Queensland Fishing Monthly - July 2015 by Fishing Monthly

FEATURE PACKED WINTER ISSUE • 2015 LURE FLY EXPO

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Successful squidding • Bait collection tips • Hook tying: uni knot • Squid skewer set up • Straw Prawn challenge •

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Black Magic 50lb Tough Trace was used by Andrew Harwood to catch this tusk fish and red throat emperor off Fraser Island.

A Wasabi Recurve Circle 3/0 hook was used by Julian Murphy to take this 57cm flathead while fishing in Western Port Bay.

Kent Walker landed this 8kg cod on a Black Magic KL 7/0 hook and Black Magic 80lb Tough Trace while fishing off Fraser Island.

Rory Bluett-Boyd landed this estimated 30kg gummy shark on a Black Magic KL 6/0 hook while fishing in Anderson Inlet.

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Black Magic 30lb Tough Fluorocarbo n leader was used by Bernie Zraika to catch these snapper weighing 10.5lb and 11lb. Bernie was fishing off Stanwell Park.

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July 2015, Vol. 28 No. 9

Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES

Ballina 26 SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Tweed Heads 26 Southern Gold Coast 28 Gold Coast Canals 30 Gold Coast 32 Jumpinpin 34 Southern Bay 36 Brisbane 38 Brisbane Offshore 40 Northern Bay 41 Caloundra 42 Noosa 44 CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Rainbow Beach 56 Hervey Bay 56 Fraser Coast 61 Bundaberg 64 Gladstone 64 Yeppoon 66 Rockhampton 67 Mackay 68 Stanage Bay 69 TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Whitsundays 74 Ayr 75 Townsville 76 Lucinda 77 Hinchinbrook 78 Cairns 79 Port Douglas 80 Karumba 81 Cape York 80 TNQ Freshwater 81

From the Editor’s Desk... I usually like to be positive in my Editorials, because there are usually a lot of positive things to say about our industry. It’s full of pretty cool people who love doing what they’re doing. The magazine is full of them this month. But I heard a rumour during the month about some actions from people who should know better that frustrate me and make me want to give them a serve. So I will. Hypothetically, of course, because they’re just rumours. As usual, there’s a well researched and relevant article inside this issue from Stefan Sawynok – from Suntag – who’s looking as the science of the mulloway and threadfin salmon in the Brisbane River. It’s reasonably important work for a number of reasons. Firstly, nobody really

knows about the stocks, the stock structure, where and how they move and breed in this system. DEEDI even wants frame samples to help with the baseline basic biology, like age to length ratios. Secondly, there’s a substantial and apparently increasing catch of threadfin from the Brisbane River from the commercial sector – it looks like being around over 15 tonnes this year. Mainly large, female fish from areas that they’re most likely spawning. I’m pretty interested in this fishery as it’s on my doorstep and the doorsteps of around a million Brisbane-ites. It’s one of the few predators I can fish for within 10 minutes of my house in Coorparoo. It’s not an easy fishery. It took me seven trips to land my first threadfin, and others even longer. But once you sort out a pattern, you can catch them pretty regularly.

I got involved in the tagging of these fish, because I caught a tagged one and wanted to know more about it. Now, back to some fellow, short-sighted anglers. I hear reports that some of the secret squirrels are catching tagged fish and ripping the tags out of them before letting them go. Recovering basic data from these tagged fish – like date caught, location and length – is the foundation of the citizen science that makes tagging programs effective ways of monitoring stocks. Of course, I would expect that maybe a commercial operator is too busy, not observant enough, or too scared of the outcomes to report a recapture, but having a catch-and-release angler sabotaging the program is ridiculous. Maybe they’re scared that their ‘secret spots’ will be revealed? Or maybe it’s

just selfishness, but I can guarantee that they’d probably be the first one to squeal if unrestricted netting in the spawning areas were to impact the stocks – and consequently their fishing experience - or even their lure business. So if you want to know where to catch big and small threadfin in the Brisbane River, you can see on the zone maps inside. We published that especially for you, tag-ripping-out-dude. If you do catch a tagged fish anywhere in the state – and there’s hundreds of thousands of them out there – make sure you record the basic details, like length, location and date of capture and call the 1800 number to report it. You’ll be doing your bit for whatever fishery you’re involved in!

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Making the switch: the heavy side of fly tackle BRISBANE

Bob Thornton

In the final instalment of this three-part series, I’ll be discussing the thick end of fly fishing by focussing in on saltwater fly fishing and dealing with heavy tackle. Fly fishing with heavy tackle for me is a lot of things. It’s chaotic, challenging and heartbreaking at times, but most of all its rewarding. Subduing big fish on fly tackle is a real feat and probably worth 10 on a lure – it is for me anyway. It should be stressed that gearing up for this type of fly fishing is usually a bit more expensive, and care needs to be taken in the preparation stage. Fly fishing with heavy tackle is pretty different to using the lighter gear I’ve talked about in the last 2 parts of this series.

Mahimahi are a great starting point for anyone keen to get into saltwater fly fishing – the fight is phenomenal and when schooled up, they can be forgiving of sloppy presentation and in the author’s case… sea sickness.

a fly angler’s definition of ‘heavy’ will depend on where he or she is fishing! Lines sit in a similar basket – selected in accordance. For distance casting, some anglers opt for something known as a shooting head. A shooting head is approximately 20ft long, and is attached to your fly line. It’s much heavier than normal fly line. Basically, it’s like a 20ft sinker! Personally, I find them a hindrance to my fishing. They’re very taxing to cast all day and hard to pick up to make another cast, but some anglers use them with great success. Backing on your reel is very important, as within most fly fishing for pelagic species, they will strip you well into it. To be safe, my two saltwater set ups (an 8wt and a 10-11wt) both have around 300m of backing, which connects to the fly line with a bimini twist.

just right. Usually, we’re targeting creatures that attack baitfish and other small morsels at speed, so anything palm-sized and shiny is a good all-rounder. In specific cases, where more selective and pressured fish are concerned, specialized presentations are preferred. In some scenarios, anglers use flies to imitate crabs, shrimp, micro bait, and even algae, weed or bread! One of my favourite things about bigger flies is that they are easier to tie, as I’m very keen but not overly skilled in that department! For tiers out there targeting high-speed predators, one recommendation I have is to try tying with Gamakatsu’s SL12S range of saltwater fly hooks. Nothing gets that beautiful corner of the jaw hook-up like an SL12S and they come razor-sharp out of the packet. People trolling

Top Left: The author’s kit of rough home-tied flies saved for offshore trips and big estuarine predators. Top right and above left to right: From start to finish, any tuna experience on fly is memorable. From the frantic double-handed stripping and the long sizzling runs, to the burnt fingers that come with clearing all that line. It’s not something you’ll forget quickly. But it’s not all pain and anger. Once you get going, big ocean-going speedsters and inshore behemoths can quite easily be switched onto a fly when you get your 10

JULY 2015

presentation right. I’ve watched fly tackle out fish conventional tackle inshore and offshore with big fish plenty of times, and like I’ve said before, it’s no accident.

FORTIFYING FLY TACKLE With saltwater fly fishing, the most important part of your set up is your reel. Important features are a spool that facilitates high

line capacity, a fairly heavy and smooth drag, and while helpful but not necessary, a large arbor. Rods should be tailored to the application they’re intended to undergo, and

BIG FISH FLUFF Selecting flies for big fish can be a lot of fun. Generally, it’s an easier task than it is with trout, for example, where everything needs to sit

baits for marlin have started using them to rig their baits because of how well they hook bony-jawed fish! Keep in mind that larger flies can be more difficult to cast, as the can

material picks up water and can create drag in the air. TRICKS AND TIPS Double-hauling Double hauling is a casting technique that aids in distance casting and casting larger flies. A haul is simply pulling back against the fly line your holding with your non-casting hand during the casting stroke (away from

the reel). This facilitates casting efficiency by loading and bending the rod deeper. A double haul is pulling the fly line on the forward and backward stoke of the cast. Double hauling will make casting big flies a reasonable distance more efficient, and you’ll be able to shoot a lot more line. Double hauling is almost compulsory when approaching feeding fish from a distance, as often you can’t get too close, or the fish will spook. Double-handed retrieve The Double-handed retrieve, or double-handed stripping, is a means of generating a faster retrieve for pelagic species, or even imparting a slow, steady and subtle retrieve without jerks. For double-handed stripping, you quite simply put the rod handle under your armpit, and using both hands in quick succession, rip the line through the guides. A great thing about this technique is that when a fish takes the fly, the angler is unable to lift the rod, meaning the hook sets well in the fish’s jaw. Taking the rod out from under your arm and adopting the usual fighting stance once connected can be a bit of a scramble, but the chaos is half the fun of saltwater fly fishing. Strip-striking While I covered this in the previous issue, it’s probably even more important in this style of fly

fishing. Often, pelagics will have very hard, bony jaws and a solid strip-strike, with the rod pointed directly at the fish, will do a world of good before a lengthy battle on the fly rod. Stripstriking is also important for implosion feeding species such as barra, that can reject a fly in a fraction of a second, as you can put more pressure through the

hold the fly line away from the reel and rod handle and allow the fish to take up the slack in its run. Doing this will ensures that the line doesn’t catch on anything and you’re then able to use the reel to battle the fish. Having some awareness when doing this goes a long way. On one occasion, I was sight-casting to big kingfish and upon hook-up

Top: Kingfish will beat you up on any tackle, and are a real challenge to land on fly. This kingfish of about 90cm took a home-tied garfish pattern in about 2.5m of water – it doesn’t get much more exciting than that! Above: Into the backing and loving it! A solid kingfish makes its way back toward the headland as the author tries to get back some precious line. line very quickly. When using the doublehanded stripping technique mentioned above, the hook-up will happen automatically, but when using a normal tripping technique, just remember to keep your rod down. In some instances, anglers fishing fly for big GT and other giants on the flats will run backwards as they strip-strike just to make sure that hook point finds its penetration, but usually this isn’t necessary. Clearing the line When you’ve locked horns with a hard-running speedster, the first thing it will want to do is take you on a tour of the ocean… Clearing your line is very simple, but very important to know. Once the fish is hooked, use your stripping hand and

with a metre-plus model, and my lack of awareness resulted in a big stuff up! Once I’d strip-struck, the kingie headed back for the reef. As the line flew up in the air like spaghetti, a loop went and wrapped around a cleat on the deck of the boat, and another went around my neck… To cut a long story short, I lost the fish and the fly, damaged the fly line and I had a sore neck, all because I didn’t check my surroundings before making the cast. Winding and stripping when hooked up A famous person in the fly fishing community once said that if you want to take up saltwater fly fishing, the first thing to practise is your winding. This couldn’t be any truer. Big fish will run very To page 12

JULY 2015

From page 11

quickly away from you once hooked, but sometimes they come back at you just as fast, and it’s important to take up that slack as quickly as you can. It’s imperative that you’re doing the winding with your dominant hand, because

by hand, particularly around structure – Rod Harrison proved this many years ago with black bass in Papua New Guinea. You need to have a firm grip of the line and absorb the lunges of the fish with the rod and your body to make up for no line being given. The same principle

Rod work When fighting fish, your long fly rod can be used a tool to tire fish out quicker, stop them from getting you into trouble, and win you that battle. When big fish come close to the boat, some anglers like to apply pressure in

On the inshore side of things, threadfin salmon are a solid adversary on heavier fly tackle. they’ll be a lot of cranks involved with the 1:1 wind ratio fly reel! Big fish can be fought

applies when a fish comes back toward you and you’re fighting it by hand – you need to take up that slack!

the the and fish

opposite direction to way the fish lunges, this puts strain on the and wears the fish

out faster. Another trick commonly use around structure and fast flowing water, is to apply pressure from the side. When this is done successfully, the fish will run in the opposite direction to the direction the pressure is being applied, or in the desired direction, which is normally up current, away from snags, away from other feeding fish etc. In shallow water, you can pull the rod down toward the ground as the fish runs away from you. What this will do is pull the fish’s head into the bottom and stand the fish on its head, disrupting its swimming pattern. This makes controlling the fish much easier and will help you to win the fight with stubborn fiish. GET BENT With heavy tackle fly fishing, you can really appreciate every fish, as even some of the smaller fish feel big! While it can be difficult to firstly find the gear at a good price, and then set up the rig, find a place to use it and finally land big angry fish on a noodle with guides, the effort invested is definitely worth it. With all the trouble you go through getting everything prepared, you

A perfect hook up. When any fish is hooked in the hard part of the jaw’s corner, the hook will rarely pull or be shaken out. The SL12S hook found the corner perfectly for this thready. might even discover that a nice seductively-worked fly out fishes you mate’s noisy popper on pelagics, and then he’ll want to give it a go too! It’s happened to me… There’s saltwater fly

options Australia wide all year round, and I believe many people aren’t taking advantage of what great species this country offers us on a platter. So get out there, take the fly rod… and get bent!

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Successful squidding BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

The interest in targeting squid has skyrocketed in recent years, as anglers realise how accessible they are and how much fun they can be to catch. Numerous squid species are prevalent within southern Queensland and you don’t even need a boat to target the succulent cephalopods. They can be caught from most landbased locations along the foreshores of Moreton Bay and waters further afield. Additionally, they can be taken well out into the bay in channels and around the shallows of the bay islands. At times squid, can be easy to snare, however, in the more heavily probed areas they become rather cagey, offering a real challenge for even the most knowledgeable egi aficionado. Want to have a crack at catching some calamari? This info might whet your appetite… EXCELLENT EGI There is not a lot of gear required to go and catch

squid, but having the correct type can definitely make the trip a little more successful. The main item you will need is a squid jig or egi (which means wooden lure), as they are now commonly known. It’s somewhat ironic that egi, which are shaped like a prawn with feather wings and rows of barbs at the rear, are now rarely made of wood. Instead, they’re moulded from plastic compounds that are usually coated with various cloths or other finishes. The coatings are designed to make the egi feel like a real prawn or shrimp, which increases the chance of the squid holding onto them longer. This increases the chance of securely hooking them with the rows of razor sharp jags (spikes) at the rear. Egi are weighted to sink slowly, with different ones sporting regulated sink rates. In faster currents and deeper waters, you will generally use a faster sinking egi, whilst in shallower, slower flowing water a slow sinking version would be best. Additionally, egi come in numerous sizes and a huge array of colours, some with glow-in-the-dark properties. Which colour to

choose at what time can be a hard decision at times and often it is a case of trying different ones until you work out what the squid favour. Usually, however, squid are not that fussy, except in heavily worked zones around the foreshores where they often become wary due to constant pressure. To start out, I would generally advise prospective squidders to get one jig with a natural finish and one with a bright or glow finish, usually pink, orange or green. If fishing out in the bay, then choose a size 2.5-4.0 egi and for land-based squidding around the foreshores, a 1.2-2.5 sized egi. Obviously, having a wider array at your disposal can increase your chances when the squid are being a little fussy. It is also possible to catch squid on baits, and we will explore this further in a techniques article, but will only cover targeting squid on egi at present. SQUID TACKLE To present your lure you will need an outfit to cast it out. I have seen handlines used, however, a rod and reel will make it a lot easier. Ultimately,

A solid tiger squid well over a kilogram, which succumbed to a deeply worked egi presented on a light spin outfit. a light spin rod is desirable, but many different rods can suffice. A softer tip is a plus, to absorb the lunges of the squid, and a light drag setting will also aid in this regard. Light line (braid or monofilament) to around 6kg is best, and a fluorocarbon leader (which doesn’t attract or reflect light in the water and is low visibility) will allow you to present the jig in a more natural manner. For the more serious squid-fisher, there are rods designed specifically for the task. These will cast the jig efficiently and increase the chance of hooking and staying connected to the squid. These are usually 2.1-2.7m long and possess slow tapers and actions. This decreases the likelihood of tearing the jig out of the jagged squid when it lunges in an attempt to escape. To accompany these species-specific rods, there are designated reels possessing light and precise drag setting ability, again to decrease the chance of the squid being able to expel the jig. I like to attach the egi to my leader with a spiral snap, which aids in quick jig changes when the cephalopods are

Arrow squid often take on an almost red appearance when fresh from the water.

being difficult. However, you can simply attach the jig with a simple perfection loop or even a blood knot if you wish. While it is nice to have specific tools to use, especially if you decide to get a bit more hard-core in your squidding endeavours, they are not a necessity yet do make squidding easier. To get started though, you only need a couple of egi, some light fluorocarbon leader, and an outfit to cast it with. RETRIEVE TO DECEIVE There are many different ways to retrieve your jig to elicit a strike. If you can see the squid then you can often get a good idea as to what retrieve technique it is responding to. Otherwise, try one of these techniques. For deeper water, allow the jig to sink right down, almost to the bottom, after casting. Once you think it is in the zone, lift the rod abruptly. Allow the jig to sink before again lifting the rod sharply. This will create an action similar to that of a fleeing prawn, one of the squid’s favourite food sources. Strikes will generally come as the jig slowly sinks. In shallower water, use smaller (less aggressive) hops,

or just wind the reel handle slowly with intermittent pauses and the occasional downwards stab of the rod tip. It often pays to mix it up a bit until you can determine what the squid are responding to. If you feel a little tap (probably only discernible to anglers with graphite rods and braided line), drop the rod tip for a second to allow the squid to pull the jig back to the tentacles with its candles (the 2 long grabbing tentacles) before striking with an upward rod motion. Generally, however, you will only feed a dull weight as the rod tip loads up as the squid retreats with your jig. Lift the rod firmly to set the barbs and then wind the reel handle with a slow, constant retrieve. Do not pump and wind as you would with a fish, as this will often permit the barbless prongs to be expelled. A light drag setting is desired to minimise the chance of the barbs tearing free as the squid lunges. Once at close quarters, you can use a fine-meshed landing net or a specific squid gaff (yes, there is To page 16

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such a thing!) to secure your prize. Land-based anglers may just be able to drag the squid ashore. Beware of the black ink expelled (a defence mechanism) and keep the tentacle end facing outwards, away from yourself or the boat (or your mate — or maybe not…). The squid can

it is dead. Alternatively, you can just put it on ice. LOCATING SQUID We get a few different species of squid in southern Queensland, but the main two types encountered will be arrows and tigers. The arrows are long and fairly thin, whilst the tigers are more solid and generally have a strikingly

with the ability to blend in and hide from their prey, then the likelihood of securing a few is heightened. Good areas to search include the shallows around the bay islands (Peel, Green, Goat, Bird, Mud, King), the weed beds on the western side of Moreton and Stradbroke, areas of discoloured bottom

affording them suitable ambush and egg laying spots. Most squid only live for around a year and many can breed 3-5 times in this period. Therefore, it is better to take larger squid, which have already bred several times and are probably close to the end of their life, than the smaller specimens. Interestingly, squid have 4 brains, with 2 controlling each side of the body. I guess you would need more than one brain with so many arms and tentacles to operate. LAND-BASED For land-based squidders, there are a lot of places to try. During the lower stages of the tide, you can walk out to King Island to try your luck in the shallows. However, the higher tidal stages are generally preferred, especially for landbased activity.

the day when they are more conspicuous to predators in open water. During the latter half of winter, westerly winds will increase in prevalence. These offshore breezes create crystal clear conditions close to shore, which is extremely favourable for squid fishing in these zones. Often, the water is so clear that you can spot the squid from an elevated position. Don’t cast directly at it, as you might spook it. Cast ahead or short and then begin retrieving, after allowing the jig to sink a little. DARKENED HOURS At night, squid can often be found closer to shore, especially around lighted areas that attract baitfish, prawns and other food sources. Due to their over-sized eyes, squid see exceptionally well at night and can be caught in the aforementioned ways.

squid may require several egi changes to get it to respond, but on others they will pounce immediately. Squid can often be sighted without the use of a headlamp around illuminated areas or periods close to the full moon during still conditions. CONCLUSION I hope I didn’t make squid fishing sound too hard or technical. While there are a lot of intricacies that can be associated with it, squid fishing can is an extremely easy task most of the time. Even a squid jig cast out behind the boat as you slowly drift around the bay islands is likely to get pounced upon. When the tip loads up, it is just a case of slowly winding the squid in. Casting egi from the bank is extremely easy and can be very productive during the colder months when water

Large numbers of arrow squid can be located in the prominent channels throughout Moreton Bay. be dispatched by using a squid spike (like an Iki Jime spike). You will need to stab it twice (on each side, a little behind the eye area) as each side of its body is independent. It will turn instantly white once

mottled body. One thing that all squid seem to favour is clean, clear water. If this flows over structure such as weed beds, reef, rubble grounds, or even areas with a discoloured bottom that provide squid

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Egi come in a huge array of sizes, colours and finishes. Often you will need to try several to determine a squid’s current preference. The foreshores of Manly, Scarborough, Wellington Point and Victoria Point are good places to begin the search. Many areas of the canal developments can also be explored on Shank’s pony. Anywhere that you can access nice clear water is worth a try, although most squid activity will be concentrated around the reef, rubble, rock or weed bed areas, especially during

Additionally, however, they can first be spotlighted using a high-powered headlamp such as my 600 lumen Ferei. Even a 220 lumen head lamp will suffice and there are plenty on the market that are good. Once a squid is spotted, the next step is to cast the jig close to it. I generally switch the headlamp off or to a lower setting to avoid spooking the target. Sometimes a sighted

clarity is high. Squid fishing can be a trip in itself or a side pursuit during a day’s fishing to secure a tasty entree. It is normally exceptionally easy and is ideal for inexperienced anglers and children, as the squid will generally impale themselves with ease. Have a go at squidding; it’s an ‘egicellent’ way to secure one of the ocean’s most scrumptious delights!

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Squid are masters of camouflage and will blend into the surroundings they inhabit. This is generally in clean water over weed beds, rock, reef or rubble.

Tech Tricks

How to: setting up a secure squid skewer BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Squid populations in Moreton Bay are very healthy but they’re a species that you’ll rarely encounter unless you specifically target them. Squid lurk in a broad array of areas, from the deeper channels to the

shallow surrounds of the bay islands and the weed beds close to the sandy beaches of Moreton and Stradbroke islands. Squid can be caught in several ways, with the most common being on species-specific lures called egi (squid jigs). Using egi is an active way of squidding in a cast-and-retrieve manner, but there’s a more sedate alternative: baited

When you compare the barbs of the conventional skewer on the right with those of the Yamashita one on the left, it’s obvious the Yamashita skewer is a superior product. It rarely misses the mark on any squid that touches the bait.

These are a few of the items required for rigging up and adapting a squid skewer and presenting it. Floats like these and float stoppers should be available at any decent tackle supplier. Fluorocarbon leader has low visibility in the water and is recommended, but not essential.

Starting from the tail end, insert the shaft up the centre of the pilchard and out the mouth. I prefer to rig the skewer with the pilchard head at the top and the tail near the spikes, because squid usually grab the pilchard from behind. This presentation also looks more natural when wafting in the current.

Using a sturdy pair of long-nose pliers, bend the end of the shaft into a loop. Try to make this fairly small by flattening the loop with your pliers.

squid skewers. Skewers are easy to set up and simple to fish. Let me tell you a little about them. A squid skewer is a simple metal shaft with one or two rows of barbs at the bottom end. This is pinned through a bait, generally a whole fish bait such as a pilchard, slimy mackerel, yakka, gar or pike. Pilchards work just as well as any other bait I have found, so I generally use these as they are easy to acquire. Once baited, the squid skewer is floated out behind the boat. If drifting, I generally just cast it out and let it waft around in the current. If I’m fishing in a deeper channel or a situation where the current is keeping the baited skewer close to the surface, I might add a small sinker to the rig to keep it down. When fishing in shallow waters, or when there is minimal current, I generally suspend the skewer below a float. This is especially the case when fishing from an

anchored position and the current flow is slow. It is best to use a float with minimal resistance so that the squid can easily pull it under when it attacks the baited skewer. Often I might add some weighting to the float, or on the line below it, to decrease the buoyancy. A pencil type float is ideal for this and can be rigged so that it slides along the line. Some lead can easily be wrapped around the shaft to weight it down a little. A float stopper is used to limit the travel of the float up the line and allows the bait to be set to a certain depth. The float stopper will wind through your rod tip easily, and even onto your reel, so as to not hinder the retrieval of the hooked squid. When retrieved, the float will also simply slide down to the skewer so it isn’t a problem either. When cast out again, the baited skewer will sink until the float stopper again holds it at the desired depth. I often float out such a

When you first take your Yamashita skewers out of the packet, you will notice there is a brown monofilament leader that passes through a lumo bead and lumo tube (which are on the main shaft) and is attached to the jig just above the two rows of spikes.

Pass the monofilament along the side of the pilchard and pass the shaft back through the lumo bead and then the lumo tube. While this will hold the pilchard securely most of the time, I have found that an aggressive cast will sometimes see the tube and lumo bead come off, causing the pilchard to be ejected from the shaft.

Your loop should just be large enough to attach your snap-swivel. Slide the lumo tube up so that it’s just over the bottom of the loop.

baited skewer when drifting around the bay islands casting plastics for the snapper and the like. I also use this rig in prominent channels such as the Rous Channel and other areas as it will often produce a few tasty squid for the table. It’s also be a good option for those anglers targeting whiting around the Sand Hills and banks areas. SKEWERS There are many brands of skewers available on the market. Most of these are very basic and are generally rather thick galvanised or stainless shafts with one or two rows of barbs on each. I generally find that these work OK but because the barbs are fairly thick, you often have to strike hard to embed these into the squid properly. When drifted behind the boat in the aforementioned method, these only work a portion of the time and a lot of squid are missed. However, recently I got my hands on the best squid skewers I have ever seen.

These are of the Yamashita brand (one of the leaders in the egi market), which are imported by E J Todd. There are two models available, one with a single row of barbs and another (the one I like best) which has two rows of barbs. This is the Yamashita Squid Spike KTISFB (code 3730916) which comes in a pack of two and retails below $15. These have a fine shaft and two rows of thin, chemicallysharpened barbs. These skewers have a special rigging system which is very easy once you know how, however because all the writing on the product is in Japanese it’s hard to work out if you’re new to using skewers. To give you a head start, I’ll take you through the process of rigging these skewers. I’ll also discuss an alternative way to adapt and set up the skewer, because the standard rigging method sometimes allows the pilchard to come adrift from the skewer when you do a powerful cast.

Remove the lumo bead and tube off the shaft so you can put on your bait. Ideally you want a pilchard that’s shorter than the shaft, however you can trim the tail off the pilchard if it’s too long.

To adapt your skewer and make it better at holding the pilchard is easy. First, cut away the leader and discard it, but keep the lumo tube on the shaft and retain the snap-swivel as well. You won’t need the lumo bead, but don’t throw it in the bin; lumo beads are useful for many fishing rigs.

Un-clip the snap, pass the shaft through your pilchard and then reattach the snap swivel. It’s easy to change the bait and there is little chance of the pilchard coming adrift during casting. Attach your fluorocarbon leader to the swivel and you are set to secure some succulent cephalopods. JULY 2015

Bait collection tips, tricks and tools BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

It is a fact that the very last, yet most important link in the chain between you and the fish is the bait. You can have the best graphite rod and finest quality reel, the thinnest and most expensive fluorocarbon line and the best quality hooks and swivels, but get the bait wrong and the chain will break.

In just about every fishing scenario, that ‘right’ bait is one that is live or very fresh. Sure there are some fish who don’t mind frozen baits as a food of choice (like tailor and pilchards), but they are the exception rather than the rule. Fundamentally, for most fish, if the bait is not fresh, but in poor condition, frozen or badly presented on the hook, you are considerably reducing the chances of success.

This article presents you with the tips, tricks and tools on how to collect some of the best and most accessible baits for a variety of bread and butter species from our magnificent Queensland beaches, rocks and estuaries. It also outlines how to keep your bait in tip-top condition until such time that it is presented on the hook. I say ‘presented’ as even a live bait presented badly, like a bunched up

beach worm, will have far less appeal than a worm threaded along the hook shank, over the eye and up the line so it lies naturally. CATCHING BEACH WORMS Considered by many as the number one beach bait. A live beach worm will catch you whiting, bream, dart, flathead and even in a bunch, the Holy Grail of beach and estuary fishing, the mulloway. The best part is that live worms

Pup with close to 6’ of beachworm caught on one of our OntourFishingAustralia Fraser Island trips.

Top Left: Essentials for beach worming: a bag of mullet or fish frames as the stink bait and a hand bait of pipis or firm fish flesh. Top Right: Always work the stink bag above your fellow wormers or at the top of the waves’ reach. Above (from left to right, top to bottom): 1. Be sure to use a firm finger bait that the worm can’t pull back into its hole. 2. Start with your fingers approximately 3cm back from the worm, and drive them under the sand and parallel to its head. 3. Make sure your fingers are well past the worm before you pinch them together to grab the head. 4. Draw the worm out slowly, but in a continuous motion. 5. Once you get the worm up a little way, use 2 hands to reduce chances of it slipping or breaking. 6. The author with the end result, the perfect whiting bait. 18

JULY 2015

are available right at your feet on the beach shoreline. There is no mud to dig, sand to pump, rocky cliffs to climb or nets to cast. Furthermore, they can be caught in the middle of the day provided the swell and tide is right. The only equipment you will need is a fish scaler bag (or onion bag with lots of small holes) on a piece of rope; some fish carcasses, pilchards or old meat; and a finger bait of a pipis or tough piece of fish flesh. If you are on your own you can also use a stake to anchor the stink bag higher on the beach at the edge of the wash, but I prefer to be mobile and simply stand on the rope tied to the bag while I’m targeting an individual worm. Some wormers also choose to use pliers to catch their worms. I don’t recommend this for beginners as your fingers give you a better feel for the timing to grab the worm, but that said, a worm caught by pliers is no better or worse than a worm caught by your fingers, so if you can’t catch them with your fingers, by all means try the pliers. WORMING TECHNIQUES, DOS AND DON’TS The key to catching beachworms is timing and technique. Having taught numerous club mates and random onlookers to catch worms (including my eldest boy in catching his first worm at only 11 recently), there are a couple of critical dos and don’ts for worming. When it all comes together, I normally shout just as loud or louder than my learners

due to the pleasure I get out of their success… as some people try and fail for years in their quest to catch a beach worm. Each beach wormer has their own technique, but one that has worked successfully for my worming ‘students’ and me is outlined step by step below. 10 Steps to beachworm success 1. Use a strong smelling stink bait like pilchards or red-fleshed fish like mullet or tailor frames in a bag on a rope. 2. Use a firm finger bait, like a pipi or mullet flesh. 3. Wave the stink bag too and fro at the very top of the wave’s reach of the flats or sand spit. 4. Look for a V in the water as the wave recedes as evidence of an inquisitive worm head. 5. A pproach the worm by treading lightly and offer it the hand bait about 1cm in front of its head. 6. Let the worm latch onto the hand bait and try to ever so slowly draw it out of the sand so it ‘arches’ its back. 7. Starting approximately 3cm back from the worm, dig your thumb and first finger about 2.5cm wide apart into the sand. 8. Slowly drive your fingers down about 2-3cm deep and parallel either side of the worm head, making sure you go well past it. 9. Firmly squeeze the worm between your thumb and the line on your index finger joint. Squeeze any further up

and the worm will slip and escape. 10. Slowly pull the worm up with constant pressure. If you are a bit slow and the worm digs in with its feelers, don’t try and pull against it, as you will pull its head off. Rather, grip the worm down as close as you can to the sand and dig with the other hand to loosen up pressure and grab a lower grip on the worm. At the same time wait for the worm to loosen its grip in an attempt to shoot downwards into the sand. This is when to start to pull it up again. I also recommend trainee wormers initially practice on a small stick in the sand to get the technique right before they try on a worm. CATCHING PIPIS Pipis, eugaries, whatever you want to call them, they are a very good beach bait. In my experience, a whiting will take a live worm before a pipis, but they are still a good bait, popular too with bream, tarwhine and dart. There are 2 popular ways to get pipis. The easiest is along surf beaches where 4WDs are permitted to drive along, such as Fraser, Straddie and Moreton islands, where at low tide they are revealed by small round mounds in the sand. This is caused from the pressure of the cars driving over the sand causing either a slight rise, or sometimes, a small indentation. Another way to find pipis is by doing the ‘pipis’ twist’. But before going into this dance, a good place to start is by looking for pied oyster catcher birds. If they are around the water’s edge it is generally a good indication of pipis nearby. The pipis’ twist is then performed by simply standing in the soft wet sand in at least a few inches of water and then twisting the hips to screw your feet in the sand. Shuffle down to just cover your ankles, and if no pipis, then move slightly until you find them. You will feel the hard shell under your foot, so simply bend down and grab it. The shuffle is best done around mid tide so they aren’t too far up the beach or under the deeper water. When you find one, concentrate around that area/distance from the dry sand of the beach. Some anglers also like to dig around in the sand with a knife until they find them. This is not recommended. You can cut the tongues off pipis you either don’t extract or extract and later

don’t use. Also return any unused pipis to the surf, not the dry sand. They are a valuable resource and too good to waste. Be sure to keep your pipis in a bucket or foam esky of water, preferably aerated or at least with a couple of saltwater changes each day. YABBY TRICKS AND TIPS How hard can pumping

yabbies be, right? Well, if you are in a hurry to get fishing and they are sparse, these little tricks, tips and tools can help you gather your bait and get onto fish much quicker than might otherwise be the case. A yabby pump, particularly a quality model from companies such as Alvey or Wilson, will last you for decades. Buy a cheap model and you will end up with a sore back from the shorter tube, blistered hands from no rubber padding, the shaft might bend or break, or the washers and inner materials may deteriorate quickly. I’ve seen it, it does happen. When to pump The best time to start pumping yabbies is around 2 hours before the bottom of the tide or one hour after. Dead low tide can mean a lack of water in and around the holes that will send the yabbies deeper, making it a bit harder work in the drier sand and requiring you to pump down deep. The tide rule of 12ths dictates that half of the tide rises (6/12ths) or falls in the combined 3rd and 4th hours of the 6 hourly tide cycle, so this means it is harder to find dry sand to pump yabbies in the last 2 hours of the

rising or first 2 hours of the falling tide. See how the tide rule of 12ths works in the table below, i.e. how much of the tide rises (or falls) in each hour after a tide change. Even near the top of the tide though, all is not lost. You can drag around an over-inflated car tube with a sieve inserted in the middle on a rope behind you. You then pump into

yabbying, or if you are with the kids, bait them up straight away so they are fishing the trail while you continue to pump. Where to pump yabbies? Firstly, what you are looking for are a scattering of small holes about 5-10mm in diameter. Good places to start are around mangroves, muddy river flats, or expansive sand flats, particularly those

muddy estuary flats. When I say in the vicinity of mangroves, you will find if you pump too close to the tough mangroves roots it turns to sticky mud and you will know you have hit it because the mud sticks together, becomes hard to extract and tends to makes a loud pop when you extract. On the other hand, as you move away from the roots, it becomes a

the sieve and the mud/sand washes out and the yabbies are left behind. The other advantage of this technique is you are creating a berley trail of sand and mud and tiny worms or yabbies that fall through the sieve that will attract the interest of fish nearby. Make sure you then fish the trail you have created after you finish

with softer sand. Flats with softer sand lend themselves to stingrays creating melon holes, which retain water even near the bottom of the tide. These holes are themselves great places to pump. If I was to chose the 2 best spots to yabby though, I would say in the vicinity of mangroves roots and on

combination of mud/sand. If you combine that with plenty of melon holes with water in them around the low tide, you will know you have hit the right zone when you hear a distinctive long ‘slurp’ as the pump sucks up water, sand and soft mud. As you expel it, it tends of splatter, and with it hopefully a few yabbies at once! Muddy river beds that are exposed at low tide can be dynamite, but be prepared for a bit of a slog in and out in knee-deep mud! One word of caution though for parents of young kids! I thought the first time I took my toddlers yabbying a few years ago it would be a great idea to take them to a productive spot. Carrying a muddy toddler back through the mud under one arm, as well as a yabby pump, bucket, gumboots and the hand of your second toddler in the other (who keeps getting stuck and falling face first in the mud) isn’t anyone’s idea of fun! There are a couple of things you can do if yabbies are proving difficult to find, despite there being heaps of holes. You can look for evidence of a disturbance around the holes, with darker sand at the top of

3rd hour 3/12ths of tide

4th hour 3/12ths of tide

5th hour 2/12ths of tide

Top: It might be a bit muddy, but the middle of muddy shallow estuaries can be one of the best yabby spots there is. Above: This is what you want to see after expelling the yabby pump. Note the muddy/ sandy surrounds and light covering of water.

the hole. This generally means a yabby (or yabbies) are in residence and dug in the hole over the last tide. Secondly, try to avoid walking over where you are about to pump, this can send the yabbies down deep. SQUIRT AND WRIGGLER WORMS Squirt worms are a medium size thin red worm found in coarser or thicker sand interspersed with a little bit of mud. The holes are much smaller, but can still be pumped with conventional yabby pumps. The best location I have found are at the edge of sand islands in an estuary where the holes are permanently covered by water. You pump them either into a sieve or up onto the dry bank. These are dynamite whiting and bream baits in the estuary. Wriggler worms are found again in coarse sand, but often on exposed sand flats on low tide or under rocks or logs close to the water’s edge. These are best dug with a shovel, as the sand grains will slip through a pitchfork. These worms are thin, whitish in colour and only about 4-5cm long. Scarborough is a great place to find these, but if you can’t, Bribie Sports and Cycles are one of the few locations I know of (at least around Brisbane) that sell them live. If you do dig a few of these, they are best kept alive in the same damp coarse sand in a foam box. BLOODWORMS These are arguably the tastiest worm of the lot for a summer whiting and the amount of fish they catch in the estuary and the beach is phenomenal. They are also the hardest of the worms to extract. They are dug with a pitchfork in the mudflats around bay type foreshores, such as out front of Wynnum Esplanade, south of the T-Jetty. The mud is a thick sludge and to find them you have to sift through the mud and extract them by hand. Dirty, backbacking work, it explains the high price they fetch at the tackle shops. That said, with many anglers being time poor these days, purchasing them from tackle stores with quality bait can mean you have more time for fishing rather than bait collection. PRAWNS While cast-netting for prawns is often done for the sole purpose of eating them, if you can get enough for a feed or even pass it up, live or freshly peeled To page 20

WHEN TO PUMP FOR YABBIES

1st hour 1/12th of tide

2nd hour 2/12ths of tide

Last hour 1/12th of tide JULY 2015

From page 19

they make fantastic bait. However, once frozen, particularly freezer burnt servo bait packets, they are a significantly inferior bait. There has been a lot of literature and videos on catching prawns by cast netting, so rather than

better for arrow and big tiger squid caught by foot around places such as Wynnum Manly foreshores. Popular and proven squid jigs are Yo Zuri and Daiwa Nude Jigs in 3.5, used in about 30-80cm of water around high tide. The jigs from Squid 360 are also

and learnt more about the species catching poddies the hard way via the poddy trap technique. While bread is a popular bait with a berley of crumbs, 1 of the most effective baits I’ve found for poddy traps are hot chips! If you squeeze a couple as well, it creates a great greasy berley trail. Another tip is to stir the sand/mud up near the trap with your feet, as this can really make a difference to captures. Poddy traps are also great fun for the kids. Green weed, cabbage weed, rock crabs and soldier crabs are other effective baits for estuary fish such as luderick, bream and big whiting. Green weed can be found around little estuary

CARING FOR YABBIES AND WORMS • Run your thumb and finger down the worm to remove the excess slime and place them in dry, soft sand while worming. • Keep yabbies and worms alive for a couple of days in a flat wide container (a rectangular foam esky is ideal), with a shallow covering of salt water. • Run an aerator in the esky, such as a small fish tank aerator that runs on 240v power, or purchase a rechargeable one • A shallow, wide container is better than a deep bucket of water, as the oxygen in the water is more dispersed and the bait will last longer • Beachworms can be kept alive for shorter periods in soft, cool, dry sand. • Yabbies can also be kept alive in a bucket with newspaper strips that have been dampened with salt water. Damp sawdust is also an old timers’ trick. • Lastly, do not keep your yabbies and worms together! The yabbies will soon make a mess of them with their nippers. attempt to explain it at length here; it is best demonstrated via a YouTube video. Catching prawns with a scoop or dip net on foot is much more fun and again they can be used for bait or to eat. In the January edition of QFM (available on the mag’s website) I explained the techniques in detail about how to catch tiger and bay prawns in Moreton Bay on foot. It is simply a case of chasing them on summer nights on a low tide out on the sand flats. The best nights are after a calm, hot day, provided the water is relatively clear. All you need is 2 scoop nets, a 12v 12amp battery, a headlamp, a backpack to carry the battery in, and a shoulder bag for the prawns and the odd mud crab. Briefly, the process involves wading at and around low tide on the sand/mud flats in less than knee deep water at night. The moon is not relevant for this type of prawning, unlike the run of prawns in the estuaries of NSW. The prawns are spotted as 2 red glowing eyes in the dark from your LED headlamp. It is then a case of approaching the prawn side on (parallel to the prawn) with both nets close together, then simply bringing them together. Good fun, and top baits! SQUID Catching live squid is also growing in popularity, at least in and around South East Queensland. Again, like the prawns, these can be caught on foot like tiger and bay prawns. Your equipment is a 7’ rod, squid jigs and a powerful torch or better still a LED headlamp. The cooler months are 20

JULY 2015

worth checking out. A technique that works is sight casting along the waterfront using headlamps, or blind casting. The process is to cast, let it sink, 2-3 aggressive flicks, let it sink again, wait a few seconds then repeat! OTHER BAITS Live poddy mullet are an under-used bait for flathead these days, but they are incredibly effective. They can be taken in Queensland by cast net or in NSW in poddy mullet traps. Once again, I must admit I get more pleasure

Top: Catching pipis is great fun for all the family! Note the small round rises around the 4WD tracks. Above: Don’t use a knife to dig around randomly or extract your pipis, as you risk cutting off or damaging the siphon tubes or its tongue-like foot.

Anglers at work digging bloodworms at Wynnum. Tough work, but probably the best estuary bait.

Left: Squirtworms are much easier to extract than bloodworms, but you need local knowledge where to find them. They’re a hot whiting bait. Right: With the right tuition, catching beachworms can be child’s play. My son with his first beachworm!

creeks, particularly areas with little flow. Cabbage weed can be found around the rocks at low tide, but exercise caution with the waves. Likewise, as the name suggests, rock crabs are caught in similar locations. Soldier crabs, on the other hand, are caught on expansive sand flats and are best fished 3-4 on a hook, but only using the tiny pea size crabs. While soldier crabs won’t take as many fish as worms, the fish they take are often big, blue nose whiting. CONCLUSION Anglers spend a lot of money on rods, reels and tackle. but too often they don’t go the extra mile to collect the best baits. The best are either live or very fresh. Hopefully after reading the tips, tricks and tools to collect beach, rock and estuary baits in this article, you too will soon be improving your catches. For more tips, reports and sponsor giveaways, check out my familyfriendly Facebook Page w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m . a u / OntourFishingAustralia.

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JULY 2015

Life of a fishing guide HERVEY BAY

Mark Bargenquast

Guided fishing has become big business. Some 40 years ago in America, guided fishing was in its infancy. Tarpon, bonefish and permit were the big 3 species the fly guys wanted to catch, and offshore billfish, tuna and trevally were on the podium, so a whole new industry was spawned. About 99% of it

Queenfish are a regular catch-and-release target.

Top: A baitball full of tuna, queenfish, cobia, GT and sharks explodes behind a guide boat on Cape York. Above: You will see some amazing sights with a guide, like this sunfish in 2m of water near Weipa.

JULY 2015

was catch-and-release â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a far cry from the usual meat fishing charters where success was measured in how many eskies full of fish came home. As usual, Australia is slow to catch on, but eventually the industry made its way into Aussie waters and with the variety of species available here, as in America, a whole bunch

of guides now operate all over the country within niche markets. For many busy people in this country, owning a boat is just too much effort; rego, insurance maintenance, general boating/fishing knowledge, and running costs far outweigh the value in using it for a few days per year. Others own a boat and regularly fish, but

still want to travel and fish far-away locations, so this is where guided fishing comes into play. You can find guides from Tassie down south who guide anglers in pristine trout waters, right through to NT chasing barramundi, across Cape York where saltwater fly fishing is absolutely awesome with offshore winds for 9 months

of the year, and then right down the east coast chasing barra, flathead, even bream. So if you are thinking of taking a guided fishing adventure, where do you start? Firstly, you should have a good long think about what species you want to target. Obviously you don’t go to Hervey Bay if you want to catch barramundi; sure, you might get lucky, but the NT certainly has the numbers. Do your homework and look around, because good guides usually have a big following on social media, like Facebook.

Word of mouth is good too, so ask around. Any reputable guided fishing charter operator will have a good, up-todate website too, so read the feedback and see what’s biting. It’s a good idea to contact the guide and chat about weather, tides and options for foul weather, as you’re dealing with Mother Nature and believe me, she can be a bitch! Emails are probably the best way to make contact. Full time guiding can be a tough job and having to talk on the phone when you’re working on a boat while trying to

Michael with a longtail tuna caught on a charter. This went back to the chef for sashimi.

Chad from Melbourne with a nice little GT caught on a Cape York fly fishing charter.

steer your clients onto fish is hard. I’ll just give you a brief outline of a day’s guiding so you can get your head around it. Working as a guide in Hervey Bay, my fishing day starts at 6am, so I’m up at 5am. A quick coffee and breakfast, then pack fresh lunches, drinks and ice into the boat for the day. Pick up for clients is 5.50am. Launching, a quick

safety briefing and then usually travelling over an hour to the top end of Fraser for the day. We quite often keep small mackerel and cook portions on a butane stove. Served in wraps with salad and Dijon, it’s a tasty and simple meal. By 3pm we would start to fish our way home, generally returning to the ramp by 4.30pm.Then another half hour unloading clients’ gear, having a chat

and saying goodbye. For most people their day’s done, but not for a guide. I drive through the local car wash, a quick 5 minute wash down with the high pressure hose to wash off salt and scales (we are rural on tank water, so don’t waste it), then off to the fuel depot to refuel the boat, stopping at the local supermarket for a few supplies, then home by 5.30pm (a 12 hour day already).

Getting home, the work is still not done; back into the shed, unpack the esky, clean utensils from the day, a bit of maintenance on tackle and boat, then by 6.30pm sit down to look at emails, weather forecasts and tides. It’s not easy! I think the hardest aspect of guiding is those quiet days where the fish are completely shut down and would not bite. They are the toughest and any good guide worth his salt really feels it when his clients are not catching fish. The pressure is on big time and having a client moaning and groaning why not certainly doesn’t help! Guides generally have well set-up boats and can loan tackle upon request on a replace-if-lost or broken policy, which is quite fair. I have had clients lose outfits worth hundreds and plenty of lures as well. This is costly, and remember, they are doing this for a job, not entirely for fun. Many of my good friends started as clients and I have developed friendships in the business, so go try guided fishing. Sure, you are paying top dollar, but you will be getting some great knowledge, good times, and hopefully some top fish as well.

