Queensland Fishing Monthly - November 2015 by Fishing Monthly

NOVEMBER KNOW-HOW • FLATHEAD CLASSIC RESULTS

Features

Gearing up for XOS GTs • 2015 Flathead Classic results • Out of season barra etiquette • Cleveland Boating Expo

Tried and Tested

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Okuma Azores • SeaAdex 5.5m hard top • Stessco Catcher SFX450 • Savage 655C • Wilson Venom baitcasters •

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How-To

Become a tech-savvy angler • Guide to salting tuna • Tying the Palomar knot •

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Jessy Higgs landed this coronation trout on a Black Magic KL 7/0 hook while fishing off Fraser Island.

This 128kg broadbill was landed by Thomas Duggan at Eaglehawk Neck. Thomas used the Black Magic Equalizer gimbal and harness.

Sam Bray landed this 21lb snapper using a Black Magic KL 6/0 hook and Black Magic 40lb Tough Fluorocarbon leader while fishing 25km from Ocean Reef boat ramp in WA.

A Black Magic C Point速 4/0 hook and Black Magic 40lb Supple Trace were used to catch this massive 11.5kg snapper. Slade Weston was fishing in Coffin Bay, SA.

Black Magic 80lb Supple Trace was used by Damon McLean to take this 10kg kingfish while fishing off Cape Moreton.

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November 2015, Vol. 29 No. 1

Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES

Iluka 24 Ballina 26 SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Tweed Heads 28 Southern Gold Coast 29 Gold Coast Canals 30 Gold Coast 32 Jumpinpin 34 Southern Bay 36 Brisbane 38 Brisbane Offshore 40 Northern Bay 42 Caloundra 44 Noosa 46 CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Hervey Bay 50 Fraser Coast 50 Rainbow Beach 51 Lake Monduran 52 Bundaberg 53 Gladstone 54 Rockhampton 56 Yeppoon 57 Mackay 58 Stanage Bay 59 TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

From the Editor’s Desk... After what ended up being a drawn out process, Queensland now has three new net-free areas. Even though this was a Labor party election promise and 100% supported by Minister Bill Byrne, it wasn’t a walk in the park getting it through. I won’t go into details here, but moving forward, the best thing we can do as recreational anglers is to support these NFAs by actually going fishing in them. Recreational anglers are usually painted as reasonably apathetic politically, and super-quick off the mark when they hear the fish are biting, so in theory, support of the NFAs will be a selffulfilling prophecy. As the fishing for legal sized fish improves, then word gets out and more anglers head to the areas where the fishing is good –

Whitsundays 68 Ayr 70 Townsville 71 Lucinda 72 Cairns 73 Hinchinbrook 74 Port Douglas 73 Cape York 75 Cooktown 76 Karumba 76 TNQ Freshwater 77

the NFAs. So this is probably the easiest call-to-action you’d have been bombarded with this year! Get out and use them! NET-FREE NEXT-STOP? Of course, during the fight for the NFZs, there was plenty of callout for MBY (my back yard). This is the opposite of a NIMBY (not in my back yard). Anglers especially in Hervey Bay and Moreton Bay want their own versions of the NFZs in these areas. Keep an eye out in future QFMs to be kept up to speed on how you can help this happen. FLATHEAD CLASSIC The Gold Coast Sportsfishing Club’s Flathead Classic has been run and won for another year and our Gold Coast columnist Danny Sands took out the Champion Angler title. There’s an extensive feature inside this issue that

outlines the techniques of the Champion Angler and the Champion Team. Thanks to both of the winners for so readily divulging their secrets to success. The Flathead Classic had its biggest participation ever this year and more people catching fish means more happy teams. We’ve also published the top portions of the leader boards. There’s nothing like getting a mention in QFM. TACKLEJUNKIE.FISH ON THE RISE Increasingly, QFM readers are jumping on the Fishing Monthly product website. It’s called www.tacklejunkie.fish and it gets all of the ‘What’s New’ products for fishing and boating published on it even before they hit the pages of the magazine and it’s a great way of being kept up to date with the cool new products

that are hitting the shelves. You can access it in a couple of ways. Typing w w w. t a c k l e j u n k i e . f i s h gets you to the front page, which is updated most days. On that front page, you can also sign-up to the periodical e-newsletter which will be emailed to your supplied address. If you want products – as they are uploaded – to appear in your social media feed, then Like the tacklejunkie.fish Facebook page. This is also where you’ll see the Tackle Junkie video clips as they are uploaded. We’re making more and more visual content nowadays that will augment your media experience. Take advantage of it and choose the method of consuming it that suits you best. Or just leave it until you see it in the magazine pages.

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AUST

Striking hard for trophy GT 2015 Flathead Classic results Cleveland boating expo Out of season barra etiquette Become a tech-savvy angler

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Striking hard for trophies BRISBANE

Leigh Fleet

Many people fish for a feed or aim for a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon having a flick with the family or mates, sometimes kicking their feet up with a beer. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course! But not me, or my mates, something else drives us. It makes us travel thousands of kilometres and spend thousands of dollars. Waking up at ridiculous times of the morning, it’s a passion like no other. We’re normally launching the boat while others sleep. We will push the limits of our physical capability in pursuit of one thing – we live for the strike! The explosion, an eruption of water that looks like someone has just dropped a bomb on the ocean. Catching giant

trevally, big brutes on big surface lures is what it’s all about! There is no higher peak in the world. If you have not experienced this type of fishing, then you are missing out, and we suggest you quickly add it to your bucket list. Mind you, it’s not for everyone. It’s not at all relaxing, at times it can be far from fun when your body is aching from throwing 160g+ lures all day in the hot sun. It’s the pinnacle of extreme sports fishing. It takes a certain mindset as well as a hell of a lot of effort and dedication to cast all day in the hope of maybe enticing one fish. But the push for these fish burns deep and this is all so insignificant in the hope of boating a monster. When chasing and fighting big fish some form of fitness is a must. Let’s be honest, this is sports fishing at its best, it’s not for the faint-hearted. You must

have good body strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness to be able to keep pushing and pushing, not only for the day but often days. Not to paint a grim picture, but why would anyone want to do this you might ask? It’s simple, the reward. It’s amazing just how quickly the time and effort is completely forgotten when you are eventually hooked up. The triumph of sitting a trophy fish on your lap is something that cannot be

Big Spanish mackerel are a common by-catch when popping for GT, like this striking-looking fish from Troy Marien.

The author with a solid giant trevally, tagged and ready for release. A stick bait did the damage on this occasion.

Kenny Howell shows off what it’s all about – big popper munching GT!

NOVEMBER 2015

described or explained, it’s something deep inside an angler, something you must find yourself. Even tempting a giant trevally to strike at times can be hard work and sometimes you can cast a million times for not even a single strike, but when it happens you must be ready, you must strike hard, set the hooks properly and start what could be the fight of your life. Let’s take a look and learn a little more about these epic apex predators. ABOUT THE GT Giant trevally (Caranx Ignobilis) or GT are one of the most aggressive and exciting sport fish an angler can catch. They are found throughout tropical waters and can grow up to 80kg. They will explode on and sometimes breach the surface, mistaking your lure for an unsuspecting bait fish. The shear strength and power of these fish and willingness to eat artificial offerings up to a foot in length is just mind blowing, no matter how big or small they are. They are most commonly found in shallow coastal waters like rocky reefs, bommies, headlands or areas with heavy current disturbance preferably with

masses of bait. Their habitat, keeness for heavy current and sheer power makes them quite difficult to catch. They will strike your lure, then dive for the nearest patch of reef, rock or coral bommie to try displace the foreign object hanging from their mouth. They must be stopped as quickly as possible and require heavy drag settings, sometimes up to 20kg, super strong line and a powerful rod to match. They can be found as far south as Central

NSW to the northern most tip of the country, and all across the top. For South East Queensland anglers, the reefs off Tweed Heads, North Stradbroke and Moreton islands and Noosa Heads are quite accessible to the medium size range of trailer boats over 4.4m given the right conditions. Slightly further to the north, Fraser Island’s reef structures are just as good as any but will require more planning, fuel and time to conquer. Don’t

forget or underestimate bar crossings. All South East locations will require a bar or spit crossing, which can be dangerous on any given day. Pay close attention to the wind, swell and current before heading out. All of these areas can hold bus-sized fish and the Holy Grail of 50kg is actually achievable if you are willing to put in the time and effort. More common sizes range between 10-30kg, which are still hard-fighting, epic catches. Water temperature and colour plays a major role when targeting these fish. Typically, a temperature over 22°C is preferred. As the water the cools, so does the fish’s metabolism and they may be less inclined to feed. Clean water with a visibility of over 10m is best for drawing fish up off the deeper reefs. Don’t write off green water, if the temperature is right and there is some decent visibility you are still in with a high chance. It may pay to look for shallower ground in these instances. TACKLE Only the best will do. These fish will break rods and reels, bend big hooks and your back! We recommend an entire set up in the PE 8-12 (80-150lb) range. Two combos rigged with both a large cup-faced popper and large stick bait

Keeping big GT on a wet surface before release is a great way to ensure survival upon release.

is common practice. Not only for multiple options, but because in this game, tackle failure is possible and unexpected. These fish can be caught on lighter line classes but under PE 8 and you’re starting to ask a lot from your gear. Heavier is always better as our waters can be quite shark ridden at times and trophy-sized

GEARING UP FOR GT Rods Main Line Leader Terminal Tackle Lures Reels

7’6”-8’6”, PE 8-12 PE 8-12 (80-150LB) 150lb-200lb connected to your main line via a PR or FG Knot Owner or Decoy Split Rings rated higher then 200lb, N.T. Swivels rated higher then 300lb Large Poppers like the Reef’s Edge 115g/130g/160g range, Various A.S.W.B. stick baits above 90g Daiwa’s high end 2015 Saltiga and Catalina reels – Saltiga 6500H, Dogfight 8000H, Expedition 8000H or Catalina 6500H GT are often taken without consent. We believe in catch and release for these incredible sport fish so bringing the fish in quickly as possible so not to exhaust them too much is the key to a higher survival rate. APPROACH As with most forms of fishing, stealth can be the biggest game changer. Charging onto a quiet reef with engines blazing is a sure fire way to spook any fish including bait schools. Not to mention the fact that sharks are becoming more in tune with the sound of outboard engines on heavily pressured reefs. Try to sit well off the reef’s edge, work out your drift line and speed. Once you know the direction, drift onto the desired area casting up onto it. Keep your eyes peeled for ‘nervous water’ and any sort of surface activity.

Teamwork is an absolute must if you want to land big GT.

Popping all day for GT is extremely tough on your body, but when your lure disappears in an explosion of water and you connect up to a monster, all the effort invested is forgotten. Locating large schools of bait sitting on the surface can be a gold mine for a number of species. Normally, GT will be hanging below or behind the bait schools so casting around and over the schools can usually entice a strike.

Preferred baits for GT aren’t always the usual yakkas, slimies and pillies. Schools of smaller yellowtail kingfish, rainbow runner, longtom, fusiliers, surgeon and batfish often meet their demise to GT. To page 12

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NOVEMBER 2015

From page 11

Always watch your lure for any swirl or boil as it may just be a big GT contemplating an attack. A good quality pair of sunglasses is essential for surface fishing and being able to locate the bait, current lines, reef edges is a must. Make sure you have a quality pair of polarized sunglasses, these will definitely help you catch more fish. NIGHT POPPING If you’re eager enough and have good local knowledge of the area you’re fishing then it may be worth trying your luck at night. We have found that

the giant trevally at times can be more aggressive after dark. Multiple strikes from the same fish in the same retrieve are common. While we have caught them braving the new moon, a full moon provides more light and of course stronger tidal flow. This is however, as extreme as it gets, your senses have to be on high alert as the strike will come fast and hard and may take you off guard and before you know it, you’re buried in a reef and you’re 200lb leader is being sliced over a ledge. Good teamwork is essential along with having a clear deck will help see you land more fish.

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Keg-class GT over 50kg are a possibility in SEQ, and Troy has proof of that with this absolute keg. CATCH AND RELEASE Catch and release is preferred with large GT. They’re not a great tasting fish anyway. Being prepared before you even hook the fish is critical, too many people waste precious time trying to get organized with a fish on the deck. Ensure before your first cast that you have your pliers, lip gaff, gloves and camera all at the ready. If your boat has a deck wash installed use it to flush water over the fish’s gills while preparing for photos. Speed is the key, so either tail grabbing the fish (remember to use gloves, they have sharp scoots around their tail wrist) or a lip gaff through the bottom jaw should be performed when landing the fish. Be sure to only gaff around the jaw bone, piercing their tongue will have deadly consequences. Carefully lift the fish straight onto a wet surface. We tag our fish for Suntag, then it’s onto the anglers lap

for photos if it’s big enough, a quick couple of shots and then spear the fish in head first. If the fight or deck time is drawn out then its best to swim the fish for a few minutes and then release. Most healthy fish will attempt to power off as soon as they are placed back in the water. This is a good sign that it’s okay for release. Giant trevally are as tough as they come but we still urge you take the utmost care for these fish. POPPING BY-CATCH GT popping by-catch can be nearly as epic as the GT at times, the most common species being Spanish mackerel. Big Spaniards love poppers and stick baits and we love the air strikes! Of course, you run the risk of losing high end lures but the aerials are some of the most insane sights you will ever see fishing. Red bass, tuna, kingfish and many other species of trevally frequently hit big lures intended for giants. Unfortunately sharks of all sizes can’t resist a big surface offering either, and are a common problem. This is one reason where choosing to run barbless hooks can help increase the chance of claiming your lure back. FINAL WORD Giant trevally truly are the elusive thugs of our inshore reefs, and once you’ve done battle with one you will be hooked forever. It’s the most exciting form of sport fishing in our opinion. Although it’s a tough and a more costly style of fishing, we hope this will inspire you get out and chase these amazing fish or even refine what you may already be doing. Trust us, it is worth every ounce of pain when you have that personal best onboard.

The author loaded up to a nice GT over a shallow reef. 12

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Flathead

2015 Great Northern Brewing Flathead Classic FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

The 22nd Flathead Classic once again proved that the Gold Coast waterways are a prolific flathead fishery. A total of 551 competitors in 217 teams – the largest ever field – made their way to their favourite locations trying to catch a humble flathead.

For the first time in my memory of the Classic, the Queensland weather turned it on for competitors, and the predicted and usual windy weather held off and sunscreen was the order of the day. Teams were met with an early morning low tide each day with a high tide just after lunch. Competitors knew the key would be to get fish early and then hope that their traditional high tide spots

Hayden Swain won the junior prize draw. You couldn’t get the smile off his face!

we faced was trying to avoid the pocket of dirty water that inundated the waterway as the tide filled after the early morning low. We enjoyed a good start each morning, but found it difficult in the dirtier water. We did find the odd patch of cleaner water, however, which kept all on board in good spirits and happy with our efforts in 2015. TALE OF THE TAPE Once again credit must go to the Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club for running such a great event. It’s a huge task to feed and entertain 551 competitors, sponsors and organisers after a long day on the water. For the record, competitors enjoyed 7500 cans of the major sponsor’s product! This year’s presentation precinct not only provided anglers with a opportunity to relax and chat to other competitors, but gave the sponsors of the event a chance to show off their wares and explain their latest tools to catch a flathead and many other species. Thank you to the people who came over to the Fishing Monthly stand to have a chat and take advantage of the special subscription offer we had for the Classic. Competitors also got to take home a sample bag

Above and right: The Bluefin boat and Mercury outboard packages are always a huge drawcard for the event. Bonza Graphics put the wrap on the senior prize. I am always blown away by some of the facts and figures to come out of the Classic. This year 5786 flathead were caught – that’s 226 more than 2014. The total length of those fish was a bit over 2346m, so the average size fish for the event was 40.5cm. I know the boys and I could have used a few more 40.5cm fish! The best technique was trolling once again, with

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NOVEMBER 2015

fish in deeper water. Zerek Fish Traps and Samaki Vibelicious Thumper tails were popular amongst competitors. The biggest flathead was a 96cm fish caught by Ming Liu from Team Berkley 1. Prior to the event, Ming hadn’t caught many flathead, so this fish gave him an amazing introduction to this popular recreational species. The fish was caught on a Berkley Gulp 4” Jigging Grub in chartreuse

colour on a 3/8oz jighead. The team worked the dropoffs on the flats closer to the ‘Pin when Ming hooked up. Ming’s fellow team members were convinced the fish was a stingray until it showed itself at the boat. Following a bit of chaos, the fish was in the net. This fish was caught on the first day of the Classic, and although a number of fish hit the 90cm mark during the competition, none could beat it.

The trip was well worth it for Glenn Hurrey. He won the Bluefin Boat and Mercury outboard senior random draw prize. would allow them to take advantage of a good start. TEAM FISHING MONTHLY Representing Fishing Monthly was myself, Michael Fox and Chris Byrnes. Fishing Monthly teams have enjoyed some success over the years so we had big shoes to fill, but with Foxy as our illustrious leader we put in a consistent performance and came 25th overall in the teams event. Chris was our best performer in the individual stakes with a respectable 67th place. Like all of the teams, one of the challenges

that was chock-a-block full of lures, line, caps and magazines to give anglers a taste of the sponsors’ products. The Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club tells me they handed out 4400 lures and 82.5km of line to competitors. The random prize draw is always popular, and this year there were two Bluefin boats with Mercury outboards available for a lucky senior and junior angler. Glenn Hurrey and Hayden Swain were the winners this year, with plenty of other anglers walking away with thousands of dollars worth of prizes.

three brands standing out for anglers: Lively Lures Micro Mullet, Pig Lures and Zerek Tango Shads. So if you don’t have one of these in your tackle box, you probably should. It would be remiss of me not to mention soft plastics. The individual and teams winners certainly showed that trolling isn’t the be all and end all (see how they did it in the winners wrap). Bright colours seemed to be the key, with the chartreuse Berkley Gulp Minnow a stand-out. UV colours were also very popular with anglers, in particular those taking advantage of the

Alexi Delinicolis was all smiles after winning the Junior Angler division.

Flathead FISHING TIPS FROM THE EVENT As with most tournaments, a bit of preparation and time on the water prior to the event to prepare a plan of attack is the key to success. Knowing where the fish were holding and planning around the tides and conditions seemed to be

the theme coming from the leading anglers. Wilson Fishing had two teams that filled two of the top three spots in the Teams event. Both teams fished the Tipplers area as they found concentrations of fish holding in the channels at the bottom of the tide. They targeted them

either trolling Tango Shads or casting 110mm plastics at the mouths of drains. UV colours and dipping the tail of the plastics was a couple of keys to success. As the tide flooded over the banks, rather than leave to find other fish, the boys followed the fish and the

water onto the flats and targeted them in any deeper hollows or channels they could find. Although they did take the odd break and target fish in the deeper water, it was this faith in knowing the fish were in the area they were fishing that proved to be a winner.

Danny Sands was a popular winner of the Overall Individual Angler division. Grab a back issue of the September magazine to get his insights on how to win the Flathead Classic.

Katie Watsford won the Female Angler division.

Ming Liuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 96cm fish caught on the first day of the Classic was the largest for the event.

Similar thoughts came from many of the other teams in the top 10. After they found concentrations of fish in an area, these competitors were determined to continue to fish the area thoroughly, no matter the time of the tide or the colour of the water. The deep bite was a little more hit-and-miss according to the people using this method. What was similar to the shallow bite was the need to continue to fish areas that had produced fish. It was not unusual to have two

or three boats in an area catching very little, and then have the next drift in the area produce a number of quality fish. Varying your lures and UV colours were a few keys to success. Fishing Monthly is proud to once again have been part of the 2015 Great Northern Brewing Flathead Classic, and we look forward to being part of it again next year. The club will be showing off its new purpose-built premises in 2016, which everybody is looking forward to seeing.

H FIS

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TEAM ZEREK LURES

Overall Second Place 2015 GREAT NORTHERN BREWING CO. GOLD COAST FLATHEAD CLASSIC MOST SUCCESSFUL LURES INCLUDED THE ZEREK TANGO SHAD AND ZEREK LIVE FLASH MINNOW WRIGGLY

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TEAM WILSON FISHING

Overall Third Place 2015 GREAT NORTHERN BREWING CO. GOLD COAST FLATHEAD CLASSIC

MOST SUCCESSFUL LURES INCLUDED THE ZEREK FISH TRAP AND ZEREK TANGO SHAD

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*Photo courtesy 2015 Great Northern Brewing Co. Gold Coast Flathead Classic and Gerry Nicholls Photography

For more information please visit

NOVEMBER 2015

Flathead

Flathead Classic Q & A FMG

Chris Byrnes

Danny Sands, an avid angler and member of Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club, took out the Champion Angler title at the 2015 Flathead Classic. Sands amassed 1560 points to narrowly secure the title. Fishing in a three-man team (which included three generations of the same family!), Sands stuck to his shallow water plan and found the fish to secure the Senior Angler victory, while also anchoring his team to fourth place in the event overall. Sands’ pre-fish for the event was limited due to work commitments; nevertheless his experience of the tournament arena and knowledge of the conditions was never in question. Focussing on the two days prior to the event as key to identifying the correct locations and techniques,

Sands quickly sketched a blueprint for the event and then put his plan into action. His key points were identifying bait in the location, and identifying the areas that held clean water. “With big tides and northern winds on the forecast, the key was finding the clear water and the bait congregating in the area,” Sands explained. “I find that the fish are more active and bite better in the clear water.” Other visual features of Sands’ key spots were pelicans actively feeding in the area. The areas Sands focussed on are located between Sovereign Island and Crusoe Island. Tipplers and the Neverfail Islands were specific areas that produced fish during the event. Facing a run-in tide at the start of each day, Sands looked to make the most of each morning before the tide reached high. “The goal was to fish hard for the first two to three hours as this was the most productive

period for the team,” he said. “As soon as the locations we were fishing had the first push of the run-in tide, the bite started to shut down.” Once the tide pushed towards high, the team relocated to Crusoe Island where they continued to target fish in the shallow water. “At Crusoe Island there weren’t as many fish, but the ones we caught were of good quality,” Sands said. “We focussed our efforts on fishing the edge of the dirty water line in no deeper than 6ft.” Sands’ technique involved making long casts into shallow water between 0.5ft to 8ft in depth. Using an aggressive presentation, with a focus on keeping the lure close to the bottom, Sands was rewarded with consistent bites throughout the tournament. He used only one type of plastic lure during the event: a Berkley Gulp 4” Minnow in chartreuse colour rigged on a 1/4oz 3/0 TT’s jighead painted pink (no scent was added to the lure). When a more finesse approach was required, he changed the jighead to a 1/4oz McCubbin football jighead. The McCubbin football jighead allowed him to fish the lure close to the bottom with the addition of a slower sink rate. “When using this presentation I was looking to keep the lure in the fish’s face for longer,” he explained. “It is a slower presentation with the action being to aggressively shake the rod rather than lift the rod.” When discussing the locations fished during the event Sands noted that the water remained reasonably clear, despite the dirty water encroaching around them. “The locations we selected were away or sheltered from the main run of the tide, so the water remained clear in

David Whyte with one of Lowrance Whyte Boyz kicker fish.

Winning the Flathead Classic after 19 years is enough to put a smile on your face. Photo courtesy of Garry Nichols Photography. those locations for longer than it did in more open locations,” he said. “We generally had enough clarity to see weed and bottom structure, which aided our approach.” The first two days of the event played out virtually the same, with the team finding early success fishing the start of the run-in tide before moving north to Crusoe Island. On the last day the team investigated Crab Island around the middle of the tide where they found fish. During the middle to high tide mark, the team focussed their efforts on identifying structure and weed beds where the fish were likely to be sitting in ambush. Trolling around the Aldershots and Crab Island provided only two fish for the team, with lots of waterborne weed hampering their efforts. Sands’ tackle included a G.Loomis Shaky Head 6’10” rod paired with a 2500 Shimano Twin Power reel spooled with 4lb Berkley Fireline braid and either 10lb Sunline FC Rock or 10lb Berkley Vanish leader. The team fished from a

but added that Day 3 was different. “Day 3, when the tides were better, the action was thick and fast for periods,” he said. “The team was concentrating on getting two to three legal fish per hour. When the bite slowed we would still be thinking one to two fish per hour, with the thought process that the better bite windows would make up for any shortfall later in the session. “As a team we focussed on a particular area. This allowed us to move to nearby spots if a specific location wasn’t working, as well as reducing time wasted travelling. As a team we tried to help one another, communicating when a certain lure or technique was working. It was a good vibe on the boat, which always helps in a tournament situation. “Fishing light definitely helped in the conditions, along with searching for the larger banks. If you think about it, the larger the bank is, the more bait has to come off it at low tide.”

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4.8m Galeforce boat equipped with a single Lowrance HDS9 sounder (some other boats ran up to four units) and an 80lb Minn Kota electric motor. Sands said the first two days were similar, with a window of opportunity early,

DEEP APPROACH – ROLLING IN THE DEEP Nick Whyte, a key member of winning team Lowrance Whyte Boyz (3571 points), took time out of his hectic schedule to discuss the event and share some key

points that have seen his team earn back-to-back victories at the 2014 and 2015 events. The Lowrance Whyte Boyz have long been recognised for their skills when fishing deep water, but it would be a mistake to pigeonhole them into the ‘deepwater’ category. The strengths of the team lie in their knowledge of the tournament arena, their ability to adapt to the prevailing conditions and their joint understanding of whether a location is working and why. By using all these elements together, the team is able to place itself in the most ideal location at the right time of the tide, thereby maximising the boys’ chances of catching larger numbers of fish. The pre-fish (practice) for the event began around six weeks prior, with the team aiming for four to five sessions out on the water in this time. Importantly, the team headed out the day before the event, focussing on what was happening on the water rather than confirming that fish were in selected locations. The boys cut the hooks off their jigheads to ensure fish weren’t stung (hooked), because a stung fish is unlikely to get hooked again for 24 hours or so afterwards. The team focussed the majority of their efforts on selected locations between the northern boundary (powerlines at Russell Island) and the 6 knot zone (south of Crusoe Island). The decision to focus on this area was based on a number of factors including the team’s pre-fish experience. However, with the onset of dirty water in the system the team made the decision to largely remain in the clean water near the mouth of system (Jumpinpin). As a consequence, the team focused on edges in the deeper water and the large bait showings in the area. “Our focus was deeper edges and secondary drop-offs in the area,” Whyte explained. “Come high tide we could be up in the shallows casting into 1ft of water, but regardless of the location we trusted in our approach and had confidence in the area we were fishing. The team operates very much under a majority rule situation,

Flathead however just like in 2014, we didn’t encounter a situation where we were at odds with one another.” One of the team’s strengths is that the members fish independently. Each team member fishes differently (aggressively/ passively) and has their own nuances with retrieves (slow/fast). Team members rotate through their favourite lures, and if a certain lure or retrieve is consistently successful, the member tells the others. Within this framework each angler fishes to their strengths, maintaining confidence in their technique and approach and knowing their team mates are doing the same. So what features determine whether a location is selected? Bait in the area and structure (edges and snags) are key to identifying where a flathead may be located. Being an ambush predator, these are important factors in determining where the fish might be congregating. Once areas with fish are identified it was a matter of

Procure scent was added to the lure and then reapplied every 10-15 minutes. Casting lures was the name of the game for the team, with the boys choosing not to troll lures during the tournament. When the team focussed on deeper presentations, the standout lures were a 95mm Zerek Fish Trap and a 0.5oz TT’s Switchblade. “In the dirty water we use lures that have a bigger profile or provide greater vibration so that the fish can better home in on the lure,” Nick explained. “The team came into its own when positioning the boat when fishing deeper water. When an angler is fishing drop-offs and edges, positing the boat is key to be able to target the correct areas. “When you are sitting in 40-50ft of water and fishing vertically, it’s a very different scenario from, say, targeting a secondary drop-off of a steep bank,” Nick said. “Position is key to effectively covering the area and working out where the fish are sitting.”

Nick Whyte with one of the flathead that helped his team win first place. finding similar structure or locations that had the same features. By rotating between these locations during the same stage of the tide, the team maximised their opportunities to land more fish. Bait being present in the area always remained a key point. The lures used by the Lowrance Whyte Boyz included the ZMan 5” scented PaddlerZ, 4” SwimmerZ and 4” and 5” McCarthys plastics. The standout colour in the ZMan range was sexy mullet colour. Jigheads ranged between 3/8oz to 1oz, with the weight altered depending on the strength of current. Coloured jigheads were used to either contrast with the plastic or to match the plastic (the latter makes the plastic look longer). When the bites became harder to come by,

The team acknowledged the use of sounders to assist them while on the water. They used four Lowrance HDS 12 units on the 4.7m Attack boat used during the tournament. “We use the sounders for multiple purposes including sounding of baitfish and positioning of the boat,” Whyte explained. “The side imaging is imperative to locating and maintaining contact with baitfish as well as identifying ledges. Keeping the boat in the correct position maximises the opportunity to secure the bites on offer. The Insight Genesis mapping system provides contour depths to 1m, which is ideal for the style of fishing we focus on. You can’t put your head underwater, which is why

we rely on the technology to be our eyes on and under the water.” With the team actively seeking fish in the high 50cm to early 60cm range, the tackle used is required to stand up to the test. The team members regularly used braid between 20-24lb with a 16-20lb leader. “Snaggy ledges can quickly relieve anglers of multiple jigheads, especially if the leader is not up to the task,” Whyte said. “You can easily waste too much time retying leaders or trying to get your gear back off the bottom.” The team acknowledged that during the event the bite was tough, with no day being a particular standout for fish quality or numbers. The addition of dirty water in the system largely determined the locations fished during the tournament, with the team fishing within sight of the Jumpinpin bar for the first two days. Come the last day the team also ventured to a number of positions closer to the northern boundary. “It was a tough tournament with no day a particular standout,” Whyte said, “although the bite was actually tougher in the lead-up to the event. “We had a solid first day and come the second morning our first two fish were 93cm and 84cm, so we thought we were on a roll. However, the northern wind came through and the fishing just became harder as we slowly ground it out. On the final day we hit a number of locations further up the system, confident that these spots hadn’t received as much pressure due to the abundance of dirty water for the previous two days. The fish that followed were quality and in reasonable numbers.” Finally, I quizzed the Lowrance Whyte Boyz for helpful suggestions for anglers looking to emulate the team’s success. “Without a doubt, experience on the water is the most important thing,” Whyte said. “Experience allows you to trust your approach and have confidence in an area, even as anglers are leaving the area around you. Bait is always a key indicator, and often it’s reflective of the numbers of flathead in an area. “Finally, working out the pattern will give you a lot of confidence as you will be able to identify similar locations that offer comparable opportunities.” VIDEO CLIP

Scan the QR code to see Steve Morgan’s interview with winner, Danny Sands. NOVEMBER 2015

Flathead

2015 Gold Coast Flathead Classic results table SENIOR RESULTS Rank Score

Angler

SENIOR RESULTS Rank Score

Angler

SENIOR RESULTS Rank Score

Angler

TEAM RESULTS Rank Score

Team

TEAM RESULTS Rank Score

Team

1560

Danny Sands

671

Luke Rafton

151

458

1553

Brett Doolan

669

Trent Hopkins

152

1552

Nick Whyte

667

Robbie Wells

153

1521

Chris Metcalfe

654

Brad Job

154

1464

Troy Dixon

651

Ross Dalzell

155

1439

Blake O’Loan

643

Matt Kair

156

1375

Daniel Hickey

641

Katie Watsford

157

442

1364

Michael Angus

638

Mark Grice

157

442

Gordon Wood

2627

Out for a Quickie! (Snr)

1363

Matt Fraser

637

Mark Ward

159

441

Cameron Golightly

2590

The Mad Hueys Heritage (Snr)

1335

George Sands

635

Nicole Sands

160

440

Alex Roy

2485

Victoria Point Bait & Tac (Snr)

912

G.C.P.F. (Snr)

1265

Mark Frendin

631

Aiden Cross

161

439

Charles Felsman

2445

Hella Marine Team On S (Snr)

909

Fullnetz (Snr)

1235

Robbie Payne

627

Pete Macgregor

161

439

Mark Czauderna

2432

Frayed Lines (Snr)

893

Bundy Bears (Snr)

1179

Jason Heller

620

Peter Jung

163

437

Garry Rayner

2411

TNT (Snr)

890

The 3 Stooges (Snr)

1174

Ross McCubbin

616

Ben Archer

164

436

Mathew Hubbard

2405

TMNT (Mixed)

875

Team C Worthy Marine (Snr)

1161

Stuart Grice

615

Tony Moore

165

435

Glenn Hurry

2323

Team Berkley 2 (Snr)

875

D Burt TackleWorld (Snr)

1129

Brenden Whyte

614

Greg Livingstone

166

428

Bruce Andersen

2122

The Mad Hueys (Snr)

872

We’ll Leave You Reelin (Snr)

1106

Franco Martinese

613

Tony McQueen

167

426

Michael Fox

2112

Beer & Bulls*** (Snr)

868

Flattie Wranglers (Snr)

1093

Bailey Heseltine

611

Shaun Forrest

167

426

Craig McKenzie

1998

Team Canberra Fishos (Snr)

866

Berserk Australia (Snr) Fish On (Snr)

Joakim Odlander

3571

Lowrance Whyte Boyz (Snr)

972

Two Dogs (Snr)

456

Neal Caruana

3333

Zerek Lures Wilson Fishi (Snr)

454

David Asmussen

3282

Wilson Fishing (Snr)

969

Great Nth. Super Crisp (Snr)

968

451

Fay Rohweder

3168

Team Sands (Snr)

Jizzabell (Snr)

966

Flattie Hookers (Snr)

449

Bill Longford

2998

Switchbait (Snr)

446

Julian Morrow

2951

Dead Fishy World (Snr)

963

Fishing World (Snr)

946

Ross Richards

2732

Team Next Year (Snr)

Triton Boats (Snr)

927

Wet Dreamz (Snr)

924

Team Kitchen Addiction (Snr)

922

Bonza Graphics (Snr)

1087

Christian Cross

608

Alan Osborne

169

425

Anthony Heiser

1985

Alias (Snr)

866

1059

Thomas Ryan

608

Paul Tamis

170

424

Gregory Hester

1945

Wobbler & Drag (Mixed)

863

Osso (Snr)

1047

Scott Fleming

594

Nathan Andersen

171

416

Kazi Rembacher

1904

Team Big Fish (Snr)

854

Wildfire (Snr)

1040

Theo Delinicolis

594

Trent Latter

171

416

Luke Rogash

1799

D. Burt Tackle World (Snr)

845

Tha Mootdangas (Snr)

1035

Shane Gartner

593

Darren Caldwell

173

415

Andy Gunn

1797

Lizard Poachers (Snr)

840

Beeracudas (Snr)

1029

Cooper Sands

588

Christian Pulvirenti

173

415

Darren Davis

1746

Bonza 2 (Mixed)

833

Team Payne Train (Mixed)

1020

Jay Cottrell

588

Michael Morris

175

412

Adam Barclay

1740

Fishing Monthly (Snr)

100

771

Dodgy Fishing Adventure (Snr)

1012

Alan James

101

587

James Mavroidis

175

412

Jack Gledhill

1729

Original Foul Hooker (Snr)

101

764

Flick and Troll (Snr)

1000

Kord Luckus

102

582

Shaun Harrington

177

410

Jesse Hill

1711

Cabbage Tree Point Bait (Snr)

102

761

Mighty Gull (Snr)

1000

Adam Meredith

103

579

Kevin Sands

178

408

David Cooke

1693

Team Berkley 1 (Snr)

103

756

Limited Ability (Snr)

973

Keith Woods

104

564

Deno Buchignani

179

407

Kim Jones

1693

Hardheaded Hookers (Snr)

104

753

Shimano PowerPro (Snr)

971

John Goodwin

105

555

Mick Kelly

180

406

Brett Dunkerley

1669

Rapala Storm (Snr)

105

750

Nulook Floors (Snr)

960

Christopher Gates

106

552

Nathan Sheiles

181

403

Luke Geale

1626

Team Patto (Snr)

105

750

The Long Rods (Snr)

959

Mick Horn

107

548

Kyle Paterson

182

400

Mark Jenkenson

1572

Pig Lures (Snr)

107

749

STS Marine (Snr)

939

David Green

108

544

James Priest

182

400

Robert Bekkers

1542

Team ZMan (Snr)

108

747

NuLook Floors Sunny (Snr)

909

Murray Rogers

109

539

Barry Lawson

184

397

Jeff Bromiley

1530

D. Burt Tackle World (Mixed)

109

712

Blu~C (Mixed)

903

James Nishida

110

537

Chris Brown

184

397

James Paterson

1463

Team Heavy Tackle (Snr)

110

708

Dusky Dingoes (Snr)

902

Dylan Heseltitne

110

537

Tom Mcdonald

186

395

Ben Gilbert

1446

Team Anglers Paradise (Snr)

110

708

Peter Griffin (Jnr U16)

896

Terry Ryan

112

536

Chris Henry

1435

Smacking Big Girls (Snr)

112

703

Flathead Fury (Mixed)

890

David Whyte

113

529

John Charnock

889

Chris Head

114

528

Mat Paterson

884

Con Voukelatos

115

527

Trevor Cassidy

880

Doug Burt

115

527

Damian Mann

869

Sean Conlon

117

526

John Hall

866

Ming Liu

117

526

858

John Lenne

119

524

848

Guy McConnell

119

842

Alex Hallam

121

JUNIOR RESULTS

1415

Flatty Dazzlers (Snr)

113

693

Mad Keen Fishing (Snr)

Angler

1409

The Flatliners (Snr)

114

682

Great Northern Original (Snr)

905

Alexei Delinicolis

1382

Jackal & Hyde (Snr)

115

680

Foul Hookers (Snr)

767

Jesse Hinder

1323

Lizard Wizards (Snr)

116

679

Two Anchors (Snr)

593

Nathan Huth

1309

The Notorious 2 (Snr)

117

664

Double Hook Upz (Snr)

Shane Levesconte

539

Joseph Sangster

1288

Team Unreel Kakadu (Snr)

118

663

The Reel Teasers (Snr)

Jan VanderKwast

490

Zac Marshall

1279

Anglers Connection (Snr)

119

656

Flatty Flickin Fellas (Snr)

524

Rhys Henkel

471

Drayzen Allen

1279

Lizard Tuggers (Snr)

120

644

Fish n Beer (Snr)

522

Andrew Lewis

394

Jaimee Horner

1271

Flatty Fanatics (Snr)

121

642

Reel Issues (Snr) The Gutted Mullets (Snr)

Rank Score

840

Brett Rayner

122

518

Nicky Burrows

354

Oliver Meadmore

1242

Boeties (Snr)

122

638

832

Phil Holtman

122

518

Jared Pearsall

354

Rourke Cooke

1235

The Plastic Surgeons (Snr)

123

612

Big-Deal (Snr)

826

Shane Holding

124

512

Shane McGrath

337

Liam Burt

1231

Plastics Paranoia (Snr)

124

610

Jacksons Bait n Tackle (Snr)

814

John Rafton

125

511

Andrews Steven

328

Tyne Cuttance

1218

Team RamRod (Snr)

125

608

Team BCF (Snr)

795

Paul Neilsen

126

510

Nick Bromiley

322

Hayden Swain

1204

M&T (Snr)

126

594

Team St. Bernards (Snr)

784

Damon Nichols

127

508

Darrin Crowley

313

Jack Burt

1196

Cool Runnings (Snr)

127

591

Fifty Shades of Flathead (Snr)

780

Luke Byron

128

506

Matt Savas

305

Ethan Cuttance

1186

Furious Flickers (Snr)

128

585

Crack-A-Flatty (Snr)

779

Eddie Kettley

129

505

Mick Mckinnon

294

James Dibben

1184

Simrad (Snr)

129

581

Bushremedy (Snr)

762

Ben Job

130

504

Luke O’Connor

262

Timothy Angus

1178

Tackle World Lawnton (Snr)

130

578

Dusty and Dusky (Snr)

757

Ian Phillips

131

500

Haydon Stokes

179

Madeline McKenzie

1160

Team Hay (Snr)

131

574

Team Dog (Snr)

756

Joel Scott

132

498

Mick Kelly

147

Blade Payne

1146

Two Tuggers (Mixed)

132

568

Lazy Lizards (Mixed)

756

Neil McDonald

132

498

Gary McCabe

140

Harry Cox

1143

Keoghs Marine (Snr)

133

567

Team Brumbs (Snr)

747

Peter Washington

134

494

Richard Morris

125

Poppy Macdonald

1137

Tactical Fishing (Mixed)

134

562

Pro Softies (Snr)

736

Mick Keogh

135

492

Douglas Tattam

123

Jasmine Horner

1114

Misfit (Snr)

135

554

The Jigspitters (Snr)

727

Mick Stewart

136

490

Frandon Heseltine

117

Dylan Boettcher

1111

Team Chuntas (Snr)

136

540

Fishfingerz (Snr)

725

Karl Rembacher

137

488

Nathan Frecklington

Clayton Bryant

1082

Gem Bait & Tackle (Snr)

137

538

Honeybadger (Snr)

724

David Hill

138

486

Shane Wohlsen

Maclay Vince

1067

Flat-ulence (Snr)

138

533

Soft On’s + 1 (Mixed)

720

Josh Pagura

139

483

Adam Barnes

Taj Austin

1062

Team Samaki V2 (Snr)

139

529

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Tech Tricks

A guide to salting tuna BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

It is no surprise to any serious fisher that tuna pieces makes great bait for a variety of species. Anglers use tuna belly flaps to produce teasers for billfishing, tuna chunks for tempting all manner of reef and estuarine species and tuna strips for tailor and mulloway in the surf. Additionally, the heads and frames are excellent crab pot bait. The reason that the tuna flesh is awesome bait is because of its high blood and oil content. The scent continually leeches out for a long time after it hits the water, bringing fish to the bait from some distance away. The

only negative attribute is that tuna flesh is relatively soft, therefore pickers quickly rip it apart. Bait is fairly expensive these days, but it’s still much easier to grab a few bags on the way to the ramp from the servo, tackle shop or bait shop than to actually gather it yourself. However, if you can spare a little time, then you can easily produce a good supply of prime bait that is tough on the hook and possesses all the flavour and scent of fresh tuna fillets. By salting down the tuna fillets they will last longer, even without freezing. Additionally, they are a good degree tougher than fresh fillets without losing their fish attracting appeal. This same method can be employed with other baits such as bonito fillets, mullet fillets

and pilchards. I have even seen whole squid and even garfish and pike fillets salted down for future trips. With the pelagic season right upon us, there will be plenty of the smaller tunas and bonito to be caught in our bay and offshore areas. Mac tuna, frigate tuna, Australian bonito and Watson’s leaping bonito are all prime candidates for salting. The salting process removes moisture from the flesh, concentrates the oil and makes the flesh much firmer. The outside colour changes slightly but when it is cut the flesh still possesses that deep rich, red colouration. The big benefit in salting fish is that it prolongs the life. Heavily salted fish will keep for several years in the freezer with virtually no deterioration. In fact, salted tuna can keep with no refrigeration at all for several weeks with virtually no unkind smells emitted if it is just kept cool. Sometimes tuna

For this project we will need some newspaper, salt, a whole tuna, a large container and a sharp knife or two. This mac tuna was freshly caught the day before salting so is still fresh. Take the fillets off both sides of your tuna and remove any extra flesh bits off the carcass, like the belly flap or other bits you can pry away. On larger tuna (over 2kg or so) the fillets will be rather thick. You need to remove some of the meat from the flesh side as you want each fillet to be no thicker than 2cm. A long bladed knife will make the task easier and allow you to slice the extra flesh away and leave a fillet with a consistent thickness. We are going to salt all of the flesh however so don’t discard anything. pieces or fillets are just put in salt alone, although this makes the flesh a lot tougher. When the tuna is layered amongst a good portion of salt in a resealable bucket, the salt and

Cut all the flesh into the desired sizes that you want. I generally do strips like these as you can use these whole on a setoff gangs or cut them up further for smaller baits to put on a single hook. Any smaller offcut pieces taken from the tuna after the fillets were cut off can also be kept.

