam spilled over in February last year and became quite an attraction on the Tablelands.

Tablelands. Last year the fish retention barrier net was deployed in order to keep as many fish as possible within the lake. This is a fantastic resource that Tinaroo is lucky to have, and is one of the reasons why this lake continues to fish so well for trophy sized barramundi. If we get a big

wet and the fish retention barrier is deployed again in 2020, please take care around the net, its floats and anchorage points.

• 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.

Barra

Linking lure colour choice and water clarity PART III TNQ

Ron Jenkins

In this instalment of the series, we’re challenging some generally accepted rules about light and water clarity – you may want to take note if tackling our nation’s premier sportfish in murky rivers!

WATER AND LIGHT Water has a natural tendency to absorb visible light (sunlight), as you can see in Fig.1, which is a diagram of what happens to light in clear ocean water.

This is what anglers have been told by the experts over the years. It looks straightforward. Note that ‘light’ that equates to 800nm is infra-red light (on the RHS) and 300nm is ultraviolet light (on the LHS) and neither can be seen by the human eye.

Reading from right to left, colours red, orange and yellow have been absorbed first and have faded into dark grey/black. Green and violet fade next, followed by blue and indigo. The actual depths at which the colours fade out is entirely dependent on the clarity of the water.

Note also that there is no ‘white light’ on the graph.

White light does not exist in nature in isolation to other colours, as it’s simply a mixture of all the colours.

After reading scientific paper after scientific paper about light/water

of a lot of ‘industry jargon’.

INTO THE LAB I decided to undertake some tests myself to see what the scientists were actually talking about, so I obtained some Fitzroy River water and the tests I did resulted in nothing like what the scientists got. The results can be seen in Fig.2 and Fig.3.

My results were the opposite to those obtained by the scientists. The longer wavelength colours (red/orange/yellow) were penetrating the water further than the shorter wavelength colours (blue/azure/green).

Repeating gave the same result.

Somewhat disappointed, I sat down to think the issue through and what I might have gotten wrong. After a day or two I repeated the tests with replenished confidence.

This time my results (Fig.4) matched those of the scientists, but something was going on here for my results to change so much.

Then the penny dropped.

I noticed that my Fitzroy River water had settled in the two days and was now very clear and my results were in line with the scientists results for clear ocean water.

I stirred the water up and did the tests again, this time confident in my methodology. This time the results were again similar to those I obtained originally (completely opposite to the scientists).

So off I went searching the web for the scientific

based on them.

I reasoned that better information (maybe not so scientific but more relevant) could be obtained from people whose lives actually depended upon the information. So, I turned to military research and ended up at the website of the US Navy Dive and Submarine base in Long Island Sound near New York.

Their research from 1967 was aimed at which colours work best underwater for marking tracks/pathways for others to follow and also the best colours for concealment underwater (divers’ lives and submarine concealment depended on the latter).

What surprised me was that their findings agreed with the seemingly crazy results that I had obtained with the Fitzroy River murky water samples.

Interestingly, the US Navy never attempted to explain how/why they thought the reversal occurred.

Armed with trusty murky water tester (turbidity tube), washers painted in differing colours, turbid water of differing clarity (NTU readings) and a sense of humour, off I went to see at what depths the different coloured washers disappeared.

From those results, I found that the disappearing act hierarchy by the coloured washers changed in waters of differing clarity. As the clarity changed, the sequence

Fig.2 (left): Scientists’ results in open ocean water.

Fig.3 (right): The author’s results in Fitzroy River water. relationships, I started to believe that I was looking at the subject from the wrong end. Scientific papers are written by learned people whose audience is other scientific and learned people.

So, the language is scientific and the author assumes that the reader is well versed in the subject and hence the use

tests on colour penetration in dirty water and couldn’t find any. In addition, all the fishing articles that I could find related to the clear water findings. What was going on?

I decided to ignore the scientific findings regarding clear water along with all the fishing articles that were

in which the colours disappeared also changed.

It took about six months of searching the internet for scientific confirmation of what I’d found, and eventually I was successful.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also found the same

Fig.1 (left): What happens to light in clear ocean water.

Fig.4 (right): The author’s results in settled river water. reversal effect in their research. NOAA didn’t test estuarine waters, but the results confirmed the other scientific tests and mine on clear water and inshore/ coastal waters.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO FISHING? My view is that this effect (colour penetration reversal) has been the lure colour ‘missing link’ and why there has been such confusion about lure colours.

Now some practical and long-held lure fishcatching observations started to make sense with the standout two being gold bombers in dirty water and guns and roses as an all-round lure colour, because it works in most types of water found in the Fitzroy (dirty or not quite so dirty).

The dominance of orange and red and various combinations (hot pink, gold etc.) in dirty water also starts to make sense.

It also helps explain why so many lures seem to work OK, despite not seemingly adhering to the accepted order of lure colour advice repeated by experts, folklore and lure manufacturers in the fishing media, which was the complete opposite to scientific research and reality.

Some of the lure colour combinations produced by the manufacturers are works of art, of which Rembrandt would have been proud. However, barra fishers want to catch barra and not win the award for the prettiest lure in use on the water.

In clear ocean water, blue and purple reign supreme. In dirty water, orange and red penetrate further and blue/green don’t get a look in.

Those changes away from the accepted view of penetration of colour vs increasing turbidity were also found by both the US military research units and I’m sure that their research was a lot more sophisticated than lowering painted washers into a turbidity tube full of dirty salt water.

And the rule is…? As the water gets murkier, the colour penetration into it shifts towards red/orange.

Why hasn’t this omission been discovered earlier?

The answer lies in understanding the laws of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which is one of the most basic physical characteristics of our universe with the largest contributor being our own sun.

Why hasn’t there been scientific research carried out on murky river water in Australia?

I believe that we can put that down to the scientific research grant money available for the Great Barrier Reef. Anybody who wants to research anything to do with water only has to mention the GBR and the funds supplier asks “how much do you want”?

There has simply been no funding available for research on the murky old Fitzroy or Mary rivers.

In terms of the researcher, the GBR is an excellent, high visibility and fashionable working environment with no murky water and nasty crocodiles like the Fitzroy and the outcomes are of international significance considering the GBR’s world heritage listing. Why on earth would a researcher want to swap that working environment for the dirty old Fitzroy?

The fishing gurus and experts thought (incorrectly) that the same data for the GBR applied to murky estuarine waters.

Nobody picked the reality and hence the confusion that’s lasted for years.

I often use a quote ‘it ain’t rocket science’ but in this case some may be forgiven for thinking that it is. However, any scientific or technical issue can be broken down by examining the individual bits that make up the whole.

If somebody doesn’t understand an issue, then they rely on experts. In this case, the experts didn’t understand it either, and simply repeated what they’d heard (confidently wrong) and that’s been happening for years. I believe that the confusion created by this ‘missing link’ is the reason for the oft quoted observation: lures catch more anglers than fish.

There are many other things in our world based on EMR. Satellite feeds, microwave, heat, radio, radar, light, UV rays, X-Rays, infra-red, laser…

Now we can add fishing to that list!

These are all EMR of differing wavelengths (frequencies) and all exhibit different characteristics. Some EMR wavelengths are visible (colour) and some not (UV, IR, radio, X-rays).

In the case of the ones we’re talking about (visible ones), their characteristics are determined by the ‘medium’ (substance) through which they’re travelling.

Daylight space, night-time space, fog, rain, water, gas, and so on. Did somebody mention water? Here’s where we came in!

FEBRUARY 2020

95

Cooking

Spice up your summer with smoked trout dip BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

Dips are one of the most versatile snack foods, whether you are having a party or just an attack of the nibblies. Savoury crackers, bagel chips, vegetable straws (carrot, celery),

melba toast and corn chips are all good choices to act as carriers for the dip from bowl to mouth.

HANDY HINTS Any type of hot-smoked fish could be used in this recipe. Smoked mullet or smoked tailor are two options that spring to mind. You can also substitute natural

yoghurt for the mayonnaise.

There are various options for sprinkling over the top of the completed dip – chopped capers, fish roe, finely chopped cornichons, additional finely chopped chives or dried chilli flakes.

You could even use a combination of two or three of these options.

Ingredients

96

• 200g smoked trout fillets

• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

• 3tbsp chives, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

• 200g cream cheese, softened

• 1tbsp horseradish sauce

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• Pinch dried chilli flakes

Fish roe for the topping (optional)

1

Flake the smoked trout flesh into pieces, discarding the bones.

4

Stir the lemon juice through the cream cheese mixture.

7

Spoon or sprinkle the top of the smoked trout dip with your choice of toppings.

FEBRUARY 2020

2

Place the chives, dill, horseradish, chilli flakes, garlic, mayo and cream cheese into a large bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to combine until the mixture is smooth.

3

5

Add the smoked trout flesh and fold into the mixture.

6

When combined, spoon the mixture into a serving bowl.

8

In this recipe I have used fish roe as the dip topping.

9

Serve the smoked trout dip with a variety of crackers, toasted breads and chips.

Add the lemon juice.

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97

Nissan Navara N-Trek pushes the envelope for the auto was 917kg with tow capacity listed as 3500kg for a braked trailer.

Both the 6-speed manual and 7-speed Navara NP300 carry a 5910kg GCM – good news for boat, caravan, and camper trailer owners.

As the N-Trek is primarily an aesthetic upgrade of a standard ST-X Navara, there were no real surprises at the wheel. The N-Trek did not differ from the ST-X that I tested last year. However, the willing twin turbo diesel engine still clattered under a hard load, but as the revs reduced there was very little sound input at cruising speed.

The Navara’s suspension was changed last year to enhance performance under load and keep the bump stops out of the equation when

BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Nowadays most people expect an amalgamation of workday dual cab ute and a weekend’s four-wheel toy, and Nissan have now really upped the ante with their spectacular new N-Trek.

The N-Trek is a top of the range ST-X Navara 4x4 five-seat dual cab ute kitted out with all modern visual upgrades and other luxury additions. It competes in the market with the likes of Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota Hilux Rogue, Rugged, and Rugged X. UPGRADE OF NP 300 NAVARA The special edition N-Trek is built on the series

A special door decal makes a ‘splash’ on the N-Trek’s colours.

many respects.

The driving position in the highlighted leather seats was very good with all instruments and controls readily identified and easily put to use as required. It would be easy to drive the Navara all day if necessary, something I noticed in last year’s iteration as well. The Navaras may be work utes, but long hauls are certainly no problem with their high comfort levels.

Fuel consumption was excellent on a mix of highway and back roads work. I noted 8.5L per 100km and, with an 80L fuel tank, there should be a very reasonable cruising range on offer.

CONCLUSION The N-Trek special edition is indeed special, lifting the Navara to a

It has an impressive 917kg storage capacity on hand. Just think of all the camping and fishing gear that could fit snuggly under the tonneau cover.