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Rain stays away and the fish come out to play The mullet have started to school up on all the beaches from Black Rocks north of Brunswick, all the way down to the Clarence River. Consequently, the mulloway have been in good numbers around most headlands and breakwalls. One thing with these silver ghosts is if you aren’t putting in the time you’ll never experience a real mulloway. Most hard-core chasers will fish odd hours

BALLINA

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Chris Doust, owner of Suffolks Outdoor Sports, with a quality offshore mulloway. and some extreme weather, but these are the guys who are coming up with better results than average anglers. Trying to get information out of these guys is hard at the best of times, so documenting everything you do (and they do) in a diary is a start, but you have a long road ahead. Moon and tide play a part with all fishing, and my favoured time is 4 days before and 4 days after the full moon, but everyone is different. These are when I get better results, and try never to fish alone on breakwalls or headlands, as it’s a risky game when landing a big fish. Tailor have turned up in some numbers and a few have been big — critters up to 3-4kg have been taken from some headlands. Early morning and late afternoon have been the better times. Casting metal slugs and poppers is a great way to

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Fishing with plastics in this shallow water can be fun and pretty productive. Not using the biggest jighead can play in your favour, as the lighter the weight, the more you’ll be bit on the drop. Fresh bait like yakkas, squid, and silver trevally strips on a snell rig will always out-fish a pilchard, but in saying that, the humble old pillie does put red fish in the icebox. The deeper water is where I’ve seen the better snapper coming from, and in greater numbers too. This is where float lining comes into its own over dropper rigs during daylight hours. Cobia will start to show with the migration of the whales, so getting live baits at the start of any fishing trip is a good idea and will put you in with a better chance. Places that hold

Dom with a good red caught on plastics in 80m of water. North Ground and Redans have had good numbers, with the odd bigger one thrown in. Even the odd amberjack has shown up.

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fish for them and you don’t go home smelling like a pilchard, but then nothing can beat a bonito strip on gang hooks at night off a beach. Bream have been holding in great numbers around the Bream Hole and both breakwalls. Some have even hit the 45cm mark, and bream this big on light gear are great sport. Better tides of late have been the last few hours of the run-out and the next few hours of the run-in, but some anglers chasing them on lures have found the top of the incoming and first hour of the run-out better when fishing deep with plastics and blades. Luderick have taken off around North Creek and Porpoise Wall, so finding a spot at Prospect Bridge some days can be hard. Finding good weed can also be tricky, but trying to find out what weed the fish want on the day can do your head in. On days after a little rain they’ll eat yabbies fished

on light sinkers, but of late it’s all been weed fished under floats. Getting the right sinker weight can be tricky, as they don’t like any resistance when taking off with a bait. Flathead fishing has been good up from the ferry crossing, but the size of the fish has been lacking, so searching for a feed of these guys has been tough, although worth it. As the weather cools, many will be found in shallow water. Drifting sandflats with whitebait or frogmouth pilchards can be a smart way of finding better fish. If bait isn’t your thing, then casting 3” plastics will see you getting results as well. Offshore has seen the snapper take off. They’re not the biggest fish, but better eating size around the 2-3kg mark. Kaos, South Reef,

Luke Radnell with a solid king that ate a softy aimed at a red.

plenty of bait, and reefs that are like an oasis in the middle of nowhere are always the place to start. These are like magnets for cobia, but being a reef in the middle of nowhere will also hold kingfish, mulloway and snapper. Some people will call a hooked cobia for a shark when first sighted, so never break the ‘shark’ off until it’s boatside. In some cases, when the hooked fish comes up it will bring a friend with it, so always having a live bait rigged up and ready. • If you’re after any additional information about the area, give us a call at Suffolks Outdoor Sports in Lismore, as we fish regularly and can point you in the right direction.

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The Tweed cleans up and the fishing is firing as ours, so they had to be getting into them too. I kept looking in our live well, as I’d not seen a bag, well not 1 that I’ve been involved in, that big. Our smallest was 33cm to the fork, the biggest 37 — now that’s pretty rare on the Tweed. When we got back to Kennedy Drive, the boys pointed out there was a change in the rules and

THE TWEED

David Solano

I’ve been whingeing and moaning about the condition of the water and how bad the river has been fishing lately. Just recently though, a group of keen fisho mates got together for a private bream comp. I was feeling pretty confident of a top 2 finish as there were only 2 boats in it with 3 on each boat, however, there was a bit of contention about the rules. I thought it was just like the ABT — the 5 biggest fish win — but we’ll talk more about that later. The other boat headed to the seaway, while we stopped at the Blue Hole. We used the same team technique all day — 1 person with a 1/40oz hidden weight jighead with a Z-Man tied on, as with this lure we could gently float it down the rocks, tempting fish to strike it on the drop. The next person had a 1/8oz jighead, same lure, but with the extra weight. We dead stick this lure on the

it was whoever had the most legals in the live well would win. Say what? We’d kept 5, but they had over 20. They swore that they’d yelled the new rules out over the water. I looked at my teammates who were laughing so much. All good fun, though the best was letting these big fish go in front of a lot of astonished people…

Craig Costigan, Wayne Van Den Broeck and friend with a nice haul of bream. bottom pretty much where the sand and rocks meet, while the third person had a deep diving hardbody to run across the rocks. We started catching fish pretty much straight away on all the lures. Mind you, the first thing I noticed was the bream were spawning, and

second they were all a nice size so we’d take a photo of them on the ruler and release them back into the river. We left the Blue Hole and headed to Morgo’s Wall — the rock wall going from the caravan park at Chinderah right down to where the pub

is. Here I experienced the best bream session ever. We found the heavy 1/8oz jig was working the best, but gee at 1 stage we had a couple of triple hookups — just crazy stuff. We were sure we’d beaten our mates, but there was just as much yelling and screaming from their boat

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Dave again, with a couple of nice ones. “Why are you letting them go?” they asked. One old fella offered me a fiver for a fish, so I gave him 2 for nothing. The river is in great shape and the fishing’s the best I’ve seen, with the walls working well for tailor and bream. I’m also catching trevs, whiting, and some nice size flathead are starting to show in the upper reaches. All these fish were caught on Z-Man and Diztek shallow divers, so get out there and get into ’em.

Dave with a beautiful clean silver fish.

The Legend is back. Gary Loomis is returning to Australia after an absence of nearly 30 years. The iconic rod designer will be visiting our shores to talk about his new range of ‘EDGE’ fishing rods that offer exceptional workmanship, sensitivity and build qualities. He will be attending this years AFTA event to be held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre from the 26th to the 28th July and will be on the Fish-Tec Solutions stand

show casing his rods. Gary will also be hosting several tackle store presentation evenings at select stores. If you want more information on where you can see Gary or how to attend

one of his presentations and meet the legend himself, you can look on the Fish-Tec Solutions Face Book page or visit our website at www.fish-tecsolution.com. – Roderick Walmsley

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Flathead fanatics all set GOLD COAST

Danny Sands

July would have to be one of the better months to fish on the Gold Coast. The cold weather usually keeps the jet skies and boaties off the water, making fishing a lot more pleasurable. OFFSHORE The snapper fishing of the Gold Coast in June was excellent; this is a sure sign for good things in July. Fishing the 50-fathom line has been rewarding, with good numbers of snapper, pearl perch, yellowtail kingfish and amberjacks. The two-dropper paternoster rig has been working a treat on these tasty bottom dwelling fish and the fishing deep livies and knife jigs have been killing it on the kings and amberjacks. For the anglers with smaller trailer boats the 36, 24 and the 18 fathom lines east of the seaway, the 36 fathom off the Tweed and the Mud Hole will produce plenty of pan size snapper, teraglin and pearl perch this month. Fishing can be exceptional on the close inshore grounds for the anglers that put in the time. Early mornings starts

Aiden jigged up this barrel size mac tuna.

Peter with his first flathead on a soft plastic. He is now addicted. and late evening sessions that coincide with a change of tide, anchoring up and using a stack of berley and float lining baits is still the best method to fish the close inshore reefs for snapper. Berkley Gulps; micro jigs, butterfly jigs and octa jigs are a great alternative to bait fishing. July is great month to

chase mulloway in the close inshore grounds. I generally like yakkas the best, but

When this happens I like to use slightly bigger bait, such as a slimy mackerel, tailor or a yellowtail pike. I mainly use just a running ball sinker down to a swivel, a leader of around 1m and a snelled hook rig, hooks around 6/0

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but the 18 and 20 reefs off Southport, as well as the Mud Hole and Fidos, are all really good spots. Use a bit of berley and fish just on dark or first light and you should be in with a shot. INSHORE The local estuaries have had an influx of whitebait in late June and this should continue into July. Bream and flathead have been feeding hard on these schools. Flathead fishing is at its best in July with a lot of teams preparing early for the Flathead Classic. With the water temperature being at its lowest point for the year, I like to concentrate my efforts on the flats. I also like to fish drains that run off big mud flats that have been baking in the sun all day. Casting small soft plastics, soft vibes and trolling hardbodied lures will produce good number of flathead this month. If the water is clean don’t be afraid to drop your leader size back, this will improve your catch rate as well. Crab Island and, if the water is fairly clean, the Aldershots are two great spots to target flathead in the Broadwater. Ukerebagh and Terranora lakes will also be worth look.

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July should see good numbers of quality bream schooling around all the entrances from the Tweed to the Seaway. If you want a 1kg+ bream, try using a live herring on a 2/0 hook either on the north wall of the Seaway or Tweed bar. Further up river try fishing soft plastics and blades around the coffee rock that runs down the middle of the Tweed River. The coffee rock in front of The Southport School in the Nerang River will produce big blue lip bream this month. In July, I like to spend some time and catch a few gar. Gars are a fantastic bait and even better eating. Using bread soaked in tuna oil as your berley will get these little fellas fired up. It’s a pretty simple rig that you use for gar. I like to use a small pencil float weighted down with a split shot and a small cube of peeled prawn or yabby. These fish have a very small mouth so a very small hook is a must. I find a long shanked hook in a size 10 works best. Overall, July has cold days and nights so rug up, and enjoy the great fishing that the Gold Coast has to offer.

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Cool and clear canal action GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn

While the winter fishing is good with plenty of tailor, mulloway, bream, and juvenile snapper being caught in the Gold Coast canals and the Seaway, the season is still short of being red-hot and in full swing. Flicking heavy weighted plastics will be your best bet, letting your lure hit the bottom as often as possible where most of the winter species will be awaiting a feed. A few lures to have in your tackle box include deep diving hardbodies in most colours, but without doubt pink, blue and white are producing most fish. Z-Man 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ in natural, baby bass and mood ring are just a few of my favourite colours, and are best rigged on a 1/4-3/8oz jighead. Big bream are firing throughout most canal systems in the South East, including Logan River, Coomera River, Nerang River, and around the north and south wall and the pipeline of the Gold Coast Seaway. Plenty of mulloway have been caught in the past couple of weeks. A few good spots producing these powerful fish include The Seaway, and the

deep holes throughout the Broadwater and at the mouth of the canals. Large vibes, heavy weighted plastics and deep diving hardbodies fished close to the bottom will give

downsize lure size and weight. A run-out tide, including the very bottom of the tide, as well as early mornings, seem to be the best times to fish. Trolling large hardbody

your target species then the big mulloway and metre-long kingfish of The Seaway are well worth a look. Yes, I said metre-long kingfish. Plenty of these brutes are smashing bait

Plenty of trevally getting around at the moment, this brassy trevally fell for a 3.75” Z-Man StreakZ.

Angler Josh Reid with a solid 90cm mulloway caught on a soft vibe while fishing an incoming tide in The Seaway. you the best chance. While bigger lures will catch bigger fish they’re always the best approach to go with. I have caught decent mulloway on bream plastics (2 1/2” plastic a 1/8oz jighead), so if the fish are finicky don’t be afraid to

lures in the early morning around Sovereign Island, The Seaway walls, Nerang River, Coomera River and locations where there is a lot of flow and bait should see some quality tailor caught. If you’re keen to upsize

around the channel markers and also on the north and south wall of The Seaway. They are however a tough fish to tame. Garfish, stickbaits and small plastics will be your best bet. Cast right in the school where they are busting up is a sure

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fire way to hook-up on one of these back breakers. In the next month we will see plenty more flathead caught with the 2015 Gold Coast Flathead Classic just around the corner. With the extremely low temperatures we have had in the past month, it should start warming up, but only slightly. With limited rain falling the canals and the Broadwater are extremely clear in parts at the moment.

This can make catching fish incredibly challenging, and one of the best ways to improve your results it to downsize your leader size. In conclusion, July has plenty on offer in the canals. Stable weather, good tides, and clean water should make fopr some quality fishing ahead for both bait and lure anglers. Just remember, keep your leader light, and rug up for the cool weather.

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Check your local Shimano Stockists today. facebook.com/Shimano.Fish youtube.com/ShimanoAustralia JULY 2015

Snapper catches on the increase GOLD COAST

David Green

The winter westerlies will be blowing and the water cools down as a consequence. This is generally the best month of the year to chase snapper off the Gold Coast. The

past few seasons have been quite poor as the water has been slow to cool, but at the time of writing there have been very promising early signs, with some very nice fish turning up on the 24 and 36 fathom lines. The most effective way of chasing snapper is with lightly weighted baits and

Brad Job with a nice winter snapper. Expect to see catches on the increase now.

a bit of berley. In general the best bite times are dawn and dusk, and also around a change of low tide. Snapper numbers vary a lot from year to year, but with a pattern of cold nights and cool days, July should produce plenty of fish. Soft plastics, micro jigging and cuttlefish pattern jigs are also effective methods for chasing reds. I tend to be a bit ‘old school’ and generally chase my snapper with bait, but I’ve had good success using the Gulp Nemesis fished so it slowly sinks on a lightly weighted jighead. Out on the 50 fathom line there should be pearl perch, kingfish and amberjacks with a minimum of current. There are also quite a few lumps out in 70 fathom that are lightly fished and can produce bigger pearl perch than the inshore grounds. Jigging metal lures is another good option on the wider grounds, and kingies in the 10-15kg range should be quite common. Closer to shore, expect some snapper and mulloway on the inshore reefs at dawn and dusk. A few cobia should start to show on the 20 fathom line, the

artificial reefs just north of the Seaway, and also on the inshore wrecks. A few nice cobia have already turned up in early June. Deep live baits, soft plastics and plenty of berley all works well on cobes. They are one of the dourest fighting fish around and on light tackle a big cobia can keep you going for hours. For the game fisher there should be a few striped marlin around, particularly if the bait schools show on the 50 fathom line. If there are gannets diving, there are usually striped marlin in the area. Out wide there is still a good chance of a blue marlin, particularly if the water temperature stays over 22ºC. Lure trolling is a very good option on the wider grounds, and in winter it pays to slightly downsize your lures and run smaller hooks as the striped marlin generally outnumber the blues. We still troll 37kg tackle this month, as some of the blue marlin we have encountered in July were solid fish in the 180-200kg bracket. This month often produces some good catches of big yellowfin tuna out on the 1000 fathom line when

Happy days. A nice winter flathead caught by Graham Ireland. the water cools a bit further. There is surprisingly good game fishing options off the Gold Coast in winter.

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mulloway in the estuary. When the sea and tiger mullet start to school up in the entrances around the Seaway and Jumpinpin, the big fish are never far away. A live mullet fished on the change of high tide is the traditional method of catching big mulloway in this area, but there is also a

sure, with persistence, they will work well. The early winter flathead fishing has been excellent, and this should continue this month. Most of the fish have been prime eating size in the 45-60cm range and they have been enthusiastic lure eaters. Catches of 20-40 fish per

and crab imitations to try on flathead now. The best time to get your lure confidence is when there are plenty of moderate sized fish around. I have found both trolling and casting to be equally effective in July. Sometimes on really cold mornings the flathead take

Bream will be moving into the Seaway and Jumpinpin area this month, in preparation for spawning. Big schools of 600-800g fish respond to small blades and deeply fished soft plastics, and good sized bream are a common by-catch when flathead fishing this month. Bait anglers often catch big bags of bream in July fishing close to the timber edges around the mouth of Swan

Bay and the eastern face of Short Island. There are also often big schools of luderick in this area as well that can be targeted with weed or cabbage. Deeply fished live baits and soft plastics often produce some nice mulloway this month around the deeper channels and rock walls. The mulloway caught in the day tend to be a bit smaller than those caught at night, but

there are still quite a few in the 90-110cm range caught in daylight hours. Large soft vibes have been very successful at times, but bull sharks can be a real problem, often eating most of the fish you hook. Overall, July is a very productive fishing month on the Gold Coast and while it is quite cold, there are still plenty of good options available.

A typical Jumpinpin mulloway that ate a soft plastic. lot of potential for catching fish at night on lures. Some of the newer swimbait style hardbodies look very mulletlike and I am keen to try these at night under a moonlit sky so they leave a silhouette when viewed from below. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m

session should be common this month, and although bigger fish over 70cm are uncommon at this time of year, the numbers usually make up for the lack of size. There are quite a few new interesting soft vibes, blades

a while to get active and on the really freezing mornings they can be quite shut down until around 9.30am. The lower part of the tide cycle is generally the most productive time to fish in the winter months.

Jason Young took the yellowfin tuna off Tweed and made it into some nice sashimi. He caught it in early January after the big storms came through. He saw a school of bait getting busted up, so he flicked a slug at them and came up trumps!

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JULY 2015

Flathead fever takes a hold of the Gold Coast JUMPINPIN

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

Bream fishers love this time of year as the westerlies kick in and keep the water temperature low, which the big bream love. I always seem to get better quality bream in July and they seem to smash baits rather than just picking at them. So when the bream start to feed in this way it’s a great time to test your skills at luring with either small plastics or

vibes around structure like rocks, jetties, and snags. If you’re looking for a feed of bream try around the Powerlines, Flat Rock, the bottom of North Straddie, the Stockyards, or the structures of Steiglitz and Rudy Maas Marina. FLATHEAD There has been a lot of live bait flicking around the Pin of late, which should fire up all the fish, especially flathead. This is because where you find a lot of live bait you will always find a lot of flathead as the lizards will lay patiently waiting for

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the tide to drop and the water coming off the banks leaving the baitfish with nowhere to go but straight towards the flathead. You will always get flathead at this time of year as they start feeding up for their breeding season. So whether you are into bait fishing or luring the types of areas that you should be looking for are those with lots of bait, cover for camouflage, and a nearby exposing bank on a falling tide. Some of the best spots with all these things are the weed and mud banks near Pandannus Island and Tipplers Island, north of Cabbage Tree Point on the shallow side of the green beacons, Slipping Sands, the bottom of Kangaroo Island, Tiger Mullet Channel and out the front of Behms Creek. If you like using plastics then a good rule of thumb is a 2-5” plastic with a 1/4oz jighead, either in neutral colours or my favourite white to mimic struggling white bait. Twitching them through the weed and around the edges should be enough to tempt a strike. TROLLING If you like trolling then stick to 1-5’ dropoffs, varying your speed, and working the lure so it swims erratically. If you love bait fishing for lizards then obviously live bait is the best. Ideally use mullet, herring, garfish, or yabbies, or stick with pilchards, prawns or whitebait if you can’t get your hands on any live baits. Chasing whiting in the cooler months is quite an art form. A little berley often, a lot of patience, live worms or yabbies and fish as light as the conditions will give you a real chance at nailing an elbow-slapper.

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The bigger ones don’t seem to mind if there is a strong current as they forage the bottom in search of a feed, so by feeding your line towards them your chances of success will improve. Try around the Gold Bank, Jacobs Well channel, near Diner Island, south of Russell Island near the green beacons, the Logan River on Ageston Sands, near Marks Rocks, or at the Junction. TAILOR Small schools of tailor should be moving through the bar this month feeding on whitebait schools so keep an eye out for birds diving, or put a floated pilchard out when fishing and you should pick one up. We have been picking up the odd one here and there while flicking plastics for flathead. So if you ever get a hit on a plastic at The Pin and it comes in cut in half the chances are that it was a tailor. We haven’t had too much big stuff for a while but the better ones seem to be coming from the beaches of South and North Stradbroke islands at dusk and into the night. If you are in search of a big mulloway then there have been a few around lately up to 40lb, and a couple of stories coming from The Pin bar of fish that just can’t be stopped. Persistence is the key to mulloway fishing, and

The author’s brother Rich with a 69cm flathead caught while trolling in 2ft of water. those putting in the time and effort will reap the rewards. Live bait works really well as mulloway can be quite finicky and take their time in deciding whether to feed or not. Pike, gar and mullet are the pick of the baits when chasing big mulloway and be sure to be fishing for them on small tides where there is little water movement. Some of

the best spots to try are the Gazebo and Marks Rocks, Giants Grave, Kalinga Bank and the deep water off Swan Bay. • Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in and if you’d like any up to date info on what’s happening at the Pin drop us a line on 3287 3868 or email gembait@ tpg.com.au.

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Foxies Barra Havoc new owners Les and Donna are now the proud owners of the tackle shop, Foxies Barra Havoc in Gin Gin. They are a husband and wife team and have owned and are still operating a small boutique mailing house since 1996. Les is a long time angler, mostly trout, salmon and saltwater in both NZ and Australia, but has not fished for a number of years due to work commitments, now has an excuse to go fishing, often test driving new barra lures. Donna has only done a small amount of fishing in her younger days, but is enjoying getting out on the Lake and learning how to land the elusive big barra. She also loves learning about all the lures that are available, hoping to become the ‘Lure Queen’. They’re working on a new logo, which will have their mascot Foxie – she is out and about on Saturdays, walking through town and the local markets. “The shop allows us to

meet some wonderful and interesting people, some local and others travelling through. Our aim is to service all the locals fishing needs, including a range of saltwater and reef tackle. Our prices are competitive; if we stock it we will match the price,” said Les. The website www. barratackle.com.au allows Foxies to reach even the remotest anglers as well as international anglers. They

are currently working on the website to include their new ranges and the latest products. They also stock items that are made locally – fishing rods, ladies fishing shirts and hats. Their end goal would ultimatey be the anglers shop along the east coast of QLD, known for their friendly service and expert advice. – Foxies Barra Havoc

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JULY 2015

Moreton Bay fires for July SOUTHERN BAY

Nabeel Issa

This cold weather has really fired up the fish in Moreton Bay in the last few weeks with some of the best snapper reports I have heard for a long time. It has been a great time to get out on the water and the weather has been very forgiving so anglers have been making the most of it. If you’re sitting there wondering whether you need to get off your butt and get out there, the answer is yes! Tuna have been sporadic with a few reports here and there from anglers seeing them as they are heading out to their spots. Unfortunately decent schools of fish have been few and far between. Unless you manage to bump into them it really hasn’t been worth the effort of driving around looking for them. Luckily the mulloway and snapper are playing nice and there are plenty of them on offer. BREAM Starting at the smaller scale of things, the bream have continued to shine and are still a relatively easy target, and for me often a ‘doughnut saver.’ Look for areas with shallow rock and weed around the islands. Light line and small lures are a great way of targeting them and can make for a lot of fun. Alternatively, this time of the year sees plenty of bream school up in the deeper holes around the Jumpinpin. I have had a lot of success using soft plastics fished along the drop-offs in Canaipa Passage and around Russell Island. Small soft plastics in the 2-3” size range fished with a 1/8oz jighead is my go-to approach in these situations and should see plenty of bream hit the deck.

MULLOWAY While it had seemed that they had gone quiet for some time, mulloway have showed up in decent numbers again, with many anglers getting amongst them while chasing snapper on the deeper reefs. The best way to target these

pan-sized snapper about in good numbers. There are heaps of locations to try, with no real secret spots. I just like to find a reef edge that drops-off into about 4-5m of water. Finding areas with good current flow will also help. I position the boat off

the drop-off and cast towards the shallows and work lightly weighted soft plastics back towards the boat and the deeper water. The key in the shallow water is to be there early and to make as little noise as possible. As the sun gets

Mick Horn is still getting into the red fish through winter with this great snapper caught on a Z-Man StreakZ rigged on a TT jighead.

A selection of ‘go to’ lures and various leader strains will help you mix things up and work out what the fish are interested in. guys is with 4-5” soft plastics rigged on 1/4-1/2oz jigheads. My favourite is the Z-Man Streakz range as they are a very durable plastic and will last a number of fish before they need to be changed. Drift these lures over artificial reef structures at the Peel Artificial Reef or Harry Atkinsons Reef and you’ll soon be in the mix. If you have a sounder, be sure to pay attention to it as mulloway are easy to spot. SNAPPER Now to the snapper. They have been firing on all fronts in the last month and I have been hearing of countless reports coming in of quality fishing being caught. So I thought I would go into targeting these guys this month in a bit more detail. Starting in the shallows, there has been plenty of action in these areas with the smaller

higher I find that the fish will move deeper, so it pays to work your way out as the morning goes on. Another successful technique involves using deep diving hard-bodied lures and casting them into the shallows and working them down the drop offs. Be sure to up your line class if you go down that route though because they really hit and pull hard on the hardbodies. Moving into deeper water, anglers have been getting

There have been some seriously good-sized snapper around like this one caught by Matt Fraser.

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some hefty sized fish over the past month. The best I saw was an 82cm fish caught on one of the artificial reefs. A monster fish for the bay. There are many techniques that you can use on the deeper reefs but my favourite and probably the simplest is to drift with soft plastics. I usually do a quick sound around the area and look for any good shows of fish or bait and then line up my drift accordingly. Quite often the fish will be sitting away from the structure, so don’t be afraid to look a little wider. Again the Z-Man Streakz are my favourite lure for this sort of fishing, with the baby bass colour a standout. More important than lure selection is just making sure you are keeping your lure in the zone. If you feel you are aimlessly drifting, chances are pretty slim that you will catch something. Keep your lure in the strike zone, fish the early mornings and late afternoons and mix up your leader weight as sometimes going lighter can trigger the bigger bites That’s it for this month, be sure to get out on the water and get stuck into the fish. If you have a picture or a story you would like to share, send it through to me at nabs12@ gmail.com, and I’ll do my best to get it in next month’s magazine for you!

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BES

Aquatic winter wonders BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With winter well and truly upon us, the cold weather species are now near the peak of their prominence. Bream, snapper, mulloway, tailor, squid and several others will be noticed in numbers throughout the coming month. Additionally we should see better concentrations of flathead, threadfin, sweetlip, longtail tuna and several others. The variety and quality on offer during July should be enough to get you out of that cosy, warm bed on a frosty morning. Plenty of warm clothing and a flask of hot coffee will increase the enjoyment of the early morning bite as you watch the sun crack over the horizon. BREAM Increasing in prominence during the coming months will be the wily bream. These can be caught in almost any brackish or saltwater environs including canals, creeks, gutters, sand flats, mud banks, rivers, bay shallows and even land-locked lakes. They will respond positively to a broad array of lures and baits and can be caught by anglers of

all skill levels from young children to tournament pros. They can be one of the easiest species to tempt at times but can also be exceptionally wary, especially in areas that receive a lot of fishing pressure. Additionally they are good table fare, although it seems that many keen bream anglers generally release the majority of their catch. Soaking a bait from the bank can be the undoing of many bream, a species which will transit and feed throughout most areas of the saltwater environment. However, those who understand the bream’s habits and get to know the waters well, will definitely reap the rewards in the quality and consistency stakes. The larger bream will generally occupy the better ambush spots where they are most likely to encounter prey such as baitfish, prawns, small crabs, yabbies and the like. Obviously, these are a good choice for bait, with the addition of squid, fillet baits, worms, fowl gut, mullet gut, pilchard pieces and many others. Some anglers even make up their own dough bait by combining flour, water, tuna oil, cheese and occasional other ingredients. As bream

are scavengers, they can opportunistically eat almost anything they come across. However quality, fresh baits are most likely to tempt the better quality specimens. In its simplest fishing form, bream can be tempted with a baited hook and a ball sinker free running on the line, right down to the hook. While this will catch bream, and other species, adding a light fluorocarbon leader with a swivel to keep the sinker up the line 30-40cm away from the bait can increase your chances. With this rig the bait can waft more in the current and the leader will barely be visible, which can help to entice those wily and smarter, larger specimens. In the lure department, there are a lot of lures that will work on bream, when they are presented with the appropriate technique. Blades, minnow lures (floating, suspending, deep diving and shallow divers), small soft plastics, vibration baits, micro jigs and a broad array of topwater offerings (poppers, stick baits, wakebaits) can all

Micro-jigging is the flavour of 2015 for keen anglers. Naomi with a sublegal mulloway jigged from the Harry Atkinson Reef in the middle of the day. work a treat. Anglers who specifically target bream can get exceptionally skilled at using these offerings to tempt bream. Good lure choice for a chosen location and tidal phase will generally only come with experience on the water. Fishing with more experienced anglers and doing a bit of research can short track your learning

several hundreds of metres. You do not need to anchor directly over a piece of structure to catch fish. Just being in the general vicinity is usually enough as the better specimens will search for food for some distance away. The quickest way to shut a spot down is to motor over it and be noisy. Quietness and stealth will definitely pay

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curve to good lure choice, presentation and retrieve techniques. SNAPPER The snapper fishing has been exceptional over the last few months within Moreton Bay. Plenty of quality fish have been caught with specimens to over 90cm taken on baits and lures. Popular spots have included the Peel Artificial, Harry Atkinson, Curtin Artificial, the margins surrounding the bay islands, the numerous wrecks and ledges within the bay and other structured areas. While snapper like to inhabit structured areas (reef, rubble, wrecks, ledges etc.) they can often be found well wide of this structure, often

dividends in your search for quality fish. Many anglers are just wasting their time sounding over the grounds they want to fish as they search for bait, snapper and other soundings. All they are doing is scaring the quality fish away. A better approach is to cut the motor upcurrent and drift across the area while you cast lures or get in position to quietly anchor. I know I waffle on a bit about this but it constantly annoys me when several anglers are doing the right thing (being quiet and circling well wide of the fishing area to re-commence a drift) and all catching before some muppet decides to drive all over the area then rattles

the anchor chain over the side three times as they reposition to get in their imaginable hot-spot, which shuts down the area, ruining it for all. I have had some awesome sessions in recent months, many of them in the middle of the day, when I have been able to fish an area solo or with other anglers who are doing the right thing. At the time of writing, my best snapper is 76cm this season, however it is the number of 55-65cm snapper which have surprised, with double figures of fish in this bracket being taken on lures some sessions. I have heard of numerous 80cm plus specimens being taken on both baits and lures and a few over 90cm, awesome specimens for the bay. I have caught most of my snapper on 100mm Samaki Thumper Tails, which are my latest lure of choice for quality snaps. These are hopped or worked with a slow, yet sometimes erratic retrieve, generally in the lower half of the water column. The rear hook has a special keeper to hold it in position against the lure tail, which seems to increase the hook-up potential, especially on large snapper, which just seem to inhale them. However, a broad array of plastics, vibration baits, micro jigs and other lures will tempt snapper, mulloway, sweetlip, tuskfish and other desirables within the bay. The lower section of the Brisbane River, from the Gateway Bridge to the mouth, has been producing some creditable snapper. While some anglers are specifically targeting these, many have been caught by anglers targeting mulloway, threadfin and bream on baits and lures. The majority are around the 40-50cm range, but a few 70cm+ models have been caught. Small, live mullet have been the go for these larger specimens however most freshly caught baits including prawns, herring and pike have worked a treat.

MULLOWAY Plenty of legal mulloway have been taken in recent months, both in the Brisbane River and around the artificial reefs in the bay. The Peel artificial has been especially productive with some switched on anglers achieving great results by sounding up fish and dropping micro jigs (40-60g) in front of them. Some have achieved double figures of legal fish per angler in a session. In this shallow water the mulloway release well however when taken out of deeper water they will often bloat and not swim away. In this area, anglers often sound out the fish on the side imaging sounders before casting to them and working their jigs, vibration baits or plastics. Often it can seem almost too easy, however many struggle to catch fish consistently. Micro-jigging has become especially popular over the last year or so. The techniques are often hard to grasp and even though I have been dabbling with it and catching some nice fish, my skill level is still well behind that of some other local anglers who have mastered the retrieve techniques and purchased specific micro-jigging outfits. Google the ‘Palms Slow Jigging Tips and Techniques’ and watch the YouTube video (25 min) to understand more about the numerous techniques involved with this style of fishing. The Brisbane River has been producing good numbers of mulloway with specimens taken up past the city reaches at times. These have predominately been taken on plastics and vibration baits in the upper reaches however both live baits and lures have been very effective further

down river. The holes around the Gateway Bridge pylons, Claras Rocks, the ledges and holes in front of the numerous jetties, the dredge holes along the retaining wall and any other submerged structure is worth a try. Threadfin and snapper will also be taken by anglers targeting mulloway in these zones. Often fish can be located with your sounder before even making a cast and as they are a schooling fish, several mulloway can be caught in a short time. Remember the minimum size limit is 75cm with a bag limit of 2 per person in possession so carefully release any fish not kept for processing. SQUID The quality of squid on offer has been exceptional. I have had several great sessions chasing these cephalopods on egi (squid jigs) over the last month or so. They can make a great seafood meal by themselves or a tasty entrée to your fish meal. Many target these from a land-based perspective, mainly at night. Some choose to locate squid close to the surface using a high-powered LED torch or headlamp before casting to them. Others blind cast, working their egi in likely areas such as rock walls, shallow rubble and rocky zones and illuminated areas where baitfish and prawns are likely to be attracted to. The two main species are arrow and tiger squid and both will respond to egi or baits fished on skewers. At times they are very particular in their choice of egi, especially in hard worked areas around the foreshores of Manly, Wellington Point, Scarborough and Victoria Point. Sometimes several jig changes are required before you can solicit a

take. However in many areas squid are all too easy to catch and will pounce on the first jig you cast to their proximity. The shallows around the bay islands, the weed beds along the western side of Moreton, the Blue Hole and most shallow, reef, rubble or weed bed areas will hold squid, providing water

The largest officially weighed tailor I have seen in recent years was a 9.9kg beast caught in northern NSW a few years ago. They are generally found in schools or feeding conglomerations therefore if you catch one, you will generally go on to score several more. Whilst not a great fish to freeze

slimey mackerel and yakkas, however they have been known to pounce on all sorts of baits. Due to their generally aggressive and erratic nature, tailor will pounce on almost any lure, however offerings that are worked fast will generally solicit more strikes. Metal slices, soft plastics, blades,

July will see good numbers of quality bream within the estuaries, creeks, rivers and canals. Luke tempted this one on a lure recently. quality is good. TAILOR One of the favoured species for anglers fishing throughout the cooler months, especially the latter part of winter, is the tailor. These ravenous predators can be located along the eastern facing beaches, the mouths of estuaries and major river systems and around the shallow reef systems of Moreton Bay. They are most commonly found to lengths of around 45cm but specimens eclipsing 80cm are occasionally encountered.

and eat later, except if you want to make fish cakes out of the mushy flesh, they are exceptionally good when grilled and eaten fresh after capture. Tailor will respond to a wide array of baits, lures and flies. While their razor sharp dentures can quickly sever light leaders, the addition of wire to your rigging can greatly decrease the strike rate. In the bait department, good offerings include pilchards, gar, frogmouths, whitebait, bonito and tuna strips (fresh or salted),

vibration baits and numerous topwater presentations can all be put into the fray. Most baitfish profiled flies will also excite them into striking. For land-based anglers fishing close to Brisbane, you can try locations such as the Woody Point Jetty, Manly Rock Wall, Red Beach at Bribie, the Scarborough Jetty and the eastern facing beaches of Bribie, Stradbroke and Moreton. I have caught several quality tailor while casting lures around the Gateway Bridge at night and

many other locations in the river where overhead lights attract baitfish. Additionally they can often be noticed harassing baitfish in the canals and harbours. A quick cast with a lure and few cranks of the reel handle is often all you need to get connected. Baits like those aforementioned can be fished lightly weighted or suspended beneath a float. In the surf environment, baits are commonly rigged on ganged hooks with a light sinker in a running sinker rig configuration. It is better if your bait can move around a bit instead of being anchored to the bottom. Anglers targeting the larger tailor, often referred to as greenbacks, will commonly use baits of garfish and tuna or bonito strips and fish well into the night. The higher stages of the tide are favoured for the beach fishing, especially around dawn and dusk. CONCLUSION In addition to the prime winter targets highlighted, anglers should encounter decent numbers of sweetlip, longtail tuna, bonito, flathead, threadfin and many others species while fishing Moreton Bay and the surrounding waters. Just getting out in the sunshine is reward enough on the cold days however the thrill of catching a quality fish for sport or to turn into a tasty feast that night is the icing on the cake. Regardless, it is refreshing just getting out into the great outdoors with your mates or the family. Often catching a few quality fish is a bonus to a great day. Get out amongst some of the aquatic winter wonders on offer throughout July.

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Here come the snapper OFFSHORE

John Gooding

What a change a degree or two in the water has made! Last month the temperature was heading up around 25°C, but on my last few charters it was around 22.5°C just outside. The South Passage Bar, and out in 90m it was 23.5°C. It was like someone had hit the switch and on came the fish! Although you will always get a late season pelagic or two, we are now definitely in bottom fish mode, with snapper at the top of the hit

list. The reports I’m gearing are of reasonable numbers of snapper widespread on all their usual haunts with some solid fish being boated. The snapper school up on most lines of reef from The Cathedrals, south of Point Lookout and through to Deep Tempest off Moreton Island, so we’re spoiled for choice for locations to target them. Along with snapper, numbers of yellowtail kingfish, amberjack and mulloway have also shown up and on some recent charters we’ve had some red-hot sessions live baiting out in deeper water. At some spots, sharks have been a problem, so

Dave McKenzie - Gamakatsu Pro Angler

A mixed catch of amberjack, yellowtail kings and snapper, typical of this time of year.

you just have to move off to another spot instead of giving them an easy feed. This time last year, amberjack made up the bulk of the catch when we were live baiting, but at present yellowtail kingfish are dominating, which is pleasing to see, especially in these sorts of numbers. We’ve also been boating some quite a few solid mulloway out in the deep water with the biggest around the 10kg mark. During the next couple of month as the water cools, there should be top class snapper fishing just east of The South Passage Bar. But with a bag limit of 4, you’ll

A couple of solid mulloway that swallowed livies out wide. want to target quality fish and floatlining is the only way to go. A few important things

A happy angler with a typical sized yellowtail kingfish caught recently.

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to get down with a 4, 5 or 6 depending on the conditions. In spots such as Shallow Tempest, you can even go lighter. There’s no need for leader, you can just tie your mainline directly to either two ganged 5/0 or 6/0 hooks. I’m sure if you incorporate these techniques into your snapper fishing, results will speak for themselves. • Until next month, enjoy your fishing, take care on the coastal bars, and if you’d like to join me on a charter (max 8 persons) give me a call at Outlaw Charters on (07) 3822 9527 or 0418 738 750, or visit my website at www.outlawcharters.com.au

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to consider when floatlining are, using a rod about 7-8ft long with a sensitive tip but plenty of low down grunt, a reel with a free spool to let the lighter sinkers get down easily, the use of mono, and the correct use of a sea anchor to allow you to fish as light as possible. The gear we use on Outlaw are 7ft 15-24kg live fibre, Penn Fathom 40 Overhead, Stren Magnathin 30lb line (0.44mm) and a para anchor to sit the 9m boat. Using quality gear like this definitely improves your chance’s catch. Remember, don’t try to knock the fish out with a 10 ball sinker, try

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Flatty fun in the winter sun NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

Bring it on! Beautiful crisp days for winter fishing, it’s a great time of year to be in Queensland. Cool, westerly winds have populated the recent weather forecasts as we forge our way through yet another winter. Granted this one has been a little cooler than the last few years, but the welcomed change has really fired up the fishing throughout the northern bay. Many anglers have been rewarded for the freezing early morning starts with snapper, bream, flathead and mulloway being the popular catches for this cool season. PUMICESTONE PASSAGE It’s a great time of year for the Pumicestone Passage as westerly winds have little effect on this stretch of waterway making it ideal for kayak and small boat anglers. Bream numbers have been great at the moment with the Caloundra end of the Pumicestone on fire with the annual spawn run of bream schooling at the mouth. Incoming tide during the night has been the prime bream time with anglers donning the winter woollies to chase these ravenous spawning fish. Two days either side of the full and new moons have also worked well as fish are looking to feed up before this caloriesapping cascade. Mission Point, the 112 and the Ripples have also been good for bream with fresh bait out fishing the artificials of late. Flathead numbers have also been fabulous with many breeding females attracting the attention of courting males boosting numbers throughout

the system. Bribie is a noted flathead haven, so this time of year is even better with good numbers keeping diehard flathead fishers very satisfied. Good reports out of Donnybrook and Glasshouse Creek with grub style plastics working well during receding tides. Legal juvenile snapper have also been caught during dusk and dawn hours at the Ripples and the Bribie Bridge with anglers getting their rewards for braving the cold. Fresh baits like squid and pilchard halves have been reported to be the best option with soft plastics recording several victories.

winds are a great recipe to pick up some nice legal snapper with weekends being heavily populated. North Reef and the northern end of Scotts Point Green Zone have been the hotspots with Woody Point also gaining momentum as the cooler weather rolls on. Good bream have also been reported throughout the peninsula, particularly on days either side of the full and new moons. Bream like to feed up shallow during the low lit hours, so chasing them with shallow running hardbodies or lightly weighted baits is a great technique. Areas worth trying are inner North Reef, Drury Point and bommies

Bramble Bay often works better due the higher frequency in sand patches throughout the area giving place for good flathead to hide. Suttons Beach, Clontarf and Woody Point foreshore and the Wells have worked well with grub style soft plastics being the popular choice. Worth trying are Z-Man 3” GrubZ, Shads Lures 4” Phat Grubs and the new 4” Berkley Nemesis rigged on 1/8oz jigheads with a hop-hop-pause retrieve tempting most feeding flatties. PINE AND CABOOLTURE RIVERS Both these rivers have been on fire of late with bream, flathead, mulloway

Nathan Wolhuter continues to find the Moreton Bay snapper.

Jaymie Robinson with a nice Caboolture River lizard. REDCLIFFE PENINSULA Juvenile snapper have been the huge flavour of the month on the peninsula with numbers staying solid as winter rolls on. Again, low light hours and light onshore

outside Queens Beach South during most times of the day, especially when light inshore breezes are blowing. Flathead numbers have also been good with the lower end of the peninsula working better than the upper reaches.

FISHING FILL-ITS

and whiting being caught throughout. The Pine has been alive with good flathead at the mouth, with the ebbing tide being the most favourable during the early morning bite period. Again, soft plastics have been working well,

with fresh baits like mullet and yabbies accounting for good catches. The smaller tides have been the best target times as the mouth underneath the Ted Smout Bridge tends to have quite fast flowing currents around the bigger tide days. Flathead have been picked up through the system with sand bank drop-offs being the best spots. Bream numbers have been a little slim due to the spawn but will be set to pick up early next month. Smaller legals are still being nabbed up stream though, with deep diving hardbodied lures and lightly weighted baits working on the rising tide. For the Caboolture River, bream have been good around the boat hulls down towards the mouth of the river with Z-Man GrubZ and Cranka Crabs working well when fished hard up against the structure. Small school

mulloway and the occasional threadfin salmon have been picked up on some of the river’s deeper bends with Jackall Mask Vibes, Atomic Vibe 50 and Threadybusters working well to get these sometimes finicky eaters to bite. Patience has been the key to this game, so pack a good lunch! MONTHLY TIP Night fishing can be quite a fun and invigorating experience during the winter months with many species biting better during the darker hours. Be sure that your boat’s navigation lights are in working order to provide maximum safety for yourself when stationary and when travelling from spot to spot. Presuming that other anglers will see you without navigation lights is not only a fool’s game but it can also bring on a fine that can spoil your relaxing night out on the boat.

New Moreton Bay artificial reef Recreational fishers will have a new place to drop their lines, with the creation of the former LNP Government commissioned 20ha Turner Artificial Reef off Scarborough in the Moreton Bay Marine Park. The reef is being built at Scarborough about 1km offshore and will attract fishers and divers from throughout the region. The project was an important part of the LNP Government’s plan to establish more artificial reefs in the Moreton Bay Marine Park. State MP for Cleveland Dr Mark Robinson said the addition to the artificial reef was good for the marine environment and creates new reef ecosystems to help support the broader marine

life in Moreton Bay. “The LNP Government has delivered on sustainable recreational fishing by taking pressure off existing natural reefs, creating more reefs in the Bay and helping replenish our fish stocks,” Dr Robinson said. “The LNP is providing a better fishing experience for mum and dad anglers in an environmentally responsible way.” We are excited to give the 350,000 recreational anglers in Southeast Queensland this new opportunity to wet a line, and to provide an economic boost to local tourism and small businesses.” Dr Robinson said the reef has been named after the popular former Sunfish Moreton Branch chairman Bill Turner.

“The creation of Turner Reef comes on top of the barge sunk at Harry Atkinson Reef and reef balls added to West Peel and Coochie reefs,” Dr Robinson said. “I would like to encourage the State Government to continue to build new artificial reefs in Moreton Bay as a valueadding measure, rather than using their previous approach in which they gave rec fishers artificial reefs with one hand, but took fishing areas away as lock-out zones with the other hand.” “I also call on the Government to return the funding they axed from the LNP Government’s final budget for a new artificial reef off Wellington Point.” – Mark Neville, Assistant Electorate Officer

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Riding the winter wave CALOUNDRA

Brad McKendrick fishingcaloundra@yahoo.com.au

After such a drawn out summer season the winter species are finally in full swing, and to the delight of anglers the fish are big and biting hard. The Sunshine Coast offers a broad range of winter species, and that includes on the beach, in the estuaries and out wide in deeper water. This diversity satisfies a lot of anglers passions and provides families with a great holiday destination that lives up to its reputation. The Pumicestone Passage in Caloundra holds some monster whiting that are being taken during the night, however the smaller winter whiting can be taken along the sand bars during daylight hours. Generally the weed beds around Bells Creek and along the Golden Beach strip offer the best opportunities. Yabbies and worms are without doubt the best baits and if they are difficult to find, then try the ever-reliable peeled prawns. The smaller the hook the better, I use a no.4

long shank Mustad hook with the lightest possible weight needed to stay in the bite zone. Flurocarbon line makes a big difference and 2-4lb delivers the best results. Bream are another genuine winter target and as we get into the really cool months the bigger bream come out to play. Herring and hardiheads are the live baits that they love to eat, so use your cast net around the pontoons and jetties to get some. Smaller herring are the better baits for the bream and flathead are a welcome by-catch when fishing with them. Currimundi Lake also has whiting and bream and is a popular destination for anglers both during the day and at night. The canals around Pelican Waters through to Kawana hold large schools of bream; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a matter of looking around to find where they are feeding at a particular time. Bread, or chook pellets half dissolved in water are terrific items to use as berley to get bream in a feeding frenzy. Other species around the canals that are popular throughout winter are tarpon, and they are best targeted in

the calmer water areas like Pelican Waters. So while the estuaries offer some great fishing opportunities, the beach areas come into their own during winter. Mulloway, tailor, dart, bream and whiting are all on a very long list of species that frequent the Sunshine Coast area. The Noosa North Shore is popular at this time of year, along with the long stretch that runs from Moffatt Beach at Caloundra through to Point Cartwright at Mooloolaba. Use the day period to find a nice hole to fish at the bottom of the tide or locate a gutter that may produce larger species on the top of the tide. Coolum also offers some top spots off the rocks and along the beaches to target these species. Best baits for the bread and butter species include pipis, worms, fish strips and prawns. For the bigger fish and species pilchards are the way to go. Offshore is really on fire and the inner reefs have been full of small snapper and pearl perch. Morwong and sweetlip have been caught around the Gneerings and Murphys lately, and have weighed

Noel handles a hefty mulloway caught offshore on the Sunshine Coast. in around the 2-3kg mark. Good catches of snapper have been taken in the deeper waters out from Wide Caloundra with some early reports of 5-6kg fish being taken. Remember, the bigger fish are the breeders so let the majority of them go to keep the species plentiful for future years. Some of the known hotspots are loaded with those pesky grinners, but get past them and monster mulloway, cobia and kingfish are waiting to smash your bait. The snapper will also be on the hunt but sometimes you will need to target them directly

rather than hope for them as by-catch. Live yakkas or slimey mackerel are the key to the better fish, so spend the time catching some live bait before heading out. Larger Spanish mackerel are still hanging around and with any luck you can still get a feed if you know where to go. The Barwon Banks is another winter spot and when the weather permits, an overnight snapper trip can make the cool nights worthwhile. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all smooth sailing though with sharks always ready to share in the bounty. So we are riding the winter wave here on the

Sunshine Coast and by all counts it looks like it will be a top fishing period for all. Remember to use live bait or fresh squid and pilchards where possible to increase your chances of a catch. Offshore is alive with some real brutes and the estuaries offer some quality fish for those that want to put in the hours to catch a feed. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beach fishing you love then this is the time of year that will get you excited. Tailor and mulloway are the target for the persistent anglers with plenty of quality species available as by-catch. Enjoy the season and have fun!

