Queensland Fishing Monhly March 2017 by Fishing Monthly

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Standout fishing at Stanage Bay • Common fishing mistakes • TLC for big barra • Borumba Dam delights • 2017 Pirtek Fishing Challenge •

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Contents

QUEENSLAND FISHING MONTHLY Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128 Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Cordelia Adams Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich Wayne Kampe Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

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Nicole Penfold with a huge trevally she caught fishing Marion Reefs on Norval Reef Charters. A Nicole Penfold image.

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10 14 49 80 86

First, it’s got to be a portraitoriented image, i.e. taller than it is wide. That means you turn the camera on its side (don’t use your phone). This is non-negotiable. We won’t just ‘add some sky’ to make your photo the right shape. We’ll just choose someone else’s pic that’s been shot correctly. That’s how we roll! Secondly, the fish should be fresh from the water. You won’t make the cut with a ‘back at home with the Hills Hoist in the background’ or the ‘driveway of death’ shot. Fish look best when they’re fresh from the water. Plus, you’re normally pretty

AUST

SPECIAL FEATURES Standout fishing at Stanage Bay Common fishing mistakes TLC for big barra Borumba dam delights 2017 Pirtek Fishing Challenge

share of the cover shots, but several times over the last few years we’ve run the ‘Front Cover Competition’ for all of the Fishing Monthly titles. The response has been fantastic, so we’re running it again! Email us your pics and you might just end up on the cover after all. We’ll also send you a blockmounted cover as a trophy of your achievement, to hang on your wall. BUT… there are a few basic things you have to get right before you enter. Here are a few hints to make sure that you get have the best chance of making it.

excited that you’ve caught it, so take the pic then. Thirdly, be creative. Regular shots of a person holding a fish are good, but a more creative shot is even better. Nail one of these and you’ll stand out from the pack. And finally, make sure that you take the image in the highest resolution you can, and then email it to us. Sending it to us via Facebook doesn’t cut it – the resolution of the image gets torn down to bugger-all and we can’t use it. There’s a dedicated email address for the entries: frontcovercomp@ fishingmonthly.com.au And that’s about it – shoot away and send us your best shots. We’ll run them for three consecutive covers later in the year. Never assume that it’s too late to enter – we once picked a winner in the same week we went to print. Good luck!

ION

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 16 Camping and 4WD 82 Cooking 63 Dam Levels 76 Freshwater 76 Fun Page 39 Junior Northern 75 Junior Southern 36 Sheik of the Creek 54 Tech Tricks 17 Tournament News 84 Track my fish 50 Trades and Services 92 What’s New Fishing 88 What’s New Boating 100

GET ON THE COVER! By far the most frequent question that we are asked at shows, via email and on our social media pages is this: how do I get on the cover of Fishing Monthly? There’s not many anglers who don’t want it. You know you do. You can show off your great catch to an audience much broader than your friends on Facebook or Instagram AND there’s a keepsake at the end of it! I’d like a dollar for every front cover that’s framed and on the wall of the pool rooms around Australia. Come to think of it, if a pool room owner bought the magazine we probably did make a dollar from it! A decade ago at the Brisbane Boat Show, we ran a booth that did just that – put readers on a customised cover of FM for $20. It was very popular, if labour intensive. Of course, the Fishing Monthly writers get a lion’s

From the Editor’s Desk...

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TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Whitsundays 66 Ayr 67 Townsville 68 Hinchinbrook 70 Lucinda 70 Cairns 71 Port Douglas 71 Cooktown 72 Cape York 73 Weipa 73 TNQ Freshwater 74

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Hervey Bay 56 Rainbow Beach 56 Fraser Coast 58 Bundaberg 58 Lake Monduran 59 Stanage Bay 59 Rockhampton 60 Gladstone 61 Mackay 62

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Southern Gold Coast 28 Gold Coast Canals 30 Gold Coast 32 Jumpinpin 34 Southern Bay 38 Brisbane 40 Brisbane Offshore 42 Northern Bay 44 Caloundra 46 Noosa 48

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“Lines in the water for 10mins and the first one hit! Thanks to the new Black Magic Soft Pushers”. Peter Blackett and his team won the “Lines in the water for 10mins and the first one Warkworth GametoFishing One BaseSoft hit! Thanks the newClub Black Magic Pushers”.recently Peter Blackett team won Competition with theirand twohismarlin. Thisthe Warkworth Game Fishing Club One Base one was caught on a NEW Black Magic Soft Competition recently with their two marlin. This While trolling off Whakatane in NZ aboard the Milbank caught this striped Pusher Jelly’ Lure, the other on Soft a vessel one ‘Bad was caught on a NEW Blackwas Magic While“Lydia”, trolling Steve off Whakatane in NZ aboard the vessel “Lydia”, Steve Milbank caught this striped Pusher ‘Bad Jelly’ Lure, the other was on a marlin on a Black Magic Rainbow Rocker Lure. NEWNEW Black Magic Jack Slammer ‘Evil’ Lure. marlin on a Black Magic Rainbow Rocker Lure. Black Magic Jack Slammer ‘Evil’ Lure.

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Tim Dobinson fought this amazing 1104lb black marlin stand up on 80lb tackle with the Black Magic Equalizer Tim Dobinson fought this amazing 1104lb black marlin Gimbal and He was fishing Erskine stand up on 80lbHarness tackle withSet. the Black Magic Equalizer Gimbal and Harness Set. He was fishing Erskine Reef off Cooktown (north of Cairns). Reef off Cooktown (north of Cairns).

Stanage Bay is an outstanding place to fish GLADSTONE

Liam Jones

With more and more people coming into the shop to ask about Stanage Bay, I thought it was time for an in depth look. Stanage Bay is located between Rockhampton and Mackay. The only access in is via 100km of dirt road. The road isn’t too bad at the moment, but always be prepared as it can be pretty rough. Due to the amount of trips a year I do up there, I’ve had a nylon cover made for both of my boats to prevent stone damage to the hull. Just take your time and everything should be fine. Stanage would have to be one of my favourite spots on the east coast.

the same memories. Stanage Bay’s remoteness, ruggedness and proximity to places like the Percy islands and Shoalwater Bay make it the perfect fishing destination in my eyes. Whether it be flicking for barra and golden snapper up the Sound, jigging for nannygai, roughing it down at Shoalwater for a few nights or taking the family over to the beautiful Percy islands, there’s always something to do. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not all rosey up there. I get plenty of people come in and say, “Mate, you gave me a bum steer – there’s no fish up there.” It’s the kind of place that takes time and patience. It’s more tide and moon reliant then any place I’ve ever fished. There can be

and know what times fish well, what species to target and what part of year will best suit you up there. Right now is the perfect time to get up there and chase the famous Stanage Bay black jew. Black jew school up in the Sound in the warmer months and can be extremely fun on reasonably light gear, if you can get a few around the boat. The ‘Jew Hole’ is not hard to find on the neap tides. Just look for the congregation of boats not too far from the boat ramp. There are plenty of other spots you can catch these brutes if crowds aren’t your thing. Look for any deep water with structure near the Sound. I know of three more holes that get fished nowhere near as much. In

Karl Hunter with a pair of 3kg Shoalwater Bay mud crabs. My family has had a house up there since well before my time, so most of my childhood holidays were spent up there. Hopefully my children will have

plenty of long hard days spent on the water with not much action. Once you have a few of these days (a lot in my case) you soon begin to develop patterns

saying that, if they’re on at the one closest to the boat ramp, there’s no real need to travel any further. For my ‘reasonably light gear’, I use 5000 size reels

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This beautiful wrasse was taken on a Yakamito Rager jig at Middle Percy Island, and was immediately released. and 30lb braid. Any smaller and I think you would be doing extremely well. The reason I like to use such light gear in comparison to the traditional handline that 90% of people will generally use when targeting black jew up there is I like to release my fish. With the long slow fight on light gear, they have a much better release rate than when there reefed from the bottom as quick as possible with a handline. If you’re chasing a feed, go the handline. If you’re after some serious fun, go as light as possible! Squid seems to be the standout bait. If the fish are hungry, pilchard or mullet fillets will do the job. Have a chat to the locals to find out when and where the fish are feeding. They’re are normally more than happy to help, providing you don’t go overboard and keep just enough for a feed. There are plenty of options if the winds are blowing and offshore isn’t your thing. Around the western side of Long Island and the tip of Long Island hold good numbers of golden snapper. Try any deep water around headlands and rocks. During the open barra season, these areas also hold good numbers of barra. On the mainland side I find the last few creeks before you go around the corner into Broad Sound to be the most productive and consistent creeks. They seem to hold better numbers of threadies and have a little more structure than the creeks back towards Stanage itself. Schools of golden snapper and grunter will generally hold in the deeper holes while any snag is

worth having a throw at for barra. The introduction of side scan sounders has eliminated a lot of the guess work when it comes to working these snags. For those without the luxury of a side scan unit, this area is your best bet. Offshore the options are endless. Whether it be soaking a bait, jigging, popping, stickbaiting or trolling for XOS Spanish,

there’s always something to keep you busy. I try to keep away from the closer locations such as the Marbles and the closure shoals, as they are the most pressured. In saying that, many quality fish are still produced in close. In the winter months I tend to head down towards Townshend Island and out towards Highpeak Island chasing largemouth

Jenna Gibbs-Jones with a nice redthroat emperor from High Peak Island.

lures were Westin Swims, Maria Loadeds and Nomad Madscads. SHOALWATER BAY This place is something else. It has massive creeks, massive tides, massive crabs and massive fish. Everything here is done to the extreme! Shoalwater Bay is closed for a good part of the year due to military exercise. With its distance from civilisation and the fact it’s closed to commercial netting, and the only access is via boat,

Shoalwater Bay is virtually untouched for most of the year. There aren’t too many places you can set your pots and within 500m of the pots be catching sweetlip and coral trout. I like to base myself in the aptly named Strong Tide Passage for this exact reason. Strong Tide Passage is the body of water that runs between the mainland and Townshend Island. It’s fringed with rocky headlands, sandy bays and mangrove creeks.

Just about every type of fishing can be done in this passage when the tides allow. Jigging for trout and lipper, rolling plastics for golden snapper and grunter, throwing poppers and stickbaits for GTs and queenfish or throwing micro poppers for whiting, it can all be done within Strong Tide Passage. Try working the top and bottom of the tide, as there can be up to 10 knots of run through the passage. If not, To page 12

The view from the famous ‘A Frame’ on Middle Percy Island. nannygai. Be sure to always have your sounder reading. There is so much country down that way that you will be sure to run over something on the way. Look for the more isolated reefs and bommies to find the larger and better numbers of fish. The last of the run-out seems to be the most productive time down that way. If reef fishing is your

thing, try to base you trip around the neap tides. I normally do a few hours either side of the last quarter. If I happen to be up there on larger tides I stick to popping and stickbaiting pressure points for GTs, Spanish, queenies, trout and whatever other fish take to the lure. On a recent trip when the tides were building we spent a day stickbaiting

shallow reefs around Steep Island to Highpeak Island. This was one of the most enjoyable sessions I can remember. Trout was the main species we caught with some cracking fish up to 5kg coming over the side. There were cod, GTs, lipper, mackerel, tuna and plenty of pesky long tom. The action was non-stop at every island or rock we stopped at. The standout

Hayley Jones with a solid Stanage muddy.

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get in behind one of the rocks or eddies and through plastics and stickbaits up onto the shallow reef. The rock right in the middle of the mouth of Strong Tide has produced some of the biggest bar cheek

trout I have caught. There’s generally a few golden snapper floating around this area as well. Shoalwater is a big place. Some of the creeks we fish can be up to a 15 mile run from our anchorage in Strong Tide,

Les Jones with a solid golden snapper from Shoalwater Bay. This fish was taken on a slow fall micro-jig worked over some deeper structure in Keiver Creek.

so be sure to take plenty of extra fuel. The creeks are deep, wide and run like hell, but they are loaded with some of the best estuary fish one could imagine. Rock bars, holes and snags all produce different fish. Rock bars and holes will normally hold good numbers of golden snapper and black jew on in the eastern creeks. Weirdly, on the western side, the same type of structure will hold big grunter. I’ve found the western creeks and the deeper water into Shoalwater hold better numbers and bigger threadies while most of the creeks have good numbers of barra. Some of the deeper creeks like Keiver Creek and East Creek will even hold good numbers of legal sweetlip and nannygai. It hasn’t been uncommon to catch golden snapper and threadfin along with the odd largemouth nannygai and grassy sweetlip. I’ve even managed to pull a few trout from the rock bar in Keiver Creek. Crabs are generally pretty easy to come by. The biggest crabs are in Keiver, Mistake, East and any of the gutters in between. They’re not the thickest, but if you do get one it’s the size of two normal ones anyway. The small gutters

This healthy little saltwater barra is from one of the many creeks throughout Thirsty Sound. along Strong Tide Passage generally produce good numbers but not nearly as big as the creeks mentioned earlier. It is also a little harder to get around, ,as all the creeks have big

mud flats at the mouth. You pretty much need to be heading to your pots right at the top of the tide. For any information on Stanage, don’t be afraid to give us a call at the

shop or give Bevan and Marree Haynes a call at Plumtree Store. They also look after a fair share of the accommodation up there with options for just about any size groups.

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Common fishing mistakes made by all anglers PART 1 BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

Fishing can be a wonderfully relaxing experience and a great escape from the pressures of everyday life. It can also be frustrating at times – leaving you wondering why the fish aren’t biting or how that big one got away! Like most things in life, the greatest lessons as an angler can come from your mistakes. Sometimes you might realise your mistake at the time, as you study your

LOCATION, LOCATION! These buzz words from real estate agents are equally as relevant to anglers when choosing the right type of fishing area or structure in which to target fish. In simple terms, this means you can’t catch fish where there aren’t any! So let’s look at some of the mistakes I see holidaymakers or unsuspecting anglers make when choosing a place to fish. Beach formations Probably the biggest and most common mistake I see on the beach is concentrations of anglers fishing close to

as a headland or sand dune and study the water. Look for changes in water colour (the darker the water, the deeper it is), waves forming but not breaking in a gutter and sand banks where waves will break on a sandbar and spill whitewater over the deeper water of a gutter, hole or channel. Look too for entrances to gutters, which are like a channel from the deeper inshore water or gutter to the open sea. These are known by swimmers as a rip as it is running water from the beach back out to sea. Jetties and wharfs Jetties and wharfs are popular locations for both

Many anglers will fish from pontoons and jetties and cast well away from the structure. They don’t realise that most fish in the area will be using the jetty or pontoon as cover!

Beach fishing is all about reading the water. There’s a lot of barren, fishless water between the good pockets, so make sure you familiarise yourself with what to look for. frayed line, broken hook or the tell-tale piggy tail at the end of your line where the hook use to be. At other times, it might not be until you look back through your fishing diary to understand how the wind, water colour, time of day or tidal conditions were different to the last time that you fished at that spot and had much greater success. Sometimes however, the biggest fishing mistakes can be the ones that you just aren’t aware that you are making. This three-part series discusses a range of the biggest fishing mistakes that anglers, both novice and experienced, can make every day. These mistakes can be anything from fishing the wrong place, time or tide to poorly presenting your bait or lure or simply having the wrong tackle. It then outlines what you can do to help avoid these mistakes in future. I trust that after reading this you will be better informed and better prepared to avoid these fishing mistakes in the future. This month we’ll be looking at the when and the where. 14

MARCH 2017

the nearest walkway, car park or swimming flags. That is, people are choosing spots based on convenience rather than anything else. Such spots can be barren, featureless water with few or any fish attracting features. These locations are usually also filled with swimmers due to the same reasons of convenience, and so any fish that might happen to be swimming past are spooked by swimmers in the water. Consequentially and unfortunately, many of these casual anglers will therefore associate the beach with having no fish. Worse still, they may blame the tackle shop for supplying them with the wrong gear, bait or lures, when in reality they were simply fishing the wrong water. Understanding beach formations is not rocket science, and once you learn the basics, your results off the beach can change quickly and dramatically, provided you have all the other basics (such as tackle choice) right as well. Learn to ‘read the beach’ by getting up on a high vantage point, such

young and elderly anglers and can be quite productive at the right time with the right tackle and techniques. Fish like bream, luderick, trevally and drummer will feed directly below these structures on the oysters and weed growth on the supporting pillars. These areas also attract baitfish, which in turn attract bigger fish. Unfortunately though, I see a lot of anglers making

the mistake of casting heavily weighted baits as far as they can into the distance into deep, yet often featureless water. A better option is to tighten your drag and position your baits under the structure and/or around the supporting pillars. As the fish are often sitting mid-water here, you should use very lightly-weighted or even unweighted baits around the change of tide periods when the tidal run slows. A berley pot is also a good option. You can also cast lightlyweighted soft plastics or vibes into these areas. If you want to chase bigger fish like tailor, salmon, bonito and kingfish from these platforms, once again, don’t throw a big heavilyweighted bait into the distance. You might get the odd fish, but a more natural presentation is to use a live bait or a pilchard, which is either lightly-weighted or under a float. The best time to do so is during the faster, middle of the tide period, particularly when there is an offshore breeze, that is when the wind is blowing against

your back or off the shore. Rockwalls A common complaint I hear from anglers fishing rockwalls is they always get snagged. This is caused from fishing the mid-tide phase and having their line pushed sideways and into the rocks. A better option from a rockwall is to fish the end of the wall (if it is safe to do so), casting your line straight off the end into water which is clear of snags. Otherwise, if there is room to do so (i.e. between other anglers) a good option is to cast your line in the up-current direction of the tide and walk along with it until it starts to swing around and into the wall or you run out of room. This is a popular technique with luderick anglers using floats in winter. Another option is to cast baits like unweighted or very lightlyweighted pilchards upcurrent and slowly retrieve it back to you, speeding up the retrieve as it approaches the rockwall. Freshwater lakes Camping and fishing at freshwater lakes has become increasingly popular in recent times, particularly

If fishing in a lake or impoundment, it pays to get away from access points, which are often barren and devoid of any structure. Time of day is also very important in the lakes.

with restocking efforts of native species. The problem is too many people assume catching a fish should be as easy as throwing your line in at any convenient spot. This might be at the end of the track in or where the grassiest bank is for a camping spot or picnic. The problem is such locations are usually flat or very gently sloping banks, areas which are not conductive to fishing due to their lack of serious structure. Shore-based anglers at freshwater lakes are far better off seeking out areas around submerged trees, boulders or rocks; steep inclines near dam walls; or entrances to the lake from rivers and creeks. Further, during periods of low water levels in the dams, anglers should take photos of good structure like riverbeds or the type of features described above while they are high and dry, so that when they are covered with water again, you have a very good idea of the areas you are fishing. For boat anglers, this is the advantage of side scan imaging on your sounder as you can look for and take screenshots of such locations for further reference. TIME AND TIDE After fishing location, anglers choice of time and tide to go fishing can be among the biggest fishing mistakes they can make. Unfortunately, I see a number of anglers fishing at midday on a glassy day for species that mostly feed actively around dawn and dusk. Likewise, casual anglers will often head for cover at any sign of rain rather than take advantage of the low light conditions, which will often bring the fish on the bite, even during the day. Another common mistake is fishing locations at the wrong tide. Anglers

may well be armed with information from the local tackle shop or local fishing reports that everything from whiting to barramundi are on the bite with photos to prove it. They might also go to the trouble of finding out the best baits, lures and rigs that the fish are taking and stock up accordingly. They might even be lucky enough to extract information on where the fish are biting. Unfortunately though, this can be of little benefit if they don’t understand or ask at what stage of the tide the fish are biting at these particular locations.

For example, as the high tide pushes well up mangrove-lined creeks and covers food-rich estuary flats, predators from flathead to barramundi, as well as foragers such as whiting and bream will feed in these areas. Conversely, on a falling tide, foragers and baitfish will move off the flats into deeper water with the predators waiting in ambush for them at the entrance to drains, creek mouths and drop-offs. Therefore, anglers who fish the shallow flats at low tide and deep water at high tide might wonder about the advice they were

given, rather than realising they were fishing those locations at the wrong stages of the tide. Even experienced anglers can fall into the trap of fishing at the wrong time. As I wrote in my article on the best fishing times and tides in the July 2016 edition of QFM, some anglers believe the answer to this question is just a case of buying an Angler’s Almanac or checking the Maori tide charts and going fishing at the best predicted times. But what if it has rained for two weeks solid, or it’s blowing a gale, or there are 40 boats

Fishing the end of rock walls or where they come to a point is a great way to avoid snagging up and catching more fish. sitting on your secret spot? Can you seriously expect to catch fish then just because a chart tells you that you can? Anglers should not expect cut-and-dried results when they go fishing. That’s not to say fishing results are just arbitrary, and tides, times and moons don’t matter – they do. It is just that other factors are at play. To maximise your chance of fishing success, you need

Anglers fishing rock walls will often complain they get snagged. However, they make the mistake of fishing at mid tide, when the strong current will push their rig onto the adjacent rocks.

to weigh up a whole range of information, and then be able to adapt your plans if all doesn’t go to plan. This includes understanding the best time of year for your target species; choosing the right tides for your species; being aware of the effects of wind, weather and water colour and temperature; and generally taking notice of other factors like boat traffic, commercial fishing pressure

and the availability of bait fish in the location. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER By taking note of the factors mentioned and applying this information to your fishing, you should see your results start to improve. Next month we will look into some of the other common mistakes that anglers can make unknowingly. Stay tuned!

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Avoiding the ramp rage NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

When it comes to boat launching and recovery, prior preparation prevents poor performance! Most boaties have a collection of stories detailing incidences of poor boat ramp etiquette. Sadly, many of us have also seen a few examples of ramp rage in our time. I know a few wags who’ll actually get out of bed and drive to their local

is likely to produce its share of riveting performances for the morbidly voyeuristic. The most common misdemeanour witnessed involves those misguided folks who back their rigs down the launching ramp first, then stop to undo tie-down straps, remove trailer lights and outboard rests, fit bungs, organise ropes, tilt motors, dress their kids in life vests and even load gear from the vehicle into the boat. This is all extremely poor form, and incredibly frustrating for

Busy boat ramps can and do create stressful situations. ramp (without a boat in tow) on extra busy mornings just to watch these inevitable dramas unfold. This caper beats reality TV shows hands down for levels of sheer human conflict. Easter Sunday, Boxing Day and Australia Day are sure bets for some good old fashioned ramp rage, but any long weekend with a good weather forecast

others waiting patiently in line to launch or recover their own boats. If the perpetrator has also managed to reverse so poorly that his or her semi-jack-knifed trailer and vehicle now occupies two or more lanes of the ramp, the crime is magnified. Words are likely to be exchanged. Sometimes it escalates beyond words. The obvious reasons

for increased tension over the holiday periods relate not only to a dramatic surge in traffic volume, but also to the fact that a lot more novice boaties tend to hit the water at these times. The combination of pressure, stress and inexperience leads to trouble. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that everyone has to learn the ropes. None of us are born with the necessary knowledge to do this stuff. But the application of a little common sense and some pre-match practice goes a long way towards alleviating game day disasters. If you’re new to boating, and particularly to backing trailers in the tight confines of boat launching areas, pick a quiet time mid-week (or on a weekend when the weather is too poor for most people to want to go out fishing), head to the ramp and practise, practise, practise! In particular, learn to rely on your internal and external mirrors when backing a trailer, rather than constantly stretching your neck and turning your head like a paranoid ostrich. Work out a routine. Most launching ramps feature preparation bays where you can park and do all those last minute things before backing down to the water. Use this space to ensure all the fuel, safety gear, fishing tackle, spare clothing, food, water and so on that you’ll need for the day is securely stowed in the vessel, before you back down onto the ramp. This is also the place and time to undo all those tie-downs, remove motor rests, screw in the bungs (you weren’t going to forget that, were you?) and tilt the motor up off its travelling rest.

Tournaments and competitions see lots of boats launched in very narrow time windows. Cooperation and a little patience go a long way toward alleviating stress.

Even single-handed boat launching and recovery shouldn’t be too hard, especially if you have a prior plan. Of course, a good drive-on trailer helps, too! Naturally, don’t disconnect anything critical that might allow your boat to slide off the trailer mid-ramp! Don’t be afraid to kick the starter over and briefly fire up the motor. Two or three seconds of dry running won’t hurt it, and if the battery is flatter than a pancake (or you’ve inadvertently activated the kill switch), you want to know now, before you hit the water. Make sure you have a length of rope (it’s called a “line” in nautical parlance) attached firmly to the vessel’s bow cleat. Remember, it’s usually best to leave the winch cable and any last turnbuckles or other fastening at the bow of the vessel connected at this stage. As mentioned, you don’t want the boat sliding off the trailer halfway down the ramp – it’s highly embarrassing and potentially expensive! Check to make sure these final points of attachment are only finger

tight and, if they’re not, loosen them now with a pair of pliers. Removing them when it’s time to push the boat off should take seconds, not minutes. Scrambling in a tool box searching for those pliers at the foot of the ramp simply isn’t a good look. With practice, preparation and a positive plan, everything should proceed smoothly, and your time on the ramp will be minimised. But things can

Boaties milling around waiting to launch or recover their rigs naturally get annoyed when they see folks blocking up ramps for extended periods.

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Tech Tricks

Sliding snell rig preparation for big ooglies BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Although lure fishing is extremely popular and productive these days, there is no denying the effectiveness of bait for a variety of saltwater piscators. Quality fresh baits are one of the major factors in quality captures and presentation of this bait is just as important. If the bait is fresh and looks natural then there is

a heightened chance that a quality fish will find it appealing enough to eat. Good hook placement and bait coverage will almost guarantee a hook-up when all factors are combined. When chasing larger predators, anglers fish with numerous types of bait including whitebait, hardyheads, garfish, pilchards, whole squid, mullet, herring, banana prawns and a variety of fillet baits. Longer baits such as these require at least two hooks to present well.

The front (leading) hook is placed through the nose or top of the bait and takes the weight of the bait as it is towed or drifted through the water column. The rear (bottom) hook is the one most likely to penetrate the fish as it is placed in the tail of the bait where most strikes come from. Subsequent hooks between these two offer good hook coverage of the bait to maximise hooking potential if the fish grabs the bait side-on instead of from the tail or head. Baitfish,

fillet baits and squid come in an array of sizes and often you don’t know what size baits you are going to secure until you are out on the water. Additionally, even storebought baits such as garfish, squid and pilchards will often have different sizes in one pack. For the angler, this can be frustrating, as you will need to constantly change rigs to present each bait size effectively. Although standard snelled hook rigs are ideal and not time-consuming to make,

you will still need to re-rig each time a differentsized bait is put into play. Additionally these rigs need to be made once you are on the water and know what sized baits you’re using. A better option is the sliding snell rig. With this rig, all hooks except the rear hook can be moved up and down the leader to accommodate baits of any size. This can optimize bait presentation and hooking potential by allowing you to have all hooks in the exact position that you wish, no

matter what size bait you are using. You won’t need to make the bait suit the rig and instead the rig will suit the bait. These rigs are easy to make and can be prepared at home well ahead of your trip, as they can be adjusted to suit any type of bait you catch or purchase. They can be made with all kinds of leader and hook sizes and having an assortment prepared and stored for use can maximise your time on the water. Let’s look at how easy they are to make.

To make your sliding snell rig you will need some leader material of your desired size, some 30-80lb braided line or waxed thread, your chosen hooks (preferably patterns with turned out eyes), a pair of scissors and a swivel for the top of your leader. These are brightly coloured for the sake of clear visual demonstration.

Pass the main leader through the eye of the second hook. Get your braid, make an overhand loop as shown and then lay the leader and hook alongside and on top of the tag of braid.

Pull on both ends of the braid very tightly to compact and lock the knot and provide good grip on the leader.

To attach the bottom hook to the leader, use a snell, as this places virtually no stress on the leader. If you use a blood knot, then ensure you lubricate the knot and pull it tight slowly to eliminate stress and friction on the leader. Additionally, this rear hook could be crimped on when using heavy leader. To snell, first pass the end of the leader through the hook eye.

Take the tag end of the braid and begin wrapping it around the hook shank, the leader and rear facing portion of braid all together.

This is how a standard leader will look once finished. The rear hook is secured in place and the front hook can be slid along the leader until it is in the correct position to best present your bait. Even if the fish only grabbed the top hook, it will slid down and secure against the rear hook to provide maximum hook setting potential on the strike. Once a swivel is added to the top of the leader, you are ready to go.

Holding the tag end against the hook shank, fold the main portion of leader back and begin wrapping around the hook shank. Wrap it 6-8 times around the shank.

Pass the main portion of leader back up through the hook eye and pull taught.

Continue wrapping until you have between ten and fifteen wraps of the braid on the hook shank, leader and tag of braid.

Rigs made with leaders of different breaking strains and types (monofilament and fluorocarbon), sporting hooks of any size can be prepared at home to support various sizes of baits used to target numerous species. These can be stored in clip seal bags or a leader wallet until ready for use. Prepare a few sliding snell rigs before your next trip to simplify your fishing. MARCH 2017

Start of autumn but still basically summer YAMBA

Dave Gaden

For most, March is the start of autumn, but in reality it’s still well and truly summer on the north coast of New South Wales. February is by far our hottest month of the year and that flows on for us for the whole month of March. With such a late start for the pelagics this year, here and all the way north to the Sunshine Coast, we can conceivably expect that this month should be the hottest bite for the year. Spotted mackerel are the most commonly targeted surface fish around this part of the world. They’re great fun to catch, easy to clean and pretty good on the plate as well. The Shark Bay to Woody Head area is by far the most popular place for recreational fishers to target these fish, with the ease of launching right into the bay, literally metres from the fish. South of Yamba, the north end of Angourie Reef to Freeburn Rock (the bommie) is a little less busy, but no less frantic with fish. Spend a few hours after first light trolling pink squid well behind the boat. I like to set them 25 seconds back at around 9-10 knots, so they are right at the end of the boat’s bubble trail. Look for the bait schools on your sounder that have been pushed to the surface. After you have found them trolling, set a couple of pillies out on

light wires with a float and drift over the area. It won’t take long to get a bag limit of five nice fish each, and that’s a lot of mackerel to eat. Along with the spotties, March will produce big northern longtail tuna, mahimahi, yellowfin and Spanish mackerel. Be

Adrian with a huge lobster, just before release. Believe it or not, they have a maximum size limit and this lobster was nearly double that.

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getting thicker the more they are caught. It’s like you take one out and two come to its funeral. They move about in the system a lot, so it pays to keep your finger on the pulse a bit. Check with your favourite tackle shop on where their punters are getting them before just

Lafita, six years old, with a nice snapper catch.

Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea

prepared with some heavier gear if the big boys happen to make an appearance. The wider grounds this time of the year are a real pig in the bag prospect. Fish will be there – that’s an absolute certainty, but you can travel 20 nautical miles to sea to find the current doing 4 knots

downhill and it wouldn’t matter if you had a fridge on for a sinker, you are going to struggle. If you are planning to go wide, check some of the websites for a current forecast first. They are far from accurate, but if it’s red on the map, stay in close. The south grounds from Red Cliff to Brooms Head will be good fishing for plate-size pearl perch and venus tuskfish this month. Drifting in around 40m of water with good flesh baits is the most productive way of getting a feed. Mostly the pearlies will be in a gutter in the reef rather than on a pinnacle, so look for an area where there is a metre or two drop in the reef and you will find fish holding tight to the edge. The Clarence River has been fishing really well all over summer. I can’t see this changing for March, as it’s not really a change of season here. Crabs (both sand and muddies) have been in great numbers. If the normal February rains are enough, the fresh will push them all down towards the mouth – easy access for us. Whiting seem to be

launching out to the old faithful spot. This summer has produced some great flathead. Lots of people have come into the shop, who have never caught anything worthwhile, and weighed in big flathead. Average fish have been around the 50-60cm range and anglers are catching four or five at a time. My best advice for March is to find a deep

Eddie Kell with a thumper pearl perch.

hole close to the middle wall or Freeburn Island and live bait with a herring or poddy mullet. The surprise with this type of fishing is that every now and then the flathead has been bullied out of the deep hole by a mulloway. Isn’t it terrible to go to all that trouble to set up for nice flatties and have to catch mulloway instead... As a rule, if the mulloway are there you get one or two and then they will spook. It’s better than none. On the subject of mulloway, under Oyster Channel Bridge two days either side of the full moon in the middle of the month should produce good fish. There will be some great bream there as well. The preferred bait is the humble herring. Fortunately, in the hour before sunset they are usually around the bridge pylons in huge numbers. Have a good live bait tank and fill it up. The big bream (and odd mangrove jack) will feast on them, but the mulloway will almost be a certainty if you stick it out. On a personal note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful customers, both at my shop, Marina Boat & Tackle and on my charter boats. The Christmas/ January holiday season was the best ever. I don’t think I had ever been so busy or met so many great people. Have some good fishing for this month and, as always, if you are heading our way call into the shop and we will try and steer you in the right direction.

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Beef up your gear for the bigguns BALLINA

Joe Allan

The Richmond River has been fishing well over last month. The freshwater has stirred up most of the species in the lower reaches of the river. The very long hot days and humid evenings have really got the surface fishing going gang-busters. If you want to chase bream, try the Pimlico Island flats. If you’re after a feed of whiting, try the flats across from the town centre around the RSL club or the weed beds around North Creek. Make sure you have something rigged for a decent flatty, as

you will come across some good fish and be able to sight cast to them in the shallows. The mud crabs have been firing, with good catches reported along the mid sections of the river. Try baits such as mullet and luderick frames. The bigger tides seem to bring the best numbers on. The rock walls along the town stretch and up Emigrant Creek are producing some good numbers of quality bream on light crankbaits. Rock crab in the Atomic Crank 38 is the standout. You will come across a few of our red friends, the mighty mangrove jack, so be prepared to either beef up your gear or go back to the

tackle shop with your wallet. They say if you’re not losing lures, you’re not catching and having fun. There are some good numbers of bream getting caught off the beaches. The dart and tailor have been a little quiet. Try the gutters around Boundary Creek

mid-December, numbers of mackerel have not been as everyone would have liked. Mackerel have been all over the place. One day they’re at Black Head and the next at Riordans Reef. The upper reaches of the river have been hit and miss for Aussie bass. The

Troy with a great mulloway close in to Ballina.

Nicki and James with a pair of cracker mahimahi that were kept for the table.

Lucy Fitzgibbon with a whiting from Mobbs Bay.

along South Ballina for some big flathead. Blades, slugs and heavy soft plastics will do the trick if you can’t get fresh bait. Offshore there have been some quality snapper on the 32s, as well as some goodsize trag. The mahimahi have still been very consistent off the FADS and since

big influx of fresh from the Tatham Arm has dirtied up the junction at Coraki. Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and dark coloured loud crankbaits around the drains and creek mouths are your best bet for finding some good fish. The fish will start to get active again once the water starts to clear up.

Luke with a sweet mahimahi.

Matthew Hayden

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National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo

4x4 Outdoors, Fishing & Boating Expo returns The National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo is returning to the Brisbane Showgrounds from 31 March-2 April, featuring thousands of fishing, boating, camping, 4x4 and outdoors products from leading retailers. The show will feature a host of fishing and boating exhibitors, including marine dealers, Brisbane Yamaha, Brisbane Marine, Cunningham Marine, Boating & RV, Spirit Paddle Sports and Hot Tackle, alongside outdoor favourites

the popular Fishing and Campfire Cooking stages will be combined to present the Catch & Cook Stage, so you can get some fishing tips and then learn how to cook your catch. Also new to the show in 2017 is the Base Camp, an interactive presentation featuring your favourite exhibitors in a free and fun campground setting where you can ‘try on’ the outback lifestyle and see how it fits. Grab some tucker, sit around the campfire, listen to our bush balladeer and swap

and angler, Paul Burt. Show Director Paul Mathers said the show combines the best of the best in fishing, boating and marine lifestyle. “Queenslanders are avid fishing and boating fans, so our team has ensured this show has everything you need for your next trip,” Mr Mathers said. “Whether it’s a new rod, tackle box, wet weather gear or a big item such as a boat, we have you covered at the National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo this year.

The All 4 Adventure guys are just two of the many expert presenters who’ll be passing on their knowledge.

The 4x4 track is always a popular feature at the show. Opposite Lock, ARB, TJM, Mega Cheap Hardware, and Isuzu. Those who love camping will be in outdoors heaven with GIC Campers, OZ Tent and Stoney Creek Campers cementing this as Southeast Queensland’s leading event for recreation on both land and sea. Back by popular demand will be the Outback Stage, a revamped Action Arena featuring the Offroad Rush team and the Eagers Holden Proving Ground to keep all family members entertained throughout the three-day event. This year

your stories about the bush. Special guests and industry experts returning to the show include Paul Worsteling from TV’s iFish, ex-AFL legend and host of The Great Australian Doorstep Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, Jase Andrews and Simon Anderson from All 4 Adventure, one of the most recognisable faces in Australian 4WDing John ‘Roothy’ Rooth, Rick, Jamie and Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling from The Off Road Adventure Show, Graham & Shaun from 4WD Action and local Brisbane weatherman

“The show will be hosting the leading exhibitors from the marine and outdoors industries, from not only Brisbane but all across Australia. The sheer volume of exhibitors that will be showcasing products under the one roof ensures our visitors will receive the greatest deals, as each exhibitor competes for your attention. And don’t be afraid to ask exhibitors for any special offers – remember, they are here to sell and they want your business!” The show isn’t just about the bargains and latest and

If you like boats, you’re in luck! There will be a wide range of trailer boats (and tackle) at the show. 22

MARCH 2017

greatest products though – visitors should take the advantage of the opportunity to hear from the special guests and industry experts. “All of our special guests have a wealth of information and some fantastic stories to tell when it comes to the great outdoors, whether it’s fishing hotspots, tips on how to get the most out of your tools and products, or how to get started in the pastime,” Mr Mathers said. “It really is worth taking a few moments to find out what advice they can offer you. Each of our special guests will be up on stage throughout the three show days, so check out the schedule and be sure to factor this into your day.” Getting to and from the Brisbane Showgrounds will be easy, with plenty of visitor parking on site, along with a shuttle bus service from Roma Street and Fortitude Valley stations over the weekend. A parcel pick-up point will also be available for any bulky items that you purchase on the day, so

The show has a range of attractions to keep the whole family entertained. you are free to explore the show at ease. Queensland Fishing Monthly readers receive a special discounted price on tickets to the show. To take advantage of this special offer, purchase your tickets

online at www.4x4show. com.au/BRI and use the code ‘TACKLE’ upon check-out. For more information on the show, including stage line-ups and a full list of retailers and exhibitors, visit www.4x4show.com.au/BRI.

This year the Fishing Stage will be the Catch & Cook Stage, giving you seafood cooking tips as well as fishing advice.