The new orange trim highlights are striking.

4 NP300 Navara (a top shelf ST-X) upgraded with lots of top features from the options list, such as the black toning highlighted by contrasting crisp orange inserts.

Many of the features you would expect to be optional are standard in the N-Trek. These include

sports bar and special rear bumper have improved the overall look of the standard ST-X, and the neat N-Trek badge on the rear tail gate completes the image.

Complementing the eye candy on the exterior are the interior highlights, such as orange seat panels and

It’s subtle, but the N-Trek’s badge highlights the difference over the basic Navara ST-X ute. headlight bezels, grille and fog light and bumper inserts, wing mirrors, wheel arch flares, side steps and special body decals. They have also upgraded the roof rails, door handles, an alloy 98

FEBRUARY 2020

stitching highlights on the interior leather trim and associated surfaces, all of which were outstanding.

It even had front seat heaters (the wife sneakily set mine going during

a run in January) plus power adjustment for the driver’s seat.

All the N-Trek extras really made the Navara step front and centre when compared to the normal standard offerings.

Exterior colours are limited to black, grey or white, which again adds some exclusivity to the N-Trek marque.

BUT THERE’S MORE As good as the N-Trek’s aesthetics are, the real selling point is going to be the N-Trek’s Apple Car Play and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, which is now available on the base RX and DX trim levels. The additions come courtesy of a new 8” multimedia screen and interface, which I found easy to navigate. It offers plenty of data and easy-tomake choices.

The N-Trek is available in both auto and manual versions linked to the NP300’s 2.3L twin turbo diesel engine outputting 140kW and 450Nm. The proven engine moves

the Navara along smartly enough, given its modest capacity.

DRIVE TIME The reviewed Navara N-Trek was a 7-speed auto with seamless gear changes and was easy to drive with good seating position and steering input. Payload

the tray was fully loaded.

As such, the Navara’s ride was similar to most of its contemporaries. There is a hint of sharpness when unloaded and pounding over corrugations, but smooth as custard around town and on better roads. On the M1 it was passenger car like in

much higher level than previously. The upgraded model still features some practicality with four-cup holders up front and bottle holders in each door. Rear seat passengers have plenty of leg and headroom and have directional air vents at their disposal. Two Isofix

The Navara’s dash layout remains unchanged, but it is well laid out and easily managed.

child seat mounts are there, along with three top tether mounts as well.

The Navara N-trek comes with a 5 star ANCAP safety rating plus a basic warranty of 5 years/unlimited

kilometres for private owners with service intervals very 12 months or 20,000km. This is significant given that the top selling Hilux has 6 monthly or 10,000km intervals.

As a high-end, top of

range special edition ute, it compares very favourably with price and performance wise, especially compared with competitors such as the Wildtrak and up market Hilux variants.

A much larger screen with a host of functions, including a useful camera, is a standard feature in the top of the range N-Trek.

INDISTRY NEWS

Brisbane Quintrex now selling Yamaha The orange trim highlight design is carried through to the interior décor.

The Navara’s special edition features also extend to the N-Trek’s eye-catching wheels.

Brisbane Quintrex at Loganholme has celebrated its first birthday with exciting news – they now sell Yamaha outboards! They are now the southside’s only Yamaha Quintrex dealer, offering the best price, best service, and the biggest range!

Brisbane Quintrex is owned by Aaron Goodchild, who also owns the northside’s Brisbane Yamaha, which is Australia’s largest Yamaha, Quintrex, Polycraft, Baysports and BLA dealer.

“I’ve been bombarded with requests by southside customers to open a boat yard like Brisbane Yamaha for years,” Goodchild said.

“Brisbane Quintrex has doubled in size and has

attracted a fantastic team of knowledgeable experienced staff and in 12 short months has become Australia’s premier Quintrex Evinrude dealer, demonstrating the massive demand for trailer boats on the southside.”

Aaron promises to supply southside boaties with the same great service and unbeatable deals that have

made Brisbane Yamaha Australia’s best trailer boat dealer.

Drop in and chat to the friendly team at Brisbane Quintrex, located on the Pacific Highway, Loganholme, or call (07) 3133 3468.

For more information visit www.brisbanequintrex. com.au. - FMG

SHEIK OF THE CREEK

Might be time to throw out the handbook?

BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

I’m going to call phooey on Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

That’s the mantra put forward in a course that I’ve decided to do online on how to maximise my fish catching potential.

I’m trying to start the new year with a rejuvenated approach to fishing trips. Okay, so it’s costing me the equivalent of four years’ wages but my theory was that I needed something to spark me up, something to bring some scale success. Trouble is that life throws me wrong’uns just when I’m playing for the leg break.

This course breaks a trip down into bite-sized decisions so that you can put the best bait on the best gear into an area that should hold the best fish.

Sounds simple, right? But it never is.

It’s a long and complicated process, this course. Just outlining where the best fish are likely to be holding takes roughly sixty

hours of video. Actually, it’s closer to two hours, but I get distracted by film of scruffy losers in tinnies that look like they came through a cyclone landing threadfin and barra that are longer than a giant

long thing. By the time I get through that part, my eyes are squinting like a bandit in a linguine western but I’m ready to start on getting the gear shipshape. And then, the ship shipshape.

Next, it’s tides. Time your fishing says the guru, so you can maximise your fishing potential with great reward. Plan plan plan.

Remember: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Make sure everything is in place and ready to operate at maximum efficiency.

Be the fish.

And this is where the ball of life grips on the wicket, and spins straight through the massive gap I’ve left between bat and pad, taking out middle and leg.

Because in the middle of the Prior Planning (Preventing Poor Performance) I get a call from a mate who’s having a holiday, and is looking for a quiet fish with a beer. I’ll bring the boat up, I say. I throw whatever rods I’ve got into the car and start looking for the sounder. I can’t find it. The minister for cold shoulders has put it somewhere ‘safe’, but can’t remember where.

Never mind, I think, it’s just

a quick trip. He meets me at the ramp. No sounder, so we poke around the usual haunts, trying to get some livies. An hour later we have three herring, and a mullet.

Bugger it, we’ll just fish for an hour or two, get no bites and go home. I throw the anchor somewhere. No motoring over bommies or sidescanning for shadows, just chuck it out, pin on some flesh bait, and relax. Nuh-uh.

Ten minutes and three jacks later, a 54, 53 and 51cm, I’m still trying to process what just happened.

We missed three others.

We’ve got no bait left but we don’t need any. It was the best and most rewarding jack session. Ever. With no Prior Planning. I poke the boat back to the ramp, where it slips smoothly onto the trailer even though I’ve left the winch handle behind, and I wonder whether the bank has already Processed my Payment.

FEBRUARY 2020

99

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TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2020

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

4-5 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 1

Gippsland Lakes

8-9 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 2

Gippsland Lakes

22-23 Feb

ABT BREAM Queensland Open

Moreton Bay

29 Feb-1 Mar

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 1

Bemm River

1 Mar

ABT BASS Electric Round 1

Richmond River

7-8 Mar

ABT BREAM Round 3

Derwent River

11-12 Mar

ABT BREAM Round 4

St Helens

21 Mar

LAFMA Carp and Tilapia Eradication Competition

Lloyd Willmann

Wyaralong Dam

0429 614 892

21-22 Mar

ABT BASS Pro Round 1

abt.org.au

Lake St Clair

28-29 Mar

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 2

Georges River

4-5 Apr

ABT BREAM Round 5

Mandurah

5 Apr

ABT BASS Electric Round 2

Coldstream River

18-19 Apr

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 3

Mallacoota

25-26 Apr

ABT BASS Pro Round 2

Clarence River

29 Apr-1 May

ABT BREAM Australian Open

Sydney

2-3 May

ABT BASS Electric Round 3

Lostock Dam

2-3 May

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 4

Blackwood River

2-3 May

INDT World Sooty Championship

MAFSA Facebook page

Eungella Dam

0400 812 055

16-17 May

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 5

hobiefishing.com.au

Woy Woy

23-24 May

ABT BASS Pro Round 3

Glenbawn Dam

30-31 May

ABT BREAM Round 6

Forster

7 Jun

ABT BASS Electric Round 4

Moogerah Dam

20-21 Jun

ABT BASS Pro Round 4

20-21 Jun

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Fish like a king Cania Dam

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 12 Round 6

hobiefishing.com.au

Gold Coast

The New Savage 615 Bluewater is the ultimate offshore fishing machine.

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.

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING SFT TAKUMI

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SFT is a new tackle brand to hit Australian shores, and the range includes some serious lures for serious offshore anglers.

Anyone who keeps an ear to the ground would have already heard of the SFT Takumi lure last tuna season in South Australia. The Takumi has been the must-have lure to use, with countless fish caught on it.

The Takumi comes in three sizes, 75mm, 95mm and 125mm. It can be trolled or cast, and being a weighted lure it tracks straight and quite fast, allowing it to be trolled at speeds up to 15 knots. Boasting fully wired though construction and Owner trebles straight out the pack, the Takumi also runs well with inline singles for catch and release anglers.

The SFT range also includes lures to suit salmon, kingfish, GTs, mulloway, barramundi, snapper and more. You can check out the range and stockist locations at the SWL Distributions website. You can also follow SFT Australia on Facebook and Instagram. www.swldistributions.com.au

DAIWA LEGALIS RODS

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The new Daiwa Legalis series is light in the hand yet heavy in quality. Featuring advanced design and excellent value for money, this rod series performs well above its price point.

The Legalis’ Braiding X graphite blank, with its robust and rugged construction, boasts superior lightness, sensitivity and responsiveness. The Legalis’ impressive blank is matched by its equally impressive hardware, with stainless steel O ring guides, Daiwa Surround Hold reel seats and a combination of cork and EVA grips providing comfort, control and stylish design and looks.

With a range that includes 16 models (10 spin and six baitcaster), the Legalis series has tapers and designs to suit a variety of angling types, from ultra-light estuary to heavy-duty freshwater and inshore. If you’re in the market for a good quality budget baitcaster, check out the range at your favourite tackle store. www.daiwafishing.com.au

NEW ZMAN COLOURS

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There have been some exciting new ZMan colour additions, including purple death, the Wright stuff and hot craw.

Purple death is making a name for itself in both the fresh and salt, thanks to its UVreactive green belly, translucent purple back and micro glitter that adds a natural scale flash. It is available in both the 3” MinnowZ and 4” DieZel MinnowZ. The Wright stuff colour is named after US angler Jesse ‘Redfish’ Wright, who helped design it. This natural translucent brown colour contains a mix of black, gold and copper fleck, making it dynamite in dirty and tannin-stained water, along with targeting species that reside around muddy and weedy environments. Available in the 3” MinnowZ and 4” DieZel MinnowZ, these two new colours will be on the menu for flathead, barra, jacks, mulloway, bass and more.

