Queensland Fishing Monthly - December 2013

Massive 132 page Christmas read

Features Flats fun • Sun protection • Get in close with your yak •

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Tried and Tested

Tips and Techniques

Raymarine’s Dragonfly • Stejcraft Islander 580 • TABS Territory 490 • Impact Campers

Chasing small mackerels • How to on Spaniards

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A Black Magic KL Red 8/0 was used to catch this red emperor. Len Quinn was fishing near Sharon Shoal, on the Great Barrier Reef.

This 45kg giant trevally was caught by Ohm Rankin at Aitutaki. Ohm used Black Magic 100lb supple trace.

Paul Lennon landed this impressive jew fish on a Black Magic KL 7/0 hook and Black Magic 30lb tough fluorocarbon leader.

Billy Gillon used a Black Magic 5/0 Snapper Snatcher ‘original’ to bring in these leather jackets. Billy was fishing from Swansea, NSW. Billy says “they were hammering them even with no bait on them. It was a guaranteed fish every drop and great fun”.

This 9 foot bull shark was caught and released by David Goleby off Moreton Island. David used the Black Magic gimbal and harness.

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December 2013, Vol. 26, No. 2

Contents 16

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

Tweed Heads 13 Southern Gold Coast 16 Gold Coast 17 Jumpinpin 20 Southern Bay 22 Brisbane Offshore 23 Brisbane 26 Northern Bay 28 Southern Pumicestone 30 Caloundra 34 Noosa 36 Teewah Beach 37 CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Fraser Coast 40 Rainbow Beach 42 Hervey Bay 42 Burrum Heads 44 Bundaberg 46 Rockhampton 48 Yeppoon 50 Mackay 52 TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

Bowen 54 Ayr 56 Townsville 58 Lucinda 60 Cairns 62 Karumba 64 Port Douglas 67 Cooktown 68 Weipa 70 The Cape 70

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From the Editor’s Desk...

December already? Geez this year has flown by and most of my promises about fishing have been just that – promises.

However, as I write this I am about to go home and get the boat and tackle ready for a trip to Mondy. I can’t wait. I’d dearly love the time to get to Faust, Kinchant and Teemburra, but time is limited and Mondy it is. Thinking about it I can’t help but get a bit excited. All the fish are 10cm bigger than last year’s batch and if I can manage some barra over 80cm I will be stoked! My mark for barra was always over 75cm and with slightly lighter tackle used, these fish work you pretty hard.

And Mondy is having a good season too, so good in fact that Rob Howell didn’t have time to do a report this month as he was too busy with the charters, the houseboat and the running of the camp grounds!

I’m looking forward to catching up with Rob and getting some tips before hitting the lake.

There has been a lot of talk lately about chasing fish

36

in their closed season and I did a quick post on our Facebook page to gauge reaction and overwhelmingly most people who replied thought we anglers should find something else to target in the closed seasons.

In fact some went further and encouraged people not to fish for totally protected species as by law you should not target them. It’s an interesting can of worms and one I really want to delve into from a manager’s perspective as well as from a layman’s perspective. I think the majority agree with one another but some influential and knowledgeable people don’t necessarily think closed seasons are the right choice for best management.

I like these open discussions and so long as people do not take anything personally with everyone having a right to an opinion, I reckon some interesting points will be made.

Where do I sit? An interested bystander is a good description.

I have a bit of knowledge but not full knowledge and making

assumptions does no good for anyone. I reckon if the law says no, then simply don’t do it. It’s pretty simple. It’s a bit like bag and size limits. Some make sense, others are questionable but you have to abide by them.

So while the argument is moot, it’s a really interesting topic.

Some points to consider include: NT not having a closed season but rather closed areas as it’s pretty obvious a barra 245km up the river in the freshwater lagoons is not breeding; Some scientists say that a fish disturbed in its breeding will reabsorb its eggs or milt and not spawn; The seasons are so variable that closing off a timeframe may well miss the right time to protect spawning fish; Does it really matter if a fish is taken for the table before it spawns, while it is spawning or after it has spawned – either way it cannot spawn the following year, and; Is it ethically the right thing to target spawning aggregations?

There are hundreds of nuances that make the decision on closed seasons difficult. It’s

best guess management, but is necessary management. No-one wants to see fish fished down to a population that cannot sustain itself, surely? I know I don’t.

Historical closures and attempts at protection make people nervous about closures of any kind. However few would argue that protecting barra while they spawn is a silly idea – assuming being hooked, fought and landed causes them not to breed of course. It’s complex, intricate and interesting. I can’t wait to talk this over with heaps of people who are far more knowledgeable than me and find out more about it. Anyone up for a chat?

Christmas Closure The Fishing Monthly office will be closing for Christmas/ New Year break from Friday Dec 13.

If you wish to subscribe and receive your Wilsons Blue Steel rod before Christmas, make sure your subscription is organised before December 10. Have a great Chrissie and New Year and get amongst the fish!

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Spanish mackerel secrets bowen

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

The narrowed barred Spanish mackerel is one of the widest spread pelagic fish species in the world and can be caught in waters stretching from Africa to the Middle East, central and northern Asia, and deep into the Pacific.

They are known as king mackerel in South Africa, tenggiri in Malaysia, tanigue in the Philippines, konem in India and kanaad in the Middle East. But no matter what part of the world you find these fish they all share the same reputation, as being one of the best sports fish in the ocean.

It’s not hard to fathom why this fish is regarded with such high esteem as its combination of size, weight, and raw fighting power makes it a tough opponent for any angler.

Spanish mackerel around Australia are regarded as one of the top sports fish to cruise our waters and for many an Aussie angler the Spaniard is always a much desired catch.

While there are many variables that contribute

to the Spanish mackerel’s prowess, what really makes this fish special is that you do not require a big boat or a large golden laden reel to target them. Their seasonal behaviour, which sees them move to inshore waters, means they can be targeted with consistency in relatively

the Queensland coast, sees large aggregations of Spanish mackerel take up residence on a seasonal basis making for some exceptional fishing.

The ‘Spanish season’ as many Queensland anglers know it as is one of the most anticipated time of year and who can blame them when you

This is what you want to see on your sounder whether you are trolling or jigging. The left hand side has a healthy showing of balled up smaller Spanish mackerel with the larger fish leading the pack at the bottom right. small craft. In fact, just about every semi offshore or offshore fishing ground along

consider just how awesome it feels to find yourself connected to 20kg of raw pelagic power!

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Seasons While Spanish mackerel are considered an all year round possibility, especially out wide on outer reefs, it is the seasonal closer, inshore areas that experience large congregations of Spanish mackerel. This can be caused by changes in water temperature, the behaviour of certain currents as well as the movement of bait schools.

In my area of Bowen, the annual run of Spanish mackerel is very much determined on the arrival of bait schools, like wolf herring and gar on the inshore grounds. Once these are established the Spanish mackerel are never too far away.

These aggregations of Spanish mackerel can also be caused by spawning behaviour that sees large populations of hungry fish move into an area.

The majority of the spawning takes place in northern tropical waters during the summer months as this is when and where the nutrient-rich food is most available for their just spawned larvae.

This spawning behaviour is quite common and sees big runs of Spanish mackerel in the far northern part of Queensland around the summer months.

At the other end of the state the story is quite similar with the more predominant runs usually taking place around the southeast corner between January and May. The central and northern areas of Queensland usually see their bigger inshore aggregations anywhere between the winter and spring months of July and November. There is not

The author with a typical size inshore Spanish mackerel.

The long and skinny profile of this fish gives away the fact it is a male. The females are usually much more robust. by line.

Wherever you target these fish, the first step to snaring a big Spanish mackerel is to find out when these fish are most predominant in your local area. Once you know when they are ‘in season’ your chances increase dramatically, as well as the number of fish per angler.

Areas to target Being pelagic fish, Spanish mackerel love to frequent areas where there is good current, and rubble ground or structure that will hold bait.

For offshore areas like along the Barrier Reef it is a pretty simple job knowing where to drag your lures or bait as all you need is to find where the current is pushing along a hard-faced coral ledge and you will be in business.

Inshore areas are a little more tricky as the structure and current is much less obvious and therefore the fish can be harder to find.

The most important rule to remember when looking

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Queenfish by-catch in central and northern Queensland is a good sign you are in the right spot for chasing a Spanish mackerel. much known on how far these fish move or whether they do travel up and down the coast, however it is known that female fish mature much quicker than males and can reach the legal 75cm mark in just two years. This is one of the reasons why Spanish mackerel is second behind coral trout in terms of commercial fisheries as they grow so quickly and are so abundant.

While they are heavily targeted for commercial fishing the good news is that they are no longer able to be netted and must be taken

for Spanish mackerel haunts is to find structure that will hold good congregations of bait. Large shoal areas, which resemble rubble patches on your sounder, are always a good start. These often comprise of coffee rock or shale covered mud bottom with bits and pieces of fern and rock. These areas are often in the middle of current lines or channels that act as highways and stopovers for bait schools.

The ability for these areas to hold bait will consequently bring in congregations of smaller mackerel, wolf herring,

gar and trevally, which will then ultimately draw in the larger Spanish mackerel.

These patches are well known right up and down the Queensland coast. There are no secret spots as the number of boats that usually sit on them during the Spanish run is sometimes quite comical.

Even in my hometown of Bowen it is not unusual to see 60+ boats on these spots on any given day.

Other areas worth investigating include isolated bommies or large structures, like wrecks that also hold strong concentrations of bait. These areas can be real hotspots when the Spanish mackerel are around and being such small spots they are ideal for techniques such as jigging where the fish are really concentrated. The secret to fishing these spots are to recognise where the current is pushing onto; Spanish mackerel will always swim into the current. Fishing on the wreck or past the current face will see you out of their faces and ultimately limit your success.

Islands, artificial jetties and isolated semi-submerged rocks are also hot spots for Spanish mackerel because they provide ideal structure for fish to congregate. The other ideal variable is that these structures provide the ideal requirements for current to influence the behaviour of baitfish. Sweeping currenteffected turbulent waters often see baitfish ball up or congregate, which in turn brings in the larger predatory fish.

Some good indicators that you are fishing the right area include by-catch of fish like queenfish (especially in northern waters) and tuna and smaller mackerel in the south.

Trevallies are also a good sign as all these species feed in the same cycle and food chain as the Spanish mackerel.

No matter what type of structure you are fishing on for Spanish mackerel the two main variables need to be present – current and the presence of baitfish. Without this combination, having any success with snaring a Spanish mackerel will be difficult even in some of the best fishing

grounds in Australia.

Terminal Tackle Before we move into the techniques for chasing Spanish mackerel, it’s important to understand the terminal tackle

renowned for picking off the scraps when the larger macks feed. When you are battling Spanish they are never too far behind and will often see a shiny swivel as a morsel of

Here is a typical wolf herring rig used for trolling.

This method is the simplest way to rig with the weighted keel wired to the head while the hooks are rubber banded to the side of the fish. basics for chasing these fish.

First up, wire is absolutely essential when targeting these fish. Spanish have razor sharp teeth that will slice through 200lb mono like butter. I have witnessed Spanish mackerel tear through 250lb twisted leaders with an effortless snip, so make sure you wire up. Also be generous on your length of wire and make sure you give a couple of feet minimum; you’d be surprised just how far down these fish can scoff a bait or lure.

Next try to minimise the use of shiny swivels as they can often attract smaller mackerel, which often hang next to Spanish mackerel.

These smaller mackerel are

bait and snip through your line leaving you empty.

When thinking line class and drags, don’t go overboard as Spanish mackerel are clean fighters and therefore do not require the likes of 65-80lb or 20kg of drag. Smaller poundages to 20lb are sound and 10kg of drag is more than enough. In fact, due to their very tough upper and lower jaws, using lighter drags, especially when using trebles is a must. As mentioned before, Spanish mackerel are no hoodlums and will always run for clear open water so there is no need to put the heavy brakes on them.

The debate over whether

to use mono or braid comes down to personal preference.

Many anglers prefer to target Spanish on mono due to its stretchiness as this can reduce the number of pulled hooks during the fight. Braid on the other hand allows for a more responsive feel when jigging.

Trolling The first and probably the most common form of chasing Spanish mackerel is on the troll.

Trolling is a favoured method as it allows the angler to cover long distances in search of fish. It is ideal when chasing Spanish mackerel along current lines or open water bathymetric lines, especially around channels.

Trolling can also be an ideal method when working large deepwater reef systems where fish could be spread over a large area.

When trolling for Spanish mackerel the easiest method is to wire on a couple of large 20cm+ fast running lures over varying depths and lengths and begin the hunt. Lures such as Rapala Magnums or YoZuri Hydro Magnums or the everfaithful Halco Laser Pro have always been a favourite amongst trollers for mackerel and when they are thick are very reliable fish takers.

For those after the more wary fish, rigged dead baits can be much more effective. The most common dead rigged bait is the humble garfish, which

makes up a large proportion of the Spanish mackerel’s natural diet. More specialised mackerel trollers will use large baits, such as wolf herring, mullet, small mackerel or trevally. Wolf herring is by far the most desirable bait as their large size, stream-lined shimmering bodies make for perfect swimming baits.

No matter what type of dead bait you use, the rigging is pretty much the same. The head of the rig is dominated by a weighted keel, which for wolf herring usually constitutes a chin rig or large jighead usually weighing between 3-6oz. The weighted

to the desired depths. I prefer to use a weighted jighead as this allows me to vary the depth of my bait. A 6oz jighead usually sees the bait swim between 20-40ft, and a 8oz will get it down between 50-60ft. Attached to these weighted keels are a multiple string of straight shank hooks between 7/0 to 9/0 in size that are suited to the length of the bait. These hook rigs are easily put together using hook eye opening pliers that allow the eyes to be opened and closed to either join hook to hook or be joined by a black crane swivel. I prefer to use a black crane swivel as it allows for

Garfish troll rigs are very simple and use a couple of gang hooks and a weighted bullet head. Using a small length of wire at the front hook is useful for tying around the gar beak to keep the bait straight. The added extra of a hairstyle skirt is also a must with gar baits. keel provides stability to the bait so it does spin in the water and also gets it down

baits to swim more fluidly in the water.

When rigging a wolf

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herring you can either choose to rubber band the hooks down one side of the fish or using a more difficult technique threading the hooks inside the bait.

For garfish, the rig is much simpler and usually constitutes a ‘bullet head’ keel with strand wire going straight to a double set of ganged straight shank 7/0 to 9/0 hooks. I like to add a little bit of rigging wire at the front of the hooks to wrap around the beak of the gar and keep it in position. When using garfish have an extra attractant like Wog Hair, it is a must.

Another technique that I have employed in the past to mix it up is to colour your gar baits using simple food colouring and water. Soaking the gar in different coloured solutions can provide a real contrast in your baits and add that extra attraction. Gars are much easily rigged and are simply threaded on much like pilchard bait.

No matter what dead bait rig you choose, make sure it is rigged straight. If your bait is spinning and not running straight then it has no chance of success. If your troll bait is spinning you are either trolling too quickly or your weighted keel is not dead centred on your bait. It is best to test your baits at the side of the boat before sending them back into the spread and make small adjustments to get them

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working correctly. For wolf herring a steady pace of 4-6 knots is ideal, while gar can

then jigging is the complete opposite; it takes a lot of hard work and energy but the effort is certainly worth the reward.

If you want to get into jigging, this selection of metals is a good start. Large metal vibes are good for short rips while large Bumper Bars are ideal for a burn retrieve. Knife jigs are also good, however, leave your big long ones at home and stick to the more medium to small length jigs. be run at higher speeds at 8-10 knots.

Trolling live baits are also an excellent option and, surprisingly, are much easier to rig then dead baits. Fish like fusiliers, trevally and yakkas are ideal live baits to troll and can be rigged using a single 9/0 circle hook through the head or chin of the live bait. To add extra hooking power a stinger treble can be added to the rig either free swinging or pinned into the back of the live bait.

Like wolf herring these need to be slowly trolled so the bait can swim with enough speed to look natural in the water.

Jigging If trolling is the lazystyle of catching Spanish

Jigging is best described as locating the fish on your sounder then dropping relatively large metal lures over them and cranking them back up as fast and as erratic as possible. This technique requires high speed reels (usually a ratio of 5.7:1 and above) as the secret to success with jigging is speed through the water. It is this single variable which often draws even sulking fish into a strike as it triggers a natural predatory reaction in Spanish mackerel to devour anything that looks injured or fleeing the scene. So when fish shut down and will not take baits, jigging is often the go-to method to draw out a strike.

Two speed reels matched

with multi-coloured jigging braid is a good outfit to start with so you can have a combination of high speed for jigging but low retrieves once the fish is hooked. The multicoloured jigging braid helps with identifying where your jig is when retrieving.

When choosing a jigging rod, go with a specialised jigging rod. Their short fast tapered builds are specifically designed for fast retrieval and use, as well as straight up and down fighting.

Next comes jig choice and there are various different metals out there that will do the job. However, like all lures some require more action than others. Knife jigs and straight line metals, like Lasers and Spaniards, are great and require the angler to impart action using the rod in short repetitive jigs while constantly retrieving.

This method does draw a lot of strikes, however it can also draw a lot of energy as well. Other jigs such as Bumpa Bars or Wax Wing jigs, create their own erratic action when retrieved through the water at speed with much less effort from the angler.

No matter what jigs you use it is all a waste of time unless you can find the fish first. This is where your sounder becomes a major player in your success. Finding fish is a good start but being able to decide what looks like a feeding school of mackerel and a cruising

school is crucial. To start with, look for fish that are in the top two-thirds of the water column.

Fish lying close to the bottom are more than likely sulking and, more importantly, will be hard to draw into a strike as your jig will be past them on the first couple of turns of the reel. Next look for a mixture of bait and fish as this is a sure sign the mackerel are feeding. Finally, if you can get a sounder that is showing big numbers of fish then you have hit the jack pot as a strong concentration of fish will more than likely bring a strike.

best method is to float baits around 10ft from the surface.

Live baits work best and simple 9/0 circle hook either through the shoulder or chin of the live bait and drifted out the back of the boat is ideal.

Try and keep the float and bait a fair way from the boat so not to spook the fish. A good technique is to keep feeding line out as you wait for a strike.

Bait runner reels are ideal in this situation as they allow for line to be fed out and when a strike happens it allows for the fish to get a good purchase on the bait before feeling the

No matter how you fish for macks you need to gang your hooks. The best way is to use a pair of hook opening pliers that allows you to open the eyes of the hook to either join hooks together or by using a swivel.

Bait fishing Bait fishing is a common technique used to snare Spanish mackerel. Many are actually caught using rigs more designed for smaller mackerel or other bottom dwelling species, however when targeting them specifically the

pressure of the rod and reel.

This will set the circle hook firmly without the need for a strike, which can often pull the hooks free.

Remember when using live bait that some fish like fusiliers have a 25cm legal limit. Dead baits like pilchards

and slimies are also great, especially on ganged hooks.

When targeting Spanish mackerel try using a quadruple gang hook rig using two pilchards to create bigger bait.

Popping I won’t go into popping for Spanish in too much detail as I have covered this in past QFM editions, however it is worth mentioning that surface fishing for Spanish is certainly worth the effort. This is best achieved when the Spanish are thick and sounder evidence has them feeding close to the surface.

Stick baits are the best surface option as poppers tend to be hard for the fish to stay pinned due to the refraction of the water. Surface fishing for Spanish is by far the most exciting as these fish will literally spear full length out of the water in chase of a lure.

This is one experience you will never forget!

Secrets out If you haven’t caught a Spanish mackerel yet then now is a great time to begin putting a plan together. Find out when they run in your area, sniff around for some advice on a few likely locations and begin putting in some time on the water learning how these fish behave. You will be surprised just how simple it can be once you have cracked the pattern and the beauty is that once you have it worked out, you will be catching them every year.

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It’s time to say goodbye and get into Gladstone the tweed

Roderick Walmsley ru4reelcharters@gmail.com

December can be a really good time of the year to enjoy some family time on the Tweed.

Most of our family fishing is done with bait and the good thing about this is that it isn’t dependant on water clarity, which is quite often a bit tricky to

and light for the boys to handle and just about any fish will put up a good show on the soft rods. A running sinker to a swivel followed by a length of mono or fluorocarbon of around 6lb completes the rig. I usually make the length of my hook line about a 50-75cm and use a hook just big enough to accommodate a yabby.

If the fish aren’t biting I will move around

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Summer can be a great time to get the family out for a fish. predict over the summer months. Fish will usually eat bait no matter what the water clarity.

What we may find this month if the rains do play a bit of havoc with the system is that the fish will often congregate in the lower reaches. There are some good yabby banks around the golf course opposite Fingal. We will usually make pumping the yabbies the focus of the day with plenty of laughs and fun.

until I find a spot with a reasonable depth of water and active fish. Adjust the weight of the sinker to the amount of run in the water.

More run will require a slightly heavier weight to ensure your bait is on the bottom.

Once the youngsters have caught a few fish, the yabby races will usually start. At this stage I can focus a bit more on catching a few fish myself and possibly flicking a few

www.cmcsales.com.au • 0409 910 808 A good size blue marlin just prior to release. a serious fisho then you would need to be on the water at first light. Once the crowds begin to appear start looking at some of the lesser known arms of the river. It can often pay to do a bit of exploring to find a bit of water that you won’t have to share with a lot of

Queensland in the port and looking forward to the new role as well as the fishing challenges that the area will have to offer. I am not actually sure just how long I have been writing the Tweed report for but it has definitely been a few years.

A lot of fish have made it onto these pages and I have made a lot of friends through it. A huge thank you to the crew from NSW and QLD Fishing Monthly, especially to Tony Zann the departing editor, who has been a mentor and friend to me from the first report.

I look forward to catching some of you on the water – good fishing and stay safe.

4x4

Specialists Wahoo will be a viable target species this month.

Most of the fish in the Tweed River will happily scoff a yabby fished on as light a line as possible.

When fishing the river with my two boys I use my light bream tackle. This lighter gear is ideal as it is nice

lures around.

As we lead into the silly season the river will get crowded and enjoyable fishing may become somewhat difficult. This is unfortunately just how it is and if you are

other boaties.

On a more sombre note this will be my last report on the Tweed. I was offered a job in the Gladstone region and have decided to take it. I will be working for Marine Safety

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Marlin, mackerel and hungry predators sth gold coast

Ben Job

December would have to be one of my favourite fishing months; the marlin should be here in numbers, the mackerel will be in droves and the upper reaches of our creeks and rivers will be full to the brim of hungry predators.

In recent years catching a feed of mackerel has been

high on many anglers to-do list. I’m sure this year will be no different and, as long as a few weather patterns go our way, they should be fierce. Mermaid and Palm Beach reefs will be the usual stomping grounds for the masses and there will be some exceptional fishing to be had.

Although I’m a big fan of floatlining pillies for these line burners, trolling can be a very effective way of targeting mackerel

when things are tough. But trolling isn’t as basic as it sounds, as there are a few different methods.

Slow trolling dead swimming baits is always a favourite.

These, sometimes, finicky fish will find it hard to turn down well-presented dead bait such as a slimy, tailor or the humble pilchard.

When trolling dead baits I use Aussie Jigs exclusively, which are a skirted lure with a lead head and

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ganged hooks that are very simple to use and allow you to rig a straight swimming bait with ease. These lures add a bit of colour to your bait and can make your bait really standout, which may attract a mackerel bite.

When trolling baits keep your eyes peeled for diving birds and schooled fish. If you’re lucky enough to come across a school of mackerel, keep a metal slug type lure ready, such as a Laser Lure in 35g or 50g to cast towards them on a fast retrieve style spinning reel.

Let your lure sink for a few seconds and then wind as fast as you can. Schooled mackerel are a real sucker for a fast retrieved lure.

All signs are in our favour and I’d imagine the juvenile black marlin will be running strong this month and with their long runs and acrobatic displays, will attract many keen anglers. Trolling skirted lures between 6-7” around the 40m and 50m line will bring on a few bites with some tasty by-catch. The likes of mahi mahi and wahoo will also be on the cards, so make sure you keep an esky full of ice, because if you look after these fish they are great table fair.

INSHORE Anyone who knows me will know that I’m a huge fan of chasing schools of trevally up the rivers.

They are great fun to catch and at times you can hook some cracker fish! Big-eye trevallys to well over 70cm aren’t unusual. If you can match the new moon with a run-out tide, you will rarely miss. I prefer to use small suspending lures over poppers and plastics. They like an erratic retrieve with plenty of pauses. They are also a sucker for a wellpresented fly!

Big-eye trevally are great fun on light gear.

As always the trusty old mangrove jack will be a big contender this month, when a big storm is brewing on the horizon on a hot summer afternoon, this is prime jack time.

Jacks live on most rocky outcrops, deep structure and pontoons. A fairly solid rod with 20lb braid and 30lb leader is fairly standard jack equipment.

I use a variety of lures when chasing jacks.

Rolling plastics is really popular and works well; they also don’t hurt your pocket as much if you get stitched up! My favourite plastic is a 5” McCarthy shad tail. That lure is a nice size and will catch jacks of any size.

School mulloway will still be around right through December. The Southport Seaway almost always holds mulloway but size is often the let down.

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Queensland have a legal size of 75cm.

My number one mulloway lure is a 5.5” DOA Jerk Minnow. This lure has what they are after and this is a sized lure that will catch any class of fish from 5-50lb. I use 20lb braid and 20-30lb leader matched with a rod that is fairly short, I like around 6ft for deeper water fishing.

December will no doubt bring a few nice mud crabs to the table and there’s not many pass times more satisfying than bringing home a feed of these tasty critters. Most deep holes and creek mouths in our local creeks and rivers will hold a few muddies. As far as bait goes, some fresh chicken carcasses are about as good as they come; also mullet, tuna or any other fish flesh with a bit of oil in it will be your best bet to attract them into your pot.

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The author with a juvenile black marlin. There should be a few of these around this month!

Silly season will produce prime pelagics Gold Coast

David Green

It is time to get out there and start dragging some baits and lures around on the big blue paddock as the East Australian Current should be in full swing this month. Black marlin, mahi mahi and wahoo should all arrive off the Gold Coast this December.

In December an average day’s trolling produces a few nice mahi mahi, a wahoo or two, and one or two marlin strikes, depending on the season. In general the last 2 weeks of December fish better than the first 2 weeks.

Other good options this month are chasing some early season spotted mackerel and small cobia at Palm Beach Reef and stocking up on bonito, small mac tuna and

There should still be a few flathead around this month.

Last year the season started early but was greatly shortened by the floods. This season there have been good reports in October of 30kg marlin around the top of Fraser Island and off Double Island Point, and these fish should come our way now.

Most seasons see the mahi mahi arrive ahead of the black marlin, and December is usually a great month to target them on trolled lures. I like to work the edge of the current lines in 20-50 fathoms and target areas where the ‘coral spawn’ lines leave distinctive edges. A lot of small bait tend to hide under the coral spawn lines, and mahi mahi travel along these roads in the ocean eating all types of small creatures in their path.

I like to troll small to medium skirted lures in lumo white, purple and pink or blue and gold when targeting mahi mahi. I usually fish these on 10kg tackle with a pair of Gamakatsu SL12 10/0 hooks on 100lb leader.

Each season the average size of the mahi mahi varies but there are generally quite a few nice ones between 8-16kg around in December.

These fish are also a sucker for a pitched live bait.

big slimy mackerel for the upcoming Spanish mackerel season. Trolling small lures on the close inshore reefs and spinning metal lures around the

Fathom Reef and I’ve caught quite a few nice blue marlin from my 6m tinny in this area in December. All of these fish have eaten trolled skirted lures fished from stand up 24-37kg tackle. Each season has different patterns, but this area often holds a lot of tuna schools and these attract the bigger predators.

In general the strong currents make bottom fishing difficult this month, however on the low current days the 36 and 50 fathom line will produce rosy jobfish, pigfish and pearl perch. The main action this month is definitely chasing pelagic species in the surface layers.

ESTUARIES AND RIVERS By the time this goes to print I reckon Mick Horn will be pretty close to his century when it comes to the number of mangrove jack he’s caught this season on the Gold Coast. A lot of jacks have been caught in the Coomera and Nerang rivers and most have fallen to cast rather than trolled lures. Poppers have also accounted for a few nice ones, particularly after dark.

Jacks can be a frustrating fish, but the more you go,

been chomped lately well into the fight, which is very frustrating. The sharks seem to quickly lock onto a hooked fish and can be hard to avoid.

In December the mulloway tend to be a bit smaller with fish around 70cm very common, and the odd fish over a metre to keep it interesting. Live baits will generally out-fish lures this

month but big vibes and soft style vibes in the bigger sizes have also been very effective.

Whiting should be around in numbers this month. If it stays dry most of the action tends to be well up river and a lot of the better fishing is at night. Wriggler Worms and Shrimp work well at night, and small soldier crabs are very good during the day.

Quite a few fish in the 40cm bracket should turn up this month.

Overall, December is a good month to get out on the blue water and troll during the day, and a few early morning and late afternoon and evening jack sessions are worth a look.

Happy Christmas and play safe this month. There’s a lot of good fishing ahead!

PETER LEAHY

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The black marlin should now start arriving off our coast. bait schools is a good option.

On the wider grounds, weather controls the fishing.

When the current runs hard from the north and the wind is from the south it makes it pretty rough wide of the shelf for a small boat.

But when the seas are calm it can be a great month to target blue marlin in the area from 70-130 fathoms east of Jumpinpin. This area is only a few miles east of the northern end of the 50

Start stocking up on bonito, small mac tuna and big slimy mackerel for the upcoming Spanish mackerel season.

the more you’ll catch, and each trip feeds into the next. I know Mick recently caught 3 fish over 60cm long, including a PB of 65cm so there are some monsters about at the moment.

There should still be a few flathead around this month. In dry seasons the spawning run is often quite late so there may still be a few good fish in the deep water, as well as 40-60cm fish in Tipplers Channel and around Crusoe Island. Some really nice ones are being caught in the Seaway at the moment. Slow worked deep plastics, blades and vibes all work well at times, but it pays to mix up your lure styles and presentations as in the warmer water the fish tend to become a bit sluggish.

There should still be a few decent mulloway around the river entrances and the deep channel near Jumpinpin.

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Fishing hots up in summer jumpinpin

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

On those really hot December days there’s nothing better than beating the heat by getting out on the water and chasing a few fish.

December ’s warm temperatures fire up the toothy critters like mangrove jacks and cod inside the Pin, and mackerel, cobia, tuna and the odd marlin outside the Pin. These brutes and speedsters are all phenomenal fighters and will test even the most seasoned angler. If you ever get the chance to fight and land one of these magnificent fish, the adrenalin rush is just awesome.

When targeting these hard-fighting fish, I can’t stress enough that if you can get livebait – herring, mullet, hardiheads, yakkas, slimies and the like – then you will catch more fish.

Most large snags or rock walls should have resident jack or cod sitting on them, so put your livebait right against the snag and hold on.

When you’re outside chasing larger predators, look for schools of bait on your sounder and drop your livie to the same depth as the bait school and wait for a strike.

only problem with them is that fish with razor-sharp teeth can destroy most plastics in an instant.

It’s been a great start to summer, with whiting expected to be on the

When Cheyne Sales gets a jack it’s time to start fishing for them!

Alternatively, you can troll skirts or diving lures, which allows you to cover more ground and find where the fish are and at what depth. Soft plastics are also a great alternative as they simulate the action of livebait, and that swimming action stimulates the fish into a strike. If you haven’t already tried plastics, you should give them a go. The

chew around the Green and Gold banks, Short Island, Slipping Sands and the sand banks near little Rocky Point are the pick of the spots to chase some good-sized fish. If you like chasing whiting in the Logan River, my pick spots would be the Junction, Ageston Sands or the River mouth. Bloodworms, beachworms and yabbies

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Flathead will still be about in good numbers with lots of fish between the 40-50cm mark taking baits, such as prawns, pillies, whitebait and yabbies. Or once again get out the flick stick and unleash the plastics on them around the edges of the banks that become exposed at low tide. These include the mud flats north of Cabbage Tree Point, the bottom of Kangaroo Island, the Pandanus Bank and the mouth of Cobby Passage.

All are great spots on a dropping tide and there are sure to be some good lizards there.

Muddies and sandies have also fired up since the new moon in November so don’t forget your pots and dillies on your next trip out.

If you can nudge deeper into the mangroves at the high tide when you drop

Plenty of small to medium-sized lizards are hiding amongst the weed.

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Small estuary cod can’t resist lures on the troll.

balls of mullet or chook gut, flesh baits and banana prawns on size 2/0-4/0 baitholder hooks. Using smaller baits like prawns, yabbies and squid on size 4-1 hooks will usually just attract the pickers and smaller bream.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and successful fishing New Year. Thank you for all reports, and if you have any questions on conditions or what’s biting feel free to drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on 07 32873868 or email gembait@tpg.com.au.

I’ll catch you next month.

• 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.

Hard yards for tough fight Southern bay

Troy Wegner twegner@tpg.com.au

There have been very few fishing opportunities over the last month, if it hasn’t been blowing from the north then it’s blowing from the south. You then throw in a busy month with work it doesn’t leave much time for wetting a line. In saying that, I have managed to fit in a few short trips or headed up the creeks and canals to get

out of the wind just to have a fish.

With the hot weather that we have experienced over the last month along with the lack of rain, the canals and creeks are really firing.

Most would say that rain helps in the canals/creeks because it discolours the water and flushes the bait out. Most of the time I would tend to agree, but in the last month the consistent wind has made the water slightly discoloured and there are still plenty of bait getting around these areas.

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One of the prized captures on most lureangler’s fish list is the mangrove jack. Along with the snapper, this is one of my favourite fish to target. The strike is arm jolting and the last ditch effort from the fish to get back to the structure is a real tug of war, with the brute force and power that a mangrove jack displays during a fight.

We are lucky around the Redlands to have quite a few creeks, all of which hold some quality jacks.

It’s just about putting in the time searching for different structure that fish will hold on. You want to be looking for things like trees that have fallen into the water, deep or shallow rock bars and rock walls. When the current hits any structure it creates eddies, and the still water behind the tree or rocks is where the predator will sit and wait for its prey to get washed past or stuck in the eddy. These are prime areas to start looking for a jack.

When targeting these brutes everything from start to finish needs to be right.

It begins with your tackle, there is nothing worse than putting in all the hard yards, hook a fish and a knot gives way or the leader snaps due

to an abrasion. You need to go over your tackle and make sure it is all in good working order.

The next thing to get right is to position your boat on an angle to get away quickly if you hook up; get your electric motor pointing in the direction that you want to pull that fish out of the snag. Use everything that you have to your advantage.

What lures I throw depends on what structure I am fishing and in what depth. When it comes to creeks, snag bashing and deep rock bars, I will have a Z-Man 4” Swimmerz or Diezel minnows rigged on a TT Snakehead jighead.

These are a weedless jighead so it allows you to get in deep in that snag without the worry of getting snagged up.

The Z-Man Shrimpz work well in this situation as well.

If I am fishing rock walls I like to use hardbodies for two reason: because you can cast right to the water’s edge, and you can work that lure from the top to the bottom

When targeting bream in canals it requires quite a bit of stealth to get the bite. This one was enticed by a 2” Z-Man Grubz in bloodworm smeared with a bit of Pro Cure scent in bloody tuna flavour. pylons it is great fun and a challenge to get them out.

When fishing these areas I love throwing the new Z-Man 2” Grubz rigged on a 1/20oz TT HWS jighead.

This technique is deadly on bream but you will also encounter other species such as estuary cod, mangrove

This 53cm jack was a result of getting the plastic in nice and tight to the structure. Doing that will increase the strikes you get.

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due to the wall’s angle. This is where knowing what depth your lure dives to is helpful; you want the lure bumping the rocks, not just working the top little bit of the wall.

You can also use surface lures in this situation. I like to get nice and tight casts parallel to the wall so I can work the whole length of the wall and not just where you cast. My lure of choice for this application is the Lucky Craft G-Splash 80.

When the wind is up and you are sitting at home needing a fish, chasing bream up in the creeks and canals is something that you can do for a few hours. There have been some quality fish of late with a few bream up around the 40cm mark. I don’t care what anyone says, when you hook a bream of that size around boats and

jack, tarpon, trevally and Moses perch. You want to get as close to the structure as possible and let that plastic waft down through the water column. If you are casting at rock walls then you want to gently hop it down the wall. Remember not to work that plastic too fast.

In the bay when the weather permits there have been some really good reports of some nice mulloway being caught around Peel Island along with some decent juvenile snapper.

For mulloway, target the deeper structure with plastics around the 5” mark. The turn of the tide is the ideal time to be fishing for them, if the tide change coincides with dawn or dusk then that’s even better. The retrieve is just a slow hop, they don’t like an erratic moving plastic.

Well I hope the weather becomes a little more consistent and it allows us all to get out amongst the fish and enjoy what is on our doorstep. Until next month I hope your lines are tight.

When you have everything right it puts the odds of landing these brutes in your favour. This was taken on the Z-Man 5” Scented Paddlerz in pearl rigged on a TT 1/2oz Headlockz jighead.

Go light for steady catches at Shallow Tempest penetrate those tough wahoo beaks!

With the water temp on the rise, mahi mahi numbers will also be on the increase along with rat yellowfin tuna. They can often be thick around north east of Flat Rock and they respond well to small skirted lures.

Amberjack and kingies should also be active this month on the wider grounds and if conditions are favourable the action can be red hot. Most fish will be school size in the 3-6kg bracket but if a big AJ is going to turn up, it’s this time of year. Looking back, most of the 30kg+ we’ve caught on charter have been around now!

Overall, anglers have plenty of options east of the South Passage bar this month.

But don’t put all your eggs in one basket, be prepared to change to another species if one’s not firing.

I’d like to wish everybody a Merry Chrismas and happy New Year and stay safe on the water.

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.

offshore

John Gooding

The snapper have finally slowed on the wider grounds and the more consistent catches should come from the closer reefs, especially the 35m line on Shallow Tempest, north of the Henderson Rock Green Zone. As I’ve mentioned in earlier reports, this area has been a consistent producer over the years for quality snapper and other solid reefies, such as spangled emperor, mulloway and XOS Moses perch.

This area definitely fishes better with flow in the water but remember to still fish as light as possible.

When fishing this area, it’s worth setting a surface bait as plenty of pelagics will be in the area chasing baitfish, which are normally fairly thick on this line of reef.

Live bait have been easy to find of late with most of the grounds close to the South Passage bar holding plenty.

But it’s the same old story; they will get a bit gun shy when there are a few boats on them.

There are definitely plenty of options for fishos this month

If the conditions are favourable, the kingfish action should be red hot on the wider grounds in December. east of the bar and certainly pelagics will be on my radar.

The main targets will be Spanish mackerel and wahoo.

On a typical charter this time of year, I’ll attempt to fill the bait tanks as quick as I can and this will give me plenty of options for the day. If the tides and moon phase are in my favour, I’ll troll livies targetting Spanish mackerel first up. I’ll then move out to the wider grounds and bounce livies on braided paternoster outfits targeting amberjack, Samson, yellowtail king and trag.

Quite often I’ll also have

a troll on the way home, especially if it’s close to a tide change and this can be a very productive time for pelagics.

With a touch of luck we might get a reasonable run of Spanish mackerel and wahoo like we did last December, but the lack of rain so far has me a little concerned.

When dragging high speeds for wahoo this time of year, most fish encounted will be under 19kg so don’t go over the top with lure size, 6” skirted or hardbodied is plenty big enough, just make sure your hooks are sharp enough to

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Ho, ho, holiday time brisbane

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

For many anglers, and kids, December is an exciting time. The fishing is fantastic, Santa is coming with lots of new tackle and many lucky anglers are on annual holidays.

December weather can be kind with numerous hot and glassed-out days. A large array of seafood treats are on offer with numerous pelagic, crustacean and demersal species coming to the fore.

Whether you are keen for some game and sport fishing action or just in the hunt for a seafood feast to pamper your Christmas guests, December offers you plenty of awesome

angling opportunities.

CRABS Last year was a bumper one for crabs with good numbers of mud and sand crabs being caught.

Setting a few pots around the margins of the bay islands was usually extremely successful for those chasing a feed of succulent sandies.

Even the occasional mud crab was taken in these zones after the heavy rains, which caused flooding in many of the river systems.

This generally flushes the mud crabs from well up the systems and out into the bay or at least around the river mouths. Here they are much easier to target and I scored several quality muddies every time we put pots in around the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Most systems produced good numbers of quality muddies for those making the effort. During normal conditions however, muddies are generally located well up the system, even in the smallest drains and gutters feeding in from the mangrove flats. Those who go to the effort to set pots in the harder to access locations are likely to score the best hauls and biggest muddies.

Having a small tinnie or kayak at your disposal could definitely make setting your pots in these zones a lot easier.

I primarily use mullet or chunks of mac tuna to bait my pots however a broad array of baits will work for sand and mud crabs. Try chicken carcasses, left over fish frames or even a few pillies in a bait envelope.

Regulations on crab pots and their labelling are worth checking because fines are fairly stiff. Inadequately or non-labelled pots are often removed from the waterways

by Fisheries which can be an expensive loss.

Sand crabbing throughout Moreton Bay was awesome last year with good hauls of quality males taken by virtually all who threw a few pots in the water. My best haul

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King threadfin salmon are fairly common in the Brisbane River. This specimen was taken while casting lures at night from a land-based platform. was 27 legal bucks for five hours of crabbing with four pots and we scored at least double figures every time we went to the effort.

Setting pots wide of the bay islands along prominent contours or ledges generally produced the goods. Each location was a little different depending on tidal phase however I set my pots in depths between 4m and 7m.

Deeper channels are also productive locations, especially those that separate the bay islands. Other good spots to try are the flats out the front of Wynnum and Manly, the edges of the numerous banks throughout Moreton Bay and around the mouths of major river systems.

Sand and mud crabs require different ways of measuring and different sizes so check the regulations and get a crab measuring device before heading out.

OFFSHORE PELAGICS The pelagic action offshore was amazing last year during December and January.

Although there was a broad array of pelagics on offer, it was the juvenile black marlin that most anglers were targeting and talking about. These were available in almost ridiculous numbers and generally if you had a few skirted trolling lures in the water then you had an awesome chance of getting connected.

Some of the prime areas were just north of the Seaway Bar, around the Point Lookout area, Hutchinson Shoals, The Trench and most waters in between. There were plenty of bait and awesome numbers of little black marlin, which were predominately between 15-25kg in weight, with the occasional specimen boated to 60kg.

