Queensland Fishing Monthly May 2017

LAND MORE LONGTAILS • BAIT OF ORIGIN BATTLE

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Moreton Bay longtail tuna Whiting battle: bait of origin Part III: tackling fishing mistakes

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May 2017, Vol. 29 No. 7

Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES Wooli 18 Yamba 20 Iluka 21 Ballina 22 SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Tweed Heads inshore 24 The Tweed 26 Southern Gold Coast 28 Gold Coast Canals 30 Gold Coast 32 Jumpinpin 34 Southern Bay 38 Brisbane 40 Brisbane Offshore 42 Northern Bay 43 Caloundra 44 Noosa 46 CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Rainbow Beach 54 Hervey Bay 55 Fraser Coast 56 Bundaberg 57 Lake Monduran 57 Rockhampton 58 Gladstone 59 Stanage Bay 60 Mackay 60

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From the Editor’s Desk...

Fishing Monthly has always been a refuge for scientists who don’t want to be scientists. I have a degree in handling stress on Australian native freshwater fish. Previous editors Steve Booth and Marc Ainsworth also have similar degrees, as does tacklejunkie. fish co-ordinator Nicole Penfold and our IT guru, Gavin North, who specialised in whether fish feel pain.

So how did it come to be that our scientific study about whether worms or yabbies are better for whiting fell to our QLD and NSW ad sales reps, Michael Fox and Rob ‘Rupe’ Gaden Jr? Foxy bailed from school at Tweed Heads ASAP in year 10 and Rupe’s a former lure maker, so he’s sniffed way too many fumes to perform an accurate scientific experiment.

So, of course, we’ve ended up with something that smacks more of State-ofOrigin than science.

Still, that’s not such a bad thing. The boys’ experiment went well, and they brought back some interesting observations from their day on the water. You can read about it inside.

READER COVERS KEEP ROLLING IN We’re getting a sensational response to the Reader Cover Competition – keep the entries coming! There’s still time to make the cover. All the details are in the ad inside this issue.

DO YOU YOUTUBE? You may have noticed that we are increasingly using video content to augment the articles in the magazines. If you see a QR code (that little array of black and white dots) embedded into an article, make sure that you scan it with your smartphone. And if

you don’t have the app to do so, get the closest teenager to download it for you!

Alternatively, if scanning codes isn’t your thing, you can just jump straight into Fishing Monthly’s YouTube channel to catch all of the video content we upload. Just search for ‘Fishing Monthly’ on YouTube.

Between our current channel and our older channel (Steve Morgan) there’s been over 1.42 million video views in the last couple of years, so we must be doing something right!

WHAT ABOUT INSTAGRAM? I’ve never been a huge Instagram user, but there are thousands of you who are. If you follow @fishingmonthly, you can join the other 15,000 followers and see the string of fantastic fishing photos that Instagram will deliver to you.

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FAREWELL TO LES WILSON We were deeply saddened to learn that Les Wilson passed away on Good Friday at the age of 93. A muchloved figure in the tackle industry, Les is best known as the founder of Wilson Fishing. I’ve been working in tackle industry for nearly 30 years, and Wilson’s was already legendary by the time I started.

Everyone who knew Les will tell you he was a fantastic bloke, and a true visionary. Les built Wilson Fishing from scratch, starting out by making swivels under his house in the 1940s, and now this company is one of the biggest tackle wholesalers in the country.

It’s an remarkable legacy for a remarkable man, and it was a privilege to know him.

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

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Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Cordelia Adams Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich Wayne Kampe Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

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REGULAR FEATURES

Moreton Bay longtail tuna Whiting battle: bait of origin Part III: tackling fishing mistakes

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LONGTAIL TUNA

Casting techniques for Moreton longtail tuna BRISBANE OFFSHORE

Kaspar Lenigas

The whole spectacle of tuna fishing is very exciting, and something that most anglers want to experience.

It involves incredible bust-ups and screaming runs, and that neversay-die attitude of a hooked tuna really gets the casting arm twitching.

When you think of locations that have good tuna fishing, you might not think of Moreton Bay. However, Moreton Bay is one of the greatest destinations in the country to catch big longtail tuna, and it’s right on the doorstep of most South East Queensland anglers. Longtail tuna are a highly prized sportfish, renowned for their incredible runs and stubborn yet powerful fighting behaviour. They can also grow quite large (over 30kg), will take a wide variety of lures and are great on the plate if you love tuna steaks or sashimi.

Moreton Bay longies are known for being incredibly hard to catch at times, but with a little knowledge it can be quite easy to capture

Overcast conditions are great when chasing longtails, as the fish are willing to stay on the surface and feed for longer periods of time. early autumn. These schoolsize fish will move in and out of the bay, and slowly retreat north through winter and spring.

However, not all the tuna leave; the bigger fish stay in the bay through winter and spring. Because Moreton Bay is quite large and has a huge array of islands, mud flats, sand banks, drop-offs, reefs, sea grass beds, bays and rivers, it holds a wide

visual and very effective.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE The right gear and lures are very important when catching these fish, as longtails will put a lot of strain on your gear during the fight and exploit any fault to earn their freedom. When it comes to the right set-up for these fish, I find it’s better to have two outfits rather than one. I have a lighter set-up rigged with a small soft

For the heavier set-up I run a 30-50lb, 7-8’ long rod with a 4500 Daiwa or 6000-

8000 Shimano reel running 40-50lb braid and 50-60lb leader. The heavier outfit needs to be heavy enough to turn a tuna, but still light enough through the tip so you can cast larger 30-60g lures with ease, making longer and more accurate casts at bust-ups. The heavier set-up is a must-have if you are casting at larger longtails, as you will have a much greater chance of landing one and keeping it away from sharks.

Using the right lures is key to getting a bite from these fish some days. When casting lighter gear I like to use 4-5” soft plastics rigged with either a 3/8oz or 3/4oz jighead depending on the conditions and mood of the fish. For metal slugs on my lighter set-up I like to use 20-40g sizes, but I always upgrade the tail hook with either a heaver treble

or single hook. I prefer the single hook as you can get a greater hook set on the fish and go a lot harder on them than if you were to use a treble.

When it comes to larger lures, I like to use stickbaits. There’s a huge variety on the market, but anything from 100-140mm and 30-60g will catch fish. I prefer to upgrade the hooks to singles or stronger trebles if they haven’t already come pre-rigged like that.

Occasionally I will run an assist hook off the front tow point, as I find it boosts hook-up rates and hook set when chasing bigger tuna. It makes it difficult for the fish to find leverage to destroy your terminals, too.

I have also had good results on 7” soft plastics rigged with a 1/2-3/4oz jighead. If you wanted to you

Trophy-size longtails like this are not uncommon in Moreton Bay, and they can strike a lure at any time.

A school of tuna erupting on small baitfish. This sort of stuff really gets the adrenaline pumping. one of these highly prized sportfish.

The Moreton Bay longtail fishery is virtually year round, but numbers and size vary depending on the time of year. Longtail tuna generally migrate along the east coast of Australia from north of Cape York to southern NSW, following the currents and migrations of baitfish along the coast. Longtail tuna schools generally start their migration down the coast in late spring and summer, with hordes of 6-15kg school-size fish showing up in Moreton Bay between summer and 10

MAY 2017

variety of bait, and plenty of it, to sustain the diets of these tuna all year.

Generally the best times to catch a longtail are through autumn and early winter, as the large numbers of schoolsize fish move through the bay. In spring and summer it’s not as easy. You have to go to the right location at the right time and look for the tuna schools destroying baitfish on the surface.

Longtail tuna love busting up on bait, as most tuna do, and one of the most exciting way to catch these fish is to cast lures at them. It’s incredibly

plastic or slug, and a heavier outfit with a bigger plastic or stickbait. This allows me to quickly swap rods depending on the feeding behaviour of the fish.

For lighter plastics and slugs I use a 20-30lb, 7’ soft plastic rod with a 4000 Daiwa or 5000 Shimano reel loaded with 30lb braid and a 30-40lb leader. This lighter outfit needs to be able to cast out lighter lures a good distance, but also be heavy enough to put some hurt on the fish so the fight doesn’t become too drawn-out, increasing the likelihood of a sharking.

A selection of effective longtail tuna lures. Notice the assist hooks off the front tow point of the stickbaits. This is a very effective method of rigging stickbaits for big tuna.

LONGTAIL TUNA could opt to use a weighted weedless worm hook as a more finesse and natural alternative.

HIDE AND GO SEEK Once you are rigged up and ready, it’s time to find these fish. There are many locations to find longtails in Moreton Bay, from Coochiemudlo to the beaches off Bribie and the shipping channel in the northern bay. The main spots to look for tuna in the bay are around Peel and Goat islands, along the Rainbow Channel, around Harry Atkinson artificial reef and the drop-offs and foul ground to the northeast, east of Mud and up to the Measured Mile, around the Four Beacons and south towards the Sand Hills and along the main shipping channel on the west side of Moreton Island, and up to Bribie Island and due east of Bribie along the beach.

The tuna can be in any of these spots at any given time of year, but you can narrow it down by going into your local tackle store and talking to staff about reports of longtails. These guys will give you a good idea of which areas to look at before you head out.

Longtails will feed on most stages of the tide and at any time of the day, but generally the best time to fish these areas is on an incoming

tide and around lower light periods, especially around a full moon or new moon.

This is when the tide runs harder, allowing the fish to herd up bait and ambush it more easily.

There are exceptions to this though. You will find some spots fish better on an outgoing tide then an incoming, as the water drains off sand banks and weed beds, or bait gets pushed into an area with dirty water. Keep that in mind when looking at different areas.

Generally you will find longies feeding close to dropoffs in some of these areas, as the bait will hold tight to a drop-off. Looking for the birds that feed on the same bait as the tuna is the easiest way to find these fish feeding.

If the spot you’re fishing is deep and featureless, you will need to use the birds to your advantage. They will be hovering over bait schools, waiting for the tuna to herd them to the surface so they can get an easy feed. You should always keep an eye out for flocks on the horizon, and when you get closer you’ll be able to use the birds’ behaviour to predict where the next tuna school will pop up. This will allow you to position the boat and ready yourself before the tuna pop up again.

Occasionally you will

The first cast of the morning into a bust-up and already hooked up! It doesn’t get any easier. Notice the tuna under the boat on the sounder. find birds hovering over a school of tuna on the move.

You won’t be able to see the tuna, but trust me – they are there. By taking your time and positioning a cast ahead of the bird or birds, you can come up tight to a longie almost instantly.

Finally, a good sounder can be very useful when waiting for tuna to come to the surface to feed, as you can tell if they are around before moving.

DRIVE IT LIKE GRANDPA Boat driving is a very

important factor when chasing longtails, as they can be very spooky. If you don’t approach them correctly, they can be nearly impossible to get close to. One very important piece of information I can give when chasing longtails is to never turn the motor

• • • •

off when chasing them, and never rev the motor too hard when approaching them.

The level of noise that the motor puts through the water can drastically affect the way the longtails feed, and cause them to stop feeding.

You may ask, “why leave the motor on?” The simple answer to this is that they will get used to the noise of lower revs after a while, and feed normally. On the flip side, if you drive at full speed towards a school and turn off the motor when you’re near them, the change in noise is very noticeable and will cause them to go down.

I find a very casual approach is the best way to get close to them and keep them feeding. I like to get the boat on the plane between schools or bust-ups and ease off the throttle a good 80-100m away. I slow the boat down to a trolling speed, then leave the motor just in gear or just a bit faster when approaching them from 50-60m away. I finally knock the engine out of gear once I’m within casting range.

Although this approach is very effective, you still need to approach the tuna from the right direction to be successful. Because tuna mainly feed into the wind or tide, depending on which of the two is more predominant, To page 12

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MAY 2017

11

LONGTAIL TUNA From page 11

you need to come from upwind or upcurrent so the tuna feed towards you, allowing you to make the perfect cast or multiple casts and work your lure in front of the feeding fish.

When the tuna are a little finicky and there are a few birds flying about, I drive around at a slow trolling speed and pick out a bird that seems to have half an idea of what they’re doing.

I then slowly follow from a distance. When a few birds join the first one, you know you’re following the right bird. Then, when it starts to hover and more birds join, get ready to cast as the tuna will be right under the birds, ready to feed. In this situation, soft plastics and slugs are supper effective.

It’s a more finesse approach, and with a well-aimed cast you will be hooked up to a tuna in no time.

CAST AND RETRIEVE Making your cast count is very important when catching longtail tuna. If you cast behind them they won’t turn around and chase your lure. Cast too far to the side and they simply won’t see it. You need to be able to cast with accuracy and plonk it straight in front of their feeding path, allowing them to see it and pounce on it almost immediately. Yes,

12

MAY 2017 Fishing Monthly Ad 0417 HR

on some days the tuna can be in that much of a frenzy it doesn’t matter where you cast, but a lot of the time if you take your time it can only take one good cast to get a hook-up. Watching which way the tuna are feeding before casting is extremely important if you

a steady retrieve. Generally the tuna will eat on the sink or as you start to retrieve.

With slugs I retrieve the lure at a faster pace, without any hops or twitches, and for stickbaits I find a twitch-andwind under the surface is best. This makes the stickbait dart erratically from side to

some very explosive strikes from the tuna.

FUEL UP It is wise to remember that Moreton Bay is a very large area, and you may need to cover a lot of water to find the fish. Make sure you fuel up before your pursuit so that once you find them you don’t

A school-size longtail taken on a stickbait. These fish really know how to destroy a surface lure. want consistent success.

Each different lure requires its own special retrieve to work effectively.

With soft plastics I like to retrieve at a steady pace with a single hop mixed in every so often, or alternatively let the plastic sink before I start

side. Alternatively, you can keep the tip up and make a steady retrieve, allowing the lure to skip along the surface like a fleeing baitfish. Stickbaiting can be the most effective method for catching these fish, with either retrieve producing

have to leave them chewing in case you run out of fuel.

I hope this handy information gives you the confidence to get out there and catch some of these incredible sportfish. Until next time, good luck and stay safe.

Beau Rixon with his 60cm PB flathead, caught on a soft plastic.

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QUEENSLAND

STATE I’m Rupe, my mate is Michael ‘Foxy’ Fox, and we’re both advertising sales reps for Fishing Monthly.

The only difference is that he’s a seasoned veteran from Qld and I’m a young whipper snapper from NSW. Our recent fishing battle was the latest chapter in that age-old story about the old bull up against the young bull, with the added spice of state vs state and bait vs bait!

V STATE / FOXY

used was bloodworms, and then I piped up and said no way old man, yabbies are better then bloodworms.

My reply apparently amounted to serious fighting words, and it was on like Donkey Kong.

We decided the only way to settle it once and for all was to have a competition – bloodworms versus yabbies and this is how the story goes…

MATE

V MATE / BAIT V BAIT

pre-booked $20 worth, which is about five worms in total. This might not sound like a lot of bait, but you only need a small amount on the hook each time. Gem Bait & Tackle also sell fresh yabbies, but we decided to pump our own, local baits.

It wasn’t long before we were launching the boat and headed to the western side of Wave Break Island to pump some yabbies.

with just one attack from a predator.

The worms, on the other hand had great staying power – something Foxy said he could relate to. I doubted this.

Just 15 minutes later it was on for young and old.

We had a game plan of ‘sure-fire’ spots to visit in the search of not only big whiting, but the more important prize of bragging rights around the Fishing Monthly office. Each spot had similar characteristics: a sandy bottom, flowing water and any sort of drop-off we could find.

That’s what you should look for if you want to catch a feed of whiting, and if you can find a weed

was finding it easier to hook and land fish on his set-up, which we put down to the very long and soft rod he used with the new Shogun Ice Blue 6lb fine mono main line. I was using a shorter, stiffer rod with 6lb Daiwa braid running over it and a short, 6lb fluoro leader.

Without the ‘give’ of the mono, my braid was pulling a few hooks from lips. A loosened drag soon corrected the problem though.

With the southerly wind becoming a problem, we didn’t get to hit our main target area, and retreated further up the river to a very well known whiting hangout amongst Gold Coast locals.

On arrival at spot number

FOXY Height: 6’0” Weight: 95kg but claims it’s all muscle Position: Qld Fishing Monthly advertising rep Age: old Bait: Bloodworms PB Whiting: 43cm WHITING QLD Bag Limit: 30pp Legal Size: 23cm Size Range: Up to 50cm Prime Time: Warmer Months Eating Quality: 10/10 Foxy’s Best Hook: Black Bait Keeper #4

Bloodworm enthusiast Foxy didn’t bag a keeper until he swapped sides and used yabbies!

This whole thing started on a typical day visiting clients in the Fishing Monthly Triton. There we were, in a well-known tackle store (who offer a selection of fresh baits) talking about the best bait to catch whiting. Foxy said that the best bait he’d ever

BAIT OF ORIGIN The competition kicked off by picking up the bloodworms from Melissa at Gem Bait & Tackle on the Stapylton Jacobs Well Road, which is conveniently placed on the way to our battlefield – the Nerang River on the sunny Gold Coast. We had

The yabbies were easy to find and were perfect specimens, with great size and colour and nice, firm bodies. If you’ve ever fished with yabbies before you’ll know these things are important, because these little crustaceans can be quite easy to lose

The bloodworms sourced from Gem Bait & Tackle were so fresh we could have eaten them ourselves, and for a short while it looked like we might have to.

14

MAY 2017

By-catch was becoming a problem at some spots. This little grunter copped an earful from Foxy before being released to grow into a biggun. bed that will only help your cause.

At all locations we anchored into the current and let the baits sit naturally in the flowing tide. Side by side, and let the fish decide.

A simple and all-toocommon puffing of chests between two big mouths had lead us to this point. Who would come out the winner?

The competition was to be split into four main categories: First Fish, Biggest Fish, Most Fish and Most Species.

I was on the board early with a barely legal whiting, but it was enough to take out the first category. We were then set upon by a swarm of undersized bream, toadies and even a stingray, so a move was on the cards.

Spot number two saw Foxy get off to a flyer and nail his first whiting on the worm, and the banter began to ramp up. Still, although legal and just undersized whiting were easy to come across, no big fish were found on either bait yet.

At this time I started to notice that the wily old Fox

Rig Vs Rig. A small section of bloodworm stayed on longer but proved no match for the bright colours of the yabby.

N E W S O U T H WA L E S

STATE RUPE Height: 6’2” Weight: 80kg when he was 18 Position: NSW Fishing Monthly advertising rep Age: less old Bait: Yabbies PB Whiting: 44cm WHITING NSW Bag Limit: 20pp Legal Size: 27cm Size Range: Up to 50cm Prime Time: Spring Eating Quality: 11/10 Rupe’s Best Hook: Red Long Shank #2

V STATE / MATE V MATE / BAIT V BAIT

plenty of fish but nothing to write home about at first. It wasn’t until the sun began to drop in the sky and the tide changed direction and begun running upstream that we found some real fish. As it is most fishing situations, the old adage of ‘no run, no fun’ held true.

This time of day also coincided with Foxy using the last of his worm baits, and jumping the fence to Team Yabby. One yabby bait, and he had an elbow-slapper on deck and promptly into the icy slurry inside the esky.

“Things are looking up, young Rupert,” he proclaimed. Interestingly, he didn’t say anther word about his theory of worms being

The Wilson bait pump made short work of the sand bank on Wave Break Island. Providing enough bait for the session in a matter of minutes. three we were hidden from the wind but had to deal with other, much faster and louder problems: the growing Gold Coast jet ski crew. They are a persistent bunch who can read the horsepower on their craft but struggle to interpret the 6 knot zone signage.

Once again, we found

better than yabbies.

With the setting of the sun, the jetskis finally retreated to the boat ramp and the safety of Daddy’s million dollar mansions, but the bream squad moved in and decimated our yabby stocks. A move was required if we were to find the Holy

RUPE

Grail of whiting fishing – anything over 40cm.

We made a quick spurt up the Nerang River to reach our final fishing destination for the night. We were greeted with calm water on a sweeping bend in the river, with all the ingredients we were after to create a perfect whiting haven.

First bait, missed hook set. Damn. I rebaited and was soon hooked up to something that felt a bit more substantial. While I initially called it for yet another Gold Coast bream, who often think they are a lot tougher than they really are, a quick look with Foxy’s military grade head torch and we were scrambling for the landing net and high fiving with the arrival of a monster.

The stakes were now even. I had the First Fish and Biggest Fish in the bag, while Michael had claimed the title of Most Fish, and was also far ahead in the Most Species category.

When it came to bait, yabbies were streaking ahead in both numbers of whiting caught and also in the average size. Although the worms caught everything – eight species in total – our old mate the Sillago ciliata had a clear preference for yabbies. If we were going to have fish to eat on Good Friday then it was going to be with the help of our orange, nipping crustaceans.

Over the course of the next hour or so many more fish were hooked, landed and released before it was time to head to the ramp, clean the trusty Quintrex Hornet and be home for dinner with our wives.

Cleaning the catch is fairly easy to do. The shape

Rupe’s biggest fish for the afternoon - just shy of the magic 40cm mark.

Fish on! It was only a matter of time before we had whiting hitting the decks. of the whiting lends itself to easy scaling, filleting and skinning. Combine this with the clean, sweet tasting flesh and it’s easy to see why this is such a popular table fish, even with people who might not always like to eat seafood.

The next time you’re in a fish and chip shop or co-op, you’ll notice that whiting fillets can set you back as much as $40/kg. While this might be a convenient way to get your fish, it’s nowhere near as fun! Spending an afternoon on the water with a good mate, a bucket of bait and a couple of packets of chips is definitely the way to go.

From our time on the water, the amount of fish caught were evenly split between both baits. However, if your focus is on whiting, as ours was, we must report that the humble yabby came out on top and continues to reign supreme.

When it comes to the winner of state vs state, it’s currently a tie. Extra time is required, which is what we were hoping for all along.

Happy camper. First Fish prize taken care of, now for the other categories!

On the hunt. Collecting fresh bait gives you the best chance for success.

MAY 2017

15

Why fit a ‘lecky?

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Those who’ve never used them sometimes look askance at the expensive electric motors mounted on other angler’s vessels and ask what the point is in owning one. In the first of a two-part

up our depth sounder, than be caught without a functioning ’lecky, as these wonderful devices are commonly known.

This certainly hasn’t always been the case. Not so many years ago, I could judge how lightly-fished and remote a destination might be by the number of questions I fielded about the electric motor mounted on the bow

Or some kinda anchor?”

Perhaps a little sadly, there are now very few corners of our big country left that haven’t seen at least a handful of boats sporting electric motors (sometimes referred to as “trolling motors” in American literature), and those wide-eyed questions and quizzical looks come far less regularly today.

Bow-mounted electric motors have radically altered the way we fish from boats, especially when casting lures or flies. and remain reasonably popular amongst the owners of lightweight car toppers, folding boats, big Canadianstyle canoes and even kayaks.

However, it’s the more sophisticated bow-mounted versions of the electric motor that have really transformed our day-to-day fishing.

you’ve experienced the magic carpet ride provided by a modern bow-mounted electric motor, it’s hard to believe just how much difference it can actually make to your fishing.

Of course, the downside to these tools is their need for an on-board power source. This typically takes the form of one,

most bow-mounted electrics can provide up to three days of low speed manoeuvring work from a full charge. The fishing benefits associated with this sort of stealthy mobility simply can’t be overstated.

There are several brands of electric on the market these days and you tend to get what

You don’t need to own a big, flash bass boat to benefit from using a bow-mounted electric motor! series on the benefits of using electric motors, let’s answer that important question.

The level of ownership of electric motors amongst Aussie boat fishers has increased dramatically over the past decade or two. These days, many of us who live for our lure and fly fishing would rather leave our favourite rod and reel at home, or even give

of my trailer boat. If I stopped at a campsite or pulled into a servo for fuel and someone wandered over to quizzically check out the ’lecky, I knew I was getting off the beaten track.

“Hey mate,” their query usually began, “what’s that weird lookin’ contraption on the front of ya boat? Is it a spare motor in case ya break down?

Electric motors take two basic forms. The earliest versions simply clamped to the transom of a boat right alongside the outboard (or in place of it) and were used to propel the vessel in much the same manner as a standard petrol donk, albeit more slowly, but with considerably greater stealth. Transom mounted electrics are still available,

Bream fishing is so much easier when you have a ’lecky! That’s iconic Aussie actor and comedian Garry McDonald (aka Norman Gunston) with a hefty bream he finessed from the shallows on a hardbodied minnow.

The combination of electric motors and sophisticated sounders has radically evolved our fishing. Some say it’s unfair to the fish… But Starlo reckons we need all the help we can get!

Folded up onto the foredeck when travelling, these units are easily deployed once the vessel reaches the fishing area and used to quietly manoeuvre about while casting or slow trolling. As well as being whisper quiet, they allow pin-point placement of the boat. The best of them have cable or wireless foot or hand controls and some even feature a GPS interface that allows them to hold the boat in a fixed position against wind and tide, or track along a designated path at the operator’s chosen speed. Until

two or even three big, heavy deep-cycle marine batteries with ratings of at least 100 amp hours. You’ll need to be able to recharge these batteries, too, which can be problematic out in the bush. Happily, the advent of portable generators, reliable solar panels and vehicles fitted with dual battery systems has helped in this regard, but there’s nothing quite like being able to plug a charger into mains power overnight to re-juice those tired batteries. This mightn’t always be possible out in the back blocks, but with careful use,

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you pay for. The best of them aren’t cheap. They also need a little more TLC than your average outboard. A good wash down with freshwater after use in the salt is essential, and it pays to protect them as much as possible from dust and excessive vibration. That typically means removing and storing the unit while towing your rig over rough dirt tracks.

Luckily, most have quickrelease mounting plates.

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Sea-saw weather is making trips out difficult WOOLI

Stan Young

Plenty of rain, wind and east coast lows make it very difficult to pick a good day to go to sea. There have still been spotted and Spanish mackerel around in close waters. Hopefully they stick around until about June.

The fresh has been good for the mulloway off the breakwall and the beach

with a fair few school-sized fish being caught. Anglers have even pulled a couple of 2-3kg mangrove jack.

Mud crabs have been plentiful and some big crabs have been caught. Locals have been eating crabs and mackerel lately, as there’s plenty to go around.

There’s still a lot of bream and tailor being caught off the breakwall.

They will start to get thicker as the month goes on and

the luderick will show up in big numbers.

The islands off Wooli have been a bit quiet because the dirty water has moved offshore. There have been logs and even a whole tree that came past us as we were fishing. We very quickly moved to closer waters where the fishing was good.

The snapper and teraglin will be moving in closer with the currents. It will be time to get the floaters going if

Snapper are moving in closer with the currents.

WOOLI FISHING CHARTERS

the mackerel will leave us alone for long enough to catch snapper. I use a number 1 ball sinker running down to the hook. We put a whole squid and whole pilchard on the hook, let it float down the berley trail, peeling the line off as it floats down in the current. When it runs, flip the bail arm over and wait until you have pressure on the rod. Then it’s time to reel the fish in.

VISITING WOOLI Wooli is a small town with a permanent population of about 250 people. We live on a peninsula with the ocean on one side and the river on the other and it’s a beautiful town.

If you decide to come to Wooli there are reasonably priced accommodation options and restaurants like the one at the motel that serves good food and beer or the Chinese restaurant run by Patrick and Wendy.

The bowling club has a very relaxed atmosphere and cold beer.

There is a caravan park on the river that has all the amenities that you would need for camping or caravanning. It even has a camp kitchen. The Wooli River Lodges have a swimming pool and good accommodation.

You can contact the motel by ringing 0266 497 532. Contact the caravan park on 0266 497 519. The

Fishing offshore won’t be so easy this month with colder weather and dirty water.

Wooli River Lodges can be reached on 0266 497 750.

• Call into our tackle shop at 43 Riverside Drive, Wooli

“EREBUS” “THE KRAKEN”

Snapper will be a good species to target this month.

and we’ll help you with rigs, knots and more. Our charter business has two boats, both purpose-built for chartering.

If you want a fun day out give us a call on (02) 6649 7100 and talk to Stan or Claire. We also provide accommodation overlooking the Wooli River. We supply food, drinks, all tackle including rods and reels and ice for your fish. All you need to bring is an esky to take home your catch. If you don’t have a boat and want to go to sea, call into the tackle shop and put your name down on a charter.

Or if you’re not sure about conditions, give me a ring on 0266 497 100 and I’ll let you know about conditions.

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MAY 2017

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Cold water anglers will have a whale of a time YAMBA

Dave Gaden

It’s a true season change this month with the last of the mackerel and other warm water pelagics heading north. The first of the whales are migrating

(the food for luderick). New fresh weed and cabbage will be there, and all signs are pointing to a bumper luderick season.

Likewise, the bream will be starting to shoal up around the river entrance in anticipation of their winter spawn. Normally you would

small groups for several days before moving, so when you find a reasonable fish just keep hammering the same spot, as he will have a few mates with him. I have a theory that if you take one good flatty, two come to his funeral.

Mulloway have been fantastic this year and with the colder weather, mullet shoaling up and nights growing longer than days, this is the time to go and target that big fish. Yamba and Iluka are renowned for their big mulloway. Fishing off the ocean breakwalls is your best chance of a trophy fish. Live baiting is very productive on poddy mullet or yakka.

Soft plastic fishing for them with an extra-large white plastic is good (I like

A tasty catch of spotties and a couple of reef fish. in great numbers), but I can remember 10 years ago where we hardly caught one all year.

Something has changed and the crabs are back, so don’t put the gear away just yet.

Offshore, May is

You can expect great catches of fish like this in May. in the same direction, so you know the water temperature is dropping.

Colder water usually means better fishing, both in the estuary and offshore. Sure, we don’t have the excitement of the summer pelagics, but anglers can consistently catch a feed of fish.

In the estuary there should be great luderick (blackfish). With the heavy rains in March, the river got a good flush out and the coast got a fair slamming.

This got rid of all the old weed upstream and most of the cabbage off the rocks

expect them to spawn on the full moon in June, but some years they have a practice run on the May moon. No doubt there will be good numbers throughout the system from Browns Rocks to the Middle Wall and they will be on the chew.

Flathead had been really good before the fresh in March. I expect they will have moved back upstream this month and spread out a bit. They make easy fishing when they are bunched up to spawn. When you find them this month, stay with them. What I mean is they will hold deep in spots in

Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea

to float livies out the back, because you don’t usually use a wire for cobia – they don’t like it – but the chance of getting decent mackerel, both Spanish and spotted, is good right through to mid-June.

Bite-offs are very commonplace if you just target cobia, and you get less cobia if you use wire. It’s like racing with slicks in the hope it doesn’t rain with a storm on the horizon. Have some livies ready at all times with the whales around. If a whale swims past the boat in casting distance, as they regularly do, dropping a well presented livey behind it can bring an instant hook-up on big fish. It’s almost as if the cobia imitate their look alike (remora) by hanging under the whales.

Reef fishing for snapper and pearl perch really starts to lift this month. Finding fish becomes easier with the fish holding tighter to the reef. I like 30-40m of water early in the month. As the

water temperature drops start to head shallower. There is no such thing as too shallow for snapper by the end of May with great fish taken in less than 10m every day.

Those who like the thrill of lure fishing for pink monsters, my advice would be to fish the bommie (Freeburn Rock) just south of Angourie S 29 31 133 E 153 22 155. Be very careful, as this coral bommie is only around 3m under the surface. A wave can break on it without notice even on a calm day. Drift past the outskirts of the rock at first light flicking ahead (the way the boat is drifting) and bounce the lure back to the boat. This is the best technique. The surrounding area is covered in heavy kelp, so expect a few big fish to burn you off in the garden.

Wider ground off Red Cliff to the south and Black Rock to the north will be chockers full of good teraglin (trag) this month. These tasty fish bite really well early in the day, so don’t sleep in. Also, find a very cloudy or rainy day and they won’t stop. Remember, if the trag are there in big numbers, mulloway will be there to.

Live bait the trag when you can and the mulloway will be a nice by-catch.

Happy fishing and whale watching. Once again, if you need any more specific advice, please drop into my shop at Yamba Marina.

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MAY 2017

the ZMan 7” jerk shad or 130mm Squidgy Drop Bear).

A 1/4oz head is usually enough with a 6/0-7/0 hook.

Hardbodies, both diving and wakebaits, will also work well, especially if they are feeding on the surface livies.

Make sure you have a good long gaff and preferably don’t fish alone off the stones. It’s nice to have a good fish but nicer to make it home alive.

Crabs have had another really good season this year.

They say you should only crab in this area in months that have R in them. I think, just like last year they will just keep going, especially the muddies. We caught blue swimmer crabs right through winter last year (not

generally a real nice time of the year. Persistent north-northeast winds are usually gone, leaving a cool southwest breeze early in the day and calm seas. As I mentioned earlier, the first of the humpback whales arrive this month. To be exact, for the last five years I have always seen the first whale on 14 May. I’m sure there have been some that came past earlier and I haven’t seen them. I might just be looking a little harder that day, but five years in a row is pretty special.

One of the reasons I like the whales is they have a big dark friend that swims with them. Cobia will travel up with these huge mammals.

It’s a bit of a funny time

Mick with a 12kg cobia caught in the river.

This month is looking good for Iluka anglers ILUKA

Ross Deakin

We wanted rain and boy, did we get it! Heavy falls in and around the northern rivers turned the river into a torrent of brown water.

This will bring a lot of

species down our end. Now that we’ve had things settle down, fishers have been making excellent bream catches with many fish around the 1kg mark.

Nice bright coloured plastics and lures such as blades are the go in the murky conditions. Alternatively,

is located at 3 Owen Street, Iluka NSW 2466. Give us a call on (02) 6646 5217 or 0402 997 572. We have all your fishing requirements for this diverse area, such as an awesome bait selection and a

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Plenty of species are showing up around the beaches, like this awesome Iluka trevally.

Many anglers are having success on the bream recently, and this little fisher is proving it!

SUPER PE 8

you can just use bait so the fish can sniff them out.

There have been excellent mulloway caught using hardbodies and baits like octopus, mullet fillet and squid. They have been taken off the north wall mostly and during the day, due to the dark water. Make sure you take a mate, a good gaff, good footwear and be extremely careful.

Mud crabs are more plentiful since the rain our area had and great full crabs have been caught.

The beaches have been quite dirty with lots of weed

washed up on Shark Bay, but we are now seeing some really nice fish being caught such as trevally, tailor, mackerel and tuna. Easter is looking like it’s going to be fantastic as the water quality improves.

Give us a call at Iluka Bait and Tackle and we can give you an update on the conditions before you get here. Have an awesome Easter.

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Stirred up mulloway are on the chew big time BALLINA

Joe Allan

The beaches and rock walls around Ballina have had some great activity over the last month. The dirty water has really stirred up the mulloway and they’re on the chew big time. There have also been some tailor showing up in very consistent numbers.

The best spots are out the front of Boundary Creek and along the front of the Broadwater Rocks.

The tried and tested blue pilchards and metal slugs

have been great during the day, but the better fish have been coming on pilchards and cut baits. Between the tailor, some quality snowy bream have been showing up.

Offshore has been going well for mackerel with these showing up later than expected. Trolling 100-150mm divers has been working very well.

Once you’ve found the active fish try casting lures for them like the Bassday Bungy Casts. At 30g you can punch these 100mm sinking stickbaits out a hell of a long way.

Out the front of Lennox

Head, the 32 fathoms have seen good numbers of juvenile snapper and surprisingly good numbers of flathead around the edges of the reefs. Out wider there are also great numbers of quality amberjack being taken.

The north and south walls of the Richmond have

the porpoise wall when the water is flowing over.

There can be some great visual action as the fish come from the depths to hit your lures. As the tide gets lower and you can’t fish over the wall anymore, try hopping blades and prawn imitation soft plastics down the rock face.

Josh Carter with a 20kg mulloway caught from Riordans Reef.

Anthony Melchior and Aaron Swanson with dirty water Aussie bass.

Tayla Egan with a healthy estuary cod from around Ballina.

been fishing well for bream.

The pick has been the south wall on the run-out tide.

Try fishing surface lures like the Atomic Pop50 and crankbaits like the Crank 38 Mid Diver over

The bigger holes behind the town have been producing good numbers of mulloway, and this should continue as the water starts

to cool down. Live mullet have definitely been the best bait, but you will get them on big soft plastics during the day. If you chase these beasts, the best fish have come on the making tide at night.

You will find some big flathead will come along as by-catch. These guys are in the holes chasing anything that comes in front of their faces. Just remember, the big girls are the breeders, so please put them back.

Once they get big they’re not that nice to eat anyway.

Take a couple of snaps and quickly get them back into the water. It’s great watching a big crocodile swimming back down to the depths.

Crabs have been around in really good numbers.

The dirty water around the

Easter break has definitely stirred things up a bit and this should continue over the next month or so.

Try mostly up river from Pimlico towards Wardell.

The best baits are whole mullet or mullet frames.

One little secret from an old local crabber is to save your luderick frames and use them for crab baits.

The oily frames seem to bring good numbers in.

Before and during the big wet, the freshwater stretches of the river were fishing well for Aussie bass. Big spinnerbaits with gold willow blades were producing the best numbers, along with chatterbaits. Try Bassman’s 1/2oz spinnerbaits, as these things really push some water and get the attention of the fish in the vicinity.

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Ari Carter behind a 22lb snapper caught by his dad.

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Hunting for bass in the far upper reaches THE TWEED INSHORE

Tim Latter

With summer well and truly gone and the days getting noticeably shorter, the temperatures are starting to freshen up and the cool southerlies are blowing off Mount Warning. You could

expect the odd morning fog. It’s a perfect time for chasing one of my favourite sportfish – the mighty Australian bass.

There are many different views regarding targeting bass at this time of year. From the start of May they are a no-take species in NSW and must be returned to the water

unharmed. Targeting them in the brackish waters is unethical during winter, however the far upper reaches well away from any spawning fish can produce some exciting sessions on a range of lures.

Keep in mind that not all fish spawn each year.

Like most styles of lure fishing in freshwater, you will have to adapt to the conditions presented to you in order to have success when the bite is a bit tough.

With the amount of rain we received in March and April, and the temperatures hovering above average, many fish will have continued upstream and found new holes to reside in until it really starts to cool down in June. That’s not to say some wouldn’t have hitched an early ride down to the middle reaches, but right up the top will remain a viable option this month.

The gear required is very simple. I prefer a light spin outfit for this type of fishing – 6ft long or shorter running 6lb braid and 6-12lb leader, depending on conditions. Only go light when the fish won’t play the game. Lure selection is pretty basic. Try half a dozen options including small spinnerbaits, soft plastic and jig spin or rev head combos, small

A nice bass taken from the yak on a mid-morning surface bite last May. suspending hardbodies and crankbaits.

Contrary to popular belief, Australian bass will still smash surface lures in the cooler months. I like the Megabass Grand Siglet and my second go-to would be a Bent Minnow in 76mm or 86mm. For the longer, slower moving pools, a searchbait like an Atomic

Lipless Crank or Jackall TN50 can help you find some fish.

Google Earth is your best friend here as the Tweed Valley is littered with these waterways. Some are only quite small, and landbased is the only option.

Access can be difficult, but even small holes can hold big, green territorial

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bass that will destroy any offering on the right day.

The slightly larger systems lend themselves to a small kayak, which allows you to cover more water, which can take a fair bit of effort when you take portages and log jams into consideration.

Look for the shady pools with a good amount of flow, preferably an eddy toward the head of the pool next to an ambush point like a rock ledge or fallen tree. Then you are definitely in the right spot.

A certain amount of stealth is required to not spook the wary fish, and accurate casting will increase your results.

I can still remember my first bass capture. It was in one of these tiny backwaters during May, on a River2Sea Rover Surface lure, and from there I was well and truly hooked.

It’s super important that we look after these areas, so try to have minimal impact on river banks.

Take all your rubbish and perhaps even pick up someone else’s. Be safe and courteous to all on the water and enjoy taking the time to explore some new waterways. It’s just lovely being out there!

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Blending the seasons means blending the species THE TWEED

Anthony Coughran

With summer leaving us and winter coming, we have a blending of species this month. Most summer species and winter species are able to be caught.

Mulloway and snapper are mixing with summer species like jacks and mackerel. Now is definitely

dog mackerel have really turned on this month, with good catches on Nine Mile and Kingy Reef. These fish are mainly being caught on trolled baits and deep diving hardbodied lures. The odd one has been caught on large metal lures. Small packs of tuna have been seen on the 50m lines, with black marlin not far behind these packs of tuna.

Blacks have been

means jacks and trevally are on the chew this month.

Good numbers have been caught around the bridges and holes throughout the Tweed. Jacks are really trying to fatten up and can’t resist a big old strip bait.

Mulloway are also showing up in these spots in good numbers as well. Bream are being caught around the rock wall of the river mouth.

Drift baits and soft plastics are doing all the damage on these little silver brutes.

There’s still the odd

whiting being caught. Try drifting a yabby over the shallow sand banks like the Piggery and Terranora.

Crabs are still running really well. Sandies and muddies can be caught this month. Look for big tides and the full moon for the best results. Restrictions apply, so remember to see what applies to you in your area.

BEACH The beach hasn’t been the best this month for fishing, with northerlies, blue bottles and large swell.

Kobi Lee-Leong with a sweet little whaler caught on a close reef off Tweed. the best time of the year to wet a line on the Tweed.

We haven’t had the best conditions for fishing offshore and from beaches this month. Northerlies and big swell affect a lot of offshore and beach fishing.

The estuaries, back creeks and rivers have been the pick for most anglers. The recent storms and rain have given a real shake up to these systems, which sees them fishing really well.

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Troll baits or strip baits for a good starting place for your offshore adventure. These two little reefs hold a lot of bait, and a bait jig is best to get a live tank full.

ESTUARY Rains and storms have given the system a good shake up recently, which

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Jimmy Mitchell with a whopper Nine Mile kingfish.

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Not a lot has been caught.

There are still good gutters from the spit right down to Byron Bay. Mulloway, bream, dart, flathead and the odd tailor are being caught in the best gutters.

Beach worms, pipis, pillies and metal lures are working the best.

FRESHWATER The storms and rain have turned on the fresh system, with most creeks and rivers flowing again.

Bass have really started to bite. These bass are trying to fatten up for the hibernation period.

Cicada imitations, jig spins and hardbodied lures are working best. Crackbaits seem to be working well on

Clarrie Hall Dam. The blending of species this month should see more summer and winter species schooling up. The weather should start to settle down over the next month, which will give anglers a chance to get out and chase some pelagic species before they move back north. We should see more snapper and tuskfish showing up on close reefs, and the currents will slow down as winter approaches. This makes things easier for bottom

bashing and jigging.

Estuaries will see more mulloway in the system and bream starting to school up.

Tailor will start to show up in the rivers and on beaches and will thicken up as the month goes on.

If you would like any additional information on the region or advice on fishing, please see my fishing page on Facebook – Fishing Fun Gold Coast.

I’ll be happy to answer your questions and steer you in the right direction.

The author with a healthy Tweed River bass caught in the upper Bilambil Creek on a winged cicada.

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May’s winter migration mackerel SOUTHERN GOLD COAST

Danny Sands

May is the start of a transition stage where the water temperatures fall and the current outside slows down. With this the summer species start to fade out and all the winter migration fish filter in along the Gold Coast.

over the border. This is a great indication, as these fish need to migrate north past the Gold Coast.

Two methods that I like to use when chasing Spanish in May are casting stickbaits like Maria Loadeds and Zerek Zappelins early in the morning. This method is highly addictive with visual surface strikes and leaping mackerel that launch

Reef, Burleigh Gravel, Palm Beach and Mermaid Reef are great. The spotty and school macs are still in good numbers in May. Anchoring up before dark and float lining half cut pillies in a berley trail and spinning 15-40g metal slugs is a great method for catching a feed.

Expect a few cobia to pop up in the berley trail this month while chasing

May is probably the last month to get a few spotties and school mackerel on the Gold Coast.

Strange things happen in May. We’ll see anglers chasing snapper for the first time and more than often than not hooking up to mackerel. More importantly, the Gold Coast needed a good flush out and all the rain in early April will improve the fishing on all fronts. The Spanish mackerel are still in good numbers

themselves several metres in the air, but the hook-up rate is not good. Troll live bait like tailor and yakka on a downrigger or snapper lead for success.

The Spanish mackerel have been very erratic in locations in the last month. It may take some time to find them. Places like Diamond Reef off Southport, Focus

mackerel. Wahoo don’t hang around too long off the Gold Coast and May is the perfect month to target these speedsters. Trolling Hex Heads in purple at speed will work well this month. Places like the Tweed Nine Mile, the Mud Hole and the 80m line off the Q1 building have been very effective in April.

This method really turns

them on. The downside is you burn lots of fuel. Try slow trolling large dead bait like bonito, tailor and large slimies. As the water temperature starts to fall and the currents slow, outside bottom species will start to feed more.

The 30-fathom line off the Tweed and the 36-fathom are producing good numbers of snapper, tuskfish, pearlies and the odd kingfish or amberjack. The humble two hook paternoster rig will be the way to go if the current is still running out wide.

Float lining will produce the better fish.

INSIDE Inside fishing will start to improve this month after ex-cyclone Debbie dumped more then 500mm of rain on the Gold Coast. This flush out will improve the fishing over the coming months. The only downside of a flush out is it also pushes out a lot of vermin from the upper estuary systems like catfish, so most of the fishing action will be close to the bar entrances.

The Seaway will fish well this month as the winter species start to migrate along the coast. Mulloway love dirty water so expect plenty of action from these guys this month. Tea bagging big plastics is a good idea.

Fishing the top and bottom of the tide around the North wall, the pipeline and the reef in front of the Seaway

Flathead start to school up in the shallows this month.

Tower will produce good numbers of fish.