Good fishing despite the winds ILUKA

Ross Deakin

We have experienced a fantastic holiday period with awesome weather. Maybe it was a little too hot on some days, but nonetheless we had great fishing conditions. The spotty macks have been playing the ‘now you see me, now you don’t,’ but that is pretty normal with the water temperature all over the place, due to northerly/ southerly changes. Anglers have been using techniques such as trolling

pink squid lures, live bait, pilchards and spinning around the Woody Head to Shark Bay area. We have weighed in fish in the 3-4kg category. There have been some very nice cobia caught such as a 20kg fish taken off the Bluff Headland. Snapper and trag are being caught around the usual hotspots from Woody Head to Black Rock. The Clarence has seen some great fishing, even though we still need that rain. Whiting in good sizes and numbers are being taken in and around the sand flats. We weighed in a few decent fish

over Christmas and January up to 420g caught by Michael Hogan from Gravilia using yabbies. The open beaches have also seen very nice size whiting, bream and dart. There are plenty of chopper tailor in the river at the moment and some really nice size greenbacks off the beaches and headlands, such

as Chris Tom’s magnificent 5.75kg fish caught at Woody Head back in January using a popper. There have been a few nice mulloway caught as well. Wazza Bell from Brisbane weighed in a 23.5kg fish caught at Iluka Beach using fresh mullet. Spanish macks and longtails won’t be far away!

The ever-reliable snapper are still on the chew.

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Some rockin’ mulloway have been taken around Iluka Beach.

The fishing has stayed reliable and rewarding for the beginning months of the year.

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Still time for a jack assault THE TWEED INSHORE

Tim Latter

March really is a great time for fishing on the Tweed River and its tributaries. The change of season brings about a crossover period in target species, so you can really be spoilt for choice. The water temperatures will still remain quite high, so your summer species like mangrove jack and whiting will continue for most lure

fishers this month. You could expect a good surface bite on the jacks over the next few weeks, just hit your usual spots in low light periods and be sure to get tight to cover on your first cast, as you often only have one chance with the bigger specimens. Local angler Brock Perry has had a stellar jack season on surface lures. Lucky Craft G-Splash and ZMan Trick SwimZ have been his go-to lures. Adopting new techniques and the art of

stealth has seen him braining this sometimes frustrating species. Once jack fishing has you hooked, it will be sure to keep you awake the night before an early session, pondering what it might be. Preparation is key this late in the season, so leave nothing to chance. Hitting the water early has its benefits, as the water’s surface temperature will be slightly cooler than previous months and the days will begin to shorten. This is

Hitting the holes around bridges could score you some schoolies this month.

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prime time for chasing the big flathead that will be moving throughout the system. All luring techniques have their day, but hopping plastics on the drop-offs toward the bottom of the tide, trolling the flooded flats at the top, or ripping blades and vibes in the deeper holes mid-tide should get you some fresh fillets. Just remember to put all those big girls back! Later in the month, the big tides of the new moon are looking good to start chasing school mulloway. Try the bridges on the tide change at night. Soft plastics, vibes or live baits are the way to go, and the deeper holes in the mid to upper reaches will be well worth a look as well, especially if it has been dry. Before too long we will be donning hoodies and beanies chasing tailor and bream which, as rewarding as that can be, doesn’t quite cut the mustard in comparison to our more temperate species. • Get out there and make the most of it this month, be safe and courteous on the water and be sure to drop in to Anglers Warehouse for the best range and best prices in town, or visit the website at www. anglerswarehouse.com.au

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The hottest places to throw some fish a line THE TWEED

Anthony Coughran

The warm currents and southerly winds have finally arrived. With water temperatures between 26-28°C pushing right down the East Coast, the arrival of the pelagic species into our area has begun. Plenty of rain has seen the rivers flushed, dams cleaned up and freshwater streams and creeks flowing. This means

that most systems will be firing in the next month. OFFSHORE Pelagics have shown up in good numbers and will thicken as the month goes on. Spotty mackerel, Spanish mackerel, summer snapper, spangled emperor and golden snapper are all on the close reefs. South Reef, Fidos, Cook, the 5-Mile and Kingy Reef are all producing fish this month. Drift lining works best for these species on the close shallow reefs.

Spanish mackerel, GTs, kingfish, cobia and wahoo are being caught around the 9-Mile, 5-Mile and the 24s. Trolling lures, live baits, stickbaits and troll baits is working best. Look for black marlin, mahimahi, wahoo and tuna around the FAD, 24s, 36s, 50s and current line between 50-80m of water. Trolling skirted lures has caught quality fish recently. ESTUARY Jacks are still the talk of the town, with a few specimens reaching over the 60cm mark caught this month. Live bait is still doing all the damage on these brutes. Plastics and hardbody lures tossed around pontoons, pylons, rock walls, mangrove structure and

Drifting channels, sand bars and weed edges with yabbies and beach worms is still the most effective way of getting a feed. For a bit more fun, try poppers, walk-the-dog lures and small plastics over skinny water. Stay in about 2-4ft of water while hunting these ghosts. Any deeper and they struggle to see your lure. There are still GTs and big-eyes hanging around the river mouth, Jack Evans, Boyds Bay Bridge and Barneys Point Bridge. Mulloway are along Chindrah Rock Wall and in the hole at the Piggery. Muddies are moving around with the warm water and rain. Try Duroby Creek, Bilambil Creek, Cobaki Broadwater, Stots Island and Rous River.

Dave McIntosh caught this decent summer snapper while drift lining on close reefs.

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Jimmy Mitchell with a lovely Spanish mackerel. next month will be on the mackerel, mahimahi, wahoo and billfish. Trolling current lines in 50-80m of water is your best bet for a speedster. Trolling live and dead baits will be the best for mackerel. Always have a light metal rod set and ready to throw at bait schools, as you’ll get a lot of by-catches this way and it’s a lot of fun. Jacks are still around in large numbers in the river. Live baits around bridges and pylons of a night will be your best bet for a big red dog. If you want some fun, try bouncing plastics along the rock walls. You will know when one will hit you. Whiting and flathead will still be in good numbers. Get up on top of the sand banks – you can never be in too little water for them. Poppers, plastics, worms and yabbies

are fantastic. Hot weather and crabs go hand in hand. Heaps of crabs are moving around. With the water temperature up and the recent rain, it’s perfect crabbing conditions, so get your pots out and grab yourself a feed. Remember to have your pots clearly marked and with a marked float. Do the right thing and only check your own pots. Huge fines can apply. Rains have done wonders for the freshwater systems. Clarrie Hall Dam looks good, with flowing water all the way downstream to the weir. The dam will keep fishing really well over the next month. Targeting drains, waterfalls, weirs and runoffs while the rain is around is a great way of catching a few fat bass. I wish you the best of luck. Stay safe and tight lines.

Dan Le Mura with a pretty little mahimahi caught trolling skirted lures.

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irrigation channels are still producing fish. Try Cobaki Bridge and wall, Boyds Bay Bridge, Chindrah Rock Wall, the Oxley Cove walls, Tumbulgum Bridge and the Condong Sugar Mill. Whiting are on the chew and some elbow-slappers have been taken over the last month.

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BEACH We don’t have the best conditions for beach fishing right now with all the blue bottle jellyfish hitting the beaches. We’ve seen pipis and beach worms go deep into the sand. Fish are hanging out the back of the gutters more to avoid the stingers. Try the headlands and groins to get out past the stingers. Dart, mulloway, flathead and whiting are still around and you just need to get out to them. FRESHWATER The fresh has been on fire lately. The recent rain gave the system a good flush with all the rivers and creeks flowing again. Bass have been smacking surface lures with explosive reaction bites. Cicadas and winged cicadas are best for targeting these little brutes. Deep diving hardbodied lures, jig spins, walk-the-dog lures, plastics and bugs are all fishing well once the sun is up. Look for runoff, drains, spillways and waterfalls for the best action. NEXT MONTH Most of the focus for the

Oliver Miles caught this solid whiting on a yabby in Cobaki Broadwater.

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Plenty of bait and productive fishing sessions SOUTHERN GOLD COAST

Danny Sands

The summer heat will push well into the Autumn months. This is good news for anglers who target mangrove jack in our local waterways. There has been plenty of bait in the estuary system of late with white and frogmouth pilchards in the Seaway on the last of the run-in

and herring and prawns in the upper reaches of the estuary system. Jacks start to put on a lot of condition this month and feed heavily on herring schools. Herring like to school up around bridge pylons and on the edges of marinas and harbours. If you find these schools, try hardbody lures like the Lucky Craft Pointers and Jackall Squirells. Both these lures are expensive but jacks

have expensive taste. Big schools of jacks will start to move in the Seaway. This is great month to catch a trophy jack from the Seaway. Fish well over the 70cm mark like to terrorize the local fishers. Fishing the last of the run out tide on the north wall with big baits, like pike and slimeys, and a bit of luck will go a long way. Use heavy tackle like 50lb main line with 60lb leader.

A big plastic-munching mangrove jack.

With the amount of bait in the Seaway, expect plenty of action on the top of the tide, with plenty of trevally, queenfish and the odd kingfish getting stuck into these schools. Casting small 20g slugs and small white plastics around 2-3” will do the trick. Some days these fish will push right up to Sovereign Island in the Broadwater and as far Southport Marina in the Nerang River. Whiting numbers have been very consistent all season in the Nerang River. The key to a good feed is to use quality baits like bloodworms and canal wrigglers. The go-to areas are the waterway between the Council Chambers and the Island Capri Bridge. The banana prawns are starting to move and March is a great month to target them. The prime area is between Jacobs Well and all the way up to MacLeay Island. Just look for the hundred other boats that chase them as well. A 12ft top pocket cast net with a good sink rate is all that you need to get a delicious feed. OUTSIDE The mackerel have been hit and miss this season; it’s starting to turn out like last season with an influx of mackerel north around Point Lookout, south around

March is a great month to target both Spanish and spotty mackerel. the Tweed and not much in between. The Nine Mile Reef and Fidos have had a good run of mackerel for the locals. Any technique seems to work. Hardbody lures like Halco Laser Pros and Rapalas seem to be the go to lures. Casting stickbaits seems to work well on Nine Mile and Fidos and is such a cool way of seeing fish smash your lure off the top. The spotty mackerel have been really hot and cold so far this season. Expect better numbers this month. There have been spotty mackerel and both mack tuna and longtail tuna giving the bait a bit of a touch up along Stradbroke Island, anywhere from the coffee rocks to the blocks just south of the green zone. Another great spot that

really fires for spotties is the Jumpinpin Bar. Look for the dirty line on a run out tide and start casting 40g slugs in the dirty side and retrieve your lures to the clean side. This is a great place. Boat traffic can be very minimal, as everyone tends to stick to Mermaid and Palmy reefs. The close reefs off Southport can be very rewarding this month with good numbers of snapper and the odd mulloway and kingfish will start to turn up this month. Float lining pilchards down a consistent berley trail is a great way to get a feed of these tasty red fish. Overall, March can be a very productive month from the speedster in the blue water to tasty whiting in the estuaries. Don’t forget the tasty prawns. How good is the Gold Coast?

It’s great fun spinning for trevally in the Seaway.

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Some great ideas are surfacing GOLD COAST CANALS

Josh Dunn

March is my favourite month for surface fishing by far! Warm waters are at their peak and the baitfish rise in the water column, because of the heat and predatory fish feeding! Bream, trevally, tailor, mangrove jack and bass in the freshwater

are only some of the fish that will be seen slashing baitfish on the surface! I can’t say it enough – early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to fish surface lures. On the late evening of a hot day, where the rocks of a bank will be hot, baitfish like to hug these sorts of areas. I have a good feeling that over time, larger fish know this too! Areas with

mangroves, sand canals and mud all draw larger species. Surface lures of poppers and walk-the-dog style lures work a treat. Brands like Lucky Craft, Halco, Strada and DUO are up there with my favourites. Lures around 50-70mm are great on bream, trevally and bass, while 80-120mm work a treat on tailor and jacks, as these lures are larger and make a lot more sound!

A healthy jack caught from the retaining wall on a surface popper.

Bream are on the bite and taking small plastics and small suspending hardbody lures worked extra slowly around pontoons and rock walls. The early parts of the canals produce plenty of fish around this time of year. I’ve also caught decent bream deep in canal systems where the water is dirty. In this situation, try darker plastics as well as plenty of scent! Flathead have started to show up on patches, but haven’t been hammered by fishing of late. The north wall of the Seaway is producing on most days. Crab Island, Tipplers Channel, Jacobs Well and early parts of the Nerang are all worth a look at before giving up for another couple of months. ZMan 3” MinnowZ and 4” SwimmerZ are near to irresistible to a lizard when bounced past their nose! Within the next month or two we will see surface fishing go off with a bang, as more baitfish flourish in our estuaries. So it’ll be quite common to see plenty of bust-ups from pelagic fish. On the other hand, we should start to see the temperature start to drop. In the last few months, temperatures have

A decent flathead caught from a productive session using ZMan 4” SwimmerZ, imitating a mullet. been soaring and records have been broken all over Queensland. More rain may be on the forecast, which will be good at times to give our systems a flush out and it will make a productive time for fishing.

March is a perfect month. Surface fishing is firing and the bottom dwelling species are just as fun and lively! Keep persisting and keep doing the research. I’ll see you out on the water!

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Merlin’s beard! The March marlin are here GOLD COAST

David Green

The pelagic season so far has been erratic with poor catches on the inshore grounds and a few blue marlin off the edge of the continental shelf. While there have been marlin about, the lack of both mahimahi and wahoo has been quite surprising. The small black marlin season started late, and while a few fish are now being caught on live baits on the 36 and 42 fathom lines, lure trolling for these great gamefish has been extremely poor and the water quality on the inshore grounds has been poor too. Hopefully in March the season will turn around with at least an increase in wahoo numbers. There have been very few stripies and mack tuna on the inshore grounds. Out on the shelf the blue marlin fishing has been fairly steady with one or two bites a day. On board Gemma 3 we have caught seven blue marlin from the last seven trips out of 11 bites. These fish have been relatively small, between

100-140kg. Most of our fish have been caught in depths between 200-250m east of the Seaway. In those seven trips we haven’t caught a fish that wasn’t a blue marlin! When conditions are smooth I find we get most bites on the shotgun and long outrigger line. When it’s a bit rough a lot of bites come on the shorter lines close to the boat. My three best lures so far have been a big Meridian Ahi, a Bahamas Charon 50 and a Fat Boy tube in evil colours (blue and silver skirt over a green and gold skirt). This month the blue marlin fishing should improve a bit. Closer inshore the mackerel should improve in both size and numbers. So far this year both Palm Beach and Mermaid Reef have produced a mixture of spotted and Spanish mackerel, but it has been quite erratic and the crowds have been very big. Drifting and spinning can be effective, but the best way to chase mackerel when they are shut down is to slowly troll live baits from a downrigger. This works well on the Diamond Reef

Chad having a good time releasing this marlin.

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this time quite a few of the adult mangrove jack population start to move into the Seaway area and can be targeted around the rock walls using live baits. Most of these jacks are in the 50-60cm range and at this stage they start to move offshore. As well as mangrove jack, live baits fished in this area produce trevally, mulloway, tailor and big bream. Herrings, yellowtail, poddy mullet and slimy mackerel all work well. Spinning with metal lures on a run in tide in the same area can produce tailor, tarpon and trevally. Up river there should still be plenty of mangrove jack around the floating pontoons in the Coomera River system, Biggera Creek and the marinas around Hope Island. There is often quite a good surface bite early in the morning in March. Poppers are great to use for Gold Coast jacks. Around the pontoons use 4” paddle-tail plastics and hardbodied minnows. While the upstream jack fishing can slow down a little this month, it’s common to encounter a run of good fish over

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east of Surfer’s Paradise. The Tweed Nine Mile is generally worth a fish in March when the weather is good and the current is running. It holds wahoo, mackerel tuna, Spanish mackerel and a few black marlin. I like to drift the area with live baits or troll high-speed metal heads like Hex Heads. If there are small tuna around, they’re the best wahoo bait you can get and slowly trolled around the back ledge of the Nine Mile Reef they can get some amazing bites. There are also some big GTs in this area. Casting stickbaits and poppers is another good option. Bottom fishing in March is generally quite slow as the current is usually strong and snapper are very scarce on the inshore reefs. There are a few mulloway around the artificial reefs to the north of the Seaway. These fish are quite established now and may be a year-round proposition. These reefs fish best at night. BROADWATER AND RIVERS In March the days get a bit shorter and the water cools down a fraction. At

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50cm in March. It has been an excellent year for whiting so far with good catches on poppers, small stickbaits and baits.

Some good fish over 40cm have turned up in the Nerang River throughout January. This area often fishes well at night,

especially on hot days. Beach worms, yabbies, soldier crabs and shrimp all work quite well. Make sure you have an anchor

There are some great wahoo on the inshore grounds.

light visible as the Nerang can be quite a busy river at night. The Pimpama River and Coombabah Creek also fish well this month during daylight hours. March is a very good month for chasing sand and mud crabs. The Pimpama River, Coombabah Creek and Wasp Creek should all hold good numbers of mud crabs this month, particularly if there is a bit of rain. Most of the sand crabs will be in the main part of the Broadwater adjacent to weed beds in 3-5m of water. Fresh fish frames such as mullet and whiting are ideal for sand crabs. Chicken frames are great mud crab bait and are fairly immune to being eaten out by small fish. Work your pots on the run in tides and check them every hour. If you aren’t catching quality crabs, vary the depth until you find the best line. This can be critical, especially after a flood. Overall, March is an interesting month to fish the Gold Coast. While it has been the slowest season for inshore pelagic species in many years, there is hope the fishing will greatly improve this month and there are plenty of options in the estuaries.

Elliot caught this awesome mulloway that’s more than half his size – what a beast.

MARCH 2017

Prawns are on the move again JUMPINPIN

Mick Morris gembait@tpg.com

It’s that time of year again when the banana prawns show up in big numbers. This year is going to be no exception with heaps of big bananas about during the early part of February. They should stick around for a few more weeks and the numbers will start to drop off later in the month. You can find schools of them by using your sounder. Look for dark puffs that indicate the prawns

are balled up together. Sometimes when there are plenty about, you can see them showering across the surface of the water as you drive past. If you find yourself in amongst a run of prawns and there are heaps of boats casting, be respectful and keep a safe distance from other boats. You should be able to find banana prawns in the deeper water off Karragarra right down the main channel past Browns Bay and to Cabbage Tree Point, amongst the boats around Steiglitz and Rudy Maas, out the front of Behms

Creek down to the boats at Jacobs Well. You can use a standard cast net to catch prawns. However, I find they don’t sink fast enough and the majority of prawns have time to escape. For the best results, use a proper prawning net with chain mesh as weights. These are heavier and harder to cast but they sink twice as quick and you will catch a heap more prawns. A proper prawning net will set you back about $250-$350. It’s well worth it if you love your prawns. Remember, the bag limit is 10L per person.

Getting amongst a run of prawns can get hectic.

INTRODUCING THE

Mud crabs should be showing up in good numbers from Browns Bay to Cabbage Tree Point along the mangrove-lined banks and drop-offs. Try using fish frames, chicken frames or old meat as bait as they have proven to work the best. Some other good spots to try are between Tabby Tabby and Mosquito islands, Cobby Passage, behind Woogoompah Island and in the Pimpama River. Sandies should be on the march in Canaipa Passage, Tiger Mullet Channel, Pandannus Bank and in the main channel from Rocky Point to the top of Macleay Island. If you love a feed of whiting, as we all do, this month is a great time to fish for them. The water temperature is just right and there are some big tides, which is when they feed the hardest. The faster the water is moving, the better the fishing is. Use an appropriate sinker to make sure your bait gets to the bottom where the fish are. I use up to a 6 ball sinker when the tide is really ripping in. Try around the sand flats across from Rocky Point, Tiger Mullet Channel, Fishermans Channel, Tipplers Island and the Never Fail Islands.

Rhiley Griffith with yet another cracking Jumpinpin whiting. If you are going to chase flathead, head out to the deeper water around Kalinga Bank, off Swan Bay and out the front of the lagoon that has formed at the top of South Straddie early in the day before the wind gets up. I recommend 5-7” plastics or vibes. Try to time that time of day with the turn of the tide when the water slows down so you can get your plastics or vibes to the bottom. When the tide starts running too

hard, make your way back to shallower waters and have a flick or troll. Try around the Pandannus weed banks, the mouth of Whalley Gutter, the sandy shallows near Slipping Sands and along Mosquito Island. • Thanks for all your reports and keep those fish coming in. If you’d like any advice or up to date fishing information drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on (07) 3287 3868 or email gembait@tpg.com.au.

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Castnetting for banana prawns around the boats near Jacobs Well can be very productive this month.

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Having success in the shallows MORETON BAY

Ryan Smith

Many anglers say the shallows hold small fish or even no fish. However, you’d be surprised at what is lurking in water only a few feet deep. Shallow water fishing is something that can be very successful if done right. The main reason some anglers catch more fish than others in the shallows is noise. Noise such as outboard motors, banging, walking around the boat and even the sound of your sonar can spook anything in the area. Successful ways to reduce

this noise are to kill the motor before you reach the ground you want to fish, turn off your sounder once in the correct area and work out your drift so you don’t need to reposition the boat halfway through. When working out your drift, the main thing you need to know is what way the drift will be taking you and how fast you will be drifting. This information can help you set yourself up to work as much of the area as possible without having to reposition the boat. When you drift, always cast in front of your drift so you can drag your lure through the ground that you haven’t floated over.

Anywhere with some sort of structure such as reef, weed or rubble with a depth ranging from 1-3m is a great place to start your search for likely looking areas. Baitfish are also important to have in an area. With baitfish you will be able to find out what sort of lure to use by matching the size and

in an instant with boat traffic being the biggest contributor to fish going off the bite. Tides can vary on the location you are fishing, but my personal favourite is the start of the incoming, as the fish are just moving up in the shallows looking for a feed. The gear needed for this can be simple and most

Looks like this fine grassy sweetlip was after its own skin. Matching your lure with the baitfish can entice more strikes.

The author with a great sweetlip. A variety of species are available to anglers this month.

You can catch juvenile snapper in the shallows with the right tools and technique.

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people should have a combo lying around that will do the job. A rod around 4-8lb that is 7ft long will do the trick, matched up to a 2500 reel with 8lb braid. The combo

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I like to use is my Samurai Infinite 2-4lb with a 2500 Shimano Stradic spooled with 4lb braid. Leader can change depending on the water clarity. I like to carry leader ranging from 4-12lb, which covers a variety of circumstances. As I said previously, lure selection can vary on the bait in the area. On a recent outing, I found that the bait where I was fishing were only small, so I decided to throw a small hardbody – a little Atomic Crank 38. However, three weeks prior to this there were several hardiheads around the 3-4” size, so I was using soft

plastics like the 3.5” ZMan GrubZ to imitate the bait. I use heavy jigheads so I can get a good casting distance to cover ground. There are a variety of species you will encounter doing this type of fishing including bream, sweetlip, squire and even a few others here and there. I hope that this has given you a few pointers so you can get out there and get yourself a few fish. If you want to follow my fishing adventures, I have an Instagram page (@ryans. fishing) and a Facebook page (Ryan’s Fishing) that I regularly post on. Until next month, tight lines.

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Hotter bites as fish and prawns move into bay SOUTHERN BAY

Peter Stanley

Summer came with a bang through February. Mercury in the low to mid 30s and unrelenting northerly winds have made the fishing a little difficult in the southern bay. One fish that bites well in these conditions is the mangrove jack. The hotter the day or night, the better your chance of catching a jack. Fishing lures or soft plastics for these fish has become very popular over the last couple of seasons. This summer has had the best catches I have seen. Location is so important when targeting these fish. Structure like rock walls, jetties, pontoons and bridge pylons are great. Google Maps

can be your best friend when looking for a location, as this can take a lot of the guess work out of where to start. Good starting locations are the canal systems at Birkdale and Raby Bay. With so many options in these two locations doing repetitive trips is essential to being successful. If I were to pick a handful of lures to take fishing they would be Bass Day Sugapen 95mm, Lucky Craft XD 100 Pointer and the smaller 78XD, ZMan Trick SwimZ and 3” MinnowZ. Some other locations that are overlooked in the Southern Bay are the water taxi terminals at Macleay and Russell Island and the Redland Bay Terminal. Sweetlip have been caught in good numbers around Peel Island, Green Island and the drop-off at Wellington Point in

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about 4-6m of water. At Green Island try the Lockyer Light and the eastern side of the island. Fresh mullet fillet has been the go-to bait. Be sure that when you purchase your bait it is the best quality possible, as this is quite often overlooked and left to the last minute. A stop at the local servo on the way to the ramp is not the best option for quality or local advise on what is biting and where to start fishing. Tuskies are another species that like the warmer water and there have been some nice fish caught at Peel Island over the

last month. Hooking a decent tusky and landing one is a different story. These fish are one of the hardest fighting fish pound for pound in the bay. I prefer using a hand line of about 60lb and work my way up. A tuskfish will take you back into his home in the reef if you give him any chance. The best baits are half a sand crab, large banana or tiger prawn and black rock crab. Over the next couple of months we should see the prawn catches increase with the Ws, Macleay and Karragarra islands being some

of the popular spots. Let’s hope the white spot disease has been contained and if you catch prawns with white spot, please report it to Queensland Fisheries or Bio Security Queensland. This will help contain the outbreak. Through March we should see some quality snapper move into the bay. The artificial reefs and reef ledges around the southern bay islands are a prime spot to target these awesome fish. With fish ranging from 80cm and up, it is well worth an overnight trip with quality fresh or live bait

FISHING FILL-ITS

John Haenke is now guiding! You probably know John Haenke as the producer and occasional presenter of Fishing DownUnder, but did you know he is now guiding in the Hervey Bay area? John was one of the first producers to bring fishing to our screens. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there was very limited fishing content on TV and if you weren’t home to watch it, you missed out! Then came VHS machines. We could now record our favourite shows to watch later, and buy or rent VHS movies! Imagine how exciting it was when John Haenke started producing VHS stories specifically for fishers; a whole new world opened up for anglers! John worked in the TV industry from the moment he left school. He grew up fishing with his dad in the Brisbane area, but in Darwin, Johns’ passion for fishing really exploded and his love affair with barra began. In the early ‘80s he produced his first fishing video with Rod Harrison, and produced some truly memorable programs with him and many others, including Malcolm Florence. Stories ranged from chasing black bass in PNG to fishing with Lefty Kreh in remote

parts of Northern Australia. The next project was Wildfish, one of Australia’s first prime-time fishing shows. This was produced, filmed and edited by John, and presented by Peter Morse. It was the highest rating programme on SBS at that time, even beating Seinfeld, one of the most popular shows in the mid-‘80s. John is undoubtedly one of the finest fishing videographers around, making you feel like you’re right there in amongst it all. Straight after Wildfish, Andrew Ettingshausen head hunted John as Director of Photography for Escape with ET. John worked with ET until 2004, when he began The Fishing DVD. By this stage, there was plenty of fishing content on TV, but what was lacking was information. Most TV shows don’t go into a lot of detail, as they target a broad audience rather than dedicated fishers. John wanted to bring the best presenters, guides and fishos to produce an informative and entertaining DVD, containing lots of individual stories – a fishing magazine you could watch! They were available through tackle shops, newsagents and online. The Fishing

John produced, filmed and edited Wildfish, which was presented by Peter Morse. DVD later became known as Fishing DownUnder, and its content also became available for download. Fishing DownUnder #42, which was released in February 2016, was the last DVD in the series. However, all Fishing DownUnder DVDs, as well as Wildfish and Harro’s DVDs, are still available at FishingDownUnder.TV. After 12 years of being constantly away filming Fishing DownUnder, it was time for John to reduce his

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MARCH 2017

for catching that prize fish. The best baits are live squid, live whiting, fresh mullet fillet and fresh gar. With the dead baits rigged on a snell rig with 6/0 Octopus circle hooks and the live bait rigged with a 5/0 Mustad Hoodlum and using 30lb mono and a 50lb fluorocarbon leader and just enough weight to have your bait floating through the water column. • For all the latest information on the area, log onto mossopsfishing.com.au or drop into Mossops Tackle World Cleveland.

John offers both flyfishing and conventional tackle charters in both fresh and saltwater.

workload. He has moved to Hervey Bay to be closer to good fishing, and has gone into a new venture: guiding. Three decades of filming with the best fishing guides has given John a comprehensive education in charter fishing, and his expertise in saltwater flyfishing is extensive. Depending on the time of year, you can catch longtail tuna, golden trevally, snapper, tropical reef species, barra and threadfin salmon. There are some great freshwater options nearby too. John tailors his charters to each individual, and is happy to show novices the basics, or take out experienced anglers. He is a passionate fly angler, so if you want some basic instruction on the water, he’s happy to help. John will be also be doing trips to the Capricorn Coast and Fitzroy River area. There’s some great flats fishing for fly anglers (and a fairly consistent permit spot), river fishing for threadfin salmon and barra, and pelagics. If you’d like to spend a day or two fishing with John, visit GuidedFishing DownUnder.com. – Peta Walter Haenke

FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION WORDS THAT ARE ALSO FISH

ANGLER

FLOUNDER

SLEEPER

BANJO

GHOUL

SKATE

BASS

MULLET

SMELT

CHAR

PIKE

SOLE

COBBLER

POACHER

SWEEPER

DAB

RAY

TANG

DRUMMER

ROACH

TAILOR

DISCUS

SCAT

Name: Address:

P/Code:

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

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

QFM MARCH 2017

Phone (day):

Dynabait worms are an all-natural, freeze-dried bait. Just soak them in water, and within minutes they’re ready to go! As soon as they hit the water, they release a potent mix of hormones and enzymes that fish can’t resist. These worms are dynamite on bream, whiting, bass, flathead, blackfish, cod, yellowbelly, trevally and many more! Dynabait Bloodworms, Tubeworms and Sandworms are available at all good tackle stores.

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Donna Leciej from Hervey Bay, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive a sponsor prize. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE BITE ME by Trisha Mason

The subscriber prize winner for January was J Mortensen of Mount Cotton, who won an GME GX750 VHF Marine Radio valued at $329srp. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

FIND THE DX POINT LOGO

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The answers to Find the DX Point hook for January were: 11, 18, 24, 32, 35, 39, 42, 48, 52, 56, 64, 69, 84, 105, 109. – QFM The Find the DX Point logo prize winners for January were: B Johnson of Airlie Beach, D Hutchins of Bundaberg, C Rowe of Loganholme, G Leverton of Taylors Beach, R Kugatoff of Ayr, B Roebuck of Brendale, T Strucwick of Bundamba, B Adams of Bongaree, C Scott of Currumbin, M Schaumburg of Goondiwindi, J Paul of Inverell, G Holdom of Bellar, A James of Burpengary, E & V Jackson of Long flat, P Fels of Cushnie, R Elworthy of North Bundaberg, P Carrington of Deception Bay, G Reynolds of Bundaberg, A Needham of Blackbutt, L Dewar of Roma, W Sommerfeld of Toowoomba, L Scammells of Walkerston, N Humble of Rockhampton, G Ward of Bloomfield, N Tretiakov of Springwood, G McKinlay of Tamborine, M Hicks of Carina, J Conte of Tullera, B Lobley of Silkstone, B Herrmann of Churchill, M Gillett of Boonah, S Goddard of Willowbank, K Martin of Dalby, G Smith of Mareeba, B Tieman of Buxton, J Goody of Mt Berryman, A Morrison of Forbes, K Goodman of Mt Morgan, D Kitzelmann of North Star, R Taskis of Ashmore. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM

Stride into autumn with abundant fishing BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

March can be an interesting month with all manner of weather conditions possible. Plenty of angling options are available. Often it’s a hard decision to choose the species to target next. Options include mack tuna and bonito, demersal species like snapper, sweetlip, tuskfish and cod, or estuarine fish like threadfin, mangrove jack, flathead, trevally, cod, tarpon, bream, whiting and numerous others. Additional succulent crustaceans such as sand crabs, prawns and mud crabs can guarantee a seafood smorgasbord after a successful day on the water. If your casting finger is trembling in preparation for some awesome sportfish or your mouth is watering in anticipation of SEQ’s finest seafood, you’d better check these options out. PRAWNS The prawning season has been excellent with good catches consistently reported since a week before Christmas. Rivers on the northern side of Brisbane were the first to fire. The Pine and Caboolture are two of the more consistent. By late January, areas around the Jumpinpin region and the bay islands, including the Saltworks near Karragarra Island, were producing good catches. Most areas have been fairly steady since, and keen prawners with custom-made nets, as well as amateurs with store-bought nets, have all been getting amongst them. Maximum limits (10L bucket of prawns) have been reached much of the time. The quality of prawns has varied a lot. At times anglers have managed to obtain their limits in less than ten throws of the net, which is prime prawning in anyone’s books.

Stud whiting such as this 41cm specimen are sometimes caught by experienced or lucky anglers. This one ate a 90mm lure targeted at mangrove jack over a rock bar. The falling tides are often preferred. The period around low tide is popular for those probing the deeper holes in the estuarine systems. How long the prawns hang around is anyone’s guess, although we often score them well into late April and even early May. Because they came on a little earlier than usual this year, maybe they will taper off a little earlier than usual too. The best time to catch prawns is when they are around, so take the opportunity to get amongst them while they are present in the deeper sections of most prominent rivers. BAY PELAGICS The mackerel season on Moreton Bay has been a little sporadic at times. Occasionally large schools are located. Mostly it has been smaller numbers of mackerel intermittently surface crashing or simply cruising close to the surface in search of fodder. During late January and early February, large schools of small mac tuna and frigates were located throughout the bay.

More than one angler thought these were mackerel and proceeded to cast their arms off trying for a strike. However, these smaller tunas and bonito are often very profile-oriented and extremely hard to hook. Repetitive casts with lures of all profiles usually go unmolested. Occasionally a small baitfish-profiled fly cast into the melee and simply allowed to sink will get slurped up in the chaos. A few times, spotted mackerel were found around the perimeter of these schools. Some anglers even reported large Spanish mackerel jumping clear of the water near the bust-ups of small tuna. I haven’t heard of any captures. I’ve cast large stickbaits around these schools in hope of a Spaniard and so far haven’t been rewarded. Schools should still be present well into March and possibly April. As the size of the baitfish increases, the strike rate on small chromed slugs and slices will rise accordingly.

Major beacons, such as those in the shipping channels, especially the Four Beacons and Measured Mile will hold decent numbers of school mackerel as well as a few spotties. Jigging chromed slugs and slices in an erratic or high-speed manner around the beacons is often enough to elicit a few strikes. Around the tidal change you can deploy pilchards rigged on ganged hooks with enough lead to get them close to the bottom near the beacon bases. Trolling deep diving minnow lures along the

edges of prominent banks and channels will also yield a few schoolies and spotties. If you’re fishing one of the artificial reefs, or the bay island margins, then drifting a pilchard out the back will often result in a succulent silver streak. Longtail numbers have been fairly good in recent months. With the huge amount of small baitfish in the bay, I have often found them hard to tempt. Chromed slugs, stickbaits of numerous types and jighead-rigged plastics have all been ignored as the longtails casually cruise around slurping baitfish at will. A wellpresented baitfish-profiled fly fished on an intermediate line and allowed to sink may get slurped up by a cruising longtail. I have landed a couple of longtails recently and have had several eaten by sharks a few minutes into the fight, which has resulted in lost lures. At times I haven’t even been able to get spotties to the boat before the men in grey suits have taxed them. Longtail numbers should improve in the coming months and their feeding will become a little more erratic and frantic which will afford anglers more opportunity to get connected. WHITING For anglers fishing the numerous flats and channel edges throughout the bay and estuaries, whiting have been

a major capture. Specific targeting is usually required to get amongst these tasty morsels in good numbers. They sometimes show up as by-catch for anglers chasing other species. What they generally lack in size they make up for in numbers and palatability. Anglers are often able to score a limit of whiting for a few hours of effort. Small, tender baits such as blood or beach worms, yabbies (nippers) and squid strips will usually produce the best results when fished on a longshank no.6 or no.4 hook close to the bottom. As whiting roam the flats searching for morsels, many anglers choose to drift instead of anchoring, endeavouring to cover more ground. Often you get a barrage of frantic bites with every bait receiving attention. Then it goes quiet until you encounter another patch of fish. The larger sand whiting (the minimum size limit is 23cm with a bag limit of 30) are the desired target during the warmer months. Anglers will still encounter the winter (trumpeter) whiting, which have no size limit and a bag limit of 50. Whiting are a great target for junior anglers and newbies to fishing as they are easy to handle and catch. However, dedicated anglers who strive for those specimens over 35cm are very pedantic (and often rather secretive)

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about their rigs, baits and techniques. Whiting frames make excellent baits for large bay snapper so don’t discard them if a bay knobby is on your bucket list. MANGROVE JACK It has been a slower season for jacks, but the red rewards are out there for those who persist. Some anglers have managed three or four jacks for a session

shad, minnow and prawn profiles. Try around the bases of the jetty pylons (adhere to limitations on distance), along the submerged ledges and declines into the main riverbed and any submerged rock ledges and other structure. For a more relaxed approach, try fishing live baits such as herring, banana prawns, pike and

reward of tasty fillets will make the effort worthwhile. Additional captures while targeting bay sweeties will include snapper, morwong, tuskfish and numerous others. CRABS Good numbers of sand, mud and blue swimmer crabs will still be on offer for a month or two yet. Many believe March is one of the best months for crabbing

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A good limit of bay spotties from early summer. then had a couple more trips before even hooking another one. Most of the keener anglers are casting lures such as diving minnow lures, soft plastic shads and poppers. Often it is more important where you put the lure and how you retrieve it than the type or colour. Keen jack anglers get a preference for specific lures for probing a certain type of structure or location. Live baits are also worth the effort, especially around prominent structure such as bridge pylons, mangrove snags and other currentaltering structures. March is the last month where anglers can expect good results on jacks. Their aggressiveness and frequency will wane as the temperatures drop. THREADFIN All major river systems throughout Southern Queensland have been producing decent numbers of threadfin salmon for switched on anglers. Many are encountered by anglers casting lures or soaking live baits for other species. Anglers use quality sounders to first locate the threadies before having a cast. They are commonly found in the deeper holes, adjacent ledges and around other submerged structure such as jetty pylons, rock bars and prominent contours. The Brisbane River, especially down river from the Gateway Bridge, is probably your best chance to secure a threadfin. If you are good with using lures, cast soft vibration baits or jighead rigged plastics, especially

mullet along the edges of the declines into the Brisbane River and any deeper holes, especially those around the fronts of the jetties where the ships have scoured and undercut the banks. Threadies will occasionally succumb to fresh dead baits and I have even seen a few caught on the humble pillie. SWEETLIP March is often a good month for anglers targeting sweetlip, especially grassies, which can be found around the fringes of the bay islands, rubble grounds and sandy surrounds. Early morning starts are desired for grassies, and being in position and anchored an hour or so before dawn will greatly increase your chances. The eastern side of Green Island is known as a good spot for grass sweetlip, as are the north-western corner of Mud Island, the reef fringes of Peel Island and the numerous rubble grounds in the Rous, Pearl and Rainbow channels. Good baits include fresh fillets of mullet, gar, pike, bonito, mac tuna and slimy mackerel, or squid, pilchards and even raw chicken. Braided or monofilament lines of 15-30lb and fluorocarbon leaders of 20-40lb are recommended. Baits are best fished with minimal lead on razor sharp hooks for the best bite and hook-up potential. Grass sweetlip are exceptionally strong fighters and will head for the nearest hard structure once hooked, so you will need to strike hard and fish a sturdy drag to turn the odds in your favour. The

in the bay for the sand and blue swimmers. My crabbing efforts in December and January were patchy and although I got some keepers every time I set my four pots, results were less than expected. Hopefully March and April will produce better results. Setting pots along the edges of prominent contours and ledges surrounding the bay islands and in the gutters and drains feeding off the sand banks will generally reward. I use half a mullet and fish frames, especially mackerel heads. Chicken carcasses or a few pilchards in a bait envelope will also work. Mud crabs will respond to the same baits in the creeks and estuaries. Deeper holes, collapsed mangrove banks, and the mouths of drains and gutters leading from the mangrove flats and wetlands are all good places to set your pots. CONCLUSION March can be an unusual month fishing-wise, as there are many possibilities. Success with these can hinge on the amount of rain we have received or the air and water temperatures. Piscatorial possibilities are numerous for anglers fishing throughout Moreton Bay or any of the systems flowing into it during March. I often struggle to decide where to go or what to target. With temperatures starting to fall in the coming months, now could be your last opportunity to experience good results on some species, so take the opportunity to get amongst them as we stride into March.