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Winter time is snapper time! NOOSA

Peter Wells

With the cooler months upon us, offshore anglers really start to look towards the bottom for a good feed of fish. With the pelagics moving away to the north, snapper are the prime focus for most offshore anglers. Reefs like North Reef, Barwon Banks, Chardons Reef, Sunshine Reef and Double Island are readily accessible from Noosa, with Murphy’s Reef, the Gneerings and Coolum systems an easy steam from Mooloolaba. With the deeper reefs you will usually find the bigger fish, with some sensational knobby snapper coming from the banks and Double Island. When fishing for snapper, there are a variety of techniques used by anglers. First and probably most popular is the good old paternoster rig and a couple of droppers loaded with squid and/or pillies. Then there’s the floater style where there’s just enough weight to get the bait to the bottom, and of course, live bait. We are also really starting to see a move away from the

more traditional forms from bait fishing to soft plastic and micro jigs. Plastics like the Z-Man 5 and 7” scented Jerk Shads have been a real hit, with the nuclear chicken, nuclear pilchard and coconut ice the standouts. Fished hard to the reef on a TT jighead, for

miss the fish on the first bite. Another alternative that I am a recent convert to is micro jigging. These jigs are designed to flutter down and look like a wounded baitfish. With a slow lift and a fast drop motion, this lets the jig flutter down on the horizontal and

that you may find are pearl perch, morwong, teraglin, Moses perch, venus tusk fish, squire and cod. Double Island and the Barwon Banks will have big pearl perch, quality snapper, cobia and big reds. In the rivers, the Noosa and Maroochy have really been

Delbert Brath won a $25 ‘runner-up’ gift voucher for the 92cm snub-nosed dart he caught on a pipi bait on the Noosa North Shore.

Brian Martell won this week’s $50 Davo’s Tackle World Fish of the Week prize with his first Spaniard from his little Polycraft runabout. the deeper water the Elevator heads from Berkley are the go. These plastics seem to be a viable alternative to bait, with the added advantage that you stay in the game even if you

the great holographic patterns they have really attracts the reefies. Some of the standouts have been the Colt Snipers and the Slow Blatts from Zetz lures. Other great species

m a e r d il ve the

firing. In the Noosa it has been all about the trevally. Woods Bay has seen some great catches, with anglers getting results on surface walkers and poppers in the early mornings and late afternoon. The River 2 Sea Skinny Dog surface walkers have been a huge hit with anglers, then as the day progresses prawn profile soft plastics like the Squidgy Prawns, Keitech Easy Shiners and Fuze Prawn Heads have all been working. Remember, a nice slow retrieve is essential when imitating a prawn. Blades and paddle vibes have also been in the arsenal and worked on the fish as they feed a little deeper. Catches have included bigeye, giant,

mulloway, large winter bream and mangrove jacks have all enjoyed fresh mullet, pillies and live baits. On Dog Beach and the Frying Pan, live yabbies and bloodworms have been working on whiting, flathead and bream. Further up the Noosa River, the Ski Run has been great for flathead, with brightly coloured soft plastics again producing. Keeping in touch with the bottom is key, as flathead lay in wait for a passing morsel, so make sure your jighead is correctly weighted to get you to the bottom. The Maroochy River is also going well, with some quality mulloway coming from the Cod Hole as well as the deeper parts of the river. Upstream, paddle vibes have been working particularly well here, with Transams and Thready Busters claiming some good-sized fish. Down towards the mouth, Black Banks and Goat Island have seen nice sized winter bream and trevally enjoying passing bait schools brought in on the tide. Tailor have been in good numbers right at the mouth at the top of the tide. Flathead

with those lovely cool winter morning perfect for tailor. Up on Noosa’s North Shore, the gutters have been producing some nice fish around the 1-2kg mark. Fresh mullet strips or pilchards have been the main bait of choice, with slugs like the Halco Twisty also working when the fish are thick. Big winter bream, some well over the 40cm mark, have also been on the chew. A little further south, the rocks at Yaroomba have been fishing well, with squire and snapper giving rock anglers a run for their money. Mulloway tend to be a little slower over the cooler parts of the year, but there are still some good fish available around the new moon. Look for those deeper gutters and fish the bigger tides at night and you may see an exciting result. One of the best fish last year was caught in the coolest part of the year. So if you are heading offshore, on the rivers, or hitting the beaches, for all the best advice, the gear you need and where the fish are biting, call into Davo’s Tackle World Noosa or visit our store down at Marcoola,

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Bryce Francis from Davo’s Tackle World caught and released golden trevally, queenfish, bream, tea-leaf trevally and GT in the lower estuary. diamond, cale cale and golden trevally, good sized bream, tailor and the odd queenfish. Out towards the mouth of the Noosa River, school

have also thick around Oyster Bank Road and the Bli Bli stretch of the river. On the beaches, the fishing has been sensational,

Davo’s Northshore Bait and Tackle. Also check out the latest catches, fishing reports and bar crossing info at www. fishingnoosa.com.au.

Tying on the hook: the multi purpose uni knot 1 BRISBANE

Kim Bain

The uni knot is a viable alternative to the locked half-blood knot (aka improved clinch). The Uni-knot is a universal knot, multi-purpose and suitable for almost every fishing scenario. I use it as my quick-to-tie go-to knot for attaching the fishing line to the arbor of a reel spool; or for attaching fishing line to swivels, snaps, rings, and\or eyed-hooks in general ‘bread and butter’ fishing situations. It is very reliable and very easy to tie; even in the dark or if you’ve forgotten your glasses. The uni knot retains approximately 85-90% of the monofilament main line’s breaking strength depending on how evenly you tie it and the brand of line that you use. Uni knots work well with all monofilament fishing lines, with soft monofilaments often easier to tie than the harder stiffer lines. The knot also works well with fluorocarbon fishing lines. In America and Australia the knot is known as the uni knot, in Britain it is commonly known as the grinner knot.

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Thread the end of the line through the eye of the hook (or swivel etc). Pull plenty of line through the eye and lay it alongside the line to make two parallel lines. Then loop the free end back to the eye of the hook (but not through the eye).

Pass the free end under the parallel lines and inside the loop that you have created in step one.

main line or trace

To finish the uni knot, pull the free end (tag end) in order to slightly snug up the turns; then moisten the knot and pull the free end slowly and firmly to snug up the knot tightly against the eye.

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Northside Marine turns 50 - you get the presents When Keith Nickerson took on a Johnson outboard motor franchise in Brisbane’s Northern bayside suburbs 50 years ago, we’re pretty sure that he didn’t envisage the dealership evolving to become a stalwart and powerhouse of Brisbane’s boating scene. But that’s exactly

and customised property and Keith’s son, Greg Nickerson, at the helm, Northside Marine has every right to celebrate its half century in business. To help them do that, we’re letting you know about a bit of the business history, and importantly, about their Birthday Weekend Celebration that’ll be kicking

EXHIBITORS • All State Boat Licensing • Wicked Fishing (Greg Lamprecht) • Brisbane River Fishing (Matty Hubbard) • Switch Bait fishing sun protection shirts and caps • Qld Boating and Fisheries Patrol • Fusion’s ‘Pimped Out’ audio car • Sandgate Hawks’ BBQ • Pine Rivers Fish Management Authority • Jamie Whincup and his car • Pirates of Bermuda Jumping Castle – Kids’ Zone • Coffee Van

With a Kids’ Zone and some talented speakers, it’ll be a great way to learn a heap and keep the kids entertained for a few hours. YAMAHA SUPERTANK FISHING SHOW Ever wondered what the fish see when you’re casting your lures? The Yamaha Supertank gives you a fish-eye view. This spectacular 15m long, transparent mobile fish tank harbours natural habitat and loads of fish. ‘Cookie’ will demonstrate the many types of fishing lures on today’s market, showing you how the fish react to them and the different techniques used by today’s top anglers. All aspects of fishing will be covered, including safety with eyewear and footwear, knife sharpening, electronics

BOATING & FISHING SEMINARS On both Saturday and Sunday, located under cover in the showroom, this is sure to be the hub of excitement for any keen anglers and boaties. With seminars by Greg Lamprecht (Wicked Fishing) on catching red

jumping ship is staffer Ricky Gleeson. He thinks it’ll be arrrrrr-some. TRASH & TREASURE SALE The famous Northside Marine Trash & Treasure Sale is back! Over the years Northside Marine and their suppliers

Whitley and Club Marine have a 30 year plus relationship with Northside and they’ve been a Stacer dealer for 20 years and a Yamaha dealer for over 10. Let’s take a look at some of these partnerships and what they’ll have in the yard on their birthday weekend.

EVENT INFORMATION Date: 18-19 July 2015 Times: 8.30am – 4pm Saturday and 10am to 2pm Sunday. Venue: Northside Marine – 2294 Sandgate Road, Boondall, QLD, 4034. Entry Price: Free! Transport: Plenty of free parking exists around the dealership. It’s a 5 minute walk from North Boondall train station and there’s a bus stop on Sandgate Road just 50m from the front door. what’s happened. With the dealership transcending generations and now housed in its fully off-road

off on the 18th and 19th July, 2015. It’ll be like a boat show – except easy to get to with free parking and free entry.

and great holiday spots. With multiple shows on each day it’s sure to be one thing not to miss.

See the Yamaha Supertank display at the 50th Anniversary festival. emperor and other reefies, Matty Hubbard (Brisbane River Fishing) on fishing in the Brisbane River and surrounds, Ken Thompson on understanding how to use sounders and GPSs and lots more, there’s sure to be a topic of interest to suit you. By the time this gets to print, there’ll be a full timetable on the Northside

accumulate old stock, run out lines and lots more. Located in the large marquee in the car park, this is the spot to score a bargain. With up to 60% off fishing rods, reels, water sports gear, boat parts, accessories, electronics, camping gear, factory seconds, and lots more, it’s going to be action packed… like a school of tuna smashing into bait fish.

Stacer Stacer have kicked some serious goals over the past few years, and with continued improvements in their design and innovation in boating, other brands have really struggled to keep up. Northside will have on display an extensive range of boats from their Stacer’s popular Outlaw,

Life r o f s r e n t Par The national buying group, Bargain Boat Bits, would like to congratulate Northside Marine, Brisbane’s number one marine dealer, as they celebrate a remarkable 50 years in business. Their continuous 50 years in the Queensland boating industry has meant that their motto, “Your boating partners for life!”, is a true indication of the respect each and every customer receives over their boating life. Bargain Boat Bits would not exist had it not been for industry leaders like Greg Nickerson of Northside Marine who, with a group of likeminded individuals, possessed the foresight and determination to establish the Bargain Boat Bits group nearly 25 years ago. Now with 36 outlets Australia wide, Northside Marine remains an important founding member of one of Australia’s largest and most successful marine accessories buying groups. As a Bargain Boat Bits member, Northside Marine has been able to provide their customers with a huge product selection and brands in all things boating available from around the world at the very best prices. Their leading boating parts and accessories store is decked to the brim with every boating bit you could possibly think of. From minor repairs to complete kit-outs, the Northside Marine Bargain Boat Bits accessories store has definitely got their customers covered. Again, congratulations to Greg and his dedicated team for a job well done. We all look forward to working with them over the next exciting 50 years as a Bargain Boat Bits member.

JULY 2015

Kids will love the pirate ship jumping castle. Marine website (www. nsmarine.com.au). KIDS’ ZONE The hub of fun for the kids will be the huge 11m x 7m Pirates of Bermuda Pirate Ship that is set up over the two days. So if you want to chill and check out a few boats or a seminar or two, let the kids have a ball in the Kids Zone. To be frank, possibly the most excited ‘kid’ about the

Can’t make it the first day? Never fear - there’s fresh stock each day. YOUR BOATING PARTNERS FOR LIFE Northside Marine’s proud of their motto – “Your Boating Partners For Life” and although this ethos is directed towards the customer, Northside is very proud of its long association with some of the industry’s leading brands.

ProLine, SeaSprite, SeaWay, BayMaster, EasyRider, and SeaRunner range, which appeal to serious anglers and families alike. The EVO Advance hull not only allows for a softer riding boat, but also improves stability while at rest and underway. Add to this the ever reliable range of Yamaha outboard motors and you have

2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall Qld 4034 one of the best packages that money can buy. Stabicraft Stabicraft, New Zealand’s premier alloy boat manufacturer, have targeted the offshore 6 to 7 metre market with their latest 2050 Supercab and 2400 Supercab models, as well as a facelift to older models. New, slick cabin designs, arrow pontoons and the “game chaser” transom combines with the exceptional stability and safety standards for which Stabicraft are famous the world over. “Adventure with confidence” is the Stabicraft promise and the new models certainly tick all the boxes beside design, quality, craftsmanship, and safety like no other. Be sure to check out the latest models at the festival, and find out more about the all new Stabicraft 1600 Carbon Series. Surtees Surtees is a multi-award winning product out of New Zealand, with Northside Marine taking out the 2015 International Surtees Dealer of the Year. Surtees invented their now patented ‘ballast system’ many moons ago to improve the ride, stability, and safety of their plate alloy hulls. Rough weather in New Zealand created the necessity for under-

floor ballast to give the boat a lower centre of gravity, which in turn improves handling in

Ph 3265 8000 | www.nsmarine.com.au Whittley From the magnificent world of Whittley Boats, we

been left out either, with an impressive range of Axis and Malibus on display at the

festival. From the Malibu Responses - ideally suited to skiing - to the Malibu

Sounder and GPS expert, Ken Thompson will be delivering seminars to help you get the best out of your marine electronics. the worst conditions. Surtees are the brand that all other ballast boats are copied off, and since they were created, Surtees have added many new features to ensure they remain the benchmark by which all others are measured. The Surtees range is a must see at the festival and we guarantee you will be impressed by the latest models all revamped for 2015.

will have on display a superb range of Whittley Cruisers for the cruising aficionados, who enjoy a dash of luxury on the water, as well as the award winning Whittley Sea Legends for those hard-core fisherman, these boats tick all the boxes, but still have the creature comforts of home. Axis and Malibu Wakeboard, wake, surf and ski enthusiasts have not

See Jamie Whincup and his race car at Northside Marine.

Wakesetter VTX which is a great crossover for those wanting a boat to ski and wake behind, right through to the Malibu Wakesetter 23LSV to provide the best wake in the business and the all-new 2015 Wakesetter 22VLX, there is sure to be a boat to suit your needs. These boats are Australian made to the highest level of workmanship and couple this with a great hull design, and optional revolutionary Surf Gate, you will be popping wakes in no time and the envy of all your mates. Yamaha ‘Go the distance’ is what Yamaha’s class leading outboards are all about - featuring class leading power, performance, reliability, innovation and service, Yamahas do ‘Go The Distance’. Check out the extensive range of outboards at the festival and chat with one of our Yamaha specialists, they are happy to help. It’s the best time to buy an outboard with festival savings across the range, including Yamaha 15hp 2-strokes with a 24L fuel tank at their lowest price ever at only $1965! Further, purchase any Yamaha-powered package over the festival and receive Free Yamaha Marine Insurance – terms and conditions apply.

CONGRATULATIONS GREG AND THE TEAM AT NORTHSIDE MARINE

WIN! QFM READERS GET AN EXTRA ENTRY INTO THE NORTHSIDE MARINE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL DAILY PRIZE GIVEAWAYS.

Simply complete the form below and place in the prize barrel on the day and receive an extra entry into the Northside Marine 50th Anniversary Festival Daily Prize Giveways. Hint: Another entry form is available in the Northside Marine Festival Program available on the day. With over $2000 in prizes to giveaway across the two days, it’s definitely worth entering!

Name: _______________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ Suburb: ______________________ Postcode: ____________ Contact Number: ______________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________  Please tick if you do not wish to receive marketing material from Northside Marine. We send out our latest dealership news & special offers to our valued clients approximately six times a year, and do not share our database with anyone. For further information on our privacy policy please contact us.

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JULY 2015

2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall Qld 4034

Ph 3265 8000 | www.nsmarine.com.au

Northside boasts a rich history In 2015, Northside Marine celebrates 50 great years, with the evolution of a small Johnson outboards dealership into one of the largest marine retailers in Australia. Starting from humble beginnings in 1965, Keith and Marlene Nickerson opened a 30 square metre store in Kift Street, Deagon to provide boating parts for local north Brisbane boaties. A year later they took on their first outboard brand, Johnson outboards, which they continued selling for many years. The progression into selling boats and motors was a logical path, as Keith had been sailing and power boating in the local area for a number of years. “Back in those days, there was no invoicing – you had to pay for the goods when you got them, so we sold boats, trailers and motors and put back all of the money into new

Circa 1987 and Northside carries all the bits and pieces you needed to stay on the water and have fun while doing it.

Back in the day, everyone liked a Swinger with a big Johnson.

Northside is proud of its cumulative totals of staff experience. Over 20 years on from this QFM front cover, Bill Hull doesn’t look a day older and the pants are nearly back in fashion!

At the time, this was a huge boat with a twin outboard rig and Keith Nickerson was justifiably proud of it.

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2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall Qld 4034 stocks. That was how you built the business in those days,” Keith said, obviously proud of the where Northside Marine has gone since he sold to his son, Greg. “I’d never taken for granted the customers. If you want to keep a customer for life, you have to look after them for life,” Keith continued. Over the years, Northside has cherished their long term relationship with

many of the industry’s finest suppliers. Companies like Malibu, Glastron, Stabicraft and Surtees have now joined Whittley Cruisers (30 years), Club Marine (30 years), Stacer (20 years), and Yamaha outboards (10 years) in presenting the best boating brands to their clients. Northside’s motto – “Your Boating Partners for Life” – rings true at both ends of the supply chain. While there has been

Ph 3265 8000 | www.nsmarine.com.au some brand changes, the one thing hasn’t changed is that it’s still under the Nickerson family control. Nowadays, under Greg and Trish Nickerson, Northside Marine is located on a purpose built 10,000 square metre dealership only 20 minutes north of the Brisbane CBD in Boondall. It also boasts a 350 square metre boating parts and accessories division, as

well as a modern state-ofthe-art service department. It’s one of the few dealerships – nationwide – that have a full off-road service and buying experience, with on-site parking for the new boats, service and chandlery store. Over the years, the dealership has taken out numerous major national and international awards for customer service and sales. In recent times Northside has been awarded the 2014 Stacer National Dealer of the Year and 2014 National Customer Service Award, 2014 Stabicraft International Dealer of the Year, 2015 Surtees International Dealer

of the Year, 2014/2015 Club Marine Insurance Queensland Supporter of the Year (plus Top 5 and Top 10 Supporter for the past 4 years), 2014 Lowrance/ Simrad Australasia’s Most Improved Dealer, Bargain Boat Bits Dealer of the Year, Furuno Top 5 Retailer of the Year, GME Top 5 Retailer of the Year, to name just a few. Further and a real credit is that many of their 35 staff members have been with Northside Marine for over 20 years, and some for over 30 years. With two father/son teams on deck, their current staff have a total of over 450 years of marine industry experience.

Fishing Monthly took the opportunity to chat with Keith and Greg Nickerson about the history of the business and the secrets to its success. It’s nearly 20 minutes long and you can scan the QR code hereby to watch the full interviews. Scan the QR code to hear the full interviews with Keith and Greg Nickerson.

With multiple changes of locations over the years, Northside has never been afraid of expanding to improve the customer service experience.

Club Marine Congratulates Northside Marine on their 50th Anniversary Club Marine is proud to be associated with Northside Marine, a valued Queensland Platinum Dealer. 50 Years is a magnificent milestone, congratulations to Greg Nickerson and his team.

Years

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Insurance is issued by Club Marine Limited (Club Marine) ABN 12 007 588 347 AFSL No. 236916 as agent of the insurer Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) ABN 115 000 122 850 AFSL No. 234708. Club Marine is a related body corporate of Allianz. Before making a decision, please consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) available by phoning 1300 00 2582.

Fishing Monthly - Northside Marine.indd 1

JULY 2015

18/06/2015 10:40 am

Surtees Boats upgrade

WHAT FISH THINK OF THE SURTEES 850

Award winning alloy fishing boat manufacturer Surtees Boats – sold by Northside Marine - has announced an upgrade to all models in its range. The key change is an increase in fishing space as a result of the company listening to its customers who are asking for more deck space in their favourite models.

As a result of the increase in fishing space and measurement change to LOA, the new model lengths are: 495, 575, 610, 650, 700, 750, 850 and are available in Workmate, Game Fisher and Centre Console models. The popular 5.5 Workmate is still available. These new sizes represent lengths designed

Surtees Boats have been producing award winning vessels for over 20 years, since Neil Surtees made the first Surtees craft in the early 1990s to fish New Zealand’s prolific offshore waters. All models feature Sur t ees s i gnat ur e Non-pounding Super Deep V Hull, Stabilising Ballast Technology, Ultrastrong Deck System and

HATE IT!

All models feature Surtees signature Non-pounding Super Deep V Hull, Stabilising Ballast Technology, Ultra-strong Deck System and unsurpassed quality, contributing to Surtees Boats becoming the most awarded alloy boats and a favourite among anglers in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Surtees Boats have also changed their vessel measurement system to Length Overall (LOA) to bring their measurements inline with requirments of the new strict CE safety standards due in 1 January 2016. LOA is also commonly used in the recreational boating industry internationaly.

to accommodate a wide range of anglers needs and as such replace the current range of lengths as follows: 4.85, 5.8, 6.7, 7.3. All of the upgraded model lengths are already in production and are available to order through Northside Marine, recipients of the Surtees “International Dealer of the Year – 2015”.

unsurpassed quality, contributing to Surtees Boats becoming the most awarded alloy boats and a favourite among anglers in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. You can find more information at the Northside Marine 50th Anniversary Festival or by visiting www. surteesboats.com.

UNLESS YOU’RE A FISH, THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE NEW SURTEES 850. From the signature non-pounding super deep V hull to the stabilising ballast technology and ultra-strong deck system, this Game Fisher is arguably one of the best handling, most stable trailer boats on the market. Surtees Boats have been producing award winning vessels for over 20 years, since Neil Surtees made the first Surtees craft in the early 1990s to fish New Zealand’s prolific offshore waters.

The Surtees 850 Game Fisher. For ﬁsh, it’s game over!

www.surteesboats.com

JULY 2015

ONFIRE150653FM

Mayfair Marine celebrates Mayfair Marine better known as Tinka and Redco Trailers have been working with Northside Marine since the early days of conception. James, Gary and the team at Mayfair Marine would like to congratulate the Nickerson family on the success they have over the last 50 years and look forward to many more successful years to come.

Mayfair Marine contributes their great working relationship with Northside Marine to providing outstanding service and excellent products. Drop in to Northside Marine and talk to the team about the new Tinka alloy trailer series and check out the full range of Tinka and Redco trailers at www.mayfairmarine. com.au. - Mayfair

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Ocean bound with Whittley SL 26 hard top BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The Whittley Sea Legend 26 HT SD Adventure is such a striking boat that it impressed me even before the hull hit the water at Pattersons Lake. Everything about the Whittley Adventure is impressive. From the gleaming stainless bow rails to the high gloss gel coat, and the massive hard top with rear cockpit area extension, the Whittley is a boat that demands attention. On water the Whittley’s renowned tradition of features, comfort, practicality, and attention to detail all blended smoothly and seamlessly together to deliver boaties a vessel that performs as well as it looks. The Whittley’s diesel Volvo Penta inboard

well, featuring a stainless steel drum winch, complete with rope, chain and Delta anchor. Within the lined, well lit, and fully lockable cabin is, full passenger headroom when seated, below berth storage, fridge, stove, fan, table, and toilet and shower. Twin, high-backed, bucket seats provide ultimate comfort and safety for the skipper and first mate, while a massive wiper equipped glass windscreen delivers outstanding visibility. Connected to a solid moulded hard top and featuring side windows, the Whittley’s windscreen ensures optimum visibility and ventilation at any speed and in any conditions. The cockpit features don’t end there, with a LED light bars overhead, LED cockpit lighting, rocket launcher rod racks, and marine radios tucked away

This image gives a good look at the SL26’s stylish hull lines. Touch sounder. Alongside the Raymarine unit was a 12V power outlet, while lower there are switches to control the many functions within the craft including the Fusion sound system.

state-of-the-art Electronic Vessel Control system with its interesting options of cruise, tow, plus other modes, at the skipper’s disposal. In typical Whittley

Sitting front and centre and proud of the dash is the Whittley classy three spoke steering wheel linked to the vessel’s power steering system. The Whittley’s side mounted engine controls featured Volvo Penta’s

tradition the SL 26’s main seats were located on the front of massive storage boxes. These boxes also featured a seat on the rear of the box that allows a couple of passengers to remain close to the cockpit while under way. I was

Top Left: This degree of freeboard makes the Whittley a blue water cruiser with real capacity for work over the horizon. Top Right: The Sea Legend’s graceful lines are easily seen in this shot. Above: The Volvo Penta D4 inboard is a popular choice for larger craft: note the accessibility of many of the features around and on the engine. Right: Powering into a sharp turn the Whittley’s massive hull shows off its well-formed bow. engine further enhances the package delivering outstanding power and performance. FEATURE PACKED LAYOUT At the front of the Whittley’s sleek cuddy cab is a massive anchor 52

JULY 2015

out of the weather and elements. Grab rails for the skipper, side padding for added comfort and security, and handy storage pockets further complement the boats ample list of features. The Sea Legend’s dash layout was impressive, yet

not overblown or flashy. The dash features were numerous and generous, including trim tabs controls, speedo and tachometer, anchor winch controls, and engine start up system nestled either side of a massive Raymarine Hybrid

impressed with the manner in which the moulded seat boxes could be lifted upwards to allow access to the ample storage beneath. One thing that’s never in short supply in a Whittley is storage. COCKPIT FOR FOUR ANGLERS TO WORK Located rear of the forward seating, and sheltered under the hard top’s extended canopy is a well set up, self draining cockpit that provides working room for up to four anglers. The Whittley’s gunwales feature sunken grab rails, padded sides, and massive side pockets that can store anything from fenders through to dive tanks. The side pockets also feature rod storage racks, which include in-hull tip protection for ultimate rod protection and angler safety. A large, plumbed livewell ensures your livebaits are kept alive and kicking, while a pair of rod holders adorned the top of the gunwales. A large underfloor compartment provides a home for your catch, and when combined with a deck wash makes it easy to keep things tidy when fish are coming aboard in quick succession. Additional rod holders were set up on the stylish bait station aft of the engine box, as well as on a stainless rack on the rear of the massive fullwidth marlin board located on the stern of the craft. The marlin board provides a handy place to fish on a warm day, and easily accessed via the vessel’s transom gate. In total there are 13 rod holders on-board providing ample storage

2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall Qld 4034

Ph 3265 8000 | www.nsmarine.com.au

Far Right: Plenty of the SL 26’s main features are visible here, among them paired high backed seats that pamper skipper and mate. Middle Right: Whittley won’t miss an opportunity for storage. Check out the storage space under the forward seats. Right: The Whittley’s massive side pockets come equipped with enclosed rod racks for safe carriage of valuable tackle.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION Length...............................................................7.74m Beam................................................................2.46m Deadrise.............................................................. 23° Weight BMT with stern drive ......................2975kg Fuel....................................................................270L Engine ratings........................................ 200-380 hp Engine fitted.................... Volvo Penta 260 hp diesel Persons ..................................................................6 Towing.................................................... Large 4 x 4

There’s no need for any faux timber on this dash set up: the simple but effective layout says the lot. and facilitating a clear clutter-free work area. DIESEL POWER WISE CHOICE. The cockpit seating consisted of slide-in quarter seats (removed for our test runs), and a very handy seat located on top of the engine box. The seat located on the engine was comfortable and also provided a degree of sound proofing for the Volvo Penta 260 diesel engine tucked into the rear of the craft. The Volvo D4/260 diesel engine is in keeping with growing the trend for

diesel engines on large trailer craft. The reason for their growing popularity is simple. The reasons come down to: limited initial expense, frugality running costs, plus the extra stability imparted to a hull. The Volvo Penta D4, is a 260hp, fresh water cooled diesel inboard purpose-built marine engine by a long standing marine engine manufacturer with decades of reliability and proven capability. The engine features a 3.7L capacity, common rail fuel injection,

A toilet with full headroom is just one of the outstanding features of this excellent Whittley.

and turbo charging. The Volvo Penta engine also features an electronic engine management for optimum efficiency, and is linked wirelessly to the Electronic Vessel Control system located at the helm. The Volvo Penta diesel proved to be quiet, very responsive, and with ample performance. The big rig (with three aboard) planed at 13.17 knots (24.4 km/h) at 2000 rpm, and 22.40 knots (41.5km/h) at 2500rpm. Fuel consumption at these speeds was an impressive

23L/h. When more throttle was applied 28.23 knots (52.3km/h) was achieved at 3000 rpm, while at wideopen throttle 36.71 knots (68km/h) was achieved at 3600rpm. While the Whittley’s speeds were impressive it’s perhaps the fuel consumption that is most noteworthy. At 22.40 knots (41.5km/h), a very useful cruising speed for such a large craft, the frugal diesel was sipping just 23L/h of fuel. With 270L of diesel under the floor

that’s impressive cruising range on hand. I’ll often devote a whole paragraph to a boat’s stability and sea keeping attributes when writing a review, but with the Whittley that many words aren’t required. The Whittley is a large hull, with raft-like stability; the result is a vessel that is unashamedly assured and stable both at rest and on the move. THE WRAP UP The Whittley SL26HT SD Adventure is a remarkable boat in many respects. It really is the boat that has the lot. Starting with an absolutely top shelf finish down to highest possible comfort levels, and outstanding performance. It’s a package that ticks

most, if not all, boxes. A fishing boat with few peers, it’s a boat that is destined to become a favourite with keen anglers. With impressive features and dimensions, excellent sea legs it’s a boat that fails not to impress. The SD Adventure is a true offshore boat or long-range coastal cruiser. With Whittley pedigree underpinning its design and construction it’s also a boat that will hold its value for years to come, ensuring optimum resale price. This boat is also available in an outboard powered configuration. Northside Marine have a Whittley Sea Legend 26 powered by a Yamaha 300hp Four Stroke on a Mackay Trailer and loads of options for $169,995 drive away. Contact Northside Marine on info@nsmarine.com.au or telephone (07) 3265 8000 for further information on these boats. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

Top Left: Convenience, comfort and sheer fish ability are all packed into the Whittley’s big cockpit. Top Right: The Whittley’s deluxe cutting board and rod holder arrangement is designed to make a lot of fishing pursuits just that bit better. Left: Comfort levels within the SL26’s well-appointed cabin are very high, as these features indicate. Right: A very large V berth within the Whittley’s cabin is designed to make those aboard very comfortable. JULY 2015

Straw Prawn challenge BRISBANE

David Mayes

What do you do when a massive low is bearing down over the coast of Far North Queensland over the weekend? There are only so many DVD’s you can watch and the localised flooding that keeps you house bound for 48 hours is enough to drive you berkley! I must admit, I stumbled across this little gem while searching the Internet on how to create soft plastics. I was surprised at the amount of tutorials I found, however one just about leapt out of the screen at me! It is a form of straw art; similar to the ancient Japanese tradition of

Origami, however utilising a simple flexi straw and scissors. Thinking of the run off action in days to come, I immediately thought of turning this straw prawn into a lure so I could test this interesting technique on the tarpon. So down to the shops I walked and bought a pack of 200 hundred straws and away I went! Firstly, this took me about one hour to perfect while I followed an online guide that broke down the process where I could stop, pause, rewind and play the tutorial. About 15 straws later, I started grasping the intricate art form and began turning a simple straw into a prawn imitation with lifelike features such as

WHAT YOU NEED • Small sharp scissors • Strand 20lb or 30lb Mono Leader, approximately 10cm • 1 lighter or matches • 1 safety pin • 1 small split shot sinker • 1 worm hook OPTIONAL EXTRAS • Nail polish/glitter, • Spray paint • Pen legs and feelers. Before you go down to the golden arches and grab a fist full of straws I’d suggest you buy a bulk pack of flexi straws for the small price of a newspaper.

Holding the straw, stretch the straw out so it reveals the flexi segments. Flatten the long length of the straw so it creates two creases.

Again, there are many online tutorials out there so have a go and be creative and take up the challenge! I have had success on a few species already including snake headed gudgeon, tarpon and jungle perch. My goal is to catch a barramundi on one before the season ends. Good luck and never give up!

With your scissors cut down the middle of the straw until you reach the flexi bend. Take one side and cut down the crease line until you reach the flexi bend. You should have three segments.

4 3

With the largest segment at the top, wrap the nearest strip around the top segment on the inside, passing it back through the loop you created, pull down firmly. Repeat on the other side.

JULY 2015

Take both sides and crease backwards on itself pointing up, these will be the legs. Whilst pinching the straw legs up, perform the same loop pattern on the original side. Change sides and repeat, make sure you pinch the leg segment up while you loop, pull down firmly. Repeat this whole step again as this creates the head of the prawn.

Once again bend back the legs and then bend them in to two segments. Take your scissors and divide each side in to four legs. Trim legs to 2.5cm in length. On the front leg create a small nipper.

Flatten the short end of the straw and trim to 1.5cm; this is the tail. On the underside, cut out a triangle, finish by cutting down both crease lines.

On the remaining length segment, divide into five strips, cutting all the way down to the head. The middle section will be the head spike, trim to 2cm in length and cut at angle to create small wedges. The two outer strips on each side will be the long feelers. The two remaining strips will be the smaller inner feelers.

9 8

For the eyes take your safety pin and pierce a hole through the head of the prawn. Pass a 2cm length of the mono leader through the hole.

Using the lighter, burn both ends of the leader to create the eyes. This keeps them in place and looks very realistic. You are finished! It is up to you how you rig your creation; it can be used unweighted as a fly imitation or rigged with a small split shot and jigged.

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www.tacklejunkie.fish JULY 2015

CAPE YORK

Destination Weipa: FIFO camping on the Cape BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

There’s fly in/fly out (FIFO) employment, so why not fly in/fly out fishing? The indisputable highlight of any year’s fishing for the Kampes, is a trip to Weipa on Cape York. I love the isolation of some of far flung fishing areas, the sense of grand adventure, and of course I really love the fishing that’s on offer. Queenies, barra, jack, giant herring, trevally, tarpon. I love ‘em all. The last couple of years has seen us hooking up the 4.3m Bullshark and E-Tec onto the back of the car and drive the 2600km to Weipa. This winter, however, we opted for a ten day FIFO trip, hiring a 4x4 at Weipa, and relying on the gear we took on the plane, and a bit of innovation, for things to work. Which they did. Plane fares and car hire are nothing more than a click of a key pad these days: sorting out the right gear for the job requires a bit more thought, and

All the gear and the means of carrying it. Keeping it short and sweet ensures that a FIFO trip works. keeping it simple and sticking to a system is the way to go. BAGGAGE REQUIREMENTS Along with my take-aboard back pack loaded with my camera and some extra clothing in it, I rely on a cricket bag plus an esky for transportation of camping

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and fishing gear. The esky requires an additional baggage allowance, which is easily arranged. Bulky but softer items plus rod tubes go in the cricket bag, most fishing gear, sharps and the like go in the esky. That’s the easy bit of the plan, then comes the selection of the right amount of ‘gear’ for the job. QUICK CAMPING THE KAMPEY WAY Warning! I tend to be a bit basic in my outlook here, tending to trade convenience over comfort so you might like to do things differently. And don’t forget baggage allowance if exceeded is mighty expensive. A lightweight two person dome tent was first, along with its fly. A handy hint, make sure the chosen tent has plenty of air flow to allow a cool breeze to circulate at night. In the north it can still be 23ºC at 9pm at night, so airflow is essential for a comfortable night’s sleep. A roll out

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essential as the mozzies up in The Cape are merciless. LIGHT UP THE NIGHT To minimise insect attacks I relied on Korr Lighting’s 50cm long white or orange LED light bar. We definitely noticed a reduction in these pests when using the orange mode with its 490 lumens output via the unit’s dedicated dimmer. Note there is also 690 lumens available in white light mode, and a 3m cord makes usage easy via a standard vehicle in- dash plug. I also packed a Korr LED KT6 rechargeable torch with a 520 lumens output for night use if necessary. The torch is also vehicle rechargeable and comes with a belt pouch, a nifty innovation indeed. Once you touch down in Weipa and have collected your bags and

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self-inflating mattress was also in the cricket bag along with a light fly over for some shade. I also threw in cheap cloths line to secure the fly. Next was a portable (roll out) camping table that suited well for a couple to enjoy a feed while seated on the esky. I have lightweight cutlery for these trips, a frying pan with folding handle and a Trangia cooker and utensils kit for a cook up and cuppa. Also in the cricket bag were twin rod tubes, with a Korr light bar and fly rod in one, and a four piece Daiwa rod in the other, plus leader material, gloves, and other fishing kit that can be easily stored. Clothing also went into the bag along with footwear and a couple of Adapt A Caps. Long clothing after dark is

Top: Camping slightly rough, but it worked well on our recent trip. Above: Shore based fishing works a treat at Weipa.

CAPE YORK

Left: A great camping spot for the FIFO angler. Right: Cosy as can be, just enough room and lots of mesh to keep air flowing in and mozzies out. hire car the first port of call is the grocery store in town to pick up food supplies, and a couple of cardboard boxes to house the contents of the esky once you put your food and drinks in there. A camping come tackle store and news agency is located next to Woolworths in the shopping mall at Weipa, and are both worthy places to visit before hitting the

road out of town. As an aside it’s not a bad idea to spend the first night at the Weipa Caravan Park, next to the town shopping centre, and then head out from there to enjoy the area’s fishing. TACKLE TALK At home, I always seem to pack my fishing equipment first. An admitted fly fishing tragic, along with our four piece

TFO Mangrove fly rod and TFO 375 fly reel I also packed a Daiwa four piece threadline outfit. I did this on my last trip to ensure we secured a fish for dinner. My chosen outfit was a 4-7kg, four-piece Daiwa Black Sniper 703MHFS rod teamed with a Daiwa Ballistic 3000H reel loaded with 20lb braid. This combo saw some serious action at times scoring big

queenies and both barra and jacks. Flyfishing is good fun, but sometimes one needs to fish well past fly casting range. One memorable scenario went something like this. We’d had curried queenfish for dinner the past two nights. We weren’t queen-fished out, but close to it. Sure enough there were queenies right along the shore line again and

within easy fly range, but a set of rocks around 40m out had some interesting looking swirls, interspersed with the odd boof, around the outskirts. A Maria 11g jerkbait went onto the Ballistic 3000’s leader and two casts later it was barra for dinner. Beauty! In all, the minimal amount of tackle and gear we carried certainly worked for us, so if you

are contemplating a trip to Weipa and are somewhat time poor give a bit of thought to a FIFO trip. If anything it’ll make for a great experience. Remember that entering some areas requires a permit, pack plenty of sun smart clothes and sunscreen, and don’t forget the repellent for the insects. I’ll have more on the finer points of a trip next month.

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CAPE YORK

Prepping for the Cape GOLD COAST

Mark Ward barra09@live.com.au

The annual visit to Cape York is a highlight of the yearly fishing calendar and

getting there is the most challenging but rewarding experience of the trip. Not only is there the drive across 1000km of dirt, gravel, corrugations, creek crossings and old wooden bridges in the 4WD, but

One of the old wooden bridges that is still in use on the Cape.

if you’re reading this magazine, there is most probably a boat in tow too. This article relates to my annual visit to Cape York and how my mates and I choose to set up our cars and boats for the trip. Our set ups can be adapted to any off road or long trip where the local RACQ depots are few and far between. I have been visiting Cape York for over 20 years and lived on the Cape for a few years, so I have spent more time travelling the corrugated roads up there than most. This year, I made the journey with a few mates including fellow Fishing Monthly writers, Jason Ehrlich and Jason Medcalf. I drove up with my tinnie strapped to the roof while Jason Ehrlich towed his Polycraft. Whether you tow or load up the 4WD, there are a few tricks that will help both car and boat arrive in one piece. PREPARING THE VEHICLE It almost goes without saying but the roads up north are not kind to old, worn-out vehicles and parts. Tyres and suspension have to be able to tolerate hours

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The wide graded Peninsula Developmental Road gets more corrugated as the season goes on. of corrugations. The roads are nowhere near as bad as they used to be and every year they seem to get better, but there are still sections that will rattle the fillings out of your teeth. I don’t recommend using mud terrain tyres unless you are doing some mud work on weekends. Mud tyres are terrible in the sand because they tend to dig in and a lot of trips to the Cape end on the beach so a good all-terrain tyre is the best choice. I’ve also tried using the top shelf, hardcore shock absorbers and found them no better than the standard, good quality shock absorbers. Diesel Field Services in Weipa is owned by Jayson Keogh who services a lot of damaged vehicles limping into town and straight into his shop. Jayson repairs a lot of vehicles that have had a stone or some other foreign object puncture the cooling system. He has stated to me before that by the time the vehicle starts to serge and the over heating light comes on, the damage is done. For this reason, Jayson recommends an audible alarm for the engine temperature. He also stipulates that clean air, oil and fuel is vital so new filters and a spare air filter is recommended. Jayson fits a number of secondary fuel filters that filter out water better than the standard filters due to the issue of dirty fuel on the Cape, so this is also worth considering. BOATS AND TRAILERS Trailers do not have to be anything special as I have travelled thousands of kilometres of corrugated roads with standard trailers but they have all been new trailers in perfectly good condition. I wouldn’t take a poorly or lightly built trailer to the Cape but a quality standard trailer is fine. Jason Ehrlich used a tandem axle trailer and towed a 5m centre console without any trouble so, just

like your car, the trailer just has to be ready for the trip. I always let my trailer tyres down to 24psi to help with the corrugations and use a stone guard to avoid damaging the hull. Jason had a stone guard across the back of his ute, however, a stone guard built onto the

trailer works just as well. Due to travelling to locations where there are no ramps and very poor river access, I have been taking my Blue Fin roof topper up north and relying on mates to take me out fishing the reefs. Being so top heavy and also having a

Prepping the outboard for the dust.

Stone guards are needed with over 1000km of gravel road to get to Weipa and back.

CAPE YORK car loaded with fishing and camping gear, equipment such as tyres and roof racks have to be up for the job. I use an all terrain, light truck, off-road tyre that easily handles the load I carry and have a 200kg load rating on my roofrack, which easily accounts for my 55kg tinnie. A good set of ratchet straps to make sure the boat doesn’t move and ensuring the roof rack is secure will keep everything where it needs to be.

on sealed roads. The most obvious difference is the loss of traction, especially on the marble shaped gravel of Cape York. During the dry season, road tech crews maintain the roads and put signage up to warn drivers about rough sections and, unlike ‘rough surface’ signs you might see on city roads, the signs must be taken seriously up north. Expect washed out sections of road or gravel creek beds that are known to take out the suspension of 4WDs

keep drivers informed on approaching passing sections so keep your distance to avoid filling air filters with dust until it’s safe to pass. Keep head lights on so that you can be seen through the dust and keep a lookout for cattle, especially around Coen. Dust holes are not really a problem these days but every now and again they can be an issue. Dust holes tend to drag the car to one side and overcorrecting this can also

Jason Ehrlich and his Polycraft made the trip to Weipa. The stone guard on the rear of the ute protects the hull and having a spare can get you out of trouble.

back of my Patrol with snatch strap, tarp, rope, tree protector and gloves in it. This stops me having to go through the car to get my recovery kit out. A quality winch is also a must as the Old Telegraph Track changes every year and I have been there when the only way out of some creeks is to winch. So there is nothing to be frightened about and a quality 4WD coupled with some precautions and common sense is all you need. Unless you are heading down the Old Telegraph Track, a standard 4WD such as a Patrol or Land Cruiser will do the job in comfort. Even small SUV such as an X-Trail will handle the main roads of the Cape but if you’d like to explore, you’ll need something a bit tougher. A little bit of bush mechanic skill will also help. Coen, Weipa and Bamaga all have mechanics if repairs are needed with spares available at Weipa and Bamaga. Fuel is not a problem but nothing is open during the night. There are even plenty of roadhouse food stops with the Archer River Roadhouse burgers being the best on the Cape. It’s a great trip and a must for all 4WD and fishing enthusiasts.

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Detachable Battery Strapping the boat down well is a must. A roof rack that takes the load is also vital and the saddlebag on the spare tyre is handy for storing recovery gear. Jason covered all water and air intakes of his outboard with plastic wrap to keep all the dust out. One trick that I use is to buy a big 300m rolls of cling wrap and cover the hull and engine in the entire 300m of plastic. This may sound like overkill but after a full day of driving on the dirt and cutting off the plastic to reveal a clean boat is so fantastic. DRIVING ON THE CAPE Driving on the dirt is very different to driving

that hit them too fast. Dust is a major issue up north and passing cars on the dirt is made very dangerous due to the dust making it impossible to see what is coming the other way. There are regular sealed passing zones on the road to Weipa as well as the road to Bamaga. The Old Telegraph Track is the only exception but unlikely you’ll be able to pass anyone on the Telegraph Track as this road is never maintained. Regular roadside signage

cause problems. Dust holes are normally well signed by the road tech guys so they shouldn’t catch you by surprise. The Peninsula Developmental Road and the Old Telegraph Bypass roads are constantly maintained and recovery gear is rarely needed. However, if tackling the Old Telegraph Track, recovery gear needs to be kept handy. I have a bag which I refer to as my saddle bag that hangs off the spare tyre on the

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A pearler of a month RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

We have been copping a bit of a hammering with the weather, but have still managed to squeeze in a few trips offshore. OFFSHORE We have taken every opportunity the weather has

allowed us to breathe the salt air in and get an arm stretching, and the fishing has been brilliant. We have had a good run of snapper with a lot around the 3-4kg mark. Both plastics and floater baits are working well. There have been plenty of other reefies on the chew and it’s a pretty easy task to fill an esky with lots of

parrot, hussar, pearl perch and Moses perch. Live yakkas have been an enticing bait to the odd red emperor and some big cod. ON THE BEACH The beach has been fishing well. My daughter and I recently took advantage of the crisp late afternoon weather and an outgoing tide. Armed with light fishing gear

July is a good month for pearlies.

There are plenty of big cod to be had on live bait.

and beach worms we caught ourselves a bucket full of whiting and quality bream in no time at all, from the gutter in the swimming area at Rainbow Beach. A few chopper tailor have also made an appearance in

the deeper gutters to the north of the swimming area. July is smack-bang in the middle of our prime fishing months. If the weather behaves and sticks to its usual winter pattern we should see a good run

of pearl perch, snapper and some big reds. • To enjoy a day on the water with Keely Rose Fishing Charters phone Ed Falconer 0407 146 151 or visit www. keelyrosefishingcharters .com.au.