Snapper love to move into the Seaway after big seas and bad weather. Drift dead baits like pilchard and herring between the two green markers on the Stradbroke side on the run in tide. Once that tide turns and starts to run-out, they go off the bite very quickly.

May will produce plenty of school size flathead around the Crab Island and along Currigee campsite.

Casting small 3-4” plastics on light jigheads, look for

clean water on a falling tide. This combination will score you plenty of flatties this month.

The mud crabs have been on fire lately after all that freshwater. With so much freshwater in the system mud crabs like to find any bit of salt water. I like to put my crab pots in 20-25ft of water, usually the first deep hole out the front of any creek, canal or river. I like to use oily bait for my crab pots from mackerel frames to mullet. Even chicken frames are a great alternative.

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Set three alarms, the chilly winter is coming GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn

As the heat of the summer begins to pass, before we know it we’re already tucked into layers of blankets at night and throwing on that old fishing jumper that’s covered in cobwebs! You know what that means – winter is here next month!

That’s not a bad thing – tailor, mulloway, flathead, big bream and plenty of species of trevally are all flooding our canal systems.

Already we’re seeing plenty of large bream being caught. This is due to their spawning season time throughout the cooler months.

You will see plenty of fish that weigh a lot with their stomachs full of eggs. Finding these bream can be quite difficult, especially when they don’t want to bite.

Deep water is where you’ll find these fish most of the time, in large schools.

Blades will definitely be your best bet, especially at night.

If you have a sounder, it will definitely make a difference.

The author with a 50cm+ flathead taken from an early morning session on a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in calico candy.

30

MAY 2017

Don’t be dismayed if you don’t. Keep your lure around structure, deep water and canal systems that have retaining walls on each side.

Within the next month we will definitely see temperatures drop, as well as water temperatures. This will be a good change! Fishing should get better as we get further into winter and more lures will be stolen by toothy predators like tailor.

Fishing for tailor is a lot of fun, but at the same time can be a very easy way to empty your wallet. Upgrading your leader to around 20-30lb will help, but it won’t stop them from biting through.

Trolling throughout the canals, Broadwater and Jumpinpin will be your best bet.

At the same time keep your eyes peeled for birds diving into the water. They will be feeding on baitfish pushed up from tailor or trevally. Pull up close to the action and throw plastics or metal lures through the school, wound fast as soon as it hits the water. If you are having no luck on the first few casts, let the lure sink for a few seconds and continue the fast retrieve once again!

Quite a few flathead are getting around lately. Most

Harrison Branch caught this school-sized big-eye trevally in a local canal. fish are hanging around the canal systems, the north wall, Jumpinpin and also bridge pylons. Don’t be surprised if you see silver, as there have been a few mulloway getting around following the bait.

Deep water is the best for

these two species. In saying that, decent flathead have been caught in less than 2m of water. In shallower water I prefer to throw around a plastic at 2.5-3” rather than 4”. Match the baitfish. Most of the time the baitfish in shallow

water are only 3” or smaller.

May is a perfect month for fishing, but it also brings the weather that makes it hard to get out of bed! I recommend setting three alarms, because you don’t want to miss the action on the water.

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More fishy migration in May GOLD COAST

David Green

May is an interesting month to fish the Gold Coast with the water cooling slightly and the current dropping a bit. There is still a lot of good pelagic

fishing. Wahoo, Spanish and spotted mackerel and blue and striped marlin are all potential targets this month. As the current drops the bottom fishing and jigging also improve sand snapper start to show up on the 36 and 24 fathom lines.

Out on the continental shelf there tends to be a lot of eddies in May. It’s a good idea to look at the sea surface temperature charts before heading out this month.

If you can find a patch of warm water over 23°C you are in with a good chance of finding a blue or striped

A nice spotted mackerel from Palm Beach Reef.

marlin, and I find fishing these warm patches is often more productive than the hot straight southbound currents commonly found in summer.

As well as marlin there is often the odd wahoo, mahimahi and yellowfin tuna in May. I have also found the blue marlin are a bit bigger this month with fish around 180kg being common. For this reason I always troll 37kg tackle in May when fishing wide of the continental shelf. It pays to put out a smaller lure well out the back this month, as there is always a good chance of a nice yellowfin tuna. Straight running bullet heads can be very effective.

In closer to shore both the 50 and 36 fathom reefs should see the fishing improve this month as the water cools down. Snapper, pearl perch, kingfish and amberjacks all increase in numbers over the month and a lot of the local charter boats shift their attention from trolling to bottom fishing.

Float lining for snapper is one of the most effective methods and soft plastics are also effective. One of the best deep water snapper lures is the Gulp Nemesis.

The snapper tend to suck

The author with a wahoo. it in as it wafts down to the bottom and it is usually bitten on the drop.

The southern reefs of the Gold Coast and the Tweed Nine Mile Reef are also productive at times this month, and the mackerel and wahoo are generally a decent size. If you can high-speed

troll metal headed skirts at dawn you are in with a great chance, especially at the Nine Mile. Trolled dead baits can also be very effective.

There is quite often a good run of big spotted mackerel at Palm Beach Reef in May. It is thought that this is the return run of fish heading

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north after their southern migration. Some of these fish are around 7kg in weight.

Trolling live baits from a downrigger is probably the best way to catch a big Spanish mackerel this month.

The Diamond Reef on the 24 fathom line east of Southport produces hundreds of fish each season. When the fishing is tough a downrigger can get you in the action.

The close reefs also fish well at night this month, especially when there is a tide change around dusk.

The artificial reefs in 23m of water just north of the Seaway are turning into very consistent producers of mulloway at night with fish averaging around a metre long. Overall, there are plenty of productive options off the Gold Coast this month on the offshore grounds.

RIVERS AND ESTUARIES May is a great month to chase a wide range of species in the entrances of the Gold Coast Seaway and Jumpinpin. Bream, mullet and luderick start to build up in numbers prior to spawning. When the first westerlies start to blow it won’t be hard to find sea mullet as they start to move in big black schools.

At the same time there are usually big schools of white pilchards moving into the

estuaries. These and white bait attract plenty of tailor and small queenies. On the sand flats flathead become very active. The mullet schools attract big predators such as sharks, mulloway and dolphins.

If you love your flathead fishing, May is the first month to get really serious about it. Clear cool water and plenty of bait make good conditions for chasing flathead on lures. Most of the fish are 40-60cm and can be caught on trolled lures, plastics, metal vibes and soft vibes. Bream are a very common by-catch.

It will be interesting to see if we can find a few big fish up on the flats this month by working large unweighted stickbaits this month. This method caught quite a few 70cm+ fish throughout the summer months. The key seems to be to work the flats early in the morning when the water is pushing in over the top of flats in about 30cm of water. These fish are chasing big baits such as mullet, eels and whiting and want a big lure.

Garfish are another good option this month, and the weed beds around Crab Island and Wave Break Island are worth a look on the run in tide. Use a berley of bread and tuna oil in a mesh bag and let the berley

drift back in the current. A small quill float and a piece of prawn is usually the best method. In May you will catch a mix of snubnosed gar and sea gar and both make great troll baits and are good eating.

Other options this month include mulloway on live baits and soft plastics in both the Seaway and Jumpinpin

entrances, whiting on poppers and baits, bream in the Seaway and Canals and there should still be a few mangrove jack around in the Seaway that respond to small live baits. May is a good month to fish the Gold Coast estuaries. As the water cools the fishing gets better and better and the weather is generally quite calm.

Polycraft’s very own Brad Cooper doing what he does best – catching crabs!

The author with a great tailor on a popper.

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Floods have fired up the fish JUMPINPIN

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

The floods that caused so much damage in South East Queensland mainly flooded the Albert and Logan rivers. These two rivers feed directly into the southern bay and estuaries that make up the Jumpinpin area.

The flooding was terrible for many people, but there is an upside; there has been a huge influx of freshwater into the system, which will only help to

fire up the fishing as it did after the 2011 floods. That turned out to be one of the best fishing years we’ve ever had and this will be no exception.

Expect mud crabs to be about in good numbers from the Logan River all the way north to Redland Bay and south to Cabbage Tree Point. Run your pots along the edges and dropoffs near the mangroves in these areas and you’ll be sure to get a few quality bucks.

Bream will be the main species that make up most fishers’ catches at this

time of year. While they are able to be caught all year round, you’ll notice that there are a lot more quality fish showing up as the water temperature cools off. Try fishing at the top of the tide along Kalinga Bank, the deep hole off NE Crusoe Island, Short Island, Tipplers Island, the beach off South Straddie, the Powerlines and the north wall of the Seaway.

The best baits to try are prawns, yabbies, herring, whitebait, chicken, mullet gut and flesh baits.

You can expect the flathead catches to pick up

go, live mullet and herring are the best, followed by prawns, pillies and whitebait. You’ll find good lizards at the last of the run-out tide when banks start to get exposed and drains appear where they lie in wait for an easy meal to come off those draining banks. Try from Kalinga Bank to the bar, the Stockyards, west of Short Island in the shallows, Cobby Passage, across from Slipping Sands and the mouth of the Logan.

Decent whiting should be available from the Green Bank, the Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Tabby Tabby, Tipplers and the Never Fail Islands. Stick with live bloodworms, beach worms and yabbies as bait, or small peeled prawns or squid.

Tailor have shown up finally, but still not in the numbers of previous years.

If they aren’t schooling up on the surface and busting up the schools of white bait, a few fishos have had success dropping pillies to the bottom and slowly retrieving their bait through the water column in the deep water just before the breakers of the Pin. Another good method when bait fishing for bream

Now the water has cleaned up there should be a boom in flathead catches. This is Julie Barret’s first lure-caught lizard. or whiting is to throw an unweighted pilchard way out the back away from your other lines and let it sit just under the surface. I’ve had great success doing this and there is nothing like a feed of fresh tailor.

• Thanks for all your reports and keep those fish coming in. If you’d like any advice or up to date fishing information drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on (07) 3287 3868 or email gembait@tpg.com.au.

These quality bucks were caught after the floods and there should still be plenty about.

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Find the hidden gem MORETON BAY

Ryan Smith

CREATE YOUR ADVENTURES

Exploring the internet with resources such as Google Maps the night before a trip is something I have recently been doing with some surprising results.

Small creek run-offs, lakes and drains are places I have been trekking to in search of some fish.

The quality of maps on the internet is truly amazing.

These maps allow you to search for new ground to throw a line. Recently I have been trying to find some areas to get me onto a few freshwater species. Areas that I have been looking for are any form of artificial lake or pond and the backwaters of saltwater creeks. When I have trekked to some of these likely looking locations most of them didn’t hold anything or were just small puddles but a small handful showed some life and this has kept me going back.

Over a number of weeks I tried a variety of lures and times during the day to find when the fishing was at its peak and what to tie on to

The author with a tarpon on an Atomic Crank 38 in ghost gill brown. properly. This allows you to present your lure right up close to structure where the fish may be hiding.

The selection of rod is fairly important. At first I used my 7ft 2-4lb Samurai Infinite

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Pests like this tilapia are a common by-catch and need to be disposed of appropriately. get the attention of the fish.

Species I found prevalent in the areas I was fishing were Australian bass, tarpon and pest species such as tilapia and carp. For these species I found small shallow diving hardbodies and unweighted weedless soft plastics got the best results. Shallow Jackall Chubbys and Atomic Crank 38’s in the hardbodies range and the 3” Keitech Easy Shiner and 3” ZMan MinnowZ soft plastics proved successful.

The technique that I found got the attention of the fish with the hardbodies was just a slow roll with a few jerks every now and then. With soft plastics you can switch up between a few different techniques, a slow roll with a few pauses and also hopping the plastic off the bottom seems to get the fish interested.

The beauty of using weedless hooks with soft plastics is that you can throw it into anything and it won’t snag up if rigged

which is a joy to use but was hard trying to cast when standing next to trees and bushes. I recommend a rod around the 6ft mark and 2-4kg

with a little bit of whip in the tip to cast those light lures out into the strike zone. Choose a reel that matches up well with the rod and spool it up with 6-10lb braid. Leader can vary based on water-colour and where your fishing but a fluorocarbon leader of 8lb is a good start.

Species such as tarpon and bass are excellent sport and great fun to catch. When you do land any of these fish make sure you get the hooks out as quickly and carefully as possible, get a quick picture to remember it by and get them back into the water as quick as possible.

When you’re handling these fish make sure to wet your hands before holding the fish and always watch if the fish swims off healthy and happy.

If you come across species like tilapia and carp, unhook your catch and dispose of them correctly. This is a form of fishing everyone should give a crack – you never know what you might find.

Until next month, tight lines and screaming drags.

Jack Burling with a bass that couldn’t resist a 3” Keitech Easy Shiner.

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Great variety of species on offer during May Look for the birds on bait schools and wait for the fish to bust up. It pays to use some heavier lures, so you can get good casting distance. A 5” straighttail plastic with a 3/4oz jighead will do the job.

With all the dirty water around the southern bay it’s a great time to target some big mulloway. Try the Pin bar area around Swan Bay

SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

May is a great month for boating. There are plenty of options for species and usually with some better weather forecast.

After the mass amounts of rain we had we should see some great fishing.

Snapper, tuna, mulloway, bream, squid, crabs and winter whiting will all be on the plate this month.

With the water cooling snapper should start showing up in decent numbers. The shallows around the southwest rocks, Goat Island and Pots Point will be great places to throw 4-6ft diving lures on the low tide. Work the lures down to depth and then fish them quite slow. Don’t be afraid to add a few pauses and leave the lure sitting in

Richie Lucker with a sweet longy on a 115 Flanker.

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their faces. Expect to lose the odd lure doing this, as you will get a few goldspot cod and grassy sweetlip that will put you back into the bottom.

The Peel and Harry Atkinson Artificial reefs will fish better for larger snapper. Fish the early mornings while everyone else is still tucked up in bed. Use your sounder to locate the bait and fish.

The best way to target these fish is with soft plastics. A lure with a lot of movement and natural action will always attract a hungry snapper.

When targeting bigger model fish in deeper water, run a heavier braid of 16-20lb and 20lb leader.

It’s not that these fish will do you in structure too

often, but a prolonged fight on light gear will most likely end with no fish or half of one surfacing. The sharks have been quite bad in the bay. If you do get sharked it pays to leave the area. Even if you are on fish you will keep getting sharked, as they will set up camp under your boat and wait for you to bring the fish to them.

Longtail tuna have been prolific through the northern part of the bay.

There were even a few reports of the fish moving down more towards Mud and Harrys before the floods. Once the water clears, expect them to follow the bait back down.

Then they should push all the way down to the back of Peel.

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MAY 2017

and Kalinga Bank. Sound out the large schools of bait and fish the edges. Large plastics will be the order of the day and a paddle-tail presentation will give you the advantage. Jighead size will vary depending on the run of the tide. Expect to run 3/4 or 1oz heads with 6-8” plastics.

The Logan, Southern Bay Islands and Jumpinpin

Longtail tuna going off!

Brenden Whyte with an awesome mulloway. should produce some good mud crabs over the next few weeks and definitely worth throwing the pots in.

It will be interesting to see if the prawns are still around or if they have been flushed out. Just remember that prawns, crabs and worms need to be cooked before they’re taken out of the white spot movement control zone.

If you have a great capture from the southern bay you would like to share, email them through to techfishing@hotmail. com Until next month, tech it easy.

• If you would like some on water sounder or fishing tuition please call Nick on 0422213669 to customise a session to suit your needs or check out the Tech Fishing Facebook page.

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Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

As we enter the cooler months, anglers will notice a change in the more commonly caught species.

Over May we’ll likely catch snapper, luderick, tailor, mulloway and squid.

However, there’s still a high likelihood of encountering many of your warmer weather favourites.

Additionally, crabs and prawns should still be available in sufficient numbers to make targeting them worthwhile. Cooler weather will creep up on us during May and the daylight hours will become a little shorter. While some of the warm weather species will wane in numbers, anglers will have plenty to keep them happy as we approach winter.

In the lower reaches, areas such as Claras Rocks, the oil pipeline, the retaining walls at the mouth, the ledge just inside the sewerage chute, the Gateway Bridge, most jetties and many other locations can all fish well for snapper, bream, mulloway, threadfin, tailor and a host of others.

Some thumping snapper are often caught in May with specimens occasionally exceeding 70cm in length.

These will respond well to many different artificials as well as an array of quality dead and live baits. Ledges and submerged banks of the main river basin, the fronts of the numerous jetties (adhere to restrictions) and the deeper dredge holes adjacent the retaining wall at the mouth are all great places to target snapper.

You’re likely to encounter a broad array of species in these areas.

Squid numbers should start to improve if the water clears up around the bay islands, foreshores and channel edges.

BRISBANE RIVER This wonderful fishery will see a few changes over the coming month.

Species such as snapper and mulloway will increase in numbers throughout the lower reaches. Threadfin are likely to be a more common catch further up the river than they were during the warmer months. Anglers fishing the city reaches and as far as Kookaburra Park will encounter threadies if they target them.

Mulloway and tailor can be caught up as far as the city during the cooler months, most commonly around lighted areas at night.

40

MAY 2017

SNAPPER One of the favourite species for all Moreton Bay anglers is snapper. These can be taken on lures and baits, they fight well and they taste delicious. What’s not to like? As the larger specimens move into Moreton Bay for their annual breeding activities, anglers will notice an increase in the prominence of fish of all sizes. Those fishing baits are often plagued by huge numbers of sub-legal (less than 35cm) fish.

Many tolerate these as it is often just a numbers game until a big knobby nails your offering. Although they can

be a nuisance, handling these smaller fish with care and releasing them quickly will help to ensure a healthy snapper population in years to come. Using larger baits, especially tough fillet baits and large squid will often give the larger specimens a chance once the smaller pinkies have had a good pick.

Most quality baits have a great chance of succeeding. Live yakkas, slimey mackerel, pike, squid and similar offerings are all likely to get your rod bending under the surge of a big red. Although the humble pilchard, frozen squid and similar baits have produced some cracking knobbies, quality baits will heighten chances.

Anglers fishing lures generally get fewer of these smaller specimens, especially when using 5” offerings and larger. Many will actually step up to 7” plastics to only tempt the trophy snapper and mulloway. Good plastics can include jerk shads, curl-tails, paddle-tails and crustacean (prawn and crab) profiles. A broad array of colours will work. It’s often more important to fish your plastic well than it is to use a particular brand, style or colour.

Around the edges of the bay islands and Turner Artificial I generally opt for 1/6-1/4oz jigheads while the deeper water at the other artificial reefs (Harry Atkinson, Curtin and Peel) will generally require a 3/8oz head. I prefer soft vibration baits over plastics these days and I particularly like the Samaki Thumpertail 100mm, although there’s a broad array or choices that will produce.

Lures can be cast up current and retrieved back with the current or slightly across it for optimal effect. A slow roll (winding the handle slowly with the occasional pause) or hopping the lure using lifts of the rod tip and pauses will generally get the job done. Strikes can come at any time, so be ready to set the hook at the slightest touch.

Micro-jigs are a great way to target snapper in deeper areas, especially the artificial reefs and wrecks. If you have located a show on the down scan, quickly put the jig in front of that fish.

Use jigs in the 30-60g range and the centre weighted models are generally better. I use a wide variety including the Palms Slow Blatt and Oval Blatt, the Storm Slow Rocker and the Shimano Coltsniper.

You don’t need a heavy rod and reel and a big dropper lead on your rig to fish for Moreton Bay snapper. Although many

Micro-jigs allow you to target snapper showing directly beneath the boat, which is great in the deeper water around the artificial reefs and wrecks. experienced anglers fish even lighter, 15-20lb line on a suitably rated spinning or overhead rod and reel setup will work well.

I always think of snapper as big bream when rigging to fish baits. I’ll opt for a running ball sinker rig or light paternoster. Fluorocarbon leaders in the 8-15kg range will help in tempting those more wary fish, especially when the westerly winds produce high water clarity.

Keep your rigs and tackle light and you will achieve far more hook-ups. It’s not common for snapper to be dirty fighters, so most fish will still be landed on this setup. Sweetlip and tuskfish will often head for structure and sometimes bust you off.

Unless you fish moderate tackle you’re not likely to hook them in the first place.

SQUID As the inshore waters begin to clear up, anglers will notice an increase in squid. Both arrow and tiger squid can be caught on squid jigs. They’ll also attack baits and some lures with relative aggression. The shallows around the bay islands, weed beds, rubble grounds and discoloured patches of sand along the edges of major channels all have potential to hold a few cephalopods.

While anglers often encounter squid by accident, specific targeting will greatly increase your chances. Casting squid jigs around these areas and slowly winding or hopping them through the zone will generally work a treat. Even drifting along with a squid jig or baited skewer behind the boat will often reward, especially around the edges of bay islands and sand hill areas.

In the shallower zones around the sand flats you may need a float to keep the squid jig from hitting and dragging along the bottom. The float should be just buoyant enough to support the jig so that a squid can easily pull it under. The numbers and

average size of squid will increase throughout Moreton Bay over the coming months as the westerly winds promote better water clarity, so stay tuned.

PRAWNS The availability of prawns has been awesome since late December and there should still be a few about during May. Areas such as the flats out from Nudgee, the Saltworks (between Karragarra and Macleay islands), the holes near Russel Island, Canaipa Passage and many other areas can all hold prawns.

The rivers may produce a few but the bay is a better option. A good sounder and an intimate knowledge of it will short track your search considerably. A good cast can produce several kilograms of prawns, so knowing where the better concentrations are can save you a lot of casting to fill your 10L bucket limit. Prawns will taper off considerably over the month so get a few while you can.

LUDERICK When the luderick turn up will be dictated by the water temperature and clarity. The cooler waters promote the growth of many types of aquatic weed, especially the cabbage and string weed, which are favoured by luderick.

These commonly grow on the estuarine rock walls and anything that floats in these waters, including pontoons, jetties, navigation buoys and markers and moored boats.

Weed can be collected a day or two before a trip and will keep for a few days in the fridge in salt water.

Learning the art of luderick fishing is a lot of fun and one of the good things about targeting luderick is that some of the best spots are easily fished land-based.

The rock walls at the mouth of most canals and harbours are good places to start your search. Deep banks with collapsed mangroves and other submerged structure are well worth trying. Weed

baits are better fished on small no. 6-10 hooks beneath a float, weighted so it will pull under the surface with the slightest touch.

These baits should float along the walls at the same speed as the current.

Once the float dips slightly, strike promptly to set the hook. Start with your baits fished close to the bottom and adjust them up or down until you locate the level where the fish are feeding.

Occasionally the bite can be abrupt and savage. Other times they will only slightly mouth the bait and you need a trained eye to detect the bite in the activity of the float. Luderick are chunky fish with a minimum size of 30cm and a bag limit of 10 fish.

Specimens between 38-45cm are fairly common and will fight extremely well on light tackle. Most use a 9ft to 10’6 sloppy actioned rod with an Alvey or similar centre pin reel.

This type of outfit is highly desirable when the luderick are pedantic in their feeding activity. If they’re aggressive you will be able to take them on most outfits.

MULLOWAY Although now a year round option, increased numbers of mulloway will begin to show up as the water temperatures fall. They will be located throughout many of the deeper reef and wreck areas within the bay and also throughout the estuaries and rivers, especially around the mouths.

The Brisbane River, Jumpinpin Bar and Gold Coast Seaway are well known locations for those targeting mulloway. They can also be caught in locations such as the Caboolture River, Pine River, Harry Atkinson, Peel Artificial, Logan River and many other locations.

Large live baits such as mullet, pike, slimey mackerel and yakkas are ideal. Smaller live offerings such as banana prawns and herring will also work well. Dead baits are

your second best option, however squid and pilchards will also tempt a few decent mulloway. If you want to catch a large mulloway over 15kg, your best chance will come with large live baits such as mullet, yakkas and slimey mackerel.

Those who put in the effort will generally be rewarded with better quality specimens for their troubles.

Large specimens are more commonly caught in the deeper holes around the southern bay islands, Gold Coast Seaway, Jumpinpin Bar and entrance channel and occasionally around the Bribie Island Bridge. Plenty of legal specimens over 75cm are caught by anglers on both baits and lures, even while targeting other species.

The big boys will require a concentrated effort and a bit of time spent with a big livey in the water to get a run. A broad array of artificials will work on mulloway. For those who like to cast, try plastics and vibration baits.

TAILOR Although the best is yet to come, a few tailor will begin to show up in the estuaries over the coming month. Good rain in late March put a decent flow in the Brisbane River. If 2011 and 2013 are any indications then the tailor numbers should be healthy again this

season, especially in the estuaries and larger rivers.

After the 2011 floods, it was ridiculous how many tailor were present in the Brisbane River and it was often hard to get away

from them, especially when fishing around lighted areas at night. Although the water was still discoloured, huge amounts of baitfish and prawns were present and generally tailor were not too

far away.

The beaches didn’t fish that well in either year and plenty of diehard surf fishers were pretty disappointed with the seasons. However, we had a lot of fun catching and releasing tailor on lures in the estuaries and rivers with small swimbaits, topwater offerings, minnow lures and an array of plastics doing the trick. How this season shapes up will be a bit of a guess. I’m hoping it will be a good one for all.

CONCLUSION Anglers fishing Southern Queensland waters and especially Moreton Bay over the coming month will be in for a fairly mixed bag, dependent on water temperature and clarity.

There will be plenty of good results for those who make the effort to explore the options. Daylight hours begin to shorten during May, so early morning starts will be somewhat later than during the warmer months.

You’ll probably need to dust off the thermos and also drag out the flannie and beanie if you decide on a night session or an early morning start. Being out in the warm sunshine during the day will make your angling effort a lot more enjoyable. May the fish be plentiful for you over the coming months.

The last colour many baitfish and crustaceans see is yellow, as a hungry mulloway engulfs them.

Lachie Nolan with his new PB bass, 41cm caught on a small spinnerbait. He went fishing in the Pine River with his friend and caught nine bass with spinnerbaits, deep divers and trolled plastics, while his mate caught a fish with an Allens snake lolly rigged on a jighead.

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Hoping for good bites when the water clears BRISBANE OFFSHORE

John Gooding

Before cyclone Debbie rushed over, the fishing east of the South Passage seemed to be improving.

On the charters we did just prior to the cyclone, there was a lot of bait around and plenty of mac tuna working them. Spanish mackerel numbers also

picked up a little and there were solid specimens caught from Cape Moreton to the border.

With a little luck, once the water cleans up, the mackerel will stay in a little longer for us. Mahimahi also turned up in good numbers and we had a few red hot sessions on the wave rider buoy off Point Lookout and also out in 90m. When we were snapper fishing they

There have been plenty of mahimahi around.

turned up around the boat and we kept them interested with a bit of berley. Most fish were around a couple kilos and the odd bull turned up to put on a show. We had a fair bit of strong southerly current as well. The stronger the current, the better the mahimahi fire up.

With the water temperature cooling a little, snapper numbers have also been on the improve and we’ve been picking up solid fish on the shallow reefs around Point Lookout. Out on the 90m line, south of Deep Tempest, we have been pulling reasonable numbers of fish in the 40-50cm bracket.

There were great numbers and quality fish showing up along the 33s, but they were a little inconsistent. I don’t think it will be too long before the snapper are in full swing along the 29s, 33s and the 35 fathom reefs, as last season saw a solid early run of fish in late May and June and there was plenty of quality 5-6kg models amongst them.

As I’ve said many times before, floatlining with pillies and fresh flesh baits such as bonito, tailor and mullet will take the better

These two great mulloway swallowed livies. quality fish. For those who prefer to use plastics, 7” lures seem to be consistent fish takers.

As far as kingfish and amberjacks go, the last couple of years haven’t really seen a clearly defined peak season. In past years as the water temperatures warmed up their numbers would increase. In the last couple of seasons, we’ve seen good numbers during the cooler months. Yellowtail kingfish and amberjacks will smash lures and baits, so it’s just the angler’s preference.

• Until next month, enjoy your fishing, take care on the coastal

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Post-rain rumble will deliver NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

What a change a month makes! After the wrath of Cyclone Debbie ravaged our northern regions, our inclement weather was actually a great blessing in disguise. The sudden weather change was welcomed by many, as the sustained humidity was not only having an effect on the land, but also the sea.

Constant high water temperatures started to plateau the fishing, especially in our estuaries and rivers.

So this seasonal change combined with an impressive rain flush out, should kickstart the northern bay as we head towards the cooler part of the year.

Expect to see flathead numbers increase in Pumicestone Passage along with tailor and snapper appearing as the water cools.

Flathead numbers should also increase in the Caboolture River and Burpengary Creek region with the Bakers Flat being a good starting point on the run-out tide.

Bream numbers should be constant in these areas with the cooling nights being a good time to chase them.

On the Redcliffe Peninsula, the cool weather is like a switch that clicks in many northern anglers’ heads as this time of the year, and it brings a good snapper bite. Reminiscent of the 2012 flush out, we had a good snapper season on the peninsula that year after the rains flushed out a lot of bait into the bay. The impact of this years’ late dose of rain will hopefully bring a similar result, as our summer was relatively dry on the greater scheme.

The change has seen a

decrease in northerly winds, with the fresh southerlies occupying the forecast radar more frequently.

I have mentioned many times over the years that the northern bay region has commonly fished better with a higher frequency of southerly breezes, rather than northerlies. We’re keeping our fingers-crossed for this year, as we are well overdue for a good winter bite.

With pushing southerlies,

south, with Shorncliffe Pier being littered with baitfish all through last month.

For those chasing bream, numbers have been great, with the past month’s prawn run really lighting up the numbers. Windier days have been the prime time to chase bream, as they tend to be less skittish in the less favourable boating conditions, as it gives them the opportunity to feed with little fear.

Hardbody lures on light

Land-based fishing at Woody Point is always good fun. the baitfish make their way to the mouths of our main rivers, making predatory action in those areas and around the peninsula more abundant. The slowing of our annual prawn run has left room for hardiheads to make their way from down

leaders have been the right combination for this time of the year, with a lot of anglers showing favouritism towards Pro Lure cranks, Jackall Chubbies, Atomic Crank 38s, and Daiwa Rolling Presso Cranks. For the soft plastic fans, ZMan GrubZ are still

showing their dominance with Pro Lure Live Yabbies also being a big shaker and mover. Anglers favouring 1/12oz jigheads in size 1 as a good all rounder.

In Pumicestone, Ningi flats and the canals have been fishing really well, and kayakers have been reaping the rewards of their stealthier approach. Newport Canals have been on fire with Cranka Crabs working brilliantly when fished up tight against pontoons and rocky corners, ensuring the crab is worked back nice and slowly.

For the land-based breamers, the southern side of Woody Point has fished well over the last month for those wading in knee deep water.

Slow rolling shallow diving cranks have been the crème de la crème of techniques with the odd flathead also being landed in the process.

The Pine River has slowly started to fire after recent rains with flathead, bream and occasional juvenile mulloway being caught mostly in the lower end of the system. Following the recent post cyclone rains, the upper reaches were heavily affected by constant freshwater run-off making fishing concentrated downstream of Deepwater Bend. Fresh baits and soft plastics were the choice of most anglers, with a can of mosquito repellent being a must anywhere in the system!

TIP OF THE MONTH Sharp hooks can make or break your day. Be sure to always use new hooks as regularly as your budget allows.

Sprinkling an absorbent material like rice in your tackle box amongst your hook collection, can ensure moisture doesn’t cause premature rusting affecting hook sharpness and effectiveness.

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A

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Jesse Gough holds up some goodsized Redcliffe Peninsula bream.

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MAY 2017

All the rain we had at the end of March turned the system inside out. The rain flushed all the prawns into the bay, so all the guys chasing prawns had a couple of weeks of low numbers. With the rush of dirty water, the flathead and whiting retreated to the deeper holes, trying to avoid the worst of it.

We’ve also had some poor weather and swell, preventing boaties from making the most of fishing in the bay and outside. Big ground swell over the Easter weekend saw five boats flip on the bars.

However, things are on the improve. The water has been clearing up, which paves the way for good catches of flathead and quality sand whiting in the shallows. We’re also seeing good catches of prawns and crabs, and the weather is looking better.

Overall, the outlook for May looks pretty good.

OFFSHORE Lately we’ve had some big ground swell, so the only boats that have been getting out have been leaving from Mooloolaba and fishing the lower end of the Barwon Banks. They’re picking up some good Spanish mackerel along with some excellent pearlies, up around 50-60cm.

Most of the pearlies have been coming from the wire weed at the bottom end of the banks.

There have been some nice cod caught out on the wrecks on live bait, and some cobia as well.

In close, anglers have been having a lot of fun on the schools of longtail tuna and mac tuna, catching them on slugs ranging anywhere from 15-30g in a variety of colours.

Also in close on the inner reefs, anglers fishing soft plastics have reported good catches of snapper to 3.5kg, with some grass sweetlip mixed in.

RIVER AND ESTUARY The river mouths have been really dangerous with the ground swell we’ve had, so estuary fishing has been limited to the guys chasing bream, whiting and flathead on various soft plastics and hardbodies.

The prawns have left the river and are making their way back into the upper reaches of the creeks.

There are reports of jacks in the Pumicestone Passage, Bells Creek, Currimundi Lake and the upper reaches of the Mooloolah River.

There have been good catches of muddies and sandies in all the river systems, with good reports from the Mooloolah and Maroochy rivers and Pumicestone Passage.

Van and Jayla with a recent catch. More bream have been starting to show up in recent weeks.

BEACHES From Currimundi Beach through to Dicky Beach there have been reports of whiting, dart and bream starting to show up. There’s also the odd smaller chopper being caught from Currimundi to Wurtulla.

THE MONTH AHEAD May should hopefully see the prawns returning in the coming weeks, and we’re hoping for some good weather as well. The guys that want to get offshore and really have a go at the snapper should do well. The best options are soft plastics and small pillies.

Due to ongoing road works and development around Bells Creek, it has been very dirty on the low tide. However, if

we get no more rain it should be much better in May. The water is still quite warm at the moment so a few species haven’t really made their presence felt, such as bigger sea bream and school jew. This should change towards the end of May though, with school jew starting to enter the river systems and start feeding around mouths of the rivers. They love taking 5” soft plastics, along with bait such as squid and mullet fillet.

Always fish on the change of the tide for the best results.

For all the latest info on what’s biting and where, drop into Caloundra Fishing World at 7/8 Yay Ave, Caloundra or give them a call on (07) 5491 4566.

largest customer and we worked together for over 40 years, making all of his reel seats, ferrules, guides and so on. I gained experience in all types of rods – Rangoon cane, split cane, solid glass, hollow glass and graphite.”

Les always loved working in the recreational fishing industry, with his job taking him all around Australia and overseas in pursuit of new products. His son Graeme said his father continued to work well into his 80s, regularly catching up with the staff and family at Wilson Fishing.

“For three days a week Dad came here to socialise, and to do the banking and the mail,” Graeme recalled.

“All his staff are his children or grandchildren, or have

become good friends, and visiting all of us was the highlight of his week.”

Thanks to Les’ vision and determination, and the hard work of his staff, Wilson Fishing celebrated its 70th year in business last year. The occasion was marked with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the AFTA Tackle Trade Show, following on from Les’ induction into the AFTA Hall of Fame.

“He has done a marvellous job building up this company,” Graeme said, “and we are all proud to be a part of it.”

Les is survived by his wife and family, which includes children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. - FM

Vale Les Wilson

Yar-Craft 1785BT 2017

A U S T R A L I A

Andrew Amsler

Phone: 0410 173 060 basscataustralia@gmail.com

The Australian recreational fishing community was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Les Wilson, who passed away at the age of 93. A much-loved legend in the tackle industry, Les is best known as the founder of Wilson Fishing, one of the most successful tackle companies in Australia.

Les Wilson was born in 1923, and began working from the age of 14. By the age of 19 he was a qualified fitter and turner and toolmaker, and was already dreaming of having his own business one day. To that end, he started making all types of things in his workshop under the house. At age 23, shortly after he was married, he

resigned from his job and started his own business, run from underneath his house in Brisbane. We spoke to him a few years back on how the Wilson Fishing journey began.

“I took on any job I could handle,” he told us. “I had a small metal lathe and hand press. My first job in fishing tackle was making swivels and side cast reels. Later I made rod components, reel seats, ferrules, stainless steel guides and fish scalers.

“I had no training besides my apprenticeship and I learned all about tackle from people like Len Butterworth, from reading books and from small retailers. Len Butterworth became my

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Pelagic schools in the Laguna NOOSA

Peter Wells

This is that great time of the year when the cooler weather comes in and we see some changes in how we fish and the fish we catch. It seems like only yesterday you had to get up at 4am to be on the water for dawn.

As winter approaches

and the days get shorter we seem to be able to sleep in and still make it out for a fish on sunrise. In the Noosa River whiting have been in good numbers and have been the perfect target for the kids, with the dog beach, Gympie Terrace and the Frying Pan fishing well on the incoming tide. Live worms, yabbies and peeled prawns have been the baits of choice.

The winter bream have

been in good numbers in Woods Bay on prawns, pillies and strips of bonito.

Small soft plastics and blades have been the lures of choice when it comes to chasing bream. Another great profile is crabs. The Crusty Crab from River2Sea and the Cranka Crab have both been working extremely well.

Lots of trevally have started making their way into the river. As the

James Warren with a fantastic Spanish mackerel. Mackerel have been thick with good catches of spotted and Spanish mackerel coming from North Reef and Chardons Reef.

water temperature drops this will only get better.

Prawn profile soft plastics have been accounting for good numbers of golden and bigeye trevally. Tailor are also being hooked on plastics.

There are still some good mangrove jack on the chew right throughout the system.

Trolling diving lures around the various rock bars and jetties located around Noosa, you should see one of these hard-fighting red fish!

The flathead population seems to be improving every year with more larger females being caught and released. Soft plastics are the go when it comes to chasing flatties. Prawn profiles with the slow roll technique work best for me. Some of the hotspots have been the stretch between Tewantin and the first lake, Weyba Creek and the edges of the sand bars down towards the mouth.

On the Maroochy River the Cod Hole is still giving up nice mulloway. Trevally and queenfish are plentiful in Twin Waters and Maroochy Waters with topwater lures like the Bassday Sugapen claiming some great fish. The Black Banks area has been popular with families and has quality elbow-slapper whiting. Up river, school mulloway and mangrove jacks have still been taken.

Huge numbers of longtail tuna are prevalent in both Laguna Bay and Sunshine Reef. The best methods for targeting these hard fighting fish are small, long casting stickbaits such as the Shimano Ocean Pencils. Weighing in at 42g and 60g, these beautifully finished lures cast a mile and tuna love them! The Inshore Reefs are again the place to be with large schools of bait congregating on them.

Halls, Sunshine Reef and Jew Shoals have all been producing with good catches of sweetlip, snapper, coral trout, tuskfish, tuna and

Harry Hoye with a hard-fighting diamond trevally. mackerel. Trolling diving lures around the reef edges and drop-offs has seen great results. Micro-jigs have been accounting for a great mixed bag of reefies and pelagics.

Sunshine Reef is perfect for this style of fishing.

Soft plastics have again been getting their fair share of reefies with the ZMan scented plastics working a treat. Mackerel have been quite thick with good catches of spotted and Spanish mackerel coming from North Reef and Chardons Reef.

North Reef has also seen a fantastic bag of reefies with pearl perch, snapper, tuskfish, Maori cod and sweetlip, just to name a few.

When those really good days come along, anglers in bigger craft have been making the trip up to the reefs off Double Island in the hope for red emperor and nannygai. There are plenty of other species on offer like large snapper, pearl perch, cod, mulloway and trout.

Another fish we see plenty of at this time of the year is cobia. It seems as soon as we see the whales start to make

Will Myers with a tasty cobia.

46

MAY 2017

their annual migration cobia are nearby.

On the southern reefs schools of tuna are still fairly close. At Coolum Reef, the Gneerings, and Old Woman Island there are good schools with birds working and bust-ups on the surface. For anglers looking for a feed of reefies, the closer reefs have also been producing decent snapper, sweetlip and trout.

A trip to the Barwon Banks should see larger snapper, pearl perch, cobia and cod.

On the beaches we are starting to see good catches of winter bream coming through. Fishing those deeper gutters on the incoming tide has been the key and if you can time this with a morning tide, all the better. Dart are still hitting baits as soon as they hit the water with larger fish on the high tide.

The odd school of chopper tailor is starting to show up. These are mainly on the Noosa North Shore between Teewah and Double Island. On the southern end of the North Shore we are seeing good whiting are in good numbers on the incoming tide with the deeper gutter holding bigger fish.

The Noosa National Park rocks and the rocks around Yaroomba have been fishing well with some nice squire and sweetlip landed. Landbased game anglers have also been trying to tame a couple of tuna with some success.

Casting large slugs and GT Ice Creams has also smashed some bigger trevally.

• For all the latest information log onto www. fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports. Don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World in Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola to find out where the fish are biting. Remember, tight lines and bent spines!

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Trade in your old Life Jackets for new ones at 50% OFF!

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Shops 5 and 6, Noosa Homemaker Centre Cnr Mary & Thomas St Noosaville, QLD 4566 P: 07 5449 8166 E: boatingsales@davostackle.com.au www.davostackle.com.au

Competing for the future of fishing SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

I understand most people aren’t interested in how to make better use of data.

If you’re interested in fishing competitions then read on. If you just want to learn some interesting fishing knowledge, skip to the Bream on Lure vs. Bait section below that discusses an age-old debate with real data.

What is the most valuable part of fishing competitions?

Depending on your point of view, the experience, competing, time with mates and achievement would all be part of the mix. For me, the most valuable part of a fishing competition is what it tells us about the fishery. I have a better reason for competition

as the front line in recreational fisheries monitoring. While I recognize that fisheries departments conduct monitoring, that data is outside the control of fishers and often unavailable to fishers. I believe it’s prudent for fishers to maintain their own data for a host of reasons that would fill a separate article.

It’s important not to look at competitions in isolation.

Collectively they tell us more than they do individually, so co-operation is essential in the long run. Here are some of the big reasons to be excited by competition data: • Competitions occur in more places than any other data collection exercise we have in recreational fishing.

• Accuracy is important and competition data is verified by a range of means.

• Competitions are localized with defined boundaries.

• The participants are highly

in the world to be selfsufficient when it comes to looking after their fishing and that includes monitoring and data collection.

THE MORE DATA SETS THE BETTER There is no magic bullet solution to monitoring a recreational fishery, or at least not a magic bullet that is affordable. It comes back to that age-old question – how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

From our experience working with data from an increasing number of sources a clear pattern emerges. The more data sets we get in an area, the better the picture becomes. Competitions are the best places to start looking at their data as they have a history.

FISHING EXPERIENCE VERSES STOCK STATUS The first thing that competitions are useful in

The Improving Catch Rates of Legal Fish in the Fitzroy River. information a bit more, right?

That is what has happened in Rockhampton.

The Rocky Barra Bounty

Catches over six weeks in the Mulloway Marathon. managers – marketing.

This is a larger topic, so I will split the discussion over two issues of the magazine.

This month I will focus on the why and things to consider in collecting competition data.

Next issue I will get into what to do with the data by looking at events like the Barra Nationals and the ABT tournaments as well as some grass roots events.

COMPETITION FORMATS There are an array of competition formats and rules. Some are more useful than others, but almost all provide usable data.

The five types that I want to focus on in this article are: • ABT style maximum bag and live weigh in • Unlimited catch and release/ photo/tagging tournaments • Catch and release pointbased events • Traditional weigh in events • Public competitions I will review a range of real-world examples (and some fantastic fishing) in the next article.

COMPETITIONS – THE FRONT LINE OF RECREATIONAL DATA COLLECTION I see fishing competitions 48

MAY 2017

motivated to catch fish.

• Events are held at times optimal for catching fish.

• If repeated in the same location with consistent rules many variables are eliminated.

I am not advocating competition data as a solution for monitoring the fishery, but the data generated while fishers are having fun is a lot more useful than you may think.

THE PURPOSE OF MONITORING One of the biggest issues I see with data collection is there is rarely any assessment of that data. There is a good reason for this. Up until now, there has been limited technology available and unless you are familiar with R or have statistics skills, making sense of that data is hard.

None the less, monitoring is the first step to understanding what is going on in our fisheries.

I have spent the better part of two years working on the problem of how to make monitoring of fishing achievable for ordinary fishers. Our goal at Infofish is to make it possible for any recreational fishery anywhere

gaining an understanding of is the fishing experience, and that is important regarding fishing decisions. Imagine three rivers that have had recent events. In one, most competitors caught nothing, one had a reasonable number of catches, but the last had nearly everyone reaching their maximum bag.

Which river would you fish if you could only choose one? Not everyone would pick the same answer, but that information would more than likely influence your decision. If your experience when fishing matches the reports, then you will use that

has been publishing results for years, and the overall fishing experience has closely matched the competition fishing experience. While the most recent Bounty had issues due to flooding, the event saw the highest proportion of legal fish in a good while. That was at the end of the season.

Come to the start of the next season, and the fishing experience has matched the Bounty experience – the best legal fish results seen for a long time.

Note that I’m not making any assertions on stocks. This data shows what is happening for the better fishers. There is

additional work to develop a model of fish stocks.

If you have more data sets of the right kind, it’s possible to build a clearer picture of fish stocks and exploitation rates. As that better picture emerges, it’s then possible for it to come back to the competition as one of the tools to validate results. Each year we provide a prediction for the Bounty based on that better data. We have been right each year since 2012.

Fishing competitions have the advantage of being both providers of data and tools for validation.

BETTER COMPETITORS MEAN BETTER DATA I think that the increasing professionalism of fishing competitions has in some ways reduced the number of participants as they take some of the social value out of events. Everyone is there for the same reason, to compete or to improve their ability to compete. Given the price of entry, there are cheaper ways to gain fishing mates.

Like Gumtree.