Small skirted trolling lures were the go with popular offerings being Bahama 20s, Black Snacks, Meridian size 5 (Quasi, Salt Shaker, Ahi and Demon), Hollowpoint Teeny Magnums, Pakula (Micro Roach, Micro Sprocket, Fluzi and Uzi), Bonze Bruisers and numerous others.

Most anglers fishing 6-10kg tackle rigged these

on the thin Gamakatsu SL12S hooks for maximum hook setting on these small fish. Heavier tackle dictated a stronger hook, such as a Maruto 1920s or a Mustad 7691Z. I mainly fished 6kg line last season however most opted for 8-10kg line. Be careful fishing any heavier than this as you will have a green (lively) fish at the boat fairly quickly, which can be very dangerous when their front end possesses a sharp spear-like bill.

Other pelagics can be encountered while trolling for small marlin included mahi mahi, sailfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, mac tuna and Spanish mackerel, however specific targeting in certain locations could increase your results on these.

MACKEREL School mackerel numbers have been fairly good over the last few months, however December should see better numbers of spotted mackerel entering Moreton Bay. Last year was an extremely poor one for spotties in our area but I am hopeful of better results this season. Surface feeding schools are commonly located along the edges of the shipping channels and more open areas of the bay.

Anglers fishing the paddock between Mud Island and the Sand Hills should be aware of the Green Zone as several anglers were fined in this zone last year as they were unaware there was even one there. With mackerel often schooling in this general area, it is easy to accidentally

venture into the Green Zone when traversing from one bust up to another.

The surface feeding schools are generally targeted with chromed slugs and slices cast and retrieved flatstick with high-speed reels.

However there are numerous other offerings that can work.

Stick baits, jerk shads, flies, blades and several others will attract strikes from ravenous mackerel. However, there is no denying the casting attributes and minimal cost of chromed slugs and slices when you are targeting a fish with razor sharp dentures.

Adding a little wire to your rig can definitely increase the chance of landing any hook mackerel, however the initial hook up rate will be much lower when using wire.

Tips for decreasing the likelihood of a bite off include not casting directly into the mayhem, instead aim to the side of it. Beginning your retrieve before the lure actually lands on the water means it is already moving when it lands and is less likely to be entirely engulfed because mackerel will slash at the tail of fast moving prey to immobilise it.

If surface feeding schools are not present, try drifting some whole pilchards rigged on ganged hooks around the beacons in the northern bay, the Curtin and Harry Atkinson artificial reefs and the bay islands.

The Measured Mile beacons are popular amongst small boat owners as they are not too far out from the mouth of the Brisbane River and

Sand crab numbers have been healthy throughout Moreton Bay during the last year and good hauls of these succulent crustaceans can be caught during the summer months.

are renowned for producing mackerel for those fishing pilchard baits in the general vicinity.

Early morning high tides offer some of the best fishing for both school and spotted mackerel in this location.

Jigging beacons with chromed slugs is another popular and productive way to tempt them when the tide is running hard.

Drop the lure close to the beacon and allow it to sink to the bottom before beginning a flat stick retrieve. Differing size and bag limits apply to both school and spotted mackerel so learn to identify each before heading out to chase them.

OTHER BAY PELAGICS There will be plenty of other pelagics on offer for those fishing throughout Moreton Bay over the next few months. Longtail tuna, mac tuna, frigates, bonito and cobia will be the main ones on offer.

Any surface feeding commotion is worth checking out and although it may not be a highly desired and tasty mackerel, it could still provide you with a lot of fun if it is one of the lesser tuna or bonito species.

You may even come up trumps with a tasty sashimi torpedo in the form of a longtail tuna. These fish can often be extremely profile orientated so it pays to have several different

sizes of chromed slugs and jerk-shad style plastics at your disposal.

Cobia can often be located around heavily structured areas such as coffee rock ledges, bay beacons, artificial reefs and submerged wrecks. These respond best to large live baits but are also taken on large plastics, blades, micro jigs and other lures on occasion.

BRISBANE RIVER Although it is a very popular spot during the holiday period, the Brisbane River continues to fish well. It offers a fairly sheltered waterway during periods of bad weather and there is a plethora of spots along its length to fish.

Common species include bream, flathead, king threadfin salmon, mulloway, estuary cod, snapper and a host of less desirables in the form of rays, sharks, catfish and pike eels.

A cast net can secure you some live baits from adjacent the sewerage shute, in the creeks (Boggy, Aquarium Passage, Breakfast, Norman, Oxley, etc.) or the shallows around White Island.

Live mullet, prawns, herring and gar will tempt most of the more desirable species, especially the larger predators such as king threadfin salmon, cod, mulloway and snapper.

These are fished along the edges of the drop-off into the main river bed, adjacent to the numerous jetties, along the

rock wall at the mouth and renowned spots such as Claras Rocks, The Gateway Bridge and the Sunken Wall.

Lure fishing is also popular and productive at these same spots and anglers commonly use soft plastics, blades, vibration baits and numerous other offerings.

Those with a good knowledge of their sounder can often locate and catch quantities of banana prawns and setting a few pots is also likely to reward you with mud or sand crabs.

BAY SNAPPER The summer months still produce some respectable snapper fishing. Although numbers may be down on the cooler months there are still plenty of quality specimens

around to make the effort worthwhile.

The usual techniques of fishing well presented (fresh or live) baits or casting lures such as plastics, blades and vibration baits still applies.

The larger snapper are often found feeding fairly close to the surface around the bay islands and at times their fins or tail may break the surface as they harass gar and hardiheads.

Snapper can also often be found in fairly open water around the edges or under bait schools being set upon by pelagics. Here they commonly clean up the scraps left after the melee and a lightly weighted soft plastic casting into this zone and allowed to sink down will often be engulfed.

Hopefully the hordes of small black marlin, which swarmed to our waters last year, will again be a feature during the warmer months.

SHARKS Shark activity can be fairly frantic during the warmer months with the bay and contributing rivers and creeks all producing numbers of veracious whalers and the occasional tiger, white or hammerhead.

The whalers are the most common and can provide a lot of fun for those fishing relatively light. They provide a good target to teach junior or novice anglers the skills involved in fighting a tough adversary. Most are less than 10kg in weight, which are the prime size if you want one for the table.

These can easily be handled on lighter line classes between 3kg and 8kg as they are not dirty fighters and patience will eventually allow you to secure them. However, be aware that they are very strong (even when you think they are tired out) and should be handled carefully to avoid injury.

Most whole fish baits and fillet baits will work well on these within the bay. However I prefer a live bait such as whole mullet, pike or small catfish when fishing in the creeks and rivers as a struggling bait is more likely to be found by the whalers and isn’t prone to be annoyed by pickers such as bream, crabs and the like.

A snelled circle hook rig on nylon-coated wire has been very successful for me. You

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CONCLUSION Well as you can tell there are plenty of fantastic fishing targets for you throughout December. With plenty of anglers on annual holidays there may be a few more boats on the water during the week, especially when weather conditions are favourable.

It is a great time to get the family out into the great outdoors no matter whether you are going out in a boat, to the beach or just fishing from the bank of a coastal or inland waterway. You will need to slip, slop and slap to swerve the effects of the scorching sun and keep up your fluid intake to avoid dehydration.

All in all the coming months promise some awesome action, especially if the large schools of mackerel enter Moreton Bay. Regardless, there are plenty of awesome angling targets on offer in Moreton Bay and the numerous creeks and rivers that feed into it.

Hopefully Santa will bring you some exciting new tackle to try out as well. Wishing everyone a festive holiday season and a safe, enjoyable and productive time on the water during December. See you in 2014.

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27

Leave it all behind and go fish nothern bay

Grayson Fong graysonfong@optusnet.com.au

With summer in full swing, it’s hard not to leave all your household chores behind to hitch the boat up and grab a fishing rod and enjoy the gorgeous weather we have been experiencing lately in the northern bay.

Easterly winds from the north and the south have really buffered our east-facing bay of

late. This has played into the hands of local anglers pushing bait and predators into all the inshore waters and estuaries, giving fishers a good run for their money.

Summer whiting have been the hit of the month with anglers pulling good numbers recently. Fresh bait of bloodworms and yabbies are accounting for the majority of the catches. The Cockle banks, Coochin and Ningi creeks, Red Beach, Skirmish Point, Margate Foreshore, lower

reaches of the Pine River and Sandgate sand flats have been good places of interest.

The rising tides on dawn and dusk are proving to be the most advantageous times.

Lighter lines and sinkers have also proven to work a treat with anglers adding a little red tubing to their leaders for confidence in faster flowing areas.

Flathead numbers have been steady over the last month with Pumicestone Passage, the Pine and Caboolture rivers

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and Brisbane River producing decent catches on bait and soft plastics.

Mullet strips and pilchard halves have been enticing flathead to bite with the soft plastics of choice being Z-Man 3.75” Streakz, Atomic Plazo 3.75” Jerk Minnows and Squidgie 100mm Wrigglers in wasabi colour. Keeping plastics close to the bottom with the assistance of heavier jigheads and using a hop-hoppause retrieve, is proving to be the downfall of hungry flathead in our estuaries as movement is catching their attention and the pause is giving the often sluggish moving flathead a chance to strike.

In the Pumicestone Passage, places worth a try include Turners Camp Road, Sandstone Point, Donnybrook Flats and the mouth of Hussey Creek with the mouths of the Pine and Caboolture rivers firing more than the upper reaches.

Bream numbers have been good over the last month with numbers set to increase as we head into our hottest part of the

Jesse Gough landed this decent sized flathead recently. The Pumicestone Passage, the Pine and Caboolture rivers and Brisbane River have produced decent catches on bait and soft plastics. and Tiger Rocks at the mouth of the Pumicestone Passage, and the flats at the mouth of Ningi Creek.

Hardbody lures and small soft plastics have been popular amongst the lure fanatics with lighter

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Shallow running cranks and top water surface lures have been producing good bream. Brisbane locals Duncan and Ed have been bagging a few at the Peninsula.

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year. Shallow running cranks and top water surface lures have been producing good bream with increasing water temperatures keeping them actively cruising for their next meal.

Flooding tides have interested anglers more as bream have been keen to herd their food up into shallower waters; hence the use of shallow water tactics gaining the advantage over sitting in deeper waters. For baitos, drifting shallower banks and reefs play more to your advantage this time of year with lightly weighted baits going hand-in-hand with your drift. Don’t be afraid to keep your bait off the bottom at all times as roaming bream aren’t afraid to attack anything that looks more-ish.

Places of interest include, the trawler hulls in Cabbage Tree Creek, The Wells under the Ted Smout Bridge, Woody Point, the northern side of Redcliffe Jetty on dusk, Queens Beach and Osbourne Point at Scarborough, Cooks

fluorocarbon leaders gaining popularity due to anglers finding it increases their catch rate. Sacrificing line strength for invisibility has been the gamble some have taken with sunny days and increased water clarity upping the ante in the battle to catch these sometimes elusive bream.

Strengths around 3-4lb are commonly used by bream anglers, whether in a leader joined by braid scenario or just fished straight through.

As the weather warms up, juvenile snapper and

mulloway are still being caught lately around the deeper waters of our northern bay, spanning from The Ripples in the Pumicestone Passage to the ferry stops in the middle reaches of the Brisbane River. Anglers have been targeting these species at the early daylight hours and even at night, which are prime feeding times for them with larger soft plastics and soft vibration style. Z-Man 7” Scented Jerk Shads, Shads Lures Soft Ons and Jew Candy, Atomic 60mm Semi Hard Vibes and old favourite Jackall Mask Vibs are doing the damage, with bait fishers getting in on the action too.

A good sounder/ fishfinder is a must when fishing for these larger prized fish. You can sound around areas for schooling baitfish holding nearby predators, while your GPS capabilities allow you to mark waypoints while drifting through potential hotspots.

As the weather heats up and the festive season nears, it’s always a busy time of the year on our waterways. As recreational fishers, we have to be aware of sharing our waterways with other users ranging from swimmers to jet skiers. Be sure to exercise some patience at boat ramps and be the bigger person to walk away from sticky situations. At the end of the day we are all on the water to enjoy our beautiful summer.

This 62cm tarpon was caught at Woody Point on a Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz.

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Time for hide and seek sth pumicestone

Jason Wallis

The silly season is here again. It’s inevitable our waterways will be turned upside down with boat traffic; jet skis, wake boats, anglers and sail boats, the list goes on. This can often shut the fish down as they lay low and go into hiding.

How to beat it and still catch a feed? You will need very early morning sessions or late into the night under the cover of darkness, and go high up in the creeks or tuck yourself away behind a mangrove island. Now this can work in your favour as on the high end of the tide,

fish love these areas.

The whiting around the passage are a main target.

There have been great results when the water pushes well up in the mangrove system in 1-2ft of water well away from the rat race of the main channel. Very seldom do they feed with consistent results on low tide.

I’ve seen some great fish of late coming from Glassy Creek mud flats; again this is a high tide target area.

Head to the middle reaches of the passage as it is easy to tuck behind an island out of the way as the place is full of these little islands. If you’re up around the northern end, target the mount of Bells Creek and east from there out on the flats

hard up against the mangrove system.

Although at times you will get frustrated with the traffic and the noise it brings, we are still spoilt with options.

Fish the creeks. We all know what lives high up in the creeks – big estuary cod and the mighty mangrove jack.

Although these guys are dirty fighters, making them hard to catch, it’s well worth it when the luck swings your way.

Just remember when targeting these guys it’s all or nothing. Never switch off or turn your back. They have the power and know-how to ruin you and your tackle time after time.

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Olivia Edwards with a cracking elbow slapper. see some bling hanging from their lips, up to 3 or more hooks, and then you will realise how brutal they can be. I have caught both species with hooks hanging from their lips deep in their throat and wire trace hanging out of their waste deposit chute.

They love lures and bait so whatever you target them with is up to you. Run with what you’re most comfortable with and be patient. Patience is one of the key factors in being successful in this sport.

Hitting the canals can also be effective over the festive season. Although there is a lot of boat activity it is speed limited to 6 knots; this means no wash and very little noise.

As a rule, fish feeding habits should remain the same and hopefully the results should follow.

The jacks have been feeding high up in the brackish water so when you think you’ve gone too far, go a bit further, the end results may be surprising.

The bream have been a go-to target if you need a feed or just want some fun. Go high up on the weed beds on a flooding tide. The Toorbul banks around Parrot Island have been loaded with fish,

not all big but loads of fun all the same.

Lime Pocket seems to be holding bream as well as grunter up to 2kg; these guys really know how to pull line and are also A1 quality on the table.

There are still a few duskies getting snagged around the mouth of Ningi Creek and Caboolture River.

Not bad-sized fish but not huge, between 40-60cm.

Good fun for the kids learning to throw plastics. Once they land a couple they will be hooked for life, I know I was and it sure beats riding skateboards.

The old blue swimmers are still kicking around with

A tasty feed of blue swimmers from the southern end of the Passage.

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results varying from day to day, but generally speaking you can’t miss a feed. South of the Bridge is best but it tends to get busier the closer you get to the bridge. You will need to weigh up your options; heaps of boat traffic and heaps of crabs or you can head north up the passage for a lot less traffic and a few less crabs, but very relaxing.

The marine life kicking around is astounding at the moment. We have turtles, heaps of huge dugongs and dolphins everywhere you turn all the way from Donnybrook south out into the bay; so slow down take a look around and take it all in and have a fat time. Ho ho ho!

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Game on for Christmas Caloundra

Rob Smith

Gamefishers in South East Queensland are looking forward to another good season based on the fishing in North Queensland during their winter light tackle season. It may not be as good as last year but it won’t be a non-event either.

The bonus this year may be a mix of year classes with the juvenile black marlin mixed in with the usual summer blacks that run at 20-25kg. There may even be a good run of 35-45kg fish with them. In next month’s report there should be plenty to talk about hopefully.

Things seem on track otherwise for a great season.

The Sunshine Coast had a small run of sailfish during September and October, which it traditionally sees, and mixed in were some small black marlin. The main wave of black marlin usually

fish like last year, which was a total anomaly. Traditionally they turn up there the week before Christmas. Last year they disappeared very early for the Gold Coast though. A later start may see them hang in longer.

Boats at the Sunshine Coast getting off to good starts for the season include Grant Cooper’s 25’ Luhrs centre console Jubilado crewed by Lachlan Downes, who is the leading SCGFC angler so far.

Not far behind is Paddy Dimond’s 3100 Noosacat, Cat-a-pult. Paddy was looking good for the win too during the recent SCGFC Spring Shootout Tournament with the first fish of the weekend, a black marlin tagged to Paul Jones on 8kg line. However, in the last hour a double hook-up to visiting Gold Coast boat Zeus with a SCGFC crew aboard saw the event taken out in great style. The sponsor boat added to the one they had tagged in the morning on Sunday to finish on three

with a tagged sailfish for Steve McLaren.

A great roll up of 29 boats on the new pontoon at the Kawana Waters made for a very social grand final/long weekend. I expect this format to continue and it is great to finally get a long weekend in the second half of the year.

Over at the MGFC Tim Starling has continued where he left off last season with his Barcrusher Big Wave Dave.

Tim has really been amongst them or any boat he fishes on.

Alex Fenwick’s Cruise Craft Never Home has also been into them as well.

Down at the Gold Coast the action has all been heavy tackle. Lots of fish are being raised but very few are turning into tags. The best action was aboard Pisces, a 40’ Cabo with the Game and Leisure boys aboard. Ben Colvin and Graham McCloy put owner Steve onto three tagged blues and about eight hooked.

Darren Malaquin’s 26’ Striper has been into the action

On the same day as the mahi mahi, Kyle also caught this 93cm, 10kg snapper! hits town right on or slightly before the MGFC Billfish Bash Tournament in late November. The Gold Coast did not get an early run of

tagged sailfish for the win.

Cat-a-pult came in second and the vessel I was skippering for the weekend, Old Salty Dog, a 40’ Luhrs came in third

down there on Adios, as well as whichever boat the Caelli family are aboard for the day.

Mixed in have been some great size yellowfin

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tuna for the southern boys and girls. Not much to report on the heavy tackle scene off Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast though; trailerboat Misty saw one and 24’ Huntsman Addixion saw three fish during the SCGFC tournament on the heavy grounds.

This time of year is also the peak time for the Cairns heavy tackle season. Many South East Queensland boats are up there this year from the charter boats to the privateers.

Going up for the first time in his own boat from the Sunshine Coast is Wayne Finlay and his 40’ White Cap Keneka. He will be joined on the reef by 33’ Obrien Kamikaze, another SCGFC boat. MGFC charter boat Kaizen is on the reef again with new deckies this year.

Keeping a low profile this year on the black marlin fishing blog (www.blackmarlinblog. com) is Noel Jones’ custom Dick Ward built Kajiki. This is Noel’s first trip up there since 2006. They will be knocking around with Captain Bobby Jones on Iceman the big Riviera charter boat who is having a ripper season. In fact most of the big name charter boats are doing well this year.

Reading the blog each day is like a who’s who of fishing, both Australian and international visitors. Just

today I saw a picture of Craig Lowndes the racecar driver who had just released a nice 700lber on Iona.

On charter, the snapper have hung in nice and late for me. Not many bag-outs, just lots of days where my customers were getting three each instead of four each. We also caught my best snapper of the last six years of full time charter fishing. Kyle with a crew from Caltex Energy caught the beast that was 96cm long and back at the dock after being bled weight 9.98kg. It was caught on a Berkley Nitro Jighead and a Gulp curl-tail, and the drift beforehand he also landed a 93cm one but it only weighed 6.7kg. We even used the SCGFC gantry to do the weighing but with my little electronic scales, not the big certified scales.

On the very same day he also landed a 10.5kg mahi mahi, my first of the season and very nice fish.

That snapper spot produced for a couple of weeks for good pearl perch up to 58cm as well. Interestingly I was there about a month beforehand and got a few little pearlies but nothing substantial. When they turn up there, they turn up in good sizes and numbers. It was also my best big snapper and pearly spot from two years ago but

did not produce at all last year.

Figure that one out!

Like the Gold Coast, we have also had a bit of a run of jobfish this year, both rosies and gold bands. Some days I am also getting good runs of tuskfish, and the kings and amberjack have been reasonably reliable on their spots.

Mixed in with the AJ and kings this year have been a lot more school size snapper this year.

On the 4.55m Seajay, summer whiting to 42cm have been the main catch in Bribie Passage. On the right tides we have also been trolling up a few flathead.

Now we are into jack season I will be chasing these guys quite a bit when conditions allow, most likely in the Maroochy and Noosa systems. Hopefully a few stray barramundi, mulloway and king threadfin salmon get in on the act.

On the big boat we are now into pelagic trolling season.

Let’s hope the spotties turn up this year in good numbers. We are well overdue a good run in close of these guys.

Give me a call at Smithys Fishing Charters on 0407 574 868 or check out my website, www.smithysfishing.com.au to get out there and get into some action!

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Summer fishing is running hot caloundra

Brad McKendrick fishingcaloundra@yahoo.com.au

The summer months are running hot and anglers right across the Sunshine Coast have reported good catches of pelagics and reefies offshore and a steady run of estuary species keeping the locals and holiday-makers happy.

Traditionally at this time of the year tuna, cobia, mackerel, mahi mahi, small marlin and wahoo are all being targeted out around Wide Caloundra, so there is no shortage of quality species out there.

The Caloundra 5 and 7 Mile reefs are normally filled with mackerel hunters using live yakkas or large pilchards and slow trolling them at the depth of the fish.

Downriggers are a fantastic piece of equipment to deliver baits right into the strike zone but this can also be achieved by using sinkers, (barrel are best) to reach the desired depth. A slower troll speed means the bait will travel deeper and of course the quicker you go in the boat the higher the bait will come up in the water column.

Watch for current lines out wider and troll baits or lures along the length of them when things are quiet.

The Noosa reefs will also be a great area to fish because they are reasonably protected from most types of winds except a northerly.

The mackerel and tuna hang around Sunshine Reef all summer and quite often it is first to go off.

If you want to target reef species, the same area is known for sweetlip, coral trout, cod species and many more so it is well worth the trip.

If you are happy to work around the Mooloolaba area then Murphys Reef and the Gneering Shoals are within 3km of the bar entrance and are top spots to take the kids fishing throughout the day or night.

Out wider around the Barwon Banks there are plenty of options but make sure you take plenty of drinking water and sunscreen as it gets hot and dry on a run that far out. The fishing has been consistent with kingfish, amberjack and pearl perch coming out of waters of 60m or more.

Tuskfish are also around in numbers and with their

thick white flesh they make an excellent table fish.

So offshore fishing is running hot and provided the winds stay down you will be able to get out this December. estuaries If you intend to fish the estuaries then Currimundi Lake is the spot to take the kids out for some whiting.

Peeled prawns or yabbies have proven to be the best baits to get a few for dinner.

There are mangrove jack around the canals and rock walls in Kawana and within the Pumicestone Passage around the deeper drop-offs and mangrove systems in the back waters.

In general, summer whiting are always cruising around the shallow sand banks in the passage so this makes it the ideal place to target flathead as they will be waiting in ambush for a feed.

Happy Valley and Bulcock Beach areas have bream and tarwhine along the stretch and plenty of flathead. The key here is to fish early mornings or after everything has settled in the afternoons otherwise it will be difficult to find the fish. The noise of the general holiday atmosphere is unsettling and sends the

fish packing until quieter times.

Take the family down to Gemini Towers pontoon at Golden Beach on the tidal changes so that they can catch a few undersize bream for a bit of fun. Just a bit of bread on the end of the hook will be enough on a good day to get you some fish and put a smile of the kids’ faces.

Any extra bream should be broken up into small pieces and used for berley to keep the fish interested, remember only a little not a lot.

The same area allows you to cast soft plastics up onto the sand bank across the channel and slowly bring them back over the edge and hopefully enticing a flathead to strike, so there are plenty of options.

The deeper channel waters within the Caloundra Bar entrance have some thumper trevally and queenfish around at the moment and they are well worth your time casting poppers or plastics at them. Live herring or pike are sensational baits for queenfish and to get them you will need to fish around the jetties and pontoons with a bait jig.

The boardwalk is well

Wahoo are chasing lures across the Bawron Banks at the moment. equipped to take the family out fishing with seats, cleaning tables and cover from the hot sun. When it all gets a bit quiet you can pack up and walk to the lifeguard hut and enjoy a swim between the flags.

The boardwalk area has very strong currents so it is best targeted a half-hour before the change of the tide for best results.

Once the current really gets moving head on down to the Pelican Waters bridge or Military Jetty and you can fish the same tidal stage again.

The key this month offshore is to find and fish the bait schools. When you are filling up with live

yakkas or slimie mackerel make sure you have a live bait on a rig that is back in the bait ball, remember we are not the only ones that chase live bait. The chances are that you may hook up any type of pelagic or reef species that is feeding.

In the estuaries fish them early in the morning and late afternoon for best results.

Take the kids out to areas where they have plenty of options of either playing in the sand, swimming or fishing around Golden Beach or Happy Valley and have fun.

Merry Christmas to you and your family and thank you for your continued support.

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The Sunshine Coast has got it all noosa

Peter Wells

Summer on the Sunshine Coast is one of the most exciting times of the year for fishing, with a range of options for estuary, offshore and beach anglers alike!

For the offshore anglers, coral trout have already started to come on the chew, and the good news is that the hotter it gets, the more

common these tasty red fish become! Often the hardest part about coral trout fishing is knowing where to look, so here’s a couple of the most popular reefs for around the Sunshine Coast region: Inner and Outer Sunshine Reef, North Reef, Murphys Reef and the Inner and Outer Gneerings. Coral trout are extremely aggressive feeders and will often hit your bait or lure as soon as it gets close to the bottom. As fast as they strike, they head back to their

hole often snagging unwary anglers on the sharp reefy structure they call home.

One way to combat this is to up your leader size (80lb+), beef up your gear to 50lb line with a short, gutsy rod and reel with a strong drag.

Coral trout aren’t the only fish the hot weather fires up.

Longtail tuna, yellowfin and of course mac tuna love the warm water. These speedy fish are often seen crashing through schools of baitfish on the surface and make for

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great light tackle fun! One handy tool that will really help you find these fish is a pair of binoculars to scan the horizon for the flocks of birds that accompany the tuna as they feed. Often accompanying the tuna are spotted and Spanish mackerel and it pays to troll a few lures around in between spots as these speedy fish love nothing more than a shiny, flashy trolled hard body. One little trick to make finding these mackerel easier is to troll a spread of lures at various depths. Once a couple of fish have been caught on one style of lure, match the rest to a similar depth and colour and you should be able to crack a bit of a pattern.

Fishing off the beaches around the Sunny Coast is also another popular option for species like whiting, dart, bream and flathead.

Noosa’s North Shore is one

Stuart, Kirsty-Jean, Jason, Wade, Mark and Jack with snapper and pearl perch from Saturday’s Cougar One charter to the Barwon Banks. shallower. By keeping this in mind you can effectively cover plenty of ground by keeping your lure in the strike zone.

Whiting are also really active this time of the year, and there’s been some really big models being caught lately. The aptly named Frying Pan in the Noosa River and the Black Banks in the Maroochy River are two areas which are consistently producing big whiting, with

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of the most popular beach destinations out there and getting there only requires a short barge ride across the Noosa River! Another plus about this area is you don’t need a 4x4 to get there! If you do have a 4x4 however, the stretch of beach just before Double Island Point is an excellent destination and is often the most productive section of beach for a variety of species.

In the rivers, mangrove jack are now in good numbers, with some big models being caught in the night hours. The entrance to Coolum Creek in the upper Maroochy River is already producing some nice ‘red devils’, and like the coral trout, the warmer the weather gets, the harder these fish bite! Trolling hardbodies lures around the entrance to creeks is a very popular way to target these fish, and we’ve found that lures that are gold in colour and produce plenty of action are the most effective types for jacks. Another thing to keep in mind when trolling, is to troll with the current as it will help get your lure down deeper, while trolling against the current will make it swim

both live yabbies and surface lures taking their fair share of fish. The sand flats that these areas hold are full of life and venturing out early in the morning and wading these areas can be extremely productive for a wide variety of fish.

Some great lures for fishing the sand flats are surface lures up to around the 70mm size, which might seem too big for fish like

whiting, but in reality they match the size of the banana prawns, which are common in these areas. Bassday Sugapens, ZipBait Skinny Pops and River2Sea Bubble Pops are all popular lures which account for plenty of fish, and their shape allows for long casts that cover lots of water.

This time of year is a good time for chasing mud crabs, and the upper reaches of the Maroochy and the Noosa River account for plenty of good sized muddies. One good tip for catching more crabs is when the river’s running clean, try putting your pots next to structure like fallen trees and steep river banks, as this is where the crabs like to hide during these cleaner periods.

After a bit of rain, muddies like to come out into the open, so putting your pots in the entrances to creeks, deep holes and drop offs will hopefully see you catch more crabs!

• Next time you decide to venture to the Sunshine Coast, or you’re a local and you want to learn more, be sure to come into either Davo’s Noosa or Davo’s Marcoola and we’ll help you out with all the local knowledge you will need! If you’re after up to date fishing and bar reports along with plenty of pictures and videos, www. fishingnoosa.com.au is the ultimate website devoted to the Sunshine Coast! Tight Lines and Bent Spines!

John Mitchell won this week’s $50 Davo’s Fish of the Week prize with thumper whiting and this 3kg golden trevally.

Fish around despite weed worries teewah beach

Lindsay Dines

At the end of October the surf suddenly changed from a sparkling clear blue to milky green, almost brown that was lacking in lustre or clarity.

If the stark colour change wasn’t enough to let us know the Anaulis australis surf algae had bloomed, the accompanying pungent odour certainly was. The algae comes and goes – heavy one day and almost gone the next.

Fortunately it doesn’t tangle fishing gear and isn’t toxic to swimmers.

However, it does seem to affect fish moving in and out of the surf zone.

The algae lowers dissolved oxygen, which must discourage fish from entering affected areas, but doesn’t altogether prevent them.

I have certainly seen quite a number of whiting and flathead caught during severe blooms, and have caught some tailor myself when the surf has been brown with this algae.

However, clean water is definitely preferable.

Rarely seen prior to 2001, annual blooms now occur along the entire Australian coastline. They have most often coincided with El Nino events.

Nutrient accumulated on the land during dry periods are washed into the estuaries and along the coast during infrequent flood events. Then warm weather and elevated sea temperatures trigger algal growth that has become somewhat rampant.

The La Nina event should have alleviated this, but it didn’t – at least not much.

In the meantime, greater efforts at reducing nutrient outfall into our estuaries is essential if we are to control this deteriorating situation. While this has been on the agenda of State and Federal Governments for a number of years, they haven’t done much, which is a little disappointing to say the very least.

Another ‘natural’ event is the large numbers of dead and dying mutton birds being washed on to the beaches between Fraser and Bribie Island.

All of the birds I have watched here have

frantically been attempting to feed in the surf before eventually landing on the water and washing to shore either dead or so close to it, they cannot be saved.

We are told that mutton bird casualties during migration are a natural event, caused by the birds encountering storms en route from the Bering Sea to Tasmania. The strong winds are said to cause exhaustion, but is this the whole story?

When watching the birds feeding, I noticed their efforts were frantic and energetic. They didn’t look exhausted at all; they looked starving.

As the world’s tuna stocks slowly deplete and fewer schools herd baitfish to the surface where seabirds can access them, situations such as this can only become more common. If the shearwater deaths aren’t at least partly as a result of the overfishing of tunas, mackerels, mahi mahi, bonito and the like, I would be very surprised.

Unfortunately for the shearwaters, there haven’t been enough tailor and dart in the surf, either.

Recreational catches of

tailor and dart have mostly been in ones and twos, with schools seemingly absent.

It isn’t a good sign at a time when positive indications of this fishery’s health are desperately wanted.

DECEMBER FISHING Flathead continue to be a regular catch and whiting are available in reasonable numbers at times. The occasional jewfish has been taken off Double Island Point and a couple of cobia taken from the beach further south. Bream and tarwhine seem to be scarce, though tarwhine were being taken at this time last year and both species had shown signs of improved numbers earlier in this year.

Reports from Hervey Bay haven’t been glowing in their description of the pelagic season there to date. Hopefully this simply means that a late run of mackerel is still on its way and the tuna nearby. It is increasingly difficult to be optimistic, but should these species not arrive in Laguna Bay this year again after 3 lean seasons, questions are sure to be asked when we know that tailor and other species aren’t here either.

READER’S PICTURE

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Janelle Willet had a great day on the water with the family, capping it off with this 70cm flathead caught on a Zerek 3.5” live shrimp, fishing the flats around the Hornibrook Bridge on the North Pine River.

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A time for change of seasons fraser coast

Phil James p_j_james@bigpond.com

The beginning of December is a time for change for fishing opportunities along Fraser Island’s beaches, as well as in Hervey Bay’s inshore waters.

Fraser’s tailor season is now at its end apart from reports of a few good fish still coming in from the rocks at Indian Head. The last few months at Fraser Island have been very interesting indeed.

The tailor season lived up to expectations. As usual early season fish were on the small side with the big greenbacks turning up in time for the September school holidays.

This year, rather than being concentrated, there was a very even distribution from south of Eurong to Sandy Cape.

Other species, dart and whiting in particular, have been in good supply to the delight of light line anglers.

After the erosion of beaches and dunes in the early part of the year, much of the sand has returned. For the first half of the year, Poyungan Rocks, including bypass and exposed rocks to the north, was the horror stretch of the

eastern beach. In July, most of the rocks had been completely covered and little traffic needed to use the bypass. However there are still a few problem stretches, such as at One Tree Rocks north of Eurong, where rocks remain or where deep high tide gutters have cut into the base of the dunes.

With mostly good conditions on the beaches, it has been a completely different story on the island’s inland roads. In short, they have been atrocious, and this was particularly evident during the spring school holidays.

The main cross-island tracks between Woongoolbver Creek and Eurong, and between Kingfisher Bay and Cornwells Break, have seen serious boggings and queues of vehicles held up for long periods. There have been many reports of visitors setting off to visit some of the island’s beauty spots, such as Lake McKenzie, then giving up and returning to the beach.

The prevailing conditions and lack of resources have prevented attempts to rectify the situation. I’m not inclined to go down that path right now. The majority of problems can be attributed to driver inexperience, high tyre pressure and heavy loads of

towed trailers and campervans.

It has been very noticeable that the numbers of campervans coming onto the island is increasing rapidly.

Fortunately most have been using the Inskip Point to Hook Point crossing, with travel up the ocean beach being fairly straightforward. With the current road conditions I would advise campers towing heavy trailers to avoid the main crossisland access tracks.

As well as problems on the main tracks, the bypass of Indian Head, the approach to the Middle Rocks jump-up, the road to Orchid Beach and the Ngkala Rocks bypass have seen plenty of hold-ups.

The last month or so has seen the seasonal strong northerly winds making fishing difficult. This is not so bad on the eastern beaches of Fraser Island, as the alignment of most of the eastern coast means that northerlies are offshore winds.

On a disturbing note, however, there has been some weed returning to the eastern beach, particularly around Indian Head. In the bay the ‘dreaded northerlies’ tend to bring fishing to a standstill.

They also herald the arrival of weed along the western beach, and this year is no

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exception. They can continue to make their presence felt into December but we should start to see more of the calmer weather that we like for visits to the shallow reefs.

As inshore water temperature continue to rise we can expect species such as blackall, coral bream, Moses perch, blue parrot and coral trout become more active.

Last month in our tour around Hervey Bay’s landbased spots, we looked at the vast flats around Toogoom.

Latest info on the flats is that good whiting are coming in from the gutters on half-flood tide as the inner gutters are starting to fill. Most are being taken on yabbies and these are plentiful on the flats and inside O’Regans Creek.

Now is the time to explore the possibilities around the rocky shores that extend from Eli Creek to Pialba. It is certainly not my intention to down play this area but I need to say that this is the most under-fished stretch of coastline that you are likely to see. This is certainly not because of any shortage of feeding grounds for a variety of species. Rocky ledges, intermittent sand and mud patches harbour a smorgasbord of marine animals that our inshore species depend on.

However, the conditions have to be just right to bring some targets within casting distance.

These conditions come about at particular stages of the tide for specific species. I know many of the guys who fish here regularly, but you certainly don’t see them out there in the middle of the day.

Fishing opportunities here are as seasonal as they are when fishing any of the other shallow bay waters. During the summer months, reef species move in over the rock shores, particularly at night and early morning. Although they will move right in close to high water, the best opportunities are to be had from ledges

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rocky islands, the foreshores provide good conditions for spawning bream during the winter months. Although found along all the rocks, the ledges at Point Vernon appear to be most productive.

The best recipe for success is to pick a rising tide in an early evening during May, June or July. Use plenty of berley and fish without lead.

Many of the locals use mullet gut but half-pilchards and cut baits work just as well. Be prepared for some very good quality fish. Don’t be surprised if a good juvenile snapper turns up as well, but remember they need to make 35cm.

Tailor are another likely catch at Point Vernon.

Spinning with metals off the end of the ledge during early mornings in winter months has been popular with a small group of locals. The last few years have been somewhat disappointing for reasons unknown. Hopefully we will see more of them in 2014.

That’s about it for 2013.

In January we will head east along Hervey Bay’s foreshores and take a good look at what is on offer at the Urangan Pier.

In the meantime, have a great Christmas and start to 2014.

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and platforms where inshore coral patches can be reached in a comfortable cast. I like to use a 3-3.5m beach rod and unweighted bait of cuttlefish or half pilchard.

Coral bream (grass sweetlip) and blackall form most of the catches. Just about any of the rocky foreshore is worth looking at but to be successful you need to check out the venue carefully before fishing. If heavy coral and rock reef can be observed not far offshore, so much the better as resident fish move in to feed.

My pick for this type of fishing is about halfway between Point Vernon and Pialba.

There are plenty of spots to try when chasing flathead around this rocky shore. Just about anywhere there are rocks and neighbouring sand or mud patches, flathead are likely to be waiting for a feeding opportunity. A typical example is where the flats meet the broken rock ledges at Gatakers Bay. Just around the corner near the old boat ramp you’ll find similar conditions provide. Flathead are likely captures throughout the year, probably reaching their peak in August or September.

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Making the most of offshore rainbow beach

Ed Falconer

A good run of weather has made way for quite a few trips offshore.

OFFSHORE The fishing has generally been great offshore and good runs of snapper, red emperor, pearl perch and Check out businesses from this area in the new

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other bottom dwellers have provided plenty of reef fishing satisfaction.

We haven’t had to travel too far, only a few miles offshore to get into some quality snapper, lots of grassy emperor and some Moses perch.

Out wider into our northern grounds, the current has been strong so we have only taken the odd trip when it has been possible. Red emperor, pearl perch and spangled emperor bit really well so the rewards were well worth it.

ON THE BEACH Whiting and chopper

tailor are still being caught around the Oaks; not as good as last month, but still plenty for a feed.

Dart are being caught along the entire stretch of beach, but to get those jumbo ones you need a big cast into the deeper water.

GREAT SANDY STRAITS It’s all about catching jacks. The water temperature must be perfect as there are a lot of them getting caught in all of the main creeks.

Live poddy mullet are working the best and strips of fresh mullet are doing the trick as well.

For some full-on action there are schools of little tuna hanging around the inside of the Wide Bay bar.

Small silver slugs and a fast retrieve is all you need.

December should see our pelagic action fire up. We are all expecting a good spotted mackerel season this year.

We haven’t seen one for the past couple due to excessive rain, so here’s to a good stable summer!

Merry Christmas to my awesome clientele and avid QFM readers!

• To enjoy a day on the water with Keely Rose Fishing Charters phone Ed Falconer on (07) 5486 3150 or 0407 146 151 or visit www. keelyrosefishingcharters. com.au.

A first-timer on the Keely Rose with a cracker 14kg red.

Fishing comes up trumps hervey bay

Scott Bradley marlin81@aapt.net.au

The howling northerlies and little or no rain has Hervey Bay looking scorched and dry, which is a stark contrast to the usual tropical lush green setting we are used to at this time of year.

The good news is it hasn’t affected the fishing much with world class sport and game fishing opportunities on offer every day on the Fraser Coast.

IN THE BAY The local reefs have had the usual mix of blackall, cod, coral bream, trout and trevally being caught at the Arty, Moon ledge, Bagimba and Mckenzies.

Blue parrot will be a prime target this month along Big Woody Island and the many shallow reefs along Fraser.

There have been lots of spangled emperor on the chew.

Live baiting and casting lures on the flats and the many creeks along Fraser Island will get you connected to golden trevally, queenfish and huge flathead.

Whiting and bream are worth a look on the bigger tides on artificials, worms and yabbies.

The Mary and Susan rivers have had some great king threadfin salmon action recently. Flathead have been consistent and barra will be on the chew as the closed season always seems to bring them on.

The creeks are a worthwhile option over the Christmas break when the bays shut down due to wind.

PLATYPUS BAY The bay has been chock-full of baitfish from south of Wathumba through to Fergies Spit off Rooneys Point. Large schools of mac tuna can be found

throughout the area along with longtails, Spanish and spotted mackerel, trevally and bonito.

Reports of marlin captures and sightings are on the increase with a couple of fellas sight casting 6 small blacks off Rooneys in late October.

Sight casting the shallows of Fraser Island for billfish is a truly unique fishing experience and there is nowhere better in the world to do it than in our own backyard; and you only need a tinny or 4WD to get there.

Casting flies, plastics, rigged gars and live bait is all you need to do if you want to join a very select few anglers that have pinned a billy off the beach.

So there are plenty of Chrissy fishing options in Hervey Bay. Have a very fishy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

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Tom Demilio with his first mac tuna caught off Station Hill while casting slugs.

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decEMBER 2013

43

Never, ever too much fishing burrum heads

Brad Dyason

The Burrum River has been the main staging area for many of our adventures lately with the persistent strong northerly winds frustrating anglers who want to get offshore.

Offshore Live bait and the incoming tide has been the order of the day offshore.

We’ve had no luck using wire leaders, some good mates took their chances with mono leader that resulted in a number

of bust ups but Ron nailed a good Spanish mackerel in the end.

The boys aboard Dreamtime got into some goldies and reds to top off what was a rare offshore fun-filled day.

River Action With the famed whiting slowing down for a bit, it has been a good opportunity to get amongst some of the good diversity the Burrum River system has to offer.

King threadfin salmon have been providing some great action, along with grunter around the 55cm

mark and golden trevally between 70-80cm. Mulloway have been under legal but sitting in the high 60cm range.