Hervey Bay winter bonanza for the brave HERVEY BAY

Scott Bradley marlin81@bigpond.com

The crisp winter mornings make it hard to get out of bed at the moment, that is unless it’s to go fishing. The cooler weather has really kicked the spawning fish in to gear and my local grounds are finally producing big fat female bream. Usually the bigger girls come after the run of mid sized males and female around 30cm, and we are now seeing a lot more fish over 35cm feeding on the flats. The winter whiting are in full swing and the familiar sight of large groups of

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boats following the schools around Point Vernon reveal where the fish are biting are in abundance. Squid, yabbies and prawns are the most popular baits, while bloodworm style plastics also work well. Most anglers swear by using red tubing above their hook to attract attention amongst all the other boat’s offerings, and if you have seen how close the boats fish together standing out from the crowd is a good thing. Catches of over a hundred fish per boat are common. Just remember to only take what you need, and keep in mind you have to clean them all when you get home. The beacons and channel markers fish well during the winter months for a variety of bottom dwelling and pelagic

species. Fish fresh, live baits, plastics and metals fishing on the bottom and mid water while put you in the zone to catch mackerel, trevally, cobia, tailor, squire, grunter, cod, and sweetlip to name a few. Snapper are well and truly here and have moved in on our local reefs to feed. The outer banks, Moon Ledge and the Arty are all worth a try on baits and plastics. Out wider The Gutters/25fathom Hole and the Coral Patch are producing good numbers of 3-6kg snapper, coral bream, spanglies, hussar, moses, reds, scarlets and parrotfish. My last trip out to the gutters was the first for a long time without being sharked, so let’s hope it continues through winter.

A nice spangled emperor caught while chasing snapper.

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Phil James p_j_james@bigpond.com

In last month’s column we looked at the stretch of beach from Hook Point as far north as Dilli Village. Once the centre of Fraser Island’s mineral sand industry, Dilli Village now serves as an excellent camping and accommodation centre as part of the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Research and Learning Centre. Heading north, it’s an easy 7km stretch of beach to Eurong. The multitude of small gutters of the more southern beaches give way to a more typical ocean beach with lots of the features we anglers look for. At Eurong there’s a huge range of accommodation options, both within the resort complex and the many privately owned units. It’s also well worth stopping by the wellappointed store, bakery and coffee shop. You can get fuel here but don’t expect mainland prices. The restaurant associated with the resort has developed a very good reputation. From Eurong, inland roads lead to popular tourist attractions like Lake Birrabeen, Central Forestry Station, Pile Valley and Lake McKenzie. Back on the beach and not far north of Eurong, you can see the first of many coffee rock exposures. Here, One Tree Rocks spends most of its time hidden under metres of sand. Only twice in the last 20 years have I seen it exposed, the most recent in 2014. Coffee rock exposures can make

travelling the ocean beach difficult, particularly on the higher tides. Further north, outcrops start to become more numerous with many being sighted within the rapidly changing gutters. At Poyungan Rocks, 16km north of Eurong, it’s often necessary to take the bypass around the rocks. Coffee rocks are excellent fish-attracting features. As well as attracting baitfish, they produce an environment suited to a number of species not always seen on the ocean beach. These include the sombre and netted blubberlips, Maori sea perch and Moses perch. Tarwhine and bream, although also common on the ocean beach, are usually in bigger concentrations over the rocks. Some of the most consistent whiting fishing is to be had around the coffee rock edges. Mulloway also like to frequent the rock structures, and are sometimes taken during the day. After dusk it is usual for them to move into the inner gutters to feed. At Poyungan Rocks and a little further north at Poyungan Valley there are more excellent accommodation options. Another 10km of beach driving takes us to Yidney Rocks, also well known for its accommodation units almost right on the beach. There are more coffee rock outcrops around Yidney, and these extend as far as Happy Valley. It is usual for some of the most reliable features to be found here. I recall a single gutter just north of Yidney, a few years ago, producing

big catches of tailor every day for two weeks. Happy Valley, the second town of the ocean beach, also has lots of accommodation available. There is also a shop, restaurant and fuel supplies. During the last two months there have been many reports of permit being taken along the ocean beach. Locally known as snub-nosed dart or oyster crackers, these great sportfish are best known to fly fishers sight targeting them over the shallow flats in some of the world’s most idyllic locations. For many anglers this is the Holy Grail of sportfish. Fraser Island’s ocean beach doesn’t lend itself to sight fishing because the breaking waves prevent you from getting a clear view. However, judging by the numbers of permit caught here accidentally, you have to wonder just how many of these fish patrol the shallows of Fraser’s ocean beach. From what we know about the feeding preferences of permit, they might well be hunting pipis that wash out of the beach and into the break under certain conditions. Most permit are taken here on pipis or worms by anglers targeting dart or whiting. The 85cm fish photographed was taken by an angler fishing for mulloway after dark, baiting with a big bunch of sea worms. As I write the anticipated tailor season is making a slow start. Although we have had some decent offshore breezes we probably need a strong westerly to blow for a few days. This is

This 85cm snub-nosed dart (permit) was taken at Poyungan rocks by Peter Kidston. usually what’s needed to bring the baitfish inshore. See that happen and we will soon see the tailor. HERVEY BAY Hervey Bay inshore waters have seen enough action to keep most anglers happy, but we probably need to get into the depths of winter to see cold water species like snapper, bream and diver whiting really deliver. Diver whiting have been quite plentiful offshore from Gatakers Bay but the usually reliable flats off the southwestern end of Woody Island have been disappointing. The Mary River downstream from about Beaver Rock is still producing king salmon, with a few blue salmon coming in as well. Bream have been patchy, with the best catches coming in from Beaver Rock and South Head. Next month we will return to our journey up the east coast of the island, by which time I expect the tailor to be well settled into their season.

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Old mate on fishing forums needed someone to go out off Double Island, and invited interested persons to get in touch. He gave a very broad summary of what sort of interested person he was willing to put up with. I’m not sure of the issues that face forum fanatics with regard to anti-discrimination legislation, but I imagine you are not allowed to veto anyone based on their religion, sexuality, ethnicity or state of origin. If the last one is included it bloody well shouldn’t be. Anyway, it got me thinking about what sort of human being I would allow on my boat and found it surprisingly easy to describe. Firstly, that person must support the right footy teams. I reckon I could cope with a quick offshore trip with an AFL or soccer (yes, that’s right, not football… soccer!) supporter, but having a cockroach fan on board would test the number of life jackets on board, especially in the all important May to July period. I would feel OK about a Force or Rebels fan on the deck, mainly because between those two teams there’s usually one win per

weekend. Unless they play each other… And I’m not worried if anyone’s a basketball, or volleyball fan, but would definitely be ok with a Firebird’s fan coming on board, or even a Firebird’s player. That’s creepy actually, sorry. Smokers and drinkers would obviously be fine, otherwise none of the Dudds would ever make it over the gun whales. There’s something very relaxing about lighting up a durry while waiting for a lively to go off, but at my age I have learnt that it might be an oxygen alert that goes off rather than the Shimano ratchet, so the durries have had to be shelved. But like I said, shipmates would be welcomed, as long as they stayed downwind. With Doughers, that downwind thing has a couple of other advantages as well. Not being a drinker, it can be a bit frustrating watching someone else tie one on with cold beer after cold beer during a full day in a steaming hot jack hole in central Queensland. The Dudds seem to enjoy it, but it’s beyond my ken. I just end up with more gas than a Chinchilla waterhole. It does have positives though, being a non-drinker. Watching someone recovering from that session

at a Central Qld jack hole makes you feel relatively healthy and the first beer they have the next day it seems like they are not only in a jack hole, but they’re sucking on one as well. But a Dudd’s stamina is legendary, and in one of those developmental or evolutionary hurdles that would give David Attenborough a raging hubert, the time spent recovering from the last session is often spent developing the next one, which repeats itself ad nauseam until the end of the week. The final recovery is often done at the first day back at their work, so unfortunately I don’t get to watch that. So I’m easy to please really: smoker/non smoker, drinker/non drinker, male/ female/blues supporter... doesn’t matter much to me. The only thing I insist on is a bad fisher. I’d hate to have the help catching more than me. Why do you think I go fishing with the Dudds so often? They’re the only people I know that are worse than me with a fishing rod. And that might have something to do with their alcohol intake while they’re fishing with me. So what if I provide them with free beer? I get a fishing mate, they save money. It’s called a win/win!

FISHING FILL-ITS

New Mackay marine dealer Exciting news for Marine customers in Mackay, Redline Motosports is now a Marine dealer. Today Redline Motosports takes over Shane Morrison Marine, bringing Stacer boats, Honda Marine and Evinrude outboards to the Mackay dealership. Already a well respected motorcycle dealership, Redline Motosports are excited to enter the marine industry. Shane Morrison is coming along to be workshop manager, bringing with him years of experience and extensive knowledge. Customers of Shane Morrison Marine will be pleased that he is staying in the business, as is Redline Motosports. The experience Shane has is invaluable to Redline Motosports and to marine customers in general. Redline Motosports will be taking Stacer boats, along with Honda and Evinrude motors, to the Mackay Boat show this weekend, 13 and 14 June. Over the coming week, Redline Motosports will undergo some noticeable

changes, passers by will soon see the great range of Stacer Boats lined up outside the dealership. A visit inside the dealership will treat marine customers

Lifestyle Centre for the people of Mackay. Come and see the team from Redline at the Mackay boat show, or drop into the dealership in

to a great range of parts and accessories as well. To go along with Redline’s amazing range of bikes and ATV’s from Honda, Triumph, Polaris, Royal Enfield, MV Agusta, EBR, Victory, Indian and Husqvarna, The marine brands’ addition creates Redline Motosports as a

Grandview Drive Mount Pleasant for a great deal on Stacer boats, Honda Marine outboards or Evinrude outboards. Redline Motosports, Mackay’s newest Marine Dealer, looks forward to seeing you in store soon. You can follow Redline Motosports on Facebook. JULY 2015

Strive for winter barra hook up success GLADSTONE

Craige Floyd

What a great seasonal change the last week of autumn and first week of winter was, with stunning still conditions, flat seas and cloud-free skies. This gave a lot of anglers the opportunity to shoot out to the reefs and get a bit of a pre fish in before the Boyne Tannum Hook up. Unfortunately the wind didn’t stay down and did blow up for the last 2 days of the competition. However, that

didn’t stop the fish hitting the weigh in station, with 25kg Spanish, 11kg red emperor and 19kg mulloway being the biggest of the fish hitting the scale. In the live category saw just under 800 fish consisting of bream, whiting flathead, grunter and mangrove jack. Although it’d cooled down quite a bit, there were also a few barra being entered in the form of photo and release, with the biggest going 119cm. My hook-up session was spent on the Calliope fishing out of the kayak all day with a mate, it was slow fishing with a combined total of 5 bream

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up to 37cm, one barra at 68cm and one mangrove jack at 42cm, all on lures. No prizewinning fish unfortunately. As we move further into winter, blue threadfin salmon are showing up in promising numbers in the Calliope, commonly being caught on prawns at night. The odd flathead and whiting have also made it into the bag. Good numbers of bream up to 38cm have been caught in the Boyne at Benaraby Bridge on prawns as well. On the inshore reefs, there have been captures of spotted mackerel, squire, coral trout and tuskies and further out wide there have been Spanish mackerel, red-throat, spangle emperor, hussar, trout, red emperor and cobia hitting the decks. PANCAKE TRIP Recently I went on a camping trip to Pancake Creek for the first time and was really impressed with how nice the area is. Living here in the Gladstone region for the past couple of years, I don’t know why it took me so long to check it out. The fishing wasn’t too bad considering the wind was up, we fished up a feeder creek, with most of us using soft plastics resulting in a variety of fish being caught such as grunter, bream, flathead and cod. I also managed a school mackerel at 58cm out in the mouth on a trolled hardbody.

But the great capture of the trip were the crabs, settingpots way up the feeder creeks we let them soak overnight and returned in the morning to check them. Out of 6 pots we got 21 crabs, all were over legal size and the strange thing was there was not one female crab. Access is via Eurimbula National park off Turkey Beach Rd, and a 4WD is

required to gain access to the bush ramp. The ramp is on a tidal creek, and for boats over 12ft, I recommend launching at half full tide. Take it steady heading down the creek, as there are plenty of sand and gravel bars to be cautious of plus the odd prop breaking rock. Once down near the mouth there are a few sandy stretches to camp on (permit

required and no open fires), you will find that this area is a popular anchorage on those windy days with the yatchties, and the main channel is approximately 5-10m deep with sandy and rocky bottom (which you can catch legal sized reef species off). So if you’re going to visit Pankcake, have fun, take your rubbish and look after the place.

Mitch Evans with a winter barra caught on a Bloodworm SP.

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Well we are now deep into winter and the cold nights and clear days have really dropped the water temperatures. This brings on a real change in species and opportunities that, as keen anglers, we should all try to get out and experience. I have written many times before that this time of the year is the best chance of stable weather, which helps to get those smaller boats out onto the closer offshore reefs and rubble patches. The snapper have started biting on the closer reefs with dusk and dawn being prime time to get amongst the better size models. During the day the smaller snapper or squire are in good numbers on most reefs but if you persist in these same spots when the sun starts to sink, try putting some big baits down a berley trail and hang on as the better snapper go very hard. There has also been some great sweetlip being caught on those big baits

and if you’re like me I prefer a good feed of sweetlip over a feed of snapper any day. My preferred bait fishing rig for fishing our inshore reefs is very simple, it’s just a beefed up whiting rig. I use 20lb braid mainline, which I tie on a 40lb mono leader onto using an FG knot (you can look that one up on YouTube, it’s an awesome knot). I then slide on either a ball sinker or a bean sinker, the size depends on the run, I then tie on a black 50lb swivel, and then another short length of mono before attaching my hook. It does look like a heavyduty version of a whiting rig and it works well for me, especially when targeting sweetlip with full pilchards or whole baby squid. The rig lets the bait waft around naturally rather than being anchored to the bottom. While you’re out the front, make sure you keep your eye out for birds as this time of the year there are usually many schools of feeding pelagic fish. The birds are a dead give away when they are diving and swooping down to the surface, this means the tuna or mackerel have forced the baitfish together and pushed them to the surface to make

it easier for them to pick off. This is the best time for you to target them as they are in feeding mode, you just have to watch which way they are pushing the baitfish, which is usually into the wind. If you get your boat in their path, wait until you’re in casting distance then send out a metal slice, let it sink for a second then wind as fast as you can. This is a great way to catch fish, but it is physically demanding, you can make it a bit easier by using a reel with a high gear ratio, perhaps up around 6-7:1 will really

make it easier to get that slug moving at high speed. In the rivers there has been some great whiting and bream being caught with the Burnett, Elliott and the Baffle having good reports of both species. Again, it is that late afternoon bite that seems to be when the bigger models are coming out to play. The humble yabby is, as always, the gun bait but there are few keen lure fishers that have been getting into these species using small blades on light tackle.

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Back in black for winter YEPPOON

Scott Lynch ifishcq2@bigpond.com

Black jew are abundant as we head into winter and as the days get cooler their numbers only seem to get better. BLACK JEW The new and full moon will always produce the best

number of fish although anytime you go to places like The Pinnacles or Cape Manifold the chance of a black yew is always on the cards. In the shallow water around here they can put up a great fight, testing your gear out pretty well and exposing anything not up to scratch. Frozen squid and pilchards are the easiest baits to get and consistent fish catchers. But the best baits of

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all is bait caught in the same hole as the black jew you are chasing. A lot of the spots that black jew hold on will have ribbonfish, greenback herring, squid and pike during the day, and all make perfect baits. We go early in the afternoon to stack the esky with baits and then turn them into fillets for the freezer before heading home in the evening. MACKEREL MAYHEM The mackerels are going well at present and the fish captured lately are of a consistently bigger size than the warmer months. The bigger tides are the go for places like Liza Jane and Conical and spots like Manifold and Flat seem to work any time. The rubble reef patches all the way out, and the shoals themselves hold huge quantities of Spanish, and on some days it is almost impossible to miss out on a good feed. It makes it hard to believe more fish aren’t taken than the captures reported. The best tip is a high tide before lunchtime, a 10 x 4 is a good day. That is a 4m high at 10am. Most guys like the run in tide for Spanish mackerel. The good thing about Spaniards is that they are up for taking lures or baits presented in lots of different ways. Fast retrieved

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Mark Thompson caught this trout on soft plastics. Flashas and Taipans work a treat. The idea is to cast out as far as you can and let the jig sink for as long as you are game before starting the long high speed wind back in. The longer the lure is in the water, the more chance of a fish climbing all over it. Spanish aren’t always up high in the water so this is a good method to locate them and draw the school towards the boat. Spanish often start near the surface on sunrise and go deeper as the sun gets higher in the sky throughout the day. TIME TO TROLL Trolling extra deep lures is another favourite method. I hear a lot of guys asking how come they use the right lures but still can’t get the mackerel to grab the lure. They are most probably trolling too slow. Lures work best as fast as they can be towed before popping the surface. You then back off on the throttle until the lure takes again. Ideally it should be around 10-12km/h. I prefer lures these days because it saves a lot of work catching and rigging baits. You also get the benefit of covering more country over a given time because you can’t tow a big bait anywhere near the same speed as a lure. Last but not least is the floater. Anything from pilchards to iodines look good to a Spaniard suspended 3m under a float. The advantage of this is you save on fuel and you can bottom bash while the floater is doing its job. This also gives the opportunity to lay out a berley trail to bring the mackerel to your bait. GRUNTER Some of the further grunter spots are fishing well lately and many of the local anglers have been reaping the benefits. They are at their best on the rising tides around the full moon or the new moon. We have had an exceptional run for the past few years, and it shows no sign of droping off in 2015. The Barge, The Pinnacles, Cape Manifold, The Rama, Mystery Reef, Quartz, Findlay’s and Cape Capricorn

are the better grunter locations in our region. Pilchards are the best all round bait for grunter, either cocktailed with squid, or with the head and tail cut off. Grunter don’t always feed directly on the bottom and if there are bait schools on the patch they may be up to a 1m above the bottom on a slow moving tide. The hook size is not that important, except when things are quiet and the need for a smaller better hidden hook is required. 3/0 to 5/0 suicide hooks are perfect for grunter, and they will be strong enough for the nannygai and snapper that feed in the same areas. When the grunter don’t bite and you can see them on the fish finder try jigging 75-100mm plastic vibes. This can often get one or two of them to strike and trigger the rest of them into some action. Out comes the berley bomb if all else fails. Fish scraps and pilchard pieces mashed with equal amounts of old bread works really well. Grunter will use every feature in the area to avoid doing too much work in a current. They sit in spots out of the main flow and only venture out for a feed or wait for the feed to come to them. At one of our local grunter hot spots you can see them on the sounder stacked up in rows on the leading edge pressure wave of the wreck. We anchor back from the wreck and use light sinkers to drift the baits down to them with the current. One of our crew took his underwater camera to scope the spot, and the footage showed that the older grunter fishing tactic of using big leads straight down does not work as well as the lighter rig. THE SNAPS ARE COMING BACK Snapper have slowly come back into the shallow waters after the promising signs in recent weeks. It usually takes a cold snap to bring them right in close and that hasn’t happened yet. The reefy patches from 20m and deeper are the best spots at present. By the end

of the month with a cold spell expected they should come into feed in the shallow spots like Conical, Outer, Forty Acre and Ross Reef. Bream, whiting, flathead and trevally are the pick of the estuary fish for numbers this month, although there are still barramundi about if you try. Live baits seem to be doing the trick for most of the decent barras caught lately. We went for a run up into the fresh water this week to look for new areas to fish. Having never been up there before, it was a real eye opener. The amount of fish holding country is amazing and the amount of fish shows on the sounder has made us want to hit the same areas when it gets warmer. I have marked lots of features from deep rocks to very large fallen timber in holes that had loads of big fish holding on them. Over winter is a good time to explore the local waterways for future fishing opportunities instead of losing fishing time when the fish are on the bite. SEEING RED Red fish again dominated the bottom catches as big red emperor and nannies are all about and willing to play. Sweeties, trout, parrot and redthroat make up the average bag for most of the offshore fishers. Grunter, black jew and cobia have also been on the menu for the guys fishing the closer grounds. Muddies have been showing up in many of the local creeks on the rising tides. They may not be as strong on the dropping tides, although it will still be worth throwing in a pot or two while you are having a fish. Bream, flathead, whiting, trevally, blue salmon, king salmon and grunter featured in most of the recent estuary reports, and if the wind is strong these are always a good option for those wanting to wet a line. There are also a few barra about, but you need to work to find them. Reports Coorooman Creek and Port Alma are that live baits are the go-to method for catching them.

Cold cuts on offer in July ROCKHAMPTON

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

The weather up here has been great for fishing with the cold not really hitting until the middle of June. This has made for great days on the water and excellent angling. The cold water has created a variety of opportunities from awesome early morning flats fishing for estuary species to big barra congregating in patches of warm water. The bream are firing up in the narrows, flathead are grouping

A few keen anglers have also been live baiting off the jetties and pontoons producing great results on the king salmon. A great number of blue salmon have been found around the rubble and mud flats around the mouth of the river, the move to these areas suggests that the salmon are getting ready for spawning season. As they prepare to spawn the salmon will feed up on prawns and smaller crustaceans, and it’s for this reason that they’re in good numbers at the mouth. The barramundi are still active, especially following a few days of un-winter-

around the Keppel Group have producing plenty of mackerel on barra sized hard bodies and barra tackle. The amount of baitfish getting around here is unreal at the moment. I am predicting some great things from the Keppel Group this season and cannot wait to see what some people pull in. ESTUARIES The estuarine regions have been fishing very well for almost every species. The bream and flathead fishing in particular should ramp as we move deeper into winter. There’s been a real increase in anglers opting to go the light tackle A nice fish taken by Ben on a Savvy series rod.

Ben Wyvill releases a barra to fight another day. together in the river mouths and whiting are in about in numbers. What more could an angler ask for? FRESH WATER REGIONS The freshwater areas around town have been very active considering the cool water. So far winter has not been as cold as normal so the freshwater should still fire around sunset after it’s had a chance to warm up with the daytime heat. This is great news for landbased anglers that love fishing the lagoons in the afternoons. 3-5” soft plastics are definitely the go-to and some keen local anglers have certainly been able to pull some nice fish from the tree lines once the water has heated up during the day. THE FITZROY The river has been fishing well for many anglers and a lot of people have been catching quality fish. It certainly shows that persistence pays off. A lot of the fish as per usual have been taken between the bridges up in the city reaches, especially on low tide when many anglers walk the rocks to fish the pockets of water left over.

like warm weather. The barra have been falling to hard bodies trolled against the tide and vibes casting around the rocks. Heading to The Narrows can be quite good this time of year as well-known winter bread and butter species such as grunter and flathead become more active. There are also quite a few spots to target barra and salmon up in The Narrows which help make for a great day fishing. INSHORE REGIONS The Keppel Group of islands have been fishing well, along with coastal headlands around Curtis Island. A great variety of species have been caught, including large tuna, mackerel and coral trout. Many people casting for these large long tail tuna are using what many people would deem typical barra spin gear. The key though is to match your small metal lures to the size of the baitfish in the water. Many of the trout and other reef species have been falling to shrimp imitation lures such as Zereks, 4” Berkley Gulp Shrimp, and the ever working Gulp Jerk Shads. A lot of the rock bars

approach, with more anglers than ever go down the braid and lure avenue. It’s great to

see anglers taking to lures and this style of fishing, and it’s an incredibly fun way to fish. Fishing the rock bars around the estuaries has been an effective way to pull grunter, cod, while drop offs near the rock bars have been producing plenty of whiting on medium running hard body lures. CRABBING Although the river is been getting cooler many people are still pulling ripper crabs out around the port and Thompsons Point. From what I’ve been hearing anglers have been getting the crabs deeper in the channels. Mullet heads and heavy duty pots have been selling like crazy, likely due to the fact the heavy duty pots won’t get shifted as much in the heavy river run. Anyone who likes

a crabbing session should definitely get down and get some crabs while they are going hard. If you’re new

to the crabbing crab pot kits are readily available. Remember to fish light to get the bite.

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Northern exposure MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

So here we are, half a year gone and I am wondering where it went. We are now in the depths of our winter although to be honest it is pretty mild here but we do get those odd chilly days after clear

fishing is still good with lots of options available. THE SALT During July most of the saltwater action will centre on three species, snapper, golden trevally and black jew. At times these can all be caught in the same locations, but more usually the black jew are in specific loations while the snapper and goldens seem to mingle

Reef species donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come much tastier than red emperor. nights and with heavy dew and light winds. July traditionally delivers great weather, and best of all the

quite a bit. A couple of issues ago I suggested the best spot for black jew was the Mackay

harbour area. It has proved the most reliable locations with fish up to nearly 1.5metres on the cards. The Hay Point area has also proven to be a good producer, while Pine Point near Newry Island has been quiet so far this winter. Best times for black jew are at night and around the full moon, and I suggest any night 3-4 days before the moon, to several days after the prime nights to be on the water. Large baits of squid or mullet fillets are the preferred baits, although small live baits will also do the trick. When the black jew are on, particularly at the mouth of the harbour, things can get pretty crowded with boats, and if the south breakwall is open land based anglers also get in on the act. So it is not the place for your light gear. I suggest either heavy handlines, or 15-20 kg heavy spin or overhead gear. Black jew are fairly predictable around the full moon, but a surprising number are turning up in anglers catches during daylight just out from the harbour and down around Hay Point. These are taking a variety of big soft plastics and vibes fished right near

Big black jew are here. Aaron Sturdy was really pleased when he scored this 112cm mulloway just out from Mackay Harbour after spotting the fish on his sounder. the bottom. But as the current flow is pretty strong a heavy jighead is needed. SNAPPER TIME The snapper are here and on the go, with plenty of reports coming in of smaller fish being caught. Once we start to move deeper into July we should be well and truly in the thick of the annual run of fish. First indications of their arrival have come from the Hay Point area and down through the offshore islands south of Sarina. While they are essentially a reef dweller, in this area they are often found over low rubble rock rather than heavy reef/rocks. When the weather gods smile and the snapper are on, the sure fire guide to finding them is to check out areas where there are a few tinnies anchored up in the one general area.

spots around Flat and Round Top islands, while the prime locations for Hay Point are shown on marine charts of the area. In fact any area of low rubble where there are some signs of baitfish will generally have snapper on

column, up to about 2-3m from the bottom. For the latest word on snapper and black jew though, call in to our local tackle outlets and talk to the staff as they know the hot spots and baits.

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Experienced fly fisherman Neil Cunnington worked a home tied Deceiver pattern around the rocks in the background and had quite a battle on his 8 weight fly rod.

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Most of the snapper are found from the harbour south, with only a few stragglers caught each year slightly to our north into the bottom end of the Whitsundays. Check out the

them. Bait fishing is still the preferred method here but more and more fish are being caught on lures, particularly large soft plastics and vibes. Work the plastics in the lower sections of the water

The tackle shop staff are a mine of information and will help anyone with a genuine enquiry. The third fish in our trio is the golden trevally To page 69

Cool weather fishing offer mixed opportunities STANAGE BAY

Von Ireland

Stanage Bay offers mixed opportunities for anglers in July, with stable weather and a host of fishing options rewarding those that make the trip to this special place. While the weather and fishing will impress the road to Stanage Bay once again leaves a lot to be desired, with pot holes and extensive corrugations making for challenging driving From page 68

which is often caught while snapper fishing. Goldens can be found in very shallow water around sand bars running off islands, small rocky drop offs and out in water depths to about 30m. I have also caught them over sand in waters around 20m deep where there is no structure, but baitfish in residence. Again they are great fun to catch and will take a wide variety of live and dead baits as well as lures like metal and plastic vibes, and large soft plastic paddle tails. Smaller fish will often be found around the mouths of the creeks and river systems,

conditions. The best way to traverse the pot holes is to almost come to a standstill, while for the corrugations slowing down to 60km/h is the best approach to take. Travel any slower than this and it’s actually worse for your vehicle and trailers. I’ve learnt this from many years of experience. On the fishing front it’s been mixed fortunes all round. The estuary has definitely entered its winter slumber with the crabbing in particular is slowing down. An easing that is perhaps

attributable to the increased angling effort by recreational crabbers. The bream have started to come on the bite for winter though, while the grunter are scattered in their numbers. Trumpeter and salmon are still being caught and finding their way into many angler’s eskies. Out on the reef, headlands, and islands most of the anglers have been catching fish while the weather has been mill pond calm. Good catches of reef species have been caught, while anglers

chasing Spanish mackerel have also been getting amongst them. There has been plenty of pictures of these great catches doing the rounds on Facebook, so don’t forget to share them with our Facebook page to help promote the Stanage Bay area. Remember to help promote and support the businesses here at Stanage Bay, and when in search for supplies, accommodation, information or boat storage, just look us up. We have all your supplies and needs

covered including ice made from fully drinkable, filtered rain water, fuel, food, and of course fishing tackle. For visitors looking for somewhere to stay Stanage Bay has a wide range of holiday homes to rent. With styles and prices to suit varying needs and budgets there’s a place to suit whether you’re on a trip with your family or mates. Well done to the local fund raising committee for another successful Reef n Beef all you can eat night held each year at the Crab

though generally the better quality fish are further out. THE SPANISH ARE COMING Winter is also Spanish mackerel time and there are usually a few greys poking around too. Spanish will come right in around the harbour if the bait is there, but if the weather is suitable there will be plenty of tinnies out chasing Spaniards around Reichlemans reef, Round Top island, the outer edge of Slade Island, Danger Reef and similar spots. Further afield the big trailer boats will find plenty of action out around Wigton and up into the Goldsmith Islands

group. Trolling weighted gar/squid head combos is probably the most common way of catching Spanish around here, but big wolf herring slow trolled down deep also accounts for many Spanish each year. Advice on rigging these baits is always freely available from the local tackle stores. UP A CREEK Getting back into the creeks and rivers, the fishing is still very good with consistent catches of whiting, flathead and pikey bream being the norm. These bread and butter species will always result in a good feed of top quality fish. Bait wise yabbies are

a great all-rounder, while strip baits are preferred baits for flathead and bream. The pikeys in particular will be very aggressive as they are in spawning mode, and are great fun particularly as they can be sight cast to right along the edges of the mangroves. Blue salmon are also another prolific winter species in the creeks and at times can be found in quite large schools if the netters don’t get to them first. Blues are good fun and grow up to about 90cm, and while some people say they are only good to eat fresh, I have found if they are bled straight away and iced

down, they can be kept for some weeks frozen without going soft and mushy. Blues will wolf down yabbies, prawns or strip baits, but at times can be very picky with lures. The smaller metal vibes seem to ring their dinner bell and they are a good target for the fly angler with small Clousers or prawn style flies working well. Small soft plastics are also quite successful. DAM QUIET With the colder weather the dams are much quieter and the barra develop a fairly strong case of non co-operation with anglers. But they aren’t impossible either, if we get a few sunny

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days with light winds they mooch up into the shallows and can be polaroided quite successfully. These spots are the go for weedless rigged plastics and the frogs, with my favourite being the largest Z-Man Popfrogz in either white or lime green. These can be worked in some horrendous weeds and lilies and the barra smack them very aggressively. Great stuff in shallow water. So as winter’s chill drags on in July Mackay has plenty to offer anglers. So why not hitch up the boat and come to warmer climes for a visit. See you at the ramp.

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Pot Bar. Well done to Alf Nord the commodore of the local Coastguard. Alf was awarded and rewarded for high achievements. Well done Alf and a big thankyou to his brother Bill, another tireless working volunteer for the local Coastguard. Until next time keep those lines wet and those rods bent. • Remember the latest fishing reports are on www. fishingmonthly.com.au and for queries on Stanage Bay fishing, call me on (07) 4937 3145.

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REDLINE MOTOSPORTS

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The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors Expo 18 -19 JULY 2015 | IPSWICH SHOW GROUND - EXHIBITION CENTRE QLD | 9AM - 4PM

100+ exhibitors at 2015 Lure Fly and Outdoors Expo FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Only a handful of years since its inception a the Fernvale Town Hall, Garry

Fitzgerald’s Lure and Fly Expo continues to grow. Moving last year to the Ipswich Exhibition Hall and expanding in 2015 to a second level in the Ipswich show hall, the 2015 Expo will host more than 100

exhibitors and carry more tackle for sale than any other event of its kind in the country. Originally created as a showcase for Australian lure designers and manufacturers, the Expo was designed to

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promote the art of lure making to the next generation of anglers, however, it’s grown to become much more than that. “We needed a way to recognise and celebrate the talent and creations of Australian lure makers. There’s a whole generation of guys out there who weren’t able to pass their skills and experience on, which was a real shame,” Garry said. “But in the process, there’s been interest from more than just the lure makers in the industry. This year, boating, outdoors, tackle and even archery companies all want to attend.” At FM, we’re sure that this is because the unpretentious nature of the organiser, venue and visitors that the show tends to attract. From an exhibitor’s standpoint, the costs are kept to a bare minimum and the same can be said at the gate. With free parking, $10 entry and no charge to bring your kids, the focus becomes the show itself and not the costs of attending. Because of this structure, attendees will see makers at the show that they won’t see at any other. With some of the cream of Australia’s talent being cottage-industry, there’s no room in their marketing budgets for glitzy shows in city centres. That’s because there’s no marketing budgets. With all of the expansion within the venue, you may think that the original aim of the show will have been diluted, but Garry’s feet are firmly grounded. “We’re still about showing you how to turn a lump of wood into something that can catch you a fish. There’s demonstrations and displays for all parts of the process on site,” Garry continued. “Jamie Judd from Gobsmacked Lures will be giving live demonstrations on cutting lure blanks out of wood and turning them on a lathe in one demonstration area. Southern Cross Lures will be showing attendees how to carve and sand the

shapes, while Bryan Power from Powers Lures will be conducting painting demonstrations outside the main hall in a second demo area. On the main stage – sponsored by Humminbird and MC’d by the timeless Barry Bergum - there’s also a real collection of local fishing talent. You can hear guys like Justin Welsh (sonar), Jason Ehrlich, Tri Ton (Hervey Bay), Wade Turner (Darling Downs), Tim Morgan (bream), Reece Thomas (Moreton Bay snapper) and Greg Livingstone (gorge fishing for cod) sharing

boat show. Also, you’ll see an increased presence from bigger brands in the Australian industry – the likes of Jackall, Ecogear and Atomic are all touted to be there with their wares. The people who make sure that our waterways are stocked with plenty for us to catch will be displaying. The timeless FFSAQ trailer will be complemented by the first live display of baby jungle perch. With a successful breeding program up and running, it’ll be any year now that the first impoundment stockings

SHOW DETAILS AT A GLANCE Dates................. July 18/19, 2015 Hours................ 9am to 4pm Location............ Ipswich Showgrounds, Warwick Rd, Ipswich. Parking............. Free on-site. Entry................. $10 adult, children under 16 free with paying adult. 2-day pass is $15. Web................... www.lureshow.com.au Facebook.......... Australian Lure Fly & Outdoors Expo

their fishing secrets. Even the legendary Harro will be there demonstrating knots and rigs. Expansion of the Expo includes a greater presence from fishing boat dealers. There’ll be nearly a whole level dedicated to fishing boats, and these will be located on the lower floor of the hall area. Stalwarts like Brisbane Yamaha, Stones Corner Marine and Karee Marine will be showing off their fishing craft and cutting deals in an environment that’s a lot lower pressure than your standard

will take place. You can meet the man behind the research at the show. Last, but not least is the flyfishing component of the show. Well known fly tyers Peter Cherret and Gavin Dunne will be tying on-site, as well as members of the SEQ Flyfishers and Brisbane Flyfishing Clubs. But you’ve probably tired of us banging on about the show. We’ll be there, of course, with a limited edition lure offer (this year with Kuttafurra Lures) and some great deals for subscribing to the Fishing Monthly titles. Let’s take a closer look at what some of the exhibitors will be doing on their stands. BASSMAN SPINNERBAITS Possibly one of Australia’s best known spinnerbait manufacturers, Bassman will be launching some new concepts in spinnerbaits and mumblers to add to their long established range. RPM PRODUCTS Major sponsor of the expo, RPM Products will have a range of LED camping lights, car driving bar lights and unique folding camping fire pits among other great products at the expo.

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors Expo 18 -19 JULY 2015 | IPSWICH SHOW GROUND - EXHIBITION CENTRE QLD | 9AM - 4PM

ACCOMMODATION In the theme of keeping costs down, there’s camping available right on site at the Ipswich Showgrounds for out of town visitors, as well as plenty of accommodation options for all budgets in Ipswich – including several within walking distance of the Ipswich Showgrounds. DARRLY REEKS ARCHERY To satisfy those who are into hunting, Darryl Reeks Archery will have a range of hunting, competition archery, beginner sets and 3D targets on display. ELECTRONICS Electronics is a new feature at the expo with Humminbird and Garmin having working units on display and for sale. EXHIBITORS KUTTAFURRA LURES Aaron Young and his Kuttafurra Lures are a household name amongst the new generation of Australian lure makers and he’s recognised as one of the most skilled lure carvers and painters in the modern game. Aaron won the Most Artistic Lure Award at last year’s show, with an amazing crayfish imitation. He will

be attending the show again this year and looking forward to catching up with the other lure makers and all the people that bought lures from him last year. Aaron loves a chat about lures and lure making and will have plenty of his lures available for sale at the show. So stop in and say g’day - just make sure you have a few dollars with you, because you QR CODE

Scan the QR code to listen to an interview with show founder, Garry Fitzgerald.

wont be able to resist buying a few of his lures. To find out more about more about Kuttafurra lures, find them on Facebook under Kuttafurra Swagman Lures. LIVELY LURES Lively Lures are an Aussie icon lure that has stood the test of time and keeps coming back for more. At the Expo, Lively Lures will be displaying the full range of their lures to show off just how diverse their products are. Best of all though, with Lively Lures recently opening a direct online store (www. livelyluresonline.com.au) visitors to the Expo can go home, log into the site and purchase whichever lures took their fancy, safe in the knowledge that they have handled the lures and know what they are getting. The late news was that Lively Lures will be selling their range of Micro Mullets at only $10 a pop – that’s a saving from their already incredibly cheap online price and something all trollers will need to budget for – especially if flathead, bass, bream and trout are on your target list. Released at this year’s Expo, will be a brand new 9” Mack Bait which will target mackerel, tuna, wahoo and most blue water species. It’s a must-visit stand.

STONES CORNER MARINE This year’s Lure, Fly and Outdoor Expo will be a first for Stones Corner Marine. They will be showcasing a range of Sea Jay boats from light car toppers to sports fishing side consoles. Models shown include the new 448 Avenger Sports (ideal for the all-round anglers), the Creek Masta (which is specifically setup for the impoundment/ estuary anglers) or the Nomad (which is Sea Jay’s number one car topper model). So whether it is impoundment, saltwater/ estuary fishing or you are the travelling angler, then they have the boat for you. Stones Corner will also match your new boat with a Yamaha four-stroke or two-stroke outboard to suit. U-MAKE-EM This year the guys with the solution to making your

own soft plastic baits will be offering the largest range of DIY soft plastic and spinnerbait components, with start up kits in both spinnerbaits and soft plastics at very reasonable prices. As well this year they will be offering a range of hardbodied lures at super cheap prices. They will be demonstrating live, how to make your own soft plastics during both days in conjunction with their how-to DVD which will include soft plastics, spinnerbaits, jig heads and more. A must-see for those who want to do more than carve. KAREE MARINE Karee Marine will be at the show with a Nitro Z6 bass boat - the USA number 1 torunament boat powered by a Mercury 115 ProXs. Also on display will be the Clark 435 Dominator, designed with the angler in mind - a very capable bream or bass boat also powered by a Mercury 60hp 4-stroke. A proud Mercury dealer from the south side of Brisbane, having an imported boat on-hand to inspect makes your purchasing decision much easier. BRISBANE YAMAHA Brisbane Yamaha has a range of new model Quintrex boat packages on display at the upcoming Lure Expo. Brisbane Yamaha is Australia’s largest selling Quintrex dealer matched to the high performance Yamaha outboard range. One of the best-selling ranges from Quintrex is the Explorer range of V-nosed hulls, ideal for lake and estuary conditions. Upgraded this year to the Fighter Series, it features the picklefork nose as standard in models 3.9m and above. This hull now offers even greater stability at rest, a fuller bow and a finer entry to give you a better ride underway. Check out the F390 and F420 Trophy models at the Brisbane Yamaha stand. The Quintrex Hornet range is a stand-alone boat in the Australia boat market. Unique in design and with now legendary status amongst Australian anglers, they were first used in the inaugural ABT series. They are still recognised as the ultimate hull for lure and fly anglers. “We are proud to be part of Australia’s largest lure event. It is an opportunity for manufacturers to showcase the best Aussie-designed lures.” Brisbane Yamaha dealer Principal Aaron

Goodchild says. “This year’s show is set to be bigger than ever, so come and see us and take a look at our range on display.” he adds. LASERWORX THE MOST PRECISE Laserworx, who cut all types of bibs with remarkable accuracy, has been supplying lure bibs to manufacturers for the last 14 years, offering a competitive, consistent and quick service to Aussie lur makers country-wide. The benefit of having your bibs laser cut is consistency in shape (every bib will be identical) and reduced labour in the whole manufacturing process, allowing lure designers to concentrate solely on making the best designs around. Although Laserworx does a lot of business with established lure-makers, like Alan Dolan’s Lively Lures, they do also cater for the hobbyist via a standard range of bibs that can be ordered in smaller, non-commercial quantities. In fact, drop in and see the Laserworx staff and you’ll find that they may well have some small, mixed bags of bibs that you can use to get your hobby up and off the ground. BALISTA’S LED LURES Balista Lures have been around for a few years now. They are proudly Australianowned and designed for many of our species, including Murray cod and barramundi. By the end of 2015, the list will now also include bass with three super small models being released, all featuring Balista’s renowned LED technology. Their LED technology is a water activated flashing red LED in the tail of every one of their lures. This technology is fantastic for generating strikes on those super tough days. The technology works best in dirty water, overcast conditions plus dawn and dusk. The technology was extensively tested in the research labs of James Cook University in Cairns. They tried lots of different combinations and found the red LED to be by far the most effective. Since then, thousands of hours have been spent extensively testing and refining the technology. Every year more and more anglers are catching onto the technology, it is well worth having at least a couple in your tackle box for the peak periods! If you haven’t tried Balista yet be sure to give the LED technology a try and get the unfair advantage. To page 72

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The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors Expo 18 -19 JULY 2015 | IPSWICH SHOW GROUND - EXHIBITION CENTRE QLD | 9AM - 4PM

EXHIBITOR MAP UPPER FLOOR

EXHIBITOR

EXHIBITOR MAP LOWER FLOOR

** The floor plan above is a draft only. The final floor plan is in progress and may change depending on the number and type of sites booked. From page 71

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AC LURES Anthony Curtis is again joining the exhibitors at the Lure and Fly Expo and is excited to showcase his great range of lures that are right now taking massive cod in the cold winter waters of the Murray. With a range of lures that extend from a tiny 50mm right up to 150mm, AC Lures will have a lure that is just right for where and how you fish. The range of colours is impressive and, like a lot of lure makers, the colour range is always being developed to meet the needs of regional anglers. So drop by AC Lures stand, have a chat to the maker and get the lure that is right for you or your collection.

• AC Lures....................................................... 42 & 43 • AK Lures....................................................... 26 & 27 • Atomic........................................................... 94 - 99 • Balista Lures..........................................................80 • Barambah Lures....................................................35 • Barz Optics Sunglasses........................................57 • Bassday......................................................... 94 - 99 • Bassman Spinnerbaits...................................16 & 17 • Beardy’s Lures.......................................................45 • Bills Boxes.............................................................87 • Bionic Braid...........................................................68 • Bringing Back Jungle Perch - DAF........................81 • Brisbane Fly Fishing Club......................................85 • Brisbane Yamaha...................................................L3 • Bush N Beach Fishing.................................. 56 & 57 • Caino Lures...........................................................37 • Charltons Fishing............................................10 - 14 • C&S Horsey Lures.................................................48 • Cod Hound Kayak Tours........................................78 • Cod X Lures.............................................................6 • Compact Fishing Australia....................................82 • Cooby Cobba Lures................................................5 • Darryl Reeks Archery.....................................74 & 76 • D & S Lures..............................................................7 • Deep River Lures...................................................20 • Dizzy Scent................................................... 47 & 49 • Diztek............................................................ 47 & 49 • Duffrods........................................................ 47 & 49 • Dynamite Lures......................................................23 • FFSAQ...................................................................83 • Fishaholic Lures.....................................................28 • Fishing Monthly Magazine............................ 63 & 65 • Fishing Unlimited...................................................36 • Flapper Lures...........................................................3 • Gavin Dunne Custom Flies....................................92 • Goanna Lures..........................................................3 • Gobsmacked Lures..............................Demo Area 2 • Keep IT Taxidermy & Fish Mounts................. 62 & 64 • Hillie’s Spinners & Lures........................................22 • Honey Hole Lures..................................................54 • Humminbird...........................................................59 • Hunter Lure Makers.................................................3 • Ipswich Screenprinting..........................................91 • Jackall Lures..........................................................55 • Jackpot Lures........................................................46 • Jellyfish Lures........................................................86 • JH Lures................................................................25 • John Hardt Marquetry................................... 26 & 27 • Jungle Lures..........................................................44 • Bringing Back Jungle Perch - DAF........................81 • Karee Marine.........................................................L2 • Kneebone Lures....................................................21 • Kuttafurra Lures.......................................................1 • Laserworx..............................................................L5 • Last Cast Spinnerbaits............................................2 • Lively Lures............................................................69 • Loola Lures............................................................40 • Mac Lures................................................................4 • Master Baits Lures.................................................18 • Megabass...................................................... 94 - 99 • Mencho’s Lures.....................................................38 • Mudeye Lures........................................................53 • Minn Kota..............................................................61 • Native Lures.............................................................8 • Ninja Lures.............................................................19 • Powell Lures............................................................3 • Power Lures..........................................Demo Area 1 • Predator Lures.......................................................24 • Rays Ozzy Lures....................................................93 • Revenge Lures.......................................................41 • Ripp-N Lures.........................................................45 • RPM Products.............................................. 66 & 67 • Rod Harrison / Bionic Braid...................................68 • Running Creek Lures...............................................1 • RV Lures................................................................54 • Samurai Fishing Rods................................... 94 - 99 • Shads Lures...........................................................60 • Smak Lures............................................................50 • Somerset Fishing Tackle........................................52 • Sooks Lures...........................................................39 • South East Qld Fly Fishers....................................79 • Southern Cross Lures...........................Demo Area 1 • Stingray Lures............................................... 26 & 27 • Stones Corner Marine...........................................L1 • Sun To Sea Outdoor Clothing................................90 • Twin River Lures.....................................................51 • U Make Em Soft Plastics.........................Demo Area • Unitika............................................................ 94 - 99 • Waspy Flies............................................................70 • Wildboar Leisure........................................... 72 & 73

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The winds of change WHITSUNDAYS

Luke Griffiths

As I sit here and write this article I am once again staring at 30+ knots of blustering wind, and some much needed, albeit inconvenient, rain. We have been hammered again this month with these winds making it hard to get offshore. Although on the few good days we’ve managed to venture out wide we have been greeted with some fantastic fishing. I’m pleased to report we have been seeing some large

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schools of yellowfin tuna turning up around the 10-15kg mark, with some larger models also spotted. Which is very exciting for me as well as my guests as they make for an incredibly tasty meal. Over the next month we should see more of them as we progress deeper into winter. So keep an eye out for them in your travels. Trolling skirted lures and divers is the norm for hooking up to these delicious

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A happy punter holding a fine example of a large mouth nannygai. barrels of goodness, but be prepared to lose a few skirts too, because accompanying the yellowfin tuna, are good numbers of Spanish mackerel. This month should start to fish really well for Spanish mackerel as they move in closer to the inner shoals and islands. Over the past month when we have dodged the inclement weather we have been seeing schools of Spanish launching into the air in their hundreds, aggressively feeding on their prey. I would hate to be a baitfish this time of the year. Look for the bait stacked up on any shoals, reef edges or island edges, and these toothy critters won’t be far off. The usual methods of trolling divers and swim baits (with wire of course) should see you land a few of these weapons. Although if that doesn’t land you a fish, live baiting for them will generally produce a couple. While trolling, keep an eye on the bottom, as where these pelagics are feeding, the bottom fish usually aren’t too far away either, devouring the scraps left behind in the frenzy. On the bottom, we have seen a large influx of large mouth nannygai over the last few months, ranging from the little fellas right up to impressive 12kg models, with many being the larger fish. This month we should continue to see good numbers.