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All the same reliable options BRISBANE OFFSHORE

John Gooding

To be brutally honest, fishing east of the South Passage Bar this month has been more of the same, with chasing bottom

hefty wahoo and Spanish mackerel show up, so slow trolling some large live baits such as mac tuna could pay dividends. Although the pelagics haven’t been full on in recent weeks, fishing east of the South Passage at this time of year will

not in full swing, some days we’ve had to do some kilometres to find them. Depending on the moon phase, we’ve found snapper at Shallow Tempest, the top of the 29s, the broken ground on the 33 fathom line and the shallow reefs around Point Lookout. Oddly, the 90m line, which usually fishes well at this time of year, has been very patchy – even though there have been good shows of

fish whenever we’ve had a look out there. A couple of good options at this time of year include targeting amberjacks, samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish with live bait on the winder reefs and isolated wrecks. Another good option is to target quality pearl perch on the weed grounds in around 70m east of Flat Rock, and also on the 100m line east of Point Lookout,

A quality snapper taken from the shallows.

The author with a solid snapper catch. The ever-reliable reds are sticking around. dwellers a fair more reliable option than targeting the unreliable pleagics. Recently, there have been a few Spanish mackerel and wahoo caught but not in any consistency, and I think we all have our fingers crossed we’ll see some sort of late season run. The next couple of months are normally when some

give you the opportunity to break up the day’s fishing with a bit of trolling and some bottom fishing to get some colour in the kill tank and some tasty fillets on the table. On charters lately squire with the odd good snapper to around 6kg have kept us busy most days. However, seeing as the snapper are

This is a typical snapper for this time of year.

especially on those steamy March days when there is little wind about. The next couple of months will see the close reefs around Point Lookout fish quite well for venus tuskfish, Moses perch, pearl perch and an assortment of other colourful and tasty bottom fish. Bottom bouncing with fresh strip baits will give you a good chance of securing a feed on the closer reefs.

If you want to chase pearl perch out wide, I recommend running a double dropper with a pilly on a gang on one and a strip bait on a single hook on the other. • Until next month, enjoy your fishing, take care on the coastal bars and if you’d like to join me on charter (max. 8 persons) give me a call on 07 3822 9527 or 0418 738 750 or visit my new website www. outlawcharters.com.au.

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Hoping for cool weather for better endeavours NORTHERN BAY

Grayson Fong graysonfong@bigpond.com

The northern bay has kept anglers on their toes over the last month, giving them glimpses of brilliance and then nothing but peanuts as anglers head home empty handed. Northerly winds and warmer currents from up north have been the

story of the summer with baitfish numbers being scarce for this time of the year. After a slow month, the main rivers and the Pumicestone Passage have started to fire. Increased flathead activity is often a sign of good things to come. An old fisher’s saying ‘a drought on the land means a drought on the sea’ has been somewhat true this month, but with the cooling weather

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Jordan Bennie with a good summer bream. starting to show some stability, we may be in for a better fishing month ahead. PUMICESTONE PASSAGE Sand crabs have been the hit of the month at Bribie with numbers being good throughout the system. Donnybrook and Sylvan Beach have been the standouts during the ebbing tides. Many crab pot floats provide quite the obstacle course for fishers traveling through the passage. Bream numbers have been steady. The usual haunts like the

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Banksia Beach Canals, Ningi Flats and Cooks Rocks have been fishing reasonably well. Ultra light presentations have been the key to getting good bream this month. Anglers have beeen using 3lb straight through fluorocarbon to increase their catch rates. Flathead numbers have been on the increase in recent weeks, with many anglers reporting females being caught. This would explain the increase in activity with smaller males entering the system in hunt for that spawning partner. White Patch, Gallaghers and Dunlops Gutter have been producing the goods, and the fish haven’t been fussy. Plenty have been caught on fresh bait and soft plastics. PINE RIVER The Pine has had a rather slow start to the year. Welcomed cooler weather has brought about more consistent catches that have coincided with a good run of prawns through the area. Many prawn hunters have been in the area of late, which is a great sign for anglers. Predators are often near these areas. Upstream of the Bruce Highway Bridge is a notable prawning hotspot with many working the upstream areas all the way to the wreck to get a good bag of prawns. This summer was dominated by whiting around the Hays Inlet area,

and they are still being caught there. Flathead and bream have just started to pick up, with bream catches starting to rise around the Wells and pylons of the Ted Smout Bridge, which has been attracting the attention of many anglers. In the upper reaches, mangrove jack are still being caught. As the water temperature has started to decrease, anglers have found it easier to catch them at night on live baits than during the daylight hours. REDCLIFFE PENINSULA The Peninsula started to fish quite well over the past few weeks. With the cooler change kicking in as autumn gets underway, the fishing should get better and better. The addition of our yearly prawn run around the Pine, Nudgee Beach and Deception Bay gives the Redcliffe Peninsula the boost it needs with squire, bream and estuary cod activity. Woody Point has been the star attraction of late with many early morning anglers being rewarded with hungry plate-sized snapper to keep them happy along with great bream – a welcome by-catch for many anglers. Queens Beach South, Osbournes and North Reef have also been noted squire spots. Many kayak fishers find these places are only a short paddles away. Fresh baits have always been a popular choice at this time of year, but

good results can still be had on soft plastics like ZMan Trick SwimZ, Zerek Flash Minnows and ZMan 3.5” GrubZ. The bream fishing has been good, with hardbodies and lightly weighted plastics accounting for most of the catches. Deep diving cranks like Atomic Crank 38s, Jackall Chubbies, OSP Dunks and Daiwa Presso Rolling Cranks have been ideal for fishing the rocky/ rubbly bottom of the peninsula. Many anglers choose a braid and fluorocarbon leader combination to upgrade and downgrade their leader size depending on the bite patterns. Many have donated a good week’s pay of lures to Redcliffe fish over the years, so fishing a little heavier can sometimes be a saviour. Newport waterways have also been fishing well for bream and flathead, and the start of the run out tide is the pick of the bite period. TIP OF THE MONTH With the most humid summer on record winding down very slowly, don’t forget the value of hydration when fishing. Soft drinks, flavoured milk or your favourite beer don’t cut the mustard when it comes to replacing fluids in your body during and after a good day’s fishing. Water is the key, and the body needs a minimum of 2L for your organs to function normally. Have you had enough water today?

Alex Wood showing that ZMan GrubZ work well.

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Gold Coast International Boat Show

Best-ever Gold Coast Boat Show & Marine Expo A very impressive Fleet of Firsts is building for Australia’s first major boat show of 2017, as even more world-leading marine brands and businesses step aboard with their new-year releases for the Gold Coast International Boat Show & Marine Expo in March. This massive marine showcase – Queensland’s biggest boat show – will be held over three fun-filled days from 17-19 March at Australia’s boating industry capital: the Gold Coast Marine Precinct on Waterway Drive, Coomera.

A record number of boat and product premieres – in addition to record exhibitor demand for additional display space both on the water and on land – is a strong indication of just how much there will be to see and do. “This year we have expanded our marina space to cater for our largestever on-water showcase of luxurious motor yachts and stylish sailing vessels and, for the first time, we are linking the Gold Coast City and Riviera Marinas on the waterfront,” said Event

and Marketing Manager Emma Brown. “This means our big boat enthusiasts will easily be able to inspect all the brand-new yacht and trailer boat releases, current

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to demonstrate and explain how their latest products can make your boating even more enjoyable, or offer any technical advice you may require. “On the land there will be tenders, jet skis, fishing equipment and water toys as well as a vast array of engines, accessories and equipment … and everything else you need for you and

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Australia’s boating industry capital – the Gold Coast Marine Precinct – is a hive of activity and positivity during the Expo. your family to have fun on the water,” Mrs Brown said. “The Gold Coast International Boat Show & Marine Expo will showcase all the trades and technicians you need, all in one giant and convenient location right in the heart of the largest recreational boat-building and shipyard facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, you’ll find everything you need to repower, refit,

repaint or repair your boat in time for next season. “You’ll definitely need more than one day to experience everything on offer, so fortunately we have easy access to the boat show site and thousands of free car-parks right outside the welcome gates.” If you love boating, see everything first on the Gold Coast from 17-19 March, 2017. - GCME

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Night anglers well rewarded NOOSA

Peter Wells

Flathead have been in great numbers in the Noosa system. The channel in Lake Cooroibah, as well as the deeper section at the mouth of the lake, has seen some quality fish landed. Drifting whole fish baits like frogmouth pilchards, hardiheads and whitebait has been very successful. Prawn profile soft plastics like the new

the bigger winter fish start to arrive. Fishing super light with quality fluorocarbon leader is an absolute must if you want to tangle with the bigger fish. Smaller plastics like the 2 and 3” Keitech Easy Shiners rigged on 1/12oz or 1/16oz Hidden Weight jigheads have seen some outstanding fish taken in the past. Some popular spots include Woods Bays, Munna Bridge, Tewantin Boat Ramp and the river mouth rocks. For the bait anglers, fresh mullet strips or bonito

Chambers Island and Black Banks. Worms, yabbies and soldier crabs have all been top baits. Live bait has also been the key to catching some mulloway. The deeper holes upstream from Coolum Creek are where the mulloway love to hide. Fishing paddle vibes like the Samaki Thumper Tail has worked extremely well. These lures put out some great vibrations which mulloway pick up on their lateral line. Beach anglers have been

casting overhead surf rods and are running slider rigs with live mullet. To find out more on this style of fishing, hit up the team at either of our Davo’s stores. This is that great time of the year where we see those monster pelagics, be it Spanish mackerel, wahoo or even mahimahi, so it’s not unusual to see 20kg+ fish. These large pelagics love to cruise the edges of the reef systems where baitfish are plentiful. The closer reefs like Sunshine and Jew Shoal are popular for those with smaller craft while those with larger craft like to head to North Reef and Chardons Reef. Trolling hardbodies has nailed great fish. Deep diving lures have been working well, as the fish seem to be holding that bit deeper. Bait anglers fishing slow trolled live yakkas rigged on the Spaniard Special rig have also been cleaning up. This rig is pre-weighted and loaded with flashers and a squid skirt – it’s like chocolate to a big pelagic. For those anglers that love chasing reef fish, there’s good news: trout, sweetlip, cod and squire have all come from the bottom on the closer reefs. If you are heading out to the Hards or the Barwon Banks, you’ll come across some nice pearl perch, cobia, cod, and spangled emperor,

Connor Forster looking ecstatic with a huge cobia. and maybe the odd red emperor. Live yakkas, slimy mackerel, pilchard and squid baits have all claimed their fair share of fish. Micro-jigs are also working extremely well at the moment. With little or no sweep, we’ve been able to fish the lighter jigs that impart some great action. Palm Slow Blatts and the Shimano Colt Sniper Flat Fall have been really doing the job. Nomad also have a flat fall jig called The Gypsy, which I’m keen to try.

Soft plastics have also claimed some great fish on the reef. Large jerk shads and large paddle-tails have been producing great results in recent weeks. • Log onto www.fishingnoosa. com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports and don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola to find out where the fish are biting. Remember, tight lines and bent spines!

Mark Greentree caught this awesome jack night fishing. ZMan ShrimpZ have also been very effective. The Noosa River mouth has also been fishing well for large flathead on the run-out tide, and live herring have claimed some monster females. For those that love to use live baits, live poddy mullet or herring fished late into the night around heavy structure has been producing some outstanding mangrove jack. The run-out tide after a warmer than usual day seems to be the best time to chase these fish. There have been some good whiting taken from around the Dog Beach and Munna Point areas. Live worms and freshly pumped yabbies have claimed some real elbow-slappers. Bream have been in good numbers. As the cooler months approach, we’ll see

MARCH 2017

seem to be work well. The trevally in Woods Bays have been prolific. Big numbers of fish have been feeding on the surface and are happy to take poppers and surface walkers. Anglers have had success with the Sammys from Lucky Craft and the Baby Bell poppers from River2Sea. We are still seeing good quality muddies caught, so set pots in deep water near the mangroves and leave them for at least one full tide. Fresh bait is a must! In the Maroochy River trevally have been in good numbers over the last few weeks. Small slugs and micro-jigs on a steady retrieve have claimed a lot of fish. The area towards the mouth sees bigger fish on the high tide. Whiting have been in good numbers around

getting great fish over the last month. There are good gutters on most Sunshine Coast beaches so try to concentrate your efforts around the top of the tide. Dart, whiting and bream as well as tailor and smaller mulloway have all come from the gutters along Noosa’s north shore. On the southern beaches, Maroochy’s north shore has dart everywhere at the moment with some big fish amongst them. Small pilchards, mullet, prawns and worms have all been doing the job. Lure anglers casting slugs have nailed some of the larger fish. This is also the crazy time of the year where we see the odd mackerel coming from just beyond the breakers. The anglers that have the most success have been using long-

Ed Vanderbyl caught a great feed of spotted mackerel.

Some tender loving care for big barramundi BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The chance of catching a big barra in one of our stocked impoundments has never been better. All of the major barra lakes are exciting anglers this summer, and some mighty big fish are pulling like tractors and taking to the air. Understandably, anglers with their first really big barra in their boat don’t realise how fragile that great big fish is. These anglers are often surprised to find that upon release, after the photo shoot ends, the fish turns belly up and won’t swim away. Even holding it by the tail and moving it vigorously back and forth in the water won’t revive

The sling has two strong straps and ample room inside for a really large barra. The clips are holding the cradle at full extension and at the ready. or personal best who can blame the angler for wanting it aboard to take photos of this momentous event! THE BARRA CRADLE I’ve found that a big barra is easy enough to get boatside when it stops struggling, but these fish are hard to get aboard without the assistance of a barra-sized landing net, especially if the boat is small. Hoisting the fish in with a fish grip to the jaw is going to harm it very badly, especially if it’s dragged over the side. It’s far better to plan ahead, and work out just how to

The sling system fully opened. It’s a good place for the barra to lie quietly for a couple of seconds. state of the fish. If a barra takes a long time to bring to the boat and is clearly exhausted, I don’t use the net. Instead, I use a special sling or lifting cradle I’ve had

The press studs have separated from the boat, and the sling is ready to lift aboard. We’ve used rod tubes in place of a fish. some fish if they have been treated roughly. It’s a pretty miserable yet not that uncommon sight to see dead barra at the lake’s edge, or a fish going around in endless circles on top of the water. The reality is that although plenty of anglers

might like to release their barra unharmed, it’s something that requires correct handling of the fish from the outset. Let’s face it, a metre-long barra is a big, heavy beast, with giant spikes sticking out aggressively, and scalpel-

sharp gill covers into the bargain. There’s also plenty of slime all over it. Without a decent, soft, fish-friendly net, that big fish is difficult to get into the boat. Of course, barra can be unhooked easily at the side of the boat, but if the fish is a milestone

The barra’s head is supported for a quick photo.

A big barra ready to come aboard. These big fish need TLC for a successful release.

gently ease it in the boat for a couple of quick pics, and release it with some help to kickstart it. A successful catch and release depends a lot on the

made to bring the fish gently up and into the boat. My own cradle/sling was made from a common BCF brag mat, with additional soft material sewn onto each side

and with webbing (similar to seat belt material) straps on it. These straps allow the fish to be lifted aboard once it’s in the sling. You need two people to do this. The first thing I do is clip the sling onto the side of the boat, where a couple of press studs have been aligned with those on the sling to keep the whole thing extended full length when it’s time for a fish to be led into it. With the decky holding the fabric straps upwards and the sling held open, the tired fish is lead into it while still in the water. As both handles are lifted, the clips slip free and Mr Fish is welcomed aboard so the fly can be extricated from its maw. The press studs are designed to clip and unclip easily. The best part is that the whole brag mat and sling setup can be opened up on the deck, while still wet and therefore fish-friendly. That means the fish can be photographed quickly before a return to the side of the boat. Then you haul the barra back and forth until it gathers strength and bolts. When the fish is ready to go there’s no stopping it! If you want a photo of yourself holding the fish, it’s wise to support it as best as possible. A supporting hand under its belly, another holding the head up, a big grin from the angler as the image is captured and the fish can go back in the best condition possible. MARCH 2017

Finding out the world’s best fisher SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

I am that kid that who collected newspaper clippings and kept a book of statistics on my favourite cricketers. I am that guy that thinks that Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis and The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver are riveting, action-packed novels, especially when they talk numbers. Numbers can tell us important things about what is happening in the world. More importantly, numbers cause more

for a sport. Whether you agree with them or not, I can assure you that what follows is some mindblowing numbers. I chose to review the Bassmaster Elite series in the US, IGFA World Records, UK Angling Championships and the Suntag Frequent Taggers list. The one that I think is missing would be Television series. Guys like Jeremy Wade, Robson Green and even Starlo would fit into that category, but data collection is a lot more of a challenge. There is also youtube where guys like Jon B show off their skills on a daily basis. At some future time, I might book some binge-watching

Kevin VanDam has the highest $/pound ratio.

Steven M. Wozniak and the countries in which he has active All-Tackle Records. arguments than just about anything short of politics and religion. In choosing the challenge for my first article of the year, I set out to find the world’s best Fisher. I wanted to use official numbers as much as possible, no matter how hard that might be. Portentously, it was a lot harder than I imagined. To ensure consistency, I set some basic criteria:An event/organisation had to be long term (stretching back at least a generation), they had to be recognised internationally (if not followed internationally), they had to have accessible data (preferably a larger set), they had to be different in what they measured (and how), there had to be a balance of fresh and saltwater fishing and techniques in the mix and the selected fisher had to be still actively fishing. Of course, the first point of argument will be in the selections, but that in many ways is what I aim to achieve. I think that rivalries and tribalism in sport are a healthy sign 50

MARCH 2017

fishing time to see if it’s possible to get a ranking. BASSMASTER ELITE There will always be arguments over whether fishing is a sport or a recreational pastime. The main issue with regarding fishing as a sport is the lack of an official peak body or rules system. The BASSMaster series (and series such as the ABT) are probably as close as we get to an official sport. Certainly, the numbers justify it. Some fast facts, just looking at the field for the 2017 series: • $97 million in combined winnings • 110 anglers • 12.9k events completed between them (average 110 events per competitor) • 180 tonnes of bass weighed in collective careers (average 1.6 tonnes per competitor) • Combined 269 1st places, 267 2nd places, 227 3rd places in collective careers If that gets you thinking about giving up your day job, have a chat with Carl Jocumsen first on how hard it is to make it. Nonetheless, have a drool over at www.

bassmaster.com. So here are a couple of tables that gave me a head start on selecting

the best fisher. Looking at both, there is clear daylight between Kevin VanDam and everyone else. Sometimes though, big numbers lie. It’s easy to go, “well he won the most, so he is the best.” What I wanted was a figure that demonstrated clearly that he performed better than anyone else. Here it gets a little tricky, because while there is lots of data on outcomes on the BASSMaster site, there isn’t anything on their individual performance indicators. To give an analogy, it’s like trying to say Bradman was the best batman by just looking at total runs. Without the 99.96 average, we have no context. However, in keeping with my rules of working it out on stuff that is available to the public, I tried looking at the data in different ways, but one stood out

as it was a measure of fishing performance. When you look at the $/ pound registered ratio, you can see why Kevin is the best. Kevin is $140/pound ahead of his nearest longterm rival Skeet Reese. (Am I alone in thinking American names are bloody awesome? – probably). What that shows is that Kevin is the best converter in the field. In what is arguably the highest-pressure circuit on the planet, he is better than anyone at finding the fish that matter on the scoreboard. IGFA WORLD RECORDS The IGFA data was by far the hardest, as it required days of manual compiling of stats to get a picture that would be meaningful. It’s easy to say for example, who caught the biggest fish ever – job done but that is very simplistic. If you want

Meredith J. McCord with a solid red drum.

to check out IGFA World records yourself, you will need to be a member, but that is easy enough. You can sign up online as an e-member for $15, and I thoroughly recommend it, as IGFA are one of the biggest fishing advocacies in the world. Check them out at www.igfa.org. • There are around 5876 active line class and 1593 All-Tackle Records. • The earliest reported fish is 1865 (a yellow perch) though that may be a typo on the part of the data entry team. • The largest fish reported is a great white shark weighing in at 1208kg (I hope they had a bigger boat). • The largest freshwater fish recorded is a sturgeon weighing in at 212kg. • Records have been recorded in 102 countries for line class and 92 countries for All Tackle. • 68% of Line Class Records are >10kg, but that drops to 58% for All Tackle. • 18% of All-Tackle Records are <1kg (showing you don’t have to catch massive fish to get a world record). One note, I am only looking at active, not expired records. That would be nearly impossible to do without access to the backend database. As a quick diversion (at the risk of upsetting my editor), to clarify the world record scene, if you believe that all the big fish disappeared years ago, guess again. Converse to expectation, the rate of world records is increasing. The rate at which world records are reported has doubled since 1950. In fact, the rate of growth in the past 20 years is 10 times that of 19501996. There are several reasons based on my examination of the data: • The single biggest is the Internet. The internet has allowed IGFA to reach a larger audience of fishers. It has also encouraged

more fishers to wander thus presenting a lot more opportunities. • The increased focus on All Tackle and All Tackle Length Only has provided new opportunities. All Tackle is responsible for almost all the growth of IGFA records in Asia. • Brazil and Japan have become players as world record destinations (on inspection, US fishers are visiting South America much more often). • The US, while stable for many years has had a spike in the number of freshwater line class Onto the discussion of the best IGFA fisher, it’s hard to ignore a 1.2t great white, and frankly, any fish of size is an amazing feat of endurance. To make a proper equivalence though with other systems repeatability is more important. There are two candidates based on the number of world records held. • Meredith J. McCord with 85 active Line Class and fly fishing records. • Steven M. Wozniak with 86 active All-Tackle records So how to separate the two? • Meredith has 29 species in four countries, with an average weight of 3.28kg in her active records. A broader look though shows she has 81 fly, 53 line class and 37 species (including lapsed records). • Steven has 86 species in 19 countries, with an average weight of 1.40kg. Steve has 134 All Tackle and All Tackle Length Only including lapsed records and 5 Line Class. Steven has a great blog which can be found at www.1000fish.wordpress. com where he documents his path to catching 1000 species, a feat he completed in 2010, and he is still going. Meredith also has a website, www. meredithmccord.com, which is a lot more professional, and she has been around way too many parts of the world as well. Steven’s record is

IGFA World Records by year achieved. impeccable but so is Meredith’s. Both are amazing ambassadors for fishing, so while I think that the extension material makes me lean to Steve, the reality is that would be unfair as my criteria are just looking at official records. Rather than try and split them, I feel it’s appropriate to include both as the current top of the IGFA pile. UK ANGLING CHAMPIONSHIPS To compare the UK Angling Championships to the BASSMaster series is to compare test cricket to twenty20. One invokes images of tea and cucumber sandwiches, the other fireworks and cheerleaders. The UK Angling Championships harks back to a time when fishing was a ‘gentlemen’s sport’. It’s rules feel like something from another era, with an older, peg based system where fishers are allotted a fishing location with very specific tackle requirements. I will confess to being a fan of the UK Championship and used to follow the Tight Lines podcast religiously. There’s almost no technology, the variables are evened out. It’s a battle of skill and luck, not bank balance. Check out some serious old school at www.ukangling championship.co.uk. Like the BASSMaster series, the UK Angling

Championship gets a television audience, so it’s worthy of comparison. Unfortunately, for a series that is covered on television, it has the worst published data of the group I compared, so it’s much harder to provide context. Results are available for the last five years, which is the extent of the data set I analysed. • Last year’s winner, Andy Power, managed a total bag of 210.558lb (94.75kg). • 194 individual competitors between 2012 and 2016. • The top 20 competitors in that time have managed 66 1sts, 54 2nds and 48 3rds between them in that time. • The objective is to get the least points, even though points are calculated on total bag. • Matches are broken into 10 sections of 8 anglers, points are allocated 1-10 based on final position in section (largest catch = 1). Can you imagine getting excited to see carp on TV? There have been four two-time winners, with one fisher, Jon Arthur, winning three times. Looking at the last five years though, Jon slips down the rankings. The list below shows the rankings based on placings. As with the BASSMaster series, I wanted something to demonstrate ranking

on something other than results. In this case, I used the average points per event combined with the average position round

TAGGERS In looking for an Australian entry into the list, there were a few systems to choose from.

is easier to compare on an international level and has more consistent data over time. The ANSA Masters system has waned in popularity, making it harder to assess active fishers. Having said that, I will be doing a much more complete index that will include the ANSA Masters, ABT and Barra Tournaments in the coming months. None the less, the numbers make Suntag worthy of consideration, especially the underwhelmingly titled ‘Frequent Tagger Club.’ It should be called the 1% Club. There are a lot of stats available on fish and fishers at www. suntag.org.au. • 9,943 people have tagged a fish.

The last five years of rankings based on placings. Andy Power has won two whole seasons in the last five years. by round. I would prefer to have weight data, but unfortunately, there was only one year with weight data. Even so, it’s clear that Andy Power is a cut above the rest and my pick for the best of the UK Angling Championships. SUNTAG FREQUENT

I ruled out the GFA, ABT and Barra Nationals, as they are too close to existing entries I had already examined. The two systems that caught my attention were the ANSA Masters system and Suntag’s tagging records. Of the two, Suntag has the richer set of data that

• 682k fish tagged since 1984. • 283k collective recorded fishing days. • 1427 species reported (not all tagged). • 16k ‘trophy fish’ recorded. • Only 130 people (1.3%) of all taggers have achieved the Frequent Tagger award. To page 53

Dan Powell takes top honours in the author’s opinion out of the top 10 Frequent Tagger statistics. MARCH 2017

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From page 51

• The top 5 taggers have tagged 65,068 fish, collectively the frequent taggers have tagged 327,000 fish (or 47.94% of all fish tagged). The only non-gamefish tagging program that is even close is Tag Louisiana with 263k fish tagged. In other words, Suntag is a genuine world-class program. Picking the best tagger is a challenging proposition. On the one hand, we have Michael Dohnt who has tagged 25,000 fish, then there is Daniel Powell, the youngest person to 10,000 or Barry Oxford, just short of the first person to tag 10,000 of a singles species. In fact, any of the top 10 could be considered to be pretty amazing fishers. The easy choice, as I have said earlier, is simply to go with the one with the biggest numbers. With more than 20,000 fishing hours clocked up, Michael Dohnt would be a worthy choice. None the less, I wanted to look at more than one statistic to be sure. I decided I had a lot more performance data to work with to create an index that included: number of species tagged, number of locations, career catch rate, career number of trophy fish per day, number of TAAs (Tagging Achievement Awards per species) and number of TEAs (Tagging Excellence Awards per species). I scored each of the top 10 taggers on a scale of 1-100 for each, where 100 means you are top in that category. On that basis, Daniel Powell comes out on top a cumulative 467-426. The big difference for Mick Dohnt is his documented ability to find trophy fish is way below Daniels. The other consideration here is that Michael is in his 70s now, and his health prevents him from fishing most of the time, and Daniel is at the peak of his fishing ability. On that basis, Daniel must get the nod as the Suntag fisher. SELECTING THE WORLD’S BEST FISHER I have to stress that this is the first round of an evolving process. No doubt there are many, many amazing fishers around the world that are not measured or measured by different systems. I will be continuing to add systems and even expand the pool within the examined systems with the results going out via Crystalbowl and the Track My Fish Report Youtube site. Having said that, what’s the fun in providing an answer that nobody is going

to argue with. Here is my ranking, 5 to 1 and reasoning. Note, in making these judgements I did look at their online profiles and include as much additional information as I could. As much as I am a data nerd, separating the best takes more than looking at numbers. 5. ANDY POWER In a future expanded list, I think Andy would fit down a bit lower. That is not to undersell his skill and ability to perform under pressure. Andy represents the best of a very traditional form of fishing, one that I think we should value as much as the BASSMaster series. The thing I think that goes against Andy in a wider context is range of skills on show. He has mastered one set of skills in familiar conditions. Wins away in international conditions or different systems would lift him on my list. 4. DAN POWELL I have known Dan for a long while, I think he does deserve being considered world-class. On the big positive side Dan has recently mastered tripletail and permit, which are international species. On the minus side, he hasn’t been measured in international conditions. To go to the next level, I think Dan would need to be tested in overseas conditions under another system such as the IGFA. 3. KEVIN VANDAM I have lost quite a bit of sleep trying to determine positions 1-3. Kevin has his own Wikipedia page, which is rare for a fisherman and his own website that proclaims him the #1 angler in the world (www. kevinvandam.com) and given his performances in what is the world’s toughest circuit, there is no doubt in my mind that as an athlete/ sportsman, he is the #1 sportsfisher in the world. One thing holds me back from pushing him to the very top. The most important organ in fishing is the brain. I have done a lot of work with Neuroscientists in understanding how the fishing brain works, but in simple terms, Kevin’s brain is organised better than anyone in that environment. In making the call on him being the #1 in the world though, I had to look at the experiences of an Australian angler Carl Jocumsen. Carl has done the swap of environments and documented the challenges of growing up in one environment and competing in another. Fish exist in a lot more than one environment. The best fishing brain must be adaptable, pliable and able to solve problems in many environments, not rigid and patterned to a particular set of conditions as Kevin’s is. Kevin is a

champion athlete, but like Andy, I would need proof that he can master many environments before I could say he is the world’s best. Sorry, Kevin. 2. MEREDITH J. MCCORD I love to court controversy. Meredith is not just a fisher, but she hunts and is a Triathlete of note, demonstrating that she has skills in more than one area. She has fished in 29 countries in many different environments. She has mastered fly fishing, which in my book is the toughest of all fishing skills to master. I did debate pushing Kevin higher than Meredith, but in the end, she has gone wider and performed under pressure in more than one disciple. Adaptability is the single most important skill in fishing and Meredith has it in spades. Accordingly, I feel comfortable now with her as my pick for number 2. 1. STEVEN M. WOZNIAK I don’t know whether Steven should get a medal or a straightjacket, and I am leaning towards the latter. 1000 species and beyond is a truly special fishing achievement, that’s a 1% of 1% club. My acid test for a anglers would be if they were taken to an alien planet in life and death conditions with no food and forced to live off only the fish they catch, could they do it. I have no doubt Stephen could. It may seem unfair to rank someone who gets to go to all those places, to see so many fish, an opportunity, so few get. As I said above, the ability to problem solve is the mark of the best fishing brain. The fact that Steven has managed the journey at all is a testament to his problem solving, adaptability, endurance and dedication to being the best fisher he can be. The fact he has documented the journey as evidence is the icing on the cake. He is a clear pick for best fisher in the world. This is the beginning rather than the end of my journey in looking at the world’s best fishers. I took the time over the Christmas break to think about my focus personal researchwise, and this jumped out at me. I want to spend this year discovering and celebrating fishing and all it can be. So over to you dear reader. Do you agree or disagree? How would you rank people and what fishing systems should I look at that I haven’t thought of? Next month, I am going to get under the hood of the ABT (fingers crossed) and look at what the raw data tells us about fish and champion fishers. By the end, I hope to add another system to my index. MARCH 2017

Hats off to a top piece of Sheik material BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

I lost my hat Now how ‘bout that It flew from the back of Boobies ship Before we’d even backed it off the trailer I searched the best part of Australia From Buderim to Mooloolaba Slip But no damn hat Just four dead cats. The brim was flat My good old hat It stank of sweat and cow manure I’d shaped it in the cattle yards And Turkey Beach and at The Hards And pierced the crown with trebles and lures I might get a tatt Of my dear old hat. I’m rather shat Cause I miss my hat It saved my ears and honker too

A blessing when the sun beat hard A saviour when the storms appeared And despite the smell of cattle poo Or because of that I’ll miss my hat. I liked a chat With my bashed old hat It’s boring when the jacks aren’t biting The sandies are thicker than a Bunnings sanger The one with sauce and a Woollies banger And I can’t even catch a few whiting And I’m on me pat I miss that hat. Another hat Is where I’m at I’ll find a wider one amongst the saddles I can maybe use it as a live bait tank Or use it to bail if we start to sank And I can always use it as an extra paddle But I’ll feel like a twat In a brand new hat.

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Time to get your cod on RAINBOW BEACH

Ed Falconer

Our great run of weather continues with hot days and calm seas. OFFSHORE We’ve managed quite a few offshore trips lately, with reef fishing being the predominant activity. Mackerel have really proven a little bit hot and cold so far this season. We’ve been getting some good catches of snapper and pearl perch. Maori and estuary cod have been extremely

active, and any type of big flesh bait or live bait has been fallen for. It’s been really easy to round up an esky full of hussar and tuskfish, especially on those days when big long drifts seem to produce the goods. There have been massive schools of longtail tuna. Although they’re only small, they provide a lot of fun on light gear. ON THE BEACH There have been some really good dart being caught from the surf side at Inskip Point and the odd chopper tailor is mixed up amongst

them. Toward the other end of the beach at Double Island Point, whiting have been running pretty hot on the Teewah Beach side. March has never had the best reputation for weather, but on days past that we have been able to fish, it has been a very good month for pelagics. Reef fishing is also good if (and that’s a big if) weather conditions are favourable. • To enjoy a day on the water with Keely Rose Fishing Charters phone Ed Falconer 0407 146 151 or visit www. keelyrosefishingcharters .com.au.

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Targeting dawn and dusk tides and night fishing has been the key to avoiding being burnt to a crisp on the hottest days. The full kit of UV shirts, head socks, big hats and sunscreen is mandatory, and you still want to avoid the middle of the day if you can. Local reefs in close to Fraser and Big Woody Island continue to produce mixed bags of tuskies, trout, blackall, coralies and cod on a mixture

over the past few months, it’s no wonder the boat ramp car park has been so full. Metre plus threadies and grunter in the 50-65cm range have dominated catches. Multiple boats hooked-up at one time on big fish has been a common sight. Platypus Bay has been a write-off for most of the holidays, but as we move into autumn, things should start to settle down

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means uncommon on the Fraser Coast. The good news is the fishing has been so good in close and up the creeks that anglers haven’t had to travel far to get amongst the action. Summer go-to species like whiting, flathead, coral bream, cod, grunter and threadfin salmon have been a reliable source of entertainment.

of plastics, micro-jigs, live and fresh baits. Other captures include mackerel, trevally and grunter, which are often found working the ledges, reefs and rubble that are so common along Fraser Island. The Mary and Susan rivers are always reliable for our bread and butter species. When you pair that with the run of big threadfin and grunter we’ve experienced

hopefully. If we get a reprieve from the wind, there should still be mac tuna, spotties and longtails to chase. Our run of marlin this season has been a bit of a fizzer compared to other years, but there will be a few fish around the Rooneys to Wathumba area for the next couple of months, before they move on for another year.

The inshore and offshore reefs are firing HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

Barra season is upon us, and YES Hervey Bay is home to the mighty barramundi – and quite a healthy population at that! With the average size of fish being around 80cm and the magic 1m+ fish being

a semi-regular capture, the quality of Fraser Coast barra can sometimes rival better-known waterways found further north. The Mary and Susan river systems have been the go-to areas, with anglers casting and retrieving lures to great effect, targeting rocky outcrops, rock bars and drains on the run-out

tide. ZMan 4” SwimmerZ, Samaki Vibelicious soft vibes and Jackall Squirrel 79SP hardbodied lures have been doing the damage. Threadfin salmon have been in great numbers in close vicinity to the barra and are suckers for a soft vibe worked deep, or a shallow diving hardbody erratically worked out of a drain.

A coral trout caught by the author from the northern gutters, fooled by a well-presented soft plastic.

Guy Scotney with a 45cm jack which took a liking to a slow presented Zerek Live Prawn fished over a rock bar.