Spread out your sheets of newspaper and lay down a bed of salt. Place all the tuna pieces on this with a small space between each. Press each piece in the salt, especially the sides, to ensure the tuna is covered all over with salt.

the tuna juices soon combine to make a very strong brine that keeps the tuna good for a long period. When salting tuna at home for normal fishing, the standard salting method is probably the best. As salted tuna fillets will keep without refrigeration when salted like this, they make ideal baits to take camping or on extended trips where refrigeration is a problem. I mainly use salted tuna for bait fishing applications when chasing bream and reef species or in whole strips when tailor fishing. Sometimes I even salt down previously defrosted pilchards to toughen them and

render them useful for future trips, especially those left overs you would normally discard. You can acquire tuna by either catching them yourself or by purchasing it from your bait supplier or a seafood warehouse. The one I am using here is a mac tuna a little over 6kg that I caught in Moreton Bay. For salting, you can use normal table salt (but not iodised salt) or even coarse salt, however as it is a lot cheaper and of a good consistency, I use swimming pool salt, which is only around $7 for a 10kg bag. I would not recommend swimming pool salt if you’re salting fish for human consumption.

After a few hours (or preferably overnight), take the tuna out of the salt bed (don’t bother removing the salt that is still left on the strips) and then wrap each piece in two sheets of newspaper. Stack all of these parcels into a container, preferably one with a lid.

With all the tuna laid out evenly, cover it totally by pouring additional salt over it. You will instantly start to see the moisture being extracted from the flesh as the salt gets wet. I used about 4kg of salt for this batch.

Cover the salted tuna with a few layers of newspaper and then put something on top such as a few boards to hold the newspaper in place and apply some light pressure.

The smaller pieces, cubes and offcuts can be put in a small container with some salt. I often dice up the flesh pieces removed when trimming the fillets. These skinless bits can be frozen like this, which will make it quite tough. or you can remove most of the salt after a day or so and just freeze or refrigerate. 20

NOVEMBER 2015

After refrigerating for 48 hours (or just keeping at room temperature) The newspaper will be saturated from the moisture extracted from the fillets.

Take the parcels out, unwrap and discard the wet newspaper. Your tuna is now ready for use. Any salt that is still on the fillets should be left. In fact, I will often give the fillets an additional coat of salt if I want really tough baits. If you have a cryovac machine, you can portion out the fillets and seal them up. However they will keep well even if you just put them in a normal plastic bag or container. I generally freeze the bags and just use whenever I need them. Even if defrosted they can generally be refrozen with little change to the quality. You will be surprised how good salted tuna is for a host of species. Apart from a little time, a good supply of prime baits will cost you very little.

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How to catch your first bream on a soft plastic! odd fish very early in their plastic-flicking careers. But some species are tougher nuts to crack than others, and the humble bream is perhaps the trickiest of the

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Lots of anglers still struggle to crack the ‘bream on lures’ code. Truth is, these fish are no pushover. But if you follow Starlo’s simple, fivepoint plan, we’re confident you’ll be posing for a photo with your first bream on a soft plastic very soon! As I travel the country fishing, researching stories and gathering material for this and the many other publications I contribute to, I come across an increasing number of anglers who’ve embraced lure fishing and, in particular, the use of soft plastic lures. The uptake of soft plastics has definitely been one of the most significant trends in Australian

Bream love soft plastics, but unless you get the whole package just right, success may prove to be elusive. recreational angling over the past 10 to 15 years, and its popularity shows no sign of diminishing any time soon.

Softies are great lures and they’re not all that hard to use. Most new chums start catching at least the

You’ll never forget your first decent bream on a soft lure!

Top Left: Light, sensitive spinning gear based around a 1000 to 2500 reel and 1.9-2.2m flick rod is perfect for bream. Top Right: Small, natural-looking plastics and light jigheads with fine, sharp hooks are the way to go, especially when getting started. Above: Prime bream habitat typically contains a mix of depths and plenty of hard structure.

NOVEMBER 2015

lot. It’s also the one I get asked about the most. The question typically begins with a statement along the lines of: “I can catch plenty of flathead on plastics, but

I’m damned if I can work these bream out!” If you’re in that camp, I’m here to help! Below I’ve listed a simple, five-step strategy for cracking the ‘bream on lures’ code. I’ve accompanied this with a short, no-nonsense how-to video clip on my ‘Starlo Gets Reel’ YouTube channel. You can go straight to that video by scanning the QR code at the bottom, or by typing this URL into your browser: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8wuLI5-M3UQ Okay… Are you ready to learn how to catch your very first bream on a soft plastic? Here we go! USE THE RIGHT GEAR The perfect tackle for chasing bream on soft plastics is a 1.9-2.2 m ‘flick rod’ with a nice light tip, usually rated for 1-3kg line. Match this light rod with a 1000 to 2500 size spinning reel and fill the spool with quality 2 or 3 kg monofilament line, or braid carrying a similar strength rating. (If you choose braid, always add at least a rod length of clear monofilament leader of a similar strength to the end before tying on your lure.) CHOOSE THE RIGHT LURES Start off with small, curltailed grubs or wriggler-style plastics measuring somewhere between 50 and 100 mm in length. Pick natural, life-like colours that mimic prawns, worms or little fish. Combine

these tails with light jigheads weighing anywhere from about 1 to 3.5 g (about 1/30 to 1/8oz) that carry sharp, finegauge hooks in sizes from No. 6 up to No. 1 (a No. 4 or No. 2 is usually perfect). RIG THE LURE STRAIGHT! You’d be amazed how many people get this important bit wrong, and it makes a huge difference on bream. Take the time to properly rig every tail and if it’s not right, do it again. (Study the accompanying video on my YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions.) FISH WHERE THE BREAM LIVE You won’t catch ’em if you cast where they ain’t! Bream love structure, including man-made structure. Concentrate on snags, rock bars, creek mouths, bridge or jetty pylons, weed bed edges, oyster leases, boat moorings, breakwalls, channel markers and the like, and cast your lures close to these structures. WORK YOUR SOFTIES SLOWLY As a rule (unless the spot you’re fishing is very snaggy), start by letting your rigged plastic sink all the way to the bottom. Then work it with a series of fairly slow lifts, hops and drops. Again, study my basic how-to video on the Starlo Gets Reel YouTube channel for more details and a demonstration. And that, folks, is about it! As I like to say, it ain’t rocket science! Follow this simple five-point plan, watch my accompanying video for additional information, and I can all but guarantee that you’ll start catching bream on soft plastics sooner rather than later. VIDEO

Simply scan this QR code to go to Starlo’s how-to video on YouTube!

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Woody Head, Black Rock, Angourie, Shellys, and further down around Wooli and Minnie waters are where you’ll find the squire and snapper absolutely firing. MONTHLY TIPS These fish are going to be huddled down around the 30m mark, much like the previous month. The best baits to use are the usual suspects with pillies and bottle squid doing the bulk of the damage. Still, the best lures to be throwing around are the flick baits in that 5-7” range which have been catching quality fish up around the 4-7kg mark. Out wide there are still some nice kingfish and some good table fish like pearlies and pigfish on offer. You can find these fish down deep on hardy baits like mullet and squid.

In the river there is plenty of bream action as the prawns run. My personal favourite way of catching these fish is to throw surface lures for them around the weed beds, it’s always so exciting to watch the action unfold right in front of your eyes! Surface fishing offers an exciting visual style of capture – a great way to get kids into lure fishing. Who knows? Instead of baiting hooks with prawns for the kids all day, you might even get to flick a lure in too. BAIT Because the prawns are running, uncooked green prawns will be an advantageous bait to use. However, if pickers are destroying you, hardy bait like good old mullet flesh is called for. Any other gut baits like chook and mullet gut will last a lot better as well. With these prawns around, the local school mulloway population should start kicking into gear as well.

Blades and prawn imitation plastics worked deep along the rock walls and reefs in the river should see you get into a few nice fish this month. Off the stones there are still some very nice tailor around in the 2-3kg class which can be caught on spinners. Better quality 4-5kg greenbacks will be done on poppers, and with plenty of bait around and good conditions hopefully the run of good fish will continue. LURES My favourite pick for poppers are the River2Sea 130 Bubble Pop as well as the Get Bent Pencil Popper. Both are also awesome lures for trevally which have been floating around with the tailor. The schoolie action has been hot off the

Ben Rampling with a healthy upper Clarence bass.

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Kaleum Gannon with a nice surface lure crunching bass.

headlands and walls as well as on soft plastics. My favourite combo for this style of fishing is an 8-9ft rod rated to 8-10kg, 4000-6000 sized reel running 20-30lb line and 40-50 leader. There have been some quality mulloway on the larger hardbodies. One of my favourite lures, the locally made Jewie Jewel by Croaker lures, has accounted for some good size fish. Upsize your gear if you’re throwing around these bigger hardbodies. Crabs have been good of late with nice muddies around, full of meat! The bass have been firing as well – in the lower creeks you’ll find plenty of smaller fish. But if you’re chasing size, head further up the river and get into those big bass the mighty Clarence is known for!

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Joe Allan

The Richmond River in the last month has seen some great catches of one of my favourite fish in the rivers, the estuary perch. I know a lot of anglers who reckon this species is right up there with the best, and feel like it’s the Holy Grail when one is landed. These fish are not as hard to get as you might think though. When the timing is right, you can catch these fish in great numbers. Some hot spots have been Emigrant Creek around most of the moored boats,

and you’ll find that any other current breaks are also worth a try. Small hardbody lures or very lightly weighted soft plastics have been the best producers. A lot of bream fishers have been getting a big surprise when hooking these things on light tackle. They can give you some real curry. It would be interesting to see a tug of war between a 35cm EP and a 35cm mangrove jack. I think the jack might win but only just! Mud crabs have started to move up around Rileys Hill in numbers and even further up towards Woodburn. This will continue if the water stays clear, which it has been for a

Mackenzie Luck with a couple of bass caught on a Bassman Spinnerbait and Megabass Siglett.

while now. The best crab baits will be blackfish frames and fresh mullet. The flathead have also started to move upriver. Look for deep holes with freshwater flowing in. Live baits of herring and poddy mullet are the best producers for the bigger fish as well as big jerk minnow plastics like the 6” Atomic Plazo Jerk Minnow in ghost pearl colour. There have been a few of our red friends showing up, with some good-sized catches of mangrove jacks coming in the past few weeks. They are certainly not biting their heads off just yet, but as the weather warms up and we get the balmy, sticky afternoons these guys will really start to fire. The more I chase them the more I catch, and as stupid as that sounds, it has a simple message: persistence pays. So many people get disheartened by not catching mangrove jacks consistently, to the point where they give up and start chasing something else. Talk to anyone who gets these fish consistently and they’ll all say that you need to hang in there to get the rewards. Nothing helps out more than time on the water. Just like flathead, a well-presented live bait will always get interest. And if you’re a lure fisher, the ones that really produced last jack season were the Atomic Shiner 75 and 85 Double Deep and also the Lucky Craft Pointer 78. The best colours in the Atomics were blood red and silver wolf. The flash of the chrome in things is key. Get the lure bumping into the rocks, as this is often what triggers the strike, and hold on.

Josh Carter with a solid 89cm snapper. Offshore things are looking good for a solid mackerel season. The water has started to heat up and there are some big bait schools moving into the closer reefs. If this continues and the water clarity stays good like it has been, the mackerel will most likely come on earlier. Reardons has been fishing really well and

the 32s are producing good numbers of snapper, while over the previous full moon there were some really quality mulloway caught. The bass are well and truly on the go at the moment. Locals around Coraki and Casino tell me there are good numbers of fish consistently being caught as long as there

A 130cm mulloway caught by Josh Carter.

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Tweed is at its best this month THE TWEED

David Solano

The Tweed River and the local beaches have been firing lately. I’ll start with Terranora Creek and Broadwater where I’ve spent a fair bit of time chasing flathead in the shallows next to the weed banks with a lot of success. Lately I haven’t caught big specimens, but have been picking up a few around the 50cm mark, which make a perfect table fish. I tend not to keep flathead caught in

the shallows of Terra though, as they are pretty muddy. You only have to look at the difference in colour between a lizard caught out in clear water and one from the mud. I found Z-man GrubZ worked well, though the guy I was fishing with had on live yabbies. Interestingly, although he caught a lot more fish than I did, the fish I caught were of better quality. Cobaki Broadwater has been pretty similar to Terra but there are a few whiting hot spots in there. Look for the shallows with yabby holes everywhere. If you’re

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into popper fishing this is the place, or you can pump a few yabbies and hang on. It’s also an interesting place to explore, with Piggabeen Creek running into it. With the weather warming those creeks are jack country. If you’re into canal fishing, the Tweed always offers a challenge as it’s pretty hard to predict how the fishing will be. So some days it will be on fire while on other days it will be dead. Lately it’s been on though. Be game and cast your lure as close to the structure as possible, as lately the big bream have been sitting under structures and boats. I found that a really light 1/40oz jighead with a 2” Zman GrubZ works a treat. You can cast it anywhere but remember to give it time to sink. They take a while so be ready; I kept getting nailed on the drop. The canals in the Tweed all have their own characteristics. There’s one that I call Little Italy because Italians live there, and they love to feed the fish their leftovers. I avoid that one now as the fish seem to be whiter in colour and kind of flaky. Maybe fish and human food don’t mix well? Luderick have slowed right down, but greenback

tailor mixed with the odd school mackerel are being caught off both walls at the seaway entrance with metal slugs and pillies on gang hooks. It’s the same story along the beaches around Fingal, and a mate caught two Aussie salmon off Devil’s Island (Fingal Light House) on slugs. Those fish seem to show up at different times every year; I can’t see any pattern to their movements. Bass season has opened and my mates have been catching a few around the 40cm mark at dawn around Bray’s Park Weir. I’ve been told the bass are showing up around Condong as well. Condong either fires or it doesn’t, but that mill is always worth a squiz. The weeks ahead should see the place at its best. Summer means jacks! They are already showing up at the usual places but right now there’s a heap of little ones smashing the walls outside of Oxley Cove, so I’m thinking if you keep trying you’ll get the big one. Nobody I know uses bait there, it’s all deep diving lures smashing along the rock wall. Bang the lure into the rocks, let it float up and repeat. The most popular jack retrieve at the moment

Another good flathead about to be released. seems to be a slow retrieve with a paddle tail lure rigged with a heavy jighead. My tip is to experiment. Lastly, the fishing community has lost one of its own. Warren ‘Wazza’ Struthers died in a car accident on his way to Bathurst. Wazza, father of Guy and Amy, and husband to Tracey, was a man I admired

immensely. My dad once told me to never judge a book by its cover, and Wazza was a rough diamond all right. However, he had a glint in his eye, an infectious smile and a willingness to put himself out to help anyone. He also gave helpful tips to the up-andcoming comp kids, and had complete dedication and love for his family.

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Mangrove jack magic GOLD COAST

Danny Sands

Last November we saw the first run of pelagic for the year hit our shores with both dolphin fish and small wahoo turning up. November is usually the start of our juvenile black marlin season, with good numbers of black marlin around the Hervey Bay area. These fish should filter down the east coast and hit the Gold Coast around late November. Good numbers of bait on our local reefs should hopefully keep them around for a while for us to enjoy. OFFSHORE Local made skirted lures like Black Snacks

and Pakulas are a great option and are a good way to cover ground. Trolling most of our local reefs, east of the Seaway and areas like Kirra reef, the Gravel Patch and the Nine-Mile are great places to start. Spotted mackerel will appear this month – Palm Beach reef will see the first run of mackerel followed by Mermaid Reef. I like to get on the water before sun up to beat the crowds and sound around looking for bait and mackerel before I anchor up. Floatlining half or a whole pilchard with no weight down a berley trail is a great way to catch a feed. Make sure you use a light nylon coated multi trace around 20cm in length with a black swivel and a 3/0 suicide hook. This is

Mangrove jack on a Lucky Craft G Splash.

a great set up for finicky mackerel. Palm Beach reef will hold good numbers of cobia this month and will cause a bit of havoc for the fisherman that choose to fish light for mackerel! Snapper numbers start to thin out in November but can still be caught by floatlining pilchards down in a berley trail. The 18, 22 and 24-fathom off Southport in addition to the Mud Hole are all places that will produce good numbers. INSHORE The flathead classic run by the Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club has been and gone, with 217 teams fishing and over 6000 fish caught over the 3 day competition. Congratulation to the Whyte boys going back-to-back wins targeting flathead in the deep using soft plastics, soft vibes and hard vibes. Flathead numbers should continue throughout this month with most of the action happening around the full moon. Big female flathead will still be around this month. Tea bagging big soft plastics like 5” Zman paddlers around the Seaway and Tweed Bars will ensure an encounter with some big girls – this technique is fantastic on mulloway as well. Whiting should be biting well this month, especially in the Nerang River between the Southport school and Sorrento. Bloodworms, soldier crabs, shrimp and wrigglers are the best bait. As the days start to lengthen and the weather starts to warm conditions should start to fire up the mangrove jacks. The waterways around the Gold Coast provide a wide range of both natural and man-made structure that mangrove jacks love to call

A gorgeous mahimahi. Offshore is producing well at the moment. home including extensive canal systems, rock walls, pontoons, retaining walls, bridges and lay down timber. I have found that the most productive areas typically hold water between 1.5-4m in depth and have water temperatures between 24-29°C with decent tidal flow. Early morning and late afternoon is the key to snare these red devils. There are so many ways to catch mangrove jacks. I like to get out early around 3am and throw surface poppers around rock and retaining walls that feed out of canals and rivers. Slow rolling 4” Zman Diezels just millimetres from jetties

is a must when chasing jacks. Bait fishing is a very popular way to chase mangrove jacks at night. I like to use live herring and mullet fillets as bait – 20lb mainline and 40lb leader are a must. These fish are quick so having your rod in your hand will increase your chances of not getting busted off. Places like the Bundall Bridge, the Council chambers, and the rock bar in front of The Southport School in the Nerang River fish very well with bait. Other places that fish well are the rock bar behind the golf course in the Tallebudgera River, Boyds Bay Bridge, and Tumbulgum Bridge in the Tweed River.

HINZE DAM As the days start getting longer and hotter, the insect population starts to increase making surface action a must. This can be one of the most exciting ways to fish, casting cicada pattern surface walkers to grass patches and fallen timber is a proven winner when fishing Hinze Dam. Hinze Dam will be starting to produce a few more fish off the edges. By casting spinnerbaits and slow rolling paddle-tailed soft plastics around the points and weed edges you will more than likely come across a few bass and the odd saratoga.

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Flathead still on the hit list GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn

Summer is approaching and already we are seeing great signs of life in our waterways. November will be an excellent month for a range of species with mulloway still hanging around, plenty of mangrove jack roaming the canals, flathead throughout the Broadwater and a stack load of bream!

Flathead are in good numbers, and they are currently being found around bridge pylons, rock walls and mouths of systems. Blades are a perfect presentation for these fish. Cover more ground by fanning your casts as you drift or anchored. Don’t be afraid to throw plastics around 5-6” or larger baits as flathead will be greedy. I’m starting to see a lot more people coming into the

canals flicking lures at jetties, and the first thing that comes to mind is jacks or bream. With warmer weather already rolling in we may see more late afternoon storms, and this is prime time for jack fishing. Just before or after a storm, jacks will fire them up, especially if it was a hot and muggy day. Although I wouldn’t recommend fishing for jacks in a storm! A lot more GT are in the canals, already I’ve

definitely be the best option in these areas. Blades have been working great at night, and they would have to be my go-to when the bite is tough. My favourite would be a dark colour that silhouettes at night. Cast blades around bridges, lights and sand banks for the best results. Try and fish them slow at night by letting your lure hit the bottom and lifting your rod slowly, making the lure work well through the water column. The Logan River has been firing all throughout that system, and fish have been hitting both bait and lures. Over to the Nerang River, whiting, jack and bream have been plentiful around the Council Chambers, so try fishing at night with live bait. In the Coomera River, there’s been plenty of action from the mouth to the highway bridge, and I would try fishing rock walls in the early hours of the morning. If you seem to be getting snagged up a lot with a regular jighead, try using a TT Lures

Flathead are set to fire up this month after a few weeks rest from the Flathead Classic. SnakelockZ jighead, these work well and keep that hook point away from any nasty structure! In conclusion, November will be a month of hot weather, and the

warming waterways will bring out plenty of fish and will hopefully turn the surface bite on! Bait fishing is also set to go off, especially at night! Good luck to all anglers!

Brandon Gosbell with a solid kingy taken in the seaway on a 120mm stickbait.

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encountered some solid fish, most coming from bridge pylons. The seaway pipeline is also producing plenty of fish. The more signs of bait, the more active pelagics will become, so finding good patches of bait will be beneficial. Casting small plastics around bridge pylons or rock walls with some clear, flowing water is a great option for trevally. A plastic of about 2-3” with a jighead weight of around 1/8-1/4oz is perfect. Moses perch have been plentiful lately, so getting through them is a must, but some persistence should result in a trevally or flathead! If you’re a bait fisher, live bait will

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Jumping jacks flash for summertime fun! GOLD COAST

David Green

This year the water has been extremely warm. A few days of hot north westerlies saw the water temperature rise to 23°C which changed the fishing greatly. Mangrove jack became hungry and as the cool water over the flats warmed up the flathead fishing slowed down. This month will see some good fishing in the estuaries with some great target species emerging such as; flathead, mangrove jack, mulloway, and whiting. The entrances of Jumpinpin and the Southport Seaway should have some pretty good fishing this month with big flathead and mulloway in reasonable numbers in the deep water. The Coomera River and the upper reaches of the Nerang River are good places to try your luck for mangrove jack. With such a dry spring, a lot of the bait has pushed upriver and some of the best spots are the most upstream canals. Floating pontoons give jacks an

‘all tide’ hunting location and they usually place themselves just under the edge of the pontoon where the current is pushing into. Accurate casting so your lure runs close to the edge of the pontoon is generally effective. A fast retrieve tends to work the best. I use a ½oz jighead and a 4” shad tail most of the time. On my other rod I rig a medium running hardbodied lure that runs at about 1-1.5m on the cast. Z-Man Swimmerz are a very popular soft plastic for jacks and suitable hardbodies include Bombers, Lucky Craft Pointers, Sebile Coolie Minnows, and Jackall Squirrels. Bust offs are very common as the lure is close to cover , making the soft plastic option the cheaper of the two. November is the last month of the year for good flathead fishing. Most of the fish have spawned and are feeding heavily at this time. The fish are often holding in the entrances as the flats become less productive. Try working depths between 3-6m by either

trolling deep lures or using soft plastics and soft vibes. There are still quite a few nice fish over 70cm around. The entrances can produce some great mulloway fishing on deep live baits and soft plastics in November. White Gulps are an effectiveway to chase mulloway and live pike are probably the best live bait to use. Even really big pike will catch 80cm mulloway but you’ll need to rig them on 2 hooks. Pike can be quite easily caught on small silver hardbodies, white soft plastics, or flies over the many weed beds near the entrances – if the water is clean. Live squid are another excellent live bait to try. Whiting fishing with poppers is another fun method to try this month. I like the Bassday Sugar Pen. Work water between 15cm and a metre deep over the flats in known whiting areas and wind fast. If you see a fish following do not slow down the retrieve. If you can make the lure ‘spit’ on the retrieve it is a good imitation of a prawn and gets a lot of bites.

Jumping jack time! There’s no better time to get onto the water. Another good option this month is crabbing. As the water warms mud crabs

become more active and there have been reports of good numbers of sand

crabs in the Broadwater throughout winter and early spring.

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GOLD COAST OFFSHORE November can be a fickle month, but with water temperatures on the wider grounds in early October reaching 24°C, quite a few nice blue marlin as well as some massive mahimahi were caught through September and October.

Traditionally this water turns up in late November, so I am predicting a good run of blue marlin and a few striped marlin alongside those catches. I like to set my lure spread on the 100m line and head east. In general I find the contour between 250-350m to be the most productive zone. This represents the

slope of the continental shelf and usually holds plenty of bait. I troll five, 37kg stand up outfits and the blue marlin we catch are generally in the 140kg range, with a few considerably bigger than that. It is the most exciting fishing from a trailer boat you can have. The take-off is awesome!

Mahimahi should make an appearance this month.

On the 50-fathom line, current can start to be a problem this month as the East Australian Current starts to run hard. There are still a few pearl perch, samsonfish, and amberjack around. Snapper numbers drop-off but there should still be good numbers of teraglin around on the northern reefs such as Sullies Reef. A few mulloway will also turn up on the offshore reefs on live baits. Early evening into the night is generally the best time to chase them, and live slimy mackerel and pike are the best baits. I find we just don’t catch many on live yellowtail. Tailor are another good bait. Snapper thin out a lot this month as the water warms up. It has been a reasonable snapper season for most boats with some great fish up to 10kg turned up on the close reefs off Southport and on the 36 fathom line. This month there should be a few juvenile snapper for the persistent angler but this will be unreliable fishing. Palm Beach Reef should see a few cobia and mac tuna turn up and there is also the chance of an early season spotted or doggy mackerel.

Connor Frendin with a decent flathead. Anchoring and berleying is usually the best method. Some big cobia over 20kg will arrive in November on Palm Beach and Mermaid reefs. The desalination plant off Tugun is also a good area to try. Overall, November has

plenty of opportunities for Gold Coast anglers. This year has seen unusually high water temperatures and a lot of the summer pelagics may start earlier. There may also be a few small black marlin and wahoo on the close reefs.

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Bring on the November rains JUMPINPIN

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

November is a cracking time of year to fish the Pin with a multitude of different species on offer to test your tackle and angling skills. The weather bureau has predicted a wild summer of weather to bring some much needed rain and freshwater to the estuarine system and we all know this will fire up the fishing! Storms and strong winds can whip up very quickly in South East Queensland so be vigilante and keep an eye on the weather. Storm season is synonymous with active mangrove jack and cod that start to feed more often. Fishing for these fish can sometimes prove difficult as they live in heavy snags and fight extremely hard, which usually results in loss of gear for you. Using heavier line to prevent getting blown away is a good way to start. Large live baits and flesh baits usually takes away the pickers and allows your bait to stay in the strike zone longer. The Coomera and Pimpama rivers have lots of rock walls and sunken trees to fish on or give

trolling lures a go, to cover more territory and find where the fish are. Flathead will still be around in good numbers as their breeding season comes to a close. What a great lizard season it has been – with nearly 6,000 flathead caught and released in the recent Flathead Classic over just two and a half days – it goes to show that the size and bag limits are working. If you’d like to find a few of these flathead try around Kalinga Bank to

the sand flats near Slipping Sands, Fishermans Channel, Cabbage Tree Point and the mouth of the Logan River towards the Powerlines and Browns Bay. Bream are always the main species caught around the Pin but the real trick is to try and find bigger fish. Berleying up with pilly bits, prawn scraps or pellets should attract the bigger fish into your berley stream then try to present them with bigger, juicier bait and

Piepa Griffiths shows of her first mulloway. the dead trees on the bottom of North Straddie in the deep water, the top of Crusoe Island,

that should give you a better chance at some quality fish. Try at the dead trees off the

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bottom of North Straddie, Pig Styes, Cobby Passage and the Powerlines near the top of the tide for best results. Whiting have been present and fishing well in the Pimpama and Logan rivers on blood and beach worms. November is a great time to fish for them as they move up the tide in search of a feed. Some of the fish that have been caught are over 40cm but you will find there will be plenty of quality fish around the 30cm mark. Using red tube and red beads with your worm bait is a great way to give your bait the appearance that there is more worm on your hook and temp the fish into a nibble. If you love a feed of whiting then get your hands on some worms or yabbies and head out to the sand flats near the Pig Styes, top of South Straddie, Tipplers Island, the sandy area in front of Slipping Sands, Fishermans Channel and the mouth of the Logan River. As the water temperature heats up pelagic species like tuna, mackeral, cobia, wahoo and marlin will start to show up in good numbers. They will be chasing schools of bait fish so look for surface action like birds diving and fish busting up as the fish feed. Try flicking metal lures into the schools or

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The author with this 74cm beauty on a black Tango Shad in 2ft of murky water. trolling around the edge of the school with diving hardbodied lures. My favourite lure is a +7m Crazy Deep Diver with a white body and red head but I have a new contender for the role of favourite as the dolphin fish colour has been doing very well. The reefs close to the Pin like Sullys, Alfs and the Dragon are always full of live bait (slimys, yakkas

etc) at this time of year so concentrate on jigging at these spots, get yourself some livies and use them to catch these great fighting fish. • 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.

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Up up and a-mulloway! SOUTHERN BAY

Nabeel Issa

Slabs of silver have been a plenty! The Moreton Bay mulloway are out in force and many anglers have been out getting stuck into them. October weather was unpredictable so chances to head out have been few and far between. However, those getting out have been rewarded with snapper, mulloway and bream all playing the game and quite easily captured. BREAM October saw the temperatures rise, with the hint that summer is well and

truly on its way. Now is a great time to get stuck into some bream on surface lures, especially if it’s not something you do regularly. As the water warms, the bream shake off the winter lethargy and will start attacking lures with plenty of gusto! Most of the bay islands are worth a shot, just look to get as shallow as you can, as the fish will move well up into the banks searching for food. I like using pencil shaped lures as they cast very well and have a very enticing action when worked on the surface. Small poppers are another effective lure in these shallow water situations. Expect some by-catch of tailor, whiting, flathead and even squid. Keep

Side scan images are worth every cent! This screen shot shows a large school of mulloway located to the left of the boat.

a squid jig rigged and ready to go as quite often Squid will follow the lures. If the wind is up, surface lures become tricky, switch to shallow diving crank bait and you will be able to keep the bites coming. Cast long and follow up with a slow roll technique for results. Basically, wind it in just quickly enough to get the lure action moving. MULLOWAY Now is without a doubt the best time of the year to get into the school mulloway. Each year through spring they will congregate in certain areas in Moreton Bay and can be quite easy to catch. Of course, sometimes they just won’t bite and you can go home fish-less! My number one tool for avoiding this situation is my sounder. I tell people this, time and time again – these fish will move around and rarely stay still – so you constantly need to locate the schools. I will often drive around for long periods until I locate schools and many anglers echo this method. This way, you are ensuring you put your lure or bait as close to the fish as possible, instead of hoping they swim past. It’s a far more pro-active way of fishing! Schools could be made up of 10 fish or

The sort of bream you can expect during this summer! 100 fish, but when you see them on the sounder, you will definitely know. Quite often it will appear as a thick mass near the bottom, they will sit quite tight to each other. Once located, mark the school with your GPS and try and stay as close to the mark as possible, keeping your lures in front of their faces. Once the fish move, start looking again and you will notice a pattern of the direction they are moving. I mark the school every time I see them, this way I can keep track of their movements and predict where they will be next. Lure choice

isn’t crucial; just make sure that whatever you use is heavy enough to get down to the fish. SNAPPER The past month has seen a lot of pan-sized snapper caught. I’m yet to hear of any really big ones, but they should start pushing in over the next few months. The pick of locations to get a feed of snapper are Peel Artificial Reef and Harry Atkinson. Soft plastics rigged on 1/4-1/2 jigheads are the pick. It’s also worth trying out the Island Reef edges, especially around Peel Island. If you can get there just as the sun starts to

hit the horizon you should see yourself with a good chance of getting into a few. If you are able to get out over the next few weeks, be sure to give the mulloway a crack as they won’t be around in such large schools for too much longer. I’ve just got myself a new boat so I’m hoping to get out as much as possible as this great fishing continues. As always, if you have a picture or a story you would like to share, send it through to me at nabs12@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to get it in next month’s magazine for you!

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Slip, slop, slap, slurp and fish your heart out BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

At this time of the year, you will be basking in the summer heat and spending long days out on the water. The prominent action on the briny blue should make your efforts worthwhile. As the water temperature rises, so does the metabolism of most species which creates some pretty hungry piscatorial targets for those fishing the bays and estuaries. During November we should encounter a diverse array of species with increased action among the pelagics within the bay as well as numerous other species including mangrove jack in the estuaries plus crabs, threadfin, snapper and plenty of other favourites. BAY PELAGICS Warmer water temperatures should increase baitfish activity within

bonito, cobia and others. Mackerel are probably the most hotly targeted species due to their succulent table quality and sportfishing prowess. Additionally they can be relatively easy to hook once they are located. Obviously, due to their ravenous feeding activity, surface feeding schools are the easiest opportunity on offer. In this situation pelagics will hit a broad array of artificial offerings. Small chromed slugs and slices and some jighead rigged plastics (Z-Man Jerkshads in bubblegum colour are popular) are extremely easy to cast and they will generally solicit a strike from any mackerel when retrieved in a flat stick manner. You cannot wind fast enough for these predators. If they are following your lure and not striking then you are not winding fast enough. I would advise you to use a highspeed reel that will retrieve at least 100cm of line per turn of the handle. Line

your radar a spinning outfit is a good option. Spinning allows fast and long casts to put the offering into the zone quickly once some surface activity is located. Scanning the horizon for sea bird activity or visible splashing on the surface are the best indicators of surface activity. The shipping channels, Rous Channel, Rainbow Channel and the edges of most flats are the best places to search on a low or rising tide. Towards the top of the tide, mackerel will often harass baitfish up on top of the flats. Even if you can’t see them, trolling small, deep-diving minnow lures will often produce results on small numbers or individual fish cruising on these flats. I like light (10-15lb) braided line for this pursuit as it allows the lures to get down deeper and permits you to troll a bit faster than you could using thicker line. The last two hours of the run in tide are generally the best for this pursuit. Mackerel

off the same beacon but if the action goes quiet then move on to the next structure

baitfish profiled fly. These can be a little harder to present over distance than

will still work with anglers employing both lures and quality baits for their results.

The Brisbane River will produce some quality threadfin. Aaron catches and releases plenty like this specimen taken from the lower reaches on an array of lures. and perhaps return to try it again later. When tuna (mackerel, frigate and longtail) are surface feeding, they can often be tempted with the same approach and lures as mackerel. Longtails will additionally eat a broader array of offerings and can be responsive to vibration baits, stickbaits, sliders, flies, poppers and numerous other offerings. They can also be caught on live and occasionally dead baits around beacons, along current lines and large baitfish conglomerations. Longtails can often be lurking around the fringes of mixed pelagic and baitfish concentrations, attacking fleeing baitfish and slurping up wounded pilchards, whitebait and others left after the onslaught of mackerel

other offerings however are generally more life-like and sink at a natural rate once in the water. I often use bay baits, surf candies, polar fibre minnows, eyes flies and bay candies however there’s a huge array of good patterns that can produce. An intermediate fly line is a good choice however floating lines and fast sink lines can suffice. A cast-far and strip-quick approach will generally get you in the game. There’s nothing like a rampaging longtail to get your heart racing and your fingers line burnt. BAY DEMERSALS Snapper, sweetlip, cod, morwong, tuskfish and numerous other bottom dwellers will continue to be caught during the warmer months. I often find that some of the better quality

The usual grounds generally receive a lot less attention during the warmer months because many anglers believe that snapper are only a winter species. The dawn and dusk periods are a little more important for good results at this time of the year however I have caught big snapper in the middle of the day at times, especially when baitfish numbers have increased dramatically around the bay islands and artificial reefs. Snapper can often be located feeding right off the surface, especially the larger specimens that will rise up through the water column to harass garfish, hardiheads, pilchards, whitebait and other species. Often they may even be found underneath conglomerations of other feeding fish where they will

The popular locations in the bay will still produce quality snapper throughout November. This one was taken on a Samaki Thumpertail during a family day out with the author’s daughters, Jemma and Josie. Moreton Bay. This will catalyse an increase in the prevalence of pelagic species such as tuna, mackerel,

doesn’t need to be heavy with 4-10kg being the regular choice. Whether spotted mackerel or schoolies are on

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patrol these zones to ambush baitfish flushed from the flats with the receding tide. Trolling the edges of these banks as the tide begins to fall will often be rewarding Try Middle Bank, Tangalooma Banks or any of the other prominent banks for this pursuit. Be aware however that some banks have a 6knot speed limit in place once you leave the main channels. As beacons and other vertical structure usually hold baitfish species these are naturally productive places to try. Vertical jigging with chromed slugs and slices, micro jigs and blades often work a treat. Drifting pilchards or small live baits in these zones will regularly produce fast and vicious attacks so be ready to strike and set the hook. Multiple mackerel can often be taken

Sand crab numbers will be healthy within Moreton Bay during November but check that your crabbing apparatus is within regulation. and tunas. A well placed cast to a cruising fish can be met with an instant strike. Slow sinking offerings will often be slurped up, especially a

snapper are taken during November, even though the numbers are down on the cooler months. The usual locations and techniques

engulf any wounded baitfish left after the onslaught of other species. In the shallows (3-10m) around the bay islands,

snapper will commonly roam therefore you do not have to be on any particular hotspot to be in with a chance. Anglers fishing baits often anchor in a particular area, usually adjacent to some form of submerged structure, ledge or contour line. Hopefully other anglers will have the courtesy to give you a wide berth because noise is the quickest way to deter quality snapper in these shallower waters. Anglers who fish lures will drift through an area, repositioning themselves with the use of electric motors if they have them. I don’t believe it is imperative that you have an electric to fish these zones providing you set up a favourable drift line, keeping in mind the wind and current direction. A GPS mapping system is a big advantage when fishing these zones and will show you the areas with slight bottom contours where baitfish and predatory species are likely to be found. Around the bay islands, a long drift line can generally be anticipated and from here it is just a case of drifting and working your plastics, vibration baits and other lures back with the current. Keep retrieves slow and work the lures throughout the water column and that whack and screaming run will not be too far away. Tuskfish numbers are generally healthy throughout the warmer months. Although tuskfish are sometimes encountered by anglers chasing other species, specific targeting will heighten results considerably. While tuskies will eat most baits, they definitely have a preference for crabs. Even when using crab imitating plastics I have noticed an increase in the number of tuskfish strikes. For the larger blackspot tuskfish (fish up to 15kg), anglers use whole crabs or even portions of crabs. The three-spot crabs are ideal as they can be taken at any size however if you are using sand or blue-swimmers then they need to be of legal size. Often anglers will glue a hook to the crabs back to allow a live crab to move around unencumbered and keep the hook point proud for maximum penetration. Gear commonly used for these tuskies is usually in excess of 37kg with monofilament preferred over braid as it is less likely that hooks will tear out due to the degree of stretch. Hard-monofilament leaders (60-90kg) reduce the chance of getting rubbed off when these powerful brutes head for the nearest structure. Many anglers will screw down the drags on their reels as tight as they can because you will generally need at least 15kg of drag pressure to be in with

any real chance of landing a 10kg+ specimen. Overheads are generally preferred with the low gear ratio ‘old school’ reels such as Penn Senators and Daiwa Sealines being favoured among many serious tuskfish anglers. Large tuskfish are a real challenge and a species that remains on my piscatorial bucket list. Maybe this summer might fix that. BRISBANE RIVER Even though water temperatures have risen over the last few months, anglers will still be able to find a few mulloway in the Brisbane River during November, as well as snapper, bream, threadfin, cod, flathead and numerous other species. Threadfin in particular will be around in numbers, if previous seasons are anything to go by. The lower reaches are where the majority are caught however they will be spread right throughout the system. Although you may need to do a degree more searching than you do in the lower reaches, it is surprising how many ‘threadies’ are caught around the city reaches. Threadfin are commonly found along the declines into the main riverbed, adjacent the numerous jetty and dock pylons and on submerged ledges and other structure particularly in the area from the Gateway Bridge down to the mouth. Anglers with side imaging sounder technology can usually locate them easily as, due to their large air bladders, they tend to show up prominently. A host of other species can also be located in these zones, especially mulloway. The numerous rock walls in the river offer great homes and ambush locations for estuary cod. These are commonly caught to around 3kg in weight but much larger specimens are about. However most anglers are left with a limp line, friction burnt thumbs and an astonished ‘whatthe-hell-was-that’ look on their face after encountering one of these. Estuary cod will hang tight to structure, generally in ambush mode, therefore it is best to work your lures or present your baits close to this structure to heighten chances. Lures which rattle and crawl across the structure will soon get their attention. This can include numerous artificial offerings however I prefer deep diving minnow lures and weedless rigged soft plastics (mainly prawn and shad profiles) for this endeavour. CRABS November is a prime time to be crabbing in the bay, rivers and estuaries. Mud, sand and blueswimmer crabs can be caught in numbers at times with some well-placed safety pots. The mud crabs

are mostly confined to the rivers, creeks and estuaries while the blue-swimmers and sand crabs are more common in the more open sections of the bay and the lower sections of the estuaries and rivers. There are numerous styles of safety pots on the market and all will catch crabs, however there is definitely a variation in the quality of the mesh and framing with some pots deteriorating quite quickly. Well-made pots will last years and serve you well however you will need to keep an eye on them to avoid loss. Most quality pots will cost in excess of $30 and up to $80 but there

are a few around the $20 mark that are decent if you are on a budget. Check the restrictions relating to pots which includes labelling and minimum sizes on floats. Numerous baits can be used including whole fish heads and frames, chicken carcasses, whole mullet or even a few pillies in a wire mesh bag. For muddies, set pots adjacent to collapsed mangrove banks, in deep holes, the mouths of gutters and drains and in the more remote reaches of the creeks and gutters leading out of the mangrove expanse. In the bay, good spots to set pots for blue-swimmer and sand crabs will include

the channels between the bay islands, the contours around the margins, deeper channels, the edges of prominent sand banks and deep holes. Don’t set your pots too close to those of the commercial fishers because pots have a habit of disappearing when you do this. Check the regulations relating to minimum sizes of crabs and also bag limits for each as they differ. With so many possibilities during November, anglers will be spoilt for choice. One thing for certain however is that you will need some good sun protection including hats, buffs, long sleeve shirts and

pants and a good sunscreen to survive the onslaught of the sun. Make sure you have a good supply of water as well. It isn’t worth spoiling a good day on the water with a case of sunburn or dehydration. When transiting the bay have a spin rod rigged and ready for when that pelagic school appears nearby as you don’t want to miss an opportunity to secure a tasty mackerel or tuna. Setting a few pots can also make a tasty addition to the days catch. The fishing in November can be as hot as the summer sun beating down so slip, slop, slap, slurp and fish to your heart’s content.

NOVEMBER 2015

Summer’s got us feelin’ wahoo! as August the question is – when will they turn up this season? Small Spaniards, not much bigger than legal (75cm) usually turn up in numbers in the Point Lookout area and sometimes on Moreton’s Coffee Rock reefs. It might be worth having a quick troll around a tide change to see if there is any activity. I prefer to livebait for these early

OFFSHORE

John Gooding

Anglers fishing east of the South Passage bar are starting to switch their focus to pelagic species, and with the water temperature on the rise, these fish shouldn’t be too far away. This upcoming Spanish mackerel season will be interesting. With

Although Spanish mackerel have certainly been in good numbers this past few seasons, we are certainly overdue a good run of wahoo. In past years we’ve had some solid runs of school sized wahoo up around 6-9kg in late November, early December, but the last couple of seasons they simply haven’t turned up. When they do arrive, a great way to start the day

These fish respond well to Halco Laser Pros, Rapala CDs and smaller skirted lures dragged around as fast as you can keep them in the water. Make sure your hooks are razor sharp to penetrate their hard beak-like mouths. REEF FISHING On the reef fishing side of the equation, there are still plenty of options for the bottom fisho east of the South Passage bar Typical juvenile snapper caught floatlining at this time of year.

Happy anglers with their bag of juvenile snapper and a couple of solid kingies. Spaniards still being caught off North Stradbroke and Moreton Islands as late

Another solid catch of juvenile snapper from the wider grounds.

season fish and then switch to swimming garfish as the season progresses.

is with a bit of high speed trolling to bag a few wahoo before you head reef fishing.

this month. We’ve still been pulling some good squire and snapper on charter of

late, mainly working the wider grounds and the only days we’ve struggled is when there has been no run in the water. On those days you’ll pull a couple of fish off a lump on your first drift, but go over them again and you won’t lose any bait! So you have to move on and find another patch of fish. As I mentioned last month, the spring months are the time to work the Shallow Tempest line of reef, a very productive area for some real quality fish if conditions are in your favour. Off North Stradbroke Island, the bottom end of the Cathedrals has been

producing good snapper and mulloway on both the 50 and 60m lines on live bait. Out on the 42 fathom there will be increasing numbers of amberjack, samsonfish, and yellowtail kingfish eager to hit both live baits and jigs as the water continues to warm. Sharks are still a problem, once they turn up, you just have to move on and find another patch of fish. • Until next month, enjoy your fishing, take care on the coastal bars and if you’d like to join me on charter (max. 8 persons) give me a call on 07 3822 9527 or 0418 738 750 or visit my new website www. outlawcharters.com.au.