It’s back to basics for the nannygai, as we are finding the old paternoster rig loaded with any bait, whether it is squid, pilchard, a combination of the two, or flesh baits, is doing the job. As many would know, they fair very well on the plate and are very welcome over the side and into the esky. Not just that, but they fight hard and are equally impressive to look at. So take a happy snap, and remember to crack a smile. It won’t hurt. One group who weren’t afraid to crack a smile, in fact we couldn’t wipe the smile of their faces, were the 15

women on our inaugural Renegade Ladies Day. We landed perfect weather for the ladies, with the winds under 10 knots. Hopefully we see calmer days this month, and cooler temperatures. Although don’t be fooled by the cooler temps, as the sun still has plenty of bite, so slip slop slap. Until next month, take it easy on the water and remember to have fun. • If you’re interested in a game, sport or reef fishing charters around the Whitsundays, give Luke a call on 0429 724 822 or email info@ renegadecharters.com.au.

This would excite any angler, a typical shot of nannygai balling up on the bottom.

Kevin & Meth Youngberry

21 Kelvin Grove Street, Maryborough QLD 4650

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JULY 2015

A good haul of Spanish mackerel pulled out of a feeding frenzy.

Barra still on the chew for Burdekin anglers AYR

Steve Farmer

While Burdekin fishing has definitely moved into the winter phase, a surprising number of summer species are still being taken by keen anglers. In fact, just recently one local angler reportedly landed a metre plus barramundi at a secret spot in the district. Other more modest sized barra are still regular catches, especially for live bait devotees. Mangrove jack are also still keeping estuary anglers on their toes, but catches of golden snapper seem to be waning, especially in the creeks. Most Burdekin estuaries are producing jacks and barra, but the creeks in Upstart and Bowling Green bays are, as usual, probably your best bet. MILDLY DOES IT No doubt the persistence of the summer species has something to do with the very mild weather we’ve been having throughout autumn and into early winter. It’s still unusually warm and without a run in the river this year the barra are probably a little confused. Having said that, the warmer temperatures don’t

seem to be deterring the traditional winter species, such as flathead. Over the past few weeks the lizards have been about in very good numbers, with some anglers scoring catches of up to 40 fish during an afternoon’s luring session. Fortunately, in the cases of the larger catches I’ve heard of, the anglers have restricted their take-home catch to just a few fish each (well short of the bag limit of five fish per angler) and quickly released the rest. Responsible fishing at its best. While some estuaries really fired, others were quieter, but still well worth fishing. My daughter, Aimee, and I spent a couple of hours luring Phillips Camp recently, with Aimee landing two keeper flathead while I lost a few and released one fish which was legal, but still a bit on the small side. Aimee was pleased as punch that she had out-fished her old Dad. Overall sizes were pretty average, but we did see plenty of monster marks on the sandflats as the tide fell away. By the way, while we fished the falling tide, the more impressive lizard catches were made on the making tide. Personally I like the last couple of hours of the making tide,

especially if it’s a big one of three metres or more. Other species showing up occasionally in estuary catches have been trevally, queenfish and salmon. The cleaner water at this time of the year encourage these pelagics to move into the creeks in their hunt for tucker, providing some exciting surprises for anglers expecting nothing more lively than flathead or whiting. Out on the bluewater, results have been pretty sketchy, with a lack of calm weather restricting trips to the shoals and reefs. At this time of the year the Spanish mackerel should be moving up the Queensland coast and fish are bound to be numerous on the Alva Shoals. The next stretch of calm weather should see a flotilla of boats targeting the Spaniards, with good catches made. Arm-stretching by-catch when hunting mackerel can include trevally, cobia, queenfish and tuna, so make sure your tackle is tuned up ready for sustained action. JULY TIPS If we actually get a winter this year, July should see the barra and jacks eventually fade from the local fishing scene. So, be prepared to change your target species

and enjoy chasing flathead, whiting and bream, with a few salmon thrown in for some acrobatic action. So far the whiting haven’t been about in big numbers, but by July they should be

up the whiting, so try casting your bait up-current and let the tide wash it downstream. A slow, erratic retrieve can also work wonders when the fishing is slow. The minimum size for whiting is 23cm but at

a bit of that special calm winter weather. Local hotspots include the Alva Shoals, Cape Upstart and Camp Island or you can trailer further afield and fish the waters around Bowen and Abbot Point.

Barra are still on the bite across the Burdekin. Matt Oliveri used live bait to snare this 79cm specimen. schooling on the sandflats and channels of most Burdekin estuaries. Of course, yabbies or fresh prawns are the best baits and anglers wanting a tasty feed should fish with the smallest ball sinker possible. A little movement will often fire

this size they’re hardly worth taking. Try setting a slightly larger size limit for any fish you keep and you’ll be justifiably proud of your catch. For most bluewater fishers July will be all about Spanish mackerel, provided we score

Almost any plan of attack will take fish when the Spaniards are schooling and feeding. The good old drifted pilchard is the best bet for bait anglers, while lure fishers should troll large minnows or cast poppers.

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JULY 2015

Mixed fortunes in the north TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Since the last report the weather has cooled a bit more, the water has cleared substantially, but the fishing regretfully is far from consistent. Plenty of people have been heading for the hills

poppers. It’s nice to explore new water, and some of the tracks that lead off into the scrub have some nice country at the end of them. A small spin stick with around 6lb braid and a leader of around 5-6kg, plus a handful of small hardbodies and the odd plastic will get you amongst the action if your casting is up to task. I saw

Barra love a jighead soft plastic during the cooler months. while the wind has been around chasing the sooties and JPs with small lures and

a picture the other day of a 56cm JP that was taken near Cairns. A 56cm JP is a horse,

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but if you get one over 40cm you have a JP to be proud of. Even though the law says you can kill one of these iconic little fellas for a feed, I’d seriously think hard about it before doing so, as these special little battlers are an important attraction to the sport fishing brigade in the north. MACK ATTACK It looks like the wind is going to be here for a bit longer, and since the last report there have been a couple of boating accidents that could have ended much worse than they did had it not been for an activated EPIRB. So make sure you check the expiration date on yours, and make sure it’s all ready to rock and roll should you ever get in trouble and need it. If these southerlies hang around it may be worth getting up on some of the weedbeds and chasing some doggie mackerel that have shown up in good numbers over the last couple of weeks. If the doggies are here the spotties and schoolies shouldn’t be too far away. The Spaniards have been a bit patchy still, but there are enough around to specifically target them. If it’s just some reel screaming fun you’re after then mack tuna should be on your hit list, and there have been plenty of them out past the island. Small slugs like the Outcast or Halco Twistie are great options, and casting distance is a big consideration, so a spin outfit spooled with about 10-15lb braid should allow you to reach the spooky schools that pop up where you least expect them. Apart from being an absolutely terrific bait for reds and trout, they’re a true speedster that are great fun to catch on a quiet day. If it’s bait you want them for then simply fillet them and cut them into appropriate sizes and sprinkle them with rock salt before them before freezing. Doing this makes them much tougher and a longer lasting bait. SHARK BAIT If your going to chase bottom beasties, you’re still going to need a heavy outfit to get them up before they get eaten by something less desirable. When the sharks are as thick as they have been I steer away from the circle hooks, and would rather be bitten off as soon as possible than have to fight sharks one after another to the boat to get your line back. Circle hooks can be very effective in their design, and hook up right in the corner of the mouth on just about everything, including the sharks. The sharks are so thick in numbers at the moment

that I even saw bull sharks up on the flats the other day smashing into big mullet. Mullet are getting around in quite large sizes, especially on the bigger tides. The most spectacular was a hammerhead over 3m long cutting loose in less than 1m of water on some unknown prey. It was hard to see what it was that he was after, but let’s say the mullet schools were very nervous. That weird head shape was designed for eating stingrays though, and this could have been what he was after. We worked our way into a creek on a flooding tide the other day and had to walk the old Polycraft across a 100m or so of sand flat to reach the inner channel and to be honest it was a little unnerving walking through the shallows. If you decide to do this, just keep an eye out for the stingrays, because they’re just thick at the moment, and an unwary foot placement could land you in hospital with a barb wound. A barb wound from a stingray often takes months to heal and is an injury that has a habit of becoming necrotic. There have been a few crocs moving around the river

For so many species, a blade whirring along above a jighead is irresistible. Sooties, JPs, and jacks all find a Beetle spin irresistible. FLAT OUT Fishing the flats is a pretty exciting thing to do as the tide reaches the mangroves, and you can sight fish some nice barra and goldens as the tide floods in. If you’re using an electric motor however, use it as a guide as to when you should get the hell out of there on a receding tide. Once your leccy prop starts to rub bottom with the leg fully extended, its time to bail, especially if you have a bit of distance to cover to reach the safety of deeper water, as the tide drops quicker than you’d expect.

the barra head for the holes and deeper gutters, and this is soft vibe territory. The number one biggest selling lure that Akwa Marine have is the Quick Catch soft vibes, closely followed by the Atomic Prong. But there is a relatively unknown vibe that’s got an amazing vibing ability at slow speeds, and for school sized barra, are very effective. The Atomic Semi Hard is a bit smaller (60mm), but I have found that bigger cold water barra will eat much smaller items as their metabolism starts to slow. For instance, last year

The 105 Halco Hamma is a great flats option. It casts like a bullet and has a strong action at slow speeds. mouths and beaches too, as the news reports have been proving, but with the clear water and shallow sand you should be able to see any reasonable sized crocs from afar. Just a word of warning though, if your going to get out of the boat and drag it in the shallows, step out gently even if you can see the bottom clearly. Don’t jump in because some of these mud flats are insanely boggy and you could end up sunk in the mud up to your thighs or waist. If the water is filthy, I won’t even attempt it, as it’s just too sketchy.

If you’re just after the average sized barra, then the 120 Halco Laser Pro and 105 Halco Hamma are about as good as casting lures get, and the standard hooks are fine straight out of the packet. Tweaking the Laser Pro 3 model around the mangroves is a pretty visual thing to do in the colder months, and you’ll often see the bite as clear as day, and this just adds to the excitement. You can catch some big jacks in the same territory, but it’s the barra that are the main target for the mangrove flats. As the water cools I’ve found that

I landed several fish over the magical meter mark while targeting smaller fish of a different species, with light braid and 3 1/4” Plazo Paddle-Tails on 1/4oz Seeker jigheads. So I reckon you can expect some nice surprises using the smaller vibes in the deeper holes. By the time you read this, I should be returning from the Malaysian Angling Fair, and may even have some new toys to play with. So I’ll keep you updated with that one also. Have a great few weeks and until next time, good luck.

Lucinda is a winter wonderland LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

It’s officially winter and the tropical waters of north Queensland are now cold and clear. Early morning runs mean you need a jumper or two, as it will surprise plenty of people how cold it can get here as you scoot across the water in a boat. But it makes you feel alive and the prospect of red-hot fishing as the sun rises means it’s worth it.

few fresh cut baits such as sardines and fresh prawn or squid around these set rods. In the above scenario you have a great chance of catching both blue and threadfin salmon as they feed over the sand banks, while grunter (javelin fish) also move in with the tide and feed here. The deeper gutter will have golden snapper bream and jacks moving around having a chew, and barra will be using these areas to follow the tide, so they will swim by your baits at some stage. Spend time

be thin gauge, and the clear coated stuff is great. Most morning sessions will see poppers and stickbaits being deployed and worked over the area. As a rule, mackerel will feed on the surface at first light, and then slowly drift deeper into the water column as they day progresses. With today’s fish finders it is so easy to locate baitballs and predatory fish. Side scan is invaluable in these situations and it can be as easy as sounding fish out before you even drop or cast

straight now. Chasing marlin can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. You can just tow some skirted lures behind the boat whilst moving between spots, or you can gather live baits and feed them to fish on the sounder. It is time consuming and can be expensive, but when that hookup finally happens and that fish takes to the air and screams line off in a blink of an eye — whoah, insane! The jetty, as always, will be dishing out the hurt and the fun. Big solid winter queenies will be hanging in packs and can provide hours of epic entertainment. They will eat near anything when they are on the bite. The hours around sunset are by far the best, but the fishing during the day can be slow, especially if you have plenty of boat traffic. Big GTs are also hanging out and

GTs are guaranteed to warm you up in more ways than one. really enjoy taking home your expensive and pretty offerings. The bottom will fish well for fingermark,

and live squid provides the best opportunity in tangling with these steam trains of the north.

Winter means bread and butter fishing — like flatties on plastics. It is a completely different ball game fishing in the Hinchinbrook Channel and also out in the bluewater and reef. Read on to find out how to get things heated up fishing in July at Lucinda. HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL Probably the best thing you can do during the colder months (unless you have plenty of experience in the area) is to put barra in the ‘by-catch’ category. Now I’m not saying for a moment that they can’t be caught, but their difficulty goes through the roof on most days. Barra are already a very moody fish and they seem to turn on and off at will (unless you have learned to read them). For example, heading up one of Hinchinbrook’s creeks and finding a good sand bank with a channel and deeper water and setting anchor is a good plan. Doing this around the bottom of the tide is best and be ready for the first push of the incoming. If you gather a range of live baits and also have fresh dead bait, you have given yourself an excellent chance of putting plenty of different species in the boat. In this situation, depending on how many people are fishing, it would be best to throw live bait such as prawns or herring onto the sand bank and maybe a bigger live bait such as mullet or gar into the channel (on the edge of the sand bank). Then fish a

and gather quality baits, as there is no doubt that if you put in extra effort you will be rewarded in the long run. Winter is also time to get the good old yabby pump out and dust off the light spin gear, as it’s whiting time. The humble whiting is all but forgotten about in the tropics, but once again it is very surprising the numbers that can be caught during winter. The front sand banks that stretch for kilometres out the front of Lucinda (towards the Palm Islands) offer awesome whiting fishing at stages. It normally means plenty of walking, but it’s worth it when you’re shallow frying tasty fillets in the pan later. JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF Winter is insane fun out in the bluewater, as everything seems to run faster and harder. The pelagic fish own everything, and near every wreck, rock, island point or reef edge there will be some very scared bait and carnage. Spanish mackerel have already started to show themselves early in the season, which can only mean great things for later on. They school up in huge numbers, with most fish in the 8-12kg bracket and they are super hungry. In most cases we will rig with wire straight away, as you just know that the first few hours after sunrise will be mack mayhem. Wire should

into them. Marlin will hopefully be about now and these juvenile blacks are feeding up heavily. I will admit that I am by far any kind of marlin angler, but so far I have found they seem to always be on bait that mackerel are not. And if there are mackerel it always seems to be solid spotted mackerel, not Spanish. It may just be luck, but this has been the case for 3 years

Watching Spanish macks scream fly line off a reel is something you’ve gotta witness.

JULY 2015

The Spanish are coming HINCHINBROOK

Ryan Moody www.hookedonhinchinbrook.com

Some reports coming from the islands and reefs suggests that we’re in for a good Spanish mackerel season over the coming months. The next few months should be prime Spanish fishing inshore and I cannot wait to get out there and have a crack at them. Chasing Spaniards is a great alternative to the barra when the colder conditions arrive and the barra become sporadic. I am also looking forward to a bit of a break from charters and the chance to fish some spots

up and the down the coast that I like to call ‘wonky holes’. I’ll be fishing these holes largely for reds and trout with plastics, hardbodies and baits and can’t wait to do it. We will be filming much of this for one of our new e-courses. The reef itself should see some great catches of trout and red-throat emperor and some reports from the past month have been encouraging. The reefs off Cardwell and Mission Beach have seen some exceptional catches of red fish, although not everyone is getting them, but those in the know are doing alright. It is usually best to hit the reefs on the making tides for the best results. This

The Bribie barra boys got stuck into some nice golden snapper at Hinchinbrook recently.

JULY 2015

applies to most reef species. If you’re finding barra hard to catch at the moment then maybe try some other species and give the barra schools a break. Golden snapper is one such fish that seems to thrive inshore during winter. The trenches between inshore islands, and pinnacles in creeks and rivers will all hold numbers of good size golden snapper in the winter. Most fish are around the 1.5-3 kg mark. Other species that frequent the same areas is the black jew, which is a bit of a rare capture in many parts of the east coast, but we do get the odd few around here generally while fishing for golden snapper. They are an awesome fish and I would love to see them back in numbers once again. They were a heavily targeted fish in previous decades and that’s why they are a rare capture these days. Northern Australia is the exception, with black jew far more abundant. Hopefully managers will look after the species by introducing some realistic measures to safe guard their numbers. July should also see a run of grunter as it does most years, particularly either side of the dark moon. Most

Matt with a nice early winter barra taken on an Old Dog Lure. winter fish in the channel won’t break 2kg, but some of the inner islands will hold some schools of larger fish. Live greenback herring is a great bait for bigger grunter, while squid is also another good bait for these and other species. The Hinchinbrook channel has also had big schools of small trevally and queenfish. For those who enjoy fishing with light tackle there will be plenty of this kind of action all winter. Just simply look for the terns working the surface and the pelagics won’t be far away,

especially if you throw a small slice in their direction. Speaking of small slices the northern blues are starting to show around the inner islands, and even inside the northern end of the channel. A small metal slice is all you need, but you must track them down and flick the slice into the school while they are smashing bait on the surface. This is about the only way to catch them as just trolling or flicking slices in the vicinity just does not work. I have also had clients flick a soft vibe into the schools with great success too.

Threadfin salmon have been quiet this year with only minimal numbers showing up. They are always better in years after good rains, and with two failed wet seasons in the north, it’s no surprise that they’re in limited numbers. They should show up in October to December for their spawning period. • If you would like to book a charter or join our fishing community for some great fishing competitions etc, head on over to www. ryanmoodyfishing.com. And you could also win a free charter drawn twice a year.

When the wind backs off, top catches on offer CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

The fishing has mostly been restricted to sheltered waters lately, with a few short windows for heading out wide. When anglers have managed to get to the reef, the fishing has been good, with quality largemouth

mainly produced bream and grunter, with the odd mangrove jack. Mud crabs have been potted reasonably regularly, so all up it hasn’t been too bad, from an angling perspective — if only that wind would back off! July usually sees more of what we have had over the past couple of months — predominantly fresh to frightening sou’

abate. Invariably it will be mid-week, unfortunately, for those locked into a 9-5 weekday job. Mackerel will be the main game for anglers this month and there should be plenty around when the winds allow us to poke our noses out past the river mouths. Spanish mackerel are the big prize and this time last year they were biting from the inshore

There are plenty of trophy Spaniards on offer, like this beauty caught by Michael Hicks from Goldsbrough, aboard Blackout Sportsfishing Charters. nannygai and red emperor to 9kg and trout to 4. The odd quality Spaniard has made it to the boat and there have been early reports of small black marlin being tagged. Estuary fishing has

easters, with short periods of good weather between the high pressure systems. The best plan of attack is to accumulate Brownie Points at home and work and try to swing a leave pass whenever the winds

Cory Hargreaves nailed this 52cm footballclass bass and a 48cm model on the same day at the Hinze Dam on live shrimp. It seems the big bass are coming back in the Hinze!

shallows to the outer reef. All manner of approaches worked at times, but on any given day it was a matter of trying a few different ones until you found one that produced the goods. The good old pilchard under a float is surprisingly effective a lot of the time and there are a few strategies that will increase its effectiveness. If there is enough current to keep the pilchard off the bottom, cast your bait way out and let it gradually sink. This covers a larger depth range, as the mackerel can be feeding anywhere. Even with little current, you can still use this method, but monitor your line closely otherwise it will get snagged on the bottom. If there isn’t enough current and you don’t want to continually retrieve your bait and re-cast, then use a float. Have the bait about 3-5m underneath. Only having the bait 0.5-1m below the surface is nowhere near as effective. This requires using a float that will detach on hookup or can slide down the line. Using a mono leader, preferably fluorocarbon, will also increase the hookup rate. Over a long

period I have found you get roughly twice as many strikes using a mono leader compared to wire. You will get bitten off about 1/5 times, so if you do the maths you are well in front by going wireless. There will be days where the bite-off rate will be higher though. Using 3 ganged 7/0s has proven to be very effective when using pilchards to catch Spaniards. A personal favourite is the VMC Saltwater O’Shaughnessy, as they are needle sharp out of the packet, easy to gang, and are straight rather than offset, which reduces the incidence of baits spinning. Don’t forget about the humble doggie though, as they are great fun to catch and very tasty, especially when eaten fresh. I have always considered school mackerel to be an eat-fresh-only species, until earlier this year when I decided to try freezing some using vacuum sealed FoodSaver bags. I was pleasantly surprised to find they came out of the freezer firm and full flavoured. Doggies will be a species still accessible in higher winds, especially around the inshore islands and out along the Trinity Inlet leads. In calm, clear water conditions they will even poke into the mouths of estuaries and up into Trinity Inlet, making them accessible to land based anglers. While the age old pillie is a good fallback bait, nothing beats live sardines. Jigging slices and Bumpa Bar lures is also very effective and good for those who prefer active fishing. The reality of what passes for winter in the north is that most fishing will be restricted to the estuary and close inshore. Bream, grunter, flathead, cod, small GTs and the odd monster queenfish, barra and mangrove jack will make up the main target species. Converting your fishing approach and tackle to southern techniques will greatly increase the success rate. Using 4kg line, instead of usual 12-15kg braid, and rods and reels to match, is a far more practical approach. Bream will be the main player and any of the rock walls, pylons and rubble areas will produce. Fresh bait is a definite advantage, with fillets of sardine, mud herring, mullet and gar making excellent choices. Still have a standard north Queensland rig baited with a livie or larger bait in

the heavy country for the odd mangrove jack, golden snapper or barra that will still be around. The channel dropoffs and sandbars are a good place to chase larger GTs and metre-plus queenfish, especially around the mouth of the Russell/ Mulgrave and Daintree rivers. Super fast retrieving poppers and slices is a good way to warm up the body and get into the action, with floating a live sardine the more sedate approach. The salinity levels need to be high for the monster queenies to come in, but the GTs can tolerate a bit of fresh. Whatever the approach in the estuaries, don’t forget the crab pots. Muddies have been steady over the cooler months and make a great addition to the table when you strike gold.

Over the last couple of years, the reef fishing has been red hot whenever the weather gods have given permission to enter this realm. Trout numbers have been steady in the shallower 25-30m range, but it’s been the red fishing that has lit up anglers’ faces. Largemouth nannygai to 10kg and red emperor of similar proportions will be on the most wanted list in the deep water. Overnighting is by far the most productive approach. For those that don’t mind travelling in the dark, a mid-afternoon to midnight trip is very effective and not so hard to recover from when work awaits first thing Monday morning. This approach allows a few hours chasing trout and mackerel, close to the reef, before heading out wide just on dark to do battle with the monsters of the deep.

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JULY 2015

Boom times in the tropics PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer

Fishing in the tropics so far this year has been well above par and as we delve deeper into the winter months one senses that proceedings will not ease up. For quite a while now the offshore reef fishing on the Great Barrier Reef has been exceptional with some sensational hauls of fish being recorded in recent times. Our local charter operators have seen a steady flow of keen anglers tapping into this wealth of opportunity. The coral and bar cheek trout over the last month have stolen the headlight eclipsing all other species with authority. The better skippers in the region are sourcing in excess of 30 trout per trip and the size has been impressive with most fish weighing 4-6kg. The best results have occurred leading into the new and full moon, which has seen the fish really turn up the ante.

There’s been plenty of other species on the bite as well including a resurgence of small mouth nannygai. They went missing for a couple of years but for some reason are returning to their former glory. Red emperor have been a consistent of late and there’s been a lot caught just undersize between 50-55cm, and is a healthy sign for the coming years. Spangled emperor and long nose emperor have been another regular species and have been more prevalent up in the shallows. Cobia have probably had their best year to date and there always seems to be at least a couple of good sized fish come back to the docks on any given day. We’ve also continued to see a steady flow of trevally species around at the moment including golden, gold spot and tea-leaf species. They’ve generally been generous in size, around 5-7kg, and offer a challenge on the end of the line. The reef mangrove jack have been up and about since the water temperature

has dropped, and they’ve been mainly caught on the floating rig mainly set up for Spanish mackerel. In saying this the Spanish have also been plentiful on the float when anchored up for reef fishing. The large mouth nannygai have momentarily taken a back seat after setting the world on fire following the tail of the wet season. They have remained a relatively common fish but have largely been just legal in size, with the odd thumper thrown in. In other news the early arrival of the small black marlin has been a revelation amongst the game fishing fraternity. They started turning in numbers during May on what is called the ‘wide grounds’ further south of Port Douglas. These stallions normally don’t appear until July and normally fish well for the next couple of months. To have them arrive so early is certainly a big bonus for anglers wanting to spice up their fishing trip. Our rivers and creeks

Bar cheek and coral trout fishing has been exceptional of late. naturally have toned down with the onset of winter. The Daintree River is experiencing a solid run of bigger queenfish to 1m in size, and the grunter fishing on the flats has been good. Most of our estuaries have

been very productive for mud crabs, and the bream in these systems have been big and aggressive as well. Looking forward one is anticipating the mackerel family to hit full steam at any point along the coast and

out to the reef, and should including Spanish, spotted, school and grey varieties. Last year was a ripper and signs so far are indicating a similar result. We all love it when the mackerel are running.

Pelagics bring afternoon delight CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

The grips of winter can bring pelagic joy to almost any creek mouth in Cape York Peninsula. Casting a metal slice or a small popper at a current line whipped up by an afternoon breeze in July can produce amazing results. Blue salmon rove around in deadly packs through the creek mouths and shallow bays of Cape York. Very powerful fighters they get a threadline spool humming with lightning fast runs across the shallow flats and gutters. They are also surprisingly good on the chew when bled and kept on ice for a few hours. They are brilliant when crumbed or dusted in flour. Another tasty fish that can be prolific in creek mouths and current lines are small Papuan and brassy trevally as well as miniature giant trevally. Brutish little fighters, these fish make you earn your dinner on very light gear. Queenfish might show up in absolutely any size. From the tiniest creeks to the mightiest rivers in Cape York, there will be queenfish at some stage of the tide harassing baitfish in the mouth of these rivers and creeks. Even when blustery conditions spoil the 80

JULY 2015

afternoon luring session, you can be sure a live bait drifted through the creek mouth on an incoming tide will get a queenfish interested. When a gentle breeze has been blowing against a shallow bank that feeds a creek mouth, anglers will see a colour change. Exacerbated as an incoming or outgoing tides sweeps past a bank. Numerous baitfish and a variety of other little critters funnel past these places, using the deeper channels and dirtier water to escape predators. Mangrove jack, bream and cod all love water moving past their rock and timber lairs. The first few hundred meters of mangrovelined bank is a great starting location to target these species on small minnows and scented soft plastics. One of the most enjoyable things to do over

Left: A small golden trevally taken tempted with a jig on a sand flat. Right: A small giant herring caught on fly in blustery conditions. the winter period in Cape York is to use the afternoon warmth and a breeze at your back to hurl poppers, fizzers, plastics, vibes, shallow divers and live baits across the creek mouth. Barramundi will bite right the way through winter in Cape York’s creek

mouths. They may not bite as frequently or ferociously as during summer but that late afternoon feeding trigger still gets them hammering poppers on dusk. Casting vibes and plastics through the deeper channels can produce amazing results

with golden snapper, grunter and black jewfish. This is especially the case if there is some nearby structure such as rock or a big timber snag in the vicinity of the creek mouth. Threadfin salmon can be seen eating tiny jelly

prawns up in the shallows and can be taken with flies, small plastics and smallish shallow-medium divers. They can be equally veracious as they are timid at different times. You need sharp hooks, as they are To page 81

Left: Shallow reef flats are prime places to find fish during winter. Right: A nice saltwater barra slides into view just on dark.

Sweers delivers the goods KARUMBA

Alan Gurney awes0me@bigpond.net.au

June was awesome for all those of us lucky enough to catch a Spanish mackerel or some big grunter that turned up in decent numbers. The weather has been nice for a change and the opportunity to get out the front has been taken up by plenty of anglers, who were well rewarded. I had my brothers turn up and I took them over to

Sweers Island for 3 days to do some fish stock research. We pulled up at the bottom of the island and had a dozen good fish in the boat in 40 minutes before continuing up to the resort. Tex and Lyn were there to meet us with the managers, Brett and Sarah and they are lovely people who always make you welcome. The next day we headed out and the fishing was awesome. We caught some red emperor, nannygai, parrot and golden snapper that we kept and heaps of other fish we let go. This place was

red hot and I can recommend to anyone wanting to have some fun and catch fish to go to Sweers Island (ph 07 4748 5544). This month should see the mackerel keep firing and the grunter push up the river to breed. The easy way to catch the mackerel is to head out to the drop-off on the northern side of the sand island and float out a pilly on ganged hooks. You will need to set up a berley trail for the best results and the secret is to keep it going rather than dump a heap in the water and

hope for the best. Grunter will take most baits, and squid or prawns will get the job done. To find where the grunter are in the river is easy as there will be 50 boats anchored up in the vicinity. Please make sure that you have all necessary safety equipment on your boat and that it is up-to-date before heading out the front as you will be booked for not having it. The reason for safety gear is that it may save a life and there is no excuse for not having it.

Sweers Island did not disappoint. The fishing has been sensational.

Time to get your dose of tropical tranquillity FRESHWATER

Angus James

It’s had to believe we are half way through the year already! The tropical north has been providing plenty of exciting landbased sessions for the anglers willing to explore new country and put the hard yards in to reach those special places that rarely see human activity. I like to call these places the honey holes! Often it will take a little research on Google Maps and a bit of a game plan. Not only is it a real thrill to explore new ground, but it can offer some of the most insane fishing sessions! The rainforests always fishes well but this is a great time of the year to head into the jungle. The cooler From page 80

masters of the swipe and miss or the shake off. It is often more productive to be shore based rather than boat based when fishing around dusk. Depth of field becomes

weather makes for a more computable trek. A good mate and myself recently had a great day catching plenty of tight country sooty grunter. The best thing about this style of fishing is watching these brutes race out from the snag and smash your lure right before your very eyes! And that’s just the start, even though the majority of them are around the 25cm mark, they will do everything they can to win the round! Often using the flowing water to swim past you to the next pool, whilst aiming for any timber for the bust off. It requires quick thinking and some fancy footwork to land the little fellas. I find that using an 8lb fluorocarbon leader is perfect for this style of fishing. It will last all day brushing against the rocks and keep you hooked onto the fish long enough for you to pull

them from the snag. The elusive jungle perch is on the bucket list for most keen lure fishos in this country. I feel very lucky to have this unique tropical species nice and close to home. I love my offshore fishing, but when the wind is blowing a little too hard it doesn’t bother me at all, because I know I’m in for an awesome day’s fishing. I do a lot of fishing in some crazy skinny water streams in search of the bigger model JPs. The best way to target these fish is to make sure they can’t hear or see you coming. This is what makes hunting these fish so addictive. You are testing not only your fineness fishing skills, but also your stalking ability. You may walk 1km to a prime honey whole, step on the wrong twig and you can shut down the pool. It’s so rewarding when

York, you cover ground better on foot and can spread angling effort over a larger area. It is great camaraderie when fishing in a group, and there’s few things nicer than standing shoulder to

fishing from the bank and never leave dead or dying fish in the shallows nearby. If you really value the comfort of a far northern winter, then July and August can be great months to visit.

Big jungle perch in small water are a North Queensland specialty. it all comes together. The bigger fish in the strike zones are often the last to the lure because the smaller ones are quicker. JPs feed on a reaction, so that well-placed lure is very important. The sweet water jacks have started to become harder to catch due to the cooler changes in weather. They are still there, just not as aggressive. Little paddle-tail plastics and grubs will be the go. Try to get that territorial aggression bite from them. I was sight-casting a small group of 5 not long ago, sitting hard up in the snag. It was on the 12th cast when one of them finally decided to have a crack. These fish are awesome

fun to catch in the crystal clear shallow water. Not only do the pull hard from word go, but they also just look amazing!

Remember to stay safe out there, everyone! Hope you get a chance to wet a line. Fish hard and fish on!

A cracking barra caught on a popper at dusk. trickier to judge in the snags, so it makes sense to take structure and the need for accuracy out of the equation. On most of the sandy, open creek mouths of Cape

shoulder, hooked up, as the sun goes down. It is the stuff Cape York dreams are made of and there will be plenty of them being made this July. Be croc wary when

• For information on remote charter operations for tailored fishing adventures, please email Tim on wildrivercompany @gmail.com

Top: The cool weather makes trekking into the jungle much easier at this time of year, and fish like this are just waiting for you. Above: Jungle perch exhibit some of the most amazing colours. JULY 2015

4-STROKE

JULY 2015

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BROADWATER BOATING CENTRE 46 Brisbane Road Labrador, QLD, 4215 Phone: (07) 5529 1777 Fax: (07) 5529 1888 www.broadwaterboating.com.au

GOLD COAST (NORTH) STEFAN BOATING WORLD

27 Waterway Drive Coomera, QLD, 4209 Phone: (07) 5665 8400 Fax: (07) 3844 4777 www.stefanboatingworld.com.au

BRISBANE (SOUTH)

STONES CORNER MARINE 117 Old Cleveland Road Stones Corner, QLD, 4120 Phone: (07) 3397 9766 Fax: (07) 3397 2456 www.stonescornermarine.com.au

BRISBANE (BAYSIDE) WYNNUM MARINE

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BRISBANE (NORTH) NORTHSIDE MARINE

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BRISBANE (NORTH) BRISBANE YAMAHA

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SUNSHINE COAST

RAY SCHOLES MARINE 146 Eumundi Road Noosaville, QLD, 4566 Phone: (07) 5449 7633 Fax: (07) 5449 9830 www.rayscholesmarinenoosa.com.au

News

HERVEY BAY BUCCANEERS

19 Islander Road, Pialba, Hervey Bay, QLD, 4655 Phone: (07) 4124 6988 Fax: (07) 4194 2364 www.buccaneers.com.au

GLADSTONE

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MACKAY

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BOWEN

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TULLY

HUNTS OUTBOARD SERVICES 13 Watkins Street Tully, QLD, 4854 Phone: (07) 4068 2222 Fax: (07) 4068 0396 www.huntsoutboards.com.au

CAIRNS

BILLS MARINE 136-138 Lyons Street, Cairns, 4870 Phone: (07) 4051 6733 Fax: (07) 4031 3080 www.billsmarine.com.au

KARUMBA

JONES MARINE 30 Yappar Street Karumba, QLD, 4891 Phone: (07) 4745 9159 Fax: (07) 4745 9366 www.jonesmarine.com.au

Net Free Areas Under Siege A committed group of fired up recreational fishers have banded together to kick start a campaign under the catchy title, “Nets Out Queensland” as a first step in forming a groundswell movement to ensure the government’s Net Free Area policy is implemented. Recreational fishers know that Net Free Areas (NFAs) will see fish stocks rebuild and this will dramatically enhance fishing experiences in these areas. This will deliver more and bigger fish more often into boats and a more reliable supply of local fresh fish onto Queenslander angler’s plates. Nets Out Queensland have concerns the Net Free Area policy is under threat of being watered down or even worse, flushed down the gurgler at the eleventh hour. The constant deceptive media barrage from commercial fishing interests is beginning to influence some non-fishers and less informed members of State parliament may be starting to question the policy. Governments can and do change their minds at the last minute. Those who have been around politics long enough know that nothing in government is signed, sealed and delivered until the legislation is passed through the parliament. For this reason, Nets Out Queensland’s mission is simply to encourage all to sign a parliamentary petition, thereby demonstrating the wide spread support that exists for the introduction of these net free areas. Nets Out Queensland are urging you to sign the petition and join the campaign, because we can’t take anything for granted and you can’t afford to sit back and miss this once in our lifetime opportunity to see Net Free Areas became a reality. There are nearly a million of us in Queensland who stand to benefit directly from the creation of Net Free Areas along our coastline. When thousands and thousands of us sign this petition, it is highly unlikely that the government would do a backflip on the policy. It isn’t smart politics to dump a policy that is promised and supported by the silent majority because of a small band of highly vocal antagonists – that’s how you lose elections. So, please jump on board and be a part of helping our great state implement a policy that will help ensure progress is made towards a better and more fairly managed fishery that returns the optimal economic benefit to the community. MAKE A DIFFERENCE – JOIN THE CAMPAIGN You can make a difference by firstly signing the petition. The link can be found at: www.netsoutqld.org. While

you’re there, you will also get to find a lot more out about the benefits of Net Free Areas as well. The direct link to the petition is: http://www. parliament.qld.gov.au/workof-assembly/petitions/epetition?PetNum=2405 It only takes a minute or so to sign the petition, however several people have reported IT issues signing the petition on a smart phone at the moment. Please be persistent for the sake of the future or use your old fashioned laptop or desktop computer. The next thing you can do is to become a Nets Out Queensland campaigner. To be a campaigner all that you need to do is help others to sign the petition. This is a simple numbers game and unfortunately in this game, we each only equal one signature. No matter how passionate you are about the net free areas, the biggest difference you can make after you have signed the petition is to get others to sign up. Start with your family and fishing buddies and get them to sign the petition. Then start to think about your relations and acquaintances that aren’t tech savvy. Go for a visit and take your smartphone or tablet so they can sign the petition. If you aren’t tech savvy, but want to sign up, then go and pay that mate a visit who is always going on about their latest web connected gadget and ask them to help you. A Nets Out Queensland Facebook page has been established to keep campaigners up to date with progress and key information as we go along, so “like” that page as well at https://www. facebook.com/netsoutqld. As we said at the beginning of this piece, Net Free Areas have been proven to increase baseline fish stocks everywhere they have been created to date. In Australia, we already have them in the Northern Territory where just about all the rivers in the territory are Net Free and we all know the reputation they enjoy as a result. New South Wales have them the length of the coast where they are called “Fishing Havens”, Victoria have some, including the entire Port Phillip Bay and Western Australia also enjoy the benefits of not having nets in certain designated areas. Queensland has various creeks and small parts here and there closed to commercial netting, but as we all know, they do little in reality towards rebuilding fish stocks, because they simply aren’t large enough in area and fish are netted as they move in and out of these isolated closed waters. Effective Net Free Areas must be geographically large enough to provide protection

for most fish as they move within their usual home range. The Suntag database here in Queensland, now among the largest and longest serving in the world, provides rock solid data regarding the travel habits of our inshore species. What it shows, with only a few exceptions, is that the majority of our inshore species remain for the most part, within a particular area and seldom venture outside those boundaries. The implication from this key data, is that it is extremely important to carefully decide exactly where to draw the boundaries of any proposed Net Free Area in order to provide the optimal protection of the fish stocks from overharvesting. In that light, without doubt, the most effective of the three new Net Free Areas on the east coast will be the Central Queensland NFA which includes the Fitzroy River and Keppel Bay. This area will allow fish like Blue salmon, School mackerel, barra, bream, grunter and many more, to move around the entire area, spending different times of the year in or at the mouth of the river, as well as other areas within Keppel Bay for example, without running the gauntlet of commercial nets along their way. We know that the majority of readers of this piece will not live directly in or adjacent to one of the new NFAs, however the policy says that other areas of the state could be considered down the track and flags Moreton Bay specifically as an area for priority consideration, so if we all send a clear message by signing the petition now, the world is our oyster. Nets Out Queensland is also actively fundraising to try and produce thousands of bumper stickers promoting the cause with the web address for the petition displayed on each sticker. If you would like to chip in, message the Nets Out Queensland Facebook page and we’ll be in contact very soon. The more funds raised, the more stickers that can be distributed. Other opportunities to lend a hand will be promoted on the Website and Facebook page in the future. Please don’t sit back and let a small vocal minority spreading misinformation and propaganda against this landmark reform, jeopardise its success. Help ensure this is the first important step towards rebalancing of access to and sharing of the resource, albeit it in a pretty small way, back to us for the first time in history. SIGN the Supporters Petition now! – Kim Martin (information sourced from Nets Out Qld Group) JULY 2015

Go slow and subtle to get the bites this month TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

Things have slowed down a bit around the dams, rivers and creeks. In the south, the golden perch are now tough to target with lures. Trolling will only pick up the occasional fish. You will need to jig with small blades to be able to get some consistent wintertime golden action. Bait will be a good option if you want to keep catching these fish the easy way. Murray cod are still prowling around enough to take trolled and cast lures. Without the interference of greedy golden perch, the action between fish will be slow. Still, if you put in the time and hard effort, you will eventually hook one of these big brutes. Further north, barra numbers will have dropped off considerably. While the water temperature is cold, they will be far less active. Look to the heated shallows to find your fish and target them with slow presentations to suit their mood. If you can time your trip to a line up with a spate of nice warm days, the results should be much better. When it’s cold and windy, it is going to be ridiculously tough. With the bass closure in tidal waters in place until 1 September, anglers can still enjoy catching these fish in the dams and unaffected

freshwater rivers and creeks. A new change to the closure laws has allowed anglers to target bass in non-tidal rivers and creeks during the closed season. The closure still applies to sections of water where the fish can move down into the brackish region to carry out breeding. If you fish upstream of dam walls or weirs and where the water is definitely not tidal, you’ll be safe. Bass are a great winter time species. Most locations will fish reasonably well and the fish will respond well to cast lures. Subtle presentations can make a big difference while the water is cold, so make sure you have plenty of soft plastics and ice jigs on board. Due to the quieter fishing, the reports have been shortened up this month. I have still covered the most popular lakes and those which are fishing well, so pull on a beanie and some gloves and get into it. GULF EXPERIENCE I was lucky enough to join a bunch of great guys at the end of May to fish the Wenlock River, north of Weipa. We launched four small tinnies which were powered by electric motors, and embarked on a five-day trip. Over the five days we covered around 70km of the Wenlock’s fresh water and did our best to pin as many fish as we could. The main species encountered were sooty grunter, saratoga and barramundi.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK Closest Towns: Toowoomba, Crows Nest The bass have been a bit tough to locate and catch but usually you will sound some up in the deep water out from the ramps or around the point opposite the Eagles Nest rock wall. In the deep water, bass have been suspending 6-10m deep. Some of the best water to explore is straight

out from the boat ramps and toward the buoy line which runs across to Deer Island. Trolling a deep diving lure is usually a good way to explore the area while having a good chance of hooking a fish. Once you spot fish on the sounder, try trolling a 1/2oz jigheadrigged paddle tail plastic at around 2-3km/h controlling speed with an electric motor. This more subtle presentation should be a winner during the

Fish numbers were down on previous years but we still managed to score plenty of each species each day in our boat. The beauty of the sooty grunter not biting as well as in past years was that it gave the bigger barra a chance to hit the lures. While we didn’t see heaps of big barra, we did land several crackers with Joey Moran nailing a fresh water beast at 97cm long. It was amazing to see how the northern saratoga responded to the same lures I would throw at the southern strains. I rigged up a beetle spin to a 3” paddle tail plastic on day one and they went crazy over it. The same lure had caught me heaps of fish closer to home. We had limited numbers of these lures on the trip though, so my fishing buddy Jason Medcalf rigged up an Owner Flashy Swimmer. These are a weedless weighted jig hook with a spinning blade attached. Both the beetle spin and Owner bladed jig hook excelled at catching saratoga and sooty grunter. Even the occasional small barra took a liking to them. If I ever go back, I’ll be packing more of these. We had a top trip and caught hundreds of fish. It was awesome to see what Queensland’s fresh water has to offer in The Gulf. While this is a trip that very few people would actually do, there are heaps of more accessible places around the state. Some of these are almost unfished. The floods

that southern Queensland has received since 2010 have allowed the fish to move to places they haven’t seen for

years. While devastating, the silver lining is that these flooding events provide a great form of enjoyment

for those anglers willing to explore. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel!

winter months. If you find reasonable numbers you could try your luck casting soft plastics. They will be more effective if the fish bunch up below the boat. Fish back into the concentration and roll the plastic up and down through the school. If the fish remain scattered and suspended, try casting a tailspinner. Count these lures down to the depth the fish are showing and try to hop or roll it back to the boat at this depth. Up Cressbrook Creek

arm near the Eagles Nest rock wall, bass will be found around the long point. This point extends out from the toilet point on the inside of the bend as you follow the dam. From here it runs almost all the way to the rock wall where it drops away into the old creek course. Sound around the ridge and drop-offs of this point especially on the slower tapering northern side. Bass here will respond to soft plastics, small blade baits and possibly tail spinners. Some

of the better quality fish have been caught in this area over the last few months. Catching them in numbers has been the tricky part. There is no longer an entry fee at the boom gate but the 8 knot speed limit is still in place. Hours for boating and day use of the recreation area are 7am to 6pm until September. Tackleworld in Toowoomba is a great place to stop and grab your supplies for a trip to Cressy or any of the other dams and rivers.

