Victoria Fishing Monthly - October 2016

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Drifting for SW Snapper Snapper fishery assessment Pier fishing with kids Brilliant Beechworth lakes

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Aquayak Snapper Pro Kayak Deeper Pro+ update DTD squid jigs Platypus P8 braid Cross Country 4.5 Island Hopper McLay 581 CrossXOver October, 2016 Fishing Monthly G R O U P

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Allan McKenzie was using a Black Magic 4/0 Bleeding Pilcha Rig when he caught these superb 8.8kg and 9.4kg snapper. H was fishing from the Portland Breakwater in Victoria.

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October 2016, Vol. 11 No. 12

Contents WEST COAST

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rest assured that there are long term gains for angling in a broader time frame.

South East Queensland had it in 2011 and 2013. Major flooding events that resulted in spectacular recruitment for many species and wonderful fishing that came to fruition in the following seasons. It won’t happen overnight but it will happen.

SNAPPER SEASON STARTS Some will argue that the season never ends, but this is the month where the footy loving anglers drag the rigs out of winter hibernation and take advantage of the great snapper fishing that Port Phillip Bay offers at this time of the year.

Be kind to each other, please. We know that sometimes it can get frustrating at the boat ramps, but a little patience and courtesy goes a long way in a pre-dawn queue.

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VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 66 Robinvale 68 Mildura 68 Yarrawonga 69 Shepparton 72 Wangaratta 70 Jindabyne 73 Eildon 74 Bonnie Doon 75 Goulburn River 75 Central Gippsland 76 Melbourne Metro 77 Bendigo 76 West/South Gippsland 77 Crater Lakes 77

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Eden 42 Mallacoota 43 Narooma 44 Merimbula 45

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NSW SOUTH COAST

Gone Fishing Day at www. gonefishingday.org.

“Make your rod count!”

Mr Hansard concluded.

SHORT TERM PAIN, LONG TERM GAIN As this issue goes to press, all of the South East is recovering from the hammering it received in mid-September. Rain, rain and more rain. Some headlines touted a 100-year event for Victoria.

And while from an angling perspective it puts the brakes on some short term activity, AU

Inverloch 41

“Gone Fishing Day will be a truly national event with activities happening from Hobart to Darwin and from Sydney to Perth, including kids’ fishing days, family fishing days, fishing tournaments of all kinds and fishing club events, in addition to many Australians heading out for a fish with family and friends. “ “It costs nothing to take part in what we hope is Australia’s biggest outdoor event - by registering that you will be going fishing on

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Marlo 38 Lakes Entrance 39 Gippsland Lakes 38 McLoughlins Beach 40 Bemm River 40

INAUGURAL GONE FISHING DAY Yep – we’ve finally got one! The first ever Gone Fishing Day is happening on the 16th October 2016.

Publicised and recognised nationally, it’s a great opportunity to go and wet a line, but to take someone new and introduce them to the experience of catching a fish.

And you can even win great prizes in the process if you take the time to register.

Mr Allan Hansard, National Co-coordinator of Australia’s first Gone Fishing Day said, “What started as a conversation between two anglers waiting for a bite has now grown into a national celebration of Australia’s largest leisure sporting activity with Federal and State governments, fishing clubs, tackle stores, and recreational fishers all supporting the day.

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From the Editor’s Desk...

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Geelong 22 Port Phillip West 24 Port Phillip North East 26 Port Phillip East 27 Mornington Peninsula 28 Western Port North 32 Western Port South 34

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Scott Gray with a double header of snapper caught on the South West Coast.

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SPECIAL FEATURES Drifting for SW Snapper Snapper fishery assessment Pier fishing with kids Brilliant Beechworth lakes

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OCTOBER 2016

7

Snapper

Drifting for South West snapper COLAC

Scott Gray

Snapper are an important recreational target species across southern Australia.

They’re found in a diverse

flathead. The schools of larger fish are usually mobile at this time of year and can be caught in one spot on one day, but then disappear to go somewhere else the next day.

Most of the snapper fishery in the South West

coast. Snapper become more abundant on the surf beaches this time of year. The Lee Breakwater at Portland is another land-based location that consistently produces larger fish during the late spring.

Each season, anglers encounter fish in excess of 10kg.

There are two ways to approach your snapper fishing from the boat right now – anchor up and set a berley trail to bring the fish to you, or drift with a drogue to control your drift speed. Anchor and berley is a good technique for fishing known snapper haunts when fishing over hard reef bottom or when the wind is too strong to drift correctly.

For most of my fishing, I prefer to drift if the weather conditions are suitable. This has had many benefits over the years – it’s led to more consistent catches of larger fish and by-catches of other tasty bottom species.

Anchoring and berleying has the ever-present threat of bringing unwatered species to the boat, such as barracouta

on the menu. Throw in the cost of berley and it’s an expensive day of fishing.

Covering the underwater terrain by drifting allows you to search the bottom and find the fish, which are ultimately always on the move. Using this technique, I’ve found some of the best fishing spots I’ve ever fished. Without the drifting technique, I probably wouldn’t have known they were there! A drogue is the best way to control the drift of your boat and there are plenty of different types on the market.

Some anglers prefer one large parachute type drogue, while others prefer to use two units, one off each side of the transom, to help keep the boat straight and maximize the number of rods that can be fished.

This technique works well with up to four rods on the drift fished from snapper racks, with limited chances of tangling. I usually only use the drogues when there is over five knots of breeze, below this level I usually don’t use a drogue at all.

During spring, the larger snapper come closer to shore on the South West Coast. fish every opportunity to find the baits. Usually, the time to stop drifting is when there are whitecaps forming at the transom. This signifies that

Flatties and gummy sharks can be common by-catches when fishing for snapper. range of habitats. With snapper season in full swing, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the fishery we have on the South West Coast of Victoria, and share my favourite technique for snapper at this time of the year.

The spring months of the year have always been one of the best times to target larger snapper along this part of the coast. Usually during October and November, larger fish that are targeted in the bays and inlets in other parts of the state, turn up in close to shore and are picked up as by-catch by anglers fishing for smaller pinkie snapper, gummy sharks and

is based on pinkie snapper, from just legal size to around 3kg. During the spring months, specimens around the magical 10kg mark are a possibility. In some locations, the larger fish can be caught all year round. Generally, snapper along this part of the coast make a migration to deeper water in the winter months, as the water temperature drops in late autumn, and are often captured in depths from 50-120m.

As the water starts to warm inshore in spring, they move in and are easier to target from smaller vessels in depths of 10-45m. You don’t have to travel far from the

Marking your GPS after hook-ups can help you locate consistent fishproducing spots. Keep an eye on your GPS to monitor your drift speed. and sevengill sharks, which are simply tackle wrecking machines. Often, seals will come and hang around if they think there’s something

The amount of lead you use is important – the minimum for the situation is encouraged.

8

OCTOBER 2016

Keep an eye on your GPS to determine the speed you’re drifting at. For optimal fishing you need to make sure that you don’t drift any more than around 2km/ hr. This will give you time to cover the water and give the

I’m drifting around 3km/hr or more. The number of bites drops considerably too and you’ll notice that even fish like snapper will stop biting.

Everybody’s boat catches the wind differently, so you need to find a drogue size to suit

your needs in the conditions.

By covering a lot of ground, the potential of picking up other species is also amplified. I’ve caught plenty of good gummy and school sharks, tiger flathead, blue morwong, squid and other varieties of shark on the drift. Each time I hook a fish, I religiously enter the mark into the GPS. This has provided invaluable information to me over the years, and I’ve been able to identify a range of areas that continue to produce fish on a regular basis as a result.

The amount of lead you use is also important. As always, the minimum for the situation is encouraged.