Barra have been keeping many of us local fishos entertained, with my first legal in the Burrum coming in at 64cm+.

TIP: Mulloway don’t like being out of the water too long. If undersized, take a quick pic and get straight back into the water.

Again it has been the live baits, such as herring and yabbies, in good size and numbers that have produced the goods, along with the

trusty mullet strip.

Both incoming and outgoing tides have been productive on daybreak. In the evening, banks and structure are the target areas, as the clear waters have kept many fish hiding for cover; deep holes and gutters have also produced on the running tides.

TIP: Barra have been in good numbers, but it is now closed season from 1 November through to 1 February so remember, do not take from the water.

The Fishing Ahead The warmer months now will see mangrove jack and grunter in the river come to life. Offshore we are eagerly awaiting the mackerel run, which should see cobia join the party. With the Burrum River very clean at the moment the waters are clear, so look for the early morning or late afternoon/evening and hunt around the mangrove banks and structures for best results.

Reports have been circulating that golden snapper have been caught in good numbers around the 55-60cm range.

Oversized flathead and good solid legal flathead are in good numbers and will give us some quality sport on the light gear.

Mulloway don’t like being out of the water too long. If undersized, take a quick pic and get them straight back into the water.

Some of the best all-round fishing is on the east coast right here at Burrum Heads.

Local traders are well supplied with bait, tackle and all the fishing essentials to help all members of the family to have a great time.

TIP: Locals love a chat so ask for some local knowledge.

Toogoom Fishing event Our neighbouring community Toogoom has turned on yet another great event. Blessed with some great weather, 600 family anglers hit the waterways and enjoyed a wonderful weekend of fishing hosted by the Toogoom Amateur Fishing Club.

All target species of fish

were weighed-in, both in live and dead categories.

Husband and wife team from the Burrum Heads Amateur Fishing Club, Peter and Ange Gamel, had a great weekend with Peter taking the prize for his 60cm grunter and Ange taking the prize for her 42cm bream – nice work guys!

I also got into some of the action with a healthy golden trevally from the Burrum River on mullet strip bait, 12lb mono, 20lb leader using a running ball rig on the outgoing tide. The 50 minute fight was worth the effort as this ensured a runner up prize.

A big thanks to the Toogoom Amateur Fishing Club and we look forward to next year.

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decEMBER 2013

45

Time to hit the beaches bundaberg

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

Bundaberg has had a busy year with floods and recovery, and there are a lot of people ready to down tools and pick up a rod and reel.

Of course, the waterways are always busy during the holidays, so if you’re keen to

get amongst them you may have to get up early or plan a few night time trips.

Beaches Holiday time is beach time! Bundy’s beaches are great for the kids and great to wet a line in as well. The main targets are dart, whiting and flathead, and with the right approach you can get the kids wet and catch a feed at the same time.

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Woodgate, Coonar and the beaches dotted along the coast are all accessible but you will need a 4WD for Coonar. Dart are always a great target off the beach and they love beachworms, pipis and will also eat small soft plastics. They usually bite on the incoming tide but if you’re fishing around a creek mouth they will bite all tide when you find them.

The whiting love coming right up into the shallows on the incoming tide. Don’t be afraid to cast your line along the beach because sometimes if you have waded out you have gone past the fish. They love beachworms and yabbies, and the pipis that you find at your feet in the sand will do just fine, too.

The flathead will come into the drains and gutters on the hunt for whiting and they will take pilchards, yabbies and worms.

When I was a kid some 40 years ago I was walking along the beach at Woodgate with my fishing rod loaded with a yabby when I came across a bloke casting his line in the water. He kept winding it back in after each cast, and I confidently told him he wouldn’t catch anything unless he left his bait there for the

Paul Kuplan with a cracking jack caught on a PrawnStar. fish to find. He then showed me he was fishing with a soft plastic, and said the technique he was using was the way to fish them.

I followed this man a while and watched him catch a few flathead on that plastic, and I was instantly hooked on lure fishing. I still love wandering along the beach casting soft plastics and lures into the surf, and even my kids love doing it. Like the whiting you don’t have to cast a long way out because our beaches are usually very calm; the white water the fish use to hide in is right at your feet. I spend most of my time casting along the beach and slowly walking along, gazing out to

sea. It’s very peaceful.

River Fishing The big jacks are well and truly on the chew at the moment. As the barramundi in the rivers and creeks are off limits for the closed season, the mad keen anglers are targeting jacks.

We haven’t had any decent rain for months and the creeks and rivers are very clean. In fact, some are crystal clear which can make fishing pretty hard. If we don’t get any rain before you head for a fish, look around the mouths of the systems as the tidal movement usually stirs the water up a bit and the predators will hunt there. Also fish the deeper holes as the fish will hole up

there during the day and hunt at night.

If you’re keen on catching a jack on a surface lure, now is the time to get into them.

In the early morning low light in clear water, the jacks just love a slowly worked C’ultiva Zip’N Ziggy. It’s a walking type of lure which, when worked properly, moves from side to side like a wounded baitfish. My favourite colour is gold, but if the fish are swirling the lure but not committing try a different colour. This sometimes makes a world of difference.

Well, I hope you get some new fishing gear for Christmas and then get the chance to use it. Merry Christmas!

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QFM

decEMBER 2013

47

The heat is now on rockhampton

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

King threadfin salmon and big grunters are still fair game in the estuaries, but the closed season for barra is here so they’re now off limits, unless we venture to the impoundments.

The beaches are packed with whiting and bream in the gutters ready for the Christmas break.

Fitzroy and the Narrows In the past month some terrific threadies have been caught along the Fitzroy, as well as the odd mulloway.

These fish have been pulled off rock patches and rubble

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beds and will most likely stay there until after Christmas.

The Narrows has also been quite productive with a few large jack being reported from locals caught up amongst the timbers and mangroves.

During December, the mangrove jack become a more heavily targeted species. Many anglers use smaller more weighted lures to entice the jacks and avoid the barra.

Rivers, Creeks and Beaches The local rivers, creeks and beaches will be fished heavier in the holiday period as they are more accessible to anglers. Deeper gutters and drop-offs have been fishing

Graham scored a new PB fishing a session before the closed season.

This brute of a barra was caught on 20lb leader and a Killalure 2Deep. well and this will certainly not change through December.

Bream and whiting are an easy to target species and are great to start the kids out in this exciting hobby. As the water heats up, the afternoons are incredibly hot so most species will move down into the deeper pockets of water or out into the cooler beach waters.

Through November there have been massive amounts of prawns in the systems, however most of them are still only little fellas. A good dose of rain should see lots of big healthy prawns scattered along the flats making bait gathering or even catching some larger eating specimens all the more easy.

Freshwater lagoons Tarpon are in high population and just on dusk is the time they have really given any lure a beating.

Never caught a fish on a lure before? Grab a popper and head on down. Casting out at any treelines or structures in these lagoons will surely hook you up. The best retrieve for poppers would be slow constant pops or a large pop; let the ripples clear then a small tap.

Stick baits are effective on a constant retrieve, but stop after they have been hit to encourage anther strike.

Anything will work in these situations, lightly rigged, small hardbody minnows, surface lures, they are just going off.

Crabbing Crabbing has been going off its tree lately with many people sharing stories of massive catches around.

Most of the crabs lately have been caught on plain old mullet heads, which

are cheap and if they are working why not?

Most of the catches lately have been down in the deeper waters and not on the mudflats and mangrove lines, which is unusual in comparison to this time last year and even last month.

Christmas I am a big believer in the motto ‘limit your kill not kill your limit’. Over any period it is important to remember the limits to help fish populations recover and continue to thrive.

Christmas is also a great time to take kids or mates out fishing and teach them about this fascinating lifestyle. Throughout the holiday period I hope all the readers have a great time fishing and safe travels.

Surface lures up against freshwater structure, such as lily pads, pulls awesome specimens like this golden freshwater barra.

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QFM

decEMBER 2013

49

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So where is the rain this year? The wet end of the last few years seems to have dried up and we could be in for a drier than usual couple of years to come according to the old timers around these parts.

We benefited greatly with our favourite fish all having a good shot at building stocks for the future. Barra have had some of the best seasons on record and hopefully that will have been good enough to carry them though in numbers if we do indeed get some dry times.

Now we are in the middle of the closed barra season there are stacks of options available, even for the hardcore barramundi addicts. The freshwater impoundments are still open to catch barra and there are several within a few hours’ drive of Rockhampton.

Awoonga, Monduran and Lake Proserpine (Peter Faust) dams have a limited take all year and offer a chance when you can’t target barramundi anywhere else.

Grunter have been in fine form over most of the area’s many estuaries. They have been coming in like the normal creek grunter on steroids. A couple of the Devils Elbow crew nailed several fish over 90cm and a few more over 70cm. That is the type of fish we chase when the grunter are in full swing around the deeper areas north of Yeppoon.

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Emu Park to Rockhampton road as you pass the meat works at Nerimbera look in the direction of the river and you can see the boats anchored on the deep hole section of the point. Last week one of the lads fishing there thought he had the mother of all grunter until he got it on board where they found it was a large black jew. It weighed in at 15kg, which was very impressive especially as the bigger black jew are normally taken well downstream of around the headlands up the coast at night.

Grunter prefer prawns and yabbies or flesh baits on occasion. Try a bottom style bream rig with a trace about 600mm long to let the bait move in and out of the current flow. The tip I always give is to use the bottom contours and always fish the spots where the grunter can sit under the strong flow.

Big bream are winter fish down south but up here they are at their best from late spring and into summer.

All the local creeks have a good supply although The Fitzroy Delta area, down The Narrows and the little creeks on the inside of Curtis Island are home to the XOS horses.

Over the year it used to amaze me that we actually average a bigger class of bream than spots like The Pin or Caloundra’s Blue Hole. These guys take big baits but when the sun is at the right angle you can sight cast to them underneath the mangroves with barra lures. It blows you to see a bream with a couple of sets of trebles hanging from its mouth.

Corio Bay and Coorooman Creek are quite good whiting spots as a rule and at present there have been some snodgers taken by some of the locals.

The waters from Yeppoon along Farnborough Beach right up to Corio are holding lots of fun size dart. We don’t get the big surf gutters like the southern beaches but the little features in the small surf are still the spots to look for.

Beachworms are more plentiful the further north you go. The eastern beaches of The Keppels also have worms and whiting most of the time.

They make a great place to take the family for the day over summer or for something different over the holidays.

Rosslyn Bay Harbour has been on fire right through winter and now heading into summer. Some of the most regular catches have been inside the harbour walls. It is easily the pick location at the moment for anything from golden snapper to bream, cod and queenies.

The walls running out from the marina and the main boat basin are producing very well and the guys fishing

Thommo caught this prime pikey on a Richo lure at Corio. Pikeys are a real saver on many lure casting trips. from the moored boats can’t miss. The large amount of bait fish is the key and, as you know, find the bait and the predators won’t be far away. In the evening the schools of bait move along the dividing line from dark to light trying to avoid the big critters like barramundi.

Around the outside walls are spots like North Corner where you can get good size cod and even doggies when the calm weather stays for a day or two.

The hot tip for cod is to head out along the wall at low tide and fish the incoming with either fresh flesh baits or decent sized livies. As the tide moves in, the cod follow, working their way into fairly shallow water and picking off the prawns and small mullet as they go.

Around the front wall heading south to the blowhole is well known for decent golden snapper and black jew. The Blowhole and Porcupine Point are top spots for doggies and the odd Spanish if the wind drops out and the bay is clear.

The Causeway hasn’t failed as the area’s top mangrove jack spot in the last month. The weather has been steaming which in turn has got the jacks and plenty of other species in the lake on the chew. The run-through is the best time down the front from the bridge or the adjoining walls. While the rest of the time, the lake’s many rocky structures do the job. There are lots of spots around the Causeway Lake where you can cast net all the live bait you need and find a good spot for a fish without taking the boat. It is a super friendly family spot that has among the safest swimming areas in CQ. Blue salmon and king salmon are doing well at present. There are kings in The Fitzroy, Coorooman Creek and Waterpark Creek, while blues have been taken along the beaches or the mouths of the bigger creeks running into the bay.

Coorooman and Ross creeks are spots blue salmon like to cruise the sandbank edges or mangroves with the tide.

Blues will take prawns, yabbies, and they particularly like whiting or fresh mullet strips. King have smashed small plastics or small live prawns lately. All the small prawns in the system are giving the king salmon plenty of reason to be right along the mud banks and any other spot that you find prawns congregating such as small run-off gutters.

Red emperor, largemouth nannygai, grassy sweetlip, red throat and spangled emperor, coral trout, cod, hussar and parrot are all going well as the Christmas break approaches.

The smaller tides have been the better fishing days as expected, because you don’t need a house brick size lead to get to the bottom.

There are plenty of fine reefies in at the closer patches meaning that the average guy has been able to get among them without having to own a huge boat. On saying that it is very weather dependant and you should always monitor the conditions before you go and while you are out there.

Spanish mackerel are due to show any time now as we get a summer run over the school holidays. Outer, Man & Wife and Cape Manifold are spots to try just out of the bay. The regular spots are all worth a shot given good weather. The pick of the locations is the shoals where you can get quality Spaniards all year working the reef egdes and current line drop-offs.

Numbers of cobia have moved in again after a quiet time. They seem to be at places like Farnborough Reef, Findlays, Liza Jane shoals, The Pinnacles, Outer Rock, Man & Wife, Barren Island Rita Mada, Ironpot and Forty Acre Paddock.

The daybreak fishers have done the best lately on the inshore reef but as the sun rises the deeper patches have turned on. Cobia like fresh flesh strips, whole squid or pillies and will definitely take Flashas and trolled lures meant for Spaniards.

Have a great Christmas and enjoy your holiday.

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QFM

decEMBER 2013

51

Open season on dams mackay

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

The barra season is well and truly closed in the saltwater, but man – haven’t the dams been making up for that!

Kinchant and Teemburra have barra on the chew, ranging from little tackers around 30-40cm to absolute horses up to around 140cm, and they have been happy to play ball with anglers.

However, they are not quite as easy as a lot of people think. Sure, some people get lucky getting on the dam and trolling around a lure that gets eaten by a

monster at the first attempt.

But if you want to catch fish consistently, what should you do?

For most of us, catching dam barra has been a long learning curve. Just when you get a bit cocky and reckon you have them figured out, they up and skunk you good and proper.

I have been chasing barra since we stocked the first fingerlings in Eungella Dam back in the early 1990s, and they still fascinate me with their power, surprise me by showing up in unexpected places, and give me a huge adrenalin rush when they take off.

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dam near dawn or dusk with surface lures. Night time is also a great time to have a big barra smash a surface lure, and it’s something I will never tire of.

If you haven’t had a crack at them, I urge you to get your SIP permit and give them a go.

KINCHANT Kinchant is very anglerfriendly in that it has no real snags apart from acres of weed beds, and it’s near North Eton about 30 minutes’ drive from Mackay.

Call into the local tackle shops and they will direct you to what is one of the premier barra impoundments in the country. Kinchant has lots of skiers and jet ski operators, particularly on weekends, but there are still plenty of places to get away from them.

The acres of weeds hold the key to getting good barra in Kinchant. You’ll see them on your sounder way out towards the middle of the dam, but the fish don’t usually feed there. They’re just resting up before another foray into the shallows for a feed of bony bream. Stick with the shallow water (less than 5m) around the weed edges and keep casting, and you will catch barra.

Persistence and putting your lure in the right place often enough will see you hooked up.

You can never have enough lures (they make good Chrissy presents too) so make sure you have a variety of hardbodies and soft plastics. Stick to wellknown brands and talk to the local tackle shop guys. There

we make a boat to suit you

If you haven’t had a crack at impoundment barra, grab a SIP permit and get amongst them! are a couple of real standouts though, and they include C’ultiva Tango Dancers and Z-Man Pop Frogz for the surface, and B52s and Bombers for shallow diving.

TEEMBURRA Teemburra is harder to fish than Kinchant; you have to use your brain to work out where the fish might be.

Start with an exposed shore, preferably where there are points at the ends of bays.

You’ll often spot barra on the sounder in deeper water. In this situation, look around and head to the nearest shallows with snags, a prominent point or weeds/ lilies. Those barra out in the deep will move into the shallows to feed, and that’s when you want to be there.

Don’t ignore the timber in Teemburra. I have caught plenty of barra in the sticks, and a good place to start is the heavy timber opposite the boat ramp. Work your way down the dam towards the mouth of Teemburra Creek and you’ll find acres

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and acres of drowned timber to chance your luck in. Lure losses can be high, but it’s great fun. Hooking onto an 80cm-plus barra in this environment will really test your angling skills. It’s not the place for light drags and pussy footing around.

EUNGELLA Eungella dam is a harder place to chase barra as it is high up over the western side of the range. At this time of year though, the water temp is way up and the big fish are on the move. Eungella probably has the biggest barra of all three dams, but these big fish are hard to find and catch. Still, challenges are just what fishing is about, so apply what you know from the other dams and give them a bash.

Without MAFSA those barra would not be there, so please make sure you get your SIP permit and tick the local dams to keep the fingerling supply coming.

To date MAFSA has stocked over 1,074,000 barra fingerlings in our 3 dams, but continued SIPs support is needed.

CREEKS AND ESTUARIES

There are fish everywhere at this time of year, and the only limiting factor is the weather.

Although it is very hot and humid, most times there are spots sheltered enough for pretty comfortable fishing.

December sees the jacks, cod and fingermark getting a starring role in the creeks and estuaries, especially where there is a bit of cover.

All are worthy catches on lures/fly or bait and will give you a hard fight. They also taste great, especially if you bleed them straight away and get them on ice.

The hotter weather has got the flathead moving around in the creeks, estuaries and off the beaches.

The larger specimens tend to be in the creeks rather than along the ocean beaches, and they can be caught on hardbody or plastic lures as well as bait. Live or fresh bait is obviously better than old frozen prawns, although

one of my old favourite baits for flathead was a fillet from a pilchard rigged on a couple of gang hooks and with a sinker about 500mm up the line. Very effective not only on flatties, but salmon, bream, trevally cod and jacks. I think the oil from the flesh is a large part of the attraction.

OFFSHORE Close offshore in December sees the continuation of the small mackerel run. With plenty of tuna, cobia and trevally mixed in, there is top-notch sport on offer.

LAND-BASED Unfortunately for landbased anglers, Ports Corp has just announced that the harbour southern break wall is to be closed through to February 2014. During this time they will repair the rock structure, which has been damaged over the last few years by cyclones. It’s a shame they couldn’t have scheduled the repairs for winter instead of summer, but that’s life.

That will still leave the northern break wall and its small beach as good spots, but they involve a fair walk.

Still a walk and fish is better than no walk and no fish!

The mouth of the Pioneer River will also keep firing through to the large Christmas tides, and there have been a few nice oyster crackers (snub-nosed dart or permit) caught near the end of the trainer walls at the Vee. The odd golden trevally also livens up proceedings a bit too.

Some hooter pikey bream have been caught along this rock wall, particularly after dark, and it is not unknown for jacks and fingermark to be caught here as well. The biggest problem is the current run.

Even on comparatively small high tides (neaps), you need plenty of lead to get the bait near the bottom and keep it there.

Coming up to Christmas, there are always plenty of options around Mackay. See you at the ramp and have a happy and safe Christmas.

News

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Claws are out to stop illegal crabbing Queensland recreational crabbers are being warned to crab responsibly and to show respect for fellow crabbers after a spate of unlawful crabbing practices.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) officer Lyndon Peddell said crab pot interference and other illegal crabbing practices were major compliance issues for the patrol.

“There has been an increase in the number of complaints involving people allegedly removing crabs from pots. It’s obvious that some fishers are just not getting the message,” he said.

“Interfering with crabbing apparatus that are not your own is a serious offence and you will be caught. Anyone caught unlawfully interfering with crab

apparatus will face an on-thespot fine of $1100 or maximum penalties up to $55,000. That’s a lot more expensive than the cost of buying a crab from your local seafood store.

“Stealing crabs or crab pots is a criminal offence, so those caught will also be referred to the police for investigation,” he said.

Mr Peddell said people

crab regulations

Crab Measurement Mud crab 15cm minimum across widest part of carapace Blue swimmer 11.5cm minimum notch to notch Spanner 10cm minimum centre spine to mid carapace

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should be aware of all current crabbing rules including size and possession limits as well as crab pot regulations before hitting the water.

“There are different size and possession limits as well as measuring methods for the various crab species. Female mud and blue swimmer crabs are no-take species and should be returned to the water immediately.

“It is also illegal to possess crabs with the carapace missing and crab meat while at sea unless it is for immediate consumption.

“No more than four crab pots or dillies, or a combination

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back in the water where it might do some good? No, just shear laziness!

These people will be the first to whinge when the Rangers close access to the beach and camping spots.

The Wuthumba camp site is now going to rack and ruin, I believe they call it regeneration, the fire rings have been removed, the showers made inoperable and the toilets well, they’re in a pretty sorry state.

This used to be a great spot now it’s just an ugly scar on the western side.

If you and I want to keep access to these places it is up to us to keep it clean, not give the powers-to-be another excuse to fuel their argument to close more areas down. – Alan Ballard

of both, are permitted to be used by a person at any time.

They need to be clearly marked with the owner’s name and address and if using a float, it must also have the owner’s name on it.

“Also, ensure pots have enough rope attached to the float so they are not lost in strong tidal currents,” he said.

Mr Peddell said fisheries regulations were aimed at

sustaining Queensland’s valuable fisheries resources.

“Rules are in place to protect and conserve crab stocks. By following the rules these valuable fisheries resources will be around for current and future generations of Queenslanders,” he said.

Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116. For more information visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23.

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At one location south of Wuthumba Creek we had gone ashore to look for a likely camping spot, what we discovered was that some idiot had cleaned his or her fish in one of the freshwater creeks and left all the remains in the creek. They also left all their bait on the beach well above the high tide mark!

They probably thought the dingoes would clean it up.

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This is the season to be jolly bowen

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

If I had to nominate a certain time of year when the jack fishing in Bowen is at its prime then December would definitely be right at the top.

Characterised by its sultry summer days and spectacular afternoon thunderstorms, December holds all the right ingredients to ignite the mangrove jack bite into a ferocious frenzy, which will burn out the drag washers on your baitcaster before the fat man makes it down the chimney!

It simply astounds me how crazy some of the mangrove jack sessions get in December around the creeks of Bowen as it can literally be a fish a cast when all the conditions line up perfectly.

While a good storm always gets them chewing, fishing the right tide is just as important and the lower the better is always a good

place to start.

If you’re chasing jacks in Bowen, then your number one obstacle is not choosing what lure to use or whether your line leader or trebles will hold up to a steaming jack attack, but something much simpler – water. That’s right, times of high water make finding those jacks just that much harder as they move deeper into the mangroves and often out of range of baits and lures. This is why fishing over the low tide is essential to success as it condenses the fish into smaller areas where lures and bait can get to, which will ultimately see more strikes.

The beauty about chasing jacks in December is that they aren’t shy and it is very common to take three or four fish off a single snag, where in earlier months the others would shy away after the capture of a single fish.

This makes for some awesome fishing as when you find one fish it usually sees a string of multiple captures follow, which sees some big catches

racking up.

Casting shallow running minnow style lures tight to structure is essential. Jacks will always strike on the first couple of winds so make sure you are ready to tango the moment the lure hits the water.

Soft plastic lures are also a good option and I love a 4-5” shad style plastic for this time of year as the tight rolling action and big paddletail always gets these big red devils biting. I am a firm believer that the bigger the lure, the better for this time of year; if you want to tangle with fish pushing the 50cm mark then forget your 80mm or even 100mm softies and start at the 130mm mark as these will be the ones the big fish will be interested in.

Jacks love to hang in packs and you’ll often see numbers over 10 fish in a group. They are often all sizes from tiddlers right up to the 50cm+ trophies.

If you throw in a small lure you are most likely going to attract the smaller fish from the school so you really want

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something that will discourage the tiddlers and ignite the interest of those kicker fish.

Whatever you use, make sure your drags are tight. If you fish any lighter than 20lb braid, then you are gambling especially when fishing tight to structure.

Leader is also key and I use nothing but Sunline FC Rock as I find this is the only leader that can withstand the high degrees of drag pressure and the abrasiveness experienced when going toe to toe with a big angry jack.

Jack fishing is not just for the lure chuckers, bait fishers also love this time of year for jacks. Finding a good snag or small snaggy creek with exposed roots and good overhangs and putting out a bit of berley can bring big numbers to the boat. Setting traps with freshly caught herring will bring the best results.

I love using herring as they are the perfect one bite bait for jacks, which tend to suck them down like lollypops. If you can’t get herring then slab mullet bait is the next best thing. Jacks tend to favour dead slab bait over live baits which also tend to attract barramundi as well, While the creek fishing will be going off so will the offshore fishing as December is a top time to be fishing the offshore reefs and islands around Bowen.

The number one target species will be coral trout and they will be prime this month. These fish will be moving up into the shallows around the islands and reefs as the water begins to warm.

Throwing large soft plastics across the fringing reef flats around Middle, Glouster and Stone Islands will see plenty

Big GT will be patrolling the island edges in December and are suckers for big stickbaits. of attention from these fish.

Topwater lures like poppers and stickbaits are worth a throw for coral trout in these areas as well.

If you are not into lure fishing then sinking a few big baits will be a top way to target trout. Isolated bommies off the reef ledges that show good holdings of bait are a great place to start.

Try moving from bommie to bommie and you should pick up a healthy mix of coral trout and sweetlip.

The key to snaring the bigger fish is to use bigger baits, and whole slabs of hussar and fusilier are great baits. Pilchards and squid will also do the trick but will also fall victim to the thousands of pickers these reefs hold. If you are chasing a trout make sure you stay aware as these fish will run to structure on the strike. If you can’t win that first few feet then you’ve lost the battle, the fish and your gear as well.

Finally, for sportfishers

topwater species like GT will also be in full swing through Bowen waters in December. Sweeping island corners heavily affected by current will hold the larger fish and the deeper the water the better. Try using large stickbaits when poppers are not getting attention and always fish when the tide is running its hardest for these awesome fish.

Next month will see further deterioration of the weather as storms become replaced by more consistent rain. This will see the creeks begin to fish a little harder as water clarity diminishes and freshwater run-off becomes a big variable.

The good news is that run-off is actually a good thing in certain spots and finding that clear water where it meets the dirty will be a good place to start when looking for those jacks.

Have a Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy the best the season has to offer.

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Hard slog produces large-mouth nannygai ayr

Steve Farmer

Burdekin anglers have copped the full gamut of sea conditions over the past few months. The morning calms and afternoon sea breeze pattern you might expect at this time of the year have produced some excellent opportunities for a quick sprint to the inshore shoals, but on other days unseasonal, blustery southeasters kicked up wild seas which kept everyone at home.

Liam Tinus and Glenn Boccalatte managed to squeeze in a trip as one weather window was closing.

A northerly blowing at a good 15 knots greeted them as they cleared the creek mouth and they knew they were in for a hard slog to their favourite shoal. They certainly weren’t doing the 40km/h that Liam’s near-new 4.6m Quintrex Renegade and 70hp fourstroke Yamaha was capable of.

Unfortunately their troubles weren’t over once they reached their secret spot.

A strong current combined with the rough seas made it almost impossible for them to anchor for very long. Time

and again the anchor would grab only to soon break free as a large wave lifted the bow of the Renegade. This then meant their lines and the anchor had to be retrieved and the boat repositioned for another try – an exhausting process, especially in the rough conditions.

However, their persistence was rewarded and they ended a rather uncomfortable fishing session with a dozen quality large-mouth nannygai and plenty of yarns about other fish that they couldn’t stop.

Liam said the fish they lost straightened the hooks and he suspected they were good red emperor. Squid was the bait that produced all the action.

The two anglers also said the sharks were a problem, taking a number of good fish as they brought them to the boat. Even the fish they did land often bore the marks of a close encounter with the toothy critters.

The grunter fishing in Bowling Green Bay has been in the news for months; quality fish in the 70-80cm range being regular catches.

The good fishing attracted plenty of anglers, with parking spots being at a premium at the Barrattas ramp on weekends.

Unfortunately (according to

Liam Tinus and Glenn Boccalatte battled uncomfortable seas for a dozen quality largemouth nannygai from the Alva Shoals. the fishing grapevine) a few greedy anglers are taking far more than their ‘in possession’ bag limit of ten fish per person.

Anglers should remember that the in possession bag limit includes any fish you might have in the freezer at home or in the ice box back at camp.

Lately however, the grunter fishing in Bowling Green Bay has tapered off

sharply, with the quality and numbers of fish dropping dramatically. Of course, the skilled and persistent fishers are still catching a few, but the easy pickings seem to be gone for now.

Prior to the November 1 beginning of the closed season, the bay and its many estuaries had also been producing a few barra as the weather warmed

up. Sizes were mainly on the small side, but a few 1m fish were trolled up at secret spots in the bay.

One unexpected hotspot for barra in late October was at Alva Beach, with fish varying from undersized to 85cm in length. Successful anglers said they couldn’t predict the barra’s preferences, which changed from one day to the next and ranged from slab and live baits to soft plastic and hardbodied lures.

Outlook For December Fishing in December is always hard to predict due to the impact an early wet season can have on local waters.

However, according to the experts, we will, more than likely, have a dry Christmas so let’s look at what fishing we can expect on that basis.

If it doesn’t rain, the estuaries will still be fishable, meaning that mangrove jack and golden snapper are likely to be targeted most by frustrated barramundi fishers during the closed season.

Jacks especially should be plentiful in the estuaries and will respond well to most techniques.

Fish baits such as mullet or herring can be fished slabbed, whole or live, either on a

bottom rig or on a paternoster rig. For jacks, whole or live baits should be smaller than you would use for barra – say 10cm or less.

Golden snapper aren’t what you would call a prolific species in Burdekin estuaries, however they can be found around deep holes, dropoffs and larger snags. Rock bars are ideal golden snapper territory, but few Burdekin estuaries have these features.

If you’re keen to catch a golden snapper then you’re probably better off fishing the inshore waters such as Cape Upstart, the shoals and Cape Bowling Green. These waters are likely to hold more and better quality fish. Again, for best results fish the deep holes and ledges, especially those with structure.

Throughout December estuary anglers can also try their luck in the mouths (or just outside the mouths) of creeks for pelagic species such as small mackerel, salmon, trevally or queenfish. These areas will fish best if we don’t get a fresh in the river and the waters remain fairly clean.

The last few months have seen a number of queenfish caught in the lower reaches of Phillips Camp and Ocean and Hell Hole creeks.

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Fast festive season fish ringing the bell hard townsville

Jack Reid

As another year passes by we can reflect on some great captures that have come our way, and other fish that we have witnessed fellow anglers land.

Keeping your finger on the pulse and continuing to fish right until the end of the year can pay dividends, with some ideal conditions throughout December to produce the goods.

As is usually the case in North Queensland, there are plenty different fish species to target and keep your casting arm busy.

Christmas crabbing It is a well-known fact that you can’t get a happier North Queensland fisherman than one with a few beers and a couple of full crabs to get through.

This is especially true in the festive month of December, when everyone who owns a few crab pots

is busy baiting them up and leaving them to soak for a few days throughout the month in the hope of some tasty Christmas bucks.

There are a few tips to increase your chances of getting a few crabs. Using

the right bait and dropping your pots in the right area are both important points to consider, so let’s look at those factors more closely.

Most people agree that fresh bait is always best, but what kind of bait should

f lt y fis pes h o

Al

www.taxidermy.net.au

you use? It’s an interesting subject, and everybody has their favourite “never fail’ baits to use. Fish frames are probably the most commonly used mud crab bait, and for good reason – they are durable and long lasting while also leaving plenty of scent in the water. Creek fish such as mangrove jacks, grunter and salmon are ideal choices. There are also some good options available from tackle stores, with mullet heads the best choice due to their size and toughness.

When you are up the creek or river it’s easy to spot locations that the crabs like best. Just look for areas that have plenty of mangroves and smaller side creeks that are shaded and have a reasonable depth.

Giving the pots a good amount of time in

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decEMBER 2013

QFM

Merry Christmas to all and hopefully you can all get a bent rod this month.

Danny Brooks from Tackle World Townsville has been getting amongst the nice grunter recently.

Traditional skin mounts

58

the water also helps. The tidal movement shifts the crabs around as they actively look for their next meal, so patience is the key sometimes.

The legal size for a mud crab is 15cm across the carapace, and you cannot take females. There is a bag limit of 10 per person and you are allowed four pots per person, which have to be marked with your name and address.

Inshore and rivers December is a top time

If the weather allows, offshore areas are well worth a try.

Trevally like this one are always great fun to catch. to be fishing the rivers.

With the barra off limits you can put your full focus on other species and get quality results.

Grunter get targeted by many baitfishers, and these tasty fish can be caught in both top quality and quantity when fishing the right area.

River mouths are ideal spots because the current that they receive acts like a fish highway for grunter to travel and feed through.

Larger baits are the go for big grunter, with whole squid and garfish slabs working great at the moment and at any time you’re chasing grunter.

You’ll want to fish around the two hours either side of the high tide, because that’s when the most action is happening at the moment.

The current stirs the fish up and they head out searching for a nice feed.

We are now in the busiest time of year with everyone sharing our waterways, so it is important to work together so we can all have a good time. Being patient goes a long way, and if we only keep what we need for a feed we’ll ensure great fishing for many years to come.

If you are travelling anywhere have a safe trip, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

READER’S PICTURE

7

36

7A

Michael O’Hara from Redcliffe takes son Zachary, 2 yo, fishing every other Saturday at Queens Beach. He caught this little fella on live worms he likes to keep in a packet in his pocket.

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It’s time to get really serious lucinda

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

Another year is drawing to a close, and what a great year it has been for anglers in Lucinda.

It is actually the first time in years I am finding it hard to complain about the weather.

The recent months of light winds and plenty of magic windows to get on the water has been terrific (hope it continues).

So what will December bring us in the way of bent rods and screaming drags? I can safely say that if you can put up with the heat and the rising humidity with the odd torrential downpour of rain, plus the thick clouds of mozzies and sandflies trying to carry you from the boat, you will get some great fishing action.

Hinchinbrook Channel Spending a few hours up the channel with some live bait in search of king threadfin salmon and golden snapper should pay off as both these fish will be about in good numbers.

Golden snapper can be found throughout the entire channel. For visiting anglers I would suggest heading across the channel and finding some

structure in the 10-18m depth range. The Bluff area is a well-known hot spot and with some prospecting you will find plenty of fishy looking ground on your sounder.

Time your trip around a tide change as the current will run hard in these areas. I prefer the last few hours of the run-in tide and, although your fishing window will be smaller, the larger tides will normally see more frantic action take place as the fish have less time to eat before taking cover.

At this time of year it Job Name: is smart to do some fishing during the night to escape

to find (normally) and are like lollies to these fish; put 2-3 on live and use a running sinker rig (sinker, swivel, trace – hook).

For those not wanting to use bait, then finding good ground and slowly drifting over jigging vibes and plastics such as Gimps and Threadybusters will produce fish, as will soft plastics such as Berkley Gulps in the jerkshad, Squid Vicious or my favourite the Nemesis profiles.

Choose a jighead that will get you to the bottom and keep you close while drifting. Take care not to go too heavy as you

what size leader and jigheads they were using it is nearly always the case of too heavy in both departments.

King threadfin salmon will be found in the waters that drop off sandbars. These fish will use the rising tide to head onto these sandbanks to feed. If you are lucky and are in the right place at the right time it is common to sight cast to feeding fish; stealth and pinpoint smart casting may see you hooked up for an amazing Hang on tight when throwing poppers out wide. fight.

Threadies have amazing snapper on the bottom ready to 600mm(w) nannies will turn off and the + 3 Size: x 900mm(h) speed and can quickly strip smash your plastic and destroy trout will become active. It’s line off reels, so it is important you through the pylonsPrint: and UV perfect, a few Press nannygaiD/Sided and a Digital Proof: to have No. drags 1 not overly tight you have a recipe for sports couple of trout for a feed off Material: 5mm as you 8 willOct pull 2013 hooks. They fishing heaven. the sameCoreflute spot.

Date: will respond well to live baits With the aid of Side Scan Big emperor will be in Finish: Half Cut Velcro and artificials. Finding good technology in the new fish the deep dark depths, 60-80m water or fish on the sounder finders prospecting the jetty and will really hurt the back and anchoring over them became quicker and easier. It when trying to bring them up.

Despatch: collect XP 2750 live baits SEIKO while deploying and is possible to slowly motor Client Just re-baiting tires you out so vertically jigging will cover all around until fish are found and don’t miss that fish. bases. cast straight at them.

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Work with the heat, not in it cairns

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The estuaries have been fishing fairly well over the past month, with mangrove jack the main players, along with school sized fingermark, trevally, queenfish and incidental barra.

MANGROVE JACK Jacks have been quite aggressive and there have been two distinct year groups on the

bite. The better fish have been around the 40cm size, with another group around 30cm in length. Lure size hasn’t been a big factor, with the smaller jacks attacking lures as big as 6” Barra Baits. However, soft plastic prawns and small soft plastic minnows have been the most productive.

The jack action has mainly been in the lower tidal reaches, probably due to the fish relocating from the freshwater, due to low stream levels after the prolonged dry spell.

Provided we don’t get some major dumps of rain, the jacks should hang around for some time to feed on the hatchings of sardines and sprat that will appear in local estuaries any time soon.

All the same, locals are hoping for an early wet, though there have been limited signs of any significant build-up at the time of writing. It’s shaping up to be a long, hot summer, so work with the heat, not in it. Start early, have a break in the middle of the day and then

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get into it again in the arvo for a late evening finish. That will not only provide the most comfortable conditions but also the most productive fishing.

Early mornings will provide the most options, as the seas are more often calm, allowing offshore fishing.

There is also less chance of running foul of a storm.

Long hot spells can really impede fishing, as the fish feel just as lethargic as the human population does. Look for changing conditions such as the turn of the tide, a passing storm, a significant wind change, rain or the first of the making tides after the neaps to stir the fish into action. Try to align these conditions with dawn and dusk and a bite time in the Angler’s Almanac, and you will be in with a good chance of success.

Rocky areas have been holding the better jack populations, though there have been a few on the snags. Work the rocky drop-offs, rock walls and rocky points in the lower estuary on the turn of high or low tide for best results. When the tide is racing, trolling deep diving minnows (under 10cm long) over heavy country will give you the best chance of a jack attack.

Because they have been feeding so aggressively, the jacks have been particularly quick at trying to brick you.

Even 40lb fluorocarbon with 30lb braid hasn’t been good enough at times, and 30lb leader will see you out-gunned even more regularly. During a particularly hot bite in the Johnstone River recently, we had a number of cut-offs and many shredded leaders in a great session that saw over a dozen jacks, from 25 to 40cm, make it to the landing net.

GOLDEN SNAPPER Golden snapper (fingermark) have been consistent all year, and the summer heat will hopefully turn them on even more. The headlands have been the most productive, though there have been some taken in the deeper holes in local waterways.

Chasing golden snapper fits in well with the tropical temperature cycle, as they are very hard to entice during the day. The best times to tangle with these mangrove jacks on steroids are very early, late light and all night.

Anything less than 30lb braid with 40lb fluorocarbon leader is a waste of good terminal tackle for these brutes.

That’s unless you know of a nice clean weed area that they sometimes feed on. There are areas like this around Hinchinbrook Island, but in the Cairns area I have only found fingermark on country with lots of structure to bury you in. My standard armour when trying to tangle with these brutes is 50lb braid with 50lb fluorocarbon leader.

Michael Starr caught this aggressive jack while trolling in the Johnstone River recently.

BRING THE KIDS Christmas is the time to be taking the littlies fishing, but golden snapper are not the fish to be chasing with children; these fish require a great deal of patience and non kid-friendly fishing hours.

For kids’ fishing, stick to early mornings and late afternoons for sun sense and comfort reasons, and go looking for smaller, more common species such as whiting, bream, grunter, small trevally and queenfish. Kids aren’t interested in having their arms pulled from their sockets by the likes of big golden snapper or monster GTs – they want lots of small fish action.

When my children were still ankle-biters, the highlight of our fishing trips was catching our own bait, either with a cast net or yabby pump. Most kids are the same. They love plenty of action, and the muddier and messier the better (be sure to hose them down before dropping them back into the comfort of their mother’s arms, if you want to be given a repeat set).

Make sure you are safety conscious and always thinking about and watching for crocs when near the water. When alighting and boarding from a sand bank, always use the boat as a barrier between the water and the sand, and keep your head up to scan the area.

Don’t let the fear of crocs be a reason not to take your kids out on the water, but do take every precaution to ensure their safety.

Fishing where you pumped the yabbies, as the tide rises, is a very productive approach. It can also be used by land-based anglers in the right location.

Look for a high sand bank with a low, flat area near the water.

There will often be a few yabby holes down on the low, flat sand. These can be pumped and then the family can fish from the safety of the higher sand bank as the tide rises. Instil in the kids the need to stand at least 3m from the water’s edge for older kids and 5m for young ones, and NEVER take your eye off them. Kids by nature will want to move closer to the water. It’s like a powerful magnet that just draws them in.

If they are sitting to fish, it’s a minimum of 5m from the water.

BARRAMUNDI Anglers still in need of a barra fix will find plenty of challenges trying to nail a monster in Tinaroo Dam. If you fish soft plastics at night, in the lead up to the new and full moons, you’ll be in with a chance of hooking a bucket mouth.

INSHORE AND BLUEWATER The inshore wrecks and rubble grounds will hold a few golden snapper, largemouth nannygai (saddletail snapper), Spanish mackerel and bruiser trevally this month.

Techniques worth trying in these areas include fishing livebaits on a dropper rig and jigging soft plastics, slices, knives and blades.

Pelagics will be on the prowl out wide, with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi (dolphinfish), giant trevally, northern bluefin tuna, mac tuna and the odd sailfish and black marlin providing plenty of action for the light and heavy tackle brigade.

Reef fishing has been pretty productive of late, with quality taking precedence over quantity on many trips. The deep water has been the most productive, with quality red emperor and saddletail snapper (large-mouth nannygai) the main trophies.Quality trout have been coming from the under 40m areas but not in big numbers.

A few Spaniards still being caught, so always have a livebait or floating pilchard out the back when bottom bashing.

Overnighters are certainly the best option in the December heat, but always monitor storms on the BOM radar so you don’t get caught out badly.