You can check out their latest fishing reports on the Tackleworld Toowoomba Facebook page or online at their website. SOMERSET Closest Towns: Esk, Kilcoy Since the last influx of water, the fishing has gone quiet. Lure fishers have struggled to locate and catch fish in the coloured waters. The lake has now cleared enough for luring but the bass and golden perch are reluctant to bite. It’s possible

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JULY 2015

14 31

Weipa

Toowoomba

BRISBANE 27

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

Gold Coast

24 Impoundment Dams

25 Cairns 1

19 20

Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

Rockhampton

Emerald 29

Gladstone

Bundaberg 9 11

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

DAM LEVEL Report DAMS FEB MAR APR MAY JUN Atkinson 30 29 26 26 31 Awoonga 96 96 98 98 95 Bjelke-Petersen 48 49 48 48 50 Boondooma 72 71 70 70 69 Borumba 100 99 101 101 100 Burdekin Falls 95 93 88 88 75 Callide 84 93 92 92 88 Cania 97 101 101 101 100 Clarendon 37 35 32 32 36 Clarrie Hall 100 100 100 100 100 Cooby 71 71 68 68 71 Coolmunda 65 61 60 60 62 Copeton 17 17 18 18 18 Cressbrook 89 89 88 88 90 Dyer/Bill Gunn 74 77 83 83 86 Eungella 90 90 90 90 80 Fairbairn 59 57 55 55 51 Glenlyon 27 27 28 28 30 Hinze 87 96 101 101 100

Gympie

Maryborough

Roma

BRISBANE

For fortnightly updates Julius 99 98 96 96 89  Kinchant 88 85 77 77 67 Koombooloomba 33 46 35 30 31  Leslie 26 26 27 27 24  Macdonald 68 100 102 102 102  Maroon 99 100 100 100 100  Monduran/Fred Haigh 91 102 100 100 98  Moogerah 91 91 97 97 97  North Pine/Samsonval 60 80 84 84 87  Peter Faust/Proserpine 86 85 83 83 78 Pindari 13 13 25 25 26  Somerset 100 100 100 100 101  Storm King n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  Teemburra 93 93 92 92 86  Tinaroo 77 88 92 92 87 Toonumbar 97 100 101 101 101  Wivenhoe 77 95 99 99 99  Wuruma 81 101 99 99 98

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 17/6/15

that the good fishing will not return until August/ September when the bass school up. There were a few bass taken trolling hardbody lures last month around the popular spots of Pelican Point, Bay 13 and Queen Street. Trolling is a great way to cover water and look for better schools of fish. If you find fish on the sounder which refuse to take hardbodies, try slowing the troll down and running 1/2oz plastics or blade baits. Bait fishers have been able to nail a few bass and golden perch from inside the timber north of Kirkleigh. Live shrimp are great all-round bait, and frozen saltwater yabbies can be very effective on golden perch. Eel-tailed catfish and the noxious tilapia and banded grunter will also be fond of baits fished up in the

trees. Just remember there is a 6 knot speed limit inside these trees once past the buoys. MOOGERAH Closest Towns: Aratula, Boonah Moogerah will certainly be worth a look over the next couple of months. The bass were chewing a month ago but fishing pressure may slow them down a little. A midweek session or early start will be the key to getting the bites. After the initial hot morning bite, the action may slow down and the bites become harder to convert into hook-ups. Several schools have been holding around the main basin of the lake. Sound around for these fish concentrating efforts in water which is 10m deep. The bass have been holding fairly close to the bottom so let the sounder tell you what to throw. If the arches are higher in the water column try hopping tail spinners or

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY Closet Towns: Highfields, Toowoomba The action at the dam has been very slow. Most anglers are going home empty handed, and you will need to work hard to put a fish in the boat. It seems the majority of the golden perch have gone deep and are holding in water over 13m deep. You can try your luck

with bait in this deep water. Live shrimp or saltwater yabbies are ideal but stay alert to turn the finicky bites into hook-ups. Jigging ZX blades vertically in the deep water seems to be the most successful approach. This technique will take a little time to master but it’s one of the few reliable ways to keep catching goldens once they go into their lethargic winter

rolling soft plastics up through them. If the fish are closer to the bottom, try a slower soft plastic presentation, a hopped blade or a soft vibe like a Mask. If the fish are hugging the bottom hard, try jigging ice jigs or using small hops with a 1/4oz or lighter blade bait. When the bass are chewing, they can be a lot of fun. They seemed to handle fishing pressure quite well last year so hopefully this year will be the same. Make the most of the action when they are biting and enjoy catching them on all different types of lures. When it’s tough, switch back to a slow rolled soft plastic rigged on a 1/2oz jighead. My favourite for this dam is the 7cm Powerbait Ripple Shad in cappuccino colour. The water will probably still be quite coloured but this hasn’t stopped the bass finding and eating lures. time mode. The dam hours are now 7am until 6pm right up to September. Cooby is an electric motor only dam and is well suited to kayaks and canoes. The concrete boat ramp is on a shallow angle when the dam is full and can be slippery in places, but a big electric powered boat can still be launched with care. Outboard motors can be left on the boat but must not be used. Tackle, lures and saltwater yabbies can be

Jigging tail-spinners through Cressbrook’s suspended bass schools can pay off. This quality bass ate a JETS 16g tail-spinner worked carefully through a midwater showing of fish. purchased from Highfields Bait and Tackle on the New England Highway in Highfields. Call in and see Doug and check out the great range of fishing gear, kayaks and accessories he has on display. LESLIE Closest Town: Warwick The golden perch action has slowed right down at Leslie. Last month there were a few golden perch boated on trolled lures. Hopping vibes and small blades was far more successful. Toowoomba angler John Schwerin boated a nice Murray cod and these fish will still be willing to bite even though the goldens have shut down. Bait fishers will still score a few golden perch and eel-tailed catfish. If the

fishing is slow move around regularly until you find the action. Waiting for them to come to you could be a mistake because while the water is freezing the fish will be far less mobile. COOLMUNDA Closest Town: Inglewood There will be another two to three months of tougher fishing before the action picks up at Coolmunda. The golden perch will respond best to bait. Try using live shrimp or saltwater yabbies around the old creek and river bed edges. The deeper water around the timber produced a couple of nice Murray cod on spinnerbaits last month. Spinnerbaits can be cast around the structure or slowly trolled behind the boat when

using an electric motor. The Coolmunda Caravan Park is only around 1km away from the lake. The park is just off the Cunningham Highway but far enough away from the noise of trucks to get a good night’s sleep. It has camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. The park now has an extra two new wheelchairfriendly cabins to add to their older ones. 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 and the river below, give the park a call on (07) 4652 4171.

Two Dams

Winter can provide some glamour days for fishing. Rug up and peel the layers off as the day warms up. SUNSHINE COAST REGION BORUMBA Closest Towns: Imbil, Gympie The water in the lake may still be dirty but the bass are extremely keen to jump on a lure. Smaller bass have been schooling all over the points and flats in the main basin. These fish are suckers for a soft plastic. Last month they

were so keen they were even biting the plastic when it was resting on the bottom in between winding. Nigel Middleton and a couple of mates had a great 60 fish session on these smaller bass. The bigger models have been more elusive. It would be worth trying the flats at the start of the timber for the bigger fish. Hopping

blades or tailspinners across the flats can tempt the better quality bass. While the action was red hot last month, it could slow right down as the water cools off more. If it’s a cold winter, Borumba can shut down, making it hard to even get a bite. At the time of writing, conditions have been great so keep an eye on the weather conditions and hopefully the fish continue to play.

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WIDE BAY AND BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA Closest Towns: Proston, Kingaroy Bass will be chewing this month at Boondooma. The cold weather will have shut the golden perch down to the point where they are best targeted with baits. Bass will be better targets for the lure fishers. The bass will move out into the open parts of the lake where they will favour deeper water. Try looking for schooling fish in around 8-10m of water. These schools can be found around places like The Junction, Pelican Point and The Barbers Pole. Use these spots as a guide only and look between these areas as the fish can turn up anywhere. Boondooma bass are well known for moving around from day to day; one day’s hot spot can be a failure the next time you try it. Jigging has been a popular way to tempt the bites. Ice jigs and smaller

in more style and comfort by booking into one of the cabins overlooking the dam. The kiosk at the main office does hot food and other basic items. For camp sites, cabins and bunkhouse rooms call Corey and Niki on (07) 4168 9694.

Patrick Jones landed this monster 118cm cod on one of his own Fat Ass 50mm Southern Cross Lures. The fish was caught somewhere in the Texas/Inglewood area. It’s proof big cod bite on lures during the cold months.

The author with a quality freshwater barra from the Wenlock River north of Weipa. It provided some thrills on light baitcast tackle. blades jigged near the bottom are great when the fish are holding deep. If the fish light up and show up above the bottom, try rolling plastics and blades or hopping soft vibes or tail spinners. Inside the timbered arms, the bass have still been taking spinnerbaits. These fish look as though they may stay put throughout winter. A switch from spinnerbaits to a hopped blade bait could also prove successful if the fish turn their nose up at spinnerbaits. Boondooma is a great place to camp right near the water and sit by the fire while enjoying the view. You could also stay

BJELKE-PETERSEN Closest Towns: Murgon, Goomeri The golden perch have slowed down at Bjelke. Bait will still tempt a few fish while things are cold but the bass should continue to please. Working the points and banks around the Bass Point area should see you in with a good chance of scoring a Bjelke bass. Soft plastics are a great option to fool the bass into biting over these cooler months. Due to the smaller size of Bjelke’s bass, I’d be running a tiny treble stinger close to the tail of my soft plastic to convert the small taps into hook-ups. You can tie up your own

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JULY 2015

stingers using a piece of 10-20lb braid to make a 2cm diameter loop. Loop a treble (I use a no. 16 Owner) onto this loop and then loop it onto the eye of the jighead. You can then set one point of the treble into the tail of the plastic, leaving the other two points exposed. For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call

into your local Bass 2 Barra store. You can see Matthew at Kingaroy or Dylan in Dalby and the boys will have you all geared up and ready for action in no time. Bass 2 Barra stores stock an awesome range of gear suited to chasing our freshwater fish, and the boys have all the knowledge to guide you on how to use it. The Yallakool kiosk is all set up with a great range of tackle if you don’t happen to have the right lure or you’ve lost one. Be sure to call in and check it out. Give them a call for accommodation and camping bookings on (07) 4168 4746. ISIS BALANCING STORAGE Closest Town: Bundaberg The lake has changed a bit over the last couple of months. The water has cleared up again and this has allowed the weed beds to flourish. The healthier condition of the weed will draw the bass back in, and they will once again be lurking around in the weedy pockets. Surface luring early in the morning is a great way to start the day. Walking a C’ultiva Zip’n Ziggy over the top of submerged weed is a proven technique for catching the lake’s bigger bass. As the sun comes up, drop back to the edges of the weed. Smaller profile soft plastics rigged on 1/8-1/4oz jigheads will get the bites. These lighter heads can be twitched out of the weed better than heavier models but they require more sink time as you work them out into deeper water. In the middle of the basin there have been some schooling bass. These fish are likely to be moving around in 6-8m of water in

the middle of the three arms of the lake. Once you’ve found them on the sounder try hopping blade baits and tail spinners through them. The boys at Saltys Tackleworld in Bundaberg are bass experts. They love to fish the dam on their days off so will be able to steer you in the right direction. Saltys has an excellent layout and an awesome range of tackle suited to freshwater fishing as well as catering for the endless fishing opportunities in the surrounding area. LENTHALLS Closest Towns; Maryborough, Hervey Bay Lenthalls Dam has been closed to fishing and camping while construction work is undertaken, and the area is a designated construction site. The closure started on 28 April and is expected to be in place for 5 months. For further information visit www.widebaywater.qld.gov. au. The fish will be ready to chew after such a big rest so keep an eye out for a confirmed reopening date.

Better quality bass might be found on the flats before the timber at Borumba Dam. Try hopping blades or tail spinners for them.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Coast Fish breeder fined $2,617 A Sunshine Coast fish breeder has been fined $2,617 for a number of offences including possession of 26 tilapia. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) district officer Russell Overton said an investigation was undertaken when reports of illegal fish being advertised for sale on Gumtree were received from the public. “In a joint investigation with Fisheries Queensland biologists and Queensland Water Police, a search warrant of the breeder’s property uncovered 26 tilapia, seven undersize mangrove jack and one undersize Moses perch,” Mr Overton said. “It is illegal to possess noxious fish such as tilapia alive or dead–they cannot be kept, hatched, reared or sold, or taken home for eating or any other purpose. “If caught, they must be immediately killed and

possession of the undersize mangrove jack and Moses perch for trade or commerce. “A caution notice was also issued for taking the fish from wild fisheries resources as aquaculture broodstock without a licence. “Harvesting stock from Queensland waters for aquaculture requires a permit, which can be obtained from Fisheries Queensland or purchased from an authorised wholesaler.”

disposed of away from waterways, either by burial or disposal in a bin. “The breeder was fined $569 for possession of tilapia and $910 for unlawful

The breeder was also fined $1138 under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 for failing to comply with aquaculture development codes.

Mr Overton said commercial aquaculture operations must comply with strict approval processes to ensure protection for the natural waterways and environment. “QBFP will be conducting regular follow-up inspections on the property to ensure no further offences occur in the future,” he said. “It is important that everyone abides by Queensland’s fisheries rules to assist longterm sustainability and resource sharing.” If anyone suspects illegal fishing, please report it to the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116 so that it can be investigated. For more information on Queensland fishing rules, visit www.fisheries. qld.gov.au, call 13 25 23 or download the free ‘Qld Fishing’ app from Apple and Google app stores. Follow Fisheries Queensland on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ FisheriesQld). - DAF

Is fly fishing for you? BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

In this article I’m heading back to basics to answer a few email enquiries I have received from anglers thinking of taking up flyfishing. What goes round comes round and at the moment it seems that flyfishing is having somewhat of resurgence. I’ve seen this several times since I took up this specialized form of angling almost five decades ago, and these cycles make sense if we look at the big picture. Anglers’ pursuits evolve as their life opportunities advance and become clearer. Time to work, time to play, and for many the latter pursuit means fishing, which progresses from bait to lures, and for many the next step is fly. And each year more and more anglers join our ranks and explore the possibilities of flyfishing. THE PROGRESSION With a host of online and media outlets providing information and tuition on angling and its varying techniques and pursuits it’s easier than ever for anglers to learn and evolve their angling abilities and knowledge. With bait and lure techniques mastered its only logical that many anglers then evolve towards flyfishing as their next must-do pursuit. One of the purist traditions of angling and a style of fishing that’s equal parts beauty,

it with the correct line is essential for the casting process to work. Fly rods are categorized in ‘weights’, which has nothing to do with what a rod actually weighs in the hand. Instead it refers to the weight, in grains, of thirty feet (9.144 m) of a selected fly line. The system is part of a Standard Line Weight scale set up to standardize fly

This selection of fly rods shows a 4wt uppermost, 10wt lowest with an 8wt in between. Note the difference in thickness of these rods.

Big fish demand big tackle: that’s a 114cm barra taken on a 10wt rod and matching reel. tackle manufacturing across the US tackle industry, and from which the world seems to take it’s lead. So what are Grains? Grains are an avoirdupois or imperial unit of weight within a measurement system that we Aussies no longer use but still exists in the US. Accordingly, fly lines are still measured in grains and have a standardized weight with rods also weighted to

Smaller fish, smaller gear: this brown trout was taken on a 4wt outfit. timing and power, flyfishing is a style of angling that can be used to catch fish big and small, and in the salt and the fresh. WEIGHING IT ALL UP There’s a bit more to taking up fly fishing than just buying a rod, reel, line, leader and fly and heading to your local waterway to catch fish. The first piece of the puzzle is the rod. In flyfishing the rod and line work together and as a result selecting a rod then matching

a need for a more solid fly rod, with 7 or 8 weight rods a common step up in size, with their matching fly lines packing 185 and 210 grains respectively into that specified amount of fly line. When it comes to even larger fish, 9 and 10 weight (or larger) gear becomes the norm, and the importance of matching the rod, reel and line increases once again,

match them. So we have very light fly rods in sizes 3, or 4, with their line’s weight (in grains) of 100 and 120 respectively for that set length. These are slim rods, extremely light in the hand and are a dream to use on fish such as gar, spangled perch, small bass and trout. As the target fish increase in size or the fly increases in size, or perhaps a combination of both (flathead and big streamer flies come to mind), there’s

especially when it comes outfit cast-ability. Incorrect, unmatched and unbalanced outfits result in inefficient and tiresome casting, and compromise fight power and performance, all important factors when fight large, hard fighting fish. I like to think of barra, my all time favourite fish on fly. While I may use a 9-weight rod when chasing barra in areas that have fish no bigger than 90cm, in locations where big fish prevail (Kinchant and Peter Faust dams, Hinchinbrook Channel) a 10 weight is more the go. This horse for course approach illustrates perfectly the need to match the right outfit to the right application. BUY WISE AND BUY ONCE Putting tackle weight to the side, but remembering the vital need for balance between rod and line, the next issue is price. Just like it is with most tackle purchases there is no substitute for quality gear to yield quality results, especially when it comes to casting, which is arguably the most important of the fly angler’s skills. While I’m not suggestion that a beginner should go straight to the top shelf when buying tackle, buying the best outfit you can afford will help maximise you casting ability and performance, and of course fishing success. Knowledge and experience with assessing tackle can only be gained from a lot of time. In lieu of this, tackle store staff well versed in flyfishing is your best resource when it comes

to choosing tackle. Also having the ability to cast with an outfit before purchasing it is a huge start to a successful acquisition. With a quality multi piece rod, saltwater capable fly reel, backing and weight forward fly line tucked under your arm it’s time to start practice casting on the lawn or on the water. Watching some online videos of casting is a worthy precursor to hitting the park or water. Small casts are where you want to begin, longer ones

come with confidence, and when timing is mastered to perfection. SUMMING UP I’m sometimes asked about online purchasing. For the beginner it’s very dicey unless he or she knows precisely what is being ordered and that it will fill the bill. A lot of online fly tackle ends up being resold not long after it’s first purchased because it did not fulfil requirements. So there can be elements of risk involved.

Fly angling has been going on for centuries, yet it is still evolving with more material, new flies coming to light, and new species being identified as a fly species. Despite this evolution a few thing remains the same, namely the importance of balanced tackle and the need to learn to how to make a long flat cast with minimal back casts. The later is always so much easier when the rod and line work in harmony. It makes life easier and helps make you a better fly angler.

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Guide to land-based berleying NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

The use of berley can dramatically improve your catch rates, no matter where you fish or what species you chase. This month, Starlo examines the basics of berleying from land-based locations. The philosophy behind creating an effective berley trail is simple enough. By introducing food particles and the smell of food into the water, anglers attempt to attract, concentrate and excite fish, hopefully making them easier to catch. A good berley trail is akin to the mouth-watering smells wafting from the kitchen as a great meal is being prepared. It serves to sharpen appetites and draw potential diners towards its source without actually satisfying their hunger. Berley can be especially useful for shore-bound anglers, who aren’t as mobile and able to follow the fish they’re chasing as their boat-based and kayaking brethren. But it’s also important to note that berleying can sometimes prove to be counterproductive for shore fishers. If your berley is carried away too quickly by the tide, current or wave action, it can actually take hungry fish with it, out of your casting range. For this reason, you need to be strategic in your approach. That means either choosing a location where the berley trail isn’t dispersed or taken away too rapidly, or maintaining a steady, unbroken trail rather than a sporadic and intermittent one. In a perfect world, you should aim to achieve both of those positive outcomes whenever you berley.

“Got ’im on!” Another solid hook up in the berley trail. The content and make-up of your berley trail will depend on the species you’re targeting and what materials are readily available. The ideal base for any multi-species berley mix is a cereal product of some sort. Bread is perfect in this role. So are various animal feeds such as chicken feed pellets, bran, pollard, boiled wheat, dog biscuits and so on. The ideal attributes of any berley base are affordability, bulk without excessive weight (especially important when carrying your gear any distance), a propensity to soak up water, and the ability to appeal to a broad range of fish species.

My favourite berley base in most environments is stale bread. I save all our household bread scraps in a large freezer and also keep my eyes peeled for specials on bread at the supermarket, or for cafes and other outlets willing to selling day old (and older) bread at reduced prices. Stale bread, while bulky, is light and easy to carry. When soaked in water at your destination, it swells, softens and slowly sinks, creating the perfect berley trail base. To this starchy, cerealrich base I’ll add bait scraps, fish off-cuts and a splash of tuna oil. These ingredients greatly increase the appeal

of the berley mix. I’ll also be sure to include some small pieces of whatever it is I’m using on my hook as bait, be it prawns, pilchards, cunjevoi, squid, worms or whatever else. If I’m chasing herbivores such as luderick or drummer, I’ll add some scraps of marine weed and algae, too. This mixture can be stirred up by hand or with a stick in a large bucket and then dispersed into the water regularly using an old cup, ladle or scoop. Remember: a little bit often is much better than a lot occasionally. It can also pay to place some of your stale bread in a mesh bag and hang this at the water’s surface on a length of rope, so that wave and water action gradually disperses the contents. In future Back To Basics columns we’ll look at some more specific styles and strategies of berleying, but for now the concept of a steady, unbroken, cerealbased berley trail makes a wonderful starting point and will almost certainly improve your catch rates, wherever you fish and whatever you chase… Give it a try!

Simply soaking and mulching up some stale bread in a rock pool then distributing it by hand gets the job done beautifully!

Opportunistic feeders such as tarwhine respond well to a cereal-based berley trail.

Christian Mukadi caught this donkey Spanish off Batt Reef in Port Douglas in March. Weighing in at 30kg and measuring 1.35m, this fish was a true prize! With his Wilson Venom rod and Saragosa SW25000, the fish came to the boat after 3 big runs. Christian was also gutsy enough to fish without wire!

JULY 2015

Luderick or blackfish respond particularly well to berley.

Cooking

Making gravlax BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

I have used the tail sections from a salmon to make this gravlax. You could, of course, use any piece of the fillet from one or both sides of the salmon. You will need a non-corrosive container for the curing process (because you will be using salt), otherwise you may get a metallic tang to your

completed gravlax. A wooden or plastic board on which you can place something heavy to weigh the salmon down during the curing process is essential. Alternatively, an alfoilcovered brick will work. Cure for the salmon 1\4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons vodka 2 handfuls of chopped fresh dill

I like to use the salmon tail fillet for gravlax. Trim the edges of the flesh and remove any bones from the fillets.

Combine the sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub the vodka evenly over the salmon flesh and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the fillet. Finish with a handful of finely chopped fresh dill over the top and place the fillet, skin side down, into a large non-corrosive dish.

Place some plastic wrap loosely over the fillets to protect them from the board.

Using a stiff pastry brush or some paper towel, remove any dill and curing mixture from the surface of the salmon. Then sprinkle the remaining finely chopped dill on the flesh sides of the salmon fillets. Place the fillets side by side in a container and refrigerate until ready to eat.

The ingredients needed to cure the salmon fillets: sugar, salt, pepper, vodka and dill.

Place the second salmon fillet (skin side up), flesh to flesh with the first fillet.

Place a board (or alfoil covered bricks) over the salmon fillets to weigh them down. Weigh the board down with some heavy filled jars or tins. Place the salmon in the fridge. After 24 hours completely turn the fish over so the skin sides are still outermost. Replace the weights and leave the salmon for another 24 hours in the fridge.

Gravlax served with traditional accompaniments. Spread cream cheese over toasted bread or bagels; add a generous serve of gravlax and capers and then top with some finely sliced onion rings. JULY 2015

Industry News

The 2015 National Recreational Fishing Conference The theme of the 2015 Conference is ‘Managing Our Fishing Future’ with a focus on the collaboration between anglers, government, science and industry to ensure properly managed recreational fisheries in Australia. Conference sessions include: ‘Australian Fisheries, A Shared Resource’; ‘Improving the Quality of Fishing in Australia’; ‘What is Social License and How

CONFERENCE COCKTAIL FUNCTION A great chance to network with like-minded fishers, government representatives, scientists and industry personalities – the Conference Cocktail Function is a must attend feature of the 2015 National Recreational Fishing Conference. Tickets cost $25 per person and include finger food and drinks. The function

late John Dunphy, The John Dunphy Memorial Fishing Tournament is feature of this year’s Recreational Fishing Conference. Conference attendees will have the chance to fish alongside the likes of Paul Worsteling, Jim Harnwell, Adam Royter, Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck, Hon. Bob Baldwin MP and more. The Tournament will take place on Sunday the 26th of July from 6:30am until 12noon.

PROGRAMME TIME

TOPIC

PRESENTER

8:45am

Welcome Address

SESSION 1: AUSTRALIAN FISHERIES – A SHARED RESOURCE 9:00am Whose fish are they anyway? . ................................................................................Prof. George Kailis 9:15am Utilising and Sharing Fisheries Resources: Getting the Balance Right...................... Dr Daryl McPhee 9:30am Marine Parks Update...................................................................................................................... TBC 9:45am Dept of Environment....................................................................................................................... TBC SESSION 2: IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF FISHING IN AUSTRALIA (FISHHABITAT NETWORK) 9:50am Case Study: How Recreational Fishers Getting Involved in Victoria 10:05am Case Study: Recreational Fishers Driving Action in NSW 10:20am Attitudes of Recreational Fishers Getting Involved with Fish Habitat Projects Internationally 10:35am Morning Tea SESSION 3: WHAT IS SOCIAL LICENSE AND HOW DO WE MAINTAIN IT? 11:00am Emerging Trends, New Generations and What this Means for Aussie rec fishing........Mark McCrindle 11:40pm Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder................................................................................. Richard Louv 12:10pm Recreational Fishing - Receiving Recognition from State and Federal Government...................................................................................................Jim Harnwell 12:25pm Technology and Product Innovations - How will we be Fishing in the Future?............... Steve Morgan 12:45pm Lunch

do we Maintain it?’ and ‘What does the Future of Recreational Fishing in Australia Look Like?’ Conference attendees will have the chance to get involved and have their say during the dedicated National Recreational Fishing Forum that will round out the day. Don’t miss keynote presentations from Professor Robert Arlinghaus and Mark McCrindle. Professor Arlinghaus recently spoke at the World Recreational Fishing Conference in Brazil and will now be bringing his knowledge and expertise to Australia. His topic, ‘How do Values and Beliefs Influence Fishing’ will provide insights into how changes in social values affect recreational fisheries drawing on examples of how this has be dealt with in other countries. Mark McCrindle is a social researcher with an

international following. He is recognized as a leader in tracking emerging issues and researching social trends. As an award winning social researcher and an engaging public speaker, Mark has appeared across many television networks and other media. Mark’s topic, ‘Emerging Trends, New Generations and What this means for Recreational Fishing in Australia will identify how we’re spending our time and will get us thinking about how technology is impacting on us getting out and dropping a line. Other speakers on the day include: Paul Worsteling, IFish; Steve Morgan, Fishing Monthly Magazines, Jim Harwell, Fishing World Magazine, Richard Louv, US based Author, Dr Daryl McPhee, Bond University, Dr Julian Pepperell, Marine Biologist and Author plus more!

CONFERENCE DETAILS What:............2015 Recreational Fishing Conference When:................................ Saturday, 25th July 2015 Where: ..................................Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre Registration:.................................... $30 per person Website:..www.recreationalfishingconference.com.au 90

JULY 2015

SESSION 4: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF RECREATIONAL FISHING IN AUSTRALIA LOOK LIKE? 1:30pm What is Social License, How do We Maintain it and What Happens if We Don’t?....................................................................................... Leeora Black 2:00pm How do Values and Beliefs Influence Fishing? ................................................. Prof. Robert Arlinghaus 2:30pm The Science and Ethics of Catch and Release............................................................ Julian Pepperell 3:20pm Becoming ‘The Complete Angler’ - It’s About More than Catching Fish......................Paul Worsteling 3:40pm Afternoon Tea SESSION 5: CREATING OUR FISHING FUTURE 4:00pm ARFF – Who is ARFF and What Does ARFF do?............................................................ Allan Hansard 4:15pm National Recreational Fishing Forum – Facilitated Discussion 5:00pm Final Address 5:15pm Close RECREATIONAL FISHING AWARDS The Australian recreational fishing community is full of passionate individuals and organisations who work tirelessly, and achieve significant outcomes for fishing in Australia. Many of these examples go unnoticed. By nominating yourself, or someone you know for the 2015 Recreational Fishing Awards, you can help shine a spotlight on those who deserve recognition for their outstanding achievements. Award Categories are: Excellence in Innovation and Leadership, Excellence in Support for Research Outcomes, Project of the Year, Habitat Hero Award and Mal Ramsay Lifetime Achievement Award. You can download full awards information including awards criteria, nomination forms and details on how to enter from

the Recreational Fishing Conference website. Nominations close 5pm on Wednesday the 22nd of July 2015. Award

will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre starting at 6pm. You can purchase your tickets online at time of registration.

winners will be announced at the Recreational Fishing Conference Cocktail Function on the evening of Saturday the 25th of July 2015.

JOHN DUNPHY MEMORIAL FISHING TOURNAMENT Ever wanted to wet a line with some of the best fisher’s in Australia? Honouring the

There are limited places to fish the Tournament – register now for your chance to be a part of this memorable event. To be eligible for your chance to fish in the Tournament you will need to complete the following steps: Register your attendance online at the 2015 National Recreational Conference, and then click on the John Dunphy Memorial Fishing Tournament link on the Conference website and register your details to participate. Tournament participants will be drawn and notified on Friday the 17th of July 2015. Sponsors of the 2015 National Recreational Fishing Conference are: Fisheries Research and Development Coroporation, Australian Fishing Trade Association, Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation, Southern Cross Media, ABT, Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Department of Agriculture.

Speakers include : Paul Worsteling

“Managing our fishing future” Steve Morgan

Saturday 25th July 2015 Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

8:00am – 5:00pm

www.recreationalfishingconference.com.au Register online today to attend the 2015 Recreational Fishing Conference. Jim Harnwell

Join recreational fishers and industry professionals from across the Country and be a part of shaping the future of recreational fishing in Australia.

Conference Registration $30.00 pp (inc gst)

• Professor Robert Arlinghaus • Julian Pepperell • Richard Louv • Profesor George Kallis • Dr Daryl McPhee

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Plus many mo

Other conference activities include: 3 John Dunphy Memorial Fishing Tournament* 3 Exclusive Access to the AFTA Trade Show* 3 Recreational Fishing Awards* * Additional costs and conditions apply. See website

The 2015 National Recreational Fishing Conference is proudly supported by...

Isuzu’s MU-X 7 seater BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Roughly based on the Isuzu D-Max ute and designed to carry the fight to the likes of the Colorado 7, SsangYong Rexton, Ford Territory, Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi Challenger and the like, the well put together MU-X will impress potential buyers with its excellent design, roominess and performance both on and offroad. Available in LS-M, LS-U and top of the range

LS-T models, it’s the LS-T reviewed here. Although there’s a massive list of features, many of these goodies are also offered in the other models that are well worth a look at if the budget is running a bit tight. HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES Well equipped by any standard, the MU-X LS-T offers power-operated leather-appointed seats, reversing camera, rear park assist (I sure loved that!) alloy side steps, 17” alloy wheels, projector headlights, climate control air with pollen filter, keyless entry,

cruise control, touchscreen sat nav’ and audio system, Bluetooth iPod and USB connectivity, rear roof mounted DVD monitor to keep back seat passengers happy, an 8 speaker audio system, power windows plus electric fold mirrors, roof rails and a tailgate spoiler. And it comes with a 5 star ANCAP safety rating! There’s also a 60/40 split fold for the second row of seats, and 50/50 split fold for the third row, which can actually accommodate adults for short distances. The interior of the wagon was dark charcoal, with bright

Top Left: Entry to the Isuzu’s third row of seats is surprisingly easy when the second row is folded and tumbled forward. Top Right: The MU-X is a very capable 4WD, with low range controlled via a rotary dial on the console. Above: With a 3 tonne braked trailer capability, the MU-X made easy work of towing the author’s 500kg Trek Trailer.

The cod’s a little bloke, destined to be returned, but the Isuzu MU-X made river access, though rough going, easy work. 92

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dash highlights to catch the eye. In typical Isuzu fashion, all dials and gauges were very well laid out and easily monitored. One thing I really liked when at the wheel was the very comfortable infinitely adjustable seats, plus the brilliant headlights when night driving. ROBUST ENGINE Powered by a 4cyl 3L common rail diesel engine with variable geometry turbo charger, the twin cam Isuzu powerplant has a maximum power of 130kW and maximum torque of 390Nm. The figures, on the face of it, don’t appear extraordinary, but bear in mind that this is a time-proven engine with steel timing chain — hence

Neat styling, a smooth ride and plenty of family appeal are strengths of the MU-X wagon. no replacement necessary — roller rockers, and is very much under-stressed; all factors that lead to a long work life with easy maintenance. While the engine does not rev as freely as some of its European counterparts and tends to rattle and vibrate a tad at idle, it has a lot of fat torque in hand from quite low revs. And aside from all that, the MU-X in no way feels under-powered, thanks to a 5 speed auto with its Adaptive Grade Logic and hill ascent/ descent control. The wagon is a 4WD in every sense of the term, with both all wheel drive plus low range gearing controlled via a console mounted dial. On highway runs I saw the tacho sitting at 1700rpm with the speedo on 100km, while a towing stint involving our Trek Trailer (the wagon has a 3000kg rating for a braked trailer) saw a fuel consumption of 11.2l/100km, which impressed me considerably. A FAMILYFRIENDLY RIDE Isuzu have obviously spent some time refining the 7 seater’s ride. With independent coil springs, gas shockers and upper and lower wishbones mated to a stabiliser bar, the front suspension was very compliant and offered considerable front wheel travel. The wagon’s rear suspension was just as good, with a multi link high ride setup incorporating gas shockers plus a stabiliser bar again. All-in-all, the suspension was very capable of insulating passengers from road undulations and was particularly good off-road and on gravel surfaces. There was a small amount of lean on really tight corners at times, but this was quickly corrected when the suspension took up. Offroad, the MU-X is a surprise packet. Thanks to the very generous wheel travel plus the easy lugging power of the 3L diesel mated to the slick auto unit, the

vehicle took a lot of quite nasty offroad terrain in its stride in a journey to cod country where — a drum roll please — we actually caught some fish! Denise scored one first cast, but that’s another story. This is about a car: a good one at that. Low range saw the MU-X sneaking carefully through long grass and some rocky going to get to the river, but although the suspension was obviously working below the floor pan, we took it pretty easy inside on the very comfortable seating. Seven seaters are flavour of the month these days and I was interested to see just how easy access to the third row of seats would be. Surprise, surprise, I easily scrambled in thanks to a fair amount of room between the folded/tumbled down rear left centre seat and the third row. There was even head room. Amazing. All that aside, the rearmost

seats were likely best left for youngsters to enjoy. With third row seating folded flat and the second row likewise, I measured a very useful 1800mm long by 1100mm wide (between wheel arches) available for cargo storage, which was very handy on country runs. Pack it in, stack it in, that’s my motto. SUMMING UP In summary, the Isuzu MU-X LS-T rates as a very strong contender for family 4WD honours. It looks pretty good, drives very well, has real offroad cred’, and has a very solid feel about it, whether on or offroad. That solid engine should last for a very long time and is built to work, as is the gear train — both are commercial grade units. The Mu-X comes with a 5 year 130,000km warranty plus roadside assist. Price was quoted as $50,990 drive away. And there’s a full sized spare wheel.

Top: The Isuzu’s eye-pleasing dash layout: dark charcoal interspersed with brushed metal tonings adds a subdued touch of class. Above: With rear seating folded down, there’s 1800mm of load space in the MU-X.

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Rosco Canoes and Kayaks’ Scamper Duo BRISBANE

Justin Wilmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Rosco Canoes, based at Kedron to the north of Brisbane, is steeped in paddling history, with owner Ross Cook building

the canoe, at which point I picked it up myself and loaded it onto the roof racks of our little Rav 4. He was surprised and went on to tell me about his cousin’s canoe that takes 6 blokes to carry and how impressed he was that this vessel weighed in at just over 20kg, while being

SPECIFICATIONS Length:.............................................................4.02m Width:................................................................88cm Weight:...............................................................22kg Payload:........................................................... 180kg Passengers:............................................................2 Warranty:....................................................... 5 years SRP:................................................................. $1179 his first timber and canvas canoe in 1955 when he was just 10. He designed his now famous 16’ canoe from home in 1968, and when the orders started flowing in, started Rosco Canoes in 1970. Of course this is just scratching the surface, with multiple design awards, experiences paddling around Australia and in other parts of the world, developing a wide range of vessels for applications including recreation, touring, expedition and fishing, and now boasting the largest and most diverse range of canoes and kayaks in Australia. My wife Sheri and I were planning an adventure in the Scamper Duo, a 4m 2-seater fibreglass canoe, and with a gentle breeze forecast for the following day, a decision was made to fish our local estuary. I loaded the canoe on the car the afternoon before, ready for an early start. Aside from the quality finish, the first thing you notice about the Scamper Duo is how light and easy to handle it is. I smiled when my neighbour said “G’day” over the fence and offered to help me load 94

JULY 2015

configured for 2 paddlers and a payload of 180kg. I can literally lift the Scamper Duo above my head with ease. Sticking to the payload, we could carry about 35kg of gear on top of our own weight, so we loaded in our 20l Evakool icebox containing a couple of ice bricks and our lunch, along with my waterproof camera case, backpack of fishing gear, landing net, BogaGrip, paddles and a few other bits and pieces. With both moulded handles and carry toggles, transporting the loaded Scamper Duo to the water was a breeze and Sheri was amazed that we didn’t require the usual 2 or 3 trips back to the car for gear. On the water, the Scamper Duo tracks well due to its integrated bow and stern keel, and offers good stability thanks to its large Tumblehome design, whereby the sides of the canoe have a slight belly to create additional stability and buoyancy. This was Sheri’s first time in a canoe and within minutes she had found her sea legs and was quite comfortable swinging

around to face the rear of the canoe and access the icebox from the front seat. The aluminium gunwales on the Scamper Duo are designed to provide maximum protection and durability, and they also made the canoe feel rock solid, rigid and secure from the paddlers’ perspective.

The fibreglass construction of the Scamper Duo means it is light weight, with great strength to weight ratio, and this material can be formed to very fine lines, creating a canoe that tracks and handles well. Fibreglass is also very affordable, with the Scamper Duo getting

2 people on the water for well under the cost of many single person kayaks. It is ideal for flat water such as lakes, rivers and estuaries, so if you’re thinking about running rapids, then you should look to a model like the Rosco Chief, constructed from Royalex. With this in mind, we picked a good day to explore our local estuary system and stayed out of the main channel to avoid boat wakes from larger vessels. There are sealed, foam-filled bulkheads at the front and rear to

ensure positive flotation and encourage self-righting should something go wrong, however, at no point did we feel uneasy when negotiating wakes from smaller vessels and moving around the canoe to paddle, land fish or access the icebox. The design is simple; hull, front and rear bulkheads and 2 thwart seats, consisting of heavy duty alloy tubing for strength and rigidity, and a sling of Herculite double rip-stop vinyl that provides maintenance-free durability, strength, quick-

Above Left: Ready to launch. Above: At 4m and 22kg, the Scamper Duo is at home on smaller vehicles. Below Left: Sheri was comfortable in the front seat and the Scamper tracked well. Below: One of the many flatties caught drifting a weed edge.

The Scamper Duo is light-weight and easy to handle.

drying, cool and comfortable seating. It also keeps the weight down to create a lightweight, manoeuvrable and versatile craft. We positioned the Scamper Duo a cast distance from the bank, on the last 2 hours of the dropping tide, and I made minor adjustments as required with the paddle, while we both worked small paddle tail soft plastics rigged on 1/4oz jigheads. This was comfortable fishing and Sheri commented on the amount of room available to spread out our limited gear, stretch the legs, and cast lures without being on top of each other. We fished about a kilometre and a half of bank and Sheri was first to hookup, just a few paddle strokes from where we launched. After a lively tussle she

swung her rod tip toward the rear of the canoe and I netted a nice bream. She followed this up in quick time with a couple of legal flathead and we also landed a few yellowtail pike that were kept for the smoker. We were loving our morning session in the Scamper Duo and I enjoyed watching her cast and fight fish with confidence from the front of the canoe. Upon reaching a section of weed that dropped into deeper water, we paddled into the edge and drove 1 of the paddles blade-first into the mud and tied it off to the side of the canoe. This held us in position, much like a stakeout pole, so that we could thoroughly cover the area with casts. After 10 minutes or so we would then move 20m down the bank and position ourselves again. More flathead came aboard and in our 2 hour session we had landed 5 yellowtail pike, a nice bream, and a dozen flathead, keeping a few fish in good condition in the icebox to take home for a feed. After a couple of hours and plenty of fishing action, we decided to paddle the kilometre and a half back to the ramp in 1 run and did it with ease. I had thrown my 2.18m kayak paddle in to experiment with on the return journey, and because the rear

of the Scamper Duo tapers to the stern and this canoe is reasonably low to the water, I could comfortably use the kayak paddle while Sheri made tracking adjustments with the canoe paddle from the front seat. It was a great morning on the water, with plenty of fish, plenty of laughs, and we are looking forward to our next canoeing adventure. The Scamper Duo is a quality, well designed, stable, lightweight and versatile option for paddlers wanting to explore their local ‘flat water’ — be it lakes, rivers or estuaries, day trip and picnic from the canoe, do a bit of basic fishing, or for the solo paddler who wants to do a bit of fishing and camping. Rosco back the quality of their products with a 5 year Rosco warranty and there are

a stack of colours to choose from if you want to give your canoe a personal touch. For more info on the Scamper Duo and the full range of Rosco canoes and kayaks, visit www.roscocanoes.com. au, or pick up the phone and give the team a call to discuss your needs and the options available. If you’re lucky enough to live in the area, make sure you visit the store, where as well as canoes and kayaks you will also find stacks of accessories, including paddles, PFDs, dry bags, safety and navigation equipment, outfitting hardware, and the team even do repairs and fit out in-store. Not sure which craft is right for you? Rosco also offer a hire service for canoes, kayaks, SUPs and accessories.

Top: Lightweight, stable and versatile. Above Left: There’s plenty of storage space in the stern. Above Middle: Plenty of room for an icebox and other gear. Above Right: Loads of room in the front to stretch the legs or swivel around and access the icebox.

Left: Using a paddle to anchor the Rosco Scamper Duo on the edge of a dropoff. Middle: Fish on! Anchored at the edge of a dropoff. Right: Sheri with the first fish of the day.