In 30-50m, I use 6oz, but will go down to 4oz if it’s reasonably calm. When the wind is blowing, and the drift is over 1.5km/hr, I’ll go up to 8 or even 12oz. The most important thing to remember is that your line sits on the bottom with an angle that’s straight down where possible.

If you keep letting line out to try and stay on the bottom, you need to upsize your lead.

If the angle of your line is significant, this will lend your rig to snagging and the loss of

Berlerying can attract unwanted extras like barracouta or seven-gill sharks.

Snapper gear – somewhat frustrating as your standard 6oz lead sinkers cost around $4 each.

Depending on the underwater terrain, you may need to customise your rigs.

I fish over a broken rubble bottom, but if you’re fishing on heavy bottom you might

want a breakaway light leader to attach your sinker to. You won’t lose the lot when the bottom is hard, but you need to ensure your baits are near the bottom. Use a single hook rig – there’s really no need for multi-hook rigs. If you put your bait on using bait elastic,

Keeping your line straight can avoid snags.

With a few tips, drifting for snapper can be easy, relaxing and effective.

it shouldn’t fall off or require constant checking anyway.

Circle hooks are undoubtedly the best hooks to use when drifting for snapper.

You can set your rods in the snapper racks and leave the ratchets on, then wait for the line to run. It’s very simple fishing – more than 90% of the time the fish will hook themselves quickly. I prefer circles in sizes from 5/0 to 7/0.

Pre-tied rigs like the Black Magic Snapper Snatchers in these sizes are ideal, but I prefer to make my own as single hook rigs, with either 60 or 80lb droppers.

There are many baits that work well on snapper.

Frozen pilchards always seem to produce fish, but I use fresh baits such as squid, octopus or fish fillet baits – salmon, mackerel or trevally.

It’s important to rig your bait correctly. When you’re presenting your bait, use a fine bait elastic. This will help to keep your bait on the hook longer, especially when the smaller pickers are around.

This will also allow you to firmly attach your bait to the circle hook. Simply bind your bait at one end with bait cotton, and then put the hook through, ensuring there’s plenty of barb penetration.

Most of the fish are caught in water depths of 10-50m,

Cracker snapper up to 10kg can be picked up in these warmer months. so a reel capable of holding 250m of braid will be more than enough to hold good fish. A 10-15kg overhead outfit is ideal, and will be suitable landing large fish like gummy and school sharks that you might pick up while drifting.

With a few tips, drifting

for snapper is a simple, relaxing and effective way to target snapper. Even when they’re quiet, you can count on a catch of some tasty table species. If you’re chasing a snapper on the South West Coast this spring, get on the drift. You’ll never know what you might find!

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9

Snapper

20th century snapper fishery assessment GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

Victoria’s snapper fishery is at the front of the wave when it comes to the development and application of technology and modelling the way fisheries and fish stocks respond to changing conditions.

And yet, with the greater part of the fishery for Victoria’s western snapper stock shifting further into the hands of Port Phillip Bay anglers, stock monitoring and fishery management are becoming increasingly

Government’s 2014 commitment to phase out commercial netting in Port Phillip Bay. Now that their demands are being met, anglers have more reason than ever to actively engage in stewardship of the Bay fish stocks. Bay anglers along with all other Victorian recreational fishers now bear the costs of the creel survey, Angler Diary and Research Angler programs, met from the Recreational Fishing Licence trust account.

2016 STOCK ASSESSMENT Early in June, Fisheries Victoria held the first Victorian snapper stock

2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014, we’ve had two very poor years. The pattern of declining catch rates of pinkies in the January-April period, since 2011, was reflected in Angler Diary and creel survey results for Port Phillip Bay. What matters most is the healthy recruitment in five of the past nine years. As reported in the April issue of VFM, the 2013 and 2014 ‘recruits’ are now entering the legalsized pinkie fishery and will progress into the adult (ie >40cm) snapper fishery from 2020.

Until now, the separate trends in commercial haul

Figure 1: Distribution and movement patterns of snapper stocks in Victorian and SA waters. dependent on a band of volunteer anglers.

There are several significant implications of the phase-out of commercial netting and the scaling down of longlining in the Bay. From 2022, commercial snapper fishing will be restricted to 88 tonnes shared among up to eight longline anglers.

So, this year marks the start of an 8-year process that will end the 100+ year time series of commercial net fishing records, including the detailed catch and effort statistics collected across a range of commercial fishing methods since 1978. Until recently, this commercial fisheries information has provided the main basis for monitoring and assessing the state of the snapper stocks and the impacts of fishing.

After 2022, all that will remain will be a maximum of eight longliners.

This provides one of several good reasons for anglers to get behind the snapper monitoring and assessment program as its importance rises. As the ‘major shareholders’ in the western Victorian snapper stock and the Port Phillip Bay fishery, anglers have a strong proprietary and emotional interest.

Their demands essentially drove the incoming Labor 10

OCTOBER 2016

assessment workshop since 2011. In the interim there has been a great deal of research work done, reviewed and reported on snapper.

However, this workshop provided the first look at how the future might look as the Port Phillip Bay fishery begins to transition to an even more strongly anglerdominated state. While the workshop’s main focus was on the fisheries in the two bays, it examined the current state of knowledge of the western Victorian snapper stock as far as its boundary near Kangaroo Island, SA, and the eastern stock as far as the NSW border (see figure 1).

The workshop covered and updated information on the: year-to-year pattern of recruitment (spawning success), the continuing fish-down of the large yearclasses spawned in 2001 and 2004 reflected in the recent decline in catches of big snapper, and a Melbourne University study of the critical Yarra River flows, temperature and nutrient requirements that determine snapper larval survival in the first few days after hatching.

The updated monitoring of annual year class strength at age 0+ years shows that, after average or above average recruitment in

seine and longline catch rates have provided excellent indicators of trends in the abundance of juvenile and adult snapper. Haul seining mainly targets pinkies while longlines mainly target larger adult snapper. Catch

cannot rely much longer on haul seine catch rates as a fishery ‘performance measure’. This means that far greater reliance will now rest on monitoring the recreational fishery through the ongoing creel survey, Angler Diary and Research Angler programs.

Annual commercial catches from Port Phillip Bay varied between 30 and 100 tonnes from 1991/92 until 2011/12 when they rose to a 30-year high of 162 tonnes before falling away over the past four years. The recent pattern of reducing commercial catches was reflected in longline catch rates for large (>8 years) snapper. Length composition data from both creel surveys and Angler Diaries clearly showed the steady depletion of snapper larger than 40 cm between 2011 and 2015.

The only two available estimates of the recreational take from this stock, were approximately 300 tonnes in 2000/01 and 450 tonnes in 2006/07.

The overall assessment of the western snapper stock was that the abundance of legal-sized fish is stable, under-sized snapper numbers are increasing and the stock status is healthy.

It was pointed out that a significant sector of the snapper fishery in both bays – the recreational fishing charter industry – remains unregulated and unmonitored in terms of the impact of their activities on the snapper stock. While recreational fishers continue to bear fishery monitoring costs, the charter industry is exempt from any requirement to

Figure 2: Port Phillip Bay Spring creel surveys show the decline in numbers of adult snapper (>40cm) and the entry of pulses of pinkies in 2014 and 2015 snapper stocks in Victorian and SA waters. commercial snapper fishery targeting ‘Victoria’s’ western snapper stock in southeastern South Australian waters, beginning in 2005. In both 2009 and 2010, SA longliners took more than the catch

by Victoria’s commercial Port Phillip Bay and ocean fisheries combined. Catches by the SA fishery dwindled to virtually zero by 2015, apparently as a result of the decline in large snapper numbers as those older

Figure 3: The remarkable agreement in research-trawl catch rates of 0+ year olds and a single volunteer’s catch rates of 1+ year old snapper shows the value of the Angler Diary Program. rates by the eight longliners who are expected to continue operating beyond 2022 will provide a vital ongoing indicator of the stock of large snapper. With the licence buy-out already leaving just 10 commercial operators in 2016/17, we

contribute catch, effort and size composition information that could be so valuable to stock and fishery assessments.