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It’s easy to get amongst them NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

Before I report on the piscatorial happenings of the northern bay, it seems fitting to give my fellow anglers a friendly reminder of the importance of sun protection. Yes, we have seen the countless ads about this subject but at this time of the year fishing puts us in a higher risk category simply due to the duration of time we spend in the sun. On that note, sunscreen up, cover up, stay hydrated (water that is!), and enjoy your day out on the water. BREAM With rising water temperatures and the increased presence of baitfish, bream numbers have been great over the last month and are set to stay that way, making it easy for anglers to get among them when on ventures to the estuaries. Fresh bait like mullet, yabbies and chicken fillets have considered the prime choice among bait anglers with the top of the tide being the common consensus for timing. For the lure-minded,

Atomic Crank 38, Cranka Crabs, Z-Man Grubz and Ecogear SX40 have been the pick of the bream lures with liberal coats of a scent like Pro Cure or S-Factor increasing bite rates. Sized

bream have been more commonly caught during the lower lit hours with smaller models becoming more prevalent during the middle of the day. Hotspots during this month in the

Nathan Wolhuter snagged this cracking Brisbane River flathead.

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Bribie area are Glasshouse Creek, Ningi Flats, Pacific Harbour canals, Mouth of the Caboolture (ebb tide); On the Peninsula; Newport Waterways, North Reef, Margate bommies, Ted Smout Bridge. In the Pine River Region; the mouth of Bald Hills Creek, Dohles Rocks, Deepwater Bend (run-in tide); In the lower northern bay; Brisbane River along BP Pipeline and Luggage Point.

FLATHEAD As their long-lasting spawning season draws to a close, nice legal flathead are still being taken in our abundance of estuaries in the northern bay with numbers remaining lower than the middle of the year. Common size hitting the boat decks has frequently been around the 45-50cm mark with the occasional larger female still surprising many anglers especially during dusk hours. Large soft plastics have been the pick of the arsenal with pink and white colours among the favourites. Z-Man 5” Streakz, Zerek Live Flash Minnows and Shads Lures Flicktails have been productive for anglers with a hop-hop-pause retrieve pattern working well. Hotspots in the Bribie area – Tony’s Gutter, 112’s, mouth of Elimbah Creek and Cook’s Rocks; On the Peninsula – Deception Bay (near airport), Woody Point and The Wells; In the Pine River – Under the highway bridge, junction of the South Pine (deep holes) and the upper reaches near John Oxley Reserve. SUMMER WHITING Good summer whiting have been picked up in recent times with many anglers rewarded for their persistence, especially during the windier days. Bloodworms, beachworms, and yabbies have been the pick of the baits with some keen kayak fishers using surface poppers to great benefit in several of our estuaries. A local angler told me recently, that he believes a long leader of about 60cm is the key to your rig as it leaves your bait with a more natural presentation. Hotspots for this month, in

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the Bribie area – Southern beaches from Skirmish Point to Buckley’s Hole and Elimbah Creek; On the Peninsula – Margate Beach, Hays Inlet and the Eventide wall. SAND CRABS Good sand crabs are starting to filter into the bay with the usual areas starting to heat up. Bramble Bay and Deception Bay are the two outstanding areas in recent times with many crabbers populating The Pine and Pumicestone Passage also. Be sure to clearly mark your pots and don’t interfere with other people’s pots or property. MANGROVE JACK Slim reports have been received of late about these summer brawlers, but it

doesn’t mean they aren’t present in our northern reaches. The upper reaches of the Pine and Caboolture rivers have been places of interest over recent years along with Pelican Waters canals in Caloundra. With mangrove jack fishing, it’s all about patience and persistence so you can be rewarded immensely for your time and effort. Feel free to shoot me an email and picture if you catch a good mangrove jack this summer as we always love to hear our readers’ stories! Monthly Tip: Sun protection again! Stay safe out on the water and remember to slop on the sunscreen and pack plenty of water, it’s going to be a hot one!

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Ready to rock out wide CALOUNDRA

Brad McKendrick fishingcaloundra@yahoo.com.au

As we head towards our summer species change, many anglers are dusting off the mackerel and tuna lures ready for a strongly anticipated summer run. Pelagics with attitude is what we enjoy on the Sunshine Coast mixed with the true speedsters of the ocean such as wahoo, marlin and

With so many opportunities there is no reason for anglers not to go through the mandatory terminal tackle checks to ensure that the big one doesn’t get away. So take out the tackle box and check all your leaders for burs or scuff marks, sharpen or change all of your hooks, check all of your mackerel rigs and lures for wear and tear and you should be ready to get amongst them. This is all the stuff we anglers love to tinker with and it’s likely that most of us have

Gold spot wrasse are a special catch out wide. sailfish. Our big hitting cobia and yellowtail kingfish have woken from a fairly slow winter period and are hitting baits and livies around the known areas.

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weather days. The weather gods have not been kind but it’s right across the east coast so everyone is on an even par. When we could get out on the reefs we were able to get some quality pearl perch, snapper and emperor along with many other species. There has been plenty of yakkas and slimy mackerel around over the past couple of months and it never takes long to get enough for a day’s fishing. Livies are the number one bait to fish with and if there’s a day where you can’t find them, try fish strips, pilchard or squid, which are all available at your local tackle store. The inner reefs around Mooloolaba and Caloundra have been great to target around the tidal changes for everyday reef species. The northern areas around Coolum and Noosa are also producing, however there is an abundance of grinners around the wrecks. We all know that grinners can be a pest when targeting real fish species and that they can bur the leaders and force you to replace them nearly every drop. The estuaries are still slow and have suffered from the reasonably warmer waters throughout the winter period. While the water remains hot, we don’t get the run of bait fish that normally bring on the bigger species. There are still plenty of bream to catch, particularly around the canals and we should be seeing more flathead around soon within the Pumicestone Passage area and surrounding waterways. Whiting are starting to work their way up into the shallow flats opposite Gemini Towers in Golden Beach and the deeper channel holds a few schools of chopper tailor, which are fun on light gear. A few tarpon have hit hardbodied lures around the back end of the Pelican Waters canals and bream are always hiding in the cooler shadows around the Pontoons in the same area.

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Blue swimmer crabs are being caught on lines up around Maroochydore along the Cod Hole stretch. They are always a nice surprise! The Maroochy River system has flathead, smaller mulloway, bream and plenty of whiting with the odd trevally giving anglers a memorable fight. Mooloolaba rock walls at the bar entrance is the pick of the spots for bigger bream. It has some deeper and more importantly, cooler water, which attracts plenty of hungry species. Night is by far the more productive time to target them and chicken or fish strips are the best bait. Of course, you will get them with peeled prawns and squid if nothing else is available. There are so many different spots to fish around all the canals and systems across the Sunshine Coast it would take a lifetime to get around them, so there is no excuse for not catching a feed. We should be into the tuna by next month and with a bit of luck the spotty mackerel and a few Spaniards will be taken as well. Of course, with summer the deeper waters out around the Barwon Banks come in to play for larger species like pearl perch, morwong, sweetlip and snapper. The area also has plenty of reef and pinnacles but you will need to enjoy the travel time.

The top of the Hards further north can get you into some real challenging water with depths over 100m, which brings new challenges and will test your fitness. The rewards are well worth the travel time, let me tell you. Traditionally November can be our transitional period

between winter and summer species and it can be slow, but if you speak to those who know the local waters they should be able to point you in the right direction. Local knowledge is the best way to learn about any new areas you go to and anglers love to chat. Have Fun!

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School, spotted or Spanish – take your pick! NOOSA

Peter Wells

With the warmer weather approaching, the pelagic season is up and running. Pelagics will start to

arrive in big numbers as the warm currents make their way down the coast. School and spotted mackerel are always the first to arrive and are already being caught. Larger spotted

and Spanish mackerel are expected in the coming weeks – with the larger Spaniards a little later in the year. REEFS Try to focus your efforts around reef systems

Peter ‘Pedro’ Doff won the $50 Davo’s Fish of the Week prize with this 1.15m yellowtail kingfish which he caught on his kayak.

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like Sunshine and North Reef, the edges of the larger reefs are perfect. For those in the larger craft, Barwon Banks and Double Island are also great places to target mackerel. The past couple of months have seen large schools of baitfish congregating along the Sunshine Coast encouraging good schools of pelagics to engage in a feeding frenzy. There are a number of ways to target pelagics successfully; one of the

most common is to troll hardbody lures like the Strada HD Trackas and Zerek PelagicZ. These lures are best trolled between 4-8 knots. One of the most important tools in the boat is a set of binoculars – get the first mate to keep an eye on the horizon for bird activity. This indicates bait forced to the surface by pelagics feeding underneath and is a great time to get your slugs out. Try to match the size with the bait that you’re seeing in the water, a long cast and a fast retrieve should see a good result. Tuna are also plentiful at the moment with longtail and mac tuna in the mix. On the bottom, activity is improving with coral trout really starting to come on the bite. Other species you are likely to see are spangled emperor, venus tusk fish, the odd snapper, morwong, cobia, Maori cod, and pearl perch from the deeper reefs. The best advice to give when fishing soft plastics is to fish hard to the bottom, using elevator heads will give you that extra weight on the deeper reefs, teamed up with soft plastics like the Z-Man Jerk sheds in the 7” or the 9” grubs.

Colt Sniper – they come in a huge range of colours and weights perfect for the shallower reefs. To be really successful with micro jigs you also have to have the right outfit. Jigging rods are designed using high quality graphite blanks, alconite guides with the reel seat set a little higher on the blank to give you better leverage on the fish. The Gomoku range of rods hit the market a few years back and have been recently updated with the Nero range, team this up with a quality 4000 to 5000 series reel and you have the perfect outfit. RIVERS In the Noosa River the summer season also means the arrival of those very tasty summer whiting, areas like the Dog Beach, the Frying Pan, and even Gympie Terrace are seeing some real elbow-slappers. Fresh bait is the key with blood worms, yabbies, and pipis all doing the job. If you can’t get hold of live baits, peeled prawns are also a good option. Soft plastics offer another succesful route. Marukyu Isome worms have been one of the standouts, one way to use them is rigged on a worm

is equally good on the table is the mangrove jack. A lot of river anglers in Noosa judge their whole summer season on how many jacks they can bag. A lot of anglers tend to head up between the lakes to target jack but I like working the structure that is down around the Noosa Sound. There are a multitude of jetties and pontoons around this area where these ambushers love to call home. You would be lucky to see one during the day but at night everything changes – stealth is the key – using the electric motor on the boat or just drifting with very little light and, of course, little or no noise. Casting soft plastics is one way to target them but I like to use suspending hardbody lures. The Maria Twitchbait is one of my favourites along with the Rapala Clacking minnow also in the same size. If there is a lot of surface action, the Luckycraft Sammy is first out of the tackle box. You do have to upsize a little on the line and leader as they will try to brick you on any structure they can. • For all the latest information log onto www. fishingnoosa.com.au for

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Ryan Lukritz from Ipswich with two quality 38cm and 39cm whiting which he boated down near the river mouth. Another great way to target reef fish is microjigging. These jigs are designed to flutter down and look like an injured baitfish. There are a great many micro jigs on the market at the moment, but my favourite is the Shimano

hook with a running sinker, but you can also put them on a hidden weight jig head. Make sure you are not stingy and use a whole worm on the hook, this give the impression of a worm drifting in the current. Another great fish that

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up to date bar and fishing reports. Don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola to find out where the fish are biting, and remember tight line and bent spines!

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Davo’s stores revamped The two Davo’s tackle stores on the Sunny Coast have received some great new upgrades, and between them they carry the most comprehensive range of tackle in the region. The Noosa store now has new fittings to hold a heap more gear, and a large, revamped reel display.

for a dress you’ll have to look elsewhere – but if you’re after tackle you’re in luck, because there’s nearly twice as much as before! THE TEAM Davo’s is owned by hard-core fisho Peter ‘Wellsy’ Wells and his wife Annette. Peter seems to have spent more of his life

Coast was born from his school holidays spent there, fishing the Maroochy River. It was inevitable that he would one day move there, and he reckons it’s one of the best places to live and fish in Australia. “The variety here is amazing,” he says. “Within an hour and a half of

The range in the Northshore store is twice as big as it used to be.

The main goal for the Davo’s staff is to put customers onto fish.

The Davo’s Northshore branch has been expanded to twice its original size. DAVO’S TACKLE WORLD NOOSA Shop 6, Noosa Homemaker Centre Mary Street, Noosaville Queensland 4566 Phone: 07 5449 8099 DAVO’S NORTHSHORE 938 David Low Way Bli Bli, Queensland Phone: 07 5448 8244 www.fishingnoosa.com.au www.facebook.com/davostackleworldnoosa www.facebook.com/DavosNorthshoreTackle The biggest changes, however, are at Davo’s Northshore, which has been expanded to twice its original size. This was done by buying the dress store next door and knocking down the dividing wall. Unfortunately, this means that if you’re in the market 48

NOVEMBER 2015

on the water than off it. His dream was always to own his own tackle store, so when the opportunity came up to buy Davo’s five years ago he jumped at the chance. Originally from Toowoomba, Peter told me that his love of the Sunny

anywhere on the coast you can catch bass, and if you go an hour and a half the other way you can catch marlin. The possibilities are endless.” While Peter still loves his freshwater and river fishing, you’ll most often find him game fishing nowadays. “I love the challenge on lighter line, and the adventure of it,” he says. “You never know what you’re going to hook next!” The staff at Davo’s Noosa and Northshore cover the whole gamut of fishing, from freshwater to estuary, rock, beach and game. Notable team members include bass tournament pro Dane Radosevic, and well-loved industry stalwart Chicko, who brings a wealth of knowledge to the role. But all the team members have their specialities and are happy to pass on their expertise to customers. Indeed, this customer interaction is one of the things Peter loves most about his job. “It’s great to meet all the people who are new to fishing in the Sunny Coast, and show them tips and techniques to help them get a fish on the end of their line,” he says. “Very often they’ll come back to tell us how they went, which is great. We run a Fish of the Week comp in both stores, and we always say it’s not just about the size of the fish; it’s about the size of the smile! We also run bi-monthly fishing competitions for families, to encourage kids to get out fishing with their parents.”

We’ve all heard the old phrase ‘going the extra mile’ when it comes to customer service, but the Davo’s staff have been known to literally go the extra mile – travelling out on the water to deliver parts to customers who have broken down (kind of like the RACQ, but without the overpriced batteries). They’ve also delivered bait to customers who have been caught out, although I’m sure the team would prefer you dropped into the store for your bait rather than ask for a delivery to the Barwon Banks. With the store’s opening hours being 6am-6pm every day except Christmas Day, it’s easy to dash in and get what you need. THE STORES The Noosa store has been there for 35 years, and was originally owned by Bruce ‘Davo’ Davidson, who ended up being the Tourism Minister for Qld. Bruce was forced to sell the store to enter politics, and to this day nobody is sure why he wanted to spend time surrounded by boring pollies when he could have been surrounded by lures.

That’s OK though – the well-loved stores that bear his name have continued to grow and prosper. Davo’s Noosa is part of the Tackle World group, which gives them access to bulk buy discounts from major suppliers. The store is in a great location in the Homemaker Centre, with heaps of parking only a block away from the boat ramp in Noosaville. And, thanks to the recent upgrades, the product range is now bigger than ever before. As well as stacks of gear for the local area, Davo’s caters heavily for people heading north, especially off the Swains and up into barra territory. The Northshore store is also well worth a look. Peter bought and reopened it three years ago after it had been closed for six months. “Everyone was very happy to see it open again,” Peter said, “and a year after that we moved it to its current location.” Northshore has just expanded to more than double its original size, and it’s had a complete revamp both inside and out. This

expansion has allowed Peter to increase the range a great deal, prompting one customer to say that it’s been “turned from a bait store into a tackle store”. And if by chance you can’t get the product you want there, the team can get it from the Noosa store. Being able to access stock across two stores is a great safety net that most independents simply don’t have. However, seeing as the stores are stocked daily, chances are you’ll be able to get what you’re after on the spot. Peter says that Davo’s supports Australian fishing wholesalers 100%, with all warranties and aftersales service going through Australian distributors, and he stresses that his ultimate goal is to put customers onto fish. “We’re not about keeping things secret,” he says. “Our best joy is getting someone running through the door excited about catching something!” Judging by the happy background noise I can hear, it’s just happened again. – Nicole Penfold

Happy competitors gather for the monthly Davo’s social comp. It’s $20 to enter, with 10% of the entry going to the coast guard and the rest in the prize pool.

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Timing is the key to Hervey Bay fishing paradise FRASER COAST

Phil James p_j_james@bigpond.com

I don’t think too many commentators would rate this past tailor season as one of the best. Having said that, there certainly have been some brilliant sessions along many sections of Fraser Island’s ocean beach. Just because November is upon us isn’t any reason to write off the tailor just yet. They should still be in good numbers right through to early December, particularly

of much better quality tailor more likely. This month we should experience a dominance of northerlies along the Fraser Coast. Along the island’s east coast, these are offshore breezes that tend to keep the inshore waters reasonably quiet and the fishing comfortable. This is not only ideal for tailor fishing but also great for chasing the other beach species like dart, whiting, flathead and bream. It was encouraging to see some good whiting catches coming in throughout the tailor season and there are multiple reasons to expect

there is a good food source washing off the banks. Bream are also very likely to inhabit these gutters particularly if there is some structure like isolated coffee rocks. As most Hervey Bay locals know them, those dreaded northerlies can make life very uncomfortable along Fraser’s western beach between Wathumba Creek and Moon Point. I’m not suggesting that anglers avoid these areas just yet as these beaches have been turning on some excellent whiting during the last couple of months. In the quiet breaks between the northerlies, the trip across the

Blind gutter where good whiting can be found. if these ideal weather conditions continue. This is the time of year when most of the smaller fish have moved on, making captures

this to continue. While tailor and dart prefer the more turbulent parts, whiting are usually best in the shallow blind ends of gutters, where

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island to Woralie Creek could be worthwhile. The other consideration is that at this time of the year the northerlies often disturb offshore weed beds resulting in billows of rotting material washed up on the beach. However at the time of writing, the beaches were clean. Inside the bay, there aren’t too many places to hide from the northerlies. Of course most protection is offered by rivers and creeks, of which both the Burrum River and Beelbi Creek have been fishing well during recent months. Of course the Mary and Susan systems offer plenty of options out of the wind.

Fortunately there are spells of reasonable conditions between the northerlies and it’s a matter of being ready for them. Open northern waters of the bay are most vulnerable but in the south the roughly north-south orientation of the islands leaves most of the bay exposed. However there is one well-protected area formed by the Moon Point peninsular jutting out towards the west that is worth checking out. The protected waters are mostly very shallow with a number of gutters and high banks. The gutters form the mouths of a number of creeks that can be reached over the higher part of the tide. The island shoreline to the east of Moon Point fishes well for flathead, whiting, and bream, and the holes within the creeks hold jacks and javelin. Hervey Bay’s shallow reefs should start to fire this month as water temperatures increase. Usually the deeper reefs are more productive than the shallows during November. Moon Ledge, Mickys, Bogimbah Ledge, the Channel Hole and Boges Hole immediately come to mind, but one of the best is often overlooked. Within five minutes of the Urangan harbour mouth ‘The Channel’, as it is usually known, is up to 10m in depth and covers a mostly rocky bottom of sandstone ledges and marine

growth, ideal feeding ground for most of the inshore rocky reef species. Although many of the regular anglers have their favourite spots, it’s just a matter of sounding the bottom and picking out a prominent ledge that might be holding fish. I think the fish might be fairly evenly distributed over the main rocky area. For what it is worth I fish just a couple of hundred yards due east of the green harbour lateral mark. My preference here has a lot to do with getting a good anchorage. Big tides are difficult to fish except for the brief window over the change. I don’t particularly like the neaps, as the fish never seem to be as active. My absolute ideal is a set of ‘in between’ tides fishing the last of the ebb and the first third of the flood just on dusk or very early morning. At this time of the year we can expect to find plenty of solid grass sweetlip (coral bream) as well as blackall, juvenile snapper, cod and black spot tuskfish. If you plan to fish here, be aware that the area is busy as vessels, large and transit within the Urangan boat harbour. This particularly applies to night fishing so be well lit and keep your ears and eyes open. Returning to Fraser Island, last month we made it up the beach to Middle Rock, the popular tourist destination and home to the Champaign

Pools. From here we travel off the beach using mostly twin one-way tracks almost as far as Orchid Beach. This bypasses the outcrops of Middle Rocks as well as Waddy Point. Middle Rocks and the beaches in-between are designated green zones so fishing is not permitted here. Before the current roads existed, a goat track negotiating the treacherous hillsides of Middle Rocks and connecting Waddy Point to Indian Head, was in use by those brave or silly enough to use it. Before reaching Orchid Beach, a track leads off to the Waddy Point campground, on the north-western side of the headland. Alternatively at a T-junction a little further along, a track and sand ramp lead to the beach. The latter track to the beach usually leads to good access of Waddy Point but this whole area is subject to continual change brought about by weather and tidal conditions. At Waddy Point there is a track leading across the dunes to the southern face of the headland, but vehicle access along this beach is not permitted. Waddy Point is not part of the green zone and is open to fishing except during the August and September closure. Next month we will venture further north to Ngkala Rocks and beyond to the top of the island.

Platypus Bay pelagics HERVEY BAY

Scott Bradley marlin81@bigpond.com

With Christmas just around the corner, a good dose of fishing is just the thing to calm the nerves before the silly season starts! There is plenty out there to catch with our pelagic, reef and estuary species all fishing well in November. IN THE BAY Our local reefs continue to produce coral bream, tuskies, trout, blackall, juvenile snapper and, of course, cod at Moon Ledge, the Arty, Bagimba and McKenzies Ledge. Tuskies are on the move and any shallow reef or rocky areas are worth a try so remember the crabs if you want to cross paths with one of the toughest fish in the bay. Our channel markers and beacons will be holding a variety of species and vertically fishing plastics and metals or live baiting will put you on to mackerel, trevally, tuna, cobia and a host of other species that share the same water. Our beacons always hold some sort of bait so when the pelagics are around you know there will be a few fish working the area.

On the Urangan Pier the first channel has had bream, summer whiting and the numbers of big flathead working the shallows is

the best to catch a marlin inside Platypus Bay and with reports of fish being caught in October, expect big things on the new and

This massive 1.65m cobia was taken off Fraser Island recently. amazing. Out further, mac tuna, longtails, golden trevally and school, spotted and Spanish mackerel are taking live baits, lures and pillies on gangs fished mid water. UP THE CREEKS Jacks, threadfin, flathead and estuary cod have been regular catches on bait and lures and with the closed season not far away now is the time to chase a barra before its shut down until next year. ON THE TROLL This month is one of

full moons this month. Along with billfish, there will be several tuna and mackerel species, trevally, queenfish, cobia and many other species to keep the ratchets screaming throughout summer. If you’re interested, the Hervey Bay Gamefishing Club is holding its annual tournament on the 13-15 November. For more details go to www.hbgfc. org.au or call Brad on 0431 611 196.

Reefies still running hot RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

Despite the weather being a bit hit and miss, we have still managed our fair share of trips with brilliant results. OFFSHORE We have had a great run of fishing (when the weather has allowed) throughout this year and our last few trips have been no exception. Another great run of pearl perch saw us achieve our bag limit on many occasions with some real quality pearlies. Again the soft plastics are picking out the bigger specimens. Snapper have not been in big numbers, but the quality has been right up there with 6-7kg beauties coming aboard. Other bottom fish that have been biting well are Maori cod, which seem to have turned up everywhere and with the aid of some live bait, we’ve caught them every trip on both the close and wide grounds. Tuskies, hussar and Moses perch have also been in very good numbers and we’ve had a ripper

Introducing

There have been big numbers of Maori cod offshore from Rainbow Beach. One of many great catches of pearlies lately. run of amberjack, which seem to be present on many offshore bommies. Live bait and 100-200g knife jigs are a sure fire way to have some fun with them. ON THE BEACH It’s probably been the best run of flathead I’ve ever seen, especially around Double Island Point. Whiting have also turned up in good numbers and it looks like it will be a good season for them.

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begin turning up again. We could see an early run of spotted mackerel as there have been some huge bait balls bubbling on the surface, already a month early. • To enjoy a day on the water with Keely Rose Fishing Charters phone Ed Falconer ont 0407 146 151. We’ve just built a new website, so make sure you jump on there and check it out at www.keelyrosefishing charters.com.au.

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Lake Monduran’s metre barra show presence some travelled from as far away as Victoria. The MASA group put on a great family weekend every year with all proceeds raised going to restocking. This year’s Biggest Barra was caught

LAKE MONDURAN

Rob Howell

The last week of September and the first week of October had been some of the toughest fishing I had experienced all year due to a mixed bag of wind directions, but when the wind stabilised into a constant southeast pattern it was on for young and old. The majority of barra caught over the previous month have been in the high 90s to just over that magic metre mark. Bite

There is an abundance of lucky draw prizes up for grabs over the course of the weekend for adults and junior anglers, but the biggest and best prize of all is a boat, motor and trailer

We have powered and unpowered sites still up for grabs, but the powered sites won’t last long so be quick to book in. • For further info on what’s happening at Monduran you

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times have been finicky through the day, but in the very early mornings and late afternoons, and just before dark have been producing multiple bites. LURES The Hank Tune Jackall Squirrels and Smash Minnows in the boney, pink eye suji and the new uroko vision waksagi colours have accounted for the majority of barra. In the soft plastic range the 5” Zerek Flat Shads and the ever-reliable Pro Range 110 Squidgies have also been working well. Through October, the Monduran Anglers and Stocking Association held its annual Family Fishing Classic. The comp attracted over 500 competitors from all over QLD and NSW and

Kieth Whalley with his comp-winning barra 87cm. by Kieth Whalley, with an 87cm barra that landed him $1000 in prize money and was donated by Gin Gin’s Bendigo Bank. If you are interested in a great family fishing comp you can’t go past this one.

package supplied every year by Adrians Marine from Bundy with a value of around $14k. The Win television family fishing comp will be held next year on Friday 14, 15, and 16 October 2016.

can call me on 0410 599 147 or follow us on our Facebook page at Lake Monduran Guidelines fishing charters. You can also call the Lake Monduran office on 1800 228 754, or email us info@ lakem.com.au.

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Soft plastic range on the horizon for Halco

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“We are very pleased to be linking up with Jadon. Obviously our expertise is in hard body lures, so to have such a talented soft lure designer joining our team will ensure that our soft baits are absolutely first class and worthy of the Halco brand. It is a new direction for us that should compliment our current range and we are looking forward to joining this segment of the lure market” said Ben Patrick, Halco Managing Director. “I’m very excited about working with the guys from Halco to

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expand the range of products available. I will be pretty busy over the next 12 months coming up with some unique new products,” said Jadon Wilder. With the addition of

Jadon and his quality soft plastics to the Halco brand, you can expect to see the superior full product range available for order from Halco very soon, pending some transitional arrangements.

Mangrove jack party in Bundaberg this month BUNDABERG

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

November is traditionally mangrove jack month – a topic I have written about in this magazine for the past ten years. November sees the largest and most active ‘big red dogs’ or mangrove jack really come out to play around Bundaberg. A cult

following for the popular jacks has grown over the years with many anglers trying their luck with this feisty species. Anglers who are willing to put in the research and the time on the water usually end up practising catch and release. The more damaging side of the coin is those anglers that are watching social media photos and reports and going out there to put as many as

A good little jack fighter!

they can in the esky. Don’t get me wrong, fish are healthy and delicious, and I for one love a jack or two over the season on the table, but it’s those that take as many as they can that are doing irreversible harm to the fishery. Another trend that really seems to be taking off through social media is the ‘photo thrust,’ where the fish is pushed right up at the camera with the angler’s fingers hidden under the fish to make a nice 40cm fish appear to be a much larger model. Catching a mangrove jack is a great experience whatever the size, so exaggerating their length really doesn’t need to occur– just enjoy the fact that you were out there and your hard work paid off. Take a snap with a smile on your face and the fish in the frame and you will get more anglers appreciating the shot. WHERE AND WHEN? The most common questions I’m asked when it comes to jack fishing is location and timing and really there is no straight answer. If you can choose exactly when you hit the water then you are one of a lucky few! As most of us have work and other responsibilities that inhibit our angling time and activities, we

look to the weekends and the odd rostered day off. The key is to watch the weather and tides leading up to your chance to get on the water and to make the most of that time. A great time to find jack in our area is during the lead up to the new and full moons as the tides start to get bigger. The best time is often spot specific as, in some areas, the jacks feed in sections on the top of the tide and in some they will feed at the bottom. If you find them in a staging area you may be able to get them to bite at any stage of the tide. My advice is to pick a river or creek you are willing to put some time in and fish it hard making sure you’re aware of your sounder to find those fish. Don’t just attempt to fish the Baffle from one end to the other in a day. There is so much fish holding structure throughout the system to explore you would not be able to cover all of it properly. Spend time in a few kilometres of the river and get yourself very familiar with it, look for back eddies, holes, snags and ledges – all of which will hold jacks at some time. Remember what you see and do can be repeated and if you manage to pull a couple of fish from a style of structure, the chances

are that as you travel further you will find similar fish in similar environments. The best advice I can give on tangling with a big jack this month is

get on the water, listen, look, and pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t forget to enjoy your time fishing!

Edward Hay with his first fish. Caught on a recent trip to Bribie Island with his Aunty Kat and Uncle Steve.

THE ONLY BITE YOU’LL GET IS THE ONE ON YOUR LINE.

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Big barra bonanza in the fresh GLADSTONE

Eve Malone

All accounts of fishing across the region have been very exciting and we are getting geared up for a brilliant summer on the water. With the warmer climate comes active fish and the latter side of winter fish spawning cycles. OFFSHORE This past month has seen some windy days cross our paths with only a few short windows to get out on the reef. Those fortunate enough to have taken advantage of these trips have resulted in some great catches of coral trout, red throat in excess of 60cm, impressive pelagic action trolling skirted lures and also floating baits. Red emperor are showing up again in numbers both undersized and upwards

of 10kg catches around North West regions. Speaking of North West, marlin are being taken wide of Broomfield Reef with a 250lb specimen caught and released with by-catches of Spanish mackerel and the spectacular looking and delicious mahimahi. Adam Amos managed to land an absolute beauty trolling skirted resin head lures handmade by local Matt Mannion of ‘Panttera Lures.’ Rock Cod Shoals is also starting to heat up with good reports of tusk, red throat and parrot caught recently. Local fisherman Chris O’Byrne’s advice was fairly simple when getting to know the area, “Get to know your sounder and use it, always keep an eye it – find the bait find the fish.” We’ve all heard this, we all intend to do this but discipline is the key.

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When fishing rock cod you have to get to know what the current is doing, reef fish love a bit of run and will cruise around the upside of a bommie. Fish the deeper sections 15-30m and you’ll find that’s where the quality fish hang out. Rigs come down to personal preference as to what works best for you, when bottom bouncing use a paternoster rig two 6/0 about 300mm apart and the sinker about below the last hook, the sinker should be just as light as conditions dictate, and using 50lb braid and 60lb leader that stops most fish. However, some fish will smash you no matter what you do. Chris always has a live bait out under a balloon for Spanish mackerel and the use of single strand wire has tripled his catches. Anchoring up can seem like the right thing to do, however I have also found drifting, although it can be carnage on your tackle does produce the goods. Drifting the edges, finding the fish and re-drifting over these areas can produce a good feed of trout, cobia and red throat. ESTUARIES With the bream and grunter firing up at the tail end of the spawning season and the later season cool weather these species have been in abundance. Calliope and Boyne rivers are still producing good fish. Peeled prawns or soft plastics are the most popular methods to use in tight to the softer gravel areas. At this time of year you will find them in the deeper waters, however reports have established their position as staying in close to structure and in lower reaches of the rivers. Still getting good reports of mud crab catches but you do have to work for them. Bigger tides and getting

up high into creeks seems to be the best working method. The full moon in November should see them become active again – fingers crossed for a good summer of crab catches! Sandies are also being caught around Lillies Beach area. LAKE AWOONGA Closed season for barramundi is now in effect throughout the Queensland east coast from the 1 November until the 1 February so it’s now time for us to hit the fresh water impoundments to get our barra fix. Recent reports of good catches in our local Barramundi impoundment at Awoonga Dam are starting to filter through. A report of 8 barra caught in one session is enough to get the blood boiling and the boat headed

Christoper Stolk with this fine specimen from Awoonga Dam. deeper water – try some deep diving lures in darker colours on these occasions. Sooty grunter are also on

heats up the bigger barra will definitely come out to play and for all the land-based fishos there is now boat hire

Adam Amos with a mahimahi out wide off Broomfield. towards the dam. One local fisho Christopher Stolk found the best method was to cast at structure (weed beds and snags) using Squidgy Mongrels on 20lb braid. Some bigger fish are holding in the

the target list over the next month or two as they move into their spawning season. Early reports of catches are coming through already with best osuccess on shrimp bait and fly fishing. As the water

available. Great to see we can all take advantage of this large, complex and very fruitful impoundment. I will be doing a more in-depth report on Awoonga in the December issue so make sure you tune in.

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Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

This summer, scientists have reported it will be much hotter than many of us have ever been through, and this is due to a massive

the warm water and the cooler water causes more dryness for the area. How much of the East Coast this will affect, they still don’t know, as there are way too many variables in place but they are certain in many areas it will be a long hot dry summer.

A double up on flatties is always welcome! El Niño effect in our ocean, where the warm water is taken far out into the ocean leaving cooler water close to land. The rainfall follows

Congratulations to Craig Griffiths and Tom Hawkes for 1st and 2nd place in the recent Rockhampton Barra Bounty. Craig led with

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11,205 points while Tom held close with 9,380. FITZROY AND THE NARROWS With the 1 November upon us, closed season now applies to barra, however it doesn’t mean you can’t get out for a lure fishing session to target the many jacks, blue and king threadfin in the river, not to mention the large bream and grunter up in the narrows. The river temperature is still fairly cool, which is great for blue and king salmon. Typical estuary lures are all pulling fish, especially the blade market with hardbody and soft blades. The hundreds of new prawn imitation lures are also working just as well. The recent barra competition in the Fitzroy saw a few large species caught, but an overall average length of 50-80cm. There were a few absolute ripper fish were caught in the bounty with a 105cm barra and a 131cm king threadfin topping the board. RIVER MOUTHS CREEKS AND BEACHES The estuaries are always loaded with fish at this time of year during the transition of winter to summer, especially with the mild nights upon us. Many people are catching a lot of bream amongst the snags, flathead along the drop offs, sandbars and muddy ledges and a heap of tarpon and cod, that have been around the systems in huge numbers lately. Like the Fitzroy, the creeks around the area have a decent amount of prawns moving around the area making the prawn imitation plastics the way to go. The channels, estuaries and beach gutters have had a lot of activity from blue salmon and queenfish, both of which are great fish that can be targeted by using lures or baits. There are a lot of great options for people heading into the estuaries to fish, whether you go up to Yellow Patch on Curtis Island or stay in closer to home targeting

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This scrappy tarpon fell to a Gulp Minnow. the Narrows or Corio Bay, the most important part lately has been matching the baitfish. I have had some great luck lately using Gulp in the watermelon pearl colour because it closely resembles a herring or mullet, which have been very active recently. Once I see larger numbers of small whiting pushing in the system, I will switch to a banana prawn colour or new penny if the water is murky. FRESHWATER LAGOONS The freshwater lagoons around the area have plenty of activity this time of year and many of the accessible freshwater areas around the Rockhampton region hold some of Queensland’s most iconic species. Surface and subsurface lures that mimic insects are a go-to this time of year, the amount of moths around at the moment is amazing. A nice walkthe-dog action or a small popper hat mimics an action of a moth will attract just about every species. Tarpon are a species you will come to grips with when fishing in the freshwater lagoons around the area, there are hundreds of them, they hit pretty hard, jump a lot and just make surface fishing that much more enjoyable. They don’t fight as hard as

This barra was one of many caught from the snags in the background. a barramundi would, but the sheer number you can catch per session makes up for that! CRABBING If you’re wanting to catch a crab or two, the best bait lately is mullet head with catfish coming a close second. Fortunately mullet head can be bought from anywhere and it takes no time at all to rig a pot up with them. A simple bait

clip between the eyes and the mullet head is good to go. The rules still apply at 4 pots per person with the pots and floats both labelled. Label kits can be picked up for next to nothing and come with a waterproof marker, labels and zip ties. Do the right thing when out crabbing to preserve this fishing method for future generations. Fish light get the bite.

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Wading the flats has always produced fish for us.

King threadfin in town YEPPOON

Scott Lynch ifishcq2@bigpond.com

Barra season has ended and the reef closures have come into effect. The end of the barra season was quite different from other years in that there were fewer fish caught, but some very nice fish among the stacks of little fellas. The dry has meant that

We have had some great sessions landing upwards of 25 fish (using barbless hooked lures with all fish released successfully). It’s given me the opportunity to fine-tune my methods and gear to suit different styles of plastics and hardbodies. Most of the guys were trolling rattle-type lures that worked the zone around a metre from the bottom. We tried every sort of lure I owned and the most successful were

Grunter love rubble patches and cockle beds. Some of our local systems have big patches of small cockles about the size of your little fingernail. Generally they can be found in holes on external bends in a creek or river, and look just like coarse gravel on the sounder. Fingermark also like this type of country. Coorooman Creek has several good grunter holes, as does Corio Bay and

Michael Jamieson caught this king threadfin salmon in the Fitzroy River. the majority of breedingsize fish in the Fitzroy are further upstream than in previous years. For the barra addicts, like myself, there are other options such as Lake Awoonga, Monduran, Proserpine and other impoundments within a few hours drive. These dams are open all year round and, as you would expect, the barramundi definitely feed better during the warmer months. In recent times many of the young local guys have been branching out from the norm and targeting other freshwater species like saratoga and sooty grunter. So many freshwater rivers and creeks within easy distance opens up a new world for those of us raised in salt. By next month I will have given it more of a shot and should have a section on how and where within range of Rocky. BARRA BOUNTY The Barra Bounty last month had another good year with most guys getting a barra or two, but the standout was the amount of king threadfin salmon along the length of the river. They have been schooling in huge numbers everywhere. In September they moved right up into town (and they’re still being caught there). There were occasions during the comp when 20 or more boats were all trolling an area and catching salmon like clockwork. The best part about it was that the large majority of fish were released.

the natural prawn colours in both the plastics and the hardbodies. Other crews, however, found that different colours in the fluoro range did better for them, which indicate that persistence with a particular lure can pay off. More often than not, if the fish aren’t hitting your lure, try something else. Once again the modern sounders were a major advantage in finding where the fish were aggregating. At different locations the fish were holding at different depths, and this was when lure and method selection were also important. GRUNTER Grunter have had some serious runs this year and they keep coming – even right up to the town reaches of the Fitzroy River in spots they haven’t been for years. All the regular spots in the river have turned out quality fish lately. Connors Creek and into Port Alma is and area where they are as big as the big yellow offshore fish. In the Nerimbera section is another spot where they school up, particularly when the tide runs hard. The current creates huge undulations like big ripples where the grunter hold under the flow, and pick off a feed as it passes. The old days with heaps of tinnies fishing the hole at Devils Elbow has returned. It is the best indicator that grunter are there in numbers. Look towards the river on the town side of the Lakes Creek meat works – if there are boats there – the fish are on.

Waterpark Creek. These systems work the same as the river, and the sort of country that grunter like is very consistent across all our estuaries. As usual, prawns are the best bait. Another option for the lure fishers has been 30-40mm chrome or gold vibes. We have also caught grunter on plenty of different plastics in recent times. WHITING Whiting are continuing to feature in catches. Any of the beaches from the mouth of the river right up to army country has a supply of good whiting. Rundles, Long and Keppel Sands beaches have a particularly large number of fish all around the 30cm mark. Kinka through to Mulambin is another hotspot for school whiting. In the past week or so you can be driving through Yeppoon and see fishers scoring quality fish at the mouth of Ross Creek and around the bluff. Farnborough Beach is worth a shot at any of the many little gutters and features. Corio Bay and Coorooman are other very good spots to try. The best spots in our area are Nine Mile and Three Rivers. The hard access gives the whiting population plenty of recovery time between fishers. Beachworms and yabbies provide the best whiting baits. I like to fish the incoming tide at my feet right where we catch our bait. REEF AND OFFSHORE Mahimahi (dolphinfish) are still being caught. Plenty of our recent trips To page 58

NOVEMBER 2015

Still get your barra fix MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

The barra closed season is now here and that means no chasing barra in the salty stuff until February next year. But anglers still have access to some top-notch barra fishing in our dams, and they have been firing well, depending on the weather. October was unseasonably windy with many strong wind warnings, and 25-30knot SE winds were common. This caused local anglers much frustration. October is usually a month of mainly northerly winds, which allows plenty of offshore activity. Here’s hoping that

November calms the winds down and gives us a chance to get out on the briny. Back to the dams, and MAFSA Inc has been busy as usual with 6,300 fingerlings at 250-300mm barra stocked into Eungalla dam the last weekend in October. These will grow rapidly over the summer months and provide a great top up for the Dam. The dam is not at 100% capacity and if the dry summer weather continues it will be drawn down further. This draw down is a positive for anglers as the lower level opens up new areas of shallow points, bays and other fish holding areas to try out. There is also the benefit of less water, so the fish will be more concentrated, but

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stick to the formula used when the dam is full and look for the same types of habitat and the barra won’t be far away. Barra are creatures of habit. Just go a bit steady around the dam as there is now a fair amount of timber just under the surface and smashing into this at high speed will not do your boat, outboard or yourself any good at all. MAFSA Inc has also been busy stocking barra into the 3 weirs on the Pioneer river early in October. Members released 1000 barra between the weirs and every fish was tagged. The fish were around 260-300mm long and have a prominent yellow T-bar tag on their left hand side. These tagged fish will move through the system and hopefully upon capture, anglers will record the length, location and date, and call the number on the tag. This data will provide info, which can be used in future stocking and research programs. Reef Catchments have also stocked 1000 barra into the Gooseponds in North Mackay recently and these fish were held in MAFSA’s hatchery overnight to be weighed, measured ,and tagged. Again, their movements will show the importance of the Janes Creek/Gooseponds area as a barra nursery. Hopefully they will also assist in controlling the tilapia outbreak, which was discovered about a year ago. The release of these barra was in conjunction with an information and family fishing fun day, which saw about 140 junior anglers take part. This was a great way to introduce young fishos and promote the healthy waterways projects. Mackay Recreational Fishers provided gear for the juniors if they did

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Clinton Hassan worked a plastic vibe down through a bait school and scored this beaut golden near Round Top Island. not have their own and mum, dad and the kids all had a ball. For those anglers new to the game of chasing barra in our impoundments, there are a few basic tips that will go a long way to success. Firstly, make sure you have a Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP). These are available at tackle shops stores, or online from Fisheries. The Patrol boys regularly check the dams so make certain yours is current. The dam fisheries have developed basically as a lure and fly fishery as getting live bait legally (no cast nets are allowed in fresh water) is difficult. Lure types that are successful include hard and soft-bodied lures, surface and subsurface lures and flies. The range is endless, but the local tackle shop staff can assist with choices. Fishing light gear is also not recommended in the dams, as there are fish well over 1.2m in all 3 of our dams. I suggest at least 10kg braid with a 20-30kg leader. Both baitcasters and spinning rigs are suitable. Use snaps if you like but From page 57

have involved mahimahi encounters, with several fish taken trolling the edge of the scum patches between spots. These fish will find virtually any floating object and make it home until something better comes along. Any time you see floating objects it pays to cast a lure or two past them or take your troll pattern around them. Like many other pelagics, we get more action in the dry years. Grey, doggy and spotty mackerel have all been going well in previous weeks. All the local spots, especially in the southern end of the bay, have been charging. Farnborough, Bangalee, Findlays, Ironpot, Double

make sure they are top quality. I prefer to use a loop knot and just retie the knot each lure change as that way you also unconsciously check the leader is in good nick. For the fly angler, I suggest a minimum of an 8-weight outfit, you will need both floating and intermediate (slow sink) lines. I really like the cassette style fly reels as several different cassettes means only one reel needs to be purchased. I use both Greys and Snowbee models for several different types of lines and the system is very user friendly. Flies need plenty of flashy material, a good size profile and at least a 1/0 solid hook in case you hook the big one. A few surface lures like poppers and gurglers will complete the gear. There are plenty of flies in the local shops and for those wanting to roll their own, YouTube has heaps of instructional tying videos. Lure anglers will have a diverse range of hardware but ‘must haves’ include plenty of paddletail plastics. Black and gold combos work well and

most successful dam fishers use a variety of sizes from 70-150mm. Squidgies, Berkeleys and similar offerings are all successful in the dams and the norm is to use a very slow retrieve speed interspersed with the odd burst of higher speed. A variety of pre-rigged lures and some others with different weight jig heads will see plenty of action. Hardbodies can be equally confusing at the start but again a few ‘must haves’ include Gold Bombers, B52s, Halcos, and similar types. Generally speaking you will not use deep divers very much as most of the barra are caught in water less than 5m deep. Throw in a few imported lures like the Lucky Craft range and you will cover most of the bases. Surface lures are a great way to catch barra and one of the very best is the Tango Dancer, which has a great walkthe-dog action that barra find almost irresistible. My other go to surface lure is the Z-Man Pop Frogz in the larger size and preferably in white. These can be dynamite among the lilies and weeds. Have a couple

Heads, Rita Mada, Wedge, Pelican and Quartz Rock have all had a portion of the catch lately. Spanish mackerel will be about for a while and should be at places like Flat, Perforated, Manifold and the wider shoals. Cobia are still annoying the mackerel guys at some of the close spots like Liza Jane, Barren, Outer, and Man and Wife. We often take one for the BBQ, especially if the fishing is a little slow. The Coral Reef Fin Fish Closures for this month are 9-13 November inclusive. Last month the wind didn’t drop below 15-20 knots for that period so it didn’t affect too many anglers. There have only been

limited opportunities for the serious reef fishers lately. The wider grounds have been putting out some huge reds when the weather has allowed. Nannygai and trout are also in good supply at the closer grounds and the wides. Red-throat emperor have been a standout, with some large fish landed last month. We scored these fish in water a little deeper than we would usually target them. The red grounds this side of the shoals have produced a fair quantity of red-throat in recent weeks. That’s a wrap for this month, remember to stay safe out on the water and have fun!

of cup face poppers in the box and you are good to go. While the dams will get plenty of attention from now to Christmas, the saltwater is still fishing well and if this wind ever dies down we will get amongst the small mackerel, which have been spasmodic at best so far this summer. On those rare days of light winds, which always seem to happen when I am busy at work, the fishing has been good, with plenty of grunter, mulloway and golden trevally about. The last of the snapper seem to have headed back down south as I haven’t heard of any over the last few weeks. Everyone is waiting on the wind and itching to get offshore and into some top fishing. I am looking to chase small macks, goldens and tuna, all of

plastic vibes being very successful worked in a jig style fashion. Trouble is everything with teeth likes them too so the losses can be high. This can be offset a bit by getting the cheaper brands, which seem to work just as well. There has been a good run of jacks in the creeks, particularly the creeks north of the city and there has been a few caught getting up towards the 60cm mark. They’re great fun to catch and a great fish on the plate, it’s a shame we don’t have higher numbers here, but many of our creeks dry almost right out at low tide. If you are chasing jacks, check out creeks with reasonable water at low tide, especially if that water has rocks or a rock bar in it. The jacks will be on the chew right through summer and can be caught on lures, flies,

and flathead are year round prospects and can be found in all our systems. Due to our tide ranges a boat is a distinct advantage and also keeps you at a safe distance from those big mud geckos. My last trip to Constant creek showed up a nice salty about 3m long not far from the ramp, so caution is the operative word. For the anglers on the bream and flathead, the universal bait would have to be freshly pumped yabbies on a light rig with a running sinker. This outfit will score on grunter, bream, flatties, whiting and the odd king and blue threadfin as well. During November and December, Mackay has much to offer the local and visiting angler with options aplenty in fresh and saltwater. It really doesn’t

Barra like this silvery salty caught by Troy Taylor are now off limits, but there are plenty on the chew in Mackay’s stocked dams. which can be found close to the harbour or the river mouth. The goldens have been going off around Flat and Round Top islands with

livies or cut baits, just make sure you get right hard in on the cover and hang on! The bread and butter species like whiting, bream

matter what species you’re after, we’ve got it sorted. So why not come and try our patch of paradise? See you at the ramp.