Finding the fish can be a challenge this month, so keep moving around until you locate a bite. The winds are usually fairy light in December, so drift fishing is a great approach to locate feeding fish. Sharks continue to be a problem, so be prepared to lose a few fish. It’s even worth going up a level in gear to get fish to the boat that bit faster. Now is not the time to be playing a bigmouth or trophy red emperor on 30lb braid. Get it to the boat as fast as your arms can wind!

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All’s well that ends well in ‘way out’ 2013 Alan Gurney awes0me@bigpond.net.au

Every year is different and this year was way out there. We had no flood for the first time in memory and this changed the places to catch fish.

Most of our commercial fisherman did not catch much and some even stopped fishing in June.

The fish were around but

they were not in their usual haunts.

I can also say that Gavin New who is our Barramundi Charter fisherman put clients on to over 40 metreplus barramundi. He had an awesome season and so did I. I was able to catch barramundi in the morning and Spanish mackerel in the afternoon.

It was a year where local knowledge was everything.

November was a change up as we had a good number of king salmon turn up with some

caught that were over a metre long. These fish should be around in December and will make the conditions worth it.

Our climate at this time of year is very hot and very humid so do not say you were not warned. The king salmon will be hanging around out the front and the best way to catch them is with live bait off the beach. This allows you to set up shade and have an unending supply of liquid refreshments available when required. The best time to fish is when the

Just about everyone seemed to land a quality mackerel like this.

Let’s hope for more action in 2014 from these speedsters.

wind is not blowing because if it is you will end up with weed everywhere.

We have had some nice black jew caught up the river with the Kerry D charter boat getting plenty for their clients.

They were anchored up in the deep holes in front of creeks around the bottom of the tide and bait was the old reliable pillies.

I love this time of year when Santa comes as you can always do with fishing gear.

My Santa came early and gave me an awesome setup for keeping stuff frozen while camping up the coast. My gear needs to fit in the boat so space and weight are limited. I have a solar panel, a fridge and an AGM battery that hopefully will solve my problem. I will report back after giving it a good test.

Sweers Report Another outstanding fishing season has come to an end on Sweers Island Resort.

Even with the lack of the wet season that has affected the fishing elsewhere, Sweers Island has been going off! The beginning of the season started with a bang with a great range of reefies being landed. Coral trout, gold-spot cod, emperor, barramundi, golden snapper (fingermark), GT, you name

it, they were getting caught and many at trophy sizes.

As water temperature cooled over winter things really ramped up and the mackerel were practically jumping into the boats. Over June-July, just about every resort guest got to experience the adrenaline pumping rush of a 17kg+ Spanish peeling line. When that water temp dropped below 21°C you couldn’t get the lines back into the water fast enough.

At this time it doesn’t really matter if you’re trolling with hard bodies, skirted jigs, floating dead or live baits, the Spanish were smashing them.

It is believed that Spanish mackerel congregate around this area for breeding and it’s not their stomachs that they are most concerned about. They become a lot more finicky and a well presented bait is required to take their attention off their natural instincts. This year’s Sweers Spanish Award was taken out by Denis Lynch with a 20.3kg monster.

As the water warmed up again, the reefies came back on the bite with some really nice coral trout putting smiles on the punters’ faces. Larger numbers of barramundi made their presence known by wolfing down numerous lures

It was all hands on deck as the mackerel made their mark at Sweers Island. off the beaches around the resort. It was also a great time for the sport fisher with large schools of giant herring, queenies and GT’s circulating the island. The arrival of the morning glory cloud brought the perfect conditions for those fishermen looking at chasing these sports fish with fly or soft plastics.

All up it was another great season on Sweers and hopefully our prayers to the weather gods will bring a bigger wet season and an even better fishing season next year.

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As we enter into probably the hottest month on our tropical calendar it’s time to sit back and reflect on what has been one hell of a marlin season over the past month or so!

In October proceedings took a little time to warm to the occasion but by around mid month things were into full swing.

Further north the Lizard Island Marlin Tournament with 32 contestants kick started the marlin run and by the end of the competition

tides so fish smarter and not harder. Make sure you are in your preferred zone and on target for when the change in water movement occurs. The deeper waters should offer more quarry as opposed to the shallows 25m or less.

Rivers and creeks Our local rivers and creeks should be peaking this month. This is probably one of the last periods before systems can be turned on top of their heads when the wet season arrives.

As the days have sky-rocketed in temperature the best fishing has occurred on the

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This period set the tone for the weeks ahead with a steady flow of fish on the march. By mid November many were calling it one of the years to remember and there was still potentially another 3-4 weeks of good fishing remaining into the early parts of December.

The marlin will continue to be registered for a little while to come ,probably dropping off during the middle parts of the month.

However there will still be some really great action with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi and even sailfish on offer leading towards the back end.

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The last few months have produced a top rate marlin season (photo courtesy of Fishing Port Douglas and Saltaire Charters). they had successfully accumulated 93 tag and releases with many more unlucky tales attached.

Following the tournament a lot of the boats remained north to fish along the Ribbon Reefs knowing, or hoping, that there was much more in store.

For those that chose this strategy it paid off in spades because the middle Ribbons exploded with activity.

For days on end the marlin were thick in numbers and there were plenty of horses amongst them.

Vessels were registering up to 6 giant marlin a day, which is absolute red hot fishing.

Skippers that arrived back from this phenomenon said it was mind-blowing stuff and what dreams are made of.

Roughly at around the same time further south the famous Linden Banks put on one its legendary hot bites and marlin were being registered left right and centre. There were plenty of big black marlin well in excess of that magical 1000lb mark and the airwaves were alive with chatter.

REEF FISHING On other fronts the reef fishing was a bit up and down as the days warmed, which was to be expected.

The best days fishing have been when the coral trout have come on the bite. This occurred following their spawning period at the start of November. They’d really come on the bite, then drop right off for a few days but then come back tenfold.

When they were on the chew so were the spangled emperor and sweetlip.

The saddletail snapper (large-mouth nannygai) have been harder to come by but when they were caught they were of absolute quality.

Other species to value add to the esky have been colossal reef mangrove jack, cobia, occasional stonker red emperor and there’s been sufficient numbers of Spanish mackerel caught on the floating rigs.

The coming month is generally extremely hot on the water and you must keep your fluids up to avoid dehydration. The best opportunities will occur on the turns of the

more neapish and making tides when the water clarity is at its premium.

The big tides around the moons, offering a lot of water movement, have really stirred up the water making the fishing far more challenging, especially closer to the entrances.

The upside has been a lot of salt water pushed right into the upper reaches taking with it a lot of fish, including grunter golden and giant trevally, and tarpon.

The golden snapper and mangrove jack are biting best in the lower reaches and there’s no substitute for using quality live bait, especially if you’re fishing at prime time on dusk or after dark. Avoid the draining midday sun and work the low light periods.

In summing up, what a marlin season! And we are still yet to announce the fallout of a couple of major events in the area. When the overall great fishing in the region is backed up by the best fishing on the planet for the ultimate goal – you’ve gotta get up here at some stage.

QFM

decEMBER 2013

67

Heavy gear out, light tackle in cooktown

Nick Stock

By the beginning of December, Cooktown is normally nearing the end of its world-renowned heavy tackle season for the famous black marlin.

This season has seen some

fantastic fish caught and released with a few fish over the magical ‘grander’ mark and plenty of other big girls in the 600-900lb range.

Captain Brad Craft on Castille was all business as usual and managed to put his clients onto 3 massive fish estimated at 900, 950

A selection of the author’s Twin River lures.

and 1000lb in one day! This added to his unbelievable tally of 8 blacks over 800lb in 5days fishing! Simply world class fishing (and skipper) on Cooktown’s doorstep!

All of the usual toothy culprits such as Spaniards, wahoo and cuda are thick at the moment on the outer reefs and good numbers of mahi mahi, dogtooth tuna and yellowfin are there for the few anglers that target them. Why more locals with bigger boats do not chase these line burners is beyond me. Ribbon no. 3 and 4 are riddled with them at certain times of the year.

Good numbers of saddletail snapper (largemouth nannygai), reef jacks and red emperor are hanging around in all of their usual rubble haunts, however be prepared to lose a few fish before they make it to the surface as the warmer 29ºC+ water temps ensure the grey suits are in plague numbers.

Further inshore around the headlands, quality table fish like bar cheek trout, tuskfish and school-sized saddletail snapper are keeping eskies looking respectable.

Big golden snapper will also be around, but only keep one or two for a feed as any fish over 75cm is over 50 years old.

There will be plenty of light tackle pelagic action around Cape Bedford over the coming month with longtails, mac tuna, Spaniards and queenfish the main culprits. They will all be feeding on the thick schools of summer bait and are a great option on 15lb spin gear. They also help kill the afternoon hours before heading out to the red hangs.

The rivers have been producing plenty of jacks and golden snapper around the 45cm mark, which are prime eating sized fish. As per usual, lightly weighted live sardines, around 6cm, are often too hard to resist.

A by-catch of queenfish, grunter, trevally, barra and even the odd threadfin salmon can be expected.

The Annan River has been producing some great jacks and golden snapper on lure in the upper reaches.

Heading upstream from the main road bridge is a great way to spend a few hours flicking lures. Take note of tides as it can get shallow

489 & 539 nomad fisher

Annan River has been producing some great jacks on lure in the upper reaches. and if you call in to The Lure Shop, Russell has a mud map of the rivers to keep you out of trouble.

Take note that DEHP has issued a warning as there has been a big salty seen on numerous occasions in the freshwater reaches of the Little Annan River. This is a popular swimming spot for both locals and tourists alike but take notice of the warning signs as getting

taken by a crocodile is a sure fire way to ruin your holiday!

The water hole at Trevathan Falls is about the only safe, croc-less spot to swim so go there instead if you want a dip.

Until next month stay safe on the water.

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QFM

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December is boom or bust cape york

Tim O’Reilly aggott88@gmail.com

The first days of summer will be issuing in a new form of heat even more intense and foreboding than the previous three months of spring. But for all those who can hack a windless, overcast day up a tropical creek where the only chance of a cool off is the sweat running down your

back, the rewards can be fantastic.

Supercharged creek and estuary systems will follow from the many spawning aggregations of fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

Like every other creature on earth, those of the aquatic world will be looking to feast after procreating. It’s energy sapping stuff doing your business amongst stiff competition in the underwater world and following on from a

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successful spawn, many critters will be hanging with the crowd and looking for trouble.

The build up to the wet season will increase water temperatures and anglers will often find December a far more productive month fishingwise than any other month of summer. Remembering that up in Cape York, the intense heat, a reversal of prevailing winds and periodically dropping barometer can all throw fish off the bite. However these same conditions can intensify a bite time when it happens. It’s a real boom and bust time of year and successful anglers will be tuned in to localised conditions.

A late morning wind change, an offshore colour change, a touch of algae in the water column could be just some of the clues combined with so many others to make a location either productive or completely devoid of fish life. These subtle clues can be used by anglers and are often the difference between two boats fishing the same area with the same techniques and getting different results.

Let’s look at some examples. Creeks and rivers, lagoons and billabongs will be at their lowest levels of the year. For various reasons this can make the fishing tricky and fish hard to tempt, however the decreased water levels will pack fish into a smaller area and key bite times of early morning and dusk can really turn on the goods. Fish such as saratoga, sooty grunter, tarpon, archerfish, barramundi and mangrove jack may all lay dormant throughout the day, only to light up for an hour just around dusk, ready to pounce on well placed poppers, fizzers and surface presentations.

Where pools are created in the many Cape York rivers at the end of a long hot dry season, it can seem to the casual observer that all the fish have deserted the scene.

Casting lure after lure at likely looking snags throughout the middle of the day can be so unproductive that many anglers will succumb to the heat

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and flies! Other more canny anglers will be using the first and final glimpses of daylight to fish the head and tail areas of pools and lagoons. Shallow rocky areas which hold bait may have nothing doing until that last twinkle before dark, when fish materialise from the deeper green waters and begin foraging the shallows and cruising the surface.

The incoming tide will have a similar effect late in the afternoon of concentrating fish around the mouth area of creeks and rivers. December will have some very large tides, making fishing a little tricky on occasion. Look for currents and back eddies near the sandy mouth of a creek which are accentuated by the large tides.

Keep trying techniques and locations until you find fish and then concentrate lures and live baits in that area. Don’t keep moving on straight away, because you may be leaving the site of a potential hot bite.

Out in the bays and reefy

Look for structure near creek mouths for congregating fish. areas surrounding Cape York, be prepared to use your sounder and look for lumpy areas detached from the main reef or shoreline.

Particularly in late spring and early summer, many reef dwellers will be aggregating a short distance from structure or even over adjacent sandy patches. Try fishing the leading current-charged edge of structure and don’t forget to try out wider first, dropping soft plastics and baits to those spots slightly deeper than the structure seen near the surface.

Golden snapper, emperors,

saddletail and crimson snapper (nannygai), coral trout and black jewfish are all prime targets for this type of fishing and can all be taken on spin gear with weighted soft plastics.

Make the most out of your chances to wet a line in December, especially if the threatening storms and wet weather fail to materialise.

The following few months of January, February and March can often be a write-off for fishing in far north, so get a few fish for Christmas while the going’s good!

Billfish make up the bulk weipa

Josh Lyons thesportfisher@gmail.com

It may sound like I have been repeating myself in the last few months by raving about the new light tackle billfishery here in Weipa. But it has been incredible, and has seen some amazing fishing mostly within one-hour run of the boat ramp.

The new moon earlier in November really seemed to kick the billies into action.

Coupled with beautiful weather, it is no surprise a handful of boats from the local Billfish Club tagged in excess of 30 for the weekend.

Out between the 20m and 30m contour lines, packs of marauding sailfish had bait schools balled up on the surface and picked them off at will. Just a frigate bird or two would give away their location.

Once arriving at the location all hell would break lose with up to eight sails on a baitball.

Mixed in with the sailfish were small blacks that have invaded the offshore from Weipa this year. Some boats managed to tag in excess of 10 fish for the day with countless raised and seen free jumping in the area. Most have been taken switch baiting, which involves teasing the fish up then feeding back either a rigged dead bait or bridled livie to a ‘lit up’ and hungry fish. Plenty however have also been taken on the always popular skipping gar. This action will hopefully continue through to the end of the

year and some festive season sailfish and marlin will be had.

Offshore the Spaniards have been pretty consistent, although generally some distances need to be travelled to find them in any numbers.

There have been some nice schools out wide alongside the sailfish, which can be a pain on your nicely rigged baits. However, in the evening around the barbeque when the fillets are seared up, there are few complaints.

The water in close to shore around Boyd Bay and Pera has been generally green and lifeless with the majority of good bottom fish taken around Duyfken Point or on the rubble beyond.

I have been finding some top reef fish on the shallower reefs in and around the Pine Bay area. The key has been to find some lovely live herring, find some nice reef patches in 10-20ft of water, then drop them down and hang on.

Beautiful golden snapper and gold spot cod have made up the bulk of the catches, along with some decent queenfish and trevally to add some variety. It makes for a fun afternoon after bashing the snags in the steamy creeks all morning.

Other close spots to try with a live bait this month will be any of the beacons in the shipping channel and the southern end of the Mission Bridge.

November hasn’t seen too much storm action as yet but expect that to amp up throughout December. Early starts are the go this time of year, as being caught in a big Cape York storm is not high on the list of fun things to do. An eye needs to be kept on the weather, particularly in the afternoon. Make sure your bilge pump is in good working order as a big build up storm can fill the bottom of medium-sized dinghy in no time.

Golden snapper are in the shallower reefs in and around the Pine Bay area.

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decEMBER 2013

71

Small macks and headlands brisbane

Kim Bain

Most of my life I’ve been into mackerel fishing of some sort or another.

Much of my youth was spent high-speed spinning

a kid who loved catching and eating them.

Alas those big schools of my youth are pretty much no longer in SE QLD. I blame the government operatives who were far too late in bringing in the regulations to control

This image shows a submerged bait school that was being trolled around to catch the mackerel. Take note of the humps in the bottom (bommies) and the water depth.

This also shows the advantage of a spilt screen zoom.

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chrome lures for them in the bays of South East Queensland. Schoolies, spotties, a few greys and the occasional Spaniard provided plenty of fun to

commercial mackerel netting.

Some commentators are of the opinion that mackerel will avoid areas where they have been

heavily netted in the past.

My take on this is that the genetic coding that made those fish prefer to school up in open bays has been killed off, thus the genetic coding for other areas have come to the fore.

One area where it is hard for the nets to get to, are the waters around the rocky headlands. These spots are worth targeting and will still produce a fish or two per session (a caveat: some rocky headlands are now Green Zones). Not all of the rocky headlands are accessible to small trailer craft in the 4.3m length range, but some are, especially when the weather is fine. Often craft can be launched from nearby beaches or rivers with tame bars to negotiate.

These days most crews go offshore in slightly larger boats than we did when I was a youngster. In

Queensland mackerel regulations

Species Grey Spanish School Shark Spotted

Min. length Bag Limit 60cm 5 75cm 3 50cm 10 50cm 10 60cm 5

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join the queue scenario and politeness becomes a factor in your day’s enjoyment. I wonder if those advocating the closures really understood the second order knock on effects of increasing pressure on the remaining spots.

If my genetic coding theories are correct, than

This school mackerel was caught on a Laser Pro. Small macks will eat big lures but are better targeted with mack snacks (i.e. smaller scaled down versions of the big lures). fish for its own future.

These waters are best targeted by trolling as the fish aren’t often schooled up as thickly as they once were. Trolling covers ground and allows you to present a variety of lures to the fish at the same time. Small boats are manoeuvrable and can get their troll patterns where big boats fear to tread.

No matter how you catch them, small macks are always fun and they still taste great when filleted and cooked fresh on the grill.

I troll for them by towing a spread of at least 3 lures. Because the nature of headland trolling

rod fighting the mackerel) becomes a problem.

Accordingly, a 2-person crew could run a 3 lure pattern and a 3-person team may run a 4 lure pattern.

The ideal trolling speed is the 6-6.5 knot range, but don’t be too rigid. If the fish are not biting then be sure to slow it down a little or even to speed it up.

Use your GPS to measure your boat speed; the paddle-wheel type speedo is notoriously inaccurate.

When slowing down, (because of the sea conditions) consider running a spoon in your pattern. When speeding it up try to include a leadheaded feather.

A 3 rod trolling spread using elevation and T-holders to get the perfect type of rod tip separation, which reduces tangles and creates the opportunity for manoeuvrability and tight turns. This is a good distance to troll out from headlands.

Mustad’s Ultra Point treble hook range includes the 36329BLN Barra/Bluewater treble, the 36300BLN Short Round treble and the new Kevin Van Dam Triple Grip TG76BLN.

72

those days a trailer boat up to about 18’ was the limit of your Falcon/Commodore tow package, and 15’ boats were common offshore.

These days with family 4WDs being almost the norm for fishing families, 24’ is comfortable and legal.

Once upon a time the headland scene was the domain of 14’ and 15’ boats. Nowadays you are just as likely to see a very big half-cab in close to the rocks with a spread of lures out. Also the closure of the offshore rock outcrops to turn them into dive locations has forced the bigger boats that would normally go to them, to have to focus on the remaining headlands that aren’t Green Zones; instead of finding ‘your own’ headland for the day’s fishing like you used to. These days it can be a turn up and

focusing fishing pressure on limited spots is the worst thing that can be done to the mackerel’s survival. Better to spread out the impact so that each spot continues to produce

requires you to be able to keep the boat on the go and away from the rocks once you hook a fish – then typically more than two lures per person to wind in (one of you will be on the

A typical 6-6.5 knot pattern could include – a 1oz Magnum Rat-L-Trap bibless, a small Rapala X-Rap and a larger Rapala CD or Halco Laser Pro. The occasional small

mackerel will still eat a big offering. Meanwhile the big offering is targeting the Spanish mackerel that haunt the same headlands as their smaller cousins.

In fact, don’t be surprised if you find that a small mackerel makes a welcome meal for a big Spaniard.

The best time of day for targeting the full range of mackerel species is referred to by some as ‘grey’ light, i.e. that time at dusk and dawn between

when the sun is shining and darkness.

The turn of the tide can also have an influence. A turning tide that coincides with a grey sky is probably the best date on the calendar to circle. Either side of high or low tide will work at some spots depending on the location’s other influences.

Sometimes it is the low flow times that produce the fish, other times it is very much a case of ‘no run, no fun’.

We upgraded this Penn specifically for mackerel trolling.

The Reelax removable T-holder drops into a normal rod holder to improve your trolling spread, provides a good angle for pulling bibbed lures and is easy to use. Note the safety line attached under the reel clamp.

However, a lot still depends on the location, or more correctly the locations within the location. Spots around headlands adjacent to river mouths on the run-out tide can be the most productive when the baitfish (and/or their feed) are flushed out of the estuary and hang out at the headland until the next run-in tide.

As a side note, please give consideration to anglers fishing off the rocks.

They need casting room, and if they are throwing metal for mackerel then that casting distance can be close to 100m, more in some cases. Additionally they need room to fight their fish.

Mackerel are clean fighters and these days with light line-class mackerel fishing being less important to the wider fishing community, most mackerel come to the boat pretty fresh after their first long run. Therefore, things can get a little tricky at the side of the boat. I run 30lb or 50lb line on my reels just so that I’m able to negotiate on my terms when a big mackerel latches on while I’m targeting small macks.

Once the torpedolike mackerel is beside your vessel at the end of the fight, keep your

engine in gear and idle the boat forward so that water pressure and heavier

shaped heads for Spaniards and small round heads for spotties and schoolies.

proper mackerel (and yellowfin tuna) gaffs start at 2m. I used 2.4m model

This Spaniard action shot shows a good view of the lure and also the gaff-point angles of the gaff. line steers (or pulls) the mack along to make gaffing easier.

Speaking of landing fish, gaffing mackerel is a skill to be practised. I like long gaffs and diamond-

I reckon most mackerel losses at the gaff are due to anglers using those short handles, 1.5m length, that fit in their boat’s side pockets. Depending on your gaffing technique,

when I was a kid and now I use 3.6m gaffs in the boat.

With the small gaffs it is very hard to reach out and over the fish while it is still side on to the boat and under the water.

QFM

decEMBER 2013

73

Sun Protection

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Gloves Sun protection gloves proved valuable protection the back of the anglers hands and to their wrists, two areas that are most often exposed UV radiation.

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Tonic manages to find the balance between a stylish frame and one that is functional and the release of the Cove frame for ladies enhances this reputation.

A frame that offers the angler adequate protection from the sun when being exposed to high levels of light and glare for long periods of time requires certain key elements. These elements and functional design don’t always make for a frame that stylistically fits in with today’s fashion trends, but Cove solves these issues.

The new Cove Ladies sleek design makes it suitable for fishing, driving and everyday use. Making use of a soft, flexible temple for superior comfort and fit, testers claimed that after only a few minutes you will not know you are wearing them.

Available in shiny black frame with glass grey lens (pictured) and shiny tortoiseshell frame with glass photochromic copper lens, the Cove will provide great protection and comfort. The new photochromic glass lens is significantly lighter. Instead of being 2.3mm thick it is only 1.8mm thick, so you can imagine what it is like to wear them all day, it is almost like wearing a plastic lens.

Price: $259 www.tonic.com.au

3

new colours for Sun2Sea Australia’s favourite certified 50+ UPF WetnDry shirts have just got cooler.

Three new colours have been released to keep you and your family safe from the sun all day while you’re on the water.

The new colours became available from November 1 and are mocha, olive and ocean blue camo. The three new colours are all available in polo shirts, gloves and necksox. Add these brilliant additions to the other 11 colours and Sun2Sea UV Protection have you covered.

The most styles, the most colours and most important the highest UPF rating available. Aussie made and they can be worn wet or dry as they are quick drying and loose fitting to keep you cool.

Price: Long Sleeve Men’s Polo $69.95 www.sun2seauvprotection.com.au

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Sun Protection  Switchbait’s

custom shirts and sun masks Switchbait is a new company that has a range of fishing wear designed to get you on the water in style while being protected.

The Switchbaiot Performance Polo is a high UPF rated shirt that the team can design to meet your requirements. This means you can have just about anything on your shirt and have it look the way you want. Of course you can also buy from the existing range, but the prospect of designing your own, with Switchbait’s help is a great idea.

Add in the Swithcbait Sun Mask, which comes in three great designs or you can again design your own, and the top half of your body not only looks good but is protected from the sun.

Price: Shirts $40, Sun Masks $15 www.switchbait.com.au

 Bigfish

FISH HEADZ FISH HEADZ are multifunctional headwear for your head ears and neck that can be used for protection from the sun/wind/rain and keeping you cool.

Bigfish specifically wanted a garment that was light, cool and comfortable to wear with good UPF protection, hence their versions is made from lightweight, stretchy polyester. Heavyweight fabric will give higher sun protection, but they are

restrictive to breathe through and much hotter to wear.

UPF protection does vary according to the colour; the lighter colours are around UPF 20 and the darker colours are UPF 30.

Wearing FISH HEADZ is like applying the same rated sunscreen that will not wear off.

On hot days, dunk them in your esky water and pull them on, they’ll cool you instantly. FISH HEADZ should not be used as a complete substitute for sun protection cream, they should rather be used in conjunction with it to get the best benefits.

Price: $21.95 www.bigfishgraphics.com.au

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Adapt-A-Cap Ultimate



The UPF50+ Adapt-A-Cap Ultimate is only for those who are serious about spending time in the great outdoors.

The latest version of an old favourite is not for the faint hearted!

Built with more face and neck coverage, this design continues to offer maximum UPF50+ sun protection with ultimate comfort. With the addition of a drawstring and toggle, the fabric can be drawn up to sit over the nose in comfort while protecting the face, lips, nose and neck against the UV, wind and glare but staying loose enough for plenty of airflow.

Combined with a wide anti-glare visor, in-built sweatband, easy flip-over design for varying weather conditions and a quick size adjuster, why wear anything else?

Price: $32.95 www.sunprotection.com.au

3

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CABO

Acetate Polarised with Non polarised reader insert • Ideal for reading digital equipment/ charts/ tying tackle +1.50, +2.00, +2.50

www.barzoptics.com 07·5576 4365

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QFM V&TFM

Floating Sunglasses • Polycarbonate Polarised • Polycarbonate Polarised Photochromic • Polycarbonate Non-polarised

TOFINO

BARZ OPTICS SHOWROOM Unit 11 / 4 Leda Drive BURLEIGH HEADS QLD

Sun Protection

Mako’s women’s frames



Mako Polarised Eyewear has been at the forefront of lens technology for years and they have introduced that technology into their women’s frames. Light plastics frames are combined with exceptional polycarbonate and glass lenses to produce a wearable, fashionable pair of polarised glasses.

The Wave is a fashionable frame available in glass and polycarbonate lenses and black and trotoise frame colours. The Seabreeze comes only with ploycarbonate lenses while the oversized SeeLife frame also combines polycarbonate lenses in a light-weight plastic frame.

Both grey and brown lenses are available in these frames which will cover the majority of fishing options.

Price: $179.95 www.makoeyewear.com.au

Barz kids polarised glasses



Barz Optics has released a range of kids polarised sunglasses ideal for active sporting kids in the great outdoors.

Barz kids sunglass models are fitted with 1.1mm durable acetate lenses, the same high quality as the Barz adult styles (most kids sunglasses have less quality lenses). All kids models are available with grey or amber lenses and suit children aged between 6 and 13 years old.

Choose from the Grom, the Nauru

Junior (wrap style frame suitable for a variety of activities), the Neemo (wrap style frame) or the retro style Cal model. Available in a variety of modern frame colours.

Barz sunglasses are for people involved in marine/fishing activities, all sunglasses have quality polarised lenses in a wide range of lens options including polarised bi focal, polarised photochromic, polarised pc photochromic (infused with melanin).

Price: from $35 www.barzoptics.com.

Bigfish hats and caps



The combination of super breathable mesh and a sturdy peak make these caps very cool, functional and durable. Each cap features a full colour ‘swish’ panel depicting various iconic fish.

Every Cap is a one size fits all, with an adjustable velcro strap. Available in navyoffshore (sailfish, snapper, tuna and kingies), white-estuary (flathead, barramundi, bream, cod and bass) and the new blackyellowbelly (yellowbelly, lure and snags).

Stunning Wide Brim hats that offer the best sun protection, these hats are incredibly breathable, durable, importantly UPF50+ and won’t heat up.

A chin rope and toggle will secure the hat on windy days. navy-offshore (sailfish, snapper, tuna and kingies), white-estuary (flathead, barramundi, bream, cod and bass). Bigfish hats are available in S-M and L-XL with L-XL being the most generic size.

Price: Caps $24.95, wide brim hats $29.95 www.bigfishgraphics.com.au

Takes fishing to the Next Dimension!

1

After two months of testing by myself and the team our belief was that Tonic were optically clearer than anything we were currently using and worked over a

2

wider spectrum of light conditions.

As an additional bonus, they were the best driving glasses we ever used. We are of the opinion that Tonic Eyewear have taken polaroid glasses a major step forward, and we have committed to using them for the foreseable future

3

-Ken Orr- Professional Fly Fishing Guide

Available at selected tackle stores

CONTACT: (03) 9761 7002

doug@toniceyewear.com.au QFM V&TFM

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Sun Protection

Tide Apparel’s Anchor Boardshort



These boardshorts are a bit shorter then your average boardshort, they sit just above the knee, which makes them perfect for roundhouse kicks and lunging when you’re fighting a fish.

These boardshorts have 3 pockets, one either side and one at the back which is covered by a Velcro flap to help keep things secure. The elastic waist makes them a perfect fit every time, which means these will be the comfiest shorts you will ever wear in your life. The material is quick dry, which is a necessity because no one wants to be stuck in wet shorts when they don’t want to. Available in S, M, L and XL. Price: $25 www.tideapparel.com.au



Fuglies Slabs

Fuglies’ Slabs range has a host of features that make these glasses confortable and functional.

Fuglies Slabs feature glare-reducing polarised lenses for excellent in-water visibility, a neutral smoke grey tint for distortion-free colour perception, and a UV400 rating for 100% protection from harmful UVA and UVB ultra-violet radiation. By using tri-acetate (TAC) lenses in this model we’ve made them stronger, lighter and clearer than regular acrylic lenses, and with a scratch-resistant lens coating we’ve made them tougher as well.

The wrap-around frame and lens shape has been designed to give a wide field of vision while providing excellent side, top and

bottom glare protection. The added benefit of this design approach is a significant reduction in wind and dust getting in under the glasses.

Wear them all day with no headache, rubbing or pinching thanks to the lightweight frame and the soft rubber non-slip nosepieces and arm grip tabs. And they float!

Available in gloss white (PL10), gloss black (PL05) or matte black and yellow (PL06), Price: from $39.95, prescription $249 www.fuglies.com.au.

1

Byfield ‘s new models



Byfield Optics has an extensive military background and 25 years of experience in customised ballistic eye protection.

Carl Zeiss Vision manufactures proprietary multi layered lenses that offer advanced optical, 100% UVA, B & C and ballistic protection. All Byfield frames are made from Swiss heat bonded TR90 which is designed not to fracture upon impact, with an embedded titanium pin hinge.

The range has been certified to ANSI Z87 1-2003 and AS/NZS 1337.1.2010 for impact.

This means they are rated as safety glasses and are therefore tax deductable.That is why Byfield can claim their range of eye protection is the toughest.

Four new models are available March 2014 equipped with unique liquid rubber coating for increased frame strength, durability, superior fit and feel.

Price: from $242 www.byfieldoptics.com

h c t a C ORE M

BUY ONLINE...

2

3

THIS

! r e m m u S

or see website for entire range and nearest retailer

bigfishgraphics.com.au 88 78

DECEMBER decEMBER 2013

V&TFM QFM

3x

WESITNONF SEHROW B /13 2010/11

Sun Protection

Mako’s best ever lenses



1

2

Mako Eyewear is about to release its most technologically advanced lens collection yet – the new HDIR series.

A lot of heat radiated from the sun isn’t blocked by the UV filters in standard sunglasses. However, Mako’s HDIR lenses (High Definition Infra Red protection) have changed all that. As well as filtering 100% of UVA and UVB rays, and providing 99% glare reduction, these lenses filter infrared rays to deliver ultimate protection, heat reduction and comfort for your eyes. It’s particularly good for anglers in hot climates.

As a bonus, the HDIR lenses also filter certain wavelengths of the visible spectrum that reduce your eyes’ ability to function at their best. By filtering these wavelengths, the lenses give you greater clarity and contrast.

Made in Italy using high quality, lightweight, scratch-resistant glass, HDIR lenses come in three different colours.

They are fully sealed to withstand harsh Australian conditions, and they’re backed

by Mako’s 24-month warranty.

Price: from RRP $289 www.makoeyewear.com.au

UPF50+ sports gloves



3 Byfield_optics_half page_noBleed.pdf 1 11/5/2013 9:47:23 PM

The backs of our hands are the most exposed parts of our body to UV damage, and the most forgotten!

Sun Protection Australia’s UPF50+

Sports Gloves provide UPF50+ protection to the backs of the hand and padded comfort for the palm. Made from UPF50+ Italian lycra and with a rubber sure-grip palm, these gloves provide practical and convenient sun protection.

The Sun Protection Australia Sports Glove is ideal for anyone who spends time in the great outdoors - great for fishing, cycling, kayaking, golfing, and sailing. Three practical colours, black, royal and skin and sizes XS to XL are available to ensure there is a style and size to fit everyone.

Price: $25.95 www.sunprotection.com.au



Bigfish Jewie

The very latest release in the Bigfish range of sun protective fishing shirts is a print of schooling jewfish (mulloway) about to inhale a soft plastic. It’s nothing short of awesome.

Jewfish on plastics has really come of age and this shirt is a must for the avid jewie angler. The Jewie will be available in the coming months and be on the lookout for the Jewie Cap and FISH HEADZ package combination.

All Bigfish shirts are made from the highest quality, Australian knitted polyester.

This sports dry material is designed for the tropics and is incredibly soft to feel, unbelievably cool, durable, UPF 50, and lightweight. The material is much cooler than cotton, will not fade or shrink, does not require ironing and is very durable. Bigfish shirts not only look great, but anglers want to wear them for their comfort, style and of course their sun protection.

Price: $89.95 www.bigfishgraphics.com.au

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Sun Protection

New season cargo polos



Not only do these new season cargo polos from Sun Protection Australian combine maximum all day sun protection and style, they also feature a cargo pocket with sunglass holder and mesh underarm gussets for additional air flow and added comfort.

Soft, silky and cool against the skin, these polos are engineered from the same breathable, lightweight and durable fabric that Sun Protection Australian is renowned for.

They are also sand, chlorine and fade resistant as well as being quick drying and easy care for. These polo make the perfect travelling companion, with style and guaranteed peace of mind in a practical, convenient and stylish sun protection package!

With three great colours to choose from an d sizes from S through to 3XL, why wear anything else?

Price: $69.95 www.sunprotection.com.au



Tofino

Barz Optics, the Gold Coast based sunglass company, has just released their new Tofino polarised sunglass.

The lightweight frame is a wrap style with side windows offering maximum protection from the sides thus eliminating glare, wind and ocean spray while offering great peripheral vision. This sunglass offers a comfortable and secure fit on the face.

The Tofino is available in a matt black or a gloss tortoise frame and is suitable for men and women and is fitted with a 1.1mm

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DECEMBER decEMBER2013 2013

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triacetate lenses in grey/amber or blue mirror.

The Tofino is offered with a range of lenses and price points: • Triacetate polarised lenses; • Triacetate polarised photochromic (lens lightens to Cat 2 in low light and darkens to Cat 3 in full sun); • Triacetate polarised with non polarised bi-focal readers (+1.50, +2.00 and +2.50 powers) - These readers are great for reading digital equipment/tying tackle.

Price: from $242 www.barzoptics.com



Euro Mako

Euro Optics is a sunglass collection revered amongst fishing and sporting enthusiasts looking for innovative sunglass designs and superior lens performance.

Euro frames are manufactured using TR90 frame material and the latest in high performance polarising lens technology.

Seven layer Triacetate (TAC) lenses are thermal formed to guarantee optical correctness, UV protection and glare elimination. Its seven layers include a polarising filter (middle), two layers of each TAC (support material) UV filters (UV Protection) and hard coating (scratch resistance). The TAC lens is also lightweight and shatterproof making it the ideal lens for the modern fisher.

The new Euro Mako (model S9290EUU) sunglasses is a slick wraparound frame design with the benefit of being able to float in the water. This frame has been fitted with two foam inserts moulded into each inside temple ensuring that your favourite glasses will not sink.

Price: $59.99 www.gibsoneyewear.com.au

2 1 3

Sun Protection 

Troppo Jersey



The amazing scenery of the Keppel Island group inspired this jersey; it showcases the beauty above and below the water.

This jersey was designed to help combat the extreme heat summer throws our way, incorporating light colours, white sleeves and white collar. The jersey will prevent sunburn and the 100% Polyester breathable material will keep you cool.

At the end of the sleeves Tide Apparel has included an elastic style cuff to prevent your sleeve blowing around and getting caught up in your reel or worse. This is the third Jersey in their original Fishing Jersey Range, and is available in sizes S, M, L, XL andXXL. Price: $70 www.tideapparel.com.au

UPF rating in clothing

Obtaining certified UPF ratings is in the interest of businesses and their customers as it allows for informed choices to be made on products purchased to protect them from the sun. Currently UPF50+ is the highest rating and garments that have a certified rating this high offer the best protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

Robbie Wells for Sun2Sea talked to us regarding ratings and gave us some indication of the process that businesses must go through to be officially certified.

Robbie said, “I believe the main reason some companies don’t get certified is that after the initial testing of their products the UPF rating doesn’t come back with the desired result.”

He also said that the testing was carried

Euro Diesel

1

Euro Optics is an Australian owned and designed sunglass collection revered amongst fishing and sporting enthusiasts looking for innovative sunglass designs and superior lens performance.

The Euro Diesel (model S9319EUC) has been designed for a bigger fit with its deeper shaped lenses and wider temples offering a complete wraparound design for the larger heads. This extra frame size will also give the wearer additional coverage from the sun’s harmful UV rays and is available in two frame and lens colour variations, traditional black rubber (soft touch) with smoke lens and the new tan fibre with Brown lens, Price: $59.99 www.gibsoneyewear.com.au out on the lightest colour on the shirts so a shirt coloured white generally has a lower UPF rating than a shirt coloured black.

Robbie is a proponent of full testing of all clothing said to be for sun protection as he says, “In reality you are dealing with people’s lives, not just producing another item to flog off.”

And that’s exactly it. With Australia having the highest rate of skin cancers, we need to be aware and we need to be protected.

The details required for UPF certification include: • All businesses seeking Government ARPANSA certification must enclose an A4 sample of each fabric, in each colour and from each separate roll or batch before manufacture.

• The application must include all products (polo shirts, gloves etc) and all brands

2 associated (Sun2Sea UV protection/Wetndry/ Fishculture) that are on the article.

• Once the fabric is tested the results are sent to the business with a mean UPF given from UVA and UVB tests of each colour so if the mean average is above 65 it would be a 50+ certification if the result is 41 it would be a 40+ certification.

• A UPF trademark licence is then given out with the colour and batch number listed with approved UPF rating allowed to be displayed on the garment colour.

• Products can then be labelled with the official ARPANSA appropriate UPF rating tag • Every time a new roll of fabric is used the same process is to be followed to keep the UPF license.

Basically it’s up to the end user to be educated on what to look for, if they don’t know, it is difficult to make a responsible decision.

TRUE 50+ UVP | Loose Fitting | Wicking | Quick Dry | Anti-Chaff | Wet or Dry | 24/7 Crease Free and Men’s, Women’s es and sizes children’s styl

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DECEMBER2013 2013 decEMBER

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Blessed for options TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

As we move into the silly season, freshwater anglers could be forgiven for thinking of giving fishing a miss due to all the extra activity on the water.

Despite more boats being on the water, there are still heaps of fish to be caught.

Smart fishers will be able to weed out the fish in amongst all the boating commotion.

If this isn’t your scene, there are plenty of other options that will produce some great fishing.

Throughout SE Queensland there are several electric motor only lakes. Hinze, Wivenhoe, Samsonvale, Cooby and MacDonald are all electric outboard or paddle power only. Also worth considering are the lakes with restricted speed or outboard size.

Cressbrook, Lenthalls and Isis Balancing Storage fit this category, keeping the thrill seekers away and

anglers happy. And don’t forget the many creeks and rivers. Depending on the target species, there will be a suitable system worth exploring – just keep in mind the closed season for barramundi in Queensland and Murray cod in NSW. Kayaks and small boats are perfect in these waters and it is prime time to get into exciting action such as surface luring bass. Bass can be caught in the freshwater stretches of most of the eastern rivers south of the Burnett Region. Systems below the stocked dams are loaded with bass due to the flooding in past years.

It amazes me to hear of bass coming from the smaller, less well-known creeks too, right up in the skinny water. These upper parts of the rivers and creeks will be the places to target over the summer months. With a study of Google Maps and a few exploration missions, some hot bass sessions shouldn’t be too far away.

NSW cod may be off limits but Queenslanders can

still fish our rivers for these fish as there is no closed season this side of the border. The western rivers have been on fire with heaps of yellowbelly and cod whacking lures.

You can’t go wrong with a spinnerbait or hardbody like a Kezza Mudmouse or No.2 StumpJumper. After the run of dry weather we’ve had, the water is clear and perfect for luring.

I mentioned the closed barra season, which is in place until 1 February, but this of course does not apply to the stocked impoundments. The northern lakes, Proserpine and Kinchant, have been firing but read on, as there has been quite a bit of action closer to the SE corner at lakes Monduran and Awoonga.

Whether you’re a bait angler, lure troller or caster, you will be able to get into some of the action. Now is the time to bang a few more fish before the New Year rolls around and don’t forget to put in your requests to ensure a few smiles on Christmas Day. Until next year, buckled rods from the Colonel!

Suspending hardbodies like the C’ultiva Rippin Minnow or Halco Hamma 85 will work well cast to the snags in the freshwater reaches of the Brisbane River.

            

82

decEMBER 2013

QFM

JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV 100 99 96 89 84 98 98 97 95 95 100 100 97 94 91 96 95 93 92 90 100 100 100 99 96 98 95 91 85 77 81 80 79 76 73 100 100 99 98 97 99 98 96 91 86 100 99 100 97 96 100 100 98 97 95 93 93 90 85 81 73 86 74 n/a 70 99 98 97 96 95 99 99 99 96 90 100 100 99 98 96 76 75 73 68 66 92 91 92 n/a 91 100 100 98 96 94

16

14 31

Weipa

17

28

34

18

Toowoomba

BRISBANE 27

21

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

depth hardbodies, which cover 4-9m in depth and explore the areas mentioned above as well as any of the major points throughout the dam. At times the fish can be caught right out in the middle so don’t be afraid to venture into deeper water in your search for fish.