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We have experienced one of the hottest and driest summers we have ever seen, and species like the mangrove jack have been responding well to the heat. The Burrum River system and its tributaries (Gregory, Cherwell and Isis) have been a poplar haunt, with anglers targeting rock bars and laydowns finding quality fish. Soft plastic prawn imitation lures and deep diving hardbodies have been the lures of choice, along with well-presented live baits. Remember to always carry a cast net at this time of year, as prawns have been running in the upper reaches of the system. Prawns not only make great live bait but also make for a tasty feed. Just a reminder, that there is a 10L per angler possession limit. The grounds wide of the Burrum River have

been producing queenfish, giant trevally, mac and longtail tuna and a variety of mackerel species which have been harassing the masses of bait that have started to congregate wide of the leads. The best results have come from later in the day. This is when the surface temperature of the water is warmest, and the predatory fish have had time to herd the bait into balls before annihilating them. Watching packs of queenfish cruising the surface and circling the boat has been quite a spectacle. Fast-paced lures have been drawing the greatest attention, with Cotton Cordell Pencil Poppers and ZMan 5” StreakZ being the standouts. This is the time of year when our wider reefs, like the ever popular Southern and Northern gutters systems, start to fire. Here you can catch the renowned XOS coral trout and an assortment of other mixed reef species for the table. Having good quality electronics is a must in these areas, as locating the ledges and isolated bommies is crucial to success. Smaller, isolated patches produce the better quality fish. Wellpresented live baits in the form of yakka or pike, fresh

cut baits and an assortment of soft plastics have produced great results. The main areas of reef which see the constant flow of traffic continue to be plagued by the men in grey suits. It makes it almost impossible to boat a fish, and sticking around in these areas is only devastating the reef system. You will never beat the sharks so it pays to move as soon as they become a nuisance. For the die-hard pelagic anglers, this is the time of year to be picking your days in the weather and venturing further afield, wide of the Break Sea Spit with larger poppers and stickbaits in search of GTs and Spanish mackerel. If a big black broaching GT or a high flying Spanish doesn’t get your heart and adrenalin pumping, nothing else will! It is important to fish the moon phases. The full and new moon periods produce the best results, with the bigger tides creating more profound pressure edges and back eddies. Platypus Bay has come to life with the famous Hervey Bay longtail population finally showing up to the party, terrorising the masses of baitfish. Wind

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direction plays a large part in dictating where to go in search of them, as it shifts the bait and in turn the tuna follow. In the bay a northerly blow will push the bait out wide of Roonies and in turn the pelagics, so we can only hope to get some consistent south to southeasterly winds to draw the bait in closer to the Wathumba area. Sharks are an ever-growing problem, with tuna being a staple of their diet. The warmer water temperatures have continued to see our inshore reefs producing quality coral trout, blueys, cod and sweetlip (also called coral bream). Trolling hardbodies and hopping soft plastics along the reef flats and edges have been successful for the trout and cod. The blueys and sweetlip have been taking fresh firm baits like crab, prawn, hardiheads and local pencil squid. All you need to get some pencil squid from the inshore reefs is a few 1.5-2.0 sized squid jigs. So, all in all, it has been a great month with the fishing certainly starting to improve. Both the inshore and offshore reefs are firing and the pelagic action is really about to heat up.

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MARCH 2017

But enough a-boat that, let’s talk about safety FRASER COAST

Phil James p_j_james@bigpond.com

There are some incredible experiences waiting for anglers in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean east of Breaksea Spit. Unless you take a very indirect route well to the north, you must cross the spit through one of the gutters that cross it. This might sound fairly straightforward, but the presence of big ocean swells can make the journey very hazardous. Experienced skippers should have a good knowledge of the spit, the weather and the ocean conditions, and most importantly the tidal conditions. The final exit into open waters might be seen as an extreme bar crossing. Unfortunately, the spit has seen a number of bad situations, even fatalities, over the years. I am in contact with a few anglers that make the trip occasionally and I have a great respect for their knowledge and ability. Expeditions to Hervey Bay’s northern parts are becoming more popular. Without going anywhere near the Breaksea Spit, vessels are visiting spots like the Southern, Northern and African gutters as well as the spit bommie and scattered reef areas east and north of Fraser Island’s Wathumba Creek. Again, there’s great country to explore. Although not directly exposed to the worst oceanic swells, these waters can still become dangerous, mostly as a result of wind-generated rough seas. This is not the domain of the inshore runabout or tinny, although they’re sometimes seen out there. As well as being capable sea boats, vessels need to be equipped with the very best

safety and communication equipment as well as an oversupply of fuel. Members of my family make regular trips to these northern waters, so I am kept well-informed. Even when all the right boxes are ticked, I’m always suggesting that they make these trips in the company of at least one other vessel. From Wathumba Creek to Moon Point and offshore up to 10km from the island, very popular fishing grounds are safely in reach of a wider range of vessels. It can become very uncomfortable, even dangerous here when seasonal northerly winds come in to spoil the party. Most anglers, myself included, wouldn’t think about heading out in these conditions, which we have had our share of in recent months. At last, in late January, conditions allowed us to venture to the more distant parts. The usual pelagics have come to the party, and baitfish are holding over the low reefy areas. Mac tuna have been easy to find, while longtails have been somewhat evasive. There have also been plenty of spotty mackerel enthusiastically taking small metals. It has been easy to bag out with five fish over 60cm in just half an hour. Out at the Six-Mile, sharks remain a big problem, particularly when targeting scarlets, golden trevally and other species low in the water column. South of Moon Point we have the waters of inner Hervey Bay full of mostly safe areas for the smaller vessels. Of course, northerly winds can be bad news here too, as only a few spots are well protected. The latest reports have been encouraging with spotty and school mackerel in good numbers over the shallow reefs. Sandy beaches, rocky ledges, deep reefs and

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MARCH 2017

Leanne meets her first blackall at Round Island, Hervey Bay. shallow reefs offer anglers a huge choice. This month, as water temperatures remain high, we can expect to see the reef season continue strongly at least until the end of April. There have been some mixed catches of sand whiting along the city foreshores, really quite surprising for this time of the year. The best whiting catches have been around the banks just inside River Heads, and further south near German Creek. Threadfin salmon continue to challenge anglers throughout the Mary River system, and since the start of the barra season, there has been some action over the ledges and rock bars inside the river. On the deep reefs, large blueys (tuskfish) and cod have been the standout catches. The shallow reefs have also

been good for these species, as well as coral bream, Moses perch, stripeys and blackall. Somewhat surprising to me has been the increasing number of javelin (grunter) coming from the shallows. Perhaps as an outcome of increasing water temperatures, they are extending their ranges and habitats. Also noteworthy, the quality of coral bream in the shallow water has been outstanding. It would appear that out of all the recreational species found on our reefs, the blackall is by far the most abundant. The numbers of blackall taken by anglers gives just some credence to this claim. Others like coral bream are the more likely contenders. Observations by divers on both shallow and deep reefs would appear to be more relevant. Underwater movie footage is

also very convincing. Blackall are well known right down Queensland’s East Coast and their abundance elsewhere is recognized. In northern waters, blackall are generally shunned as their food qualities are deemed less that average. Here in Hervey Bay, most anglers bleed their fish on capture and skin the fillets. Although they might not be in my top ten, as food for the table they are very acceptable. Shallow reef anglers rarely target blackall, but are happy to accept them as part of the catch. With the possible exceptions of tuskfish and cod, the blackall is potentially the largest fish taken on a reef outing. Some anglers deliberately target blackall, perhaps because they like the eating qualities or they like the challenge. Maybe they are looking for another personal best. Although blackall are likely to accept just about any bait offering, they do have a preference for crustaceans like yabbies, crabs and prawns. Squid and cuttlefish are also on their list of favourites. Unlike other reef species, blackall are quite happy to come very close to the boat. A short cast from the boat is more than likely to result in an interested blackall. The first bite of a blackall is little more than a suspicion, as the bait is gently mouthed by its fleshy lips. Once it has taken a liking

to the offering, it is necessary to wait for strong pressure as it moves away, before setting the hook. On Fraser Island’s ocean beach, there are encouraging signs after months of uncertainly due to unpredictable weather and the weed infestations in the later months of 2016. Anglers working the shallow low water gutters have been scoring catches of sand whiting. It would seem that the most productive gutters are towards the southern end of the beach, south of Eurong. Dart are back to their usual reliability and have been taken mostly in the deeper gutters towards the top of the tide. I have suggested before that many surf species move into shallow gutters to feed during the night. Try fishing at night during the hot months as a way of escaping the heat, and targeting fish where and when they are on. Members of a recent party told me they don’t feel comfortable being on the beach individually after dark, even in small groups, after negative interactions with dingos in recent months. Most recently it was reported that a woman was bitten and chased into the water by two dingos near Kingfisher Resort. One wonders how long it will be before a fisher can again feel safe having a quiet fish on a Fraser Island beach at night.

Inshore pelagic delights BUNDABERG

Jason Medcalf topwater@bigpond.com

It’s been an absolute stinking hot summer so far and I have never said this before, but I’m looking forward to it cooling down! The fishing has been red-hot though, with inshore, offshore and the rivers and creeks all producing great fishing on the right tides. The Burnett River has been a stand out, with the barramundi opening seeing plenty of fish hitting the decks. It has been great to see plenty of fish being released to fight another day as well. There have been some spear fishers giving the barramundi population a bit of a culling along with the professional fishers. Just remember, the professionals have every right to net for fish, and while the government closes other areas down, they’ll move into areas open to netting, which is the majority of our region. Until the rules change, we need to coexist and understand that there

are people out there that actually don’t like fishing but like to eat fish. As for spear fishers, the majority do the right thing, but there are those who spoil the fishing for everyone. Inshore there has been some great pelagic fishing, with tuna and many species of mackerel hitting trolled lures, live baits and cast steel slices. The 8 and 9 Mile off Bundaberg has been alive with bait and an early morning troll has seen some great fish falling to the ever faithful Halco Scorpion in the red head white bodied model. Spanish mackerel around the 10kg mark have been attacking in gangs, and while you’re on them they are ravenous. Steel slices cast out and allowed to sink for a few minutes before being ripped back to the boat at high speed have been working a treat. My favourite, as many of you would know, is the Twisty in the 40 and 50g sizes, as they cast a mile and often get eaten on the drop while they flutter down. On the bottom inshore there have been a few

surprise catches of decent size coral trout and red emperor. Big fresh baits have been the downfall of the better quality fish, you just have to be patient with all the pickers. Further offshore, we have been lucky to have some great weather coinciding with the better tides, and the bigger boats have been reaping the rewards. Again, the mackerel are thick and responding to most techniques, and the

reef fish have been big and varied. Coral trout, reds, big hussar, tuskies and sweetlip have all been filling the bags of the offshore boats. We really haven’t seen much rain in our region so far this summer, and we are desperately in need for it to give all the systems a good flush. If we don’t see any big falls of rain soon, the fishing, heat and wind in March will be much the same as February.

Tuna have been wreaking havoc on the bait schools inshore, along with other predators like mackerel.

Estuaries are firing at Stanage STANAGE BAY

Von Ireland

Since last month the Stanage Bay Road has deteriorated to a new level. Corrugation and pot holes extend from one end of the unsealed roadway to the next, including our Plumtree car park, which I believe should have been sealed by the Queensland Government with parking lines. For the amount of

registrations and boating fees paid to the state government and not the local government, we should have a decent boat ramp and a descriptive car park all can understand. The estuary has been releasing some beautiful full and monster Stanage muddies. Pots, ropes, floats and bait to catch these crabs are all available from Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation at the back of the boatyard. The Thirsty

Sound creeks from Porters to Big have barra once again milling at the mouths on the mainland and cruising the Jigsaw Passage to cut through to Ticktobies Creek. Boaties are happy with swapping their hardbody lures, trolling and flicking plastics, and some older fishers are cast netting live mullet. The barra caught have been of legal size and some are too good for the capture and pictures. Rain and storms are on the way and the water temperature is spot on. On the reef and islands, good scatterings of cobia, mackerel, stripy, coral trout and grassy sweetlip are available along with an uncommon species to this area – spotted sweetlip. Remember, if the weather is too rough to get fishing

on the reef or islands, you always have Thirsty Sound. It lends itself to big boats and I have good charts available for this area, along with good local info. Decent golden snapper, grunter, tuskfish, mulloway and barra are just some of the species to be proven winners up there. Keep with the the Australian Defence Force land acquisitions on the Stanage Bay Road. It will be interesting what the new map will hold for us all. This will be on the ADF website now. If we can’t stop this happening, we at least have slow down the process, until such a time as the federal government comes to a realisation that there is a tourist fishing township at the end of the Stanage Bay and Shoalwater

The water temperature is spot on at the moment. Bay road. Your thoughts and help will be welcome. Fishers and visitors are always welcome at Stanage Bay, Shoalwater Bay and the surrounding islands. • Don’t miss out on the amazing fishing and

crabbing at Stanage Bay! Call us at Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation on (07) 4937 3145, check out www.stanagebay.com, email stanagebaymarine@ bigpond.com or look us up on Facebook.

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The author with a solid barra. Barra have been on the bite around the estuaries.

A mixed bag of species are available on the reefs out from Stanage Bay.

Bring on the autumn barra bite LAKE MONDURAN

Rob Howell

This year so far has brought with it constantly high temperatures in the high 30s and early 40s. Many anglers are looking forward to putting the summer heat behind them and are welcoming the forthcoming cooler months. Traditionally March, April and May are great months to target Monduran barra. As the water cools the barra sense that winter is on the way, therefore their feeding habits become more aggressive. Last year’s autumn and winter bite was the best I’d seen in my 11 years of fishing here at Lake Monduran.

Multiple bite sessions on big and small barra were not uncommon and bite times lasted throughout the whole day.

SURFACE LURE ACTION A vast area of shoreline around the lake has a good, thick, healthy weed edge.

Hayley Lorenz cashing in on a barra session.

Certain areas have broken weed with plenty of fish lanes and clear water above the weed. These areas have been perfect for some topwater action. Surface lures have all been working well along with weedless-rigged lures. • We now rent out a houseboat with three separate bedrooms, sleeping eight people. There are lighting and charging points throughout, and a four-stroke generator can be supplied if needed. A 4.1m Polycraft tender is included with a 6hp Yamaha engine that can be upgraded to a 25hp at an additional cost. Keep an eye on our website for special deals or contact us at the Holiday Park for further information on (07) 4157 3881 or via email at info@lakem.com. au. For fishing information, follow Lake Monduran Guidelines Fishing Charters on Facebook.

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March lure-munching madness ROCKHAMPTON

Clayton Nicholls clay94_fishing@live.com.au

After a big week of rain for the region earlier in the year, there has been nothing but hot, dry weather. This is not all bad, as it has certainly put barra back on the hit list. Local freshwater areas have been getting many decent fish. Looking for those brackish run-off spots where the barra are sitting is quite productive. There have been some good numbers of prawns and heaps of decent

Darryl from BCF Rockhampton caught this nice saratoga. Patrick with a great barra, showing how to correctly support the fish! imitations or live prawns if you get a few in your net. RIVERS, CREEKS AND THE BEACHES The local rivers, creeks and beaches have been bustling with activity lately. There is just so much bait around at the moment, from

crustaceans like crabs and yabbies, to many varieties of fish. All of these bait sources are very easy to obtain with the right tools, like yabby pumps and castnets. Some great places for fish lately have been Coorooman Creek and the Causeway Lake.

incoming. There have been huge crabs coming out of that system lately. FRESHWATER LAGOONS The freshwater lagoons are fishing very well, due to all the heat. The Roope Road crossing made from culverts is a very good place to throw a lure. The water flows

It may have been a rough day on the water, but the guys on Christies Charters had a blast fishing some shallow reef near Outer Rock. mullet in all the systems. The wind has been fairly consistent around the 10-15 knot mark. FITZROY AND THE NARROWS The heat has certainly raised the temperature of the water and the barra have been sitting in the cooler pockets. Anything with good shade is a great start. Lures that produce great action while working

slowly have certainly landed quite a few decent fish. Lures have accounted for a great number of fish and are stocked in most stores. Lures like the Live Target Swimbaits have been making a big name for themselves lately. There has been a great number of threadies in the river lately also. Many fish have been landed using prawn

Jackie landed this beautiful barra in some pretty pristine country.

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The Causeway Lake has had great run throughs producing cracker mangrove jack, barra and the common smaller estuary species like flathead and bream. Coorooman has been going great for crabs, threadfin salmon and barra and has been fishing very well from mid outgoing to mid

through very easily and the baitfish are all amongst the snags around the crossing. The crossing generally holds many barra that make their way up from the salt in flood times and then get locked into the lagoons as the water recedes. Along with the barra, there is a plentiful supply of

tarpon, which are great fun to target on surface lures, as they are very aerobatic and not hard to find. Using smaller lures, you’re able to match the baitfish. The lures easily pick up fish when slow rolled back along a snag line or twitched and left in front of snags. CRABBING The crabbing is red-hot at the moment, and if you want to get into it, tackle stores have some ripper deals on crab pots lately. The crabs should be full to the brim with meat, as the recent rains and run-off brought lots of nutrients and dead matter off the land and freshwater areas. A pack of mullet heads will always do the trick for a day out crabbing. With some good winds about and reef trips plentiful, reef frames make some great bait. RANT FOR THE MONTH Catching fish is great fun and we all enjoy getting a happy snap of them. However, there are many times anglers are still holding big fish up by the jaw, injuring the fish’s spine. It may swim away fine, but it has been given a death sentence. There have been a few cases recently of large fish washing up against the bank and with no markings on them. This is the likely cause. To those few anglers who hold fish up by their head or don’t know this is injuring the fish, it looks much better holding the fish horizontally with support anyway!

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MARCH 2017

John with a monster threadfin salmon.

Putting in time and effort brings rewards GLADSTONE

Liam Jones

Finally it is February and the barra season is open. Boat ramps were packed and lures and livies hit just about every snag between Turkey and the Fitzroy. Some exciting sessions were had for those that put in the time and effort. All the artificial structures like the Boyne and Calliope bridges have been holding fish, especially at night. Big plastics seem to be the standout lures recently. The likes of Castaic, Lunker City and locally made Happy Rocks are fantastic. Coliseum Inlet has been producing quality fish throughout February with good numbers of jacks, barra, flathead and black jew being reported. The deeper holes with rubble bottom will all hold jew at certain times and

Jacks Boric from local charter Booby Bird with a cracking 20kg trout. standout bait has been local squid when it’s available and cuttlefish head. Some of the best barra of the season have been taken in the harbour. Once again big plastics and deep diving hardbodies have been the standouts when it comes to lures. Plenty of grunter are still popping up throughout

The same fish released to fight another day. have been known to produce some big golden snapper. Live baiting these deep holes seems to produce the best fish. If all else fails there’s always plenty of whiting to be caught in the system. Try micro poppers for a bit of fun! The Boyne River has been fishing well with solid catches of jacks and barra during February. Most of the rock bars in the Boyne will hold jacks and barra. Some of the better fish have been coming from the main bridge at night. Working the light lines with big plastics and deep diving hardbodies such as the Lethal Lures 6m diving Barra Slayer Elite. Local guide Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing has been continually producing the goods by surface fishing throughout the system for everything from trevally and queenfish to barra and jacks. Plenty of big black jew are getting around the harbour at present with some massive fish being landed throughout February. Any deep water and structure will hold these brutes of the ocean. Some of the more well-known spots are the hole behind Tide Island and the drop-off inside Gatcombe Heads. The

Toolooa bends and the narrows with the odd blue and threadfin in amongst them. Expect more and more blue salmon to start popping up as the weather starts to cool. Awoonga Dam is still very hit and miss. Those that put the time and effort into the place are getting good results. The positive thing is that we are seeing a lot

mark. Touch wood it won’t be too long before we start seeing the place getting back to its former glory days. The weather has been ordinary of late with only small windows of opportunity to get outside. Those that have been lucky enough to get out have found red-throat everywhere! Most boats have been bagging out within the first hour or two and then spending the rest of the day looking for other fish such as trout and emperor. When you can get through the redthroat, the trout have all been of good size. Try using big plastics or livies to get the better trout, especially when the red-throat have been as thick as they are. Making a small detour to jig some lives from the shipping leads or bait grounds will certainly pay for itself when it comes to the quality of fish in the ice box at the end up the day. The guys that have been throwing stickbaits and poppers have been catching some real trophy fish of late with some massive GTs getting around. You don’t have to go all the way to the reef to catch these buses of the ocean. Reports of 30kg+ GTs from the shipping leads and the rocks out the back of Facing Island are not uncommon. The crabs have finally

just in time for Easter. The likes of Grahams Creek, 7 Mile Creek and Turkey Beach have been producing the best quality crabs. I recently spent a day exploring some fresh water creeks and lagoons not to far north of Gladstone. This would have to be one of my favourite styles of fishing. Loading up a mate’s 3m tinnie and launching it in places that have probably never seen a boat before is pretty exciting. It was only five minutes after we launched the tinnie into the first lagoon that we had our first strike. It was an unexpected strike as I was just running my lure back and forth beside the boat when a little barra came flying out from under the boat and nailed my Lucky Craft Tone Splash. Unfortunately the hooks didn’t set, but it certainly got the blood pumping and spirits high for whatever was to come next. We weren’t disappointed – it was on! We had hit after hit on surface but with only a few small fish landed, it was time to try something different. Big plastics didn’t seem to be working and bigger shallow running hardbodies were attracting a few follows, but nothing was having a proper go. We decided to downsize the gear and give the new

Mitch Innocend with an 83cm lagoon barra taken on a Rapala Twitchin’ Mullet. barra measuring in at 83cm. The smaller profile on these lures and the fact they can run good hooks makes them a great option for times like this when the fish are only taking smaller baits. Another five fish all around the 70-80cm mark were landed before we decided to pack up and head home. It was certainly a very exciting session, something I’ll definitely be doing again

in near future and something I’d recommend everyone try. • For more information on what’s biting, or to stock up with all the tackle and bait you need, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler Gladstone at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. You can also check out the latest news, photos and specials at Facebook Compleat Angler Gladstone.

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SATELLITE TV INSTALLED

Brandon Gillet with a QLD grouper taken on a Yakamito vibe. of different size fish being landed. From little rats to fish around the magic 120cm

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Barra action continues around sunny Mackay MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

What a start to the barra season on 1 Feb! Unfortunately for Mackay anglers it meant flooded creeks, heaps of dirty fresh water and low water temperatures, so opening day was not great. After getting around 600mm of rain in January no one was all that surprised.

bell loud and clear! Barra will continue to be the focus for many anglers during March, traditionally one of our wetter months, so it will be interesting to see what is in store for us. Having plenty of fresh water and prawns around also has a great side benefit of good numbers of king threadfin in all our creek systems. There’s been plenty written about chasing barra and our creeks are similar to most although our big tide

Collecting sooty grunter brood stock is great fun. Lachlan Day using the fly rod in tight country. Week two though was much better. We had only a few scattered showers and some minor storm activity giving the creeks a chance to clear up and the prawns to be in abundance. Prawns aplenty equal barra on the chew and that is exactly what happened. The creeks in the net free zone around Seaforth copped plenty of attention and by all accounts the barra were co-operative for the most part. Live prawns were the bait of choice and a few on a 7/0 hook will soon attract attention if there’s a barra in the vicinity. Live mullet are always good bait but when the prawns are prolific

variations can cause some problems. The old saying ‘no run, no fun’ also applies to barra. Any rock bar or isolated rock in a creek is worth checking out and drifting a couple of prawns down current to the rocks will soon have any barra hanging around there responding. Don’t use wire trace and instead use 1m or so of 30kg mono or fluorocarbon leader that will let your live baits be presented more naturally. Barra will also hang on individual mangroves on mud flats, as that is where the bait will be when the tide rises. Be there too and your chances of a barra will be increased

fish, as barra happily stay in small schools. To score a saltwater barra during March try the local creeks like Reliance, Constant, Victor, Murray and Blackrock to the north. They are the main creeks but all have smaller creeks and side gullies that are worth checking out. In fact, any junction is worth putting in the time, especially on a run out tide. If you’re heading south of Mackay, check out Bakers, Sandy, Alligator and Rocky Dam creeks as well as Sarina Inlet and the creeks in the Cape Palmerston area. Having a boat is a distinct advantage when fishing for barra in our creeks as it gives more opportunities to find the fish. Mackay’s Pioneer River is also a reliable barra producer with many decentsize fish caught wthin the city reaches. The Pioneer is a beautiful bluewater system and popular spots include the road bridges and rocks near the highway. Upstream barra can be caught around the hospital and the trainer walls and right up to the freshwater near Dumbleton Weir. Live mullet and whiting are the most popular baits and soft vibes and paddle-tails are good lure choices. The king threadfin seem to prefer the muddier stretches of the creeks and respond well to live prawns and bunches of yabbies. For the lure angler, threadies can be very frustrating when they are fixated on very small jelly prawns. Check out the Fuze 55mm scented prawns in the clear colour as they are a pretty good option. Rig with a small, strong hook and tiny sinker about 500mm above the prawn. That way the lure will float up in a lifelike way. They can be fished with a conventional jighead, but keep the weight right down so the prawn can be cast and retrieved just like the real thing. Kings will

Whopper barra are a real treat for anglers and they can be strong fighters too. then ‘match the hatch.’ Just remember, a single prawn in possibly hundreds won’t attract a lot of activity, but several together clicking and flicking will ring the dinner 62

MARCH 2017

- don’t be put off by the shallow water. Approaching with an electric motor is the way to go and making longer casts will lessen the chances of spooking the school of

often be found in water that barely covers them so don’t neglect the waters close in to the banks. The strong run of mangrove jack and their

We’ve had a fantastic start to the barra season this year. cousins the golden snapper (fingermark) has continued into February but I expect this will start to taper off during March. Good numbers have been caught in the creeks and around the headlands and islands, but neither species particularly likes an influx of freshwater so keep an eye on

trout around the Goldsmith group of islands and Stevens Reef but a fair size boat is needed with the capability of doing 200km round trips as a minimum. FRESHWATER The freshwater scene has been up and down and with the influx of freshwater all

A selection of flies to cover all the bases for chasing sooty grunter this month. the rainfall figures if looking to chase either of them. The usual estuary/creek species are around. The freshwater can put them off the chew. Whiting, flathead, bream and grunter are all on the prowl and many of the local young anglers are taking to chasing whiting with clear poppers over in Bassett Basin to the north of the Pioneer. Beautiful country with clear water and extensive sand flats draining out of the mangrove systems make this spot ideal to chase them. As expected, the offshore scene has been very disrupted with dirty water around the spots closer in and this will likely continue through March depending on the rainfall. Further offshore there have been good catches of reds coming from the shipping channel with some nice

three dams are at capacity or very close to it. This means the fish spread out and are harder to locate. This applies to both sooties and barra. Kinchant has seen 1m+ plus fish on the go around the full moon on both live baits and lures. Bony bream are the live bait of choice and they can be trapped. I have noticed some people using cast nets to get live bony bream. Please note, this is a breach of the regulations. Big 150mm paddle-tails are accounting for plenty of barra in Kinchant and Teemburra dams as well as the usual mix of hardbody lures and surface offerings. If using surface lures remember to ‘perfect the pause’ as this seems to drive barra particularly nuts. I generally count to 20 before moving the surface lure, move it a

short distance and then let it sit while counting to 20 again. This technique builds the suspense and the barra really seem to respond. MAFSA is working to top up each of the three dams with barra fingerlings with 3,500 recently released into Eungella Dam and more on order for Kinchant and Teemburra. This summer MAFSA has also purchased barra in larger sizes, but fewer numbers, and will vary stocking sizes according to needs each year. On the sooty front the huge news is the successful spawning at MAFSA’s hatchery. As at February, Kieron Galletly and his hatchery crew have approximately 300,000 babies to look after. They are about three weeks old and have formed swim bladders, so with a bit of luck and barring a disaster, most of them should grow to the release size of 50-70 mm. Most of these are destined for stocking into Eungella as there has been minimal spawning for the last few years in Broken River above the dam. Some will be kept in the hatchery to be released at the 12th Maverick Equipment Hire World Sooty Championship event on 29-30th April at Eungella Dam. Online nominations for the Championship will open mid to late February, so keep an eye on MAFSA’s Facebook page. Traditionally the fingerlings are released as part of the event and all the little (and not so little) kids get a big kick out of letting them go. The current fingerlings will give Eungella a big boost in sooty numbers and when coupled with a reasonable natural recruitment will help ensure Eungella’s reputation as an outstanding sooty grunter fishery is maintained. March anglers can look forward to many options around the district from sooties at Eungella to trout and reddies out on the reef. Come up and join us in paradise.

Cooking

Spice up crustaceans in this prawn quesadilla BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

Ever wanted to add something light and a little zesty to your table

experience? Catch a lot of prawns on the last full moon and don’t know how to do them culinary justice? Here’s a simple recipe to get your mouth watering. In a nutshell,

these prawn quesadillas are single tortillas that are folded over, with a prawn and cheese filling, and then baked in the oven until the tortillas are almost crispy. They can be crispy if

you like, of course, and they make a wonderful lunch or dinner treat for casual eating or dinner parties alike. This versatile dish is well matched with intricate salads or it can be made as

a quick dish for those easygoing nights after a busy day on the water. These quesadillas go well with margaritas, so you can always have some ice in the freezer ready to crush,

and keep some limes, salt and tequila from this recipe for drinks later. You can also serve lemonade for the little ones – lemonade works with this meal too. Now let’s get started with the real fun.

Ingredients • 3 tbsp cooking oil • 3 cups finely grated cheese • 2-3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves • 3 green shallots (finely sliced with white and green parts in separate bowls) • 750g green prawns (peeled, deveined and sliced in half lengthways) • freshly ground salt and pepper • 2 cloves garlic (finely grated) • 1 small red chilli (deseeded and very finely chopped) • 3 tbsp tequila (optional) • juice of half a lime • 4 large tortillas.

Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil over a medium heat in a heavy-based frypan. Sauté the sliced white parts of the shallots, garlic and chilli until softened. If you like, you can add a bit of tequila to the pan and continue to cook until the tequila has evaporated.

Lay the tortillas out on a clean work surface. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over half of each tortilla, leaving a clean border around the edge of the tortilla. Lay a quarter of the prawn mixture over the top of the cheese. Now sprinkle some of the remaining cheese mixture over the top of the prawns.

4 7

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with foil. Brush the foil with 1 tbsp of cooking oil. In a bowl, mix together the grated cheese, roughly chopped coriander leaves and the sliced greener parts of the shallots. Then place the bowl to one side.

Add the prawns to the pan and cook for a few minutes until they are pink and cooked through.

Fold the tortilla in half over the top of the prawns and cheese. Carefully place the quesadilla on the tray. Brush the surface of the quesadillas with the remaining cooking oil. Place the rounded edge of the quesadilla towards the centre of the sheet. Place the quesadillas into the oven and cook for approximately ten minutes or until they start to brown. Carefully flip the quesadillas over and cook for a further five minutes.

Blot the prawns dry with some paper towels and then sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and stir through the lime juice. Then drain the contents of the bowl through a sieve to remove any liquid. Doing this will minimize the risk of a soggy quesadilla.

Remove the tray of quesadillas from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Slice each quesadilla into wedges and serve with guacamole and sour cream. MARCH 2017

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Anglers are spoilt for choice in the Whitsundays WHITSUNDAYS

Luke Griffiths

February was a bit of a mixed bag and we were thrown some unsettled weather. However, it looks like most anglers made the most of it, finding

usual about the past few seasons. The fishing has been holding solid in what is usually a wind down period for this time of year, which I guess is a good thing. When most made it out through the irregular weather, there were good numbers

and should hopefully continue into this month. A lot of bigger barra have been reported caught, with not so many smaller models. However, it depends on who you talk to and who is willing to give up the information! Anyhow, trying your hand down in the estuaries this

Zac Sweep with a delicious pair of mud crabs. Good numbers of crabs should be on offer this month.

Sean with a deep water bar cheek coral trout. These tasty predators have been on the chew. themselves out amongst our beautiful backyard. As we leave summer in our wake and head full steam into autumn, we can expect things to slow a little, if we look at the usual trends. However, nothing has been

reported once again over the past month, from all parts. The creeks and rivers have been producing some good catches with barramundi, jacks and muddies being most popular. The mud crabs have been around in numbers

month will be a great option. Always a good option for us (we’re spoilt up here) is a trip to the outer reef. For those unfamiliar, it is a huge expanse of reef systems, which could be explored for days, weeks and

Ross and Mick with a delicious duo for dinner – nannygai and goldband snapper caught wide of the reef.

even months. This fishers’ paradise holds nearly every species imaginable and for anglers like me, it’s a place that always arouses the senses when visited. Whether you are a sport fisher or chasing a feed, you really can’t go past this natural wonder of the world. We’re lucky to have such a variety of fish to choose from. Solid reports of the staple reef fish are still coming through. Coral trout, redthroat emperor, spangled emperor, nannygai and red emperor are all still making a welcomed appearance, which should hold true into this month. The larger tides caused a bit of havoc last month, so fingers crossed the weather aligns with the smaller tides in March. The outer islands and shipping channel have been producing fair numbers of nannygai and red emperor, but have definitely become less consistent, which is typical. There is some good isolated ground out there still holding big numbers of fish – you just have to work a little harder to find them. That is where a good quality sounder and GPS come into play. Finding the best one you can afford at the time is definitely the go if you intend to search for new ground, and there are plenty on the market to choose from. Doing your research is a must and will help you decide on what to buy. It also gives you a headstart on dealing with sales reps.

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Obviously for us charter operators who are out pretty much every day, we can justify the expense of high quality electronics. However, there are many mid-range products that can do the job quite adequately. For instance, if you intend to fish the islands through to the outer reef, a 600W transducer is more than adequate for the depth range around here, which barely reaches 80m. Forking out for the 1kW+ is really a waste of money unless you intend to travel off the continental shelf.

GPS accuracy depends on the model, so I will leave that one up to you to decide. Do your research before lashing out your hard earned cash. We get asked all the time what we use and I can’t go past my Furuno Suite. Hopefully we get some beautiful weather this coming month so we can enjoy our backyard paradise. • If you’re interested in a game, sport or reef fishing charters around the Whitsundays, give Luke a call on 0429 724 822 or email info@ renegadecharters.com.au.

Kaylene Hopper battled this solid nannygai on a recent charter.

Burdekin boaties enjoy hot, calm conditions AYR

Steve Farmer

Summer produced some magic conditions for Burdekin blue water fishers with more than a week of glassed out seas, blue skies and minimal evening storm threats, ensuring plenty of boats headed out wide. The only negative was the temperatures that could only be described as sweltering. Many anglers beat the heat with overnight trips and that’s exactly what Russell Sutcliffe, Paul ‘Beefy’ Armstrong and Travis Butler did recently. They left home at 7pm, fished for much of the night and were back in Ocean Creek by around 10am next morning. Russell said they counted more than a hundred trailers at Ocean Creek Ramp. Fortunately, the tides meant the boat traffic wasn’t concentrated in a limited time window and they launched and retrieved without any hassle. They nearly had to call the trip off when they cleared the creek mouth and the temperature gauge started to climb suddenly. They stopped a couple of times to tilt the

outboard and check the water intake. The uncharacteristic temperature spike eventually settled down and they attributed the problem to a 400-500m wide band of blubber jellyfish packed tentacle to tentacle along the coastline. With so many boats out they had plenty of company on the reef that night, but moved about a fair bit looking for fish. They found some good country in 200ft of water and scored a dozen largemouth nannygai to 6.5kg on squid bait. From there they moved into shallower water and added a further ten redthroat and coral trout to their tally. Anglers fishing the closer shoals also reported catches of largemouth and smallmouth nannygai and coral trout during the calm period. A handful of lure tossing fishers also enjoyed modest success when targeting golden snapper with large soft plastics. In the estuaries, mangrove jack and grunter were the main targets with the lack of a fresh in the river up until late January ensuring good fishing conditions. An unwanted by-catch of small barramundi was common, especially

Russell Sutcliffe, Paul ‘Beefy’ Armstrong and Travis Butler with part of their catch of largemouth nannygai taken on an overnight trip to the reef recently. for anglers targeting jacks amongst the snags with lures and small live baits of mullet and prawn. While we’re still waiting for a wet season, the occasional showers and storms have been enough to liven up the crabbing and prawning across the district, with most estuaries producing a feed for crabbers and castnetters prepared to work for it. One prawner reported the prawns to be a quality size, but not as prolific as he would have liked.

Recently, the Burdekin Dam had just started to overflow and Burdekin anglers were waiting to see if the fresh was enough to significantly affect conditions in the Delta. MARCH FORECAST March fishing is always hard to forecast in the Burdekin because of the effect late rainfall can have. If conditions remain dry with minimal freshwater runoff, estuary fishers can look forward to the last of some great summer fishing.

Mangrove jack and barra will be the glamour targets in most creeks. Live baits of mullet and prawns or a wellplaced lure will be best way to score one. Grunter should also be fishing well in the estuaries and Upstart and Bowling Green bays. Fresh squid baits and small live baits of herring or mullet are the best way to entice one of the larger specimens. Golden snapper are always a popular catch and there should still be a few about throughout

March. Deeper creeks such as the Burdekin River and Morrisseys Creek are the best bets if you fancy this species, while a carefully trolled or cast lure or a live fish bait are reliable tactics. Golden snapper are also often taken on live or freshly caught squid around the Bun at Cape Upstart or on isolated structure off Alva Beach. Over the next month, sportfishers can expect an increase in trevally, queenfish and small mackerel action around the inshore shoals and some creek mouths. In fact, some anglers have already had a bit of fun with metre-long queenfish around the mouth of Ocean Creek. Whether you are bait fishing or casting lures, you’ll enjoy more success if you match the size of your offering to the size of the baitfish the pelagics are feeding on. Cobia are another pelagic anglers can expect if they are fishing the shoals off Alva or around Cape Upstart and Camp Island. A drifted pilchard or cast or trolled poppers or large minnows are likely to excite the cobia. This species is often mistaken for a shark, so make a definite identification before you cut it off.

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Fish the run-off before the fish go and run off TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

With the expectations for the barra opening season it has been a really exciting time for the Townsville locals. A bit of fresh a month or so ago has got them moving and the baitfish are around as well, so barra are hanging around the estuaries for extended periods. It’s surprising how many fish have been taken on the surface. Poppers, walkers and fizzers have all been drawing strikes, particularly in the

fresh. The water clarity has been the deciding factor as to which is the best lure type on any given day. Walk-the-dog style lures have been working on the jacks when the water is a bit clearer. Lately we’ve had some more serious rain heading our way and this will bode well for the traditional run-off fishing. Initially, when the first of the fresh brings big lots of floating weed, the weedless rigs work best, and the paddle-tails are an effective offering. If it’s a better run-off that lasts a while, it won’t take long for the weed and debris to dissipate and the Estimated at around two months old, this juvenile black was a real surprise. It was released as soon as possible and the author apologises to marine biologists, as it would have been a very important fish to have given them for research. initial mud to clear. Then it’s hardbodies that reign supreme in my opinion. If you’re fishing an area where the water is flowing considerably then it doesn’t matter what type of hardbodies you use, as floating, sinking, neutral or whatever will swim happily in the flow until something finds it. Stronger actioned lures are my preference for areas with less flow and tighter actions for the fast stuff, as they don’t seem to blow out in the fast water.

Mud crabs have been on the move with a bit of fresh coming in and they’re fat and full. Crabs such as these held up by Chris Wilcox are prime examples of what’s poking around.