A perfect time to visit STANAGE BAY

Von Ireland

Happy Days for those traveling to and from Stanage at the moment, with only a few potholes and a bit of corrugation left. Most of the campers and caravans have done their stint up here in the camp area, which is a donation to the township, payable either at the tackle shop in the boatyard or at the local store, pub or servo. Some rules do apply, so please adhere to the signage, which include taking your rubbish with you, then everyone will be happy.

The estuary has been very kind to those targeting the black jew and grunter. The barra haven’t been targeted by anyone in particular, so there’s only been a couple of reports of catches, although most smart anglers are a bit secretive these days. The guys on the Pacific Oasis crew caught a mixture in the Thirsty Sound over the long weekend, a few weeks ago. One of the crew popped into the shop the other night after hitting the offshore winds head on, and said he was rewarded well with his limit of grassy sweetlip. He did comment on finding the

‘kindergarden’, with lots of small fish landed as well. Unfortunately the southeastern side of the islands were not fishable due to the rough seas. Next month, with a bit of luck, the right pheromones and weather providing, you will do well on this species. Finally, the Thirsty Sound Coastguard, Stanage’s fundraising tide and info calendar has just been printed, so when you visit Stanage, be sure to bring at least $5 to purchase one. • Remember the latest fishing reports are on www. fishingmonthly.com.au and for queries on Stanage Bay fishing, call me on (07) 4937 3145. NOVEMBER 2015

Fishing Fill-its

How To Use An Echo Sounder/Fish Finder For the amount of high dollar electronics adorning the helms of boats big and small across the state, there aren’t many broad resources to fall back on when it comes to understanding the workings of a fish finder and what fish actually look like on one.

That is, of course, discounting social media. Although others may not agree, you cannot master reading an electronic sounder by simply viewing or ‘liking’ photos of on Facebook. Other people’s ability to recognise a fish on a sounder won’t help you when you’re out on the

water by yourself. Correct setup and interpretation of what’s showing on the screen of your fish finder can make the difference between an awesome and a fishless day on the water. At Fishing Monthly, we’re a fan of John Adams’

book, How to Use an Echo Sounder/Fish Finder. This literature gifts you with a step-by-step guide to how a conventional fish finder works and there’s a large section that will help you interpret the images that come back from the deep blue. Note that there’s no

content in this version on side scan or 360-degree scanning – just the conventional, under the boat finding of fish. Nearly half the book is a collection of images collected in the real world with explanatory notes. In practice, this is a great way to connect the dots. I’ve been

using fish finders since they changed from paper graphs to LCD screens and I still learned plenty from this book. The best way to buy a copy is via John’s website: howtouseafishfinder.com where you’ll pick one up for $49.95 plus postage. – Steve Morgan

If you’ve ever thought you should improve your sounding skills, this book is the publication for you.

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NOVEMBER 2015

The palomar knot BRISBANE

Kim Bain

The palomar knot is one of a group of knots that I arbitrarily lump together and call ‘presentation knots.” Presentation knots are used for the way they present a hook and or lure, not necessarily for their knot strength. Knots in this group include; loop knots, the paternoster rig’s dropper knot, snoods, as well as the palomar when used in a dropshot rig. PALOMAR FOR DROP SHOTTING A small variation in the palomar knot, adds one extra step after the knot is tied, to cause the hook to jut out perpendicular to the main line when a sinker is tied below the hook. This

improves the presentation of any soft plastic lure (or fly) that is on the hook. Such a subtle improvement of presentation can make the difference between zero fish and a bag of hero fish, especially when you are fishing light line on spin tackle outfits in heavily pressured clearwater fisheries. This presentation also works well with heavy tackle baitcaster outfits when pitching beaver style soft plastic baits in heavy cover. Note that the palomar can also be used to tie a hook to your line or trace (hint: check out the breaking strain table that was included with last month’s QFM Back to Basics). The palomar is quite a strong knot, even contending with a uni knot

in some strength tests. I do prefer the uni knot as my all-rounder because I can tie it in the dark. Yet, the palomar also has its staunch supporters, although geared toward dropshotting, you should consider it for other uses. A drop shot rig has a sinker on the line beneath the hook. The idea is to have the sinker on the bottom and the soft plastic artificial lure on the hook suspended at about 30cm above the sinker. This puts the lure seductively in the strike zone when the rod tip is subtly twitched or shaken. The dropshot palomar differs from the standard palomar in that it is a standard palomar with a long tag end of approximately 30-50cm.

With the above in mind, you are left holding the ‘loose’ overhand knot between the thumb and forefinger of one hand. With your free hand pass the end of the double line loop over the hook. Then slide this loop up onto the line just above the eye of the hook. Lubricate the knot before snugging it tight. Then pull slowly and evenly on both the standing line (main line) as well as the tag end double in order to tighten down the knot onto the eye of the hook.

Double 30-50cm of line and pass the end of the loop through the eye of your hook. Depending on your line, it may help if the hook point faces up and the double line is passed up through the eye of the hook from the underside (the side away from the hook point) and thus out the hook point side. When you pass the doubled line through the hook’s eyelet, make sure that the two lines (sides) of the double lines are parallel to each other and are not criss-crossed before you tie your overhand knot.

In the doubled line, fashion a loose overhand knot above the hook, with the hook hanging from the bottom of the formed loop. Hold the overhand knot between thumb and forefinger of one hand. When you make the overhand knot, don’t cinch it down on the eye of the hook; simply reduce the size of the overhand loop (close the loop a little by half-cinching it) and then pass the doubled end’s loop over the hook. Done this way, with the lines parallel, you won’t cause as much friction on your line when you later go to snug down the knot. The idea is to reduce the line, in turn weakening friction.

Now feed the remaining tag end (which is no longer a double) back through hook eye from above, the hook must face upwards.

Lastly, attach a small sinker at the end of the tag line at the desired distance from hook and then trim the tag end at the sinker. (Note: this small dropshot sinker may attach via a small wire clip so that you can interchange weights).

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GOLD COAST (SOUTH) MARINE TUNE

64 Kortum Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD, 4215 Phone: (07) 5576 7388 Fax: (07) 5576 2278 www.marinetune.com

GOLD COAST (NORTH)

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

GOLD COAST (NORTH) STEFAN BOATING WORLD

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

BRISBANE (SOUTH)

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

BRISBANE (BAYSIDE) WYNNUM MARINE

31 Fox Street Wynnum, QLD, 4178 Phone: (07) 3396 9777 Fax: (07) 3893 2046 www.wynnummarineyamaha.com.au

BRISBANE (NORTH) NORTHSIDE MARINE

2294 Sandgate Road Boondall, QLD, 4034 Phone: (07) 3265 8000 Fax: (07) 3265 8099 www.northsidemarineyamaha.com.au

BRISBANE (NORTH) BRISBANE YAMAHA

174 Eastern Service Road Burpengary, QLD 4505 Phone: (07) 3888 1727 Fax: (07) 3888 9513 www.brisbaneyamaha.com.au

SUNSHINE COAST

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

HERVEY BAY BUCCANEERS

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

Industry Profile

BUNDABERG

BUNDABERG MARINELAND 95 Targo Street, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670 Phone: (07) 4130 0500 Fax: (07) 4152 4754 www.bundabergmarineland.com.au

GLADSTONE

CURTIS COAST MARINE 40 Chapple St, Gladstone QLD, 4802 Phone: (07) 4972 0135 Fax: (07) 4972 0136 www.curtiscoastmarine.com.au

MACKAY

REEF MARINE 26 Prospect Street Mackay, QLD, 4740 Phone: (07) 4957 3521 Fax: (07) 4957 2447 www.reefmarine.net

WHITSUNDAYS

WHITSUNDAY MARINE

4/11 Shute Harbour Road Cannonvale,QLD, 4802 Phone: (07) 4948 3298 Fax: (07) 4948 3298 www.whitsundaymarine.com.au

BOWEN

REIBEL MARINE 34 Don Street Bowen, QLD, 4805 Phone: (07) 4786 2944 Fax: (07) 4786 6606 www.reibelmarineyamaha.com.au

Lawnton TW turns one Tackle World Lawnton, located on Brisbane’s northside, is celebrating its first birthday. Despite launching the store with a big range of gear, owner Steve Andrews has continued to fine-tune the range and he’s always sourcing new stock. “We have a lot of regulars,” he explained, “and we want them to be able to see new products when they visit.” Not everybody knows that the Tackle World Group isn’t actually a franchise; it’s a buying group. ‘So what’s the difference?’ I hear you ask. Well, within a franchise, each outlet is required to stock the same items (as well as other restrictions). In a buying group, each store is an independent outlet, giving each owner the freedom to pick and choose which products he or she wants to stock. And because a buying group the size of Tackle World is able to purchase a lot of popular products in bulk, customers reap the benefits of competitive pricing. “It’s like a co-op,” Steve explained. “Being part of a buying group gives us access to a huge range of products, and we get to choose which ones we think are best for our local area and best

store and you’ll see that it’s professionally laid out, with stacks of stock and variety without being cluttered. When you’re in a cluttered store it’s a bit of a pain trying to find what you want,

That’s not the case with Steve’s store – the team make updates every day, and you can tell they have a lot of fun doing so. Posts include competitions, giveaways, up-to-the-minute

but you won’t have that problem here. And if you’re serious about using quality bait, you’ve come to the right place. The store has a large range of quality frozen bait, plus live bait on most weekends. Apart from providing a complete range of tackle, Steve said his store’s top priority is customer service. It’s testament to this philosophy that in 12 short months the store is already well known for the way in which it helps its customers

for our customers. It’s the best of both worlds for us – we’re still independently and privately owned, but we buy lots of products as a group and pass those savings on. We also have access to exclusive products.” The staff at Tackle World Lawnton all fish regularly in the local area, and between them their expertise covers pretty much every aspect of fishing. “Whatever kind of fishing you like to do, we can help you out,” Steve said. “We are a dedicated tackle store with something for every angler, whether they’re a beginner or an the expert, fishing the bluewater, estuaries and the fresh. We cover absolutely everything to do with fishing, and our goal is to help you catch a fish.” Walk into this large

to find what they want and need, and catch the fish they’re after.

catch info and pics, new products, special deals and more. Customers are also encouraged to post pics of their latest catches. With over 15,000 ‘Likes’ and counting, and plenty of customer-staff interaction, it’s the way a store’s Facebook page should be. As you’d expect with a Tackle World store, there’s also a member program with VIP card for special discounts and other benefits. GETTING THERE You can’t miss the store – it’s basically right on the main drag of Gympie Road. There’s heaps of parking, with enough room to easily manoeuvre a small boat. It’s an ideal site, which is why Steve chose it in the first place. “A year after I sold my last store, I saw this site and thought it was the perfect place to open a Tackle World store,” he said. “We did have a rocky start, with a break-in on the morning of our grand opening, but since then it’s been onwards and upwards, and we’re thriving! “I reckon I have the best job in the world. I get to spend the whole day doing what I love, which is talking about fishing!” - FMG

TULLY

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

CAIRNS

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

KARUMBA

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

JOIN THE COMMUNITY Some tackle stores don’t do much with their Facebook pages; you hop on hoping to see some recent catch photos or news, only to be presented with a few feeble posts that are months or even years old.

INFORMATION Tackle World Lawnton Gympie Rd Lawnton, Qld Ph: (07) 3205 7475 www.facebook.com/ tackleworldlawnton NOVEMBER 2015

Brisbane’s new Leisure Expo attracts big crowds People were lining up early at the entry gates in eager anticipation of the grand opening of the inaugural Caravan, Camping,

Boating and 4x4 Expo that was held at the Cleveland Showgrounds from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2015. Everyone wanted to be

The Wilson Baitcasting Tank where expo-explorers got to see some incredible lures in action – a fantastic way to see how the professionals get it done!

first in the gates to get first chop at the best deals and Deputy Mayor Alan Beard – who was on hand to officially open the event – was right there among them! Motels and hotels were heavily booked with visitors and exhibitors travelling from all over Brisbane and surrounding areas to be part of the event. Some of Australia’s finest caravan, camper trailer and 4x4 manufacturers were on site with millions of dollars worth of stock on show and for sale. Event organiser, Bob Carroll from Australian Events said that there was an amazing response on social media pages with people living in the immediate areas applauding the initiative to stage the event at Cleveland. The level of support for the new Expo was unprecedented, and it is now locked in to become a major event on the annual events calendar for Redlands and the Bayside communities. There was over $13,000 worth of prizes to be won at the Expo, including a boating package valued at $10,024 courtesy of Mike’s Marine Capalaba. Zachary Murdock from Capalaba was the lucky winner of this very generous prize at the inaugural event.

Boating & RV are a welcome sight at the Cleveland Caravan, Camping, Boating and 4x4 Expo!

SeaAdex Boats specialise in unique customised plate alloy boats that are suitable for all weather conditions. The team had a great display for expo-goers to explore!

Aussie born and bred Venom Rods were a standout fishing feature at the Mossops Bait and Tackle stand.

Mercury outboards are world renown for their power and reliability, and it was fantastic to see such a great display from them. 64

NOVEMBER 2015

Anyone with an interest in boating or fishing had a ball. The special presentation area featured Channel 7’s Paul ‘Burty’ Burt as MC. Burty showed the crowds what to do when you land that big fish, how to fillet, prepare and then cook up your catch, all on the magnificent Siemens Cooking Stage. Huge crowds also gathered to watch the 4x4 Off Road Skills Track, Camp

Oven Cooking with Ranger Nick and Luke from Luke’s Reptile Kingdom. As a bonus, the Redlands Museum was open all weekend within the event. Friends of the Museum were extremely busy serving tea, coffee and homemade fare and outside they had blacksmith demonstrations and a range of old machinery and tractors operating. Feedback from the patrons and exhibitors has

been overwhelming with organisers planning to expand on the boating and fishing area of the event as well as a much larger area for camping and caravans. Cleveland Caravan, Camping, Boating and 4x4 Expo will be returning to the Cleveland Showgrounds on 23-25 September 2016. For all the event details go to www.clevelandexpo. com.au/ – FMG

The team from Mike’s Marine preparing for a big day at the expo, slip slop slapped and ready for business!

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Out of season barra etiquette CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

Another barramundi open season has come and gone and for many anglers it has been a tough one. The severe lack of monsoonal activity and consequent flooding rains across the state has seen very limited run off and virtually no opportunity for the iconic barramundi to spawn. I can recall a similar set of meteorological events almost a decade ago where the total absence of a wet season saw catches of barramundi plummet. Hopefully the wet season will return with a bit more force in the coming months which will see numbers increase again. Until then the other sad news is that barramundi is off the target list and these iconic fish

the coming months anglers take measures to ensure that the barramundi see as little stress as possible.

not to target barramundi. This is a fine line and hard to avoid but there are some strategies which can help

Specifically targeting fish like jacks with smaller lures, lighter trebles and line is a good way to start avoiding accidental captures.

Barra this size and above are the ones that need the most protection during the closed season as they will be the ones which will be producing the future stocks. are now on a well-deserved summer holiday where they can fatten up and get ready to breed. With such a poor wet season already decreasing numbers it is vitally important that over

Here are a few tips that you can implement while fishing if you encounter a barramundi during the closed season. The most important rule during the closed season is

avoid accidental capture. Firstly try to downsize your lures as a start to around the 4” mark. While downsizing your lures will not completely avoid barra captures it does limit the

Big breeding females like this one need to be cradled and supported at all times. The jury is out on boga grip use however I no longer use these. 66

NOVEMBER 2015

catch of the big breeding female fish. These lures may still snare plenty of the smaller male barra between

50-70cm but it’s the bigger models which need the most protection this time of year as research shows that added stress can interrupt the breeding and spawning cycle significantly. The same can be said for live baiting – using 20cm live mullet up the creek is just being reckless. Anglers may tell you that they are chasing big golden snapper, threadfin and jacks but it’s not rocket science to try and be a little cautious with your practise this time of year. Another technique is to avoid fishing known big barra hot spots such as the mouths of creeks where the bigger fish tend to hole up this time of year waiting for the rains to fall. Once again it’s not a hard and fast rule but maybe turning

This is not the way to hold a barramundi and will more than likely stretch its vertebrae and kill it. This fish was taken for the plate during the open season. your attention towards fishing smaller structures and timber where the bigger female barra are less likely to be found is a good option. If you do manage to find yourself accidently connected to a barramundi here are a few tips to ensure a safe and responsible catch and release. Firstly don’t let the fight last too long and try and get that fish to the boat as quickly as possible as prolonged fights will only harm the fish. Some will argue that keeping the rod tip high during the fight will also increase chances of the fish throwing the hook during the jumps however a lower stick will usually lead to a much faster catch. Once you do get the fish boat

side do your very best to leave it in the water. Boat side releases are crucial this time of year as the majority of stress and damage suffered by the fish occurs when the fish are removed from the water. This is where using barbless hooks is a really good idea as it allows the angler to remove hooks with ease boat side. Take care to swim the fish using a hand locked jaw grip. If you can’t conduct a boat side release for reasons such as croc safety (be mindful that barra closed season corresponds with croc spawning times when they are highly aggressive) or the hooks are just too well stuck only then use a good quality Environet which will limit the amount

Small male fish like this one are hard to avoid during the barra closed season so it’s best to use lighter trebles and barbless hooks to ensure an easy release.

of protective slime taken off the fish. I’m still unsure why the DPI have not outlawed certain kinds of landing nets for this very reason. When lifting the fish out of water try and cradle it as best as possible and when placed on the floor do so on a wet towel to avoid the summer heated surface. Remember fish are coming out of an average 28°C environment to one

that can be exceeding 30°C which is again multiplied when placed on a boat floor which can be retaining a temp of more than 40°C. If lures, especially hardbodies are halfway down the throat of a barra don’t get in there and rip it out. Once again use lighter gauge trebles and barbless hooks to ensure this process of removal is a simple one. There is no need to be using

4X or 6X hooks during the closed season. Make sure you have a very sharp pair of cutters so if you have to you can just cut the hooks off at the base and remove the hardbody or soft plastic quite easily leaving the pinned barbs in the fish. When returning the fish to the water be sure to cradle the fish with a supporting belly grip at all times. Be aware that taking photos

Boat side releases are vital to ensuring the health and survival of barramundi during the closed season.

of fish out of the water during the closed season is simply disallowed because of the damage that can be sustained. Avoid vertical style grips at all times as this will stretch the fish and can cause fatal damage. As stated before it is best to avoid removing the fish from the water at all times. The best way to avoid barra is to target other species during the closed season. This is a great opportunity to specialise your fishing for certain species and specifically

target jacks, grunter and flathead to make yourself a better angler. Unfortunately there are no hard and fast methods for avoiding barramundi entirely. Old bucket mouth does tend to show up just about everywhere and will eat just about anything at times no matter what the shape or size, however being responsible and doing your best to avoid them is important. It’s just as important to take care of them when captured as well. If you are keen for

a barra fix then get out and try your hand at the many barra impoundments across the state. This is the best time to fish them and with metre fish being the average size it’s a pretty good alternative. Being responsible is vital, especially during times like the present where numbers are already low. Remember the closed season is designed not to hinder but to enhance barra captures for recreational anglers and to keep our world class fishery alive.

Closed seasons don’t mean the end of barramundi fishing and the dams fish awesomely this time of year for some very big fish.

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NOVEMBER 2015

2/10/2015 10:36 am

A golden spot of cod WHITSUNDAYS

Luke Griffiths

We are well into spring now and as the weather heats up, so does our typical run of goldspot cod through September, October and November. Cod to 20kg have been a regular catch and a welcome addition to the icebox. I can hear a lot of you screaming at the magazine, “Lukey! Are you mad? What are you talking about? Cod aren’t a very sought after catch!” Well, I may be slightly affected by too much salt air, however, the fact is they are quite nice on the plate. Despite the belief by many that they are slimy and ugly. They have a soft, white flesh, which cooks well. Just try it next time you catch one. Like always, preparation of the fish from the water to the plate is the key to a delicious dinner. Delicious dinners have been a regularity over the past month, with our highly prized reef fish coming more and more on the bite. The reef has been fishing quite well

lately, with an abundance of species being caught. The usual suspects of coral trout, red-throat emperor and spangled emperor have been in terrific numbers around the reef edges and coral bommies.

Closures this month, you don’t want to be the one caught! Serious fines are in place for fishing illegally during this period. During the reef closures a good idea would be to set out for a billfish. There

Renegade’s clients excited with their dinner of goldspot cod and largemouth nannygai.

Darren showing the business end of a Spanish mackerel trolled up off a deep ledge at the Great Barrier Reef. Some brutal fighting green jobfish have been amongst the catches too, which are great fun to catch, and worthy for the table if you intend on boosting your protein and omega 3 intake. Be sure to check the Coral Reef Fin Fish

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are plenty around from the islands right out to the outer reefs. Targeting the old ‘stickface’ can be boring for some, but once you have experienced the thrill of catching one you will most likely change your mind! A well-set pattern of skirts or baits trolled, is the ticket. Always keep an eye on your spread though as these cheeky buggers tend to rise out of nowhere, so you will often see the fish before it eats one of your offerings. Spanish mackerel are still about in decent numbers out wide at the reefs and some trolled hardbodies and baits around the pressure points of the reef systems should see you hooking up to a few. Around these pressure points some nice GT have been battled with and boated. If you’re crazy enough to want to target this brute of a fish, you will find them on the aforementioned pressure points of the reefs,

headlands and rocks where the bait is holding and current flow is substantial. Casting large poppers and stickbaits at the reef edges is the go, but make sure your gear is up to scratch or you and your pride will be scratched. We like to use minimum 80lb braid, 150-200lb mono leaders with our drags set to the ‘what was I thinking!’

nannygai becoming more prevalent again, especially the small mouth nannygai. We should see them increasing in numbers around the islands and shoals this month, so when the weather allows, dropping a line for them is a must. One way to get the partner to let you out is to bring home some succulent

been good around the local estuaries, so soaking a pot while having a fish is a good idea, or vice versa. Salmon, grunter and barramundi have been intercepted while fishing the creeks and rivers, and are great fun to target on lighter gear. If the wind is restricting you to head offshore, a great alternative is to head

Patrick displaying the beautiful colours of a quality parrotfish, which are equally as beautiful to eat. setting. Any looser and they will reef you in an instant. The islands have been fishing well also with

shellfish, and what better exoskeletal delicacy to bring home than a mud crab! The numbers have

down to the local estuaries. On that note, I am off to find myself a leave pass and hopefully a few

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An overseas guest struggling to hold a largemouth nannygai caught around the islands.

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Windy weather woes AYR

Steve Farmer

It has been hard to justify owning a bluewater boat in North Queensland for most of this year. Vessels large enough to fish the open water have cowered in sheds and backyards most weekends, with brisk to strong winds dominating the weather pattern. The mackerel on the Alva Shoals – probably the area’s most popular sport-fishery – hardly saw a pilchard bait or trolled lure all winter. And when a half-decent weather window did present itself, the fishing was far from inspiring. Recently a skipper recounted the long run out to the main reef for just two decent fish! The much-anticipated Labour Day long weekend in early October was also wiped out with 20-30 knot winds. It was an effort just to get to Cape Upstart, the Burdekin’s favourite getaway, let alone actually fish the popular hotspots along the exposed side of the cape. However, luckily for Burdekin anglers, we have

a range of estuaries we can fish when the bluewater is a bit bumpy, and with the rising temperatures most of these are fishing reasonably well. With the fastapproaching closed season, barramundi have been the number one target species, with almost every estuary angler out to bag a barra. However, while numbers caught have been reasonable, the majority of fish have been around 65cm or smaller. A 65cm barra is still a nice table fish, but it falls a long way short of the trophy, metre-plus fish that many anglers would like to finish the season with. No doubt the fishing effort will increase over the next few weeks and hopefully by the time the gates shut on the open season at midday on November 1, anglers will have a few yarns to tell about the metre long that didn’t get away. At the moment the jacks are definitely more reliable than the barra, with plenty of good fish taken by anglers fishing side creeks to get out of the persistent wind. Creeks handy to Ayr that have been producing jacks include Ocean, Plantation

and Phillips Camp. No doubt the saltwater reaches of the Burdekin River will also be producing the goods, but getting there can be a bit of a mission. On the Home Hill side of the river, Wallace’s Creek provides access to some sheltered waterways and can usually be relied upon to produce barra and jacks at this time of the year. Find yourself a protected sandflat somewhere and you can still score a flathead or two from most estuaries. However, both numbers and sizes seem to be decreasing and many fish (even the smaller ones) are carrying roe. The annual run of large grunter in Bowling Green Bay hasn’t happened so far this year, although that could also be a result of the strong winds making conditions uncomfortable for boaties in the exposed, shallow bay. However, even shore-based fishers haven’t produced many quality grunter so far. NOVEMBER FISHING With the barra closure now in force Burdekin anglers will be shifting their focus to species such as mangrove jack, fingermark (golden snapper), and grunter.

Most Burdekin barra catches have been on the small side. At 59cm this one was just legal. Jacks are probably the easiest target, populating most of the estuaries across the Burdekin delta. Small slabbed, whole, or live mullet baits all work well, but there’s no denying the thrill of luring for this snag-loving species. A 10kg baitcasting outfit and a handful of small (70-100mm) lures is all you’ll need to get started. I still prefer hardbodied minnows and will choose lures that dive quickly and swim hard as soon as you crank the reel handle.

For fingermark you’ll need to target deeper holes with submerged snags in the creeks, or drop-offs, shoals or rubble areas in open waters. Best baits are live or at least fresh and can include mullet, herring and squid. Throughout November estuary anglers can also expect to catch school grunter and blue salmon, especially if they are bait fishing with slab, prawns or yabbies. Salmon will also respond enthusiastically to a variety of lures, including

metal slugs, hardbodies, soft plastics and small poppers. Larger grunter to 70cm+ should also be on the bite in Bowling Green and Upstart bays over the next few months. Best baits are mullet and herring (fished whole, slabbed or butterflied) and whole, fresh squid. November is usually a calmer month, but sea breezes can kick in during the early afternoon. If you’re fishing outside go early and be ready to head for home as soon as it looks a bit lumpy.

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Near death experience TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

We anglers are a die-hard bunch. Lately conditions have been poor, but on those days when the conditions have been merely uncomfortable rather than dangerous we’ve still seen the boat ramps chockers. That transitional period

average size hasn’t been too bad, averaging around 50cm. These fish are very popular with anglers who appreciate good table fare. Fingermark are a common by-catch in the shallower grunter territory, as are blue salmon. Fresh squid baits are a goer for the choppers and grunter, while peeled prawn baits take plenty of bream and salmon. Whiting are a bit more

There were some top quality fish weighed in at the Lucinda Family Comp. These golden snapper are proof of the fish available around Lucinda, even when the weather is ordinary. between seasons sees fluctuations in water temps. There has been a fair amount of variation recently, and the activity of river species has reflected this. Before the barra closure some cracking specimens were caught, and I was lucky enough to snaffle a 105cm salty casting from the shore in the Ross. I was using a 4” Atomic Shad, sinking it down and hopping it off the bottom. It was just after the neap tides that we had mid September and the water was still clear, so I dipped the tail of the shad in Chartreuse Quick Coat Worm Dip to add a little contrast, and it just looked sexy in the water. When it comes to the best lure colours to use in dirty or clear water, I’ve found there’s a pattern forming. In the dirty water the red colour has been out-fishing chartreuse and pink, and the reverse has been true in clearer waters. This trend has become a little more obvious in recent weeks. Customising lures to prevailing conditions does increase strike rates for sure. The numbers of grunter have been increasing, and the

scarce now, and the size is down in comparison to last month, but worm baits seem to be the pick for the flats. Some nice goldens are cruising the flats, and are providing great sport for those fishing with plastics and fly. Jacks are playing the game now, and there have been plenty of lure losses for those underestimating these fish in the sticks. An average

of the jacks, but you won’t win them all. That’s the reality of jack lure casting. OFFSHORE There are still plenty of mackerel around, and trolling diving lures has been bringing a fair percentage aboard, with the deeper versions doing most of the damage. The size of the mackerel hasn’t been as consistently large as earlier in the year; we’re seeing more table-sized fish of between 7-10kg fish. Finding nannies hasn’t been to hard if you have some good marks, and largies up to 9kg have been far from uncommon. The best bites have been in the afternoon though, and sparrow fart starts haven’t been necessary to catch fish. Bigger baits are the norm at the moment, and the Sharks have been a drama still, so doing the sporting thing isn’t going to put too many in the boat. Trout, sweetlip, red-throat, and red fish have been a bit hard to nail down, but if a good patch of fish on the sounder doesn’t produce, try again a couple of hours later, and you might find a big change. There are still some billfish around and one guy was telling me about two sails that followed the hard-bodies to the boat this week, but didn’t hit the lures, so a couple of downrigged, skirted gar may be the go for them. LUCINDA FAMILY FISHING COMP The annual Lions Club Family Fishing Comp was held at Lucinda on the weekend of 25-26 September. Even though numbers were down slightly due to a few unforeseen factors, those who did show up caught some nice fish and had a great time. The wind was woeful, and very few boats went out wide, but even those who did found it tough going. Inshore fishing for the smaller boats was a little bit more civilised though, and plenty of grunter, bream and other northern estuary species like jacks were weighed in. It wasn’t all about the fishing though, and other events such as the mud crab tying and prawn eating comps

At the family comp there was a division for who could pull a crab out of a pot and tie it the quickest. This Houdini crab escaped from the string, but he still ended up on the dinner plate. benchmark of 20lb braid and 30lb leader on a quality casting reel should extract the majority

got the crowd involved and was great fun. There was even a fashion parade for the ladies

This angry croc was after my blood, and if I’d been closer to the water’s edge it would have achieved its goal. in the crowd, but none of the blokes seemed too upset about having to watch that. For those interested the winners and details of the comp are on the internet. CROC TRIES TO EAT ME It’s coming into mating season for the crocs. I experienced a real case of ‘sphincter pucker’ recently as a 10-12ft croc launched from the water at me, not once but three times, even though I had moved away from it. It happened where the highway crosses Cattle Creek near Ingham, and it would be irresponsible of me to not let people know about this mongrel beast. It’s a convenient location for people to pull up roadside for a rest or a fish, and holidaying anglers could easily make the mistake of getting too close to the water.

On this occasion I didn’t anticipate any danger; what saved me was my habit of staying up high or back from the water’s edge far enough to be out of reach… thank God! The bank I was standing on was around 1.2m above the water and I’m sure if I’d been an ant’s nut lower, I’d have been in real trouble. The speed at which the croc launched itself, and the distance it made it up the bank on the strike was incredible. On the first lunge I felt the wind puff from a slamming jaw in front of my shins. I scrambled backward as it launched itself a second and then a third time. The third attempt was particularly nasty – he came straight up like a missile, hitting his bottom jaw on the bank in front of me. I now have one thing to say and that is this: don’t get down at water level or hang

fish over the side of the boat to release them! At 10-12ft long this croc wasn’t a monster, but after seeing the speed and power of this brute I don’t think even me at 124kg would have had a chance if he got me in the water. The only comforting thought is that the second mouthful of me would have tasted like poo. I managed to get some screenshots from the video I was taking when he had his third attempt, and it took me ages to get them just right because the speed at which it happened was insane. You might think I’m making too big a deal out of this, but I believe it’s vital for people to know how real the risks are. So keep your wits about you on the water’s edge. The crocs can’t get you if you don’t give them the opportunity.

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What will the wet season bring LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

So my normal pitiful amount of sleep now gets significantly slashed as November in Lucinda NQ means one thing – fish are getting active! It is now a very common occurrence for my alarm clock to go off around 1 am, have my boat in the water by 1:30 and be silently drifting down my favourite stretch of creek listening for signs of mangrove jack smashing the heck out of bait. November means the early beginnings of the wet season or the ‘build-up’ and this is pretty much my favourite time of year to be on the water with a rod in my hand. Everyone will be talking about the upcoming wet season and if we will be getting any significant rains this year. From the mouths of the professionals it looks like another pitiful year, which is a massive shame.

Solid rain and the flooding that follows breathes new life into the waterways in freshwater, estuaries, and bluewater. Read on to see what Lucinda will be offering anglers in November. HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL It’s very difficult to specifically narrow down the species list at this time of year as everything is on the prowl and ready to eat. With the mighty barramundi off the list (closed season midday 1 November) those red dogs, aka mangrove jack are on top of lists. Safe to say that the majority of anglers will be out frothing the waters in search of these fish. Targeting the drains and snags in creeks should see you tangling with a few fish. Mangrove jack love sitting in drains, especially if there is some kind of structure for them to hide in. Do yourself a favour and get yourself a few packs of the new TT SnakelockZ jigheads to match up with

your Zman plastics – these snagless jigheads are worth their weight in gold and allow you to just lob your soft plastic straight into structure without much worry of getting snagged (pulling fish out is the hard part). If you want bigger jacks then use a slightly larger plastic or lure is a good idea. The larger jacks will nearly always sit in the prime spots, first in-line to attack the baitfish as they swim by. A good quality sounder with side-scan technology is a very powerful tool in these situations, and finding submerged snags or rock bars in the middle of creeks will hold fish for sure. Your fishing senses, combined with what you see above the water with the advantage of with

insane technology makes it hard for fish to hide. Over the last few months the mangrove jacks have been getting active with some amazing sessions in the snags. Fishing the last few hours of the run-out tide and the first of the run-in is no doubt the best time. Jacks like some good current hitting the front of their chosen ambush spot and normally wait under the snag but in the front section facing the current flow. The secret to entice them to have a go at your lure is to make pinpoint casts, which allow the lure or plastic to get down in the water column and swim very close to the structure. The bigger golden grunter should hopefully enter the area around this time of year. Fishing

Jigging the deep – Vinnie and a green jobfish. Vinnie won this time, but all too often, it’s the fish that wins the vertical jigging game. out along the first half of the sugar loader jetty with fresh squid, prawn

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Jacks are on the prowl – hang on! or sardines will give you a good chance. I find the tides a few weeks before or after the full moon are best. Choosing day or night sessions with tidal differences of around 1-1.5m works well as it allows you to fish the bottom without using house bricks for weights. You will also be in with a shot of golden snapper and the odd black jew in these situations. I am sure I have written this several times but I’ll just add that bait runner style reels are unbeatable when fishing for grunter. The ability to feed them some line when they bite before striking will improve your hook-up rate. BLUEWATER The weather has been horrid for the last few months. The wind has been relentless, so there hasn’t been great fishing to report. November is an awesome time to get out to the reef and try to tangle with

NOVEMBER 2015

some reefies. There is a closed period from the 9-13 November so hopefully these days it’s blowing as it would be frustrating for the weather to come good during reef closure. There will still be the odd Spanish mackerel about and normally they will be pretty big, this is a great time to be towing around big baits such as wolf herring on wog heads for trophy size Spaniards. The deep drop-offs are subject to strong currents. Close to the reef edges are optimal hunting zones for mackerel. For those hunting red fish the deeper grounds are worth a drift or dropping the anchor, especially in the afternoon and into the first few hours of the night. The anglers that will do the best will obviously be fishing good spots, but they will be fishing good baits as well. Livies are unbeatable for big emperor and if not live then fresh hussar fillets are second in my books. Big slab baits with the colourful tail left on will attract attention, bigger baits will allow pickers to pick away, which in turn will berley the big fish over. Using a larger hook will help as it is much harder to hook a smaller picker fish. It gets really annoying and tiring to prepare a great bait, drop it into 60m then hook a small fish and have to wind it up to the surface then repeat the process. It’s just about time to break out the big gear and sharpen those assists as jigging out off the shelf is getting close. I’m keento get out and feel the brutal power of the creatures that dwell in the deep. Extra large Spanish, wahoo, tuna, doggies and jobfish are all sharpening their teeth and getting ready to feed.

Crazy month of closures CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

November in Cairns is typified by dry, hot weather, as the season builds towards the wet. Occasionally, there is an early burst of big storms and wide spread rain but on the whole we can expect it to be a searing, thirsty time. The fishing can be good at times but the increasing heat often slows the fishing down. The other shutdowns this month come in the form of closures, with the 3-month barramundi closed season started on 1 November and the second of the two coral reef fin fish closures from 9-13 November. With barra off the menu and the reef closed for five days, it’s time to look at the other target species in the estuaries and at the reef. Mangrove jack, grunter and golden snapper will be the main focus of estuary anglers and pelagics, like Spanish mackerel are the name of the game at the reef, especially during the reef fin fish closure. Also on the move in the estuaries will be small to mid-sized trevally, queenfish and tarpon that should arrive in preparation for the schools of sprat that will appear soon after the adults have spawned. If the massive schools of mini baitfish arrive, the estuaries will be alive with fish and birds getting in on the action.

Forget about fishing in school hours, as it’s just too hot and uncomfortable and the fish are just not interested. If an early storm comes through, it’s certainly worth hitting the water right behind it but generally the storms arrive later in the afternoon and into night. Make sure you are off the water or sheltered somewhere if you get caught out in a storm. I was in a boat that got hit by lightning over 30 years ago and I still remember it as a terrifying experience I have no intention of repeating. Work the heavy timber and rock areas for jacks, using small lures and live baits or very fresh dead baits. About the only frozen baits that work well on mangrove jack are squid, cuttlefish and the good old pilchard. The cephalopods are particularly effective if they still have the ink with them, making the cuttlefish the better option, as they are more commonly sold uncleaned. Pilchards are particularly good in dirty water, as they send out a solid scent trail. When luring, pink and red are particularly effective colours for jacks, with small soft plastics, in the 3-4” range, fished on a weedless jighead, very deadly. Hardbodied minnows, in the same size range as the soft plastics, are also very effective at times. Larger lures will still work but are more likely to get the attention of barra, which are off limits this month. Work the minnows with a

short, sharp, twitch and sit action, for best effect. Neutral buoyancy minnows are particularly effective using this retrieve. Golden snapper will be on the prowl in the deep holes in all the river systems, Trinity Inlet, along all the headlands north and south of Cairns and the inshore islands and wrecks. Jigging soft plastics is gaining a considerable following when targeting big golden snapper and this technique works wonders from a few metres to 30m+. A quality eggbeater is the best reel to use, as it makes it easier and quicker to get the jig back to the bottom each time. Use a jighead weight that will drift to the bottom rather than plummet. Braid is by far the most effecting mainline, with 30-50lb breaking strain most suitable. Around 20lb braid will work on smaller fish, but will leave you short on stopping power with fish over 70cm and 5kg. If you have found a clean, open area where they feed you can get away with 20lb braid but I won’t use anything short of 30lb, and even then I get smoked at times. Fluorocarbon leader is a must in my book, with 40lb ideal with 30lb braid and 50lb leader with 50lb braid. The good thing about golden snapper is they feed well on the quarter moons, while the majority of species are more active on the bigger tides around the full and new moons. I tend to target them on

Former QFM correspondent Geoff Mayes with an estimated 60lb Spanish mackerel, taken on a deep trolled wolf herring. the small quarter moon tides and move to other species on the bigger tides, making every day a fishing day. It’s only a job that gets in the way! Grunter will be around on the hospital flats and any shale and weeds flats around the estuaries, headlands and inshore islands. The bigger tides around the new and full moons are the best time to target grunter, with the last two hours of the rising tide the best bet. Generally, they are more active on the biggest tides, so try and plan your trip around the biggest high tide of the day you are fishing. Chase jacks on the smaller of the high tides, as they won’t be pushing so far up into the mangroves on the smaller high tides. Outside the coral reef fin fish closure, there will be a mixed bag of reef fish on the menu, with no particular species really dominating. The reefies will be more scattered, so lots of moving or even drift

fishing will help in locating feeding fish. Generally the reef fishing will be in short bursts, so make sure you are ready when the bite comes on, as they are usually short lived this month. One fish you can happily chase all month long is the iconic Spanish mackerel and there will still be a few of these silver bullets hanging around, particularly in the XOS sizes. These monster mackerel are often referred to as ‘homers’, as they tend to hang around and not join the main migration. There are enough of these beasts still around to make them a genuine target worth putting in the extra effort to find. The islands, like High, Russell, Double and Snapper are all worth a look, along with any wrecks, pinnacles and reefs that commonly hold mackerel, in season. Deepwater pinnacles are a particular favourite of homers.