The hot craw colour has a dark back over a bright red, with a black and gold glitter.

Hot Craw is an excellent reaction colour, and it stands out from the natural colour range offered in these models. It’s available in both the 2.5” TRD CrawZ and 2.75” TRD BugZ. The 2.5” TRD CrawZ, 2.75” TRD BugZ and 3” MinnowZ have six per pack, while the

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PRODUCT GUIDE 4” DieZel MinnowZ has five per pack.

Price: SRP $11.95 www.z-man.com.au

TICA BRUTE WOLF REEL

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TiCA has released a new large sized spinning reel for the budget conscious angler, and it’s jam-packed with quality features at an affordable price.

The TiCA Brute Wolf features a high tensile strength slim body frame that helps to keep weight down. Other features include a forged aluminium spool, computer-balanced rotor, multi anti-reverse, TiCA’s IOS Intelligent Oscillating System, and four TiCA rust-resistant bearings.

The Brute Wolf also offers a robust 10kg of drag pressure, and comes with an extra large, round EVA power handle for extreme cranking power. The Brute Wolf will retrieve 90cm of line per handle turn on its 4.4:1 ratio, and will hold 320m of 20lb line.

All in all, it’s the perfect entry level reel for the angler wanting a large line capacity while fishing the rocks or surf.

Price: SRP $70 www.jurofishing.com

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TASSIE DEVIL BLADES 5 AND SPOONS The new Tasmanian Devil Blade features a uniquely designed spinner blade which has been created to match the famous Tasmanian Devil lure. The blade provides a distinct, enticing action as it spins through the water.

The Devil Blade range features custom Tasmanian Devil paint designs that have been created specifically for freshwater species.

Devil Blades are available in two sizes, 3.8g and 5.4g, and each lure is equipped with quality terminal tackle and VMC treble hooks.

Another new release is the Devil Spoon, which has the dual attraction of vibration and flash. As the spoon travels through the water it flutters from side to side and emits a vibration that attracts fish, even in cloudy water. The polished underside of the Devil Spoon produces a flash attraction which is particularly effective in clear, running water, and it’s a proven trigger for predatory species. It’s available now in 7.5g and 12.5g sizes. www.jmgillies.com.au

BIWAA BALTIK 7” PADDLE TAIL

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The Baltik Swimbait 7” is one of the newest members of BIWAA’s soft swimbait line-up, and has been designed by one of BIWAA’s most innovative pro staffers, Kevin Hernandez.

The Baltik Swimbait 7” looks as good as it performs, and is great for a wide variety of presentations. It can be fished with great effect at any speed. This big 7” paddle tail is what you need if you are targeting barramundi, mulloway or cod. You can rig it with weighted or unweighted weedless hooks, or use a jighead with a 7/0 hook.

Other features include: durable and long lasting plastic formulation; 3D eyes; photorealistic paint designs; and 3D scales to create an ultra lifelike appearance.

The BIWAA Baltik Swimbait 7” is available in six colours (08 – herring, 19 – aurora gold, 22 – hitch, 008 – pearl white, 303 – pro blue, 305 – lavender) and comes in packs of two.

You can view the full colour range on the EJ Todd website. www.ejtodd.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

SAMAKI MANGROVE JACK

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The Manic Jack shirt takes red dogs to a new level! Aggressive by nature, this powerhouse of a species pounces at speed, attacking the Samaki Redic lure – and lurking in the background is the school of pups waiting for an opportunity to join in on the feast.

The lightweight fabric is perfect for all outdoor elements, shielding you from the harsh sun with UPF50+ protection. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body, and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry.

Samaki designs are brought to you

by Australian anglers who love to design Australian species. These shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes, ranging from size 2 through to a 5XL, allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water.

You can find more information and stockists on the Samaki website. You can also see the latest releases, catch photos and special promotions on Facebook and Instagram.

Price: SRP $59.95 (adults), SRP $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au

RAPALA X-RAP MAG CAST

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Built heavy and aerodynamic for extreme casting distances, the new Rapala X-Rap Magnum Cast delivers even in the most demanding saltwater fishing conditions.

Heavy-duty construction ensures that the X-Rap Magnum Cast stands up to the strongest of saltwater beasts. Featuring a perfectly balanced swimming action for fast retrieves, it will run straight even with the fastest cast-and-burn presentations. Its fluttering action on the drop also adds lifelike flash.

Other features include: full wire through construction, extreme casting performance, perfect balance, new generation high definition colours, 3D holographic eyes, and durable in-line VMC single hooks. For more information head to the Rapala website, or look them up on Facebook (www.facebook. com/rapala.australia) or Instagram (@ rapalaaustralia). www.rapala.com.au

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SAMAKI TEFLON KNIVES

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Following an extensive design process, Samaki have produced a knife to suit all anglers. This knife fits comfortably in your hand, is built strong with a German stainless steel blade, and is rust resistant with a Teflon coating.

The ultra-sharp German stainless steel blade is of the finest quality, with excellent durability and longevity, and a Teflon coating for rust resistance. The handle has been carefully shaped and moulded to suit a variety of anglers’ hands, fitting comfortably and allowing you to apply pressure when necessary. The two-toned Samaki design allows for a good grip and protection of your hand.

Our sheaths are custom designed from the ground up, and have a sharpener at the tip for that quick touch up, a scoop for innards removal, rear belt clip for fast access and screw holes for attachment to your bait board or chopping board. This sheath has it all!

With two lengths of 6.5” and 7.5”, Samaki offers a fine boning blade, two all-rounder fillet knives, and a super flex fillet.

For more information and stockists, check

out the Samaki website. You can also join them on Instagram and Facebook for updates and catch photos. www.samaki.com.au

ZEREK ICE GIGOLO

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The Ice Gigolo is a classic ice jig that is 40mm long and available in six colours.

Weighing an easy-to-use 10g, the Ice Gigolo is ideal for targeting suspended Australian bass, redfin and trout in our many lakes and reservoirs.

Work it with a subtle hop or with light taps on the rod butt to shake the Gigolo in the fish’s face to ensure solid strikes. With a specifically placed tow point that allows the Ice Gigolo to dart from side to side easily, this lure is fantastic for shut down and hard-totempt fish.

Equipped with two strong single hooks on the ends and a belly treble underneath, hookup rates compare very well with all other ice jigs on the market. Clever anglers adjust this lure’s capabilities by removing the belly treble and placing a sinker on the hanger to give the lure greater depth capabilities without the loss of action. www.wilsonfishing.com.au

LIVETARGET SLOW ROLL SHINER

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The award-winning LiveTarget Slow Roll Shiner features Injected Core Technology (ICT) which produces a lifelike ultra-realistic metallic core with lifelike eyes and scale patterns produces large amounts of flash and providing perfect balance, while the outer Exo-Skin generates a hard-thumping paddle tail action. The result is a perfect looking, shimmering baitfish profile inside a larger, clear paddle-tail soft plastic.

Unlike other soft plastics, the Slow Roll Shiner’s thumping tail creates a whole body rolling action. This subtle and enticing roll is irresistible to a range of species, including bream, bass, flathead and barra. It can be rigged weedless for fishing in snaggy country, and it’s also very effective when rigged on a traditional jighead and retrieved along the bottom.

LiveTarget Slow Roll Shiners are currently available in six colours and three sizes. The 3” and 4” models come in a pack of four, and the 5” version comes in a pack of three. LiveTarget lures are distributed by EJ Todd, and you can check out the full range on their website. www.ejtodd.com.au

DAIWA X TIDE COLLAB

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It’s time to dress to impress with the Daiwa X Tide Collab range. Featuring a more generous sizing than previous collabs, the range ticks the boxes in both looks and comfort and welcomes some new stylings to the popular Daiwa X Tide Collab line-up.

Featuring six pieces in the range, including two short sleeve T-shirt designs (Barramundi and Locked Up designs), Lake design long sleeve tee, and two-toned (black and camo) Nature Boardshorts, the new collab series is Daiwa streetwear with that classic Tide flavour.

On the water the new Nature Jersey and Facemask will have you protected from the elements with their SPF 50+ rating, and the contemporary style will stand out in a crowd on the beach, boat or headland. Look good and stay protected this summer with the Daiwa X Tide Collab summer series. www.daiwafishing.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au FEBRUARY 2020

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING

PRODUCT GUIDE

JIG STAR SHIMANO BLUE STARWALKER LURES 13 ROMANCE Jig Star evolved after its founder and acclaimed jigging expert Chris Wong in New Zealand had spent many years jigging with some of the world’s most renowned big fish anglers from Japan, USA, Southeast Asia, South Africa and New Zealand. Hundreds of hours were spent testing products.

One of his latest releases is the Starwalker, an inexpensive but productive topwater stickbait that has proven highly effective on yellowtail kingfish, tuna and giant trevally.

Starwalker lures cast like bullets, are perfectly weight balanced, and don’t tumble during casting. These lures feature a hi-tech laser etched holographic finish, and come in eight vibrant natural baitfish finishes.

Starwalker lures are 18cm long and are available in both floating (100g) and sinking (130g) models. Each lure features a wire through body construction for added strength, and stainless steel tow points.

These lures come un-rigged to allow the angler to determine their chosen configuration.

Jig Star recommends using 8/0-9/0 inline hooks, such as Jig Star In-Line Hooks, to ensure a perfect swimming action.

To find out more about the Jig Star range visit the Juro Oz Pro Tackle website. www.jurofishing.com

SHIMANO BRENIOUS 14 JIGS The Brenious NT (bottom style) jigs are an exciting new way to fish soft plastics, introduced to Australia direct from the Japanese domestic market.

This innovative snag resistant jig is designed for bottom style fishing and can be hopped, slow rolled, jigged and dead sticked and consistently accounts for fish in a diverse range of environments. This finesse jig can be used with a variety of plastic styles in the Squidgy Bio family and has proven deadly on a range of Australian species ranging from bream, flathead, snapper, trevally, bass, and yellowbelly.

The Brenious NT jigs are available in three weights (5g, 7g and 10g) and four colours (flash purple, flash green, flash pink and suika red).

Price: SRP $8.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

PRO LURE FISHTAIL

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Designed by Shimano Japan, the new Blue Romance series incorporates the most popular actions from the Australian TK3G series and unique Shimano rod components.

Featuring Shimano’s High Power X graphite blanks, which features 0 and 90° wrapped graphite sheets and spiralled Infinity Tape prevents the rod twisting during the cast and the fight.

A CI4+ reel seat provides weight reduction advantages, EVA grips for functionality and comfort, and Fuji’s classic K aeries Alconite guides throughout.