When casting to the fish try long casts with soft plastics, like the 7cm Powerbait Ripple Shad, rigged on a 1/2oz jighead.

If the fish school up and suspend below the boat try a vertical retrieve winding slowly up through the fish before letting the plastic fall back through them and repeating. Ice jigs can produce the odd fish but it seems they attract the tiny ones more often than the

Gold Coast

22

24 25 Cairns 1

26

19 20

33

Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

5

32

Rockhampton

Emerald

Gladstone

30

29 7

8

10

Bundaberg 9 11

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Maryborough

Roma

BRISBANE

quality fish we like to catch.

Red claw numbers have dropped right off to the point it is barely worth trying. Live shrimp have been the most reliable way to get into a few good fish. If the banded grunter move in and start picking off the baits, it’s time to move on and try another spot.

If you are heading to the dam, don’t forget your $3 in coins to get through the boom gate and the 8 knot speed limit which is in place.

For all your supplies, expert advice and to check on the boating restriction, call in at Fish’n’Bits in Alderly Street, Toowoomba, or give them a ring on (07) 4636 6850.

The boys at the store all compete in bass tournaments and really know their stuff.

DAM LEVEL Report DAMS Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen Boondooma Borumba Burdekin Falls Callide Cania Clarendon Clarrie Hall Cooby Coolmunda Copeton Cressbrook Dyer/Bill Gunn Eungella Fairbairn Glenlyon Hinze

13

15

South East Queensland Cressbrook Closest Towns: Toowoomba, Crows Nest Cressbrook has been a tough lake to crack. It seems to come good with reports of someone getting onto some quality bass only to go quiet soon after.

Soft plastics have been producing some fish up to 45cm but the results are far from consistent.

The toilet point up Bull Creek, Deer Island and The Eagles Nest and adjacent submerged point extending from the toilet up Cressbrook Creek end are places worth checking out.

At this time of year, the bass are likely to be more scattered and at times will be found suspending in deeper water. These fish are easiest to find on the sounder while trolling.

Try a spread of different

Gympie

12

Somerset Closest Towns: Esk, Kilcoy Summer patterns started early this year. Bass schools have been scattered for the last month. Bass can still be found in the usual spots like The Spit, Pelican Point and Bay 13.

At times, numbers will be hard to find and rather than looking for a school, look for a tighter concentration.

Warm water will see the bass holding well off the bottom. These suspended bass will hang around 5-7m deep in water over 8m in depth. At times they will be spread across the flats but can even be found well out past the drop off in the river channel.

Continued page 69

For fortnightly updates Julius 80 80 80 80 80  Kinchant 100 97 94 82 71 Koombooloomba 85 79 61 43 26  Leslie 74 76 75 74 72  Macdonald 100 100 98 98 87  Maroon 100 100 99 98 96  Monduran/Fred Haigh 100 96 98 93 93  Moogerah 99 99 99 95 93  North Pine/Samsonvale 88 88 87 84 82  Peter Faust/Proserpine 97 97 95 93 90 Pindari 65 66 63 63 63  Somerset 100 100 100 99 98  Storm King n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  Teemburra 100 100 99 97 93  Tinaroo 78 76 73 68 63 Toonumbar 101 100 100 99 96  Wivenhoe 99 100 100 97 95  Wuruma 100 100 100 96 94

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 13/11/13

From page 82

The spread out nature of these bass makes lure trolling one of the best options. If using hardbodies, choose a lure, which dives to the depth the fish are suspending.

Usually small profile lures will get the job done if they have a strong action like the 3m 50mm Poltergeist and No3 StumpJumper.

Despite these lures only being rated to dive to 3-4m, 4-8Ib braided line will see them probe much deeper.

If you have an electric motor, slow trolling a soft plastic can be an even better option. The subtle tail action of a plastic will draw strikes from the most tight-lipped bass. Troll at about 2.4-3km/h and rig the plastic on a 3/8 or 1/2oz jighead. Paddle-tail soft plastics, which have a good action at slow speeds are perfect. The Powerbait 7cm Ripple Shad, 3” Slider Grub, Atomic Guzzler and Ecogear PowerShad are all good choices. Experiment

darling Downs GRanite belt region Cooby Closet Towns: Highfields, Toowoomba Slowly Cooby has improved over the last month. There was one week of insane action at the beginning of last month where anglers scored dozens of fish casting lipless crankbaits in the deep water around the buoy line towards the wall. These fish were still there after the event but the action slowed again.

Hopefully this is just a taste of what is in store for the rest of the year.

Lure fishing has been slow at the dam apart from the flurry of golden perch which were caught a month ago. This got anglers excited and there have been a lot more lures whistling through the air and rattling beneath the water in the past weeks.

Lipless crankbaits have been the most popular choice but don’t be afraid to try small blade baits, ice jigs or hopped vibration baits. The deeper water has had suspended goldens hovering around 4-8m deep. If found, try counting the lure down into these fish and then use a slow stop start retrieve to keep the lure in their face. On the edges, a few golden perch have fallen for lipless crankbaits

cast around the weed and spindly timber on the north western bank.

From the bank, there has been an increase

with the amount of trailing line as this will alter the lure’s depth. Vary the length between 25-50m until you find the right amount to suit your jighead and speed combination.

While most bass will be suspended, some big models may remain close to the bottom at around the same depth the others suspend.

These fish can be hard to locate but will usually all be over 45cm. If found, try hopping soft lipless crankbait or 3/8oz blade

baits through them.

Golden perch numbers have increased over the past month and plenty have turned up as by-catch when anglers are targeting bass.

Trolling deep diving lures across the flats and along the drop-offs in the middle reaches of the lake is a good way to specifically target these fish. Lures like the Blitz Baga, Golden Child and 50mm Poltergeist Crazy Deep will get the job done.

Weekends will be busy at the lake that is popular

with jetskis and skiers. Early and late in the day will be a bit quieter or try for a midweek session.

Moogerah Closest Town: Boonah Moogerah will be worth a fish for bass this month.

Some action is still taking place along the western banks early and late in the day. Casting lipless crankbaits into the edge and using a slow rolling retrieve so the lure gets down a couple of metres is the trick.

Suspending hardbodies are worth a shot on the banks closer to the dam wall.

Fish these lures close to the standing timber on the edges and hold on when a fish hits.

In the timber, there will be bass scattered across the flats. Trolling deep divers like Blitz Bagas and 50mm Poltergeist Crazy Deeps will help locate and catch these fish. Good concentrations can be cast to using soft plastics, blade baits and ice jigs.

of fish. If suspended, baits will need to be fished at the same depth as the fish rather than on the bottom. A quality sounder will be a big help when it comes to making such decisions. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies are

in its mouth before spitting it back out.

Cooby is an electric motor only dam and is well suited to kayaks and canoes. The concrete boat ramp is on a shallow angle when the dam is full and

Highway in Highfields.

Call in and see Doug and check out the great range of kayaks and accessories he has on display.

Coolmunda Closest Town: Inglewood Coolmunda has fired up in the last month with plenty of golden perch and Murray cod action.

The family fishing comp attracted heaps of anglers who took advantage of the bite and scored plenty of fish. The extra activity seemed to send the fish packing and they were quiet for a couple of weeks after the competition. By now, things should be back to normal and December is usually one of the best months to fish this lake.

Trolling diving lures across the flats between the boat ramp and out from the dam wall should produce some golden perch. Last time I drove past the lake, they were releasing a heap of water and if levels continue to drop, it may be worth moving closer to the creek bed drop-off, which skirts the flats I just mentioned. Up in the deeper creek beds inside the timber, goldens and cod will be worthwhile targeting on trolled lures and cast lipless crankbaits.

Bait fishing had gone quiet early last month but should have picked up again by now. Live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies fished in 4-7m of water will

score a few golden perch.

Try the drop-off to the creek bed out in the middle of the dam or venture up into the creek in the timber.

The Coolmunda Caravan Park is only around 1km away from the lake. The park is just off the Cunningham Highway but far enough away from the noise of trucks to get a good night’s sleep.

It offers camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. To take advantage of this and the great fishing opportunities in the lake and the river below, give the park a call on (07) 4652 4171.

Leslie Closest Town: Warwick Golden perch activity has been on the rise over the last couple of months. Anglers are now experiencing good bites on bait and cast and trolled lures.

Bait fishers have had success on live shrimp and saltwater yabbies. The rocky area across from the dam wall has been a popular spot. The water up the back of the dam around the black boys is still producing despite getting shallower.

Trolling Medium diving lures like the Smak Golden Child and Poltergeist 5m will see you in with a good chance of hooking up.

I often mention Kezza Lures in my articles. The Mudmouse has to be seen to be believed. It walks over snags and thumps out heaps of vibration. They are available at Fish’n’Bits Toowoomba. in fish taken at the rock wall. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and baits have all faired reasonably well.

The bank can produce some pretty good fishing but the best action will come from boats and kayaks that are able to sit on the better fish concentrations.

Bait fishing will be steady unless you take the time to find the numbers

likely to pull plenty of fish.

Late afternoon sessions are the preferred time as there is a hot bite just before dark.

Murray cod have been getting about. A couple of big ones have been hooked but I haven’t heard of any landed. Matt Squires had a cod come up and inhale a 42cm golden perch, which they had just caught. The cod swam off with the yella

can be slippery in places, but a big electric powered boat can still be launched with care. Outboard motors can be left on the boat but must not be used. A boom gate at the entrance requires $3 to open and the dam hours are 7am-8pm.

Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies can be purchased from Highfields Bait and Tackle on the New England

Continued page 84

STAY ALL WEEKEND AND CATCH FISH

THROW A LINE IN THE WATER * TELL CAMPFIRE STORIES UNDER THE STARS *PITCH A TENT OR STAY IN A CABIN

Bjelke-Petersen Dam

Lake Boondooma

Lake Boondooma is located near Proston, is only 3 1/2 hours from Brisbane.

Only 8km from Murgon and a short 2 1/2 hours from Brisbane is Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Stay at award winning Yallakool Park on BP Dam

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In the South Burnett, it’s only 1 hour between Freshwater dams QFM

decEMBER 2013

83

From page 83

Work these lures following the depth contours to keep the lure working just above the bottom. Golden perch will be the most common species encountered but the occasional Murray cod may get into the action.

Casting lipless crankbaits around the edges and hopping them through any schooling fish has produced the goods. While the TN60 Jackall is one of the most popular lures

in the freshwater lakes, downsizing to the smaller TN50 seems to do the trick at Leslie. The Megabass Vibration-X Power Bomb is another great lipless bait, which is heavier and suited to deeper water.

For any tips and gear for fishing Leslie Dam or the Warwick area, call in and see the guys at Warwick Outdoor and Sports in Palmerin Street Warwick. The store stocks a great range of freshwater

wide bay and burnett region Boondooma Closest Towns: Proston, Kingaroy Finally Boondooma has fired up. For months, the fish have been reluctant to bite in the lake’s dirty water but now, reports of bass and golden perch being taken on cast and trolled lures are coming in.

Trolling the eastern banks for the last kilometre leading up to The Junction has been producing some smaller bass and the occasional golden perch.

These fish are whacking medium to deep diving lures worked in 5-9m of water. Numbers here aren’t great but it is great to see them starting to fire up in the dam’s basin again.

Up in the clearer water of the timber is where all hell has started to break loose. Bass and golden perch have turned on the action and are taking cast lures. Spinnerbaits and blade baits have scored well on the bass while

the yellowbelly are fond of lipless crankbaits. Casting in to the edges and retrieving the lure back to the boat has been the successful technique. As the lure passes the drop off to deeper water, the fish have been quick to respond. Choose the open banks or those with the more solid flooded timber rather than any spindly stuff.

Bait fishers will do well fishing the same areas with live shrimp to score a mixed bag. Saltwater yabbies and worms are more likely to single out the golden perch.

The boys at Bass to Barra in Dalby and Kingaroy have been whacking the fish at the dam and sending out heaps of others to enjoy the action. Call in and stock up on the right gear and you too could be enjoying what the lake has to offer.

Bjelke-peterson Closest Towns: Murgon, Goomeri The action at Bjelke is getting better as the year goes by. Goldens and bass

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Golden perch and possibly Murray cod will be on the move at Leslie, Connolly and Coolmunda. are being caught in good numbers further up the dam.

The action starts at Bass Point about half way up to the timbered area. Inside the timber, the fishing gets even better once the fish are found. Casting Mini Coop spinnerbaits around the trees and edges has been scoring heaps of bass. When found, the numbers are good and it’s a matter of sorting through the smaller ones to put quality fish in the boat.

Trolling is usually a good option at this time of year. Head for the upper part of the dam if trolling and run some shallow or medium diving lures. Work 5-8m of water around the drop-offs and choose lures to suit this depth. It may also be worth running a 3m lure in closer to the edges in 3-5m of water.

Bait fishers have been whacking some monster golden perch up in the timber.

Some of these yellowbelly have been in excess of 3kg and are certainly worth bragging about. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies are the best baits and you can expect a few bass and eel-tailed catfish as well.

For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into your local Bass2Barra 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.

Cania Closest Towns: Monto, Biloela Cania Dam is still fishing well in the upper reaches past the timber. Most of the action has started to take place in slightly deeper water with only smaller bass being caught around the lake’s edges. Schools of bass have been moving around in the timber and there are some quality fish in them. At times the fish are suspended at around 4m deep. The suspended fish respond well to soft plastics and hardbody lures either cast and retrieved or trolled. When the fish are closer to the bottom, a hopping retrieve with a blade bait or soft vibe, like the Jackall Mask, is the best way to draw a response.

While the bass around the edges have been smaller, the area may still be worth a flick with a spinnerbait, beetle spin or lipless

crankbait as saratoga will be on the prowl in the mornings and afternoons.

Bait fishers working the timbered areas can expect a mixed bag of fish. Bass will be common but golden perch and silver perch will also get into the action. Try using live shrimp in 5-8m of water.

To find out more about the lake or to book some great accommodation

gear which is well suited to catching our Australian natives.

Connolly Closest Town: Warwick Connolly has fished well for both golden and silver perch over the last month. This action will continue this month provided there are no major rain events. Live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies have been producing the mixed bags. Try fishing

outside the thick weed beds especially out from any of the points on the eastern bank. The afternoon and early morning will be the best time to be on the water.

Provided you have the skill to fish thick weed beds with sinking lures, golden perch and even Murray cod are on the cards. Spinnerbaits, beetle spins and lipless crankbaits worked down the weed faces will almost definitely produce.

the numbers will come the more you work at it and you start to crack a better pattern and narrow down the most productive areas.

The spate of northerly winds has seen the barra cruising around the windblown points and bays willing to eat both hardbodies and soft plastics.

Areas like The Rainforest, Insane Bay and Bird Bay

fish are more spread out, a soft plastic is well worth a try. Some nice weed clumps and lily pads such as the one in the southern arm of Bird Bay are forming on underwater ridges and a plastic can be ideal for working these areas. Try 100mm plastics like the 4” Powerbait Split Belly or 4” Z Man SwimmerZ rigged on a 3/8oz jighead.

Try for some wild bass in the upper parts of the creeks and rivers this month. The way they explode on a lure is pretty impressive. nearby, call the Cania Gorge Caravan and Tourist Park on (07) 4167 8188. There are excellent facilities including camp sites, cabins, a playground and swimming pools. It’s worth a visit to the park just to see some of the rare and beautiful wildlife that regularly drop in and live in the area. With bush walking through the gorge a must, there is plenty to do when you’re not wetting a line.

Monduran Closest town: Gin Gin Jamie Bein from Monduran Barra Charters has had his clients getting into plenty of barra. Most of the fish are still around 60-70cm in length with the occasional 80cm+ model either being landed or winning its freedom. A lot more people have returned to the lake to get into the action. Over the course of a session it seems most are averaging between 1 and 4 barra landed. This may not sound like a lot of fish but,

have all produced fish. Look for weed and lily pads and persist on the points and bays that are being blown by the wind.

Jamie has been scoring heaps of his fish on Lively Lures 100mm Arafura with upgraded hooks and rings.

Shallow and medium diving hardbodies can be used with both floating and suspending versions producing fish.

Other options include the Yozuri Crystal Minnow, Halco Hamma 85, Halco Hamma 105 and Jackall Hank Tune.

Shallow offerings can be used early and late and it often pays to probe a little deeper during the middle of the day. For this reason, I love the Halco Hamma. This lure comes standard with a 3m and 1m bib. A locking pin can be pushed out to easily change the running depth of the lure without even having to retie it.

Hardbodies are still the standout lure around the structure. If you happen across a location where the

The tackle store in Gin Gin, Foxies, stocks a range of effective barra lures. The store will mail order and you can check it out online at www.barratackle.com. au. Be sure to call in and get directions to some of the best barra fishing in the area or pick up one of the detailed maps.

Accommodation can be booked through Lake Monduran Kiosk and Tackle Shop. They look after all the cabins, houses, powered and unpowered campsites, as well as house boats and boat hire. You can also make bookings for Guide Lines fishing charters through the kiosk, on (07) 4157 3881.

Jamie Bein runs Lake Monduran Barra Charters and fishes that dam more than anyone I know. His regular visits ensure he has a good understanding of what’s going on. Contact Jamie on his mobile, 0407 434 446 or through his website www.lakemonduran barracharters.com.

Whitsunday region Proserpine Closest Towns: Proserpine, Airlie Beach The barra are making a move in the lake. Already numbers of big fish have left the timber area and moved out into the open basin of the lake. These fish will cruise this open water feeding on schools of bony bream and head towards the deep water near the dam wall over the next couple of months. At the moment they are still a bit scattered but numbers will build and they will congregate together within a 1km radius of the dam wall.

A good sounder is necessary to locate these fish and trolling lures is a good way to cover the water while doing it. Try using 3-5m diving lures towed at 5-6km/h. The RMG Poltergeist and Laser Pro 190 are two favourites for local guide Lindsay Dobe. When searching for these fish in the open water try to make the job easier by following the drop off to the riverbed and keeping a close eye on big schools of bony bream.

While a good portion of fish have left the timber, a lot have remained. These fish can be caught casting the deep trees that line the edge of the creek beds.

Lures which dive 3-5m are ideal so give the RMG Scorpion and Barra Bait ranges a run.

Good numbers of barra

can also be caught from the gullies and small creeks closer to the bank in behind the big, thick trees. These gullies are sometimes marked by lilies growing along the drop-off. Stay back about 50m from these drop-offs and fish the deeper water of the gully with a big long cast.

Keep lures in the water and wait for the barra to move through.

Heavy casting lures like the Rapala X-Rap and Halco Hamma 105 and 123 are perfect for this approach. A slow rolled soft plastic is also worth a try as they cast long distances and can cover a lot of water. Once you get a bite or hook a fish, concentrate on putting the lure in that area more often.

If you are in the area call in and see the boys in town at Proserpine Bait and Tackle.

Lindsay Dobe has spent years running charters on the lake and has a good idea where the barra will be and how best to catch them. If you are interested in a charter make sure you get in early with your booking. Lindsay can be reached through the store on (07) 4945 4641.

Kinchant Closest Town: Mackay The barra have been a little on the quiet side compared to last year’s exceptional run. With luck the action may just be delayed by a month. Having said this, there are still quite a few fish being caught on trolled and cast lures. Trolling is best

Capricornia region Awoonga Closest Town/s: Benaraby, Gladstone Lake Awoonga has slowly started to recover from the floods. Not many anglers are visiting the lake but reports of barra

being caught are now being confirmed. There have been quite a few 80cm fish taken in the really tight timber when the wind is pushing into it. Gold Mine Point has been an area well worth trying. This point is on the left hand bank half way

done late in the afternoon.

A lot of anglers choose to run hardbodies up and down the rock wall opposite the boat ramp well into the night. At times, this can produce plenty of metreplus fish but so far this year, there have been a lot more 80-90cm models falling to this technique.

Casting soft lipless baits like the Transam 95 is a gun method for some local anglers. These vibration style lures are great around the weedy points. When the lure becomes fouled with weed, it changes or stops the vibration, alerting the angler to a fouled up lure.

Another lure worth tossing is a soft plastic rigged on a TT Rev Head. The spinning blade on the Rev Head works in a similar way and lets you know when the lure has stopped working due to weed. Big plastics like the 6” Z-Man SwimmerZ or old 6” Hollowbellies are ideal. Find a weedy point prior to sunset and take position. A GPS is ideal for marking your chosen spots as it allows you to take position throughout the night on different locations. Keep

casting in towards the weed and retrieving the plastic and hopefully the fish will move through your area.

The big 120cm+ fish have been quiet but with luck they will start patrolling during the night over the next month.

Surface luring at Kinchant can be exceptional.

Walk-the-dog style stick baits rate very highly with most seasoned barra anglers.

The Cultiva Tango Dancer in the 115mm size is my all-time favourite. These lures can be walked across the surface with explosive results. Some locals have mastered the art of walking sub-surface stick baits with the Rapala Subwalk being great for this technique.

Frogging with soft plastic frogs rigged on weedless jigheads is perfect for this weedy dam. I love this technique when the lake is busy with skiers as you can get right away from the commotion in the thickest of weed and extract some quality fish.

Falling lake levels due to the release of water for irrigation will mean last week’s hot spot may have

down to Dingo Island from the boat ramp.

Casting 100mm hardbodies around the timber has scored the fish.

One angler reported two big bust-ups on big fish.

On one occasion the barra’s first run half emptied the spool. This suggests there are still a few of the big girls getting around in between

Try trolling or casting the 5m RMG Scorpion for Proserpine’s barra this month. Work the trees marking the creek channels or troll the open basin. changed. Weed beds and depth will be changing so keep this in mind. Kinchant barra do seem to bite during a falling level quite well,

Kayak attacks in Hinchinbrook reader’s letter

Dear Editor I am a bit of a mangrove jack fanatic that is lucky enough to live on the banks of the Herbert River. I spend as much time as I can roaming the hundreds of jack infested kilometres of creeks in the Hinchinbrook Channel. But something is worrying me, more so than having to be at work during the best tides.

What worries me is that our district sees a lot of tourists, not a bad thing by any means, but a lot of these tourists bring their various assortments of ultra light canoes, modified surf skis, and more varieties of kayaks than you can poke a stick at. These are the sort of craft that are seen in all great fishing magazines, such as yours, or can be watched on the vast amount of DVDs that are out there and they are shown being used for catching everything from bass in some far away mountain stream to marlin being caught way off the coast. All good so far, but what disturbs me is that I have been encountering these same

craft in the Hinchinbrook Channel. People are using these things to chase barra and similar, but this is not such a brilliant idea.

Here we call those craft ‘Mobile Serving Platters’.

This is a district that is the home of many large saltwater crocodiles and it will not be long before we read about the tragic loss of a life to a ferocious ‘salty’.

Recently, a 4.5m croc was removed from a popular boat ramp, one that I use all the time, on the Herbert River because it had been harassing the odd boat or two. I have seen marks on the sand where a croc has been resting that were longer than my 4.45m boat; a croc of that size would make small work of a plastic meat platter.

I urge you to please put out the warning to your readers to leave the mobile food platters (canoes and kayaks) at home when they visit, maybe hire a boat, works out cheaper than a funeral. Please don’t get me wrong, I like canoes and kayaks. When used in the right places they are a great way to spend a day fishing, but not in

places that have residents that are most likely bigger than the craft being used.

I sometimes use my 3.66m punt to go up the Herbert River chasing sooties and jacks; I do this because after spending around 40years fishing the river, I believe I am fairly up to date on where the crocs of substantial size reside. But I am always vigilant, as there is no way of telling when one will appear from nowhere.

If anyone thinks for one minute that it won’t happen to them, think again. If a large croc is lying on the bottom of the river and a long thin silhouette glides over it, most likely it will think it is another croc intruding into its territory, and it will only end badly.

We have had crocs approach boats in the middle of the channel itself. In one incident a croc grabbed an outboard motor, cracking its cowl, 1km from the nearest mangrove creek. So I ask you again please let people know – crocs live here.

Read the warning signs that are put up by the various

the smaller class of fish.

If you are keen on trying to tackle some fish in the 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.

authorities, don’t become the first to be taken.

One more thing – saltys don’t just live in saltwater areas, some of our biggest live in the upper freshwater reaches of the Herbert River.

Some live in swamps that are many kilometres from any creek or river. Leave the serving platters home!

– Brad Simmonds

unlike some other dams.

For accommodation at the lake give Kinchant Waters a call on (07) 49541453.

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decEMBER 2013

85

Skinny water works tin can bay

Allan Ballard

Many people think the only place you will catch estuarine fish is in deep water. Not true! In this article I’ll show you just how productive shallow water can be.

My boat is an old Trekker V-nose punt which is ideal, but you can still use a larger boat – you just need to exercise a little more care.

The first thing to do is

locate an area with good yabby banks. These are a natural attractant for flathead, bream, whiting and (if you’re lucky) a golden trevally. Areas of scattered mangroves or shell banks will all hold fish at times and should always be given a workout.

Before you rush in and start casting, study the water.

See which way it is flowing, and look for sand banks where water runs over the top and into deeper water. When I say “deeper water” that doesn’t

necessarily mean 1m deep; any depth change should be assessed as a potential ambush point, in particular for flathead.

Don’t be scared to cast over any exposed bank into water on the other side. If you’re lucky enough to hook up and you need to follow, it’s only a matter of stepping out of your boat to play the fish!

One productive approach is to manoeuvre your boat downstream from your selected casting zone, holding the boat in position by dropping the

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Frank Best pulled this 80cm flathead out of 150mm of water on a small blade. motor into the sand. Then cast back up against the current, similar to a what a trout angler would do in a stream. This is particularly good if you can bring your lure or bait over a drop-off.

If there are any islands or large banks that create eddies, try laying back from the end and cast upstream, bringing your lure or bait into the eddy. Fishing in this manner also lessens the likelihood of spooking any fish lying in wait.

Up here at Tin Can we have plenty of room on most of the flats – ideal for long drifts. Where possible we try to manoeuvre the punt in such a way that we can drift for hundreds of metres.

Covering such a large area lets us target a range of options, and if we find fish it’s only a matter of dropping the motor into the sand. When we want to move again we simply lift the motor, and let the current do the work. Electric tilt makes this easy and quiet.

Remember to always put a few casts in the direction that you’re drifting before you spook any potential hookup. When you’re fishing with a mate, alternate your casting in different directions, systematically working all sides of the drift.

Both the run-in and run-out tides work well, the only difference being the flooding tide gives your target species room to spread out.

This makes it harder to locate them and reduces your time in the strike zone, but there is less chance of you staying up there for the next tide!

The dropping tide, on the other hand, channels your targets into drains and deeper sections of the flats that may

Kate Ballard with a typical skinny water whiting. retain water even at the bottom of the tide. In these places flathead, bream and whiting lie in wait for the small baitfish and prawns coming off the banks. In some circumstances these fish stay there for next tide. If left undisturbed, the flathead can be the last ones to move off the banks.

Remember: if the sand is covered, don’t dismiss the chance of a fish!

Kieran Lancini with a 33cm whiting from the shallows.

86

decEMBER 2013

QFM

THE RIGHT GEAR This sort of country is perfect for surface stickbaits and poppers, and there is no greater thrill than to see your lure hit on the surface.

Shallow divers are always a good option, with their erratic retrieve kicking up clouds

of sand. Flathead can’t resist them! My most successful ones are the Berkley 60mm Frenzy Minnow shallow diver, Ecooda Minnow and the C’ultiva 55F Rip’N Minnow.

Soft plastics and small blades catch their fair share as well, so pack some of those, too. With a range of lures, plus a few yabbies in the bucket, you will have all you need for a pleasurable drift of the flats.

This method of fishing involves endless casts so your gear has to be light for your comfort, and also for the species targeted. It’s good to carry 2 or 3 rods rigged differently so you don’t waste time changing lures.

My base outfit is a 2.4m Shimano Sonic Pro fitted with a Abu Orra SX20 spooled with 6lb Nanofil and 6lb Vanish fluorocarbon leader. My other outfits are similar, but are spooled with 10lb Nanofil and 15lb leader.

On your next trip, try the skinny water option.

Remember: if the tinny doesn’t touch the bottom, you’re fishing too deep!

The Recreational Angler’s Link Having your say ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The reputation of Moreton bay as a fishing tourism destination is currently under threat. The local government authorities that border Moreton Bay all promote recreational fishing via their information bureaus and websites as one of the great things to see and do in their areas. Sadly, the ability to catch a fish from the beach is becoming more and more difficult.

In recent months I have been contacted more than once a week by individuals with concerns that may vary in detail but have one common thread – they can no longer catch their regular fish from the shores of Bribie Island and Moreton Island.

Boating reports support that fish stocks are in good standing, it only appears to be the beaches at the present that are fishing poorly.

Most of the calls and emails I get relate in some way to concerns regarding where and when gillnetting can occur on the beaches. Then there are the concerns regarding intensive gillnetting along the foreshores even when locals and visitors are already fishing on the beach.

This all comes after the very public reports of massive fish dumping adjacent to a yellow zone on Moreton Island National Park. There have since been some very disturbing stories of physical violence between Moreton Island locals and others associated with the netters targeting the western beaches of Moreton Island. It appears that neither Marine Parks nor Fisheries Queensland have the resources to prevent the targeted netting of both yellow zones and the green zone at the Mirrapools. This green zone is being netted every new moon on the high tide when the area is cut off from vehicles approaching from the northern end of the island.

It is past time that a solution needs to be found before someone is hurt and the reputation of Moreton Island as a recreational fishing tourism destination is tarnished forever. As a community, we need to place value on the activities where we live. So firstly we need to look at the value of the fish caught by the netters to our economy.

Sunfish Queensland have done two independent surveys of seafood outlets in the greater Brisbane area, one in 1999 and one in 2012.

Some of the key issue identified were: • Consistency of local product availability was at the best limited to 50% of outlets and

common local fish, such as fresh whole whiting, bream, flathead and snapper were only stocked by 20% or less of outlets • The statement that commercial operators supply the public only has limited validity as local product availability was low – only 50% stocked one or more local fish species. In most cases the cost was well above non local product – prime fish was very expensive – whiting fillets $35, snapper fillets $31, scallops $49, flathead fillets $30, mud crabs $40 – making them almost a luxury buy.

• Local whole product that was generally low price was mullet $6, bay prawns $10-15, spanner crabs $10 – all of which are of a low recreational catch importance and generally a specific bulk caught commercial fish.

• The export of Queensland product interstate and overseas reduces the availability to local markets. If volume sales in all supermarkets could be assessed it would be expected that interstate and imported products would greatly exceed local fresh product volumes.

• In 13 years, price rises were expected to be substantial but were surprisingly high in some instances compared with interstate and imported product for the same period.

Local fresh products (some examples): whiting fillets $20 in 1999 up to $35 in 2012, increase 75%; scallop meat $19 in 1999 up to $49 in 2012, increase 158%; mud crabs $27 in 1999 up to $40 in 2012, increase 50%; oysters in shell (doz) $6 in 1999 up to $15 in 2012, increase 150% The bottom line is that very little of the fish netted on the western beach of Moreton Island finds its way onto local tables.

Now, we need to look at recreational fishing tourism.

In the 1996 census, 71% of the people on Moreton Island that night were tourists.

When considering recreational fishing tourism some of the items to be valued include fresh fish on the table, healthy activity for any individual irrespective of physical or intellectual capacity, age, sex or socio-economic status, tackle bought, bait, fishing apparatus, boats, fuel, vehicles specific for fishing, accommodation, meals and transport costs to access the island.

Because this is a complex industry that has a very diverse network of economic contributors I will just snapshot one event.

On Saturday 26 October the Junior Anglers Association took 120 people

r

r

r

r r

r

to Moreton Island for the day. It was a one-day trip so accommodation wasn’t required. Fuel was spent getting everyone to and from the barge as well as in the four-wheel drives supervising on the beach. Those 3 vehicles were also purposebought for fishing. Tickets were purchased for the barge, considerable amounts of teenage necessities were bought at the canteen over and back (sausage

www.sunfishqld.com.au

rolls, chips, soft drinks, ice-creams). They came with sunsafe clothing, sunscreen, bait, lures, food, drinks and every kind of fishing rod and reel imaginable. By the time they went home they had also taken home hundreds of dollars in fishing specific prizes.

Most valuable of all however was that each one had the opportunity to be in the Moreton Bay Marine Park. The weather

was great and they spent it in the fresh air walking up and down the beach and interacting with existing and new friends. Some got to catch fish, some even got to take some home. Best of all for us though was the opportunity for many experienced anglers to be able to pass on their years of experience to keen young fishers of the future.

Fishing is a valuable life skill that has been passed on for generations.

Email: judylynne@sunfishqld.com.au

Please support the petition to stop netting on Moreton Island. It can be found at www. sunfishqld.com.au, www. sqafca.com.au and hopefully will also be found on the Qld Government website as an e-petition by the time this magazine hits the stores.

QFM

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How close can you get? bundaberg

Dave Magner

Since the weather has warmed up, I’ve been doing a lot of kayak fishing for bass and barra in the rivers around my home town of Bundaberg. While I’ll happily fish anywhere, I find that hitting the rivers and creeks usually makes for a much more interesting day out than chasing the same fish in impoundments.

When I’m floating down a river in my kayak, I rely less on technology to find the fish for me. Instead, I have to rely on my river reading skills to work out where the fish will be and then, exactly where I’ll need to put the lure to entice the fish into striking. This sort of fishing rewards careful thinking and good casting skills.

I learn something new on most trips, but two surprises have really stood out for me during my adventures of late. The first is just how close I’ve been able to get to the fish without spooking them and secondly, just how precise I sometimes have to be with my casting before the fish will even look at my lure. I’ve been absolutely

blown away at how slowing down and taking the time to position my kayak in exactly the right spot before casting has improved my strike rate.

In fact, the results have been so consistent that it has made me reconsider the way I approach casting in general. Previously, I had been happy just to land the lure where I wanted it. Now I make sure that I can not only land it on the spot, but also that I can swim it out on exactly the angle I want it to, because I’ve seen just what a difference it can make.

However, to achieve that you first need to make sure you’ve put your kayak in

exactly the right place.

The right approach We all know that if you get too close to a fish you’ll scare it. However, this is much less of an issue with a yak than it is with a boat.

You see, kayaks are possibly the quietest craft there is, and on the last couple of trips I’ve hooked both barra and bass on casts that didn’t travel more than a rod length or two from where I was sitting. Judging by the aggressive way in which the fish hit the lures, they hadn’t been alerted to my presence. That, or they just didn’t consider my kayak to be a threat.

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The rewards for getting right in amongst the sticks to chase fish like barra can be substantial, as Bundy young gun Matt Myles found out recently.

So how close can you get?

There’s no hard and fast rule, but I suggest trying to get close enough to comfortably put a cast exactly where you want it. As long as you are quiet and don’t move around too much, you may be surprised at just how close that is.

There are a number of advantages to fishing at really close range. First of all, because you’re not casting very far, it’s much easier to be accurate. I’m talking bullseye accurate here, not ‘close enough is good enough’ accurate. If you think half a metre doesn’t make much of a difference you’re in for a surprise.

Sure – on the good days when the fish are fired up and ready to rumble, half a metre may not matter much.

However, on those days when the fish are less cooperative (that’s probably around 95% of our fishing trips), precision accuracy makes all the difference in the world.

A sulking barra or bass may pay only a passing interest to a lure landing somewhere nearby, but drop that same lure on its nose and it will either have to move out of the way or belt that disrespectful little intruder.

Another advantage of close range casting is the ability to land the lure in the water with minimal disturbance. I like to explain

it like this: if you were to hear something gently tapping on your roof, chances are you’d go out to investigate. However, if something large and heavy crashed down on your roof, you’d get the hell out of the house. Fish share the same

It’s another one of those little things that can make a big difference on quiet days.

Getting in there The key to fishing at close range is in the approach.

There is no point charging up to the snag you want to fish,

Once you’ve got a good fish on, it’s better to get out into some open water to land it, as Matt Myles has done here. fundamental survival instincts that we do when it comes to loud and unexpected noises over the top of their heads.

Of course, the other big advantage of fishing up close is that you can use your rod tip to drive your lure. As you wind it in, you can poke the rod tip out so that your lure tracks right along fallen branches, or past the best looking clump of snags or so that it parallels the bank. While you can do that to your lure at any distance, it’s most effective at close range.

banging into it with the nose of the kayak and then expecting the fish to cooperate. With a few possible exceptions, that approach will scare more fish off than it produces.

Instead, you need to take things slowly. Paddle in gently and if the wind or current allows, drift those last few metres and use your paddle or rudder only to control your drift so that you gently come to a stop. It’s a good idea to try to stop just a little farther out than you probably want to,

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This is the sort of country which is best fished at close range from a kayak.

because on most occasions as you will keep moving forward ever so slightly after you think you’ve stopped. While it’s a good thing to be close, you don’t want to end up right on top of where you want to cast.

I’m pretty fortunate in that I fish from a Hobie Pro Angler a lot of the time, and the quiet thrust of the flippers seems to do little to alert the fish. All the same, once I get really close to where I want to be, I usually revert to just the rudder and a hand paddle to control that last little bit of travel.

If you haven’t got a hand paddle yet, it’s one kayak

accessory that I really do recommend you invest in.

They are small and don’t take up much space, and they’re worth their weight in gold when it comes to creeping around and making final little adjustments so you can position yourself in the right spot.

I use a Backwater Assault hand paddle and it’s been one of the best things I have purchased. It’s made of plastic so it’s tough but it floats thanks to its neoprene handle. The blade is shaped in such a way that it doubles as a hook or prodder for grabbing or pushing off branches and,

A careful and quiet approach allows you to fire your lure right into potential sweet spots.

When the barra are being less than cooperative, a close and careful approach can really pay off.

because the Hobie can’t backpedal, it’s my reverse gear as well. I’ve used it much more than I ever thought I would.

Getting out again If there is a disadvantage to fishing at really close range, it’s what happens after you hook up. Needless to say, some pretty firm drag settings are required.

It’s also a good idea to try to paddle yourself out into open water to fight the fish if you can. This is easier in a pedal-powered kayak like the Hobie. However, if you don’t have that luxury, it’s best to try to get the fish coming your way a little bit, then thumb-lock the spool and concentrate on paddling

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yourself out into the open. If you are lucky, you’ll drag the fish out with you.

The ‘knock ‘em down and drag ‘em out’ approach won’t always work, of course. Some fish run straight back into the snags, and sometimes even if you get them coming your way they’ll wrap you round something on their way out.

One little trick that sometimes works is to try to get your kayak between the fish and the snags. If you are pulling them towards the timber, they occasionally panic and run the other way out into the middle of the river for you.

It’s also important to have a smooth landing plan in mind.

To this end I recently bought a Bass Action net, and if you’ve

ever had a fish flip out of a landing net and land in your lap, you’ll really appreciate this net. The bass slide in headfirst and then sit nice and still as they are supported by the scoop-shaped mesh. The little pocket at the handle end and the dark colour mesh provides a bit of shelter for their eyes and seems to keep them fairly calm while you unhook them.

I also like how there are lengths marked on the bottom of the mesh, so it’s easy to check how big your catch is. Unfortunately, as I’ve recently found out, these nets don’t float. Putting a leash on them is a good idea.

Give it a go If you have invested in a quiet and manoeuvrable platform like a kayak, it makes sense to maximize your advantages by getting as close as possible. There are just so many benefits to the up close tactic that it outweighs the odd fish that you might spook along the way. As long as you take your time and make a quiet approach, you will be amazed at how close the fish will allow you to get to them. Once you’ve gotten in there, I’m sure you will also soon realise how much more control you can have over presentations.

Give it a go and see just how close you can get.

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decEMBER 2013

89

Clarence chow down iluka

Ben Pilch bjpcdh@gmail.com

December already, where did the year go? The summer species are in full swing, with fishos chasing down flathead, whiting and mackerel at this end of the mighty Clarence River. Up river, the bass and cod are on the chew.

If it remains dry, and we don’t suffer the floods that have afflicted us the last couple of years, we should get a decent run at the mackerel.

Trolling the good old reliable pink squid around the usual spots, like Shark Bay, should produce good numbers. If racing around like a mad man isn’t your cup of tea, then setting up a berley trail and

floating a pilly out is a much more relaxing way to get the same result without the fuel bill!

If you decide to use bait, there are a couple things that can help out on a hard bite: Leader diameter is a lot more important when fishing bait. Unlike trolling, where you can get away with 60-90lb wire, the fish gets a lot more time to eye off the offering and get picky. When using wire you can go as low as 15lb; some people skip wire altogether and risk the chance of bite-offs to get more hook ups.

For berley, the rule is less is more – you’re trying to attract them, not feed them!

Set up your berley bucket with some mashed up pillies and tuna oil and then a handful of chopped up pillies every

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couple of minutes is best.

Off the beach Off the beach there should be some whiting, dart, tarwhine and flathead. Live beach worms and pipis will be gun baits for most of these species, with whitebait and plastics a better choice for the flatties.

At this time of year there should be a few black tip sharks on the beach at Shark Bay. These are a really good way to get a get a child hooked on the sport of fishing for life – what little boy or girl wouldn’t get a kick out of going to school after the weekend bragging about catching a shark.

Another way to entertain the kids is to chase some garfish. Most weed beds in the lower reaches of the river should be holding them. You might have to hunt them down but once you do it’s non-stop action, which will have the kids amused for quite a while.

The key is berley bread and tuna oil mixed together and the same concoction on a size 10 or 12 long shank hook or some peeled prawn. Iluka Bay or up the north arm on the Yamba side along Whiting Beach or oyster channel, are all good places to start looking for them.

As far as the rest of the rest of the river is concerned there should be plenty of table

Above Left: Jesh Gannon with a decent haul of tasty whiting.

Above Right: Cod season is open! Steve Patti with a lovely cod. quality flatties and whiting around the weed drop-offs around the bottom end of the river. The best time to get quality fish will be on those big night tides around the full and new moon with fresh baits of nippers and live worms.

NSW Cod season December 1 marks the opening of the Murray cod season in NSW. There aren’t many more fun things than having a cod whollop a surface lure. I’m going to head back up into the western drainage rivers and

get some action on these lovely looking native fish.