If fishing for Spaniards during the reef fin fish closure, it is preferable to troll or drift with floating baits, so there is no doubt in Fisheries’ minds that you are targeting pelagics and not trying to catch reef species in the closure. Deep trolling tends to be more productive in the warmer months, with wolf herring, gar, mullet and pilchards all worth a go. Deep trolling live baits is even more effective but a bit more difficult to master. Having a spread of 3-4 baits at different depths and distances from the boat will increase your chances and make it easier to turn with the baits still out. November offers plenty of options, even though the fishing probably won’t match that of the past couple of months. The key to enjoyable fishing this month is to fish early or late, to avoid the heat and maximise your chances of coming home a winner.

Rollercoaster ride on reefies PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer

With air and water temperatures rapidly rising, certain sections of the fishing world are hitting their peak as we enter the month of November. The gamefishing scene is currently at its prime and the big black marlin are making their mark, with healthy numbers of fish caught from the Ribbon Reefs extending south to Opal Ridge, Linden Bank and the Jenny Louise Shoals. However, proceedings got off to a shaky start in October, mainly due to the atrocious weather conditions, which hindered the fishing for the first two weeks of the month. Blustery 25-30 knot winds left only a brave few to battle the elements, so overall numbers of fish were down. In saying this, there were individual boats that enjoyed bursts of activity and saw the tag and release of up to half a dozen marlin over a couple of days. Once the

dust settled and some nice weather returned, more and more vessels took advantage, and fish started popping up regularly. The Ribbon Reefs were the hot spot for the latter stages of October, and what generally tends to happen from this point on is an improved bite further down south on the back end of the season. To date there’s been a mixture of sizes, with a lot of fish in the 250-600lb range tagged and released. A few bigger fish pushing towards the magical 1000lb range have been recorded, but November is notorious for producing the big ‘granders’ and you’d expect these fish to feature heavily in the coming weeks. Closer to home, the close of the barra season causes anglers to switch their focus to other prime tropical coastal species such as mangrove jack and fingermark. These fish relish the warmer conditions, and for several weeks now they have not disappointed. The Daintree River has been a hot spot for these species, and the local Dickson Inlet has also produced its quota of quality fish. There have

been some good reports of mid-sized trevally entering the local systems, and the tarpon have been thick, producing some really great action on light gear. Along the coast around our inshore reefs and isolated rubble patches there have been some impressive reports of pelagic species, including big 1m queenfish, school mackerel and some monster Spanish mackerel. When the weather is calm there is plenty for the small boat brigade to choose from. For the land-based angler the early and late afternoon rising tides, particularly along the beaches, will put you in the running for blue salmon, trevally, grunter, queenfish, small sharks and incidental barra. Places like southern Four Mile Beach, Cooya Beach and Wonga Beach will offer some good value on those better tides. On the outer reef it’s a bit of rollercoaster ride at the moment, especially with a couple of spawning periods around the new moons. For a little while now there has been no real consistency, with every

day producing a different result. On the red-hot days you’ll have everything on the chew from red emperor, largemouth nannygai, coral trout, reef mangrove jack, spangled emperor to sweetlip and the list goes on. The quality and quantity of fish returning to the docks has been incredible at times. However, the following day could be slim pickings with bits and pieces hitting the decks. As the days get warmer the daytime fishing can be a bit more challenging, but the value is still there. A lot of locals turn to a bout of night-time fishing on the reef, which generally sees the red species turn up in better numbers. Just be aware that violent thunderstorms can turn up without much notice, especially if they come from inland. I say this from firsthand experience; they can turn an enjoyable session into a nightmare. Overall though there’ll be plenty on offer in the coming weeks if you don’t mind the heat. Low light periods will be the optimum time for a lot of species, from river fish right up to big black marlin.

Dragon Lady Charters with a couple of nice reds. There have been quiet days in recent weeks, but at other times the bite has been excellent. NOVEMBER 2015

Plenty to chase while barra breed this month HINCHINBROOK

Ryan Moody info@ryanmoodyfishing.com

The start to October was a somewhat frustrating one with below average temperatures and strong winds keeping that water temperature down for the first couple of weeks. Towards the end of October the waters warmed up and the bigger barra became a bit more responsive. Previous to this period we mostly concentrated on smaller school

seen for 20 years. Previously, this has happened when we have periods of drought. Cooler waters hanging around well into October is certainly not a common occurrence. Some good action has been experienced during October in regards to golden snapper. Deep waters have been providing well with abundant schools around the smaller tides. They respond well to plastics, vibes and livies. It all comes down to how to find the patches of rubble and rock that produce these popular sportfish.

There’s always lots of school size fish around this time of year. sized barra in the shallows, and there has been plenty of them willing to bite, especially on the larger tides. This year was by far the latest season I have

Offshore, the small black marlin never really came on in a big way, however, a few boats have seen up to 5 a day during the better days. There’s

also been reports of good sailfish in the reef openings, and the southern end of Otter a well known area for them. Schools of Spaniards have also been sporadic, showing up thick in some areas while adjacent reefs have seen no action at all. A few triple tail, otherwise called jumping cod, have also started their summer campaign with some recently spied around floating timber and at the jetty on the Cardwell foreshore. Another good place to find them is holding on any big logs out on the flats up near the Tully and Murray Rivers in Rockingham bay. They will take shallow hardbodies cast at them, or even a floating pilchard drifted onto their nose. An ugly but strong, tasty rare catch and they put up a massive fight all the way to the boat. Anglers looking to November for a fish should try to target golden snapper and big golden grunter, at night in particular. There are many headland areas with drop offs around them and these are good areas to start looking. Around tide changes on the making dark moon tides is an ideal time to start fishing for them. As far as daytime goes,

Hinchinbrook has some great mangrove jack fishing. Flicking small diving lures in tight to mangroves is a popular way of fishing for them. If you are a bait fisher, you can’t beat a nice mullet strip or even a whole pilly on a 2 hook gang rig. Live greenback is always a great back up bait if mullet isn’t available. November might see the arrival of the northwesterlies too, which can make the northern end of the channel as well as Missionary Bay a rather hard place to fish. It sometimes pays to fish further south when this happens. Lucinda has a boat ramp at Dungeness and there’s also Fishers Creek out on the highway just over the Cardwell range (tide permitting). You really need about 1.4m of tide to squeeze in and out at Fishers creek, so low tides in the late afternoons don’t work too well if you want to get out before dark. Barra are out of bounds now until 1 Feb 2016 and any accidentally caught must be returned immediately to the water. There are plenty of other species to target and I have to say that threadfin will be my favourite over the coming month. We will have our online

masterclass on Threadfin available early in the New Year for those interested in taking the shortcut to become successful with this species. This is one for the Brisbane anglers as well. Stay tuned in the coming months.

• 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.

Guy Monkton and family got into some good school size barra recently.

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The stills of November CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

When Cape York brews hotter than most are prepared to stand, many of the locals start coming out of the woodwork. As much as the stillness and heat of November drive many away from the Cape, this can be one of the best for fishing, diving and boating.

gives a telescopic view. Stingrays, crocs and sharks can be seen patrolling the sandy shallows, turtles and dugong gliding over sandy reef-flat country. Walking the many creek mouths of Cape York can be particularly rewarding at this time of year. By using poppers, shallow divers, soft plastics and vibes, all manner of species can be caught. Queenfish and trevally of all shapes and sizes will pass through the

outskirts such as grunter, tarpon and giant herring. Early morning sessions will almost always be the most productive of the day. With not a breath of air on the water, every ripple, every shadow, every glint of silver reflected in the sunlight provides welcome clues for an angler. Seeing a bow wave after your popper or multiple fish chasing a lure in crystal clear water is what is th best thing about November. Offshore the big boats will be out chasing black marlin and sailfish. Some of the giant black marlin that make the Ribbon Reefs area famous throughout the fishing world will be alive with boats and baits. The whole food chain is in full swing with most tropical speedsters on offer. Fishing and snorkelling the shallow coral lagoons all the way north from Cooktown

Fishing a calm morning around shallow rocks is what November is all about. up to around Cape Grenville would take 10 lifetimes. But little glimpses above and below water on my many trips between these two points have been colourful indeed. This stretch of the northern Barrier Reef is the jewel in the crown of remoteness.

Ev e r y colour conceivable is represented by fish, crustaceans, molluscs and corals of the reef. Dazzling specimens such as red emperor, footballer trout, maori sea perch, Napolean wrasse and barramundi cod mesmerise all who see them in their coral lairs. Red bass are ready to harass almost anything in this neck of the woods. A stray baitfish night or day best be wary of a pack of hungry red bass. Spangled emperor, sweetlip and goatfish will be sweeping around the gravelly fringes, picking up scraps.

Even above water, the reef can be crystal clear this time of year. Simply peering down will get clarity to about 8-10m. A rule of thumb comes into play when fishing reef country, just look for bait and life until you find it. Fishing plastics, poppers and shallow divers up on top of the shallow reefs can be remarkably productive. This is no time for the gentlygently technique. • For information on remote charter operations for tailored fishing adventures, please email Tim on wildrivercompany @gmail.com

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mouths of even the tiniest creeks in Cape York. Tussling with either of these two on light spin outfits is a thrilling experience. Add structure to the equation at this time of year and those oyster-encrusted rocks can yield jacks, golden snapper, cod, stripies, tuskfish and all those that hang around the sandy

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Breeze not blowing anglers’ spirits away COOKTOWN

Ben Stack

November marks many changes in the Cooktown region. Barramundi are spawning at river mouths and headlands, crocodiles are fighting over territory and building nests and most pelagic species and coral fin fish continue their spawning run on the reefs.

with a quality sounder while trying to troll up a black marlin or other pelagics. One of our local commercial fishers stated that there were hundreds of juvenile black marlin swimming around in our shipping channel straight out the front at the moment. These fish are a bucket load of fun to catch in small boats on light gear. Russel (from Cooktown Lure Shop) and

Alice did well to nail this 93cm barra in a local creek. November also marks the beginning of our cyclone season. The clouds are already building into storm cells as the weather really begins to heat up. November sees the last of our seasonal visitors pack up and head south for cooler climates. However, our diehards who stick around, really know that these seasonal changes mark the beginning of some awesome summer fishing. The seemingly relentless ‘Cooktown breeze’ has only allowed a few opportunities to get out on the reefs over the last month. However, the reports have seen some quality size fish being caught. Very big large mouth nannygai catches are coming in at this stage and they will continue to be caught in December. You have to get out into the paddock away from reef structures and get lucky by finding a ‘bump’ or 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

his wife Monique caught two black marlin and dropped a third in one outing. The Spanish mackerel catches seem to be a little down compared to last year, so you may take a little longer to reach your quota for these fish. Reef jacks, spangled emperor and coral trout are some of the other quality size fish being caught this month. Don’t forget we have one more round of coral reef fin fish closures from November 9-13. The estuaries in the Cooktown region have been producing some quality fish too. The Endeavour River has produced quality barramundi and mangrove jacks on a daily basis. Most catches have come from the Wharf, Marton boat ramp, the Stone Wall and up the North Arm of the Endeavour. November is the closed season for barramundi but there will be plenty of opportunities to catch these fish again in February once the season reopens. Remember, if you accidently

Not all the barra can be monsters. 76

NOVEMBER 2015

catch a barramundi while fishing for other species then it must be returned to the water straight away, do not even stop for a photo because you can be prosecuted. The mangrove jack and estuary cod are responding really well for those who like sight casting lures into snags or trolling. Live and dead baits sunk down into some snags is also an effective way to catch these fish. If you head down near the mouth you can try for trevally, queenfish and mackerel while trolling lures or floating a dead or live bait. The Bloomfield, Annan and McIvor Rivers will also be effective using the same techniques listed above. Lakefield National Park (LNP) fishing over October was a very hard bite to predict. On one day we would catch and release bucket loads of juvenile barra with the occasional quality fish up to 80cm, however, we could fish the exact same places the next week and see the barra swimming at our feet without raising a bite. On one occasion, there were four of us peppering the water to a froth using a mass variety of different lures while sighting some legal sized barra, but they

The author with a good quality Baileys Creek jack. showed no interest. We bounced lures off their noses but they just backed away from them. I can’t explain how frustrating it was to see barra sitting on a snag and not respond to anything we tried. We kept changing to other locations and having the same result. But hey, that’s fishing. • If you’d like any current information while you’re visiting Cooktown’s region or more information about a particular place in the neighbourhood to fish, then simply ‘like’ my FaceBook page titled ‘Stacky’s Fishing Adventures’ or send me a message.

Trent Kirk looking very pleased with some nice spanglies ready for the plate.

Too much for the tourists KARUMBA

Alan Gurney awes0me@bigpond.net.au

The rise in temperature and humidity has seen all the tourists head south, leaving only the locals and mad-keen anglers to tough it out. We had an awesome finish to the barramundi season, with plenty of bag limit captures before the close off on 7 October. There weren’t many big fish caught but there were good numbers of 60-70cm fish, which kept anglers happy. Strong winds limited opportunities to chase grunter out the front, but anglers made the most of the few weather windows to catch some big 70cm specimens. Paying attention to the wind can help if you decide to fish north of the channel. The wind can keep the tide out by over 0.5m, making it impossible to get back without going all the way around the sand islands, adding 6km to the trip. November is black jew month for those willing to suffer the 98% humidity and temperatures around 38°C. The wind will continue to

blow so I recommend going up the river to fish the deep holes. You need to be there two hours before the change of tide until two hours after to give yourself the best chance to catch a fish. Big baits of squid and mullet should get the job done, but remember that black jew suck the bait before swallowing. If you don’t strike until they start to swim away, you should be on a winner.

year. Please take lots of water and drink frequently when fishing, as you can become dehydrated very quickly in these conditions. Also organise some shade, even if it’s just a beach umbrella. If you’re not shaded and hydrated, you’re a prime candidate for heatstroke. The world-class pontoons in town have made a big difference to loading and

is now a loading zone for commercial operators at the top of the ramps that gives boaties 20 minutes to get their jobs done and leave. The lane closest to Pelicans, which is on the upstream side of the ramp, has been made available to commercial fishermen, and the other three are for all users. Please also note that there is a 15-minute time

With the barra season closed, now is a good time to chase other prized species such as grunter. There will be grunter out the front when the wind doesn’t blow, and we normally get the big ones at this time of

unloading your pride and joy, and I would like to thank the Carpentaria Shire Council for putting them in. There

limit on tying up to the pontoons, so keep an eye on the time so you don’t get a fine!

Time to crack a jack FRESHWATER

Angus James

Now is the time to get out there and hunt down a few sweet water red dogs! They are angry and ready to try steal your lures! I love this time of year because you can get a lot of your hits from these hard hitters on surface. Watching your lure get smashed by these guys is about as exciting as fishing can get! I have been having some outstanding sessions with the freshwater jacks lately. With the temperatures lifting they become very active, especially in the afternoons as the sun begins to go down. For these smaller jacks, I use 5lb braid and an 8lb fluorocarbon leader. I generally use 4’’ Zman StreakZ Curly TailZ. I find these lures to be the perfect size presentation in the skinny water I fish. Mangrove jack are such an amazing species, and I am continually blown away at how far up the fresh they can travel. The other day my fiancé and myself went for a swim about 70km from the salt high up in the mountains in the crystal clear water and sure enough we both spotted a 40cm jack enjoying life. I

thought to myself in a few years he will probably be 70km offshore hanging around the reef. Just amazing! Another tough customer that is always willing to peel some line of your spool is the sooty grunter! These guys love

to eat just about everything that will fit in their mouth. They can be found in most QLD freshwater streams and rivers but targeting them in the jungle is by far the most enjoyable way to tangle with a few of these brutes!

Jungle perch, as always, are a viable catch if you’re fishing TNQ’s freshwater.

Mangrove jack is the buzzword for the author this month, and these little devils will be loving life in our tropical freshwater streams from now on.

A sure way to get a few on the end of your line is to cast up current from the snag and allow the lure to get washed naturally in front of them. Often you will see them race out and smash your lure! They are very quick and powerful fighters so some fancy rod work and fast paced movement is required to stop them from getting you in the timber. Attaching a little jig spinner to your favourite soft plastic is a great way to get the attention of a sooty. It creates flash and vibration and also allows you to feel and

control your presentation with the running water flowing downstream. Every time I catch a jungle perch, I cant help but admire the beauty of these fish before releasing them! From their chrome-scaled armour to the spotted camouflage pattern finished off with the iconic black dots on their yellow coloured tails. Not to mention the country they are found in – it’s like a scene from a postcard. These fish are very special to the environment up here in the Tropical North and I feel privileged to be able to target them on a regular basis.

People who target these fish including myself know that effort equals reward when you want to land the bigger models. Take a selection of surface lures and soft plastics when JP fishing and always try to be as stealthy and quiet as possible. Sometimes one wrong move can shut down the honey hole and it might be another kilometre walk before the next likely spot. I always try to make the most of your opportunities. I hope everyone catches some great fish this month and gets a chance to enjoy the outdoors!

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Highway to yella heaven TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

Last month was a cracking month for bass fishing. Things started a little slow at the start of spring but once the fish schooled up and started to eat, there was some insane fishing in several locations. Social media was littered with plenty of pictures of big chunky fish. The bass may get a little tougher over the coming months and some lakes will continue to produce better fishing than others. The fish will lose their winter

condition –big fat female fish fill with roe over winter but these eggs are reabsorbed and the fish will weigh considerably less by the end of this month. The golden perch have already made their presence felt and are being caught in the lakes and rivers. These fish are likely to step it up a notch with the warmer water conditions. They will chase trolled lures and other faster presentations so triggering a reaction bite will be the best method of capture. Murray cod season isn’t due to open until 1 December so leave the fish alone in the rivers. There are plenty of big models to catch in the dams where there

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK Closest Town: Crows Nest There have been a few good schools of bass getting around over the past month. The fish can be flighty and when there are a few boats fishing them, they tend to disperse and become difficult to find. Look around the points near the boat ramp and on the northern bank heading up Cressbrook Creek. The bass have been holding in around 10m of water but can be found shallower or deeper than this so regard this as a guide only while sounding around. Some bass have also been caught up the back of Cressbrook Creek but I’m not sure of the exact location and if these fish will hang around in the area. Once the bass schools are found, try rolling spinnerbaits, plastics or hopping a tail spinner through them. They can be extremely fussy fish and turn their nose up at most presentations but if you hit them when they are in the right mood, you’ll score enough to keep you happy. A good way to ensure you catch fish more easily is to hit

the water as soon as the gates to the ramp open. An early start will hopefully see you first to the fish when they are in a more active state. Lure trolling may also start to pick up. Deep diving hardbodies like the Blitz Bagga, Little Rippa, Smak 18, Kezza Freak and Golden Child would be my first pick. Try running a selection of lures in different colours. Usually browns and purples work well but the fish can surprise you. I know there is a lot of talk about lure colour and its importance - for some reason, successful lure trolling can be dependent on colour. Watching the same lure out of a spread of three or four be eaten over and over again while the others go untouched is quite a common occurrence. For this reason, grab a good selection of colours and lure styles if you are trolling. For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports on Cressbrook and the surrounding dams, call in to see the specialist tackle stores in Toowoomba. Tackleworld Toowoomba in Ruthven Street on the north side and Fish’n Bits in Alderly

aren’t any restrictions. The fish are still breeding at this time of year so if you do whack a cod in the dam, it’s a good idea to release it as the right conditions will enable them to breed. Barramundi! Already the fishing in the northern impoundments has fired up. We should also see the fish in the lakes and rivers from Gladstone southwards willing to take a lure from now onward. The warmer water will have them more active and seeking a good feed. I’ve got an itch that needs to be scratched – I dare say I’ll be squeezing in a barra session or two over the coming months. Street closer to the south side have a great range of lures and fishing gear. Support these tackle stores as they offer invaluable advice – especially for finding fish! Just remember there is a speed limit of 8knots 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 are 6am-8pm. SOMERSET Closest Towns: Esk, Kilcoy This month has proven tough on most days for a lot of anglers. However, Somerset Dam turned on some good sessions for the lucky few last month. Big bass were hitting the decks with several fish over the magic 3kg mark. These fish are absolute beasts and weigh 3x as much as the average sized fish. While tough, the reward of landing one of these big models was enough to keep anglers trying their luck. A few changes have taken place over the last month. The schooling bass have started to move around and take up residence in new areas. The scattered schools may actually be forming into larger schools

            

NOVEMBER 2015

14 31

Weipa

Toowoomba

BRISBANE 27

23 Impoundment Dams 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

across the flats in the middle of the dam. This makes finding the fish and staying on them much easier. The areas most likely to house schools are The Spit, Pelican Point and Bay 13. The bass that were holding further north seem to have moved to join the rest in the lower reaches of the dam. These bass are still likely to be congregated into nice schools over the next month or two. As we get close to the end of the year, the schools can break up, so if you are a lure caster, now is the time to try your luck. Somerset bass can be tricky but tend to bite in windows throughout the day. Early morning and late afternoon are my favourite times but sometimes the fish will surprise you and

Gold Coast

24 25 Cairns 1

19 20

Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

Rockhampton

Emerald 29

Gladstone

Bundaberg 9 11

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Maryborough

Roma

BRISBANE

bite well throughout the day as well. Just when you think you have them worked out and have a stellar session, you’ll come back to find the same fish near impossible to tempt. This is the nature of Somerset Dam and the lucky dip you take each time you visit. I’ve been fishing the place for years and can’t work out why they bite one day and not the next. The schools are likely to be holding in around 10m of water. Fish will often be found suspending off the bottom in slightly deeper water as well. Once found, try rolling soft plastics through them. Rigging plastics on ½oz jigheads will see you capable of fishing the depths effectively. Good plastics

DAM LEVEL Report DAMS JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT Atkinson 31 29 26 24 19 Awoonga 95 96 94 93 91 Bjelke-Petersen 50 50 48 47 43 Boondooma 69 67 65 64 61 Borumba 100 100 99 100 100 Burdekin Falls 75 70 66 64 56 Callide 88 86 84 83 81 Cania 100 99 98 96 96 Clarendon 36 35 33 31 28 Clarrie Hall 100 100 100 n/a n/a Cooby 71 70 69 69 69 Coolmunda 62 61 60 60 54 Copeton 18 18 19 22 22 Cressbrook 90 89 88 87 86 Dyer/Bill Gunn 86 80 73 65 50 Eungella 80 87 88 89 85 Fairbairn 51 50 48 46 42 Glenlyon 30 30 30 31 30 Hinze 100 99 98 97 96

Gympie

have a nice tail action at slow speed and measure around 70mm long. Blade baits are a good option if the fish are holding close to the bottom. Use small hops with a ¼oz blade to tempt the big models who often sit right on the bottom. If the fish are showing higher off the bottom on the sounder, switch to a heavier blade (up to ½oz) and combine the hopping with some winding to bring it up through the fish. Tail spinners have still been one of the most reliable producers. I still can’t believe we gave up on these lures years ago because they are just so effective and easy to use. The Jets 18g has been scoring well on the cast and troll. You

For fortnightly updates Julius 89 87 85 83 79  Kinchant 67 79 84 78 63 Koombooloomba 31 45 41 n/a 32  Leslie 24 22 22 21 21  Macdonald 102 100 98 100 100  Maroon 100 99 99 98 97  Monduran/Fred Haigh 98 98 97 96 94  Moogerah 97 98 98 96 91  North Pine/Samsonvale 87 85 83 82 80  Peter Faust/Proserpine 78 77 76 75 72 Pindari 26 26 31 34 34  Somerset 101 100 100 100 100  Storm King n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  Teemburra 86 86 86 85 81  Tinaroo 87 87 83 80 75 Toonumbar 101 101 101 100 100  Wivenhoe 99 98 97 95 93  Wuruma 98 98 97 96 95

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 21/10/15

can troll a lot of area using a tail spinner and it will place the lure in front of more active fish than simple stationary casting. For tips on tail spinner trolling, check out my YouTube video ‘How to Troll Tail Spinners.’ Golden perch will be well and truly fired up. There have been quite a few taking lures meant for bass so targeting them will score even more. Goldens love structure. If you find a submerged tree in the main basin of the lake on the sounder make sure you mark it on the GPS as a jigged blade will often score on these features. Up in the timber north of Kirkleigh, trolling hard bodies through the trees near the old river course will give you a good chance of nailing some goldens. Try medium to deep diving

hard bodies. The Blitz Baga and Golden Child are excellent lures for this style of fishing. There have been some whopper goldens caught in Somerset over the last couple of years. Big fat fish weighing up to 5kg are possible if you put in the time and luck is on your side. MOOGERAH Closest Towns: Aratula, Boonah With the warmer water temperatures, the fish will be scattered through the dam. Often the bass will suspend higher in the water column at this time of year so remember to pack some lipless crankbaits. Look for schooling fish around the trees. Use your sounder to pinpoint the depth the fish are holding and let this help you make the decision on which presentation to use. If the fish are less than 5m down, stick with lipless crankbaits

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY Closet Towns: Highfields, Toowoomba The action at Cooby has been slow but this is the time of year when things usually pick up. There were a few golden perch being caught around the edges of the lake on hopped blades

and live shrimp last month. Even land-based fishing from the rock wall was pulling a few fish. With the warmer water temperature, the action should pick up in the deeper parts from now onward. A lot of anglers have been trying their luck in

and spinnerbaits. If they are deeper, switch to soft plastics, blades and tail spinners. The Jackall Mask Vibe is a versatile lure at this time of year. It can be hopped and wound through deeper schooling fish or fished like a standard hardbodied lipless crankbait up higher in the water column. Fished this way, it probes slightly deeper than your standard 60mm lipless bait and is often the answer to reaching fish around the 5m depth. MAROON Closest Towns: Boonah, Beaudesert The weed edge and weed pockets at Maroon are producing plenty of bass. These fish will feed best in the mornings and afternoons. Soft plastics will score fish but I prefer reaction style baits at this time of year. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and a soft plastic rigged on a beetle the mornings. Cooby is often a better fishery in the afternoon just before dark. With the open hours being 6am-8pm, you can fish until the sun goes down! Lure trolling with 3-5m divers will start to get some results this month. Lures like the Stump Jumper and 50mm Poltergeist in natural and dark colours work

spin frame are great lures to work down the weed faces. During the lower light periods the bass will be more willing to leave the cover of the weed. Surface luring will be a great option when there is no sun on the water.

weed on the deeper edges or in shaded areas where the weed casts a good shadow. Blade baits around 1/4oz can be fished effectively in 3-7m of water hard up against the weed edge. If the blade fouls in the weed you will feel the action

outside the weed edge can also keep the bites coming throughout the day. These bass will take plastics, but again try reaction style lures for better results. Tail spinners and blade baits are perfect for chasing these open water

Big bass were chewing last month and there should still be a few about for a while to come. These fish were part of a triple hook up using 18g Jets tail spinners. In the middle of the day the action can be slower. You have a couple of options to continue producing in this tougher period. Fish tighter to the

change and you can free it up by giving it a good hard rip. Small hops around the weed face should see a few midday bass biting. Locating schooling fish

fish. Sit off the school and deliver a long cast over them to prevent them from schooling up under your boat where they won’t want to eat.

To page 80

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From page 79

well. Fishing will also pick up on bait in the 6-10m depth. This is also a good depth to try jigging blades like the ZX40. Cooby is an electric motor only dam. Outboard can be left on boats but must not be used. Being relatively small, it is also well suited to kayaks and

canoes. You can pick up all your supplies including bait and live shrimp near the dam at Highfields Bait and Tackle. Call in and see Doug just behind Subway on the New England Highway. LESLIE Closest Town: Warwick The dam level is still low so take care when launching and motoring

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around the lake. The fishing should be well and truly on fire this month. Last month the golden perch action picked up and fish were being caught on cast and trolled lures. Bait fishermen were also whacking their share as well. Things should only get better from now on. Lure trollers should try their luck in the main basin of the lake in around 7m of water. Medium running lures will get the job done and one of the best all-rounders for golden perch and Murray cod is the Kezza Mudmouse. These lures have a strong action and a flashy metal bib – two characteristics that the fish seem to love. Lure casters have had a lot of success hopping blades on the bottom. Interestingly, tail spinners are also finding their way onto the golden perch fishing scene. You tend to get a lot of by-catch of golden perch when targeting bass in some lakes. These lures are great for prospecting. Long casts cover plenty of water and the lure can be hopped back to the boat. Now the fish are willing to chase a feed, the tail spinner hop will score plenty. Bait fishermen will do well with live baits. Shrimp or saltwater yabbies are

position yourself on the old creek bed drop off, you’ll improve your chances. For all your supplies, and advice on catching

water. Casting spinnerbaits and swimbaits is a great way to lure these fish out of their hideouts in the standing trees and lay

It’s still closed season for cod in the rivers but you can target them in the dams. However, it remains a good idea to release them as they could possibly be breeding. fish in the area, call in to Warwick Outdoor and Sports. The store is in Palmerin Street Warwick and has a great range of quality gear for chasing freshwater fish. COOLMUNDA Closest Town: Inglewood The golden perch action is set to explode this month.

downs. I’m predicting the warmer water will force these fish into deeper areas. This should mean they are more concentrated around the old creek beds and the main river course. Finding structure on these pathways will almost guarantee cod are nearby. To fish these deeper areas

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Lorraine Brauns caught this 51cm, 3kg yellowbelly on a black and silver predator lure.

Corey caught this golden perch on a tail spinner while fishing for bass. The golden perch action should be even better this month. the preferred bait for golden perch while catfish and silver perch don’t mind sucking on the old garden worm. Bait will produce all over the dam but if you can find some submerged structure or

Jodi Carsburg caught this yellowbelly using earth worms & a handle.

www.lakeboondooma.com.au wwww.yallakoolpark.com.au 80

NOVEMBER 2015

We have been treated to some awesome cod fishing for the last few months but now the goldens will dominate catches. Some of the better cod fishing has been taking place in less than 2m of

WIDE BAY AND BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA Closest Towns: Proston, Kingaroy

lures to use are the Kezza Mudmouse and 80mm Halco Poltergeist. You can vary the amount of line behind the boat to have

There has been plenty of bass and golden perch action over the last month. The fish

try positioning the boat a cast away and sinking a spinnerbait into the zone. Another option is to contour troll. Use the sounder to follow a specific depth and have your lure almost bumping the bottom. Good are responding well to cast and trolled lures with plenty responding to bait as well. Pelican Point area to the Barbers Pole has been a

the lures swimming at your desired depth. Hopping lures around the deep drop offs to the old river and creek bed will produce plenty of goldens. When schooling fish are located, it is possible to whack dozens of fish. Blade baits and soft vibes like the Mask Vibe 60 are the preferred offerings although it will be interesting to see if tail spinners catch on as they have in some of the other golden perch fisheries. I’ve been busting to try the 12g Willy Willy but just haven’t had the chance yet. It has a very similar vibration signature to a small blade bait. If the goldens are active they should go nuts on them. The Coolmunda Caravan Park is only 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 sleep. The park offers all the comforts of home including camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. The park now has an extra 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. great spot to locate bass. These fish are in 7-10m of water and are responding well to tail spinners. To page 81

From page 80

Corey from Boondooma Kiosk is now stocking the Jets tail spinners so it’s easy to get your hands on some if you don’t yet have any and quiz him about a secret spot while you’re at it. Other reaction lures will also perform well and blade baits are always worth a try. Trolling in around 10m of water with a lure that dives at least 6m will also put you in with a good chance. The schooling fish are likely to scatter over the next couple of months which make trolling and covering water more effective. Bass can be caught out wider of the banks while golden perch tend to hold in closer to the edges and love to congregate on rocky points. In the timber, bait fishermen will pull a mixed bag. Casting spinnerbaits and lipless vibes will pull a few fish too but you may have to venture off the edges into at least 3m of water to get the bites. 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 fishing tackle. For campsites, cabins and bunkhouse rooms call Corey and Niki on (07) 4168 9694. BJELKE Closest Towns: Murgon, Goomeri Last month, Bjelke fired up and fished the

best it has for years. The quality of active bass has really picked up and there were plenty of 40cm fish caught as well as some even bigger ones around 50cm in length. Golden perch have also fired up nicely. Casting lipless crankbaits around the edges was the best way to tangle with the fish last month. If they stay around the edges in up to 5m of

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Use your sounder to locate bass schools. There can be a lot of barren water between fish and locating them pays off. water, the same method will perform well again. If the fish move slightly deeper, switch to Mask Vibes, blades and tail spinners to get the bites. Bait fishermen should try targeting fish in 5-8m

of gear suited to chasing our freshwater fish and the boys have all the knowledge to guide you on how to use it. The Yallakool kiosk is all set up with a great range of tackle if you

creep up. As it rises, the barra will be more mobile and we will see more fish caught. Casting hardbodies to the trees around Gold Mine Point and working soft plastics and hardbodies up the back of New Zealand Gully should produce the right kind of action. The Iveragh arm has also been reported to be holding quite a few fish as well. Once

you find these fish and the conditions are right, the good sessions will come. There is likely to be a lot of barren water between the fish so use your sounder to locate them. Once found, you’ve done the hard yards and the bites will come. Don’t leave fish to find fish just stick with them and keep trying different presentations. There were some good sessions on the lake towards the end of last year with multiple barra landed and hooked up. This

creeks once ran. These deep spots allow barra to slip in and out from the weed and find a comfortable home without moving too far. Heading towards the timber from the boat ramp, the long point on the left is again exposed and sticks well out into the lake. A very prominent feature - it’s a good safe spot to head in the dark for a surface session or even a soft plastic rolling stint.

The weed islands in the timber will fish well throughout the day when using soft plastics. Hardbodies will also score fish in the mornings and afternoons. Anglers braving the dark will experience some of the best action catching barra on both plastics and hard bodies. In still conditions, surface lures are definitely worth a try. If you are heading out to the dam make sure you call in at Proserpine Bait

WHITSUNDAY REGION PROSERPINE Closest Towns: Proserpine, Airlie Beach Proserpine and the lakes further south around Mackay have been fishing well for barra. Proserpine water level continues to drop giving the barra far less water to hide in. The lower level has allowed weed islands to form in the timbered area. Often these islands will have deeper edges where gullies or old

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. LENTHALLS Closest Towns; Maryborough, Hervey Bay At the time of writing the dam is still closed but has to be very close to opening. The fish have now had a good

only

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA DAM Closest Towns: Benaraby, Gladstone Hard fishing last month didn’t deter a few anglers from trying their luck. There were a few missed barra and heaps of catties but that’s all I have to report. The water was still cool at around 22°C but that is set to change from now until the end of the year as the temperature continues to

of water. Live shrimp and yabbies will be the best baits to pick up a mix of goldens and bass. For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into your local Bass 2 Barra store. You can see Matthew at Kingaroy or Dylan in Dalby and the boys will have you all geared up and ready for action in no time. Bass 2 Barra stores stock an awesome range

rest from boats and fishing pressure. There should be plenty of bass and barra wanting to munch a lure. I’m keen to hit it when it reopens. For more information check out the Wide Bay Water Corporations website. year should be even better and the fish even bigger. You just have to find them. If you are keen to try to tackle some fish in the river or dam, give Lyn and Mark from Awoonga Gateway a call on (07) 4975 0033. At Awoonga Gateway you’ll find clean, modern cabins and your hosts will be full of useful advice to help you try to land that barra of a lifetime. Make sure you tell Mark I sent you and pump him for the secret spot. and Tackle. The store is on to send you in the right direction and help with nailing the lake’s big fish. The store owner Lindsay Dobe runs charters on the lake and bookings can be made through the store on (07) 4945 464. Located on the highway through Proserpine the shop stocks all the barra gear you could possibly need. The guys will be able to hook you up! Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel!

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No more guesswork! BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

If you want to take the guesswork out of fishing, it’s time for you to make better use of technology and fishing information! The 21st century has been dubbed the Information Age, and rightly so. We anglers have access to fishing websites, fishing forums and Facebook pages, plus there’s Google Earth, digital fishing logs and apps, spreadsheets for your own data, GPS and radar, plus sonar technology that scans sideways as well as down. There are now radio-controlled drones with cameras to find fish schools or even drop your baits out wide. Then there is the latest sound-based technology, such as devices to reduce noise from your electric motor, HydroWave sonic fish feeding sounds for your boat, and even lures with computer chips that emit noises, which you can program! To some people, the sheer scale of all this information and technology can be overwhelming. They might consider it all as being too hard, conflicting or they just might not know where to start. As brilliant as technology is, you often need to know how it works to get the best out of it. You’ll also want to narrow your information gathering to focus on the species you’re targeting, the area you’re fishing and so on. The useful information that technology provides can be your best friend – provided you know how to collect it and how to use it. This article describes in simple terms some of the latest technology to add to your arsenal, and the kind of fishing information available to you. It also outlines how organising this information and using it with the technology will help you understand why you have either been successful or unsuccessful.

TYPES OF FISHING INFORMATION There are two ways you can accumulate fishing knowledge (apart from learning on the water) and that is targeted research, or more general reading. Both have their place in making us better anglers, but one may be better than the other depending on your current fishing plans. Where to look? Whether you are researching your target species or a particular location, or just doing some general fishing reading, there is an enormous amount of fishing information available. As well as traditional media and face-to-face discussions, there’s an ever-increasing online source of information. Hardcopies of books, magazines, DVDs and HEMA or Australian Fishing Network maps are available from traditional outlets such as newsagents, bookstores or tackle shops. These have the advantage of providing a lot of information in the one place and in easy-toread format. Apart from monthly magazines, one of my favourite and most valuable sources of hard copy fishing information has been the publication Fish Australia: The Essential Fishing Companion. While this book was last published in 1995, it contains over 300 detailed location maps for beach, rocks, estuaries and offshore fishing for each state and territory. Check out your local library to see if it has a copy. And don’t underestimate the human knowledge that can be passed on from joining a fishing club, building up rapport at tackle shops or simply earning the trust of a crusty old salt on the rocks, the ramp or at your local wharf. Even better, save up some money and put it towards hiring a fishing guide. Make sure that the guide covers an area or style of fishing that you can

replicate with your own gear for long-term benefit, unless, of course, you just want to tick a glamorous fish off your bucket list. Online fishing information has grown exponentially, and has the advantage of being easy to search – and often it’s very up to date. It’s not just available on regular websites – you can also access it via apps on smartphones and tablets, and through social media like Facebook. You can easily create your own digital fishing information as well, by putting diary entries in an electronic fishing log or spreadsheet (an invaluable research tool). Each of these sources of information are described below. Apps on smartphones and tablets The choices here are incredible. There are apps on the weather, fishing diary and sounder apps (mentioned later in the article), apps for

tying knots, navigation and finding boat ramps, and even fishing games! Games aside, these are great supplementary sources of information. I believe the weather apps are the best of the lot. I love Seabreeze and Weatherzone for up-to-date wind and weather information. In terms of the commercial apps, The Australian Fishing

This book will provide many new insights to even the most experienced fishers. View sample pages and purchase online at: www.howtouseafishfinder.com NOVEMBER 2015

App (currently $2.99) is a very popular android app containing a lot of fishing tips and rules, and it’s interactive in that anglers can share their reports with fellow users. The

Side or structure scan technology delivers you picture-like images of the bottom.

The perfect gift for the Fisherman. 82

Google Earth is a great tool to help you search for fishy features like drains for flathead.

Catchability app is another good (free) app for both iPhone and Android devices. Fishing sites and Facebook pages When it comes to useful websites, there’s a huge range available. Many tackle companies have tips and tricks on their sites, plus there are helpful fishing forums and blogs (online journals) from both well-known anglers and amateurs alike. Just do a Google search for ‘fishing forum’ or ‘fishing blog’, along with the region or species you’re interested in, and you’re set. Fishing blogs and forums differ from traditional websites in that they’re interactive, allowing anglers to post comments, photos and/or questions. In many cases you’ll see feedback that’s interesting and useful, but you’ll also get naysayers who think your pics have been Photoshopped, or who are just downright rude. Fortunately these ‘keyboard warriors’ are in the minority. Often it’s best to just ignore them (which they don’t like one bit). Life is too short!

A Facebook page is like a cross between a blog and a mini-forum. The administrators share information and reports, but you can usually ‘Like’, post comments and upload your own pictures and reports. Don’t tell yourself you’re too old for Facebook! It’s too useful to pass up. It takes only a couple of minutes to create the simplest of profiles so you can get full access to Facebook fishing pages. Many have great giveaways, up-to-date reports, tips, pictures and videos you may not see anywhere else. Many Facebook fishing pages also have funny pics and jokes too! Facebook is definitely my preferred way for sharing information with other anglers, and I have a great bunch of followers (people who clicked ‘Like’) on my page, which makes it like a great big fishing family that I keep in regular touch with. Electronic fishing diary Many of us have our favourite locations to fish season after season. However, we don’t have perfect memories, and over time we start to wonder which fish were caught when, how, where and by whom. And it’s easy for some exaggeration to creep in there! The solution is a fishing diary. It gives you the black and white truth! If you haven’t got one, start a fishing diary on your next trip – and make sure it’s electronic.

That way you can easily search, sort and compare the diary entries to identify patterns in fish movement and behaviour. Handwritten notes can’t do that. One way to create a fishing diary is with an app for your smartphone or tablet. Unfortunately, many of the apps available have been designed for fishing in the northern hemisphere. The few Australian fishing diary apps I’ve come across include the Total Fishing Australia App (lite and full version), but only the full version has the diary option. It costs $5.99 to download. It has mixed reviews, so you’ll probably want to try the lite version before you fork out for the full version. Another app is Fishabout, which is free with mixed reviews. I downloaded it to test the fishing diary option, and while it has some basic variables for you to record, including an option to view others’ reports and share your own, unfortunately some of the detail you require is lacking. For example, the location options aren’t very specific (e.g. ‘Brisbane area’). A second option, and one that I used for a number of years, is to create your own diary in an Excel spreadsheet so you can repackage it easily into tables and graphs. Include information on the location, date, moon, tide, time, wind, water colour, bait or lures and other conditions

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along with the species caught (and their quality) by each angler. Create a legend which simplifies the amount of data you have to enter each time. For example, when it comes to the size of the fish you can put A = large, B = around legal size, C = mostly undersize. Using a fairly simple function called ‘create pivot table’ (hop on YouTube to learn how to use it), you can highlight an area in the spreadsheet and then use a tick box to select which of the column and row variables you want to see in a table. Once you have this you can then put it in a graph (which

is the best way to compare fishing variables over time). Doing this allows you to take a particular location, fish species or angler to identify patterns over time such as quality of fish by moon phase, tide, bait or lure type and time of year. The third option is to use specialised software in the form of a fishing log, which I believe is the best option for a fishing diary. Ken Fox’s Fishing Log has been around for a number of years and has been designed especially for Australian conditions. Fishing Log makes record keeping a very simple ‘point and click’ exercise with just

The HydroWave fish feeding simulator is very popular with bass pros in the US.

a few variables needing to be keyed in. You could even record your previous handwritten fishing diary in a matter of a few hours and be able to use the software to analyse your past catch. Here’s a quick look at a few of the features. The Log Book: this is where you can enter all relevant data under predefined headings such as date, area fished, ramp launched at, number of crew, hours fished, time departed, sky, wind strength and direction, barometric pressure as well as sea conditions. You can also view or search for past records, which might help you decide where to fish for your particular target species on the basis of the tide/moon and wind forecast. Tide times: As well as reporting times and heights of changes it draws daily graphs, calculates percentage flow rates, graphically displays moon phasing, sun and moon rise and set, shows the whole tide cycle, adjusts to secondary locations and more. Fishing spots and GPS waypoints: Maps of all of Australia are provided, including more detailed maps of local areas. You can record and point and click on locations to see previous catches, plus more. There are automatic updates in the first 12

Lures with computer chips and sounds may be the way of the future. months and future updates for a nominal fee. The Log also includes fish facts and step-by-step pictures of many knots and videos. The Fishing Log is available direct from Ken Fox on 08 8298 4527 or kfox@ozemail.com.au for $99. While it comes in an older style CD-ROM, make no mistake – it’s a great software package. TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY Now that you know how to gather more fishing knowledge, you might like to consider what new fishing technologies would suit your angling targets and

techniques. I’ve separated these into boat and land based technologies, although some apply to both. Side scan technology The greatest leap in sounder technology in the past decade has been the introduction of side or structure scan. This feature really makes a big difference to your fishing in salt or fresh water. Combined with downscan technology, it delivers picture-like views beneath the boat, including the ability to scan sideways approximately 75m to the left and right of the boat. It allows you to determine the depth of the fish and

bait, and when you use it in conjunction with features such as Lowrance’s TrackBack, you can scroll back in the recorded history to review structure or fish targets and pinpoint locations with a waypoint for further exploration. Programmable lure sounds and LEDs Lure manufacturers are constantly looking for an ‘edge’ in the saturated lure market. Technology that is so new it is still to be released in 2015 is Livingstone Lures’ electronic baitfish sounds (EBS) that will have four programmable sound modes. To page 84

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From page 83

The EBS technology is embedded in a smart chip in the sound chamber of each lure, which is activated when the lure is submerged. The sounds mimic natural baitfish noise, with anglers able to choose from the sounds

submerged. These have had good results on a variety of Australian fish species and squid at night. HydroWave Feeding Simulator Most anglers know that you can talk as loud as you like on the boat, but banging

Ken Fox’s Fishing Log is a must-have for anglers keen to study past patterns in their catches.