There’s a choice of spin rods in one and two-piece in a range of line weights, from ultra-light up to heavy-duty. Baitcaster users are well covered also, with a single piece 5’8” and a 6’0” option featuring the same componentry, but with trigger grip reel seats. www.shimanofish.com.au

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PLATYPUS STEALTH 17 FC LEADER Manufactured in Japan to exacting specifications, Platypus Stealth FC is an advanced fluorocarbon leader that offers cutting-edge technology and excellent value for money. With over 120 years of line development and manufacturing in Australia, Platypus has comprehensively tested its fluorocarbon leaders to deliver a world-class product.

This leader has extreme abrasion and impact resistance, excellent knot strength and a refractive index close to that of water, making it virtually invisible underwater. Stealth FC also has a quicker sink rate than mono, making it ideal for maintaining contact with baits and lures when sinking, while not absorbing water and in turn maintaining its strength throughout extended fishing sessions.

An elastic line tamer comes with each spool, protecting and controlling the leader on the spool, while allowing easy dispensing via the eyelet on the line tamer. This avoids the spaghetti mess of leaders without keepers, and the difficulty of locating the end of the leader in hank style, clamshell spools.

Platypus Stealth FC is available in breaking strains from 2lb-50lb, and spool lengths from 50-100m.

Price: SRP $18.95 - $22.95 www.fishplatypus.com.au

RAPALA 15 RIP STOP

Over the past 12 months Pro Lure have been working on some modifications to the popular Fishtail soft bait.

In order to increase the versatility and make the lure easier to rig, several changes have been made. A shallow split belly has been added to aid weedless rigging with worm hooks, and the dorsal fin has been removed, replaced with a shallow groove along the back, making it easier to rig straight and align jigheads, as well as having a protecting channel for weedless worm hook points to sit snugly. The final change is a slight narrowing up front so that standard jigheads will sit cleaner. The addition of a white albino colour to the range and more rigging options will provide more possibilities for the Fishtail.

The Pro Lure Fishtail is available in three sizes, 80mm, 105mm, and 130mm.

Trade enquiries can be directed to sales@ prolureaustralia.com.au. www.prolureaustralia.com.au

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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The new Rapala Rip Stop is described as ‘fast ripping – hard stopping’. Its unique boot tail design acts as a break when paused, and when the lure stops it perfectly suspends, triggering the bite.

The one-of-a-kind tail design generates a fast-ripping and flashing swimbait action. The unique body style lessens forward travel after each twitch, delivering an action that is unlike anything the fish have ever seen. Built with a secondary lip towards the rear of the bait, the Rapala RipStop Jerkbait stops on a dime, and produces a subtle shimmy before coming to a rest, then ever-so-slightly lifts its heard with a super-slow rise. You can fish it for a range of species using a variety of techniques, and cast it far with little effort.

This suspending lure is available in two sizes, 9cm (7g, 0.9-1.2m running depth) and 12cm (14g, 1.3-1.6m). There is also a Deep version, which is 12cm long and dives to 1.22.4m. www.rapala.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

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Mangrove Outdoors M-Series Coolers – built tough, excellent cooling The 2020 cooler market isn’t quite as crowded as the sublimated fishing shirts scene, but the number of offerings – both good and bad – has certainly grown significantly in the last few years.

When Mangrove Outdoors launched mid-way through last year, this Aussie small business set out to break the mould and offer features you won’t find in most other coolers at a price that’s not going to cost you a second mortgage.

While there are big plans in place to expand the Mangrove Outdoors range, their first offering is fairly simple: three different sized coolers (20L, 45L and 70L) in three colours (Uluru Red, Daintree Camo and Thredbo White).

Accompanying the coolers is a small range of accessories and apparel. Each is well made and features only subtle labelling.

The rubber latches keep a great seal but are easy enough to open that my 9yo daughter, Asha can easily open them.

20L CONSTRUCTION Rotomolded in the same fashion as your kayak might be, the walls of the coolers are made from BPA-free, UV-stabilised material and are smooth and easy clean after a trip. In between those walls is plenty of high-density poly foam insulation to keep your essentials cooler for longer.

From the first time you pick them up you can feel they are built to last, and every cooler has its own unique pattern.

FEATURES It’s clear that plenty of thought and research has been put into configuring each of the current sizes. All come with strong XL-sized hinges which don’t protrude from the main body, have comfortable non-slip handles, and oversized rubber latches that keep a tight seal but are easy enough to use that my 9yo daughter can open them.

Perhaps my favourite feature though is the marine-grade, slip-resistant pad with a pair of cut-outs that fit your stubby perfectly. It also provides extra insulation and makes it comfy to sit on.

The 45L and 70L models come standard with a dry goods basket, drink holder and an acrylic cutting board which also doubles as a divider. This is very handy for keeping your catch separate from your other food and drinks if you decide to keep a couple for the table.

All models feature lockable lids and tiedown loops so you can leave them in the boat or ute tray without having to worry some scumbag will help themselves to your precious cargo.

On the Mangrove Outdoors website there’s a handy guide of just what you’ll fit inside your new icebox, measured by beers + bags of ice. From my own ‘research’ they are accurate, and are as follows:

• 20L: 12 beers + one bag of ice • 45L: 30 beers + three bags of ice • 70L: 60 beers + four bags of ice When you add the storage basket to the larger two models you can also keep those other fishing trip essentials fresh and cool, – i.e. a couple of servo pies, a box of Pizza Shapes and two king-sized Chunky Kit-Kats.

PERFORMANCE So far so good, but what happens when the sun starts to sizzle and you need to keep the T-bones and marlin cans cold?

This is was the most impressive part for me. The M-Series coolers exceeded all my expectations when it came to

Plain old servo party ice was lasting up to three full days in the smaller two coolers, and when I went on a camping trip and took the big rig, I used the supplied info sheet and combined block ice I froze myself with 4L ice-cream containers. I was able to get five days of stable, dependable cooling before heading home for a much-needed shower!

This is with all with very little maintenance from myself as far as opening the bung to drain the excess water. If I was more attentive it would have extended the life of the ice even further, but for the purpose of this review I wanted to just let it do its thing and report back on what you guys can expect as a basemark for performance.

OVERALL To say I’m impressed by the Mangrove Outdoors M-Series would be the understatement of the year. My family spends a lot of time in the outdoors, and being able to keep food fresh and drinks icy-cold away from home makes our lives so much better. For my kids to be able to easily grab themselves a drink or snack without me having to get up again might just be my favourite feature.

With prices ranging from $229-$449 with free shipping available to most areas, Mangrove Outdoors are making it easy for Aussie fishos and families to have a premium quality cooler without the price tag you might see from overseas owned companies.

If you’re tired of poor performance and durability from your current ice-box, jump onto www.mangroveoutdoors.com.au and order one for yourself. - RUPE

45L internal temperatures and how long the ice lasted in the red-hot Queensland summer.

I’ve had all three out and about with me camping, at Christmas BBQs and running around the Gold Coast broadwater islands on a sweltering New Years Day. Each time they stood up to the heat and to my kids constantly opening them, despite growing levels of threats from myself!

70L

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au FEBRUARY 2020

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Future of citizen science in rec fishing SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

The National Recreational Fishing Conference was held just before Christmas, and this time around the topic of choice was citizen science.

I was a little surprised at Infofish not being asked to attend, but to be fair, we had three separate groups presenting that were using our data and technology. I have always preferred long form mediums, like Fishing Monthly, as 20 minute presentations are good to give an overview but I prefer to get into the meat of the topic.

This is now the my sixth year of articles in Fishing Monthly writing on a wide variety of subjects, and for the first couple of years, I was writing on nothing but citizen science topics, so it’s a good time to reflect on where we were then, where we are now, and where we need to go. It’s fair to say that in that time, the number of uses we have found for fishing data has grown significantly.

First question that I had to ask was, is there a future for citizen science data? Over time we have seen challenges in terms of club participation and volunteers dropping off. However, I believe that citizen science does have a future, but only a limited one if the traditional approaches are followed.

CITIZEN SCIENCE? The term citizen science is a very limiting term when it comes to recreational fishing, because it ‘presumes’ that the reason someone is involved is for the science, and that the only useful output of the activity is ‘a scientific outcome’. The reality is that people get involved with data collection for a whole lot of reasons, citizen science focused groups are by far one of the smallest groups in the fishing community. Even then, the number of large contributors is even smaller.

Our database has had 30,519 fishers either tag or report a fish recapture through various tagging programs, which is a serious number of fishers totalling 894,876 fish.

The top 100 fishers have contributed 379,715 or 42% of the records. The top 150 have contributed 438,686 or 49%. So over 30 years, just 150 fishers have contributed half of the data recorded.

Most citizen science programs can more accurately be described as communitybased monitoring that produce a dataset that can be used for science. We recently provided nearly 300,000 barramundi tagging records that will be used by a range of scientific projects and is by far the richest dataset 108

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available. Nobody set out to tag 300,000 barramundi and the reality is if this was an official fully funded government program without volunteers, then the cost of data collection would have been astronomical.

That dataset has been used for dozens of projects and reports over the years so instead of a single use, single purpose data collection exercise that ends in a paper, you have a dataset that has benefitted the wider community in many ways.

Community-collected data has enormous value.

WHY DON’T MORE SCIENTISTS USE CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA? I know better than most the brick wall that fisheries management can be when it comes to citizen science.

None the less, over time the barriers to using communitycollected data are breaking down, not least because commercial catch data does not provide universal coverage, leaving them poorly placed to address a growing number of community concerns.

SHOULD THEY USE THE DATA? It depends.

Scientific processes are not renowned for their transparency. There is a degree of transparency within the review process, but tends to be a black box to the wider community. Further, in my experience scientists don’t trust ordinary people to collect data correctly and often lack the skills in communication to deal with public scrutiny.

If the data is contributing to important science that is independent of any management decisions, I am more open to giving the black box approach a pass. If the data is really just being used by scientists as a part of a management exercise, a lack of transparency should be treated with scorn.

Why should fishers contribute to something that will impact them, if it’s all going to be worked out behind closed doors? The answer is they shouldn’t.

SCALE IS THE PROBLEM The two largest programs we have – Suntag and the NSW Game Fish Tagging programs have an ongoing base of fisher but are just two pieces of a much larger puzzle. They have depth in terms of time sequences, both dating back more than 30 years, but the geographic coverage is still limited. Tagging is also not a universal activity and there are varied regulations that manage the tagging process.

Here in lies the problem in citizen science data, it’s only as good as its availability. We can’t answer any questions in the areas where we don’t have data, and in general the number of questions that can be answered without comparative data from other areas is equally limited.

As excited as people are at the possibilities that come

with cheap community collected data, I generally recommend a cold shower unless you are willing to put the priority on how you get the data in the first place.

THE SCALABILITY PROBLEM AND PASSIVE DATA COLLECTION It’s not too difficult to get a program of volunteer collected data happening, growing it and keeping it going is another matter altogether.

Most people don’t consider social media to be a ‘citizen science’ program but in fact YouTube, Google search, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter combined are the largest ‘citizen science’ program in the world.