Bass will be pushing back up the river as

well. When you hear the deafening ring of cicadas you know it is time to bust out your bass surface gear.

Brock Partridge with a sweet water bass. When you hear the deafening ring of cicadas you know it is time to bust out your bass surface gear!

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decEMBER 2013

QFM

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Prepare your boat for the summer storm season With the summer boating season well and truly upon us, Marine Queensland is urging boaties to stay safe and prepare their boats

ahead of this summer’s storm and cyclone season.

Summer is a great time for families to take some time out and enjoy our

magnificent waterways.

Predictions are already being made for a summer season of storms and cyclones. With proper

planning and preparation you can secure your boat and rest easy.

Carry out trailer maintenance checks to prevent the risk of a trailer break down when moving your boat to safety. When a storm is approaching, make sure your boat is tightly secured to the trailer and where possible secure the boat and trailer to fixed objects. If the boat is lightweight it is also a good idea to consider letting some

of the air out of the trailer’s tires.

Remove and secure all loose items on your boat.

If your boat is in a marina, check to see if your marina has a cyclone contingency plan. Your berthing contract may outline steps you will need to take in the event of a severe storm.

Make sure you boat, trailer and equipment is marked with your HIN or driver’s license number. It

is also a good idea to take photographs and record an inventory of your boat, trailer and equipment.

When out on the boat this summer pay attention to the weather. Good weather is essential for a safe and enjoyable day on the water. For the latest weather forecasts and warnings check the Bureau of Meteorology’s website, www.bom.gov.au, or call the Bureau on 1300 360 426.

Does your boat have a Capacity Label?

Overloading is dangerous and one of the easiest ways to capsize your boat.

Overloading compromises the safety of everyone on board and increases the chance of swamping or capsizing.

When preparing for a trip, the boat operator is responsible for assessing the load on board – both people and objects. For example: • heavy items should be stowed in a low and central place where they cannot move around • weight, including passengers, should be distributed evenly through the boat • the weight of extra fuel and water should be taken

into account.

By applying a capacity label you will have a constant reminder of how many people can be safely on board your boat in smooth waters and good conditions.

All registrable recreational boats, with the exception of sailing ships, must have one or more capacity labels attached.

Capacity labels should be placed near the boat’s control area/s where they can be seen by the operator at all times. A penalty could apply if a capacity label is not attached, unreadable or located in the wrong position on the boat.

There are three different capacity labels available:

• powered boats under 6m • powered boats 6m and over • powered boats with a flybridge.

The operator must keep in mind that the label indicates the number of people the boat can safely carry in good conditions and smooth waters. When using the boat in partially smooth or open waters or in rough conditions the operator should consider reducing the number of people taken on the trip.

To purchase a capacity label for your boat visit your local Marine Queensland Member Boat Dealership.

For a full list of Marine Queensland members visit www.marineqld.com.au.

2014 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and National 4x4 & Outdoors Show Mark your calendar – the first weekend in April will see the latest and greatest in boating, fishing and the outdoors come to Brisbane’s RNA Showground for the 2014 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and National 4x4 & Outdoors Show.

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Dear Santa brisbane

The Sheik

Dear Santa I know it seems like hardly any time since I wrote my last threat, I mean letter to you. I bet you’ve been looking forward to getting another heap of really polite demands, I mean requests from me.

I’d like to say thanks for the fishing gear you got for me last year. I’d like to, but I can’t, since you didn’t get me any. The book on macramé was great, especially since I was able to regift it to Stuffer pretty quickly, as his birthday is in January, but maybe you should read this letter a little more carefully than you did last time.

I did stay up all night waiting to see you. I do have a telescope that I would normally use to make sure I can see you coming, but the bloke from across the hill with the four blond daughters at Uni came over and broke it for some reason.

Mum was really upset.

So was he.

I could even hear him from where I was looking for something in that cardboard box under the tank stand.

Took me about an hour to look through it, but once that bloke had gone I realised I couldn’t find it.

Anyway, that’s why I was looking at you through a rifle scope. Not for any other reason. This year I have another telescope so I will be able to look at you through that. I won’t be able to see you when you go to old mate across the hill as he has a big white fence around his house now that I can’t see through. I mean, that I probably wouldn’t be able to see through if you went there. I wouldn’t know whether I could see through it or not of course. I haven’t even TRIED to look through it. Although I did see old mate giving me rude signs one day from on top of the fence, which I though was really immature…

And please don’t worry about the shot I fired at you last year as you were flying away. That was an honest mistake. It wasn’t because I checked the stuff under the tree and only found a book.

So, some fishing gear would be really good. I accidentally lost my best rod when Skipper caught that barra and I didn’t catch anything. If he says I threw it

overboard it’s a complete lie, and it wasn’t a tanty! I don’t even care if he catches more than me.

What really happened was I tripped on my purple crocs and the rod and reel just went in the water. It can happen easy. I know because it happened again when Boobes caught that thready.

So I’m a bit short of rods and reels.

I’m sure Pommers and Doughers and Stuffer have written asking you for things, but it’s important you get this message. IGNORE WHAT THEY WROTE. They asked me to let you know that they would like their stuff to be given to me. Don’t forget

that Santa. I’d hate to have to accidentally fire the rifle again. It’s pretty accurate.

Just ask old mate from across the hill. He’s missing his middle finger apparently.

OK, hope you enjoy my letter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Regards to those little dudes.

Regards Sheik

PS. Have a good trip, and I hope the penalty rates for public holidays are better this year for you and Mrs Claus. And tell her to cut back on the Chrissy cake, she’s starting to pack it on big time. She’s nearly as fat as you are barge-arse.

PPS. Don’t forget all my presents that I want.

Bags of flavour BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

Paper bag lunch? Hardly!

This recipe is easypeasy yet haute cuisine.

Cooking fish inside a paper bag sounds at first to be a concept fraught with risk as to whether it would work or not, but it’s a gem.

What really happens is that the baking paper seals in the flavour and juices to keep the fish super moist yet perfectly flaky to your fork, thus avoiding that overcooked dry texture that makes a fish-dish more like take-away than dine-in.

Thai Curry Fish •••••••••••••••••••• In this recipe, you can substitute Thai Jungle curry paste for the yellow curry paste. The following quantities will serve four.

Ingredients 4 fish fillet (approx.

500g each) 4 pieces of baking paper, of sufficient size to enclose each fish fillet 2 tbsp Valcom Thai yellow curry paste 250g coconut cream 2 tbsp Squid brand fish sauce 92

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QFM

5 tbsp coriander stems, roots and leaves, finely chopped 1 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass 1 tbsp canola oil Garnish Roughly chopped coriander leaves Packet fried noodles Method Preheat your oven to 350F/180C. In a small bowl, combine the curry paste, coconut cream, fish sauce, coriander, lemongrass and canola oil.

Lay the sheets of baking paper on a work surface and then lay a fillet of fish towards one end of each piece of the paper.

Divide the Thai curry mixture over each fillet of fish. Fold the baking paper over the fish and seal the edges. There are complicated ways of ensuring the parcel stays sealed, however the simplest way is to fold the edges of the parcel over twice and then staple every 5cm or so.

Place the fish parcels on a shallow baking tray and place in the oven for approximately 15 minutes (timing will depend on the thickness of the fish fillet).

To serve, carefully open the parcel as the steam inside can burn. Sprinkle the

garnish of chopped coriander leaves and fried noodles over the top of the fish. The combination of textures with the crunch of the noodles and the softness of the fish are terrific.

You could also serve the Thai curry fish parcels with a side of steamed rice or vermicelli noodles.

Chermoula Fish •••••••••••••••••••• Chermoula is a garlic and coriander sauce used to flavour fish in North African

cuisine. The chermoula can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The strength of the chilli in the chermoula can be tempered by removing and discarding the seeds and ribs of the chilli before processing.

The following quantities serve four.

Ingredients 4 fillets of fish (approx.

500g in size) 4 pieces of baking paper

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley 1/2 cup coriander, leaves, stems and roots 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large green chilli 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin 1tsp turmeric 2tsp paprika 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice 1 tomato, roughly chopped Extra coriander leaves, for garnish

Method Make the chermoula in a food processor: process the parsley, coriander, onion, garlic, chilli, cumin, turmeric, paprika, lemon or lime juice and tomato until smooth. If you are keeping the chermoula for a few days, spoon it into a container and cover with a little olive oil before chilling.

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C. Lay the sheets of baking paper on a work surface and place a fillet of fish on the end of each piece of paper.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chermoula over the top of each fillet of fish. Seal the parcel as described in the previous recipe.

Place the parcels of chermoula coated fish fillets on a shallow baking tray and bake for approximately 15 minutes (timing will depend on the thickness of the fish fillet).

To serve, carefully open the fish parcel and sprinkle with the extra coriander leaves. You could also serve the chermoula fish parcels with a side of steamed rice or couscous.

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01

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10

Available in 4" & 6"

with 6” zerek live cherabin

20

Available in 4" & 6"

11

Available in 4" & 6"

21

Available in 4" & 6"

03

09

Available in 4" & 6"

Available in 4" & 6"

12

18

Available in 4" & 6"

Available in 4" & 6"

22

23

Available in 4" & 6"

Available in 4" & 6"

QFM

decEMBER 2013

93

Comfort served up on a tray CTL TABLELANDS

Alex Hickson

Whether to accommodate a couple on the move or just for extra space and comfort or a long stay, camper trailers have become firm favourites for outdoor Australians.

The problem for us fishos arises when we need to take our trailer boats with us. For the many Aussie ute owners, there is a brilliant and comparatively well-priced answer to this problem, a ‘tray-on’ camper.

My wife, Simone, and I bought a tray-on camper from Impact Campers, a relatively new Australian company specialising in this style of camper. We really like its versatility.

An Impact tray camper allows you to trailer your boat, motorbikes, PWC, ultralight aircraft or whatever, yet gives you the unencumbered use of your vehicle once you reach your destination.

Impact tray campers are designed to be set up and used off the vehicle, unlike many other tray-ons whose primary design means they must remain on the vehicle.

Apart from having our trailer boat, Simone and I do a lot of kayaking these days and I can assure you that there is far more than a paddle associated with the modern fishing kayak.

We actually require a trailer to bring both kayaks and associated equipment with us.

Often it is not possible to camp right on the water’s edge and so having our ute to take the boat or the ’yaks to the water is a big plus.

Or it could be just ducking into town to get supplies. It’s nothing to pack up – just hop in and go; these campers offer great convenience.

And an Impact Tray Camper features all-Australian quality build and design.

The Impact Tray-on is essentially a camper trailer without axle and wheels, with instead screw-jack ‘legs’ on each corner that allow the body to be jacked up enough so a tray-back ute can reverse under it.

Then the jacks are wound down until the camper is sitting on the tray, secured and then off you go.

The camper has a steel frame with painted charcoal

Top Left: Simone puts the skirt around the base of the camper which stops draughts and offers another dry storage area.

Top Right: Inside there is plenty of room for a family, complete with elevated king bed.

Bottom Left: With a storm approaching Cape Palmerston, the Impact Tray camper braces itself for another showdown with the elements. So far the camper has been impervious to all thrown at it by Mother Nature.

Bottom Right: The kitchen is well thought out and boasts quality fittings and appliances. The author chose the optional extra end wall for more protection. The cavity where it is stored becomes a great pantry and general storage area.

FridgesBuiltFreezers Iceboxes to beat the heat!

Evakool dealers and service agents througout Australia 07 5492 7777 sales@evakool.com www.evakool.com 94

decEMBER 2013

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Left: The Waeco 30L drawer fridge keeps all the essentials icy cold.

Right: The front awning covers a good-sized living area that comfortably houses kitchen and dining area. hammer-tone finish, a polished aluminium checker-plate base and polished aluminium doors with rubber seals for dust and water protection.

The side doors allow full access to the holding area on each side of the camper.

The folding canvas tent structure has a built-in frame for quick and easy set-up.

It has an awning with full-length zip and you can add wall sections if needed.

We purchased a zip-on wall for the kitchen end for a little more protection from the elements.

These add-ons can be customised. We chose a full mesh window backed up by a clear window and then the full canvas, zipped and Velcro storm cover.

We are now considering further ordering another for the other end of the awning – very impressed.

The fold-out kitchen is in the awning or living area, which also can be optioned up or down, depending on your budget.

We chose a stainless steel sink with attached tap, three-burner SMEV gas stove and a large food preparation area with 30L

12v Waeco drawer fridge.

There is a large area that can be used as a pantry and general storage.

The tent part features an elevated king-sized bed and enough room to fit a set of bunks. And there’s still enough floor space for food or fishing gear out of sight and out of the weather.

This area has a thick sewn-in vinyl floor and large meshed windows to let some breeze through.

A small stepladder is used to access the bed and helps when fitting the spreaders and poles when erecting the awning.

Under the bed is further storage and an ideal spot to house clothes and other personal items.

The camper body has dry storage underneath and offers plenty of area for all manner of things that need to be taken with you when camping. Boxes of food, solar panels, tool kit and retrieval gear for the 4WD all stows away, along with the sealed deep-cycle battery that powers the fridge and interior lights.

Simone believes I should ditch the fishing and get into storm chasing. The Impact faced a baptism of high winds and driving rains at Danjeera Dam, west of Nowra.

Some intense and at times quite unnerving weather came through and out of a dozen or more campsites, including various camper trailers (hard and soft roofed), roof-top tents, pergolas and dome tents, we were the only ones not drying out mattresses and clothing or picking up what was left of the campsite the following morning.

The other plus was that while the weather stopped the fishing for long periods, we were able to go 4WD exploring.

And when a break in the weather came it was a case of throwing the kayaks on the ute tray and ducking down

With a break in the weather it was a case of throwing the kayaks on the ute tray and heading to the launching area at Danjera Dam. to the launch site. We caught a couple of fish but the best thing about the trip was our home away from home.

Check out www. impactcamper.com for all details on this brilliant Australian product.

Removed from the ute, the camper is lowered to the desired height and levelled using the magnetic level supplied.

Enjoy the spacious, expandable accomodation of a camper

Impact Tray ... and bring your b o a t t oo! campers With an Impact Tray Camper you can have spacious, expandable, light weight accommodation and the freedom to tow whatever you want.

Designed and locally built, your removable camper can be fitted to a standard light commercial or a four wheel drive vehicle of your choice and include the facilities and options of a camper you would usually have to tow.

With full access to all four sides of the large storage areas and a swing out kitchen, you can take all the gear to make the most of your escape. Get to the camp site, leave the camper behind, and you’re free to explore and enjoy the destination.

Single Cab 

Add an extra annex or another awning. Choose a standard or Deluxe Kitchen package with built in gas stove, sink, fridge or pantry and have the comfort and versatility that only an Impact Tray Camper can provide.

“I can use my every day work vehicle with an Impact slide on tray camper and tow my fishing boat behind.”

Space Cab  Dual Cab  King Cab  Crew Cab  TRAILER TOP  Custom Tray

Impact Slide On Campers are available for Single Cab, Dual Cab, Space Cab and Crew Cab Chassis vehicles.

Call Chris or Georgina from Impact Tray Campers for more information Phone 02 4572 8601  Mobile 0400 404 721 Website www.impactcampers.com  Email impactfence@bigpond.com  Address 160 Wisemans Ferry Rd, Cattai NSW 2756 QFM

decEMBER 2013

95

Mission Beach holidays brisbane

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Imagine enjoying a tropical holiday with a whole house to yourself, a view of the Coral Sea straight out of the bedroom window with blue water as far as the eye can see, a wide stretch of sandy beach close by, gentle waves lapping the sand and a coconut palm or two shimmering in the early morning breeze.

A dream? Not at all. This is a reality when Mission Beach Holidays organise a stay in one of the many rental homes under their banner.

Based at 8 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach, Mission Beach Holidays cater for people wanting just that bit extra from their tropical holiday experience; the enjoyment of a fully selfcontained holiday home with emphasis on convenience and style, yet within a close proximity to that magical view

of the ocean with Dunk Island highlighted to the east.

Premises on offer range from high set to low set, modest to modern in style with most right on the beach front, others within a very short walking distance. Mission Beach Holidays takes a lot of pride in offering homes that are spotless, extra well turned out, and are designed to make the visitor as comfortable as possible.

At the invitation of Vicki Wiltshire, Principal of Mission

GLIND cape yorker 2 Models High and low flow Portable Pressurised Water System Perfect for showers, camp kitchens, water transfers, cleaning your fish, your boat and your kids!

Just add water and power!

EW www.glind.com.au N Compatible with other Glind products. ... ay st ... ise to do d re to ara he t p w ha u r w o in

MISSION BEACH holidays

The unique pole supports are easily noted in this view of Windjana.

Beach Holidays, I took the opportunity to review a pair of typical homes currently on offer. Both were situated at Wongaling Beach, one of the four beaches that comprise the greater Mission Beach area.

Shops, fuel, excellent dining premises and a full range of services were all close by. And the major town of Innisfail is not far away either.

Curlew The first house visited was at 18 Koda Street Wongaling Beach. The aptly named Curlew (the area is abound with these quaint birds), this well maintained high set home with its front yard adjoining the beach offered car or boat accommodation and was blessed with a swimming pool.

I was impressed with the five bedroom (three air conditioned) home with its three bathrooms, large TV lounge, big front deck complete with ocean views and a large barbecue setting.

Curlew offered accommodation for up to 10 people. There are two queen bedrooms, a single bedroom, a twin bedroom plus a triple bedroom. All rooms and living areas were spotless, neatly set up with plenty of storage space and in an extremely inviting condition.

The kitchen was equipped with all modern conveniences, offered ample cooking appliances and cutlery and was both spacious and tastefully set out.

I saw Curlew, with its 10 second walk to the beach as ideal for either family use or

for a group of anglers wanting to share accommodation and fishing experiences at the end of the day.

Windjana The second of the Wongaling Beach houses, Windjana, was a very special property. Located at Number 8B, Reid Road, a walk around the side of the high set property saw the feet in the sand, and the water a stone’s throw away.

With absolute beach frontage this remarkable ‘pole’ style dual level air-conditioned house combined style and luxury in a tasteful manner.

A tiled lower level with a king bedroom, ensuite, and adjacent TV sitting area was joined to the upper living area via impressive timber stairs. Within the upper level, timber again impressed from the immaculate polished flooring to the large stained poles catching the eye as they reached up to the ceiling area.

Timber tables also graced the interior dining and lounge areas.

Outside on the wide, well set up veranda, one could sit and enjoy a cold drink while watching small craft heading towards the fishing areas of Dunk Island or the Family Group of islands to the south.

All bedrooms came with ample cupboard space, vanities and associated furniture with the master upper bedroom offering an unobstructed view of the ocean via wide side opening doors.

The upstairs area offered easy access to Windjana’s swimming pool, which was

rather uniquely installed well and truly above the ground.

Windjana is suited to the enjoyment of several families or perhaps a group of people wanting to share costs but participate in a luxurious beach side holiday.

Immaculately presented, its many attractions included three king bedrooms with their attached ensuites, plus an ultra modern kitchen handily close to the lounge with comfortable chairs, TV and, of course, those great ocean views.

The ultra modern kitchen impressed me, particularly the freezer with its several retractable drawers. Whether you might like to sneak a few pre-rigged gar or mullet in with the food is a moot point but the possibility certainly exists.

The Fishing Fishing in the immediate area takes in the offshore islands for reef fish, mackerel species and trevally. There are all manner of hard pulling line burners.

The small boat owners are able to spend time in the nearby rivers, such as the Tully, Hull and Murray, all of which offer the opportunity to tangle with mangrove jack, grunter and barra in season.

And there would be nothing wrong with soaking a bait off the beach at the rear of either house to score a few pikey bream or a flathead for dinner.

Mission Beach Holidays can be contacted on (07) 4088 6699 or on the net at www. missionbeachholidays.com.au.

Situated between Townsville and Cairns Luxury to Budget Homes and Apartments

Phone: (07) 4088 6699 www.missionbeachholidays.com.au 96

decEMBER 2013

QFM

Above Right: The view from Curlew’s veranda, with the water so close the angler could bring the fish straight up and cook it on the barbie.

Above Right: Kitchen and lounge adjoin seamlessly at Windjana, making for easy entertaining at meal times.

Countries without good saltwater fishING

ARMENIA AUSTRIA BELARUS BOLIVIA CAR CHAD ETHIOPIA HUNGARY KAZAKHSTAN KOSOVO LAOS LUXEMBOURG

MALAWI MALI NEPAL NIGER PARAGUAY RWANDA SERBIA SLOVAKIA SWITZERLAND UGANDA VATICAN

Last month’s solution

Find-a-word Competition Winner Congratulations to R J Schulkins of Deception Bay, who was last month’s winner of the Hawk Tournament Find-a-Word Competition!

Monthly winners receive Hawk Tournament Tested Bayer Perlon IGFA line, assorted Panther Martin lures, Youvella hooks and a keyring. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM

FINS SCALES & TALES

Hawk FISHING

Find-A-Word Comp

by A. Both

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Hawk Fishing cap, Hawk Fishing line, Hawk HB Lure, assorted Panther Martin lures and 3 packets of Youvella chemically sharpened hooks.

Send entries to: Hawk Tournament Competition PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

Name

BARRA COUNTRY

Address

by Brett Currie P/Code Phone (day):

Bite Me

by Trisha Mason

G&N

by Michael Hardy

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winners for December were G Graham of Wynnum, B Ryan of Maroochy River, J Sorrell of KippaRing, R Orchard of Birkdale, R Hulm of Meadowvale, B Worth

of Weipa who each won $50 Gamakatsu gift pack.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM QFM

decEMBER 2013

97

Mitsubishi Challenger brisbane

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

With its distinctive styling and easygoing manners, on and off road, the 2014 Challenger offers some fairly wide departures from the 2013 marque.

Although perhaps going back to yesteryear, today’s Challenger has seen the third row of seats dispensed with and is now available only in 4WD

on demand configuration. This means 2WD (rear) drive is in use most times with the second lever on the console being put to good use when things get messy. So, you have 4WD, 4WD with diff lock, or low range 4WD all at your fingertips.

The good news is that the new model also sees some new styling and finish, along with a decent list of features to increase comfort, and general drivability. Safety features have also been enhanced.

“Tinnie Tosser” Want to take your tinny on holidays and catch the big one but can’t because you are towing a caravan?

Well here is the answer!!

Features include: Single person operation, electric and manual models, custom made to suit vehicle and boat, built for off-road conditions, aluminium and stainless steel construction.

For further information contact Bowline on

Ph: (07) 5498 7339 Fx: (07) 5498 7351 Mobile: 0419 674 343

www.tinnietosser.com.au

Base model and LS available There are two variants available: Challenger and Challenger LS. The entry level model is available in either manual or auto; both having five speed boxes, with auto offering steering wheel paddles to allow driver input. The LS comes in auto-only mode and sports 17” wheels, in lieu of 16” boots as on the standard model.

There have been external styling changes to the headlights, grille, front bumper and tail lights.

Within the passenger compartment there’s an enlarged (18cm) touch screen for the audio system and reversing camera linked to the car’s parking sensors. The audio system fruit bowl is fairly full too, with Bluetooth 2 voice control phone connectivity for hands-off phone use. There’s also auxiliary and USB inputs with full iPod control, and steering wheel audio controls for the driver. Cruise control is also standard.

Standard Challenger I was impressed with the standard Challenger. It was very comfortable to drive, had ample power and performance from the direct injection 2.5L

Changes in the 2014 Challenger are subtle, but can be noted around headlights and grille. common rail turbo diesel engine, and was in many respects a solid feeling yet gentle riding vehicle. Like every other Mitsubishi I have driven, it had exceptionally good head lights and audio systems. Other car-makers could take note!

The Challenger’s fourcylinder turbo diesel is a time proven unit. Its variable turbo vane technology churns out 131kW of power, 350Nm of torque in the auto. Mitsubishi have matched the turbo diesel’s torque extremely well with their gear ratios with the result that the Challenger is quick off the mark, accelerates rapidly, and easily handles highway overtaking.

highway. And punting through the cane fields and working around the Cabbage Tree Point ramp presented not the slightest problem.

I particularly relished the fact that there were no annoying head restraints blocking my rear vision underway. This issue rears its ugly head in quite a few modern SUVs and 4WDs with the upshot that people often remove the head restraints for the duration of ownership, putting them back for re sale.

Comfortable on/off Road Comfort within the Challenger was a high point.

Gentle suspension settings via double wishbone and coils up

to put their vehicle to the test.

Beach or bush work would be a pleasure, not a source of stress.

Load carrying within the Challenger’s cargo area is a strong point. With a 1m span between wheel arches there is a 1700mm long storage area with rear seats down, 1200 with them in place.

Other strong points come from the frugal diesel engine’s claimed fuel economy of 9.8L/100km, which I almost achieved at 10.3L/100km on combined suburban

FLAT BATTERY NO MORE WORLD SMALLEST Theiginal Or The 2014 model offers some subtle interior changes with the wide dash featuring Jump start your flat battery dark tonings and some discreet high lights across its · Car · Bike · Boat unbroken width.

The standard Challenger · Safety had dials for the climate control air set under the one · Security touch sound set up. Also · Recharge featured were remote central · Jump Start locking, rear seat ducts for the air conditioning, a leather · Power Bank wrapped steering wheel and · Multi-Function power windows. Rear seats featured both 60/40 split fold NEVER BE OUT OF POWER capability, tumble forward for enhanced room in the rear and o te * M uUSB l t i - F unc t i on P ow er B ank i s w hi t e f or print ing on t he silver product Recharge Nyour devices also recline if required. Storage is ample, even rear seat · iphone · GoPro travellers have drink holders. · ipad · Camp fridge tow test As Nundah Mitsubishi · Laptop · PSP had thoughtfully equipped the test car with a tow bar, I Safety & Security light took the opportunity to try out the towing capability of the 3 Function emergency dark blue wagon by hitching · SOS up the 5.5 Galeforce centre Emergency flashlight · Strobe console with its 90 E-Tec and 12V2A charging mount headed down to Jumpinpin for · Flashlight 12V2A outlet a morning’s fishing. for cooler boxes etc use With a towing capacity of USB 5V2A outlet for mobile phone, PSP, tablet PC use 3000kg for a braked trailer, On-off 750kg for unbraked, the Security LED power level No1 Challenger towed the solid Battery clip joint socket 19 V3. 5 a outlet SA FETY for vehicle use only for Laptop use Galey with ease. The vehicle felt steady at all times, and moved freely along the

CALL SALES 024 297 5156

www.minijumpstar ter.com

98

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Top Left: Controls for the most used systems are where they should be – on the wheel!

Top Right: The stubby lever on the left of the gear selector is going to keep the Challenger out of trouble when push has turned to shove.

Above: The Challenger’s rear seats can recline; note the paired drink holders on the arm rest. front with a three link and coils set up at the rear do a very good job of insulating occupants from any jarring or bumping on – or off – road.

Steering was quite direct with some limited body roll noticeable only during hard cornering.

Off road the Challenger 4x4 has always been, and remains, very capable. With ample ground clearance, good wheel reticulation and 4WD via the Super Select 4WD system linked to low range gearing and diff lock, the Challenger’s easy unfussed performance will impress owners willing

and highway driving (tank capacity is 70L) plus safety features such as six air bags, ABS, Active Stability Control, Active Traction Control.

In summing up the 2014 Mitsubishi Challenger I consider that the move back to 4WD and two well put together variants will simplify sales for the car maker. The 2014 Challenger wagon is comfortable, capable, and looks good as well.

New Vehicle Warranty is 5 years or 130,000 – impressive.

From Numdah Mitsubishi the base model comes home for around $38,500.

Find the C-POINT Hook NEW!

Find this...

Find the

This month there are

hook competition

15

hooks

hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly. and page Find the C-POINT HOOKS m and go in number, fill in the entry for correct the draw to win! The first 50 the month entries drawn at the end of INT HOOKS. will win a Packet of C-PO MAJOR All entries will go into the PRIZE DRAW (Drawn MAY 2014)

Monthly Prize Black Magic C-Point Hooks Sample Selection Made in Japan Value at $5.95

MAJOR PRIZES

Page NO: 1 2

$ 600 st place

1 3

value of black magic products

4

5

6

Mail entries to: QFM Find the C-POINT HOOKS Comp, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by dec 31st 2013 Original entries only. No photocopies.

Images for illustration purposes only.

7

$ 400 nd place

2 8

value of black magic products

9

10

11

$ 200 rd place

3 12

13

value of black magic products

14

15

NAME...........................................................................................

ADDRESS......................................................................................

SUBURb......................................................P/Code...................... phone.......................................................MOB..........................

EMAIL...........................................................................................

QFM

decEMBER 2013

QFM december 2013

• • • •

99

Shaggy Shad shines brisbane

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

The warmer months bring forth increased numbers of baitfish species as the water temperatures rise.

This increased food supply doesn’t go unnoticed and is closely followed by various pelagic species including school mackerel, spotted mackerel, longtail tuna, trevally, queenfish, mack tuna, bonitos and numerous others, depending on which area of the east coast you are fishing. As such, having a good array of baitfish profiled flies at your disposal is a wise decision.

This month’s pattern, the Shaggy Shad is a good one for when predators are feeding on larger profiled baitfish offshore, or even for estuarine species which commonly dine on herring, glassies and mullet.

feature is the focal point for many attacking or predating species. They use the eye to line up the baitfish during attack mode. As such, having prominent eyes on your fly patterns, such as the Shaggy Shad, will make them more likely to get eaten. Many baitfish species will light up when attacked or excited and the translucent tones of the materials in the Shaggy Shad really do a great job of making the fly light up and standout in the crowd. The Shaggy Shad is a fairly simple pattern to tie and is fairly durable as well. Being tied from all synthetic materials, it is an ideal pattern for the travelling angler, especially those who regularly transit through airport customs.

It can even be trimmed to match a particular baitfish more closely, match-thehatch or imitate-the-bait, as they say.

The main material is DNA Holo Fusion, a blend

MATERIALS

HOOK:............Varivas 2600 ST-V 1/0 THREAD:.......Mono – fine BODY:............DNA Holo Fusion – Grey GILLS:............Kinky Fibre – Red EYE:...............Witchcraft Hologram Eye – 5mm silver FINISH:...........UV Epoxy Baitfish make up the major portion of most pelagic specie’s diet and are also a prominent food source for many demersal and inshore species. There’s a plethora of baitfish profiled fly patterns around and one prominent attribute of most of them is the eye. This key

of Holo Chromosome Flash and other DNA fibres which possess a realistic, lifelike appearance to any fly, especially when wet and in sunny conditions. It is available in a huge array of colours with my favourites for baitfish patterns being pearl, seafoam and grey. I

have tied with a single colour today however you can add contrast and increased lifelike tones by using multiple colours in your flies. The addition of some red Kinky Fibre behind the eye gives the look of flared gills or bleeding, which can make the fly appear weak and easy prey, and a possible catalyst for a strike. The hook I have chosen is my favourite for flies of this type however it is a little hard to get these days. Nevertheless, there are many others that can be used including the new Gamakatsu Inline Octopus hook. The Mustad Hoodlum will also suffice, despite the fact that it possesses a very small offset. There are also many other short shanked hooks that can be used. For eyes, I have used the Witchcraft 5mm Holo eyes but the Mango 3D eyes and many others in varying colours and sizes could be considered, depending on the size of the pattern being tied, the profile you trim the pattern to and the baitfish being imitated.

The DNA Holo Fusion is a fairly durable material and adding a little epoxy to the head adds even more toughness to it, as well as just enough weight to make it sink head first. This pattern can be stripped fast in a handover-hand, rod under the arm fashion which is especially good when targeting pelagics around bait balls or with a series of shorter, strips when fishing it in the estuary where herring are a major bait species.

1

Attach the thread with a jamb knot and lay down a bed of thread for about 10mm behind the hook eye. Cut a portion of Holo Fusion that is at least two times as long as the hook shank and attach at this point. Whip finish but do not cut away the thread.

Cut another portion 2 of Holo Fusion that is approximately three times as long as the hook shank and tie it in just in front of the first. Again, whip finish but do not remove the remaining thread.

3

Cut another portion of Holo Fusion approximately two and a half times as long as the hook shank and tie this in just in front of the last then whip finish.

Cut a fourth portion of Holo Fusion, the same 4 length as the first and tie in just in front of the last.

This method of tying is referred to as ‘high tying’ and limits tangling of the materials with the hook shank during fishing.

Whip finish but do not trim the thread away.

5

Cut a small portion of red Kinky Fibre and tie in along the side of each side, or on the cheeks, of your pattern as shown.

Whip finish and trim away the remaining thread.

6

Place an eye on each side and then apply some UV epoxy to over these and also around the nose cone of the pattern to increase durability. Once you have laid a smooth and even coat, instantly set it by shining your UV (black) light on it. Tie this in just in front of the last, then whip finish.

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Using a good set of 7 serrated blade scissors, trim your pattern to a basic leaf shape as show. This is only a guide however and you can experiment with different shapes.

You will find it is easier to make numerous small snips around the outside edge using your scissor tips than trying to cut it in the conventional manner with the entire blade. Once shaped to your personal satisfaction, the Shaggy Shad is ready to shimmy its way into the gob of a hungry predator.

Sink tip fly line saves the day brisbane

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Although most fly line manufacturers feature sink tip fly lines in their catalogues, we don’t seem to read much about these very useful flyfishing tools.

Floating fly lines make sense for anglers targeting fish working the surface. Fast-sink fly lines have gained a great following on the impoundment bass angling scene, and those ubiquitous intermediate fly lines (especially the clear versions) seem to have no end of applications. That’s especially true when fish are line-shy, particularly in the still water scenario.

In between these distinct angling situations is the good old sink tip fly line. It fulfils a lot of different flyfishing requirements and can really surprise you with its versatility. The tip section (it’s best if it’s clear) is usually around 3-4m long and will sink faster than an intermediate line.

The remainder of the fly line floats in the manner of a full floating line.

The alternate sink/float set up lets you use the line in places where a full intermediate line would be likely to foul up,

snag, or worse – require the fly to be retrieved too quickly to catch a fish to avoid snagging.

As you can imagine, sink tip fly lines are very useful around the edges of impoundment weed beds, standing timber areas, rock ledges and rock bars.

Their best use of all though, in my view, is around the sort of structural timber and logs that cod inhabit in the freshwater, and in the mangrove snags and fallen trees we find in the more upstream sections of tropical streams.

One of the main benefits of a sink tip line is its sheer manageability; the ease of instant retrieval and then making the next cast. The sink tip section delivers the fly to where it can attract a fish, and the floating section allows instant lifting of the entire line as soon as a fly is taken by a fish or deemed to be in danger of fouling up.

By contrast, most if not all of an intermediate sink rate line (bar the last couple of metres) needs to be back through the runners before you can make a new cast. What a waste of fishing time!

Sink tip line saveS the day Last month, in the upper reaches of one of North

Queensland’s tropical rivers, I put a sink tip fly line set-up on a Temple Forks Outfitters TFR 375 large arbor reel. I teamed it with one of the new TFO Mangrove Rods for some heavy-duty use on one of my favourite fish: barra. It was my last trip of the barra season and memorable in many ways.

The river’s brackish section was very low yet any snag-covered area that was over a metre in depth held barra, plus the occasional mangrove jack. That might sound like quite easy pickings but compounding all of it was current flow, with the tide ebbing fairly strongly.

Barra won’t bite when there’s no current so it was try or go by (the latter no option), and I can assure you it was pretty difficult keeping the fly right in the strike zone.

It wasn’t impossible, however, thanks to the sink tip line which was outstanding in the tricky situation.

I’d cast a little upstream of a snag, then retrieve slowly keeping the rod tip virtually on the water to reduce slack.

At the tug of a fish I’d strip strike: if the cast was a dud I’d quickly lift to get the fly out for the next cast.

While the sink tip section was down in the strike zone

I could also mend (flicking sideways, always downcurrent) the floating section to prevent any slack line from inhibiting the strip strike or the quick retrieval. Not every cast was a winner, but a lot were and then the fun began. Luckily I had my powerful 4-piece TFO Mangrove 10wt rod on the job.

TFO Mangrove Rod The Mangrove series of TFO rods are designed by the renowned U.S. fly angler Flip Pallot. While they are quite new I’m tipping they will be very widely accepted thanks to their easy casting ability and reserves of power.

Some super technical magnum-style fly rods are great when a fish is in play but are by no means easy to cast unless in the hands of an expert.

The Mangrove is different. It’s made for all comers, expert and beginner alike.

The 10wt I purchased, for instance, has enough flex in the tip section to easily cast 4-5m of line accurately and does not need half a fly line through the tip runner to load sufficiently to present a fly accurately. Yet, as I found with those willing barra, when power’s required, it’s there by the armful.

These sleek chestnut brown rods with their TiCr coating (which protects the rod

The TFR 375 fly reel allowed Denise to haul this barra out of some pretty serious snags last September. tip from the occasional whack with a heavy fly) are from 6-12wt, are all 4-piece models and feature TFO’s Tactical Guides which cannot pop out or break and are totally braid and saltwater safe.

Wells-style hand grips plus neat hook keepers each side of the aluminium up-locking reel seat are part of the package.

A No-Fault Warranty applies for the life of the original registered owner.

Distributors E.J. Todd in Sydney cover breakages at $40 (that’s right, 40 bucks!) per section, return post.

TFR 375 Large Arbor Reel I love this reel. I loved it soon as I picked it up, admired the finish and then gave it a twirl to marvel at how smooth

and how cleanly it ran.

The TFR 375s are true saltwater reels machined from 6061 aluminium and feature a sealed carbon fibre disc drag, 3 bearings, with a 1-way roller bearing allowing easy conversion from left to right hand wind. The available colours are black, red, gold and pewter and the range covers line sizes from 6 to 10.

The spool sizes match the model number, so my TFR 375 has a 3.75” diameter spool with a capacity of 300m of 40lb braid, plus a 10wt fly line.

These are powerful reels. Even barra up to 80cm were stopped with the drag tightened almost to sunset, and I’ve given this new product full marks for finish, durability and performance.

QFM

decEMBER 2013

101

What’s new fishing Powered by

1

OUTLAW’S BLACK WIDOWS

2

ACCUDEPTH ICV 1\5

The Black Widow from Outlaw Spinnerbaits is a new addition their range that will appeal to those looking to get the best silhouette from their spinnerbaits.

Available in 9 colours, the Black Widow sports black blades, black head and a black skirt with dashes of colour. Available in three sizes (3/8oz, 1/2oz and 5/8oz) the Black Widows make use of Gmakatsu hooks to ensure solid hook sets when Mr Big jumps on. Quality swivels make slow retrieves easy, while the option of a stinger hook is also available.

Great in rivers and lakes, the Black Widow range of spinnerbaits shows Outlaw’s attention to detail and quality.

Price: $15.95 www.outlawspinnerbaits.com.au

Daiwa’s new ultra compact ICV line counter reel is designed for accurate trolling, downrigging and light jigging applications for bass, golden perch, trout and other salmonoids. The Accudepth ICV15 and 15L feature a digital readout line counter that measures the line let out of the reel in feet increments.

A long-life lithium cell battery (3-5 years with normal use) powers this compact digital line counter model, and the counter lets you accurately target suspended fish or structure located on your sounder. By programming the reel with the correct line specifications (manual included with the reel) the reel will display various readouts. The screen displays the line out in feet, indicates the distance between the water surface/lure and has a bait timer alarm that automatically sets off an alarm every minute and/or starts when 23ft of line has been let out or the lure/bait has been in the water.

The IVC15/15L has 3 stainless steel ball bearings plus one roller bearing, swept handle design for better balance and cranking power, and a one-handed clutch operation system. The smooth multi-disc UTD drag is ideal for light lines and helps keep fish on once they strike and are being fought back to the boat. The machined aluminium spool has a large light line capacity, making it perfect for a wide variety of trolling and light jigging applications where knowing exactly how much line is out can keep you in the strike zone.

The Accudepth ICV 15 will be available from December. To view the full list of specs, visit the Daiwa website.

Price: Too new! www.daiwafishing.com.au

3

DIZZY SCENT RANGE EXPANDS

Dizzy Scent is a fantastic product and one that works well.

The new owners of Dizzy Scent have expanded from the 4 original flavours, which are still available today, to now include spray scents and a full UV range of scents. These cover every fishing situation, from bass and bream to snapper and kingfish offshore.

The new Double Shot UV range (pictured) incorporates a full UV range including garlic, aniseed and ghost flavours. The team at Dizzy Scent have done a lot of testing on this product and are extremely happy with the results.

Check out the full range at the Dizzy Scent website.

Price: UV range from RRP $7.95 www.dizzyscent.com.au

4

FISHING DOWN UNDER DVD #33

5

BERKLEY SLOMO JIG

6

MAJORCRAFT RODS

1

The December edition of the Fishing Down Under DVD has an excellent segment on open water breaming with Steve and Jo Starling.

Consistently catching big bream in open, featureless water may sound unlikely, but it can actually be one of the most effective techniques yet evolved for targeting these fish. Join Jo and Starlo as they show you exactly how it’s done, and teach you some sounder and GPS plotter tricks that will boost your results no matter where you fish or what species you target.

Other entertaining segments on this DVD include fishing Ayr in Central Queensland, fishing in the weed in impoundments, using hardbodies in Merimbula, and chasing saratoga.

As always, each segment is designed to give you all the information you need to improve your catch rates.

Fishing Down Under DVDs are available in tackle stores and online.

Price: $14.95 fishingdownunder.tv

Berkley SloMo jigs are specifically designed to be jigged with a slow rod tip action, or from a rod left in a rod holder allowing the boat’s rocking to work the jig.

These jigs have a streamlined shape and are heavily weighted for deepwater work. The fish-attracting features include a squid skirt, holographic flash finish and moveable ball bearing spinning blade, all designed to work at the slowest of speeds. The design of the body increases fluttering action on the drop, and the replaceable double assist hook rig provides positive hooking and holding power.

The colours in the range have been specially selected for all water depths, and combine UV and flash to attract all target species. Available sizes are 40g, 60g, 80g and 100g to suit a wide range of species and conditions.

Price: from RRP $12.95 Berkley-fishing.com.au.

MajorCraft is the largest lure rod manufacturer in Japan, and these popular rods are finally available to Australian anglers. After reviewing hundreds of MajorCraft models, Australian distributor Frogleys Offshore has hand-picked a select range to suit Australian species, from smaller estuary style rods to larger offshore offerings and everything in between.

For estuary and impoundment anglers, the Basspara range is beautifully crafted and features high quality Fuji components. Available in spin and baitcaster models, these rods start at $199 making them an affordable quality option.