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simply by pressing contact points on the lure. These are expected to prove very popular for bass and walleye fishing in the US, and will no doubt prove effective on Australian species as well. There’s also a variety of lures on the market with LED lights that automatically activate when the lure is

the bottom of the boat is a no-no due to the unnatural vibrations it emits under the water. Competition anglers are particularly focussed on minimising noise, and this includes looking for ways to reduce or cover the noise from their electric motors (despite the fact that electrics are quieter than ever).

There is now a device that can do both and potentially more, with claims that the HydroWave Fish Feeding Simulator also attracts fish to the boat. It emits the natural sounds of baitfish and predatory fish feeding on them. You can adjust the volume and type of sounds by using a handheld or mountable device that activates the underwater speakers. By hearing the sounds and feeling the vibrations, the fish are said to be drawn in the direction of the HydroWave. At the very least, pro bass anglers in the US say it disguises the unnatural noise from the boat, and the fact that 100% of bass pro boats use it makes this claim pretty hard to argue with. There is also a mini HydroWave version suitable for kayak fishing (or even from the bank), retailing for about $139. The larger HydroWave Australian H2 system package, with more bells and whistles, retails for around $650. They are available in fresh and saltwater versions. Trolling motor silencers Anglers looking for an advantage in tournaments, or just those who are keen to catch more fish, are increasingly using devices that reduce the vibration and noise from their

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electric motors. There are a couple of fairly simple and inexpensive devices on the market that do this. Propeller Dynamics are one such retailer of these devices. Their Eliminator custom prop nut has a Durometer O-ring that helps to remove prop noise/vibration while its cooling points help in heat dissipation. Propeller Dynamics also sells The Silencer, which for only a few dollars greatly dampens mount noise by preventing some parts of the mount from touching each other. Spot-lock and bird radar technology Spot-lock on electric motors takes out the need to use your anchor when throwing plastics or other lures around a school of feeding fish. This technology is also handy for throwing unweighted or lightly weighted bait at snags or undercut banks, then moving on with much less noise and fuss than dropping and lifting your anchor. Used in combination with trolling motor silencers or fish feeding noise simulators, you’re giving yourself the maximum chance of success! Radars are also an excellent safety device on boats, but few anglers realise they can also be used to your advantage to find fish! RayMarine have a high-definition digital radome (bird radar) which can be set to automatically detect birds ‘working’ a bait ball, well beyond the range of what we can see with the naked eye. Shore Based Technology You might think that technology wouldn’t help much when fishing from a beach, the flats or your local jetty. Not so! Here are some pieces of technology to help you get more consistent results from the shore. Google Earth The most obvious bit of technology to use when researching fishing spots is Google Earth. This could be as simple as finding some dirt tracks off the main road to less-fished beaches or waterways. However, Google Earth also opens up many more opportunities. It’s one of the best ways to get a picture of the area you plan to fish, for example identifying locations where you can fish the drains for flathead. As an example, before a recent trip to the western side of Moreton Island I made quick scan of the location on Google Earth. This lets me pinpoint areas with a number of small creeks draining into the bay. This is perfect for flathead fishing, especially on the falling tide, and that is how it turned out on this particular day. The fish were lying in ambush near the entrance of

these small creeks waiting for the baitfish and prawns to flee to the deeper water as the tide dropped. You can see the spot marked with an X on the Google Earth map on this page. Portable GPS A portable GPS is a great tool for the shore-based angler. For example, when 4WDing on Queensland’s Fraser and Moreton islands we have used a portable GPS to mark gutters at low tide to come back and fish later. This takes the hassle out of relying on your odometer reading, which you can either forget to check when you exit the beach or you simply can’t recall what distance it was when you go to fish a few hours later! Portable GPS units can also be used for fishing the flats. You can use this device to mark locations as you walk out over the flats at low tide and notice larger melon holes/channels that are dry but will fill on the rising tide. Likewise, you can keep an eye out for where a few flathead have buried themselves in the sand during the last high tide and waypoint these. This takes the guesswork out of finding these spots as the tide rises, particularly when the flats are expansive. Castable fish finders Anglers fishing from the shore (or in a kayak, canoe or float tube) in an estuary, river or lake often don’t know much about the structure and depth of the water in front of them. Even zooming in on the area with Google Earth will only show up shallower sand bars. A castable sounder, however, has the potential to show you underwater structure like undercut banks, submerged trees, logs, boulders or the edges of weed banks. These are the sorts of areas that can hold congregations of fish such as bream, yellowbelly or trout. In the last couple of years the choice and functionality of these units has improved substantially. Humminbird

have been making a wellknown castable unit for a few years now — the SmartCast, which sends signals to a wrist or rod mount display. You simply attach the sensor to your line for a real-time view of fish, bottom and underwater structure right where your line is. Or you can use the Remote Sonar Sensor to preview an area before you fish, by casting it out and reeling it in for an accurate picture of what’s below. In recent years the portable sonar market has expanded and you can now choose from products like Deeper, FishHunter, iBobber and SonarPhone’s T-Pod, which range in price from $100-230. These units pair up with iPhones or Android devices using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and have additional functionality such as fishing logs, solunar information and water temperature. Some also work with marine or Navionics charts. Drones A more controversial piece of technology, and one whose popularity is set to grow, is the drone. The most impressive consumer drone in recent times has been developed in the Netherlands and is known as the Dronexpert Quickrelease. With this device the angler attaches their bait and line to the drone and then uses a remote to fly the drone out over the water. The angler then lands the drone on the water, where it is able to remain buoyant. A camera system with the bait is then lowered to the bottom on a winch, allowing the angler to check whether the area is obscured on a display. Once the device reaches the bottom, the bait is released. The drone then returns to the angler, ready to be used again. No price on this device has been announced, but I suspect it won’t be cheap! PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER As cool as they are, all the latest fishing gadgets in

Apps and websites give you all the weather information you need to know for your next trip.

the world aren’t much good without the general fishing knowledge to back it up. In my view, information gathered from fishing magazines, websites, videos and the like will give you the solid foundation you need to catch more in the long run – and you can draw on this know-how down the track when you buy your new

technology. It isn’t much use having the best radar, sidescan and electric motor technology if you don’t know what you’re looking for, or how to interpret it. You don’t want to be out on the water, staring at a screen and wondering what to do next! Here is a sample timeline for putting it all together.

Electric motors can be quieter than ever with the addition of special prop nuts and silencers.

Step 1: Assuming you have already amassed a reasonable amount of general fishing knowledge, turn your attention to finding out as much as possible about your preferred species. This can include factors like the best time of year to target them, what influence different sea conditions will have on beach fishing, and what alternative targets to focus on in certain conditions. Step 2: Wet a line and look at your environment while you wait for a bite. What is the wind doing? Is it overcast? What is the water colour? What did the fish you caught have inside its stomach? Record all this in your electronic fishing diary or log (including dud days – we all have them!) After a while you’ll be able to search or graph your results and see patterns emerge. Step 3: Now you are armed with that information, focus on your next trip. Lock in a few variables such as the time of year, tides, target species and the location. If you are going on a family holiday to a new destination, jump on the web and look up information on the area, or jump on a forum or local Facebook page (including the local tackle shop or even just keen local amateurs) and ask questions. Look at your weather app to help with

Put all the pieces together and you can catch fish like this! planning, particularly close to a week to 10 days out. Step 4: Let’s assume you have decided to buy some new technology. Pester your local tackle shop or marine dealer to demonstrate or describe how it works first. If they are not prepared to do that, take your business elsewhere. Then read the manual! You can’t be an expert right away, so be prepared to do a bit of trial and error with your new device by having a test run

with it before your trip. There are even gurus like Nick Whyte in Brisbane who will guide you through getting the best use of sounders etc. by providing on-water lessons. This will fast-track your learning. Step 5: Catch more! Above all, remember that on some days the fish can be shut down and there’s nothing that can be done about it. But whether the fishing is good or bad, you’ll at least have the

confidence that you’re using all the right tools – and those tools and knowledge will help you understand why it was a good or bad day’s fishing. In particular, it will help you remove some of the guesswork so you’ll be even better armed on the next trip! For more tips and fishing advice, check out my Facebook fishing page, Ontour Fishing Australia. Until next time, bag your mates – not your limit!

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NOVEMBER 2015

2016 Diesel outlander features many changes BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Modern car manufacturers don’t sit still. Mitsubishi for example is constantly engineering innovative changes to their models to release very well received upgraded vehicles. The Triton released earlier this year was a standout and now the Outlander has received an upgrade to bring it into line with some of the main contenders in the niche market of high performance 4WDs. The established Outlander is currently available in both 2WD

Mitsubishi have gone to great lengths to make the Outlander even more attractive in the 2016 model. and 4WD models, with a choice of either a petrol or diesel engine. Clients

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can choose between 5 and 7 seats. Changes that have been implemented include a softened body shape, a chrome and silver plated grille, the addition of Mitsubishi’s ‘Dynamic Shield’ insert, as well as new fog light insert bezels. Changes to soften the rear include a newly designed bumper and LED rear lights. These alterations create an even stronger road presence and coupled with the SUV wagon, the Outlander has become an attractive sight on the road. AMPLE FEATURES ACROSS THE BOARD The model reviewed was a 7-seat, six speed automatic diesel. The Exceed has top specifications and the mode tested featured 4WD on command via a rotary console button. The entire Outlander range offers a host of desirable features. All models sit on 18” mag wheels for a touch of style. The electronic functions are above expectations. The mid range XLS features items such as digital audio, touch screen satellite navigation, dual zone air, auto wipers and headlights, and Bluetooth connectivity – many of the most important functions are wheel mounted. The higher market Exceed’s most prominent features were an electrically adjustable driver seat, folding side mirrors, a power

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operated sun roof, power operated tail gate via the key fob, climate control air conditioning, plus leather seat facings. Keyless entry and push button start are listed in the Exceed’s specs,

IMPROVED ROAD MANNERS Mitsubishi’s efforts to greatly reduce Noise Vibration Harshness (the dreaded NVH) has proven to be successful in all Outlanders across the board whether petrol or diesel engines. I found the Exceed’s four cylinder DOHC 2.2L diesel engine teamed with a 6-speed auto box was both powerful, compliant, and acceptably quiet. Some diesel chatter at start up was evident but this soon levelled out as road speed increased. Figures of 110KW for power and 360Nm of torque certainly saw the wagon well organized as both power and torque come on line at a low 1500 rpm. Highway work was a

The Outlander’s 2.2L diesel engine churns out 360Nm of torque, which is great for towing. as is radar cruise control and collision warning systems. As far as lighting and sound systems are concerned, Mitsubishi have always been leaders in the industry – a tradition that continues with the current Exceed models. The Outlander even has daylight LED lights. INTERIOR MODIFICATIONS Mitsubishi’s interior alterations in the Outlander are immediately noticeable. A 3-spoke leather bound steering wheel, new head lining and plenty of piano black around the dash, with some contrasting silver highlights to brighten and draw attention to various items is just the start. Seating has also been revised with improvements in support through a bolstered seat design, as well as aesthetically pleasing changes like extra trim, eye catching stitching, and leather facings. The reviewed 7-seater Exceed will seat 2 comfortably up front, 3 in the middle row – with plenty of head and leg room – plus another 2 youngsters in the third row. Seating configuration is considerably versatile with the option of folding the third row away, as well as the mid row, and the ability to employ a 60/40 fold situation to cater for larger items.

breeze and keeping up with suburban traffic was easy as the 6-speed auto gear box kept the engine in ideal operating range. For the more adventurous among us Mitsubishi have provided paddles on the wheel for

those that like to do their own gear changing. Handy for pulling a solid trailer up a range or coming off the other side where some driver input is obviously required – think of coming around a bend on Cunninghams’s Gap and rounding onto a line up of trucks inching their way downwards. Mitsubishi has put a lot of serious focus into improvement of handling. According to the company, the 2016 variant, features more rigid suspension with a stiffened body to match. Some work on the rear damping system, as well as changes to the electronic steering system also makes for a smoother ride. The result of these modifications are an improved driving experience with easier travel over small bumps and inconsistencies. The electronic steering system is definitely a step forward for the Outlander and is far more responsive. SUMMING UP In my opinion, Mitsubishi have done a lot to make a good car even better. With a tow capacity of 750kg for an un-braked trailer and 2000kg for a braked trailer, this stylish and comfortable wagon will certainly tow its share of boats or camper trailers. If the road is muddy or the boat ramp is wet there’s always 4WD on command at the touch of the console switch to get more traction when it’s needed. Warranty is 36 months or 100,000km and capped price servicing applies. The Exceed diesel, 6-speed auto would come home for $46,490.

Top: The Outlander features a new dash layout that is still highly functional and very easy to navigate. Below left: The Outlander is one of the few in its field that offers the option of 7 seats – a handy opportunity for a family SUV. Below right: The third row of seats in any vehicle always seems to attract youngsters and the Outlander’s should prove no exception.

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NOVEMBER 2015

Industry Product

The making of a legend to catch a legend BRISBANE

Stephen Booth

I’m not often blown away by something, especially not by something that has been around for a few years. What I have experienced over the last 12 months with my initiation into the world of Venom rods by Wilson Fishing has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll state right here and right now that I work for Wilson Fishing, just so everyone knows – however, the sentiments I express here are from me, not from Wilson. I love my cod fishing, and Wilson Fishing has never really focused on inland angling. Design-wise, their real strength is revealed in the brutal world of offshore fishing and tropical mayhem. There is so much brilliant product to dominate the needs of these two fishing areas that the inland side of things has been slightly left behind. The Venom rod range is more than just a tropical and bluewater series though. There are models made that cross over and they cross over so extraordinarily well that you may even think they have been made to order for inland native anglers. I will discuss two rods I have used in the last year with no previous experience the Venom Heavy Baitcaster 6kg and the Venom Crankbait PE 3-6. Both of these rods were designed for barramundi fishing, which makes them more than suitable for Murray cod fishing. VENOM CRANKBAIT PE 3-6 This rod is an absolute cracking rod for general Murray cod fishing. Rated for lines between 30-60lb

the Murrumbidgee and the Darling this rod excels. Additionally, it’s a great rod for casting lures in among heavy timber stands in lakes and in all of the New England

NOVEMBER 2015

else in the boat regardless of the lures being thrown. That 7’ length gives you extra metres every cast, but it does impact on your accuracy so that is why it’s a brilliant big water and lake rod. I couldn’t recommend you try this rod any more sincerely. An absolute weapon, I just love it for

told yet, but the technology is irrelevant once you get one on the water. Venom rods are not cheap. They are elite and the retail pricing reflects their quality. Wilson uses only the best components to ensure everything about the rods is first rate. All of the rods, including the

FACT BOX Model.............Description................................. Length RLFVCR6....... Venom Crankbait PE 3-6...........6’3” RLFVBC7/6.... Venom Heavy Baitcaster 6kg....7’

Scott Flemming used the Venom Crankbait PE36 to subdue this cod. This is a good illustration of the versatility of the rod fishing a lightweight 95mm Zerek Fish Trap vertically amongst the boulders. streams and rivers where a really long rod simply gets in the way and extra-long casts are rarely necessary. When accuracy is more important, this is the rod to choose. This rod will also troll quite easily. The 6’3” length allows the tip to register the lure’s action well and the angler can easily manipulate the lure when necessary. The

A perfect combination: Venom Crankbait PE 3-6 and Murray cod. (15-30kg) it certainly has the strength to dictate the terms when necessary but also has the soft action that allows easy casting of lures all day long. This Venom Crankbait PE is ideal in tight situations where casting distance is not a priority. When you are snag bashing in tight, fishing the Murray above Echuca,

medium sized hardbodies and 3/8oz spinnerbaits are no problem either. In essence, it’s a pretty versatile rod that can do a lot of things well and is my most

longer rod also gives you a really good drop back when your lures hit a snag and you need to give the lure slack to float it back and up off the snag. Lure-wise, this stick will cast just about any spinnerbait up to 3/4oz and most of the hardbodies that anglers are using for cod. Much smaller lures like

used Venom rod when I am native fishing – it’s always in the boat ready to go. VENOM HEAVY BAITCASTER 6KG This is not a muck around rod. It’s 7’ long and built for serious work. Designed with the aid of Peter Price (noted barra impoundment angler) this rod was built for the purpose of casting long and being strong – two design specifications it blasts out of the water. Used for swimbaits in barra impoundments, this rod is ideal for casting and retrieving large spinnerbaits, surface lures and wakebaits for mega-cod. It’s not a tight area casting rod, but it is a sensational stick for combing a bank with a surface lure or a spinnerbait and when that strike from Mr Big comes, this rod gives you the power to control the fish. These days anglers expect more from their tackle and I think the Venom Heavy Baitcaster delivers, it is fairly under-rated and fishes heavier than 6kg, which makes for a lot of happy anglers. I know the last trip I used this rod I put it through the paces hard to see where its limits were – I didn’t reach them! As a casting rod there are few peers for bigger lures. I was throwing at least 20% further than everyone

for a much higher price than is asked for a Venom that’s for sure. THE FUTURE Like everything that is Venom, these rods will develop and mature. There is already talk about a cod monster rod in the range and some other modifications to meet feedback from users. The Heavy Baitcast series also has an 8kg version and there are three lighter Crankbait rods in the range. It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that

The 6kg Heavy Baitcaster was designed for barra but it has well and truly found a home in my arsenal for surface luring lake cod with big lures. fishing open water and I still smile like a little kid with a lollipop when I remember the first surface strike on my last trip. DISCUSSION The Venom range, as a whole, is exceptionally light weight. Do not assume this means the rods are not capable – they are the lightest, strongest and toughest rods I have ever used, regardless of where I currently work. Just why they are so strong and light is a secret even I have not been

brilliant Crankbait and Heavy Baitcaster have been designed in-house and they are all built in the factory at Wilson Fishing in Brisbane. This gives an unprecedented control over quality and allows the rods to be their best. Prices for both rods are usually under $500, which puts them right up there but they are worth every single cent. There are plenty of imported rods not designed in Australia for Aussie fish and conditions that ask

I might get a little excited about native fishing and with Wilson Fishing’s recent association with Dean Norbiato and Rod ‘Codmac’ Mackenzie, there is sure to be an incredibly bright future for Venom rods and inland anglers. It’s an exciting time and I am well and truly looking forward to being involved. Check out the Venom rods at your nearest tackle store or ask your local store to get one in for you – you won’t regret it.

This 79cm cod nailed a Kuttafurra Creeper on a long cast right on dusk. The ability of the 6kg Heavy Baitcaster to give you extra metres on every cast is essential when lure fishing big lakes with surface lures.

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NOVEMBER 2015

Kayak sounder success BRISBANE

Justin Wilmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Whatever the application, from locating bait, structure, thermoclines and schooled fish, to selecting an appropriate lure for the depth you’re fishing, working a drop off or navigating safely to and from your fishing spot, there’s no doubt that sounders have made fishing more productive and water travel safer.

and have been impressed with the quality of the unit, the simplicity of operation, and the number of high tech features packed into this navigation and fish finding powerhouse. When I fitted this sounder I started with the ‘bloke test’. The bloke test involves unpacking the unit, fitting it to the kayak and then spending a day on the water fishing – all without opening the instruction book. I don’t recommend doing this, but at the same time I know that many will

build together! The assembling and mounting was quick, easy and made sense, and once on the water the menu system was intuitive and in no time I was switching between sonar, GPS, and DownVision, or a combination of these via a split screen. I could also adjust the depth range, zoom, mark waypoints and save screen shots to the micro SD mapping card housed securely in the rear of the unit. Recently I’ve spent the majority of my time

A deeper drop off and the 3-8oz jighead comes into play. Here you can see the trusty Dragonfly situated at the front of the kayak.

Even in shallower water, the Dragonfly shows you where to cast. I have been running the Dragonfly-5 PRO Sounder/ GPS for a few months now

and I’m happy to say that there aren’t a million tiny confusing parts to somehow

Gearing up for a big day!

fishing the edge for flathead without a sounder, on the last few hours of the run out tide. This is an extremely effective way to make the most of available time, catch fish and bring a couple home for a feed. However, there were some days when the flathead weren’t schooling in the area I was fishing. Whether this was due to moon phases, rainfall, tides, or one of the many mysteries of fishing, I suddenly had a couple of fishless sessions. After I mounted the Dragonfly to the kayak I was excited to see how useful it would be when the flathead weren’t playing the game.

None of it is rocket science, but the detail of what is below the kayak, that the Dragonfly provides, has seen me change things up and while I still fish the edges for flathead, I now have the ability to locate fish, bait and structure, while also using the sounder to make adjustments in jighead weight that have seen me catch more fish. There are many benefits to fishing from a kayak, however the inability to just start the motor and travel long distances to our next spot means that we need to make the most of the area that we are fishing and use the sounder to assist us wherever possible. STRUCTURE In an earlier issue I wrote about secondary structure, specifically that by keeping an eye out for structure on the sounder, while working the edge for flathead, you can catch more fish. I now seek out structure when travelling to my fishing spot, moving between spots and exploring new water. By taking the time to position the kayak down current and casting soft plastics back over this structure

I have caught more fish and a wider variety of fish species. BAIT Never underestimate the importance of bait. Often when there is no bait on the sounder, there is little fish activity in the

area. Find the bait – find the fish. When travelling, drifting, fishing the edge or exploring new water, bait is at the top of the list of things to look for. If I find a drain, flat, pinnacle, drop off or any other section of water that

Always a good day when the flathead are biting.

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is loaded with bait then I will give it some more time. On the other hand, if I am not seeing bait on the sounder then I will run and gun through the area. I still cover those areas with casts but won’t give them any additional attention. When fishing my local river there are a few sections that I travel through, including a rocky patch and a deep hole, and if the bait is there I am confident that I will land a few bream on 2.5” curl tail or paddle tail plastics. Likewise if there’s a series of drains along a mangrove edge, look for the drains that are holding the bait as they are the ones that produce the fish. FISH While chasing flathead I have a few areas that commonly hold schools of bream and grunter. If I see the fish on the sounder, then I’m pretty confident that I will catch them on plastics or at least get a few rattles. If I don’t see fish, or at least plenty of bait on the sounder, then I continue through these spots and onto the next. On other occasions I have located schools of fish on the sounder and after persistence, have been rewarded with yellowtail pike, school mulloway, trevally and a variety of other species. After numerous successes I trust that if the Dragonfly says there are fish under you, there are and it’s worth spending some time changing up soft plastic sizes, colours and styles, along with retrieves, until

you are convinced that they simply aren’t eating. SOFT PLASTICS On the topic of changing things up until you find what works, my experiments with the Dragonfly have seen me changing from two rods in the yak, rigged with 1/4oz jigheads and 3” paddle tails in different colours, to three rods rigged with three different jighead and plastic combinations: a 1/6oz 1/0 jighead with a 2.5” paddle tail, a 1/4oz 3/0 with a 3” paddle tail and a 3/8oz 3/0 with a 3” paddle tail or 4” curl tail. This combination allows me to adapt to what I see on the sounder. I still sit a cast distance from the edge of the bank, but if the area is shallow I swim the lighter weighted, smaller plastic, producing a more natural presentation, and increasing the number of bream, whiting and other smaller mouthed species that I catch. If it’s between 1-2.5m deep, which is common in the areas that I fish, then I will run my favourite 1/4oz 3/0 and 3” paddle tail. The third rod comes into play along sections of bank that drop away to 3-4m below the kayak, where previously I would move quickly through the area, fish the first couple of metres of edge or spend more time fishing the lighter jighead slowly down the drop. The 3/8oz head allows me to fish these deeper drop offs quicker and more effectively, especially if there is bait or fish showing on the sounder.

This three rod setup also allows me to mix up my presentations when fish, bait or structure is located on the sounder and more effectively fish the visible fish, bait and structure in a wider range of water depths. If you’re looking at fitting a sounder to your kayak, check out the Raymarine Dragonfly-5 PRO Sounder/GPS. The next step is to spend some time getting to know your sounder and learning to trust it by turning what you are seeing on the screen into bent rods, happy snaps and a fresh feed of fish. Keep the checklist of fish, bait and structure in mind when monitoring your sounder and have a few different soft plastics rigged and ready for action! See you on the water…

This drain was loaded with bait and produced bream, grunter and flathead.

Images for illustrative purposes only.

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A nice bream I may not have captured if I hadn’t seen the bait and fish on my sounder! NOVEMBER 2015

BP shines for Toray BASS Pro Bjelke-Petersen Dam, located near Murgon in Qld, has long been a favourite of bass anglers from around the country. BP, as it is affectionately known, has been rested as an Australian Bass Tournament venue for a number of years to give the budding stock of Australian bass and yellowbelly plenty of opportunity to grow and flourish. So it was with a little trepidation that anglers attended the Toray BASS Pro event on 29-30 August. Would the dam produce the number and quality of bass that were a hallmark of years past? Or would it react to the pressure of Australia’s best tournament anglers going full throttle in their quest for success? In hindsight, anglers needn’t have worried – the bass came to play and they left nothing in the tank. A DREAM RUN FOR CLEMENTS Grant Clements (6/6, 8.63kg), a 32-year-old builder from Heddon Greta in NSW, stormed home in the last session to secure his maiden ABT victory at the Toray Bjelke-Petersen BASS Pro. Clements produced a consistent effort across the first two sessions, boating 2/2, 2.36 and 2/2, 2.38kg, which had him sitting in contention (fourth) as he headed out for the final session. It was very much ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ with Clements finding the fish in that last

session to rocket up the leader board, eclipsing his nearest competitor by over a kilo and in the process securing the Austackle Big Bass (2.60kg) and Duffrods Big Bag (2/2, 3.89kg)! Clements took the opportunity to pre-fish before the tournament as he had previously never fished at Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Unable to find schooling fish, he made a move to the edges. Finding only limited structure or featureless banks, Clements focussed on areas that had pelicans and birds chasing baitfish. In the end though opportunities were limited. “I worked a lot of banks with only three really producing anything,” he said. “After five bumps and one legal bass I thought ‘man I am in trouble!’” In the first session Clements headed to his first position, located at the back of the dam. “The location was about 10-15ft in depth on the edge then dropped off quickly down to 28-35ft to an old creek bed,” Clements said. “I found that the fish were moving out of the deep and up into the shallows feeding. I positioned the boat in about 30ft of water and cast back to the edge.” Clements and his non-boater employed different techniques to establish what presentations the bass would go for. The spinnerbait presentation received several bumps, which prompted Clements

to change his plastic presentation. The change delivered immediate results.

the pre-fish, which all had the same setup with 10-15ft on the edge and a

Grant Clements took out the Austackle Big Bass prize with this beauty at 2.6kg. “I changed my plastic to a 4” Berkley Gulp Jigging Grub in pepper prawn colour rigged on an Impact Tackle 1/2oz jighead, and that’s when things started moving,” he explained. “I landed two fish pretty quickly and spent the rest of the session upgrading. “I moved between three banks I had found during

steep drop-off into an old creek bed. I caught fish at each location using the Jigging Grubs.” A return to the same locations in session two saw Clements jump straight back on the horse, rotating through his selected banks with the same presentation. His efforts were rewarded with a tournament limit and multiple upgrades.

Berkley 4” Gulp jigging grub in

pepper prawn colour rigged on

an Impact Tackle 1/2 oz jighead

15 feet

STORM

Bass moving

into shallow area to feed

Old Creek Bed

VENTAFISH®

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 92

NOVEMBER 2015

30 feet

In the final session Clements’ objective was to replicate his Day 1 efforts and to pursue a top place finish. A return to his Day 1 money banks saw Clements fill his limit and then start to upgrade. “I was finding the fishing a lot tougher on the Sunday morning with the water temp about 2.5°C warmer and the wind a lot stronger then the day before,” he said. “With an hour to go I went to one of the banks I had been working over the last two days. It was a bank that had a weed edge that came out about 2m from the edge with the water depth at 10ft, and slowly got deeper over about 30m. I noticed birds in the water pulling up to the bank, and using the sidescan and downscan on my Lowrance sounder – there were a lot of bait being balled up in the water

the Jigging Grub off the bottom. After about 15 casts and two hits I felt a thump. I instinctively loaded the rod and off it went with two or three massive runs following. I chased it with the electric until it came to the surface and I immediately knew it was the biggest bass I had caught, the bass that would win me the comp if I landed it! I netted it by myself (I didn’t have a non-boater for the final session) and let off a massive cheer, which just about everyone on the dam probably heard! I put the bass in the livewell and went back to the weigh-in with half an hour left – I didn’t want anything to go wrong with that fish! “A big thanks to Fishtec solutions for their ongoing support, Ballina Marineland and to Adrian Melchior for lending me his boat!”

Michael Thompson came in as runner-up in the boater division. in about 18ft – I noticed small dots underneath the bait which I thought may be bass. “I pulled up and started casting at the bait balls, slow rolling the lure through them and hopping

THOMPSON EDGES INTO SECOND PLACE Michael Thompson (6/6, 7.50kg), finished runner-up at the Toray Bjelke Petersen BASS Pro. Thompson, a 32-year-old self employed concreter, quickly zoned

into the predominant bite pattern and pushed the leaders all the way, only for Clements’ final session heroics to overtake him. Thompson said it was hard work identifying the bite during the pre-fish. “I started looking for schooled fish, but after about an hour I realised I could not get them to bite,” he said. “The majority of bass were sitting in 14-20ft of water, closer to the bank than where I was fishing. Using a spin rod I tied on an Imakatsu Piranha lipless crankbait and cast to the edge. As soon as it hit the water I gave it a little hop and started winding using a reasonably quick retrieve, and quickly hooked up to a kilo fish. Straightaway I worked out that the schooled fish weren’t biting, and that the active ones were going to the bank to feed. Realising it would be an edge reaction bite saved me plenty of time and frustration.” Thompson’s key location was a gentle tapered bank with timber in the area. Thompson targeted bass between 12-16ft around 15-20m from the bank, and used the Imakatsu Piranha lipless crankbait (colour 23) to catch his fish. With a bass caught first cast each session, and a tournament limit in the boat within the first five minutes of each session, the fishing was red hot on all fronts. Thompson said he kept the boat in 12-16ft of water and cast within a couple of meters of the edge. “As soon as the lure hit the water I gave one short hop and a reasonably quick retrieve,” he explained. “All the bites came halfway back to the boat in about 6-8ft.” Thompson used a 7’2” 2-5kg custom Duff Rod paired with a Quantum EXO 25 spin reel spooled with 15lb Toray Seabass braid and 8lb Toray super hard leader. Thompson said it was a combination of all of the above that helped with his success on the day. “It was good to have quality gear I could rely on, supplied by my sponsors Duff Rods, Fish Tech

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6

8.63 7.50 7.39 7.11 6.92 6.88 6.81 6.37 6.20 6.09

$1800 $900 $500

Grant CLEMENTS Michael THOMPSON Tony THORLEY Stephen KANOWSKI Peter LEGGETT Greg BEATTIE Dean SILVESTER Mark LENNOX Kristoffer HICKSON Craig SIMMONS

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Solutions and Warwick Outdoors and Sports and Basscat Australia,” he said. “Also a huge thanks to Sean Haynes for the loan of his Legend boat, as without it I could not have attended the comp as my new Basscat Cougar is still on its way!” RANDALL ROLLS ON FOR NONBOATER VICTORY Ben Randall (6/6, 6.44kg) took out the

bag and a couple of upgrades within a couple of hours. “Come the afternoon I found it a little more difficult to pick up my second fish, but with a little help from Grant we soon picked one up,” he said. “Come the second day I caught my first fish on the first cast! The bites continued and I had my first upgrade within 15 minutes of the start of the session.”

BASS PR O Presente SERIES d by To ray

on a 3/0 size 3/8oz TT’s jighead. The lures were fished on two different outfits. For the spinnerbait, a Pagotto custom rods 3-6kg, Daiwa Type R Tatula baitcast reel, 15lb Shimano Powerpro braid

In the non-boater division, Ben Randall came up trumps. non-boating division at the Toray Bjelke Petersen BASS Pro. Randall, a 29-year-old security guard, fished with event winner Grant Clements and local Trevor Stead. Randall had the opportunity to pre-fish with Tony Thorley and Barry Reynolds, exploring the lower parts of the dam around the quarry, the dam edges and finally the timber. Randall found the going a little tough, boating two fish during the day. During the tournament Randall focussed his efforts on the dam edges. The characteristics of the locations fished were similar: edges in 10-15ft, with weedy patches with the odd timber snag. The technique used was to slow roll the lures back to the boat. Randall used spinnerbaits in the morning, and then switched to plastics later on in the day. Randall said during the first morning session he had his

Randall’s key lures were Bassman Spinnerbaits Carl’s Compact colour TW2, and a modified (approx.. 10mm cut off) Berkley 4” Gulp Jigging Grub in pepper prawn rigged

and 14lb Sunline leader. For the plastic lure, a G. Loomis Dropshot 2-4kg rod, Daiwa 2506 Luvias, 10lb Shimano Powerpro braid and 8lb Daiwa leader. – ABT

WINNING NOTES

Winning Ways

Clements attributes the use of a subtle, plastic lure presentation and selection of locations that continually replenished as keys to his victory.

Winning Tackle

Rod: Edge rod 703 4-12lb Reel: Daiwa Certate 2500 reel Line: 10lb Toray Super Strong PE Leader: Toray super hard spinning fluorocarbon leader Lure: Berkley 4” Gulp jigging grub in pepper prawn colour rigged on an Impact Tackle ½oz jighead.

Austackle Big Bass

Clements cashed in during the final session with his 2.60kg bass claiming the event Austackle Big Bass.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

6/6 5/6 4/6 4/6 3/6 1/6 2/6 1/6

6.44 5.84 4.81 4.27 2.94 2.36 1.60 0.98

Ben RANDALL James REID Owen MCPAUL Peter MORGAN Marnie WATSON Deborah KOWALCZYK Luke DRAPER Jason MARTIN

Toray Prize Pack Toray Prize Pack Bassman Prize Pack Spotters Prize Pack BassMafia Prize Pack

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au NOVEMBER 2015

AM OPEN QLD BteRdEby Power Pole

Team Samurai slay opposition

Presen chor by Hobie Micro An

Tristan Taylor and David McKenzie from Team Samurai Reaction once again showed their dominance on Moreton Bay with the formidable breaming duo racking up their 4th Queensland Open win in the PowerPole Micro Anchor/Hobie Fishing presented event. Fishing tried and true locations that had served them well over many years and in multiple QLD Opens the pair hit the water focused on making this year their year. DAY 1 “We finished last in last year’s event and we wanted to bounce back with vengeance,” explained Team Samurai’s David McKenzie. Heading to the southern end of the bay on day one the pair fished a collection of locations, with Ormiston and Peel Island both receiving the Samurai treatment. “Our approach was straight forward with one of us throwing a topwater and the other a crankbait,” explained McKenzie.

fish for the day the pair found themselves in 2nd place at the end of day one of the Power-Pole Micro Anchor/Hobie Fishing presented event. DAY 2 Wi t h calmer conditions predicted for day two McKenzie and Taylor changed tact and headed north. “The southern bay

1. Tristo’s Ramjet coloured Atomic Crank 38 deep

3. Modena bone coloured Megabass Dog X

Tristan Taylor and David McKenzie secured their 4th QLD Open win with victory in the Power-Pole Micro Anchor. The approach paid off with the pair filling their limit by 7.30am, a

host of upgrades then followed through out the day. Catching close to 50

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Available now from your local Hobie Cat dealer. Visit: hobiecat.com.au/micro for more details and to find your nearest dealer. NOVEMBER 2015

Bream Shad so it ducked and darted just below the edge of the pontoon,” explained McKenzie. The approach paid off with the pair picking up two key upgrades, a 30 and 31cm. While their day didn’t deliver the size and numbers of the first two days of competition their mobile and thought out approach once again

2. Ghost green shad coloured Atomic Bream Shad.

Nothing gets you closer to the fish than your small craft. And nothing anchors you better than a Power-Pole made just for your vessel.

another 4kg bag foremost in their minds the pair returned to Redcliffe. Picking up where they left off from the day before, second cast saw Tristan come up tight on a solid fish. A hard battle ensued and a 1.30kg fish soon graced the livewell. “Tristo’s fish was the only real standout early on. The fishing was a lot hard and it wasn’t until

With a variety of mounting options, the MICRO quickly mounts to any small boat or kayak. The adjustable mounting bracket allows you to mount to the transom or deck. The optional adapter plate, clamp-on bracket or rail system (not shown) give the MICRO the versatility to mount to almost any small vessel. All these mounting options mean you can easily transfer the MICRO unit from one boat or kayak to another.

3 really needs the wind to blow to get the bream to bite and we were also keen on resting it for day three, so we went north and fished Redcliffe,” explained McKenzie. With North Reef at Scarborough has their target area the pair once again hit the ground running catching their limit by 6.50am, once again with a two-lure approach. “The topwater didn’t work but we got our fish on a combination of a deep Atomic Crank 38 and an Atomic Shad 40. The Crank we fished with a slow roll while the Shad was work with a twitch and pause retrieve,” explained McKenzie. Working their way through all the fish holding locations at North Reef the pair once again had a double-digit fish day, catching close to 50 fish for the session and weighing in the heaviest limit (4.16kg) for the day. DAY 3 Sitting pretty in 1st place with close to a two kilo lead heading into the 3rd and final day the question was would the guys take their foot of the pedal and cruise to a seemingly inevitable victory. “You can never rest easy on the bay because you know on any day someone can deliver a four kilo plus bag to scales, so you have to fish hard right to the end,” explained McKenzie. With the thoughts of

about two hours in that we completed our limit,” explained McKenzie. With conditions glassed out and the fishing only getting harder the pair pulled the pin and headed north to fish the canals at Bribie Island. “We focused on the front edge of the pontoons and twitched and paused an Atomic

delivered them the heaviest limit for the day, and secure them their 4th Power-Pole Micro Anchor (sponsored by Hobie Fishing), QLD BREAM Open. With four wins, and three seconds in the QLD BREAM Open to their names McKenzie and Taylor can comfortably be considered the bream kings for Moreton Bay.

Tristan Taylor with the spoils of victory.

Team Atomic bridesmaids again proved the peak period with the pair picking up five upgrades. Weighing in a 2.76kg limit, Sharp and Eldred sat in 3rd place heading into day two. DAY 2 Day two very much proved a carbon copy of day one with a quiet start to the day on the back of the last of the run out tide, followed by a flurry of activity late in session as the run in tide started to reach its peak. “As expected, the bite

CE 2ND PLA

Claiming the bridesmaid was Team Atomic’s Aaron Sharp and Steve Eldred who once again showed their brilliance at Moreton Bay but for 5th time fell one spot short of claiming victory in the PowerPole Micro Anchor/Hobie Fishing sponsored event. Over three days of competition, team Atomic managed to gather 15/15, 9.12kg bag fishing Atomic

QLD BRE

15 minutes were hectic. I just wish we had another 15 minutes to catch a few more upgrades,” explained Sharp. Weighing in with a 3.37kg limit for the day, the pair sat in 2nd place as they heading off from the start on the 3rd and final day. DAY 3 “Day three was a much better start than the first two. We found a point at Mudd that held bait and the bream were ready and willing to eat our cranks, and in six

Presented AM OPEN by Micro Anc Power Pole hor by Ho bie

On stage at the boat show Eldred and Sharp weighed in a 2.99kg limit to finish second, and wear the bridesmaid dress for a 5th time. “We’ll be back again next year you can count on that. The fishing in the bay is unmatched and the chance to compete against this field over three days of competition is something

Team Atomic were once again the bridesmaids in The Open. “While we picked up some fish on surface early it was the Atomic Crank that

consistently produced fish,” explained Sharp. The last half an hour

A slow rolled Atomic Crank 38 deep was the undoing of multiple bream during the QLD BREAM Open event.

Team Atomic and Samurai ready to roll on the final day of competition. window at the end of the day was even smaller due to the later tide. The last

Rocky bottom

Hardz Crank 38 crankbaits around Mudd Island to catch their competition fish. “Mudd Island holds the fish needed to win you just need to cover water and wait for the big fish bite window to open,” explained Sharp. Early on day one this thought process saw Sharp and Eldred fishing the drains, targeting the fish who were ambushing food sources pushed off the flats. “We caught some fish but it wasn’t until the tide started to run in that the bite really kicked in and filled our limit,” explained Sharp. The pair fished their way around the island picking fish off as they went, but it was on the points that they really picked up their best fish.

Winning Tackle

Anthony Wishey and Chris Britton were as consistent as ever in the QLD Bream Open, finishing 3rd.

Place Team

Anglers

Tristan Taylor and David McKenzie 15/15 11.33

Aaron Sharp and Steve Eldred

Chris Britton and Anthony Wishey 15/15 8.39

Steve Morgan and Peter Leggett

Release N Em

that we’ll never turn down,” concluded Sharp. Congratulations to all competitors for fishing the 2015 QL Bream Open and sincere thank you to PowerPole Micro Anchor and Hobie Fishing for once again making the event one of the premier teams events on the tournament bream calendar.

WINNING NOTES

RESULTS QLD OPEN

cast we filled our limit,” explained Sharp. As expected, the bite slowed throughout the day then spiked again at the end. “The bite at the end was insane, we had packs of fish charging after our surface lures as we electric motored away to head back for the check-in”, explained Sharp.

Denis Metzdorf and Luke Rogan For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Fish Weight

15/15 9.12

15/15 7.74 15/15 7.47

Payout

$2500 + prizes $1,000

Dave McKenzie Rod: Samurai Reaction 181 Reel: Megabass Luvito Line: 10lb Unitika Aorika Leader: 6 and 8lb Unitika Aiger Lure: Modena bone coloured Megabass Dog X (rear trebles fitted with size 10 Gamakatsu Wide Gap trebles), modena bone coloured Megabass Dog X Jnr (rear trebles fitted with size 12 Gamakatsu Wide Gap trebles), Tristo’s Ramjet coloured Atomic Crank 38 deep, ghost green shad coloured Atomic Bream Shad. Tristan Taylor Rod: Samurai Reaction Infinite 6’9” Reel: Megabass Luvito Line: 10lb Unitika Aorika Leader: 6 and 8lb Unitika Aiger Lure: Modena bone coloured Megabass Dog X (rear trebles fitted with size 10 Gamakatsu Wide Gap trebles), modena bone coloured Megabass Dog X Jnr (rear trebles fitted with size 12 Gamakatsu Wide Gap trebles), Tristo’s Ramjet coloured Atomic Crank 38 deep, ghost green shad coloured Atomic Bream Shad.

Winning Ways

Fueled by the experience of past successes in The Open, McKenzie and Taylor knew exactly where to go, when to go there, and what combination of lures to throw to get the bigger fish to bite. NOVEMBER 2015

Urquhart all class at convention Joseph Urquhart, a 23-year-old patio installer from the Gold Coast, took out the season ending Bluefin BASS Electric Convention held at Lake Cressbrook. Urquhart, who won with 4/4, 6.45kg, was the only angler in the field to find his tournament limit each session and accounted for his nearest competitor by over 1.40kg. One of the most respected anglers, and electric organisers, on the BASS Electric circuit, Urquhart secured the top prize of a 3.7m Bluefin Estuary Pro with Haswing electric bow mount motor. In addition he was the recipient of a limited edition Christopher May Australian Bass print as a

plenty of bony bream in the area, the decision was made to focus on the location during the tournament. “The location we found was at the back of the dam; it is a 20m section of water with a depth around 40ft. The point we targeted was a gradual slope that dropped into the creek bed, it was an easy location for the bass to move up to feed on the bony bream. There were good concentrations of baitfish in the area, and importantly the profile of the bait was quite small”, explains Urquhart. Come the first session, Urquhart headed straight to the location. Arriving first at the position the action was fast and furious with a two

Urquhart proudly displays his limited edition bass print.