SA LONGLINE FISHERY New information presented showed the emergence and impact of a

year classes were fished down or moved out of the area, making longlining unviable there. Still, this is a legitimate and potentially substantial fishery to keep an eye on in future. Fisheries Victoria and their South Australian counterparts

are looking into this crossjurisdictional aspect of the western stock fishery.

In contrast, off the Victorian coast the reported annual trawl and Danish seine take of snapper, which got anglers irate around 10 years ago, has rarely exceeded 30 tonnes and has decreased to less than 10 tonnes in recent years.

EASTERN VICTORIAN SNAPPER STOCK Since detailed records began in 1978, the annual Vi c t o r i a n - m a n a g e d commercial snapper fishery east of Wilsons Promontory rarely exceeded 10 tonnes. The harvest by Commonwealth-managed trawlers rose sharply in 2004/05, peaking at around 25 tonnes in 2011/12 before falling to average less than 10 tonnes in the past three years. The only two estimates of the recreational take from this stock, in 2000/01 and 2006/07, were both around 30 tonnes.

Spawning aggregations are known to occur off the Ninety Mile Beach.

At times, along the East Gippsland coast and up into NSW, small juvenile snapper occur in large numbers in coastal inlets before moving out into open coastal waters at 1-3 years of age. Even as juveniles, eastern stock snapper move from eastern Victoria, where the stock is lightly exploited by both commercial and recreational fishers, up into NSW and southern Queensland waters where the stock

Snapper has been assessed as being over-fished.

The overall assessment of the eastern snapper stock in Victorian waters was limited by a lack of fisheries data but information from

from 2002 to 2012 then falling sharply (see figure 2) as overall fishing pressure and natural mortality finally began to exhaust the large pulses of fish spawned back in 2001, 2004 and 2005.

inaccuracies resulting from non-fishing vehicle counts and regular vandalism.

The large bulk of the recreational snapper catch in both bays is taken by boat-based fishing. Once the

Figure 4: Age composition of snapper taken by Angler Diary and creel survey anglers in spring, 2014. fishers in that region suggested that the fishery appears to be in a healthy condition. The workshop heard that a three-state study is being conducted with a view to a consensus approach to assessing this stock, which is exploited to such widely varying degrees from Victoria to Queensland.

A growing concern off the Ninety Mile Beach is the increased recreational catch and release fishing targeting spawning aggregations in 35-45m depths. Numbers of distressed 8-9kg fish are being sighted on the surface during the peak November fishery. This indicates the need for a targeted angler education campaign highlighting the fate of these snapper, urging anglers to stop fishing once they achieve their allowable bag limit and advising them on catch and release methods that can maximise the survival of snapper released in these depths.

CREEL SURVEY Queenscliff ’s creel survey program has been operating continuously since 1998 in Western Port Bay and since 2002 in Port Phillip Bay. This program provides essential information on angler catch rates and the size composition of the legal sized snapper retained by anglers during the spring ‘big snapper’ and summerautumn pinky fishing seasons. The latest results show spring catch rates of large snapper rising steadily

The results for the January to April period showed a generally declining trend in the mainly pinky fishery from 2004 with an up-turn in 2015 as legalsized pinkies from the successful 2013 spawning began to appear.

Today, catch rate estimates derived from the creel survey program enjoy a high level of confidence. In the near future, the program’s detailed continuous data set is about to assume an even greater role in the monitoring of the snapper stock and fishery, including the estimation of the recreational snapper catch. There have only been two recent estimates of the recreational snapper catch – in 2000/01 as part of the National Recreational Fishing Survey and, in 2006/07, as a separate snapper catch survey. Both surveys directly measured the recreational catch using methods that are expensive and time-consuming, hence the lack of more recent and frequent estimates.

To overcome this, Queenscliff researchers are trialling the use of cameras mounted at six boat ramps around Port Phillip Bay and one at Hastings. These ‘ramp-cams’ record and store boat launch-and-retrieve images every two minutes.

An upgrade of this approach, using motion-activated cameras is planned. This approach is a real advance over the traffic counters, which have the inherent

ANGLER DIARY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The contribution by angler diarists in tracking undersize year-classes of snapper fills an important knowledge gap and helps us forecast future snapper catch rates in the fishery. The Angler Diary program is funded by Recreational Fishing Licence fees and is a great example of volunteer anglers giving back to the management of their fishery.

If you’re keen to know more, contact Pam Oliveiro on 5258 0233.

ramp-cams are developed to the point of providing comprehensive estimates of boating trips, it will be possible to estimate the snapper catch from each bay annually, simply by multiplying the catch rate (from creel surveys) by boat trips (from rampcams). These estimates are absolutely essential to ensuring that snapper fishing is maintained at sustainable levels and are a key piece remaining in the effort to make this the most well managed and sustainable snapper fishery in Australia.

ANGLER DIARY CONTRIBUTION This was much more than some earlier workshops which had amounted to little more than plotting the most recent data points onto a few graphs. What particularly impressed the 12 Angler Diary volunteers who participated were the advances being made in the application of technology and modelling and the increasing importance of their contribution to snapper assessments.

Dating back to 1997, the Angler Diary Program has provided a continuous time series of information on catch rates and size composition of snapper and other species targeted by anglers. The key characteristic of these angler volunteers has been their commitment to fish in much the same ways in the same areas, year after year, recording complete details of their fishing activities, gear, bait and catches, including undersized and released fish.

Twice yearly, the volunteers also operate as Research Anglers, fishing to researchers’ directions and using standard hooks provided to enable them to catch snapper of all ages from age 1+ year upward.

The combination of their fish size and catch rate data has yielded what has proved to be a reliable indication of the relative abundance of juvenile snapper, mainly 1-5 year olds. Until 2011 when the annual Bay trawl surveys ended, Research Angler records provided a third-string indicator of year-to-year recruitment as one-year-old pinkies became vulnerable to hooking at lengths of above 15 cm.

As Figure 3 illustrates, this information closely mirrors the annual recruitment trends determined by Queenscliff researchers’ fisheryindependent sampling.

Port Phillip Bay diary catch rates of mainly spawning snapper during October-December since 2006 varied between 1.0 and 1.5 snapper per angler hour.

Size composition records clearly showed the decline in numbers of snapper above 40 cm since 2011. Aging of samples of these larger fish taken from October to December 2014 showed the dominance of year

reliance on these angler volunteers. Given the older ages of current participants, there was general agreement at the workshop on the need to recruit younger Angler Diary members.

The results of a review of the Angler Diary Program conducted earlier in the year were not available at this workshop. One of the issues discussed during the review was the desirability of moving from on-board pencil and paper recording of fishing and catch details – later transcribed and submitted in paper logbooks – to immediate electronic data entry and reporting. Anglers at the workshop considered that a shift to on-board electronic data entry will be vital to attracting younger members.

ACOUSTIC TAGGING The tracking study of snapper movements into, around and out of Port Phillip Bay, using acoustic tags ran from 2011 until 2014. The study followed the movements of 160 tagged snapper, tracked by 47

development of ‘harvest management strategies’. The aim of this is to measure and improve the quality of fisheries management and to make quantitative forecasts based on the array of data now being collected across snapper lengths, ages, growth, recruitment, catches, catch rates and fishing effort.

Harvest strategies provide a structured approach to responding to changes in the snapper stock or fishery in order to keep within boundaries set to ensure that fishing remains sustainable.

The modelling tools being developed can compare the risks and benefits of different management options.