Lure casters off the stones or the beach will love the KG Evolution, which are specialist 9’6” casting rods suitable for all lure styles.

In fact, all MajorCraft rods are built using high quality Fuji components, and the series covers a wide range of applications from estuary, to dam and offshore, and includes bait and squidding outfits.

You don’t have to pay a fortune either, with price points suitable for all budgets making this series apllicable over a wide range of uses.

With so many specialised models available at a reasonable price, you can get a MajorCraft rod for all of your specific fishing needs.

Price: from SRP $199 www.majorcraft.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 102

decEMBER 2013

QFM

What’s new fishing Powered by

FEATURE PRODUCT Movtan Fishing App

FEATURE PRODUCT Live Target Baitball Series

There is a new fishing app that is going to make fishing at your favourite spots, whether it is local or worldwide, better: Movtan.

The Movtan fishing app is designed to let you connect with friends and share your fishing experience and expertise on a global scale with the world around you.

Movtan will tell you where other anglers around you are catching fish. With the Movtan fishing app you will have the chance to send messages to friends and see where people are fishing. This can help to give you an idea of where the best places to fish are and, when you reel in that perfect catch, you can take pictures and share them with the world.

Another great feature is the chance to create events with specific locations. That way, all your friends can meet up for a day of fishing and relaxing on the water. You can see where others consider hotspots in the area with the search feature, and plan your event around the hottest spots in town.

As you are looking at the map there are some important things to remember. To begin with, you are going to be the orange dot on the map, while your friends will be coloured in blue. If you notice a red dot, these are popular anglers in the area. It’s recommend you subscribe to them, as this will get you fishing updates. Without subscribing to other anglers you only see pictures and reports within your 200km radius, while those anglers you have subscribed to then get coloured green. A white dot is an angler who is publically viewable.

When you are out on the water, updating your status and posting pictures to the public to see will allow them to vote for you. With

Live Target lures are well known as ultra-realistic bait representation, and their latest releases in the Baitball series are nothing short of spectacular.

The schooling formation of baitfish amid the constant assault by predator fish is one of nature’s most complex fight-for-survival events. It’s the eternal ‘fight or flight’ law of nature. Safety is in the sanctuary of the bait ball, and these lures take full advantage of the baitfishes’ instinct to group together.

This new series of lifelike lures feature multiple baitfish profiles inside the one lure. This concept has been applied to the 60mm Squarebill crank, 65mm Crankbait, 110mm SW Jerkbait, 120mm SW Jerkbait, 65mm SW Popper and the 75mm SW Popper.

All of these lures give the appearance of a small group of fish (or bait ball), which has been separated from the main school. These little isolated groups of baitfish are exactly what predatory fish target and chase once the school has been disrupted, and they are exactly what the Live Target Baitball range imitates.

Think about this for a while and you’ll start to appreciate

just how innovative this idea is, and how well it will work in many situations. Not only are you presenting a number of profiles to your quarry in one go, you are also presenting some of the most realistic finishes around – they literally look just like the baitfish.

What predator could say no to these lures?

Across the different lures there are a number of exciting colours to choose from, all being amazing in their detail and awesome in their appearance. I can’t wait to get my hands on some and throw them at barra, jacks, tailor, salmon, bass, cod, redfin – in fact the list just keeps going!

The Live Target Baitball series is due in stores in early December, so make sure you check them out as early as you can. I don’t reckon stocks are going to last once people see them in the flesh.

Price: from SRP $28 www.ejtodd.com.au

around the front of the car. Stephen Booth plugged the short jumper clamps into the box and hooked it to the terminals.

Amidst horns and alarms blaring, I hit the start button and the engine roared to life.

Matt Roberts from Mini Jump Starter assured me that I could start the car 6 or 8 times from that little pack, but he could have saved his breath – I was already a convert. I bought the unit from him the next day.

The unit contains a lithium-ion battery that they say keeps a start charge in it for a full year, but I reckon that these units will get used more than that, because you can use them to charge your electronic gadgets, too.

Boothy and I proved this the next day when we simultaneously charged two iPhones from the ‘squid’ style adaptor that comes with the smaller of the two units.

But seriously, these are handy pieces of equipment. Apart from the ability to extend the life of your mobile phone battery, they’re compact enough to keep in a safety kit to turn over the donk when your cranking battery gives up the ghost when you’re 20

miles offshore.

Both units also have a built-in torch, which is useful for hooking up to a battery in the dark. We tested this.

You can keep them topped up with a 240V or a 12V charge cord (supplied with the unit) and you’ll never be able to blame a flat battery the next time you’re running late. You’ll have to be honest and say that you couldn’t leave them biting.

The bigger unit had a carry case that contains a pile of adaptors and accessories for all your gadgets. The smaller one just ships with the jumper leads and the ‘squid’ of adapters.

The only flaw I could find is that the ‘squid’ cable doesn’t work with iOS 7 on an iPhone (but it does with iOS 6).

– Steve Morgan Price: $164.95 (Pocket II) to $184.95 (Pocket I) with free shipping Video: http://youtu.be/3LPCHJPi_Nc www.minijumpstarter.com Trade enquiries to Billy Brett on 0410 448 892

enough ‘Nice Catch’ votes you can be ‘Movtan’s Catch Of The Day’ winner. To vote, all you need to do is tap the Nice Catch displayed under the pictures second screen.

Other features on the Movtan fishing app is the Distance Tool, which can help you determine distance between two points, the Tide Checker to let you know if conditions are ideal and a quick Weather Checker.

Keep in mind that if you don’t want to share all this information with the world, there are location security features you can use. These features restrict access to your information updates, pictures and location finders to those people you have chosen to view them. You can even make your favourite hotspot personal and avoid the crowds.

If you are looking for the best new fishing app on the market, head on over to the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to download Movtan Fishing. This is a powerful app that is going to be incredibly useful and will be something that you and your friends continue to use each time you head out fishing.

Price: Free Apple App Store/Google Play Store

TESTED:

MINI JUMP STARTER PACKS AN UNBELIEVABLE PUNCH

They say all things happen for a reason.

Well, the reason the Toyota Prado parked in front of my house wouldn’t start was because I’d left the park lights on. Genius. I knew it wasn’t a problem I’d be able to solve immediately.

Nor would I have to – I was getting picked up for another day at the 2013 Brisbane Boat Show – so I could spend the day working out how I was going to unlock the car door without a key.

It took me a few hours to find out that there’s a secret key embedded in the door unlocking fob (Toyota owners will know what I mean).

Anyway, there was a greater purpose for the flat battery. It allowed me to visit our next-door neighbours at the show who sold the Mini Jump Starter, and they let me borrow one that night. What better way to test a product that, at first glance, you’d think would struggle to turn over a 4L 4WD engine?

You can literally fit this jump starter in your pocket. It’s a far cry from those cumbersome jumper-packs that you can buy from your local auto store; only Kerry Packer had deep enough pockets to fit one of those in.

A sceptical crew of FM staff clustered

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 QFM

decEMBER 2013

103

What’s new fishing Powered by

1

SHIMANO’S SARAGOSA SW SPIN

These gutsy saltwater-rated spin reels are now even more durable, thanks to some substantial component upgrades. The Saragosas are all about the X’s.

Encased in a hybrid aluminium and XT7 graphite body with an XGT7 rotor, Shimano’s legendary X-Ship bearing supported pinion gear and larger drive gear delivers remarkable cranking power with less effort and a smoother feel. X-Shield and X-Protect keep saltwater out of key areas, while the Cross Carbon drag is also waterproof. In fact, it is capable of dialling up anywhere from 10-20kg of hurt on your quarry, depending on the reel model.

A one-piece bail arm assembly smoothly guides the line to the roller, Shimano’s Cam Oscillation system combines with the AR-C spool to ensure that braided line like Power Pro lays neatly on the retrieve without any dips or troughs, and leaves the spool with less resistance while casting or in the wake of a big fish.

Price: from approx. $180 www.shimanofish.com.au

2

ZMAN 3” MINNOWZ

3

PHIL’S BARRA TOURS

The ZMan 3” MinnowZ is a versatile baitfish profile with a lively paddle tail that has made it one of ZMan’s most popular plastics.

Part of its success is that it appeals to so many species, from flathead to bass and trevally to barramundi.

There have been two new additions to the 3” MinnowZ range, Mood Ring and Pinfish. Mood Ring has a dark violet back and translucent, pearlescent purple belly with micro glitter. Freshwater species will be all over this colour, but early predictions are that it will fish well in the salt also. Pinfish is a super-realistic baitfish imitation that features a pumpkin back and translucent, pearlescent belly, both of which contain black fleck and blue, green and gold glitter. This could very well be your new favourite MinnowZ colour!

Price: $8.95 www.z-man.com.au

Phil’s Affordable Barra Tours has added another barramundi adventure to their extensive range of barra fishing options.

After only just last month adding three more Western Australian packages, they have now announced a very affordable seven-day extended mothership, Northern Territory coastal tour to their range.

The new package includes your return capital city air fares to Darwin, plus 5 nights’ accommodation on a 65ft mother ship with all meals provided. All fishing tackle is provided, plus a professional fishing guide and a 5m barra boat for fishing, crabbing and exploring the many pristine creeks and rivers along the coast line south west of Darwin. Your fish is bagged, frozen and boxed ready for your return flight.

After five full days of barra and bluewater fishing you will be dropped back to the Cullen Bay wharf, where one of Phil’s limo or mini bus drivers will be waiting to transport you to the Travelodge Mirambeena Resort for your last night in Darwin.

Prices range from $4,500 each for large groups of 12 to just $4,650 each in groups of four.

Price: from $4500 www.barratours.com.au

104

4

DAMIKI ANCHOVY SHAD

5

GARY HOWARD ADRENALIN RODS

1

New for the 2013-2014 season is the Damiki Anchovy Shad, a thin profile paddle-tail swimbait that is effective on bass, flathead and snapper.

The Anchovy can be used as a trailer or rigged with a jighead, and its large paddle tail and high quality plastic construction allow the tail to come alive even at slow speeds. Available in four tried and tested colours, the Damiki Anchovy Shad is great for targeting pressured fish.

This new lure is 4” long, comes in packs of eight and is suited to jigheads from 3/4oz to 1/8oz in weight with 3/0 to 5/0 hooks.

Price: RRP $13 per pack www.searingtackle.com.au

2

You get a lot of rod for your money with the custom-designed Gary Howard Adrenalin range, with rods starting at just $99. The sharp prices, robust components and expert design has earned this series an immediate following, so much so that the range has been expanded to now include 15 saltwater rods.

The four latest spin rod additions include some excellent options for kayak fishing, such as the Adrenalin 5’6” 3-6kg, 6’0” 4-8kg and 5’9” 15-24kg. A more traditional 6’6” 6-10kg spin has also been added to this comprehensive range.

The wider Adrenalin rod range includes four 7’0” spin models—5-8kg, 8-10kg, 10-15kg and 12-20kg—and seven overhead models: a 10-12kg and 12-15kg in 6’0”; three 5’9” rods including a 10-15kg plus two 15-24kg rods, one with HG guides; and the two 5’6” models have roller tips, alloy reel seats and gimbal, with a choice of 10-15kg or 15-24kg.

Each model in the range has been designed

by Gary Howard to ensure the specific blank actions and matching componentry combine to offer you the performance you need, while still offering excellent affordability. Each blank is packed with fish-fighting muscle and is matched with 316 stainless-steel-frame guides, all under- and over-bound, with end and centre trims.

All up, the new and existing Gary Howard Adrenalin series gives you more rod for your dollar, whether you’re into lure casting, live baiting, bottom fishing or trolling.

Price: from $99 www.garyhowardfishing.com.au

6

WARLOCK PRO-SERIES

The new Warlock Pro-Series range was developed to satisfy the strict requirements of dedicated finesse anglers.

The standard Warlock body design, created

by Rob Gaden, has been refinished with a range of specialist Japanese-style colour patterns that will appeal to the most discerning bream, bass and trout anglers around Australia. The addition of a bright red/white eye creates a distinctive strike trigger, and they’re fitted with tournament-grade VMC Spark-Point treble hooks in a black nickel finish to maximise hook-up rates.

The series consists of a 39mm model (3g weight, 1m diving depth) and two 52mm models (5g/2m and 5g/3m). To view the full range of colours, visit the JM Gillies website.

Price: from RRP $15 for 39mm model www.jmgillies.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 decEMBER 2013

QFM

The TESTING BOOTH

Raymarine Dragonfly FMG

Kris Hickson

When I was told there were some guys coming around to fit some new Raymarine units, I was in two minds about whether it would be a good thing.

On one hand, I love trying new gear. On the other I have had my existing sounders on my boats for as long as I can remember, so using them is second nature.

I had heard a whisper about the new Raymarine Dragonfly units and the Chirp DownVision technology that they were sporting. Word had it they were good, but I’m always sceptical of hype until I can make a judgement for myself.

FUNCTIONALITY The first thing I noticed with this unit when on the water was the clarity of the screen. It was so crisp and easy to see, even in angled sunlight and while wearing

than the depths the Dragonfly is capable of is how shallow the Chirp technology works.

I have had this unit over weed beds in as little as 3ft of water and have still been able to differentiate between weed and the bottom, as well as being able to see fish in the weed and small schools of

mounting kit and an extra pre-cut shrouding to cover the existing hole, it was all done with minimal effort.

The standard quick-release mounting bracket, although not used, looked neat and functional while being nice and easy to swivel, tilt and clip in and out.

A little modification was needed to adapt the standard transducer mount to fit the trolling motor. Conveniently it still fits with the Hydrowave speaker attached.

The standard sonar and DownVision, side by side.

Although a great picture in itself, often the clutter from the standard image makes it look like there is more than there really is. Not so with the defined image on the DownVision.

Simplicity is the key element to the Dragonfly. The basic styling of these units makes them look great on any rig. polarised sunglasses.

The next thing that impressed me was how easy the unit was to use. It has minimal buttons and a joystick cursor, the rotary dial which made changing between screens quick and easy. Pausing the screen, changing settings and marking waypoints were all done with minimal buttons pressed.

Now, while these units are only relatively small, they pack some serious punch!

These bad boys will punch down to 600ft in depth with the aid of the Chirp dual channel sonar, which for photo-like DownVision imagery is incredible – especially on a unit of this size! I have used it to around 120ft/30m and it is still a stunningly clear and crisp image.

THE PICTURE Even more impressive

baitfish in the gaps!

Straight out of the box these units are ready to roll.

There is no need to play with sensitivities or set depths. In most circumstances the best picture I’ve had has been with all settings on auto. Increasing the sensitivity seemed to mainly increase screen clutter, and not add any useful readings.

The target separation using the DownVision function on these units makes it really easy to differentiate between fish and structure.

This is even more noticeable with the screen split between standard sonar and DownVision.

INSTALL The fit-out of the unit was fairly basic as it was flush mounted into the same hole as the previous unit was. With the aid of the optional flush

The only negative I did find was that the transducer was not suited to mounting on the electric motor.

Although fitted to quite a solid bracket and being a nice hydrodynamic shape, it sat a little proud. With a bit of thought and modification though, it came up quite neat and still above the skeg of the MotorGuide to avoid too much damage from contact with structure. I have since found out that Raymarine do an optional trolling motor mount for this transducer, which should make fitting much easier.

There was plenty of cable supplied for both the transducer and power, so mounting locations are not too limited.

TECH INFO This unit sports a 5.7” 480 x 640 pixel screen, micro SD card slot for maps or data, 50 channel internal GPS capable of 3000 or 15 tracks with 10000 track points and CPT-60 Dual beam CHIRP transducer. It’s hard to believe Raymarine have packed so much technology from their much larger units

into such a compact package, while keeping the price so affordable.

With such a bright screen and so much going on with dual sonar and GPS, the power draw was a concern. However, these units use power really efficiently. Power draw at full

Being compact, easy to use and functional, it ticks all the boxes for boaters or kayakers looking for an affordable main fishfinder/GPS combo or just an extra fish finding tool.

There are all the features you could want in a unit like this, and not only does it have

Top: This image of a bait ball sitting at the head of a laydown snag shows just how crisp the image on these units can be. This is straight out of the box! Above: This bream was one of a handful plucked from the school shown on the screen. Notice the active fish on the top of the hump and more inactive fish sitting on the bottom just off the edge.

You can read the super-bright screen in all conditions – even through polarised glasses – and avoid the sore neck from trying to get that clear angle.

brightness is a mere 8W – around 0.7 of an amp. This makes it an excellent choice for kayak anglers wanting a super functional unit they can run on a small deep-cycle battery.

SUMMING UP The Raymarine Dragonfly is as good a sonar/ DownVision/GPS combo as I have ever used, big or small.

them, it does them well.

There is a plethora of information on the Dragonfly both in text and video at the Raymarine website (www. raymarine.com.au) for anyone wanting a more detailed idea on the finer point of these units. There are also some amazing screenshots to show what these gems are capable of.

QFM

decEMBER 2013

105

Renz rules for Convention win On a weekend that saw young talent rise to the top Bundaberg-based bass young gun Jordan Renz secured a convincing win at the Bjelke-Petersen Dam hosted 2013 Bluefin

the upper reaches of the dam past Bass Point and targeted two large trees in 16ft of water. Renz sounded a large number of fish holding on the trees and believed that the area acted

O SERIES

” Ecogear Power Shad rigged on hand-painted 3/8oz TT jighead

wn und per ing had ad. ree and ace . r a with ad, ned t it for

I’d had ven the In

Rod:.......................... AMC Custom Bream Spin Reel:.......................... Shimano Stradic C14 1000 Line:.......................... 6lb Yamatoyo PE Leader:...................... 10lb Yamatoyo FC Lure:.......................... Ecogear VX40

a short sharp double hop able to fish these events,” back to the boat. If Renz said Renz. got a bite he would drop Urquhart Run n’ the lure to the bottom and Guns to Second TOP 10 NON-BOATER repeat the double hop and Joe Urquhart once again rest retrieve. showed Kills that he’s manSecond to Kanowski it afor Renz’s tackle of choice watch on any waterway was an AMC Custom with yet another podium that did the majority of fall to the Little Ma Bream Spin matchedSteve with ‘Killer’ finish, with the Gold Coast the damage, catching all but instead ate a plum a Shimano Kanowski Stradic once C14 basser finishing 2nd with a again lived bar one of his fish, was chartreuse coloured 3 up to his bridesmaid tag a 1/4oz Evergreen Little paddle-tail soft plastic.

1000 reel, spooled with 4/4, 2.97kg limit. and fell short of claiming Max blade fished vertically Kanowski’s double lur 6lb Yamatoyoone PEof and 10lb

Urquhart also headed ELECT the few bass titles and worked with short, BASS approach had him sittin Yamatoyo FCheleader. up to the timbered section hasn’t won, the Smak aggressive hops. The in first after Session On Pro Grand biggest fish in his limit second after Session Two The keyLures to BASS Renz’s of the dam but rather than crown. for the tournament didn’t and ultimately second a presentation Final was to take Fishing a trio stay of in one area Urquhart off the standard hooks of his employed a run-and-gun locations to catch fish, Kanowski on his VX40 and retrofit focused ZX technique covering as much bushes in 8-14ft trailing hooksflooded to allow him ground as possible. Urquhart of water near the timbered to run his lurearea closer thethe event targeted the smaller spindly not fartofrom TOP 10 NON-BOATER start line. up. tree without snagging timber in 3-6ft of water that Place / Angler Fish Weight (kg) “The standout bushes “The bigger fish where most anglers passed over. were the ones that were 1 Dean SILVESTER 6/6 8.36 coming as the lure tosatdrop-offs on To adjacent and cover ground quickly 2 Stephen KANOWSKI 6/6 8.27 deep he explained.

Steve lure Kanowski once again the bridesmaid at the the bottom next towater,” the tree,” Urquhart’s of was choice 3 Matt JOHNSON 5/6 7.02 The lure and technique Grand Final, fi nishing second to Silvester.

4 Matthew MOTT 5/6 6.91 said Renz. was an Imakatsu Parana 5 John BRIDER 6/6 For his hard fought vibe (soft tungsten) in ayu Jordan Renz secured a convincing win with a 4/4, 6.70 6 David REYNOLDS 6/6 6.58 tournament win, Young Renz colour. tight 4.09kg bag for the Bluefin Boats BASS 7 2013 Mark LENNOX 5/6 6.41 Gun Casting Fires his tolure Win BASS ELECT 8 Gavin DUNNE 5/6 6.35 walked away with a .brand to the structure Urquhart Electric Convention.

SMAK LURES BASS PRO

O GRAND FINAL GLORY

k to wo, ere ing ing all. at nd, n– uld hird

WInning Tackle

Ecogear ZX40 blade

Jighead retrieve

The team at Bluefin awarding Jordan Renz his prize of Bluefin Estuary Pro.

9 Ian WRATTEN 6/6 6.06 Hervey Bay dam Radosevic once again The move was just 10 Adrian MELCHIOR 5/6 6.01 student and bass used his two blade combo, what he needed to get would then burn his lure For full result listings see www.australianbass.com.au young gun Dane but after getting blown away his tournament back on Place / Angler Fish Weight (kg) Payout back to the boat.

Radosevic secured victory by five fish he was beginning track, and he finished Jordan 4/4...........4.09 .......Blue Fina Estuary Pro in the non-boater division to wonder whether it was the session with a 2.51kg For this work his tackle the end1I just went backRENZ to the .................. fish on his second cast damage, but rather roll .......55lb Mount Haswing gutter 2 to seeJoseph what it hadURQUHART left”. and his ....... at the Smak Lures BASS going to all fall apart on him. limit. Claiming the event second4/4. fish..........2.97 three and paused Power Bow Shad that of choice was an St Croix His to return.....................

ProTransom Grand Final with a casts later. tempted the suspended bass.

“I just couldn’t land a win over a strong finishing 3 decision Jack GOLD 4/4...........2.95 .......55lb Motorguide Varimax rod match with a Daiwa was a correct one, with win.

This time it wasn’t a Forty minutes and a few bass fish,” he said, “so I upped my Terry Allwood, Radosevic 4 catching Trevor his STEAD .................

4/4..did .........2.91 .......$300 Haswing dollars 210gFishing T3 reel spooled with 10lb Silvester first snapped with Trevor leader size and that’s when it in the end secured an blade that the later the bite shut down and 5 Ben BIGGS ..................... 4/4...........2.82 .......$300 Haswing dollars Stead on Day One and all turned around.”

Toray Super strong 8lb (kg) the gutter had given up all easy victory. – ABT Place / Angler Fish andWeight that it.......$200 was going toHaswing give up 6 Adrian WILSON .............. 4/4...........2.74 dollars Barry Reynolds on Day Toray L-Hard FC. Two, Radosevic fished a for the tournament.

1 Dane RADOSEVIC 5/6 6.78 7 Mark PETERSEN ........... 4/4...........2.74“Rather .......$200 Haswing dollars combination of Nexgen With the fish holding than just beating 2 Terry ALLWOOD 6/6 6.56 8 Kenny LEBHERZ ............ 4/4...........2.73 .......$100 dollars and Evergreen blades. tight to structure, leader my head against the Haswing wall and 3 Michael THOMPSON 6/6 5.40 hoping that I couldHaswing scratch 4 John choice KOCH 5/6 5.24 9 Andrew LOW .................. 4/4...........2.56 .......$100 dollars Day One involved fishing was critical to vertical timber and working out a.......Imakatsu/Toray couple more fish, I 5 Joshua EVANS 5/6 5.02 10 Samantha RUTLEDGE ... 4/4...........2.56 pack Urquhart’s success, “The his blades with a series of moved and went looking 6 Tom SLATER 5/6 5.00 L-Hard has great single and double hops. The for active fish,” explained 7 Duane MACEY leader 4/6 4.84 Winning Edge approach was spot-on, with Silvester.

8 Glennabrasion WOJTASIKresistance, 5/6 I could 4.68 Radosevic catching his Targeting fish his lure tight 9 Andrew WOODS 4/6 4.45 By changing to ZX assist hooks Renz was able schooled to position to the use a light leader4/6to get the limit within the first hour of in deeper water in a gutter 10 Ben SCOTMAN 4.37 structure with out snagging his lure. bites but see it had the abrasion For full result listings www.australianbass.com.au Session One. Session Two, similar to his first one, however, proved a lot more Silvester caught a few more resistance to get the fish difficult with Radosevic fish but didn’t add much out of the structure,” said catching one fish for the extra to his bag. However, Boats BASS Electric as a transitionin location Urquhart. session.Estuary the end he with had more new than Bluefin 385 “I just couldn’t get (2.37kg) to maintain Convention. bass holdingenough in the area Pro. The Bluefin Boats number before one position and “I am over the Compiling a 4/4, 4.09kg for a brief his period thesecond moonfishto I needed BASS Electric Convention to complete my limit,” claim the Grand Final win.

Winner’s tackle two-day bag to claim the moving and being replaced cannotDane. wait draws the curtain on another “To fish AFC and wintake the the win, Iexplained Rod: Dobyns Champion Extreme 702 spin by a meagre yearget on the waterLeading win, Renz relegated Joe by new fish. Somerset BASS Pro this to and start successful BASS Electric Reel: Quantum EXO 25 spin 10g heading into the third more located than I could fishing ever Urquhart (4/4, 2.97kg) to Once hewashad Line: 10lb Series.

Sunline Rock out of this fantastic ABTfishwould like to and final session, Radosevic have hoped for,” he said. “To Leader: 6lb Sunlineall Shooter FC that have 2nd, and Jack Gold (4/4, the fish, Renz said Renz.

The–young thank those needed and was praying top itwould all off bycast winningboat,” the Lure: Ecogear ZX40 blade (dark night colour #445), 3 a repeat Grand Final as well to 2.95kg) to 3rd to secure the his Ecogear VX40 blade inis hard angler went onfor to –thank hisof Session helped make the season a jighead (eel colour) rigged on hand-painted 3/8oz TT One to be confident of something biggest win of his young colour 339 comprehend Winner’s edge past the and trees father, ACM Custom Rods successful one including securing the win. Fishing Dane Radosevic claimed the non-boater title, anchored that I’m incredibly proud of. snapping event the bladeorganisers, up off the bottom on s tournament career. then allow towin sink to again and Ecogear. Without of ofJoseph anglers, Urquhart relegated to second position,The butkey was Dean Silvester was red hot this year and showed it at hisIflure the upper all reaches the by hiswas 3.42kg bag in Session One. I never anything this the lure wouldn’t dart correctly and the bass wouldn Both Renz fished Cania, claimingdays the boater BASS Pro Grand Final title. before the bottom imparting and series sponsors. – ABT I can die a happy man!” their support I would not be took home an impressive 55lb Bow Mount Haswing.

REsults

TOP 10 NON-BOATER

BASS ELECT

WINNING NOTES

Entrie Tournam 2013 ABT Simply fill in the

S

in with you

A LOG A down www.

At an on (07 your en

Entries: Entry forms for all ABT Tournaments can be found in the 2013 ABT Tournament Angler Guide. Simply photocopy the entry form, fill in the relevant details and send it in with your chequeor money order to; ABT, PO Box 7196, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Alternatively you can download an entry form from www.australianbass.com.au At any time you can call ABT on (07) 3387 0888 for help with your entry during business hours.

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Carl Jocumsen bookends slow USA season fmg

Carl’s 2013 finsihes

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Pretty much everyone in the Australian Bass Tournament scene knows that Toowoomba angler, Carl Jocumsen, set sail three years ago for the USA with the aim of competing against some of the best bass anglers in the world on the highly competitive Bassmaster tournament trail (www.bassmaster.com).

It’s been three years of ups and downs for the young Aussie. He’s tasted success in the form of plenty of top 20 finishes across the country.

And he’s had his downs.

Racking up a better collection of century-plus finishes than most Aussie batsman in the modern era.

In 2012 he fell agonisingly short of qualifying for the

PAA Events Lake Douglas................................ 12th Lake Tellico................................... 62nd Table Rock lake............................ 33rd Bassmaster Central Opens Red River...................................... 113th Arkansas River............................. 132nd Ross Barnett................................. 4th Bassmaster Northern Opens James River.................................. 63rd Oneida Lake................................. 137th Lake Erie...................................... 100th

Bassmaster Elite series – watching the angler that finished one place ahead of him in the Central Opens points race get offered a spot in the most prestigious circuit on the planet.

So, it was back to the drawing board in 2013 to try and make the cut.

As well as the Bassmaster Opens series, Carl opted to

spend some of his precious funds on the PAA (Professional Anglers’ Association: www. fishpaa.com) circuit. A solid string of results there would see him with a free entry into an event called the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. With a $250,000 winner’s purse, there was merit in the idea.

Carl’s season started with a PAA event on Lake Norman,

CARL’S links

• Carl’s Bassmaster angler profile link: http://www.bassmaster.com/anglers/carl-jocumsen • Link to Bassmaster event results page: http://www.bassmaster.com/tournaments/ 2013-bass-pro-shops-central-open-3/results/1 • Link to Carl’s Fan Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carl-Jocumsen-TeamJocumsen/509735719057074

Carl’s interview QR code.

Tennessee. With virtually the entire field throwing those crazy, 5-lure Alabama rigs, Carl opted to pursue a skirted jig pattern on the steep rocky bluffs and cracked the code.

Making his first ever top 12 PAA cut in that event was a huge achievement – especially as he was the only angler NOT throwing an A-rig.

Interestingly, the A-rig has now been banned from most major national circuits as it’s considered unsporting.

With no reason to doubt that this was the start to another stellar year, Carl then struggled. And he struggled for months – right up until

the final event of the season – the Bassmaster Central Open on Ross Barnett Reservior in Mississippi.

With around $300 to his name, Carl racked up his first Bassmaster top 12 cut – finishing 4th and cashing a prize cheque for over $10,000USD. “All year I’d been sticking to what I’d found in practise and I was unwilling to change things up when conditions changed,” Carl explained in a 30-minute interview that we conducted post-tournament (see factbox for the QR code link).

“And when I got to my

starting spot on the first day of this event, it happened again – 2ft rollers were hammering the section of lily pads were I’d found a concentration of better than average bass.

“So, I bit the bullet and used every bit of knowledge I’d gained over the last three years to run around the lake to every good looking spot I could find and put together a 10lb limit that kept me in with a shot in 25th place,” Carl continued.

The next morning, the conditions suited a technique that Carl calls ‘swimming a worm’, so that’s what he did.

Available from your local BCF store 108

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Continued page 109

Aussies dominated the big money in China fmg

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

In September 2013, a team of 10 Australian kayak tournament anglers travelled to China to compete in the inaugural From page 108

He rolled with the conditions and put together a limit of fish that wouldv at least ensure he took home a pay cheque. Typically the top 50 or so anglers make a payday from a 150 boat field.

“But then the sun came out, the wind died and I knew that my frog-fish in the lily pads would bite,” Carl said, “so I ran to the spot, the bass hadn’t moved and I upgraded every single fish in the live well.”

Weighing in reasonably early, Carl was sitting in 4th.

He needed to endure another 100 pro anglers weighing in before he knew that he’d make the top 12 cut. And that he did – in 9th place.

“That was the best feeling and the best achievement in my life,” Carl exclaimed, “I got to fish on the final day against guys

C.A.N. (China, Australia, New Zealand) kayak tournament. Not really knowing what to expect, the team excelled on a totally foreign waterway for species they hadn’t seen before.

In short, Aussie anglers dominated the top placings, that I’d watched on TV and who have earned millions of dollars catching bass.”

And Carl didn’t disappoint.

Weighing in the third biggest bag on the final day, Carl finished the event in 4th place.

2014 “The biggest challenge now is getting my sponsors and funding sorted for another shot at qualification on 2014,” Carl said. “I’ve made it this far with awesome support from companies like Hobie, Millerods, Bassman Spinnerbaits, Skeeter, Yamaha and Shimano, but I think that bass fishing must be one of the most expensive sports on the planet.”

If you’d like to kick in, go to Carl’s Facebook page and check out the crowd-finding links. After all, who doesn’t like watching an Aussie young gun head stateside and beat the Americans at their own game?

How’s this for a presentation ceremony?

Richard Somerton (centre) and Neil Carstens (left) took out podium finishes and the lion’s share of the cash. winning $41,200 of the $55,000 USD prize money on offer. Working as a team, the anglers figured out a pattern and shared it with their teammates.

Interestingly, Aussie bream training and techniques shone, with the Aussie anglers’ stamina

(especially in windy conditions) and blading prowess giving them the advantage.

As well as big prize money, the experience was big for the team. With an outdoor stadium full of near 20,000 people for the opening ceremonies

and presentations, it’s an experience that they’re unlikely to forget.

Neil Carstairs put together an awesome report – big enough to fill up half of this magazine. You can read it here: http://www.kfdu. com.au/forum/viewtopic. php?f=1&t=34354 Rest assured, there’ll be plenty more Aussies chomping to get their hands on some of that cash if the opportunity presents itself again.

Aussie Angler Placings

1st..............................Richard Somerton 2nd............................Neil Carstairs 4th.............................Andrew Death 6th.............................Scott Lovig 7th.............................Jim Barrie 10th...........................Craig Coughlan 11th...........................Greg Lewis 12th...........................Stewart Dunn 13th...........................Matt Petrie

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Family time – what a great way to spend time on the water.

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decEMBER 2013

109

2013 Bowen Family Fishing Classic goes off Bowen’s biggest event is over and it was an awesome weekend.

The weather was perfect and crowds flocked in their thousands. The event kicked off on Saturday afternoon with local gospel band and the blessing of the fishermen and went on to see Bowen’s X factor contestant Judah Kelly perform on stage. The popular Jochheim’s pies featured senior and junior pie eating and the kids enjoyed the crawchie races soon after.

The weigh-in kicked off Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm with Channel 7 sports reporter James Van Luwen while at 5.30pm our local member for Dawson officially welcomed all to Bowen and the Fishing Classic. Newcomers to the Classic, Celtic Fyre were a great hit with their brand of entertainment in one of their 2 performances for the weekend.

The fireworks never fail to delight all ages and went off with a bang at 8pm. Beccy Cole bought her own style of country music as she performed in her high energy live show.

Late night funk band Electrik Lemonade of 7 showed the late crowd how to party with their original energetic funk rock tunes with hip hop and blues elements.

Brekkie on the beach – what more could you ask for?

It started off Sunday’s full day of activities for families. The tide times saw the sand castle competition move to 9.30 but this did not faze the sand enthusiasts with many families taking to the beach. Another new comer to the Classic was the Lawn Bowls competition and demonstrations to cater for all ages. The bush and beach craft for the kids was very popular with kids making leis, tiki masks, flowers and fish. The weigh in kicked off at smoko time and although angler numbers were down the quality of fish donated was very high – thanks must go out the all anglers who donated their catch to local Meals on Wheels and the Bowen Fisherman’s seafood for filleting everyone’s catch.

The Lolly Drop returned to the skies this year thanks to the crew of Dwyer Aviation and was a great hit with thousands of kids (and parents) gathered at the high tide mark! Gudjuda Reference Group coordinated their turtle tag and release with this year’s classic, much to the delight of families. They got to see these gentle giants of the sea go back to their natural habitats. Adults and kids got to try their hand at casting with the team from Bowen Recreational

Fishing Club and won prizes for accurately landing the lure in the bowl!

Beach soccer got underway as soon as the tide was low enough with stiff competition between teams for the cash prize. The male and female Dash for Cash was just that, a quick dash out along the beach and out to the marker and back for $500! Many tried but only 2 were victorious on the day.

The Brad Geiger duo with their acoustic rock session led up to presentations. Lucky weigh in prize, heaviest fish prize along with heaviest weight and secret weight prizes for Senior and Juniors in 15 categories of fish plus mud crab for the Seniors were awarded to the lucky anglers.

Reports from security say patrons were well behaved, locals, visitors to the region and the classic crew report a great time was had by all.

Congratulations all round to the small organizing committee for yet another classic that exceeded all expectations.

As the memories fade, please remember all the hard work that goes into this event by its tireless volunteers and the Classic Crew committee as their reward is your support.

– Sharon Bradford

results

Age Group Species...........................................Weight...... Name Junior Spanish mackerel.............................18.100....... Angus Daley

Mackerel (other)...............................8.875......... Jesse Hall

Coral trout........................................4.319......... Angus Daley

Mangrove jack..................................3.032......... Isabella Maloney Flathead...........................................1.463......... Joshua Tause

Cod (All)...........................................16.900....... Hayden Campbell Whiting.............................................0.279......... Nathanel Klienert Trevally.............................................10.950....... Kaylee Kimber Bream..............................................1.071......... Chloe Sullivan Sweetlip...........................................3.640......... Billy Bauer Barramundi......................................5.800......... Toby Burgess

Javelin fish/Grunter..........................2.781......... Madison Miller

Red emperor/Scarlet sea perch.......10.000....... Stephen Mcdonald

Blue tuskfish.....................................2.332......... Hemi Craig

Other species (cobia).......................7.200......... Riley Weston Senior Spanish mackerel.............................25.800....... Travis Baker

Mackerel (other)...............................5.100......... Scott Dunne

Coral trout........................................9.650......... Brittany Soden

Mangrove jack..................................4.500......... Shane Cavanagh Flathead...........................................1.562......... Wayne Tawse

Cod (All)...........................................18.050....... Tait Swindge Whiting.............................................0.288......... Rita Jenkins Trevally.............................................24.500....... Monique Josiforski Bream..............................................0.967......... Wayne Sullivan Sweetlip...........................................7.430......... Jason Winter Barramundi......................................13.330....... Clint Stoneham

Javelin fish/Grunter..........................3.279......... Chris Achille

Red emperor/Scarlet sea perch.......11.430....... Kiera Hinshaw

Blue tuskfish.....................................6.040......... Kelly Ross

Other species (Cobia)......................13.500....... Bob Illmer

Mud crab..........................................2.019......... Lorretta Soden Other results Champion angler senior Shane Cavanagh Champion angler junior Angus Daley Tagged fish random draw - 1 Jessica Barter Tagged fish random draw - 2 Nathan Wilde Heaviest fish weighed in Travis Baker (Spanish mackerel) Heaviest fish weighed in by a female Monique Josiforski (trevally) Senior lucky weigh in winner Kerrie Beesley

Cardwell Barra Bonanza The Cairns Hardware 2013 Cardwell Barra Bonanza, held from October 24-26, was a great success. Around 150 anglers took part from

accommodation vouchers, sun shirts and bait tables. Top angler Trent Palmer netted the longest barra prize, releasing a barra at 1.09m.

results

Champion Team................................The Godfathers Runner-up Team...............................Lousy Louts Junior Champion Barra.....................Cole Hindmarsh Female Champion Barra..................Carmel Low Male Champion Barra (1009)...........Trent Palmer Male Runner-up Barra (1001)...........Mat Price Champion Visiting Team................... The Godfathers - Townsville Runner-up Visiting Team...................Lousy Louts Champion Mystery Length Barra .....Shane Brunelo Runner-up Mystery Length Barra ....Nathan Kemp as far away as Weipa and Mackay in the 6th annual catch-and-release event.

Some great barra were caught, with a few over 1m. Other winning species were grunter, salmon and mangrove jack.

Local businesses pitched in to make a fantastic prize pool, including an entrant prize of a 3.6m tinny and motor from QLD Steel and Equipment, Tully.

Champion Angling team The Godfathers, comprising Trent Palmer, Marty Price and Adam Hill, were delighted to win iceboxes, rods and vouchers to the value of $500 each from Cairns Hardware and Bendigo Bank, plus 110

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Top junior team The Little Nippers, comprising Phoebe Jamieson, Brianna De Ash and Brett Jacobs, outfished

some of the seniors with Phoebe receiving the overall runner-up prize for the heaviest mangrove jack and Brianna the winner and runner-up of the heaviest salmon. Chris Stoter, the president of the Cardwell Sportfishing Club, said it was encouraging to see so many youngsters not only take part, but also do so well in the competition.

After fishing Friday and Saturday, anglers and their families danced the night away to Innisfail band Riff Raff. The Club committee was delighted to receive feedback from competitors, who left with parting comments such as, “Fantastic prize pool,” and, “We’ll be back!” - CSC

Trent Palmer with Mick Volp from Cairns Hardware.

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2014 MTA Barra Summer League: Round one The barra tournament season is off again with a great start for the first round of the MTA Barra Summer League at Peter Faust.

It’s a busy period coming up for tournament anglers in the next few months being capped off with the prestigious ABT Barra Tour starting 22 November through to 1 December. If the weather stays anything like it has for the winter and the start of spring we should see some hot barra action like we saw at Peter Faust.

There were 55 barra caught in the first session and 31 in the second session.

Anglers fished the 2 session for their best 3 fish (only 3 fish maximum bag were registered per angler). Some anglers caught more than 3 fish per session, here are some stats from the results sheets: 1st session 46 barra for a total length of 4,298cm with an average length of 93.43cm; 2nd session 30 barra, 2,691cm with an average length of 89.7cm.

The water level for the dam is 50cm below the overflow and dropping slowly and the water temp maxed out for the day around 28.5ºC. There is very little weed around and the water seemed

Craig Griffiths came first in the event with some stunning fish. clearer than usual.

The weather conditions were almost perfect for the Saturday afternoon start of 2pm and a finish of 9pm but a thunder storm around 4pm put the dampeners on with some very heavy rain that made it a tad uncomfortable.

Since the start of the MTA group there has been a steady improvement in member numbers and boats attending the comps. This was the best turnout for a barra comp with 14 boats, one boat fished 3 anglers making a total of 29 competitors for the round.

There were three boats from Townsville, one from Ayr, one from Rockhampton, and one

from Bundaberg, and the rest from the Mackay region.

After the first session Dustin Sippel from Bundaberg was leading the field with his 3 fish measuring 312cm and boating a massive 130cm beauty that equalled the ABT best caught by Peter Price in 2011. Dustin’s 3 fish came on different lures with the 130 falling to a Rapala Balsa, the 93cm to an X-Rap and the 88cm to a Slick Rig. Second place was held

by Keegan Hayden with a total length of 306cm with his three fish the biggest 115cm all falling to the Rapala Gliding Rap. Luke Katsaros held

3rd spot with his three fish totalling 294cm. Luke’s biggest fish measured 105cm.

The last prize position in 4th place was held by Ethan Farrell with 288cm.

The second session on Sunday morning started with a dam like glass, not a breath of wind, with a 6am start and a 1pm finish. The conditions were almost too good for barra fishing and it showed in the end result with 31 barra being caught compared to 55 in the first.