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As far as the weedless rigs go, weighted heads are a must. Unweighted, they can roll and look unnatural without the keeling effects of the weighted hooks. I’m not sure why a lot of new-to-lure anglers have been told somewhere along the line that you shouldn’t strike when your lure gets bitten! I don’t care who has told you this, or if you’re using J styled heads or weedless, if you’re not setting your hook, it’s costing you fish. In the last week or two, it’s been a surprisingly common question, and I’m not sure why there is a sudden increase in this reasoning. No matter what hook it is you use, make sure it’s sharp as can be, and that it’s an appropriate size for the lure you’re using. A common error in rigging is to use a hook too small for the size of the plastic and the point really can’t poke out and find the fish on the bite if it bottoms out before it’s exposed, especially on megamouthed beasties like barra. I use heavier outfits when I’m fishing bottleneck areas where the water is rushing through and there is the potential for bigger fish to use this current to assist them in peeling line off on serious drag. If you fish one of the smaller drains that wind their way through the scrub, grass or trees, then stopping power is a real concern. Some of the areas that are funnelling land-locked juvenile barra and tarpon into the main waterways are perfect places for big fish to congregate, and I would say that 30lb line would be a good minimum option. In murkier waters, fish aren’t so leaderconscious and 40-50lb is good. My preferred outfit for this type of stuff is a 16-25lb Samurai Runoff with my Shimano Curado that has been upgraded to Carbontex drag material. When a big fish hits the current and bolts, the Curado delivers the line at a surprisingly smooth and serious level and tires the fish out. This smooth delivery is more important than some

people estimate. Sticking, chattery drags undoubtedly pull hooks. Places to find run-off barra can be amazingly obvious. Everyone’s heard the stories of catching fish off the side of the road and seem to be amazed at this phenomenon. It’s much more common than you may think. Any area of water flow that comes from the upper reaches of an often non-flowing system is a good starting point. Causeways, rock bars and weirs are all well-known spots and it’s honestly worth a look in many spots that only take a few steps from the car to reach. If you’re in a boat, looking for any influx of water and then having a few casts is a great way to hunt them down. If you have a side scan sounder, all the better. This is where I greatly value my Lowrance HDS side scan. With just a glance I can see if there are

contrast to get them happening. I’m not going to list areas, locations, or anything like that, as they are some well kept little secrets. Areas only have enough safe ground and space to stand a couple of people without getting in each other’s road or tangling during a hookup. If you happen to find a spot similar to that, keep it to yourself. STRANGE CAPTURES There have been some unusual captures lately. Grunter specialist Joe Millard caught and released a big bonefish recently in one of his shallow spots using a peeled prawn. I’ll bet the fly fishos’ ears pricked up! Billfish aren’t normally something you would encounter when casting at the snags for jacks, but that’s exactly what happened to me and a mate recently. I had a newly released Halco 120 Laser Pro tied on that had been working quite well, and as we were travelling at a quicker speed from one snag to the next, a juvenile black marlin bolted in and smashed the Laser Pro. Apparently, the sail that runs down the back of the juvenile black’s back slowly disappears as they grow, but I was buggered if I knew that! Big grunter are getting taken from the shallow ledges and there are some good fish in the 70-80cm mark showing up quite regularly. I saw a phone picture last week of three identical grunter – all exactly 90cm, laying on a brag mat. There’s incentive for you. Ross From Ultimate Sport Fishing Charters reports that there have been some big schools of red fish nailing

Don’t hesitate to throw lures around your grunter spots. Working this 5” MadEye Paddle Prawn along the bottom in small hops accounted for four nice grunter and several golden snapper. logs, rocks and fish in clear high definition display. It’s widely accepted that a colour change is a great indicator of an area that’s worth a cast. It often doesn’t have to be a big

squid baits and fresh slab baits in the deeper waters that are a long run for most trailer boats. It’s going to be a pretty good month me thinks, so grit your teeth and hang on.

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Waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to rain HINCHINBROOK

Ryan Moody info@ryanmoodyfishing.com

It has been a relatively slow wet season for many areas in the tropics. We have periods of hope then it doesn’t seem to get a kick along. I hope that changes because we sure need it. We haven’t had proper wet seasons since 2011 and this has certainly had an impact on the barra cycle. They have their boom years and then they slide into the barra drought years. The more you get poor wet seasons, the more of a barra drought you will experience. We can only hope that the rain we need is yet to come. Speaking of barra droughts, the opening of the season this year was very scratchy for most anglers. Some regions up here are experiencing minor floodwater run-off which has injected some nasty coloured swamp water to move downstream. Many of the barra have spread out and do abnormal things when conditions like this prevail. Sometimes you will see them head down tail up just travelling in

This is one swell golden snapper for JT, caught just before the water quality dropped in the channel. the current and other times free jump in the middle of nowhere. During these times you can never find them in traditional areas. It can make them hard to target when they do these things. The main species that I have heard reports about has been mangrove jack. They don’t mind a change in water salinity and water quality. A lot of fish around the 45-48cm mark are around too, so average size has been good in the tropics. Sometimes the jacks will

be further upstream than other times. To narrow them down, try flicking small 4” lures and plastics tight into the mangrove roots or small gutters that appear along banks, especially if there are any overhangs or isolated snag areas. If there are no fish in the downstream areas during the run-out tide, make your way upstream and try a 20 min session here and there at any of the likely spots. Eventually you will find the right part of the creek and

start getting bites. Jacks are still a target fish for many anglers to put food on the table, but there has been a growing trend among specialist jack anglers to release all of them, which is so good to see. You hear about a few anglers that are barra freaks with barra being the iconic sportfish, but some anglers have got the jack scene covered and use techniques that have a lot to do with cast angles, and lures and plastics that are very different to some of the stuff many of us were brought up with. Locals have been getting into big schools of grunter and the odd threadfin chewing on all the jelly prawns at the beachfront in Cardwell. Just keep an eye out for the local crocs. They’re mostly not interested in humans and always come to the rockbeds off the marina and grab a turtle. Crocs eat heaps of them and its makes you wonder how long the pressure of them hitting the local turtles will impact on numbers. Apart from keeping a keen eye on the water, the Cardwell beachfront has been a popular spot for anglers for many years and some good

fish are caught there as well. Sometimes juvenile threadies will get among the prawns and they become victims of the castnets as they are not a hardy species and they mesh easy. If you start catching threadies and the prawning is no good, give it away and conserve some of the threadfin stocks. It’s mainly visiting anglers that aren’t aware of what this species is and they use them for livies as well without realising that they have minimum legal size, which means you cant use them for bait.

My predictions for March remain inconclusive. There are so many variables that can occur during this period of the year. The closest forecast would be pretty much the same for February but possibly an improvement on the barra fishing front. • If you would like to book a charter or join our fishing community for some great fishing competitions etc, head on over to www. ryanmoodyfishing.com. And you could also win a free charter drawn twice a year.

Matty Sing with a great golden snapper from the main channel.

Everything is feeling fishy LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

It’s exciting times in the tropics as the wet season should have given us much needed rain. The more rain that falls in our catchments, the better the fishing will be this year and the years to come. The last few months have been very consistent, and all the species were playing the game. The best news I heard was about the big golden grunter along the

schools of large fish. There needs to be more hours in a day so we can get out and have some time on the water doing what we love! Let’s see what will be bending rods and getting served with chips in March up here at Lucinda, the southern gateway to Hinchinbrook Island. HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL I think I have written this for the last two months, but I must repeat the fishing in the channel will be influenced heavily with how much rain has fallen. The channel is fed by the mighty Herbert River,

Make sure you cast tight to structure if chasing jacks this month. sugar loader jetty. Reports were of some lucky anglers were getting amongst big 70

MARCH 2017

that when in flood pushes out huge amounts of freshwater. This in turn discolours the

water and can make fishing very tough. When this happens most people travel north up to Benjamin Flats and the Cardwell end of the channel, but if it is really flooding, it can be similar up there. If you have bad timing, I would suggest getting live bait and trying to find water that still seems to get influenced with the tides. If you can find bait, then concentrate fishing in those spots. Where there is bait, there will be predatory fish waiting in that area. If the conditions allow, then getting on the water and chasing barra and jacks in the creeks on lures can be awesome. All creeks have fish in Hinchinbrook, but some seem to have higher concentrations of them. Entering a creek with the tide running out, deploying the electric and flicking the various structures is a great fun. This method should see you getting into some action, but I must warn you it can also be very frustrating. Getting snagged is part of the game, if you’re not getting snagged, you are not casting close enough to structure, especially if you’re targeting mangrove jacks. You need to have your offering virtually slapping them in the face – they won’t say no if it hits

them on the head! Do yourself a favour and stock up on some weedless jigheads, and TT SnakelockZ are the best creation ever. Rig up a ZMan 3” MinnowZ or 4” SwimmerZ and cast it into the snag, slowly letting it drift down right into the strike zone. Getting plastic and fish out can prove difficult sometimes, so fast action rods and baitcasting gear is handy to stop fish quickly, but sometimes no matter what you do or use, they will still blow you away in their snaggy homes. Look for major structure that disrupts tidal movement, as this causes eddies and will attract baitfish and predators. JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF I haven’t been out into the magnificent blue waters for months now, and it is horrible. The problem is, even though I am not fishing, I still hear about every fish that gets captured! In the last few months, the fishing on the reef has been good. Trout have been filling eskies, which always makes a fishing trip worth it. People fishing hard reef edges that drop into around 25-30m seem to get consistent catches, so maybe that depth offers the right conditions for trout to hold and feed during the warmer months.

It’s great to have barra back on the target list. There have been a few wild storms brew up at night recently, and care must be taken if doing over nighters or night sessions. I have been caught in a few wild storms while chasing reds, and it isn’t real fun. Make sure you have all the things you may need. A quality anchor is a sound investment, as well as a working bilge pump. The highlight of fishing around the Palm islands is chasing the big longtail tuna around on a flat ocean. This is so much fun if you can get a cast at them. They can be the most frustrating fish some days, and you can burn a lot of fuel and still not get a crack at them when they are fickle. Lobbing small metal slices or small plastics is the easiest method, and trying to match what they are feeding on will also push odds in your favour.

There have been lots of quality squid being caught around the Palm islands as well, so getting a good squid light hooked up and taking the family over for the night can be rewarding with a few kilos of squid rings for dinner. Don’t forget to send some over the side with a hook in them while you’re catching squid, as golden snapper and cobia love eating live or fresh squid. The jetty has been patchy, which is common at this time of year. There have still been good catches of golden snapper and the odd black jew, which is a welcome surprise when chasing golden snapper. Black jew seem to be very rare these days, which is a shame, as I hear so many awesome stories about how well Lucinda used to fish for black jewfish.

Grab your chances when they come your way CAIRNS

Garry Smith garrysmith@fishingmonthly.com.au

The key to fishing in the peak of the wet season is be prepared to take advantage of any spell of good weather. They can be few and far between some years and other years they are bountiful. Irrespective, grab them when they arise. The reef has been fishing quite well for this time of year, though there have been reports of large numbers of under sized coral trout, mixed with a few good fish. Generally speaking, if the sea surface temperature is over 30°C, concentrate your efforts in the 40m+ depths. There will be the odd occasion when fish will move up to shallow waters at higher water temperatures. Largemouth nannygai will mostly be in the ideal eating range of 3-4kg, with the odd trophy fish thrown in for bragging rights. Other than these two species, most catches will be a pretty mixed bag, with the odd red emperor, reef red bream, Moses perch, spangled emperor, long-nosed emperor, stripy and cod thrown in. Spanish mackerel will still be around in small numbers, along with plenty of trevally. Trolling live baits, swimming baits and lures covering a variety of depths will see you with a good chance of bringing home the odd quality eating Spaniard in the 6-10kg range.

With the weather so unpredictable in March, most anglers will hang closer to shore. The inshore islands, reefs, wrecks and rocks are all worth a look for golden snapper, large mouth nannygai, cobia, Spanish and doggy mackerel. Live baits are by far the most productive but soft plastics, soft vibes and metal jigs will all work to produce the goods. If there is a good show of fish and/or bait on the sounder, jigging is often the best way to start the session. If things look pretty quiet on the sounder then live baiting is the way to go. Prawns should be on the move in the estuaries and along the beaches and with them will come a wide array of predators. Salmon, both king and blue, should be around the northern beaches, especially if there are schools of mullet around as well. The flats out in front of the Cairns esplanade will be well worth a look for grunter, especially on the monster morning high tides and in the lead up to the full moon. The big morning high tides on the lead up to the new moon, will be another great time to work the flats in search of grunter. The last half of the run-in and the first of the falling tide is the best time, with peeled prawns and strip baits of mullet, sardines, mud herring, gar, squid or cuttlefish all productive at times. Small live baits of prawns, sardines, mud herring and mullet will often account for the larger

good place to concentrate on, is anywhere the water-flow is impeded by structure. Below any drain, small bridge, weir or road culvert are spots where barra will sit in ambush and are ideal places to focus your casting as floodwaters recede. Mangrove jack will also be on the prowl and are often found in the same location as barra, although they don’t tend to congregate at small freshwater outlets as much as barra. Jacks prefer heavier cover so tidal drain mouths with plenty of rock or snags

There will be the odd trophy largemouth nannygai thrown in for bragging rights, like this brace caught by Beau Lockhard off Cairns. grunter. Another productive big grunter bait is butterflied sardines or mud herring. Fillet the bait from the tail to the head on one side and remove the knife. Fold the fillet forward over the head and thread the bait on a long shank 2/0 or 3/0 hook from the tail to the head. The last time through with the hook should pin the fillet lying forward over the head of the bait. Very small mullet,

under 10cms, also work well presented this way. Barra will be the main target for the lure tossers, with the afternoon low tide, around the full and new moons, the best times to chase them (unless there has been a lot of rain). If the streams are running red, focus your efforts around the small gutters, drains and creeks where they flow into the main stream. Another

Jungle perch, sooty grunter, barra and mangrove jack can all be encountered in these locations. Golden snapper should be prowling the headlands, inshore reefs and islands. Live prawns, sardines, mud herring and mullet fished on a dropper rig, is a highly successful technique. Trolling lures that can get to the bottom are also productive at times, along with jigging jerk shads and soft vibes. Paddle-tail soft plastics also work well in shallower water. The key is to

When the good trout come along they can be absolute monsters, like this stonker caught and released by Tom Smith. are a more productive location. Freshwater streams are a good place to fish as you walk the banks in the shade of the rainforest on a hot afternoon. They are particularly productive as the water starts to clear after heavy rain. Please be careful, as estuarine crocs have been pushing further upstream in recent years.

work around heavy structure and keep the lure close to the structure for as long as possible. Don’t forget the crab pots when there is plenty of fresh in the tidal streams. It will get the crabs moving and there is nothing like a feed of crab sandwiches, with salt, pepper and avocado for lunch.

Quality over quantity is the go on the reef now PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer

In the Far North we are experiencing what many would term a typical wet season. There’s been ample rain for a month or so but importantly it hasn’t been over the top to the extent of causing extended flooding. This has meant that the fishing overall has remained in a stable condition. The big winners with the rain we’ve seen so far have been the rivers and estuaries that have been receiving a constant flush pushing new forms of food and life along the coastline. In between the rains, when the dust has settled, we have been left with idyllic coastal conditions teeming with fish life. With big tides around the moons a lot of water is coming and going. In the upper reaches at small run-off creeks, artificial causeways and ponds, the barra and jacks have been lying in wait for

Damon Gruzdev shows the spoils of healthy rains experienced in the tropics. food to be delivered to them. Working these bottleneck waters with lures or a live bait under a float has worked a treat. As you move further down the systems there are tarpon working the deeper holes and a steady flow of mid-sized trevally, especially on the rising tide. Ultimately, all things

lead to the beaches and ocean and this is where the red-hot action has been. At the bottom of the food chain there has been an abundance of jelly prawns, mullet, sardines, garfish and prawns hugging the foreshore. This has been the perfect recipe to attract the likes of trevally, queenfish,

tarpon, dart and permit, which can be seen working the surface. Underneath, barra, salmon and flathead are leaving behind big swirls on the surface after having vacuumed down a tasty meal. Across the horizon you can see big bow waves breaking the waters, which are either big golden trevally or sharks. Also cashing in have been pods of dolphins rounding up the mullet schools and when conditions have been absolutely right, massive mantarays have come in close feeding on the jelly prawns. It is an amazing sight when it all comes together. With a moderate wet season predicted we should be in for a solid run on the fish for some time to come. OFFSHORE The reef fishing has probably been sitting at its low point for the year but there have still been some really good catches for the table. There is not one particular species dominating proceedings, but rather a real mixed bag of fish. As often occurs at this time of year, the fishing

Jimmy Astill with a plump sized strawberry coral trout. It’s about quality over quantity on the reef. is more about quality than quantity. Coral trout, small and largemouth nannygai, cobia, gold-spot trevally, reef jack, stripies, moses perch and red emperor have all had a part to play and the esky at the end of the day is an array of different colours. There has been the need to shift around a bit more to get the numbers but it has been made up for with the size of some of these fish. Spanish mackerel have been a bit sparse of late

but there’s been pockets of schools working deep pinnacles out in the open paddocks and trolling methods have worked best covering the ground till they are found. Overall the tide changes have paid dividends and a day on the reef is still well worth the effort. For the next month or so we’ll be monitoring the amount of rain we receive and fingers crossed it is not too much or too little. To date it has been right on the money. MARCH 2017

The Cooktown reefs have the goods right now COOKTOWN

Paul Prokopuk

As we edge into autumn we begin to feel the gradual change in the Cooktown region. With luck the humidity levels will start to decline and the cooler days will be a reprieve from the hot and steamy summer.

March marks the inverse relationship between the temperature and wind. The endless days of winds under 10knots are sadly over and as the temperature drops, we must patiently wait for the ideal conditions to return. By the end of March or start of April, our healthy wet season usually begins to dissipate, however it has

been known to hang around a little longer at times. The change in season will bring the first of the tourists. These aren’t your normal visitors that roll in to see the sights. These visitors are serious barramundi anglers with a convoy of vehicles, boats and boat trailers that are well equipped for the off-roading that lies ahead

Tim Kreis caught this largemouth nannygai out on the reef.

Jimmy Mann was very pleased to land this Spanish mackerel out wide.

SEASON

IS HERE!

Every Saturday 4.30pm on 72

MARCH 2017

of them. These specialised fishing men and women are clearly focused on being the first ones cutting and winching their way into certain locations to catch the big run-off barra. Most of these adventurers head straight up the Peninsula Development road to locations like Weipa, Old Mapoon or the Northern Peninsula area, only to disperse into the bush as not many communities or National Parks will have authorised access on their roads at this early stage after the wet. Even with wind speeds on the rise, the Cooktown region’s fishing highlights have been out on the reef. The calmer days have given boats both big and small an opportunity to head out and capitalise on our beautiful reef systems. The usual catches of coral trout, largemouth nannygai and Spanish mackerel have been dominating the eskies. Anglers sticking closer to the coastline have been hooking onto some nice finger mark by fishing a rubbly bottom with a little structure – a haven for these top quality table fish. A lot of locals made it out to the Ribbons or to the untouched ground up north during the perfect weather windows and have had great success catching fish that look like they come straight out of Jurassic Park. Finding the rubble in 40m+ has seen some nice runs of red and spangled emperor with the pleasant by-catch of goldband snapper. Cobia also have been showing up on the end of our lines this month but targeting methods have been unpredictable. Sometimes they have been hooked on the drop, sight-casted from the boat or snagged while trolling shallow divers chasing mackerel. Regardless of how they have been caught, they have been a happy addition to the esky. Big downpours mean the estuaries in the Cooktown region have been pumping out lots of freshwater. This gives the barra that were trapped in freshwater holes and lagoons the opportunity to make their way down their

The author with a goldband snapper. way down to the estuaries thanks to the floods showing them the way. These dirty water estuaries will fish best around the first few kilometres of the mouth or out around the headlands near the river mouths. For example, in the Endeavour River at Cooktown’s wharf, you will find the underdevelopment seawall and snags up as far as Marton including the Stonewall. These are all producing some nice barra. On the turn of the low, some nice

queenfish action can be had in the shallows around the mouth of the Annan. The large tides and plenty of run have seen lots of grunter scoffing up humble dead baits such as pilchards and prawns. It would be crazy not to throw a few crab pots in at this time of year too. Plenty of muddies are out and about with regular reports of people reaching their bag limit of bucks while running their pots over a couple of days.

The author with a golden snapper.

OUTDOOR & FISHING SHOW

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Perfect time to explore the creeks and rivers CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

March is usually a great month to be in Cape York. Devoid of crowds and with the barra season well and truly open, wet roads and raging rivers will be the only thing stopping anglers getting amongst them.

the supposed ‘higher than normal cyclone activity’ (which has so far seen zero cyclones in the Gulf or Coral Sea) then March might be on the cards for early dry season access. The fishing can be spectacular for most estuary species as weather conditions begin to level out and the southeasterly trade wind patterns emerge.

A great coral trout taken jigging the outer reef. History tells us that the Cape York Peninsula Development Road and others leading into Lakefield National Park may still be closed throughout March so it is a lottery. Unless something changes in

The smaller barramundi, spawned in the past couple of wet seasons will be busy putting on weight down in the lower reaches picking off sardines, prawns and anything they can fit in their bucket mouths.

Fishing the afternoon high tides, particularly around the mangroves at the mouth of most creeks and shallow bays, will be very productive. Try and time your trip around the change of tide. You’ll find the first hour or so of tide rushing out is one of the most productive times. Many of the mangrove creeks will be pushing out extra fresh water this time of year, acting as huge drains back into the main system. These spots can be dynamite with poppers and shallow divers. Fish them long and slowly twitched across the draining current. If you find barra holding in a particular spot out in the open, concentrate your casts on that spot over and over, as bringing more fish onto the bite is a distinct possibility with barra. When a fish comes from a certain indentation in the bank, concentrate on that spot for at least a few more casts. If no more strikes come from this, wait a few minutes and try again. March is a month where those willing to fish likely spots over and over and at various stages of the tide will be rewarded with good numbers of fish. Moving upstream and into the upper reaches of many west coast river systems, larger fish will be

on offer around deeper snag piles, rockbars and wetland drains. Fishing larger, brightly coloured divers, vibes and soft plastics will account for some of the bigger barra caught each year. At times in March there can be a large weed-release from the freshwater reaches of the bigger rivers. This can halt the barra fishing altogether on occasion. If this happens, hang your lures up and move back downstream into tidal influence. Shallow snag piles and mangrove roots will also fish well at this time of year, with baitfish and prawns congregating in these areas as the tide recedes. Slowly twitched shallow divers and snagless plastics will get the small barra fired up and you never know when a 70-80cm model might show up and cause mayhem. Jacks, golden snapper and threadfin salmon will also feed in the same areas, making a very rewarding mixed bag when the stars align. By-catch of brassy trevally, queenfish, bream, cod and catfish will all feed in only a few feet of water as the tide moves off the bank. March is a great month to fish and explore the creeks and rivers of Cape York. Everything is alive and green and waterholes are full

The trout will fire up at dawn. of wildlife. The temperature and fishing can be equally hot and the roads soft. Be safe, take plenty of drinking water and be croc wise when fishing isolated waterholes.

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

Barra is on the menu in March WEIPA

Mark Bargenquast

The wet season is well and truly in full swing and with the barra season open, it’s game on! The big influx of freshwater has really got the prawns moving and following close behind are the barras and threadies. The Mission and Pine rivers are really firing well with the bottom of the run out the best time as usual. The high tide has been producing some hot action along the mangrove edges as well.

Shallow diving hardbodies like the new Daiwa TD Minnow, gold bombers and even ultra light rigged prawn plastics are the lures of choice. The best water depth is often under 600mm, so fish slow and light. Be prepared for explosive bites and the odd rogue queenfish in the same locations. Grunter have been showing in reasonable numbers with Gongbung Point throwing up consistent catches for land-based anglers. Prawns and fresh mullet fillets are a good bait. A few sharks are hanging about as well and every year

they seem to be increasing – so much for them being on the decline. Close offshore the shallow reefs have been good with grunter, cod, golden snapper and sweetlip in numbers (and sharks) and

Spaniards are harassing bait schools around the beacons and a metal jig dropped under the bait and burned back to the surface has been getting the bites. Poppers have been getting a few explosive strikes as

Plenty of barra are around with the fresh run-off.

COOKTOWN’S

River of Gold Motel

Plenty of GTs are hanging around the bait balls.

Ashleigh Willis with a cracker of a giant herring caught while hunting golden snapper.

prawns are the gun bait at present possibly due to the influx of prawns flushed out of the estuary system. Some big black jew are about as well. A mate of mine landed a 121cm fish while I got dusted by five – not very fair! Further offshore, longtail tuna, big queenies, grey mackerel and

well from queenies and the odd GT. Another bonus from the fresh is a few logs floating offshore that can attract nice fish. Baitfish hang around these objects and anything from tripletail to tuna can be around them. Hopefully we’ll get a bit more rain and the jelly prawns will be in full swing by the dry.

• Bar • Restaurant • Off-street parking • Plenty of room for boats and trailers

• Fisherman friendly • Freezing facilities

PHONE:

(07) 4069

5222

EMAIL: info@riverofgoldmotel.com.au WEB: www.riverofgoldmotel.com.au

MARCH 2017

Hit the road for jacks and please come back FRESHWATER

Angus James Instagram: @jimmygusjames

It’s a very exciting time of the year up here in tropical Queensland! With the iconic barramundi back on the target list, it’s a great time to plan a few trips and create some exciting new adventures!

Finding barra in the sweet water systems is always extremely entertaining. When working the faster flowing streams, keep a look out for little back eddies, as often barra will be hanging back in the slack water to preserve energy. They will wait for the food to get brought to them. Concentrate your artificial presentations around these likely looking

areas and you will eventually hook onto some chrome! Using little paddle-tail soft plastics works extremely well and will get the results you are looking for! Another iconic chrome species that loves the fast flowing water is the jungle perch! It’s amazing how much a system can come back to life after a good rain. Jungle perch are so much fun

Jungle perch can be a lot of fun on light gear.

Jacks are hard fighting fish. You need to be on your game to get them out.

to catch on light gear. Being an aggressive surface feeder, these fish love smacking your topwater presentations. Always aim to walk upstream when targeting JPs. Not only will this mask your presence, it will allow you to work your lures as naturally as possible, allowing you to get as much action as possible in the session. These fish are remarkable in every way from their appearance to the places they take you when hunting them.

The humid stormy afternoons have been a great time to go for a walk and target a few mangrove jack. They love this weather and will strike at anything that lands in their strike zone! These little sweet water beasts are by far my favourite fish to target this time of year. Even the little fellas fight hard! There is nothing quite like that first strike from a jack. As soon as they hit your lure they are heading back to hard structure. You need

to be on your game to get them out. A nice tight drag and some fancy rod work are always important when being entertained by these little red devils. Using a weedless soft plastic is by far the best option to get a few on the board. Being able to get your presentation deep in their domain gets the action! I wish everyone the best of luck out there. Have a great time enjoying some of the magical places this country has to offer!

The humid afternoon storms are good times to target mangrove jack.

Jungle perch are too valuable to not release. Photo courtesy of Bob Thornton.

MARCH 2017

Northern Junior

Mission Bridge not such a mission to fish at night WEIPA

Jackson Bargenquast

Night time is when many predatory species of fish such as barra and salmon become much more active. While fish might hug the structure and ignore lures and baits during the day, once darkness falls they will begin to become active. Certain tactics that during the day seem to be quite useless often prove very effective by night. Knowing your tides and barometer can also help when chasing species such as barra and black jewfish. The mighty Mission River is the biggest of all

and is around 1km in length. It is held up by dozens of sets of concrete pylons and is one of the best fishing destinations in the area. Actually fishing off the Mission Bridge is illegal, for safety purposes. Under that bridge there are some of the biggest concentrations of bull sharks, groupers and massive 15ft+ crocodiles, so it really isn’t a place to fall in. This bridge is where my mates and I often go night fishing whether in a tinny fishing under the bridge or simply flicking lures off the bank beside it. While many species can be caught here during the day, such as smaller queenfish,

The main channel is around 50ft deep and this is where the current roars far too strong to fish during the running tides. It’s only possible on a slack to accurately drift a lure or bait into position. The rest of the river is only around 6ft deep. The massive bright lamps that line the structure are as good as the pylons themselves at attracting fish. Small baitfish such as hardiheads, mullet and prawns swarm around the lights and therefore schools of large blue salmon and queenfish, with the odd tarpon thrown in, race to the surface and smash balls of bait. These species can be easily caught using small metals, plastics

Jayden Douma with a little queeny. These can be found in great numbers around the pylons.

The author with a late afternoon barra from under the Mission Bridge. of the tributaries that drain into Albatross Bay. Near the mouth of this great river there is a large artificial bridge, the Mission Bridge, which is crossed when heading north from Weipa. This bridge is the largest one lane bridge in Australia

golden trevally and bream, night time is when it really kicks off. During hours of darkness, barra, threadies, trevally, black jewies, golden snapper, mangrove jack and many more aggressive predatory species begin to feed.

or the favourite lure for local anglers – vibes. My favourite lure for fishing around the bridge would have to be soft vibes. The salmon and queenies can be easily sight-fished, as they hang just under the surface in sometimes ridiculous

Times of low light are the best to fish the bridge as Chris found out with this impressive queenfish taken on light gear.

numbers waiting for a feed. The tarpon tend to hang a little deeper in the water column. To catch one you must sink your lure down near the bottom and work it back up. For barra and threadies, while the odd rat will hang on the surface amongst the salmon and queenies, most of them will be down near the bottom and hanging off the pylons a little. Again, don’t attempt to catch them without the correct gear, because they will dust you off real quick here. Vibes or heavy plastics seem to be the most effective methods for

chasing these fish. On the bottom itself, black jewfish are waiting amongst the pylons, but don’t even try to catch one unless you have at least 50lb braid on a heavy combo, because these fish are only inches away from freedom and sometimes before you have even realized you have a bite they are already buried into the oyster covered maze. If you are lucky you might pick up a little golden snapper when fishing the bottom. While the bridge can and does hold black jewfish well over a metre, most of the golden snapper

you will catch will barely exceed 45cm. Most barra up here are encountered around 50-70cm and although there are definitely larger ones around, for every big barra you land, you will most likely land a dozen rats beforehand. The threadies up here are of a similar size. Remember to limit your kill with species such as barra, especially in a river system where their numbers don’t replenish easily. Darkness is the key to fishing the mighty Mission River Bridge and vibes are a key lure. Good luck and always think like a fish.

Jared Clark with a decent early morning threadfin. MARCH 2017

Bring on the big beasts TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

Already we can see and feel the days getting shorter. As a fisher I enjoy this time of year as you can start to have a bit of a sleep in and still manage to get on the water at first light. The shorter days can work in our favour. Many freshwater fish prefer to feed during daylight hours and the

best lure fishing experienced is usually around this time. Shorter days mean the feeding window is smaller, so you will be likely to experience some hot action. A hardcore session at this time of year will see you fishing from daylight to dark without burning yourself out. While a lot of fish feed during the day, don’t rule out a night time session for barramundi and Murray cod. These fish are quite happy to dine after the lights go out.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Plenty of smaller bass have been willing to play at Cressbrook. The bigger fish seem harder to find with only a few falling to cast and trolled lures when fishing the schools. Better quality fish may be found out in the deeper water of the main basin. Around the

edges of the lake, smaller bass will be found in schools in 4-8m of water. These fish are suckers for blade baits and trolled hardbodies. When fishing the blades, cast them over the fish and sink them all the way to the bottom before hopping them back. Each hop should lift the lure 30cm to 1m off the bottom. Smaller blades around 1/4oz are best suited

DAM LEVELS

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DAMS Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen Boondooma Borumba Burdekin Falls Callide Cania Clarendon Cooby Coolmunda

DEC JAN FEB 5 5 5 80 84 78 32 27 23 38 78 33 77 72 72 82 95 101 71 68 65 80 76 74 10 9 8 59 57 53 92 81 75

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Toowoomba

BRISBANE

IMPOUNDMENT DAM

thermocline. Crank up your sensitivity or gain on your sounder until you start to see clutter on the screen. This clutter will be made up of algae growth and smaller fish, which will suspend around a particular depth. The thermocline will indicate a temperature change and a change in saturated oxygen levels. Bigger fish will be seen holding around this portion of water and lures should be chosen to reach the area in which they are residing. Trollers will need a selection of lures capable of diving from 7-10m. To achieve these depths, opt for lighter braided lines under 8lb. The thin line will cut through the water with less

58 53 47 71 71 70 7 7 7 97 100 101 42 43 44 70 68 64 95 95 94 80 105 100 76 93 94 41 58 65 28 16 15 72 61 55

Gold Coast

24 1 Tinaroo Falls Dam 2 Peter Faust Dam 3 Burdekin Falls Dam 4 Eungella Dam 5 Teemburra Dam 6 Kinchant Dam 7 Cania Dam 8 Lake Monduran 9 Isis Balancing Storage 10 Wuruma Dam 11 Lenthalls Dam 12 Boondooma Dam 13 Bjelke-Petersen Dam 14 Lake MacDonald 15 Gordonbrook Dam 16 Borumba Dam 17 Somerset Dam 18 Wivenhoe Dam 19 Pindari Dam 20 Copeton Dam 21 Moogerah Dam 22 Maroon Dam 23 Leslie Dam 24 Connolly Dam 25 Coolmunda Dam 26 Clarrie Hall Dam (NSW) 27 Hinze Dam 28 Lake Cressbrook 29 Callide Dam 30 Lake Awoonga 31 Lake Samsonvale 32 Fairbairn Dam 33 Koombooloomba Dam 34 Cooby Dam

to this style of presentation. Hardbodies can be trolled and should be selected on their diving depth. Choose a lure that swims close to the bottom in the depth you are fishing. If the lure is swimming too deep, just shorten the amount of line you have out until it stops hitting the bottom. Out in the deeper part of the lake in over 10m of water, schooling bass will be harder to find. Spread out concentrations of quality bass will be lurking around the

Copeton Cressbrook Dyer/Bill Gunn Eungella Fairbairn Glenlyon Hinze Julius Kinchant Koombooloomba Leslie Macdonald

Cairns 1

Townsville 2

3 4

Proserpine 6 Mackay

Rockhampton

Emerald

29 7

Highlighted dams are covered in this issue

Gladstone

30 8

Bundaberg 9

Roma

resistance than thicker fishing lines. An alternative, and almost a lost art, is to use a downrigger. A lure can be placed at any depth when winding it down attached to the lead ball on these devices. When a fish hits, it will pull the line free of the lead weight’s release clip and you can fight the fish as per normal. Downriggers offer the ability to place any lure at the chosen depth and keep it there. Lures like spoons, tail spinners, blades and lipless crankbaits are just some of the alternate offerings you could use. Most anglers just stick to shallow or medium diving crankbaits. These are fished 5-10m behind the lead weight

BRISBANE

and the depth they dive taken into the equation when winding the downrigger ball into position. A change I have made to my downriggers is to replace the wire they come with to a braided fishing line of 250lb breaking strain. This eliminates a lot of the humming noise associated with them. The wire hummed like a vibrating guitar string and this sound could even be amplified by an aluminium boat. For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports on Cressbrook and the surrounding dams, go to the specialist tackle shop. In Toowoomba, Fish’n’Bits in Alderly Street have a

Dam............................ % Full           

Maroon Monduran/Fred Haigh Moogerah North Pine/Samsonvale Peter Faust/Proserpine Pindari Somerset Teemburra Tinaroo Toonumbar Wivenhoe Wuruma

99 99 98 90 88 84 89 87 85 58 56 53 57 59 59 99 97 86 77 76 75 90 99 101 34 38 44 94 89 83 74 72 71 84 81 81

For fortnightly updates on Sunwater dams visit www.sunwater.com.au This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams. All figures are % readings Current as of 15/02/17

(All levels correct at time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.) 76

MARCH 2017

Maryborough

w w w. b a r g a i n b o a t b i t s. c o m . a u

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Weipa

brought to you by

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A bit of moon certainly helps and allows the angler and fish to see well. Some lakes are closed to fishing overnight, but you will find most cod and barra impoundments don’t have these restrictions in place. All of our freshwater natives will be on the hit list this month. With cooler times ahead, make the most of what is on offer over the next couple of months before things start to slow down. Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel!

Casting spoons like this Hot Bite 20g Gang Banger is one of the easiest ways to catch bass at this time of year. This chunk was caught from Pelican Point at Somerset Dam.

Gympie

great range of lures and fishing gear. At Highfields you will find Highfields Bait and Tackle at the Coles Shopping Centre. Doug has a top range of freshwater gear and plenty of hand-crafted timber lures. Support these tackle stores, because they will be able to direct you to where the fish are biting and offer invaluable advice. Just remember there is a speed limit of 8 knots and a restricted area at Cressbrook Dam. Check out the signage to ensure you stay out of trouble and abide by the rules. The gate hours for the boat ramps and day use area will be extended this month to 6am until 8pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Some exceptional catches have taken place in Somerset Dam over the past month. With many double figure tallies of bass, one could easily be tempted to hit the lake for a hot session. Things change quickly from one day to the next. Somerset bass can turn on the action one day and be almost impossible to fool the next. Keep this in mind, as you may need to remain

open-minded and prepared to mix things up if you want to catch fish. Between casting and trolling, you can nearly guarantee some good action. Pelican Point and the flats north of Kirkleigh are the best spots to chase bass. Use these areas as starting locations and fan your search out from there concentrating on the flats out in the middle of the dam in around 7-10m of water. A good sounder is the most important asset when fishing for bass in the open areas. A GPS can make the job of locating them much easier. Some newer sounders have the ability to create their own underwater maps. In the case of Lowrance and Simrad you can even download a full map of the underwater contours through their Insight Genesis. If you are unfamiliar with a lake’s underwater topography, this knowledge is invaluable. Even after 20 years of fishing the lake and remembering the layout, I find it very useful for the finer details. Once schooling bass have been found, tail-spinners and spoons have been the most likely presentations to fool them. For all the techniques on using these lures, jump on YouTube and search “Hot

DARLING DOWNS GRANITE BELT REGION COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA The water level has fallen at Cooby to reveal the tops of the weed beds. This will give boating and kayaking anglers a better understanding of the weed

beds and how far they extend into the lake. There are still some hidden weed formations, so a sounder is the ultimate way to follow the weed contours. This drop in level will have forced fish to the outer edge of the weed. Here they will be more concentrated and

Murray cod should still be lurking around the timber in Coolmunda. Big spinnerbaits are the way to tempt them.