All this may seem quite abstract and academic to many anglers, given the ‘healthy’ status attached to Victoria’s snapper stocks and fisheries over the past decade or more. However, as we are already seeing with the Port Phillip Bay sand flathead stock decline, long term environmental changes are occurring and can have significant impacts requiring

Dating back to 1997, the Angler Diary Program has provided a continuous time series of information on catch rates and size composition of snapper and other species targeted by anglers. classes spawned in 2001, 2004 and 2008 with only small numbers of fish from spawning in other years as far back as 1997 (See figure 4).

The current decline in adult numbers is not expected to stabilise until 2020 when improved numbers of pinkies spawned in 2013 and 2014 reach maturity.

Since 1999, during the pinky season from January to April, the diary catch rates varied between 3-6 snapper per angler hour, with a downward trend from 2011.

RECRUITMENT OF DIARY VOLUNTEERS The termination of the annual trawl survey in 2011 has left the Angler Diary Program as the only ongoing medium for monitoring snapper year-class strength at ages above one year, increasing researchers’

‘listening stations’ around the Bay and across Port Phillip Heads. Adult fish were found to move into the Bay, mainly in October, while many left in December immediately after the main spawning period, with a smaller wave of fish exiting in April and May each season.

The Department website shows highlights of the program (see http:// a g r i c u l t u r e . v i c . g o v. a u / fisheries/science-infisheries/fisheries-researchfindings ) and a final report on the project is being prepared.

WHERE IS THIS ALL HEADING? Distinct from the longstanding monitoring and assessment of the state of snapper stocks and fisheries, Victoria’s snapper research has been advancing in areas of modelling and the

adjustments to management arrangements.

With southeastern Australia seen as a climate change ‘hotspot’ we need to be preparing to make management adjustments to ensure the best ongoing benefits from snapper, whiting, flathead and other fisheries resources.

Until now we have managed with just two estimates of annual recreational snapper catches, most recently in 2006/07.

However regular, reliable and less expensive catch estimates will be critical ingredients to the models and harvest strategies needed to manage our fisheries sustainably in the face of change. That’s why the ongoing combination of creel survey, volunteer angler and ramp camera data are so important to the future of our snapper fisheries.

OCTOBER 2016

11

Fishing Fill-its

Get ready for first National Gone Fishing Day Australia will celebrate its first National Gone Fishing Day on 16 October 2016 with thousands of Australians going fishing

and plenty of events promoting recreational fishing being held across the nation.

Recreational fishing

is arguably Australia’s biggest leisure sporting activity with an estimated 5 million Australians spending a massive $10

National Gone Fishing Day will be a great way for parents to connect with their children.

billion each year to take part in it.

Mr Allan Hansard, National Co-coordinator of Australia’s first Gone Fishing Day is very excited.

“What started as a conversation between two anglers waiting for a bite has now grown into a national celebration of Australia’s largest leisure sporting activity with Federal and State Governments, fishing clubs, tackle stores, and recreational fishers all supporting the day,” he said.

“The exciting thing is that it is happening in just two months –just in time to start a summer of healthy outdoor activities in Australia.

“Gone Fishing Day will be a truly national event with activities happening from Hobart to Darwin and from Sydney to Perth, including kids fishing days, family fishing days, fishing tournaments of all kinds and fishing club events, in addition to many Australians heading out for a fish with family and friends.

“The great thing about recreational fishing is that it speaks a common language – it unites all of us with

the universal icebreaker: Are they biting?’

“It doesn’t matter if you haven’t fished before or you fish every day – Gone Fishing Day will have something for you.

“Our message to all Australians is – GET INVOLVED. Take part in what we hope is Australia’s biggest outdoor event - by registering that you will be going fishing on Gone Fishing Day at www.gonefishingday.org.

“Make your rod count!”

National Gone Fishing Day would like to thank its major partners: The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation, (ARFF) Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA), Keep Australia Fishing and Clemenger BBDO. Find out more about National Gone Fishing Day and how to get involved at: www.gonefishingday.org or at www.Facebook.com/ gonefishingday. – National Gone Fishing Day

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OCTOBER 2016

13

Putting on a puppet show NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

It turns out that successful lure fishing and puppetry have a great deal in common!

Winter is finally behind us and, with it, the bulk of the ‘show’ season. Boat

of the process that they completely forget all about the importance of working the lure correctly once it’s in the water.

I firmly believe that how you present and work a lure is often far more important to angling success than the actual choice of lure model, size or colour. To put it another way, the

made by most new chum lure fishers (and even a few older hands) is failing to visualise what their lure is doing in the water, and exactly what it’s supposed to be imitating or representing. My wife Jo has a great analogy for this. She likes to compare lure fishing to performing a puppet show, where the

Skipjack or striped tuna spend a lot of time chasing small, fastmoving baitfish in the ocean’s surface layer. To catch them we need to not only match the size, shape and colour of those baitfish, but also imitate their swimming style and behaviour patterns.

Lures come in all manner of shapes, sizes, actions and colours. Exactly which one you choose is nearly always less important than how you work it in the water. shows, tackle shows, 4WD and camping shows, lifestyle and leisure shows… I’ve lost count of how many of these events I’ve attended over the past few months.

At several of these expos I was called upon to present talks on stage, and my recurring ‘theme’ for this past show season has been finesse lure fishing and how to get the most out of it. My emphasis in these public presentations has been on ‘working’ lures: in other words, what you do with your rod, reel and line once your lure actually hits the water.

In my opinion, far too many anglers place way too much emphasis on the ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’ of lure fishing and nowhere near enough on the question of ‘how’. In other words, they want to know the magic lure, the secret spot and the peak time to fish. They become so locked in on these parts

magic show is performed by the magician, not by his or her wand!

The biggest single mistake in this regard

angler is the puppeteer and the lure is the puppet.

The more lifelike the performance we put on with our chosen ‘puppet’,

A trout landed by the author coughed up this gudgeon. The baitfish is reasonably well represented in terms of size, shape and colour by the soft plastic shown here…

But it’s also vitally important to make the lure behave like a gudgeon in the water.

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we need to imitate with our crab-style lures.

By contrast, garfish mostly swim in the upper layers of the water column and, when alarmed, they’ll frequently skip clear of the surface as they dash

backyard swimming pool or access to one, it’s well worth spending a few hours trying out a bunch of lures and presentation strategies.

As the weather warms, it’s even possible to slip on a pair of goggles, jump in

Even the best crab-imitating lure is unlikely to get eaten unless you work it to look like a crab. That means dead slow and on or near the bottom.

SEASON

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the more convinced our ‘audience’ (the target fish) will be.

So, if we’re attempting to represent a crab with our lure, it should not only look something like a crab, but it should also behave like a crab. Last time I checked, not too many crabs skip merrily across the surface at eight knots or dart and dash through mid-water. Instead they scuttle, crawl and shuffle across the seabed, or climb about slowly on rocks, kelp stems and pylons… And those are the key actions

rapidly away from danger.

A lure intended to represent a garfish should do these things.

One of the best ways to understand how lures need to be worked for optimum results and at what speeds they perform best is to closely study their behaviour in the water while you try out different presentation strategies. Admittedly, this can be a tad tricky in dirty water, but if you have a

the pool and check out the action from below. You’ll be amazed how much you learn.

As I love to say, it ain’t rocket science… But you’d be surprised how many people get this whole puppet show thing wrong, or simply don’t think about it at all when lure fishing. Yet understanding it can elevate you into the winner’s circle and make you one of those 10 percenters who catch 90% of the fish! Think about it…

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OCTOBER 2016

15

A Look At...