These datasets are used to train large-scale artificial intelligence algorithms that do everything from guide advertising to manage behaviour.

This model proved so successful that it’s become the go-to model within the fitness industry, empowering individuals to collect data on themselves as they go about their business, day and night, awake or asleep.

Passive data is what made the gig economy possible, from Airbnb to UBER. Sure, these services connect people at the core but without the learning algorithms, the efficiency of those services would be as poor as the traditional services they replaced. Without learning the smaller habits of customers, the efficiency of routes and so on they would be just another Trading Post. I have not used a taxi unless needed because this is the passive data collection model, that is instead of ‘intentionally’ setting out to collect data for the purpose of research, the data is collected as a normal part of daily activity, it’s utility decided once the data becomes available.

Passive data spawned the movement away from statistics to data science, where robust survey design was replaced by a more discovery driven approach.

PUT FISHERS BEFORE DATA I don’t believe that a top down ‘build and they will come approach’ will work and I have 30 years of evidence across dozens of programs in the country to attest to that.

When I built Track My Fish, we built it a different purpose to what we do today, specifically to market to citizen science. I binned that version, partly because there just isn’t the market to sustain citizen science apps without a lot of government funding, a big marketing budget and a lot of patience. Even then governments have their own agendas and that tends to be a turn off for a lot of people.

The bigger reason I binned it though was the realisation from the early users that none of the fishers wanted an app for citizen science.

We had invested in the app, so I wanted to do something

with that base that would make the effort worthwhile. There had always been a phase two planned, looking specifically at fishing tournaments, where I saw a number of issues for event managers that could be simplified with technology.

At that point we shelved the citizen science goals and went to work building the tournament management platform. That platform has delivered 35,000 catches in 18 months across all states and New Zealand. That kind of growth would never have been achieved through the previous version.

Throughout that time, we have always worked with fishers and any way we can improve on what we are doing to help them out – we will do it.

We haven’t focused on citizen science at all with that data, but we have over that period added value to the dataset by checking nearly 20,000 photos for markers that indicate fish health. We have also been able to record the presence of species in areas that are normally considered outside their range.

There are bigger things we can do with that dataset, but I believe in being driven by the community on such matters, so if there are questions we can help with I am up for it.

Building a network that is useful to fishers takes priority for me. So long as it’s method of collecting data is consistent, it will be useful to answering questions. Once you have datasets, you can have a conversation on what to do with them but you need to put being useful to fishers first.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER (WELL ACTUALLY IT DOES) Imagination is a limit and most fishers imaging what they catch by rod and reel is the most important thing. Rarely do people think much about what they catch in their castnet except for bait or a meal of prawns. I would be unsurprised to discover that along the way there are a bunch of significant by-catches that go unnoticed or tossed away.

Over the past 20 years, we started recording the details of catches via castnets, refining the methodology to the point where we have had scientific papers produced. Castnets target a surprising range of species at a point in their lifecycle where knowing what’s there is important – the babies.

Rockhampton has had four poor years of barramundi recruitment in a row, which means there are pretty much only mature adult fish in the system. That makes for good results for fishers, but results that are degrading over time, as the rate of replenishment is lower than the rate of mortality.

The case for top up stocking as a longer term strategy is growing with every year, especially as the Fitzroy River is now a

serious tourist fisher destination.

Castnet surveys are cheap and easy to perform and they provide a wealth of data on what is going on in the fishery. We have completed more than 1000 of them and they have provided some of our best real science.

My point is that the definition of useful data need to be expanded beyond the rod and reel. Sometimes the most effective measure you can have is to know when recruitment is high or low so you aren’t guessing what the next years fishing will be like.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN Climate change has been a big topic over the summer as our country burns, bringing out the forces for and against.

Up front, I am particularly concerned which camp you fall in. The processes behind climate change are down to physics, not a subjective, wishy washy science but forces that are hard baked into the universe. Climate change is a slow but relentless process, the extremes will get worse with long enough periods of respite to forget what the fuss was all about, which is what makes it so dangerous to ignore.

That said, I am as opposed to those who feel a religious fervour on dealing with climate change, as I am those who deny it. We need to respond to what is happening, but reacting in fear is as dangerous as doing nothing at all.

In all the publicity, there have been many animals affected and the rounds of media focused on koalas and birds have gotten a look in as well. Gone in the ten second attention span of the news cycle has been the stories on fish.

A quick look around the country sees few of the impoundments flush with water, many down to alarming levels.

Many of these impoundments were stocked in the good times, for example the SIPS formula in Queensland is based on surface area. While many of our species have evolved in what is a boom bust environment, that was done at a time when mobility was possible at least at the points prior to the dry times. Impoundments by definition are designed to stop the movement of species. With intense temperatures and lower water levels, might this not affect the fish?

We did a Biosonics fish survey in 40°C heat in Rockhampton before Christmas, it was so hot that all our equipment failed and our Biosonics unit had its GPS interface burn out permanently.

Water temperatures were in the 30s. When we looked at the results of the survey, the fish were all concentrated in the channels of deep water.

That probably shouldn’t be a surprise but it suggests to me that fish do suffer from heat stress. I wonder if we shouldn’t

be planning around cycles, and the habitat available when the water levels fall because this time will come again and all available evidence, each time it will be worse.

At a competition on the Sunshine Coast in September, the number of pikey bream recorded was surprisingly high.

The long-term fish tagging records certainly show that the ranges of fish are changing, whether that change is opportunistic, or a trend is not yet clear.

These are the sorts of problems that long-term citizen science data is perfect for, to compare results in good and bad times, year on year.

Fish are creatures of biology, but that doesn’t mean that physics won’t kick them hard, creating winners and losers. Put tilapia on the list of winners by the way. Climate change will have a huge say on the state of our fishery into the future. As a fishing community, leaving our homework to the last minute in terms of collecting data, will leave us with precious few options in terms of responding to what in the next 20 years will be a climatically changing world.

Accepting ignorance is just another way of saying you are willing to accept the chips; however they fall. Nobody will whinge when things go wrong, I am sure.

SETTING IN FOR THE LONG TERM The direction of citizen science was the core topic of the national conference, which means it was late to the party, however this is a monumental step forward. It’s vital that a direction is set for citizen science into the future.

There is no one group that can deliver a large scale, longterm citizen science dataset.

There are a range of data networks that will spring up and I have already advocated (unsuccessfully) that providing a mechanism for those networks to contribute to a larger citizen science dataset is the only way you are going to get the coverage needed. Some of those networks originate outside of Australia, what motivation do they have to open up their datasets without having a process to protect their IP and revenue streams?

I hope that at some point a solution will be found.Until the focus of the direction of citizen science moves to solving the scaling problem, the application of citizen collected data will frustratingly limited and fragmented at a time where the fishery faces real challenges that are bigger than just being about who should have access to the fish.

The scalability problem is the only problem I am focused on right now. Overcome that, and the possibilities to do science that will help fish and fisher alike become real

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This section in QLD Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

110

FEBRUARY 2020

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory CHARTER BOATS

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Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email nkelly@fishingmonthly.com.au FEBRUARY 2020

111

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS TYPES OF LURE COLOURS

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IMITATION

LUMINOUS

NATURAL

HOLOGRAPHIC

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FLASH

METALLIC

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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 FEBRUARY 2020

Phone (day):

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

Complete the Find the Word and go in the draw to win a Fishing Monthly Prize Pack containing a limited edition neck scarf and a Fishing Monthly environmentally-friendly tote bag.

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FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Trevor Gyte, 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 winner for December is P Cincotta of Tinana, who won an Alvey prize pack valued at over $300.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

C Robinson of Edmonton, C Watson of Torquay, T Hurwood of RedHill, E & V Jackson of Long Flat, R Whillans of Bellara, D Ferguson of Kewarra Beach, N Humble of Emu Park, D Harrison of Millbank, D Richter of Toogoolawah, L Saunders of Mt Hallen, R Waters of Temora, B Rosenthal of Thornlands, R Mann of Salisbury, M Thoday of Elanora, M Gillett of Boonah, L Peters of Raceview, K Martin of Dalby, R

Davis of Sarina, C Gray of Jambin, R Treacy of Frenchville, A Svaikauskas of Grasstree Beach, J Northam of Mudgeeraba, A Hewlett of Mothar Mountain, T Davidson of Guyra, R Brown of Edmonton, B Devine of Pialba, M Couchman of Roma, R Ramsay of Taylors Beach, D Gretton of Springsure, B Freier of Ningi.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE ZMAN LOGO

112

FEBRUARY 2020

GUESS THE FISH?

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Giant Gruoper

The answers to Find the ZMan Logo for December were: 10, 13, 25, 30, 33, 34, 36, 38, 40, 47, 57, 64, 68, 72, 90. – QFM The Find the ZMan Logo prize winners for December were: R Wright of Urangan, D Starr of Rockhampton, L Etter of Toogoom, J Kruwinnus of Carindale, D Skewes of Bli Bli, A Reeves of Ryde, R Maher of Woombye, C Renz of Crestmead, J Paul of Inverell, B Harris of Ingham,

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114 Borumba bonanza

Troy Brown visits this little jewel just north of Brisbane, and unveils some of its fantastic kayak fishing opportunities!

116 Yak barra challenge Barramundi fishing from the kayak is a real challenge, and Justin Willmer has a crack at Queensland’s premier sport under pedal power!

118 Boat ramp knowledge Wayne Kampe shares some knowledge worth having when it comes to launching and retrieving boats.

FEBRUARY 2020

113

Lazy days on Lake Borumba BRISBANE

Troy Brown

On fiery summer days, hitting the water during the middle of the day on a kayak can be hazardous, with heat

Kayak Fishing Series and it reminded me why I love this lake. The combined efforts of anglers fishing the event also left me with a wealth of information on how to target the local fish species, so I am keen for a return visit.

Ewen Slaughter targeted rock walls with a Hot Bite spinnerbait.

The stocking programs at Borumba means there will be a good supply of fish in the future. exhaustion a real possibility.

Early or late starts are best for your health, while also being the best bite periods for freshwater species. If you don’t live close enough to the water to get out early, my advice is simple: pack up your kayak, throw in a tent and head to Lake Borumba.

With your campsite a few minutes from the water, you

Local Jamie Jones, known as ‘Borumba Jim’, manages the nearby campground and is a regular on the dam. He is the first port of call for many anglers who visit the area, as he knows where the fish are likely to be found plus the techniques to tempt them. In summer, bass are less likely to be found in large schools and are harder to entice, so

Khean Mak knows the key to trolling the basin is avoiding peak periods of boat traffic. Once the lake gets busy, sheltered areas produce better quality fish. can fish the early hours, relax during the midday heat and hit the water again as the sun starts to drop.