A competition’s ability to attract many participants is not an issue from a data perspective. In 2015 a handful of fishers including a couple of high school kids caught 480 mostly juvenile mulloway in Kalbarri (WA) as a part of a tagging competition – the Mulloway Marathon. It

was the best opportunity we have ever had to track what happens to Mulloway after a successful spawning.

Overall the better the quality of the fishers targeting the species, the better the chance that data collected will reflect what is going on in the fishery.

ABT STYLE EVENTS The ABT style of maximum five fish bags is a very useful competition format. As only legal fish are allowed it’s an equivalent to a harvest experience, assuming lure fishing is no less efficient than bait for the target species and size.

The ABT style breaks down somewhat when the maximum bag sizes are too low. Bass, for example, have a two bag limit and even with tweaking of competition rules, it’s almost impossible to use the data for much other than the number of zero catches and the average size of catches. For so many reasons, the bag limit restrictions of impoundment bass make no sense and sabotage competitions. I have done articles on this in the past. A good one is online at http://trackmyfishreport. com/25-years-of-bass/.

A bag limit of five seems to balance out the fishing and fish welfare side of things with the access to useful data.

It’s not as easy to achieve as you might imagine, as 58%

Comparison of Catch Rates in the Barra Bounty vs Fishing Year Round

of ABT Bream fishers have never completed a single five bag, only 29% have completed a five bag at least once and 18% have done it more than three times.

Each day starts out with an expected result (10 fishers with five fish = 50 fish).

The closer you get to that number the better the fishing conditions.

Now I will add a caveat for things like finals and team events. Team events truncate the data much in the same manner as the two bag limit for bass. Finals tend to be your top fishers who are capable of catching more than the five bag limit and as such the results tend to be skewed relative to standard events.

That is not to say that there is no value in using these events, just that important variables like catch rates will

bait, it’s a one in four chance.

For the competition discussion, the ratio of bait to lure in catch rates is the important figure. For pikey bream the catch rate for legal fish on bait is two times the catch rate for lures. For yellowfin bream it’s much closer to the same.

The longer-term trend is for lures to catch up with bait. I think that is because using bait is less attractive for better fishers. Whether you use the longer term, localized or more recent number, the reality is that bait and lures are not the same.

CATCH AND RELEASE EVENTS Unlimited catch and release events, especially photo-based (even better if tags are involved), are the most useful of all formats when it comes to data. The

State by state ABT Bream Comparison. with 2232 bass reported in what amounted to a grid survey. In this case, we were able to compare catch rates per grid with no grid averaging less than 30cm fish. Drool at your leisure.

POINTS-BASED CATCH AND RELEASE Points-based catch and release events are popular for barramundi tournaments.

Comparison of Whiting Competition Catch Rates and Commercial Catch Rates from the Mackay Post Office Club.] be affected.

BREAM ON LURE VS. BAIT I want to hang on the Lure vs. Bait discussion for a moment as I think it’s an important point. If most ordinary fishers are using bait and bait is much more efficient then we need to account for that. Fortunately in the case of bream I have a large random sample data set to look at and I’m sure many people will be interested in the answer.

I am looking at two species, yellowfin bream and pikey bream. There is quite a difference between the two.

When it comes to the average size of legal fish (excluding all undersize fish) there is almost no difference between a lure and bait. Overall there is a much bigger difference in the average size of fish. Bait is attractive to smaller fish and larger fish, whereas lures tend to be attractive only to larger fish.

While bait has a slightly better catch rate for legal fish for yellowfin bream, lures are significantly more efficient.

For both variants of bream, it’s a coin toss, or better. If you hook a bream on a lure, there is a 50/50 chance you will land a legal-size fish. For

focus on the catch as many as you can approach is as good as it gets, noting some scientific tweaks can be applied, but they are less conducive to fisher having fun. Participation and enjoyment should always come first, even if some scientists disagree.

The one caveat I will add for catch and release events is the NEATFISH standard should be considered. Having a catch and release event, is not an instant pass to having a low impact event and all catch and release events should be aiming to limit impact as much as possible.

It’s a good idea for events to grade themselves using the NEATFISH tools and get certification where possible.

Beyond NEATFISH concerns, there are no major issues except that the majority are not using the data collected efficiently. All too often the data collected ends up sitting in the corner gathering dust because there is nobody to analyse the data.

For catch and release events, the change I want to see long before any event format or composition changes is just to get the data analysed and available for community discussion.

I helped out with a catch and release event a year ago

The point system is usually designed to reflect the degree of difficulty of the catch (a 1m barramundi is much more challenging than a 30cm barramundi and should be a lot more points.) This style

of event doesn’t have a limit on the number of fish that can be entered and record exact fishing times, so determining catch rates is much easier.

The catch (pun intended) with points-based tournaments is the points system by its very existence encourages fishers to target a particular size class, so predominately bigger fish.

Under pure length-based rules, a metre fish is the same as two 50cm fish. Depending on the points system a metre fish might be worth as much as 4-5 times a 50cm fish or more. In other words, there is a significant effort payoff from targeting bigger fish.

That tends to skew the data, as the best fishers will shoot for the fish that will give them the big effort payout.

The Rocky Barra Bounty is a tag and release/photobased competition, but it also has a point-based system. The average length of fish has always been higher than the traditional fishing during the year, but a change in the points system in 2012 increased that difference by nearly 10%.

I’m not advocating to remove the points bias. This is a case where more data helps flesh out the story, which I see as more important the ruining people’s fun.

TRADITIONAL WEIGH-IN EVENTS Traditional weigh in events are not my favourite

format. Having said that I am a fan of smaller, lower impact events. Where fish are likely to be damaged by barotrauma or fish are sensitive to handling, I think there is a strong case to keep rather than release. I also think that people forget that catch and release and live weigh-in events are not zero mortality events. Even with the best handling and conditions, there will always be fish that suffer injury, illness or predation.

The biggest advantage of these events is they involve a fishing demographic we don’t see much in the other formats very much, which is fishers who target fish predominantly for food.

There are many species where this kind of fisher is far more efficient in catching because dinner is on the line.

These fishers are far more likely to stray outside of the ‘sports’ species.

You might be surprised that my primary concern with this format is the same as catch and release events. All too often the data from these events is lost, so we never get to see what these events can tell us. Traditional events we have worked with show useful things, particularly on species abundance and changes in catch rates over time. There is no way we would see this sort of data

from any other event format.

COMPETITIONS THAT INVOLVE THE PUBLIC Competitions that include the public as participants should be evaluated differently to more professional competitions.

Having collected boat ramp surveys at the Boyne Tannum Hookup, it’s fair to say that reported outcomes are not always accurate. To be fair, general fishers are in it just to have a fish, not to provide a log of their catch to several decimal places. For this reason (and several others) care must be taken in how information is collected and interpreted.

That’s not to say the data isn’t useful. We have quite a lot of experience in conducting and using boat ramp survey data, but using survey data to make definitive statements about the fishery is fraught with danger.

This sort of data can be invaluable in understanding how different types of fishers experience the fishery.

As an example, at the Boyne Tannum Hookup it wasn’t uncommon for a member of the public to report a high number of fish.

If kids were involved, they would know exactly how many they caught. When asked how many they kept, the answer was often none as the fish were undersized.

When I asked a more experienced fisher the same question (how many fish did you catch) I often got the answer none. A little digging usually revealed that none meant none worth keeping.

Not all fish are equal in the eyes of fishers, just as not all fishers are equal.

The challenge is still to give competitions the tools to do more with their data. Using data from existing events will be the subject of my next article.

Long term average sizes of fish and catch rates for yellowfin bream.

MAY 2017

49

Fishing mistakes: Looking at the one percenters PART III BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

In the final instalment of this series, we’ll be looking at bait and lure presentation, and the other little one

save you money, but it can also be a heap of fun too!

For tips on catching a variety of baits, check out my July 2015 article in QFM on bait collection tips, tricks and tools, which is available online.

When presenting baits, make sure the point of your

Peter Phelps has ticked two boxes here: the natural colour in the clear water covers sight, and the noisy rattle of the lipless crankbait covers sound. percenters that give us an edge when we’re out on the water. This is an area often overlooked by anglers, but in reality it can make all the difference.

BAIT PRESENTATION The old adage that fresh is best is very applicable to bait fishing. What is also important is how the bait is presented on the hook so it looks as natural as possible.

Unfortunately, some anglers mistakenly think they are in with a good chance of a few fish when they throw out huge globs of frozen squid (or similar) on their hook or toss out prawns that go increasingly black as they leave them in the sun beside their bucket.

Alternatively, some anglers may go to the trouble of catching live bait (or even buying it) like live worms or yabbies, but they then present it in such a way that it either flies off the hook during the cast or sits unnaturally in a ball at the bottom of the hook.

To maximise your chances of success when bait fishing, anglers should use live baits, or very fresh or quality frozen baits. Catching live baits can not only be productive and

hook is exposed and the bait lies naturally along it. For live worms, this means you should thread the worm up

funnier moments I’ve had fishing was when I went fishing with a mate for trout once near Goulbourn, NSW. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him tie on a Wonder Wobbler, cast it out, then sit down and have a beer. After a couple of minutes when I realised he wasn’t going to retrieve it. I asked “Aren’t you going to retrieve that back through the water?” he answered with, “You mean I have to retrieve it?”

It cracked me up at the time, but seeing similar incidents since then has made me realise we shouldn’t assume that everyone knows what to do with a lure!

Another mistake I have seen involves anglers using the wrong lures for the area they are fishing, or the fish they are chasing. If I see this, I will always offer some words of advice, as it saddens me to think that businesses are happy to sell them lures, but not explain where or how to use them. It is another reason that anglers should do their research before handing over

When the water turns brown, anglers can’t expect to use the same techniques to get the same results they achieved in clear water. and over the eye of the hook and present it straight, leaving 1-2cm dangling off the end.

For bigger baits like tailor slabs off the beach, snooding two hooks is a good option to keep the bait straight. Baits such as a live prawn, shrimp or even a pilchard tail can also be presented neater and stop them flying off or tearing by tying a half hitch around the bait.

LURE PRESENTATION Probably one of the

their hard-earned cash.

Once again, presentation is critical when lure fishing, probably even more so than bait fishing. Anglers who hurriedly put their soft plastic tails on that are so bent they are almost at right angles to the hook, should not expect the fish to jump on their hooks. Likewise, anglers using hardbody lures need to check if the lure tracks straight in the water first before casting it out or trolling it. At times, the bib can move slightly off centre and cause the lure to swim to one side. This can easily be corrected by ‘tuning’ the tow point of the lure with a pair of pliers by bending it the opposite direction to which it is swimming, i.e. if the lure runs left, bend the tow point to the right.

SIGHT, SCENTS AND SOUNDS How fish react to movement, smells and noise is probably one area where the fishing fraternity is still learning. What we do know is that fish tend to perceive When the sweep and swell is too big, fish like Australian ‘good’ (potential food source) and ‘bad’ (danger) signals from salmon will enter river mouths chasing baitfish.

50

MAY 2017

Setting a rod, low and flat to the water will mean less resistance to fish like whiting and bream. what they see, smell and hear.

Sights While we still have a lot to learn about what fish see, we do know that fish use their eyes to spot and chase their prey and can also differentiate between colours in clear, shallow water.

This means two key things for anglers, we want to avoid the fish spotting us, and we want to think about what the right colour lures to suit the water colour.

I think it would be fair to say that there would be very few saltwater anglers that have not seen the puff of mud or sand and the blur of a flathead speeding off into the distance after they have spooked them at the waters edge or while wading. What anglers don’t realise is they have quite likely spooked other species of fish close to the shore over the years that they didn’t even see.

Whiting are one species that will feed right on the edge of the shore where waves from a small inner gutter are breaking right on the sand.

Trout will also feed right on the water’s edge, particularly at night when the water is rising over new ground exposing new food sources.

For this reason, anglers chasing such fish should approach the shore cautiously and even throw their first casts 10-15m back from the water’s edge. After you have worked the edge of the shore, you can then move a bit closer to cast a little further out. Once you are in the water and wading in an estuary or a lake, you want to move very slowly so as not to splash or thump the bottom and spook the fish.

Lure colours and accessories When it comes to

choosing lure colours, I’ve heard skeptical anglers claim a tackle shop is just trying to sell them more lures when they suggest different lure colours for different water conditions. I believe you should carry a few different colours according to the water conditions. Basically, natural or clear colours are best for clear water, while at the other end of the spectrum, fluorescent lures are better in dirty water while dark colours like dark blue, black or purple lures will present a silhouette if fished in very dirty water or at night.

A couple of coloured accessories can also help the fish spot your bait. This includes the addition of red tubing or beads just above your hook for whiting, and

adding a small green glowbead just above your hook and charging it up with a light source for fishing at night.

Berley Using berley off a boat, wharf, rockwall or from the shore of a beach or estuary is a great option, provided it is done the right way. The scent of the oils and sight of the berley can bring fish to you.

Unfortunately though, anglers can make the mistake of too much berley, or use it in that in such a way it takes the fish away from you.

For example, I’ve seen boat anglers on an artificial reef throwing out pilchard pieces or handfuls of mashed berley during the middle stages of the tide, only to see it drift past us well down current and still floating near the top of the water. They not only didn’t catch fish, but we had to move as well as it took our fish away with it.

The other thing that can happen is that anglers throw out berley intermittently resulting in a ‘broken trail’, and once again lose any fish it might have attracted.

A better option during the mid stage time of the tide is to use a berley bucket or cage and anchor it on the bottom near your boat, or stake it to

Yabbies (with their colour and smell) and bright red tubing above the hook accounted for this nice whiting in discoloured water.

‘Set and forget’ can be good, or bad, depending on what species you’re targeting.

the beach and let the waves roll it around and disperse the berley close to shore. During the slower periods of the tide you can throw out handfuls of berley, but make sure it is a consistent stream. Start with a couple of handfuls and then throw some more out every few minutes.

Discoloured water To be a successful angler you need to think like a fish.

That includes thinking about where fish might be at a certain stage of the tide, or, where they go when conditions change due to a change in water temperature or water colour. This means that just because you might have got a nice catch of bream on yabbies near some sunken timber in your local estuary one day, it doesn’t mean that will catch them on the same bait in a couple of days time after there has been a major downpour that has discoloured the water.

If the fish can’t see their potential food source, they need to sense it by some other means and this includes smell.

Therefore, in times where the water is dirty, be it an estuary, dam or river, anglers need to adapt their baits accordingly as they should lure colour. Oily fish baits, or baits marinated in tuna oil can really come into their own in these circumstances.

Good and bad smells Transferring unnatural smells onto baits and lures is another in the fishing mistakes category that anglers don’t even realise they are making.

Catching fish can be hard at times, so it is important that we give ourselves every chance to maximise success, and that includes not transferring unnatural smells onto our baits and lures.

Before you touch a bait or lure, make sure you wash your hands well after applying sunscreen; filling the car, 4WD or boat up with fuel; or after having a cigarette. Better still, you can apply one of the many fishing scents now on the market to the bait and your finger tips, or sacrifice one of your baits by squishing it and rubbing it over your finger tips and hands. You then simply

wash your hands in the water and dry them on a rag so you don’t make your rod and reel handle greasy from the oils.

I first started using scents 20 years ago when fishing for trout with bardi grubs at Lake Jindabyne and Eucambene.

Halco Freshwater Catch Scent was especially designed for freshwater fishing and was said to attract trout to your bait from the oils and scent it permeated. Interestingly, despite using the same rigs, bait and tackle as my mates fishing side by side with me, my results using the scent were consistently better. The cause, my mates claimed, was my use of ‘cheat bait’.

Unperturbed by this sledging, I continued to use it and despite some stubborn resistance, my mates evidentially joined the

than fishing without them.

There are also scents such as Ultrabite, which is said to contain fish pheromones and stimulate fish to feed. I’m not sure about the validity of those claims, but I have used it on my lures and in my berley and it does seem to be effective.

Noise I have seen and heard all too often well intentioned anglers giving clear instructions to fellow anglers to keep their voices down and the radio volume low or “it will spook the fish”. Yet these same anglers will bang about on the bottom of their aluminium boat to get the anchor out, throw around gear (such as steel yabby pumps) or otherwise move about clumsily or noisily. Once located, they will then give the

When fishing for small fish, like whiting, it makes sense to use a small presentation like this. motor on the fish. All too often I see them roaring up at full speed to their desired location having scared off any fish in the immediate location. A better option is to slow down

Make sure your bait sits naturally on the hook with the point exposed. fold! It works!

I now also use scents, such as Pro-Cure and S-Factor on all my lures, whether they are soft plastic, hardbodies or metal vibes. My reasoning is that it masks the unnatural smells mentioned above such as sunscreen. Further, I find especially with soft plastics, that fish such as bream and flathead will come back for a second or third hit on the plastic covered in scent with much more consistently

anchor and chain an almighty swing and toss into the distance that even a champion rodeo cowboy would be proud of! Once the anchor is down, they will then toss out a bait with a lump of lead that could almost act as an anchor for the boat, which of course causes another almighty splash.

Another mistake I see boat anglers (including more experienced anglers) make quite regularly is ignoring the impact of the noise of the

The ‘set and forget’ technique can work in calm water of estuaries but protect your spinning reels from the sand.

when you are within about 50m of your spot, and if you have an electric motor, use that for the last 10-20m or so. Similarly, I see anglers who are drifting over a spot, return to the start of their drift by motoring directly over the water they are about to start drifting again. A far better option is to swing around in a wide arc and again slow right down as you approach the start of the drift.

From the shore, I’ve seen fellow trout anglers get up before the crack of dawn, drive their vehicle right down to the lakes edge then thump about setting up their rod and chairs inches from the shoreline.

After a while, they then look across and ask each other why my mates and I seem to be catching fish only 20m away while they haven’t got a touch in the first hour of their arrival.

I have also experienced first hand the effect of anglers wading very noisily on the flats either between locations or making their way back to shore to land a fish from the flats. When they get to their desired spot, often next to their disgruntled mate who they have ‘claim jumped’ they then wonder why neither they nor their mate (who was catching fish consistently), can now not

get a bite!

The answer lies in the fact that fish can hear and feel sounds whether they come from above or below the water (including vibrations from the water’s edge). So keep the music down, tread softly and move about in your boat as quietly as possible!

TECHNIQUES Finally, there are a couple of fishing techniques that I see some anglers adopt that can cost them fish.

The first is the ‘set and forget’ technique with rods.

While placing your rod vertically in a holder off the beach can make sense to keep your line above the first breakers and stop it getting washed in, it can also help hook fish that hit the bait hard like tailor and salmon.

However, it is not always the best technique to use for all species yet I see it all the time.

When setting your rod in a holder in an estuary, lake or calm water flats, keep the rod low and parallel to the water, allowing fish like whiting, flathead or freshwater species to take the bait and run and thus not feel the resistance of an upright rod.

Switched on trout anglers also use baitrunner reels or open the bail arm of their reel and lightly bluetac the line to the rod so the fish can pick up the bait and feel little resistance as

they move off with it.

Secondly, sweep from the beach can be an area that frustrates anglers to no end, having their lines washed sideways into other anglers lines or into the shore. In such conditions, anglers should ditch ball sinkers for star or breakaway sinkers to get a better hold. Sometimes even this doesn’t work so it is then best to move along the gutter or channel until you find a rip, where the sweep is dragging water out to sea. From here you want to fish the side opposite to where the sweep is running out to sea. You will find this area much easier to fish with much less sweep.

SUMMING UP So there you go! Fishing is a fantastic pastime and can be very rewarding and relaxing.

But it can also be frustrating if you keep losing, or not catching fish and not understand why.

I hope these tips and tricks help you catch more fish and learn from your mistakes. I hope it also encourages you to keep learning more from time on the water, with guides or reading magazines and books.

For more tips, reports and giveaways, check out my Facebook page, w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / ontourfishingaustralia. Until next month, bag your mates – not your limit!

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Lowrance gearing up to celebrate 60th Anniversary Lowrance, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957 — is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. Over six decades this brand has built a reputation for product innovation, and has supported professional anglers around the globe and dominated the tournament trail.

Founded by Darrell J. Lowrance, the company revolutionized the fishing industry with the design and manufacture of the original FISH LO-K-TOR – the first transistorized sonar product to display individual fish and show their depths. The FISH LO-K-TOR is one of the most popular fishfinders ever created, with over a million sold from 1959 to 1984.

Over its long history, Lowrance continued to break new ground in marine electronics and is credited with introducing the first sonar unit to include a micro-processor; patenting a low-profile Skimmer transducer capable of high performance at boat speeds up to 70 mph; introducing the world’s first handheld GPS for under $500; developing the world’s first LCD product with integrated GPS, mapping and sonar capabilities; and patenting a sonar system with an interactive display.

Today, Lowrance continues to push the envelope. Recent innovations include the award-winning StructureScan 3D, SideScan and DownScan Imaging, independent dual channel CHIRP sonar, StructureMap, Broadband Radar and SiriusXM Weather Chart Overlay.

The company’s current line of multifunction displays and fishfinders range from the affordable and reliable Hook series, to the standalone Elite-Ti series to the full-feature HDS series.

Coming a long way from the days of the FISH LO-K-TOR, the company’s latest release,

the revolutionary HDS Carbon series, adds a highperformance dual core processor, multi-touch SolarMAX HD screen, dual channel CHIRP and Network Dual Sounder to the proven features that have made HDS multifunction displays the choice of anglers at all levels around the world.

The first and longestrunning sponsor (47 years) of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), Lowrance anglers have won the last five Bassmaster Classics, and more competitors fishing the B.A.S.S. tournament trail continue to use Lowrance than any other brand.

Lowrance is also the official electronics sponsor of Major League Fishing (MLF) and FLW Outdoors.

“We are so proud of every moment, every new development and the millions of Lowrance

customers who have become life-long friends along our 60-year journey,” said Leif Ottosson, CEO, Navico.

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MAY 2017

53

Offshore options hot up RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

How fast is this year going?

We’re already entering our prime autumn-winter fishing season.

Offshore we’ve had

great fishing again with our first autumn run of pearl perch. Anglers have bagged out on these great table fish early in the day. Both soft plastics and pilchards have been successful.

Snapper made a good appearance, particularly in

close with nice fish around the 3-4kg mark with the odd bigger one thrown in.

Scarlet perch have also been in good numbers in close and light line has been a must to trick these guys in daylight hours.

On certain days we are

Pearl perch and nannygai have been on the bite lately.

Carl caught a great cobia on a recent trip.

still picking up mackerel.

Unfortunately this will slowly drop off as the water cools down.

On the beach, a few chopper tailor are being caught around the Oaks at Inskip Point and I’ve had reports of mulloway being caught in the same area on

live bait (chopper tailor).

The Great Sandy Straits still have plenty of tuna action around the inside of the Wide Bay Bar. The sea birds show you where they are and you can just start flicking silver slugs for hook-up after hook-up.

May is one of those

prime fishing months. Pearl perch and snapper become more active and it’s also the best month for coral trout.

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

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MAY 2017

Scott Bradley marlin81@bigpond.com

Cyclone Debbie caused havoc in QLD and NSW. Luckily for the Fraser Coast, we missed the worst of it. What Debbie did bring us was some much needed relief from the hottest, driest summer I’ve ever experienced.

Since the rain, things have gone back to the lush, green coastal town we are used to. The bay seems alive again after all the creeks and rivers had a good flush out.

In the bay expect local reefs to fire up after the rain. As we head into the cooler weather, look for cod, blackall, coral bream, tuskies and squire. Places like the Arty, Moon Ledge, Bagimba and McKenzies are worth a try using squid, prawns, herring and live baits. Micro-jigs and plastics work great on our shallow reefs, especially after an influx of rain.

Patterns that replicate local baitfish, squid and prawns are all worth a go. I usually fish baits and plastics together to cover all options. Sharks are a constant problem in Hervey Bay, but they go into overdrive after a decent downpour. Throw some dirty old catfish into the mix – we can expect plenty of rubbish fish to be around for a while.

On the flats flathead, bream, cod and grunter will

Some big barra live in the local lakes and ponds around Hervey Bay. be prime targets on plastics and small hardbodies with all the nutrients and baitfish around. There have also been threadfin and barra working the flats in the sandy straits and adjacent to our rivers and creeks.

I spooked a threadfin the other day that was well over a metre and it sure gets the blood pumping when you see a fish like that in knee deep water!

Taking stock, the local lakes and ponds littered amongst housing developments are home to many freshwater and brackish species.

Unfortunately we lost many fish during the drought and the first influx of water due to degraded water quality. We lost some big fish too with barra up to 1.2m found floating, which was heartbreaking for

local residents.

Having lived there for years unaware of the healthy fisheries on their back door step, it shocked many people to see what actually lived in these waterways. Locals in the know have enjoyed catch and release fishing for metre plus fish right in their backyard and are working with the council to replace what was lost.

Waiting for water clarity after significant flush HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

Ex-tropical cyclone Debbie has definitely stirred up the waters on the Fraser coast, with minor flooding in all localised creeks and moderate flooding in the main Mary River system.

Similar reports came from the Burrum system as Lenthalls Dam was reportedly going over by 1m. This may see significant numbers of freshwater barra being flushed out into the salt and replenishing stocks.

For some this can be seen as a blessing and others a curse. Due to the hard work of the fish stocking association, Lake Lenthalls has recently bounced back and anglers have been reliving the fishery’s glory days (like back before the dam wall was raised). Anglers described the surface bite as the best they have seen in a decade. Only time and receding water levels will give us an indication as to how many bass and barra were lost in the floodwaters.

As mentioned above, all our main river systems have received sufficient water flow to give them a long anticipated flush or clean out.

This will push large quantities

The author with a school size longtail tuna, which was fooled by a small baitfish imitation fly. bright or noisy. If you want to cast and retrieve hardbodies, you can, but soft vibes are another very effective option.

Other areas to focus on are going to be the less affected creeks on the western side of Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Straits. These substantially smaller creek systems are less affected by floodwaters. A good flush

temperatures exceeding 30°C in the shallows.

After recent rains and this major influx of freshwater coinciding with some strong southeasterly winds, water temperatures should drop quite dramatically. This will hopefully see those bigger schools of summer whiting schooling back on the beach front. The main areas to

targeting. They will have been flushed out of the upper reaches of the river and creek systems, making river mouths and adjacent flats likely areas to target them.

Soft plastics are a very effective technique when targeting bream and a proven performer. Another great option if waters are exceptionally dirty is a smaller 1/6 or 1/4oz TT Switchblade.

Lures that emit large amounts of vibration through the water will aid in species detecting the lure. Don’t be surprised if you pick up flathead or even a grunter as by-catch.

We have enjoyed a remarkable fishery inshore this year with incredible numbers of coral trout, coral bream and cod being caught.

This will start to slow down as water temperatures drop and we will see many of these species moving back out onto the deeper reefs and wrecks.

There have been good reports of early season snapper making their way onto our

inshore reefs and ledges.

Don’t be put off by the dirty water. Snapper will often feed into the fringes of the dirty water lines as these are great bait congregation points. The best practice for targeting snapper will be the usual dawn and dusk bites preferably coinciding with a tide change.

Snapper respond well to artificial lures in the form of soft vibes and plastics. If the fish are scarce, trolling with deeper 20m+ diving hardbodies will be very effective and allow you to cover more ground. Hot lures in the past have been the Classic Dr Evil in purple mullet or the Zerek Ripper Diver 130mm in colour 10.

Don’t be fooled by the dirty water. You can still expect to find both mac tuna and longtail tuna in and around the inshore islands and the main shipping channels, as they feed on the large quantities of bait in and around the dirty water lines.

If the weather permits and you can run up to the island from around Coongul Creek north to Platypus Bay, there have still been massive schools of mac and longtail tuna with the odd big spotties turning up.

With limited conditions for boaties, there have been very few reports from the offshore reef systems and out over the other side of the Breaksea Spit. In saying that, if you do manage to score a break in the weather, these areas are going to be worth the run as this time of year is when the deeper reefs begin to fire up.

For the first time in many years the famous Hervey Bay flats fishery has come back to life with catches such as the renowned golden trevally, queenies, giant herring and GTs being landed. Prior to the rain catches were frequent on both fly and lure. We are yet to see how they react to the influx of fresh water and if the

floodwaters reach the flats.

For crabbers, the long awaited rains will see the crabs up and on the move. The main river and creek systems will be out of action for a short period.

Your best efforts should be focused down around the lower reaches of the systems, river mouths and adjacent flats. Smaller less affected creek systems like those on the western side of Fraser will be worth a look.

Don’t go anywhere without a cast net for the next few months, if you’re fishing any of the local rivers or creeks, as prawns will be on the move. Searching for the right water quality will see the greatest results. Target areas like the lower reaches of our rivers and creek systems or down the straits. Most of the prawns would have been pushed out.

Smaller prawns will be found around the drain mouths, flats and associated areas. They grow relatively quickly and with ample food for them now it will only be a matter of weeks before they reach a good size. As water quality improves expect to see a burst down the straits and the lower reaches of the Mary River system.

As we move into another season and the water quality begins to improve we will see some very exciting fishing here on the Fraser Coast, with good catches of snapper, grunter and bream.

If weather permits then the wider reefs are going to fire for a host of different species, so buckle in.

• This report was compiled by the team at Fishermans Corner in Hervey Bay. For more information on what’s biting, and where and how to catch them on the fantastic Fraser Coast, drop in and see the crew at Fishermans Corner 59 Torquay Rd, Hervey Bay or give them a call on (07) 4128 1022.

Snapper are suckers for a well-presented soft plastic. The author caught this school size fish on a ZMan 5” PaddlerZ in coconut ice. of bait in the form of herring, mullet and prawns out too sea, which should see them congregating around the river mouths where there is a greater salinity level.

In turn, predatory fish like barra, threadfin salmon and grunter will push down stream, often assembling in large numbers as they gorge themselves on the masses of tightly congregated bait.

Focus points to target are going to be the many rock bars and outcrops, newly established structures in the form of tree lay downs, the vast flats and adjacent areas.

Tactics of choice for the avid lure angler will be to go

will see the bait on the move and predatory fish actively feeding. Grunter will be a particularly keen target species in and around these areas as they scavenger feed.

Deeper ledge country like Ungowa, which runs parallel down the western side of Fraser will be great options to flick a lure or soak a live bait. Areas like these will be holding large quantities of bait. Expect to tangle with species such as mulloway, barra, grunter, mangrove jack and cod.

Local beaches have seen more summer whiting this season than previous years with water

focus on will be around the first channel of the Urangan Pier and the two rock groins where the storm water outlet runs out.

Localised flooding would have seen these outlets flowing relatively hard and all forms of nutrient rich foods such as worms, crickets, shrimp and small baitfish would have been washed out. Species like the summer whiting will take full advantage of this and school out in front of the pipes waiting for an easy feed around the top of the tide.

Scavenger feeders like the yellowfin bream will be on the cards and worth

Corey Abood’s PB bar-cheek trout weighing in at 7kg, which he caught on a recent trip with the author fishing the wider reefs off Hervey Bay. MAY 2017

55

Good times for shallow reefs in Hervey Bay FRASER COAST

Phil James p_j_james@bigpond.com

It’s easy to remember when we might have comfortably planned our fishing trips by looking at the calendar and checking off the tidal and weather predictions. In Hervey Bay, you might’ve heard it said that you could expect a good catch of diver whiting any time after Anzac Day or expect the bream to be going crazy from the first spring tide in May. Courtesy of climate change, water temperatures are on the rise along our coast.

Things are changing so much that we may be well out in our predictions for this month, or any month for that matter.

Diver whiting have been a strong favourite for local and visiting anglers for generations.

They have consistently shown up during the autumn and winter months over the sandy and sea grass shallows. They come here to feed prior to spawning. I am uncertain as to their whereabouts during the summer months and if they move in from deeper areas. Whatever the case, with inshore water temperatures rising, the spawning time may

not be triggered until later in the year. Not only do we expect the season to make a later start (perhaps some time later in May), but we might expect it to be shorter.

Not good news for the keen diver whiting specialist, and probably not good news for the sustainability of this whiting population. Something for the experts to ponder.

Much of what I have said here might apply to bream. Although common catches occur throughout the year, it is during the winter months that they congregate in their preferred feeding and spawning areas. From my own observations it appears that each year sees a slightly later start to the season, at least in Hervey Bay. Hopefully early June should see plenty of action in the Mary estuary and around the rock ledges of bay islands.

With inshore water temperatures remaining high, the shallow reefs are expected to perform well until the end of this month. As the cooling progresses, the first species to leave should be the grass sweetlip (coral bream), particularly the better quality fish. Blackall will continue to be plentiful and are likely catches right through winter.

There are still plenty of opportunities to score a mixed bag of reef fish across the bay.

Slightly cooler waters will see plenty of small, but legal, snapper move in over the shallows.

Javelin (locally known as grunter or trumpeter) have been reasonably plentiful throughout the Fraser Coast for as long as I can remember.

The Mary and Susan Rivers, Ungowa and German Creek are just a few areas that have often fished well. They have also been plentiful on many of the wide grounds in northern parts of the bay. Catches of javelin have improved generally over the last years but most recently they have also been turning up in numbers on the shallow reefs, particular those fringing Point Vernon.

We are now seeing fish that are more associated with more northern waters, becoming more plentiful in Hervey Bay, and further south.

Apart from javelin, threadfin salmon and golden snapper are now starting to show up in Hervey Bay catches.

We can expect that as water temperatures rise we might see more appearances of tropical species but we can rightly wonder about the cool water species that are important to us in the bay and around Fraser Island. Is there a chance that, although they might still be plentiful, a shift in their range towards the south could be coming about? The last couple of diver whiting

seasons have been dismal but I believe, on good authority, that areas like the Blue Hole in Moreton Bay have been fishing well. There may still be the very odd luderick browsing around the snags of Hervey Bay’s creeks, but the fact is that they have almost completely disappeared.

FRASER ISLAND Over on Fraser Island it has been a bit of a mixed bag as far as driving conditions are concerned. The southern beach south of Dilli Village has not been easy with eroding gutters and creek washouts.

Further north the beach is much more settled but by the time this report reaches you the situation could be vastly different. Some of the coffee rock outcrops like those at Poyungan Rocks and Yidney have lost much of their sand with vehicles needing to use bypass tracks. Further north, those travelling to Sandy Cape have found the Ngkala Rocks bypass being difficult but negotiable by experienced drivers.

The usual beach species including whiting, dart, bream and tarwhine have been keeping anglers busy.

Snub nose dart have attracted some interest lately with fish up to 6kg being taken north of

Eli Creek and near Cathedral Beach resort. This month is still much too early for the famous spawning tailor season. The earliest that I have seen it start is mid June but realistically late July should see the action start.

The odd good tailor can be caught this month but these wouldn’t be expected to be anywhere near spawning condition.

Sand whiting, flathead and bream have been located around the creek mouths and coffee rocks off the western beach. With the Moon Point road now closed, the beach north of Coongul Creek is accessed via the Woralie Track. Fraser’s western beach is a great alternative when strong south easterlies make fishing too difficult on the ocean beach.

Beaches south of Coongul Creek are becoming more difficult to reach from the island’s eastern coast but for Hervey Bay based anglers it is a short 10km run across the bay from the Urangan boat harbour. Of course conditions may not always be favourable but sea permitting, these beaches cannot be beaten for excellent whiting, bream and flathead fishing along with great family outings.

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Cyclone Debbie - a big turn on for big barra LAKE MONDURAN

Rob Howell

As Cyclone Debbie tracked down the coast and over our catchment area, all we could do was sit and wait anxiously in the hope we didn’t get too much rainfall.

Unfortunately, as the rain depression passed through, she off-loaded a massive amount of water into our system, taking our lake level from 83% to 110% over a 24hr period.

The lake flowed over the spillway by about 1m and that was just enough to allow barra of all sizes to make their way downstream and into the

lower Kolan river. Now the question that is on everyone’s mind - how many barra did we lose? Myself, and a few other people, spent a considerable amount of time counting barra as they went over the wall.

By our calculations, give or take a few hundred, we estimate we lost a couple of thousand barra. Given that we restock around 100k barra fingerlings per year, the couple of thousand that we lost is a drop in the ocean compared to the numbers that remain in the lake.

FEEDING BARRA The inflow of water from the recent rain event has pushed a large number of barra down into the main basin Glen Boyes from Bunderberg with his first 1m+ barra coming in at 110cm.

Brendan landed this 102cm barra on a Slick Rig lorikeet soft plastic.

area. This is where most of the action has been over the last month with barra of all sizes and plenty of 1-1.1m specimens boated through a combination of trolling and casting this deeper water.

In these large, deeper bodies of water the barra will feed around the thermocline where huge numbers of baitfish are schooled up. This is where the cooler water at the bottom of the lake meets the warmer water at the top and it’s normally situated 3-4m below the surface.

WINTER BITE The grassy banks that had been covered in the water-rise have now been through their rotting process and are getting back to normal. Through the forthcoming cooler month’s we can get back to fishing the shallow points and bays where we will find barra schooled up as usual. It’s not uncommon through winter to have southwesterly winds most mornings. These winds are cold and blustery but don’t deter our barra from biting so be sure to rug up on these

early morning missions. The points, bays and islands off to the side of the main river arm from ‘J’ through to Two Mile Creek and the point opposite White Rock are just a couple of the areas that produce bites through the winter period.

Lake Monduran has, over the course of history, been

subject to many sayings and comments due to tough fishing.

One well known saying is “The Lake of a Thousand Casts”. One reason this has come about is that anglers will find areas that look like prime barra habitat and cast without knowing if there are barra there or not, which obviously increases your cast rate.

It is essential to find where the barra are before you throw a lure and this can be achieved through the use of side imaging technology. By using these sounders you will automatically eliminate any down time by not fishing until you see barra on the screen. By sticking to this method your catch rates will go up and the amount of casting between hooking barra will go down.

• Please contact Lake Monduran Holiday Park for any furthers enquiries into houseboats, accommodation and camping options, call us on 1800 228 754 or email info@lakem.com.au.

For fishing info and charters you can contact me through my FB page Lake Monduran Guidelines Fishing Charters.

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

Fresh hope following the floods BUNDABERG

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

Bundaberg dodged a bullet when ex tropical Cyclone Debbie passed over. It dropped a lot of rain in places where we really needed it. The cyclone then moved very quickly down the coast, which spared us the flooding that unfortunately followed.

Most of our rivers and creeks broke their banks and had a very good flush out, which bodes well for the rest of the year’s fishing, at least.

The Baffle will run fresh pretty much to the mouth for a while, but will really fire up in spring thanks to the rain. This month it will be still worth a look around the mouth with mangrove jack and barramundi probably getting to the end of their season as the water temperature drops.

Whiting, bream and grunter will be on the move as there were a few smaller prawns around before the big wet. Keep an eye out around the weed beds in the north channel at the mouth and the deep hole in the junction of the north and middle channel.

This is a great spot when there

are prawns around.

The Burnett River had a decent flood with a lot of water coming down from inland. The town reach end of the river will probably stay dirty for most of May and clean up as the water temperature drops. The mouth of the river has fished reasonably well since the flood with salmon, barramundi, mangrove jack and a few big grunter being caught.

During May I would be hitting the deeper holes in the river. Again, keep your eye out for prawns or bait. That will be where you’ll find the fish hunting them. Once the water cleans up in May there

will be plenty of tuna to chase and a few mackerel around.

Get in early before they move offshore. Speaking of offshore, our little reefs and wrecks have turned it on lately with some nice coral trout and even a few nice snapper showing up.

The Kolan River is not a spot I fish a lot, however, a lot of barramundi were washed over the barrage when the flood came through, so it will definitely be on my list of places to fish over May. The mouth fishes pretty well for bream, whiting and flathead.

As it’s just had an influx of barramundi and all the other fish that where stuck there like

There will be good snapper about in May. Fresh baits are the best.

garfish and mullet, the eco system should fire up.

Of course the professional netters have already been in the river netting these fat freshwater barramundi, which will taste awful until they have spent a few weeks with salt flushing through them. I don’t usually begrudge someone working for a living, but what these guys are doing is just taking advantage of a weather event and being greedy.

The price for barramundi is around $20/kg for wild caught fish. When these fish hit the market they won’t be worth a quarter of that, as the quality will be way below par. I know they have taken tonnes of fish out of our rivers locally since the floods, which only makes money for the netter, wholesaler and the retail outlet.

If we had a fishery that offered net free zones and world-class barramundi fishing, we would have anglers travelling from all parts of the country and the world. They would need fuel, food, accommodation, tackle, boat hire and much more.

Anglers will move to areas just because the fishing is amazing, bringing population growth and labour skills. We need to look at the big picture.

Rant over, have a great May.

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If it’s flooded – fish it!

ROCKHAMPTON

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

The rain and run-off from cyclone Debbie made for some great fishing if you knew where to look. The cyclone hit at the end of March and dropped a heap of water around the region and flooded the Fitzroy to 8.9m. Fishing the estuaries has been the key choice of late with lots of crabs, good schools of grunter, salmon and barra around.

have been more common down the Port, Narrows and Thomsons Point areas. As flood waters rose and the river became unfishable, many of the local creeks and lagoons started to get the big fish move in to escape the floodwaters. Moores Creek was a good example with the little concrete crossing in the gardens having water up to it and fishing very well both in the early morning and late afternoon. Another great example is the Woolwash Lagoon, as water levels came up it fished really well and

pause were all it took to do the trick.

RIVERS, CREEKS AND THE BEACHES Local systems that do not connect to the Fitzroy have fished very well with the rain run off. Coorooman Creek is a great example of this. There have been great numbers of crabs, barra, salmon, grunter and flathead pulled from this system. Live bait has been the popular option with anglers trying to find schools of herrings, small mullet and prawns.

Live bait has worked very

Geordie hooked up to a big fish at Scabbas Reef.

The islands will be dirty for a while yet and the Fitzroy will take a while to clean up in the town reaches.

FITZROY AND THE NARROWS The river was doing well before the flooding hit with barra being pulled in the 70s constantly. Many anglers have smashed the metre mark, with a few reports of 130cm+ fish. A lot of the fish have been pulled in the city reaches all the way down to the Devils Elbow, but the bigger ones

will continue to do so as water levels drop again.

On the lure side of things, there have been many barra taken on natural vibrant colours such as silvers, golds and bright metallic greens.

Diving depths that have been working are anything between 2-5ft. Surface lures have been a great addition to the tackle box in the morning and I found that tarpon, perch and barra had no issue taking a 50-70mm surface lure at this time of day. A couple of pops or twitches and a long

well when lightly weighted in the drains and gutters in any of the systems. Larger weights will help you sink the bait down into any holes or pressure points along the bottom that you scan up with the sounder.

For those who prefer to work with lures, casting into the drains and gutters, big ZMan lures, Lucky Craft Pointers and the PowerBait range has worked surprisingly well. Little 3” minnows in watermelon hasve proved very good for

Exploring small saltwater creeks pays off when you get these beauties. grunter and bream.

FRESHWATER LAGOONS The recent rains and flooding have been fantastic for the freshwater lagoons and creeks like the Woolwash, Frogmore and Headlow areas, however the most common areas such as the bridges have been heavily fished and are not holding as much fish there as normal after rain. Taking a walk along the water’s edge and having a crack at the lilies and fallen trees is doing the trick, particularly with small plastics and hardbodies. In this case, we found the SX40, Pointer 48 and 3” GrubZ were finding the most success as they closely matched the smaller bait hanging about in these areas.

The fish have been very open to taking poppers this year, this is likely due to the increase in moths and other insects around the area.

Frog lures have been fishing pretty well and are great for fishing heavy cover like the pads and any flooded grass.

Some viable options include the Lucky Craft G-Splash, R2S Bubble Pop and Kato Karnage micro poppers.

CRABBING Crabbing is good at the moment with many people catching a heap of bucks at the Corio Bay and Coorooman, and many reports of people getting at least six crabs a trip per person on the boat. Whole mullet seem to be working

the best at the moment for bait, but any large dead bait will do the trick. The crabs are predicted to be this way for at least the next month and if the little patches of rain continue and the trickles of fresh keep coming into the systems, this trend for crabs will continue for a while yet.

Geordie landed this awesome queenfish at Scabbas Reef on his bream gear!

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MAY 2017

A bustling barra bonanza GLADSTONE

Liam Jones

The rain came down hard enough to send the mighty Awoonga Dam over the spillway and, along with it, all the barra that the hatchery workers have worked so hard to get back in there over the past few years.

It’s a shame to see such hard work and effort literally go down the drain.

The dam was just starting to get back to its former glory days and now it’s back to square one again. All those involved should keep their head up, as they’re doing a great job!

With that we can only

The Jackall Squirrel got the job done on this Pikes Crossing barra. caught recently compared to previous times when the dam went over. There are still plenty of big

a small tinny or canoe and the main highway bridge at Benaraby.

Recently there were plenty of fish in the town reaches and the mouth of Boyne River that were not actively feeding or settled just yet. Expect these to fish to well and truly fire up.

The standout lures so far have been Jackall Squirrels when working the slightly deeper holes, Castaic Jerky J Shad in both 5 and 7” and Happy Rock Softies in the 6”.

As the fish move further down the river and settle

and some big blue salmon have all been reported from these creeks. There seems to be a good number of big blue salmon getting around for this early in the year.

Touch wood it leads into a cracker winter.

The crabs have been on the run after the fresh flow. The deeper creeks have been crabbing well when the tide allows you to set your pots in the deeper holes and the run isn’t too bad. A lot of pots have gone missing over the years from setting pots in hard running areas and I’m sure that 90% of the time another amateur or pro that works the area has got the blame for stealing, when in reality it has rolled out the mouth of the creek with the run.

Offshore has been a bit hard to report on lately, as we have had a constant blow since well before cyclone Debbie hit the east coast of Queensland. Most of the charter boats have still been working the Swains Reef and have been absolutely smashing it. The coral trout are thicker then they have been in years.