Weird and wonderful fishing superstitions MELBOURNE

Luke McCredden www.thelongline.net

Like any sport, people in fishing can be very superstitious when it comes to preparation and performance. Little intricacies and the

Some don’t believe or have any, but there are some crazy rituals performed before or during each outing that are sometimes fascinating. Fishing can go from long, slow days of not much biting, to crazy, hectic bites that have your heart racing. It’s when those heartpumping bites happen that

Lee Rayner has a few superstitions, but Boost bars and new lures are his go-to when the chips are down. finest of detail can leave anglers with either the utmost confidence, or very doubtful in the day ahead based on their superstitions.

we start looking for the little reasons as to why we got a good bite. My shoes were untied, I used yellow braid, my hat was backwards, I threw a coin into the ocean,

ate 3 weet-bix before we left… some superstitions are very odd sounding, but a lot of anglers have them.

I hit up some mates to see if they have any kooky superstitions.

Lee Rayner – Fishing Fever: First and foremost, no bananas! That includes the little lolly bananas that come in the mixed lolly bags.

Chuck them out before you get in my boat. My good luck food is a chocolate bar called Boost. Whenever the fishing is slow, it’s time to get the Boost bars out. It usually gets better after that!

Another big one for me is whenever I go game fishing, one of the crew on my boat must buy a new lure before the trip. We have to have a brand new lure on board or else we don’t go!

Andrew Hart – Hook, Line and Sinker: I know everyone is going to say bananas on boats, and I guess I don’t ever actually pack a banana in my lunch, but I suspect I’d still fish happily enough if someone had a banana on board. But the biggest banana of all is definitely the camera. We can put that camera on board in an effort to film an episode and it can shut down the hottest of hot bites in a heartbeat.

It can bring up the wind even though none is forecast.

Adam Royter probably has the craziest superstitions of the lot.

Wearing special socks, flicking coins overboard and tasting the water is all part of a day’s fishing for Adam!

16

OCTOBER 2016

Andrew Hart reckons the presence of a camera can shut fish down… which can make filming episodes of his fishing show very difficult.

Or it can create catastrophic mechanical issues out of nowhere. The way to counter it on the days it decides to play up? Put it down, turn it off, tell Mike the cameraman to have a smoke and forget about filming a TV show, and then maybe you’ll get a bite!

Another superstition is no beer until at least the first fish has been caught!

Dave Standing – YouFishTV: No bananas on my boat, but that’s a given.

Everyone should be well aware of that! I don’t often partake in a beer on the boat, but if there is one opened, the first sip of the day must be into the water to appease the fishing gods!

Matt Watson – ITM Fishing Show, NZ: I’m just not superstitious. I caught a marlin on a banana skin and even got the underwater footage of the bite. But I’ve crewed for a skipper that wouldn’t allow bananas on board, and wouldn’t leave port on a Friday, we would literally wait until 12.01am on Saturday to depart. He would not permit whistling on the boat… but then again we were the top game fishing boat in the country so perhaps he was onto something?

Adam Royter – Adam Royter Media: Straight off the bat, I’ll look for my red Explorer socks. If I can’t

find them, it’s no big deal, but if they’re there, BANG! Winning. I don’t really know what it is about those socks but I do know one thing, I’ve had them a long time and they just feel like an old friend – that you can slide your feet into. Not a good mental picture I know, but hey… they’re good socks!

Another thing I do when the chips are down and the fish aren’t playing the game, is toss a coin over my shoulder.

Not a big coin – not a goldy but a smaller model, say a 10c piece. After all, you don’t want to look needy to the fish. They hate that. It’s a respect thing. And you can’t

look at it as it hits the water.

If you do, then you have to do it again. The last thing I find myself doing at times is tasting the water. Again, I’m not sure where it stems from but I’ve always done it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s either one of two things – 1: I’m tasting the water to see how salty it is, which would come from my bream spinning days, or 2: I’m so hungover that I feel like I have a cocky pooing in my mouth and I need a drink and anything will do!

I’ll even drink the boat safety water that everyone knows has been there for a good 10 years.

Matt Watson is not superstitious at all, but in his time working on game boats, he’s seen some pretty kooky traditions!

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Some pleasant conditions for estuary dwellers WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

October is the month where we really start to see some major improvement in the weather, and with it comes more pleasant conditions for fishing the Glenelg River.

The lower Glenelg tends to remain in excellent health year round with the assistance of some of the smaller tributaries that connect and flow into it, as well as being wider and deeper than the upper reaches. Those upper reaches, however, can suffer through times

released from Rocklands have been of real benefit to these upper regions of the river and are now an important part of not only maintaining, but actually improving the overall river health. Recently, I was invited along to see some of the fish surveying techniques being used by the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and it was exciting to see large estuary perch are not only finding their way back up the river, but are in great condition.

These upper regions of the Glenelg River around Harrow and Balmoral are an under used gold mine for keen anglers and in particular lend themselves to kayak fishing. Along with the chance to catch large perch, there is also a very healthy population of Australian bass and I saw bass to 3.3kg during the survey work.

October will most likely see an improvement in water clarity and temperature,

Clint Northcott with a big Glenelg bream. which should see the large schools of bream and perch that have been in spawning

The author with a winning combo on the Glenelg.

August and September saw a lot of rain, creating plenty of natural inflows into the river. It’s great to see the river get a good flush of water and it was really needed for a number of reasons.

of lower rainfall reducing the interconnectivity of the larger pools, making it much harder for native fish like estuary perch and tupong to migrate both up and down the river system.

Environmental flows

Australian bass are in great condition in the higher reaches of the river.

mode break up and start to disperse widely through the river. The key at this time of year will to be stay on the move until you find the fish in numbers.

Both bream and perch will be more inclined to be up in the shallows and aren’t as easily found via a sounder. Moving along the river and alternating the terrain you are targeting will eventually expose a pattern. Whether lure fishing or bait fishing, the key is to try all possible areas like weed banks, mud flats, rock walls and heavy timber snags. Once you’ve established what kind of

terrain seems to be holding the fish, it’s simply a matter of sticking to similar types of areas.

With clearer water, small shallow to mid-diving hardbodies will be the go-to lures. Lures thrown hard up to the edges are almost impossible for a hungry bream or perch to refuse.

Lightly-weighted soft plastics in minnow profile are also deadly. Jighead weight is best determined on the day depending on how much wind is blowing, but again, the lighter the better to really allow your plastic to slowly waft down through the snags.

Options open up in October PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Again we have had a bit more of an extended tuna run here in Portland, with fish over 100kg coming in when the weather permits.

Unfortunately, the seas have been a bit more unkind this year than this time last year, which has pretty much stopped most tuna fishers this season.

Nearly all the Melbourne charters have gone back home now, already chasing big reds and whiting around the Melbourne area.

This is a little bit off the track, but for whale watchers this year, Portland has had a fantastic run of whales around the Lee Breakwater to Dutton, quite a few whales made home for a few weeks.

They were so close in this year that you could almost 18

OCTOBER 2016

touch them. One thing we need to remember is the rules of protecting these magnificent animals and for them to feel safe to return to our bay each year.

For any information, you can call the Portland information centre or you can jump online and stay informed of any whale action around Portland.

As for the fishing, the area should certainly start to hot up in October.

We have seen some evidence of snapper off the Lee Breakwater in big sizes, and we generally start to see big squid off the Lee at this time of year too. Best results for the squid have come from using a float with a bait jig or a good colour jig retrieved slowly. Once you catch a few squid, you can use them as bait for the snapper.

Other fish like gurnard, pinkies, whiting, trevally, flathead and couta will also start to appear on the wall.

Now that the football is pretty much over and the weather’s improving, numbers of anglers will rise and we will see some good quality fish on the tables.

The guys will be keen to hit the deep water chasing a wide range of fish including blue-eye around the shelf and snapper, sharks and trumpeter around the 140m marks to some great flathead, school and gummy sharks around Bridgewater.