The Convention class of 2015 surrounds the Bluefin/Haswing Prize boat. memento of the victory. During the prefish for the event Urquhart travelled around the entire edge of the dam in search of bass. Fishing with fellow competitor Prue Rodriguez (8th overall), Urquhart was searching for fish when Rodriguez spotted a good fish on the sounder. Soon after a cast was made they came up tight on a 50cm fork length fish. Sounding up

fish limit in the livewell after only 10 casts. The key lure used was an OSP HP Shad Tail rigged on a 1/4oz Impact Tackle jighead. The retrieve was varied between slow rolling the plastic and aggressively ripping the plastic off the bottom. “My limit came slow rolling the plastic, with the one upgrade coming on the more aggressive retrieve”,

Urquhart explains. The quality of Urquhart’s bass was evident at the weigh in with his 2/2, 3.39kg limit the standout in

the field. Come day two it was always going to be a question of if the bass were still in the same location or had the pressure of day one shut down the bite. Urquhart didn’t have to wait long to reveal the answer. “The bite on Sunday was exceptional, with my first six casts delivering my limit for the session. The only downside was a shoulder strain I picked up from fist pumping too energetically! It was truly an amazing bite”, said Urquhart. The 2/2, 3.06kg limit secured Urquart his first Bass Electric Convention victory! Urquhart says the tackle used was pivotal to getting the bass to cooperate. “My Edge 701 ISR 4-6lb rod was crucial in feeling those tentative bites and setting the hook. I used a Megabass Luvito reel spooled with 10lb Toray

STORM VENTAFISH®

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 96

NOVEMBER 2015

Winner Joseph Urquhart with two stonking Cressbrook bass taken from deeper water.

Winner Joseph Urquhart and competitor Prue Rodriguez ready their catch for the weigh-in.

BASS Electric Convention. Manolea sat in fifth place after day one, but then rocketed into overall second position courtesy of his second session tournament limit (3.40kg), the largest of the tournament. During the prefish Manolea, fishing with his father Cristian, found the fishing tough, only catching one fish off the edge at the back of the dam. They also identified a couple of schools to be used as back up in case the anglers couldn’t secure their limit early off the edges. Manolea hit the edges straight up at the start of each session. When the bite went quiet Manolea moved into deeper water to focus on schooled bass. “We primarily fished the edges of the dam. The schools were located in the middle of the dam. On the edges we focused more on rocky banks that sustained more structure and the schools that we were fishing were throughout the water column at 35ft,” Manolea said.

Adrian Manolea came in second and focussed his efforts around the edges. super strong braid and 6lb Toray super hard as leader. The OSP HP Shad Tail worked so well in the clear water because of their slim tight swimming action,” he explained. The key for Urquhart during the tournament was spending the time on prefish to find the bass. From that point onwards it was a question of getting to them and catching them before they shut down. The use of his Humminbird 898 proved pivotal in finding the bait and the active bass

BASS EL E SERIESCTRIC jugular in an attempt to pull off the seemingly impossible. In the end he couldn’t quite catch the leader, nevertheless he highlighted the tenacity and depth of skill present in the BASS electric series. “On both days the bass that I got caught off the edge came within the first hour. On the second day I caught my second fish halfway through the day from a school. When targeting the edge I would cast the Jackal as close as possible to structure, letting it sink all the way down before slow rolling it back to the boat with a couple of short pauses halfway back. In the deeper water the technique was hopping as well as slow rolling blades off the bottom,” Manolea explained. The key lures were a silent Jackall TN60 in

A U S T R A L I A

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OSP HP Shad Tail rigged on a 1/4oz Impact Tackle jighead

$74,990

feeding on them. MANOLEA ON SONG FOR SECOND Adrian Manolea, a 19-year-old student, was runner up at the 2015 Bluefin

Manolea brought one bass to the weigh in for the first session. On day two it was always going to be a battle to chase down Urquhart, however Manolea went for the

Cutting water, BASS Electric style.

‘ghost ayu’ colour and an Impact Tackle Bladez in bluegill colour. Manolea had two individual outfits for presenting his lures; a Megabass Destroyer X7F2 rod teamed with a Daiwa Steez 2506 spinning reel and a Megabass Destroyer X7F4 rod teamed with a Daiwa Steez baitcast reel. Both outfits were spooled with 10lb Sunline saltwater special castaway braid and 8lb Sunline leader. A big thankyou to all participants of 2015 BASS Electric Series, especially to the BASS Electric organisers who made the events possible. Finally, a massive thankyou to Bluefin Boats, Haswing and all ABT sponsors for making these events possible. Stay tuned to www.abt. org.au for the 2016 BASS Electric calendar and some exciting innovations for the forthcoming BASS Electric series. – ABT

• 19’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 200 hp Mercury Optimax • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2)

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RESULTS Place

Angler

Fish

Weight

Prizes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Joey Urqhart Adrian Manolea Adrian Wilson Jonathon Bale Robert Butler Les Smith Justin Thompson Prue Rodriguez Brett Renz Tim Steenhuis

4/4 3/4 3/4 2/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 2/4

6.45 5.02 2.36 2.21 2.01 1.97 1.8 1.64 1.47 1.42

Bluefin Estuary Pro 3.7m, Haswing electric motor $300 Haswing Voucher & Prize Pack $200 Haswing Voucher & Prize Pack 13 Fishing Omen Envy rod & Prize Pack 13 Fishing Omen Envy rod & Prize Pack Bass Mafia Prize Pack Engel Prize Pack Engel Prize Pack Engel Prize Pack Prize Pack

$59,990

• 18’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2)

We Build Dreams... It’s a Family Tradition

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au A U S T R A L I A

Phone: 0410 173 060 basscataustralia@gmail.com NOVEMBER 2015

Aussies compete at the China Open tournament Once again, and for the third consecutive year, we had a team of Australians off to compete in China at the Shengzhong Lake China Open Championship. With Aussies taking the honours in 2013 and 2014 events, including the trifecta on last year’s podium, taking home more than $110,000 USD, we looked forward to this year’s event with a few changes. This year, the China Angling Association along with their sponsors, informed us that there would be a reduced Australian team of four competing against 16 internationals, and 60 Chinese with total prize money reduced from $80,000USD to

$50,000USD. First prize was reduced from $30,000USD to $15,000USD. All competitors would again be fishing out of identical Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayaks fitted with Hobie livewell, Lowrance sounder and a wide angle camera mounted at the front of the kayak. This year’s event would be telecasted live on national television, using the camera footage from the kayak for the live feed. The Aussie team selected was Scott Lovig, Carl Dubois, Richard Somerton and myself after we took the top four positions from last year. Although numbers were stacked against us and expecting some Chinese followers on the water, we

were still confident one of us could steal top spot again. The rules were the same this year with the traditional five fish weigh-in, with the total combined bag weight from both days. Red tail and top mouth culter were the main targets, but the elusive catfish was always going to be a tournament winning catch as a single catfish in the well was sure to outweigh a bag of five culter. OPENING CEREMONY / PRE-FISH DAY The opening ceremony didn’t disappoint us, with a big crowd of around 20,000 watching on in steamy conditions. The next day we headed out on the water for a six hour pre-fish. With only a

FINAL RESULTS (TOP 10) Place.........Name...............................................Weight (kg)...............Prize Money 1................Xiaohong Ma (China)........................5.01...........................$15,000USD 2................Richard Somerton (Aust.).................3.50...........................$9,000USD 3................Carl Dubois (Aust.)............................3.43...........................$6,000USD 4................Chris Floyd (NZ)................................2.99...........................$4,500USD 5................Jinbin Wu (China).............................2.96...........................$3,500USD 6................Matt Petrie (Aust.).............................2.84...........................$2,500USD 7................Joseph Kraatz (USA)........................2.75...........................$2,500USD 8................Max Tan Kheng Yeow (Sing.)............2.66...........................$2,000USD 9................Sean Brickland (NZ)..........................2.54...........................$2,000USD 10..............Lars Lundberg (Sweden)..................2.53...........................$1,500USD

An exciting opportunity to meet competitors from all over the globe!

four man team, we aimed to cover as much of the fishing area as possible trying different lures and techniques. Knowing that we may have some followers, we left our ‘honey holes’ for Day 1. Confidence was high at the end of the day with all of us finding fish, falling to our ‘go to’ lures and technique. As expected, the Chinese had done some homework, or watched our on board cameras from last year, and happily showed us that they were now using similar lures. It was going to be an interesting competition! DAY 1 Day one started with the alarm chiming at 4:30am for a 5:30am bus ride to the event

The Australian team arrive in China for the Shengzhong Lake China Open Championship. waters. We were concerned how event staff and volunteers would get 80 anglers onto the kayaks in time for the start, but to their credit it all went reasonably smoothly. We began, legs pumping to beat others to our spots, with the usual three or four Chinese anglers riding our tails! At the end of the day, three of the four Aussies had full bags, but news spreads quickly and we soon learned that one of the Chinese anglers (Xiaohong Ma) had caught two catfish with a bag weight of 4.23kg! This put a serious dent in our quest for a 3rd title position. At the end of weigh-in we had three Aussies in the top 10. DAY 2 With a win looking unlikely, we set out to get solid bags of culter, knowing that a pressured system may not fish as well as Day 1. I struggled, battling through the day to find only three fish, but of better quality. Richard also had to tough it out, managing to finalise his full bag in the last half hour of the day and Carl, also filling his bag early and putting both in contention for a podium finish. After final

DAY ONE RESULTS Place.................Name..................................Weight (kg) 1st.....................Xiaohong Ma......................4.23 3rd.....................Carl Dubois.........................1.81 6th.....................Richard Somerton..............1.57 10th...................Matt Petrie..........................1.45 weigh-in, Richard and Carl held on to finish on the podium with 2nd and 3rd respectfully and myself lucky enough to

secure 6th. Excellent effort by the Australian team, and our international competitors!

A nice example of a Shengzhong Lake top mouth culter!

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2015

DATE DETAILS

CONTACT

November Nov 6-8

Mangrove Jack Anglers Fishing Tournament Oxenford

BCF Oxenford.

Nov 13-15

Bluefin Lake Maroon Fishing Classic Lake Maroon

Steve Wilkes. www.sportstuition.com.au

Nov 21-22

ABBT Basstasstic Bass Fishing Qualifier TBA

Russel Nowlands. www.barrabasstasstic.com

Nov 21-22

Rapala BARRA Tour Night Championship Teemburra

ABT. abt.org.au

Nov 24-25

Rapala BARRA Tour Night Championship Kinchant

ABT. abt.org.au

Nov 27-28

Rapala BARRA Tour R3 Peter Faust

ABT. abt.org.au

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au 98

NOVEMBER 2015

Cooking

Tasty Prawn Tacos BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

Crispy taco shells, briny prawns, creamy avocado and cool sour cream make a wonderful combination of flavours and textures.

And let’s not forget the tomatoes, coriander and garlic as well. The following quantities will serve four (2 tacos each):

Recipe

Ingredients 2 ripe tomatoes, diced 1 lemon, juiced 1\2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1\2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons canola oil

1 onion, peeled and finely diced 3 green shallots, sliced thinly 3 cloves garlic, finely grated into a paste (see handy hint) 500g small cooked prawns

3 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander 8 taco shells 2 good handfuls of shredded lettuce 1 ripe avocado, diced 1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 180C\350F. Combine the diced tomato, lemon juice, chilli flakes and cumin in a bowl. Stir thoroughly to combine.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir.

HANDY HINTS

Heat the canola oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Add the onion, green shallot and garlic to the pan and cook for three minutes or so.

• Grate the garlic and sprinkle with a little salt. Using the flattened blade of a chef’s knife (wide blade), repeatedly squash the garlic until it is of a paste like consistency. This will add a wonderful smooth garlic flavour to your tacos. • If you only have larger prawns, peel, devein and chop them into smaller pieces before use. Smaller prawns or prawn pieces make the taco filling easier to handle.

Add the spicy tomato mixture and start adding the prawns. Cook until pink.

Place the taco shells in the preheated oven for three minutes to crisp up. Remove the shells from the oven at the end of the cooking time and place them to one side.

To assemble the tacos, put some of the shredded lettuce into the base of each taco shell. Pile a generous amount of the prawn taco filling onto the top of the lettuce and then top the prawn mixture with the some of the diced avocado and a dollop of sour cream. NOVEMBER 2015

THE RECREATIONAL ANGLER’S LINK CLEAR FISHING FOR THE HOLIDAYS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• What truly amazing weather we had in the South East for the school holidays – perfect beach and boating weather. On the Monday Labour Day public holiday I was fishing on Bribie with family and friends and couldn’t count the number of boats in the southern end of the passage in addition to those heading out from the passage into Moreton Bay and beyond. The multitude of families on the beach that day fishing and having picnics were treated to clear skies, a light breeze and good quality whiting. There were also a few decent bream and some nice size dart taken on the beach. To top the day off, as well as the usual dolphins a pair of pilot whales spent the day frolicking close in shore, at times no more than 20m from Skirmish Point. Hopefully, by the time this issue hits the stands, the new Fisheries Regulation will have been enacted. From the 1 November we will have net free areas in Cairns, Mackay, and Rockhampton. This legislation is long overdue in Queensland and will be of significant benefit to the whole Queensland community. Benefits will extend not just to

recreational fishers but to tourism and accommodation operators, and social and health networks within the community that rely on an expectation of catching fish to get families spending time together on the coast, outdoors and fishing. Evidence from other states suggest that the numbers as well as the size of fish caught in net free areas will steadily increase and that CPUE (catch per unit effort) for the commercial sector will also increase making their businesses more profitable. Sadly, the commercial sector has been less than honest in what they have presented to the community and the media. The scare campaign around the availability of fresh local fish for the local markets is unfounded. Surveys of local outlets in Rockhampton showed that only 4 out of 44 stocked local net caught barramundi. Because gillnetted fish tend to be more bruised, their flesh is softer and does not have the appearance, taste, or shelf life that retailers require, most Queensland fish and chip and food service outlets tend to supply fish that is farmed, trawled or line caught. These days the majority of consumers will buy their fish

from the major supermarkets. These supermarkets demand long shelf life, high quality and reliable supply at a reasonable price. This niche tends to be filled more often by trawl product, overseas product or on an increasing level of farmed (aquaculture) fish. The three net free areas only supply 1% of Queensland seafood production. The commercial fishing industry as a whole, represented by QSIA put a joint proposal to the political parties in 2012 saying that the Queensland East Coast net industry needed a 50% buyout (they recommended a cost of about $10 million) to allow operators within that sector to have viable businesses. The LNP converted that to an election policy but were only able to remove about 30% of the licences. Therefore, according to the QSIA joint proposal there is still 20% of excess operators in the east coast netting sector. These three net free areas will not meet that. The political ramifications of the debate to be heard in the Queensland parliament on the 14 October will also have long term effects. Since both sides of politics have net free areas in their policy portfolios, this

Just a snapshot of the beautiful sunny days we are currently experiencing in Queensland. should never have gone to a debate. The grounds for the LNP disallowance motion were false and unfounded. They made two claims. Firstly, regarding consultation – the commercial sector have been consulted on this in detail since 2012 and each Queensland commercial

payment for endorsements and the maximum they offered was 20% lower than the current offer on endorsements only. We will be watching the debate and taking note of who speaks against the net free areas legislation in addition to who votes

structures and anchorages of commercial vessels – for example prawn trawlers – are under the jurisdiction of the Ports Authority. You cannot fish under or near the vessels and their anchorages and jetties, including from the shore. In the particular instance

KNOW FLATHEAD REGULATIONS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

If you’re after a few flathead this summer make sure you are familiar with bag limits and legal size requirements. Here’s the shortlist, and a handy explanatory illustration to determine what type of flathead is on the end of your line!

A load of netted fish waiting to be transported.

Species Minimum Length (cm) Posession limit Bartailed flathead 30 5 Dusky flathead 40 5 (Not included in possession limits for other flathead) Sand flathead 30

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NOVEMBER 2015

www.sunfishqld.com.au

fisher regardless of whether they had a net endorsement received an individual letter offering a personal meeting with Fisheries Queensland earlier this year. Secondly, regarding insufficient financial compensation – the offer includes payment for their commercial fishing license as well as endorsements and a settlement scheme based on days fished in any of the three areas. The LNP previously offered only a

against it or who abstains or is absent. These names will be widely circulated to allow everyone to seriously consider who they vote for in the future. CABBAGE TREE CREEK There have been quite a few enquiries lately regarding fishing access near the prawn trawlers in Cabbage Tree Creek and some other marina structures around Moreton Bay. The easy answer is that marina

of Cabbage Tree Creek fishing is allowed between the old co-op and the boat ramp. – Judy Lynne

Email: judylynne@sunfishqld.com.au

Holy Sheik BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

Christmas has appeared on the horizon, and I’m not happy Jan! Bad enough that junk starts appearing in your mailbox, and Fatso with the red clown suit starts ‘ho ho ho-ing’ everywhere. The worst part is that every weekend between now and December’s end gets taken up with bloody parties! Of course if you’re brave enough to make any sort of suggestion that Santa should pack his sack on his back, take a different tack and rack off, you’re immediately shut down as a grumble-bum or a scrooge. Which is ridiculous. Firstly, what the hell does an elderly duck in a top hat have to do with Christmas? Christmas ties up your weekends. Instead of spending the week at work avoiding the aforementioned work and planning the next trip to your FFS (favourite fishing spot), you’re forced to spend it planning how to spend $5 buying a gift for

people at work that you don’t even like that much. A pressie that will last a shorter time than the paper you’re forced to wrap it in, which sometimes isn’t easy. Speaking of which, why do I have to spend more on bloody paper and a card with a crappy poem than on the present itself? I’d rather wrap it in newspaper! The world’s crazy. So that FFS gets put on the backburner. Instead of long sessions planning tide changes, cast netting opportunities, crabbing sites, gear upkeep, fuel consumption and the benefits of albright v FG v improved albright V slim beauty and other issues of international importance, you’re forced to spend your time working out how best to spend your hard earned so it looks like you spent more on them than they spent on you. Unfair! And if you even dare to mention that the bloke that started the whole thing was a chippy who spent his weekends on a tinny in the Sea of Galilee – with his mates who fished for a living– you’re hounded out of a Christmas morning

service. At least I was! He would have had it easy packing his gear - not having to tow a boat (when you can walk on water),

or having to pack an esky (water into wine), not worry about including safety gear (can calm a raging storm), and never having to pop

into IGA for tucker (the ol’ loaves and fishes trick). Actually, now I think about it, all He would have needed to do was catch one

jack or barra, then multiply it (aforementioned loaves and fishes). Sort of takes the fun out of pinning down your FFS doesn’t it?

NOVEMBER 2015

101

News

The king threadfin capital? This year there was a consensus that prior to the last day, barra were hard work in the Rocky Barra Bounty. The Bounty is a tag and release event started in 1999 to promote the Fitzroy River, but over time

has evolved into an annual assessment of fish stocks in the river. The objective is to catch as many barra as possible with a point system based on length. Overall, the catch was similar in terms of numbers

Competing for opportunities The sun is only just peaking over the horizon as we reach the temporary headquarters for the Rocky Barra Bounty. The competition is just ten minutes old but we have two phones and a scoresheet ready to take the first call. By this time we had already recorded nearly 2000 fish – mulloway, bass and others over the previous six weeks in other events. Regardless, there is a palpable sense of anticipation in waiting for that first call. The Fitzroy River has been hard work fishing wise in the past few weeks. Competitors are nowhere near as confident as they have been in previous years and there is a sense that winning will be an act of perseverance mixed with a huge dose of luck. There is more talk of what will come when the nets are gone than what will happen on the water. The phone won’t ring for another twenty minutes and when it does, the scoresheet reports a king threadfin, not a barra. By lunchtime, we realized that this was a sign of things to come. By the end of the first day, the tally is the worst since the early 1990s. Tides seem to be the culprit. Fishers mill around as they hand in largely empty tag sheets. There is a feeling this will be a bad year. Come the third day and the fishing has done a one-eighty. Rods need to be down and fish rung in by lunchtime but the phone is ringing off the hook. We are still recording the catch at 3pm. The winning team has the lowest score this decade but everybody is too busy celebrating to pay much attention. Nobody is thinking of giving up their spot in the competition. All the juvenile barra recorded are a sign of better things to come. Competition doesn’t have to be just about today. The future looks promising.

Competitors checking in at the Rocky Barra Bounty.

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on the previous year, with only 20 fish separating 2014 and 2015. Where the real differences emerge is in the number of legal fish. During 2014, 75% of the catch was over legal length but by 2015 that has dropped to 34%. In part this is reflective of the fact that there was a strong recruitment in 2014/15. In reality though, the number of larger fish have significantly dropped and the number of schools of larger fish are much fewer this year. Thus the barra experience overall ‘seemed’ worse than the year before. The king threadfin experience on the other hand was definitely something else. In all Barra Bounties before 2015 a total of 555 have been recorded with only 8 over 1m. In 2015 513 were recorded including 14 over 1m and one horse coming in at 131cm. On a day-by-day basis, a threadfin was caught every 5 minutes on day 1, but that reduced down to one every 2.3 minutes on

Barra caught in the 2014/15 Barra Bounty Date Tagged Legal fish % Legal fish 20/09/15 96 35 36.5 21/09/15 160 50 31.3 22/09/15 143 49 34.3 TOTAL 399

>70cm 8 14 18

% >70cm 8.3 8.8 12.6

Barra Caught in the 2013/14 Barra Bounty Date Tagged Legal Fish % Legal Fish 2/10/14 173 116 67.1 3/10/14 178 87 48.9 4/10/14 68 51 75.0 TOTAL 419

>70cm 46 36 28

% >70cm 26.6 20.2 41.2

Here is a breakdown of the day-by-day experience. Date Tagged Legal Fish % Legal Fish 20/09/15 121 98 81.0 21/09/15 236 169 71.6 22/09/15 155 104 67.1 TOTAL 512

>80cm 26 16 9

% >80cm 21.5 6.8 5.8

day 3. The threadfin tally outstripped the barra catch on every day, even during the fast run home. 15 fishers tagged more than 10 king threadfin and eight scored more than 20 with the best fisher tagging 53. By comparison ten fishers scored more than 10 barra with a best of 15 fish. The Fitzroy River is probably the place to head for a king threadfin fix right now. We learned that the king threadfin fishing is nothing

Tim Guy with the biggest barra at 1.05m. short of stunning if you get the conditions and tactics right. On the barra front, it’s a case of patience. The current crop will grow up and provided the harvest pressure is reduced significantly there are good reasons to think the Barra Bounty in coming years will be one of the biggest barra events on the circuit. For the record, Craig Griffiths and Stephen Pill teamed up to win for the third year running with Craig taking out the Individual Fisher. Thanks to XXXX the major sponsor for again making this possible. Check out the bounty scoreboard online: www. rockybarrabounty.com/ scoreboard/

Lyle McClelland with an enormous 1.31m king threadfin.

News

Bag out for science: Lake Samonvale produces valuable bass fishing Remember the days that anglers bagged out on a species? Once, fishers lined up against one another to take home as many bream, whiting or flathead as they could. In those days taking home a bag was a badge of honour. Fortunately those days are gone, modern bag limits have long since killed them off. This style of event has had something of a revival though with the success Bass Date 29/08/15: 30/08/15: TOTAL: NON IG1000 SAMPLING: BAIT ONLY:

of the Barra Bounty and its ‘catch as many as you can for science’ approach. As every fish lives to fight another day and that data is used for the benefit of the community and the fishery, it’s a win-win. Now it’s okay to bag out guilt free. Of all the places we have run a ‘bag out for science’ event, one stands out as the fastest fishing of all – Lake Samsonvale. A word of caution – Lake

Samsonvale is heavily controlled in terms of access and the area being sampled is not available to the general public. The reason this area was selected for monitoring was because we wanted to learn more about the habits of bass in impoundments. The premise of the Insight Genesis 1000 was crazy enough, tag 1000 fish over 2 days. Crazier still - the only reason the

Tagged Legal Fish % Legal Fish >45cm %>45cm 969 908 93.7 51 5.6 438 366 83.6 28 7.7 1407 1160 863 73.2 109 14.2 315 289 91.7 18 6.2

number wasn’t achieved on Day 1 was limits to the supply of tags. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect on Day 1. The forecast was for showers, so cloud persisted throughout the day and the breeze kept away allowing fishers to fish the whole area in comfort, and the fish were obliging. On Day 2 the wind came up making many areas difficult to fish and the schools more scattered. In fact, 968 fish were tagged on the first day, though the number of fish caught was in excess of 1100. In other words a fish was landed every 29.5 seconds on Day 1. With conditions degrading on Day 2 as the wind picked

up, the catch rate blew out to a fish every 55 seconds. A mere 500 fish were caught. You can feel our pain, right? In all instances the fish were reported back as being in excellent health. The only concern in the numbers is stocking has been particularly heavy in the past two-three years with 326,000 bass stocked in the past 3 years. During the event only 0.07% of fish were likely from recent stocking. Even at the most optimistic assessment of detecting juveniles we see around 6% in the normal area fished by the PRFMA. Three possible reasons come to mind the survival rate is low, the stocks number in

the millions (thus a small number is valid) or our sampling methods are not effective. Over the next 12 months we will refine our understanding of that question. A big shout out to Daniel Rodriguez from Insight Genesis who made this event possible and scored a few bass of his own. There are a lot more significant results to come from this event, especially when the mapping of the impoundment is completed. To check out the results online go to: www.suntag.org.au/ insight-genesis-1000/. To get involved with fishing at Lake Samsonvale contact the Pine Rivers Fish Management Association at www.prfma.com.au.

Want a fishing holiday in the west? Feeling like a Fishing Holiday in the West? When we set up the Mulloway Marathon the competition had a primary goal of detecting what the mulloway fishery in Brisbane was up to. We knew that the fishery was going through changes and we wanted to try get ahead of them and keep the community updated. The Western Australia town of Kalbarri accepted an invitation to join in but

nobody expected what would happen next. Our target overall was to record 100 mulloway for the event. We ended up with 459 with 409 of them coming from Kalbarri. Steve Wiseman ended up recording over 50m of mulloway individually with 214 fish ensuring his team was a clear winner. In Brisbane, the Marathon confirmed much of the monitoring of the past two years. There

A happy Steve Wiseman, winner of the event.

hasn’t been a successful spawning detected for three years now, though we did pick up a new site to monitor on the Sunshine Coast. All bar one of the fish caught were 3-6 years old. With a poor spawning this year likely due to El Nino, it could be 5 years between successful spawning. Looking at historical data, mulloway are a species that could do with top up stocking between spawning periods. This is a tactic that the Fitzroy River Stocking Group use for barramundi in the Fitzroy, stocking in the fresh water when spawning success is low. Mulloway are stocked in the wild in Western Australia for exactly these reasons so there is precedent. The Kalbarri story is even better. They have had one of

Tim Appleton made friends while fishing in the Mulloway Marathon. the best spawning events in the country for mulloway and can look forward to a premium fishery in the next few years. No less than three separate spawning events have been detected in the competition, which is important to know. Multiple spawnings in the good times helps to explain how

Comparison of the two sites. Site Tagged BRISBANE 50 KALBARRI 396

mulloway numbers can increase so dramatically and is an important reason as to why spawning aggregations must be left alone when the chance to spawn occurs. If you are a mulloway fisher looking for some amazing fishing, get in now and book your holidays

Legal Fish % Legal Fish <350cm % <350cm 11 22.0 1 2.0 8 2.0 383 96.7

ahead of time. We have to thank our partners Humminbird/ BLA who have been an immense support. These events are more than fishing events, they help communities to improve their fisheries and BLA have helped a community to plan for what will be fantastic fishing in the future. To check out the results go online at: www. mullowaymarathon.com. au/scoreboard-live.

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What’s New FISHING

EVAKOOL PORTABLE TRAVELMATE

Evakool has announced the release of their new TravelMate range of portable fridge freezers, with models to suit almost all applications. TravelMate is available in two styles: a side-opening version (the TMX 35, TMX 45 and TMX 50) and an end-opening version (TMX 45, TMX 55 and TMX 65). Sizes range from 38-80L. Features include: a stylish, rugged cabinet; unique design that enables the lid to be opened from either side or removed completely, all in one action; no protruding hinges or latches; Secop (formerly Danfoss) compressor; low power draw; silent operation; multi-voltage operation DC 12V and 24V, and AC 240V; heavy-duty handle with built-in magnet to stop rattling; soft touch electronic control; USB port and bright LED internal light. These new fridge freezers are backed by a 5-year warranty and are available from all leading outdoor retailers. Price: RRP $1079-$1399 www.evakool.com

FACEBOOK FOR FISH

Catchability is the app for anglers in Australia, allowing them to follow friends, spots, check the tides, weather and more. The iPhone and Android app lets anglers upload their catches online and share with fellow anglers the species and its size, as well as info such as where it was landed, with what gear and when. Above and beyond the features, which track, locate and store, Catchability can even help you identify what kind of fish you’ve caught! The database of photography is shaping up to be one of the best online, and anglers from around Australia are contributing to the information on a daily basis. Sponsored by Shimano Fishing, the free phone app is available to all users who use any brand of fishing gear in Australia. The Catchability app is tracking some of the best fishermen in Australia, so log on and find out where and when those fish are biting! Available for download now for free on iPhone and Android devices. Price: free www.catchability.com

SAMAKI SPIDER PRAWN

The all-new Samaki Boom Baits have been well received since their launch at the 2015 AFTA Tackle Trade Show. Boom Baits are made of a 10X super stretch material that is designed not only to last but have enough suppleness to create the perfect action. The Spider Prawn adds to the range with its unique prawn imitation shape aided by soft legs that create a slow flutter action on the drop. The Prawn’s feelers are even softer, lashing and curling on the retrieve, enhancing the lure’s visual attraction and enticing even the most elusive of species. The Spider Prawn has been designed in two sizes, 40mm and 60mm, with a colour selection of watermelon orange, pumpkin seed orange, avocado pearl, motor oil, bloodworm and pearl brown. Like all other Boom Baits models, they are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and sport Samaki’s unique rigging system, allowing you to rig your plastic with ease. Price: RRP from $9.95 www.samaki.com.au

MEGABASS DERBY X

The Derby X, one of the latest creations from Japanese lure maker Megabass, is a retro mouse imitation that’s set to be a hit with the cod brigade. This 3/4oz surface lure casts well due to its metal wings folding back during the retrieve. It wobbles enticingly along the top on a slow retrieve, making a fair bit of noise due to its metal wings. The disturbance attracts attention from a fair distance, making it an excellent lure for Murray cod, big bass and more. The little wings fold away when cast, unfurl during the retrieve and then paddle away. Big bass on the Clarence and Richmond will also take a liking to this lure. As you’d expect, the Megabass Derby X isn’t cheap but it’s of really high quality. These and other premium Megabass lures are desirable for collectors of fine tackle. Price: RRP $83 www.megabass.com.au

WILLIAMSON SHORE PRO

No longer just a lure company, Williamson has introduced to the Australian market the Shore Pro rod for anglers who are serious about their land-based saltwater fishing. The Shore Pro is a result of many months of consultation with Australia’s top land-based lure fishers. At its core, Shore Pro is an ultra lightweight and responsive high modulus graphite rod specifically designed for spinning your favourite coastal spot with 30-70g lures. Casting, casting and more casting is the mantra of the successful rock angler, and Shore Pro brings casting performance to new heights. At a length of 9’6” (2.9m) and tipping the scales at barely 260g, it’s a genuine ‘all day’ rod for all experience and fitness levels. Shore Pro also features high density EVA grips to help transmit power for ultimate casting distance and comfortable fish fighting. It also has Fuji Alconite K guides and reel seat plus the new Fuji Back Stop lock nut. Price: RRP $239.95 www.williamsonlures.com

NOVEMBER 2015

2 3

4 5

DAIWA DROWN CICADA II

Topwater bream and bass will be crawling out of the water to engulf the new Daiwa Drown Cicada II. This lifelike cicada imitation features ultra realistic body/paint design, silicone legs and a perfectly balanced body. At the top of the body it has a hollow chamber to keep it floating and upright, and this chamber also collapses easily for solid hook-ups. To prevent the lure from rolling, the belly is solid weighted to keep a low centre of gravity. If you’re fishing open water, the combination of a worm hook and treble is ideal. In heavy cover or weed beds, you can rig the lure weedless with a size 1 worm hook. Rigging direction changes the action; reverse style allows the lure to walk across the surface, creating a paddling action. Nose rig it and it will slide delicately across the surface. The Drown Cicada II is 38mm long, weighs 4g and comes in a pack of two (unrigged). www.daiwafishing.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 104

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

What’s New FISHING

SILSTAR BACKPACK

MOTOR OIL IN MORE MODELS

ABU GARCIA SALTY FIGHTER

The new Silstar Backpack is the ultimate storage solution for anglers who love to take plenty of tackle on their trips. A number of well thought out and easy access storage sections have been incorporated into the Silstar Backpack, making it ideal for storing extra fishing tackle, clothing, food supplies and even sunglasses. To keep your lures and hooks organised, this model comes with four tackle trays that are designed to fit the lower section of the backpack. When fully loaded, the large padded back section with adjustable straps makes this backpack extremely comfortable to wear during extended fishing sessions. A 420 denier PVC shell with a 210 denier padded liner ensures that all contents remain protected from the heavy intrusion of water. The true test of a good backpack lies in the durability and longevity of zips, and that’s why the Silstar Backpack has nylon zips that won’t corrode if exposed to saltwater spray. Price: SRP $129.95 www.silstar.com.au

ZMan’s motor oil colour has proven to be dynamite on a wide range of species, and it’s no surprise when you swim it in the water or shine a UV torch on it and watch it change from a transparent amber to an iridescent green (see photo). Previously available in 2” CrusteaZ, 2”, 2.5” and 3.5” GrubZ, 2.5” Slim SwimZ, 3” MinnowZ, 3.75” StreakZ, 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ and 4” DieZel MinnowZ, ZMan was flooded with requests that have led to the release of big fish favourites in this go-to colour, including 5” and 9” GrubZ, 5” and 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ and 4” SwimmerZ. Pre-release testing of the new models has exceeded expectations, with flathead, mulloway, snapper, barra, mangrove jack, trevally and a multitude of reef species falling victim to the good oil. If you’re yet to try a motor oil ZMan or have been hanging out for larger models, now’s the time to tie one on. www.z-man.com.au

11 12

SCAN THE QR CODE!

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

Abu Garcia Salty Fighter Origin rods have been designed in Australia for the ultimate casting performance. Featuring the latest in Japanese rod design, quality components and striking cosmetics, they also represent good value for money. 30 ton graphite delivers a lightweight, sensitive and powerful blank. The lightweight properties of the SiC guide system retains blank action, while tight line control is achieved with reduced diameter SiC ring sizes. The increase in line control improves sensitivity and reduces wind knots. Salty Fighter Origin rods feature a sophisticated EVA grip design with cork inserts that deliver an ergonomic grip system that not only feels great but also looks sensational. The 16 model line-up consists of 13 spin models and three baitcast models. Actions range from ultra light 1-3kg through to ballsy 6-10kg spin models in 6’6” and 7’. Baitcast models are all 5’6”, from a lightweight 2-4kg through to a barra bashing 6-8kg. Price: RRP $79.95 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

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

WOLF CHINING PENCIL

Bringing together the best of both worlds, the new Silver Wolf Chining Pencil blends a popper with a walking stickbait to deliver anglers a truly hybrid multi-purpose surface lure. The Chining Pencil has a shallow smallmouth cup face that delivers a natural pop and splash, and an effective walk-thedog cadence that enticingly zigzags across the surface. With a built in rattle and a silicon teaser on the rear treble, the Silver Wolf Chining Pencil will draw fish in from afar, and tempt those that are near. Super strong tin trebles add durability and increase lure flash, while its slim profile and aerodynamic design delivers troublefree long casts all day, every day. Trevally, queenfish, mangrove jack and even whiting will be tempted by this hybrid super stickbait. The Chining Pencil measures 75mm, weighs 4.6g and comes in four premium colours. www.daiwafishing.com.au

LIVE FLASH MINNOW WRIGGLY

The Live Flash Minnow Wriggly brings an entirely new concept and appeal to a lure shape that is already extremely popular. They say looks can be deceiving, and that’s certainly the case with the Wriggly’s small paddle tail. The paddle is tiny, yet the effect it has on this lure’s action is immense. On the fall the Wriggly swims to the bottom with a real kick of the last third of the lure. On a slow retrieve, the tail beat imparts an irresistible action. Of course the Wriggly can still be worked like a traditional jerkbait and can also be rigged weedless or with a jighead. The Wriggly comes in four sizes (70mm, 90mm, 110mm and 130mm) and eight colours, and has the same indestructible body as the original Live Flash Minnow. It also has the belly foil that enhances the plastic’s colour, and makes the Wriggly come alive. Price: SRP $16.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

COLOSSUS SPINNERBAIT

The Lurestrike Colossus, from Australian company Kingston Lures, is a quality spinnerbait manufactured using global brands such as Owner and Mikado. This is one big spinnerbait, and it will troll down to about 6m and is perfect for those deeper sections of rivers and lakes. The spinnerbait head has been specially designed to suit Australian conditions, with a super tough alloy lead mix, powder coated with a UV Blast Glitter Topcoat and finished off with large 3D eyes. Other features include a 1.57mm twisted eye stainless steel wire form, high quality blades (your choice of genuine gold plated Colorado or matching Goliath Willowleaf with candy coloured front and silver back), 54-strand wide cut Easy Pro Tarantula silicone skirt, HD Duel Spin ball bearing swivel, 11/0 Owner hook and your choice of a Mikado 130mm Fishunter or Lurestrike 200mm Mungo Grub soft plastic trailer. The Colossus weighs 4oz and comes in five colours. Price: RRP $21.95 www.kingstonlures.com.au

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

105

What’s New FISHING

NEW HEAVIER SPINSECT

The original Spinsect lures have proven their effectiveness on a range of species, particularly flathead, bream, trout and salmon. Building on the successful formula of the 6g and 12g versions, Black Magic has released a heavier 28g model. It’s ideal for fishing the river mouths, in fast current or ultra-deep water when you need something to get down very deep. This lure has an incredible action in the water and a highly UV-reflective finish to make it stand out to the fish. All Spinsects have a unique blade that spins on a ball bearing swivel, which helps to prevent line twist and also creates a very enticing action. Spinsects come in an array of colours, and have a strong, sharp treble hook matched to each individual lure’s size. Price: RRP $11.95 www.blackmagictackle.com

ABU GARCIA VERITAS 2.0

The updated Abu Garcia Veritas series continues the tradition of lightweight design and superior sensitivity with a renewed focus on strength. Available in 32 technique-specific actions including light jigging models, the Veritas 2.0 is stronger and more sensitive thanks to a new Spiral Carbon Core Construction. In testing, the 2.0 showed an average increase of 22% in overall break strength as well as a 30% average increase in tip strength over its predecessor. Nano Technology has also been incorporated to deliver 2.5 times the impact resistance of standard graphite rods. The end result is superior strength, durability and sensitivity without adding weight. Other features include a Fuji reel seat with custom carbon hood to ensure a secure connection, and Fuji K and KR guides with Alconite inserts. Updates to grip configurations provide a more ergonomic handle design. There are 21 spin models and three baitcast models in the series, covering a wide range of applications. Price: RRP $199.95 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

YAMASHITA LIVE SEARCH 490

The Yamashita Live Search 490 jig has just been released, featuring Yamashita’s “490” glow sticker. This was developed in conjunction with university researchers in Tokyo, who determined the best light for squid to detect. Like other Live Search jigs, the 490 has a 600hz rattle. Yamashita discovered that squid can pick up sounds between 400hz and 1400hz, with 600hz being the optimum level for squid to be most interested. To achieve this pitch, the Live Search is constructed of a bone plastic material with stainless steel bearings. This combination creates a rattle that no other jig on the market can replicate. Other features include Warm Jacket (thermo storage cloth transfers any light into heat), double crown stainless steel hooks, and a patented Slim Nose design to help impart a sharp darting action with minimal effort from the angler. The 490 is available now in 2.5, 3 and 3.5 sizes. Price: RRP $20 www.ejtodd.com.au

SUPER LIGHT GLASS SLICES

Tonic Polarised Eyewear, the new leader in high quality fishing sunglasses, has launched the centrepiece of its Gen2 range. The new Slice lens is the thinnest and lightest polarised glass lens in the world. Founder and designer Doug Phillips said the line separating heavy glass from lighter plastic lenses was gone forever. “We haven’t compromised on clarity and performance,” he said. “The Slice lens is so light you won’t believe you have sunglasses on.” The new lenses are available in photochromic* copper, photochromic grey, light copper neon, green mirror, red mirror and silver mirror. Made in Japan, Tonic sunglasses use the latest optical technology including de-centred lenses for distortion-free viewing at any angle. The scratch-resistant glass lenses are just 1.3mm thick, making them 50% lighter than regular glass. All feature anti-reflective coatings and Tonic’s own polarising filter systems. There are more than 12 wraparound styles.

NOVEMBER 2015

*Lens automatically darkens or lightens in response to light levels

Price: RRP $279 www.toniceyewear.com.au

TEAM VENOM KIDS SHIRTS

The Wilson Team Venom sublimated fishing jerseys have shrunk in the wash and are now available in kids sizing. Featuring the same credentials as the adult jerseys, the kids Team Venom jerseys have a UPF rating of 25+, thumb holes in the arms to provide sun protection for the back of the hands, and a full collar that can be flipped up to protect the back of the neck. Made from 155gsm polyester birdseye fabric, these jerseys have the ability to manage moisture by wicking it away from the skin. The material can also breathe, keeping the kids cool while they concentrate on their fishing or just fun in the sun. Coming in kids sizes from 4 through to 14, the Team Venom kids jerseys are generous in sizing to allow the kids to grow into the shirts and not grow out of them too quickly. Price: SRP $69.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

GIN CLEAR AND MEDIUM RARE

In response to popular demand, Halco Tackle has made its ghostlike R48 gin clear colour available in a number of new models. Formerly available in just the two smallest Roosta poppers, the colour has proven very popular with anglers around Australia, prompting the rapid expansion of the colour into more models. Anglers looking for finesse presentations have found species like whiting in particular happy to inhale the almost transparent offering off the surface. This colour pattern is now available in the all-new Laser Pro 140 and 45, the C-Gar and Roosta Popper 60 and 45 models. Halco has also released a new colour called medium rare H84. Available initially in just the award-winning C-Gar and Skim Stick designs, these clear lures with ‘medium rare’ pink backs look the goods and work a treat in clear, shallow waters. www.halcotackle.com

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 106

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

TESTED: Okuma Azores Fishing offshore is a tough game. You’re fishing in a turbulent, salty environment where the things you hook will run hard, change direction in a split second, and every so often be eaten by something bigger and more powerful. Not only is it tough on you, but it also tests your gear to the very limit. Having gear that stands up to the punishment dished out by constant contact with saltwater and the blistering runs of pumped-up pelagic species is extremely important. It’s a domain where only the best will do, and this usually means spending a lot of money. Okuma has done its part to blow this theory out of the water by introducing a heavy-duty spin reel that retails for around $200, and comes with a lifetime warranty. When the Okuma Azores landed on my desk, still in its box, the instructions I was given were simple: “See if you can break it.”

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Due to my work and uni schedule, as well as other tasks that eat into my fishing time, getting offshore to test this product was going to be hard, but I managed to put the reel through its paces. In preparation, I loaded its deep spool with 300m of 40lb Super PE with room to spare! A few tests with a soft toy and the family dog and I was confident this reel would stand up to the punishment it was about to receive. First stop was trolling for wahoo off Brisbane’s North Stradbroke Island in a 4.8m fibreglass boat. Doing anything offshore in a boat this size requires your utmost awareness, a little bit of madness and extremely tough fishing gear.