Bag outs in a few days have been common. Once

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Jackson Boric with a solid red-throat taken on a recent Swains Reef trip. make the most of the current situation. With so many fish going over the causeway there have been some exciting catches and the opportunity for many to catch that fish of a lifetime they previously would not have had the chance to do.

Once the river finally settled and the fish along with it, reports of red hot sessions with catches of 10-15 fish. A lot of smaller fish seem to be getting

fish getting around with 120cm+ fish being caught all over the place.

If you can find a spot on the Pikes Crossing causeway, that’s one of your best land-based options. Try going later in the night or before sun up in the morning to get away from the crowds.

The other places that have been fishing well are the Benaraby train bridge, Manns Weir for those with

Chis Hill with a rat barra taken on a 6” Happy Rock Softie.

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Keith Bilston with a cracking 125cm barra taken on a 5” Happy Rock Softie. throughout the salt reaches expect vibes like Jackall Transams and Doozers to do well, as well as deeper running hardbodies such as Yakamito Sirens, Barra Classics and Lethal Lures 6m Barra Slayer Elite. The fish should be holding over the deeper rock bars, so you need the right lure to get yourself into the strike zone.

Elsewhere the fishing has been tough at times with the amount of fresh in just about every system.

The better catches seem to be coming from the ocean front creeks such as Kepple Creek, Yellow Patch and Sandfly Creek on the front side of Humockhill Island.

Flathead, mangrove jack

again, anglers that have been trying something a little different to the normal charter boat fishers have been coming up with the goods. Stickbaiting, jigging and working plastics over the reef have accounted for the bigger trout and eliminate a lot of the pesky by-catches.

• For more information on what’s biting, or to stock up with all the tackle and bait you need, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler Gladstone at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. You can also check out the latest news, photos and specials at Facebook Compleat Angler Gladstone.

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59

Local flooding means good things for Mackay MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

Late season Cyclone Debbie certainly gave our local communities quite a touch up with massive damage being done in and around the Whitsundays and to a lesser degree around Mackay district. The rain from the system was a good boost to our local fisheries.

There was plenty of local flooding plus an impressive flood event in the Pioneer River that runs directly through Mackay. Fortunately

for the first time in nearly 30 years. Although the last major rain event in the region was pretty spectacular, it was long before MAFSA started to stock the dam with barra so most of the fish that went over the wall were catfish and smaller baitfish species.

This time there was a heap of barra up to 1m that went over and were trapped in the pool at the bottom of the spillway. MAFSA went via the official channels to get a recovery action going but this got bogged down in bureaucratic red tape.

Some enterprising young local anglers took action and

over but not by as greater margins and without fish loss.

This means we now have full impoundments and plenty of fish. MAFSA have been topping up stocks across our impoundments over summer and this season fish 250mm+ were stocked. There are plenty of barra in the impoundments for locals and visitors.

Visitors wanting a head start should get into the local tackle outlets and talk to the guys there as they have fingers on the pulse.

The flooding of the Pioneer catchment will hopefully mean more tag returns from the 1000 barra Tackleworld’s Clinton Hassan is always keen to try new methods and nailed this lovely nannygai while jigging soft plastics for coral trout. Top effort and a top eating fish.

Sandy Creek is a favourite spot for barra. Andrew Cocup set out a live mullet and was rewarded with this 105cm salty barra. there was no major flooding in the city. We saw up to 800mm of rainfall over a couple of days – this was some serious rain.

This has given every creek and river system a second huge flushing for the year which means more bait, crabs and fish will be available for local and visiting anglers.

DAMS EXCEEDED CAPACITY One consequence of the heavy rain was the overfilling of our dams, with Kinchant Dam going over the spillway

got into the pool with large landing nets and cradles and managed to save almost all the barra that were trapped. Great initiative was shown with great results. Footage of the rescue effort can be seen on Facebook and Youtube. Every angler who fishes Kinchant owes these young guys big time, as every barra in the dam is a valuable asset for Mackay. The dam is probably THE place to catch huge barra and attracts plenty of anglers to our area.

Our other dams also went

released by MAFSA 18 months ago into the upper weirs of the Pioneer. It will be interesting to monitor the movements of these fish and the fish released into the Gooseponds in North Mackay. These returns will highlight the importance of the river for the barra stocks in the region.

SALTWATER SYSTEMS The floods have not only had an effect on the freshwater areas but have also flushed out all the saltwater creeks and estuaries and this

has muddies on the move.

Pre-cyclone they were around in good numbers and they will continue to feature in anglers catches over the next month or so. As the weather gets colder (or what we call cold which is pretty mild) crabs will be harder to get.

Prawns thrive after a flush of freshwater and already there are signs of juvenile prawns in the creeks. These are the ‘jelly prawns’ and they are an important element of the food chain. All predatory fish from humble whiting and bream to the mighty barra just love to slurp up these tasty little morsels. Of major interest to clued-in local anglers is the fact that king threadfin thrive on these little beauties - sometimes to the point they become so fixated on them they refuse any other offerings.

My contacts tell me that the NFZ has had a positive effect on the numbers of both king threadfin and their smaller cousins blue salmon.

I am looking forward to those balmy calm winter days

and a session or two on the ‘blues’ as they are great fun on light gear and if bled and iced down they make quite acceptable table fare. They are a great fish to either hot or cold smoke, too.

Coming into the cooler time of the year, bream will be a feature of many anglers catches along with whiting and flathead. There are still numbers of grunter around, but generally they are more likely after winter and in the spring/summer seasons. Again visitors should check with the tackle shops to get the latest info.

May usually sees the start of the snapper migration into our waters, although all the rain and run-off may mean they will arrive a little later this year. The word soon gets around once the snapper are in our waters and anglers offshore from Sarina and Points South are usually the first to get among them. Fortunately snapper can be caught close inshore and within reach of a 4m tinny on a good day.

Again, check with the local

tackle shops for the good oil on the arrival of snapper. Close in haunts around Hay Point and islands just off Mackay will all start to hold numbers of these quality sporting and eating fish.

Along the beaches we can expect a run of golden trevally and dart during May and those beaut calm days are great to walk our beautiful beaches with a rod in hand. Beach fishing is not overly popular here as many locals own small boats, so they tend to be a bit ignored, which is a shame.

On the plus side there is none of the overcrowding we see happen further south and there is a good variety of fish caught on the beaches.

With the cooler weather, we can also expect to see some black jewfish being caught around the full moon at the harbour, Hay Point and around Newry Island in the NFZ. Generally jewies are chased with big baits at night time around the full moon, but anglers often pick them up during the day when chasing other species.

Stanage Bay stayed safe through the cyclone STANAGE BAY

Von Ireland

With the brunt of cyclone Debbie flying across QLD, our little township was safe when the direction spun to northwest instead of southeast. Pacific Villa had a few minor things rearranged but I haven’t heard of anyone badly affected in Stanage.

Apart from nature doing its pruning with the trees and beaches being eroded, all is good.

If the BOM could find the GPS mark for Stanage Bay on the point, our weather might be more accurate. Then all the boaties would be safer from these extreme tides 60

MAY 2017

and weather events. We need our boaties in the know, so to speak.

The road was cut on most creek crossings, which were brimming with water, which didn’t stay for long… leaving the township stranded on and off. Stanage Bay township was that of a ghost town, an unfortunate consequence formed each cyclone season.

If travelling to Stanage, be careful. Deep little washout drains run across the road and huge potholes can be hidden in unexpected places in the shadows, if you travel in the afternoon. The usual defence to you and your vehicle is to drive to prevailing conditions – slow down and keep to your side of the road. The award-winning cattle have right of way.

A big ‘oops-a-daisy’ goes to the boys who got themselves bogged in sand on Wadallah Creek on the Stanage Bay Road in the build up of sand. Thankyou to Shane from Dolby, who helped the lads with his tractor.

The muddies have finally decided it’s time to show their monster claws.

Most crabbers I know have been happy with their catches. It’s only natural the best pots, good fresh bait and flat sets help. With the wind around cyclone Debbie’s visit, only small catches of reef fish have been reported. Jimmy and Jess had a good time on the grassy sweetlip and a couple of red emperor close to the boat ramp.

In defence of the small catch report, only a few boats have gone offshore lately. With the wind now predominantly coming from the west, expect the snapper and Spanish macs to come on the bite, especially off the Jeffries, Sail, South Sail and Townsend.

Until next month, let’s be kind and respectful to each other. If someone needs a hand, offer one. A kind smile is free.

• Don’t miss out on the amazing fishing and crabbing at Stanage Bay! Call us at Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation on (07) 4937 3145, check out www.stanagebay.com, email stanagebaymarine@ bigpond.com or look us up on Facebook.

Red emperor have been caught near the boat ramp recently.

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Tech Tricks

Designing a better float for catching luderick BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With the cooler weather upon us, it shouldn’t be long before the luderick turn up. With last year being one of the best seasons for many years, anglers will be keen to get out the long rods, centre pin reels and floats in their quest for a luderick bounty.

While luderick can be caught on almost any tackle at times, they are often extremely finicky.

Finesse rigging and extreme concentration are sometimes the only way to get a solid hook-up. Floats can be extremely important for consistent results. There are a few good commercially made ones on the market, but high quality floats are hard to come by. That’s why I make my own.

One attribute that many

mass production floats lack is straight sides. The luderick needs to pull the near-neutral buoyancy float down as it takes the bait, so having straight sides will mean that the resistance remains equal as the float descends, which is less likely to spook the luderick.

Additionally, these floats tend to drift at a more equal rate to the speed of the current, which will also promote takes. For my floats I like to use carbon stems as

these are extremely tough.

Floats can also be made using bamboo satay sticks for stems, but I find these tend to bend slightly, which often results in the floats spinning around in the current and can end in tangles.

Additionally these stems are prone to snapping if you hit a rock when striking. In the past I have even used the end of a light graphite spin or fly rod (with the guides removed) for my stems. The 3mm carbon

rods ($5.50/m at Budget Hobbies Capalaba 07 3823 3033) are the best option.

For the main body of the float I use balsa wood as it is easy to work with. A metre of this will cost you around $12 at Bunnings, or a craft or hobby shop. Pine is half the price but will require a lot more effort with sanding. You will also need to get an extralong 3mm drill bit to drill through your float body.

You could try drilling

from both ends with a standard bit and hope the holes meet in the middle.

You may think that all this makes for an expensive float compared to what you can buy one for in the shops.

However, these handmade floats are far superior to anything commercially made that I have found yet. They will last you a long time, whereas cheaper floats tend to break readily and some even tend to get waterlogged.

1

You will need a drill, an extra-long 3mm bit, a long-nose pair of pliers, some 140lb piano (hi-tensile) wire, a small nail, 40cm of 3mm carbon rod, 10cm of a round 19mm balsa dowel, some thread, epoxy or super glue, a hacksaw, light and medium grade sandpaper, some 3.5mm and 5.0mm heat shrink, black paint, red paint, a small paint brush and around a size 2 ball sinker.

4

Using a pair of pliers or multigrips to hold your sinker, drill through it with the 3mm bit. Do this in several tries, removing the bit several times to clean it as you drill through. I have used a no.

2 ball sinker here, but you may want to test the floatation to determine your desired size. You will still be adding split-shot to the leader to fine-tune your float’s buoyancy and to pull the line down to the desired depth marked with your float stopper.

6

About 12-13mm out from the front of the loop, bend the two tag ends at right angles.

The eyelets must be wider than the edge of the float body when they are affixed to the stem so that the line does not hit the body

2

Cut a 40mm length of carbon rod with the hacksaw and use some sandpaper to round off the ends. Also cut a 10cm length of the 19mm balsa dowel. Mark in 13cm from one of the carbon rods and then down another 10cm (the length of the balsa). I use liquid paper, as it wipes off easily. Between these two marks is where the float body will sit.

7

3

Drilling directly through the centre of the balsa is probably the hardest part. The balsa is soft, but you should remove the drill bit several times as you drill through to avoid it binding. If you only have a short bit, try drilling in from each end until the holes meet.

62

MAY 2017

5

Use a nail to wrap the 140lb piano wire around twice as shown. You only want this loop fairly small to avoid the swivel or your float stopper passing through.

You will need two of these eyelets and they should look roughly like this when completed. The distance between the two legs should be about 3mm as this is the diameter of the carbon rod that they will be affixed to. Set up your float stem as shown with some 5mm heat shrink (a little longer than the legs of your eyelets) on the shaft. The sinker and float body are still freely sliding on the shaft at this stage.

Tech Tricks

8

Use some black thread (I used flat waxed nylon fly tying thread) to affix the legs of the eyelets. One will go on the bottom of the shaft on the longer end (17cm in this instance) and the other just above where the float body will be positioned.

10

Put the top of the stem firmly into the chuck of your drill. Begin the drill rotating and use your coarser sandpaper (50 grit) to begin rounding off both ends of the body. Do not push down hard enough with the sandpaper to flex the carbon stem or it may snap.

12

9

Once both are bound on, coat with a little head cement (a fly tying product) or even some super glue and then constrict the heat shrink using a heat gun or wafting passes of a naked flame. Put a little super glue on the shaft directly above the lower eyelet and affix the sinker in place. Also put some on the shaft where it is marked for the balsa body to sit and push it in place in one quick movement. Ensure both are stuck firmly before proceeding.

11

Once shaped, use the finer sandpaper (120 grit) to finish off the taper and smooth the rest of the body. (With more flexible stems it is not possible to sand the body in this manner and you will have to shape and sand the body before affixing it to the shaft).

How you paint and finish your float is your choice. The main body (which will be mostly underwater) can be matte black or another dull colour to avoid spooking any fish.

A bright red or yellow cap at the top will aid with visibility from above. A coat of varnish will increase durability on the body. Colour on the top stem will be the most visible part for the angler. This needs to be watched carefully to detect when a luderick eats the weed, so bright or contrasting colours are desirable. Your float is now completed and ready to be put to service.

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63

Time to relax and catch AYR

Steve Farmer

After what seems like one of the hottest summers in most peoples’ memories Burdekin anglers will be revelling in what is usually near-perfect May weather.

Cooler temperatures and clear blue skies should be the order of the day and there is bound to be fishing to match.

May usually brings with it the bluewater and estuarine winter species. That’s whiting, flathead and bream for creek fishers, while bluewater anglers are likely to be mixing with queenfish, trevally, tuna and mackerel in inshore waters.

The main pelagic action in Burdekin waters over the next few months will be the Spanish mackerel migration through Camp Island, Cape Upstart and Alva Shoals waters. Drifted pilchards and trolled and cast lures are fairly reliable ways of targeting these speedsters.

Whiting are often a popular target species during a tropical winter and there’s no doubt the best bait for these tasty little fish is freshly pumped yabbies. A

light line, a long shank hook and a minimum of lead will get you the best results. If bites are scarce, get your bait moving by casting and slowly retrieving it.

BEEFY BEATS HIS BAD LUCK STREAK Paul ‘Beefy’ Armstrong was getting desperate. He bought a new tinny (a 424 Anglapro fitted with a 60hp Yamaha – one lean, mean fishing machine), but he couldn’t christen his new pride and joy. He had as many as five trips and he still hadn’t caught a fish from his new rig.

What’s a bloke supposed

to do? Well, call his Mum, of course.

Sue, his mum, did what mums always do. She rounded up Beefy’s brother Steven and his wife Kendall and they all jumped on a plane and winged their way from Adelaide in SA to the wilds of North Queensland to see what Beefy was doing wrong.

There’s no doubt that Beefy quickly got his act together when his family arrived for a two week holiday, which was to include some Burdekin fishing action. In fact, Beefy opened proceedings on the

Kendall Armstrong travelled from Adelaide for this Burdekin barra.

Paul ‘Beefy’ Armstrong caught this barra at Phillips Camp. first trip by breaking the jinx on his new boat with a whopping 52cm mangrove jack. After that Beefy and his family were on a roll.

During their fortnightlong holiday they fished Phillips Camp on five separate occasions and always kept gentlemen’s hours. On two trips they fished for just three hours in the late afternoon and on the other three they put in a big effort and went from 10.00am-5.00pm.

Despite their relaxed approach, Beefy said they scored a mixed bag of quality mangrove jack, barramundi, golden snapper,

cod, bream and queenfish.

On that first trip they really broke the curse on the new boat with a total catch of four mangrove jack.

The next trip was one of their shorter sessions, but they still came home with two jacks and a cod.

The next day they clocked up five jacks, a queenfish and an 85cm barra between the four of them. Beefy said his brother was really keen to land a barra and when the queenie jumped he called it for a barramundi. Needless to say Steven was devastated when his ‘barra’ turned into a queenfish.

He felt even worse on

the next trip when Kendall managed to land a barra and Beefy scored a 65cm golden snapper. On that trip they also landed seven jacks, another barra and a bream.

By the last day of their trip everyone had caught a barra except Steven. He had lost one beside the boat, so when he hooked up again on the very last day, no one said a word for the whole fight, hoping he would land it. Only when the barra was finally in the net did the yodelling start. Beefy said the rest of the day went great too with six barra, four jacks and a cod scoffing down their baits.

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MAY 2017

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Contrasting has been a standout technique TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

While we really needed the rain that Debbie dumped recently, I’m glad we didn’t cop that one. Debbie blew over half of Queensland for days on end. Contrary to all predictions leading up to the event, Townsville missed every drop of water she was expected to deliver.

fun way to catch a feed. As a bit of a precaution I’d give eating the afflicted specimens a miss though. Eating them is not recommended.

A BIT OF CONTRAST The lures that have been working on them more recently are larger than what we generally use for grunter. The 5” Halco Paddle Prawn and Atomic Prongs have been good. The best colours have been the old

Keeping an eye on the sounder for the longer and more slender shows is a great way to find a queenie or two. This fish couldn’t resist the fluoro orange 5” MadEye Paddle Prawn in the dirty water.

The rivers and dam water supply desperately needed it, but we escaped that by the skin of our teeth. The devastation it caused wasn’t missed, and maybe next time could order a half sized cyclone, if that’s ok. Our thoughts are with those who suffered the wrath of Debbie and we hope for a quick recovery.

Bay and shoal species are still going quite well.

Apart from an outbreak of skin fluke in the grunter over the last week or two, things have been going well. The lure fishing for the grunter has been exceptional.

While we often catch plenty of sub-50cm fish on the softies, the size has been much better. An average of around 55cm has been the norm at the moment, and on light gear, that’s a great

fall-back pattern of standout colours early in the morning boasting a little contrast in the form of powder-coated pink jigheads. You can also dip the tail of the Prongs in the Quick Coat.

Once the sun gets up a bit and the water’s a bit clean the contrast isn’t as important. There is definitely a pattern in the contrasting colours being more effective during low light periods or at times when the water’s a bit murky. Obviously, before we used it we caught lots of fish on basic colours without the contrast, but I am convinced our catch rate has increased since using it. Not only that, our consistency on certain species has also expanded, such as with the grunter.

While some people will no doubt dismiss these sorts of customising options

as pointless or trivial, the fact is that everyone I know who has tried it is a convert.

When I first started stuffing around with these sorts of things I was very sceptical about any noticeable differences, but that has all changed now. Golden snapper, or ‘choppers,’ are another species who like a little contrast at times.

It doesn’t stop there either.

When talking spinnerbaits, Bassman broke new ground in developing contrasting skirt colours and soft plastic trailers with great effects on inland species such as bass, Murray cod, saratoga, sooty grunter and golden perch. Across the board, contrast has been used in the lure industry for a very good reason. It just works.

Around the Townsville area we often have a lot of stirred water, due to the mud flats and wind that stirs them up. It goes without saying that a lure that can be seen when conditions are less than perfect is more likely to get intercepted.

Offshore, big nannies and trout have been the main species that have graced the decks. Plenty of mackerel and tuna have been caught trolling at high speed.

Sailfish and marlin are surprisingly common at the moment too. There have been plenty of sightings east of Townsville and a few have been tempted trolling gar and mullet. We get a fair idea of what the billies are doing when the 10/0 SL12 Gamakatsu hooks sell out pretty quickly all of a sudden.

Small wolfies have been working a treat on the Spanish over the last couple of weeks, and with the average size of the Spanish being around the 8-10kg mark, the smaller wolfies are just a nice size to tempt them.

INSHORE AND RIVERS Barra have been pretty

Black and gold spot cod have been extremely active since the last bit of rain. They slam a lure and pull hard.

Ryan Tully caught this wicked barra on a surface presentation when all else failed. Sometimes a change in lure presentation is the key. hard to pinpoint at times even for the fanatics. Apart from trolling the local rivers, anglers heading a bit further north and south of town have been doing the best.

Locally speaking, most of the reasonable fish are being taken either at night, or down deep through the day time using plastics and vibes.

Trolling has been accounting for most of the fish in the rivers. With some fresh still running out, the deeper sections of rivers have been the best, from what I’ve heard. I’d think that as the rest escapes a little more, the bait should be back up on top, and so should the barra and jacks.

One tactic that is a proven technique for chasing the jacks in particular is to find the sweet spot, the spot where the run-out tide hits the run-in tide, and then chase it as it goes upstream.

The last two times we have been out, this has been the secret to finding active fish.

Since Debbie has nicked off, the wind has still been hanging around. This will be short lived and things should settle down a bit in the next couple of weeks as the offshore water temperatures drop and things become more stable.

ON MY HIGH HORSE, GIDDY UP! Over the last month we have had many boats roar up to us and if we don’t get out of there, they just drop off the plane and ping our location. It’s getting bad now. This isn’t a once every now and then thing anymore – it’s happening almost every weekend now.

Here’s just one example of how brazen the spot thieves are; we had a couple of blokes the other day in a big flashy bass boat scream up to us at 100km/h, circle us a couple of times then just drop the electric. They were that close you could have just about poked one in the eye with a rod tip! It was

disgustingly blatant. It was bloody hard, but we grit our teeth, lifted the electric and left them to it.

You would think that that was bad enough, but no.

What made it even worse was that the skipper rang up another guy and bragged about doing it, and then gave him the co-ordinates! I found out that he does it all the time to people, just because he can rush up on them before they get a chance to move off their mark in his big flash boat.

The person in question will undoubtedly know who he is, if he has the intelligence to read a mag, but I’d just about bet both my batteries that he knows exactly how despised he is by other anglers. Maybe he’s too embarrassed to make a

a particular boat is described time after time committing the same offence.

Pinging people because you can’t find fish for yourself should be downright embarrassing. I’m sorry if I sound irate, it’s because I am, and so are countless others with this unbelievably blatant disregard for people’s personal space. If you’re lonely, get a dog. Take up bingo or something. I can tell you right now you’ll make no friends ‘dropping in’ on people.

I have actually started a photo library of boats and people who ‘drop in’ and might even start to return the favour, I think. It’s just so common now that people who resort to these sorts of inconsiderate acts need to understand just how

The Plazo radioactive rooster is a great choice when the water is discoloured. Rigging with a small ball sinker under the eye is one way of getting the head weights spot on for the depth and water speed. big deal about it.

Even my young fella at nine years old couldn’t believe it. My mate Ryan just looked at me and threw his hands in the air in disbelief.

It goes to show that the biggest, fastest boat with the latest TV-sized screens and electronics won’t turn you into a good fisher.

I suppose it’s my advantage of working in a tackle shop that I hear of all the incidences that happen.

It’s amazing how many times

despicable it really is.

We go fishing to get away from the crowds and put in heaps of effort and fuel costs to find these out-ofthe-way marks that remove us from the more frequented areas. We don’t own the waterways, but for crying out loud, we try our hardest to remove ourselves from the more well-known spots. I have never seen the problem more prevalent than in the local waters around here. It’s got to be said.

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Barra start to settle HINCHINBROOK

Ryan Moody info@ryanmoodyfishing.com

It is now the end of the wet season and we start to approach the cooler months.

With this gradual change we will be seeing new species turning up in tropical waters.

Some areas of the state have received the best rain in years thanks to one event - Cyclone Debbie. North of the Burdekin missed out unfortunately but from Bowen south some much needed flushing rains, which have not been seen for at least the

last five years, came through.

Hinchinbrook received an average wet with several smaller amounts of rain spaced out through the season, but certainly no flood rains.

Maybe next year.

April had a great run of big golden grunter at the top end of Hinchinbrook. Several anglers got out and had some fun sessions chasing the popular table fish. We have also been catching plenty of grunter while using plastics meant for barra. This would have to be the best run of grunter I have seen in the last five years or so. This is a good sign for May if you happen to

be up here wetting a line.

The barramundi fishing in April was quite steady with our clients getting onto some good fish casting hardbody lures. Fish in the 90cm range have not been uncommon and we should see the barra settle back into their cooler weather patterns soon as long as we don’t get a late low pressure system bringing flood rains.

We have had so much intermittent rainfall of average amounts and a few falls of around the 120-150m over the season. This has made the barra spread out over a longer period this year and is why many are being caught off the

Ben with a barramundi taken on a lure.

Dave with a nice 92cm barramundi caught on a shallow diver. beachfront in Cardwell with the biggest being a 127cm fish.

Hopefully they will all go and aggregate again soon.

There have been some excellent reports on mangrove jack and they are one fish that aren’t bothered by a flush of freshwater. The upper reaches of most rivers and streams are good places to start looking especially on the falling tide.

The red mangrove has long spindly roots that extend down into the water and when you come across a bank lined with them then that’s a good place to start the search for mangrove jack, especially if any small gutters and drains run out through it. Fire your lures up tight into the gaps of the roots and gutters. It pays to practise your casting before attempting to target them. We also find the bigger

jacks around the rock edges in the main channel but they are nowhere near as prevalent as the fish upstream.

In May we will start to see the Spaniards back inshore. We have already seen some early big Spaniards inshore spearing out of the water chomping on garfish. In some parts of the Hinchinbrook Channel it is possible to snag a big Spaniard accidentally while vibing for barra. You can tell the difference straight away as your reel squeals in the one direction until you’re nearly spooled. Big GTs are notorious for doing this in the channel as well. Some of the seaward headlands off the eastern side should see some mackerel schools too – just watch out for the zoning around the headlands as there are a fair amount of green zones on the

north eastern part of the island.

We should start to see species such as GTs, diamond and golden trevally and the start of the northern bluefin schools too. Most of these species are encountered around the islands but sometimes the bluefin will wander into the channel with the Spaniards too.

• 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.

We hope to have an online course on Spaniards late this year so keep an eye out for it on our Fish Smarter site. We also have 3 other premium courses including barra basics which has gone crazy. More info at www.fishsmarter.com.au.

Time for a change LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

Last month was a little hit and miss up here in Lucinda. There were great days and then there were the long slogs where everything looks perfect but the fish didn’t want to play the game.

Hopefully this month will bring some consistency like it normally does. May signals the start of cooling water temps but can also bring clear skies and periods of good weather.

The best thing about this time of year is the availability of all species.

Up the channel the barra and jacks will be feeding up before the cooler water shuts them down for a few months. The blue-water will be teeming with GTs and queenies and the mackerel will be harassing bait schools from the islands and shoals out to the reef.

Lucinda escaped any impact from Cyclone Debbie and it will be 66

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interesting to see if the Coral Sea is going to produce any more significant events before the season ends.

HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL Finding a pattern that was consistent to catch fish proved difficult over the last few months. Talking to plenty of local fishers proved to follow the same trend in how hit and miss the barra fishing has been. Finding lots of small rat barra hasn’t been hard but the better quality fish have been very

few and far between. It gets me wondering if the lack of any substantial wet seasons over the last few years is the reason behind not getting as many of those 70-90cm fish. Fishing the drains on the outgoing tides has been the better method to getting some chrome on the boat. This means you can keep moving around and hope to stumble onto a drain with plenty of bait and barra actively feeding. Shallow diving lures such as Gold Bombers or the ever-reliable soft plastics

Sean and a solid sooty grunter.

Small rat barra will keep you entertained. such as ZMan SwimmerZ will get eaten. Don’t go too heavy when choosing jigheads for working plastics in drains – remember barra look up when feeding.

Fishing drains is very easy as there is normally not much structure around to get snagged on, hence why this is the best way for people to start using lures and plastics.

Landing your offering in the sand or mud and working it into the drain area is fine, and don’t be surprised if it gets hit in very shallow water. If you’re lucky enough it’s very

possible to see barra with their backs out of the water in super shallow water hunting mullet. A well-aimed cast and you should definitely get some action.

Mangrove jack are still about but the consistent great numbers we were catching has dropped dramatically. I much prefer the back end of the year for jacks when the water is clearer and starting to warm back up after winter.

I was shown some pictures from a couple of old time locals that had a great few days using fresh mullet strips

way up the top of small creeks. They had landed several fish in the 45cm + range and were only fishing a channel that was 1.5 meters deep. This goes to show you don’t need deep water or wide creeks to get good fish.

Silver javelin fish (grunter) are still showing up for those fishing in the deep holes up the creeks.

Using squid or fresh sardines is the best option and the afternoon and nighthours is when the better fish To page 67

Water temp is X-factor CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

The big X-factor for this month will be the sea surface temperature.

Normally the water temperature is around the mid-20s by now but it has remained abnormally high and didn’t drop below 30°C until April. Normally this drop occurs at least a month earlier. Extended periods of southeasters will certainly help bring down the water temperature but has the flip-side of keeping anglers shore-bound.

Last year there were still patches of water in the high 20s into mid-May and this year is looking even worse.

Once the water temperature drops the fish will start schooling up offshore and the regular cool weather fishing

will fire up in the Cairns area.

Let’s hope that occurs sooner rather than later.

REEFS AND OFFSHORE If the water temperature remains high then the summer approach of continually moving locations out on the reef will be the way to go.

If you don’t have a keeper on board in 30 minutes then move on. Once the waters cool it is better to focus on an area of good country and keep trying nearby spots until you locate the fish biting. Look for fishy country holding bait and give it a bit longer for the fish to come on the bite.

If they haven’t come on the bite after an hour or so, then try another spot in the same area rather than moving big distances. Quite often it’s a matter of finding where the fish are schooling up rather than moving all over the place for the odd fish here and there.

A lot of time can get eaten up

moving locations and while this may be necessary in the warmed months, it’s better to focus on a likely area and wait for the fish to turn it on once the water cools. This approach works best for large mouth nannygai and red emperor in the deep water but can also transfer into the shallow water to chase coral trout and mackerel.

In shallow water you can enhance the schooling aspect by using burley.

The deep water rubble patches, gutters and isolated pinnacles will be the most likely places to be holding reds and spots that are also holding good schools of bait are usually big winners.

Sharks have remained a constant problem at the reef and they can certainly be a reason to move large distances if they completely dominate a location. When it gets to the point where

Coral trout, like this one caught by Terry McClelland, can also be caught along the headlands, inshore wrecks and reefs if you put in a bit of effort.

From page 66

seem to be caught. Another quick tip for grunter is to make sure you are not using too larger hook as they have small mouths. A 3/0 is all that’s needed and allow a little slack line when they bite as they will mouth the bait as they swim off with it and trying to set the hook to early will just pull it out.

JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF It has been one of the best years for coral trout captures in both the recreational and commercial fisheries. The amount of boats coming back with esky loads of trout has been terrific but on the other hand most probably not doing our fish stocks any good. Fishing the deep ledges off the weather face (side of reef that faces the open ocean) of the reef systems seems to be where the best action

is. Fresh fish baits or the ever reliable pilchard will get bites it’s just a matter of turning their heads away from their coral homes.

Using fast action rods that load up quickly and really putting some hurt on them immediately will win you most fights. A lot of anglers still use hand lines for trout especially as it doesn’t allow the fish to get the upper hand on the strike.

Nannygai, as always, have been caught in good numbers out in the deep.

It can be very frustrating finding plenty of fish on the sounder but they wont bite.

If this happens it is best to keep moving and make sure you revisit this spot later in the day or night. Like all fish they have feeding times and I can almost guarantee if you find somewhere stacked with fish they will bite that evening or around a tide change. Do yourself a favour

and use good fresh baits as it is the small details that can mean a boat full of fish or just a couple.

Mackerel time is now upon us. Getting out there for a few hours in the morning and trolling a few fish up is great fun and provides fish for your freezer and most probably your friend’s freezers too. Deep diving lures that are capable of staying in the water when trolled around the 8km hour mark are necessary.

Mackerel are pelagic fish which means they move fast and in most cases the faster your offering is moving the more likely they are to chase it and eat it. If you are specifically chasing mackerel I would also suggest using a small amount of wire trace to eliminate losing a lot of gear. Learning to make your own wire traces is easy and will save you some dollars.

Salmon, both blue and king threadfin, are making a real comeback now the nets are out and David Mayes has been reaping the rewards. you can’t get a decent fish past them, then it’s time to move a good distance and try again. They are well known to follow boats over short distances and it can take a fair run at high speed to shake them at times.

Last year the Spanish mackerel showed up in April in spite of the warmer temperatures and once it cooled they were easier to catch. There were reports in late March of big numbers of Spaniards around Snapper Island, that is promising news that the even warmer water hasn’t keep them away this year. Trolling around bait schools, pinnacles, pressure points and current lines is a good way to locate feeding mackerel. Once you have found them, mark the spot on your GPS and keep working the area. Always have a floating pilchard, gar, mullet or wolf herring out the back when bottom fishing, as a couple of good Spaniards can certainly enhance a catch of reef fish. Live baits are even better for targeting Spaniards but do require a bit more time and attention when your main focus is nailing a feed of reef fish.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK The Lucinda area also boasts some terrific sweetwater options for those that love some adventure. Simply packing a backpack with a small selection of gear and some water bottles and setting out in search of small creeks can provide some great fishing and breathtaking scenery. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as it can be extremely hard work and a lot of care must be taken with crocs and snakes but the thrill of watching jungle perch and sooty grunter come out of nowhere to attack your lure is epic. Do a bit of research and a lot of map studying and make sure to always try to fish with someone as nearly any spot you walk will have none or very limited phone reception. Crawling out of a creek after an accident would be no fun and is a real possibility.

If we get an extended period of southeasters, it is worth focusing on chasing Spaniards in the first period of calm weather after the blow especially if it coincides with plenty of run in the tides. The new moon tides over the last weekend in May will be ideal for this. Here’s hoping the seas are smooth.

INSHORE Last year the inshore reefs, wrecks and islands were holding a lot of cobia and it was hard at times for the mackerel to beat the cobia to your offerings. They certainly give you a much bigger work over than mackerel and some people even prefer them for eating over the silver bullets.

The coastal headlands and reefs will still be holding barra, golden snapper, queenfish and salmon so don’t discount the inshore waters at this time of year. I will often go chasing barra and golden snapper along the headlands whenever the weather turns warm, sunny and still at a time when most people are focused on mackerel fishing.

Coral trout can also be caught along the headlands, inshore wrecks and reefs if you put in a bit of effort. Heavy-duty

reef rigs won’t do the trick inshore. Fish lighter with live baits and lures and it’s quite surprising what you can turn up.

The net free zone in Cairns has certainly improved the inshore, inlet and estuary fishing so there is always something to chase when the winds are less cooperative. Salmon, both blue and threadfin, are making a real comeback now the nets are out. Once the water temperature drops the fishing will follow but it will spark up again with any patch of warm weather. If the water temperature remains high, as many anglers are expecting, then the estuary fishing should continue to fire. Golden snapper, jacks and barra will remain on the menu in Cairns Inlet and surrounding rivers and creeks well into May if the weather continues its expected pattern.

Don’t forget about the mud crabs! They are usually on the move in May and while they can require a bit of effort at times the reward on the dinner table certainly justifies the effort.

Sooties are aggressive, hard fighting fish.

MAY 2017

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Calm conditions for Cairns CAIRNS NFZ

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

The Net Free Zone between Trinity Inlet to Taylors Point in Cairns has continued to produce awesome fishing.

Land-based anglers fishing the open beaches, especially Machans and Holloways, have been seeing excellent catches of barramundi,

Adding a treble to your single hook will help achieve a better hook up, especially on barramundi that have a knack of throwing hooks.

Lure fishers have been having far more success fishing the headlands north around Yorkies Knob and Taylors Point. Most anglers are reporting sun up and sun down are the best times to target these areas, especially if the tide is starting to run-out at

Golden snapper are thriving in the NFZ. queenfish and salmon. One contributing factor has been the great spell of calm weather, which has produced ideal conditions to float big live baits into the gutters and creek mouths in this area.

While throwing hardbody lures up and down the beaches has been producing fish, live baiters are finding the better fish. Large mullet suspended by a float mid-water or on the bottom have been finding the attention of the bigger barramundi. When fishing this way, it’s best to tie a small stinger off the main hook using some heavy-duty mono.

the same time. Many anglers fishing these spots will know the barramundi come into the rocks with many fish snared right at anglers’ feet.

When the fish are there it’s best to fish with a lighter drag as being so close to the rod tip you lose a lot of stretch, especially if you’re fishing braid. This can see hooks pulled or line broken, especially if you hook into a trophy extra oversized fish.

The likes of big rolling lures like Gold Bombers and shallow running suspending lures like the Lucky Craft Pointers are finding really good success.

Make sure to use at least a 40lb fluorocarbon trace when fishing around these places as your leader will cop plenty of punishment on the rocks.

On a side note, there have been some very large crocodiles out and about and being seen on a regular basis right up and down the NFZ. I have seen plenty of 3-4m crocodiles in very close

proximity to both the beaches around Yorkies Knob and off the headlands, especially towards the northern end of the NFZ. If you fish these spots be very aware of your proximity to the water, as there are big crocs patrolling these areas.

For boaties the fishing has also been on the improve, especially in the creeks that feed into the NFZ. The inlet continues to produce some trophy golden snapper. Many people are unaware that they are very much under threat from commercial netting, especially around the southern headlands of the NFZ. The lack of nets has seen good numbers for recruitment and 40-60cm fish. These fish are being caught on rubble patches on live bait. Squid is best. Vibes and soft plastic prawns are also proving effective on the wrecks and bottom structure in the inlet. Large fish are being encountered, including a 92cm model – a beast of a fish!

The mouth and hospital

Recruitment of average-sized barra such as this one will ensure a booming fishery in years to come.

Mangrove jack are also booming as a result of healthier net free systems. flats of the inlet have also been producing some very large barramundi. Those who have been willing to spend the time to find the fish and then pepper them until they feed, have found themselves hooked up to some trophysized barramundi. If you’re fishing these areas look for the large concrete slabs, which are dotted through this area.

This is a good place to start finding fish.

There has been lots of movement from prawns in this area and this is what the fish have been feeding on. Copy this pattern.

Land-based anglers along the Cairns Pier have also seen plenty of excellent numbers of barramundi, grunter and even golden snapper from the wharves, which shows just how healthy the fishing is here.

The Barron River has been producing the goods, especially at night towards the mouth. Those using fresh herring bait are finding decent salmon, both blue and king.

There have also been some better than average catches of barramundi on 4-6” paddle-tail plastics. Jack numbers have also been good in this area.

The NFZ continues to show good success and it’s important to share your catches of the NFZ using the #lovemyNFZ and #thisisqueensland tags, so get posting. The first couple of years have shown excellent recruitment and this is the key to its success. The number of 50-60cm barramundi getting around shows that numbers of fish are improving and they are being given the time and space to grow up and breed.

Combine this with a good wet season and we should see numbers explode and fish sizes increase, which will be a benefit for everyone.

I am currently in the process of working with Fisheries to develop some basic fishing trails for the Cairns NFZ, so I’ll keep you posted about when these will be released.

Signs of ripper season PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer

It was a long time coming but after such a dry spell the wet season kicked into gear during the past month. We were luckily spared the destructive drama of Cyclone Debbie in the very far north but following the event some decent moisture was dragged into the region. Also, for the first time in a long time we experienced extended periods of freshening winds for a week or more creating a double whammy of challenging fishing conditions. The rain was desperately needed to keep ticking over the cycle of life and the rejuvenation of new food sources.

Despite the challenges at hand the fishing in the tropical north has been quite reasonable on all 68

MAY 2017

fronts especially during the calmer periods. For example, the local estuaries and creeks have been fishing exceptionally well for mangrove jack who seem to relish the tougher conditions.

In the bigger river systems, such as the Daintree, there has been a good run on 1m+ queenfish in the main parts of the channel with 50-60cm javelin fish and golden trevally working the gutter edges and flats. The rains have stirred up the inshore waterways and there is a healthy supply of live bait to access.

Our coastal beaches have benefitted from the recent precipitation and are currently holding a lot of bait including prawns, jelly prawns, mud herring and garfish to name a few.

This has been the calling sign for the likes of tarpon, trevally, queenfish and blue salmon to come right into the shallows for a feed. The breakthrough creeks are also

holding numbers of barra not far from the shoreline.

REEFS Out on the reef numbers of fish have been ticking over nicely with coral and bar-cheek trout being the staple catch for many.

Bar-cheek in particular have been impressive of late getting up to the 6-7kg range.

Large and small mouth nannygai have been around in spurts but they will shift into a new gear as the water temperatures start to drop.

Other than this it has been a real mixed bag of fish including cobia, spangled emperor, sweetlip, long nose emperor, stripies, gold spot and tea-leaf trevally with the odd horse of a red emperor or big golden trevally thrown in.

It seems a bit early but at the back end of March we started to see some decent pelagic activity on the reef.

Spanish mackerel started to turn up in reasonable numbers mainly around the

A monster trout landed by Jase Teelow.

6-7kg range and there were numerous reports of juvenile marlin being caught as well.

There were several small black marlin caught on the inside of the outer reef and surprisingly a couple of juvenile blue marlin were caught within the outer reef itself. The majority of these fish were caught on a spread of lures entailing skirts, hardbody lures and skipping garfish. All the

marlin caught were in their infant stages of around 10kg and this is a great sign for the coming months ahead.

Last year was a poor year on the small marlin population but if they are already here then it could be a bumper light tackle season. You only need to look back a couple of years when the juvenile marlin turned up early in May and it went onto be a ripper season.

With a gradual drop in water temperature and a potential swing in the current direction the reef is ready to fire up deep down below and up on the surface.

The rivers and creeks will also continue to deliver good results in the coming month so there is a lot to like if you are going to be fishing in the local area.

Perfect time of year to head to the Cape COOKTOWN

Paul Prokopuk

As predicted for this time of year in Cooktown, the nights have finally started to cool and the trade winds are in full swing.

The day temperatures have dropped a couple of degrees as well. These seasonal changes mark the start of our southern cousins coming north in droves to tour and explore our beautiful lands and the waterways that surround us.

It is a great time of year to come to the Cape.

The grass is still green and the rivers are still running.

There is still a good chance of getting rain in May and June but this only keeps the dust and heat down, which

makes camping much more pleasurable.

The seemingly relentless ‘Cooktown breeze’ has only allowed a few opportunities to get out on the reefs over the last month. However, the reports are that some quality size fish are being caught. Very big large mouth nannygai catches are coming in at this stage and will continue to be caught throughout the month. You have to get out away from reef structures and get lucky by finding a ‘wonky hole’ on a flat sea floor if you want to catch these big red monsters. A good way to do this is to study the bottom closely with a quality sounder while trying to troll up some big pelagics.

Spanish mackerel continue to be caught consistently if you are

It’s well worth sinking a few crab pots while you’re out chasing fish, as Reece proved with his catch of mud crabs.

Nannygai, like this one caught by Kirsten, will continue to stick around this month.

willing to put in the time on the troll. Other quality size fish being caught this month, and that will continue to be caught next month, are reef jacks and spangled emperor found on the reef edges and coral trout from the bommies.

The Endeavour River will begin clearing up as we move later into May and June. Barra will be scattered throughout the entire estuary system by now. This means a little more work to find the fish and then timing it well for them to bite because they can get a little sluggish as the water cools.

Jacks can still be caught in cooler water. The best method will be anchoring by a snag and making a berley of small cut up fish bits. This will bring the jacks and other species on the bite. Simply float a bait into the snag with a hook set into it and you’ll get a good

strike in no time.

The Annan River clears a little quicker than the Endeavour. During May and June big queenfish and trevally move throughout the Annan River with the movement of the tides.

Queenfish have been chasing the bait right up into the estuaries and large specimens are being caught.

Trevally can be caught in prolific numbers using the same method as chasing queenies. Down towards the mouth of the Annan River is a well-known spot to find these sporty crusaders.

The Annan is definitely worth sinking a few crab pots into while you’re out chasing fish too. This river is probably the most consistent at producing mud crabs all year round in our region.

Barra fishing is a family affair for Brad and Cooper.

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Cape’able anglers made use of wet weather CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

While the Northern Territory and Kimberley regions are crowing about the fantastic wet season run-off they experienced, Cape York missed the torrential rains and extreme weather events. Substantial rainfall totals were recorded in the Northern Peninsula down to around Aurukun on

be the trigger for seasonal high-pressure systems, with this weather pattern emerging towards the end of April.

Expect moist air and scattered showers to keep things green and waterways flowing.

May is a truly awesome time to be fishing the Cape.

Most species are on offer this time of year and Cape York’s generally warmer weather can see the barramundi fishing fire right through the month. With more settled conditions, the fish will have spread out and

Lookout for heavy feeding periods on the build up and over the full moon. Barra will feed in darkness even more at times than during the day.

Anglers equipped with side-scanning sounders and pinpoint GPS technologies are having amazing success targeting wild barra at night on soft plastics. Larger fish tend to be consistent in their holding positions over certain tides and moon phases.

This means tactics can be replicated in targeting female barra. They’ll swipe a large paddle-tail wound slowly past their nose.

Two fish which coexist in almost every Cape York estuary are golden snapper and mangrove jack. Usually one species will be more prevalent than the other, dominating the prime snag and rock

bar structures. Jacks can be targeted on super shallow divers and poppers, while golden snapper will usually feed a little lower in the water column. Both species will feed on small crustaceans, molluscs and tiny baitfish, varying their diet to capitalise on plentiful food sources.