Mako sharks are a popular sportfish at this time of year and you will find them around the Nelson Lighthouse.

The bay should be firing up with flathead, pinkies, whiting and squid plus anything else that might be around on the day .

Sharks, snapper, snook and squid should be gathering around the North Shore area with plenty of spots to try your luck. The beaches in this area are also

great to try for all the landbased anglers. Land-based anglers also have areas around Bridgewater and Discovery Bay that favour this style of fishing.

The Surrey and Fitzroy rivers are both worth a try at this time of year with good bream and mullet, and there’s also a good chance of the Fitzroy producing mulloway and estuary perch.

These rivers are great for families to enjoy fishing time with their kids and friends.

We also have a canal in town, which is very family friendly, and the kids will enjoy catching bream, mullet, salmon, trevally sometimes whiting and pinkies.

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Darcy with a nice feed of top quality bream from the Glenelg River system.

Happy days on the Hoppies WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

The Hopkins River has been fishing well recently in the lower reaches, with big seas and high tides pushing in plenty of clean sea water, which has been encouraging the bream in particular to bite.

Both bait and lure anglers have been taking some good

bags recently, with the best fish being in the low 40cm range. Come October, these fish will be starting to spread higher throughout the system. Most will probably still be schooled in the deeper sections, although a decent edge bite might be available as the weather warms.

Estuary perch should be on the move back to the freshwater regions after spawning in the estuary and warm, calm October

evenings can produce a good surface bite.

Late in the month could also see some mulloway as the October and November period in the last few years has produced some good fish.

The Moyne River often has a population of bream and silver trevally at this time of year to test the drags.

Mulloway are also often targeted in the Moyne at this time of year. The turn of the high tide is a popular

How’s that? Close to 3kg of before-work Merri brown.

time to try for them with live mullet, spew worms and clickers (Bass yabbies) being the most productive baits.

The winter season has been windy one for those who like to get out offshore.

Opportunities to chase the tasty bottom fish have been fairly limited. Hopefully October throws up some calmer conditions, as some previous Octobers have produced some exceptional fishing for gummy and school sharks off both Warrnambool and Port Fairy in 30-40m.

Fresh bait, whether it be squid or cut fish, seemed to be a key to some of the better fish that were well over the 10kg range.

October is often a good month to do some surf fishing. There is still the chance of some good salmon being around, whilst the summer species such as pinkie snapper and various shark species should also be an option. A nice calm evening on Yambuk, Fitzroy, Logans or the Cutting beaches could provide some good action.

The inshore reefs should also see a few squid around for you to stock up on for bait for the summer ahead, if

Good bream have been on the bite in the lower regions of the Hopkins. you can resist the temptation of eating them. Shallow reefs around Port Fairy and Lady Bay as well as the Warrnambool Breakwater and Port Campbell Jetty are good areas to target the squid.

After a non-event of a trout season last year, more rain this season has seen some good fish taken in the

sections of the local rivers that were open over winter.

Quality 1.6-2.2kg fish have been caught by anglers willing to put in the time in the dirty water, with the some better fish pushing 3kg. With the rivers flowing well, the trout should still be a good option locally in October should conditions put paid to the saltwater options.

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Estuary and reef species are playing the game APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

The trout season kicked off with a boom, as all the coastal streams have excellent flows and plenty of hungry fish.

Casting soft plastics in the rapids has been working, as

has casting small hardbodies or drifting worms. Kennett River, Smythes Creek, Skenes Creek, Wild Dog River, Barham River and the Aire River are all excellent options at this time of year.

I took the boat down to the Aire River on a couple of occasions recently and can report that the sea-run trout are biting in the estuarine

This healthy estuary perch was taken from the Barham River on a 2” Dragon Maggot soft plastic.

reaches from the Great Ocean Road bridge down to the mouth. Trolling or casting small hardbodies caught me the most fish, although the biggest trout I caught was on a cast soft plastic lure.

Look for signs of feeding trout, such as baitfish jumping or trout swirling on the surface and then concentrate fishing in that region of the river.

Estuary perch continue to be caught from the Barham River estuary on dark while using small soft plastic grub style lures. A lift and pause retrieve, bouncing the lure along the bottom will see the perch attacking your lure. A few fish have also been caught on scrubworm’s fished on the bottom.

INSHORE REEFS FIRING King George whiting have been caught on pipis in large numbers off Point Bumbry and Marengo. Bags of 15-20 fish are being reported, and with this being

just the start of our whiting season, the next few months look very promising.

Mixed in with the whiting has been schools of silver trevally. These hard-fighting fish are great sport on light line and a welcome by-catch when chasing King George.

The calamari continue to bite in the Apollo Bay boat harbour. A prawn style jig in 2.0 or 2.5 size is a perfect way to catch a feed.

Gummy and school sharks are being caught in 35m of water off Cape Otway. Fresh cut fish baits fished on the bottom around the tide changes will see you heading home to make some batter.

A few snapper are starting to show up on the gummy grounds as well. If you are targeting the snapper, try drifting along the reef edges with pilchard or fresh squid baits. This is a great option once the tide change passes and starts running hard again.

Sea-run trout are biting in the Aire River estuary about 20 minutes west of Apollo Bay.

Rivers opening and opportunities coming up COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The welcome but heavy rains that fell in the South West during July have continued into August. Some fine and springlike weather is already occurring in between rain bands.

Our local estuaries are all receiving a well-earned flush out, which is keeping the respective mouths open to the sea and preventing any build up of sand bars that could occur every time a southerly buster stirs up the Southern Ocean.

The Curdies River is currently in minor flood, but down near the mouth has been productive at times; especially on an incoming tide.

Bait, lure and fly have taken plenty of sea mullet and juvenile salmon, on the incoming tide. Boats have been launching at the town ramp at Peterborough and boaters have worked the lower channel in the lake for bream.

Bait fishing has been the go with cut mullet or salmon flesh working well. Tying up to one of the many channel marker poles and fishing the edge of where the sea water

meets the muddied fresh has seen a few bream landed in recent times. Local bream angler Jim Murfitt and a mate have been out in a boat a few times and caught reasonable bream around the low thirties in length.

I’ve had a few goes out in the boat myself for little return, but on one recent occasion I found a school near the mouth and by casting a Pontoon 21 deep diving Greedy Guts minnow into the muddied fresh and retrieving the lure back into the incoming salt, I managed several ‘average’ but certainly legal bream within a short period of time.

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One of several Curdies bream that fell to a Pontoon 21 Greedy Guts deep diver fished near the mouth.

The Gellibrand is also in minor flood, but with a stronger run-out occurring compared to the Curdies, this river should be avoided for the time being.

The offshore scene has been firing well when the weather allows, and there are certainly fish to be caught at present.

Local angler Steve McQuinn and company recently went out and landed a couple of decent gummy shark on bait then moved in closer to the shore and bagged out on sizeable flathead.

Another local angler, Wally Wynd, also ventured out off Boat Bay near Peterborough with a mate into 50m depth and they both hooked into and landed

three decent school shark bottom bouncing squid and mackerel baits.

The Port Campbell pier also remains a popular spot for land-based anglers and has seen some reasonable winter whiting caught close to the nearby reef. The fish aren’t huge, certainly legal, but don’t expect to bag out. Catch six or so fish in a session and you are doing well.

Pipi flesh held in place on the hook with hosiery elastic is the number one bait to employ, as the whiting don’t appear to want to take anything else.

Schools of Australian salmon, squid and to a lesser extent silver trevally regularly enter the bay at

Port Campbell, and if you happen to be there at the right time you will certainly experience plenty of action.

Some intrepid fishos are soaking larger baits at night for gummy shark, as these fish do move into shallower water at night in search of prey. But on some nights you may have to work your way through the resident ray population before finally hooking up to a gummy.