Bite Tail Spinner” or “Hot Bite Spoon.” Videos will show how to work these lures through the fish to get the desired response. At times the bass will be hard to fool and moving away can allow them to get back into their normal groove of doing what bass do. A boat sitting on top of the fish can see them swarm to the boat and school up below it where they are very hard to entice. When you return to the area, keep your distance and use long casts to reach the fish before they react to the boat’s presence. Trolling is another way to keep the fish more active. At speeds over 2.5km/h, the bass don’t follow the boat. The faster the troll, the more active the bass should remain. Hardbody lure trolling allows the boat to travel up to 5km/h and this will have the lures darting through the schooling fish before they even have a chance to chase after the boat. Keeping on the move when trolling after catching a fish will see the bite continue. It’s not just a simple matter of flicking out a lure and hoping for the best to troll Somerset Dam effectively. Deep lures are the key. Being

able to drag your lure at 10m+ is often critical to getting bite. Bigger lures can achieve these depths but more bites will come on smaller profile offerings. If using the Aussie made timber lures, look for ones with bigger bibs and depth capabilities of 7 or 8m. With the use of lighter braid, you can gain a few extra metres out of them. Some of the lures to keep an eye out for are the JDK Rippa, Little Rippa, Blitz Baga and 50mm Poltergeist

Crazy Deep. There are also plenty of Japanese lures built for casting, which have huge bibs and can reach these depths on the troll. For the latest reports, check out Somerset Fishing Tackle online and on Facebook. The store has now closed in Kilcoy and moved to the dam. The trailer can be located in the day use area at Kirkleigh. The opening days could change to include more weekdays, but you can expect them to be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday

each week. Somerset Tackle has a great range of lures and gear suited to fishing the dam. They also have the knowledge and skills to help steer you in the right direction. Call in and see them or consider doing a phone or internet purchase, as they mail order fishing gear all over the place. For some of the most competitive prices around, visit the website www. somersetfishing.com.au.

chances of catching should therefore improve. Trolling small diving lures that reach 4-5m will put you right on the edge of the weed where it meets the bottom. Black lures are my personal favourite with the Poltergeist 3m blood nut and StumpJumper number 3 in black and white the best. Quite a few local lure makers produce similarly sized lures, so be sure to check out what is available. When trolling, run the lure just above the bottom or just clear of the weed edge. The water in the lake is very clear, so fish as tight as possible to the weed. The fish will use this for cover and shade during the day. Late in the afternoon, the action can improve as the fish venture out of the weed and hunt more. Murray cod have been very common this year with plenty of small fish mixed in with the golden perch captures. If these fish are undersized, they must be returned to the water quickly and in good health. The fact there are so many smaller models being caught is a good sign for the future. We need to do the right thing to ensure they survive and keep growing. Bait fishers will find the better action close to the weed edge late in the day or early in the morning when the fish are moving about. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies are the best baits. From the shore, head to the rock wall. The deeper water here will give you a good

chance of boating golden perch, eel-tailed catfish and possibly a small cod. Cooby D a m ’s proximity to Highfields and Toowoomba make it a very popular fishery. If you are looking for somewhere close to home to drop the boat or kayak in, Cooby is definitely worth a visit. The dam hours are now 6am until 8pm, which is perfect to fish into the dark for a late arvo cod. Just remember, no outboard motors are allowed to be used on the dam. The concrete boat ramp is on a shallow angle when the dam is full and can be slippery. A big electric powered boat can still be launched with care. Outboard motors can be left on the boat, but must not be used. Tackle, lures and saltwater yabbies can be purchased from the tackle shop in Highfields. Call in and see Doug and check out the great range of fishing gear, kayaks and accessories he has on display. LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK Leslie still remains one of the best lakes to fish for a mix of golden perch and Murray cod. A lot of the fish have been smaller this year. They are in good numbers and the occasional bigger model has been mixed in. Lure trollers have found the better quality fish up the back of the lake in the run past the Black Boys. With the golden perch, there have been quite a few smaller cod up to 60cm mixed in. Lures that dive 4-6m are ideal.

Lure casters have managed to catch fish all over the lake. The fish are coming from shallower water with a good depth being around 4m. Even from this depth, fish can be taken by flicking lures up into shallower areas. Lipless crankbaits are popular and soft versions like the Jackall Mask Vibe often excel. Another top offering has been the smaller blade baits. The ZX40 has been the pick of these and has fooled plenty of golden perch and even a few cod when hopped along the bottom around structure. Along with getting a fishing report, stock up on all your gear while at Warwick Outdoor and Sports at 115 Palmerin Street Warwick. For a small store, it carries a great range at a very competitive price. Warwick is only a ten minute drive from the dam and you can pick up any supplies you might need. COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWN: INGLEWOOD The Murray cod fishing was great last month and the lake is still producing these fish on a regular basis. The action slowed last month and this could be put down to the extra fishing pressure. The timbered arms have produced most of the cod. The key depth to target is 2-3m deep. Spinnerbaits have caught nearly all of the fish when cast around the trees and there are plenty of trees to cast at. Some of the better fishing comes from what cannot be seen.

A side imaging sounder will reveal sunken logs and branches, which the cod call home. The occasional fish may come from vertically standing timber as well. To consistently catch, you will need to find the laydowns. Even this hidden timber can cop a fair flogging. If it fails, the next option is to head to the creeks running out of the timber into the lake’s basin. These creek beds have old undercut tree stumps lining their banks. Again, you will need the sounder to pinpoint this structure. Being out in the open, this structure is much harder to fish with few reference points to hold position. The easiest way is to troll diving lures along the edges of it. The most effective way is to position the boat a cast away and roll a spinnerbait through it. The Coolmunda Caravan Park is only a kilometre away from the lake. The park is just off the Cunningham Highway but far enough away from the noise of trucks to get a good night’s sleep. It offers camping sites, cabins, caravan facilities, tennis courts, a swimming pool, BBQ shelter and a camp kitchen. The park now has an extra two new wheelchair friendly cabins to add to their older ones. Camping is also available near the boat ramp with toilets and hot showers to make your stay more comfortable. To take advantage of this and the great fishing opportunities in the lake and the river below, give the park a call on (07) 4652 4171.

The open water flats near the old riverbed are prime fish holding areas in Somerset Dam. Having a sounder with a map of the lake is invaluable. You can see the fish on the right of the screen and the boat position on the left.

MARCH 2017

SUNSHINE COAST REGION MACDONALD CLOSEST TOWNS: TEWANTIN, NOOSA The lower water levels in MacDonald and hotter weather over the past few months have forced the fish into the deeper sections of the lake. Look for weed edges that drop away into these deeper areas and the action shouldn’t be too far away.

Mornings and afternoons will be the prime bite times. Reaction style lures should produce the best results. Small blade baits like the Evergreen Little Max 1/4oz will be ideal when hopped down the weed face or through any schooling bass in the open water. Earlier and later in the day, casting small hardbodies around the weed

WIDE BAY AND SOUTH BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY The lake has been fishing well for bass and golden perch. Lure trollers, bait fishers and casters are all getting into the action. With work being carried out at the dam wall the level won’t change too much, even if there is a significant amount of rain. Expect the fish to remain in the same areas. The fish are quite spread out with the lower water level. The hot conditions have heated the water and made the fish suspend at 5-10m deep

throughout the deeper parts of the lake. Most can be found from the dam wall down to the Junction. Lure trolling is the easiest way to get into them. Covering water is important and so is placing a lure right in front of the fish. Hardbodies like the Brolga, Smak 16 and Golden Child swim at the ideal depths for Boondooma fish. Slowing the troll down and towing a spinnerbait can also be effective. Small spinnerbaits will receive a lot more attention and downsized models like the Smako are ideal. The same lures can also be cast to the fish when they are located in

can tempt a few fish. Lures like the Jackall Chubby are perfect, but once the sun gets brighter, the fish will drop deeper into the water column. Here they can be extracted with the blades or even a lipless crankbait rolled deep and close to the weed edge. BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA Early morning is a great time to head to the back of the dam for some topwater better numbers. Lure casters have nailed quite a few bass on soft plastics. The standout lure has been the 3” curl-tailed Gulp. These grubs can be fished around the boat on 1/2oz jigheads or vertically when rigged lighter on 1/4 or even 1/8oz heads. A few bass and golden perch are still being caught up in the Stuart arm. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits are often used to fool these fish. Unpressured, they can also be caught on blades, spoons and tail-spinners. Bait fishers will whack the fish when using live shrimp. The trick will be to fish at the same depth the fish are suspending. A good sounder will reveal this depth and just how many fish are

Golden perch will still be fired up and hungry. They won’t hesitate when it comes to chasing a trolled lure.

toga and bass action. These fish are fond of lures like the Cultiva Tango Dancer, Lucky Craft Sammy 65 and Strada Dancer. The schooling bass have been hard at times. Look for them around the points in the main basin, Borumba flat and the start of the trees at the Junction. These bass will eat plastics and blade baits. I was told several weeks ago that tail-spinners saved the day, turning a fruitless trip into

a great one where the boys managed to boat heaps of bass and a healthy golden perch. Keep this in mind. One day it could be tail-spinners, the next soft vibes. The fact bass change their preferred feeding habits so often is part of the fun and challenge to catching them. Fishing really is a never-ending puzzle with changing pieces. Bait fishers will catch golden perch and bass from the main basin points and also

up in the timber. Live shrimps are a great bait and small crays have also accounted for fish. Take the time to get these baits and you will outperform frozen baits or worms. Davos at Noosaville has all the gear you’ll need to tackle the fish at Borumba and Lake MacDonald. The store caters well for fresh and saltwater anglers. They can be found in the Homemaker Centre on the corner of Mary and Thomas streets.

Matt Watson extracted several barra from the weed and lilies at Lenthalls Dam. A surface lure and walk-the-dog retrieve has been the best way to excite them. below the boat. The action can be hot when you find the right school so remember your bag limits. Boondooma is a great place to camp right near the water and sit by the fire while enjoying the view. You could also stay in more style and comfort by booking into one of the cabins overlooking the dam. The kiosk at the main office does hot food and other basic items including an excellent range of proven fishing tackle. For campsites, cabins and bunkhouse rooms, call (07) 4168 9694. BJELKE CLOSEST TOWNS: MURGON, GOOMERI Despite the low level, there is still plenty of water and lots of fish to be caught. If you haven’t visited the lake for a while, take it easy when navigating until

you find your way around. Lightening Ridge is just below the surface and has already claimed a few boaties. The islands are now just sticking out, so take it easy until you find where you can go fast and where it is too shallow. Bjelke is a shallower lake and therefore lures that work shallower will perform best. Trollers have had plenty of success catching bass and golden perch on spinnerbaits trolled behind the boat using the outboard. Hardbodies like the number 3 StumpJumper, 3m Poltergeist and Smak 12 are ideal for working the same water. Most of the action will be found in the lower half of the lake where the water is a bit deeper. Bait fishers will also do well in the bottom end of the lake. Live shrimp fished in

5m of water should produce a mixed bag of fish. If the action is slow, be prepared to move. When you are on fish, the bites should be coming fairly often. For help catching Bjelke and Boondooma fish, call into Bass 2 Barra. The store stocks an awesome range of gear suited to chasing our freshwater fish and the boys have all the knowledge to guide you on how to use it. You’ll find the stores at 119 Youngman Street Kingaroy. Matthew Mott also runs fishing charters on the dams and you can reach him through the store for bookings and enquiries on (07) 4162 7555. The Yallakool kiosk is all set up with a great range of tackle if you don’t happen to have the right lure or lose To page 79

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE Bullshooter

Buzzjet

Silent Killer 250

FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST

Grande The One

Dace 195

www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au 78

MARCH 2017

Gilling 125

Bunny Hog

Gulf Bug

Quaky Bug

Dogtooth Distribution

MACKAY REGION KINCHANT CLOSEST TOWNS: MACKAY, MIRANI The barra fishing has been a bit tough over the past month. A bloom of algae has coloured the water and the weed around the edges has died off a bit. This seems to have slowed the edge bite down. The fish are still in

there, so it may be just a matter of taking a different approach. If the edges are quiet this month, look to deeper water. Trolling in the basin will cover plenty of water. While on the move keep a close eye on your sounder looking for concentrations of barra. If they fail to respond to the

trolled lures, you can come back to the fish holding areas around the peak bite times. Early morning, dusk and around tide changes in the salt can see the barra fire up and feed. This would be the time to try hopping vibes or rolling soft plastics through them. If you are planning on fishing Kinchant, Teemburra or Eungella, be sure to call in and

Barra can still be caught casting lures in the lakes around Mackay. Try fishing surface presentations in the bays at Teemburra for some exciting action. From page 78

one. Be sure to call in and check it out. Give them a call for accommodation and camping bookings on (07) 4168 4746. LENTHALLS CLOSEST TOWN: MARYBOROUGH The barra have continued to please at Lenthalls. These smaller fish around 60cm have been plentiful on the weed beds and lilies in the

dam’s middle reaches. Several kayak anglers have been busy paddling and casting up these fish on topwater lures over the last month. Walking the dog is the common term given to the action imparted on these surface lures and seems to be the best way to entice Lenthalls smaller barra population. The bigger fish have been quiet with a few bigger fish encounters taking place on soft plastic frogs

worked on the surface over the weed beds. With the focus so much on the barra, little has been reported about the bass. I know when anglers chasing them have managed to find a good school they have caught plenty on lipless crankbaits and blade baits. If you are targeting the bass and haven’t found a school of fish, opt for the medium to steep tapering banks and work a spinnerbait

see Bruce and Ash at Nashy’s Compleat Angler on Harbour Road, North Mackay. Ash works in the store and also as a fishing guide on the lakes. Some firsthand information as to where they are biting always goes a long way. Nashy’s has a great range of tackle suited to the dams as well as all the other fishing options the Mackay area is blessed with. You can call the store for more information or to put some gear on hold on (07) 4957 2272. TEEMBURRA CLOSEST TOWNS: PINNACLE, MACKAY The barra have been willing to play provided you are prepared to look for them. Often the best way to target impoundment barra is to stake out a fishy looking spot and wait for them to swim past. This approach has been a bit slow and more fish seem to be coming when boats are moving around exploring water. Quietly sneaking around the edges of the lake on electric power has been the way to get the bites. The barra have been taking a range of offerings including surface lures, soft plastics and big lipless crankbaits like the Jackall Doozer. Spots that scream fish can be fruitless while less productive looking water often holds fish. As always, once one fish is found, give the area a following the contour and bouncing off any snags as you retrieve it back. Lenthalls Dam has boating restrictions in place. Only four-stroke or direct injection two-strokes (not carburetted) up to 60hp can be launched on the lake. A speed limit of 6 knots applies when on the move. The gates to the boat ramp and campgrounds are locked between 8pm and 6am each day.

thorough working over to see if it has some hungry mates. A secondary weed edge exists in some areas of the lake. This weed growth is in around 3m of water and is prime fish holding country. If you find healthy patches of this it is definitely worth putting in some time on it. PROSERPINE CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSERPINE, AIRLIE BEACH The lake has been fishing quite well through the warmer weather for barramundi. Trollers are still nailing fish around the basin of the lake and casters will do well if they can find numbers of fish. Sounding around in 6-7m of water has revealed some good shows of fish and this depth of water should continue to produce this coming month. When these fish are spotted, try casting

soft plastics and hard and soft vibes at them. The water up the back of the dam in the Proserpine River was still dirty and running last month. If it still has some run in it, it will also be worth a look and casting hardbodies and soft plastics should produce barra. In this area, the shallows and deeper trees along the old river course can hold good fish. For all your fishing supplies or a guided trip on the lake, call Lindsay or Dane at Barra World on (07) 4945 4641. The store has just ordered in heaps of new tackle and will stock a bigger range of gear from this month. Barra World is right on the highway in Proserpine and specializes in barra fishing tackle as well as catering to the needs of anglers fishing the nearby estuaries and offshore.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA DAM CLOSEST TOWNS: GLADSTONE, BENARABY Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge has a few productive secret spots up New Zealand Gully. The Gateway Lodge is on the way in to the dam after

turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air-conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own verandah. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033.

2 Dams

1de stination H

South Burnett

· Boondooma Dam · Bjelke-Petersen Dam ·

FISHING FILL-ITS

Curtains for carby 2-strokes In late 2015, Environment ministers endorsed the National Clean Air Agreement introducing emission standards for non-road spark ignition engines and equipment rated at 19kW and below. The Outboard Emissions Standards timetable has now been announced. The final bill will now be passed and regulations in place by August. Importers will then have up to nine months to plan for final shipments to arrive. “The final date for carby 2-stroke imports is 30 June 2018,” said Gary

Fooks, Chair of the Blue Sky Alliance. “Stockpiling will be actively discouraged. Importers and dealers will be able to sell non-compliant engines for 12 months after imports stop. After 1 July 2019, any carby outboards in stock at dealers or importers must be destroyed or re-exported.” Mr Fooks said that dealers who embrace the changes, and move buyers toward clean engines, will be better off. “Dealers will be tempted to stockpile old technology outboards but that’s a gamble which may not work out,” Fooks said.

“A handful of buyers may snap up the last 2-strokes but many more will invest in compliant engines with solid resale values and assured spare parts availability.” Very few exceptions will be made for non-compliant engines. “With a carby 8hp 2-stroke pushing out 59% more emissions per hour than a 150hp 4-stroke, exemptions were never viable,” Mr Fooks explained. “To be fair, the new emissions standards will also target mowers, generators, chainsaws and brushcutters – all below 25hp. Exemptions will be

granted only when no clean alternative is viable.” A review of evaporative standards has been pushed back two years. Evap standards in the USA require low permeation fuel lines and a carbon canister on the vent line. The Australian standards will be based on the USA EPA rules, but to make it easier for importers, outboards with certification in the USA, EU, Canadian and California (CARB) will pass. For more information visit www. e n v i r o n m e n t . g o v. a u / protection/air-quality. Marine Council

The BEST place in QLD to catch Australian Bass and Yellowbelly

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www.lakeboondooma.com.au www.yallakoolpark.com.au MARCH 2017

Get to Borumba this autumn BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Borumba Dam is a unique impoundment and, unsurprisingly, is a great favourite with many anglers. It’s quite close to the township of Imbil and has main catchments of Borumba, Yabba and Kingham creeks. It’s within

very easy reach of major population centres, and being set into a very impressive rainforest environment, it’s a fishery that offers a diversity of scenery virtually unheard of elsewhere in southern Queensland. Piscatorially, the big drawcards are southern saratoga, bass and golden perch, while delicious red claw crays are also worth some effort with the opera house pots and a

favourite bait. HISTORY ANYONE? Borumba Dam has undergone some major transformation, both in the size and scope of the impoundment, which was formed around 50 years ago, as well as changes to the habits of the fish within its tree studded waters. When I first fished Borumba Dam 25 years ago, the wall was much lower, and the main fish were

Weed and lily edges beckon the angler in many sections of Borumba Dam.

saratoga with the odd golden perch thrown in. There was a golden perch hatchery at the dam’s adjacent camping area, with terrific big toga and great goldens in glassed walled tanks – a big attraction. Progressive moves to stock pile even more water plus manage major rain events – as the water leaving this dam eventually joins the Mary River – saw the dam wall raised by 2.5m in 1997, and another 1.6m in 2009. CHANGES IN FISH HABITS I’d not fished for saratoga on fly prior to my first trips to Borumba, and the fishery was a fly angler’s dream. These fish were great surface feeders with dry flies of all persuasions working very well. A size 6 fly landing beside a bit of standing timber – especially if a couple of spars were in close proximity to one another – would see a swirl, an upwards bulge of water at the trunk and the fly disappear. In those days surface flies and lures were all the rage, and the fishing nothing short of sensational. Then things changed somewhat. Bass were introduced in big numbers

Southern saratoga are one of the great drawcards for Borumba anglers. This fish came to the author on fly gear. and soon featured in catch records. The dam wall was raised as mentioned, and even more countryside and timber was inundated. The saratoga and bass fishing remained much the same until a few years ago when bony bream magically appeared in immense

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Fly anglers enjoy the features of this dam, with the possibility of a big saratoga or bass always in the mind.

numbers in the upper arms and main basin. Bass grew fat and prospered, and the saratoga changed their diet from insignificant insects to big fat bony bream, which meant that while surface lures and flies might still be worth a try, a soft plastic or spinnerbait for the lure angler is now go-to gear. Bony bream imitations for the fly angler are usually first out of the fly box . CAMPING A BONUS A camping trip is part of the fun of a Borumba fishing trip at this time of year, and there’s the choice of staying at the Deer Park camping ground on Yabba Creek, which is within five minutes drive of the dam’s launching ramp where great camp sites are right by the water with caravans and cabins also available for use. Alternatively, setting up the tent or swag at the picturesque Borumba Dam camping area, adjoining the dam’s main outflow basin and within sight of the dam wall.

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MARCH 2017

It’s not all about bass and toga at Borumba – there’s plenty of golden perch as well!

Both campgrounds are ideal for families or really dedicated anglers alike, but the trend is for the anglers poised for a 5am launch to stay at the Borumba Dam camping area, while those more inclined to have a snooze past the alarm are usually at the Deer Park campgrounds. As the name suggests, there are tame deer there that will nibble gently on some fresh grass or special tucker provided by management.

basin and if the sounder marks schools of fish, the fun can start straight away. Schooled bass are nearly always obliging and a blade, ice jig, tail-spinner or other sinking lure. Fly anglers with their fast sink lines can ply their trade in the main basin, but beware of dropping a fly onto fish in any of the timbered arms, as the snags are merciless. A fly touching that bottom with its festoon of dead timber won’t be coming back up.

slowly until they find their way. FORESTS OF STANDING TIMBER One of the great things about fishing this impoundment is the vast amount of standing timber to attract fish and the angler. Some dead trees are on flats, other stands are in deeper water, and there’s even more along the banks. Whatever the style of fishing in mind, there will be something for all. From my experience, the

A toga in full flight. Jumping is just one of the standard tricks of these escape artists.

The two-lane ramp at Borumba allows for easy launch and retrieval of a boat. THE DAM AND THE FISHING The launching ramp at Borumba Dam seems to foster a love/hate arrangement with the boating community. Love is when the dam’s full or near full and the boat can be moved to the side fairly easily on manageable gravel while the car and trailer are moved away. Hate is when the dam is lower, the ramp’s slope becomes steep, and some large irregularly shaped and slippery rocks need to be negotiated in order to move

If the sounder screen is devoid of interest in the main basin, you can head up either Kingham or Yabba creeks for some exploration and fishing action with the standing timber, and respective creek channels, starting at the northwestern end of the main basin. Borumba Creek also adjoins the southwest corner of the main basin, and with it’s standing timber and neat drop-off edges along the submerged creek bed, there’s great habitat for all three main species. Whether the plan is to

Borumba bass are fat and have a lot to offer the sports-minded angler. the boat to one side and out of other people’s way. Jokes aside, it really is awkward in the latter circumstances, especially if launching solo. The steep slope seems to beckon the craft off the trailer into deep water and traversing those rocks is no joy. Once the boat’s underway, the angler is spoilt for choice for a fishing location. In autumn and winter, bass might be found schooling in the main

fish Borumba Creek or either Yabba or Kingham creeks, the clue is to take it easy on the throttle and try to stay within the old creek beds, as defined by tree lines with an easily noted gap between stands of dead timber, most times away from the dam’s edges. Boat travel in this dam is often accompanied by a few bumps from long drowned timber, so boaters not accustomed to the channels and more cleared areas are wise to proceed

three main species sought are found virtually anywhere there is timber nearby. It’s not really necessary to whizz right up to the top of Yabba or Kingham creeks to find a toga, bass or golden, but anglers like to seek out all prospective water, even if it does require more travel time. Bass seem to be found in much the same places as the saratoga with timber, overhanging bushes, lily and weed beds all beckoning the angler to have a cast. About the only difference in results seems to come from the manner in which the lure or maybe fly is taken. Bass usually hit harder than toga, which seem to sip gently at first before pulling like blazes and jumping as well once they realize that they are hooked. A big bass these days from Borumba will be anywhere between 47-50cm and possibly bigger, while the toga are virtually off the scale, with metre long fish escaping from bite offs, jumps or other mischief that’s commonly reported. Toga have teeth and they are quite willing to bite-off an offering that’s inside that hard mouth. Here’s a hint. If you think the toga will be pushovers on 5kg tippet material, think again. There are some very big saratoga in Borumba Dam these days thanks to the steady diet of fish flesh in lieu of measly mudeyes and other mundane insects. On top of this, make sure your hooks are sharp, as these fish have rock hard mouths.

GO FOR GOLD UP YABBA CREEK Golden perch are nomadic critters, sometimes taken along the banks and drop-off areas within sight of the dam wall, other times right up the tops of the arms. One area that has always been kind to us when after a golden for a bit of fun, is about four bends up Yabba Creek. It’s identifiable as an area where the main channel divides into two, with a weed island in the centre and an easily fished area of central standing timber on

the approach, from the east, just before the division and weed island. After easing through on the left side of the weed island with its fallen timber and perched pelicans, overhanging bottle brush trees on the left invites some eager casts while a long clifflike bank – also begging for plenty of casts – stretches skywards on the north side of the channel. For the beginner, it’s some distance up Yabba Creek, but you will recognise the spot as I’ve described it, as a small side creek comes

in on the left before the weed island, and there’s some sand about it’s confluence. Don’t think that goldens are the only fish present, as some horse toga live in this area as well. MAKE THE TRIP So that’s Borumba Dam! It’s pretty, it’s well stocked with southern saratoga which is a big feature in itself, while bass and golden perch are very good sport in their own right, and it’s a fantastic place to camp as well. What’s not to like about this fishery?

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Mahindra XUV500 SUV 7-seater BRISBANE

A U S T R A L I A

Margay 2016

$49,990

• 17’7” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5)

Pantera II 2016

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Mahindra have a pretty tough proving ground for their line of heavy duty 4x4 utes and SUV people movers – India, where the vehicles are manufactured. Before we have an in-depth look at Mahindra’s sevenseater XUV500 all-wheel drive, here’s some interesting background. Mahindra is a huge maker of machinery and motor vehicles. Their plant at Chakan, 100km from Mumbai, India, has a capacity for turnout of a staggering 500,000 units per year. That’s a lot of vehicles by any maker’s standard! The XUV500 has been around for a while, originally with some quirky styling and held back by an unloved manual gearbox. Last year the bar was lifted to make the vehicle far more attractive to buyers. New front and rear styling smoothed away some

Boat towing is never an effort with this all-wheel drive and its 2.5t braked trailer capability. monitoring. Three glove compartments are a feature with one big enough to hold a laptop and there were also aircon vents for second and third row passengers, which sure would have been handy

$74,990

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

Yar-Craft 1785BT 2016 The reversing camera lets you know if you can expect to hit something, like this tree.

$59,990

• 17’5” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 75 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5)

Sabre FTD 2016

$59,990

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

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A U S T R A L I A

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Phone: 0410 173 060 basscataustralia@gmail.com

of its outlandish look while a very smooth Japanesemade 6-speed Aisin gearbox took care of gear shifts effortlessly, as these Aisin units – adopted by many auto manufacturers these days – always do. Mahindra have equipped their 2016 all-wheel drive W8 model – as reviewed – with corner projecting headlights, an upgraded suspension, 17” alloy wheels and auto lights. The highlights on the dash include a 7” touch screen, reversing camera with dynamic assistance (this shows intended and extended track while reversing) a multimedia setup with GPS, Bluetooth audio and iPod connectivity, a great radio, hands-free calling and voice recognition plus a climatecontrol cold box in the centre console. There are seven leather seats, three Isofix restraints for youngsters and 702L of cargo area with the third-row seats down. Unique for this class of vehicle, it also has tyre pressure and temperature

this summer! Cruise control and electric windows? Of course. Obviously, some serious upgrading’s been undertaken and the resulting changes are the buyer’s advantage.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE In essence, the XUV500 has the same 2700mm wheelbase as a Mazda CX5, and with second row seats also folded, there’s a massive 1512L of cargo area, which is larger than the Mazda’s. Another selling point is the 2.5t (braked trailer) tow capacity. Equipped with a not-at-all silent and willingto-go 2.2L turbo diesel engine outputting 103kW of power, 330Nm of torque, the four-cylinder 16-valve oil burner – thanks also to the slick Aisin gearbox – the Mahindra was solidly powerful. The tacho was still not touching the 2,000rpm mark at 110km/h on the M1. Obviously the Europeansourced four-cylinder diesel engine is not going to be very stressed in any normal driving situation given that 100km/h required a measly 1600rpm. The gearbox, incidentally, loved to hang in fourth or fifth gear to save

fuel and made upshifts from around 1500rpm but will rev to 4000rpm if the pedal is on the metal. If you floor it, the acceleration is strong enough to easily fall foul of a pay-asyou-go radar detection unit, so it’s wise to pay attention to the speedo if giving the engine a try out on a straight. The diesel is claimed to offer 8L/100km and I actually bettered this at 7.9L/100km with a mix of city and country work. Based on those figures, a 70L fuel tank should see a good cruising range. The XUV500’s ride and handling were quite acceptable although hard cornering will reveal that the AWD Mahindra has some understeer. It also has some interesting vibration from the engine/transmission at times. Mind you, the roughness on most of our roads make this vibration hard to detect! I did a run up to Maryborough and back on the M1 and found that the Mahindra acquitted itself very well all round; it was absolutely no effort to drive

While the Mahindra’s styling is different to many other SUVs, features such as ample ground clearance, a very large cargo area and wide doors for ease of entry are all on hand for a prospective buyer to consider.

multi-function touch screen, which has an interesting faux-wood background and it really does have a multifunction capability. Virtually everything is there from navigation to engine status to distance of fuel remaining. I particularly liked the manner in which the reversing camera showed the proposed course for the driver, in relation to any obstacles. Parking sensors front and rear did their bit here as well. Another Mahindra feature of note was the eight strong LED interior lights. Even the tailgate area had brilliant lighting. This feature would be handy on some of

Audio, phone service and cruise control are all wheel-mounted on the Mahindra. Ample room for driver and passenger, on quite comfortable leather seats is an important feature. and easily kept us moving briskly among traffic. It overtook without effort and best of all I noticed that the leather seats were still comfortable after almost four hours behind the steering wheel. Full marks to Mahindra there. SAFETY Safety has not been overlooked and the Mahindra offers Bi-Xenon headlights, stability control, ABS with electronic brake force distribution, hill hold and hill descent control. Front and side air bags are standard. The overall ride was smooth thanks to Macpherson

struts up front and a multilink setup in the rear. Even a buzz down a corrugated gravel road section around Kenilworth didn’t change the cabin ambience to any great degree. SURPRISING INTERIOR ROOM Picking up the Mahindra XUV500, I was surprised how easy it was to get into all the seats. A deep floor, wide doors and high roofline make access to any of the vehicle’s three rows quite easy. Front and second-row passengers will find this a great strength of the Mahindra, which had as much (if not more) leg and

headroom as competitors. With the third row of seats upright, luggage space is virtually nil except for an umbrella or two. With these seats down there’s a massive luggage space, which can be enlarged even more with one or both of the second row seats down. Inside there’s plenty of rugged black material on the doors, the dash area and any areas subject to wear and tear. Silver highlights offset the somewhat bland internal finish with some extra touches around both the tacho and speedo dials. The dash is highlighted by the

Features

n o e b o t t Wan f o r e v o C the ? y l h t n o M Fishing

Techniques

Join the sooty grunter hunters • Pimp your trailer • Hand-carved lures

Outrigger trolling basics The language of line • When and where to use wire • •

Do you love your monthly issue of Fishing Monthly? Do you think it’s about time you were on the cover?

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hook competition

prestige. For it’s modest price, the XUV500 offers a lot, given its relative newness on our market in present feature level. The vehicle comes with three years, a 100,000km warranty plus three years roadside assist. Mahindra have priced the XUV500 at around the $35K mark, but wait – there’s more! During March or until stocks run out, a 4WD six-speed auto will go out the door for $29,900. The six-speed AWD, as reviewed, will go for $32,990. Contact Mahindra Queensland for a dealer on www.mahindra. com.au or phone on (07) 3213 1211.

Second row passengers enjoy plenty of head and legroom in this SUV.

HUGE 6-PAGE TRAILER FEATURE

•

my camping escapades. SUMMING UP There’s no denying that the Mahindra XUV500 is a different sort of vehicle in many respects. It offers a mix of useful features that make it a good city or suburban work horse through the week, just as suited to hooking up the boat, caravan, or camper on the weekend. I had no trouble towing my boat at all. Around town the 11.2m turning circle, big windows and reversing camera are going to be muchappreciated. With motor cars, the more you pay, the more you get. That’s in finish, performance, maker’s

Well, we think that too, and are offering you the chance to do just that. The April, May and June issues of Queensland, NSW and Victoria/Tasmania FMs will all feature readers’ pics on the front covers. And there’s no reason why it can’t be you... Entry is simple. Email us your cover-worthy pic. Remember, though, that it needs to be the right composition and resolution to work. After that, it just needs to get through the Grumpy Old Men committee (Steve Morgan and Matt Drinkall) and then BOOM, you’re the latest cover model.

News

Be creative - we like images that aren’t just ‘person holding fish’.

Tried and Tested

Forget Fitzroy River Barrage • GD Marine Mobile Service • Salvinia weed issues •

Rosco Solo Scamper canoe Mojo 4m Twin Console • Extreme 700 Game King • •

April, 2014 Fishing Monthly

• • • • • • •

Other parameters of which you need to take note: Portrait format (photo must be taller than it is wide). Leave enough room for a magazine masthead at the top of of the image. Leave enough room for the bottom banner and bar code area. Shoot in the highest resolution your camera can take. Use fill-in flash to help remove any shadows under caps or biminis. Live fish look way better than dead ones. Any fish must be legally captured (within season/size limits).

Head not too high in the shot to allow for Masthead Portrait format

And then email your image to: frontcovercomp@fishingmonthly.com.au with a description of the what/when/where/how of the capture.

G R O U P

Registered by Australian Post Publication No: 100003847

Fishing Monthly Group

www.fishingmonthly.com.au

$5.95 (GST inc.)

Be sure to include your details, too, because we’ll post out a framed copy of the winning covers to the entrant.

THAT will be going straight to the Pool Room, we bet.

For full terms and conditions, please refer to fishingmonthly.com.au/frontcovercomp MARCH 2017

Boondooma Dam Competition was a huge success Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition spokesman Terry Allwood says that the lake fished extremely well for the 2017 event with 260 fish going through the Catch And Release section and another 329 in the Gilled And Gutted section. The biggest yellowbelly of the event was weighed in at 2.4kg. The competition set new records for the second year in a row with a huge attendance of 1013 entrants including 208 juniors. Cash and other prizes were presented at the end of each of the three sessions as well as overall competition winners at the conclusion of the event. The water level in the lake was at 33%, which together with the extreme heat and blue skies, set the scene for a great weekend of camping, fishing and family activities. Profits from the event are used to supplement fishing permit funds from the Queensland Government and to date approximately 4.9 million fingerlings have been stocked into Lake Boondooma.

The Heaviest Yellowbelly overall winner Jim Dunn. The Longest Native category targeting Australian bass and yellowbelly was won by Sheldon Free of Palmwoods with a yellowbelly measuring in at 540mm. He took home over $300 in cash prizes and the trophy, proudly sponsored by Thug Lures. Jye Gilmore put in a solid effort to walk away with the most fish (bass and yellowbelly) caught and released throughout the competition with a total tally of 11 fish presented to the weigh master. The Heaviest Yellowbelly title was claimed by Jim Dunn

of Wondai with a yellowbelly of 2.405kg. Bart took home over $410 cash plus prizes and the trophy, sponsored by Corey and Nikki Goldie of the

for yellowbelly was Nicolas Holmes of Mt Rascal with a yellowbelly of 1.985kg. The bass was claimed by Jake Richter of Toogoolawah with a bass weighing in at 1.38kg. The 3.4m Bluefin Boat Motor and Trailer package was won by Matthew Wyrill of Yarraman. This prize was proudly sponsored by Lake Boondooma kiosk and South Burnett Regional Council. The Dragon kayak was won by Daniel Gleeson of Chinchilla. Congratulations to all the winners and thankyou to everyone who attended and made the event such a success. With over $20,000 profit made from the weekend, the

Junior Yellowbelly winner Nicolas Holmes with his trophy. ensured that a wide range of prizes and lucky draws were available for all competitors giving away over $40,000 worth of cash and prizes. Food and drinks stalls were provided by local community groups over the weekend and the great camping facilities provided by the South Burnett

Regional Council were put to great use for campers staying at the lake. Additional information on the local area and past fishing competitions can be found on the Proston Online website, www.prostononline.info. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition

Jye Gilmore caught and released the most fish over the weekend.

Major Prize Boat Giveaway winner Matthew Wyrill appreciating his prize in the shade.

Lake Boondooma Kiosk. The winner of the Heaviest Bass section sponsored by Wondai Accounting and Tax Services was won by Russell Gscheidle with a bass of 1.270k to secure a pay cheque of $370 plus prizes and the trophy. Hanwood Fish Hatchery Champion Junior Angler

future for Lake Boondooma fishery is looking very healthy. The annual competition for next year will be held 10-11 February 2018. Entry costs for the February event will remain at $20 for adults and $5 for juniors aged 16 years and under. The ongoing support of the many generous sponsors

Junior Bass winner Jake Richter with his trophy and prize pack.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2017

MARCH

APRIL

5 Mar

Round 2 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series

Lynette Kime

Sydney Harbour

0490 762 188

9-12 Mar

VMR Hervey Bay Family Fishing Competition

George Duck

Hervey Bay

0407 663 578

18-19 Mar

BASS Electric #1

www.abt.org.au

Lenthalls

2 Apr

Round 3 Hobie Polarized Southern Bream Series

Lynette Kime

Batemans Bay

0490 762 188

1-2 Apr

Albany BREAM Qualifier #3

www.abt.org.au

Albany

5-6 Apr

Blackwood BREAM Qualifier #4

Blackwood

8-9 Apr

BASS Electric #2

Toonumbar

29-30 Apr

Hawkesbury River BASS Pro Qualifier #1

Hawkesbury River

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours. Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name. 84

MARCH 2017

South Burnett lures in all sorts of fishing fun Nearly 40 anglers from seven teams recently converged at Bjelke Petersen Dam on the first weekend in February to try their luck at the South Burnett Interclub Fishing Competition. Kingaroy Sportfishing Club hosted the event to encourage participation in sportfishing, share ideas and techniques and enjoy a social get together with likeminded fishers. Anglers reeled in an average of 12 fish each over the two day event, totalling

recent stocking.” More detail, including how to get involved in the Tag-a-Toga event, is available at both the

The club captains all lined up and looking serious.