Situated south of Gympie, Lake Borumba is not one of our best-known fishing impoundments, but it is an ideal escape for a laidback weekend of kayaking. If travelling from Brisbane you are faced with a 160km journey, so for most people this fishing trip is best approached as a weekend away, rather than a day trip.

My most recent visit was for a round of the Yak Hunters

FEBRUARY 2020

Jim suggests changing your approach to catch these tentative fish. Whether chasing bass or saratoga, this time of year the majority of the action happens up in the timber or edges of the creeks.

The main basin is mostly void of fish, aside from the weed banks acting like a nursery for smaller fish.

Jim finds that chasing the bigger fish means some extra effort is required, as it is best to explore the extremities of the dam. If you are looking for quality fish, anywhere upstream of the line of yellow marker buoys at the top of the lake is where the action starts.

At this time of year the edge bite is strong, so throwing

of some of the local knowledge offered by Jim, while also having an impressive fishing intellect and genuine love

The lake is always busy on warm summer weekends, but even busier when there is a kayak fishing tournament! Over 50 anglers attended the recent Yak Hunters Kayak Fishing round.

Despite summer schools slowing down, trolling a deep diving lure in the basin is still likely to score a few fish.

Josh Dow is not afraid to throw larger lures such as the Nichols 5” Lake Fork Flutter Spoon, as they imitate local bait offerings.

114

Tim Russell used the popular RMG Poltergeist XDD on a slow troll to capture 22 bass and two yellowbelly during his weekend visit.

lot of fish suspending around 6m but relatively spread out.

An effective technique is throwing 3m divers along the weed edges and around trees at the top of the lake. When the fish are active, they will take spoons, plastics and jigs without discrimination. Size of the lure doesn’t seem to be important, as local bony bream up to 25cm are brutalised by aggressive predators.

One great method Josh uses is to cast about 15m past the trees and let your lure sink to the bottom. At medium speed, burn the lure back for around 20 cranks of the handle and then let it drop again.

The fish suspending around the trees will often belt the

crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs or soft plastics will most likely produce results. Jim told me he developed the technique of ‘flutter spooning’ at Borumba, with this method now getting impressive results for tournament anglers in various dams. While large lures are not the norm for many bass anglers, the large 4-5” spoons Jim employs match the hatch of the bony bream population found in many of the local impoundments.

Josh Dow is a beneficiary

of kayak fishing himself.

Having fished Lake Borumba previously, Josh delivered a solid result in the Yak Hunters tournament. He found that schools tended to feed for 5-10 minutes before shutting down again, and it was rare for them to come on the chew. He opted for subtle lures such as the Nichols 5” Lake Fork Flutter Spoon. The flutter action of these spoons seemed to trigger otherwise shut down fish, with all hook-ups occurring on the drop. He let the lure sink to the bottom with slack line, then burned it up about halfway and let it sink again.

Josh recommends you seek fish away from the obvious schools on your sounder, with the real quality to be found elsewhere during the warmer months. Larger fish were further into the lake, towards the base of the creeks and in the trees. Most of the fish near the launch are smaller, with a

lure as it comes past a branch.

When using this technique, Josh upgrades to 20lb braid and leader, as even the smaller

can act as a bite trigger.

Khean Mak regularly pulls prize fish from the freshwater impoundments. He found trolling to be the answer at Lake Borumba, as there were plenty of schools but most were unwilling to play. The Smak 16 provided quality fish, while Zerek Tango Shads brought him quantity. During the week, the basin held good fish but as soon as the ski boats arrived on the weekend, the fish moved towards the junctions and into the timber.

The dam fishes very differently when it is subjected to heavy boat traffic, with quieter days making fish more accessible in the main basin.

As most anglers can only fish on weekends, they will experience a different fishing environment to the kayaker who is fishing midweek. While fish behaviour can change from day to day, loud noise and heavy surface activity will have a consistent impact on how fish move through the system.

As Lake Borumba is a stocked impoundment, you are required to carry a valid SIPS permit. On the weekend, the day use area fills quickly with ski boats and day-trippers.

Take care on the water; most boats are used responsibly, but there are occasional reports of powerboats failing to respect a safe distance with kayakers. Wear a PFD and be aware of what is happening around you, avoiding where possible the preferred routes of the powerboats. To escape the crowds completely, I recommend you pitch your

Jenna Watkins trolled the edges of the weed beds with a diving lure for this solid yellowbelly. fish can brick you. He also recommends making some basic modifications to your lure, as adding a small piece of tinsel or feathers to a spoon

tent at the local campgrounds during the middle of the week, grab some advice from Jim and enjoy the serenity of fishing Lake Borumba.

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FEBRUARY 2020

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A friend’s first barra adventure BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

I recently passed a kayak that had served me well onto a mate, Sean, for him to patch up, fit out to suit him and join me on some kayak fishing adventures.

He christened it on the

tip toward the nose of the kayak and enjoy the ride.

The bulk of the fish being caught seemed to be the last batch of fish stocked, ranging in size from around 30-40cm, however there were a few 60-90cm models turning up in amongst them.

Part of me was hoping that we could catch a couple of smaller ones to get our eye

which wasn’t a bad thing.

There was some great structure and we fished a variety of paddle-tail plastics and surface lures that would have had us in the game… if the fish wanted to bite. A couple of small taps, most likely from bass, a few swirls behind lures and a couple of half-hearted boofs at the lure and the sun was on its

for the three of us, which was fine as he had room in the rear well and plenty of options.

Spin rods around 3-6kg and 5-12kg were in our arsenal, with 40 size spinning reels, 20lb braided line and 40lb fluorocarbon leader.

We were greeted with a beautiful misty and glassy morning on the lake, encouraging us all to start with topwater presentations.

It wasn’t long before we heard a ‘fish on’ call from Sean, who was working a Bagley Rattlin’ Finger Mullet, a walk the dog style lure, out from a lily edge when it was eaten from the surface. We paddled in ready for a photo and a high five for his first barra, only to find a solid bass in the net.

We were only disappointed for a second as it was a solid bass, plus it had come off the surface.

Paul was giving us a few tips about working the points and small standalone clusters of lilies, pointing the rod tip toward the nose of the kayak when fighting a

It wasn’t the target species but it’s hard to argue with a solid topwater bass. me – I paddled over for a heads up on what they were eating. It’s always a good idea when you’re fishing with other paddlers to throw a few different presentations around until you find what is working on the day. There was no doubt that Paul had cracked the pattern and I was pretty keen to get in on the action.

larger presentation. You can’t argue with success though and after changing over to the larger presentation, my first cast resulted in a nice bass and the second cast, a small barra. The reason for my smaller presentation was to hedge my bets between a bass and barra, yet here I was with a 5” plastic and landing both species. We figured

The first session had some promising water in the afternoon but the day ended fishless. flats, landing a nice bream and we had a fun session on the water. When another mate mentioned that he’d been getting into a few impoundment barramundi from the kayak, I invited Sean and we got planning!

Over the next couple of weeks, there were messages flying back and forward

in, however when it comes to impoundment barramundi at times the bite can be completely shut down due to temperature, weather and other variables. I didn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves – after all, the aim of the trip was to get Sean his first barra.

We loaded the gear, headed on our journey and

way down; our afternoon session done.

Although we hadn’t hooked or landed a fish for the session, the interest in the lures gave us hope for the morning session, where the sun would be shining and the temperature warmer before the winds were forecast to blow up again. We set up

The group headed out for the afternoon session in windy conditions. fish, and using the paddle to steer or slow yourself down, when his plastic was inhaled and he set the hook.

A small barramundi leapt from the water a couple of times before Paul landed and released it. A short time later he was onto another one, followed by a third that was a better class of fish, around 60cm in length.

That was enough for

It turned out that Paul had been fishing a ZMan 5” DieZel MinnowZ, rigged on a TT Lures 3/8oz 6/0 SnakelockZ weedless jighead. I was not even in the game with my 3” paddletail and 1/4oz 3/0 jighead.

Paul was fishing larger presentations faster and getting their attention. It was amazing that even the 30cm barra were inhaling this

they must have been feeding on larger baitfish.

We continued our paddle, casting lures, chatting and exploring small inlets, while focusing on the lily edges, points and small standalone clusters of lilies. The breeze had started to pick up a bit as we paddled around a corner and out of the wind a little, knowing that we would be paddling back into the

Paul scored the first barra of the day – and the second and third! at all hours between the three of us. Vehicles, kayaks, camping, permits, kayak gear, fishing tackle and more were discussed and sorted as the plan took shape. Sean hadn’t done a lot of fishing from the kayak and hadn’t caught a barramundi before, so there were some nervous discussions about kayak fit out and control, along with fighting and landing the fish. My advice to him was if you hook up, point the rod 116

FEBRUARY 2020

met Paul on time at our rendezvous point, heading straight to our afternoon launch spot. The afternoon was cool and the wind was blowing, but we were hopeful of catching one in the afternoon to take the heat off our morning session the next day. We only had the two sessions so we wanted to make the most of them.

The afternoon session focused around standing timber and we all managed plenty of casting practice,

a quick camp, had a feed and a couple of coldies before rigging a few rods for the morning and calling it a night.

In the kayak Sean and I each carried a couple of rods rigged with different lures, along with a landing net, pliers, snips and a bag of lures and leaders. I had a dry bag with a couple of small tackle trays and a handful of plastics, while Sean had a little more trouble trimming his kit and had enough gear

Even the smaller barra were nailing the ZMan 5” DieZel MinnowZ.

breeze on our last leg of the homeward paddle. Another couple of barra for Paul and another for myself and with the time ticking and Sean yet to get his barra, we were both

standing timber and lilies, then after a couple of seconds to sink down and on the second turn of the handle, a solid barramundi struck as my soft plastic was

A barramundi safely on board after comfort lifting. sending barra vibes his way.

The next section that we approached had it all – standing timber, laydowns, lilies and it looked fishy. I moved out to fish the outside edge of the structure, leaving

inhaled and the hook found its mark. The fish stayed deep and hit the afterburners.

I whipped the rod tip around to the front of the kayak so that I wouldn’t be at risk of tipping, and buckled up for

This brought the barra to the surface, where it finally did a couple of jumps, revealing its size and the fact that it was securely pinned in the jaw hinge, as is often the case when fishing weedless plastics.

Sean was there for the entire fight, snapped a few photos and we both enjoyed the close encounter and quick release of this healthy 85cm+ barra. I had fought the fish into open water, allowed it to tire and then attached the lip grips, comfort lifting it on board for a few snaps and then swimming it for a healthy release. It’s important to remember that when the lip grips are on you need to clear the deck and secure items so that nothing is knocked into the water should the fish play up once on board.

Consider the weight of the fish so that you can remain stable when lifting it aboard, while also remembering that each fish species has its own challenges, including the barramundi’s spikes and gill rakers.