Changes in tide are a huge catalyst for golden snapper coming on the bite.

They will throw caution to the wind over small windows of the tide, taking baits and lures with equal gusto. Fish around the kilo mark are the easiest to fool and perhaps the best to eat.

Smaller deep divers, a range of plastics, vibes and strip baits are great ways to target golden snapper.

Mangrove jack are quite often easiest to catch on a

A great jack taken on a rock bar. receding tide, using small indentations in the creek and river bank to ambush bait.

In this scenario, shallow divers, poppers and lightly

The lovely Pascoe River after late rain. the west coast and isolated patches around Kowanyama and Cooktown.

Anglers up and down the Cape York Coast made great use of the monsoon period, using pockets of calm weather to get amongst both pelagic and estuarine species in good numbers. May will

will be actively hunting and fattening up.

Rock bars, submerged structure and even open current convergences can mean great barra fishing.

Finding a run of good fish will often see the same spots fire on similar tides and moons throughout the month.

West coast of the Cape just south of Weipa.

rigged plastics cast slightly upstream of structure will see the best presentations struck almost immediately. The incoming tide will see jacks move towards the front of an estuary and feed ferociously during the first hour of run.

May is a dynamic time to be in Cape York with access to most of its vast expanse generally opened up. Animal, bird and fish life are a huge factor drawing visitors north with crowd numbers set to swell between May and September on the famous Cape York track.

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

Lots of wet weather options WEIPA

Mark Bargenquast

Finally the rains have eased off to intermittent storms and the occasional shower.

Tourists have started to trickle through and the fishing is going off.

began to appear along the coast.

When the predators are feeding on jellies it can be hard to tempt a bite. Small offerings do better. I know the fly fishers do extremely well here compared to the spinners, due to the smaller flies they cast around.

Clousers are the best choice

lurking there, so be careful!

Plenty of queenfish and a few smaller trevally can be caught on surface lures.

Offshore the fishing has been awesome. Big brassy trevally, GTs, 1m queenfish, Spaniards and tuna have been easy to catch on lures, especially around Duyfken Point and down towards

and something needs to be done. They’re becoming a real nuisance everywhere right down the east coast and their numbers are increasing every year to plague numbers.

The reef fishing has been good with big tuskies, golden snapper, trout and reds. Sweetlip are in good numbers as well, possibly due to the rain and prawns everywhere. Many of the golden snapper and other fish are full of big banana

Greg Livingstone with a stickbait-munching longtail.

It doesn’t get any better than this – a 115cm black jewfish on fly!

With one of the best wet seasons for quite a few years the run-off has really stirred things up.

Inshore salmon, barra, grunter and tarpon have been very active as the jelly prawn masses 70

MAY 2017

and catch everything.

The Mission River has been fishing well for barra, threadies and grunter, especially around the Mission Bridge. As usual bull sharks are a nuisance and the big croc is still

Pera Head. Sometimes big schools congregate under the boat blacking out the sounder. Anything dropped over the side gets eaten instantly.

Once again bull sharks have been a pest

Nathan Nitchinsk from Hervey Bay with a good golden snapper.

prawns when caught and prawn plastics are doing extremely well at present.

I recently ran wide of Thud Point and found quite a few floating logs on a current. Every log was full of rainbow runners, leatherjackets and tripletails with schools of up to 50 on each log. It was an amazing day with 30+ tripletails landed on lures – all sight fished.

There have been a few longtail and mac tuna right into the river mouth and the odd big Spaniard in there too on high tide.

Big Spaniards don’t have ciguatera up here and are great eating.

Level up your adventure fishing experience FRESHWATER

Angus James Instagram: @jimmygusjames

There are so many great places to explore in this beautiful country of ours.

Far North Queensland has endless freshwater systems waiting for you to experience your next big adventure.

search of these little polished sterling silver treasures.

When targeting JPs, always take a good selection of surface lures. These fish are opportunistic feeders and love to track down and assault just about any offerings from above.

We l l - p o s i t i o n e d casts under overhanging vegetation will produce the results you are chasing. I

lures fast. They go hard for their size and have some serious pulling power.

They will often ambush your artificial presentations close to hard cover. A nice tight drag and some fancy rod work is required when extracting this tough Aussie critter from the structure.

Surface lures work a treat along with small soft plastics and hardbodies,

Mangrove jack are the author’s favourite species. They are the kings of ambush and look absolutely stunning. of a small mangrove jack.

When I find a likely looking snag I will make casts from every angle to annoy the potential territorial fish that are residing deep in there. Because jacks

are super aggressive and territorial, eventually you will trigger a ‘go away’ strike often resulting in a hook-up. If you ever watch them in a fish tank you will soon notice how they boss

the other fish around and thrive by dominating the aquarium.

I hope everyone gets a chance to get out there and enjoy what this beautiful country has to offer.

The author with a wicked jungle perch. The places this impressive species will take you are absolutely breathtaking and will leave you wanting more.

For those seeking some of the greatest land-based fishing available, you really have to give jungle perch fishing a go. The places this impressive species will take you are absolutely breathtaking and will leave you wanting more. Not only is it great exercise, the surroundings will make you feel one with nature. The environment and wildlife you will encounter is truly magical.

This is a great time of year to venture up a few crystal clear water streams in

have once even witnessed a jungle perch track my lure and explode out of the water to destroy my lure before it had even hit the water. They are simply a true predator, switched on to everything that is happening in and above the water.

Another fantastic species to target up here in this part of the country are the little football shaped brutes that go by the name of sooty grunter.

These little powerhouses can and will put your land-based light gear fishing skills to the test, often smacking your

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basically anything that will fit in their mouth. I love using surface presentations in the low light conditions in the afternoons. You can have serious amounts of fun targeting this tropical native.

Mangrove jack is by far my favourite species. The lifecycle of this majestic fish is remarkable. They are the kings of ambush and look absolutely stunning. In the cooler weather, I focus my land-based jack fishing on getting the aggressive territorial bite. I make my presentations resemble that

The author getting right in the action with a great sooty grunter. These little powerhouses will put your land-based light gear fishing skills to the test.

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71

Northern Junior

The harder it pours, the more fish come aboard WEIPA

Jackson Bargenquast

The wet season is still in full swing up here in the Cape and the fishing is still going off. The drains aren’t flowing as hard and the spawning time of most fish is over. The hot humid temperatures still result in explosive fishing. Offshore reefs, estuaries, beaches and even freshwater

creeks are going off at the moment.

The activity has been absolutely red hot lately when it comes to offshore fishing, whether it’s dropping baits onto the reef or flicking lures around bait schools.

Golden snapper, barracuda, giant trevally, tuskfish and others are being caught. The amount of big queenfish and golden trevally around the bait schools lately is insane followed closely in numbers

by brassy trevally, Spanish mackerel and cobia.

We cast out a big saltwater Chug Bug Popper and didn’t even have to wind it to end up connected to a metre-plus queenfish.

Stickbaits, vibes, metal jigs, Gomoku jigs, deep divers and live baits are being destroyed.

The estuaries are just as impressive with big barra still on the chew. Mangrove jack and rat barra are a

There are still some big barra to be found, like this impressive 85cm fish caught by Scott Gorman. common catch when flicking snags up the creek. Larger fish are to be caught on vibes or big plastics in the deep holes around the mouth of the river/creek.

A few locals have been catching lots of black jewfish and golden snapper around the Mission River Bridge.

Most golden snapper are under 40cm and most black jewfish are under 70cm.

The blue salmon are in huge schools on the beaches and in the estuaries and can be caught in their hundreds on lures or fly by anglers putting in the time to find their concentrations. There are always dark shadows lurking just near these schools however. Whether it be big bull sharks or monster giant trevally, always pack a big popper just in case.

The fre s hw a te r billabongs and creeks are full at the moment, which

Mark Bargenquast with a big brassy around 12-14kg that smashed a big saltwater Chug Bug Popper.

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can lead to some explosive fishing on light tackle chasing sooties, barra and saratoga. The author recently had a good session chasing big togas and landed several nice ones around 55-70cm.

These fish are great to catch but are very delicate and must be released carefully, with minimum time out of the water to ensure survival.

Always be on the lookout for big gators, especially around creeks that are regularly visited by fishers and wild mobs of pigs, or creeks that have large concentration of fish in them.

There is a view in this area that the ocean is unlimited and you can take whatever you want to and it will be all good the next day. In reality, fish stocks can’t last forever. I have seen dozens of fish like catfish and blue salmon tossed up

on the bank or chucked back dead, because they are seen as a pest but without them, the food chain would collapse.

Many anglers keep undersized fish and exceed possession limits for no apparent reason. They just have to kill what they catch.

While the fishing here is exceptional, those that live here are spoilt. Where I am originally from in Hervey Bay, these kinds of actions have already destroyed the fishing and it will never be the same again.

We must try to protect what we have while it is still good. Think twice before killing a baby shovelnose that ate your barra bait, or when you catch the bag limit of golden snapper and continue to haul them up.

Good luck to all anglers over the holidays and remember to think like a fish.

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MAY 2017

Adrian’s Marine Centre Aussie Marine Brisbane Yamaha Curtis Coast Marine Nitro Marine Whitsunday Marine Laguna Boating

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A big 50lb+ Spanish mackerel that was caught underneath a bait ball on a soft plastic with no wire trace – talk about lucky!

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS SONGS THAT COULD BE ABOUT FISHING

BORN TO RUN EVERYBODY HURTS GOOD VIBRATIONS HELP I GET AROUND IM A BELIEVER IM STILL STANDING IMAGINE HURT JEALOUS GUY

LET IT BE LITTLE LIES LIVIN ON A PRAYER MY HAPPINESS OOPS I DID IT AGAIN RECKLESS RUN TO PARADISE SHUT UP YOUR FACE THRILLER WHY

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack.

SEND ENTRIES TO: QLD Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

QLD MAY 2017

Phone (day):

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

Dynabait worms are an all-natural, freeze-dried bait. Just soak them in water, and within minutes they’re ready to go! As soon as they hit the water, they release a potent mix of hormones and enzymes that fish can’t resist. These worms are dynamite on bream, whiting, bass, flathead, blackfish, cod, yellowbelly, trevally and many more!

Dynabait Bloodworms, Tubeworms and Sandworms are available at all good tackle stores.

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Darren Allen from Moggill, who was last month’s winner of the Find-aWord Competition!

Monthly winners receive a sponsor prize.

Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for March were E Zikos of Ashmore City, B Green of Idalla, P Gorton of Upper Coomera and D Collard, who won a Salt-Away kit valued at $97.45 SRP. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

Surat, A Bragl of Mount Isa, J Routledge of Kepnock, B Rossetti of Proserpine, R Davis of Sarina, D Deppeler of Burpengary East, B Stephen of Donnybrook, B Nicholson of Bundamba, J Goody of Mount Berryman, T Prowse of Oxenford, K Martin of Dalby, A Hewlett of Mothar Mountain, K Goodman of Mount Morgan, B Halberstater of Yeppoon, E DiBella of Bushland Beach, R Elworthy of North

Bundaberg, N Tretiakov of Springwood, R Randall of Oakhurst, J Buddle of Torquay, A Svaikauskas of Alligator Creek, M Hinton of Yarraman, C Couper of Chinchilla, R Kelly of Miriam Vale, P Martin of Narangba, R Kunde of Beerwah, K Frankel of Pottsville, N Kempthorne of River Heads, K Van Dalen of Prosperpine.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE DX POINT LOGO

The answers to Find the DX Point Logo for March were: 10, 14, 20, 28, 33, 38, 41, 48, 56, 62, 73, 81, 92, 99, 103. – QFM

GUESS THE FISH?

Guess the Fish Answer: Brown trout

The Find the DX Point logo prize winners for March were: B Tieman of Buxton, G English of Bowen, P Fels of Cushnie, J McQuaigue of Currumbin Waters, J Wogandt of Urangan, R Fichera of Hawkins Creek, G Watter of Ripley, R Saunders of Penrith, P Fielder of Everton Hills, J Nock of Kallangur, R Taskis of Ashmore, J Bowyer of Blackall, K Liston of

Answer: MAY 2017

73

Big rains deliver TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

We can expect quite a few changes this month. Big rainfall last month flooded rivers and creeks sending plenty of dams over their spillways. There were still some which saw little change in water level at all. Mix this influx of water with the shorter days and cooler conditions and we have the perfect recipe to see change.

This month I’ll focus on where to fish after the rain event, discuss where it will be tough and offer some alternatives.

Dirty, still water is a lure fisher’s worst enemy. Dams that are muddied up with poor visibility are going to take some time to settle. Cooler water seems to help sediment settle to the bottom faster so it may only be two or three months before all our lakes are back online for luring.

Big rain and run-off sees the main inflow come into the dams via the creeks and rivers. This is the first part

of the lake to dirty. Slowly the dirty water works its way into the main basin of the lake. Even an overflowing dam can be spilling clear water to the section below.

Of course, bigger amounts of water entering the dam will eventually see the whole lake dirty as the water spilling and being released draws the dirty water right through the whole lake. It was interesting to see an aerial picture of Awoonga Dam four days after it started to flow over. You could distinctly see a dirty water line making its way from the Boyne River at the back of the dam through the main basin towards the spillway. It took several days and a large amount of water overflowing and being released to draw it to that point.

While the bulk of a lake can be dirty, the spilled water directly below is often clean and fishable. If there has been an escape of fish from the dam, the area may be well stocked. Keep a couple of things in mind when fishing the water below a dam: Firstly, restrictions are in place below all dams and weirs

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Cressbrook had little inflow so the level remained stable and the water clear.

The bass have been active with plenty of smaller fish about. These rat bass are found all over the dam with the area out from the boat ramps and most of the prominent points holding fish. The bigger models are mixed in with the tiny ones but some areas tend to produce quality fish with more regularity.

The Cressbrook Creek up around the Eagles Nest rock wall is one of the better spots for big bass.

Rather than concentrating on the steep rocky banks, work the flats that extend out on the adjacent shallow tapering banks. The bigger bass are around 50cm in length. Generally you can nail one or two before they wake up to what is going on and stop biting. Rest the spot once the action slows and come back a couple of hours later. Having a run of spots to fish is the trick to keeping the bites coming. For some reason these Cressbrook bass do not like the fishing pressure. Thinking back some 20 years ago when I was running fishing charters on the lake, things were exactly the same. The fishing

DAM LEVELS

        

DAMS Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen Boondooma Borumba Burdekin Falls Callide Cania Clarendon Cooby Coolmunda

FEB MAR APR 5 5 9 78 75 102 23 20 24 33 31 52 72 67 82 101 105 103 65 62 92 74 71 100 8 7 11 53 51 54 75 70 100

in Queensland. No fishing is allowed inside an exclusion zone. These no fishing zones allow fish some protection as the barriers can attract them in huge numbers where they could easily be overfished.

The no fishing areas vary in distance from the wall and are often marked. Usually it is 200m below, but in some cases can be up to 400m.

It pays to check the closed waters distance below each area you intend to fish on the Qld Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website.

Secondly, water can be released from dams creating a rise in level and strong currents. Keep this in mind when launching, retrieving, camping and using these waterways.

Access can be tricky but that’s where Google Maps comes in handy. In most areas below dam walls, it is best to use smaller boats or canoes and kayaks. If it is unfamiliar water or is likely to have changed due to flooding, take extra caution until you learn your way around. Great fishing opportunities lie in such areas. pressure was less but they, were still awake to a boats presence and must somehow associate that with danger. I relied heavily on fishing new ground and resting the best spots to keep the fish coming to the boat even in those glory days.

Tail spinners have been a standout lure for attracting the bites. These lures can be hopped or wound through the schooling fish. They are bite sized and will entice bites from fish of all sizes.

The new Hot Bite Jets 18g colours are sure to be a hit.

Spoons have also accounted for plenty of fish. The bigger profile of these lures will see the smaller bass missing the hooks more often and give a more respectable model the chance to hit the

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Copeton Cressbrook Dyer/Bill Gunn Eungella Fairbairn Glenlyon Hinze Julius Kinchant Koombooloomba Leslie Macdonald

16

14 31

Weipa

17

28

34

18

Toowoomba

BRISBANE

IMPOUNDMENT DAM

lure. The Gang Banger 20g spoons are 65mm long and the perfect weight to fish schooling bass. A few fishos have commented on the fact they look a bit big to target bass. The results speak for themselves. If you have ever thought a spoon is too big for a bass, think about the size of trolling lures used to catch them. Some of the most popular trolling lures like Blitz Bagas, Golden Childs and other proven deep diving models are way bigger and the fish don’t hesitate.

On the trolling scene, try working lures around the edges of the lake and following the contours.

Fishing 5-10m of water will see you in with a good

47 44 46 70 68 69 7 7 18 101 100 101 44 43 45 64 62 76 94 92 102 100 0 0 94 94 99 65 n/a 50 15 14 17 55 51 101

Gold Coast

22

24 1 Tinaroo Falls Dam 2 Peter Faust Dam 3 Burdekin Falls Dam 4 Eungella Dam 5 Teemburra Dam 6 Kinchant Dam 7 Cania Dam 8 Lake Monduran 9 Isis Balancing Storage 10 Wuruma Dam 11 Lenthalls Dam 12 Boondooma Dam 13 Bjelke-Petersen Dam 14 Lake MacDonald 15 Gordonbrook Dam 16 Borumba Dam 17 Somerset Dam 18 Wivenhoe Dam 19 Pindari Dam 20 Copeton Dam 21 Moogerah Dam 22 Maroon Dam 23 Leslie Dam 24 Connolly Dam 25 Coolmunda Dam 26 Clarrie Hall Dam (NSW) 27 Hinze Dam 28 Lake Cressbrook 29 Callide Dam 30 Lake Awoonga 31 Lake Samsonvale 32 Fairbairn Dam 33 Koombooloomba Dam 34 Cooby Dam

27

21

23 25

Cairns 1

26

19

33

20

Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

5

Rockhampton

Emerald

32

29 7

10

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Gladstone

30 8

Bundaberg 9

11

Roma

chance. Just pick a lure that will run close to the depth you intend to fish. Watch the sounder closely for areas holding more fish or to see if they are more comfortable in a particular depth. Make the most of lure trolling now as it will start to slow down soon.

Bait fishers can have plenty of fun using live shrimp. These shrimp are expensive to buy, but they work so well. They are one of the must-have baits. Nearby stores like Highfields Bait and Tackle and Fish’n’Bits Toowoomba sell shrimp. If you are going to the expense of buying these little critters, make sure you fish them on the right type of hooks. Wide gape patterns are ideal for

BRISBANE

live shrimp and produce the best hook-up rate. Hot Bite Fishing just released a wide gape hook for shrimp and these should be available in the local stores. If you have a supply of your own shrimp, expect to catch masses of fish.

Local waterways and farm dams can hold these tasty morsels so explore your area. Baiting a shrimp trap with catfood and checking them at night is the best way to acquire good numbers of shrimp. If you are camping at one of the lakes, be sure to toss one in overnight and check it regularly as there may be a few about.

For all your fishing

Dam............................ % Full           

Maroon 98 97 100 Monduran/Fred Haigh 84 81 103 Moogerah 85 87 98 North Pine/Samsonvale 53 51 73 Peter Faust/Proserpine 59 58 78 Pindari 86 81 100 Somerset 75 74 76 Teemburra 101 101 100 Tinaroo 44 48 51 Toonumbar 83 77 100 Wivenhoe 71 68 74 Wuruma 81 76 100

For fortnightly updates on Sunwater dams visit www.sunwater.com.au This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

All figures are % readings Current as of 20/04/17

(All levels correct at time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.)

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MAY 2017

Maryborough

w w w. b a r g a i n b o a t b i t s. c o m . a u

Dam............................ % Full 

13

15

brought to you by

Dam............................ % Full

Gympie

12

supplies and the latest reports on Cressbrook and the surrounding dams, call in to see the specialist tackle stores. In Toowoomba, Fish’n’Bits in Alderly Street have a great range of lures and fishing gear. At Highfields you will find Highfields Bait and Tackle at the Coles shopping centre. Doug has a top range of freshwater gear and plenty of handcrafted timber lures.

Support these tackle stores because they will be able to direct you to where the fish are biting and offer invaluable advice.

Just remember there is a speed limit of 8 knots and a restricted area at Cressbrook Dam. Check out the signage to ensure you stay out of trouble and abide by the rules. The gate hours for the boat ramps and day use area will be extended this month to 6am until 8pm.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY I was worried the rain would spoil our run of fun at Somerset Dam, but the water level barely changed.

Any water that flowed into the lake must have been released to Wivenhoe. The water has remained clear in the middle reaches of the dam basin where the bass have been schooling thick around Pelican Point and Spot X. Further north through Bay 13 and up to Kirkleigh there have been colour changes. I did hear one report of schooling fish up near Kirkleigh flats taking soft plastics.

Visibility must still be good enough and will only improve.

Look for the bass schools around the edges of the flats in the Pelican Point area. The fish can

speed sees them tracking around 26-30ft deep when running 4-8lb braid.

For the latest reports, check out Somerset Fishing Tackle online and on Facebook. The store has now closed in Kilcoy and moved to the dam. The trailer can be located in the day use area at Kirkleigh. The opening days could change to include more weekdays but you can expect them to be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week. Somerset Tackle has a great range of lures and gear suited to fishing the dam.

They also have the knowledge and skills to help steer you in the right direction.

HINZE CLOSEST TOWNS: NERANG, GOLD COAST Hinze Dam poured over the spillway. The dam will be dirty but should clear quickly especially up the top end where the water will now be running in clearer.

Even this month, the top end will be worth a try. For those wanting to chase some bass the river below will be a good option. With so

is still clear in the basin and the freshly flooded ground produced well last month.

The schooling bass were hard to find around the Junction area but keep an eye out as they may return as the vegetation around the edges dies off.

The steeper banks and rocky bottom structure in the basin has a lot less grass so chances are the fishing will still be good over the flooded areas this month. Aaron Kemp had success fishing topwater lures early and then switching to 3” Shads Ribbed Candy and Shads 17g Vibes. Similar lures should work well this month. A great option for exploring the edges is a spinnerbait/ soft plastic hybrid. A 3” soft plastic rigged on a 1/4oz jighead and then fitted to a beetle spin blade will deliver the goods and is one of my favourite lures for this lake. If there are any saratoga around they are suckers for these things as well.

Davos at Noosaville has all the gear you’ll need to tackle the fish at Borumba and Lake MacDonald. The store caters well for fresh and saltwater anglers. They can be found in the Homemaker Centre on the corner of Mary and Thomas streets.

LENTHALLS CLOSEST TOWNS: MARYBOROUGH, HERVEY BAY Lenthalls Dam overflowed and will be dirty for some time. This may have allowed some of the mature barra to escape

Blake proved the maggot coloured Jets tail spinner is still one of the best with a flurry of big bass at Somerset Dam. This fish was taken after the rise near Pelican Point. move around a bit and will sometimes be found in over 13m of water. On the same day, they can migrate back to the flats and be seen in 8m. Keep this in mind when sounding over an area. If you focus too much on one depth, you could be missing all the life.

Spoons have been the gun lure over the last few months. We’ve absolutely smashed the fish on the Hot Bite 20g Gang Bangers each trip but reports are now starting to change. A few fish can still be taken on the spoons. It pays to really mix up the retrieve.

Rather than just hopping or slow rolling, combine the two presentations into one. Hopping interests the fish and then the slow roll hooks them.

A swing towards soft plastics may soon occur.

Already reports of more bass being taken on plastics are filtering through, so be sure to mix it up to see what works best on the day.

Plastics around 3” (75mm) in size rigged on 1/2oz jigheads

SUNSHINE COAST REGION MACDONALD CLOSEST TOWNS: TEWANTIN, NOOSA Macdonald flowed over the spillway but still produced bass last month.

The deeper weed edges and bubble trail produced the goods. The same areas will continue to fish well with smaller blade baits, soft vibes and tail spinners. Explore the weed edges with the sounder working closely to where the weed tapers off and meets the lake floor. The Botanical Gardens area inside the bay will also be worth a close investigation.

Early and late in the day, it can pay to move up on top of flooded weed beds.

Surface luring is the ideal way to call fish out of the weed. If you can find good clear runs where the weed is just below the surface, try walking a stickbait across the top. The Cultiva Zip’n Ziggy

will do the trick. Soft plastics can be of the shad, grub or t-tail grub variety.

Golden perch have been active and are quite often caught out on the flats when chasing bass. A lot have fallen for spoons and they will also take trolled lures. Trolling the flats is a good way to score a mixed bag. Lures like the Little Rippa, 50mm Poltergeist Crazy Deep and Blitz Baga and Smak 19 are perfect.

Again, mix up your troll run to zig-zag the drop-off and explore different depths around Pelican Point. Once the fish are found, work that area hard. Last month there were plenty of bass to 50cm caught trolling hardbodies.

As the water cools, the action may slow but rather than giving up on trolling, a change is usually all that is needed. Try trolling tail spinners using an electric motor. The smaller offering will keep the bites coming.

We use 18g tail spinners and troll them 50m behind the boat at 1.8-2.1km/h. This combination of distance and

much freshwater, hopefully the fish didn’t all end up out in the broadwater.

MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, BEAUDESERT After big rain in the area Maroon should still fish well. The water will be a bit coloured but not too much for luring. Surface lures will be a good option early and late in the day.

Bass should be focussed on the top at this time of day, especially after the run-off put plenty of food in the water for them to slurp off the top. Get into the topwater action now as it will only slow down as the water gets colder. Now is a really good time as the shorter days allow a later start in the morning and earlier finish in the afternoon.

The weeded edges will still produce fish. I would usually say throw a soft plastic, but if the water has some colour opt for a lure with more flash or vibration. Lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits are ideal in these conditions. Once the water clears right up, consider soft plastics or deeper diving suspending jerkbaits.

The upper section of the lake would have fished well last month around the bottle brush trees in the running water. Pitching lures or unweighted shrimp into the edges is a great way to have some fun when the water is running. This may all be over now as the best action takes place early when the water first runs in.

If you are bait fishing, try live shrimp or saltwater yabbies around the trees in the upper part of the dam.

Position the boat in 5-7m of water and fish baits close to the bottom.

is ideal for this. Walk the lure side to side for 1-2m and then give it a pause of 1-5 second. If you have a bite, try to avoid striking back. Keep the lure in the zone and slow it down and an interested fish will often come back for several tries.

Fishing topwater over the weed beds calls for an upgrade in tackle. At least 10lb braid and 14lb leader is recommended to help extract the fish. Most will find their way back into the weed and you will need to do some gardening to get them back out of the vegetation.

Davos in Noosaville is just a short drive away and they carry all the right lures to use on the toga and bass.

BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA After a top up in level, the boat ramp is again usable for all sized boats. The water

MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: RATHDOWNEY, BOONAH The lake is dirty after it spilled over the dam wall. Still, fish are being caught in the dam with lures. The rise in water level flooded new grounds and lure casters were able to move up on to this to chase fish feeding in the shallows. The edge bite will probably die down once the flooded grasses die off, but there should still be a few bass around this month. If the action is dead in the shallows over the flooded country, move to the steeper edges especially the windblown ones. There may still be some active fish feeding shallow.

The creeks up the back of the dam ran clear as the flooding water slowed down. This pushed clearer water into the top end of the lake. Now that the water has stopped running the clear water may blend with the coloured stuff as the wind pushes into the back corner of the lake. It will be worth keeping in mind as it could be clearer and worth investigation.

On the luring scene, stick to lures which make their presence known.

Lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits are ideal for exploring the shallow edges. If the fish are found schooled in deeper water after the edges die off, switch back to tail spinners and blades.

The dirtier the water, the slower the presentation should be. Use smaller hops rather than big long lifts and draws. This will keep the lure in front of the fish longer and give them a better chance of finding it. into the river below. The smaller class of fish that the lake was loaded with should hopefully have stayed and will be waiting once things clear up. For now maybe a session in the river below is worthwhile if you can find access.

Exploring is the way to find some magical waters after the floods. Flooding relocates fish to some of the most beautiful stretches of water that people drive past every day. Matt Watson won the battle in tight structure with this smaller barra while a few bigger fish won their freedom during the session.

MAY 2017

75

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA There have been no changes for Cooby this month. The water is very clear and the level hasn’t changed. The water is so clear it actually makes fishing a bit difficult.

When trolling lures, you will need to be scraping along the weed edge. From here, hiding fish can dart out and ambush your lure.

Lures that dive 3-5m are ideal for most of the dam’s basin where the weed grows thick. Along the rock wall, there is less weed and deeper lures that reach 5m are preferred. Another good option is to slow troll or stop and start with a lipless crankbait.

Golden perch have been the most common catches with fewer reports on Murray cod. The big green fish are still there and as things cool down we can expect golden perch numbers to taper off and the cod to become more common.

Bait fishing in 6-8m of water with live shrimp or saltwater yabbies can produce better numbers of

fish as things cool down.

Even live shrimp can be out-fished by the yabbies as the mood of the fish changes and they become less active. Bites turn to picks and it can take a bit of time to sink the hooks into an interested fish.

Cooby Dam’s proximity to Highfields and Toowoomba makes it a very popular fishery. If you are looking for somewhere close to home to drop the boat or kayak in then Cooby is definitely worth a visit. The dam hours are now 6am-8pm – perfect to fish into the dark for a late arvo cod. Just remember that no outboard motors can be used on the dam.

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 purchased from Highfields Bait and Tackle at the Coles Circle Plaza Shopping Centre in Highfields. Call in and see Doug and check out the great range of fishing gear,

Golden perch will still be munching lures this month. Expect things to get tougher in the near future as lakes cool down.

Sports at 115 Palmerin Street Warwick. Warwick is only a ten minute drive from the dam and you can pick up any supplies you might need.

COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWN: INGLEWOOD After a couple of rises in water level, the dam is now very dirty. The lure fishing will be almost too hard to be bothered with for several months. Hopefully winter helps the sediment to settle and gives us a good

WIDE BAY AND SOUTH BURNETT REGION

2 Dams

1de stination H

kayaks and accessories he has on display.

LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK Only a small inflow to the dam rose the level slightly. This has barely changed the fishing. Make the most of this month before the water cools down and the fish get tougher to tempt.

Bait fishers have scored well with live shrimp and saltwater yabbies fished in various locations from the shore. Boats will have the same results but have the ability to easily try different depths. A lot of the action has been taking place in less than 6m of water.

Lure trolling in 3-6m will produce quite a few golden perch. Smaller fish are common at the moment but some areas do seem to hold better numbers of quality fish. The Black Boys area has held bigger models and so has the eastern bank of the main basin.

If standard hardbodies aren’t producing, switch to a slower troll and use a lipless crankbait. These lipless baits have the ability to keep producing right into the winter months.

Along with getting a fishing report, stock up on all your gear while at Warwick Outdoor and

South Burnett

BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY The arms of the lake are dirty after water flowed in but the basin of the lake has remained clear. The dirty water in the Stuart and Boyne won’t be worth fishing for some time so stick to the clearer water in the dam’s basin.

The fish have moved away from the dam wall and the middle reaches of the lake

should start to fish better.

Trolling hardbodied lures at around 7m deep and close to the bottom should produce a few fish.

The schools will tighten up so keep an eye on the sounder for better shows as this is where you’ll want to cast a lure. Soft plastics, soft vibes, spinnerbaits, blades, tail spinners and spoons can all perform well so mix it up to see what they want.

crack at the fish in spring.

Bait fishing will be the best bet with live shrimp and saltwater yabbies the standout baits. Try fishing these out in front of the ramp and campground or up at the start of both timbered arms.

The Coolmunda Caravan Park is 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 offers

camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. The park now has two new wheelchair friendly 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.

On the edges, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits will fool fish in the mornings and afternoons. Stick to roughly the same location and work the clearer water in the basin of the lake. Mix it up and explore shallower banks as well as the steeper rocky ones.

Boondooma is a great place to camp right near the water and sit by the fire while enjoying the view. You could also stay in more style and comfort by booking into one of the cabins overlooking the dam. The kiosk at the main

office does hot food and other basic items including an excellent range of proven fishing tackle. For campsites, cabins and bunkhouse rooms call (07) 4168 9694.

BJELKE CLOSEST TOWNS: MURGON, GOOMERI The dam level has remained the same with no rise after the rain. The water is therefore clear and very fishable. The best action will come from the dam wall to where the dam narrows up halfway up the main basin.

The fishing has been a bit tough with mostly smaller bass being caught on cast lures. Blade baits hopped through the schools or a slowly wound 3” Gulp Grub has been the way to hook the fish.

Conventional hardbody trolling is likely to slow down. Purple lures worked well last month. As it gets tougher, consider trolling casting lures. Spinnerbaits and tail spinners trolled at the depth the fish are holding can perform really well when they refuse to eat a hardbody.

Bait fishing will continue to catch fish but ensure you have live shrimp to have the best chance of success.

Shrimp can be caught in the dam at times so a baited trap left in at night may produce a few. Otherwise, go exploring in the local creeks to see if you can find a supply.

For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into Bass 2 Barra. The store

H

· Boondooma Dam · Bjelke-Petersen Dam ·

The BEST place in QLD to catch Australian Bass and Yellowbelly

STAY

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NIGHTS AND

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of the month BOONDOOMA DAM HARRY WITH A BP BASS CAUGHT WITH A JACKALL

BJELKE-PETERSEN

A VERY HAPPY FISHERMAN WITH A BOONDOOMA SILVER PERCH

www.lakeboondooma.com.au www.yallakoolpark.com.au 76

MAY 2017

Escaped dam barra will be a big drawcard to the rivers below some of the lakes. In the freshwater they are safe from netters and there are some big fish on offer like this healthy specimen caught by Adam Krautz.

stocks an awesome range of gear suited to chasing our freshwater fish and the staff have all the knowledge to guide you on how to use it. You’ll find the store at 119 Youngman Street Kingaroy. Matthew Mott also runs fishing charters on the dams and you can reach him through the store for bookings and enquiries.

The Yallakool kiosk is all set up with a great range of tackle if you don’t happen to have the right lure or lose one. Be sure to call in and check it out. Give them a call for accommodation and camping bookings on (07) 4168 4746.

CANIA CLOSEST TOWN: MONTO Cania filled and ran over the spillway during the flooding rain. The water is a bit dirty but good numbers of bass are being

caught. Look for deeper schooling fish in about 10m of water. The main basin has held good numbers but they can be in tighter schools. Soft vibes, blades and tail spinners will be the lures to use.

WURUMA CLOSEST TOWNS: EIDSVOLD, MONTO Wuruma filled to capacity but didn’t overflow much.

The dam is still looking very clear in the main basin. It is a great place to visit with an upgrade to the campgrounds and toilet and shower facilities. The fish receive very little fishing pressure from experienced lure fishers. Big golden perch and bass are common here.

MONDURAN CLOSEST TOWN: GIN GIN Monduran Dam spilled over recently. Some barra were reported to go over the dam wall. The lake is

coloured but still clear enough to fish. Barra around 1m have been caught since the flood.

Most of the action has been coming from further up the dam in bays that are being oxygenated by the wind. For a more detailed report keep an eye out for Rob Howell’s reports in this magazine.

Below the dam, Monduran Crossing will definitely be worth a fish for barra and bass. The crossing itself can fish well and also provides kayak access to the surrounding water.

For all your barra fishing supplies and tips on the lake, go to Barra Havoc at 26 Mulgrave Street, Gin Gin. If you are after specialized tackle for impoundment barramundi, this is the store for you.

CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA Callide Dam had started to fish well for barra before the

floods. Plenty of water escaped and allowed the mature fish to go with the flow. The water

will be dirty and the best options will be redclaw and bait fishing with live shrimp

for golden perch. Stay tuned in coming issues to find out more on how the barra faired.

there were definitely barra lost into the river below. The dam was just starting to make a comeback but to see it return to its former glory days we are going to need years of drought

to prevent the fish escaping.

The extent of the fish lost will take some time to evaluate.

Pikes Crossing below the dam will be the place to be over the coming months. It will get a hammering but amazingly it seems to keep producing barra. Prior to the flood it was

holding plenty of smaller size barra. There should now be a few more big models around 1m long mixed in.

The salts will be netted as the pros move in which is a real shame as these stocked fish were never meant to be sold commercially. If you can

find a spot that hasn’t had the population decimated, the tidal reaches will also be worth a go.

For accommodation when fishing the dam or river below, book into Awoonga Gateway.

The Gateway Lodge is on the way in to the dam after

turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, self-contained cabins each with its own verandah. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033.

being caught right after the flooding. Freshly flooded weed beds and grass will be worth exploring. As this dies off, look for healthier patches of vegetation as this will be pumping the oxygen back into the water. Windblown areas are also vital once the vegetation dies off. The rolling action of the water will see it more oxygenated and all manner of life will be present from smaller baitfish to the predators.

Casting soft plastics over the weed is one of the most reliable ways to fish it. Also try rolling soft vibes over and through the weed beds.

These lures can be ripped hard out of weed when they foul up freeing them so you can continue fishing. The stonger vibration of the soft vibe may be just what the barra need to turn them on.

If you are planning on fishing Kinchant, Teemburra or Eungella, be sure to call in and see Bruce and Ash at Nashy’s Compleat Angler on Harbour Road, North Mackay. Ash works in the store but also as a fishing guide on the lakes. Some firsthand information as to where they are biting always goes a long way. Nashy’s has a great range of tackle suited to the dams as well as all the other fishing options the Mackay area is blessed with. You can call the store for more information on (07) 4957 2272.

TEEMBURRA CLOSEST TOWNS: PINNACLE, MACKAY Teemburra copped an absolute hammering in the flooding rain. The dam poured over and fish may have been lost. The water

will clear quickly in the lake and it will be fishable before the cold of winter hits.

If fishing the lake, look at different areas if the water is dirty. The rivers and creeks should now have cleared to push cleaner water into the top end of the dam. Soft plastics and surface lures would be two lures I’d have tied on if fishing the dam.

PETER FAUST CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSERPINE, AIRLIE BEACH Despite being in the path of the cyclone, Proserpine didn’t fill and overflow. It was one of the only lakes to not spill and lose fish. There is little to report Local tackle store owner and fishing guide Lindsay Dobe was like many other locals, exhausted from the clean up after the event. Proserpine was a mess

but the good news is after all the aftermath is tidied up the fishing will still be there and only a stone’s throw away.

You can expect Lake Proserpine to remain one of the best impoundment barra fishery we have. Now is the time to start planning a trip. The locals can use the tourism dollars so what better place to go and visit and nail some metre plus barra?

For all your fishing supplies or a guided trip on the lake call Lindsay or Dane at Barra World on (07) 4945 4641. Barra World is right on the highway in Proserpine and specialises in barra fishing tackle as well as catering to the needs of anglers fishing the nearby estuaries and offshore.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE Awoonga Dam poured over the spillway for days and MACKAY REGION MACKAY REGION KINCHANT CLOSEST TOWNS: MACKAY, MIRANI Kinchant Dam overflowed when the area took a hammering from the cyclone. Fish managed to

escape. Hard working locals jumped in to rescue them from the drains as the water receded. Sooties, catties and some monster barra to 130cm were returned to the lake.

The water will clear up quickly and barra were

Ben Wilson likes to fish his tail spinners on a baitcast outfit. This style of tackle is great for working the lures and pays off when casting distance isn’t a major issue.

Nigel Middleton likes to dress his 20g Gang Banger spoons up. Assist hooks rigged on the front or back can make a lot of difference to the hook-up ratio.

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE Korrigan Magnum Buzzjet Slideswimmer 175 FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST

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77

The 2017 Isuzu D-Max has even more power BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Few would ever think that last year’s D-Max ute with it’s 3L common rail turbo diesel engine was in any way underpowered, but Isuzu have seen the need

conditions. It has more torque, which equates to easier towing and easier work in the rough going.

The power output at 130kW remains unchanged from the previous model, but torque is now upgraded to 430Nm from the previous 380Nm. That torque makes itself felt at a low 2000rpm

Figures on paper are great to look at but there’s more to the new Isuzu D-Max than just some interesting engine output data. The Euro 5 compliant engine features major innovation and redesign. Variablegeometry turbocharging, an engine timing chain that lasts forever, new injectors,

Neatly proportioned lines are still a D-Max trait.

There are some styling changes, especially up front.

The bonnet appears smoother and there’s restyling to the grille, the headlights (which now feature daylight LEDs) and fog lights. There’s still a very good approach and departure angle for both front and rear, door sills are still

play on weekends.

Inside, little has changed as the vehicle continues with much the same interior layout. Starting at the left front door there’s a neat retractable cup holder on the outside of not two, but three different glove box storage compartments with a deep

screen with Sat Nav display, radio controls and reversing camera is central as is the air conditioning dial for the climate control air-con.

Other major controls for functions are centred around the steering wheel: radio, cruise control, and phone.

All were easy to use.

A similar dash setup to the previous model confirms that Isuzu hold fast to the concept of staying with a good thing. to upgrade the previous four-cylinder power plant to an entirely new one – remaining at 3L, but with significant differences and designed for Australian

and it’s available through most of this useful engine range to make towing a braked trailer of up to 3.5t and an unbraked trailer of up to 750kg a breeze.

and new fuel supply pump are all part of the picture.

Also in line with the coveted Euro 5 compliant system is a new particulate filter in the exhaust system, which is

The pull out cup holder for the front passenger will hold a large takeaway cappuccino. protected against obstacles displaced by wheels and the 465mm deep rear tray is big enough – at 1550mm long and 1105mm between wheel arches – to be really useful for work during the week or

bin for extra storage between both front seats.

Features include a DVD and CD player, FM/ AM radio, USB port, phone streaming and Bluetooth connectivity. A 7” touch

This is a big factor of the D-Max. Things work very well. It’s a user-friendly ute. The comfort levels up front are excellent with wide supportive seats for the driver and front passenger.

The D-Max has rear seating for three adult passengers with plenty of leg and headroom. Note the cup holder.

“Tinnie Tosser” Want to take your tinny on holidays and catch the big one but can’t because you are towing a caravan?

Well here is the answer!!

Features include: Single person operation, electric and manual models, custom made to suit vehicle and boat, built for off-road conditions, aluminium and stainless steel construction.

For further information contact Bowline on

Ph: (07) 5498 7339 Fx: (07) 5498 7351 Mobile: 0419 674 343

www.tinnietosser.com.au 78

MAY 2017

designed to burn off captured material every 500km.

Working willingly with the new engine is a six-speed Isuzu manual gear box or alternatively an even better Japanese Aisin six-speed auto, which was standard in the LS two-wheel drive ute reviewed.

THE CHANGES The D-Max Crew Cab five-seater as reviewed carries much the same overall styling as the previous model. That means all the doors look neatly proportioned when compared to competitors where rear doors might look somewhat awkward or out of place. And those wheel arches look as tough as ever.

Reversing made easy the D-Max way.

In the three person rear seat, which is higher that the front row, there’s ample head and legroom. The rear seat has its own cup holders as well.

It has big door handles and large but not overdone side steps. The rear doors are wide enough to make entry easy; that’s what the D-Max is all about.

ON THE ROAD The first thing the driver will notice is that there is still ample evidence that a diesel engine in under the bonnet. It’s not overly quiet

at idle, but it’s much quieter when cruising. Some very slight vibration reminds us that this is still basically a truck engine and yes, the typical take-it-in-its-stride 3L D-Max cruising capability is still there with 100km demanding only around 1750rpm. Overtaking at 100km sees the extra 50Nm of torque earning its keep with the ute really moving off the mark when accelerating.

The Aisin six-speed auto unit has a well-engineered adaptive learning function

that shifts gears according to driving conditions. I was impressed with the manner in which the Aisin dropped gears when heading down a long sloping section of the Cunningham Highway.

I touched the brake gently once and the gearbox did the rest. The Hill Descent Control function is now standard on all D-Max utes and the 4x4 enthusiasts will doubtlessly find it very handy for their off-road work.

For a ladder chassis work ute, the ride of the 4x2 Crew

Some styling enhancements up front easily set this year’s Isuzu D-Max apart from the previous model. Work on the bonnet and grille has simply made a good looking ute just that bit better.

Cab was very good on most road surfaces, but inclined to let driver and passenger know when the road surface was not all it should be. The independent coil springs and gas shocks up front and leaf springs on the rear setup took care of most road conditions.

The totally unloaded ute reminded us of its heritage as a work vehicle on some of the rougher patches.

On a corrugated gravel section of road the ride was surprisingly good.

I wasn’t travelling so fast

The D-Max did a great job of getting the Kampe cod fishing team to a really nice area on the Severn River.

HUGE 6-PAGE TRAILER FEATURE

Features

Outrigger trolling basics The language of line • When and where to use wire • •

Do you love your monthly issue of Fishing Monthly?

Do you think it’s about time you were on the cover?

NEW!

Find ind d tthe he

hook competition

It’s a tough but user-friendly sort of truck, which would fulfil a lot of work or fun related tasks in quite good comfort. It doesn’t pretend to be a Ranger or a Hilux, just a much better value for money ute that is ahead of the game as a user-friendly practical, tough-as-nails unit.

The warranty is five years or 130,000km with five year or 50,000km capped price servicing as well. A maximum five-star ANCAP rating is awarded to the D-Max.

n o e b o t t Wan f o r e v o C the ? y l h t n o M Fishing

Techniques

Join the sooty grunter hunters • Pimp your trailer • Hand-carved lures •

then. In fairness it must be remembered that the D-Max is designed as a work ute and with some weight in the rear tray things would be very different all round.

Economy is a strong point of the new D-Max. With a 76L fuel tank and an achieved 8.2L/100km, this ute has a very extensive touring range indeed.

SUMMING UP A new engine and some extra work on the front styling sets the 2017 D-Max well ahead of it’s predecessors.