With my mate Kaspar and I trolling a Rapala XXX-Rap and a skipping gar respectively, we did our best to cover our options out on the deep blue, which was pumping out a hefty swell on our chosen day. We didn’t have long to wait until we were tight to our first wahoo. Kaspar was first to score on 24kg gear, which Kaspar believes is the only way to outrun the sharks this area is known for. In fact, Kaspar believes the sharks have learned what his boat looks like, and have taken to following him when he travels over the bar in his small tub. With 15kg of wahoo in the esky, it was now the Azores’s turn. It only took a few minutes before the screaming run of a wahoo woke me out of my little daydream. The pressure was on – there were hungry sharks out there, and even though the Azores has up to 20kg of drag, it was only me manning its gears… With all my stopping power and the fish’s hard running in equilibrium, it was only a matter of time before a hungry man in a grey suit put an end to the wahoo’s struggle. Sure

Battle ready! The Azores shows off its shine before a trip out onto the big blue. SCAN THE QR CODE!

This is what remained from a lot of mackerel, wahoo and yellowfin tuna hook-ups. enough, I felt my 15-30lb Terez load up, and the head shakes doubled in size. I now had a shark on. I daresay with someone more experienced and possibly of a more suitable physique, this shark could have been subdued. The lowdown torque of this beastly reel is quite amazing, but my back threw the towel in before I could turn the shark. Now I know why Kaspar uses 24kg gear! This kept happening, and the only fish I ended up landing were a few mac tuna, which were released boatside. I certainly put the reel through some pain – banging and clanging on the way out through the bar, locking horns with things maybe a size too big for the reel and showering it with saltwater. Everything about the reel held up, the only thing lacking in the system was a good operator… On our second trip we were focused on chasing smaller Spanish mackerel with the possibility of a yellowfin or two. As you would have guessed, the sharks were quick on the game, and having never done this style of fishing I struggled to turn the fish around in the early stages. The result was multiple sharkings for the day. I usually fish fly offshore, and pelagics will often use the softness of the fly reel drag to outrun the shark. The Azores’s drag is wonderfully smooth, but definitely not soft! As a casting reel though, at only 700g

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

SPECIFICATIONS Size Bearings Gear Ratio Weight (g) Z-55 6BB+1RB 5.8:1

526

Z-65 6BB+1RB 5.4:1

700

Z-80 6BB+1RB 5.4:1

722

Z-90 6BB+1RB 4.4:1

722

and with a very ergonomic design, it felt extremely comfortable to throw around for a few hours. At no point did the braid spring off the spool and cause tangles; nor did the reel show any signs of wearing either, unlike me! This reel performed beautifully on fish that should have been tackled on gear a size or two up. Despite this, it made me realize just how tough these customers are. Having seldom used Okuma gear, I definitely think that they’re some of the toughest out there, if not the toughest. I never washed the Azores, and it’s still in fighting form, although this kind of neglect isn’t recommended with any reel. The Azores is perfect for anyone wanting a way into the world of offshore fishing, or someone like me who only fishes offshore occasionally and doesn’t like to spend hideous amounts on gear. A fairly inexpensive, all purpose reel like the Azores can be used for trolling, live-baiting, popping and stickbaiting, jigging, and even working over-sized soft plastics and paternosters down deep for reef dwellers. This reel will last forever, and at just over $200 it’s reachable even for anglers who are a bit hard of cash. To find out more about the Okuma A z o re s , v i s i t w w w. r a p a l a . c o m . a u - Bob Thornton

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

107

FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION BEATING THE BLUES

ANGELFISH

MAORI

ROCK WHITING

CATFISH

MARLIN

SPRAT

DAMSELFISH

MORWONG

STREAK

DEVIL

MUD HOPPER

TANG

GRENDADIER

PARROT

THREADFIN

GROPER

POINTER

TUSKFISH

HAKE

PULLER

WHALER

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Fishing Monthly selected prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO: QLD Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

QLD NOVEMBER 2015

Phone (day):

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for September was S Varley of Meringandan, who won a Pflueger combo valued at $400. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND THE BERKLEY LOGO SEPTEMBER LOCATIONS BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

The answers to Find the Berkley Logo for September were: 10, 18, 20, 22, 26, 30, 36, 46, 52, 63, 73, 80, 85, 104, 110. – QFM

FIND THE BERKLEY LOGO WINNER

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The Find the Berkley logo prize winners for September were: B Botting of Nanango, B Hardwick of Kewarra Beach, T Delany of Griffin, M Gillett of Boonah, J Bowyer of Blackall, M Watts of Ulladulla, W Fishburn of Bundaberg, G Poor of Taromeo, L Betts of Kendall, W Robinson of Raceview, B Schmidt of Dalby, T Grice of Caboolture, R Pearce of Ferny Grove, K Aldridge of Rockville, G Anderson of Emu Park, T Ramm of North Rockhampton, R Quill of Tin Can Bay, R McGuinness of Highfields, E Lockwood of Via Gin Gin, D Cauchi of Bundaberg, B Herrmann of Churchill, C Wadsworth of Birkdale, J Bugno of Bardon, D Stewart of Hermit Park, R Evans of Virginia, G Edwards of Home Hill, M Allegri of Ayr, D Kennedy of Caboolture, C Cleary of Bundaberg, J Willmann of Windaroo, J Boneham of Eight Mile Plains, P Thompson of Murwillumbah, R Chapman of Gladstone, A Jorgensen of Kippa Ring, D Oehlman of Oakey, D Male of Bongaree, D Cauchi of Bundaberg, B Halberstater of Yeppoon, B Newton of Trinity Beach, C Gapps of Bongaree. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to Mark Boyle of Slacks Creek, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition! • New Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly products • Videos prize pack. Prize delivery• Indepth can take 8 weeks. – Reviews QFM

check out! 3

• DECEMBER 2010

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everything you know about 75-115hp fourstrokes.

NORTHERN NSW / GOLD COAST TWEED COAST MARINE

32 Machinery Drive, Tweed Heads South Phone: (07) 5524 8877 | Fax: (07) 5524 3324 Email: dan@tweedcoastmarine.com.au Website: www.tweedcoastmarine.com.au

BRISBANE SOUTH MANLY HARBOUR MARINE

570 Royal Esplanade Manly Phone: (07) 3893 2199 | Fax: (07) 3893 2188 Email: info@manlyharbourmarine.com.au Website: www.manlyharbourmarine.com.au

BRISBANE NORTH CUNNINGHAMS MARINE

WIDE BAY THE BOAT PLACE

MERIDIAN MARINA HORIZON SHORES ONSHORE MARINE

BRISBANE BAYSIDE MIKES MARINE

BRISBANE NORTH BRISBANE MARINE

HERVEY BAY BAY CITY MARINE

23-25 Snook St Clontarf Phone: (07) 3284 8805 | Fax: (07) 3284 8813 Email: sales@cunninghammarinecentre.com.au Website: www.cunninghammarinecentre.com.au

Cabbage Tree Point Rd,Woongoolba Phone: (07) 5546 2480 | Fax: (07) 5546 1362 Email: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au Website: www.onshoremarine.com.au

9 Smith Street Capalaba Phone: (07) 3390 3418 | Fax: (07) 3823 5856 Email: sales@mikesmarine.com.au Website: www.mikesmarine.com.au

BRISBANE SOUTH SPRINGWOOD MARINE

3475 Pacific Hwy Springwood Phone: (07) 3297 8200 | Fax: (07) 3297 8290 Email: gyula@motosport.net.au Website: www.springwoodmarine.com.au

BRISBANE WEST KAREE MARINE

1776 Ipswich Rd Rocklea Phone: (07) 3875 1600 | Fax: (07) 3875 1622 Email: sales@kareemarine.com.au Website: www.kareemarine.com.au

TOOWOOMBA WATERSKIERS WAREHOUSE

BUNDABERG ADRIANS MARINE CENTRE

BRISBANE SOUTH COORPAROO MARINE

BRISBANE HOLT MARINE

SUNSHINE COAST NORTHCOAST BOATING CENTRE

GLADSTONE B.A.S MARINE

57 Cavendish Rd Coorparoo Phone: (07) 3397 4141 | Fax: (07) 3397 6339 Email: info@coorparoomarine.com.au Website: www.coorparoomarine.com.au

25 Queens Rd Everton Park Phone: (07) 3353 1928 | Fax: (07) 3353 4548 Email: info@holtmarine.com.au Website: www.holtmarine.com.au

306 Duffield Road Clontarf Phone: (07) 3889 3033 | Fax: (07) 3889 5390 Email: info@brismarine.com.au Website: www.brismarine.com.au

1872 Tin Can Bay Rd Goomboorian Phone: (07) 5486 5865 Email: yaltacraft@live.com.au Website: www.theboatplace.com.au

91-93 Neil St Toowoomba Phone: (07) 4637 9511 | Fax: (07) 4637 9513 Email: rod@waterskierswarehouse.com.au Website: www.waterskierswarehouse.com.au

264 Nicklin Way Warana Phone: (07) 5493 9376 | Fax: (07) 5437 6144 Email: mail@northcoastboatingcentre.com.au Website: www.northcoastboating.com.au

82 Dayman Street Urangan Hervey Bay Phone: (07) 4128 9944 | Fax: (07) 4125 2350 Email: sales@baycitymarine.com.au Website: www.baycitymarine.com.au

28 Ritchie St Norville Phone: (07) 4153 1819 | Fax: (07) 4153 1819 Email: adriansmarinecentre@bigpond.com Website: www.adriansmarinecentre.com.au

3 Pitt St, Gladstone Phone: (07) 4976 9672 Email: basmarine@live.com.au Website: www.basmarine.com.au

Unbridled power, unexpectedly compact, uncompromising reliability, unbelievably fuel efficient. Mercury’s all new 75-115hp FourStroke Range. Unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Delivering stronger low-end torque and quicker acceleration. aLL new 2.1L modeL

aLL new 2.1L modeL

engine Speed (rpm)

90hp produces up to 16% more torque over previous 1.7L FourStroke.

ROCKHAMPTON RIFEN BOATS

INGHAM J&B MARINE

WHITSUNDAY CANNONVALE WHITSUNDAY OUTBOARD CENTRE

KARUMBA JONES MARINE

INNISFAIL COASTAL MARINE & OUTDOORS

CAIRNS AUSSIE MARINE

BOWEN REIBEL MARINE

MARYBOROUGH FRASER COAST BOATING

6 Dooley St, North Rockhampton Phone: (07) 4927 9150 | Fax: (07) 4921 3502 Email: rifen.boats@bigpond.com Website: www.rifenboats.com.au

1 William Murray Dr Cannonvale Phone: (07) 4946 7286 | Fax: (07) 4946 7848 Email: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

178 Edith Street Innisfail Phone: (07) 4061 8272 | Fax: (07) 4061 7718 Email: joel@coastalmarine.com.au Website: www.coastalmarine.com.au

34 Don St Bowen Phone: (07) 4786 2944 Fax: (07) 4786 6606 Email: remarine@bigpond.net.au

79 Herbert St, Ingham Phone: (07) 4776 1188 | Fax: (07) 4776 1288 Email: jbmarine@bigpond.com Website: www.jandbmarine.com

38 Yappar Street, Karumba Phone: (07) 4745 9159 Email: jonglo@bigpond.com Web: www.jonesmarine.com.au

5 Hannam St, Bungalow Phone: (07) 4033 8800 Email: sales@aussiemarine.com.au Web: www. aussiemarine.com.au

120 Richmond Street Phone: (07) 4122 1770 Email: sales@frasercoastboating.com.au Web: www.frasercoastboating.com.au

6500

6000

5500

5000

4500

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

previous 1.7L (L) modeL

6000

5500

5000

4500

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

previous 1.7L (L) modeL

torque (Nm)

115hp foUrstroke torqUe comparisoN torque (Nm)

90hp foUrstroke torqUe comparisoN

engine Speed (rpm)

115hp produces up to 23% more torque over previous 1.7L FourStroke.

‘It’s got to be Mercury this summer’

SeaAdex 5.5m Hard Top: deep vee for smooth ride

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

I’ve seen unique, Brisbane built plate alloy boats around for a while now, but it took a calm day in mid-October to finally get on one in Moreton Bay. It was a great opportunity to catch up with the SeaAdex business – Adam Mortimer and Rex Willis – to get a ground-up explanation about the company and the hulls. Firstly, SeaAdex comes from ‘Ad’am and R’ex’ and the play on words hints that they’re ‘addicts’ to boating in and around Moreton Bay. Being a long term boilermaker, Adam conceptualised a soft riding, deep sided and pleasant experience for families – even if they’re caught in the inevitable bay sea-breeze in the after lunch ride home. “I knocked up a prototype pretty quickly and although it QR CODE

Scan the QR Code to see this SeaAdex in action and hear a full interview with Adam and opinions from the author. 112

NOVEMBER 2015

was pretty ugly, we got a naval architect to modify the shape and create more pleasing lines while retaining the core attributes of the boat,” Adam explained before we took the 5.5m Hard Top for a run on the bay. “There isn’t a variable deadrise in this boat – it carries a 23° vee right to the front of the boat,” Adam continued. This has a couple of implications. It makes the ride super soft. Even if the boat gets air over a wave and lands heavily, it’ll be cutting the water with a sloping part of the hull. This also makes the boat slower. With no flatter planing surface at the transom, speed is limited to maximise comfort. Any angler who has been battered in a flat bottomed boat knows that this is a happy compromise to make. “The last thing any boat owning dad wants is to beat the family senseless if it gets rough. When that happens, you’ll find that they won’t want to come out next time,” Adam said. And it’s true. A comfortable ride makes for a happy family. The other main hull performance feature is the wide, reverse chine sponsons that broaden the beam at rest and add incredible stability. These chines tend to grab a little air while the boat is on the plane to further soften the impact of water on the hull. They also make the hull at waterline wider than at the top of the gunwales, which has no real practical issues except while docking at a

SPECIFICATIONS Length................................................................5.5m LOA (boat only).................................................5.8m BMT Length (trim down).................................. 7.2m Beam................................................................2.45m Hull weight (finished with batteries and 80l fuel)....... 1180kg Fuel....................................................................150L Max transom weight.......................................235kg Max hp............................................................ 200hp Rec hp.............................................................150hp Height on trailer................................................3.2m Draft at rest (leg up)........................................50cm Draft at rest (leg down)...................................80cm 2C Survey ready.

More and more helm seating comes with a fold-up seat option. This one converts to a back rest for driving the boat in a standing position. pontoon where you’d need some fenders to minimise paint damage. On the water, the hull delivers as promised. The supercharged Verado pops the boat onto the plane with ease and at a comfortable cruising speed of 4000rpm, uses 1.6-1.7L for each kilometre travelled. Spinning a 17” Enertia propeller, the rpm maxes out at 6100 and a comfortable 70km/h.

With that combination, I’d assume that you could load this boat with half a tonne of gear and the stats wouldn’t change too much. Likewise, get this rig into some nasty water and the low-end torque would be there to manhandle the boat through the slop. Adam said that this was their experience on the day before the Fishing Monthly test, when they were prop testing with Mercury staff.

“In 20 knots of wind with 1-1.3m of breaking chop, the performance stats were actually a little better than on the calm test day,” Adam said. “We were getting 1.8km/L with three or four people onboard while cruising at around 50km/h. The speed also achieved 72km/h.” We do know though that the Speed Over Ground can be affected by tides. Running with and running against it can explain the discrepancy. Apart from the specialised bait station at the transom, this hull is really a blank canvas and Adam makes no bones about the fact that he will not only customise per buyer, but he’ll do it happily. Got your own ideas to make an ideal

fishing boat? Discuss and implement. Easy. The test rig was fitted with some luxuries, like an anchor winch, Garmin combo unit and a Mercury VesselView for all of your outboard data. As tested, you could drive it away for $76,000, however, BMT packages start from $67,000. Give Adam a call on 0435 453 455 or visit www.seaadex. com.au for more information. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

PERFORMANCE RPM.......................................km/h................ FUEL (l/h) Idle (600)................................4.6.................................1.5 1000.......................................6.5.................................2.5 2000.......................................12..................................6.5 3000.......................................23...................................15 4000.......................................38...................................23 5000.......................................53...................................43 6000.......................................68...................................75 WOT (6100)............................70...................................75

Seriously – the front cabin is nearly as wide as it is long. When you get in it, you’ll see that the quality of finish is excellent. It’s fully carpet lined and the under helm wiring is covered. Yay!

The transom bait station features a cutting board that folds up to reveal a cavity that holds several blocks of pillies.

The SeaAdex we tested came with a transom door to facilitate easy access. Adam said that if you wanted a dive door at the side, that’s no problem. Small manufacturers like SeaAdex usually love customising and Adam is no exception. At FM, we love the L4 Verados. 1.7L of supercharged awesomeness. This one would shine climbing nasty ocean swells, however the test day offered nothing like that. Nothing at all.

Want more fishing rods? If you buy a Hard Top with this many tubes, you’ll need to buy more to fill it up. The missus can’t argue against that sort of logic.

Simple and practical. That’s how a hard top window should be. The simpler they are, the less there is to go wrong.

From the bow, the lines are pretty aggressive. The hard top cabin is definitely tall enough to provide excellent visibility and you can see that the sponsons start virtually at the bow of the boat.

For the drive-away price of $76,000, this rig comes with an anchor winch. Once you’ve had an electric winch, you’ll never want to go back to pulling the pick manually. Especially if your fishing buddy doesn’t turn up.

A modern console contains the most information we’ve seen to date in the fewest units. Mercury’s Vessel View gives you all of the engine diagnostics while the Garmin combo unit provides GPS mapping and sonar imaging.

The 23° deadrise runs all the way through to the front of the boat, making it one of the softest riding aluminium boats we’ve ever been in. The sponsons with reverse chines add beam and therefore stability at rest. We like the little additions, like the nonpainted tie down points that alleviate the need for a tie down strap. We hate tie down straps.

After a day’s testing with the Mercury techs the day before, you’d expect it to be propped right, and it is. A 17” Enertia Mercury propeller throws the boat out of the hole and the WOT rpm is 6100rpm – right in the sweet zone for an L4 supercharged Verado. NOVEMBER 2015

113

Stessco Catcher SFX450 with 60 Suzuki 4-stroke BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The Stessco Catcher SFX450 Side Console is an angler’s boat through and through. Being a side console alloy craft, it offers a large amount of useful fishing room within its modest 4.5m length. It’s powered by a 3-cylinder, 60hp Suzuki 4-stroke so it was no slouch on the water either.

Burpengary on Brisbane’s northside. I conducted the test within the Bribie Passage on a fine day with a bit of breeze kicking up some chop, which allowed easy assessment of the boat’s ride and handling attributes. This is a solid rig. With 3mm construction all round there were no vibes, hums or metallic thrums at any stage of the test runs. I quickly decided that the Catcher SFX450

a handy-sized boat for a couple of anglers to spend time in. There was no vice about this rig whatsoever – everything worked readily and with plenty of comfort given its modest dimensions. LAYOUT Within the bow an open anchor well provided plenty of room for anchor and warp. A 300mm high carpet-covered cast deck up front featured two underfloor compartments. The

The Suzuki 60 was a perfect power choice for the 4.5m Catcher.

The Catcher SFX450 is a no-frills but very capable craft with a lot of appeal to the angler. SPECIFICATIONS Length..............................................................4.50m Beam................................................................2.08m Hull construction..................................... 3mm alloy Hull weight......................................................365kg Engine ratings............................................. 40-60hp Persons...................................................................5 Engine fitted................................60 Suzuki 4-stroke Fuel......................................................................60L Towing...........Family six or big four sedan or wagon for the by

The Catcher is rated up to five people, and test boat was supplied Motorsport Marine of

side console would be an ideal boat for a complete beginner yet just as useful to an old hand looking for

compartment nearest the bow was suited to general storage, while the second (109L capacity) was a dedicated well set up for the catch. An extra seat spigot to provide both easy weight distribution plus a comfortable fishing station up front was located between these hatches. A neat bow rail was there to assist around the ramp. The craft’s alloy side console was set up with a neat grab rail plus a

Under the forward casting deck there’s a 109L catch well and general storage compartment, plus a seat position. 114

NOVEMBER 2015

windscreen to offer some protection against slipstream for the driver. The console’s upright section proved a convenient mounting point for a GMI 20 gauge to monitor the Suzuki 60, while a bank of switches plus the craft’s steering wheel was also close by. There was plenty of room up on the horizontal section behind the screen for a sounder to be mounted as well. Being an open, floormounted unit the side console had ample leg room for the driver and as a bonus also came equipped with a central storage shelf. Engine controls were side mounted within easy reach of the skipper. Seating options are part of the Catcher’s attractions, with one base right beside the skipper, and another installed to port of the console. Again, very useful for weight distribution when you have more than two people aboard. Seating consisted of wellcushioned and supportive pedestal-style units, which were able to swivel aft to facilitate fishing. Aft of the skipper and mate’s seats, the main features were 1m long, off-floor side pockets which obviously provided a brace point under them, a sizeable cast deck at the transom in which several compartments were set up, along with 250mm wide side decks and grab rails. Rod holders within the 750mm high side decks are options for this rig. Areas adjacent the transom were carpeted and set up as an alternative casting platform which would be ideal in calm conditions. Under the rear deck area there was a 30L live bait tank to starboard, general purpose storage compartment to port, and battery and other items centrally. In all, excellent use put to this area. Aft of the transom with its wide splash

well was a checkerplate boarding platform, with accompanying rail, on each side of the 60 Suzuki. TOP POWER SUZUKI 60 With its moderate vee hull featuring several strong pressings plus an outer reversed chine, the

jumped onto the plane in a little over its own length. The Catcher drove and handled very freely with its mechanical steering set up, and it turned out some quite impressive performance figures all round. With three aboard the Stessco planed at 3000rpm at 12.2km/h,

Flexible seating arrangements allow for ease of passenger positioning.

A plumbed live bait well is one of the Catcher’s handy features. smooth running Catcher was very well powered by the (maximum hp) 60 Suzuki on the transom – to the extent that with two aboard the craft

which is a very modest speed. 4000rpm saw a speed of 32.4km/h on the GMI 20 gauge, with 5000rpm recording 46.2km/h and

6000rpm a feisty 58.3km/h. They’re impressive speeds for modest power, and I was also impressed with the 4000 rpm/32.4km/h fuel use figures as well – just 7L per hour. Owners would no doubt find that cruising at around 30km/h at mid range revs would make a lot of sense. And with a 60L under floor tank, fuel consumption of 7L per hour would give a range of 240km+. Awesome! RIDE AND HANDLING Another of the Catcher’s attractions was a very good ride. A hull weight of 365kg saw the boat settled

and nicely balanced on the water, and with three aboard it was a lot of fun to turn the craft rapidly, push over wash from other boats travelling in Pumicestone Passage, then see how quickly the craft returned to a level attitude to assess both handling and overall ride quality. While I could hear a bump as we crossed some of those waves – some were fairly large – there was certainly no upsetting impact to contend with. Metre high sides kept all spray away from us as we crossed wash and chop, and with any displaced

water being turned away from the hull around halfway along its length I was more than pleased with this aspect of the craft’s sea-keeping ability. In all, I saw the Catcher as a well handling and well riding craft. Stability was very good as well, and it was no issue whatsoever to walk around the rig, tucking into various corners or positions while we were in mid channel, to take my photos. I believe that the average angler fishing from the Catcher would find nothing to complain about as far as stability is concerned.

The Catcher’s excellent hull at work: note the way spray is pushed back around half of the craft’s length.

Left: Additional storage within the port quarter is a useful feature. Right: The catcher’s off floor side pockets also provide a brace point for an angler working on a serious fish.

FISHABILITY Stessco have packed quite a few features into the no-frills but very capable Catcher SFX450, with about the only thing missing being rod holders. Given that there’s a large catch well, a plumbed live well aft plus four seating positions and both fore and aft storage compartments under decks, the angler has been quite well catered for. Backing these useful features were a very good ride, easy performance and handling plus excellent stability. Finish was quite good with welds quite well smoothed although visible. The Catcher SFX450 is an unpainted craft, with a

neat decal catching the eye and highlighting the craft’s straight sides. Motorsport Marine are offering the Catcher SFX450 and 60 Suzuki on a Stessco trailer, with safety gear and registrations for $21,990. Motorsport Marine can be contacted on (07) 3888 0555 or on www. motorsportmarine.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.

NOVEMBER 2015

115

Savage 655C with 200hp Gen 2 E-Tec BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The Chinese-made Savage fibreglass boats have been around for a couple of years now, and they have been received pretty well.

touring, tubing or fishing. With the Gen 2 E-Tec 200 High Output on the transom you could virtually tow the whole family! The beamy (2.48m) fibreglass Savage came with a walkaround capability easily accessed via a moulded side step.

were a 7” Evinrude Icon Touch gauge plus a Lowrance 7” Elite sounder/ GPS. These dominated the twin radios (Fusion and Marine) above but it was interesting to note that an even larger nav unit could be fitted, although the low mounted wheel might

This shot of the Savage 655C underway gives an idea of just how large this fibreglass rig really is. While many 6.5m boats are rated for up to six people, the Savage takes the honours with an eight-person capacity.

Here you can see how well the hull’s design pushes water well astern at speed, maximising lift plus offering the best chance for occupants to remain dry. And why not? The finish is good, the warranty is backed by the nation’s largest (by volume) boat manufacturer, and these boats come pretty well set up from the outset – and for the right price. The hull’s design lends itself to both seaworthiness and comfort underway, thanks to a decent amount of vee aft, ample beam in ratio to length, and there’s a fair degree of flexibility in aft seating layout, plus engine ratings. All these features make the Savage 655C (for cabin) suited to the really dedicated bay/ estuary/offshore angler, or the more family-orientated fisho who divides time between fishing with mates and taking the family

There were plenty of handholds via the bimini and windscreen framework on the test boat to facilitate going forward; handy for approaching a beach but not required when tending ground tackle as a Muir winch came standard. Within the roomy and well lit cabin with its wide entrance between skipper’s and mate’s seats there’d be room for two to sleep and enjoy the comfort of soft cabin lining, under-bunk storage, plus generous shelving for an easy overnight stay. Removing the bunk infill would see an ice box or Porta Potti installed if necessary. The 655C’s helm station came equipped with the sevens! Flush mounted

NOVEMBER 2015

SPECIFICATIONS Hull length.......................................................6.50m Beam................................................................2.48m Length on trailer.............................................8.10m Height on trailer..............................................2.40m Weight (boat only)......................................... 1020kg Min. hp.................................................................150 Max. hp................................................................225 Max persons...........................................................8

There’s seating for three people on padded storage bins at the transom. You can also move the bins around to a different configuration when necessary. The oval backrest sections can be removed to allow boarding from astern.

The Savage’s skipper has the option to either stand or remain seated to drive. Both positions allow full visibility plus ample comfort from the large pedestal seat. Note the depth of the foot well in the cabin, plus the handy lower shelf. 116

obstruct your view of a larger flush mounted unit. Comfortable, height adjustable, pedestal seats up front came with bolster sections, and there was easy visibility through the two-section windscreen, both when seated and when standing. Additional storage

came via an under-floor box at the cockpit’s rear, both skipper and mate being provided with low level storage pockets to complement the pockets each side of the cockpit. There were also very large storage boxes set up as seats at the transom. These moulded boxes, or bins, were entirely removable and would have been very well suited for the catch if they had been lined or insulated. Still, few would complain of their usefulness, as they could be moved to any section of the cockpit to facilitate fishing or even left at home. Corner-mounted transom backrest sections were also removable to

Complete versatility in aft seating allows the padded bins there to be moved into several positions or completely left out of the craft.

assist entry from astern, the oval cushions being equipped with handles for ease of use. With these items removed, two walkthrough entry areas were on

hand, and the starboard one equipped with a boarding ladder. Twin rod holders per gunwale side complemented the rod holders set into the rocket

launcher at the rear of the craft’s bimini, so there’d be no reason to leave an extra fishing outfit or two at home. One item lacking was a dedicated bait tank;

The Savage’s neatly finished cabin can keep the crew out of the weather or just as easily be used to store valuable fishing gear when underway.

Many of the important features of the big Savage walkaround can be seen here. Note the lift out transom back rests, the large high backed pedestal seats for skipper and mate, plus the width of the walkaround area.

One of the great benefits of the Savage’s removable aft seating is access to the craft’s fuel filter – always an important issue for boat owners.

a surprise omission in such a well-provisioned craft. On the water at Southport the 655C proved very easy to drive, amply powered by the 200 High Output E-Tec. It was quite stable while at rest in Seaway swell, which is obviously important for offshore work. The 655C’s engine ratings go right up to 225hp, which saw the Gen2 Evinrude E-Tec fairly close to maximum power. An easy hole shot saw the craft planing at a mere 24km/h (2700rpm), with an economical cruising speed

of 35.2km/h at 3000rpm. Wide open throttle saw the rig blasting along at 77km/h, yet ample intermediate speeds and throttle applications were instantly available from the E-Tec 200 HO to cater for cruising, fast travel, or tow sports. Fuel tank capacity was 170L, which provides a massive cruising or fishing range. Overall I saw the big Savage fibreglass walkaround as an ideal craft for many boating pursuits. Provided by White Water

Marine of the Gold Coast, on a dedicated alloy trailer, the boat as tested would come home for $76,990. White Water Marine can be contacted on 07 5532 4402, or on the net at info@ whitewatermarine.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.

n o c I e i s s An Au Since 1898 about

• Over 100 years strong - since 1898 • Moulded for strength - full fibreglass stringer system free of organic materials • One HULL of a ride - 22 degree hull deadrise • 10 Year Structural Warranty • Packed with features including: underfloor storage, twin transom walk-through..... and loads more!

6 MODELS IN THE RANGE OF BOWRIDERS AND CABINS

Bay City Marine

82 Dayman Street HERVEY BAY Ph: 07- 4128 9944

www.baycitymarine.com.au

Sugar City Marine An easy to monitor dash design is highlighted by the premium Evinrude Icon Colour touch gauge linked to the 200 Gen 2 E-Tec plus the Lowrance Elite 7. Other switches for various functions plus the winch are lower, but still within easy reach.

Bribie Boat Sales

217 First Avenue BRIBIE ISLAND PH 07- 3408 0055

www.bribieboatsales.com.au

White Water Marine

11 Victoria Street MACKAY PH: 07- 4951 4711

10 Hinde St ASHMORE PH: 07- 5532 4402

www.sugarcitymarine.com.au

www.whitewatermarine.com.au NOVEMBER 2015

117

What’s New BOATING

GARMIN GHP REACTOR

Designed to be mounted just about anywhere and in any orientation, Garmin’s GHP Reactor autopilot series sets the standard for performance, ease-of-use and safety. The GHP Reactor’s unprecedented performance is the result of Garmin engineers integrating a new solid-state nine-axis attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) that yields less heading error and course deviation, reduced rudder movement and lower power consumption, providing a smoother ride and overall better experience for boaters. Installation is easier than ever with mounting options nearly anywhere on the vessel. Once installed, the GHP Reactor autopilot also reduces configuration and calibration time from 20 minutes to as few as 5, allowing you to get out on the water with more confidence and in a shorter timeframe. Using the Garmin-patented Shadow Drive feature, the GHP Reactor automatically disengages the autopilot with a turn of the helm wheel. For hydraulic installations, the SmartPump can also be implemented, providing improved reliability, lower power consumption and further installation simplification. Price: RRP from $2,999 www.garmin.com.au

MERCURY FESTIVAL OF FOURSTROKE

More and more boat owners are moving to Mercury FourStroke technology – and now there are literally hundreds of additional reasons to make the switch. For a limited time, participating Mercury Dealers are offering up to $700 off FourStrokes from 2.5-75hp. Boaters can now enjoy the many benefits of world-class, leading-edge technology at even more affordable prices. Better still, this offer is available to recreational and commercial customers – no restrictions. By combining performance, superior corrosion protection, efficiency and peace of mind, these engines will take your time on the water to a whole new level. Mercury FourStrokes are so popular because they do exactly what you need them to, hassle free. No matter the size or job, Mercury’s 2.5-75hp FourStrokes all have one thing in common: uncompromising reliability. And they are also very easy to operate. Offer ends on 20 November. www.mercurymarine.com.au

LATEST UPGRADE TO LIGHTHOUSE II

FLIR Systems, Inc. announced the release of the latest upgrade to its acclaimed LightHouse II operating system for Raymarine multifunction displays. LightHouse II Release 15 gives captains the ability to monitor their engine room using the new FLIR AX8 marine thermal camera system, improves collision avoidance with completely new graphical representations of AIS targets, and now supports direct software updates over Wi-Fi to keep Raymarine users up-to-date with the latest technology. Boaters can gain an entirely new view of their vessel’s mechanical systems with the FLIR AX8 marine thermal monitoring system. Combining thermal and visible cameras in a small, affordable package, the AX8 integrates with Raymarine MFDs to keep a watchful eye on such critical equipment as engines, exhaust manifolds, and shaft bearings. With LightHouse Collision Avoidance tools, both expert and novice captains can now monitor potential dangerous crossing situations with easy-to-interpret on screen graphics, called target interception zones. Price: RRP $1,750 www.raymarine.com.au

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

BENNETT SLT TRIM TABS

Now you can have the durability of a Bennett trim tab system with a simple, quick and easy installation. There is nothing to do inside the boat – only the mounting of two actuators and two tabs at the transom. It’s an affordable, simple solution for small boats from 3-5.5m (10-18ft). The SLT uses some of the high-quality, proven materials and durable design used in Bennett standard hydraulic systems. Quick and easy installation – no template needed! You can change the position of the actuator with adjustable mounting options that are available on the trim tab. The SLT reacts instantly to boat speed and water pressure by adding trim when it’s needed. At slower speeds, when the boat is trying to get on plane, the actuators hold the trim tabs down, which automatically lifts the stern and simultaneously puts the boat at planing attitude. On plane, the boat’s speed increases, and water pressure pushes the tabs up. Price: RRP from $269 www.harroldmarine.com.au

SUZUKI’S NEW DIGITAL GAUGE

The Haines Group, distributors of Suzuki outboards have just released a new digital engine management gauge to the Australian market. The team is delighted to announce Suzuki’s next generation standard equipment gauge that features a colour, 3.5” LCD display. Suzuki Marine outboard engines showcase the very best technology available and this is certainly apparent in the new engine management gauge. It provides users with information such as engine RPM, speed and trim angle as well as a whole range of diagnostic data received from the outboard motor such as fuel consumption, economy data and warning alarms, so you’re always up to speed with what’s going on. The new gauge’s easy to read display offers a variety of modes including day or night settings and the option for digital or analogue display of information. www.suzukimarine.com.au

QUINTREX’S TOP ENDER 510

Quintrex’s Top Ender series is back with more features to help you land that next big catch. Claiming its place as the ultimate fishing rig the 510 Top Ender now features 4mm bottom sheets and 3mm side sheets; both increased by a 1mm for extra strength and durability. New practical features to the 510 Top Ender also include full-length side pockets, underfloor storage bins and a large anchor well opening. With the Blade Hull the Top Ender range not only beats the best in the fishing department it offers the smoothest and driest ride on the water including superb stability at rest. The 510 Top Ender comes standard with an impressive line of features including rod holders, a live bait tank in the back deck, scupper drainage system and a rear ladder. The 510 is available as a Quintrex Instant Boating Package including boat, motor and trailer complete with a threeyear factory backed warranty. www.quintrex.com.au

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

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Trades, Services, Charter MARINE MECHANICS

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MARINE TRAILERS Oceanic Boat Trailers (07) 5597 0577 Seatrail Trailers www.seatrailqld.com.au Tinnie Tosser (07) 5498 7339 Sea-Link Special Trailers (07) 3881 3568

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Caloundra Marine (07) 5491 1944

GOLD COAST

www.bundallmarinecentre.com.au

BOAT MECHANICS // MOBILE BRISBANE

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

Wondall Rd Marine (07) 3396 5633

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.

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory BOAT MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS

FLUSH YOUR ENGINE WITH

ONLINE TACKLE PRODUCTS

ROD & REEL REPAIRS NORTH QUEENSLAND

She Left Camera Sunglasses www.hdvcs.com.au Specialty Fishing www.specialtyfishing.com.au

JT Reel Repairs, Mackay 0427 552 485 or (07) 4955 2485

MAKE YOUR OWN

Soft Plastics & Spinnerbaits CORROSION CONTROL SALT REMOVING TREATMENT

HUGE RANGE OF LURE MAKING PRODUCTS AVAILABLE!

WARNING!

9 out 10 engines fail from salt corrosion ACT NOW AND PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE BOAT, ENGINE, TRAILER, FISHING AND DIVE GEAR. SALT-AWAY IS A MUST FOR:

ENGINE FLUSHING JETSKIS TRAILERS

FREECALL For more info

WASHING BOATS FISHING & DIVE GEAR

(02) 6258 7515

0400 587 515

MOB www.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au

J-Roc Tackle www.jroctackle.com.au

CUSTOM MARINE WELDING & ELECTRICAL Marine and Auto Electricial n All types of Welding n Stainless Steel n Aluminium n Mild Steel n Boats Repaired n Fuel & Water Tanks n Canopies n Bow and Stern Rails n Custom Vehicle Tool Boxes

Shed 1 281 Jacobs Well Road Behind GEM Service Station, Alberton 4207

MARINE TRANSPORT

Mob 0427 142 201 Fax 3807 2468

www.custommarinewelding.com.au

SAMPLE AD -BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear. You will have approximately 50 words within a 5x2 ad size. Email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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

BOAT PAINTING BRISBANE Brisbane Boat Painting 0433 356 620

MARINE OUTBOARD WRECKERS TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND North Queensland Outboard Wreckers Townsville 1800 812 748

www.reelrepairs.com.au 110 Sherbrooke Rd, Willawong Qld 4110

The Islander Retreat, South Stradbroke Island 0420 967 557 Hemingways at Tin Can Bay (07) 3219 9376 Bribie Island Real Estate (07) 3408 1006

FRASER ISLAND

BOAT TRANSPORT AUSTRALIA WIDE FROM A TINNY TO 50 FEET WEEKLY SERVICE BRISBANE TO CAIRNS

DJ Freight Marine Transport 0418 793 357 0427 341 076 contact@djfreight.com.au

Fraser Island Fishing Units INDIAN HEAD

For bookings or enquiries contact: Cliff Andreassen 07 5449 9346 or 0428 712 283

MARINE TRIMMERS

A FISHO’S DREAM

bearfish@bigpond.com

MOBILE MARINE CANOPIES Canopies Bimini tops Cockpit covers Front and side clears Full boat covers Upholstery Pontoon carpet ... and more!

Waddy Lodge on Fraser 0414 516 364 Cathedrals on Fraser (07) 4127 9177 Apurla Island Retreat 0437 739 121

OVER 15 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Fraser Island Beach Houses 1800 626 230 Yidney Rocks (07) 4127 9167 Eurong Beach Resort 1800 111 808

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Martin Costello 0434 615 936 www.mobilemarinecanopies.com

GOLD COAST

Bluewater Windscreens Brisbane (07) 3382 7883

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

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

BRISBANE

Phone 3807 7846

e parts needs repairs and spar For all your reel

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

VISIT www.salt-away.com.au SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

ce Reel Performan

Southeast Custom Rod Building and Repairs 0438 055 877

U-Make-Em Sort Plastics www.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au

1800 091 172

Salt-Away www.salt-away.com.au

D&H REEL REPAIRS

Advance Marine Upholstery GOLD COAST BOAT COVERS & CANOPIES • Biminis • Canopies • Storm Covers • Camper Covers

• Boat Carpet • Pontoon Carpet • Jetty Fenders • Clears

Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Rays Canvas & Marine Caboolture (07) 5499 4911 Affordable Boat Covers Gold Coast 0419 424 587

PH. You can do07 it all 4937 at the Bay! 3145 Baffle Creek Holiday House 0419 624 833

www.advanceupholstery.com.au

Rowland Street Boat Trimmers Springwood (07) 3208 9511

www.stanagebay.com

PH: 07 4937 3145

ALL WORK IS GUARANTEED Call Simon 0412 763282 E: info@advanceupholstery.com.au

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

BAIT-ICE-TACKLE

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION COOKTOWN River of Gold Motel Plenty of room for boats and trailers PH: 4069 5222

HINCHINBROOK Cardwell Beachfront Motel - www.cardwellbeachmotel.net (07) 4066 8776 or info.cbmotel@bigpond.com

CMY

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au K

Trades, Services, Charter Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory FRESHWATER

SUNSHINE COAST

BURDEKIN

Yallakool Caravan Park on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746

Keely Rose Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0407 146 151

Lake Boondooma Caravan Park (07) 4168 9694

Odyssey Charters Deep Sea Fishing (07) 5478 1109

Lake Cressbrook Regional Council 131 872

Smithy’s Fishing Charters Sunshine Coast 0407 574 868

Yallakool Park and Kiosk on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746

Top Catch Charters Sunshine Coast 0429 013 012

CHARTER BOATS

Fish n Crab Charters Mooloolaba 0412 155 814

FISHING GUIDES

Offshore Reef and Game Fishing 0413 485 402 Sunshine Coast Fishing Charters (07) 5500 0671

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear. You will have approximately 50 words within a 8x2 ad size.

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

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

Fishing Offshore Noosa 0418 889 956

Suncoast Barra Fishing Park www.suncoastbarrafishing.com

Noosa Fishing Charters (07) 5665 8170

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Hervey Bay Fishing Charters (07) 4125 3958 Incredible Charters 1300 655 818

Lake Monduran Barra Charters 0407 434 446

HERVEY BAY

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

Fully Guided Lure & Fly Fishing •

BORN AND BRED LOCAL GUIDE

• 5.5m Custom sportsfishing Vessel • 4.4m Estuary Sportsfishing Vessel • Quality Fishing Gear Supplied

Hooked On Hinchinbrook www.hookedonhinchinbrook.com

FISH TAXIDERMY Fish Taxiderist www.fishtaxidery.net.au or 0428 544 841

FISHING ON TV

ads@fishingmonthly.com.au NORTHERN NSW

www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au

Andrew Chorley

0407 627 852

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Bite Me Fishing Charters Yeppoon 0419 029 397

Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0428 828 835

Ultimate Sportfishing Charters 0450 753 726

Reel Time Fishing Charters 0428 231 962

MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201

IDEAL GIFT!

Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters 0427 125 727

GOLD COAST

BOOK NOW FOR WHITING KAYAK FISHING TOURS SOUTHERN BAY • GOLD COAST

HALF AND FULL DAY TOURS • Hobie kayak and fishing gear supplied www.kayakfishingtours.com.au Phone for bookings

0439 714 345

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 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

DVD’S -

Series 2 through 8

$19.95 each GST INC. - with FREE P&H

1800 228 244

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 Fish The Deep Charters 0416 224 412 Paradise Fishing Charters 0403 531 428 Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0411 605 090 Hooker 1 Charters Gold Coast (07) 5528 6469 Sea Probe Fishing Charters 0400 312 330 Coastal Sports Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0412 691 929 Gone Fishing Charters Gold Coast (07) 5529 7833

Advertise here - $195 + GST for 6 months Email: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au BRISBANE Frenzy Charters Brisbane (07) 3209 4576 Tom Cat Charters (07) 3820 8794 Moreton Island Fishing Charters 0413 128 056 Brisbane Fishing Charters 0427 026 510 Bucket List Fishing Charters 0428 368 316

Jack Robson caught this 45cm bass on a gold spinnerbait during a canoe trip on the Mary River with his dad and two younger brothers. He was particularly happy, as it was bigger than dad’s fish.

John Gooding Outlaw Charters 0418 738 750

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Black Pete Marine Pty Ltd PO Box 3094, Allambie, NSW 2100 blkpete@bigpond.net.au www.blackpete.com.au | 02 9905 7888

SAVE UP TO $700 ON THE 2.5 TO 75HP

FOURSTROKE RANGE 2.5

Save $100

8hp

Save $200

30hp

Save $400

3.5hp

Save $100

9.9hp

Save $200

40hp

Save $500

4hp

Save $125

15hp

Save $250

50hp

Save $500

5hp

Save $125

20hp

Save $300

60hp

Save $600

6hp

Save $150

25hp

Save $300

75hp

Save $700

HURRY OFFER ENDS NOV 20, 2015. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got to be Mercury this summer www.mercurymarine.com.au *Terms & conditions apply. Savings are based on RRP and subject to change without notice. Prices exclude local freight charges, fit up and local statutory charges. Offer available on selected new consumer Four Stroke outboards from 2.5hp to 75hp purchased from participating dealers from September 18th, 2015 until November 20th, 2015. Offer is subject to availability and engines must be 2014 build onwards and installed and registered by no later than December 31st, 2015. Offer not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or rebates.