The author’s barra finally revealed itself while being led away from the lilies. way back toward the cars, focusing on a corner that had the wind blowing onto a lily filled point. Sean went with a gut feeling and peeled off on his own to work the

and I were yelling for him to get it in the net. Sean was all smiles and Paul and I were doing all the stressing! The net slid under the fish and we all cheered. It wasn’t a big

at the cars we loaded our gear, relived the hits and misses, congratulated Sean again on his first barra and wrapped up with a quick chat and the plan to get together

Making memories as Paul captures some photographic evidence.

Sean was pumped to have a crack at his first barramundi. the bulk of the area to Sean, while Paul had cleared out, leaving it for us and heading up to investigate further. I really wanted to be there when Sean hooked his first barra, to get a few photos and assist with landing it if he needed a hand… however, I should have known what would happen next.

I cast to a cluster of

the journey. The fishing gods were on my side and the barra swam straight out away from the structure, avoided a couple more trees and towed me straight down the original main creek bed. After 20m or so it began to veer toward the lilies, so I dug the paddle in to steer to the right, away from the lilies and put a bit more hurt on with the rod.

Paul scored another fish, I jumped one off and had another attempt to eat the lure as I lifted it from the water, while Sean fished hard. Sean always fishes hard and I have been in this situation before where you are working your butt off to catch a new species while the anglers around you are hooking up. We fished our

Success! Sean with his first barramundi on the board.

opposite bank that was heavy with lilies.

Fish on! The call came from Sean who had cast his 5” paddle-tail into the lilies, where a barra had sensed the movement and inhaled it. Sean managed to wrestle it out of the lilies and the pocket rocket was leaping all over the place while Paul

fish, but it was Sean’s first barramundi and every first of a species and PB should be celebrated.

We had the fairy tale ending to our trip and ticked the one big box we had set ourselves for this adventure.

It was time to put our head down and battle the breeze for the paddle home. Back

again in the future. This trip was about the fishing, however it was also about so much more, including the mateship, the adventure, the journey, the planning, the memories we made and the stories we have to tell around the next campfire. It’s time to start planning your next adventure!

Paddling in a glassy, misty morning on the water.

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Boat ramp smiles for miles BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

A boating lifestyle is a great lifestyle. Whether it’s fishing, touring or just ‘taking her for a run’ to ensure that all systems are working, the chance to get on the water in a small boat and start an engine is one of life’s pleasures.

NO NANNY STATE One of the main attractions with boating is of course, the freedom.

The Nanny State stops at the ramp and the rules and regulations are quite limited when compared with driving a car. Navigation rules simply come down to common sense: who wants to run aground?

If everything goes well, you get to the ramp and then give a small amount of attention to straps, maybe lift the engine a bit higher, and back down the ramp so the boat can be pushed, slid, lowered by winch or driven off the trailer.

Retrieving the boat isn’t always as easy as launching. Things can change, and I’ll discuss this later. And occasionally things aren’t ideal for the launch either.

the crowds on a weekend morning you often have to launch at 3:30-3:45am.

With a lot of boats ready to go at just a few

and the shackle connecting the safety chain and boat has been greased recently so it won’t need tools to free it.

the car driver, if possible.

Dropping a trailer off the end of a ramp into deep water and current in the pre-dawn gloom is no way

Borumba Dam’s ramp shares a trait with several other freshwater ramps in that slime adorns nasty rocks on the sides.

Adverse conditions can occur when retrieving the boat. This ramp was child’s play when launching at daylight, but not so much fun when this photo was taken. minutes’ notice around the same time of day, things can become a bit hectic.

Manners have been left at home, and there can often be tension between ramp users. This is not how things should be and it’s certainly not an enjoyable way to start a day on the water. Try to keep things in perspective and on an even keel. While there might be

ramp, you should shift it so that other boaters can also launch – and this is where things can get tricky.

Some ramps cater for this, or at least have a pontoon close by, while other ramps are cramped and tend to make things hard. If there’s nowhere for you to move your boat out of the way,

inconsiderate so-and-so is backing down on her. It’s just not on.

RAMP HAZARDS Fortunately, most marine ramps have stand-by areas at their ends or sides which can usually be reached without getting wet above the knees. However, freshwater

KEEP THAT RAMP FRIENDLY For skippers who are new to boating, there are a few pitfalls to consider before putting the trailer wheels in the water. It’s a good idea to have a look at your selected ramp prior to a first launch, to check out its size and slope. And if the ramp is a makeshift job, as we have on some

A welcome sight: a boat ramp with plenty of slope, ready and waiting for the boat. Just be aware that things may have changed a lot by the time you return. to start the day.

Also, if the ramp has a shallow gradient and/or the tide is low, it might be necessary to physically push the boat off to get it into the drink.

Once your boat is off the trailer on a narrow

don’t stress – everyone else just has to sit and wait for a short while until your crew are ready to go. It’s not a good look to see a mum with kids in the boat try to move a fair lump of a craft (while dad is parking the car) because some

Makeshift ramps can be tricky. Check to see what depth, slope and mud awaits the boat.

EARLY STARTS THE NORM Frustratingly, what was so easy a decade ago now tends to be harder, thanks to an increase in boater numbers. As boating has gained more and more popularity, boat ramps don’t seem to have increased in number or size to keep up with this growth.

Launching can be tricky, especially in areas of dense population. At this time of year, if you want to beat 118

FEBRUARY 2020

a bit of a delay in launching it’s not hard to stay out a few minutes longer to make it up.

For skippers who are accustomed to launching under pressure from other boaters waiting their turn, things seldom go pear shaped. These skippers have a mental checklist to make sure that routine tasks are performed before backing down the ramp.

The tie-down straps are off, bungs are in, engine is up,

of our unofficial launching areas these days, it will pay to see what your wheels will be going down into.

There may be weed or mud, and/or it might be much too shallow.

A ramp’s slope and size dictates how far the trailer may need to go in the water for you to get the boat off.

For this reason, you might want to have someone accompany the trailer down the ramp and into the water to provide feedback to

Life is a bit easier when the ramp has a pontoon beside it.

ramps can be very difficult, due to a lack of room or localised hazards.

A couple of examples of tricky ramps would be Borumba Dam and Peter Faust’s ramps. Both are very busy on a weekend or Friday afternoon, especially Faust if there’s an upcoming tide change (this is considered to be a hot barra bite time).

Both ramps have nasty slimy rocks beside them, accompanied by a generous coating of slime in the area where the boat leaves the trailer. This situation can make things… interesting.

For example, if you’re at Peter Faust and a strong southerly is piping through the surrounding hills, it’s very difficult to hold your boat steady at the end of the ramp. For this reason it’s wise to have a rope handy to let the boat out a tad while the car is being parked.

My advice is that if you’re launching in fresh

water in new territory, especially in the dark, avoid moving quickly around the boat. If you do, you may well end up with a wet backside.

RETRIEVAL ISSUES Now that we’ve covered launching the boat, let’s have look at retrieving it.

In the sea, retrieval isn’t always as carefree as the launch, because tide height may have changed a lot, and there’s possibly

a fair line up at the ramp, all waiting to get out of the water. On top of this, your team may be tired and irritable thanks to that sparrow chirp start, or just plain cranky because the fishing was poor. Been there, done that!

Crosswinds can also raise their ugly heads on a tidal change to make things hard, which can see the long-suffering partner holding the boat in enough water to get it onto the

trailer while the car is being reversed down.

This is a time for patience and good humour.

And if things are going pear-shaped for someone else, go and help them if you can. Help is much more effective and appreciated than abuse.

The last thing that should occur is for another boat to be trying to reverse down while a boat is trying to come out. This situation is very frustrating if you’re

A busy bayside ramp on a Saturday morning. This photo was taken at 6am.

A busy ramp, yet the team with the catamaran had the rig off the trailer, in the water and out of the way in only a couple of minutes.

WIN

5 DAYS FISHING WITH THESE LEGENDS

flying solo and have to leave the boat at the ramp while you’re getting your car and trailer.

At Borumba Dam one busy afternoon I saw a solo boat owner in his car, lined up, and ready to reverse down. He was faced with letting four other teams launch or retrieve their boats before he was able to complete backing down the ramp to get his tinny out.

Pretty frustrating!

Boating isn’t always easy, but we should all do our utmost to make

A Makocraft 3.06 Tracker Topper with a Mercury 9.9hp 4 stroke from Nitro Marine and Mercury.

Fishing for firies 16.5 x 6 NOT IN SYSTEM

it what it should be: an enjoyable escape from the day-to-day grind.

FUN TIMES AT FAUST On the topic of fun I’ll share an interesting incident which occurred at Peter Faust’s ramp. With fishing over for the morning I was holding the Galey at the end of the ramp while my wife Denise went up to get the car and trailer.

Low and behold, down backs a ute and jet ski straight onto me. The driver, not acknowledging my presence, almost

2x people for 5 days for a great day with each angler including $5k fishing gear to use and take home with you along with a pair of the latest Costa sunnies.

pushed me right off the ramp as he braked to slide the ski off its trailer.

No sooner had I dodged this missile than I spotted a big brown snake next to me in the water, which had been rudely tipped out of a nice, warm spot in the jet ski. Not good! I hastily pushed the boat out and scrambled aboard in one movement. The snake must have thought I’d take it for a spin because the cheeky devil tried to get over the transom! The E-Tec was in gear the second it fired.

9 inch Lowrance sounder and $1000 tackle from Doug Burt’s Tackle World, Gold Coast.

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Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Greg Lamprecht

Nick Whyte

Jamie McKeown

Doug Burt

Mick Horn

fishingforfiries.com.au FEBRUARY 2020

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Stabicraft 2250 Centrecab with Yamaha 225hp - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

T

“These are one of the safest hulls you’ll ever ride in,” he said. “The sealed pontoons and 360 Life Ring not only offer amazing stability, but an unsinkable hull.”

Sitting on the maximum 2.5m beam, this hull uses all of that width to provide an excellent balance between ride, walkaround ability and fishing space, and the Stabicraft packs all of it into this rig.

PERFORMANCE RPM................... km/h.................... km/L 1000 ....................... 10 ....................... 1.9 2000....................... 14 ....................... 1.6 3000....................... 32 ....................... 1.3 3500 ....................... 42 ..................... 1.35 4000....................... 49 ..................... 1.15 4500 ....................... 55 ..................... 1.05 5000....................... 60 ..................... 0.91 5700 ....................... 69 ..................... 0.82 120

FEBRUARY 2020

Although this boat is all about a big cockpit space (and there’s plenty of it), the cabin is long enough to sleep in, thanks to a couple of bunk extenders that fold out under the helm seating.

With an enclosed cabin, it’s obviously very comfortable to ride in. The side windows offer plenty of cabin ventilation, and the helm and passenger seats have great visibility. The helm has a massive, flat dash that will hold all of your electronics, flush mounted.

Switching is compressed to the lower part of the dash to keep the main dash free.