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30 Year Warranty Quality assurance JULY 2015

What’s New FISHING

POWERBAIT 3” TWITCHTAIL

A new minnow design in Berkley’s winning Powerbait line-up, the Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow, features a unique thin tail that delivers continuous, lifelike action. Perfect for finesse situations, it comes to life with the slightest twitch of the rod. Each Twitchtail Minnow is also loaded with Berkley’s exclusive Powerbait scent and flavour formula, which causes fish to hold on 18x longer, so you can feel more bites and set more hooks. Excellent for bream, bass, flathead and other predatory species, the Powerbait Twitchtail will provoke strikes from aggressive fish but also tempt those more finicky fish into eating. Available in a range of Berkley’s proven colours, the Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow drives fish crazy. The Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail comes in a range of lifelike colours and will facilitate weedless and non-weedless hooks for different presentation, so you’ll be able to throw them almost anywhere! Price: RRP $8.95 www.purefishing.com.au

LUCKY CRAFT SKT

The Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbaits are a result of years of fine-tuning from Professional USA bass angler, Skeet Reese. Built with a compact, yet hefty profile, the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow offers excellent casting distance and the ability to reach greater depths with ease. Complete with two super-bright willow blades, the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow delivers an abundance of flash that will attract fish in a wide range of water conditions, from gin clear, where a subtle approach is needed, to dense and muddy, where the spinnerbait needs to make a lot of noise. Adding to its attraction, the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow is fitted with a banded skirt that perfectly accents its lifelike colour scheme and a soft plastic hook keeper. This revolutionary spinnerbait is available in 4 colours and is made and tested in Japan. Price: RRP $15 www.ejtodd.com.au

DAIWA J-BRAID

Whether you’re an ‘Urban Warrior’, or your battleground is the big blue, when it’s just you against the fish – with bragging rights on the line – there’s no margin for compromise. Daiwa is proud to introduce the all-new J-Braid. Like all Daiwa products, it is made in Japan, so you can trust that hours of testing has gone into its production. J-Braid is soft and supple, to allow you long, effortless casting, but is strong with a thin diameter, to provide the stealth you need when stalking big fish. J-Braid is an 8-strand weave, so it has a round profile small diameter, maximum abrasion resistance and is low stretch. J-Braid is available in chartreuse or multicoloured options, and metered in 10, 5 and 1m increments. Delivering strength and quality in perfect harmony, Daiwa’s new J-Braid let’s you be a strong fighter. www.daiwafishing.com.au

SHIMANO 2015 CITICA

With their low-slung profile and racecar good looks, Shimano’s previous Citica G series of baitcasters were pretty classy examples of Japanese design, technology and performance, but the 2015 models take it another step further. There are three Citicas to choose from — the CI200I with a gear ratio of 6.3:1, and then the choice of high gear left or right-handed versions with warp speed ratios of 7.2:1. The SVS Infinity Casting System delivers a more precise braking range, which in turn provides greater control regardless of the conditions. What’s more, the S3D Stable Spool Design features uniform thin wall construction that reduces spool vibration on the cast and retrieve. The 2015 Citicas can dish out 5.5kg of drag power, which means they are ideally matched to the 190m of Power Pro braid they hold, making them perfect for impoundment, creek, tropical estuary and inshore saltwater work. www.shimanofish.com.au

Using Taff-Wire, the S-125 is perfect for retro-fitting hardbodied trolling and casting lures. The range of available sizes means that you’ll be able to replace and retro-fit in just about any angling situation. The lightweight but incredibly strong TaffWire ensures that your lures retain maximum action. Taff-Wire helps create hooks that are smaller in diameter, yet stronger and harder than ever before. The single most important characteristic for hook penetration is the wire diameter – if it’s too thick and the wire won’t penetrate easily. Taff-Wire hooks are stronger per wire diameter than any hook on the market, meaning that you’ll be able to set the hook into even some of the boniest of jaws in the sea and know that they won’t straighten. The new Owner S-215 Single Plugging Hook is available in sizes 1/0 all the way to 9/0. Price: RRP $12.95 www.purefishing.com.au

JULY 2015

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OWNER S-215 SINGLE HOOK

INSANITY TACKLE ANGEL BAIT

Insanity Tackle is the brainchild of Wayne ‘Mr Freshwater’ Dubois. Angel Baits are the most exciting thing to hit Aussie lure shelves since the chatter bait all those years ago. Angel Baits ride hook up and can be worked over and through timber just like any spinner bait style lure. But what sets Angel Baits apart from the rest is their smaller, more lifelike profile. Also, the unique spinning device and blades will attract fish with its natural pulse and realistic flash. But unlike so many other spinnerbaits styles, they won’t scare them in the process. Angel Baits can be cast and retrieved, trolled or jigged and won’t replace the spinnerbait entirely, but they make a great alternative and are hard to beat on highly pressured waters where the fish have seen thousands of spinnerbaits. Chuck an Angel Bait on and fool those finicky fish. Price: RRP $15 Facebook ‘Insanity Tackle’

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 96

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

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What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

MAGNUM SW REELS

ZEREK MARSH SLIDER HOOK

Wilson Fishing has developed its own reel, the Magnum SW, to perfectly match the Magnum series of rods. Built with uncompromising ideals, the Magnum SW reels make use of an aluminium body and rotor to ensure the components are able to operate in the harshest of conditions. The aluminium spool is fitted out with a high-density woven carbon drag system that creates a tournament grade carbon drag. With 8+1 stainless steel bearing, you can be ensured of smooth operation for years and the anti-reverse bearing is instantaneous with no play whatsoever! The handle is finished off with an ergonomic EVA knob design that is comfortable to use all day, finishing off this brilliant value for money reel. With four sizes ranging from 2000 through to 5000, the Wilson Magnum SW reel is an ideal companion to your Wilson Magnum rod. Price: RRP from $165 www.wilsonfishing.com.au

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Since the release of the Flat Shad, anglers have been asking for different weights and finally they have arrived – the Marsh Slider Hook Packs. There are three sizes in the Marsh Slider Hook Packs to suit the popular 5’, 7’ and 9’ Zerek Flat Shad lures. But the Mustad worm hooks used in these packs are built tough and are more than capable of slotting into any plastic you want to rig weedless. Each Marsh Slider Hook Pack has two Mustad worm hooks included. The 5/0 hook pack contains a 14g and 22g weighted worm hook, with the original hook on the 5” Flat Shad weighing 17g. The 8/0 hook pack contains a 20g and 28g weighted worm hook, with the original hook on the 7” Flat Shad weighing 35g. The 12/0 hook pack contains a 35g and 45g weighted worm hook. With the original hook on the 9” Flat Shad weighing 57g. These hooks exhibit all the traits of Mustad hooks being tough, durable and ultra-sharp. Price: RRP from $10.95 www.wilsonsfishing.com.au

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

RAPALA SHADOW RAP

The ‘dying minnow action’ of the new Shadow Rap series compliments Rapala’s already extensive offering of hard baits that have the legendary, original ‘wounded minnow action’ and the ‘escaping minnow action’. Unlike other hard baits, the incredibly unique dying minnow action of the Shadow Rap kicks almost 180° during the twitch on a semi-slack line, darting off to the side and turning back to look at its adversary with a dying quiver. Featuring internal metallic plating, a natural scale pattern and a flat sided 11cm minnow profile that is finished in a range of colours designed to mimic bony bream, mullet and herring - the Shadow Rap is the perfect snack. Available in both a shallow and deep model that weighs 13g and dives to a maximum depth of 1.2m and 2.4m respectively; the Shadow Rap gives anglers the ability to confidentially cover structure at differing depths. Price: RRP from $24.95 www.rapala.com.au

SHIMANO GAME TYPE J

These fantastic JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) designed jigging rods are going to be a massive hit with jig fishing fans right around the country — whether they’re part of the new micro jigging scene, taking the more traditional approach of banging heavy metal on the heads of Seriola species in cooler waters, or winkling reef dwellers away from coral bommies in the tropics. There are five powerful spin rods and one baitcaster in this impressive line-up. All are of single-piece construction, rated for use with 1-3 through to 2-5 PE braid, depending on the model, so they’re also extremely versatile. Befitting their high performance status, they come fitted with Fuji K series SiC guides with stainless frames for better resistance to the unforgiving saltwater environment, Shimano high-grade reel seats, and customshaped hard split EVA grips for greater comfort while working a jig and then when hooked up. www.shimanofish.com.au

DAIWA LURE WALLET

NEW DRAGON MAGGOT

Daiwa is the world’s premier fishing tackle manufacturer, with a strong culture of quality and innovation. Introducing the Daiwa Lure Wallet: the perfect ‘small’ lure organiser. Its compact size is ideal for small bream and trout sized lures. Made from woven PVC, Denier, EVA and tough clear vinyl it features a corrosion resistant zipper and ridged EVA inside to ‘attach’ small lures too. The EVA holds small lures in place avoiding them tangling or getting damaged like a traditional tackle box. The Lure Wallet is perfect for the angler on foot and is compact (only 23x17x5cm), light and unlike normal lure boxes it does not rattle all day long as the lures are fastened securely in place. Perfect for any land-based angler who is addicted to light tackle angling in small creeks, estuaries and other inshore waters, but will also prevent rattling and tangles for those who fish in a boat or small watercraft. www.daiwafishing.com.au

The popular Dragon Maggot is back in stock with some exciting new colours throughout the range. Dragon Maggot 2, 2.5, 3 and 4” were introduced early in 2014 by JML Anglers Alliance (JML Trading) and soon became the secret weapon in all keen anglers tackle boxes. The new wave of Dragon Maggot is available in 12 great colours in 2”, 8 colours in 2.5”, 9 colours in 3”, and 4 colours in 4”. The Dragon Maggot’s unique fin-tail comes alive once it hits the water. It dances with any small lift of the rod tip. Being so easy to use it is prefect for first time soft plastic users and to the proven tournament anglers. The Dragon Maggot rigged on heavy jigheads can be deadly when targeting bottom dwellers using high speed lift and drop action. Equally successful is retrieving the lure quite slowly, along the bottom. Whichever way you fish it the Dragon Maggot will increase your bag! Price: $7.95 (3”), $9.95 (2, 2.5 and 4”) www.jml.net.au

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

What’s New FISHING

ZEREK FINESSE FLAT SHAD

The incredibly successful Flat Shad from Zerek Innovations has shrunk in the wash and is now available in 3 1/2” and 4 1/2” versions. The smaller Flat Shads were re-engineered with a softer plastic to maintain the same swimming action as their larger brothers. This softer material is still every bit as strong as the original Flat Shads (5”, 7’ and 9”) and can be stretched to its limits time and time again without the lure succumbing to the pressure. Coming rigged on a weedless hook, the smaller Flat Shads have the same belly design that allows the lure to foldaway under the slightest pressure to expose the hook. This means the smaller Flat Shads can be fished anywhere with minimal risk of hanging up, yet still provide exceptional hook-up rates. The Flat Shad can also be rigged on a jighead and fished in more open waters. Price: RRP from $11.95 www.wilsonfishing.com.au

WIND CHEATER BOMBER

The Bomber lure is an Aussie icon, particularly for those up north chasing mangrove jack, barramundi, threadfin salmon and more. Now, Bomber is expanding their range so you can catch more fish on these great lures. The New Wind Cheater in the Bomber range is made for saltwater applications. The Wind Cheater throws like a bullet and will hit the spot better than any bait on the market. Its realistic wounded action provokes violent attacks, and its ultra-high-tensile-strength, virtually indestructible body is always up to the test, because this lure will receive some punishment! Perfect for working feeding schools of pelagic fish and casting from the surf, the Wind Cheater bomber is fitted with saltwater grade hooks, so it’s ready to go straight out of the packet! The Wind Cheater comes in 2 sizes, 4.5” and 6”, and comes with 1/0 and 3/0 hook sizes respectively. www.jmgillies.com.au

SPIDERWIRE EZ BRAID

Spiderwire EZ braid is an unmatched value in a high-tech Superline. EZ braid is super smooth for easy, long, tangle free and effortless casts. As with all Spiderwire braids, EZ braid is a super thin, super strong, and super sensitive braided fishing line, without being super expensive. EZ Braid Features Dyneema microfibers, which are 3 times stronger than mono, and is 2-3 times smaller than mono of the same breaking strain. Use Palomar knot for best performance Spiderwire EZ Braid comes in many different breaking strains to suit different angling situation. EZ Braid comes in 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 50lb. All strengths are available in 150m spools, with 10-50lb also being available in 300m spools. All EZ Braid comes in a hi-vis but stealthy Moss Green colour. If you’re looking to for a super smooth, stealthy braid to make long casts without the price tag, make sure you spool up your reel with Spiderwire EZ Braid. www.purefishing.com.au

JETSETTERS NEW COLOURS

Black Magic has recently released two new colours to their ever-popular range of Jetsetter lures – fruit salad and saury. Jetsetter lures feature solid brass and chrome-plated heads, for shine and toughness. The Jetsetter has 4 little holes or ‘jets’ that create a bubble trail and ‘sonic vibration’, which is designed to attract predators from a distance and into your spread. They come with double vinyl skirts, so they won’t get damaged easily, and the range of other enticing and lifelike colours will cover any situation the conditions present. These lures are ideal for a wide range of pelagic fish, including skippies, albacore, kingfish, mahimahi, kahawai, mackerel, marlin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna and many more. You can buy your Jetsetters unrigged or rigged up and ready to troll on Black Magic 130lb tough trace with either a 4/0 double hook or a 5/0 single hook. Price: Various www.blackmagictackle.com

JULY 2015

SHIMANO TORIUM 2015

The Torium overhead series is back — and they’re better than ever. The three all-new reels in the 2015 lineup — the 16HGA, the 20HGA and the 30HGA — come equipped with Shimano’s legendary Cross Carbon star drag system, which has been designed to provide 10kg of brute-stopping power. With a high gear ratio of 6.2:1 and a staggering 117cm of line recovered with every crank of the handle, those high-speed metals and jigs are simply going to fly through the water. Hopefully their target species can keep up! At a tad over 500g in weight, the three reels feature a compact design with a lowslung gear housing, so they’re sufficiently light and ergonomically efficient for long casting sessions without fatigue. Additionally, three SA-RB bearings and one roller bearing make every cast accurate and as smooth as silk. The inclusion of EI surface treatment on the aluminium frame and spool will ensure these Toriums continue to look the goods and perform for years to come. www.shimanofish.com.au

SO-RUN SINKING PENCIL

The Storm So-Run Sinking Pencil is a lipless stickbait that is designed to dart and glide through the water when twitched on a semi-aggressive retrieve. This irregular darting and gliding action is ideal for fish that have somewhat been accustomed to the straight swimming action of regular minnow lures. Like all hard baits in the So-Run category, the Sinking Pencil is optimally weighted to cast long distances. The sinking aspect of the Sinking Pencil enables you to cover the water column extensively, giving you the ability to trigger a reaction bite from a lurking predator. The Sinking Pencil can be fished shallow with a running depth of approximately 0.4m, making it ideal for casting at schools of busting pelagics. Measuring 8cm in length and weighing 18g, the So-Run Sinking Pencil is perfect for imitating small baitfish and tricking fussy fish. Available in a range of baitfish patterns that utilise premium transparent, painted, glitter and UV enhanced finishes. Price: $15.95 www.rapala.com.au

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Samaki Vibelicious Thumper Tail - thumping good

From the success of one lure, comes another. Last year the team at Blue Fish Imports (The company that bring you the Samaki and Ecooda range) produced a soft vibe lure which became very popular, and it didn’t take them long to introduce another lure, albeit a hybrid version, introduced to the Vibelicious range that’s very unique. The Thumper Tail brings with it the same design as the Vibelicous, but the difference is in the back half of the lure, which incorporates a supported rear treble, as well as an oval shaped vertical paddle-tail. The idea behind the supported rear treble is to make the lure more snag resistant and also eliminate foul hooking on the paddle-tail. To say we were excited to give this innovative lure a run would be an understatement! Not only does the range come in some great colours but it also comes in three sizes to help target different species. We decided to do a two part review of the Thumper Tail. One on the 70mm Thumper Tail and the other on the standard sized 100mm version.

70mm Version

The 70mm model of the Vibelicious Thumper Tail was the version I had my eye on as soon as the lures arrived at Fishing Monthly Magazines. These hybrid soft vibes had bass written all over them and I was sure they would produce the goods. As soon as I had the chance I shot out to my local impoundment to temp some natives into a lure they had never seen before. Before I starting fishing I thought I’d throw a couple casts to the middle of the lake just to see how the lure felt casting and on the retrieve. First up the lure cast like a bullet – perfect! As soon as the lure hit the water I wound up the slack and straight away I could feel the lure thumping on the drop. Once on the bottom, I did the standard slow lift and drop retrieving the lure back to the boat. You could feel the lure functioning on the lift and drop, so I had the confidence that the lure was constantly working. Giving it a demo swim next to the boat the action looked awesome. All these things Vibelicious Thumper Tails look incredibly lifelike when they catch the light. being ticks in my book – now it was time to go catch some fish! I like fishing the deeper weed edges in It’s not that I don’t like using them, it’s just this impoundment and I thought it would be that I’ve never felt the need to use one and as a good way to use this lure. After a while a a result, I probably don’t know exactly how found a nice long edge that looked perfect. to get the most out of them. For this reason, After a few casts parallel to the weed edge, I’m very glad I opted for the 100mm Thumper I was able to tempt a nice 38cm model to Tail when Ryan Limpus slammed it down on have a taste. The fish hit the Thumper Tail my desk, because it’s shown me how deadly as it was dropping on the retrieve, which this type of lure can be, and more specifically, goes to show it’s a hard working lure with a how very versatile the Vibelicious Thumper tempting action. Tail truly is as a soft plastic. With a couple more fish being tempted My testing field was my local stomping by the time to head to the boat ramp, I was ground on the Brisbane River, after hours, convinced this lure would have a permanent and I’ll admit, I felt sceptical tying it on. spot in my tackle box – next challenge is to ‘How was having the rear treble fixed to find the room. the tail suppose to help? Will that massive I also see this lure as an excellent way paddle-tail affect the action of the lure? What to fish for the deeper schooled fish. I if they don’t like it?’ Little was I to know that didn’t have the time to search for them on this very lure would stay on my rod for the this day, but will be bring it our later in the next two weeks! month on a planned trip to Somerset Dam. In the middle of the conversation with the – Ryan Limpus little devil on my shoulder demanding I tie another lure on, I saw a big shape materialise beneath the kicking vibe, and then the lure disappeared! When my brain had finally registered that the threadfin salmon had engulfed the lure and was just sitting there, I struck like a mad man! Ryan smashed a few weed bed bass in his local impoundment on the 70mm model and I played her out, got her in, whacked a tag was impressed with the action of the lure. The fish didn’t mind it either. in her back and sent her home. Nice! I used that same lure for two straight weeks and (stupidly) didn’t bother changing my leader, which eventually resulted in the inevitable bite off – another one to hang on the wall for the threadies… My tagging booklet tells me I caught double figures of threadies and mulloway with a few 60cm + flathead thrown in on that one lure. I was sad, but it didn’t deter me from buying another one from the tackle store! Walking into the Tackle Warehouse to buy another, I had a chat to Gordon Macdonald who said he’d been nailing some chunky snapper on the Thumpers, mainly the 100mm version. What I love about these lures is how versatile they are. They can be used like a normal vibe and be hopped off the bottom, swum like a paddle-tail soft plastic, and even That 100mm red-head Thumper Tail was twitched across the surface, which I what I Bob’s confidence lure for two weeks, until a ended up doing! larger specimen thought it’d wear it as a bit The thick gauge hooks are fantastic for staying connected to fish with soft mouths, of jewellery instead. such as threadfin salmon, and I had absolutely 100mm version no failures with terminal tackle what so ever. Having never used the original Samaki I highly rate these lures as a versatile Vibelicious (or any soft vibe, for that matter!), soft plastic and vibe. Samaki have certainly Gordon Macdonald from The Tackle Warehouse has reported some great catches of I had no idea what to expect from the new brought something new to the table. snapper on the 100mm model in deeper water. Samaki Vibelicous Thumper Tail. – Bob Thornton

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

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Zerek Live Flash Minnows – they simply work

About three months ago I was shown some 130mm Zerek Live Flash minnows. I was promptly told that they are like candy is to a child for all things fishy. I have to admit that I was questioning that in my mind, but if you don’t try things, you don’t know what you may be missing out on. I would like to explain my initial in trepidation. Having come out of the retail sector, packaging appeal unfortunately influences customer purchases and also dictates retailer mindset. At first look the retailer in me kicked in and the packaging didn’t show off the plastics in their best light and also provided a question. One of the plastics in the packet is pre-rigged on a worm style hook in a weedless fashion, is this the only way they can be rigged? This is the less conventional way to rig this style of plastic and could provide some confusion, however these were only minor details and I looked forward to getting on the water and giving them a try.

One of my favourite forms of fishing is targeting flathead on soft plastics and although the 130mm size was a bit larger than I would normally throw at flathead, they did seem the obvious fish to use them on. My first choice colour was number 05 and out of the packet it looked an absolute treat. The internal foil and the large eyes really give the plastic a lifelike look and natural flash in the water. I replaced the worm style jig head with a standard 3/8 jighead with a 4/0 hook. Due to the Live Flash Minnows being made of Elastatech (an extremely durable and flexible plastic) a little bit of care is required to rig them. The internal chamber in them does make it a little easier, but it is imperative to measure and ensure the hook point comes out of the plastic dead centre and is straight. Once this is done, other than mishaps, there is every chance you will be fishing with the same plastic all day.

Fishing First Impressions

It almost feels wrong to write that on

Will Lee was impressed by the Live Flash Minnow from the first time he used them. Colour #05 is one of my favorites. On this occasion it has been pimped with a painted jighead for even more appeal. my first cast, second hop, a reasonable fish smashed my plastic, but that’s what happened. I did proceed to lose that fish, but then hooked and landed another fish next cast. It was a great session on the flathead, with a few bream and other species mixed in. For my mate Nicholas and I it was a real eye-opener and an amazing first impression of the Zerek Live Flash Minnow, we both fished the entire day with the same plastic we started the day with.

Pimping your Live Flash Minnow

When I say pimping, I am not talking about removing bits or for that matter changing or adding colours. It is more about using the flash minnows existing features to your advantage. I like to match a painted jighead to the colour of the plastic. This provides the elusion that the plastic is longer and includes a second set of eyes into the equation. I was looking at pictures of schools of baitfish recently. The thing that I noticed was that although the bodies of the fish blended into a mass of confusion, it was the eyes that really stood out, which provides any The internal chamber in the Zerek Flash predator with a target, so maybe two sets Minnow allows you the option to put scent of eyes are better than one (the Live Flash in the body of the lure. This fish couldn’t Minnow also has a set of eyes). Even the addition of stick on eyes to unpainted resist the addition of red scent.

100

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au JULY 2015

jigheads can make a difference and in my case provides my daughters with a couple of hours of fun sticking them on for me. The Zerek Live Flash Minnow has a chamber from just behind the nose of the plastic to just beyond the belly. It is there to facilitate the easy rigging of a weedless jighead. What it also provides is a cavity, for those of us that like to use scents, to inject the scent inside the plastic. The application of scent can be less frequent and as an added bonus if you are using a coloured scent (in my case red) it can also provide the additional look of a baitfish that has been smashed by a predator.

Take care when storing

Like all of the soft plastic lures made with this very durable and stretchy plastic, they are not good when mixed with others. In fact, when mixed with other plastics you will very quickly be left with a container of multicolored sludge. Worm proof containers are also advised. My solution has been to store them in their packets in a container and only removed them from their packaging as required.

The Elastatech material they are made of is not only highly durable, but also incredibly flexible and pliable. I have had a number of flathead grab the tail of the plastic, hang on all the way to the boat, before letting go as the net is under them. Frustrating for the angler, but the positive has been that the plastic has been no worse for wear and the flathead thought it was real enough to hang on for that long. A little birdy has told me a Live Flash Minnow Wriggly is about to be released. I have put my hand up for some of these. An enticing curly tail has its place in your soft plastic fishing arsenal and the inherent features of the current Flash Minnow would make a Wriggly a must have for me. Zerek Live Flash Minnows are available in all good tackle outlets and retail from $14.95. For more information go to www.wilsonfishing.com.au - Peter Jung

Final thoughts

Zerek Live Flash Minnows have quickly become my soft plastic lure of choice. Available in 7 colours (01 through to 07) and in 4 sizes (70mm, 90mm, 110mm The Zerek Live Flash Minnow is available in and 130mm), they are very realistic 7 colours and 4 sizes. I have found that all of the colours work. baitfish imitation.

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Logo and page number, fill in the entry form and go in the draw to win!

The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of the month will win a packet of Gulp Lures. All entries will go into the major prize draw. (Drawn Nov. 30, 2015)

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v Berkley Gulp Pack * Made in the USA * Scented + 100% biodegradable * Value $12.95 per packet

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News

Threadfin salmon study These articles sums up the Brisbane threadfin salmon fishery and its importance. THE FISHERY THAT NEVER WAS Once upon a time, there was a river. It was brown and surrounded by a city and not considered particularly attractive to anyone but the dedicated fishers. For years it was passed over for far better fishing in the bay. That was the Brisbane River 10 years ago. In 2015 the Brisbane River is the new black. So why the big change? From 2008 on, there have been a good number of years with significant rainfall during the breeding seasons. This has turbo charged conditions for threadfin salmon and mulloway in particular. Generational change is also a significant factor in the emerging fishery. Gen-Y fishers are using new techniques and lures and along the way becoming very successful at targeting these species. Has the commercial catch changed? A quick look at figure 3 shows it has, with mulloway and threadfin making up a more significant portion of the species mix. In the current year 18 tonnes of king threadfin have been taken (Qfish data up to February) and 5 tonnes of mulloway. King threadfin has the biggest change upwards of any species since 2010.

fishery over the past three years by way of recreational data and commercial data is the Fitzroy River/Port Alma, in Rockhampton. The dynamics of these fisheries are different. The Fitzroy is larger with easier access while Brisbane is a smaller fishery geographically with far less access to fishing sites. The inner city region of Brisbane has nearly double the whole Rockhampton City population, not to mention much more commerce, traffic and riverside development. You can put a boat in at the centre of Rockhampton at peak hour and be in the key fishery within 20 minutes of leaving home. You can’t do that in Brisbane. The Recreational Sector Even with the access challenges the threadfin fishery has become a very important recreational fishery in Brisbane. A good many young fishers are hitting the water while everyone sleeps to take advantage of what is a fantastic fishery on their doorstep. Poor access and being locked out of prime spots have not kept them away. When we compare this year’s data between the two sites, Brisbane is pretty close to Rockhampton. When you look at the town reaches, the Brisbane River, even with access limitations, is actually a superior option for a thready experience.

than the recreational sector in taking advantage of this fishery but they have caught up fast. The current year will see a record catch and with northern fisheries not being as productive. The Brisbane River has climbed the rankings of key sites to become the 3rd largest Queensland threadfin fishery year to date. When comparing the commercial catch between Brisbane and Rockhampton, looking at grids R30 (Port Alma) and W37 (Port of Brisbane/Brisbane River) there is a similar comparison to the recreational sector. As of Febuary data available on Qfish, the catch rate in Brisbane is 1.7 times higher. The most likely explanation for the higher catch rate in Brisbane is a smaller more clearly defined fishing area. The fishery in Port Alma is

Steve takes his fishing really seriously. You have to be on constant watch for River Monsters

RECREATIONAL SECTOR Area............................................Grids fished....... Trips......... King threadfin....... Catch per trip........ Recaptures Brisbane upper reaches............26....................... 76..............191........................ 2.5.......................... 14 Rockhapton upper reaches . ....3......................... 26..............57.......................... 2.2.......................... 2 All Brisbane River......................32....................... 147............275........................ 1.9.......................... 14 All Fitzroy River . .......................64....................... 206............397........................ 1.9.......................... 7 COMMERCIAL SECTOR Area.......................Period........Catch (tonnes).....Days effort.....Catch rate (kg/day) Port of Brisbane.....2014/15......18.12......................182..................99.6 Port Alma...............2014/15......23.07......................388..................59.5 much larger in area and far more complex with a lot more creeks and tributaries for fish to inhabit.

experienced prior. Threadfin have a lifespan of about 10 years, which is just long enough to ride out

STATISTICS Angler.....................Grids fished........... Trips.......... King threadfin.......... Catch rate per trip........ Recaptures Steve Morgan..........11............................ 45............... 95.............................. 2.1................................... 12 Bob Thornton..........12............................ 17............... 30.............................. 1.7................................... 1

significant fresh flows were very intermittent. The water storage was down around 20% in Brisbane in 2007. Remember the 4-minute shower limit? There is a strong argument for commercial harvest if the commercial return on the fishery is high

fishing means more spend. Our luck in avoiding El Nino conditions will run out. At the very minimum a closed season would protect the breeding stocks. It might be time for the recreational fishers and the commercial fishers to agree on this for the long-term benefit of both fisheries. THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN As I write this article, there is a strong debate going on about gay marriage.

River threadies love surface action. Bob snagged this thready on a fly – you have to love that beautiful golden colour. WHY IS THE BRISBANE THREADFIN FISHERY IMPORTANT? If you ask an angler if any fishery is important they will answer yes by default. That said, in the case of the threadfin fishery we have a good point of comparison to judge it by, in terms of its significance. The premier threadfin 102

JULY 2015

When comparing both rivers in total in the past year they are neck and neck. More fish are reported in the Fitzroy but the catch rates are about the same. The Brisbane River stacks up with the best in terms of the fishing experience. The Commercial Sector The commercial sector was a good year or two later

THE FISHERY EQUATION The conditions that have led to the current threadfin fishery is in no way guaranteed to continue. Remember, before 2009 there was no Threadfin fishery to speak of. If there is an extended dry period it may not take long to get back to the conditions we

Troy Marien is the king of tagging the Port of Brisbane. Note most of the fish tagged at the port are silvery colour while in the Town reaches they are golden. drought conditions. They become female at age 4-6, leaving them a relatively short time to spawn. This is likely why the fishery was poor in the 1990s-2000s, where

and it’s generating jobs. On the other hand, take out the threadfin and the fishery is far less attractive for the large inner city community taking advantage of it. The regular

How appropriate then, that when I posed to a group of elder fishers an interesting emerging pattern with threadfin the response was, “Perhaps they are gay?”

News So what on earth could cause our most experienced fishers to question the sexuality of our threadfin? Threadfin are hermaphrodites, changing sex somewhere between the ages of 4-6, or around 80-110cm. Examining the size class data from the recreational tagging effort, it turns out most of the fish in the town area are most

in much shallower water, where as fishers at the port are fishing in deeper water. So why are the females and males separated? Not a lot is known about threadfin behaviour, but one likely reason is food sources. Males are smaller and are targeting schools of prawns and anchovies that aggregate up the river. The females are hunting in

demonstrates how much we still have to learn about many species. BRISBANE RIVER NIGHTLIFE Kevin Pietersen famously bagged out Brisbane as ‘boring’ ahead of the 2013 Ashes. While we all know how things worked out for Kevin, a couple of the QFM boys have been testing out

The contents of the stomach of a thready caught in the City Centre. Photo courtesy of Anthony Bellantoni. likely boys and those at the port are girls. The plot thickens a little when you consider the fishing tactics being used for the boys and girls are different. Those fishing in the town reaches fish

deeper water and are likely targeting larger prey. That probably doesn’t explain the full extent of the separation. There needs to be a lot more work done on threadies, but this is the kind of observation that

the river nightlife and having a ball. What makes the QFM boys unique among taggers are they are fishing landbased in the river itself. They are targeting fishing areas on a regular basis that

people walk past all the time without a second thought. A total of 21 trips have resulted in 4 or more fish in the past year and the largest trip has been 14 fish, all on lures and flies. When they aren’t nailing threadies, they’re nailing mulloway, tailor, yellowfin bream and flathead to make up the numbers. This is a dynamic and diverse fishery with distinct seasons and plenty of lure action. Memo to KP - next time you are in Brisbane, have a chat to the QFM boys – they have the cure your boredom. WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE PORT? Something odd is happening at the Port. No, I am not talking bottom of the harbour schemes or late night drug deals. Tagging at the port has been pretty consistent since 2014, even though the fish are only present at certain times in numbers. While the numbers are not massive, there should be some recaptures. So where are the fish ending up? The short answer is we don’t know. What we do know is the lack of recaptures means increasing the data collection is important. For comparison, in the past year the return rate for fish in the upper reaches is around 9.1%. Figure 1 shows the mix of species recorded by ANSA fishers in the Brisbane River from 19902007. In terms of saltwater species, yellowfin bream and dusky flathead dominate.

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Revolutionary fish aging research completed Australian fisheries scientists have recently completed a world-first research project that will help to rapidly estimate the age of fish. Dr Julie Robins, Senior Fisheries Biologist with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) said estimating the age of fish was important as it contributes to determining if a fish stock is sustainably fished. “The research has found that near infrared (NIR) spectra collected from fish ear bones (known as otoliths) has the potential to estimate the age of fish,” Dr Robins said. “Over 60,000 otoliths are collected and processed each year in Australia and this research will potentially provide significant cost savings to fish ageing programs. “It will make the age-identification process much more efficient and cost-effective by reducing the time and resources required to determine the age of fish.” DAF Principal Scientist,

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method of predicting properties of interest such as moisture in wheat, oil content in sandalwood, ripeness or quality in fruit,” he said. “We found that NIR spectroscopy instruments could be readily configured to capture the NIR spectra of

whole dry fish otoliths. “One of the most interesting results of the project was the potential for NIRS to discriminate between otoliths collected from different locations. This would be particularly useful determining where fish come from.” The two and half year study was funded collaboratively by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the State Governments of Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. Further research is currently under consideration. – Jodana Anglesey

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Overview of Geelong Star debate ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The cold weather was a little late starting but has now arrived with a vengeance. So prawns and whiting will be scarce but the bream are starting to bite really well most places. This month, I would like to do a bit of an overview as to where we currently are with the Geelong Star that Senator Colbeck insists is not a Supertrawler. As you are probably aware, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) gave approval for the Geelong Star to fish in the small pelagic fishery in Commonwealth waters. The 95m Geelong Star has killed a total of eight dolphins and four seals on its first two voyages in Australian waters, this has resulted in it, and any other trawl vessel in the small pelagic fishery, being allowed to fish only in daylight hours. In addition, the Geelong Star must have 2 fulltime AFMA observers on board as well as multiple cameras. Since the approval for this vessel to fish was given; state fishing bodies around the country have been working with ARFF (Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation) to try and have some reasonable conditions added to the vessel management plan to help minimise any significant impacts that this vessel is likely to cause to recreational fishing activities. Sadly, many of the concerns that have been raised since the Magiris was in our waters have not been answered to a suitable scientific level that would allay our concerns. ARFF representatives from national and state recreational fishing o rg a n i s a t i o n s met with Coalition MPs on Wednesday 3 June at Parliament House Canberra to brief them on the concerns about the impacts of industrial scale fishing of the small pelagic fishery on recreational fishers and the communities that support them. ARFF is seeking a commitment from the government to address the concerns recreational fishers have. Here is the most recent media release

and the proposal that has been treated with complete disdain by the SPFIA (Small Pelagic Fishery Industry Association). STORMY SEAS AHEAD FOR INDUSTRIAL FISHING The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), the national organisation representing the recreational fishing community, has announced that discussions between it and the Small Pelagic Fishing Industry Association (SPFIA) have collapsed. Talks between ARFF and SPFIA have been occurring over past months in an attempt by recreational fishers to work with the industrial fishing sector in order to minimise the impacts of the Geelong Star on the fishery, recreational fishers and the communities that support them. The collapse in the talks has occurred because the SPFIA has rejected a proposal developed by ARFF and its members (including the peak national and state organisations representing the recreational fishing community) that aimed to protect recreational fishing from impacts of the 95m factory trawler known as the Geelong Star. “There is little point continuing talks when the SPFIA does not seem to be serious about dealing with our concerns. Their counter offers to our proposal are not even close to what we have been seeking in good faith,” ARFF managing director Allan Hansard said.

According to ARRF’s Allan Hansard, the ARFF proposal rejected by the SPFIA mapped out a way forward on this issue and addressed many of the concerns that Australia’s recreational fishers have about industrial scale fishing of the small pelagic fishery. “Our proposal was based on working with the vessel managers on where the Geelong Star can fish and would have affected less than 10% of the 3 million square kilometres of the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery,” Hansard said. The ARFF proposal also outlined a comprehensive research program to address the lack of economic, social and environmental information on the effect of industrial scale commercial fishing of the small pelagic fishery and also on recreational fishers and the hundreds of local communities that support them. The Geelong Star has already come under fire for killing dolphins and seals with new regulations governing its actions doing little to quell public and political outrage. The rejection of the ARFF proposal means that the Geelong Star is still largely unrestricted in where it can fish, meaning it can exploit bait stocks at many of Australia’s most fishing locations, including Port MacDonnell in South Australia, Portland in Victoria, Eden, Bermagui, Jervis Bay and the car park at Port Stephens in NSW and Eagle Hawk Neck in Tasmania and Geographe Bay and the Perth Trench

in Western Australia. The response from the SPFIA is disappointing, Hansard said. “It demonstrates that the industrial fishing sector does not take the concerns of Australia’s recreational fishing community seriously. Australia’s recreational fishing community is worth $10 billion to Australia’s economy annually, far exceeding the value of the total commercial fishing value. We deserve to be taken seriously on this issue. “The failure of the talks to make real progress on key issues means that the nation’s 5 million recreational fishers will now look to other avenues to have their concerns addressed” “We are now taking our concerns to the Federal Government and we are pleased that initial discussions have resulted in the offer to facilitate a process to address our concerns. “ARFF remain committed to pursuing outcomes that protect recreational fishing areas from this industrial fishing activity” Mr Hansard said. Proposal: minimise effects of small pelagic fishery on Australia’s rec fishers and the communities Australia’s recreational fishers are the largest stakeholder user group affected by fisheries management activities that include commercial fishing activities in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF). ARFF has concerns about industrial scale fishing of the SPF. These

concerns have been long standing and have been well articulated. We note and respect that the Small Pelagic Fisheries Industry Association (SPFIA) may not share or agree with the views of ARFF in relation to the SPF. The ARFF’s preferred position on commercial fishing of the SPF is for further research to be done on the fishery before any decisions are made about if and how it is fished. However, if the SPF is to be fished, ARFF requires caution on how it is fished until more is known about: • The nature of the fishery, including size of stock, whether there are sub stocks and movement of stock; • The rationale for the departure from established practice for estimating stock sizes and the classification of some SPF species as Tier 2 in the absence of applicable and current science to estimate spawning bio masses; • The impacts of industrial scale fishing on recreational fishing and the broader community; • The triple bottom line relative value of industrial scale fishing for the Australian community; • The existence of sub/ resident populations and the risks of localised depletion; and • How long it takes a school to recover from industrial scale fishing pressure. ARFF acknowledges that the Government has commissioned additional research to address these concerns. However, the fact remains that fishing of

the SPF at the scale and in the way proposed remains untried in Australia and as a result many of ARFF’s concerns remain unanswered. ARFF’s concerns ARFF acknowledges that the Government has provided the approvals for industrial scale fishing in the SPF consistent with approved SPF TAC levels for 2014/15, which lapse on 1 May 2015. The SPF is a vitally important fishery for Australia’s recreational fishers. We believe that unless carefully managed, what happens in the fishery can have impacts on Australia’s recreational fishers and the communities that support them now and in the future. • The fishery covers a large proportion of Australia’s coastline including all of our major capital cities and regional centres, from Brisbane, south to Sydney and Hobart, across to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth; • The fishery covers some of Australia’s most iconic recreational fishing grounds; • Under legislation for this fishery the Seafish Ta s m a n i a vessel Geelong Star can fish to three nautical miles (the boundary of Commonwealth waters) of many of these population centres and in many of our iconic fishing grounds, at any time of the year; and • Small pelagic fish are a major food source within the marine food web that includes key recreational species such as southern bluefin tuna, yellowfin

Concerns of the ARFF in relation to industrial scale fishing the SPF • Identification of regional based substocks - in particular the size of the resident population of resident Jack Mackerel off the east coast of Tasmania and whether there are sub stocks of Redbait; • The extent and rates of movement of target and by catch species; • The impact upon spawning activity during spawning seasons;

• The amount of time it would take for local populations to recover; • Impacts of varying intensities of fishing and fishing techniques, including multiple boat operations; • The issue of classification within both Eastern and Western zones of the SPF of target species as Tier 2 in the absence of current and required science to make

www.sunfishqld.com.au

biomass assessments consistent with established policy; • The unknown impact of increased harvest rates if the TAC levels were to be increased beyond the approved levels set for 2014/15 which lapse on 1 May 2015; • Risk thresholds for localised depletion and management plans to address these risks; • The rationale for changing the VMP

move on rules from an inshore (blue)/ offshore (green) grid arrangement (which limited catch to 4% and 16% respectively over 30 day periods) and replacement with a more generous regional catch limit protocol; • The reliance of key recreational fishing species on Small Pelagics; • Impacts on existing commercial fishing,

local communities and recreational fishing opportunities; • Whether industrial scale fishing the SPF represents the highest value use to the Australian community; • What guarantees exist that the revenues from this fishing activity will predominantly flow into the Australian economy via local job creation, operational expenditure and taxation impost?

Email: judylynne@sunfishqld.com.au

THE RECREATIONAL ANGLER’S LINK tuna, marlin and kingfish. In developing this proposal it is ARFF’s intention to minimise the short and long term impact of industrial scale fishing the SPF on Australia’s recreational fishers and the communities that support it. In providing this proposal to the Small Pelagic Fisheries Industry Association (SPFIA) it is ARFF’s intention to seek an agreement to address our concerns in good faith, noting that the SPFIA may not necessarily share the concerns ARFF has about the fishery. A way forward ARFF believes the impacts of fishing the SPF on recreational fishers and the community that supports them may be able to be addressed in two ways: • Managing where and when the vessel fishes; and • E s t a b l i s h i n g a comprehensive work program of research to better inform the management of the fishery. ARFF proposes the

establishment of a joint management committee, comprising representatives from ARFF and SPFIA to develop and progress all aspects of this approach further. Managing where and when the vessel fishes the SPF ARFF are seeking caution on how and where the SPF is fished. In particular, ARFF seek caution in relation to fishing the following: • Areas near to major cities and regional centres; • Areas near iconic r e c r e a t i o n a l fishing grounds; • Areas where little is known about the size or movement of SPF; and • A r e a s near known spawning aggregations/areas. ARFF is proposing an interim plan for where the Geelong Star will fish in its first year of operation in the fishery (2015-16). ARFF seeks agreement from SPFIA that the Geelong Star will not fish in its first year of operation in the ‘areas of concern’ identified on the map. The ‘areas of concern’

acknowledge: • Areas that are close to major cities, • Areas that are close to iconic recreational fishing grounds, and • The need for more scientific information about stock movement, school recovery rates, sub stocks and spawning aggregations. ARFF propose that the joint management committee take responsibility for developing a plan for the second year of activity and for subsequent years, reflecting what is learnt through the comprehensive work program. After consideration of any new information from the work program and noting the ‘move on provisions’ in the vessel management plan (VMP), ARFF would consider alternative ways to manage the fishery in the future, including: • When certain areas are fished; and • The intensity of fishing certain areas. Establishing a comprehensive work program To parallel the management of where

Senator Colbeck insists the Geelong Star is not a Supertrawler. the vessel fishes, ARFF propose the development of a comprehensive work program of research to better inform the management of the fishery. The work program would include research into the ARFF’s concerns (See Attachment A). ARFF seeks the support of SPFIA in

developing and submitting a comprehensive work program to the Government for approval and implementation. A tripartite agreement If there is a basis for agreement, it would be our expectation that AFMA and the Federal Government would endorse any agreement reached between

the ARFF and the SPFIA and any management protocols agreed upon being incorporated into a tripartite agreement between ARFF, SPFIA and AFMA. ARFF looks forward to working with the SPFIA in exploring the approaches raised in this proposal and developing this proposal further.

NEWS

The 7th WRFC in Brazil showcases broader angling unity Last year I had the privilege of attending the 7th World Recreational Fishing Conference (7WRFC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was given the opportunity to be part of the Australian contingent through my involvement in Australian Government’s Future Leaders in Recreational Fishing Program managed by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. The program aimed at unearthing aspiring young leaders within the recreational fishing sector who are passionate about recreational fishing and willing to contribute to the management, development, communication and extension of recreational fishing in Australia. Following completion of this program, the next step in my development was to immerse myself in another fishing culture and learn as much as I could from the experience of attending the 7th WRFC in Brazil. So first a quick heads-up on what the WRFC is: it’s basically a world conference which focuses on the social, economic and management aspects of recreational fisheries, first conceptualised in

1994, and held every three years, drawing experts on rec fishing from around the world. Each event contributes to a collective body of knowledge through production of various peer-reviewed books and conference reports, fostering communication among the world-wide recreational fishing community. The 7th WRFC in Brazil promoted the involvement of those who are directly and indirectly connected to the world of recreational fishing, and who are dedicated to promoting the exchange of ideas, ideals, practices and attitudes to help recreational fishing grow, evolve and improve around the world. The 2014 Conference was the first time this prestigious event had been held in a developing country and talking to the chairman, Prof. Dr. Ezequiel Theodora da Silva, I got the impression that he and his country were very proud to host the event and welcome all the attendees to his homeland. It was a four-day symposium featuring presentations from scientists, economists, fisheries managers and anglers from all around the world. For me it was a massive eye opener to see how so many different factors can influence recreational fishing and how

similar the problems are facing recreational fishing on a global scale. I was surprised to discover some of the topics and presentations that I found particularly interesting covered aspects that I never anticipated wanting to learn about. After taking a bit of time to wrap by brain around some of the concepts and topics I became fascinated… and particularly with respect to how they tied in with rec fishing back here in Australia. The most strenuous mental gymnastics I experienced involved exploring different methods used to put an economic value on something like recreational fishing in a country, geographical location or even on a specific species or fishery. It was particularly interesting to learn in some countries recreational anglers produce more economic value than commercial fishing for the same stock. I was also really interested to learn about the need to maintain ‘social license’ – which is basically the unspoken permission that the broader community give to access fish resources (which are community owned). We learned that the social and cultural values held by the broader community strongly influence the attitudes and

emotional responses that our communities hold towards recreational fishing. Therefore, understanding what these values are, and how they change over time can really help us to understand how fishing might be regarded in future. Some of the topics that were discussed in the context of social acceptance included fish welfare, and the important difference between those who believe in animal liberation, and those who support animal rights (it turns out they are not the same thing). Happily, we learned about researchers and fishers working together to develop and adopt good practices such as humanely dispatching fish in the quickest and most effective way possible, and using good handling practices when releasing fish, which help to address welfare concerns that some non-fishers may have. We also learned about ‘social norms’, and how pre conceived notions of who/how many people are compliant with fisheries regulations can sometimes be quite different from what you might expect (with more people doing the right thing than expected), and that this information, used appropriately, can help to encourage even greater compliance.

Other topics included ways to combat a worldwide trend of decreasing fishing participation, and how money from successfully managed recreational fishing licenses can benefit the sector in more ways than previously imagined. Presentations on different approaches for improving the quality of fishing opportunities revealed that in places where fish populations are successfully breeding, stocking did very little to improve the quality of fishing, whereas habitat enhancement still provided lots of benefit. And of course there were presentations on research programs to understand the world’s premiere sportfish such as Papuan black bass, giant trevally, and peacock bass among others, to really get the audience drooling, and remind us that there are some really amazing jobs out there for those who want to make a career in fisheries research. 2015 NATIONAL RECREATIONAL FISHING CONFERENCE The upcoming 2015 National recreational Fishing Conference will provide an opportunity for Aussie anglers to come together and talk about a range of issues that influence fishing Australia, including some of those discussed here. The

National Conference will be held on Saturday the 25 July at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. The conference will feature presentations by experts on recreational fishing from around the world, discussion forums to engage participants on key issues, an awards ceremony celebrating excellence in a number of categories and a fishing tournament, and will all take place adjacent to the biggest tackle trade show in Australia (which Conference attendees will be able to take a peek at). The event is open to the public and for more information go to recreationalfishing conference.com.au or follow the conference on Facebook (https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / recfishingconference) and Tw i t t e r (2015RecFishingConf). Lastly I would like to say a big thankyou to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Government for their ongoing support for supporting leadership development in Australia’s recreational fishing community. I’m now looking forward to contributing to our National Conference in July and I hope to see you there. JULY 2015

105

Bli Bli Winter Tuff Barra Comp It’s approaching that tough time of year for barra fishing at the park and we want to know how tough our customers are! Who will handle the cooler days the best and be able to put in the hours required to land a winter barra? Last year we ran the comp for several weeks and it was a success with a couple of 90cm fish caught. This year it will run longer and have more categories. We are including a fly fishing division as well, but only for the largest barra caught on Fly. Competitors will primarily be targeting barramundi, but to liven things up a bit there will be a bream division as well. We have added close to 500 barra to our fishing areas since last winter and a lot of these fish are over 60cm now. The bream are around 40cm on average. There will be both

senior and junior divisions. Juniors will be aged under 16 at the time of the competition. The barra competition

will be based on the length of an angler’s best 5 barramundi, while the bream division will count the best 10 bream measured

to the fork. It is anticipated that there will be weekly prizes, monthly prizes and overall prizes, with

There’s plenty of fun to have with our barra, even in winter!

Our bream are averaging 40cm now, which is a pretty big bream for this part of the world!

random giveaways during the competition. Monthly prizes for leaders at the end of the first month, and the final prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the competition. There will also be prizes awarded for fish caught on sponsor’s product. The park will be having

a weekly sausage sizzle and we have some of the sponsors booked in to host some of these and take the opportunity to showcase new gear. There may even be visits from bream fishing experts so keep an eye on our Facebook page to keep up with the action. – Bli Bli Water Sports

Whitsundays women wage war against ocean Renegade Fishing Charters’ inaugural Ladies Fishing Day held on Sunday May 31 was a massive success with 15 local women collectively landing an impressive catch of Spanish Mackerel and reef fish. The pink-themed charter began with breakfast at the Port of Airlie’s Coffee Club where the eager ladies and their local hosts fuelled up in preparation for a full day of adrenalin-filled fishing on the Whitsundays outer reef. Renegade Fishing Charters co-owner and skipper, Luke Griffiths,

The ladies on “Renegade” showing off some of their haul of Spanish mackerel. From left: Rhea Linneweber, Casey Porter, Casey Peterson, Alice Faust, Amy Baxter, Jess Jepson, Hannah Davies and Sarah Whitworth.

WINTER TUFF BARRA COMP NOW ON!

General Admission or Guided Sessions

said perfect weather conditions, dolphin sightings and the excitement on the girls’ faces as they reeled in their catches made

Bhrett with one of the delicious large mouth nannygai caught on “Outlaw”. the day one to remember. “They were all exhausted by the time they pulled the fish to the surface, but it was great to see them get

ALL GEAR SUPPLIED

Sunshine Coast 106

JULY 2015

www.blibliwatersports.com.au

or check our website for opening times.