Early spring sees very changeable weather, but I expect it will warm up considerably by the time my next report is published; and also by that time many more boaters should be out on the water getting stuck into the new season snapper run.

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Imminent snapper crackle and pop in Geelong GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

October is pretty much snapper month in the region. Tackle shops are low on 6kg spin rods, 10kg line and block pilchards, while over at boat service centres, there’s a two-month wait!

Boat ramps can get quite hectic at this time of year,

so bring your patience and help someone out if you see them struggling.

October will always see the trout and redfin kick into gear, so Wurdee Boluc is definitely worth a shot if the salt is out of the question. Wurdee received an influx of water late August and dirtied up to the point that fishing was hard going. Michael Evans from Last Cast Fishing Tours

says the water was milky and the fishing was tough.

Michael did manage a 48cm redfin casting and retrieving a Nories Metal Wasaby spoon from the rock wall.

Geelong’s Barwon River can see larger redfin bite well in October, but if the water remains discoloured from excess rain, it will make lure fishing difficult.

Corio Bay Inner Harbour saw a burst of unusually early

Alan was super pumped with this quality early season snapper. snapper caught by anglers fishing from Cunningham Pier and nearby out of boats late in August. It’s hard to tell if this is just a bit of luck or a very early run. The water was still quite cold at the time, so possibly a bit of luck, but we’ll take it! These were quality fish too, up around the 4-5kg mark and taken on whole pilchards by land and boat anglers, plus a few were caught on soft plastic lures jigged in 8m of water by boaties.

Kelvin Baldwin from Victorian Trout and Redfin fished with Alan Greig inside

Michael says Wurdee should improve this October.

Corio Bay late in August, where Alan caught a ripper snapper using pilchards for bait. They caught the big snapper close to midday and they dropped two others – one to the anchor rope and another to the reef.

Garfish have been kicking about the local piers in Geelong. They have been most consistent at Limeburners rock wall, Cunningham Pier and Portarlington Pier, but have been caught all over Corio Bay. King George whiting have been difficult to

locate in Corio Bay as Ross Winstanley can attest. Ross spent a few fruitless trips at his Stingaree Bay haunts for not much at all. He has had better luck drifting the weed beds off Clifton Springs for calamari either side of a kilogram in weight.

The rocks at St Helens have been producing a few flathead around the 40cm mark for land-based anglers.

Best baits have been pilchard pieces and squid strips.

Clifton Springs has been popular with the spring calamari run where anglers have enjoyed good numbers

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of calamari. Michael Evans fished off Clifton Springs with one of his mates recently where they caught their bag limit of calamari in 2-3 hours. Michael says they drifted over the weed beds in 3-5m of water and the best colours have been green or white on bright days and pink or orange on dull days.

Rod Ludlow from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head says the squid have not stopped with many of his hire boats bagging out. Any of

the weed beds and reefs in between St Leonards all the way around to Steeles Rocks near Portarlington have been producing at all times of the day.

Whiting are still around, but a little inconsistent, with the best spots being 8-12m of water off Indented Head and out near the Prince George light. Both tides seem to do equally well for whiting while squid and pipis have been the best bait.

Gummy sharks to 12kg have been caught inside Port Phillip Bay out off

Plenty of calamari have been caught around the Bellarine.

Indented Head in the deeper water plus off Barwon Heads in 40m of water.

Fresh Australian salmon or calamari seems to be the go-to bait for gummy sharks lately.

Flathead have been about in good numbers for anglers drifting the deeper water between Indented Head and St Leonards.

Rod notes that it has been a cold winter but the fish are hot and it is easy to get a feed at the moment with only the best to come as spring moves in.

Inside the Queenscliff Boat Harbour has been busy for silver trevally, small salmon and calamari.

The trevally haven’t been overly big at 35-40cm, but great fun when casting soft plastics. Queenscliff should see an upgrade in calamari sizes around the start of October. The larger ones can give 3kg a nudge and are still excellent table fare at this size. You sure get a lot of bait yield from the bigger ones if you plan on upgrading again to a snapper or gummy!

The start of October should see the snapper queue up along the Surf Coast along with school and gummy sharks. Expect a few pesky draughtboard sharks to raid our baits meant for snapper and gummies.

Sometimes it seems they are everywhere and moving does nothing.

John Albrecht from Torquay Angling Club reports there has been a few Australian salmon up to 2kg caught by anglers fishing from Jan Juc Beach.

Offshore from Torquay has seen quality gummy and school sharks over the deeper reef areas plus a couple of snapper. John says the King George whiting have been a little difficult to locate but then again,

not too many anglers have been out in smaller boats chasing whiting due to the rough weather.

The Barwon River estuary saw plenty of small silver trevally, Australian salmon and yellow-eyed mullet in the estuary over September.

The onset of October should see air and water temperatures rising, and should get some of our summer species moving.

Until next month, stay safe, and enjoy your fishing.

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FISH HARD Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterbunch@ optusnet.com.au with ‘VFM’ in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb (file size).

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More than just snapper about PORT PHILLIP WEST

Andy Smith andy@ebbtidetackle.com

The winter chills are slowly backing off, with warmer days, wattle trees starting to flower and Victorian fishers going slightly off the radar on the home front. Lawns grow fast

or two. There’s a hundred different brands out there, believe what you will of the advertising and marketed hype created around some of the stuff out there. Put simply, some of the best snapper trolling lures are the same lures we use for natives like Murray cod and golden perch. Deep diving, huge body rolling actions

local angling clubs holding competitions. One of the best, especially for junior anglers who all receive a massive entry pack of fishing gear and goodies, is the Hobsons Bay Melbourne Cup Snapper Challenge, over the last weekend in October.

Check out the Hobsons Bay Sport & Game fishing Club on Facebook or give one of

John Cahill with a sensational Port Phillip Bay snapper. and don’t get mown, the garden bed gets weedy…

It must be snapper time in Melbourne!

The annual spring run of snapper are moving into the bay, and as the warmer days appear, so do the boats. While the age-old techniques of baitfishing with unweighted and lightly weighted baits will always do well, don’t be afraid to modernise things and get with current technology.

Soft plastics are well and truly established as proven snapper lures. However, the last couple of years has seen anglers seemingly forget about proven newer techniques. While you are sounding, looking for a likely area holding fish and bait, troll a deep diver

delivering truckloads of vibration through the water act as a beacon to feeding snapper in Port Phillip Bay. Rods don’t have to be out of control heavy either, and a 3-5kg, 2.1m graphite rod will deliver everything you need in sensitivity and power. The tip will allow you to tell if there is stray weed on the line (fine diameter PE braids around 10lb are ideal) and the power of these rods is more than ample to knock over a big red. The latest revolution of slow style flutter jigs are also well suited to snapper, with some sensational fish taken last year by anglers. The key is to specifically target fish, learn to use your sounder and know what it is displaying!

Spring also sees a lot of

the organisers a call. Call Frank on 0477 100 034 or Glenn on 0414 936 709.

There are mystery weights, raffles and a huge carnival atmosphere. Entrants receive more than their entry fee in value!

PORT MELBOURNE TO ALTONA Early season points towards Hobsons Bay as a reliable area to target snapper.

From Port Melbourne to Williamstown, Hobsons Bay often holds early season opportunities. The inner reefs of Williamstown in 4-8m still hold pinkies, but also realistic chances at fish up to 6kg. Pushing wider, the ever-popular areas towards P2 and the outer anchorage are areas to sound over for grazing fish.

Good berley is the key and finding an area to yourself is worth the sounding time and exploration.