Well, we think that too, and are offering you the chance to do just that. The April, May and June issues of Queensland, NSW and Victoria/Tasmania FMs will all feature readers’ pics on the front covers.

And there’s no reason why it can’t be you...

Entry is simple. Email us your cover-worthy pic. Remember, though, that it needs to be the right composition and resolution to work. After that, it just needs to get through the Grumpy Old Men committee (Steve Morgan and Matt Drinkall) and then BOOM, you’re the latest cover model.

News

Be creative - we like images that aren’t just ‘person holding fish’.

Tried and Tested

Forget Fitzroy River Barrage • GD Marine Mobile Service • Salvinia weed issues •

Rosco Solo Scamper canoe Mojo 4m Twin Console • Extreme 700 Game King • •

April, 2014 Fishing Monthly

• • • • • • •

Other parameters of which you need to take note: Portrait format (photo must be taller than it is wide).

Leave enough room for a magazine masthead at the top of of the image.

Leave enough room for the bottom banner and bar code area.

Shoot in the highest resolution your camera can take.

Use fill-in flash to help remove any shadows under caps or biminis.

Live fish look way better than dead ones.

Any fish must be legally captured (within season/size limits).

Head not too high in the shot to allow for Masthead Portrait format

And then email your image to: frontcovercomp@fishingmonthly.com.au with a description of the what/when/where/how of the capture.

G R O U P

Registered by Australian Post Publication No: 100003847

Fishing Monthly Group

www.fishingmonthly.com.au

$5.95 (GST inc.)

Be sure to include your details, too, because we’ll post out a framed copy of the winning covers to the entrant.

THAT will be going straight to the Pool Room, we bet.

For full terms and conditions, please refer to fishingmonthly.com.au/frontcovercomp MAY 2017

79

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2017

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

6-7 May

Round 4 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series Mallacoota

Lynette Kime 0490 762 188

20 May

BASS Electric #3 Hinze Dam

www.abt.org.au

20-21 May

Round 7 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 St Georges Basin

hobiefishing.com.au

20-21 May

Manning River BREAM Qualifier #5 Manning River

www.abt.org.au

16-18 Jun

Round 5 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series St Georges Basin

Lynette Kime 0490 762 188

3-4 Jun

Cania BASS Pro Qualifier #2 Cania Dam

www.abt.org.au

7-8 Jun

Boondooma BASS Pro Qualifier #3 Boondooma Dam

www.abt.org.au

10-11 Jun

Round 8 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Port Macquarie

hobiefishing.com.au

17-18 Jun

BASS Electric #4 Borumba Dam

www.abt.org.au

5-6 Jul

Lake St Clair BASS Pro Qualifier #4 Lake St Clair

www.abt.org.au

8-9 Jul

Glenbawn BASS Pro Qualifier #5 Glenbawn Dam

www.abt.org.au

15-16 Jul

Richmond River BREAM Qualifier #6 Richmond River

www.abt.org.au

22-23 Jul

Round 9 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Gold Coast

hobiefishing.com.au

30 Jul

BASS Electric #5 St Clair

www.abt.org.au

6 Aug

Round 6 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series Hawkesbury

Lynette Kime 0490 762 188

13 Aug

BASS Electric Major #2 Moogerah

www.abt.org.au

13 Aug

Round 10 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Mooloolaba

hobiefishing.com.au

19-20 Aug

Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier #7 Gold Coast

www.abt.org.au

26-27 Aug

Round 11 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Swan River

hobiefishing.com.au

2-3 Sep

Clarence River BASS Pro Qualifier #6 Clarence River

www.abt.org.au

10 Sep

Round 7 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series Botany Bay

Lynette Kime 0490 762 188

16-17 Sep

BASS Electric Convention TBA

www.abt.org.au

16-17 Sep

Round 12 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Forster

hobiefishing.com.au

28-30 Sep

WTF Women That Fish Fitzroy River Rockhampton

Shara VanHaeren 0429 923 243

30 Sep-1 Oct

St Georges Basin BREAM Qualifier #8 St Georges Basin

www.abt.org.au

14-15 Oct

Spare Round Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series TBA

Lynette Kime 0490 762 188

14-15 Oct

BASS Pro Grand Final Richmond River

www.abt.org.au

30 Oct

BARRA Tour Round #1 (Evening Event) Teemburra

www.abt.org.au

31 Oct

BARRA Tour Round #2 (Evening Event) Kinchant Dam

www.abt.org.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours.

Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name.

80

MAY 2017

Plenty of winners at Hervey Bay Competition There were 491 entries (349 seniors and 142 juniors) in the 25th Annual VMR Hervey Bay Family Fishing Competition organised by the Hervey Bay Boat Club Fishing and Social Club from 9-12 March.

a great weekend of fun and socialising at Dayman Park with a chance to win some of the hundreds of prizes on offer. There was plenty of food and drinks supplied by members of the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise, and

was totally sponsored by Fishermans Corner Hervey Bay and 40 bream, 10 flathead and four whiting (a total of 54 fish) were returned to the water alive.

There were hundreds of prizes to win in the lucky

LIVE WEIGH-IN WINNERS Category Angler Weight (kg) Whiting �����������������������������������Wolfgang Kager........................................... 0.320 Bream �������������������������������������Wayne Nolen............................................... 0.840 Flathead ����������������������������������Alicia Cawley................................................2.720

Ellen Walter with a wicked 6kg tuna weighed in on Friday.

Casey Bates weighed in the first live fish for the competition on Friday – an awesome 542g bream.

The event was a huge success and the weather and fishing conditions were good for the whole weekend. Entrants enjoyed

lots of cold drinks thanks to XXXX and the hard working committee and members of the fishing club.

The live weigh-in

draws, the spinning wheel raffles and for weighing in fish, thanks to the tremendous support of the many great sponsors of the

Damian Kennedy and Luke Kerin from Mad Keen with the 6kg threadfin salmon they weighed in on Friday at the VMR Competition.

DEAD WEIGH-IN WINNERS Category Angler Weight (kg) Any Other Species (Cobia).......Peter Ford.................................................15.75 Coral Bream.............................Peter Ford.................................................. 2.70 Whiting.....................................Luke Richards........................................... 0.40 Blackall.....................................Tony Sheldon............................................. 6.02 Golden Trevally.........................Cliff Kingi................................................... 6.90 Bream.......................................Wayne Nolen............................................. 0.52

competition.

The senior super draw prize was won by Wendy Exelby who chose the $8000 boat rather than the $5000 cash.

The junior super draw prize, an iPad from Wide Bay Motor Group, was won by Bailey Pohlman.

Each day there were lucky draws for $1000 cash from the Boat Club and the winners were: Toby Vandenborn, Kurtis Moller, Paul Green and Scott Gilchrist. In the early entry draw, Pavel Kubac won $250 worth of tackle from the seniors draw, and Riley Ford won $100 worth of tackle from the juniors.

Five species of fish and the any other species category were eligible for the dead weigh-in and three species for the live weigh-in. Seniors weighing in the overall heaviest fish of each section in the live and dead weigh-ins received a Fraser Island ice box. The live weigh-in was solely sponsored by Fishermans Corner Hervey Bay. The Any Other Species Presidents Choice Best Fish Prize went to Peter Ford with a 15.75kg cobia. There were also three prizes donated by Bay Auto Marine Electrical.

A Simrad VHF radio went to Joshua Ozanne for a 10.9kg barra, a marine battery went to Brendon Hughes for a 5.78kg diamond trevally and an LED trailer light kit went to Kurtis Muller for a 9.84kg tuskfish.

Lots of fish were donated by entrants each day, filleted

by Urangan Fisheries and

delivered to Masters Lodge.

The organisers of the event, the Hervey Bay Boat Club Fishing and Social Club and VMR Hervey Bay, are very happy with

the way the competition went and most thankful to all the sponsors and the 491 entrants for their support.

– Hervey Bay Boat Club Fishing and Social Club.

MEMORIAL TROPHY WINNERS Trophy Angler John Hogan Trophy................ Corey Sweet Lawrie Brown Trophy............. Liliana Tomkin Neil Davey Trophy.................. Danyel Helson Ian Bates Trophy.................... Marie Miller Rex Ford Trophy..................... Ian Dinte

MAY 2017

81

Back-to-back for Morgan

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

STORM

Steve Morgan made it back-to-back wins on the Costa BREAM tour, with the 44 year old Brisbane bream fisher adding a win at Albany to his last start victory at Gippsland Lakes in February.

Compiling a 10/10, 5.615kg limit for the tournament Morgan used a two-prong approach to catch his tournament winning fish, fishing both bridges and oyster racks each day to fill his limit.

Heading straight to King River Bridge on day one, a spot that he shared with Warren Carter, Morgan didn’t have to wait long for the action to happen, and to fill his limit.

“The bridges were one of the few places that I was confident I could catch fish at low tide, so that’s where I went first up,” explained Morgan.

Fishing the opposite side of the bridge to Carter, Morgan cast his lure out and fished it down deep under a school of anchovies.

“The bream were down there eating the anchovies, and they were hungry and super keen to eat my Cranka Crab,” explained Morgan.

It only took 25 minutes

Steve Morgan with a brace of his Albany winning bream. for Morgan to fill his limit, a limit that included a 1.37kg fish and two fish over 30cm. As the tide rose Morgan changed location, and he changed to what he really loves, throwing Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns at oyster racks and fishing OSP Bent Minnows on the flats.

“Before the water got high enough to fish the racks I fished the edges of the channel with Bent Minnows, intercepting the bream as they moved up onto the flat. Once the water got high enough

BIG BREAM R

Steve Morgan secured the Big Bream Prize adding $500 to his event winnings with his 1.365kg kicker on day one caught on a Cranka Crab on the bridge.

I moved in and fished the racks,” explained Morgan.

Morgan’s rack technique involved throwing his Ecogearaqua over the top of the rack. He’d then pop it over the edge and it was as it was sinking down after the pop that the fish would eat it.

“You’d see the bream come out, sniff the Aqua, then choff it down and eat it. If it was a little bream you wouldn’t set the hook, you’d pop it out of the fish’s mouth and hopefully a bigger fish would eat it.

If I didn’t get a bite on the initial drop I’d twitch the Aqua across the surface to the middle of the racks, then deadstick it, and a fish would often charge out and eat it,” explained Morgan.

While Morgan’s rack approach saw a tonne of fish (50-70 fish), it was the early morning bridge pattern that put the big fish in his well, and saw him weigh in nearly 4kg for the day. Heading back to the bridge on day two, Morgan lasted about an hour.

“It didn’t really happen on the bridge on day two, so I pulled the pin and headed to the racks,” explained Morgan.

Putting together a limit throwing Ecogearaquas, Morgan compiled a 1.63kg bag to hold onto to the lead and claim his second victory for the year. Morgan cashed in at Albany, picking up the winner’s cheque, the Big Bream prize, 1st place Pro cheque, and the Duffrods Big Bag.

Carter cruises into second Warren Carter brought his fishing form west from Victoria, adding another podium finish to his tournament CV to help put behind him the bad memories of the long roadtrip.

Compiling a 10/10 bag at 4.88kg for the event, Carter started his tournament fishing the King River Bridge on day one.

“I fished here for the whole day throwing Cranka Crabs and had my limit by about 9.30am,” explained Warren.

It’s hard not to smile like Warren Carter when you’re catching bream like these.

TOP 10 BOATERS

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

82

MAY 2017

Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

1

2 3 4 5 6 9 7 8 10

10/10

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 9/10

5.615

4.880 4.015 3.910 3.780 3.695 3.495 3.205 3.170 3.005

$1600 + $500 Big Bream (1.365kg) + $400 Pro + Costa Sunglasses $1100 + Merc Bonus $250 $750 + Merc Bonus $150 $500 + Yamaha Bonus $300

Steve Morgan

Warren Carter Greg Cooper Cam Whittam Kim McIntyre Callum Dowell Charlie Saykao Mark Crompton Tom Palfrey Nigel Kelly

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

Using his new Minn Kota electric motor fitted with the new Spot Lock, Carter positioned his boat out and up current from the bridge then drifted his crabs back under the bridge.

“This was a different approach to what I usually do. Usually I position the boat down current then throw up current towards the bridge. The new Minn Kota allows you to hold the boat up from the bridge and present the crab in a more natural way,” explained Carter.

With his boat up current Warren would drift his crab in under the bridge.

He would then occasionally tighten up on the line, then lay out some slack line and continue to drift it back.

“The fish would swim up on the crab then pick it up and I’d then set the hook and try and muscle it out,” explained Carter.

Carter paid a high price for fishing that deep in cover, landing half the fish he hooked. Despite the losses Carter weighed in a 5/5, 3.19kg bag to be sitting Continued over

From previous page

in second place at the end of day one.

Returning to the bridge on day two it wasn’t until 8.30am that he boated his first fish. He put one more fish in his well then at 10.30am he moved location and fished the backside of some oyster racks, in an

area where he found some bream digs.

“I threw a bunch of different lures in this area but it wasn’t until right at the end of the session that I caught the fish to complete my limit.

I had three fish at 1.30pm, and in the last half hour I bagged out and upgraded twice,” explained Warren.

The lure that did the

damage was a 70mm Smith Panish, while the outfit he used to present it was an Edge Rods 702, Shimano 2500 Stella, and 4lb leader.

Carter weighed a heavier

bag than Morgan on day two, but didn’t have enough to peg back the lead Morgan had established for the final day.

“I’ll take a second any

day, especially after the trials and tribulations we had on the drive across. The next stop is Blackwood and I can’t wait to get there,” explained Carter.

BREAM Presente SERIES d by BKK

Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn Cranka Crab

Current

Tom McIntosh dominated at Albany to claim the non-boater title.

Tommy Mac Tops the Field The only non-boater to weigh his full limit, Tom McIntosh fished shallow to catch his tournament winning bag, throwing OSP Bent Minnows and shallow Cranka Cranks around shallow weed beds.

“I’d used the wind to make long wind assisted casts with the Bent Minnow then work it with a rip, twitch, pause retrieve. The key was to make plenty of casts and cover as much water as possible,” explained Tom. The outfit he used to throw his Bent Minnow included a 6’10”, 2-8lb 13 Fishing Envy Black rod, Daiwa 2004 Luvias reel, 6lb Unitika Bream Jr PE, and 3lb Gamma fluorocarbon leader.

While the Bent Minnow produced plenty of fish there was a limit to its use, and that limit was dictated by the wind.

“You wanted the wind to blow for the Bent Minnow to work, but once the wind got too strong you couldn’t work the Bent Minnow properly,” explained Tom. Once the wind got up Tom put the minnow down and picked up the Cranka, fishing a smoke prawn coloured shallow Cranka Crank across the top of the weed. The lure would dive to about 1m, occasionally touching the weed and getting hung up.

“Sure it’s a hindrance to get hung up on weed, but

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Steve Morgan valued added his event winning claiming the Duffrods Big Bag for the event with his 5/5, 3.99kg day one limit. The heaviest sack for the event came on a combination of Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns and Cranka Crabs.

that’s where the fish are,” explained Tom. It’s when the lure became hung up on the weed that Tom’s choice of rod played in his favour.

“I prefer to use a slow taper rod when cranking because it allows to you pull the lure off the weed more gently than when using a fast tapered rod. A fast taper rod will pop the lure out too fast. It’s when the lure comes out off the weed in a slower more measured manner that the fish will often eat it. That’s exactly what happened during the event,” explained Tom. Tom’s crankbait outfit included a 6’9”, 2-6lb, 13 Fishing Muse Gold rod, Daiwa 2004 Luvias reel, 6lb Unitika Bream Jr PE, and 3lb Gamma fluorocarbon leader.

Tom’s multi-lure approach paid off delivering him a 5/5, 2.80kg limit on day one, and a 5/5, 1.86kg limit on day two. His victory punched

his ticket for December’s Costa BREAM Grand Final at Lake Macquarie and was a sign of things to come for the second half of the WA leg of the 2017 Costa BREAM Series.

WINNING TACKLE Outfit 1 (Cranka Crab), Rod Millerods Bream Buster, Reel Daiwa 2506 Luvias, Line 6lb Unitika Silver Thread straight-through fluorocarbon, Lure Cranka Crab.

Outfit 2 (Ecogear Aqua), Rod 7’5” Nordic Stage Artist, Reel Shimano Stella, Line 4lb Berkley Nanofil, Leader 6lb Chinu Harris, Lure Ecogear Aqua Bream Prawn rigged on a Van Fook #1 worm hook.

Steve Morgan caught plenty of fish in the racks on Ecogear Aqua Bream Prawns.

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler

1

2

3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

Thomas McIntosh 10/10 4.650 Costa Sunglasses + Prize Pack

+ $100 Hobie Bonus Brenton Madaus 9/10 3.915 Prize Pack + $300 Pro +

$50 Hobie Bonus Nick Penprase 8/10 3.290 JML Rod + Prize Pack +

$35 Hobie Bonus Jesse Choy 8/10 2.695 Prize Pack Wally Fahey 6/10 2.375 Prize Pack Joseph Gardner 5/10 2.325 Prize Pack Jenny Gardner 6/10 2.310 Prize Pack Adam Smith 7/10 2.050 Prize Pack Chris Hill 5/10 1.755 Prize Pack Mike Sutcliffe 4/10 1.585 Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

One and two, Morgan and Carter fishing the King River Bridge on day one.

MAY 2017

83

Carter crushes it at Blackwood

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

STORM

Warren Carter showed himself as the king of the west, with the 50-year-old Victorian fishing the edge at Blackwood to claim victory in the second of the two WA rounds of the 2017 Costa BREAM Series.

Going one place better than his second at Albany, Carter jumped from third at the end of day one, to top spot on day two to finish the event as the king of the west.

Hitting the water on pre-fish with the goal of trying to key in on the technique that delivered him victory in the last ABT event on the Blackwood, it didn’t take Carter long to realise that lightning was going to strike twice.

“In 2013 I fished upriver working crankbaits parallel along the timber lined banks.

Unfortunately I only caught three fish, perhaps it was because of all the rain that had been through the system.

I then went down river and caught fish,” explained Carter.

Caught between two options on day one, to go up or down, Carter spent the first hour and a half on day one up river for no result. He cranked up the Mercury, headed down

Warren Carter jumped from third place at the end of day one, to top spot on day two to finish the event as the king of the west. river and fished there for the rest of the day.

“I fished shallow laydowns in 2ft of water with a Jackall Chubby and ended up getting my limit in the last hour and a half,” explained Carter.

Day two saw a change of plan. He had little choice.

“There was a pro fishing the flat that I was going to fish

WINNING TACKLE

R

Rod: Edge Rods 702; Reel: Shimano 2500 Stella; Line: Varivas PE; Leader: 4lb Varivas Absolute Fluorocarbon; Lure: Jackall Chubby brown suji, Smith Camion SR (black).

so I moved to a spot known as West Bay,” explained Carter.

It was definitely a cloud with a silver lining. Carter filled his limit by 8am and then made his next change for the day, swapping from a Chubby to a black Smith Camion.

“They black Camion was the switch that really turned them on. I would have caught 30 legal fish throwing it,” explained Carter.

Delivering the heaviest limit (5/5, 3.54kg) and the Duffrods Big Bag to the scales on the final day Carter once again showed his dominance on the

Blackwood, claiming victory and stamping his name as the hot contender for the 2017 Power-Pole BREAM AOY points race.

“My worst result so far this year is third and we’ve got four events to go, so I’m feeling good about my chances. But there’s definitely no certainties in this sport,” explained Carter.

With Carter the defending AOY champion and with 396/400 points from the first four events and in career best form, only a brave person would bet against Carter for the AOY title.

Whittam cranks to second Victorian breamer Cam Whittam had a successful first visit to WA’s Blackwood River with the tournament veteran claiming a top two finish to end his western visit on a high.

Day one saw Cam focusing on rock clumps, but it wasn’t the clumps themselves that he was fishing.

“The tide was a little lower on day one and the fish seemed to be holding wide of the rocks waiting to move up with the water, and it was here that I caught my bream, plus a bunch of by-catch early in the morning. There was a lot of salmon, herring and

Cam Whittam had a successful first visit to WA’s Blackwood River claiming a top two finish.

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

84

MAY 2017

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

Warren Carter 10/10 6.125 $1,650 + Costa Sunglasses Cam Whittam 10/10 5.730 $1,200 Alex Griesdorf 10/10 5.515 $775 Greg Cooper 9/10 5.090 $500 Shane Owens 10/10 4.800 Blake O’Grady 7/10 3.810 Mark Crompton 10/10 3.685 Ben Scott 10/10 3.535 Charlie Saykao 5/10 3.515 Callum Dowell 8/10 3.370 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

bait in the area, and the bream were there as well,” explained Cam. With his limit in the well by 8am, Cam followed the fish as they moved further up the bank with the incoming tide.

Throwing small cranks at the flooded rocks, Cam upgraded his initial small limit to finish the day with a 2.52kg limit.

Aiming to repeat his day one success and pattern on day two, Cam Continued over

From previous page

once again found the fish willing to play the game, picking up his limit early then upgrading throughout the day as the tide rose and the fish gravitated towards the rocks.

Acknowledging that the luck was on his side on day two with the hooks sticking in the big fish, Cam finished the day with his heaviest limit of the tournament, a 3.21kg bag.

The main rod that

Cam used to do the damage on the Blackwood was a Duffrods T-8522, a great all-round rod that he can’t praise highly enough.

“This rod suits my style of fishing perfectly, and it’s the first rod I reach for whether I’m throwing small crankbaits, large jerkbaits, vibs, or crabs,” explained Cam. I addition to his beloved Duffrods Whittam was very acknowledging post event of his sponsors and the

integral role they play in his tournament fishing career.

“I can’t speak highly enough of my sponsors. EJ Todd, Humminbird, Minn Kota, and Tonic contribute greatly to what I do and I can’t thank them enough for their support. I’d also like to thank Yamaha for their support of ABT. Like all the Yamaha boaters on tour, I really appreciate the money they put in and their sponsor bonus program,” Cam Whittam concluded.

BREAM Presente SERIES d by BKK

Tom takes the title Making a clean sweep in the west, 21 year old Victorian breamer Tom McIntosh compiled a 10/10, 6.13kg limit to claim the non-boater title at Blackwood. McIntosh fished to his strength using many techniques that he had plenty of confidence in. He fished with good friend and BREAM Classic teammate Charlie

Saykao on day one.

“Charlie and I had a chat after the draw at the briefing to nut out a plan for the day. With the rain that had been through the system we decided to fish the lower end of the river with the objective of filling our bag with limit fish, then head up river later in session in pursuit of bigger fish,” explained McIntosh.

Fishing sunken timber and rock bars Tom threw an ayu coloured Smith Jade, throwing it into the gaps and slots left by his boater and working it with a series of twitches and a pause. It was one such gap left by his boater that McIntosh caught his kicker fish for the day, a 1.46kg Blackwood monster.

“There was a little gap at

Jackall Chubby

Making a clean sweep in the west, Tom McIntosh took out the number one spot for non-boaters.

Smith Camion

BIG BREAM

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Champion boater Warren value added his event winnings by claiming the Duffrods Big Bag for his outstanding day two bag. The limit that anchored his victory, his 3.54kg heavy weight sack came on a Jackall Chubby and Smith Camion.

Champion nonboater Tom McIntosh secured the Big Bream Prize at Blackwood, adding $500 to event winnings for his 1.46kg day one kicker fish. Caught on a Smith Jade in ayu colour it was muscled from a small gap next to a flooded tea tree bush.

the back of a tea tree bush. I cast the Jade in, twitched it down to a little branch and the fish hit it like a freight train. I applied pressure to him as soon as he struck and he came out with little fuss.

Once he was out in the open it was game over.”

In contrast to the Albany event where McIntosh used a slow taper rod for his crankbaiting, Blackwood saw him opt for a rod with a faster taper.

“I was fishing tight to cover so I wanted a rod with a bit more backbone and a faster tip so I could apply pressure quicker than with a slower tapered rod,” explained Tom. McIntosh’s approach paid off and he delivered a 3.285kg bag to the scales to lead by over a kilo heading into day two.

Paired with Steve Morgan on the final day, McIntosh’s plan was to fish the same structure as day one – timber and rock bar – but he was conscious of not hitting locations that his day one boater, Charlie Saykao, and other boaters, had fished the day before.

While the pattern was the same the lure differed

with McIntosh throwing a shallow diving Cranka Minnow in rusty gold colour around submerged rocks.

The approach paid off with McIntosh weighing in a 5/5, 2.845kg limit to claim a comfortable victory. His stunning last day delivered him a perfect 20/20 limit for the two WA rounds and fueled his back-to-back victories.

“To do this well was beyond my wildest dreams.

As a uni student it was a struggle to gather the funds to make the trip across, and these events were going to be the limit of the ABT events I could afford to do for the year. With two solid AOY scores under my belt, I’m now seriously considering how I can make it to more events,” concluded McIntosh.

With his current hot streak who can blame him for wanting to try and make hay while the sun shines?

Costa BREAM Series anglers now turn back to the east coast with ABT making a long overdue return to Taree in May for the Mercury Manning River BREAM Qualifier, 20-21 May.

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Thomas McIntosh 10/10

Massimo Salomone 8/10 Joe Franco 6/10 Joseph Gardner 6/10 Mike Sutcliffe 6/10 Carey Nolan 7/10 Blake Coomber 5/10 Mirek Soucek 5/10 Rebecca Fazio 5/10 Rod Pickering 3/10

Weight (kg)

Payout

6.130

3.280 3.120 2.585 2.565 2.335 2.245 2.200 2.160 1.280

Prize Pack+ $500 Big Bream (1.46kg) Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

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

Winners are grinners in WA. There were plenty of sponsor prizes and cheques handed out.

MAY 2017

85

West dominates to win

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

Brisbane-based bass angler Charles ‘Westy’ West has taken his fifth victory on the BASS Electric tour with 4/4, 3.83kg limit, anchored by the event Big Bass of 1.83kg. He took the victory by an astonishing 2.31kg. Not to be outdone, Tim Nagano showed he is one to watch for the rest of the 2017 ePropulsion BASS Electric Series securing second place with a solid Lenthall’s bass at 1.52kg.

Having never fished Lake Lenthalls, West felt he needed to put in lots of work to ensure he had a good finish. “I had never fished the lake before, but I felt confident that if I put the time on the lake and did my research I would find the fish,” said West.

While his pre-fish failed to show good concentrations of bass, it allowed West to find good schools of bait and focus his attention on

Charles West claimed the win at Lenthalls with the event’s only full limit.

R

Tim Nagano may have only caught one fish, but it was big enough to put him into second.

86

MAY 2017

BASS EL ECTR SERIES IC

15ft flat in between the two weed beds and then the area where the second weed bed would meet the bank on the other side,” said West.

After the area had been broken down West would rotate between the three locations. On the edges of the lake West would look for the breaks in the weed and burn his TN60 across the top of the broken weed. West’s plan was to burn the bait past the bass and avoid any barra holding in the same area.

“I didn’t feel the barra would hit a fast moving bait and it would only get the bass stirred up,” explained West.

Once he had fished the broken weed bank, West would move deeper and target individual bass holding wide of the weed bed. He would watch for fish on his sounder before dropping his lure onto their nose and then impart two or three short, sharp hops before pausing

STORM

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

THE F Self-co U ntaineTURE IS H d Elec tric OuERE tboard s

a key area no bigger than a football pitch.

“I found a section of the lake that had an S-bend created by two long weed beds coming out from a Barron Bank with submerged broken weed, it was holding good concentrations of bait and I could see fish moving on the sounder,” explained West.

Once in the location West fished the predominant weed beds with a range of different baits, but wasn’t getting the bites he needed.

“On the pre-fish Adrian got a few good bites on a Mask Vib, which gave me an idea on what size bait the fish wanted to see,” said West.

With this in mind, West switched up his presentation and opted for a Jackall TN60 in brown dog and noticed he was getting more bites.

As the session progressed, West and his fishing partner broke down the area into three key sections. “I would get more bites in three key locations.

The first was where the weed bed would meet the barren bank. Second was a small

for 4-8 seconds. Once he noticed the fish move off the flat, West would then move across to the opposing weed bed and repeat the process.

With high and changing winds, West used a 13 Fishing medium light spin rod matched with a 13 Creed GT spinning reel, spooled with 12lb Sunline Cast Away and 12lb Gamma Fluorocarbon. “With the wind swirling through the arm of the lake I decided to swap to a spin rod to allow me to focus on making long casts and cover ground quickly,” said West.

West was excited to take another win on the tournament trail and spoke

fondly of the team behind him that helped him compete at the highest level. “I have to give a shout out to my fishing partner Adrian Wilson for a great weekend, and a shout out to my sponsors 13 Fishing Australia, Haswing Marine Australia, Dogtooth Distributions, Versus Meiho Australia and Pros Factory who help me out throughout the year. Thank you all very much,” said West.

NAGANO NAILS ONE TO TAKE SECOND Tim Nagano had a tough tournament and was rewarded with one quality bass, which propelled him

sounder and wasn’t sure if they were barra or bass,” said Nagano.

Come tournament day Nagano used his years of bass fishing knowledge and looked to target the bass with a moving bait.

“Unfortunately I didn’t have any spoons with me, so I had to swap it up to a 10g Halco slug,” said Nagano. Once in location Nagano would cast his slug up onto the top of the drop-off before starting a slow retrieve back to the boat. Nagano’s tackle of choice for the work was a Palm’s Molla MSGC62MLXXF rod matched

WINNING WAYS West described his winning edge, “When burning lures back to the boat it is easy to pull the lure out of the fish’s mouth and the best way to avoid this was to back my drag off.” – ABT into second place. Having not fished the lake for over a decade, Nagano spent his pre-fish day familiarising himself with the lake before settling on a drop-off near the opening to the right hand arm of the lake. “I found some large showings on my

RESULTS Place Name

Fish

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

4 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Charles West Tim Nagano Matt Johnson Brady Ellis Shaun Falkenhagen Dean Thompson Peter Bostock Adrian Wilson Justin Thompson

Weight (kg)

3.83 1.52 1.51 1.49 1.48 1.19 0.68 0.61 0.52

with a Shimano Aldebaran 51HG reel spooled with 15lb Toray PE and 12lb Seaguar leader.

At the end of the tournament Nagano spoke of what could have been.

He remained positive about the season ahead. “I missed a number of bites both days of the tournament, but there are plenty more tournaments in the season ahead and it just wasn’t to be on the day.”

With the season now in full swing the ePropolsion BASS Electric Series now heads to picturesque Hinze Dam on 21st May. For all the information on this event and other events near you, head to abt.org.au.

FIND THE LOGO COMPETITION There are 15

MAJOR PRIZES

MONTHLY PRIZES

Logos hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly.

Find the

1

PLACE

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 SAMPLE PACK OF BLACK MAGIC DX POINT HOOKS. All entries will go into the major prize draw.

(Drawn MAY 31, 2017)

2

3

4

2

500

6

7

8

9

PLACE

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

200

$ RD

3

• Sample Pack of Black Magic DX Hooks

5

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

$ ND PLACE

www.blackmagictackle.com PAGE NO: 1

1000

$ ST

10

11

12

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

13

14

15

NAME ............................................................................................................

MAIL ENTRIES TO:

QLD Find the DX Point Hooks Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by 31ST MAY 2017 Original entries only. No photocopies.

Images for illustration purposes only.

SUBURB .................................................................P/CODE ...........................

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Cooking

Add a Mediterranean touch to your calamari BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

Not everyone’s a big fan of salad – as the saying goes, ‘you don’t make friends with salad,’ but calamari is a whole other kettle of

fish. Salads can be a real missed opportunity when it comes to varying up your meals, but you can add so much to them, including your catch. When it comes to accompanying seafood, Greek salad is one of the greats.

There’s nothing like a touch of the Mediterranean, where fish are abundant and the fishers have centuries of knowledge on how to cook them, to create a superb blend of delicious cephalopods and light, fresh veggies. With tasty herbs, soft feta cheese

and salty fish, no other salad gives you the same bang for your bucket.

While adding lettuce to a Greek salad is not strictly traditional (in a traditional Greek salad, purslane is used instead), the crisp crunch of the lettuce adds a textural

contrast to the rest of the salad ingredients as well as adding a bright note of colour to the dish. You might also find yourself adding more ingredients to experiment or suit your own tastes (always remember, salads are flexible.)

Here’s a handy hint; if

you find the flavour of raw onion not to your liking, place the sliced onion into a bowl of iced water for a few minutes to soften the oniony flavour. Before using it as an ingredient, drain the onion slices and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Ingredients • 1 tbsp olive oil • 500g calamari rings • 1 baby cos lettuce • 1 red onion • 2-3 tomatoes, cubed • 1 continental cucumber • 100g black olives • 100g feta cheese Salad Dressing Ingredients • 6 tbsp olive oil • 1 tbsp lemon juice • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar • 1 clove garlic, crushed or paste • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

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Wash the baby cos lettuce whole and then shake the lettuce dry. Tear the lettuce up into small pieces and place them into your serving bowl.

Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a separate container.

Start with the olive oil and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.

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The ingredients for the Greek calamari salad.

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Cut both ends off the onion, peel the onion and cut it into half. Cut the onion into thin slices. Separate the onion rings and add them to the bowl with the lettuce.

Add the red wine vinegar, oregano and garlic. Blend the dressing well.

Pour the salad dressing over the lettuce mixture in the serving bowl and mix it in gently and thoroughly.

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Heat the olive oil in a heavy based frypan.

Add the calamari rings to the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the cooked calamari rings onto some paper towels to drain while you assemble the salad.

Cut the tomatoes up into cubes and add them to the serving bowl. Cut the cucumber into half moon shaped slices and them to the lettuce mixture in the serving bowl. Add the black olives to the salad mixture in the bowl.

Crumble the feta cheese into the salad. Add the sautéed calamari rings to the salad and mix through.

Your salad is ready to serve.

A man drives his boat into a bar and says ‘Ow’ BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

Recently Boobies and I had to cross a bar with a very nasty reputation for flipping boats.

Apparently there are a number of things you need to avoid when you are in this situation.

Actually, now that I think about that, I should explain myself there. I shouldn’t say ‘you should avoid doing,’ because it depends, of course, on whether you want to cross the bar without flipping your boat over.

In the situation where you actually do want to flip your boat over, then of course the following are things that you should try to do. However, in the situation where you are trying to avoid wrecking your boat, then avoid these things. Okay? Make sense?

So firstly, try to cross on the run in tide, so the swell coming in through the bar doesn’t clash with the tide running out and create nasty waves. Secondly, avoid crossing the bar when the tide is at the bottom of the run out. In this

situation, not only will the waves still sit up, but the amount of water underneath your hull will be at the absolute minimum, which means you have a greater chance of your hull hitting sand and turning side-on to the waves, increasing your risk of capsizing. So, common sense says avoid that situation.

Thirdly, if you do stupidly cross at the end of the run out tide, definitely avoid doing this on a full or new moon, when the tides are at their highest highs and lowest lows. If you cross on a low tide on a new or full moon there’ll be even less water under the hull at the time you’re crossing the bar.

Then, make sure you have sufficient fuel so you don’t risk running out of fuel when you’re halfway through the bar.

Finally, if you’re in any doubt, cancel the crossing. Better to run away and fight another day. All of these things are common sense courses of action that should be carefully considered by responsible anglers before a bar crossing is attempted, which is what Manboobs

and I recently did when we were desperate to try our luck offshore.

The only thing that we were a little lazy about was the bit about considering before we crossed the bar.

Unfortunately, we did the considering after the crossing, which apparently is not ideal. To our credit, when we did stop and go through the above points and realise that we crossed on the last of the run out on the new moon with a considerable swell with the fuel gauge reading empty, we responsibly decided that we shouldn’t have gone through with the crossing.

So it’s all fine, EXCEPT THAT SHORT PERIOD WHERE YOU SWITCHED YOUR MOTOR OFF BOOBIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BAR WITH A 3 METRE WAVE IN FRONT OF US AND THE SAND ONLY 50 CENTIMETRES BELOW US WITH THE SWELL THREATENING, THE FUEL GAUGE READING EMPTY AND THE MOTOR NOT STARTING BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF GEAR. Sorry, did I just write that in capitals?

Can’t imagine why.

With our new Top Ender you’ll be able to fish in difficult to get at places: the spots that lesser boats might not be able to reach.

Because we’ve built in the strength and confidence of upgraded 3mm side sheets and 4mm bottom sheets*, you can get closer to submerged logs or shallow banks, confident that you’re in a tough boat, built to take it.

You’ll also discover a stack of features to make your day easier and more comfortable, from rod holders to premium carpet.

Time to get to where the fish are hiding. Time to get a Top Ender – from Australia’s number one boat brand.

DROP IN TO YOUR LOCAL QUINTREX DEALER! BUNDABERG

BOATS GALORE

142 Enterprise St, Bundaberg PHONE 07 4152 6744

HERVEY BAY

BAY CITY MARINE

55 Islander Road, Pialba PHONE 07 4128 9944

NOOSA 146 Eumundi Rd, Noosaville PHONE 07 5449 7633

RAY SCHOLES MARINE

SUNSHINE COAST

CALOUNDRA MARINE

GOLD COAST

SURF COAST MARINE

WATER SKIERS WAREHOUSE

GOLD COAST

BROADWATER BOATING CENTRE

8 Baldwin St, Caloundra PHONE 07 5491 1944

TOOWOOMBA

91-93 Neil St, Toowoomba PHONE 07 4637 9511

BRISBANE

3475 Pacific Highway, Springwood PHONE 07 3297 8200

SPRINGWOOD MARINE

50-54 Brisbane Rd, Labrador PHONE 07 5563 7733 46 Brisbane Road, Labrador PHONE 07 5529 1777

TWEED COAST

32 Machinery Drive, Tweed Heads PHONE 07 5524 8877

TWEED COAST MARINE

MAY 2017

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING SUNSET EUROPA SEA RODS

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Designed in France to support drift fishing with big lures or live baits, the Europa Rod Series were built with thin high modulus HMC40 blanks and have 3 sections and 3 interchangeable power tips.

They each provide a perfect curve and an impressive reserve of power when needed!

Moreover, these rods are equipped with quality fittings such as original SEAGUIDE SIC guides, non-slippery high density EVA handle and high-quality Nylon/ABS and stainless steel tubular reel seat.

But what this rod is best at, is that you can use this marvel in any circumstances!

Big fish, shy fish, fast fishing and retrieving techniques using artificial lures or fresh baits, it doesn’t matter! A super high end, high quality, special rod for any occasion!

Sunset Europa High End Sea Rods come in 2 lengths, 3.8m and 4.2m, and can cast weights up to 200-300g, respectively.

Price: RRP from $224.99 www.adoretackle.com

ZMAN BAIT BINDERZ

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ZMan Bait BinderZ are the ultimate storage solution for your ZMan soft plastics, allowing you to find the model and colour you’re after in seconds.

Bait BinderZ feature nickel-plated, corrosion-resistant rings that have been spaced to fit the reinforced, pre-punched holes in the bottom of standard size ZMan packets. This means you can store your ZMan plastics in their original packs, away from other plastics. There’s no space taken up by plastic sleeves and no double handling opening sleeves to get packets out, or leaving loose packets where they can blow out of the boat. Quick, simple and more time for fishing.

Constructed from 500-denier nylon for durability, embroidered with the ZMan logo and featuring a carry handle for easy transport and securing to your vessel, the Bait BinderZ will hold 10-15 packets of ZMan plastics, depending on model.

Price: SRP $16.95 www.z-man.com.au

ECOODA INNA

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The Ecooda Inna diving lure has an erratic jerkbait swimming action, a lifelike digital finish, an internal ball bearing plus a cylindrical metal chamber.

The internal cylindrical metal chamber not only helps with the lure’s casting distance and accuracy, but also aids in the twitching and jerkbait motion from side to side. This is enhanced by the internal ball bearing, which sends out a vibration noise, attracting species out of snags and enticing them to strike.

The Ecooda Inna comes in two sizes: a 115mm, 23.3g model with a diving depth of 4ft; and a 140mm, 36g model with a diving depth of 5ft. Both sizes are available in three unique colours – slimy, pilchard and blue striped snapper.

With 3X VMC hooks and heavy-duty stainless steel split rings, the Inna is extremely durable and hard wearing. It’s ideal for casting off rocks, long distance casting or chasing species like barra while utilizing its great twitching action. www.ecooda.com.au 90

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DAIWA STEEZ A TW

PRODUCT GUIDE

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In 2016, over a decade since the first Steez model was launched, and then Steez TWS took the reins. Now in 2017, the new A version arrives with all new features including a high precision machine cut aluminium frame.

Steez baitcasting reels have dramatically evolved with the introduction of SV Spool.

Composed of G1 - Duralumin material, the spool has a diameter of 34mm for a much faster rotation and greater strength. With the addition of TWS, which reduces friction for longer casting and extreme free falling ability, you have both of Daiwa’s latest innovative technologies combined in the Steez A for ultimate casting performance.

In addition, Steez A TW boasts Magseal, ATD and Air Rotation, making it one of Daiwa’s most sensitive, technically advanced, saltwater friendly baitcaster reels ever developed.

Improving on something that’s already fantastic, the new Daiwa Steez A TW is a must have for any keen lure caster. www.daiwafishing.com.au

ASARI BLUEWATER WIND-ON LEADERS

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New to the Asari range of wind-on leaders is the Asari Bluewater series. These leaders are designed with the serious bluewater angler in mind.

These longer length leaders come in poundages ranging from 100lb all the way through to 400lb, and they can be up to 7.5m in length to cover most bluewater fishing situations. These leaders are perfect for anyone who spends time out on the blue chasing big fish, from the beginner through to the expert.

With wind-on leaders, you can wind the leader through the guides and onto the reel and bring the fish much closer to the boat where you have better control. This means there’s a higher likelihood of landing the fish, which ultimately means you’ll land more fish!

Asari Bluewater Wind-on Leaders are available now, so make sure you don’t leave the shore without some! www.jmgillies.com.au

MEGA COD ANGEL BAITS

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Insanity Tackle have come up with a new game changer for the native luring market, this time for plus sized Murray cod!

The new Mega Cod Angel Baits are designed with big fish in mind, and this bigger model has all the same fish catching characteristics as their smaller Angel Bait brothers, however these guys are rigged with Insanity Tackle’s Dongas. Dongas are giant 8” curl tail soft plastics, which will bring the Mega Cod Angel Baits to life in the water!

Combine the unique realistic attraction of the Angel Bait with these amazing curl tails and you have a big fish cocktail.

For a lure with a big profile that draws in big fish from afar, make sure you look at the new Mega Cod Angel Baits from Insanity Tackle.

They’re only available from the Insanity Tackle website, so make sure you get in now while stocks last.

Price: RRP $17 www.insanitytackle.bigcartel.com

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING FISH INC. WING

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The Fish Inc. Lures Wing is a 120mm, 50g sinking stickbait that resembles a pilchard in both size and profile, making it dynamite on everything from tailor and salmon to kingfish, tuna, mahimahi, mackerel and reef-dwellers. The colour range and finishes are first class, from natural baitfish colours such as sardine red belly, natural and bonito, to more reaction colours such as gold back and pink back.

The Wing comes fitted with heavy-duty Owner trebles, ready to fish straight out of the packet. In the water it comes to life with a sweep or punch of the rod tip, and will be a go-to in the arsenal of beach, rock and boat anglers, with its generous casting weight and the versatility of being able to fish it fast and high in the water column or sink it to the desired depth. Check out the Wing and other models in the Fish Inc. Lures range at the Tackle Tactics website.

Price: SRP $25.95 www.tackletactics.com.au

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SHIMANO SEDONA FI 9

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The Sedona has stepped up a gear for 2017 with the new FI series. Shimano has again raised the standard with the incorporation of the Hagane cold forged gear, which is free from any machine cutting or imperfections. This was once exclusive to Shimano’s premium range, and delivers incredible smoothness, strength and durability.

The Sedona FI also features G Free Body, which shifts the reel’s centre of gravity closer to the rod, improving casting performance and reducing angler fatigue. The AR-C Spool produces longer casting distances and prevents backlashes and wind knots, whilst Varispeed II ensures even line lay.

There are six models in the series, dedicated to all light tackle pursuits, ranging from bream on bait to snapper on plastics.

All models feature 3+1 bearings, and the drag output varies between 3kg and 11kg depending on the model. To top it all off, these reels represent excellent value for money.

Price: from SRP $119 www.shimanofish.com.au

DAIWA EMERALDAS 9 STREAM RATTLE

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Daiwa’s latest premium Emeraldas Stream Rattle is truly unique, and features many design innovations that make it one the most effective jigs on the market.

The Emeraldas Stream Rattle is a visual and action jig, its unique lifelike pattern design incorporated with a rattle system is designed to attract a squid by sight, sound and action.

Unique to this jig is the new gliding wing design. Rather than traditional feathers on the jig, the Stream uses plastic wings. These wings allow the jig to glide smoothly when ripped and glide in current more naturally compared to a standard design.

By attaching the Agorig sinker to the keel eye the jig will glide slowly at a 30-45° angle, but when attached to an EG-Snap the lure will sink rapidly at a 75° angle. This is ideal for deep water or fast current situations.

There are currently 12 colours in the range, and they’re in tackle stores now. www.daiwafishing.com.au

SHAKESPEARE LAZERTIP

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Featuring a glow-in-the-dark tip section, Shakespeare’s Lazertip series is ideal for detecting bites in low light conditions.

An innovative feature, the glow-in-thedark tip section means no need to attach glow sticks, bells or other gadgets to your rod tip during low light and night fishing sessions.

Lazertip rods are as reliable as ever. Built on a composite E-glass and graphite blank with integrated solid tip, Lazertips have double foot stainless steel guides with aluminium oxide inserts, and durable, lightweight EVA grips.