Shennaye, Hannah and Katie with some nice Spanish mackerel, which they had cooked that night at Denman Cellars.

involved and give it a real go,’ said Luke. Renegade co-owner, Allira Griffiths, said they had been noticing an increasing number of women amongst their guests which inspired them to hold an annual Ladies Fishing Day and encourage more females to get involved in the sport. “It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old, if you haven’t fished before or if it’s one of your favourite past times, we offer a range of different charters and cater for all skill levels,” said Allira. “Our boats are wellequipped with quality fishing gear, toilets, shaded cabins, comfortable seating, music and helpful and knowledgeable skippers and deckhands To page 107

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2015 DATE DETAILS

CONTACT

JULY

Jul 12

BASS Electric #7 (7am-1pm) Lenthalls Dam

Les Barber 0428 726 857

Jul 16-17

Wilson Cleveland Classic Cleveland

Facebook: goo.gl/eu2WoB

Jul 18-19

ABBT X-Factor Australian Teams Series Bjelke-Petersen

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

July 19

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak Bass Lake Wivenhoe, QLD

Hobiecat Australasia www.hobiefishing.com.au

July 25-26

Hobie Kayak Bream R10: Qld State Title Gold Coast

Hobiecat Australasia www.hobiefishing.com.au

July 25-26

Isisford Fishing Competition Oma Waterhole, Isisford

Secretary 0427588069 www.isisfordfishingcomp.com.au

AUGUST

Aug 15-16

ABBT Basstasstic Bass Fishing Qualifier Somerset

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

Aug 22-23

Hobie Fishing Worlds 2015 R12: Qualifier #3 Redcliffe

Hobiecat Australasia www.hobiefishing.com.au

Aug 28-30

Brown and Hurley Yellowbelly Classic Longreach

0409 469 119 yellowbellyclassic@hotmail.com

Aug 29-30

BASS Pro Qualifier #4 Bjelkle Petersen Dam

ABT abt.org.au

SEPTEMBER

Sep 5-6

ABBT Basstasstic Bass Fishing Qualifier Borumba

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

Sep 19-20

2015 Bowen Family Fishing Classic Bowen

Russ 0428 776 653 Sharon 0438 701 076 bowenfamilyfishingclassic@yahoo.com.au

Sep 26-27

‘Win a Tinny’ Family Fishing Comp Tara

James Smith James.Smith563@gmail.com

Sep 30-3 Oct

Great Northern Brewing Co. 2015 Flathead Classic Gold Coast

GCSFC www.goldcoastsportfishingclub.com.au

OCTOBER

Oct 16-17

WTF Women That Fish Barra Classic Fitzroy River, Rockhampton

Shara 0429923243 Bel 0407674198

Oct 17-18

ABBT Basstasstic Bass Fishing Qualifier Cania

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

Oct 24-25

BASS Grand Final Lake Glenbawn

ABT abt.org.au

Oct 31

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak Bass Australian Championship Hinze Dam

Hobiecat Australasia www.hobiefishing.com.au

Oct 31-Nov1

ABBT X-Factor Australian Teams Series Borumba Dam

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

NOVEMBER

Nov 13-15

Bluefin Lake Maroon Fishing Classic Lake Maroon

Steve Wilkes www.sportstuition.com.au

Nov 21-22

ABBT Basstasstic Bass Fishing Qualifier TBA

Russel Nowlands www.barrabasstasstic.com

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au From page 106

who are there for the entire trip to make sure you get the most out of your experience,” she said. “Keep an eye on Renegade’s Facebook page for details about our next Ladies Fishing Day and find out more about our charters online at renegadecharters.com.au.” ABOUT RENEGADE FISHING CHARTERS Owned and operated by local residents and fishing enthusiasts, Luke and Allira Griffiths,

Renegade Fishing Charters has been fishing in the Whitsundays for over 25 years. The dedicated husband-and-wife team bought the business in 2013 and, in the past two years, have made a number of significant improvements to the company and its charters. As a result of their hard work and local knowledge, Renegade now offers an extensive variety of quality offshore fishing experiences that are unrivalled by other local

The ladies on “Outlaw” with their tasty feed of Large Mouth Nannygai and Spanish mackerel. From left: Shennaye Thompson, Katie Bell, Hannah Little, Allira Griffiths, Bhrett Davies, Kahlia Goodwin and Lisa Jackson (front).

fishing charter companies. Renegade Fishing Charters currently operates out of Hamilton Island, Hayman Island and Airlie Beach with two purposebuilt boats – “Renegade”, a 60th anniversary Steber 3800 Sports Fisher, and “Outlaw’, a Kevlacat 3400 Magnum Flybridge. Check out www. renegadecharters.com.au or their Facebook page for more information. – Allira Griffiths, Renegade Fishing Charters JULY 2015

107

Austackle-Bluefin Country Fishing Classics GF Over 120 anglers took part in the AustackleBluefin Country Fishing Classic Grand Final held at Yallakool Caravan Park on Bjelke Petersen Dam near Murgon. The series provided a relaxed environment for families and mad keen anglers alike and was a fitting finale to the series’ maiden year. With anglers fishing from boats, kayaks and the shore it was an opportunity to enjoy the thrill of fishing, and help promote the practice of sustainable angling. 24 anglers in total took home random drawn prizes to the value of $44,000, with another $10,000 worth of lucky dip prizes, including lots of Austackle combos and lures, shared amongst the field. With temperatures a little cooler that the scorching hot round three held at Bjelke Petersen Dam, competitors had to work a little harder for their fish during the Grand Final. Unexpected rain on Saturday caught a few people out and sent them scurring back to the boat ramp early, resulting in reduced catches compare to round three. Sunday however saw conditions improve, with

sunshine, big smiles and fish galore the pattern for the day. Casting and retrieving blades and spinnerbaits accounted for many fish, with slower retrieves working best. Trolling lures in 3-5m of water also accounted for a good number of bass and

SENIOR RANDOM DRAW HIGHLIGHTS When Peter Lloyd’s name was drawn for the Major Random Draw Prize, he was hoping to win a pair of Tonic Eyewear sunglasses. Instead, he walked away with a Bluefin Tournament

by Bluefin Boats, powered by a 30HP Mercury motor was a dream come true for Peter who fished the event in a kayak. Donna Porter, having missed three rounds due to ill health had her spirits lifted when she took home the second prize in a Lowrance

Matt Langford was the standout senior male angler throughout the series. RESULTS

Peter Lloyd was ecstatic when his name was drawn as the winner of $25,000 Bluefin Tournament Drifter boat package. yellowbelly, while the yabbies and worms supplied by event sponsor Blinks Bait proved effective for the bait anglers.

Drifter boat package worth $25000. The Drifter, kitted out with a 90L Flowrite live well, Dunbier trailer supplied

HDS 7 and accessories worth around $2000. JUNIOR RANDOM DRAW HIGHLIGHTS Lucy Stead took the main junior prize, a Bluefin Catfish tinny with a Minn Kota 50lb electric motor worth $2500. Along with the recent addition to the family of twin boys, the Stead family now have another boat to suit the growing family. Hayden Townsend took ownership of the Lowrance 7 Chirp and Navionics Gold Card for second prize, valued at approx $1400. POINT SCORE HIGHLIGHTS Bragging rights for the competition belonged to

Senior Female Catch & Release................ Kerry Black Senior Male Catch & Release.........Matthew Langford Junior Female Catch & Release............. Caitlyn Bryant Junior Male Catch & Release....................Isaac Wright Senior Male Deadweight............................Clint Gollan Junior Female Deadweight................Hayley Crumblin Junior Male Deadweight........................ Trey Crumblin Matthew Langford with his impressive captures of bass and yellowbelly, with Trevor Stead in second place for the Senior Male Catch & Release category. Caitlyn Bryant shone again, taking out Junior Female Catch & Release. Caitlyn also took second overall in points behind Mathew Langford. WITH THANKS Thank you to the sponsors who contributed greatly to making this such a rich and successful event: Austackle, Bluefin Boats, Lowrance, Tonic Eyewear, Fishing Monthly Group, BLA,

RailBlaza, WIN TV, South Burnett Times/APN, South Burnett Regional Council, Browns Plains Printing, DFS Insurance, Blinks Bait, Laurie’s Painting Services, Switchbait, Lake Boondooma Caravan Park, Yallakool Caravan Park, Mingo Crossing Caravan Park. For full results see countryfc.com.au The 2015/2016 series is set to get bigger and better with three new locations offering more opportunities and rewards. To find out more visit www.countryfc.com.au. – Austackle-Bluefin Country Fishing Classics

2015 King of the Pin Lucy Stead is now the proud owner of new Bluefin Catfish and Minn Kota package.

for sale on

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108

JULY 2015

Another year has come and gone for King of the Pin, with another huge success on our hands. The weather for the weekend’s fishing was fantastic for the first time in about four years, and gave everyone who entered ample opportunity to get on the water for a fish. 2015 brought 556 anglers to our comp, a good increase on last year’s numbers. This year’s competition being won by one of the lady anglers, Val Hunter with a cracking bream. Bream was the species that was randomly drawn from the hat this year. Val, our Queen of King of the Pin, weighed the heaviest bream at 1.064kg, Val also took out other species firsts and seconds, quite the angler. The Jumpinpin area is

well known for its bream catches, we saw some solid fish brought to the scales this year, many fish gilled and gutted weight of over the kilo and the fish themselves in fantastic condition. Going to be a great winter’s fishing this year. It was also good to see plenty of other species, with a 46cm whiting weighing over 700g and mulloway to 10kg. Flathead and tailor were down although some nice fish presented to the scales. We have now presented our donation to the Beenleigh Special School who every year appreciates our donation to help with the extras and special requirements of the school, where normal funding just

doesn’t allow for. On behalf myself, the President, the executive and general committees, and members of Sundowners Amateur Fishing Club, we want to thank all our sponsors and especially you, the entrants, who make this competition a huge success every year. We look forward to seeing you all next year hopefully with a few of your mates. Watch our Facebook page and website for updates on next year’s comp. Dates have already been set at 27-29 May 2016, see you there. Sundowners would like to thank all of our very generous sponsors, 5 Star Timbers, Alvey, Anaconda Everton Pk, Austackle, BCF To page 109

Wilson Inshore and Offshore Family Challenge The Redland Bay and Amateur Fishing Club held the Wilson inshore and offshore family fishing challenge over the Queens Birthday long weekend. It was a great event, the weather was reasonably kind to us and plenty of fish were caught and weighed in. Plenty of prizes were given away and a good time was had by all. I would just like to thank everybody from the Redland Bay Amateur Fishing Club who helped out in the event and to

all our major sponsors listed, thank you for your support: Wilsons, Bush n Beach Magazine, Bonza Graphics, Events in Tents, Stones Corner Marine, Mossops Bait & Tackle, Jackaroo Boats, Redland City Council, Nautilus Marine Insurance, Toll, Berserk Australia, Bay FM, and Redland City Bulletin. And I would also like to say a big thank you to all our smaller sponsors, which there are just too many to list in this article. But we thank you greatly for your contributions to

this event and hopefully in years to come. Lastly, I would like to thank all the competitors because without them and the sponsors and the people who organises this event we would not be able to put this on for the community and it would disappear like so many other great fishing events have in the past. We look forward to another great event next year being the 25th consecutive year, it’s going to be big! Keep livin’ the dream. – Matt Savas

RESULTS

A lucky winner with the top boat prize.

SENIOR Flathead....................................... N Brokenshire........................................ 1.478cm Flathead..........................................T Richards.................85cm (catch and release) Tailor................................................ A Waters................................................. 2.952 Mulloway...........................................L Reed................................................... 17.50 Sweetlip............................................ D Dixon.................................................. 5.180 Tuskfish..........................................T Beadwell................................................ 2.312 Bream..............................................F Pittman................................................. 1.030 Whiting.........................................R Pendergast.................................... 42cm 0.628 Snapper............................................ D Dixon.................................................. 9.490 Pearl perch.................................... G Colledge................................................ 0.872 Pelagic.............................................D Tregear................................................. 18.80 LADIES Bream............................................L Outhwaite............................................... 0.916 Snapper...........................................C Szmeta................................................. 2.934 Whiting.............................................D Talbot.................................................. 0.390 Flathead............................................R Reean.................................................. 1.206 Flathead.............................................J Bean................................................... 67cm

This is truly a family event, the kids love getting involved.

JUNIORS Bream............................................E McDonald............................................... 0.862 Snapper.............................................B Mohr................................................... 6.065 Whiting......................................... C Torkington.................................................. n/a Flathead....................................... T Brokenshire............................................. 1.434 Flathead.......................................... H Dockray............................................. 81.5cm

From page 108

Ipswich, Beenleigh Bowls Club, Beenleigh Goodyear, Bert Van Manen MP, Bush and Beach, Cabbage Tree Boat Hire, Cabbage Tree Convenience Store, Camp Lake Fire, Charltons Bait and Tackle, Club Marine, Coomera Houseboats, Crawford Marine, Datatel, De Bortelli Wines, Eagle Car Wreckers, Eastcoast Trimming, Gem Bait and Tackle, Gem Hotel, Greens Marine Stainless, Hooked Online, Horizon Shores Marina, Inox, JC Signs, Klik Sinkers, Lizd’n Enterprises, Lucky Strike Lures, Matty Biscuit MC, Matty Saverin Plumbing, Office National, Qld Fishing Monthly, Rudi Maas Marina, Southport Dive Centre, Southside Marine Trimming, Spotters, Stefan Boating World, Tackle warehouse, Trader Tag, Visy, VMR Jacobs Well, Water Tower Bait and Tackle, Wedderburn Scales, Wilson, Yatala Outboard Wrecking, Fishy Baits, The Coffee Lady, and Anglers Wonder, without these people and businesses we cannot run this fantastic comp. A special thanks to long term sponsors Yatala

WINNERS OF 2015 KOP – SPECIES BREAM Senior.................Val Hunter.............................. 1.064 Junior..................Fraser Leadbetter.................. 1.024 BREAM Mens...................Dean Houston....................... 1.026 Ladies.................Val Hunter.............................. 1.064 Boys...................Fraser leadbetter................... 1.024 Girls....................Kiali Bizzine........................... 0.934

CLEVELAND CLASSIC July 16 - 19, 2015

WHITING Mens...................Ben Longden......................... 0.746 Ladies.................Nikita Turer............................ 0.374 Boys...................Mark Drescher....................... 0.428 Girls....................Maddie Drescher................... 0.350 FLATHEAD Mens...................Trent Eichmann..................... 3.102 Ladies.................Tamara Edmondson.............. 2.106 Boys...................Jordon McLeod..................... 2.012 Girls....................Madaline Matthews............... 1.130 TAILOR Mens...................Andrew Buchbach................. 1.898 Ladies.................Val Hunter.............................. 0.568 Boys...................Mark Drescher....................... 1.192 Girls....................Ashleigh Powell..................... 0.924 MULLOWAY Mens...................Brendan Watt........................ 9.420 Ladies.................Kylie Woods.......................... 3.444 Boys...................Eamon Wilson....................... 3.750 Girls....................Cassie Woods....................... 3.214

Outboard Wrecking for over 30 years of support. Please support our sponsors as they

ALL ENQUIRIES: Mike Streets 0411 679 972

H 13 FIOSRIES

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We would like to thank our Sponsors

ENTRY FORMS: www.redlands boatclub.com.au

FOR MORE INFO FOLLOW WILSON FISHING ON:

do us, tell them you seen and heard about them at King of the Pin. JULY 2015

109

FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION

Soft plastics for flatties

DRAGGON

HOT LEGS

SLICK RIG

DROP SHOT

LIVE SHRIMP

SNAPPIN

MINNOW

LOBBY

CHERABIN

FISH

MR TWISTER

SWIMMERZ

FLASH MINNOW

POWER BAIT

TWITCH TAIL

FLICK BAIT

PRAWN STAR

VIBELICIOUS

GULP NEMESIS

SHAD

WRIGGLER

Name Address

P/Code Phone (day):

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Fishing Monthly selected prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO:

QLD Find-a-word Competition PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129 QLD JULY 2015

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for May were A Griffiths of Currumbin Waters, M Zammit of Glasshouse Mountains, S Sully of Silkstone, B Coats of Chermside West, D Etwell of Murrumba Downs, R Coop of Childers, who each won a Backbone Tide Watch valued at $49.90. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND THE VMC LOGO WINNERS

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

The Find the VMC logo prize winners for May were: A Scott of Proserpine, B Hardwick of Kewarra Beach, G Duffy of Norman Gardens, W Fishburn of Bundaberg, N Tretiakov of Daisy Hill, K Frankel of Pottsville, M Sempf of Palmwoods, T Grice of Caboolture, B Botting of Nanango, W Jack of Carina, G Leverton of Taylors Beach, J Brown of Edmonton, V Hazelwood of Mt Gambier, P Gauchi of Kepnock, D Hutchins of Bundaberg, B Brown of Maryborough, D Molloy of Collingwood Park, T Hainsworth of Warwick, T Davidson of Guyra, D Newton of Rangeville, R Bourchier of Karumba, R Waters of Temora, D Stewart of Hermit Park, P Walker of Maryborough, K Martin of Dalby, K White of Aspley, H Finney of Dingo, B Freier of Ningi, R Kunde of Beerwah, P Fielder of Everton Hills, S Dawson of Bald Hills, M Gillett of Boonah, C Clarke of Inglewood, G Watter of Ripley, G Edwards of Home Hill, C Hendry of Imbil, O Noffke of Kuluangoor, J & A Wohlsen of Steiglitz, T Hanger of Scarborough, B Rider of Brigalow. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND THE VMC LOGO MAY LOCATIONS The answers to Find the VMC Logo for May were: 12, 18, 26, 36, 50, 53, 54, 59, 71, 77, 83, 92, 105, 108, 111. – QFM

VMC MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The major prize winners are: 1st B Freier of Ningi who won $600 of Rapala VMC products; 2nd M Goodwin of Cardwell who won $400 of Rapala VMC products; 3rd A Scott of Proserpine who won $200 of Rapala VMC products. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to B Herrmann of Ipswich, 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 3 110

• DECEMBER 2010 JULY 2015

Testing Booth

ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

I’ll admit it. I’ve always been a fan of Lithium-ion battery technology. Lead-acid batteries are great, cheap and reliable, but there’s something special about getting the job done from a battery that’s a fraction of the weight. We use Lithium batteries in lots of our everyday gear – my phone, power drill and line trimmer at home have them. I also went out on a limb and got a set for my last bass boat. Aside from the near-$5K price tag, their performance was remarkable and they way it changed the ride of the boat for the better was also amazing. However, people had an incredibly negative attitude towards them. They were telling me that I’d spontaneously explode. Or they

for an 80lb, 24v MinnKota on the same craft weighed in at nearly 80kg. Add the weight of the motor and there’s nearly 100kg sitting within a foot of the transom. So, we headed off to Hinze Dam to put the Spirit to the test. The only preparation I did was to make sure the ‘head’ of the motor that contained the battery was charged and that we took a paddle. Just in case. We might have been the first magazine in the world to get to test this motor, but I didn’t really want to be the first that walked home because of a software bug. Install is easy. Take the battery off the 240v charger. Slip battery onto the head of the unit. It clips in automatically. Screw outboard to transom and plug in power cable to join the battery to the motor. Takes about 5 minutes if you dawdle.

springs to life. Twist the tiller and you accelerate in either forward or reverse. On the Fishing Monthly 3.7m JonBoat, at WOT, we sat on around 10km/h (on the iPhone GPS) and used 1000w of power. Real-time power consumption and a graph on remaining battery life are displayed on the tiller-display. With a 1000 watt-hour battery, full throttle usage theoretically would give us 10km and exhaust the battery in one hour. And I calculated that we wanted to travel more than 10km on the day, so I backed off the throttle after a couple of kilometres. Knocking the throttle back to 500 watt draw, the speed only dropped to 7km/h – giving us a theoretical range of 14 km. In theory, dropping the speed to 3.5km/h would give us 17 hours of run time and a

Left: A 28cm diameter plastic propeller delivers the thrust to the water. Right: The Spirit’s convenience stems from the fact that you just strap it on and go. were explaining to me that they were too expensive. I thought that spending around 7% of the value of the boat on awesome batteries wasn’t that bad at all. You see, in my bass boat, Lithium batteries were literally quarter of the weight of the standard batteries I’d fitted in the past. The change was like evicting a near-100kg passenger from the back corner of the boat. The attitude of the boat in the water levelled out and no longer did I have to half stand up to see over the bow in a 6-knot zone. Let’s fast forward to 2015, and when a new ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 landed at Fishing Monthly for review, I admit to being excited. Why? Because for a 16kg imposition on the transom of our electric powered boat, we were going to get an all-in-one unit that had a range of at least 10km at WOT. This would easily extend to around 15km at a pinch over half throttle. On paper, that was impressive. My battery bank

FM sales rep, Ryan Limpus and I boarded and headed into the great unknown. Starting the unit is easy. Hold down the START button for a few seconds and the mono LCD display in the tiller

60km range, but we were way too impatient to test out the endurance end of the spectrum. As it was, we cruised and fished for over 10 km – from the Western ramp at Hinze to some banks near the

The ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 drives like a standard outboard – combustion or electric – except that it’s an all-in-one unit. dam wall and back again. We alternately ran at full speed and 50% throttle. Getting back to the ramp a couple of hours later, the fish count was zero, but we still had quarter of the charge left, according to the control pad – plenty enough for Ryan to do some running shots in the bay next to the launch. OUR IMPRESSIONS Most BASS Electric tournament speed freaks know that the more of the transom you can lift out of the water while running, the less turbulence and the more speed you’ll achieve. With the weight of the batteries removed from the hull and the light weight of the engine, the JonBoat definitely ran ‘fast’ and nose down with Ryan in the front. Typical of Lithium technology, there seemed to be no noticeable speed drop-off as the battery discharged, as opposed to the gradual slowing on by lead-acid setup. With a hydrodynamic outboard leg, the unit ran just as quietly as the JonBoat’s standard setup. I loved the fact that this

Here’s the track of our run on Hinze – just over 10km on three-quarters of the battery. unit also has a safety-lanyard strap. It’s sealed and magnetic. You’d definitely be a finalist of the Darwin Awards if you drowned after being run over by your own, electric powered boat. I wasn’t a fan of the lack of a definite stop setting between forward and reverse. Sometimes I found myself in a slow reverse after thinking I was stopped. My only other complaint may be unique to me, but I find that I like to stand at the stern and have my

SPECIFICATIONS Comparable HP..................................................3hp Rated voltage.................................................. 40.7 V Rated current................................................. 24.6 A Static thrust.......................................................66lb Propeller diameter........................................280mm Weight........................................... 16kg (63cm shaft) ............................................ 16.2kg (75.5cm shaft) Battery................................................Li-po 1000Wh Battery weight..................................................7.5kg Price................................................................$2,695

electric motor in slow reverse. I stand and fish, controlling the electric with my foot. The tiller didn’t have a setting that would allow me to put any more than a kilo or two of weight on it before folding over. Picky, I know, but these are only small things and rumour has it that the full blown production models will have these changes made. Overall, we were mightily impressed with this little unit. If you want one for a tender, the weight and range are very ample. If you’re a BASS Electric star, you’ll probably want a spare battery, which will cost you in the vicinity of two-thrids of the motor’s price. Also, rumour has it that there’s 10hp model coming out in the near future. Now THAT’S a motor we’d like to put through its paces! We’re definitely fans of this concept. This motor is available from www.epropulsion.com.au for $2,695. For trade enquiries, call Island Inflatables on (02) 9532 0002. QR CODE

Left: The tiller fitted LCD display gives you instantaneous usage data. Right: Ryan found the use of the Spirit much easier than his PFD.

See the test day video by scanning this QR Code JULY 2015

111

Revelling in the Quintrex Renegade 460 SC BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

There’s always lots to enjoy in a boat review; after all, who wouldn’t like running around in a brand new boat? But the review of the Quintrex Renegade 460 side console was extra special because we latched onto a feed of fish in the Jumpinpin Bar area before getting serious with the camera. Launching at Jacob’s Well at 5.30 on a winter’s morning, Springwood Marine’s Guyla Vari and I headed straight for the sudsy stretch of water between North and South Stradbroke islands to see if the 460 Renegade’s Blade hull — with its fairly shallow Vee plus ample under-hull pressings — was as stable as it looked as it slid off its Quintrex skid and roller trailer. Seated on the premium Maritime seat while running down to the ’Pin bar at 50 clicks with the big block Mercury 75 humming astern at 4100rpm saw me grateful for the spray jacket I was wearing. While there was some protection from the Renegade’s neat side console, an air temperature of 8°C will always demand extra clothing layers at that sort of pace! Wintery conditions were soon forgotten, however, once we arrived at the bar and saw the dipping flocks of terns coming our way with the flood tide. To assess the hull’s capability, I moved right into the white water to close in on the action. Conditions were quite lumpy, with some swell moving in across sandbars to liven things up, but we experienced no problems, even when a peaking side swell coming off the collision of twolarge waves joined the party. We stood and cast at the tailor and dart that were soon entertaining us on very light spin tackle. It was interesting fishing; the Lowrance HDS7 Gen 3 was showing us clouds of bait from time to time,

so it was just a matter of maintaining position and keeping the casts going. Thanks to the Renegade’s external side height of

tide influence and move back into the area of white water that the fish fancied. When we moved, I was also impressed with the ease

JULY 2015

while fishing. Also up front along with a seat spigot were 3 more below-deck hatches. The most forward of these was set

side, along with a cleat aft. I also noted handy off-floor storage pockets along the side of the hull, plus 2

SPECIFICATIONS Length of hull:.................................................4.65m Beam:...............................................................2.26m Length on trailer:...........5.75m with drawbar folded Height on trailer:.............................................1.70m Hull material:............................................ 3mm alloy Weight of hull:...................................................40kg Deadrise aft:........................................................ 14° Persons:..................................................................5 Engines:....................................................... 50-75hp Engine fitted:.............................75 Mercury 4 stroke Fuel:......................................................................77l

Underway at speed, displaced water from the Renegade’s bow area is pushed well aft.

Standing to play a fish in the chop was no issue at all in the stable Quintrex Renegade.

The Renegade’s rear cockpit area. Features are easily noted, as well as the area where the two rods are standing, which made a very handy spot to fish from in choppy conditions. 105mm, I was more than happy with the boat’s sea-keeping capability. By leaving the 4 cylinder Mercury ticking over, it was very simple to counter flood

that the Blade hull and its well flared bow section kept water well away from Guyla and myself — even in the really sudsy stuff. I’ve no doubt that in suitable conditions the

Guyla opened our account with a tailor at the Bar. 112

460 Renegade would easily make offshore fishing par for the course. The 460 Renegade — both tiller steer and console

versions — does provide the option of a large lift out kill bin up front (which can also be set up as a live well) and it was an easy matter to slip fish into the well with our ice

up with a battery to power the Renegade’s 55 Motorguide, while the other 2 on the sides of the catch bin were available for storage. I took the opportunity to fish from both the front deck and the main cockpit area of the 460 Renegade and found it easy to work in both areas. With the console taking up so little room within the Renegade’s 2.22m wide cockpit, it was easy to take a quick image of Guyla on the job, maybe remove a ruined plastic, store a spare rod, or unhook a fish in complete comfort. The rear area also featured the Renegade’s 280mm wide — unpainted, therefore less slippery — side decks set up with paired rod holders each

seating positions, with the skipper’s deluxe Maritime seat combining a bolster front section to facilitate driving while standing. The craft’s side console was equipped with twin grab rails atop the screen, along with a neat glove box to port. As the side console was entirely open on the bottom section, there was full leg room while comfortably seated. Dash instruments consisted of a premium Mercury Vessel View instrument, which provided all engine functions in full, easy-to-read colour with an array of switches nearby, and a marine radio. Atop the dash was a Lowrance HDS 7 Gen 3 Touch unit complementing an identical

A lift-out kill bin is a mighty handy asset in a small craft.

unit set up on a ram bracket mounted on the foredeck aft of the Motorguide 55. Completing the Renegade’s stern features was a live well within the port quarter, a recessed, fullheight engine well (an optional feature), which offered very handy corner-of-transom brace points. Note that a full width casting platform is also available in this area, with the engine mounted on a stern lip in lieu, but in those somewhat demanding conditions I was content with the Renegade’s setup that allowed me to stand tucked into a corner of the transom to fish. Based on a 2.1l in-line 4-cylinder powerhead, the 75 also shares the same block as Mercury’s 90 and 115hp 4-strokes. And yet, at just 163kg, the 75 is not only a much under-stressed engine thanks to its huge capacity, but it’s very light as well. Whisper quiet at idle, the 75 eased the boat onto the plane at a mere 8.3knots with a modest 2200rpm on the Vessel View’s digital display. At 3000rpm we had 18.6kts recorded, with 4,000rpm (an ideal cruising rev range) giving the blade hull a speed of 26.2knots. A burst of near WOT on the new engine saw 5300rpm on Vessel View, with 36knots also noted. Impressive figures, certainly, but equally impressive was the terrific torque from the large

capacity 75. The merest touch of the throttle lever brought instant response throughout the engine’s entire rev range. Engine ratings for the 460 Renegade are from 50-75hp and although there’s little doubt the hull would perform well with a 50 on the transom, I would advocate the 75 as the engine for the Quintrex’s solid 405kg hull, especially when an electric motor plus battery is installed. And with a passenger rating of 5 aboard when friends or family are along to enjoy the ride, I’m sure the easy power of the smooth 75 would be appreciated. While enjoying some speed runs, I put the Blade hull through its paces at pace and my original impressions of stability and soft riding attributes were readily confirmed. Quintrex have obviously put a lot of R & D into the development of the Blade hull and it certainly does provide a very impressive ride, with the flared bow keeping occupants as dry as possible under prevailing conditions. Dare I say it, but the Renegade’s ride was very reminiscent of a glass hull rather than alloy. Interestingly, while Vee hulls are the flavour of the month in some circles, the Renegade’s 4.65m long alloy hull with its beam of 2.22m and relatively shallow aft deadrise of 14° gave away

Top left: Ample work area up front of the Renegade is a feature anglers will enjoy. Note the neat Lowrance setup, plus the under-floor hatches. Top right: The Blade hull’s well formed pressings are easily noted. Bottom left: This image provides a look at the Renegade’s stern. Note the substantial pressings and shallow deadrise, all of which combined to provide a really good ride. Bottom right: Side consoles make sense, taking up so little room, yet make for an easy helm station plus a dash layout that’s easily monitored.

nothing as far as ride quality was concerned. In summing up the Quintrex 460 Renegade side console, I’ll confine my comments to finish and presentation as I’ve ready outlined just how good the craft was to fish from and how well it rode. And what a great match the Mercury 75 was! In usual Quintrex style, the Renegade shone like a new $2 coin, with the natty Springwood Marine wrap also adding to the overall bling of the package. Fit and finish of joinery and upholstery was all it could be, so pride of ownership would be assured. Provided on a Quintrex alloy trailer — with folding drawbar for ease of storage — the Renegade without paired 7” Lowrances and the Motor Guide would come home for $32,855. As reviewed with all the fruit, which included a marine radio, Sonic Hub, upgraded seats, plus other extras, the price was $41,998. Springwood Marine can be contacted on (07) 3297 8200 or at www.springwoodmarine. com.au for further information. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

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JULY 2015

113

What’s New BOATING

FUSION-LINK COMPATIBILITY

Fusion, has announced its Fusion-Link audio access system is now supported by the Furuno NavNet TZtouch2 series, providing the ability to control all FusionLink enabled 700 and 750 Series marine entertainment systems capabilities and functions directly from the TZtouch2 multitouch display. Now it’s easy for Furuno owners to enjoy their on-board audio and video entertainment from their Multi-function Display (MFD). “We are excited to extend Fusion-Link capabilities to Furuno’s latest and most advanced TZtouch2 displays,” said Chris Baird, managing director, Fusion. “Furuno owners with the latest hardware and networking capabilities can now enjoy the convenience of our awardwinning marine audio at their fingertips.” The only ‘True-Marine’ entertainment solutions on the market, Fusion stereos give Furuno owners unparalleled reliability and performance, and multi-zone audio configuration specific to their vessels. Fusion-Link allows boaters to navigate all stereo sources from their MFD and provides full control of iPod/iPhone/Android or CD/DVD music libraries via track, artist, album or playlist. – Fusion Communications

SENIOR MERCURY APPOINTMENT

Mercury Marine is pleased to announce that Trevor Hutchings has been appointed as General Manager - Mercury Finance. Trevor comes into his new role with a wealth of experience in banking and financial service organisations Trevor, an MBA and a Bachelor of Business in accounting, will report to Will Sangster, General Manager of Mercury ANZP, and the Mercury Finance board. “With his unmatched experience in this area and his undeniable drive for success, it bodes very well for the future,” Will said. “Since its introduction 18 months ago Mercury Finance has been well received, but Trevor is now ready to take it to the next level – and that’s good news for boat lovers across our region.” Trevor replaces Paul Watters who has taken up another role. “I’d like to thank him for his valuable contribution so far and wish him all the best with his new challenge,” Will said. – Mercury Marine

SLIDE BOAT LOADER

Whether it’s for safety or simply loading and unloading the dinghy, solo time on the water is hard to achieve. With RhinoRack’s Side Boat Loader that is no longer the case. An innovative pulley system allows a single person to load an 80kg boat onto the roof of a vehicle with zero risk of straining your back or dinging your vehicle. All you need is an 18v cordless drill! The Side Boat Loader winches from the passenger side of the vehicle and can be fitted to crossbars measuring 1250mm and up. Boats up to 3.65m in length will work best, but either side of that number is also workable. Many vehicles are compatible with the Side Boat Loader including 4WDs, low roof camper vans and station wagons. If you’re unsure as to whether or not the Side Boat Loader will work with your vehicle you should contact a RhinoRack retailer for expert advice. Price: RRP $1801 www.rhinorack.com.au

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

LIFE CELL

The Life Cell device designed to reduce the amount of lives lost at sea, by ensuring all safety equipment is contained in one place when abandonment is the only option. Life Cell is made from closed cell PU foam and constructed from UV resistant flame retardant polyethylene (PE). They are supplied with a PE mount bracket. The Life Cell is designed to automatically float from the bracket in the event of being submerged. Unlike grab bags, Life Cell’s float acts as a secure handhold keeping all crew together and as stable platforms to assist in the deployment of flares and other safety equipment. Life Cell is a floatation device that stores all your essential safety gear including; EPIRBs, flares, V sheets, whistles, horns, torches. These accessories are not included. For the full range of safety products please, refer to section 22 of the BLA catalogue, Edition 12. - BLA

TABS OCEAN SERIES HARD TOP

As the name suggests, this vessel was not built for the rivers, it’s a serious bit of kit for a serious owner. It is Aussie made for Aussie conditions, it has a full variable dead rise shape 19’23’40, the bottom sheets of the 6m vessel are 5mm thick and the dry weight is 960KG. The design is such that it’ll turn short sharp chop into glassed out conditions and ocean swell into molehills. The new FX hulls have huge oversized 200mm reverse chine edges traveling over 2.5m forward to stabilize the hull, so there’s no rocking and rolling, its like walking on a pontoon. There’s a host of standard features like built in tackle boxes, recessed Epirb and fire ext. areas, enclosed battery compartments, cabin hood lining, deluxe seating, 7” sounder, VHF, charts, bait tables, bait tanks and kill tanks. Available in 5.3, 5.6, 6.0, 6.3 and the affectingly factory nicknamed ‘The Beast’ at 6.8m. You won’t find a bigger better hard top than this anywhere! – TABS Boats

HONDA’S EXTENDED WARRANTY

Honda Marine is proud to announce the introduction of Australia’s best extended outboard warranty, offering a 7-year domestic warranty and a 3-year commercial warranty – available free of charge to any outboard that is serviced for the entire warranty period by an authorised Honda Marine dealer, in line with the recommended service schedule. With the introduction of Australia’s best extended warranty, Honda is showing its commitment to you, our customers. By having your outboard serviced at the required intervals by a trained Honda Marine dealer, you are getting the same fantastic coverage on the last day of year 7, as you are getting on day one! Unlike other brands that exclude many high value engine components, every Honda part is covered. If it is a manufacturing fault, then it is covered under our industry leading warranty. Get into your local Honda Authorised Dealer today! Offer ends 31st March 2016. – Honda Marine

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

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

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What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

TESTED: MotorGuide’s Xi5-55 reviewed Starlo looks back on almost a full year of intensive fishing since switching to a MotorGuide bowmounted electric motor, and offers his frank and honest assessment of the unit’s performance to date. Last August, I told Fishing Monthly publisher, Steve Morgan, of my decision to switch to a MotorGuide electric motor on my 4.81m Cross Country boat after many, many years using the other major brand of electric. I’d agonised over making this switch for some time, but in the end it felt like the right way to go. Morgo’ was interested in the thought processes I’d followed, and asked if I’d be keen to write a thorough review of the new MotorGuide for his magazines some six months or so down the track. I happily agreed. As it turned out, work and travel commitments have intervened, and well over nine months actually passed before I finally found the space to sit down and write this piece for Morgo’. By the time you read it, I’ll have been living with a MotorGuide on the front of my boat for just shy of a year. In that time I’ve fished intensively (around three to four times a week, on average) and also travelled widely with the rig in tow throughout NSW, as well as into Queensland and Victoria. My no-longer-new Xi5 MotorGuide has worked hard over this period, racking up far more hours than the F70A Yamaha outboard on the back of the boat. The only maintenance the MotorGuide has received to date is a thorough hose down after use in saltwater and the occasional removal of the prop’ to check for weed or discarded fishing line wrapped around the drive shaft. I’m delighted (and more than a little relieved) to report that the Xi5 hasn’t missed a beat in that time.

QUESTIONS OF RELIABILITY

To be brutally honest, it had been lingering doubts about ruggedness, durability and long term reliability that had deterred me from going down the MotorGuide path in the past. My previous brief encounters with the brand, along with feedback from others who’d used their earlier products more extensively, didn’t leave an entirely positive impression in these important areas. It’s worth stressing that no electric motor (or ‘trolling motor’, as the Yanks call them) can be regarded as ‘bullet proof’, especially under harsh Australian conditions. These units originated on the freshwater bass and walleye lakes of North America, and are still primarily engineered for those fisheries, although widespread take-up by inshore and flats anglers in the United States has led to the introduction of models specifically engineered for saltwater work. Despite ongoing improvements, no brand of electric motor has proven itself to be completely trouble-free on our demanding waters, and almost every Aussie angler with a lengthy history using these units has a horror story or two to tell. Sometimes, you get lucky and go years without a major malfunction. On other occasions, it feels like the good old ’lecky (as we tend to call them) is spending more time back at the workshop, or spread out in bits across your garage floor, than doing

what it was meant to do, up on the front of the boat. Some of the earlier iterations of the MotorGuide marque to hit our shores were certainly not immune from such sorry tales of woe. However, following the arrival of numbers of their latest Xi3 and Xi5 units early in 2014, I began to hear more and more good things about the brand. The time seemed ripe to take the plunge and make the move.

the edge of a drop-off or weed bed. I really do use this feature a heck of a lot. Another little trick I regularly employ is to set and pre-record an ‘Anchor’ waypoint well out in the open away from a particularly gnarly snag, then slide in (often using ‘Jog’) to fish the spot. The moment I hook a fish, I punch the numbered button for the stored

of button presses on the remote. After nine months of intensive use, I find that a much more positive button-press is required, especially on the most commonly-used controls, and sometimes I need to press a second time if my first push was too light. Also, the MotorGuide’s two-bladed propeller appears to be constructed

BOTTOM LINE

After reviewing the latest range, I opted for a 12-volt, 55-pound thrust MotorGuide Xi5 Saltwater (white) model, with builtin GPS capabilities and a 54-inch shaft. It should be noted that the Xi5 Saltwater also comes in 80lb (24-volt) and 105lb (36volt) thrust versions, featuring shaft lengths from 48-60”, with and without built-in GPS. I figured the 55lb with a 54” shaft was spoton for my rig, and I really wanted the GPSequipped version. I guess the million-dollar question is this: Do I think I made the right decision by changing electric brands in August last year? Well, I’m pleased to report that the answer to that question, at least at this point in time, is a resounding and unequivocal ‘yes’! So, what do I like most about the MotorGuide Xi5, and what features and functions am I less keen about? Here’s the wrap-up so far, based on nine months-plus of hard use:

THE PROS

For me, the stand-out features of the MotorGuide Xi5 are its fast, smooth and quiet operation, extremely efficient GPS interface and dramatically improved battery life. I’ve definitely noticed (and appreciated) slightly faster response times to steering input, as well as a quieter hum from the motor at most speeds and while manoeuvring. I’m also pleasantly surprised at how much longer my deep cycle battery seems to last between re-charges, especially compared to other 12-volt electrics I’ve operated in the past. However, it’s when using the more sophisticated GPS navigation functions that the MotorGuide’s clear technological edge really seems to come to the fore. In particular, the ‘Anchor’ or position-holding

SPECIFICATIONS MOTORGUIDE Xi5-55 54” GPS Saltwater Shaft Length: 54” (137 cm) Peak Thrust: 55lb (25 kg) Power: 12 volts Max Draw: 52 amps Steering: GPS Remote and wireless foot pedal Suggested Hull Lengths: 3.7 to 5.4 m Website: www.motorguide.com Suppliers: Mercury Marine dealers function is appreciably faster and much more clearly defined than anything similar that I’ve used previously. It really seems to lock on quickly and hold well. I’m also a huge fan of the unit’s ‘Jog’ function, which quickly shuffles the vessel 5’ (just over 1.5m) in any direction at the single click of a button while you’re holding on ‘Anchor’. This capability is absolutely brilliant, and allows me to slowly work my way up to or around a snag or other fishholding feature, as well as to shuffle along

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

Starlo has been running his new MotorGuide Xi5 electric motor for almost a year now and remains extremely happy with the unit. Photo courtsey of Jo Starling. waypoint and the boat hauls out and away from the rough stuff, effectively dragging and steering the hooked fish with it as it goes! I can’t tell you how many big, bluenosed bream and thick-shouldered bass this little trick has won me this past year, and I can’t wait to try it on mangrove jacks, barra and Murray cod. The MotorGuide’s ‘Heading Lock’ (tracking) and ‘Cruise Control’ (speed setting) functions both work as they should although, to be honest, I’ve hardly even played with the powerful route record/playback aspects of the unit yet. These allow eight separate tracks of up to 6.4 km to be recorded and re-traced at the push of a button. I keep promising myself to use this feature more, but just haven’t come across too many practical applications for it yet. I’m sure I would if I did more trolling.

… AND THE CONS

To be honest, I can’t find much to be critical of at this point in my ongoing relationship with the MotorGuide Xi5. However, here are a few relatively minor nitpicks: Firstly, there’s no LCD screen nor LED status lights on the GPS remote control unit itself. No doubt this simplification of the remote’s construction adds to its robustness and reduces battery drain, but I wouldn’t mind having some visual indication on the remote itself of what functions were operating and at what power or speed. Certainly, the LED panel on the motor’s controller mount reveals system status, battery strength and whether or not the GPS system is active, but it doesn’t show what speed the prop’ is actually spinning at. This can be mildly annoying at times, especially as the unit is so quiet! Sticking with the remote control unit for a moment, I’ve also definitely noticed a reduction in the sensitivity of the control buttons over time. When it was brand new, the motor responded instantly to the lightest

from slightly softer material than some other makes, collecting dings and nicks faster, and potentially becoming unbalanced and less efficient over time. This may well be a trade-off to reduce the risk of drive train breakage, but I reckon it’s not a bad idea to carry a spare prop, in case your first one gets too badly dinged-up to work smoothly. There are also a few little operating quirks that take some getting used to. For example, when you press the M button to de-activate ‘Anchor’, the motor remains in its prop-activated, power-on mode, but with the revs now at zero. This seems counter-intuitive to me, and I invariably end up hitting the power button again (rather than simply increasing revs) when I want to move on… effectively turning the power off instead, and then wondering why I’m going nowhere when I push the + button to accelerate! Over time I’ve finally learnt to avoid this little double-shuffle. Clearly, if those are the only tiny niggles I can find to complain about concerning the Motorguide Xi5 after almost a year of running it, then this unit is well and truly ahead of the game… and the pack! In particular I’m extremely impressed that I haven’t had a single breakdown, malfunction or glitch in over nine months of solid operation (touch wood!). This may not be a long enough test period for me to sign off just yet on those lingering questions about durability and reliability, but at least I can say that the early signs are very positive! I’ll come back in another year and let you know how it’s going then (or you can jump onto my StarloFishing page on Facebook and ask me). Meanwhile, all I can say is that if you’re one of those many people who’ve been thinking about making the big move in electrics, then it seems like now might be the right time! - Steve Starling

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

115

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Bundall Marine Centre – Servicing all makes and models. MOBILE SERVICE AVAILABLE (07) 5504 7446

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Northside Marine (07) 3265 8029 Coastal Powerboats (07) 5568 0904 Coorparoo Marine (07) 3397 4141

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Capalaba Boat Centre 04011 728 379 Holt Marine (07) 3353 1928 Cunninghams Marine (07) 3284 8805 Caloundra Marine (07) 5491 1944 Bribie Boat Sales (07) 3408 0055

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Trades, Services, Charter SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

MARINE OUTBOARD WRECKERS SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

ROD & REEL REPAIRS NORTH QUEENSLAND JT Reel Repairs, Mackay 0427 552 485 or (07) 4955 2485

D&H REEL REPAIRS ce Reel Performan

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rts needs irs and spare pa pa re el re ur yo l For al

20 Wrights Place Labrador Qld 4215 website www.brumbsmarine.com.au email brumbsmarine@bigpond.com

Servicin Phone/Fax: 07 3372 2740 or major b g all call Duncan on 0439 717 839 rands Email: dhreelrepairs@bigpond.com Drag upgrades available • Rod repairs • Mail orders welcome

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CUSTOM MARINE WELDING & ELECTRICAL Marine and Auto Electricial n All types of Welding n Stainless Steel n Aluminium n Mild Steel n Boats Repaired n Fuel & Water Tanks n Canopies n Bow and Stern Rails n Custom Vehicle Tool Boxes

Shed 1 281 Jacobs Well Road Behind GEM Service Station, Alberton 4207

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Mob 0427 142 201 Fax 3807 2468

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My Charter Boat Tweed Heads 0407 347 446

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RU4 Reel Tweed Heads 0449 903 366 Discovery Fishing Charters G old Coast 0427 026 519 Fish The Deep Charters 0416 224 412

t Stanag Looking to stay a

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Call Von 07 4937 3145 Stanage Bay Marine and Accommodation w w w.stan a g eb ay. co m

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BURDEKIN

Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0411 605 090 Hooker 1 Charters Gold Coast (07) 5528 6469 Sea Probe Fishing Charters 0400 312 330 Coastal Sports Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0412 691 929 Gone Fishing Charters Gold Coast (07) 5529 7833

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JC’s Fishing Charters 0438 753 382 Fairdinkum Fishing Charters Townsville (07) 4751 5324 Cairns Reef Charter Services 1800 119 044 Cairns Charter Boat 0427 533 081 Cairns Fishing Charters 0427 400 027

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COOKTOWN River of Gold Motel Plenty of room for boats and trailers PH: 4069 5222

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Fishing Offshore Noosa 0418 889 956

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Fish Taxiderist www.fishtaxidery.net.au or 0428 544 841

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• 5.5m Custom sportsfishing Vessel • 4.4m Estuary Sportsfishing Vessel • Quality Fishing Gear Supplied

Lake Boondooma Caravan Park (07) 4168 9694 Lake Cressbrook Regional Council 131 872 Yallakool Park and Kiosk on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746

CHARTER BOATS NORTHERN NSW Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0428 828 835 Reel Time Fishing Charters 0428 231 962

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KAYAK FISHING TOURS Southern Bay • Gold Coast

HALF AND FULL DAY TOURS • Hobie kayak and fishing gear supplied www.kayakfishingtours.com.au Phone for bookings

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Bite Me Fishing Charters Yeppoon 0419 029 397 Ultimate Sportfishing Charters 0450 753 726 MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201 Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters 0427 125 727 Bundaberg Fishing Charters 0429 017 217 Sport Fish 1770 (07) 4974 9686 Coral Coast Game Fishing 0447 347 437 MV James Cook (1770) (07) 4974 9422 Norval Reef Charters 1800 771 234

True Blue Fishing Gold Coast (07) 5510 9622

Iluka Fishing Charters Gladstone 0414 940 911

BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0414 293 034

Kanimbla Charters Gladstone1800 677 202

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Built to perform. Built to last.

More Power, Performance and Reliability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Insist on Mercury MerCruiser.

See your authorised Mercury MerCruiser Dealer today.

BRISBANE SOUTH SPRINGWOOD MARINE

BRISBANE HOLT MARINE

3475 Pacific Hwy Springwood

25 Queens Rd Everton Park

Phone: (07) 3297 8200 | Fax: (07) 3297 8290

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570 Royal Esplanade Manly

82 Dayman Street Urangan Hervey Bay

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Phone: (07) 4128 9944

Fax: (07) 3893 2188

Fax: (07) 4125 2350

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AIRLIE BEACH / WHITSUNDAY WHITSUNDAY OUTBOARD CENTRE

57 Cavendish Rd Coorparoo

1 William Murray Dr Cannonvale

Phone: (07) 3397 4141

Phone: (07) 4946 7286

Fax: (07) 3397 6339

Fax: (07) 4946 7848

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BRISBANE NORTH BRISBANE MARINE 306 Duffield Road Clontarf Phone: (07) 3889 3033 Fax: (07) 3889 5390 Email: info@brismarine.com.au Website: www.brismarine.com.au

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a pair

nobody saw coming

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve refined the technology and dramatically improved the reliability to bring you the next generation of electric trolling motors so advanced and so precise, the fish will never hear you coming. From the durable and versatile all new X3, through to the wireless, stealth-like Xi5, this pair delivers the ultimate fishing experience, so you can now focus purely on the catch. Visit mercurymarine.com.au for your nearest Motorguide dealer.

The perfect companion to the Xi5, Pinpoint GPS takes boat control to the next level. With an ultra-precise receiver and two digital compasses, it teams up with your trolling motor to deliver best-in-class boat navigation.