The test boat was fitted with a large Simrad unit and a Yamaha digital engine gauge, and there was still room to burn.

Stabicraft have put plenty

of thought into how this boat is laid out and how it fishes.

At the transom, there’s the integrated live bait tank and bait station, with battery access underneath. We loved that you can fish out

DE FOR EX

Main: The Stabicraft 2250 Centrecab sure does create interest, and not just at the ramp – the Fishing Monthly test video was the quickest ever boat test to reach 20,000 views on our YouTube channel (Fishing Monthly Magazines). Paired with the Yamaha F225 it’s a rig that opens up nearly all of your offshore fishing options.

Above: Stabicraft’s main hull feature is the 360 Life Ring, which is a sealed pontoon that runs up both sides. It offers great stability at rest and a softer than expected ride in the chop.

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

There must be something appealing about the Stabicraft 2250 Centrecab, because it’s the quickest boat test on our YouTube channel to reach 20,000 views (it took a little over a week). We’re unsure if it was the burnt orange colour or the ‘dream rig’ nature of this boat, but it sure got people clicking and watching.

The 2250 turned heads at the ramp, too, as Mark Golden from Brisbane’s Northside Marine rocked up with the NSM Landcruiser and this rig behind it. That’s quarter of a million dollars worth of metal coasting into the Clontarf launch.

For many people, this is their dream boat. It looks the part, can play the part on the water in anywhere from glassy to dubious weather conditions and, because it’s eminently trailerable, it will travel to wherever you want it to go – without ‘OVERSIZE’ signage.

Mark is a real Stabicraft expert, and has visited their manufacturing headquarters in New Zealand.

R

your livies right through the bait board. And that there is a multi-leader dispenser incorporated. Classy.

Powered by Yamaha’s 4.2L F225 4-stroke, the rig was 75hp short of its maximum rating, yet still jumped onto the plane when you jammed the DTS throttle down. Planing at 3,000rpm,

Steve Morgan

Q

RA

CON

AN THE

FMG

you need it, but if you’re not as throttle-happy as me, then the 225 will do you just fine and keep the package price down a little.

Packages start from $139,000. A tested, this Stabicraft hits the register at around $162,900 – that’s with the Minn Kota Ulterra and the 12” Simrad fitted. Hit up

SPECIFICATIONS Length......................................................6.85m Beam........................................................2.50m Max.hp .........................................................300 Fuel ............................................................300L Test.weight ............................................ 2335kg Capacity ............................................ 8 persons it cruised most economically at 3,500rpm and 42km/h where it delivered 1.35km/L. Drop the hammers and the economy dropped to just over 800m/L where the engine reached 5,700rpm at 60km/h.

Would I fit the maximum horsepower to this boat?

Definitely! I’m a big fan of having the power there when

Mark or the Northside Marine team for full details and for a package price that suits your type of boating and fishing.

For more details visit www.northsidemarine.com.au, call 07 3265 8000 or drop into their premises on 2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall. For all the latest updates you can Like their page on Facebook (Northside Marine Brisbane).

The 2250 is a boat with true 360° fishability, from the padded anchor deck to the stern.

Yamaha’s F225 achieved a best economy of 1.35km/L at 3,500rpm and 42km/h. With 300L of fuel underfloor, this gives a theoretical range of around 400km on a full tank.

Everything in a Stabicraft is there for a reason, such as this walkaround step which makes life easier on the water.

We loved the abundant dash area that can be used to flush mount electronics, and the rigging is as neat at the back of this panel as it is at the front.

With the fully welded checkerplate deck, you can use the raw water deck wash to keep everything tidy while you’re fishing.

Rear steps over the transom are simple and sturdy.

The demo model has rocket launchers, lighting and stereo speakers in the rear of the hard top.

The test model was fitted with a pair of poly coolers with padded tops. You can segregate these between your food and bait.

Even without the folding extenders the bunks are long enough for a quick kip.

Looking back from the anchor deck you can see the breadth of the walkaround. You can also see the Minn Kota Ulterra stowing neatly out of the way.

The central bait station/live tank and battery storage is a real Stabicraft thing.

The access to the bait tank through the cutting board is next level!

Here’s something else you don’t see on every boat you test – a leader dispenser with two different sizes!

Plenty of thought has gone into this area. You can stand and cast here because there’s a front rail the right size and shape to keep you in, not throw you out.

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WHAT’S NEW BOATING POWERWINCH 912 TRAILER WINCH

1

The affordable Powerwinch 912 electric trailer winch is designed for power-in and free-wheeling out.

Features include an efficient gear train system for smoother pulling action and less amperage draw, a level wind system that prevents snarls and cable wear, aircraft-quality cable fitted with safety hooks, and a super-tough, ABS weatherresistant housing. This winch suits boats from 7-9m L.O.A. The maximum single line pulling capacity is 1587kg, the maximum double line pulling capacity is 2721kg, and the maximum approx. boat weight is 4535kg.

The Powerwinch 912 is supplied with a simple-to-install wiring harness that can be hooked up to any 12V auto or truck battery in minutes. www.powerwinch.com

RAILBLAZA RODSTOW

2

The RodStow rod holder system is a vertical fishing rod storage rack and caddy for boats. RodStow rod racks will hold your rods above deck, safely and securely, until you’re ready to fish.

These rod holders have a removable gimbal pin that you can leave in to support the rod and stop rotation, or remove to let the rod pass through. RodStow is a modular system, so if you buy more you can add them together to make longer rod racks. If you buy a Double or Triple kit you can easily join the components together with the provided stainless steel fasteners, and install it in minutes. The attached storage caddy holds lures, leader and other tackle, and it’s even big enough to hold a small tackle box. The Double kit has one caddy, and the Triple kit has two.

Offset mounting is possible, preventing large reels from hitting each other.

The vertical RodStow rod rack is suitable for most rods and reels, including spinning, baitcast and game reels, and any length of rod. It’s made from UV Stabilised, fibreglass reinforced engineering polymers, and comes in black or white.

Price: SRP $49.99 (Double model with caddy) www.railblaza.com

FUSION MS-RA210 STEREO

3

Fusion has launched the successor to the highly popular MS-RA205: the MSRA210. Packed with Fusion Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology, it delivers an exceptional audio experience in a compact form.

The MS-RA210 features a 2.7” optically bonded colour LCD display, built-in Class-D amplifier, Multi-Zone technology in two zones, and Fusion-Link integration. The brilliant, fullcolour LCD display offers colourful album art with information such as the artist, album and track title. Meeting both IPX6 and IPX7 international standards for water resistance from the front panel, the MS-RA210 is built to last in the harsh marine environment.

Fusion’s DSP technology delivers premium audio to all speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers. Every step of the audio chain is optimised to deliver a technically superior listening experience, without the need for boat owners to have a technical understanding.

Setting up DSP profiles is simple with the free Fusion-Link app. With just a few clicks, you can set up the preconfigured DSP profile to play high-quality audio, customised for your ears and the environment. Precisely calculated loudness curves are optimized to ensure quality audio delivered at every volume level. www.fusionentertainment.com 122

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VESPER CORTEX

PRODUCT GUIDE

4

The Cortex from Vesper Marine is the world’s first radio with wireless touchscreen handsets, built-in Class B SOTDMA smartAIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring.

Cortex alerts boaters of collision risks, providing information about the potential threat and making it easy to communicate with them.

The touchscreen handset makes typically complicated functions easy to use. For example, touching a vessel onscreen and pressing ‘call’ makes a direct DSC call. Cortex continuously shows crossing situations, navigation light sectors and even allows trial manoeuvres while a boater talks on the VHF radio. A 10W speaker output enables louder audio and alerting even while handsets are turned off. Cortex includes dual-watch, favourite channels and onehanded operation. Pressing the man overboard button activates a track back mode on all handsets and marks the waypoint on NMEA 2000 connected MFDs. Cortex combines data such as wind speed, GPS and AIS to prioritise alerts, such as potential collision or anchor drag or MOB. For the full list of features visit the Vesper website. www.vespermarine.com

STAR BRITE HULL CLEANER

2

5

Star brite Hull Cleaner gel formula sticks where it’s applied, to maximise cling time and cleaning power.

This product completely covers stains to penetrate and dissolve them. It’s specifically formulated to remove the toughest stains, including rust, dried fish blood and leaf stains.

It works on all fiberglass and painted surfaces and is ideal for vertical surfaces.

This product does not contain harmful acids, and it’s safe and easy to use. You just spray it onto the surface being cleaned (rubber gloves are recommended), let it remain on the surface until the stain disappears, then rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Stubborn stains or spots may require a repeated application with longer soak time and gentle scrubbing.

Price: SRP $35 www.starbrite.com

YELLOWFIN PLATE CC

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All models in Yellowfin’s updated Centre Console series come standard with Yellowfin Plate’s Spartan Console. This rugged, wide console has plenty of room for electronics and grab rails. For additional cover, a Dolphin Pro T-Top can be installed.

The biggest of Yellowfin Centre Consoles (7000 and 7600) can be optioned up to the Mega Console. This aluminium folding console is 220cm high with six rod holders, space for a 16” sounder and room for a radio or other accessories in the top.

Standard fishing include 6-side deck rod holders, a live bait tank and self-draining deck.

The Platinum Pack includes a bow mount plate, removable bait board, deck wash and more.

To get up to the 520mm high raised casting platform, there are steps on either side of the boat with a space in the middle so you can fish at sea level or raised up. Inside the casting platform is a large hatch that can fit a big icebox. he strike chair in the Centre Console is wide enough for two passengers and can quickly be reversed with two release pins. Yellowfin Plate owners can be driving one minute and fishing the next, and the Offshore HD Hull will keep drivers stable and dry. www.yellowfinplateboats.com.au

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SL22 HT OB

Boat, motor, trailer package from $110,990*

COME AND SEE THE BIGGEST RANGE OF NEW FIBREGLASS BOATS ON THE GOLD COAST

www.whittleyboats.com.au Conveniently located at The Boat Works Factory 8 & 9 | Boat Works Drive, Coomera | 03 8339 1800 * Price includes; optional hard top with full length screen, standard boat package (refer to website for standard equipment list), pre delivery charges, Queensland registrations, safety equipment, on water hand over, available ex Whittley Gold Coast Sales Coomera & is subject to change without notice.

World Class Engines, World Class Support.

All recreational Mercury Outboard models from the 2.5 to 400hp range now come with 6 years of warranty coverage.

A comprehensive warranty that’s supported by the strength and service expertise of one of the largest dealer networks in the country. Simply have your engine serviced at an Authorised Service Centre at the recommended servicing intervals and you’re covered by an additional 3-year factory backed warranty on top of the first 3 years.

That’s a full 6 years of non-declining warranty coverage. *Terms and conditions apply for full warranty information visit mercurymarine.com.au.

mercurymarine.com.au