Lazertip combos are factory balanced for optimum performance. Lazertip spin reels feature a two bearing system, aluminium spool and thick bail wire, and come in 20, 40, 60 and 80 sizes.

The 13 model rod and combo series encompasses a wide range of popular bait fishing situations including lightweight estuary, surf, rock, jetty and boat.

Price: SRP $49.95 RRP (rod), $99.95 (combo) www.shakespeare.com.au

STAINLESS BALL BEARING SWIVELS

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Introducing the new Mustad range of precision made, high quality stainless steel bearing swivels!

These little pieces of machinery are designed to last, and nothing escapes as these swivels are world leaders in terms of start up inertia and ease of movement!

Made from the strongest stainless steel possible in a factory owned by Mustad to ensure the strictest quality control, these swivels are assembled with surgical precision and have undergone intensive testing by machine and during heavy fishing.

Mustad claims these items have unmatched strength, reliability and performance – something game fishers demand.

Mustad Stainless Steel Ball Bearing Swivels come in nine poundages ranging from 110lb all the way through to 880lb, so these swivels are built for heavy game. www.wilsonfishing.com

BLACK MAGIC SOFT 12 HEAD LURES Last month we told you about Black Magic’s new Soft Head lures, but the photo we ran was of the Jack Slammer.

Although the Jack Slammers are great lures, we felt our readers would probably like to see an actual pic of the Soft Heads – so here it is!

It’s commonly believed that if a marlin misses the lure on its first strike, it is far more likely to make a second strike if the lure head is made of a softer material, rather than a harder resin.

That’s where Black Magic’s new ‘soft head’ technology comes in.

The first of the new lures is the 270mm Soft Slammer. It has been modelled on the popular Grand Slammer range, which is responsible for many large fish and numerous records.

The second model is the 300mm Soft Pusher. With its reverse tapered head, it has a pronounced wiggle action, making it attractive to a wide variety of pelagics.

Both lures come in five striking colours and are available either rigged or unrigged. www.blackmagictackle.com

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au MAY 2017

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING SHIMANO TWIN POWER XD

STORM GOMOKU 13 DENSE

In Shimano’s pursuit of the ultimate in durability and performance, the Twin Power XD has been born and set a new benchmark for saltwater spinning reels.

The battle-tested, cold forged Hagane Gear has received a significant upgrade through advancements in Shimano’s high precision technology, resulting in a strength rating that is comparable to one size larger in the previous model. To further protect the engagement of the XD’s internals, the Hagane Body acts as a rigid aluminum armour that firmly suppresses any distortion and twisting when under load.

To oppose unwanted saltwater intrusion, X Protect provides the Twin Power XD with Shimano’s highest degree of protection.

Developed specially for the XD series, X Protect leverages a waterproof labyrinth structure that blocks any internal saltwater entry. This is also combined with a new water repellent treatment that is applied to the body, line rollers and roller clutch, making the reel ideal for saltwater applications. www.shimanofish.com.au

BFG 3-TRAY BACK PACK

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The Bigfish Gear Back Pack is perfect for land-based anglers making long treks to waterways off the beaten track. It’s also great for boat-based anglers who like to throw in just the one bag with all the essentials.

All you have to do is load up the trays, chuck in the drinking water, hat, gear and camera into the main compartment, leader line in the side pocket, then pack the sunnies and phone and wallet into the zip-up side pockets. You will still have plenty of room left for pliers, fish grips, sunscreen and heaps more.

Features include three adjustable tackle trays measuring 255 x 180 x 38mm, a 22L main carry compartment, eight various zip and Velcro compartments, and adjustable shoulder straps with chest lock.

This bag is lightweight and comfortable to wear, and measures 450 high x 350 wide x 250mm deep.

Price: SRP $99.95 www.bigfishgear.com

BLACK MAGIC SQUID 15 SNATCHERS Black Magic’s new Squid Snatchers come in seven proven colours covering four size options. Five of these have ‘super lumo’ bodies, giving that extra glow when night fishing, and these can be recharged simply by holding them in front of your lamp or torch before you cast. The colours available ensure you’re able to choose the best jig for the conditions you are fishing in (i.e. light, current and depth).

Black Magic Squid Snatchers feature a luminous cap on the hooks, a luminous band around the tail, black hooks, red/black wings and sapphire blue eyes, making them more attractive to hungry squid.

All seven colours have been rigorously field tested by Black Magic’s team with great success, and have been developed specifically for Australasian squid species. www.blackmagictackle.com 92

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PRODUCT GUIDE

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Storm’s commitment to their Gomoku concept is very evident, and one of their latest additions is the unique Gomoku Dense, a sinking minnow bait unlike any other.

The traditional slim minnow profile hardbody has been a staple for light line lure anglers since the early days of the bream luring boom. But, as has been evident over the last few years, the desires of anglers at the forefront of these techniques to fish a hardbodied lure deeper than ever before has seen the market develop for a sinking minnow style bait that can be retrieved at any depth the angler desires.

Weighing a hefty 6g for a 48mm lure, you simply cast it out and allow it to hit the bottom, and then let the lure’s bib do all the work.

Available in six great colours, the Storm Gomoku Dense looks to open up new ways to target deeper depth light line estuarine species. www.stormfishing.com.au

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JML SENSATION AND 17 ADDICTION Two of JML’s latest releases are the Sensation and Addiction rod ranges, which give anglers a lot for their money.

The Sensations feature Toray Carbon, Fuji K Alconite guides, Fuji reel seats and a bonus JML Rod Sox. Spin models range from the Sensitive Tip (7”, 2-piece, 2-8lb, 1/24oz-3/8oz cast weight) through to the Donkey Hunter Spin (7”, 1-piece, 18-25lb, 15-40g). There are two baitcaster models, the Trophy Hunter (6’8”, 1piece, 16-25lb, 10-30g), and the Donkey Hunter (6’8”, 1-piece, 20-30lb, 15-40g).

JML Addiction rods boast a premium grade carbon blank, Fuji reel seats and quality components. Baitcaster models range from the Bass (6”, 1-piece, 10-16lb, 7-15g cast weight) to the Barra & Cod (6’8”, 1-piece, 14-20lb, 7-25g). Spin models range from the Bream & Whiting (7”, 2-piece, 3-8lb, 2-10g) through to the River & Bay H (7”, 1-piece, 1625lb, 15-40g).

Price: SRP $189.99 (Addiction), $299.99 (Sensation) www.jml.net.au

OKUMA MAKAIRA

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The new Okuma Makaira is built to the highest standard, using the very best and toughest materials, ready to do battle with the largest fish in the ocean.

The Makaira’s fully sealed waterproof body is built tough to handle the 30kg of maximum drag pressure that the sealed, dual-force carbon element drag system can deliver. The drag system won’t ever leave you guessing either, with Okuma’s Dial-In drag system allowing you to pre-set maximum pressure so you can just crank it up and hold on.

The main gear is like nothing else in the heavy-duty saltwater spinning reel category.

Its stainless steel construction means that every ounce of force you apply to the HD machined handle gets transferred to the drive train with zero slop and maximum torque.

Available in 20,000 and 30,000 sizes, the Makaira is perfect for throwing poppers at GTs, jigging for dogtooth tuna, and even trolling for marlin. www.okumaaustralia.com.au

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

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

Too tempting not to try – Tempt Industries Powder Paints RE ONLINE MO

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When you need to build, repair or service something, I’m not the first person you would turn to. I am more than happy to spend the money and pass everything over to the experts who have those skills.

The other thing I would not call myself is artistic.

However, I recently got the chance to be both a DIY-er and an artist when some containers of Tempt Powder Paint came into the office. As soon as I saw them, they piqued my curiosity. As a fan of using painted jigheads to further enhance the appeal of the soft plastics I use, I was intrigued to find out more.

I read the instructions, and found the concept to be very straightforward. You simply heat your jighead, dip it into the container of paint powder, remove it and you now have a jighead which is coated in a colour that matches your plastic, or provides a contrast to the colour plastic you are using. I liked the fact that the instructions contained the word ‘simple’.

Still, I knew from experience that something described as ‘simple’ could sometimes turn out to be more complicated than I had first thought.

Everything you need to powder coat some jigheads. heat gun from a hardware store (it would normally be used to heat shrink tubing or soften adhesives) and it has been great.

Temperature-wise it is perfect, and the

range have a UV component, many don’t.

If you want to add UV to those, there is a separate, clear UV coat available. It can be used directly on an unpainted jighead, but

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I have been using it as a second coat on some of the colours. I use a little bit of heat on the paint, then a light coating of the UV coat and then finish it with the heat gun.

The result under blue light is awesome.

CONCLUSION I have never used a lot of non-painted jigheads, as my preference has always been to have the jighead either continue the profile of the plastic or provide a complete contrast. I was disappointed the painted version of my old favourite heads was discontinued, but now it doesn’t matter because I can colour them myself.

Additionally, in the case of some other jigheads, I can colour the head a different colour from the grub keeper, and have it provide a contrast inside the plastic. All of this helps improve my confidence when I am fishing, and that can only be a good thing. For me, the Tempt Powder Paints have been a godsend.

Tempt Powder Paint comes in 50g containers and retail for $16.50 per colour.

It is currently available in 21 colours, and more information can be found at www. temptindustries.com.au. I know I’ll be getting more colours soon. - Peter Jung

Left: The key to heating the jighead is to focus the heat solely on the head, and not heat it too much. Right: Once heated, quickly dip the jighead into the Powder Paint and tap off any excess. Next, slightly reheat the head to remove any imperfections and create a gloss finish.

The ultimate result you want to achieve: a quality fish deceived by your jighead and plastic combination.

The end result after using the optional clear UV coat.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the case with the Tempt Powder Paints. Minimal experimenting was required before the finished product looked just the way I wanted it to. Here are a few tips I discovered along the way.

HEAT SOURCE Any heat source can be used to heat the jighead – anything from a lighter to a hair dryer. However, I have found that the key is to have something that provides a consistent temperature and can be channelled, but also isn’t too hot. The jighead doesn’t need to be very hot at all for the paint to stick to it. I bought a

added bonus is that after you have dipped the head you can gently reheat it to get a beautiful gloss finish.

LESS IS MORE This relates to both how much heat you use and the amount of dipping time.

After heating the jighead, a quick dip in the powder is all that is required. Make sure you cover the area you want, but remove it quickly and tap away any excess. This ensures that the paint will be smooth and not lumpy. A little bit of heat can be used to smooth things out if lumps occur.

CLEAR UV COAT Although a number of the colours in the

The effect of using a second colour on the grub keeper (top). The value of continuing the profile of the plastic with the jighead (bottom).

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING

PRODUCT GUIDE

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Lowrance Elite 9Ti - A perfect mix of design and intelligence RE ONLINE MO

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My formative fishing years didn’t provide me with a lot of exposure to, nor a need for sounders or fish-finders. It wasn’t until several years later when I moved to the coast, with its unfamiliar and ever-changing saltwater environments, that I really started to see their value to the modern angler. My most recent move to Southeast Queensland and the impoundment fishing available has only made me crave the best gear I could afford even more. If I’m fishing strange water with tactics I’m not accustomed to, I’m going to need all the help I can get.

You can imagine the delight on my face when I was asked to review one of the new Lowrance Elite 9Ti units with a Totalscan transducer. These units have a high-res, 9” touch screen, GPS and many different options on how to view the bottom, structure and finned creatures that lie amongst it. The fish didn’t stand a chance.

WHAT’S INSIDE? The Elite 9Ti unit has a lot of gadgets and tricks up its sleeve. All your sonar needs are covered with support for StructureScan HD, Low/Med/High CHIRP and the TotalScan all-in-one transducer.

With built-in C-MAP charts and reliable Lowrance navigation technology, it even has integrated Bluetooth and wireless connectivity which allows you to download software updates directly to the unit. This is amazing when you start to tap into other Lowrance users’ data through the Insight Genesis network.

The Elite 9Ti mounted at the bow allows easy reading when underway or while fishing.

Below right: The Lowrance TotalScan transducer is sleek, easy to mount and can be folded up for easy storage when not on the water. battery and I was down the rabbit hole of features, modes and on screen displays.

JUST ADD WATER Sitting under the carport for setup I thought I’d sussed out exactly which layout would best suit my style of fishing, so I was ready to ditch the simulator mode and hit the boat ramp. The first launch and power-up of the unit on actual wet stuff was pretty cool to watch. It was only a matter of

on the water, YES, the Elite 9Ti will help you to find more fish. If they’re around and you know what to look for, it will show them in fantastic detail. Then you’ve just got to entice them, hook them, and land them.

Easy, right?

INSIGHT GENESIS AND GOFREE This is a clever concept allowing Lowrance users to help map waterways to not only enhance their own knowledge and fishing experience, but also that of

other Lowrance owners. It’s a growing community with members who all believe in the ‘who shares, wins’ motto. Everyone putting in the effort and sharing information will mean we all catch more fish.

Using the GoFree app available in the app stores on your phone or tablet gives you another way to view your sounder from anywhere on the vessel. You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to see just how valuable this free download could be. Its mobility is matched by its clarity. It’s super impressive.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT TO PAY FOR ALL THESE SCANS? The Elite 9Ti package used for this review comes at a price much lower than you might expect for such a feature-packed unit. The RRP on this bad boy is listed on the Lowrance Australia website at $1699 with the TotalScan transducer included, but recently I’ve been able to find them in local retailers for as little as $1349! It’s not that long ago that such capabilities would cost you twice that, and they didn’t always include a transducer for that money either!

THE VERDICT I am so glad the opportunity to test this unit came across my desk and onto my little poly boat Donut King. With every trip it demonstrates its value more and more. Although I’ve always been good with technology, I doubted I’d find the Elite as easy to use as some other brands I’d used, purely because I had no experience with Lowrance menus. However, it really is a cinch – and navigation is only made easier with the touch screen, which is another thing I hadn’t been exposed to before.

I’ve been so impressed in a relatively short period of time that I’ve already recommended this exact package to a couple of mates who were in the market.

The sheer amount of technology, adaptability and ease of use combined with the price tag make it a no-brainer for me.

You should absolutely check out the Elite range of Lowrance sounders the next time you’re in a local dealer or find them online if need be. I’m sure you’ll be just as happy with them as I am with mine. - RUPE

There’s a number of split-screen options to choose from, depending on how you want to see the feed.

GETTING STARTED The unit I received was to go onto a Bushman Stubby poly boat, and used primarily in the ABT BASS Electric series, and social fishing on the same bodies of water. I mounted the head unit at the bow so it would be in my field of vision from just about anywhere on the boat. If the technology is on board it may as well be utilised and easily accessed as you traverse the waterway.

Inside the box was everything I needed except a battery. Screen, transducer, cables, brackets and even the screws to mount it.

Taking the time to determine the placement of the head unit and transducer is important, but once you’ve decided the install is very simple. Within about 20 minutes the unit was plugged into a small

94

MAY 2017

seconds before the Elite 9Ti was collecting, sorting and displaying the impressive amount of data it’s capable of processing.

ENTERING THE MATRIX With the flood of information at your fingertips it would be easy to look at the screen and ask yourself, “But what does it all mean?”

I recommend spending some time reading the manual provided or, if you’re the impatient gen-y type like me, check out some tutorials on YouTube from the Lowrance pro-staff. You can scan the QR code on this page to see what I mean.

WILL I REALLY FIND MORE FISH? There’s only one thing that will guarantee you more fish hitting the deck – going fishing instead of sitting on the couch refreshing your social media feeds. But once you’re

Trusty tackle testing assistant Bob Thornton picked up a great bass in the trees after we saw them on the screen.

I AM ON A MISSION

Advertorial

A camera that just clicks with fishing adventurers Whether you fish from the boat, beach or hanging from a mess of mangrove branches in the estuaries, you’ll find yourself presented with amazing environments, and of course, your incredible catches. You’ll never forget your first catch or the look on the little one’s face when they catch theirs, and you’ll never forget that awesome trophy fish that nearly got away!

But what better way to remember these moments than in full, detailed high definition?

Now thanks to technology

you won’t miss a thing, and you’ll want everyone to see it.

The KeyMission 80 is the ‘entry level’ camera in this incredible range. This nifty little gadget, in line with its name, has an 80° field of view and full HD video. If you’re a little accident prone, or you like to fish for hard fighters that knock you around a bit, the KeyMission 80 is shockproof for drops up to 1.5m and waterproof to 1m.

You can fit the KeyMission 80 in your shirt pocket, so you never forget it when you’re packing the boat. It

good base for the range, because the 170 and 360 get even better!

The KeyMission 170 offers an ultra-wide angle of view, making it the perfect device to record all the action when your intrepid spirit strikes. Whether you attach it to yourself or on

and start shooting with the press of a button. With a waterproof device like this, it’ll survive any splash damage at the front of the kayak without worries. If you’re out for a little dirt road four-wheel driving on the way to your favourite hidden fishing spot, the KeyMission cameras

SPECIFICATIONS The Key Mission 80 in action. Its second camera makes taking a selfie quick and easy.

Key Mission

The 170 on a mount. These cameras aren’t fussed by the splash damage. from Nikon, sharing these moments with your friends and family is easier than ever with the KeyMission range and Nikon’s new SnapBridge app. The KeyMission range consists of three cameras, the 360, 170 and 80 which are all named after their degree of view. The KeyMission 360 takes a full 360° photo that seamlessly combines images from two cameras to create an equidistant cylindrical image, meaning you see every detail in one picture. It’s an incredible feature for an action camera, and it means that when your reel is screaming, the camera will capture you at the front as well as your mates running around the boat like lunatics behind you.

With the KeyMission 360,

weighs basically nothing and is surprisingly hardy. It’s compact enough to be operated one-handed and doesn’t sacrifice the size of the image or quality. You can have bigger lures than this beaut, so don’t let it drop in front of a hungry cod! We all know cod will eat anything.

The KeyMission cameras are designed to handle surprises.

The KeyMission 80 comes equipped with quick picturetaking capabilities, and even has a one-step shooting function so you can cut out the tense button pressing between you and the cover photo.

The KeyMission 80 has two cameras so you can film in two directions with none of the buttons mashing. The KeyMission 80 makes a really

Key Mission

Key Mission

Camera

80 (front)

(rear)

170

360 (both)

Image Sensor Focal Length F Number View

12.4MP 4.5mm f/2.0 80.9°

4.9MP 1.8mm f/2.2 90°

8.3MP 2.4mm f/2.8 170°

23.9MP 1.6mm f/2.0 180° x 2 = 360°

a moving vehicle, you’ll be sure to capture the heart of the action as the KeyMission 170 is waterproof up to 10m for 60 minutes (40m in its optional waterproof case) and be dropped from 2m.

The hero of the range, the KeyMission 360 is the ideal partner in crime for the outdoor enthu siasts and the adrenaline junkies in the family.

Designed to take on anything you throw at it, the KeyMission 360 can go to depths of 30m and can be dropped from 2m without you breaking a sweat.

These cameras can even shoot pictures in shallow water for up to 30 minutes to capture your catch in action.

Wind noise during recording is reduced and the software’s electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) function also uses information recorded by the KeyMission 360 during shooting to calculate horizontal, vertical and rotational camera movements, allowing it to compensate for vibrations in the video.

Kayak anglers can put any device on the front of their yak

#

The Key Mission cameras are action-ready and super portable for whatever adventure awaits you.

#

I AM A WINNER! Appox. actual size

EACH VALUED AT $549rrp

are dust-proof and freeze-proof against temperatures as cold as -10°C, which is a bonus if you tend to fish colder water.

All three cameras will fit inside the palm of your hand and even the heaviest camera in the clan, the KeyMission 360, weighs less than 200g.

When you’re ready to share your photos, Nikon’s SnapBridge technology will automatically download your images to your smart device via a constant Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection. You

can take easy panorama shots, quality stills or even time-lapse movies (a visual diary for hot bite times, perhaps!) Those are just a couple of the modes for your recording pleasure. Your photos can be as interesting and varied in style as you like!

Each camera comes with rechargeable batteries and an AC adapter to charge them, a USB cable to connect to your computer and other supplied accessories. An LED light in the camera will help you take photos in low light and dark places. Who says you can’t have a photo of a nighttime mulloway battle?

All KeyMission cameras are compatible with several devices including your Apple iPhone or Android device and can even connect to Wi-Fi. There are many accessories available

across all cameras including a tripod adapter for the KeyMission 80 so you can film the big fight (or take a selfie), or a backpack clip for those big hikes, when you simply don’t have enough hands for all the tackle.

In terms of the battery life, the KeyMission 80 will take up to 220 images or up to 40 minutes of footage before you’ll need to recharge. It’s interesting to note that the KeyMission 170 takes up to 250 images and an hour of footage, while the KeyMission 360 takes up to 230 images and 70 minutes of footage which is likely due to the camera’s greater field of vision.

Overall, the KeyMission 80 is a really a cool option for a small waterproof adventure buddy. You don’t need the casing like you would with another camera as the KeyMission 80 covers all bases.

If you’re looking for something in-between, the KeyMission 170 has an ultra-wide angle that would capture awesome fish pics while the KeyMission 360 is your all-round full image camera to get every last detail.

These cameras are designed to survive the most-challenging conditions, because when the opportune moment arrives, nothing should stand in the way of your perfect shot.

For more information head to mynikonlife.com.au.

#

Thanks to our friends at Nikon Australia, we have 3* KeyMission 170 cameras to give away!

Simply fill out the below coupon to go into the draw and post to:

Nikon KeyMission Giveaway, PO BOX 3172, LOGANHOLME, QLD, 4129 Name: Address: P/Code: Phone (day): Email:

Shot on a Nikon Key Mission 170

Entries Close 31 May, 2017. * One in each state magazine: QLD, NSW and VIC. Drawn 1 June, 2017. Winners will be published in the following months publication. Full Terms and conditions can be viewed www.fishingmonthly.com.au/pages/nikoncomp

MAY 2017

95

Trades, Services, Charter BOAT MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS

BAIT & TACKLE

CUSTOM ALLOY FABRICATION

GOLD COAST

BEST LURE RANGE ON THE Fishing GOLD COAST

• Boat repairs & fitouts • Bait tanks • Transom rebuilds • Fuel tanks • Consoles OVER 20 YEARS FABRICATING AND WELDING ALUMINIUM

Silver Service Marine

TOP BRANDS • TOP SERVICE • GREAT PRICES

INSIDE SPORTY’S WAREHOUSE

07 5526 2786

MAIL ORDERS

WELCOME

32 Strathaird Rd BUNDALL 4217 QLD

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Tackle Warehouse Brisbane (07) 3398 6500

CUSTOM TRANSOMS 20-75hp $750 75-150hp $890 150-225hp $980 Freight can be arranged Australia wide

PROFISH BOATS – Phone Peter 0417 782 114

BCF www.bcf.com.au

Email: peter@profishboats.com www.profishboats.com

Davo’s Tackleworld Noosaville (07) 5449 8099 Davo’s Tackleworld Marcoola (07) 5448 8244

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear. You will have approximately 50 words within a 5x2 ad size. $320 + GST for 6 months Email mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

FIBREGLASS Repairs

Brisbane South and Gold Coas t

• Modifications • Detailing • Repairs JOE BONNICI

0410 480 203

Salt-Away www.salt-away.com.au

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

BOAT HIRE // HOUSE

CUSTOM MARINE WELDING & ELECTRICAL

GOLD COAST

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

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Great family and fishing boats! + 50km of sheltered waterways on the Gold Coast’s Broadwater + No Licence required CALL FOR A + Boats from $795 DEAL + 2-12 berth

Shed 1 281 Jacobs Well Road

Phone 3807 7846

TINNIE HIRE AVAILABLE

FRASER COAST Rainbow Beach Houseboats (07) 5486 3146 Lake Monduran House Boat www.lakemonduranhouseboathire.com.au

BOAT HIRE // TRAILER GOLD COAST

www.custommarinewelding.com.au Bluewater Windscreens Brisbane (07) 3382 7883 ASM Mobile Welding Brisbane 0409 624 402 Marine Windows and Doors Brisbane (07) 3284 5088 Small Craft Electrics (mobile) 0408 063 064 Boat Collar (07) 5441 3636 CMC Marine Sales 0409 910 808 Iconic Boats Brisbane 0475 311 447

MARINE MECHANICS

BOAT PAINTING BRISBANE Brisbane Boat Painting 0433 356 620

MOBILE SERVICE AVAILABLE

TRADES AND SERVICES ADVERTISING Line listing from $90 + gst 6 months* 2cm x 2 from $195 + gst 6 months* 5cm x 2 from $320 + gst 6 months* 8cm x 2 from $590 + gst 6 months* Rates exclusive to Trades and Services Directory *Conditions apply Call (07) 3387 0834 or email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

If you have any other trades or services that you would like to see in this section please don’t hesitate to give us a call

MARINE

• Mobile Service Available • Servicing All Makes & Models • Outboard Repairs • Boat Detailing • Diagnostic Equipment • Boat Fitouts • Wheel Bearings • Trailer Repairs

07 5499 3555 MOBILE: 0408 785 819

Whitewater Marine (07) 5532 4402 T&S Marine (07) 5546 2599

GOLD COAST

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

Boab Boat Hire - 1300 002 622

Advertise here - $195 + GST for 6 months Email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

Phone 07 5522 1933

CABOOLTURE

Mob 0427 142 201 Fax 3807 2468

+ 07 5502 6200 + www.coomerahouseboats.com.au

4/26 TAREE ST, BURLEIGH HEADS www.ssmarine.com.au

Email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

Behind GEM Service Station, Alberton 4207

NEW

Call us for the...

BEST PRICE on Garmin Electronics All your Honda sales and service needs

• Sales • Service • Spare Parts • Warranty and Insurance work * REPOWER SPECIALISTS *

www.runawaybaymarineservice.com.au

2/247 Bayview St Runaway Bay GEOFF NEWMAN PH 55774411

QLD HONDA DEALER OF THE YEAR 2011/2012

Stones Corner Marine (07) 3397 9766 Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Northside Marine (07) 3265 8029 Coorparoo Marine (07) 3397 4141 Capalaba Boat Centre 04011 728 379 Holt Marine (07) 3353 1928 Cunningham Marine Centre (07) 3284 8805 Caloundra Marine (07) 5491 1944 Bribie Boat Sales (07) 3408 0055

NORTH QUEENSLAND Reef Marine Mackay (07) 4957 3521

This section in QLD Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

96

MAY 2017

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MARINE MECHANICS // MOBILE WYNUMM MANLY-BAYSIDE

WONDALL RD

marine hanic

Mec Mobile Marine FEE!” “NO CALL OUT

• Servicing all makes and models • Specialising in Mercury & 20 + y rs Mercruiser technical work Experience

MARINE ELECTRONICS

MARINE ELECTRONICS

SALES • REPAIRS • INSTALLATIONS

ONSITE AND MOBILE INSTALLATIONS

• Sounders • GPS • Electric Motors • Marine Radios and accessories • Stereos • Televisions • Radar Units • Autopilots Unit 4/1440 New Cleveland Road Capalaba www.trymax.com.au PHONE: 07 3245 3633

NEW TOUCH SERIES!

MARINE OUTBOARD WRECKERS TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

$

North Queensland Outboard Wreckers Townsville 1800 812 748

MARINE TRANSPORT • Repower specialists • Antifoul, detailing and electrical work • All servicing, repair, maintenance - fully guaranteed • Parts • Insurance • Finance

HORIZON SHORES MARINA

www.tsboatsales.com.au admin@tsboatsales.com.au Phone: (07)

3396 5633 OR (07) 5546 2599

Wondall Rd Marine (07) 3396 5633

Gary’s Marine Centre

1387

GPSMAP 752xs Sonar GPS Combo •GPSMAP 952xs $1867 *Transducers sold separately

4 GREAT COLOURS!

BOAT TRANSPORT AUSTRALIA WIDE FROM A TINNY TO 50 FEET WEEKLY SERVICE TO ALL MAJOR CAPITALS

Fishermans Fold Down Seat

3999

$

DJ Freight Marine Transport 0418 793 357 0427 341 076 contact@djfreight.com.au FISH TAXIDERMY Fish Taxidermist www.fishtaxidermy.net.au or 0428 544 841

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL MARINE TRAILERS

FISHING GUIDES SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Suncoast Barra Fishing Park www.suncoastbarrafishing.com

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Lake Monduran Barra Charters 0407 434 446

Oceanic Boat Trailers (07) 5597 0577 Spitfire Trailers (07) 0400 866 323 Tinnie Tosser (07) 5498 7339 Sea-Link Special Trailers (07) 3881 3568

CATCH MORE FISH!

2999

$

3Ltr Deep Black Berley Cage •4.5 Litre $36.99 •5.3 Litre $44.99

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Hooked On Hinchinbrook www.hookedonhinchinbrook.com

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME DESIGNED FOR LIFE....BUILT FOR LIFE

WE OFFER QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY ALUMINIUM BOAT TRAILER SPECIALIST AUSTRALIAN CERTIFIED

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$590 + GST for 6 Months

WARRANTY REPAIRS

BR203 LED Trailer Lamp Set With Number Plate Lamp

PAIR

STORES

CELEBRATING

WIDE

YEARS

AUSTRALIA

25

www.bargainboatbits.com.au SPITFIRE TRAILERS SUNSHINE COAST P/L 593 BESTMANN ROAD, NINGI sunshine@spitfiretrailers.com.au Ph: 0400866323 ( IAN )

0407000636 ( ROB )

O407874163 ( LYNDA)

mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au MAY 2017

97

Trades, Services, Charter Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MARINE TRIMMERS SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Rowland Street Boat Trimmers Springwood (07) 3208 9511 Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Rays Canvas & Marine Caboolture (07) 5499 4911 Affordable Boat Covers Gold Coast 0419 424 587

WOOLI FISHING CHARTERS

“EREBUS”

ROD & REEL REPAIRS

“THE KRAKEN”

HERVEY BAY

NORTH QUEENSLAND

D&H

Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters (07) 5486 8666 or 0408 767 930 Smithy’s Fishing Charters Sunshine Coast 0407 574 868 Top Catch Charters Sunshine Coast 0429 013 012 Fish n Crab Charters Mooloolaba 0412 155 814 Offshore Reef and Game Fishing 0413 485 402 Sunshine Coast Fishing Charters (07) 5500 0671 Fishing Offshore Noosa 0418 889 956 Noosa Fishing Charters (07) 5665 8170 Hervey Bay Fishing Charters (07) 4125 3958 Incredible Charters 1300 655 818

Fully Guided Lure & Fly Fishing

REEL REPAIRS

•

ce Reel Performan

www.reelrepairs.com.au 110 Sherbrooke Rd, Willawong Qld 4110

• 5.5m Custom sportsfishing Vessel • 4.4m Estuary Sportsfishing Vessel • Quality Fishing Gear Supplied

WOOLI BAIT & TACKLE

e parts needs repairs and spar el re ur yo l al r Fo 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

• Top Accommodation • Tweed Bait • Ice • Terminal Tackle • Lures & Soft Plastics • Fishing the North Solitary Islands

1/2 day or full day charters. All bait & tackle provided.

We are only a one hour drive north of Coffs Harbour or one hour drive south of Yamba.

Contact Stan or Claire Young

www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au

02 6649 7100

43 RIVERSIDE DRIVE, WOOLI

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND The Islander Retreat, South Stradbroke Island 0420 967 557

FRASER ISLAND

FRASER ISLAND FISHING UNITS Indian Head I Fraser Island

BORN AND BRED LOCAL GUIDE

www.woolifishingcharters.com.au fish@woolifishingcharters.com.au

Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0428 828 835 Reel Time Fishing Charters Yamba 0428 231 962

Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea

REEL TIME FISHING CHARTERS

Andrew Chorley

0407 627 852

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 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 Iluka Fishing Charters Gladstone 0414 940 911 Kanimbla Charters Gladstone1800 677 202

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

A FISHO’S DREAM For bookings or enquiries contact: Cliff Andreassen 0428 712 283 or 07 5449 9346 bearfish@bigpond.com • www.fraserislandfishingunits.com.au Apurla Island Retreat 0437 739 121 Waddy Lodge on Fraser 0414 516 364 Cathedrals on Fraser (07) 4127 9177 Fraser Island Beach Houses 1800 626 230 Yidney Rocks (07) 4127 9167 Eurong Beach Resort 1800 111 808

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Baffle Creek Holiday House 0419 624 833

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION COOKTOWN River of Gold Motel Plenty of room for boats and trailers PH: 4069 5222 MACKAY BEL AIR MOTEL, MACKAY - PLENTY OF ROOM FOR BOATS AND TRAILERS.............PH: 07 4957 3658 FRESHWATER Yallakool Caravan Park on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746 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 Wooli Fishing Charter (02) 6649 7100

• 6am to 2pm $150pp • 2 boats – holds up to 18 people • All fishing gear and bait is supplied • No fishing licence req.

• Pickup from Yamba Marina or Iluka ferry wharf

Phone Dave today: www.fishingyamba.com.au 0428 231 962 OPEN 7 DAYS

EASY

PARKINGCOAST GOLD

Eclipse FNQ Weipa Charters 0488 058 668 Fish’s Fly & Sportsfishing Weipa (07) 4069 9957 Action Charters Mackay 0417 452 346 Fishing Charters Townsville 0403 386 722 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

FISHING ON TV

True Blue Fishing Gold Coast (07) 5510 9622 BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0414 293 034 My Charter Boat Tweed Heads 0407 347 446 RU4 Reel Tweed Heads 0449 903 366 Discovery Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0427 026 519

A MARINA B M A Y , E L K C 428 Paradise Fishing Charters AT &0403TA531 A BOCharters E STOsRE L K ARINFishing C MCoast A T Gold 0411 605 090 T GES e & Ga Fish The Deep Charters 0416 224 412

LAR YAMBAry’S • Bo

Hooker 1 Charters Gold Coasta(07) les 6469 t Sa5528

• Ic

IDEAL GIFT!

le s & Parts Ph: 6646 1994 handFishing Sale Sea Charters 0400 330 • CProbe ilers312 a Tr • le k & TacFishing • BaitSports Coastal Charters Gold Coast 0412 or 6910428 929 231 962 ookings B r e rt a dave@gaden.com.au h • CFishing Charters Gold CoastEmail: Gone (07) 5529 7833 BRISBANE Frenzy Charters Brisbane (07) 3209 4576 Big Cat Charters and Tom Cat Charters 0433 430 248 Moreton Island Fishing Charters 0413 128 056 Brisbane Fishing Charters 0427 026 510 Bucket List Fishing Charters 0428 368 316 John Gooding Outlaw Charters 0418 738 750

SUNSHINE COAST Keely Rose Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0407 146 151 Odyssey Charters Deep Sea Fishing (07) 5478 1109

DVD’S -

Series 3 through 9

$9.95 each GST INC. - with FREE P&H

1800 228 244

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au 98

MAY 2017

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat 101 Rediscover yakking Inside story...

Savage is Australia’s oldest brand of aluminium boats, with its first model released in 1898. Savage has solidified their reputation for designing and building practical boats that last for generations of boating enjoyment. With everything from 3m punts to 5m bowriders, there’s bound to be a Savage aluminium boat to suit you.

Made for...

Savage Aluminium Boats are for boaties and anglers who want a smooth ride that will last. The Ultra Lift Hull provides the smoothest ride on the water with a super-sized extended reversed chine and increased deadrise to deflect spray.

This month...

We’re climbing into the 525 Scorpion Pro for a test ride.

Ryan Lee rediscovers the joy of kayaking and the essentials to get you on the water.

102 Deep vs edge bite

Venturing into deeper water, Justin Willmer explains why kayakers need a new ‘edge’ to their fishing.

104 Hobie Mirage Outback review

Take a first look at the new 2017 Mirage Outback as Corey Gallagher puts it through its paces.

108 Right boat for you Wayne Kampe continues from last month’s feature on how to find the right boat for you.

112 Whittley SL22

Steve Morgan tests out the sleek Whittley SL22 – a home away from home.

WHAT’S NEW BOATING NEW LOOK BAR CRUSHERS

1

LOWRANCE HDS CARBON 16

4

Bar Crusher has introduced a new folding targa rocket launcher for the Wavecrusher 490C and 535C. Offering a stylish alternative to traditional bimini tops with polished alloy tubes seen on most boats in this size range, the new rocket launcher is available as an option with or without the forward bimini extension. The targa rocket launcher is also stronger than most rocket launcher designs seen on smaller boats, so it can provide another secure grab rail.

The ability to quickly fold down both the roof and the toughened safety glass windscreen of each model – to reduce height by up to 1m for storage in most garages – is one of the many reasons Bar Crusher’s C series is so popular.

The new targa rocket launcher retains this functionality.

Built on the Gen2 hull with Delta Flare, Wavecrushers deliver an ultra-smooth ride, maximum hull strength, and excellent stability at rest. They come with a custom trailer, and the Bar Catch system allows for singlehanded launch and retrieve. www.barcrusher.com.au

Lowrance HDS Carbon 16 boasts a massive 16” HD screen display, which gives you the equivalent of four 7” screens when set up as a four-panel split screen.

To drive high-tech features, like StructureScan 3D with SideScan and DownScan Imaging, StructureMap, Broadband Radar and SiriusXM Weather Chart Overlay, there’s a powerful processor that lets you easily switch between applications and simultaneously view independent sonar feeds.

SolarMAX HD display technology features HD views and clear visibility in all conditions and angles, and it can withstand higher temperatures than conventional units. With superior colour accuracy and boosted highdefinition reproduction, these screens are perfect for viewing picture-like sonar images.

HDS Carbon 16 lets you view and control two independent, live sonar sources at different locations from a single display.

Check out the website to find out more.

Price: from SRP $6799 www.lowrance.com/en-au

STAR BRITE BOAT GUARD

HAINES SIGNATURE 495F

2

Star Brite has released a number of new marine cleaning products featuring PTEF – the slickest, non-stick material ever developed. It repels water and oil-based stains and deposits, making future cleanup quick and easy. It’s specially formulated for use on fibreglass, metal, plexiglass and painted surfaces, and can be applied over old wax or polish.

One of the new products featuring PTEF is the Star Brite Boat Guard Speed Detailer and Protectant. This product uses high-tech polymers that bond to fibreglass, polished metal, plastics, rubber and painted surfaces to add shine, enhance colour and provide a barrier to UV damage. Just spray on and buff off to keep the boat looking its best, and extend the time between having the boat waxed or polished.

Another new release is the Star Brite Premium Marine Polish. It provides excellent protection against UV, seals the surface to repel stains and delivers a deep, long-lasting gloss. You just apply once a year, let it dry to a haze and wipe off.

Price: SRP $31 (Boat Guard), SRP $44.60 - $71.00 (Premium Polish) www.bla.com.au

ZIPWAKE V-SHAPED 3 INTERCEPTORS AMI have announced that the new Zipwake V-Shaped Interceptors are now available for Australian marine consumers. Complementing the existing highly effective modular Interceptor system, the new V-Shaped Interceptors are centreline mounted, and ideal for filling the gap between twin outboards or stern drives.

Available in four models, the interceptors cover deadrise angles between 11-24°. The V-Shaped Interceptor can be included within new installations, or retro-fitted within existing builds, further increasing the flexibility of the system.

Since its introduction in 2015, AMI have had notable success with Zipwake’s Dynamic Trim Tab System. This system has been installed in a wide range of vessels, from smaller, highly agile pilot craft through to larger recreational and commercial vessels, utilising Zipwake’s modular capabilities to extend multiple interceptors across a wider transom. www.amisales.com.au 100

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Haines Signature’s new 4th generation 495F delivers an extra 6” of cockpit space, a redesigned dash and more storage than its popular predecessor, the 493F. The 495F features more modern styling and cleaner lines including a reworked bowsprit. It also has full-length cockpit side pockets with shelves, two live bait tanks in the transom and a large cockpit/cabin area with improved bow access. The revamped dash can also now cater for larger electronics. It can easily be towed with the family car or SUV on a single axle trailer and is small enough to be garaged.

The 495F can easily be launched by one person and is perfect for day trips. It boasts the same soft ride and stability at rest as its big brothers, with a power rating of 60-90hp.

Options include a bimini, bait boards, stainless steel rails, transom steps and more.

Price: from $43,923 with Suzuki DF90A (excl. on waters) thehainesgroup.com

NEW GARMIN GPSMAP UNITS

PRODUCT GUIDE

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Available in 7” (752xs) and 9” (952xs), the Garmin touchscreen GPSMAP 752xsv/952xsv are equipped with 1kW traditional CHIRP sonar, CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar, and support for Panoptix all-seeing sonar. Built-in wireless connectivity for Garmin mobile apps and VIRB action camera integration is also standard.

A 10Hz GPS/GLONASS receiver delivers smooth on-screen navigation, while preloaded premium mapping features include Aus BlueChart g2 HD charts, and Quickdraw Contours personalised HD mapping software.

The units offer full-network compatibility for the Garmin Marine Network, which allows support for sharing sonar, maps, user data, radar and IP cameras across multiple units.

There’s also NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 support for autopilots, digital switching, VHF, AIS and other sensors.

For those who prefer a keypad/rotary control knob interface, the new 10” (1022xsv) and 12” (1222xsv) units have the same GPS, connectivity and sonar features with the addition of CHIRP SideVü scanning sonar. They come preloaded with a worldwide basemap, with SD card slots to accept Garmin BlueChart g2 Vision HD charts. www.garmin.com/au/products

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

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Rediscovering Kayaking BRISBANE

Ryan Lee instagram @lightbrekkie

The first time I encountered a kayak, it was part of an Outward Bound school type activity many years ago.

It was a big red tandem sit in kayak and us kids paddled in the sea around an island off Singapore. It was many years ago and my recollection of the details are hazy at best, but a strong certainty that I really enjoyed it. Kayaking as an activity never featured much in my life since then, apart

Typical me, I began to hit Google to research the heck out of this potential purchase, and what started off as a ‘hey you can get a kayak you could paddle away in for a few hundred’ became ‘well it would be easier to load if it were lighter’ and ‘I suppose it would be more convenient with a rudder’ then ‘wow I really like the design of that insulated fish bag’ etc.

So after an exhaustive amount of window shopping on the internet, I worked out the one I liked, which was a good balance of not too crazy a price for the features it had.

I was also very conscious that I didn’t want to invest

As for use, I figured it would provide low fuss access to the inshore reefs and drop offs in Moreton Bay (without the hassle of having to prep a boat), access to the dams and rivers for bass, in addition to miscellaneous use such as new angles for photography, as well as exercise and general fitness.

With some practice (and all the necessary precautions), I figure it would also be something I could take offshore up on the Sunshine Coast to access water bigger than my little dinghy would happily handle.

Of course this might not be for everyone, so I’ll make the disclaimer that this is something each individual would have to risk manage based on their own experience and ability.

I figured with the variety of occasions it would get used, I felt it would be a justifiable purchase.

The kayak I ended up going with was a 4.1m approximately 25kg Viking

Workspace on the water. would leave a bit more working room.

The major addition was a Simrad GO7XSE depthsounder/chartplotter with Structurescan and I picked it for its bright screen visible in daylight, and its touchscreen design, with no buttons or crevices where water might well up. The biggest challenge in this choice was the positioning and mounting solution of the transducer which is approximately

Structurescan transducer mounting solution.

Navigating drowned trees at Borumba.

Top: A very bright touchscreen with plenty of screen real estate. Above: Sounder mounting solution and cabling. from one camping trip up Cooloola way where a large group of us hired a variety of kayaks and camped up the river in what I recall to be the best camping trip I’ve been on.

Since then I’ve had a recreational life where water featured quite regularly, whether it was exploring the bay in a little old Quintrex dinghy a friend and I share, or heading offshore in bigger boats with other mates.

I can’t say that I’ve been feeling that I needed a kayak in my life, but I had noticed that fishing and outdoor stores have in recent times featured at least a kayak or two outside with more of a selection inside at prices, which seem like you might even be able to get away with as an impulse buy.

in something the price of a small car when I wasn’t exactly sure how much I was going to use it.

Profish 400 Lite, in lava (black/red). I opted for the soft insulated kill bag instead of the rigid ‘chill pod’- I felt like the insulated bag would be a little bit more versatile, and if anything, would also weigh less, and I didn’t opt for the ‘tackle pod’ console, being satisfied with the flat centre cover which

half the length of an arm!

With a combination of bits and pieces from Railblaza and the invaluable help of Phoenix Noffke at That Fishing Shop in Jindalee, where I got my kayak from, we managed to work out a solution which placed the transducer to the side of the hull, easily mountable

and removable for easy transportation. Jason Milne of Viking Kayaks Australia also helped out with a battery mounting solution, and also managed to hook me up with a visor for my sounder courtesy of Martyn

a few Railblaza ports for mounting accessories like a GoPro and a visibility flag, and a set of wheels for the carting the resulting monster around. Other essentialsa lifejacket and an ICOM IC-M25EURO portable

Chasing smooth water!

Learning about being offshore in a kayak.

Gittens at Berleypro. While I’m listing credits, I relied on my mate Josh Coleman’s expertise with wiring and such, and he made up some plug connectors which work a treat.

In addition, I’ve added a few other essential bits and pieces to complete the setuprod and paddle leashes,

VHF radio, for safety.

I’m pretty happy with the set up so far- a few test paddles have shown that it is very stable and a joy to paddle. I’ll be updating this space as I go so stay tuned for the next update!

• You can follow Ryan’s photography on Instagram @lightbrekkie.

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Deep Bite Man and Edge Bite Kid BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

You might be wondering who Deep Bite Man and the Edge Bite Kid are.

Many moons ago I was on a fishing trip with a couple of characters – skilled anglers – and they were discussing how they often debate where to fish when bass fishing. One of them likes to fish deep schooled fish, while the other favours the edge bite. They both had their reasons for preferring one or the other and also acknowledged their strengths in that particular technique, while still being competent in the other.

rainfall, wind and a variety of other variables. I had hot bites sometimes and then occasional fishless sessions, where I was left wondering where the fish had gone. I began to realise the importance of being able to fish deep and shallow water, using a variety of techniques, so it was time to venture into deeper water.