However following his victory in the last round of the 2013 MTA Summer League Craig Griffiths came storming back from an average 1st session 9th place with a 3 barra bag all over the metre-mark, 105cm, 102cm and 100cm.

Giving him a total length for the session of 307cm and a winning 6 fish total for the event of 565cm. Craig caught his fish from the trees and no one fishes the trees like Craig.

Ethan Farrell maintained his good showing from the first session improving his fourth place to finish second and only falling short of first place by being 4cm behind Craig. Ethan’s 3 fish gave him a second session total of 273cm with his biggest fish of the session 103cm, finishing

with a total length for the tournament of 561cm.

Geoff Newby who was holding 5th place after the first session moved up a couple of spots into 3rd place with a second session 3 fish total of 239cm giving him a tournament total of 509cm.

Geoff was the only angler in the prize list for any of his fish not to top the metre mark.

The 4th and final place was taken out by Luke Katsaros who partnered Craig Griffiths for the two days. Luke took the 4th place mantle from his brother Chris who finished 4th in the last round of the 2013 MTA Summer League.

Luke unfortunately could not find that third elusive fish to

make up his bag limit but did manage two 1m fish for a second session total of 206cm giving Luke a tournament total of 500cm.

The biggest barra prize went to Dustin Sippel with that big girl of 130cm from the first session, Dustin struggled in the second session and could not hold on to the first place he held from the first session. He did however manage to catch the second biggest fish of the tournament with another massive barra of 121cm, his only fish in the second session.

All the tournament dates and any other information you require is available on the website. – MTA Barra

Ethan Farrell worked hard to take out second place.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2013 DATE DETAILS

CONTACT

November

Golden Pro-Angler Basstasstic Series TBA

Russel Nowland 07 4167 8183

Basstasstic X Factor Grand Final Somerset Dam

Russel Nowland 07 4167 8183

Nov 23-24

December

Dec 7-8

2014 January

Jan 18-19

MTA Barra Summer League Rd 4 Peter Faust

Geoff Newby 0430 344 485

February

Feb 1-2

MTA Barra Summer League Rd 5 Teemburra

Geoff Newby 0430 344 485

Feb 8-9

Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition Boondooma Dam

Terry Allwood 0400 860 122

March

Mar 1-2

MTA Barra Summer League Rd 6 Teemburra

Geoff Newby 0430 344 485

May

King of the Pin Gem Hotel, Alberton

Don Vogel 0411 958 076

May 30-1 Jun

For listings please email sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au 112

decEMBER 2013

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2013 XXXX Gold Rocky Barra Bounty shines The end of September welcomed the 13th Rocky Barra Bounty fished on the Fitzroy River in Central Queensland.

Organisers had good reason to be a bit nervous about whether competitors would find fish this year, given that the commercial netting sector has removed

largest a ripper 1.19m ‘horse’ landed by Craig Griffith.

There were also plenty of sad stories about the big ones that got away too.

The weather gods turned on a record hot spell for September as everyone who was here will remember, so conditions and water temperatures were right up

Shaun Collins into another barra. Almost 700 barra were caught, tagged and released. close to 150 tonnes since February, but despite large sections of the river holding few fish, competitors worked incredibly hard and managed to find good quality fish in pockets of the system.

It was going to be a big ask to repeat even the 2012 result of 669 barra tagged for that event, let alone the mind boggling 1210 barra of 2011, but when final numbers were tallied late on the Saturday afternoon, the total ticked over to another amazing 671 barra tagged and released for the event. On top of that, another record was set with no less than 167 king threadfin tagged and released during the comp.

Stock predictions indicated we should have seen solid numbers of barra in the 700-900mm size class in the system, but fish in this size range were no where near as prevalent as they should have been.

Fortunately good numbers of barra in the 500-650mm size class were still in the system and made up the majority of the catch across the event.

The really good news is that some large fish have survived and the event returned 7 barra over the magic metre mark, with the

for the event. After 11 hours on the water in sweltering conditions, competitors logging off at headquarters each afternoon were sunburnt and bedraggled and ready to rehydrate and crash early in preparation for another tilt the following day.

At the end of day one, the competition was very close, except that is for the eventual winners Steve Pil and Craig Griffith from Barra Jacks/EJ Todd Team who had 40 barra on the scoreboard, double the next best from husband and wife team of Todd and Jessica Van Den Heuval. Jess was however in the lead in the women’s section from Shelly Newton. Andrew

Willcox had what looked like the biggest barra for the comp of 1010mm already on the board, which only fell late on the final morning to Craig’s 180mm longer fish.

The phones at headquarters on the morning of day two seemed a fair bit quieter than the previous morning and it looked like things were slowing down, but as the day went by, it was apparent that there was a steady stream of fish being caught rather than the pulses of the day before.

When lures were retrieved for the final time at 5pm that afternoon, the second day total was just about the same as for day one. Organisers had hoped for a grand total of around 400-500 barra for the event, and it was already pretty clear that it was going to reach that target quite comfortably.

Steve and Craig added a further 22 barra to their first day tally, bringing it to an amazing 62 fish after the second day on the water.

The competition was now for the minor placings.

The Van Den Heuval’s couldn’t maintain their day one success and struggled to find fish, which allowed Shelly Newton to close right up to Jess in the women’s division, with both ladies finishing day two with 10 fish each. It was going to be ‘on’ for the final session.

By the end of the second day, 52 of the 70 teams had boated at least one barra and were on the scoreboard.

For the first time, the scoreboard was live on the event website, enabling competitors and followers to

Almost 120cm long, this is a true monster and a great result for a waterway heavily fished.

Winners are grinners and Steve Pil and Craig Griffith from Barra Jacks/EJ Todd Team scored 40 barra for the event. keep abreast of who were catching what and exactly where the threats were coming from throughout the event. This was possible as a result of the IT skills of Stefan Sawynok and the exhausting efforts of Bill Sawynok and Wendy Parson at the event headquarters who answered the phones and punched the data without a break for the two and a half days of the event.

Once again the Rocky Barra Bounty has lifted the bar for fishing competitions and the challenge is now out there for others to follow.

Day three was all about who would take out the minor placings, who would win the ladies section, what would be the biggest fish for the event and what the final total would be compared to 2012.

The leaders, Barra Jacks/ EJ Todd Team added another 10 fish to their already impressive tally, bringing it to an amazing 72 barra for the event and the title of 2013 XXXX Gold Rocky Barra Bounty Champion Team by a massive margin over the ever competitive Beer and Bundy Boys in second place.

Craig Griffith put more of the 72 fish team total on the board than teammate Steve Pil, taking out the overall Individual Champion, with Shelly Newton finding enough fish during the last couple of hours of competition to edge out Jessica Van Den Heuvel

for the Women’s Champion.

While the Rocky Barra Bounty has always been about the prestige of being crowned the best wild barra fisher, rather than winning large monetary value prizes,

out of the container and the number was checked against the team list.

The room erupted when the lucky winners were announced as the boys from team Salty Dogs, Richard

Andrew Wilcox displaying another cracking barra caught at the Bounty. A beautiful and healthy fish. this year the event was able to distribute over $50,000 worth of prizes and goodies thanks to the support from the growing list of sponsors keen to be part of this benchmark setting event.

With XXXX Gold coming on board this year as naming sponsor, the major draw prize was four days on the legendary XXXX Island for four people. When the time came for the draw at the end of a great presentation night, the well-hydrated and happy crowd fell almost silent. The numbered ball fell

Hughes from Emu Park and Jason Maupin from Karratha in Western Australia. There were scores of immediate offers from other competitors to make up the remaining two places as you’d expect, but the boys will no doubt have a couple of very lucky mates who they’ll take along on the trip.

The full scoreboard of the results is on the website r o c k y b a r r a b o u n t y. c o m . au along with all the other information and images from the event. Bring on 2014!

– Kim Martin

2014 Boondooma Dam Fishing Competition Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition spokesman Terry Allwood says that the sponsors of the heaviest Australian bass in the adult section of the competition will be Wondai Accounting and Tax Services, and Lake Boondooma Kiosk for the heaviest yellowbelly.

Wondai Hardware and Trade Centre have also sponsored a trophy for the heaviest adult section mulloway.

The 2014 event will also include a catch and release category targeting Australian bass that will be open to all anglers.

This category has been made possible by the

generous sponsorship of Bass to Barra Outdoors of Dalby and Greg Mitchell Plumbing.

The annual competition will be held on 8 and 9 February 2014. Entry costs for the event will be $20 for adults and $5 for juniors aged 16 years and under.

The ongoing support of our many generous

sponsors will ensure that a wide range of prizes and lucky draws are available for all competitors.

Food and drinks stalls will be provided by local community groups over the weekend and the great camping facilities provided by the South Burnett Regional Council will be available for campers

staying at the lake.

The cost of camping fees and details of accommodation options at the lake can be found at website www.southburnett. qld.gov.au or by ringing the Lake Boondooma Kiosk on (07) 4168 9694.

Additional information on the local area and past fishing competitions can

be found on the Proston Online website, www. prostononline.info Please join us at Lake Boondooma for a family weekend of fishing and camping. For additional information please contact Terry Allwood on mobile 0400 860122.

– Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Comp QFM

decEMBER 2013

113

Freshwater

The question of colour

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6

TIDE GUIDE

importance of colour in lures anywhere beyond shallow, ultra-clear flats fishing.

However, most experienced anglers know that lure colour can sometimes make a difference, even in deepwater jigging. Maybe we’ll never understand exactly why, although it’s certainly an interesting subject to ponder!

While I accept that colour can be a critical component in lure and fly

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of horizontal separation between object and observer.

In other words, a red lure may look black when viewed at a depth of 15m, but it’s also likely to look black, or at the least very dark grey, when viewed from the side at a distance of 15m, even if it’s up in the surface layer.

At face value, this phenomena of colour loss at depth would appear to make a mockery of the

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This small mulloway hit a silvery/white Squidgies Whip Bait soft plastic. Would the choice of a darker lure or one with brighter colours have altered the outcome?

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Many lure and fly fishers spend a lot of time agonising over the colour of their offerings. But how much difference does colour actually make?

In the last two instalments of this column I’ve looked in some detail at how fish might see their world. We learnt that most fish, and especially the shallow water and inshore predators we typically chase, have very good eyesight. Also, we know that the majority of these fish can also perceive colour, although the part of the colour spectrum visible to them may be a little different to the one we see (for example, some fish can detect reflected ultraviolet light, which is invisible to us).

However, there’s something else we need to factor into this equation, and that’s the way in which water (even very clear water) progressively absorbs light of different wavelengths. This means that colours effectively ‘vanish’ one after another

pretty gloomy down there!

As mentioned, red is the first colour visible to our eyes to disappear, and this colour is typically gone within 5-6m (much less in dirty water). Orange disappears next, then yellow, followed by green and purple. Blues (both the tones of blue visible to our human eyes and also the shorter, ultraviolet wavelength many fish can see) penetrate deepest of all.

This scientific phenomenon has a profound impact on the way things look to us (and presumably also to fish) underwater.

White objects will appear bluish underwater, with the darkness of that blue increasing with depth. Red objects will begin to look dark or even black within a few metres of the surface.

Down at 15-20m, even in clear water, the world appears to be composed entirely of shades of grey, blue and black.

It’s worth stressing that this loss or alteration of visible colours occurs in both the vertical and the horizontal plane. So, 15m of vertical depth has roughly the same impact on light waves and colour reflection as 15m

12

www.starlofishing.me

as ‘white’ sunlight travels through the water column.

With increasing depth (and also with increasing horizontal distance through the water), the colour in sunlight is absorbed, and the amount of visible light also diminishes. Because absorption is greater for longer wavelengths (the red end of the spectrum) than it is for shorter wavelengths (the blue end of the spectrum), perceived colours are rapidly altered with increasing depth (or distance).

The exact rate at which this loss of colour occurs varies considerably depending on the intensity of the sunlight (directly overhead or low on the horizon, cloudy or sunny conditions and so on), the clarity and colour of the water itself, and the presence of any suspended matter, such as weed or plankton in that water. Even in very clear ocean currents far from shore, less than 25% of available sunlight hitting the water’s surface will penetrate much beyond 10m.

By the time we reach a depth of 100m or so, the remaining light may be as little as 0.5% of that available on the surface. In other words, it’s

11

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© 2013 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Terms and conditions apply, excludes commercial purchases. * 'Spring Cashback Promotion' offer valid on MY11, MY12, MY13 & MY14 evinrude E-TEC engines 40 HP and above newly purchased and registered from participating authorized dealers between December 1st 2013 and January 31st 2014. Cashback will be in the form of a Prepaid Visa Card. ** For normal recreational use. # Extended warranty covers MY11, MY12, MY13 & MY14 Evinrude E-TEC engines 40HP and above, newly purchased and registered from participating authorized dealers between October 1st and December 31st 2013. ^ 25hp-250hp consumer models. For full terms and conditions please contact your local participating Evinrude dealership. BRP reserves the right at any time to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Products are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by BRP Australia PTy Ltd. Card Issued by Heritage Bank Limited ABN 32 087 652 024 AFSL 240984. Visa Card Terms and Conditions apply.

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decEMBER 2013

117

The Mercury Diesel TDI is a miser on fuel fmg

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Mercury Marine’s latest project/demo boat is a pretty neat bit of kit.

It’s a New Zealandbuilt RayGlass Legend 2350 fitted with their Volkswagen-engineered, 260hp turbo diesel inboard (TDI) and Fishing Monthly took the opportunity to take a drive while the rig was in town at their Coomera office.

We also took advantage of the knowledge of longtime Mercury employee and advocate, Tony Smith, to explain the benefits of this style of motor in a trailer boat (see the link http:// youtu.be/u2RAorC4tEg and QR code to see the whole interview).

The take home message from our time with Tony and on the water was pretty

But there are other benefits of the inboard configuration.

“The TDI – or any inboard – brings the centre of gravity forward … and in rough water, that’s an asset. A Verado on the back would weigh 400kg and cause the hull to lift when coming down a wave.

The inboard configuration stays deeper in the water so it’s a lot more stable,” Tony continued.

Tony also dispelled the myth that TDI needs to be serviced more regularly.

“The TDI is the same cost as using a gas engine where we service every 100 hours. In most cases, Specifications

• Common rail diesel • 12v/180A alternator • 6 cylinder • 325kg • Compatible with Bravo 1 and Bravo 3 sterndrives

Achieving nearly 2km per litre of fuel is the real talking point of the test craft.

MercTDI web address for youtube video http://goo.gl/ruVobn

You’d expect an inboard to take up a lot of space, but there’s barely any cockpit room taken up, as this photo shows.

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.

Pushing counter-rotating props through the Bravo Three, there’s no lack of grunt to get the big boat up and running. straightforward.

You’ll use half the fuel in a TDI than in a V8 of similar horsepower.

Half For anglers running long distances to deepwater grounds and/or spending all day trolling for pelagics, you can do the sums to see what the savings are in your situation.

But we all know that everything in boating is a compromise, and Tony explained that the savings in running costs are offset by a greater purchase price.

“It’ll cost around $20,000 more to setup your boat with the Mercury Diesel TDI as opposed to a V8 of similar horsepower,” Tony said.

118

decEMBER 2013

QFM

that’s once a year,” Tony said.

Of course, the TDI runs with the latest Mercury fly-by-wire technology – digital throttle and gearshift – and hooks seamlessly to Mercury Vessel View and all NMEA compatible electronics.

The ultimate test, though, is when you’re sitting at the bar and you see the break in the sets.

You punch the throttle.

What happens?

“The maximum torque is at 2000rpm and the performance is slightly better than a gas engine,” Tony explained.

The only way to really confirm this, though, was to go for a spin.

Now, the RayGlass isn’t

a light boat – there’d be over 2.5 tonnes in the water on a regular trip and the TDI pushed the test boat up and onto the plane in around 7 seconds. Of course, you can hear the turbochargers whistling away and there’s no noticeable performance difference that we could feel from an outboard powered craft of the same size.

That was until we looked at the fuel usage – 30lph at 30 knots. The sums are pretty easy, 1L of diesel for 1nm (1.85km). See how that compares to your outboard powered 2.5 tonner!

Price as tested was $145,000.

See your Mercury dealer or visit www.mercurymarine. com.au for more information.

The duckboard and sterndrive are compact and the lack of an outboard cowling actually frees up room to fish.

Northern NSW / Gold Coast Tweed Coast Marine 147 Pacific Hwy Tweed Heads South Ph: (07) 5524 8877 Fax: (07) 5524 3324 Email: dan@tweedcoastmarine.com.au Website: www.tweedcoastmarine.com.au

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

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

Bribie Island Bribie Boat Sales 217 First Ave Bribie Island Phone: (07) 3408 0055 | Fax: (07) 3408 0805 Email: danny@bribieboatsales.com.au Website: www.bribieboatsales.com.au

Brisbane South Springwood Marine 3366 Pacific Hwy Springwood Phone: (07) 3297 8200 | Fax: (07) 3297 8290 Email: michaelb@springwoodmarine.com.au Website: www.springwoodmarine.com.au Brisbane South Coorparoo Marine 57 Cavendish Rd Coorparoo Phone: (07) 3397 4141 | Fax: (07) 3397 6339 Email: info@coorparoomarine.com.au Website: www.coorparoomarine.com.au Brisbane West Karee Marine 1851 Ipswich Rd Rocklea Phone: (07) 3875 1600 | Fax: (07) 3875 1622 Email: sales@kareemarine.com.au Website: www.kareemarine.com.au Brisbane Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd Everton Park Phone: (07) 3353 1928 | Fax: (07) 3353 4548 Email: info@holtmarine.com.au Website: www.holtmarine.com.au Brisbane North Cunninghams Marine 23-25 Snook St Clontarf Phone: (07) 3284 8805 | Fax: (07) 3284 8813 Email: ian@cunninghammarinecentre.com.au Website: www.cunninghammarinecentre.com.au

Sunshine Coast Northcoast Boating Centre 264 Nicklin Way Warana Phone: (07) 5493 9376 | Fax: (07) 5437 6144 Email: mail@northcoastboatingcentre.com.au Website: www.northcoastboating.com.au Bundaberg Adrians Marine Centre 28 Ritchie St Bundaberg Phone: (07) 4153 1819 | Fax: (07) 4153 1819 Email: adriansmarinecentre@bigpond.com Website: www.adriansmarinecentre.com.au

Whitsunday Cannonvale Whitsunday Outboard Centre 1 William Murray Dr Cannonvale Phone: (07) 4946 7286 | Fax: (07) 4946 7848 Email: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au Bowen Reibel Marine 34 Don St Bowen Phone: (07) 4786 2944 | Fax: (07) 4786 6606 Email: remarine@bigpond.net.au Ingham J&B Marine 79 Herbert St, Ingham Phone: (07) 4776 1188 | Fax: (07) 4776 1288 Email: jbmarine@bigpond.com Website: www.jandbmarine.com Cairns Aussie Marine 5 Wellington St, Cairns Phone: (07) 4033 8800 | Fax: (07) 4033 8810 Email: sales@aussiemarine.com.au www.aussiemarine.com.au

Gladstone Curtis Coast Marine 40 Chapple St Gladstone Phone: (07) 4972 0135 | Fax: (07) 4972 0136 Email: curtismarine@netscape.net.au Website: www.curtiscoastmarine.com.au Rockhampton Rifen Boats Unit 11-12, 10 Dooley St, North Rockhampton Phone: (07) 4927 9150 | Fax: (07) 4921 3502 Email:rifen.boats@bigpond.com www.rifenboats.com.au Yeppoon Seabreeze Marine 150 Scenic Hwy Yeppoon Phone: (07) 4933 6366 | Fax: (07) 4933 7590 Email: info@seabreezemarine.com.au Website: www.seabreezemarine.com.au

QFM

decEMBER 2013

119

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.

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Specializing in Anti foul and Oceanmax Propspeed LUKE STEELE PH: 0408 692124 lukesmobilepropspeed@live.com.au

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Phone 38077846 Mob 0427142201 Fax 3807 2468

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Rod and Reel Repair

Marine Trailers Oceanic Boat Trailers (07) 5597 0577 Seatrail Trailers www.seatrailqld.com.au

R

Tinnie Tosser (07) 5498 7339 Sea-Link Special Trailers (07) 3881 3568

Marine Trimmers GOLD COAST

we Onsite or ou come to Y !

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nage Bay?

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TRADES AND SERVICES ADVERTISING Line listing from $90 + gst 6 months* 2cm x 2 from $195 + gst 6 months* 5cm x 2 from $320 + gst 6 months* 8cm x 2 from $590 + gst 6 months* Rates exclusive to Trades and Services Directory * Conditions apply Call (07) 3387 0830 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Action Charters Mackay 0417 452 346 Fishing Charters Townsville 0403 386 722

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123

Stejcraft Islander 580 brisbane

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Stejcraft power boats have enjoyed a long connection with the Australian boating fraternity, having originated in Victoria in 1972 and being manufactured there for many years.

Today Stejcraft have moved to warmer climes and are now manufactured

Foam fill between the outer hull and inner liner is also standard.

This review involves the Stejcraft Islander 580, powered by a 115 Yamaha Salt Water series 2-stroke outboard. The very attractive craft was presented by Broadwater Boating of Labrador, and I put it through its paces in the Gold Coast Seaway and Broadwater on an unusually calm day. Perhaps too calm.

But there was an opportunity

The dash layout immediately catches the eye, as does the high standard of finish in this boat. on Queensland’s Gold Coast, from a factory in the Coomera Marine Precinct.

Modern production and manufacturing techniques prevail, with all underfloor stringers of fibreglass.

for a run outside the Seaway where the craft revelled in the prevailing low swell.

We also jumped some very serious wash thrown up by numerous aquatic behemoths plying the Broadwater, and it

was easy to see just how well the Stejcraft Islander 580 rode.

Layout I boarded the Islander as its bow nosed into the beach in the Southport Broadwater, which gave me an excellent opportunity to assess the features up front.

A split bowrail facilitated boarding and moving up and into the cab without a hiccup. A wide and quite deep drained anchor well was (fortunately) lidded, which made my entry into the cabin even easier.

The Stejcraft cabin was thoughtfully set up. While within the quite large cabin hatch area up front I enjoyed strong support both from the padded sides of the hatch as well as padding at the front of the bunks: obviously tending anchor would be quite comfortable. The hatch cover itself could be securely fastened from within the cabin to keep water out.

In the cuddy cab, proper large side windows let in ample light, as did the entry area. Full length side pockets were equipped with generously padded outer sections, which in turn provided excellent back support while seated on one

Contact your nearest dealer Bundaberg

Adrians Marine Centre

P 07 4153 1819 E adriansmarinecentre@bigpond.com

Springwood Australian Marine Centre Gold Coast

Coastal Powerboats

Cairns

Aussie Marine

Mackay

Shane Morrison Marine

P 07 3808 7333 E sales@australianmarinecentre.com.au

P 07 5568 0904 E info@coastalpowerboats.com.au

P 07 4033 8800 E sales@aussiemarine.com.au P 07 4951 1991 E sales@shanemorrisonmarine.com.au

For more boats visit:

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This shot of the Stejcraft running along at speed highlights the sleek hull design, plus the easy efficiency of the hull. of the cabin’s full length bunks. These bunks had deep storage compartments under them, and an infill was provided to turn them into a large bed if required. The provision of a Porta Potti was an option; note that the cabin foot well was drained under the clip-out carpet. In all, I saw the cabin as a very comfy place to spend a bit of rest time or for storing important items.

Aft of the Stejcraft’s 5-piece glass windscreen, a wide dash area extended full width. A pair of cup holders were prominent, as was a compass over towards the skipper, where a raised panel was set up with gauges and instruments to monitor the Yamaha 115 2-stroke.

Uppermost were paired engine gauges, lower were a Lowrance Mark-5X sounder and a GME VHF marine radio next to the steering wheel. There was plenty of room to install a larger sounder if necessary. To port, and lower, was an array of switches with the craft’s ignition key to starboard of the wheel. Engine controls were side mounted in the usual fashion.

Forward seating consisted of well padded and form-fitting swivelling bucket-style seats on pedestals. Both seats featured slide adjustment with a front bolster section that could be flipped up when standing to drive. The front passenger had a recessed grabrail to port while both skipper and mate had bed-end type footrests to use as well. Side pockets along the cockpit also extended up to this forward area so that skipper and mate could stow a bit of kit in there if necessary.

In all, a very useful seating arrangement, and there was also a bimini for additional weather protection. The strong but foldable bimini frame was equipped with a 5-station rocket-launcher style rod holder to complement the paired rod holders in each cockpit side deck.

With its clip-out carpet, 2m long side pockets (which to starboard were equipped

with rod holders) featuring mesh along their sides plus toeholds under them, the Stejcraft Islander 580’s 760mm deep cockpit was well set up for fishing. A side grabrail was incorporated under the gunwales, and the cockpit carpet was of a very heavy-duty variety.

It sat atop a non-skid floor,

providing the option of leaving it at home. Tuna fishing comes to mind here as those fish can be mighty messy in a boat.

The rear seating was interesting. Two well-padded modular seats, providing enough room for four people, sat atop removable and drain-equipped fish boxes.

Top: Once that lid is locked down, ground tackle will be well and truly secured.

Middle: This view aft shows the drained boxes on which rear seats are mounted, plus the quality of the craft’s clip-out carpet. Note the full-length side pockets for easily accessible storage space.

Bottom: The strong telescoping ladder and broad boarding platform make it easy to climb aboard after a swim.

The boxes were 750mm long by 350mm wide, and their padding was removable so you could easily take them off the boat for a clean up at

Yamaha 2-STROKE 115 Aft of the transom, the Yamaha Saltwater 115hp V4 2-stroke sat deep within a full-height engine well. The

specifications

Length............................................................ 5.80m Length on trailer................................................ 7.4m Height on trailer.............................................. 2.85m Beam.............................................................. 2.35m Weight of hull.................................................. 890kg Hull deadrise.......................................... 19 degrees Fuel................................................................... 130L Engine ratings............................................75-140hp Engine............................... Yamaha 115 hp 2-stroke Max persons........................................................... 7 Towing...................................Family 6 sedan or 4x4 fishing’s end.

Importantly, the lounge positioning was flexible. The L-shape would be easy to set up if you wanted to use the boarding area to starboard.

An underfloor storage compartment was also available, but if the Stejcraft was mine I’d be putting food in there, keeping the removable boxes for the smelly fish.

A livebait tank was set to port within the fullheight transom. Although paired boarding platforms were located aft each side of the Yamaha 115, the craft’s ladder was set to starboard where you could remove a section of backrest to provide a low step-over section to enter the cockpit after a swim.

boat is rated from 75-140hp, so the Yamaha 115 was middle of the range. As such it did a very easy job of planing the craft with 2 aboard at a speed of: 9.9knots (18.4km/h) at 2700rpm; 3000rpm saw 13.3knots (24.7km/h) recorded; 4000rpm saw 23.8knots (44.2km/h); 5000rpm a speed of 33.6knots (62.3km/h); and 6000rpm a feisty 38.4knots (71.2km/h).

Driving the rig to assess speeds was a treat.

The non-feedback steering proved to be very light, with the craft responding very well to driver input. The 1.7L Yamaha 115 proved quietly smooth, not at all smokey, was mighty responsive to throttle input and had more

toe than a roman sandal.

The Stejcraft’s ride was exceptionally good. Some massive craft were plying the Broadwater at the time and I took delight in powering over wash at speed just to see how the Stejcraft handled things. Not only was impact quite light, the ride remained quiet, thanks to foam fill and a hull design that incorporated several useful features to enhance both performance and ride.

Stability and Fishability Stability was a big factor.

With a hull weight of 890kg the Stejcraft was mighty solid. Not surprisingly, the craft with its under-hull strakes, broad outer reversed chines and central Delta plank all mated to a 19 degree V hull sat very flat at rest. It offered degrees of stability that would make it both ideal for family use as well as serious fishing pursuits.

One interesting about the Islander’s hull design was the ‘hook’ or break in the outer chine that allowed air to push under the hull at speed.

As a fishing rig the Stejcraft ticked a lot of boxes. The user-friendly layout, on-board fishing features, excellent ride and handling plus stability at rest all pointed to it being a

Top: A wide and generously padded cabin hatch provided very easy access to the Islander’s anchor.

Bottom: The 4-person modular lounge can easily converted to a L-shape, and the storage boxes are easy to remove for cleaning.

craft that could handle many fishing scenarios, from bay or estuary to offshore work.

Summing Up I saw the Stejcraft 580 Islander as the sort of rig that could double as a serious fishing or family boat, depending on your needs.

The 115 Yamaha 2-stroke was an ideal motor for extended travel to fishing areas, family touring or fun time.

Comfortable bunks, a deep cockpit, easy performance plus seating for up to 7 persons gave the new Stejcraft an air of versatility.

The finish was very good, from the deeply lustrous gel coat to the well stitched upholstery.

On an Oceanic trailer with spare wheel, safety gear and all registrations when supplied by Broadwater Boating, the Islander would be $43,990. You can find out more at www. broadwaterboating.com. au or you can call the friendly Broadwater team on 07 5529 1777.

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.

QFM Qsld Fishing Monthly CP100 Ad 0913 HR

decEMBER 2013

125

TABS Territory 490 with Honda 60hp has big options fmg

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

There’s no secret in this part of the world that a 5m plate boat is on the wish list of most anglers who own a tinny. A bigger boat that can handle inshore and close offshore waters ticks a lot of boxes.

The secret, though, is to find one that doesn’t cost the earth to run and is

versatile enough to cover camping, crabbing, casting, big water and small water.

And the TABS Territory 490 does this quite nicely.

For the parochial, the TABS and the Oceanic trailer are both made in Australia. If only there was an Aussie outboard company, you could paint this rig red, white and blue and drive it around on Australia Day with a flag tied on like a cape.

Coupled with a 60hp

90w DRIVING LIGHT • LED power: 90 watt - EURO beam • 9 pcs 10w high intensity CREE-XML-1C/1D U3 • Current draw: 12v/7.5AMP; 24V/3.75AMP • Luminous flux: 8000lm • Operating voltage: 10-30V DC ONLY • Waterproof rate: IP68 • Colour temperature: 6000K RRP • Material: Aluminium

Honda outboard, the Territory is light enough to tow with a family car, frugal enough to give you hundreds of kilometres on performance

Idle (650 rpm)..... 4km/h 1000rpm............. 5km/h 2000rpm.......... 9.5km/h 3000rpm........... 15km/h 4000rpm........... 30km/h 5000rpm........... 42km/h 6000rpm........... 46km/h 6400rpm.......... .48km/h

!

NEW

The Honda 60 is low in profile compared with the high gunwales of the TABS, but it’s quiet and very easy on the juice.

$299

• Lens material: Polycarbonate • Mounting bracket: Stainless steel • Vibration dampening shock absorbers • Life time: 50000 hours above • Certificates: CE/ROHS • Deutsch connectors •KIT•

DIY

Deutsch plug connectors GREAT FOR • Boats • Trucks • Camper trailers • Caravans • Vans • Utes • Excavators • Agricultural machinery

visit www.korrlighting.com.au

www.korrlighting.com.au

PUT THE

RIGHT

TRAILER

a single tank and cheap enough to be within the price range of keen anglers in most income brackets.

Luke Kirkby-Clark from Bay Honda in Sandgate took Fishing Monthly for a ride in one recently and told us about the craft. You can see the full interview on YouTube at the link (or QR code) in the fact box hereabouts.

“You won’t see it with the boat fully assembled, but there’s double the number of gussets and bracing under the floor of these TABS boats,” Luke explained. “It makes them heavy and strong, and ride a little better in rough water.”

Dropping in at the ramp at Cabbage Tree Creek, the TABS slid easily off the trailer and the Honda idled,

We were impressed with the drop-in cooler that is multi-use.

UNDER YOUR BOAT...

QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE

PHONE: (07)

3881 3568

Check our website for your nearest dealer

sealinktrailers.com.au 126

decEMBER 2013

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The side console is simple and effective. We recommend a real sounder rather than the stick-on model tested.

as all 4-strokes do – dead quietly. The sound of the tell-tale hitting the water was almost noisier than the outboard itself.

LAYOUT While examining the boat before launch, I was impressed with the configuration – especially the large casting deck hatch with concealed XOS rotomoulded cooler underfloor. The box is large enough to keep your best day’s catch cool, and could easily cater for a weekend camping trip.

The casting deck itself is higher than the main deck, yet lower than a high deck that’s built into dedicated lurecasting boats. It means that if you’re into chasing tuna or other pelagics, you’ll feel more comfortable jumping up there to cash in a bit of chop.

There’s also a seat base mount on the casting deck for when you want to banish the father-in-law up there for casting across your line too many times.

The 15º deadrise allows for a softer ride and easier drive-on retrieving.

Standard is the anchor well and side-mounted electric motor base plate.

Like all boats of this configuration, the side mount has zero impact on performance and allows the stowed motor to be out of the way for all non-fishing activities.

Moving aft, the step to

the main deck is only slight and the side console and helm takes up around one third of the width, which means there’s plenty of room to move around it. The console’s grabrail doubles as a windscreen rail.

A pair of comfortable seats are interchangeable between the four floor

mounts, allowing you to distribute weight for ride and comfort.

Side pockets run along both gunwales, and these are very spacious, allowing you to clear the decks of clutter.

RIDE AND HANDLING On the bay (Moreton) it was a typical day – blowing 15 knots from the southeast.

There’s not a tinny of this size made that’ll keep you dry in those conditions when you’re quartering that chop, but we were able to trim the rig to run dry both into and against the breeze. Interestingly in

to the small pitch prop.

Underfloor, there’s a 90L fuel tank that will give you ridiculous range with the 60 – probably around 500km at 40km/h! Add this to the fact that you’re burning no oil means that the running costs of this rig are dead cheap. We think this means that you should take it fishing more!

THE PACKAGE A well designed, drive-on trailer enhances the boating experience, and the Oceanic trailer supplied with the test craft did the job admirably. The

figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages

Expect this model to be re-badged a 500 Territory Pro for the 2014 model year. This more accurately reflects the 5.15m length of the hull.

specifications

LOA................................................................ 5.15m Beam.............................................................. 2.25m Freeboard......................................................... .68m Deadrise..............................................................15º Bottom thickness.............................................. 3mm Sides thickness................................................. 3mm Transom height....................................................L/S Max transom weight....................................... 194kg Power................................................................ 90hp Hull weight...................................................... 515kg Max persons........................................................... 5

When we asked Luke what upgrades and options he’d add to make this the ultimate 490, he responded

Looking aft, the side pockets keep everything tidy. If you move the passenger seat there’s oodles of fishing room back there. the higher rev ranges, the performance wasn’t much different into or against the tide or chop. Chalk that up

alloy wheels look great and the mechanical brakes are easy to maintain and adjust.

like this: “I’d add a livewell, a rear mounted cutting board and some quality electronics to make this boat perfect for me,” he said, “But we all know that optioning up a boat like this to your own wish list is one of the joys of buying a boat.”

Give the guys at Bay Honda a call to get a price on your own ultimate TABS Territory or to organise a test ride. You can contact them on (07) 3269 2702 or at sales@bayhonda.com.au.

Quoted performance

For full interview http://youtu.be/ Zx0weOdcbcU may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

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NEWS

FROM THE BOATING WORLD

NEW ALLOY SARCA EXCEL

Anchor Right Australia continues to evolve with new anchor technology.

Around 20 years ago Anchor Right Australia released the Sarca anchor (Sand and Reef Combination Anchor), which became the most popular anchor design in the trailerboat industry. Not content to rest on their laurels, Anchor Right continuously refined their product, and 5 years ago they released the Super Sarca. This anchor has been classified as having Super High Holding Power (SHHP) by the marine authorities.

More recently Anchor Right released the Sarca Excel, which is hugely versatile in wind and tide changes, can hook into many types of sea beds, and has held in storms when other yachts dragged their ‘new generation’ anchors. Unlike concave designs that compress and then clog, the Excel’s convex shape displaces the substrate, allowing deeper setting in many substrate types. Then, when retrieved, it leaves the mud behind. No mud and no roll bar has made the Excel very popular.

Now Anchor Right has released a new alloy Excel version. It’s light with a removable shank for easy stowage and handling. The shank doesn’t rely on bolts to take the load, rather it’s fitted through from underneath the fluke, allowing all loads transferred through fluke plate and shank.

Another stand-out feature is the tip weight.

Most alloy anchor designs suffer from having less tip weight, but not the alloy Excel.

Anchor Right anchors are made in Australia using Australian materials. For more information visit www.anchorright. com.au. – AR

LOWRANCE SPOTLIGHTSCAN

Lowrance has announced a new trollingmotor transducer called SpotlightScan.

Delivering a new level of angler-controlled, surround-scanning underwater views, the new sonar solution provides picture-like images of key fishing areas on compatible HDS Gen2 or HDS Gen2 Touch fishfinder/ chartplotter displays.

Similar to the way a scanning spotlight reveals objects in the dark, SpotlightScan Sonar clearly pinpoints structure and fish targets ahead and around your boat without disturbing key areas before you fish them.

The transducer operates at 455/800 kHz

with a maximum surround-scanning range of 150ft. It features DownScan Imaging and Broadband Sounder technology. DownScan Imaging (455/800 kHz) offers easy-tounderstand images of fish and structure, and award-winning Broadband Sounder (83/200 kHz) technology is ideal for marking fish arches and tracking lure action.

The SpotlightScan transducer is quickly installed by attaching it to any bow-mounted, cable-steer, foot-control trolling motor (not for use with hand-steer or electric-steer electric trolling motors).

Twin scanning beams provide lightningfast refresh rates, and beam indicators or ‘spokes’ are visible on the HDS Gen2 display to guide adjustments on rotation or scanning speeds for the best possible underwater image.

Protected by a one-year limited warranty and the Lowrance Advantage Service program, SpotlightScan Sonar can be purchased for AUD$699 from authorized Lowrance dealers and distributors from January 2014. For more information on this and other Lowrance products, or to locate an authorized Lowrance dealer, visit www. lowrance.com. – Lowrance

RAYMARINE’S EVOLUTION WINS AGAIN

Raymarine’s award-winning Evolution autopilot has won the coveted 2013 NMEA-BWI Technology Award at the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) annual convention held in San Diego, CA. Bill Bishop, this year’s head judge, said, “The new Raymarine autopilot, after a simple dockside set-up, automatically teaches itself how to steer the boat and linearizes the compass. This artificial intelligence-feeling system eliminates the traditional seatrial autopilot calibration and, when coupled with the mount-almost-anywhere heading sensor, made it a technology stand-out.”

Raymarine’s Evolution autopilot also won the Innovation Award at IBEX earlier this year.

At the heart of the Evolution autopilot system is the ultra-compact, EV sensor core; a 9-axis heading sensor and full function course computer in one. Around the same size as a typical marine GPS sensor, the EV sensor core can be either bracket-mounted or flush-mounted horizontally, and as it is built to IPX6 and IPX7 waterproofing and submersion standards, it can be installed above or below decks.

The EV sensor core comes in two versions; EV-1 for Raymarine drive systems and EV-2 for drive-by-wire systems.

Setting-up an Evolution autopilot takes just 30 seconds; select the boat type – large power, small power, or sail; select the drive type – hydraulic, mechanical, or outboard; and choose the performance level

– performance, cruise, or leisure.

For more detailed information on the specs of each version check out www. raymarine.com.au. – Raymarine

MICRO CAT LAUNCHING PAD

The Micro Cat Launching Pad, developed by Australian company Blue Water Fabrication, lets you launch their popular 2.85m Micro Cat by 4WD or the back of a ute.

The launcher is remote controlled from the ground with electric winches, which means you only need one person to operate it. The alloy frame weighs 44kg and can be adapted to most 4WDs using heavy-duty roof racks.

This type of loader lets you access areas previously inaccessible by boat, where the waterways see little to no fishing pressure.

The Micro Cat that goes on this launcher is fully customisable to suit your specific needs. It lets you access very shallow water and is super stable, so you can stand up and cast lures around with ease.

For more information on the Micro Cat visit www.bluewaterfabrication.com. au/microcat.html. – BWF

QUINTREX’S NEW BLADE HULL

The Blade Hull is Quintrex’s latest innovative hull design to hit the market and it’s already making a name for itself as the smoothest, driest ride yet.

The Blade Hull, which features across most of the new 2013 Quintrex range, has done away with ‘clicker’ style pressings in favour of smooth-look side sheets.

The hull was created using advanced design software, virtual modelling and stretch forming technology resulting in a concave flare in the side and bottom sheets for a smooth and stable ride at rest and underway. The increased hull efficiency means that boats perform better on lower horsepower with lower planing speeds and improved top-end speed.

Fine tuning the balance of convex

and concave shapes, the Blade Hull cuts through choppy water and deflects spray with ease. It also features a sharper deadrise and narrow shoulder to handle all water conditions.

Quintrex National Account Manger Cameron Wood said the Blade Hull was the most advanced Quintrex hull design ever.

“It performs with a near zero nosehigh attitude which is great for visibility at slower speeds and getting onto and coming off the plane is a breeze,” he said.

For more information the Quintrex range head to www.quintrex.com.au.

– Telwater

HONDA’S NEW BF80 AND BF100

Honda has released details of its new BF80 and BF100 outboard engines, which will hit the market next year to coincide with Honda Marine’s 50-year anniversary.

The BF80/BF100’s 1.5L, SOHC, 16-valve, inline four-cylinder engine is inspired by the same engine that powers Honda’s number one selling motor vehicle, the ‘Jazz’.

Incorporated within the BF80/BF100’s lightweight and compact design is BLAST – advanced ignition timing control system, which significantly improves hole-shot performance; ECOmo – sophisticated lean burn fuel control system, which contributes to excellent fuel economy; and VTEC (BF100) – variable valve timing technology, originally developed for Formula One race cars, to deliver incredible power.

A refined high-performance gear case enhances hydrodynamic efficiency, while engine exhaust is even further reduced. An optional Trolling Control function allows precise control of engine speed, with adjustments in 50rpm increments from 650rpm to 1000rpm.

These engines are NMEA2000 compliant, allowing engine-to-electronics data communication to deliver engine management and performance data to compatible marine electronics displays.

The engines can also be networked with Honda’s VeeThree multi-function digital gauges. Designed to provide a comprehensive range of information to users, the gauges also feature Honda’s Eco light, which indicates when ECOmo mode is in operation (for best fuel efficiency during cruising).

The BF80 and BF100 will be available from early 2014. For more info log onto marine.honda.com.au. – Honda Marine

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 128

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