Beau Britton with a beaut yella. a whopping 429 fish. The average size of fish caught was down, but the combined length came to 112m, which is enough to stretch the full length of a football field! Kingaroy Club President Shaun Manthey was delighted with the turnout. “We had people come from Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Brisbane and Ipswich, as well as a strong contingent from the South Burnett.” Shaun thanked his committee for their hard work in putting together an event to be proud of. “It just shows what a high standard can be achieved in our local area. Fish were almost exclusively caught on lures, handled with care and returned to the water ready to fight another day, some sporting a pink tag,” he added. Kingaroy Sportfishing Club is affiliated with the Queensland Branch of the Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA Queensland), which is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes sport, conservation and integrity in fishing. The ANSA Queensland Executive Committee also made an effort to attend the event and have a fish. “For interest we organised a match play at the event, where an Executive Committee member was pitched against a Kingaroy

Kingaroy Club Facebook page and the ANSA QLD website. – South Burnett Interclub Fishing Competition

Sportfishing Club member in the same boat in a point per fish competition,” Nathan Johnston, ANSA Queensland President explained. “I was pretty confident going into the match play. However, we were roundly defeated in all instances,” Nathan reluctantly revealed. “It seems nothing can replace time fishing local waterways and the knowledge that comes with that intimacy. “This in itself is one of the benefits of the these interclub fishing events, because you can learn more by talking with and observing the local club members than you could in a month of fishing trips otherwise. We saw this play out in the fish captures, with more fish landed by everyone on the second day following

informal discussions at the BBQ on Saturday evening. “We held a State Executive Committee meeting in conjunction with the Interclub Challenge and I was very impressed with the organization and support by the friendly local club as well as the Yallakool venue and facilities. “This year is special because it is the 50th anniversary of sportfishing in Australia,” Nathan also advised. “To celebrate the milestone there is an Aussie Sportfisher Conference, fishing competition and fishing expedition being organised at Cairns in September and anyone interested is welcome to attend.” More detail on the event can be found on the ANSA Queensland website. The Champion Club for the outing was Bribie Island Sportfishing Club, with Matthew Cutler from Kingaroy Sportfishing Club taking out the Champion Angler Award. Senior Male and Junior Angler awards went to Shaun and Blake Manthey. Senior Female Angler was awarded to Maddie Doherty from Redcliffe Peninsula Game and Sportfishing Club. The Hardest Working Fisherman award went to Neil McNeill from Southern Brisbane Sportfishing Club. The Kingaroy Sportfishing Club is now turning their focus to the Tag-a-Toga event based at Borumba Dam near Gympie, to be held on the 11-12

Chloe Manthey caught this bass and stayed protected from the sun while doing it.

March. “The event is open to the public and designed to deliver both enjoyment for anglers as well as increase the knowledge of the southern saratoga,” Shaun explained. “The Kingaroy club recently partnered with the Boondooma Fish Stocking and Management Committee to stock 70 breeding size fish into Boondooma Dam with the aim of establishing a selfsustaining population. The idea is that local anglers have fun targeting this revered sportfish, while also compiling information that can be used to determine the relative success of the

Want one of these? Price

99 . $ 79

Order today at www.tideapparel.com.au MARCH 2017

Pirtek Fishing Challenge

Get set for 2017 Pirtek Fishing Challenge sobering statistics, but we can work to lessen the damage by opening up the conversation about prostate cancer with loved ones and mates, which can lead to earlier detection of cancer and fewer fatalities. The importance of supporting the research and work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation cannot be overstated. In time, we’d love to see these statistics change, and this is possible with research. What better way to support such an important cause then a fantastic day out on the water? Registration is affordable at $25 per angler so you can get the whole family involved for an outdoors fishing bonanza. PRIZES GALORE Fishing will commence at 6am and finish at 6pm on Sunday 19 March, 2017. Prizes are up to $4000 in cash, as well as the chance to win a Stacer 449 Tiller Steer powered by Evinrude E-tec 60hp plus trailer valued at $25,000, a $2,300

Humminbird Helix 10 DI GPS package, a $2000 Berkley and Abu Garcia Pack, and a $1500 BCF spending spree. That’s enough to get us motivated! All you need to do is catch a target species, photograph and release that fish, and upload the picture of your biggest fish of the day. It’s that simple! Check out www. pirtekfishingchallenge. com.au for all further terms and conditions and more information about the challenge. –FMG YOUR CHALLENGE • Enter the challenge via the website and be sure to read the terms and conditions. • After you have registered, a limited edition Fishing Challenge cap and Fishing Challenge brag mat will be posted to you. • The list of target species will be available via the website www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au at 1200 hours AEDST on Sunday, 26 February 2017. • On Saturday, 18 March 2017 (after 6.00 pm) you will be sent via email a repeat list of the target species plus your angler number. You can also log on to the website to download this information. • Fishing will commence at 6.00 am and finish at 6.00 pm on Sunday, 19 March 2017. • All lines must be out of the water at 6.00 pm on Sunday, 19 March 2017. • When you catch your target species simply lay the live fish with the nose in line with the “0” (zero) measurement on the Pirtek bragmat. • Photograph the fish so the entire length can be seen in the photograph along with your angler number. • Check out the Photographing Your Fish page for information on how to correctly photograph your catch. • Remember to write your angler number clearly in the white box provided on the brag mat. • Check your photograph to ensure the whole fish is in the photograph and the nose end of the fish is in line with the “0” (zero) measurement and the overall length along with the angler number is clearly visible.

BARRAMUNDI

BASS

Rigs: A running sinker, unweighted or floated rig with at least 30-40lb monofilament or fluorocarbon is necessary because of their raspy jaw. For lure angler, 15-30lb braid with a 30lb leader will do in rivers, however in dams gear needs to be stepped up to around 30-50lb braid with a 40-60lb leader, as barra regularly grow huge in dams. Bait: Live baits are preferred over dead baits, and live offerings of herring, mullet, prawns and shrimp are the pick of the lot. Lures: Colourful offering are favoured, and proven patterns include Reidy’s B52, the gold Bomber and Squigy Slick Rigs. Bara also love flies, and again, the brighter the better. 86

MARCH 2017

Size Range: Up to 65cm, common from 30-40cm.

COASTAL

Size Range: Up to 1.5m, commonly caught around 40-80cm in rivers, and 80-110cm in dams. Tactics: Barramundi are sight hunters, so bright, flashy lures, flies and live baits are the key to undoing these Aussie icons. Barra also love structure and freshwater run-off drains, so don’t be afraid to fish around dirty water and colour changes.

• If you do not receive your brag mat before Sunday 19 March, you may measure and photograph your fish using last year’s brag mat, a fisheries measuring sticker, another competitors mat (with your Angler Number), or a generic brag mat (BCF sell them). • If you are not happy with the photograph, simply take another one. • Quickly release the fish and try to catch a bigger one. • Only a fish caught by the registered angler can be entered. • Any photograph that shows a fish not alive or damaged will not be accepted. • Any photograph which has undergone digital manipulation, i.e., photoshop, will be disqualified. • You can only upload one photograph per angler to the website. This needs to be your biggest fish. • Follow the directions on the website to upload your photograph. • The upload needs to be complete by 7.00 am AEDT, Monday, 20 March 2017. • Any photographs uploaded after this time will not be accepted. • If your photograph is damaged, blurry or the overall measurement of your fish is not clearly seen with your angler number the photograph will be disallowed. • Check the website on Saturday, 25 March, 2017 to see if you’re a winner. The National Fishing Challenge committee’s decision will be final and no correspondence entered into.

Tactics: Bass in rivers have a preference for structure, however close to their spawning season in winter, they will school up in open water around the tidal reaches. Bass aggregations will vary in dams depending on what food sources are available. If there is a lot of structure around the edges and the food source in predominately insects, small fish and shrimps, the bass will feed in shallow water. If there are bony bream or other schooling baitfish present, the bass will usually school up in deep water. Fishing where the bass are with lures or bait that mimics what food source is available will catch you more bass. Rigs: Light braided line around 4-6lb with a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader around 10-14lb is preferred for lure fishing. The same line classes are perfect for bait fishing, with unweighted, weighted and floated rigs working, depending on how deep and where the fish are holding. Bait: Baits of grasshopper, cricket, worms, yabby, and particularly live shrimp are successful. Lures: Bass take a variety of lures from surface lures, diving lures, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, jigs and even flies. Match your lures to suit where and how the bass are feeding.

COASTAL

The Pirtek Challenge is coming round again, and this year, it’s bigger and better than ever before! Australia’s biggest fishing competition, The Pirtek Challenge is open to anglers across the whole of Australia. It’s an opportunity to get out on the water with some mates, have an awesome day of fishing, and be in with a chance to win a share of $176,000 worth of cash and prizes! We want to give our readers the best possible start to this year, and we’ve got all the information you need to get started and have a cracker day on the water. THE CAUSE Each year the Pirtek Challenge is held to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Prostate cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and is the third most common cause of cancer death. These are

Pirtek Fishing Challenge

BREAM

FLATHEAD

Bait: As mentioned, almost anything found or bought should catch bream, including white bread, which is an under-used favourite.

Bait: Flathead will eat anything they can fit in their mouth, whether it’s live, dead, big or small.

Lures: Small hardbodied divers, smaller than your little finger, cast around rocky shores and worked with a slow, steady retrieve are hard to beat. When fish go deeper, tiny soft plastics with according jighead size is a sure-fire way to pin a bream.

Lures: Most lures work well on flathead. Lures such as soft plastics, vibes, lipless crankbaits and hardbodied lure all take flathead.

WHITING

CARP

Size Range: Up to 50cm, more common from 20-40cm.

Rigs: A running sinker rig with a long leader, tiny long shank hook is enough to fool a whiting, even in shallow water. Light braided line around 4lb with a 2-4lb leader is an excellent balance for the anglers throwing lures at wily whiting.

Size Range: Up to 1m, but more commonly encountered at 30-60cm.

COASTAL

Tactics: Whiting love clear and shallow water where they grub around for yabbies, worms and other tasty tidbits. By targeting these areas with your baits or lures, you’ll encounter plenty of whiting, as well as other interesting by-catch.

Bait: Worms and yabbies (nippers) are two baits that are rarely met with failure.

Size Range: Up to 1.8m, common from 40-80cm.

Tactics: Murray cod are a structure-loving, long-lived, hyper aggressive and territorial species. Therefore, lures or baits fished or cast around snag complexes repetitively usually get a response eventually. Rigs: 20-30lb should be your minimum line weights for both your mainline and leader when lure trolling and casting. If you’re after a trophy cod in unforgiving country, use 60lb leader connected to your lure with a loop knot. Baits: No bait fishing allowed. Murray cod can only qualify if caught on lure or fly. Lures: Murray cod will eat a variety of surface lures, hardbodies, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Lures should be big and annoying to achieve the best results.

Rigs: A medium running sinker rig, paternoster rig or float rig with 6-20lb braided line onto a 10-20lb leader, lighter in clear water free of snags.

Lures: Carp rarely take lures, but will sometimes be taken on lures as by-catch, occasionally confusing surface lures for berries. Fly anglers can target carp in shallow water by sight fishing with small nymphs.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN

MURRAY COD

Tactics: Carp feed by smell and taste and are therefore attracted to things that give off scent, making smelly baits effective. Carp will also get up into shallow water and grub along the bottom looking for aquatic insects, and this is where fly anglers can have some fun.

Bait: Baits as varied as scrubworms, corn, bread, dough, shrimp and grubs are all attractive to carp and the use of berley will increase your success rate dramatically.

Lures: Small hardbodies, plastics, and more recently, surface lures have all taken plenty of whiting in the last decade. Often, the bigger whiting will be the ones that take lures.

COASTAL

Rigs: A running sinker rig with 6lb braid with a 15lb leader is sufficient for bait fishing. The same goes for lure fishing, but try to attach your lures with a loop knot where possible.

GOLDEN PERCH Size Range: Up to 75cm, commonly caught at 25-50cm. Tactics: Golden perch are predators that like a moving target. This makes lures and live baits popular, however they also love to hunt down worms and grubs set on the bottom. Lures cast around fallen timber in rivers and standing timber in lakes are all successful, especially around first and last light. Rigs: Running sinker rig and a paternoster rig are both good options with 20lb braided main line to 20lb leader. The same line weights can be used for lure fishing. Bait: Baits of yabby, live shrimp, worms and even smelly dead baits are successful. Lures: Lures like Australian-made hardbodied lures, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits all do damage on golden perch.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN

Rigs: Bait: Running sinker onto a #1 or 1/0 hook will work for the bait anglers. For the lure brigade, 2-6lb braided line connected to 6-10lb fluorocarbon or monofilament leader is perfect.

Tactics: Flathead are classic ambush predators that use camouflage to their advantage. Drop offs, weed edges, hard rock and mud edges are all favourite haunts of flathead. Flathead feed hard when there is tidal movement.

COASTAL

Tactics: Bream can be found in every saltwater river, creek and coastal lake in the state. Bream love structure – especially rock – and if you find crud-encrusted rocks in the intertidal zone, you can be sure that bream hang around it at some time of the day. Keep the gear light when bream fishing, as they can be spooked by heavy weights and lines. If you want to catch a bream on a lure, make sure that it’s small – smaller than your middle finger. They’ll eat nearly every bait you can find or buy

Size Range: Up to 1.1m, commonly caught 30-65cm.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN

Size Range: Up to 50cm, common from 25-35cm.

MARCH 2017

WHAT’S NEW FISHING CUSTOMISE YOUR LURES!

JigSkinz are a shrinkable and inexpensive covering designed to help protect the paint on your new lures, or to rejuvenate your old favourites after they have lost their paint. This product can also revamp an old lure that hasn’t caught a fish yet. JigSkinz work by slipping the new skin over your old lure and placing it in hot water. The moment your lure hits the hot water, the skin shrinks tightly over your lure and you are done! You now have a new lure in your favourite colour. JigSkinz are suitable for a huge range of lure types, including poppers, stickbaits, slugs and slices, knife jigs, micro jigs, blades, jigheads, lipless crankbaits, bibbed minnows and skirted pusher heads. J.M. Gillies are currently stocking six packs with various colours and patterns, plus a clear skin to help protect your new lures. Patterns include: flying fish, mackerel, mullet, sardine, perch, holographic colours, lumo and more. Visit the JM Gillies website for more info and pics. www.jmgillies.com.au

WILSON WALL ROD HOLDER

ZERO TOLERANCE KNIVES

Zero Tolerance is a brand that has been setting the standard since storming onto the scene in 2006. Designed to meet the exacting needs of the military, law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical professionals, Zero Tolerance folding knives are premium-quality, professional knives that owners can always depend on. Built using only premium materials, these knives are second to none in operation, comfort and reliability. One of the latest models to hit our shores is the 0456, the result of a collaboration between Zero Tolerance and Belarusian custom knife maker Dmitry Sinkevich. The CTS-204P blade steel is wear and corrosion resistant, and takes an exceptional edge. The 0456 opens with ZT’s KVT ball-bearing system for a quick, easy blade release. A titanium frame lock, with a hardened steel lockbar insert, secures the blade open during use. This knife’s top cutting capabilities and excellent edge-holding performance make it the perfect tool to take with you on any adventure. www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

AUSTACKLE BIG SPRITZ

Austackle’s Spritz just got bigger and stronger! This unique surface lure now comes in a 118mm version that weighs in at 27g. It’s easy to hurl, and has plenty of presence in the water to excite hard hitters like Murray cod, tuna, kingfish, barramundi, mangrove jack, trevally and more. The strength upgrade is achieved with one-piece internal wire linking the hooks to the tow points, and topped with upgraded 2X VMC hooks and rings. Other features include dual tow points to give the angler ultimate control over the lure action; a keel on the pivot point to enhance the walk-the-dog action; and large cut-away pockets on the face to spray water for an explosive bloop. Price: SRP $18 www.austackle.com

DAIWA AIRPORTABLE 3 EXTRA HEAVY

NEW DAIWA APPAREL

MARCH 2017

1 2

The Wilson Wall Hanging Rod Holder is a simple and effective way to keep your rods neat and tidy whether at home or on the road. With this design, a tough canvas-like material is used to create a sturdy wall hanging rod holder that will store up to six rods, rigged or unrigged. This way, your rods can be ready to go the night before or just stored in a clean, organised fashion. Secure Velcro straps keep the rods in place while the base cups are formed from tough plastic that is coated in the heavyduty material. The Hanging Rod Holder is 130cm x 63cm and doesn’t take up too much space. Three hanging hooks are provided and all seams are ribbed and stitched to ensure these vital areas stay strong for years. This is one investment for your rods that is bound to last. www.wilsonfishing.com.au

Looking to hop on a plane to chase barra, or even further afield to chase black bass? Daiwa’s Black Label V2 Airportable Extra Heavy Models are for you. These multi-piece, high quality rods feature Daiwa’s latest technologies. Light, responsive, and crisp in action, the HVF graphite blank performance is enhanced courtesy of X45, 3DX and Bias Wrap Construction blank technologies. X45 and Bias Wrap allows a small diameter blank to be made, and lighter, more dynamic rod. These rods are finished off with the best components like Daiwa’s Air beam reel seats, triple A grade cork and Fuji SIC guides that are ultra strong, and maximise rod performance and sensitivity. All this comes packed in a heavy-duty case. The 61SH-3 model is 6’1” long, can cast weights up to 200g, and is rated to PE 3-6. The 64H/RF is 6’4” long, casts weight up to 140g, and is rated to PE 3-5. www.daiwafishing.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

Look sharp and chart a course for style with Daiwa’s brand new T-shirt and polo shirt designs. Made from 100% cotton, these breathable shirts are set to impress both on and off the water. The new Daiwa T-Shirts are short-sleeve and are emblazoned with Daiwa D-Vec and Vector embroidered logos. They are available in four colours – blue, grey, black and khaki – and sizes range from small to XXL. The Daiwa Polo Shirts are also shortsleeve and feature Daiwa D-Vec and Vector embroidered logos. The polos are available in green, blue, red and black, and sizes range from small to XXL. Daiwa’s quality fishing apparel is available for purchase online at www. daiwafishing.com.au. The range includes long-sleeve fishing and sun shirts, hoodies, vests, long-sleeve T-shirts, jackets, leather and mesh finger gloves, caps, hats, headsocks and more. Price: SRP $29.99-$39.99 www.daiwafishing.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE 7

WHAT’S NEW FISHING DEPS BUZZJET

The award-winning Buzzjet has taken the world by storm. While this Japanese surface lure is suited to all freshwater situations, it is particularly deadly at night, attracting freshwater predators with its unique swimming action and water displacement system. A cross between a classic propeller bait and a shallow running crankbait, the Buzzjet draws attention with its internal ball bearing rattling system, and through the use of its tail propeller, which causes the lure to omit a massive wake. A weight transfer system augments castability, and all you need to do to catch fish is cast it out and reel steadily with a slow retrieve. You can also walk the dog or jerk the rod tip to make the Buzzjet dive. The Buzzjet measures 96mm and weighs 30g, and there’s an extensive range of colours. Ideally suited to bass, it has also landed EPs, yellowbelly and Murray cod. Price: SRP $40 www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

PFLUEGER LITHIUM 8 GRAPHITE RODS Lure anglers looking for optimal performance will appreciate the Pflueger Lithium rod series from Pflueger. F65 Flex System high modulus carbon blanks with Carbon Inertia Tip (CIT) combine with Fuji Alconite K guides and hybrid cork/EVA grip system to deliver a rod range specifically designed for Australian lure anglers. The F65 Flex System provides greater stiffness, flex and strength, and the CIT (Carbon Inertia Tip) delivers extra casting distance. There are eight spin and two baitcasting models aimed at plastics and hardbody fishing, from ultra light 6’11”/1-3kg and 6’9”/2-5kg flick sticks and a 7”/3-6kg flathead slayer, through to a 7’0”/48kg model ideal for techniques such as snapper on plastics. The 5’4”/2-5kg model is perfectly suited to tight spaces such as creek fishing for bass, jungle perch and sooties. For the traveling fisho, a 3-piece, 7’0”/2-4kg model fits nicely in the suitcase or car boot. Baitcast anglers can select from two models, 5’6”/4-8kg and 6’7”/3-6kg. Price: SRP $159.95 www.pflueger.com.au

LEGIO AUREA BRUTUS

The Legio Aurea Brutus, distributed in Australia by Weflikin Lures, is a multipurpose swimming soft jerkbait. The Brutus is the ultimate T-tail swimbait. When retrieved, the extremely advanced design of the lure mimics the swimming motion of a little fleeing prey. The original ‘long joint’ provides a never seen before ‘boomerang action’ in the water, allowing it to dart and glide like no other bait in its class. Raised 3D details and textured scale patterns make this an incredibly lifelike lure. The Legio Aurea Brutus features easy weedless rigging via a belly slot, and it suitable for catching barramundi, mulloway, flathead and mangrove jack. The Brutus is injected with a high content of squid scent and is made from super soft plastic, an exclusive LegioAurea polymer project. It comes in a length of 120mm with five pieces per packet. For more information look up Weflickin Lures on Facebook, or visit their website. www.weflikinlures.com.au

BFG 5 TRAY FRONT 10 LOADER The Bigfish Gear Front Loader is a real tackle bag. It’s big and juicy enough to carry a large array of tackle and accessories for anglers of all skill sets. This handy bag has five adjustable tackle trays measuring 355 x 220 x 45mm in the front loader. There’s also a padded adjustable tray for your reels or camera in the top. You can slip your pliers, scissors and fish grips in the plier/ scissor slips under the side flaps, and you can even fit another two full tackle trays in the side pockets if you want. In all, this box can accommodate seven full tackle trays. There’s also a couple of vented compartments for wet gear and more. Other features include: two carry handles; carry strap and padded, adjustable shoulder strap; large Velcro side pockets; tube holder; jig pouch and more. The overall dimensions are 430 high x 520 wide x 270 deep. Price: SRP $119.95 www.bigfishgear.com

SAMAKI STAINLESS 11 STEEL PLIERS Samaki’s new Stainless Steel Pliers range from a fine split ring plier of 150mm in length to a long-nose reef plier with bent nose feature, to allow you an easy roll of the wrist for hook removal. These models complement Samaki’s very popular multi-purpose plier with gang hook features. The team at Samaki has invested time and energy in research and development to create rust-resistant pliers, using a blend of surgical stainless steel and nickel. These reliable pliers are strong and feature enhanced ergonomic handles for comfort in the palm, grippy teeth for grasping those slippery hooks, and fine yet strong features for split ring use or gang hook applications. The full range now includes a 150mm and 215mm Long Nose Plier; a 150mm fine and 180mm medium Split Ring plier; 290mm Bent Long Nose Reef Plier; and an 11” Multi Purpose Plier with gang hook opener. www.samaki.com.au

RIGGED 3.5” EZ SHRIMPZ

The lifelike ZMan 3.5” Rigged EZ ShrimpZ comes pre-rigged with a unique jighead that locks inside the plastic, so it’s ready to fish straight out of the packet. The jighead is built on a quality, Mustad UltraPoint hook and features a segmented weight system. It begins at around 1/4oz, and by cutting off segments of the weight the EZ ShrimpZ can be made lighter for shallow water applications, such as fishing drains and mangrove edges. The segmented body creates a lifelike kick and glide, and the thin legs and antennae provide added realism and lifelike movement. There’s also an unrigged version that rigs well on a TT Lures 3/0 HeadlockZ jighead, or weedless on a 3/0 TT Lures ChicnlockZ, ChinlockZ SWS or SnakelockZ jighead. The EZ ShrimpZ has already proven effective on a wide range of species, including barra, jacks, mulloway, flathead, bass and snapper. It comes in eight colours. Price: SRP $17.95 (twin pack) www.tackletactics.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au MARCH 2017

WHAT’S NEW FISHING R2S CHASEBAITS FORK BAIT

Last year River2Sea released a new brand of soft plastic lures called Chasebaits, and one of the stand-outs is the Fork Bait. Available in 3”, 5” and 7” models, the Fork Bait is streamlined, super soft and supple. This allows the lure to swim straight, and with any twitching of the rod the lure comes alive. It can bend back on itself and whip the tail in all directions. It looks just like a wounded fish trying to get away. The Fork Bait is perfect for jigging in deep water, bouncing along the bottom or casting and retrieving for sportfish. It’s currently available in nine unique, two-tone colours, All Chasebaits have injected salted and scent for ultimate luring performance, and have eyes for added attraction. These soft baits are made from a very soft and supple PVC plastic for maximum action, and are stronger than you’d expect. There are three other models in the range – the Curly Bait, Paddle Bait and Dagger Bait. www.river2sea.com.au

SHIMANO ULTEGRA FB

Shimano has released the longawaited Ultegra FB series of reels. At their core is Shimano’s Hagane Gear, a cold forged piece of metal crafted with micron accuracy for incredible smoothness and longevity. X-Ship provides robust gear engagement under heavy loads. All models feature 5+1 shielded A-RB bearings. The drag output ranges from 3-11kg, and target species range from finesse trout fishing to chasing pelagics. Another feature is Core Protect. A hydrophobic spray is applied to the roller clutch, the body and the line roller, forming an invisible barrier to water entry and corrosion. Special seals and protective plates provide an additional barrier. A rigid XGT-7 body forms the reel’s outer shell and provides added strength and durability. An aluminium screw in handle design provides added stability and removes unwanted play. The cold forged aluminium spool and improved rotor design provide extra weight reduction, and the G Free Body makes this reel comfortable for all-day use. www.shimanofish.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

SHAKESPEARE WILD 16 SERIES Shakespeare has introduced a range of species-specific combos called the Wild Series. With lengths and actions to suit bream, flathead, whiting and snapper, the Wild Series combos deliver excellent quality, giving you every chance to enjoy your time on the water. Each species is named on the rod so the guesswork is taken out, leaving you to focus on the fishing. There are also Jungle Spin and Travel Spin outfits for those adventurous anglers. Wild Series outfits feature IM6 graphite rods with a hybrid cork/EVA grip system matched with a three bearing spin reel with aluminium spool and handle. The models are: 1-3kg Bream CBO (2.06m/6’10”, 2-piece, 1-3kg, U/L action, 30SZ size), 2-5kg Flathead CBO (2.10m/7’0”, 2-piece, 2-5kg, L, 30SZ), 1-4kg Whiting CBO (2.15m/7’2”, 2-piece, 1-4kg, UL, 30SZ), 4-7kg Snapper CBO (2.10m/7’0”, 2-piece, 4-7kg, M, 40SZ), 2-6kg Jungle Spin CBO (1.75m/5’10”, 2-piece, 2-6kg, LM, 40SZ), and 2-5kg Travel Spin CBO (1.95m/6’6”, 3-piece, 2-5kg, LM, 30SZ). Price: SRP $99.95 www.shakespeare.com.au

STORM 360GT SEARCHBAIT

Designed for anglers of all skill levels, Storm’s 360GT Searchbait is designed to be useful in every fishing scenario, whether it’s being fished fast or slow, deep or shallow. The idea of a searchbait is to have a lure that you can cover water with to work out where the fish are. This paddle-tail plastic swimbait comes pre-assembled with a unique ABS moulded jighead featuring internal rattles and weighting. The precise placement of weight allows the bait to exhibit a more pronounced body roll and tail kick than a traditional soft plastic with a lead jighead. The 360GT comes in ten colours and three sizes. There’s a baby 3.5” size suitable for freshwater species like bass, a 4.5” size that’s set to be dynamite on trophy flathead, and a giant 5.5” bait for large predators like mulloway, snapper and barra. Available in packs of three, the 360GT Searchbait is priced at under $10 and will be available from February. www.stormlures.com

BLACK MAGIC SOFT SAMAKI NEON FISH 15 HEAD LURES 18 GRIP Black Magic has released two new

additions to its game lure range. Both of these lures feature Black Magic’s new ‘soft head’ technology. It is commonly believed that if a marlin misses the lure on its first strike, it’s is far more likely to make a second strike if the lure head is made of a softer material, rather than a harder resin. The first of the new lures is the 270mm long Soft Slammer. It has been modelled on the legendary Grand Slammer range, which is responsible for many large fish and numerous records. The second Soft Head lure is the Soft Pusher, which measures 300mm. With its reverse tapered head, it has a pronounced wiggle action in the water, making it attractive to a wide variety of pelagic species. Both lures come in five striking colours and are available either rigged or unrigged. www.blackmagictackle.com 90

MARCH 2017

Samaki has launched into the tooling market for the first time, delivering functional, practical and solid tools for anglers. The new Samaki Fish Gripper is bright and easily accessible in the bottom of your tackle bag, with a white body and neon accents. You’ll never again lose sight of your grip while bringing fish aboard. With key features being its tight locking mechanism, heart-shaped lip grip and floating ability, the Samaki Neon Fish Grip will hold your catch tight. Even with a struggle or flip of the tail, your grip’s locking jaw will hold and the lanyard will keep your connection secure. Samaki Fish Grips are 8” long, weigh 68g and are made with stainless pins for endurance. Available in one size with three awesome colours, these beauties will be waiting for you at your closest Samaki stockist. For more information and stockist locations visit the Samaki website, or check them out on Instagram and Facebook. www.samaki.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

The final verdict has come in: Atomic Arrowz hit the target

RE ONLINE MO

CA N T H E Q R

NTENT

-S

FOR EXTR

Being handed the newest gear on the market to test is not my favourite part of working at Fishing Monthly, but it’s right up there. This week started with a phone call from my old mate Jay, national sales manager at Frogleys Offshore in Ballina. He had some exciting news that their latest range of rods – the Atomic Arrowz series had landed and was being distributed to stores by the thousands as we spoke. We’d been able to have a play with the samples of these rods at the AFTA trade show on the Gold Coast in August of last year, and had eagerly been awaiting their release to the market place. The Atomic Arrowz range features four series of rods specifically designed and tuned for the Aussie market by the team at Frogleys. They consist of Bream Specialty, Estuary, Barra and Offshore and are made to cater for both lure and bait anglers with 14 rods in total. Each rod comes equipped with the new Fuji deep pressed ‘O’ ring stainless steel guides, and Fuji reel seat. All but the barra models come with hyper-sensitive EVA grips front and rear. The barra models are loaded with cork at the rear and EVA on the foregrip. Knowing the Atomic Arrowz were coming out of the MajorCraft factory, renowned for producing quality and value for money in fishing rods, I was more than happy to put my hand up to put them through their paces.

TESTED

This trevally put a solid bend in the Bream Surface model that Steve was using. right through to my fingertips. As with any new rod I’ve used, it took a few casts, maybe 20-30 to dial in my range and start to cast accurately. Distance isn’t a problem – I could’ve launched that Sugapen to South Stradbroke Island with the right breeze. I only managed a couple of fish for the morning on the heavier stick, and none of them were big enough to stress the rod to its limits, but the ones that did eat were handled with ease thanks to the lovely taper and responsive blank. In summary, although our testing period

for these was much shorter than we’d usually like to have – by about 3 months – I would happily have any number of the Atomic Arrows series in my quiver of rods. Although they are labelled as being built for specific purposes, these two rods alone could cover a lot of bases in my usual fishing pursuits for under $200 RRP each! If you’d like to know more about these rods please give our Tackle Junkie on the Fishing Monthly Magazines Facebook page video a watch and then head into your local tackle store to put a bend in one for yourself. – Rob Gaden

These Atomic Arrowz look attractive on the deck of a bass boat! The test for us what exactly how much quality could we expect out of a couple of rods that retail for around the $189 mark. Having used rods from the $50 special bin right up to some that retail for $700+, I dind’t know what to expect. We were blessed with a Bream Surface AAS-70BS – which we matched to a Daiwa Emeralds 2506 and an Estuary AAS-70ML, which we saddled with a Daiwa Luvias 3012. These are the rods we figured to be two of the more versatile rods in the range. Bream, jacks and trevally were the targets of the day and the lures of choice were Bassday Sugapens in both the 70mm and 95mm versions, the smaller being fitted with the new Trick Bitz assist hooks, which make it easier for those slurping silver terrors of the canals to latch on to. Steve Morgan grabbed the Bream Surface rod as he almost loves bream as much as life itself, while I worked the heavier combo tight to structure looking for a red

dog or estuary dwelling trevor. A couple of a casts into the session and Steve had a nice little trevally on and was bending the Bream Surface model to the foregrip. It was mentioned on the way to the ramp, “I wonder if we can break these things?” We tried – as you’ll see in the accompanying video – but couldn’t. A scattering of fish continued to eat the tricked up Sugapen and hit the deck throughout the morning. Each presenting a different challenge, but all conquered without fuss by the equal parts power and precision demonstrated by these rods. For me, the first thing I noticed about the rods was they look awesome. Quality workmanship in the build is obvious and the lightweight of the blank also stands out. You could fling lures or plastics all day on this thing and not get tired. The transfer of lure action through the braid to the rod is also noticeable. Every zig and zag of the head of the Sugapen came

Bream aren’t quite a match for the Estuary model, which would be more suited to mangrove jacks or larger trevally.

MARCH 2017

Trades, Services, Charter BOAT MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS

BAIT & TACKLE

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CUSTOM TRANSOMS 20-75hp $750 75-150hp $890 150-225hp $980 Freight can be arranged Australia wide

PROFISH BOATS – Phone Peter 0417 782 114

BCF www.bcf.com.au

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Davo’s Tackleworld Noosaville (07) 5449 8099 Davo’s Tackleworld Marcoola (07) 5448 8244

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FIBREGLASS Repairs

Brisbane South and Gold Coas t

• Modifications • Detailing • Repairs JOE BONNICI

0410 480 203

Salt-Away www.salt-away.com.au

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

BOAT HIRE // HOUSE

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Marine and Auto Electricial n All types of Welding n Stainless Steel n Aluminium n Mild Steel n Boats Repaired n Fuel & Water Tanks n Canopies n Bow and Stern Rails n Custom Vehicle Tool Boxes

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BOAT HIRE // TRAILER GOLD COAST

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MARINE MECHANICS

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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 0834 or email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

If you have any other trades or services that you would like to see in this section please don’t hesitate to give us a call

MARINE

• Mobile Service Available • Servicing All Makes & Models • Outboard Repairs • Boat Detailing • Diagnostic Equipment • Boat Fitouts • Wheel Bearings • Trailer Repairs

07 5499 3555 MOBILE: 0408 785 819

Whitewater Marine (07) 5532 4402 T&S Marine (07) 5546 2599

GOLD COAST

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Boab Boat Hire - 1300 002 622

Advertise here - $195 + GST for 6 months Email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

Phone 07 5522 1933

CABOOLTURE

Mob 0427 142 201 Fax 3807 2468

+ 07 5502 6200 + www.coomerahouseboats.com.au

4/26 TAREE ST, BURLEIGH HEADS www.ssmarine.com.au

Email: mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

Behind GEM Service Station, Alberton 4207

NEW

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2/247 Bayview St Runaway Bay GEOFF NEWMAN PH 55774411

QLD HONDA DEALER OF THE YEAR 2011/2012

Stones Corner Marine (07) 3397 9766 Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Northside Marine (07) 3265 8029 Coorparoo Marine (07) 3397 4141 Capalaba Boat Centre 04011 728 379 Holt Marine (07) 3353 1928 Cunningham Marine Centre (07) 3284 8805 Caloundra Marine (07) 5491 1944 Bribie Boat Sales (07) 3408 0055

NORTH QUEENSLAND Reef Marine Mackay (07) 4957 3521

This section in QLD Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

MARCH 2017

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MARINE MECHANICS // MOBILE WYNUMM MANLY-BAYSIDE

WONDALL RD

marine hanic

Mec Mobile Marine FEE!” “NO CALL OUT

• Servicing all makes and models • Specialising in Mercury & 20 + y rs Mercruiser technical work Experience

MARINE ELECTRONICS

SALES • REPAIRS • INSTALLATIONS

ONSITE AND MOBILE INSTALLATIONS

• Sounders • GPS • Electric Motors • Marine Radios and accessories • Stereos • Televisions • Radar Units • Autopilots Unit 4/1440 New Cleveland Road Capalaba www.trymax.com.au PHONE: 07 3245 3633

MARINE OUTBOARD WRECKERS TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND North Queensland Outboard Wreckers Townsville 1800 812 748

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME • Repower specialists • Antifoul, detailing and electrical work • All servicing, repair, maintenance - fully guaranteed • Parts • Insurance • Finance

HORIZON SHORES MARINA

www.tsboatsales.com.au admin@tsboatsales.com.au Phone: (07)

EXCLUSIVE TO BBB!

SONS OF FISHES Limited Edition Fishing Shirt •S - 4XL

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69 TM

Rod Holder 2 With StarPort Mount

$590 + GST for 6 Months

3396 5633 OR (07) 5546 2599

Wondall Rd Marine (07) 3396 5633

Gary’s Marine Centre

3999 EACH

WIDE RANGE AVAILABLE!

Universal Trailerable Boat Covers

mfox@fishingmonthly.com.au

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BOAT TRANSPORT AUSTRALIA WIDE FROM A TINNY TO 50 FEET WEEKLY SERVICE TO ALL MAJOR CAPITALS

DJ Freight Marine Transport 0418 793 357 0427 341 076 contact@djfreight.com.au DESIGNED FOR LIFE....BUILT FOR LIFE

WE OFFER QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY ALUMINIUM BOAT TRAILER SPECIALIST AUSTRALIAN CERTIFIED WARRANTY REPAIRS

FISH TAXIDERMY Fish Taxidermist www.fishtaxidermy.net.au or 0428 544 841

FISHING GUIDES SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

RIPTIDE Saltwater Bow Mount RT55SP FP 54˝ With Foot Pedal

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Suncoast Barra Fishing Park www.suncoastbarrafishing.com

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

www.bargainboatbits.com.au

Lake Monduran Barra Charters 0407 434 446 SPITFIRE TRAILERS SUNSHINE COAST P/L 593 BESTMANN ROAD, NINGI sunshine@spitfiretrailers.com.au Ph: 0400866323 ( IAN )

0407000636 ( ROB )

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TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Hooked On Hinchinbrook www.hookedonhinchinbrook.com

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MARCH 2017

Trades, Services, Charter Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MARINE TRIMMERS GOLD COAST

Runaway Bay

MARINE COVERS

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

HERVEY BAY

Baffle Creek Holiday House 0419 624 833

Fully Guided Lure & Fly Fishing

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• 5.5m Custom sportsfishing Vessel • 4.4m Estuary Sportsfishing Vessel • Quality Fishing Gear Supplied

COOKTOWN

SERVICING ALL AREAS & ALL BUDGETS

River of Gold Motel Plenty of room for boats and trailers PH: 4069 5222 MACKAY

Quality Boat Covers

Upholstery & Carpets

• Flybridge Enclosures • Bimini Tops etc.

• Bunk Cushions • Custom Interiors etc.