I read loads of articles about fishing deeper water, asked questions of those who consistently caught fish in deeper water and made a point of venturing out of my comfort zone. In the process I landed snapper, bream, trevally and a variety of other species and caught fish when the edge bite wasn’t happening.

It wasn’t instant success though and I needed to work on controlling the kayak and holding position, reading the sounder, selecting lures, staying in touch with them and better understanding the structure I was fishing and the species I was targeting.

With the influx of freshwater into my local system recently, courtesy of Cyclone Debbie, my normal shallow water bite shut down and I was forced to revisit

also the winter bass season when the bass often bulk up, school up and at times feed aggressively in deeper water.

If you normally catch fish on an edge or flat and the fish aren’t biting, try fishing the deeper water in close proximity to this edge.

HOLDING POSITION Anchoring devices that commonly secure the kayak in shallow water, such as grab anchors (made from spring-loaded builders

Snapper become more common as you start fishing deeper.

This is another great example of an edge bite structure.

With freshwater floating on top, it’s time to fish deeper.

After spending a few days with these guys I walked away and thought about my own fishing, which is predominantly kayak fishing and based around the edge bite. I fished channel edges, mangrove edges, the edges of sand bars, edgebased structure and very rarely ventured into water much deeper than 2m.

I was regarded as a flathead fisho in the saltwater and caught plenty of bass in the fresh, but there were times when the bite wasn’t on the edge, due to season, weather, water temperature,

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clamps), stake out poles, electric pole anchors and lightweight anchors, give way to heavier anchors and drift chutes in deeper water. I run a Cooper 1kg poly anchor when fishing the shallows and adding half a metre of chain to this setup is an effective option when fishing deeper water and faster currents.

Downrigger bombs or similar lead weights are an option when fishing deep in lakes and impoundments without current.

Much of my deep water fishing is drifting productive areas. A drift chute (sea anchor) is effective for slowing your drift in windy conditions, while also controlling the drift angle of the kayak when used in conjunction with an anchor running rig. The anchor running rig is simply a pulley toward the nose and another toward the tail of

An anchor running rig makes control and positioning easier. the kayak with a loop of cord running between them and a tag line to which the anchor line or drift chute is attached.

The anchor running rig allows you to swing the anchor to the front or rear of the kayak, to fish up or down current, while also allowing you to adjust the angle the kayak sits to the

controlling the kayak angle when drifting. It is a compact paddle that can be used with one hand, allowing you to leave your larger paddle stowed when fishing.

LURE SELECTION When it comes to lures I mostly fish soft plastics due to their versatility, affordability and ease of

This selection should cover you for edge and deeper bites.

Scent can make a difference when fishing slow and deep.

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some of the deep water techniques I had developed after my first encounter with Deep Bite Man and the Edge Bite Kid. STRUCTURE AND BAIT Just like in shallow water there will be areas that hold more fish in deeper water. Keep an eye on your sounder for schooled fish and also bait balls that may attract predators. Structure is commonly a key element when fishing and in deeper water this can include

drift chute, which can make fishing more comfortable in rougher conditions, or make casting, line management and staying in touch with your lure easier. I generally anchor facing up current when lure fishing, bringing the lure back naturally with the current, and facing down current when bait fishing.

A Backwater Hand Paddle is also an inexpensive and simple option for

changes in bottom structure such as rock, rubble, weed, snags, depressions and channels. Structure can also be artificial in the form of wrecks, bridge pylons, artificial reefs and rock walls.

Structure creates current changes, eddies, shelter and also attracts bait.

River mouths, seaway entrances, deeper holes and the main river channels are also consistent producers and at times the go-to spots to be fishing. Prime examples include the winter bream spawn, where bream often school in large numbers in deeper water toward the mouths of systems and

Bridge pylons are prime deep water structure.

fishing. They can also have plenty of action built into the lure. A soft plastic that catches bream on the edge bite will also catch them on the deep bite. It’s the same with other species and

will put through the rod tip and they tend to fish them too aggressively. I have had success fishing them more subtly, in the same way I fish a plastic, with small hops and pauses or slow lifts and drops.

of time to watch that plastic descend toward them, move in and eat it. This technique can be dynamite on bream, snapper and a variety of other species. Kayak control is crucial when fishing light and

There they are, a bit deeper. plastics, it’s just a matter of adding some heavier jigheads to your kit if the current and depth require it.

I have a selection of 1/12, 1/8, 1/6 and 1/4oz jigheads for fishing the edge bite and these can also be used in deeper water, however I also include a handful of 3/8 and 1/2oz jigheads in my kit in case I venture into deeper water with stronger currents, or if stronger winds restrict casting distance.

It’s also a good idea to include a few plastics with less action for deeper water, including a few jerkbait profile (straight tail) plastics.

Paddle-tails and curl-tails have loads of action, which is great for fishing the shallows.

However, this action slows the sink rate of the plastic, where the jerkbait can get

Other deep water lure options include micro-jigs, metal slugs and deep diving hardbodies. Hardbodies will generally have a diving depth marked on the packaging, giving you a starting point.

If you have a sounder on the kayak you can troll the lure at different speeds until it hits the bottom, giving you an idea of what depth the lure runs at behind the kayak.

This can be handy when targeting deep structure, bait and schooled fish.

There are four main techniques I use when fishing deeper water.

FISHING LIGHT Taking the light plastics you are fishing in the shallows and allowing them to slowly glide and swim toward the bottom in 3, 4, 5, and even more metres of water can be

a drift chute or hand paddle can help avoid the frustration of a spinning kayak.

DREDGING This is the opposite of the first technique and involves fishing heavy, so that the lure is bumping and ploughing into the bottom. This technique can

lures vertically I was hopping, twitching, lifting and moving the lure all over the place… with little success.

Nick Whyte from Tech Fishing taught me that less is more and that by using minimal movement and keeping in touch with the bottom occasionally, almost driving the lure just above the bottom, your lure presents a lot more naturally. Success followed with this much more natural approach… after all baitfish don’t spend their time rocketing around all over the place.

HOP AND DROP The last technique is basically the same technique that I use when fishing the shallows, with a little more jighead weight to handle the depth. I make long casts ahead of the drift, either directly in front of the drift or slightly across the drift to cover more ground. Then I allow the lure to sink on a slack line, while managing the slack to keep an eye on the line and feel for any takes.

Once the lure touches down on the bottom I give it a double hop, allow it to settle on the bottom again and repeat.

It’s a matter of selecting a jighead that’s heavy enough to reach the bottom, while light

Who will catch these bass when they’re bigger, Deep Bite Man or the Edge Bite Kid?

An anchor can allow you to hold position and fish more effectively.

A hand paddle allows you to adjust your drift angle with one hand. down much quicker if you are targeting species that are holding deeper in the water column.

Another favourite for deeper water is metal blades or vibes. I run 1/12, 1/8 and 1/4oz blades when fishing the edge bite. The 1/4oz also transfers well to deeper water, along with a few 3/8 and 1/2oz for deeper water and faster currents.

A lot of anglers get excited about the vibration a blade

extremely effective. You need to be patient and position your kayak so that you can stay in touch with the plastic on a slack line, while feeling or watching your line for any bites.

This can be especially effective in the low light conditions of dawn and dusk, when fish are feeding higher in the water column, and also on those glassy days and slack tides, when the bite can be finicky. The fish have plenty

be effective when targeting bottom dwelling species or species that are holding tight to the bottom. It is also a great technique for beginners. Get it down there and in their faces.

Many big bass have been caught slow rolling a plastic through schooled fish on a 1/2oz jighead. The heavier lure can also help keep the kayak in position, by simply keeping the rod tip toward the nose of the kayak when retrieving the lure.

FISHING VERTICAL Fishing vertical is extremely effective and it’s about striking a balance to find a jighead that will hold directly below the kayak as you drift with the current.

When I first started working

enough to create that natural drift and sink that attracts the bite. Once the lure is below the kayak, give it a couple hops and retrieve it.

Fishing behind the drifting kayak (dragging it with the drift) makes it difficult to work the plastic naturally and keep any contact with the bottom.

As much of my fishing has been in the shallows, that is what I have mainly written about, so I figured I would cover some deep water techniques in more detail in this article and I hope this encourages those other edge bite kids out there to give some deeper water fishing a crack, especially when the edge bite is shut down. So who are you, Deep Bite Man or Edge Bite Kid? Is there a species, technique or water depth that you would like to explore more? Fish on!

This ramp is a good example of structure where you’ll find an edge bite.

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Hobie Mirage Outback with 180º capabilities

MELBOURNE

Corey Gallagher

Hobie have a long tradition of quality and innovation.

Their products have dominated kayak angling markets worldwide since the introduction of the first purpose designed, pedal propelled fishing kayak, the Mirage Outback in 2001.

In the 16 years since its introduction, the Outback has undergone several key upgrades transforming it into one of the best kayak angling platforms available. The 2017 model saw the evolution continue with the introduction of the Mirage Drive 180 and the new Camo Series edition.

Like its bigger brother, the Mirage Pro Angler, the Mirage Outback was designed purely as a fishing kayak.

Its hull design and deck layout have been carefully considered and the result is an exceptional kayak that appeals to both tournament and social anglers alike.

As a regular participant on the Hobie Kayak Bream Series I have witnessed the growing popularity of the Mirage Outback amongst kayak tournament anglers in recent years. The Outback offers many advantages over rival kayaks and its lightweight hull design is a major contributor to its success.

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your favourite fishing spot on roof racks. Its manageable size and weight make launching that much easier when fishing solo and very little room is required when storing the kayak at home.

The major upgrade to the 2017 Mirage Outback is undoubtedly the addition of the Mirage Drive 180. The MD180 differs from past Mirage Drive units in that it has the ability to move the kayak in reverse. For many years this has been the thorn in Hobie’s side with more conventional pedal and propeller propulsion systems in rival yaks always having this ability, just with less power.

The Mirage Outback angler can pull the reverse shift cable on the MD180 to pivot the fins 180 degrees, allowing the kayak to be propelled in reverse, at full power. Simply pull the forward shift cable to return the fins to their original position and continue. I have been using the MD180 for several months now and have been surprised just how much I am engaging reverse.

I often use the reverse feature to negate the effects of tide or wind pushing me past a snag, rocky point, pontoon or pylon. This keeps me in the hot zone longer. I have also found the reverse drive invaluable when hooked up to a fish, as

reversing allows me to clear the fish of any structure before any potential bust-offs. The new fin design produces more thrust allowing the angler to reach their spots faster.

The second major upgrade on the 2017 model is the introduction of the new Camo Series. The Camo Series Outback features the new camo colour styling. It’s an olive kayak with grey and black mottling throughout and non-slip pedal pads creating a striking kayak both on and off the water.

A larger Twist and Stow rudder and large pad eyes for attaching accessories in the cargo area are also included

The Outback is exceptionally stable for a smaller kayak, allowing anglers to stand in their yaks – an important feature for anglers wanting to cast and retrieve lures.

SPECIFICATIONS Length Overall.............................................. 3.68m Beam.............................................................. 0.84m Crew.................................................. 1 (single seat) Capacity.........................................................181kg Fitted Hull Weight............................................37kg Fully Rigged Weight........................................45kg Vantage Seat CT Capacity............................125kg Hull Construction.......... Rotomolded Polyethylene RRP................................... $3390 (+$200 for Camo) in the Outback Camo Series package. The 2017 Outback is also available in its standard configuration in these colours: Caribbean blue, golden papaya, red hibiscus and ivory dune.

The other key feature of the Outback out from its rivals is the Vantage Seat CT. With three-way adjustment and two seating height adjustments Hobie have taken comfort to a new level. The Lowrance Ready system remains in the 2017 model allowing anglers to easily mount compatible transducers in a built in mount with through-hull wiring plugs provided. This system can also accommodate Lowrance Totalscan transducers, which solves a long-standing problem with anglers wanting to run side scan in their kayaks.

Other key features of the Outback include the Twist and Stow rudder – a retractable rudder that swings out of the way when it’s not needed and is perfect when launching from a bank – a large front hatch, 8” twist and seal centre

and rear hatches, port and starboard mesh pockets and a rear cargo area with bungee tie downs and pad eyes to secure accessories. There is plenty of room to store all the equipment needed for a day on the water.

The kayak also features four moulded rod holders which double as a great place to store nets, gaffs and other gear.

Please note that the reviewed kayak featured several aftermarket accessories including the Micro Power Pole Anchor, Hobie Livewell and Lowrance Elite 9 Ti Sounder.

The Hobie Mirage Outback is an extremely versatile kayak that appeals to a broad range of anglers. It is feature packed in a lightweight package adding further to its appeal. The Outback has long been a favourite among the kayak angling fraternity and the 2017 model with its upgraded reverse drive and appealing Camo Series will ensure that this kayak continues as one of the best options for kayak anglers.

The major upgrade to the 2017 Outback, the Hobie MD180 featuring ST Turbo fins moves the Outback along effortlessly and with improved efficiency.

Hobie’s Twist and Stow rudder can be retracted when not required.

The Camo Series model includes an upgrade to a larger rudder.

Recessed rudder control with soft touch grips allow the kayak to be easily stored or transported upside down.

A large cargo area behind the seat gives the angler plenty of storage options.

Hobie’s Livewell or H Crate fits perfectly into this space. The Camo Series includes larger padeyes for tying down these aftermarket accessories.

The seating position and angler cockpit is large enough to accommodate most anglers and mount plenty of aftermarket accessories such as camera mounts and fish finders.

Reversing in the Outback is now possible, anglers pull the reverse shift cable pivoting the fins 180 degrees, instantly moving the drive into reverse. Simply pull the forward shift cable to return the fins to their original position.

The Hobie Mirage Outback Camo Series includes several upgrades over the standard kayak including the striking camo colour.

Camo coloured non-slip pedal pads are included in the Camo Series edition.

A large front hatch with bungee tie downs allow anglers to store all the equipment needed to enjoy a day on the water.

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Quintrex 2017: bigger, brighter, bolder, better For decades Quintrex have set the standard for the others to follow. Advanced hull designs, stunning performance, and styling that is both market leading and innovative see no weakening of that trend, and the release of their new models

stretch forming technology with the strength of pressed aluminium side sheets, the Blade hull design results in a boat that is sleek and streamline in looks and equally impressive in performance, handling, and ride.

The legendary

610 is rated to a staggering 200hp. With ratings of this size the 570 and 610 are impressive to say the least.

A favourite with keen anglers, the Renegade range has stepped it up to another level with the release of two new models. The Renegade 530

The Freestyler 550 launches into action.

Spacious and comfortable, the forward section of the 630 Freestyler is impressive to say the least. continues to see them as one of the forerunners of the aluminium boat industry.

Upcoming in 2017 is the release of new models within existing line-ups, many of which are an answer to the calls from customers for a specific model or models, while the release of a whole new concept in hull design heralds a new dawn for Quintrex of aluminium hull design and performance.

“We’re always very conscious of listening to our customers and dealers and many of the new models are a response to us listening to what our customers wanted,” explains Quintrex’s Account Manager Drew Jackson.

While the expansion to existing line-ups has helped strengthen proven ranges, it’s the introduction of the new Apex hull concept that’s destined to chart out new water for Quintrex and its customers.

“We’re incredibly excited about the Apex hull design and what it offers.

It offers a level of comfort, stability and performance like we’ve never been able to offer before. It’s definitely next level stuff when it comes to aluminium hull design and performance,” added Jackson.

MORE BLADE, MORE CHOICES Quintrex’s famous Blade hull design technology goes from strength to strength in 2017 and features heavily in the new line-up. A design that combines advanced 106

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Runabouts range takes full advantage of the Blade hull design with two new models, a 570 and 610 Fishabout now offer buyers two larger models. Designed with South Australian and Victorian boaters in mind the 570 slots perfectly in the range and offers a tonne of space, particular with its large rear deck.

Like all Fishabouts in the range the 570 and 610 feature 3mm sides, while the larger of the two, the 610 offers boaters an offshore hull, without the usual hefty offshore boat price tag. With the same hull as the 610 Trident Plate boat, the 610 Fishabout now puts an offshore boat in reach of those on a budget.

The 570 will take up to a 150hp outboard, while the

supersedes the previous 520 model, while the 570 introduces Quintrex’s biggest Renegade ever.

Available in side and centre console configurations the Renegade boats are fussfree fishing platforms with a host of features that

come standard including a large carpeted floor complete with casting platform, live bait tank, rod holders, anchor well and transom step.

Built tough with 3mm topside and bottom sheets, and high sides for safety and angler security, the

The 570 Renegade will take up to a 115hp outboard and offers anglers plenty of power, speed and range.

The 530 Stealth Hornet is a sportfish angler’s dream with large decks, plenty of storage, and exceptional comfort, making it hard to go past.

new Renegades are hard to go past for those looking for a 5m+ trouble-free, clutterfree, fishing platform. The largest of the two models, the 570, will take up to a 115hp outboard, offering anglers ample power, speed and travel range.

HORNET HEAVEN Perhaps the most famous name in the Quintrex line-up over many years is the Hornet. A game changer when it was released in the 1990s, the new models show that the Hornet name has lost nothing when it comes to performance and ingenuity in design.

The range has been buoyed by the addition of three new models with the Stealth Hornet 470, 510, and 530 models

taking Hornet design and performance to a new level.

Standard features include a 30% longer front casting deck, a folding rear casting platform with fixed rear seats, 30% more storage and folding cleats for a cleaner look and work space.

The console on the new Stealth models will accommodate a sounder up to 12”, while the largest model in the range, the 530, has the option of a dual console and a centre rod locker in the front casting deck.

The new Stealth Hornet models aren’t short on power either with a 75hp (470), 115hp (510), and 150hp (570) maximum horsepower rating on each of the three models.

Large, clear, clutterfree front and rear decks, voluminous storage hatches, stability, power and sure-footedness through chop and corners are the trademarks of the new Stealth Hornet models, and are attributes that are sure to see the Hornet name retain the reputation and following that it has enjoyed for many years.

YELLOWFIN FEVER Quintrex’s Yellowfin offshore plate boat range welcomes two new family members with the 7000 and 7600 Southerners designed to handle the rough conditions of Southern Australia.

Featuring the refined hull design that was released with the range in 2016, the two new models for 2017 feature a 300mm longer cabin for extra driver and passenger protection, and a now-standard carpetlined hood on the hard top models that improves looks and comfort.

Optional features include a portside wiper option, external handwash featuring a foot switch, while a lockable bait station

on the stern provides ample tackle storage and a large, well thought out baiting and rigging area.

All HT (Hard Top) models feature a rain deflector for added protection and dryness, while the largest of the two new models, the 7600 Southerner, is rated for a 300hp outboard. If a single 300hp is not to your liking there is the option for twin 150s.

Strong, powerful and uncompromising, the new Yellowfin Southerners are designed for those who aren’t willing to settle for anything but the biggest and the best.

A NEW HORIZON The release of the new Apex Hull design

at the bow provides greater lift, resulting in better boat position and attitude on the water.

The Apex Hull features RSDs (Raised Side Decks) that increase overall internal volume by 20%.

It’s also fully welded for improved strength and rigidity. The new Apex Hull is a step above what has come before with its modern styling and design elements delivering a significantly progressive, contemporary look to the Quintrex brand.

The Apex Hull is available in two ranges, the Frontier and Freestyler.

The Frontier is available in five different sizes, 510, 530, 550, 590, and

a super comfortable, super roomy watersports vessel.

THE NEW FRONTIER The console of the new Frontier has a tonne of storage room and can accommodate a 12” sounder, while the front casting platform has room for your favourite Eva Kool esky. The 510 and 530 will accommodate a 50L, while the larger models will take an 85L, and even an impressive 110L if the raised casting option is selected.

Four stainless steel rod holders, and aluminium live bait tank with viewing window, and Sea Tread kit on the transom and front further enhance the Frontier’s list of standard options to make it an excellent choice for those

The inside of the Freestyler is sleek and modern and offers more space and 80mm more freeboard thanks to Quintrex’s RSDs (Raised Side Decks).

Featuring all the elements of the Apex Hull design including RSD, sweeping chine, increased hull flare, and outstanding comfort, stability and cornering ability, the Freestyler looks as good as it performs. The RSDs increase the space substantially, while providing a greatly level of

user safety and confidence, making it ideal for families.

The lines of the Apex Hull combined with the forked bow of the RSD and sleek windscreen profile provide a modern contemporary aesthetic. The Freestyler doesn’t scrimp on storage either with plenty of storage throughout including

up), barn door, bow ladder, ski pole and bait board, picnic table, and Fish Pack Rear Lounge. The Freestyler is the showpiece of the new Apex Hull design and is a range that impresses you with both when at rest and in action. Quintrex’s Nathan Shaw gave us an insight the company’s thoughts on the

Sure-footed and with plenty of power through the corners, the Quintrex Freestyler eats up the conditions. is Quintrex’s newest evolution in hull design since the introduction of the Blade Hull in 2011, and it’s one that Quintrex is ecstatic about.

“We released the Apex Hull to our dealer network at a recent conference on the Gold Coast and we were overwhelmed with their response. I encourage anyone to test drive one of the Apex Hulls, because the results speak for themselves,” explained Quintrex’s Account Manager Nathan Shaw.

The key design element of the Apex Hull design is the flare of its hull. Carried further aft to maintain continual contact with the water, the result is a smoother more comfortable ride. The wider, sweeping chine design of the Apex Hull opens the front of the hull that allows the flaring to carry further along the stem to significantly enhance rough water performance and capabilities. The widening of the chine has greatly improved boat stability and grip when cornering, while the increased surface area

630, and is available in both side or centre console configuration.

Featuring the Apex Hull’s flared bow, 4mm bottom and 3mm side sheets, and RSDs that deliver 80mm more freeboard and allow for concealed controls and wiring, the Frontier is a range that is equally at home as a fishing platform or as

looking for a boat that’s a multi-use all-rounder.

For those looking for a bit more flash and splash in their life, the Freestyler range has the Apex Hull for them. Available in five models, 510, 530, 550, 590 and 630, the Freestyler series is serious fun and shows a side to Quintrex boats that we’ve never seen before.

Like nothing we’ve seen before from Quintrex, the new 630 Freestyler is a huge leap forward in design and performance.

Clear, clutter-free decks with plenty of holeshot, the new 470 Stealth Hornet is an impressive sportfishing boat.

a console storage hatch that allows for quick easy access to your valuables.

The Freestyler ’s performance and style are equally matched with power.

The 530 is rated to a 130hp, while the biggest model in the range, the 630, takes up to a 200. The 630 running a 175hp Evinrude G2 E-Tec, for example, is impressive when it comes to hole shot, powers through corners and top speed when run wide open. With a 200 on the transom, the performance and power will be next level again.

For those looking to pimp their ride, the Freestyler offers a long and impressive list of optional features including a wakeboard tower on the larger models (550 and

Freestyler and who it will appeal to.

“The Freestyler features a unique, modern look with sleek sporty lines. The performance of this boat is unbelievable; the way is handles corner and rough makes it suitable for a variety of uses.”

Quintrex’s new models for 2017 see the evolution of this famous brand continue.

The addition of new models within the Blade Hull series further enhances the famous hull design line-up, while the creation of the innovative Apex Hull design heralds a new future in performance, function and style. To find out more about the new models visit your local Quintrex dealer or visit www.quintrex.com.au.

MAY 2017

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How to choose your next boat from the get-go PART II BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

In last month’s issue I covered a lot of ground in considering some of the more important factors that can influence the selection of the right fishing boat for a given fishing situation. Pretty obviously this is one mighty big topic given the differing fishing

when it comes to chasing those fish.

SO MANY BOATS! The trouble is that boats are about as plentiful as those sensational sunproof shirts we anglers like to wear. And just like the plethora of sun shirts in the tackle and water sports shops, there are just as many boats about with differing designs, attractively useful features (or otherwise) and standards of finish and fit out that can go from terrific to terrible.

finish in gleaming glass or an awesome alloy paint job, as many bells and whistles as possible and enough fishing features onboard to warrant regular envious inspection. It’s not everyone’s boat, naturally, but guess what? The owner catches a lot of fish because the rig is perfect for his or her fishing requirements.

On the other side of the picture, the sun shirt is old, faded and perhaps a bit tatty. Close to being declared the next cockpit

Plain alloy dressed up with a decal shows the versatility of this sort of rig. scenarios that exist and the fact that we use virtually everything from paddleboards to big ocean-going rigs to chase our fish!

Between those widely spaced parameters there is always just the right fishing boat for the job.

It’s merely a matter of making the right selection from the get-go. If things are assessed correctly from the start, the chosen craft should be on the money

In the sun shirt stakes some of us like really flashy ones with a trendy design, the maker’s logo prominent up front and maybe a fish or two being flashed on the back. A comparable boat might well show off so much bling it fairly shines on the darkest night, and why not? There are quite a few dollar’s worth of lights tucked under those gunwales!

Our bling boat naturally sports the best possible

hand wipe in fact: but the nonchalant owner still wears it happily whether on the water or not.

The tatty sun shirt style of boat will likely be faded fibreglass or weather worn alloy with a few dings, dents and stains within and without. If it’s a small tinnie the seats might have seen some brief duty as cutting boards and it’s no surprise that the engine cowling is faded. Yet the boat seems to have a lot

of large fish scales within its crusty sides, dried crab legs are tucked into the odd corner and the boat even smells like the sea at low tide. Again, the owner certainly knows how to score a feed of fish or crustaceans. And again that craft is not for all.

While boats might vary, the selection of a just-right rig often comes with one major decision. Do we go with glass or alloy?

Last month’s issues of freeboard, sea keeping ability, ride quality and fishing room are still very much in the mix, naturally, but in this piece we’ll look further into the pros and cons of both glass and aluminium products.

This is not a glass versus alloy debate. It’s to show what they can offer a potential owner.

IS ALLOY FOR YOU? It’s not hard to comprehend the popularity of alloy boats. Versatility of design ensures that the buyer can usually find a rig within the proposed price range and intended purpose without too much expenditure of precious time or money.

Factors favouring alloy craft include less weight per metre of hull length and there’s the sweetener of reduced requirements for care around the ramps and rocks, especially with an unpainted hull. Beware of a painted hull touching one of those pontoons with

Modern alloy welding techniques offer rapid production, minimal waste and the assurance of a well-finished and sturdy end product for the angler. also keeps paint in good condition. Avoid leaving tackle with little metal bits on the floor of the tinnie – again, because of electrolysis.

second and third generation hull designs promote good riding characteristics and the old days of rough riding tinnies are well in the past.

Variation in available

From kayaks to mighty offshore rigs, anglers align their choices with their needs to get the most from their fishing.

Sea Jay’s mighty 6.8 Pursuit is a big boat with big everything. If there is anything lacking in this great plate alloy it hasn’t been invented yet.

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yellow buffers, especially if said buffer is weathered.

These things can scuff paint terribly, so keeping the hull from prolonged contact is wise.

All alloy craft still need some TLC with overall use and storage. Battery isolator switches are essential to keep power from leaking and causing electrolysis.

A good clean after use

SOME OF THE BIG PLUSES The greatest steps forward with alloy craft in the last decade would have to come down to overall design improvements thanks to today’s state-ofthe-art stretch formed hulls and MIG and TIG welding techniques that offer strength and neatness of finish in spades. Enhanced

sizes is another factor to consider. It’s a fact that alloy craft range from 2.5m tenders (seen any 2.5m glass craft lately?) through to 7m+ oceangoing fish fighters that come bunk equipped, pack immense fuel supplies and ample freshwater and feature every comfort from refrigeration in the galley to hot showers and a marine

toilet. In between these extremes are craft that meet every conceivable need from family fishing rigs to specialised finesse fishing outfits for true enthusiasts.

From sub 4m roof rack riders through to well powered plate alloy trailer rigs, the potential buyer is spoilt for choice.

DESIGNER HULLS Design diversity is a big plus with alloy craft.

A manufacturer can offer

catch wells, useful storage areas, an electric motor mounting point, auxiliary motor mount and even bimini shading.

Modern alloy craft are also built to last thanks to time-proven and wellengineered structural arrangements throughout that ensure the most basic alloy rig has guaranteed rigidity. Even the lightest hull, where side thickness might be as fine as 1.6mm

turn over of product and value added production.

Aluminium’s lighter weight also means that suitable outboard engines can be less powerful and therefore less costly for optimum results.

For trailer craft, which is the domain of most alloy rigs, a less involved trailer with lighter weight also sees many tinnies on the tow ball of the family sedan when it’s fishing

Never think that only larger alloy craft come in plate construction: this little Mojo features 4mm plate all round. aluminium is such an easy material to work with and so many skilled welders are available, it’s not out of the question that a competent alloy welder might be located for repairs or other work even if you’re far from home.

On a glass craft modifications can involve far more. Firstly the right materials need to be on hand

and, as the material needs to be applied or reworked in a state of flexibility, specific expertise is necessary.

Moreover, colour matching of older or weathered surfaces can be tricky. In some cases the craft might need attention by the original manufacturer to bring things up to speed.

IN A NUTSHELL Alloy craft are

deservedly popular given the advantages I’ve outlined.

These factors should make selecting the right craft for the job easier, but let’s not overlook fibreglass either.

In next month’s issue I will outline what fibreglass boats offer the angler. From smallest to largest, there are quite a lot of things to consider, so don’t write glass rigs off just yet!

PRODUCT PROFILE

Standards of finish in many alloy craft are right up there. Carpet within the storage compartments is standard in most such rigs. the same basic hull (in, say, a sub 5m craft) with options for tiller steer, side or centre console with forward controls or, with as many or as few additional features as that craft’s price point allows. The same hull can be painted to perfection or left as bright alloy, yet either style could feature additional niceties such as a flat floor, rod holders, plumbed bait or

will maintain total integrity in the toughest working conditions.

PRICE POINT ISSUES Cost overall is often where an alloy craft can leave some change in the pocket, compared to a glass rig of similar size and spec level. Reduced hull construction time along with designs that involve as little waste material as practical mean quicker

time, with only the big plate alloy ocean goers requiring a big 4x4 to get them to the ramp.

EASY REPAIRS Another matter for consideration must be repairs and modifications.

If an alloy craft needs this sort of work, flatter surfaces are easy to work on.

Cutting, welding, sanding, grinding and even painting are all feasible. Given that

Just like our fishing shirts, alloy craft come in all sizes and shapes. This well built pontoon rig combines immense stability with ample fishing room.

Introducing Lakebook – the Deeper Data Manager Ever wanted to plan your next fishing trip with all your maps available to view on your computer screen?

Then download your GPS and depth data? With Lakebook, you can.

Whatever happens to your phone, all your bathymetric maps are still accessible. This new piece of Deeper software is easy to use. It automatically transfers your maps from your mobile app. Just login to Lakebook and start doing more with your maps.

When your fishing trip is over, it’s time to start planning the next one. Now you can analyse all your favourite locations comfortably with your lake maps available

to view on your computer.

Login to Lakebook, choose your locations, then click on specific spots for depth and GPS data, plus exact distance measurements.

You can also download your raw data from Lakebook.

You’ll get GPS coordinates plus depth readings, which you can then upload to other mapping programmes and apps. Best of all, your maps are always accessible, even if something happens to your phone.

Here’s how it works: Go to maps.deepersonar.com, login using Facebook, Google+ or the username and password you use for the Deeper app then choose a map from the menu on the left. To print, just

press ctrl+P (cmd+P on a Mac), or click ‘Download’ at the top of the menu to get your raw data.

If some of your maps are missing, don’t worry. You can manually upload data through the app. Just go to the history menu and click ‘Initiate Upload.’

A few words about your data We understand how important your data security is. That’s why you can only access your own secure data on Lakebook. No other Deeper users have access to your data. If you have questions about how your data is used, please go to our support page or contact our support team at http:// support.deeper.eu/. – Deeper

The new Deeper Lakebook app helps you keep and manage data about your favourite fishing spots.

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Savage 525 Scorpion Pro with a Suzuki 115hp

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Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Hazelwood Pondage in Gippsland Victoria is an artificial lake created to provide water to cool the Hazelwood Power Station.

In recent times it has become better known as the home of barramundi in Victoria.

The barramundi fishing is only a recent addition and the pondage has always had many recreational uses.

On this occasion, it was the perfect venue to test out the Savage 525 Scorpion Pro, as the weather on the coast was less than ideal.

The 525 size is the latest edition to the Scorpion range.

It’s also available in three other sizes – 435, 455, 485. It comes in three configurations in all the larger sizes, tiller, side console and centre console with side console and

tiller options in the 435. It was the 525 Pro Side Console we took for a spin at Hazelwood.

VERSATILITY AND OPTIONS APLENTY My first impression of the Savage 525 Scorpion Pro was, ‘Here is a boat that has lots of space and could provide the owner with numerous fishing options.’ By space I mean it has a large forward casting deck, a larger than normal rear casting platform (you could comfortably fish lures with three anglers) and enough space around the console to ensure that you would not feel uncomfortable moving from either casting area with others on board.

The area around and behind the console for the skippers is spacious and well thought-out. The console itself had plenty of space for electronics and gauges.

Warragul Marine Centre had the test boat fully kitted out and the console had a Humminbird Onix10, several

Suzuki gauges, a Fusion stereo system and some switches and there was still space for more if you wanted.

The space isn’t limited to above the decks either. Under deck storage in the Scorpion included a 7ft rod locker, plenty of space under the forward casting deck, battery and other storage in the rear casting deck, with live wells in both decks as well. All of this means that all your fishing tackle can be secured safely and out of the way while you’re fishing or travelling.

The versatility component is that this boat would be as at home fishing a lake, estuary or inshore reefs with lures and plastics as it would be with a spread of baits targeting snapper and the like. There is plenty of freeboard for an angler to lock into if chasing kingfish and tuna, if that is your cup of tea.

Add to that the 115hp Suzuki four-stroke which provided a great balance of

The boat we tested was fully optioned with all the bells and whistles including a striking wrap.

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power and economy. You could do a lot of fishing in a lot of places with the 77L underfloor fuel tank.

RIDE AND PERFORMANCE In my interview with David Garcia from Warragul Marine Centre, I said that we had a lot of fun when out in the 525. This was absolutely the case. The classic hull design of the Scorpion provides a great ride and fantastic handling. Although we didn’t have a huge amount of chop to deal with at Hazelwood, it did handle the boat and jet ski wakes

SPECIFICATIONS Hull Length...............................................5.26m Beam.........................................................2.07m Depth........................................................ 1.10m Bottom and sides......................................3mm Weight (boat only).................................... 506kg Min hp.........................................................75hp Max hp...................................................... 115hp Hole Shot...................................... 4.27 seconds Number of people............................................6 motor establishes a maximum efficiency and automatically adjusts during use. This translates into maximum economy and output. On the day 4000 revs was the

PERFORMANCE RPM......Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) 650............................ 4........................ 6.0 1000.......................... 7........................ 3.4 2000........................ 12........................ 3.6 3000........................ 30........................ 3.2 4000........................ 48........................ 3.0 5000........................ 63........................ 2.2 WOT........................ 74........................ 1.8 with ease. For what is a reasonably large boat, it was easy and enjoyable to drive.

SUZUKI 115HP FOUR-STROKE The maximum horsepower rating for the 525 Scorpion is 115hp and although a 75hp would likely do a great job powering it, the 115hp Suzuki definitely had its advantages. During testing we managed a very healthy top speed of 74kp/h and with a very quick hole shot of 4.27 seconds. The beauty of Suzuki four-strokes and the Lean Burn technology incorporated in them is that over a period of running the

sweet spot, giving a speed of 48km/h and getting 3km/L of fuel burned.

FISHABILITY We didn’t fish Hazelwood on the day as it was not yet open for Victorian anglers to have a crack at the barramundi stocked in it (the boat certainly wouldn’t be out of place in any of our northern estuary systems chasing barra), however we did spend a few hours at Blue Rock Dam nearby targeting its bass population later in the day. We were casting three up, manoeuvring around in the timber using the Minn Kota on the bow and it was

excellent to fish from. It had a little bit of fishing mojo as well. As mentioned, this is only one option of the types of fishing you could do out of the 525 Scorpion Pro. CONCLUSION The Savage 525 Scorpion Pro is a big boat without the big boat feel. You can tow it with a medium to large car and you can launch and retrieve it with one person if required. It offers multiple fishing options and even fully optioned as the test boat was, it would only set you back just under $50,000.

If you want to fit one out to your requirements, pricing starts from $37,500.

If you want to know more about the Savage 525 Scorpion Pro or the rest of the Savage range of boats you can contact Brisbane Marine on (07) 3889 3033 or visit their website at www. brismarine.com.au • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

The front casting deck is large enough to fish two people from and has plenty of storage underneath.

The test boat had a Minn Kota electric motor fitted which made it even more suited for casting lures and plastics from the front deck.

There is a large plumbed livewell in the casting deck that would suit any tournament angler.

The Scorpion has plenty of space and storage.

The 525 Scorpion has a classic hull design that provides excellent handling and manoeuvrability.

The Suzuki 115hp four-stroke was a fantastic match for the boat and provides a great balance of economy and torque.

Telwater’s catch and release system coupled with their I-Beam trailer means that although the Scorpion is quite a large boat, it can be launched by one person easily.

The console and skippers seating configuration is spacious and functional.

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The sleek Whittley SL22 – a caravan on the water - SC

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Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Melbourne’s Peter Smith is living the Australian dream. He lives in Melbourne, is retired after running a successful business and now spends his time travelling around Australia with wife Caroline in his customised Whittley, treating his boat as others would a caravan – providing a home away from home on some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country.

The first-time Whittley owner recently took us out for a spin in his customised Whittley SL22, powered by the inboard Volvo Penta petrol V6 that delivers 240hp through the counterrotating duo-prop.

Coming from a free camping background, this is a unique craft that balances comfort, towability and fishing

space with the ability to make multi-day trips to far corners of Australia.

AMENITY It was important for the Smiths to have a seating arrangement that included four guests. Instead of having a couple in the helm seats and a couple in the fold-down seats adjacent to the inboard cover.

The Whittley fit the bill perfectly with a neat seat moulding that incorporates the forward facing helm seats and also a rear facing seat in each. These allow four people to be sitting and facing each other.

Add a small table and the ingredients are all there for a great social afternoon with friends.

The bonus is that there’s a pile of storage under these seats, too.

Customising the standard storm covers, the Smiths have added flyscreen panels that allow air flow through the cabin for overnight and evening trips.

SPECIFICATIONS Length:........................................................6.5m Beam:........................................................2.26m Fuel:............................................................. 210L Deadrise:....................................................... 23° Freshwater:....................................................20L Max hp (outboard):....................................225hp Max hp (sterndrive):...................................280hp Dry weight on trailer:............................... 1950kg 112

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There’s no denying that the SL22’s lines are sleek. Peter was proud to keep his business local with a Melbourne-built boat on a local trailer.

STORAGE Ample storage is even more important in boats that are used for more than day-trips. It keeps gear out of the tow vehicle and adds to the level of comfort on the water.

With their free camping background, a big cooking area wasn’t a priority for the Smiths, and I got the feeling that the SL22 was just the right balance between comfort and frugality.

Everywhere you look in this boat, there’s storage – from under the floor with a massive sub-deck cavity that’s suitable from

anything from your catch to excess gear, right through to the under seat and under bunk options.

If you fill this boat’s storage to overflowing, you’re taking too much!

PERFORMANCE Opting for the 240hp Volvo Penta (instead of the standard 200hp model), Pete displayed an attitude that should be ingrained in most boaters in this country by now.

“In the past, I’ve sometimes regretted not buying the maximum power motor option available,” he said. “So the 240 option was a pretty

easy choice for me. Hole shot is amazing with the counter rotating DuoProp system and there’s a sweet spot that the motor sits on at around 2500rpm.”

“It’s a dream to steer and manoeuvre and although this is my first Volvo, it definitely won’t be my last,” Peter said.

ON THE ROAD Towing the rig with a Ford Ranger, the 22’ Whittley fit within the capabilities of their current vehicle.

“As I looked in the 24ft and 26ft boats, it became obvious that we’d need to replace our tow vehicle,

so that was another factor in selecting this sized Sea Legend,” Pete said.

With a circa-2000kg dry weight on the trailer, even loaded, it fits well within the Ranger’s 2500kg towing capacity.

“And that’s important with the tens of thousands of kilometres that this boat will do around Australia,” Pete concluded.

COSTINGS Although prices for the Whittley SL22 packages start from $86,999, this package ended up at $99,990 driving out the door.

“I was very happy with the price this boat ended up at – it compared favourably to everything I looked at – both domestically and internationally. But I like the fact that the sale remained local. The finish in this Whittley is comparable to anything I’ve ever seen,” Pete concluded.

For more information on Whittley Boats, visit www.whittley marinegroup.com.au.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

This massive wet-well can chew up plenty of extra gear or a bag limit of snapper. It’ll definitely be handy for multi day trips in more remote parts of the country.

We liked the black carpet inlays in the side pockets. Classy. There’s toe room underneath and plenty of padding for when you’re out there in sub-optimal conditions.

The hull moulding includes recesses for the trim tabs.

The full cabin has a toilet under the front centre inlay. Add the full inlay and there’s room for two up there and drop down the flyscreen cover and the air can flow freely – minus the mozzies.

Alan Whittley is a big advocate for the Volvo inboards. The SL22 was fitted with the Gen 5 model that generated 240hp and rocket-like hole shots.

It was important for Peter’s wife, Caroline, that the seating arrangements were ‘inclusive’ for four people. The rear-facing seats with mountains of storage underneath allow this, but don’t impinge too much on cockpit fishing space. A nice compromise indeed!

An immaculate day in southern Port Phillip Bay didn’t leave much room for testing the ride in sub-par conditions, but it did let us get a great interview with Peter about the logic behind his set up. Scan the QR code on these pages to see the full interview.

As expected, the helm remains simple and neatly laid out. The all-in-one Raymarine sonar/GPS takes the centre stage. We hope Pete’s got country-wide mapping in there!

There’s a 240hp Volvo Penta under that bait station and plenty of room for the serious stuff. Side pockets are spacious.

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UNBEATABLE

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Unbridled power, unexpectedly compact, uncompromising reliability, unbelievably fuel efficient. Mercury’s all new 75-115hp FourStroke Range.

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BETTER FUEL EFFICIENCY AND MORE RANGE THAN EVER BEFORE 115HP CRUISE SPEED FUEL EFFICIENCY VS. CURRENT FOURSTROKE AND OPTIMAX

115HP FOURSTROKE FUEL EFFICIENCY VS. 115HP OPTIMAX 5.10

340 330

4.25

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320

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3.40 2.55 1.70

280 0.85

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MERCURY’S NEW 115HP FOURSTROKE DELIVERS UP TO 63% BETTER FUEL EFFICIENCY AT CRUISE VS. THE 115HP OPTIMAX WITH A SLIGHT TOP SPEED ADVANTAGE. Test conducted on a 1775 Lund aluminium boat.

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34 Don Street Bowen Phone: (07) 4786 2944 Fax: (07) 4786 6606 Email: remarine@bigpond.net.au

17 William Murray Drive Cannonvale Phone: (07) 4946 7286 Fax: (07) 4946 7848 Email: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au Website: www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

79 Herbert Street Ingham Phone: (07) 4776 1188 | Fax: (07) 4776 1288 Email: jbmarine@bigpond.com Website: www.jandbmarine.com

178 Edith Street Innisfail Phone: (07) 4061 8272 | Fax: (07) 4061 7718 Email: joel@coastalmarine.com.au Website: www.coastalmarine.com.au

5 Hannam Street Bungalow Phone: (07) 4033 8800 Email: sales@aussiemarine.com.au Website: www. aussiemarine.com.au

38 Yappar Street Karumba Phone: (07) 4745 9159 Email: jonglo@bigpond.com Website: www.jonesmarine.com.au

80.47

72.42

64.37

56.33

48.28

40.23

32.19

24.14

NEW MERCURY 115HP FOURSTROKE

MERCURY’S NEW 115HP FOURSTROKE DELIVERS UP TO 14% BETTER CRUISE SPEED ECONOMY BSFC dyno testing; data is an average of 60%-80% rated engine speed based on standard ICOMIA emissions test.

km/h

0.0

NEW MERCURY 2.1L 115hp

16.09

MERCURY OPTIMAX 115hp

8.05

PREVIOUS MERCURY FOURSTROKE 1.7L

0.0

260

UNBEATABLE

150HP FOURSTROKE

The Mercury 150hp FourStroke is the largest displacement and lowest weight outboard in its class. The perfect partner for powering trailer boats.

LIGHTWEIGHT. LARGE DISPLACEMENT. 150HP FOURSTROKE – COMPACT MERCURY 150 LIGHTEST

HONDA BF150 OVER 5%

YAMAHA F150LB OVER 8%

SUZUKI DF150 OVER 12%

150HP DISPLACEMENT COMPARISON 3000

2500

3000cc

2867cc

217kg

NEW MERCURY

60AMP

SUZUKI

44AMP

YAMAHA

35AMP

HONDA

40AMP

2670cc

2000

206kg

150HP ALTERNATOR OUTPUT

2354cc

223kg 232kg

NEW MERCURY

The New Mercury 150hp Fourstroke comes in at an incredibly light 206kg* making it the lightest in its horsepower class. *Based on Mercury’s 150hp (L) model. Information based on manufacturers’ claimed horsepower and weight figures.

mercurymarine.com.au

SUZUKI

YAMAHA

HONDA

The Mercury 150hp FourStroke is the largest displacement, helping out gun other 4-strokes in the category.

The largest capacity 150hp FourStroke boasts an impressive 60amp alternator output, giving you ample power for all onboard electrical accessories.