5529 6277 – 0417 173 257

www.rbmarinecovers.com.au Factory 3 & 8 Runaway Bay Marina SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Rowland Street Boat Trimmers Springwood (07) 3208 9511 Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Rays Canvas & Marine Caboolture (07) 5499 4911 Affordable Boat Covers Gold Coast 0419 424 587

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ROD & REEL REPAIRS NORTH QUEENSLAND

D&H REEL REPAIRS ce Reel Performan

e parts needs repairs and spar el re ur yo l al r Fo Phone/Fax: 07 3372 2740 or call Duncan on 0439 717 839 Email: dhreelrepairs@bigpond.com Drag upgrades available • Rod repairs • Mail orders welcome

Servicin major b g all rands

www.reelrepairs.com.au 110 Sherbrooke Rd, Willawong Qld 4110

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND The Islander Retreat, South Stradbroke Island 0420 967 557

FRASER ISLAND

FRASER ISLAND FISHING UNITS Indian Head I Fraser Island

BEL AIR MOTEL, MACKAY - PLENTY OF ROOM FOR BOATS AND TRAILERS.............PH: 07 4957 3658

www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au

FRESHWATER

0407 627 852

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Yallakool Caravan Park on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746 Lake Boondooma Caravan Park (07) 4168 9694 Lake Cressbrook Regional Council 131 872 Yallakool Park and Kiosk on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746

CHARTER BOATS NORTHERN NSW Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0428 828 835 Reel Time Fishing Charters Yamba 0428 231 962

Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea

REEL TIME FISHING CHARTERS

• 6am to 2pm $150pp • 2 boats – holds up to 18 people • All fishing gear and bait is supplied • No fishing licence req. • Pickup from Yamba Marina or Iluka ferry wharf

Bite Me Fishing Charters Yeppoon 0419 029 397 Ultimate Sportfishing Charters 0450 753 726 MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201 Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters 0427 125 727 Bundaberg Fishing Charters 0429 017 217 Sport Fish 1770 (07) 4974 9686 Coral Coast Game Fishing 0447 347 437 MV James Cook (1770) (07) 4974 9422 Norval Reef Charters 1800 771 234 Iluka Fishing Charters Gladstone 0414 940 911 Kanimbla Charters Gladstone1800 677 202

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Eclipse FNQ Weipa Charters 0488 058 668 Fish’s Fly & Sportsfishing Weipa (07) 4069 9957 Action Charters Mackay 0417 452 346 Fishing Charters Townsville 0403 386 722 JC’s Fishing Charters 0438 753 382 Fairdinkum Fishing Charters Townsville (07) 4751 5324 Cairns Reef Charter Services 1800 119 044 Cairns Charter Boat 0427 533 081 Cairns Fishing Charters 0427 400 027

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Phone Dave today: www.fishingyamba.com.au 0428 231 962 OPEN 7 DAYS

EASY

GOLD PARKINGCOAST

True Blue Fishing Gold Coast (07) 5510 9622 BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0414 293 034 My Charter Boat Tweed Heads 0407 347 446 RU4 Reel Tweed Heads 0449 903 366 Discovery Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0427 026 519 Fish The Deep Charters 0416 224 412 Paradise Fishing Charters 0403 531 428 Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0411 605 090 Hooker 1 Charters Gold Coast (07) 5528 6469 Sea Probe Fishing Charters 0400 312 330 • Ice & Gas Coastal Sports Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0412 691 929 s le a S t • Boa arts Ph: 6646 1994 Gone Charters Gold Coast s & P7833 andlery Sale5529 • ChFishing rs(07)

INA YAMBA MAR E , E L K C A T & R ARINA BOAT CKLE STO

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• Traile kle or 0428 231 962 okings Email: dave@gaden.com.au Charter Bo

BRISBANE • Bait & Tac

• Charters Brisbane (07) 3209 4576 Frenzy Tom Cat Charters (07) 3820 8794 Moreton Island Fishing Charters 0413 128 056 Brisbane Fishing Charters 0427 026 510 Bucket List Fishing Charters 0428 368 316 John Gooding Outlaw Charters 0418 738 750

IDEAL GIFT!

SUNSHINE COAST

A FISHO’S DREAM For bookings or enquiries contact: Cliff Andreassen 0428 712 283 or 07 5449 9346 bearfish@bigpond.com • www.fraserislandfishingunits.com.au Apurla Island Retreat 0437 739 121 Waddy Lodge on Fraser 0414 516 364 Cathedrals on Fraser (07) 4127 9177 Fraser Island Beach Houses 1800 626 230 Yidney Rocks (07) 4127 9167 Eurong Beach Resort 1800 111 808

Keely Rose Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0407 146 151 Odyssey Charters Deep Sea Fishing (07) 5478 1109 Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters (07) 5486 8666 or 0408 767 930 Smithy’s Fishing Charters Sunshine Coast 0407 574 868 Top Catch Charters Sunshine Coast 0429 013 012 Fish n Crab Charters Mooloolaba 0412 155 814 Offshore Reef and Game Fishing 0413 485 402 Sunshine Coast Fishing Charters (07) 5500 0671 Fishing Offshore Noosa 0418 889 956 Noosa Fishing Charters (07) 5665 8170 Hervey Bay Fishing Charters (07) 4125 3958 Incredible Charters 1300 655 818

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MARCH 2017

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat

Inside story...

Sea Jay Aluminium Boats has been family owned and operated for over 25 years, and the name has become renowned for strength, quality workmanship and customization with the angler in mind. Whether you’re fishing in fresh or salt, inshore or offshore, Sea Jay will provide you with a model to suit your boating and fishing needs.

Made for...

Sea Jay specialises in boats for sports anglers, offering a stable fishing platform and plenty of storage.

This month...

Editor Steve Morgan takes the Sea Jay Velocity Sports 550 out for a run in Raby Bay.

96 Paddling Pumicestone

Peter Jung explores Pumicestone Passage’s fishing options armed only with a kayak and some tackle.

98 Kayak storage

Justin Willmer looks at some storage solutions and provides some options for different set ups.

102 Unloading the boat trailer at home

Unloading the boat trailer at home can be hard, but Wayne Kampe has some steps to make it easier.

106 Whittley CW1650 with Yamaha F70 Steve Morgan got the chance to run this smashing new rig with Genevieve Whittley from Whittley Boats.

Kayaking the lower Pumicestone Passage BRISBANE

Peter Jung

The Pumicestone Passage is a 35km stretch of water that links Deception Bay (Brisbane) in the south with Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. The Bribie Island Bridge signals the beginning of the waterway and some great areas to get out there with your kayak and catch a few fish.

kayak in from the beach at the end of Kal Ma Kuta Drive or from the area at the boat ramp. On the other side of the bridge, Marine Parade has boat launching facilities and this area again offers excellent access to the waterway. The only limitations fishing from your kayak are the amount of current and boat traffic. The foreshore on both sides of the passage has excellent bread and

Bribie canals are also only a short paddle away and these areas again lend themselves to casting small lures and plastics around. TOORBUL AND DONNYBROOK Taking the Pumicestone Road turnoff from the Bruce Highway takes you to both Toorbul and Donnybrook (the Donnybrook turnoff is just before you get to Toorbul). Both areas have large foreshore frontage, but

Pumicestone Passage local Justin Willmer taking advantage of a pristine morning at Toorbul. whiting and flathead love to sit in all of the undulations that the flats offer and a kayak gets you up on these flats to target them. Opposite Parrot Island is White Patch; this is a deeper section of the waterway fringed by sand banks and multiple channels. Drifting this area using soft plastics

will more than likely get you a nice feed of fish. Heading north you have Elimbah Creek. The great part about fishing the mouth of the creek is how the bottom structure is constantly changing. It can be sand at one point, then weed and then rock and shell all within 100m.

These changes are easily seen when you’re in a kayak and each medium offers its own fishing opportunity. It is not unusual to catch multiple species in this limited space. Donnybrook offers similar fishing options with the shallow areas around Little Goat Island and the

At high tide there are plenty of areas you can launch your kayak. Just be mindful and have a plan for low tide, as the margins in the area are very shallow. The area I want to focus on has three main access points: the bridge, Toorbul and Donnybrook. They all provide excellent places to launch and retrieve your kayak and also offer plenty of safe areas, away

butter species fishing and keeps you out of harm’s way. Peppering the sand flats and mangrove fringes with hardbody lures and soft plastics around the top of the tide produces good numbers of whiting, bream

limited parking. Anywhere along the foreshore provides excellent launching of a kayak at high tide. There are limitations at low tide with quite a bit of the shoreline exposed, making for a muddy trek back to your car. Both areas have good boat launching facilities, so they can be used at low tide, but be mindful of other watercraft. I love fishing this part of the waterway. The stealth of a kayak opens up all sorts of opportunities and areas for you to fish. From Toorbul you can head south and fish the flats around Parrot Island with surface lures, hardbody lures or soft plastics. Plenty of bream,

Bream love the shallow flats and they climb all over a well-presented soft plastic lure.

Flathead are a common catch throughout the system. from the main boat traffic, which is reassuring for less experienced kayakers. BRIBIE ISLAND BRIDGE The exit to Bribie Island is well signposted off the Bruce Highway. There are two areas either side of the bridge that are ideal for launching. At Spinnaker Sound you can put your 96

MARCH 2017

and flathead. It also can produce the odd snapper and flounder. The bridge is a massive piece of structure and can be fished around the tide changes. Big plastics and vibes fished deep around the pylons can produce mulloway, estuary cod and some big flathead at times. Ningi Creek and the

Always check the weather and tides and try and plan your day on the water, so you have a safe one.

area opposite the caravan park providing consistent fishing all year round. TAKE CARE As pristine as these areas are (it is nothing to be entertained by dugong, turtles and dolphins while you are on the water), they are also quite shallow, which means wind and tide can play a big factor. I always suggest using the tide to your advantage and time your trips to have the tide assist in taking you in the directions you want to go. Always be conscious that wind and shallow water can quickly turn a good day into a bad one. Plan your trip and this area of the Pumicestone Passage is a kayak angler’s playground.

The perfect boats The perfect boats for barra, bass or bream for barra, bass or bream

Fishing with Nitro is a blast! Whether you’re a tournament pro or a weekend warrior, Nitro boats will ignite your passion and pack more fun into your day. Just getting there is half the fun! For more than 20 years, Nitro have continually refined and delivered serious fishing boats for serious anglers.

The world’s #1 aluminium fishing boats! Tracker’s outstanding quality and unique manufacturing process have made them the world’s largest boat builder – producing more than 40,000 aluminium fishing boats per year. Their foam-filled, unsinkable, 3mm plate alloy hulls are robotically welded to deliver superior quality at a lower cost – and are backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Nitro boats are foam-filled to exceed US Coast Guard survey requirements. This gives you the safety of level floatation, security and comfort – and additional fishing stealth – all backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Tracker’s Pro Guide series is designed with a deep-vee hull for exceptional performance, even in rough waters. Their Diamond Coat finish is a Tracker exclusive that resists oxidation, providing protection and a shine lasting 70% longer. Standard features include a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance colour sounder, plus tournament-ready live well systems and rod lockers.

Call Tim Stessl now on 0429 680 504 to arrange a test drive or em:tim@flboats.com.au Hopefully it will be rough, as you’ll be stunned by the performance of these boats when the weather gets challenging!

Fishing and Leisure Boats, 167 Currumburra Road, Ashmore, QLD 4214

www.fishingandleisureboats.com.au

Kayak tackle storage solutions BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

When you’re fishing from the cockpit of a kayak, you need to be organised and

kayak designs allow tackle trays to be stored within easy reach. Other tackle storage solutions that are built into kayaks include bucket hatches, moulded pockets, mesh pockets and even drink holders.

with your gear while it inside the hull. By gluing or riveting an attachment point to the inside of the hatch lid, you can then leash the dry bag to the lid so that it doesn’t slide out of reach inside the hull.

Tackle stored behind the seat and in the side pockets means a clear cockpit area for pedalling and fishing. this includes mounting and storing everything within easy reach, while also considering the weight capacity of your chosen craft. This also applies to fishing tackle. Many boat anglers gain notoriety among their mates as that guy that brings ten rods and five tackle boxes of gear when they head out fishing. As kayak anglers, we don’t have the luxury of taking all of the tackle that we own with us, so we need to refine our arsenal. Let’s have a quick look at tackle selection and tackle storage for kayak anglers. STORAGE Some kayak anglers are lucky enough to have their tackle storage requirements solved for them by the kayak designers. Some

Whether you’re storing terminal tackle or lures, you can use the storage options supplied as part of the kayak design and its fit-out, or add your own additional storage options to suit your needs. BUCKET HATCH A common storage option on kayaks is the centre bucket hatch. These are also sold separately and can be fitted at a later date. A simple twist of the hatch to remove the lid and you have access to your tackle. The downside of these hatches is that they are often small and only hold a couple of packets of plastics and a small tray. A trick is to remove the bucket, if this is an option, load in an empty dry bag and then load the dry bag

Moulded and mesh pockets are great for storing tackle and mesh pockets can be retrofitted. 98

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Now you can open the lid and easily access the dry bag and its contents. Sea to Summit make a range of dry bags that are white on the inside, making it much easier to locate the items you’re looking for. MOULDED POCKETS If your kayak has moulded pockets as part of its design, these can be ideal for storing smaller tackle trays. If the trays need securing, a bungee paddle holder can be fitted to lock them in place. MESH POCKETS Quite a few kayak brands use mesh pockets as part of their fit out and also offer them as a spare part. These mesh pockets can be retrofitted to other kayak brands and even in multiple locations within easy reach. Mesh pockets are lightweight, don’t hold water and have a degree of flexibility for what can be stored in them. They are perfect for small tackle trays, lip grips, other tools, scent and sunscreen. DRINK HOLDERS I prefer to keep my water bottles out of the sun,

A dry bag inside the centre hatch loaded for an adventure. Note the white lining for ease of locating items. under or beside my seat or in the Evakool icebox in the rear well, so I use my built-in drink holder for tackle storage. Before I paddle out, I load my scent and a few favourite lures into the drink holder, including a few different jighead weights to suit varying stages of the tide. Often I have all that I need for a session in just this handful of lures and don’t even need to go digging for other lure options. SOFT PLASTICS WALLETS Along with these fitted

When the toothy critters are around, pack a bit more tackle.

options there are also more portable options such as dry bags, dry boxes and soft plastic wallets. These are a great option for storing soft plastics, allowing you to carry a dozen or so packets and you can quickly and easily flick through to select the model and colour you’re looking for. They often come with a carry handle, making them easy to leash to the kayak. It’s important to remember that if they have a zip you will need to give them a spray with silicone spray or wipe the zip with some reel oil to minimise corrosion and the chance of the zip seizing. TACKLE TRAYS Tackle Trays are the most popular option for storing terminal tackle, jigheads, blades, hardbodies and many other lure types. There is a range of waterproof options available featuring a silicone gasket in the lid, and these are excellent for the kayak. They also feature a plastic tag for hanging them in stores that can be used for leashing them to your kayak. The downside is that there is only a limited range of waterproof models available and the configuration won’t suit all anglers and applications. There are stacks of tray options available, including shallow trays, deep trays,

Leash it or lose it. These BogaGrips are leashed and then stored in the mesh side pocket.

double-sided trays, trays with adjustable dividers, fixed dividers and more. The downside is that they’re not waterproof. One option for kayak anglers is to store them in a dry bag. I have recently started using

in a dry bag to keep it secure and away from the elements. The dry bag has an attachment point where it can be leashed to the kayak and I can even throw it behind my seat out of the way, retrieving it with the

larger trays makes it easier to see what’s running low and make yourself a shopping list to top up this base station when required. It’s then simply a matter of topping up the smaller tray or two that you carry

It’s worth having a few weedless options in your kit, just in case. with you in the kayak from this tackle base station. I never return used items to these larger trays. That way I avoid rusting out bulk items, instead rinsing the used items in fresh water

the packets that I wish to take on a particular adventure. I will often carry two packets of my go-to for that adventure and then it’s important to have a mix of colours in a few of your favourite models.

is common on windy days and run out tides, and finally a fluoro pink or chartreuse colour just in case the others aren’t firing. Finally I have my retractable line snips

Sheri with her tackle bag attached behind her seat.

Waterproof trays are another handy option for kayak tackle storage.

A simple solution in smaller kayaks is a dry bag in front of your feet. a double-sided tray and the great advantage is that it’s about the same thickness as a single-sided tray but with twice the number of compartments. Although you can’t store bulk lots of items, you can keep a lot more items separated and organised for a kayak session. This allows me to carry a range of jigheads as well as a selection of blades, hardbodies and even some rigged plastics all in the one tray, while ensuring I have a couple of compartments loaded with my go-to jighead size. DRY BAGS With one soft plastic wallet and one doublesided tackle tray I have everything I need for a day on the water, stored

leash when required. Dry bags come in a wide range of sizes and if you leave some air in the dry bag when you roll it closed, it will float should anything go wrong and it ends up in the water. TACKLE SELECTION Over time you will refine your kit to suit your particular adventure and I have larger trays at home where I store the bulk items that I often use, including favourite blade colours and jighead sizes. Rather than carting these to the water every trip, often exposing them to the saltwater and overloading the kayak, these trays are left at home. Leaving the part number and description from the product packaging in the compartments of these

and hanging them on the side of a small plastic tub to dry for future use. Again, when it comes to soft plastics I have a container that holds bulk plastics at home and I grab

Time on the water has shown me that it’s worth carrying a lighter, natural colour for clear water and bright days, a darker silhouette colour for when the water dirties up, which

Double-sided tackle tray, soft plastics wallet and a dry bag – tackle storage sorted.

attached to my shirt or ‘D’ ring on my pants, lip grips, fish ruler and landing net leashed to my kayak and a couple of different flavours of scent handy, either in my drink holder or pocket. When you’re setting up your yak, take note of where you can store and secure your tackle within easy reach, remembering the option to retrofit mesh pockets and bucket hatches, along with the option of a leashed-on dry bag loaded with a tackle tray and soft plastics wallet. Try to make a plan based on the location you’re fishing, target species, tides and other variables to assist you in refining the tackle you carry with you, while also covering the possibilities that may arise in your chosen location, such as a few weedless options in case there’s weed around, a variety of lures to cover different water depths and a couple of larger or smaller profile lures to suit the bite on the day. Fish on! MARCH 2017

WHAT’S NEW BOATING MERCURY 75-115HP FOURSTROKE OFFER 1

Boasting less weight and high displacement, Mercury FourStrokes generate abundant torque and immediate power, so they accelerate better, get boats onto a plane faster, and provide optimal fuel efficiency at cruising speed. These engines are quieter and smoother than the competition, with up to 50% less vibration and 50% less noise, and are all available in Command Thrust format. With a larger gearcase and gearcase torpedo, combined with a bigger-diameter prop, Command Thrust outboards provide greater leverage and control, lifting a heavy boat onto a plane more easily and holding it there without effort at lower speeds. The 115hp FourStroke is also available in counterrotating format. Until 21 April, 2017, anyone purchasing a Mercury 75-115hp FourStroke from a participating Mercury dealer will receive a VesselView 502 multi-function touchscreen display upgrade from the standard VesselView 4, and Mercury Active Trim – the industry’s only GPS based automated trim system, valued at $1541. www.mercurymarine.com.au

GMR FANTOM 18 AND 24

New for 2017 are the GMR Fantom 18 and 24 radar from industry giant Garmin. These new solid-state pulse compression radomes offer MotionScope Doppler technology and 40W of power – the highest in the industry for its kind. Available in an 18” or 24” footprint, they bring Garmin’s award-winning Fantom technology to a smaller size and lower price point, making them an attractive option for boats where open-array radar isn’t an option. With its pulse compression technology, the Fantom 18 and Fantom 24 provide high resolution while maximising energy to enhance target detection. The Fantom 18 features a 5.2° beam width, while the Fantom 24 offers a narrower 3.7° width. Both Fantom radomes offer excellent range performance from 6m to 48nm. Price: SRP $2999-$3999 www.garmin.com

ENHANCED I-PILOT SPOT-LOCK

Minn Kota has made significant enhancements to the ground-breaking Spot-Lock electronic GPS anchor. “We’ve reinvented Spot-Lock to make it the most accurate electronic GPS anchor ever,” said Shaun Clancy, Minn Kota Brand Manager. “Anglers will immediately notice that the reinvented Spot-Lock holds the boat in position with unmatched precision and consistency. When fishing, even in strong wind and current, it’s easy just to Spot-Lock to land fish, change baits, or even take a photo or two. The updated Spot-Lock feature will make boat positioning easier and more precise than ever.” The new Spot-Lock also features ‘Jog Mode’, which allows anglers to move their current Spot-Lock position 5ft to the left or right, forward or backward, with the simple push of a button. The enhanced Spot-Lock feature comes standard on the new i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link systems, factory-installed on a wide variety of new Bluetooth-enabled bow-mount trolling motors including Ulterra, Terrova and PowerDrive, as well as Riptide Ulterra, Riptide Terrova and Riptide PowerDrive. www.bla.com.au 100

MARCH 2017

PRODUCT GUIDE

NEW DIAMOND DECK 4 COLOURS

Diamond Deck marine-grade, selfadhesive EVA foam decking is ideal for anyone who’s tired of having a slippery, hot boat – or who’s tired of trying to keep their marine carpet clean. Originally available only in white, black and grey, Diamond Deck now comes in three new colours – blue, maroon and marble grey. Diamond Deck easily bonds to aluminium, fibreglass, steel, wood, gelcoat, flowcoat, painted surfaces and even checker plate with minimal preparation. It comes ready to apply with a peel and stick, self-adhesive backing sheet. It reduces glare, heat, noise, shock and fatigue for those on board, and it won’t come unstuck in even the harshest of elements. It’s also easy to clean and dries quickly. Diamond Deck is 5mm thick, which is enough to cushion the ride when applied to tinny seats. It comes in easy-to-use sheets in various sizes, all of which can be cut to shape with scissors or a cutting knife. Custom cutting is also available. www.diamonddeck.com.au

DYSON V6 CAR + BOAT

Boat and car cleaning can feel like a major hassle, with tight gaps, tricky angles and awkward spaces. The Dyson V6 Car + Boat vacuum makes the job easy. It comes complete with a set of specialised cleaning tools, each designed for specific cleaning uses, to deal with all types of dirt, in every nook and cranny. The Dyson’s cord-free format transforms easily to tackle dirt and debris all over your car or boat – even in the most difficult spots. The extension hose attachment lets you vacuum out enclosed spaces like hatches or foot wells. Combined with the stubborn dirt tool, the extension hose removes even ground-in dirt. The Dyson In car charger connects to a standard 12V accessory socket for charging your cord-free machine on the move, or when there’s no mains socket to hand. Price: SRP $449 www.dyson.com.au

LOWRANCE HDS CARBON

Lowrance HDS Carbon multi-function displays (12”, 9” and 7”) feature StructureScan 3D with SideScan and DownScan Imaging, dual channel CHIRP sonar, StructureMap, Broadband Radar and SiriusXM Weather Chart Overlay. The HDS Carbon’s dual-core processor allows anglers to switch between applications and simultaneously view independent sonar feeds with ease, and the SolarMAX HD screen provides great visibility at almost any angle. Along with integrated wireless connectivity that lets you download updates and map purchases directly, HDS Carbon features Bluetooth control of multiple Power-Pole shallow water anchors and Bluetooth audio streaming from SonicHub2. Anglers can navigate with ease using proven Lowrance navigation technology, built-in C-MAP Insight mapping with enhanced coverage of coastal and inland waters, a 10Hz internal GPS antenna, and a multitude of mapping options accessible from the unit’s dual microSD card slots or via wireless download. HDS Carbon supports radar, SmartSteer control of Motorguide Xi5 trolling motors and Lowrance Outboard pilot, and full engine data integration with Mercury VesselView Link. Price: SRP $1599-$4699 www.lowrance.com

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BRISBANE SOUTH MANLY HARBOUR MARINE 570 Royal Esplanade, Manly Phone: (07) 3893 2199 Fax: (07) 3893 2188 Email: info@manlyharbourmarine.com.au Website: www.manlyharbourmarine.com.au MARCH 2017

101

Taking the boat off the trailer at home in five steps BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Boats are meant to go on and off trailers – at the ramp, that is. And while the boat is in the water, it’s pretty easy to give the trusty trailer a once over to see that all is well. While a quick check is fine, there can be circumstances that will require more detailed work

Note that the trailer will remain connected to the car until the boat is totally off it and on a bed of tyres. Old car tyres are never hard to find with the number required depending upon the length of the hull and it’s shape. Generally speaking, the boat needs to be supported firstly at the stern as it’s coming down off the trailer, and then on the sides as the trailer is moved from under it. I used six tyres in the

next job is to move the transducer/s out of harm’s way. If, like myself, you have gone to some trouble to get the transducer just right on the back of your alloy craft, you might like to tape a straight edge under the hull, showing just how the transducer’s aligned and then photograph it for later reference, before moving it out of the way. This saves you frustration later. The outboard needs to be tilted up as far up as

The job ready to go – tyres can be moved in exactly where the hull will touch the ground. to the boat with trailer at the ready. Alternatively, the trailer needs to be lined up straight and then the car connected to the trailer. In practice, later, you will

the transducer will not make contact with them as the boat is coming off the trailer, which is a totally manual exercise. A push will start to move the boat

the winch pawl, pulling out a bit of cable, then again engaging the pawl is the way to go. Control is everything; you don’t want the boat

Protect those transducers. These ones are safely up out of the way. on the trailer and might see the boat off the trailer for quite a while, in closer proximity to tools and materials. Cleaning up and then re-painting a trailer, which I did when my boat returned from Weipa on each occasion, is a prime example of the necessity for a boat and trailer to part company. In this article, you’ll see just how easy it is to remove and then return the boat to its trailer.

example shown with my 4.3 Bullshark. The same number of tyres worked just as well with the 5.5 Galeforce when we replaced the brake system. Ever tried replacing a brake system with the boat on the trailer? Forget it! Also, removing the boat from the trailer is best as a two-person project to make things easier. STEP 1 Tyres sorted, the

possible and a tyre placed at the transom area for the skeg to sit on. Before doing anything further, consider the general area where the boat is being removed from the trailer. It’s important to be able to bring the trailer back in perfect alignment with the hull when the boat needs to come back on it, so there has to be enough space for the car to be reversed straight back

With a good trailer, the boat won’t take much effort to shift back. Denise is moving it fairly easily. Note the controlled amount of slack in the winch cable. see why this is stressed as important. STEP 2 With transducers taken care of, the next task is to sit three tyres under the transom area ensuring that

backwards. Move it only a small amount at a time by controlling the amount of slack in the winch cable for the duration of the exercise. Providing slack in the winch line by disengaging

slipping back quickly or jarring down hard. Take heart, it’s very easy to control that rear movement as the amount of winch cable provided governs the rearwards movement

With careful placement, the transducers are out of harm’s way. 102

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of the boat. Once the boat is moving backwards in small controlled stages, it’s time to start working out where the tyres need to be to support the hull. A bit more movement – under careful winch control – will make it pretty clear where the hull is going to come down to the ground. With the tyres carefully aligned, the hull can be moved backwards even further so that the stern dips down off the trailer to see the hull resting correctly on them and extending nicely skywards on the back of the trailer. STEP 3 This next bit involves both a car driver and a winch supervisor. The car driver will be moving the vehicle very carefully forward a few centimetres at a time, to move the trailer out from under the boat while the winch is also strategically disengaged to provide slack

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Perfect! The hull is moving up onto the trailer as the trailer and car are reversing back. the tow hook of the boat before doing anything else. I usually do this with the trailer disconnected. Once the trailer is perfectly in

on the tyres, it can’t do this. Things soon go pearshaped once the car moves forward. It starts with the boat moving to an edge

At this point, the hull and tyres need to be placed exactly right, so go slow. at all times, otherwise the poor old boat will be dragged forward. Again, make sure the placement of tyres is correct when it’s obvious that the boat is coming off the trailer. You can easily halt everything and take a look at where things are going. The winch operator will be able to make this assessment and this is why I advocate moving the car forward just a small amount at a time while the winch cable is carefully disengaged to provide slack. By proceeding slowly, and with care, the boat will come off that trailer without even a jar or bump, and (I might add) with some satisfaction for the participants! Congratulations, you have the boat off the trailer and you can work on it at leisure. Work completed, we need to get it back. That’s the next step. STEP 4 The only tricky bit here is to get the trailer absolutely square on to

alignment, bring the car back to the trailer and connect it. If the trailer is out of perfect alignment, the boat will come up in a badly misaligned manner. In the water, it will swing to correct itself. Sitting hard

of the first roller and gets progressively worse. Don’t go there! With the winch connected and someone on the winch to watch state of play, use it to pull the boat up as the car is carefully

and slowly reversed to the point where the trailer is just engaging the hull. STEP 5 Now comes the best bit and it’s a process that works quite easily. As the transom is perched hard on the three rear tyres, the boat won’t move backwards. The car will when the winch is used. How? Rather than reversing the car, which might cause an issue with power, the car is left out of gear and with hand brake off. With each winch handle revolution, the trailer and car move backwards quite easily to see the boat rising as the trailer goes under it. The trick is to keep winding that winch handle. You won’t need to check things like when the boat was coming off, so long as the boat is going onto the trailer as straight as it should be. While it might sound involved, it’s not. I have done this with the 5.5 fibreglass Galey at least three times and the Bullshark just as many times. There has never been a drama. Once the boat is horizontal on the trailer, it comes forward very readily and the exercise is complete.

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$85,000 The car is driven forward very slowly as the tyres for the sides of the hull are aligned. Then the job’s done and the trailer is ready for any work.

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103

Sea Jay Velocity Sports 550 – a big, versatile tinny

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Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

It’s a real lucky dip when we get to take a boat out for a test. Sometimes we’re cursed with billiard-table flat seas. Other times we are blessed with a bay that looks like a washing machine. It’s these rough days where you can really find out what a hull can do. After all, there’s no such thing as a crappy ride on a calm sea. Sea Jay’s Velocity Sports models are based on the Samurai hull – built with a steep entry, which tapers off to around 16° of deadrise at the transom. Couple that with some wide reverse chines and you get Sea Jay’s iteration of a perfect compromise between the

ability to carve water and stability at rest. There are three models in the Velocity Sports range and we tested the largest of them. The test boat was fitted out by Stones Corner Marine as a staff and demonstration model. Powered by a Yamaha F130 four-stroke, it wasn’t missing any of the fruit you’d expect, kind of the same way you never see a butcher with an iron deficiency. After completing the

obligatory performance statistics in the sheltered waters of Raby Bay, Stones Corner’s Troy Wegner and I got the opportunity to take the rig out in more exposed waters to see what it could do. Anything up to around 0.75m the Velocity took in its stride – the length of the hull and mass of the boat allowed the craft to bridge the ‘holes in the road.’ When wind blew against tide and the waves really stood up, you needed to

PERFORMANCE RPM. Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) 650.................................. 8......................................6.8 1000................................ 9......................................5.2 2000...............................14......................................2.7 3000.............................. 22......................................2.2 4000.............................. 42......................................2.9 5000.............................. 54......................................2.2 6300.............................. 70......................................1.4 * Fitted with a SOLAS 13.5” x 16 pitch propeller.

You can see how deep the sides of this boat are. 104

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Main Pic: Sea Jay’s 550 Velocity Sports is a big, beamy boat. With nearmaximum allowable beam (for towing) and a mile of deck space, this rig covers a pile of inshore and offshore applications. Above: The raised front casting deck sees the angler up the bow fishing with their feet well above the waterline when the boat is at rest. The rails are low enough to cast sidearm. come off the throttle and drive the boat through the troughs and that’s standard for a boat of this length. Also standard, if you decide to quarter the sea while off the plane, you will get spray blown back across you. Overall, though, there are few aluminium open boats that you’d take on the bay with the same confidence as the Sea Jay. The 1.3m depth allows you to crawl through the nastiest slop without stuffing the bow under. As usual, a mid-range Yamaha provides superlative fuel economy, yielding 2.9km/L at the optimal cruising range (4000 rpm) and backs it up with great hole shot (four seconds to planing speed). If, for any reason, the bright yellow hull didn’t turn heads at the ramp, the

optional accessories certainly would, especially when you decided to remote-deploy the MinnKota 80lb Ulterra. It’s a neat party trick. Coupled with a Humminbird Helix 9, you have all of the tools you need for tracking down and effectively catching fish anywhere from your local freshwater lake through to offshore and everything in between. Completing the package is the OEM Sea Jay Trailer, built specifically for this hull by Dunbier trailers. Constructed on an alloy I-beam backbone and fitted with braked mag wheels on its twin axles, you can be sure that your investment is being well looked after. Sea Jay are so confident with the combination that they double the warranty on the hull to two years if you

choose this option. As tested the boat rolls off the yard in the low $60Ks. You can get into a lower-spec Velocity Sports 550 package for under $50,000. For more information or a test drive of your own, contact Stones Corner Marine on (07) 3397 9766 or visit www. stonescornermarine.com.au. SPECIFICATIONS Bottom...................4mm Sides......................3mm Beam....................2.45m Depth.....................1.3m Floor Ribs.................. 14 Capacity..... six persons Hull weight..........660kg Rec hp.....................100 Max hp..................... 150 Max Motor Weight....230 Overall Length.....5.60m

Matched with a Sea Jay trailer OEM built by Dunbier, the Velocity Sports gets an extra year of warranty. It’s a damn sexy trailer, too. Aluminium I-beam construction and alloy mag wheels would make anyone feel funny inside. A steep bow entry tapers down to a 16° deadrise at the transom. On the water, this translated to the ability to punch across a chop of about 0.75m. After that, you need to slow down and navigate the troughs.

Top Left: Lots of anglers appreciate the ability to either anchor or use the electric motor, depending on conditions. There’s room in that anchor well to fit an anchor winch, too. Bottom Left: The 60” of MinnKota shaft were just enough to use in calm waters. Right: Humminbird’s Helix 9 is a great all-round unit and combines side image, down image, GPS and mapping features.

The Yamaha F130 threw the Sea Jay up and onto the plane in around four seconds. It definitely wasn’t a slouch out of the hole.

Clever use of underfloor space allows for a variety of wet and covered options in the final layout of the Velocity.

Left: Everything you want in a console is right here – room for big electronics, plenty to hold on to, double shelves out of the weather and the ability to drive from a standing or seated position. Right: The tackle trays in the side of the console were the icing on the cake. If this console was any more hotted up, it’d leave skid marks.

There’s a whole lot of workspace on this front deck. This image doesn’t really do it justice. You could lie across it.

If you’re a deeper water angler, you’ll appreciate the lower cockpit floor behind the casting deck. There are no rod lockers in this hull layout – the vertical rod storage in front of the console does just fine. MARCH 2017

105

Whittley CW1650 with Yamaha F70 goes large

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Over the last couple of years we’ve done plenty of boat tests on Whittleys – from cruisers to fishing boats and most things in between. The most watched Whittley test on YouTube that we’ve done is the smallest in the range. It used to be the entrylevel CW1600 at around 8500 views. That boat has now

We got to spend the day on the water with Genevieve Whittley, who works in the family business and loves the versatility and affordability of this entry-level fibreglass package. “For under $40,000, this boat is great for all sorts of fun with family and friends,” she said, “There’s plenty of shade, lots of fishing room and the standard marlin boards make it easy to get in and out of the boat while towing a tube around.” Indeed, it’s a small, light

package that’ll tow easily with most family cars and with a single-axle trailer, manoeuvrable into many suburban garages. The folddown bimini top helps with this process. The cabin is an open design, which helps to maximise apparent room and the helm is simple, compact and able to accommodate mid-level electronics quite easily. The test boat was fitted with the quality Raymarine Dragonfly unit. On the trailer, you can Maxing out a 50km/h with the Yamaha F70 4-stroke, the CW1650 is easy and economical to launch and drive.

Although there was no fuel metering available on the boat, rest assured that the Yamaha F70 runs on the smell of an oily rag. Daily fuel consumption will not be a determining factor on whether or not you go out. morphed into the CW1650 – just a little bit longer, but now large enough for it not to be mandatory to wear a PFD full-time in some states. That doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a big difference to a day on the water – especially in the warmer months. 106

MARCH 2017

SPECIFICATIONS Capacity....................................................5 persons Length................................................................5.1m Beam................................................................2.14m Boat Weight.....................................................525kg Max hp..............................................90hp (or 175kg) Website:.....................www.northsidemarine.com.au Phone:................................................(07) 3265 8000

see there’s not much deadrise at the transom of this boat. Surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a factor on the test day. In up to 10 knots of breeze, the 1650 skipped soundly across any wind chop. As the waves get bigger, expect this hull to ride over the lumps more than through. It’s really a problem that won’t eventuate, as you wouldn’t be heading out in 20 knots in this rig anyway. Bigger and heavier Whittleys are more suited to the marginal days. As usual, the ridiculously frugal Yamaha F70 4-stroke uses virtually no fuel and it jumps the boat onto the plane easily with three on board. With a 14” propeller, it’s rigged for grunt, not top-end speed, with the rig topping out at around 50km/h. Whittley and their dealer network are proud of their on-water training and delivery, which is part of the tradition of owning a Whittley. “We like to show you how to launch and retrieve your boat

as well and take you through what all of the electronics and switches do on your handover,” said Genevieve, “which is particularly important for first-time boaties and customers stepping up into a drive-on trailer.” Genevieve also commented on the ease of washing down and cleaning the simple design of this package. You can hose everything down, let it dry and you’re ready to back it in the garage until the next weekend. The Whittley CW1650 packages start from $36,990 PERFORMANCE RPM.................. km/h 700...........................4 1000.........................5 2000....................... 10 3000....................... 16 4000.......................28 5000.......................43 5600.......................50 * fitted with 14” aluminium Yamaha propeller.

(which equates to less than $100 a week with finance) and you can get more information by watching the Fishing Monthly Boat Test video via the QR code or by visiting www.northsidemarine.com.au or calling (07) 3265 8000. • 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. VIDEO

Scan this QR code on your smartphone to watch the CW1650 in action on Port Phillip Bay.

A simple dash design and open cabin help maximise usable space. The seats rotate 180° to face your spread of rods or watch the people being towed.

There’s a surprising amount of space in the front cabin and generous storage in the side pockets and under the seats.

Left: There’s a fair bit of cockpit space there to fit a couple of anglers in comfort. The rear seats are handy for when there’s four on board. Right: The fold-down canopy offers plenty of shade, if not total protection from the elements. The walk-through windscreen gives access to the bow and various anchoring duties.

Left: Genevieve Whittley demonstrating just how easy the CW1650 is to drive. Right: You never know that you will need a boarding ladder until you’re wallowing at the transom wondering how you’re going to climb up the outboard with dignity. The marlin boards and ladder are standard.

Left: It’s the little things, like the Fulton retractable straps at the transom and on the winch post, that simplify the process of launch and retrieve. If we had our way, they’d be on every boat in Australia. Once you’ve used them, you’ll never want a tie down strap again. Right: With four basic rod holders in the transom, you can expand the capacity with three-way inserts.

There’s only a small amount of deadrise in the 1650, so don’t expect it to ride like a 20ft+, but if you choose your days, the foamfilled glass will take a lot of the sting out of small chop.

Once you’ve had a drive-on boat and trailer combination, you’ll never go back. You’ll only be winching on the shallowest of all launches.

Whittley keeps the costs down by keeping the build no-frills and simple. MARCH 2017

107

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