Land-based anglers still have great opportunities in this area as well. From the Westgate Bridge down into Hobsons Bay is a great area. Snapper, big salmon, mulloway, flathead, bream and a variety of other species are a worthwhile target. Dean Yeoman and his superstar son Lincoln landed some huge salmon recently from under the Westgate and Lagoon Pier. Dean’s biggest salmon was a beast at 2.82kg, while Lincoln’s best was a new personal best for him at 1.8kg. The trip however come at a cost, with Lincoln hooking an unknown beast that spooled him and broke his reel! Bluebait, pilchards, squid and pipi baits landed the boys fish across two days of fishing. Casting lures and plastics as always proves it’s worth, Dean’s huge 2.82kg fish was taken casting a blue pilchard pattern metal lure.

ALTONA TO WERRIBEE Shallow reefs provided the usual all-round options, with an outside chance of a bigger snapper. However, the calamari fishing around the entire area is continuing to be sensational. The longterm health of this area of Port Phillip Bay is showing itself clearly over the last few years, with so much variety on offer to anglers.

Recently, hard-core father and son team of Shaun and Kye Cormick have had great success on the calamari, with great catches and some big models amongst them!

As the water begins to warm, areas in shallow from

Alan Bonnici loves the Maribyrnong bream.

1-2m depth out to the usual 5m mark all hold calamari.

And while you’re in the area, cast around a soft plastic or vibe and you are most likely to add some greatsized flathead, pinkies, pike or salmon to the catch of calamari! Alan Bonnici did just this recently, and got a great feed of flatties on lipless vibes.

The lower reaches of the Werribee River and the marina wall will continue to be a great option from now until Easter! Get out there!

The usual targets of bream and flatties are up for the taking, but evenings could see you landing a surprise or two. Never rule out the chances of a big snapper (especially after a few days of spring wind), mulloway or gummy shark.

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the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers should be starting to spread apart after spawning and moving back towards the jetties, bridges and midstream structure.

Hopefully some spring rains will keep plenty of food flowing down the rivers, leading to great spawning conditions for snapper, flathead and all the fish we love to catch.

Don’t despair if the rivers are flowing hard, there are still bream, mullet and salmon to be found. After all, this water delivers food and the bream can really fire up. Alan Bonnici and mates from Fishingmad have continued their great catches in the Maribyrnong around Canning Reserve. Baits such as maggots and pilchard fillet have been productive, along with the ever-reliable motor oil grub pattern plastic.

Vibes in a variety of sizes are always worth having in the tackle box, with small 35mm models like Ecogears and the larger Strike Pro Hummer proving their value with plenty of catches on fish up to 36cm. Alan mentioned that immediately after the recent rains while the river has run at its dirtiest has provided some great fishing with aggressive takes and lots of activity from the bream in the area.

Keep a lookout for the ultimate southern sportfish, the estuary perch, while you are hitting the metro rivers.

Their numbers are growing and catches have increased substantially over the last 18 months. They love lures, especially anything with a solid vibration and plenty of action.

BEEN FISHING? I’d love to see and hear fishing experiences in the local area! Send through fishing reports and high-res photos of your great catches to andy@ebbtidetackle.com with as much detail as you are happy to share.

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Spring on the snapper PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Spring is here on PPB. We’ve endured a long, cold and very wet winter. While these were conditions we needed, it didn’t make it easier to take. Being an eternal optimist, I’ve been telling people a while now that the seasons are changing. Now the proof is in the pudding.

We’ve just come off the back of two ripper weekends in a row, and are now moving comfortably into some days in excess of 20°C. Everybody’s happy.

For many of the bay’s anglers, there’s only one word that comes to mind when spring is in the air –

snapper, but there’s plenty more going on in the bay.

Plenty of snapper reports have filtered in over the past couple of weeks, though most anglers are focused on great early season action in Western Port. Early signs from PPB have been great as well. Nice fish are taken by land-based and boat anglers.

Jarrod Healey has put his lure fishing skills to good use, accounting for fantastic reds on soft plastics, along the inshore reefs. Jarrod has got some ripper fish to 5kg of late, and these fish will really pull the kinks out of your line on light spinning tackle.

As is the trend for early snapper season in PPB, expect reefy and structure rich areas to hold snapper as they first enter the bay. Use

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your sounder to locate these areas – this is paramount, as is the use of berley and a variety of fresh baits, once you’ve dropped the pick and started fishing. Don’t be shy to try live bait, if the fish are being picky.

Reds will leave these safe areas during rougher weather in particular, and during low light. This is when the land-based crew cash in. Last season, I reported just as many good snapper taken from the land as in the boat. Keep this in mind and keep the snapper reports coming, over the next month.

A great sign for many has been the strong presence of whiting in recent weeks, along the eastern side of the bay. The St Leonards area has long been a winter whiting haven, but it’s great to see plenty of fish on our side of the channel as well.

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Patterson Lakes has been producing some cracking bream of late for dedicated boat and kayak anglers, particularly on Cranka Crabs and soft plastics.

Southern areas around Rosebud, and beyond, have been the best of late, but I’ve also had a few reports further north around Mount Martha. Calamari have started to load up south of

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the bay, this past month, as they begin their spawning cycle and migration. Areas further north like Mount Martha and Mornington have been firing as well.

The inshore reef areas seem to have cleared quickly during periods without rain, and the sight fishing for squid in the shallows has improved as a result. One common thread of late has been that wherever they are at the moment, they are definitely in big numbers.

Find a patch of squid, and you’re likely to find plenty of their mates as well.

I’ve had reports of kayak and small boat anglers having good success, fishing lures and lightly weighted baits around the areas of the Mussel Farm in Mount Martha. This zone is also a popular early season snapper area for many.

Early and late in the day has been best, and there have been plenty of big salmon about too, which

are always great fun on light spinning gear.

Lastly, the local bream fishing has been first class of late – the big flush many estuaries received over winter begins to bear some fruit. Bait anglers have been doing well fishing garden worms, shell and crab baits, and not only in rivers. Some of the nearby reefs and beaches have been producing bream as well.

Lure anglers have done especially well in the Patto, using Cranka Crabs and soft plastics around the pontoons and pylons throughout the system. Bream can be a little more willing this time of year, and while the water still has a bit of colour about it, so now’s the time to get out and get amongst the action.

Good numbers of fresh run snapper like this 7kg Western Port fish, taken by Dave McKenzie recently, have already been taken in PPB. This is a great sign for the rest of the season ahead.

Snapper are now in full swing PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

As October rolls by, we are now in the swing of snapper season, with solid fish already being taken by some anglers in boats and some quality land-based reds by the shore bound crews over the past weeks.

Adding to the excitement of the bigger snapper and what the coming weeks will hold, there is plenty of other fishing options on offer, with lots of squid around and even a few catches of whiting over the past weeks.

MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK Now is go time for the pier as the local land-based anglers wait eagerly for any good onshore wind. And while there has already been some decent reds landed over the past weeks, this month is the time that generally produces the best results.

In the calmer weather, Mordialloc Pier and its surrounds have seen good squid fishing at dawn and dusk and these same low light periods have also seen pinkies and salmon being taken.

The good news, however,

has been consistent numbers of garfish on offer with a bit of berley and small baits of dough, silver fish or pieces of prawn proving to be very effective when suspended under a carefully weighted float.

Out in the boats, it’s time to get serious on the snapper, and best of all over the coming weeks you shouldn’t have to travel very far, with some of the best snapper fishing often being under everyone’s nose.

I love fishing out off Mordialloc in 6-10m and up to the Parkdale Pinnacles.

There’s good reef runs through here and the big snapper love to feed at night or in rough weather. So it’s no surprise the pier fishes so well.

Further along and up into the bay Beaumaris Pier has been good for squid and will also produce snapper this month. While out the front from Ricketts Point to Black Rock, pinkies have been in good numbers along with bigger snapper among them.

Add to this good numbers of squid and garfish and there is plenty to keep you busy while on the water.

Out deeper, the 14-16m line is also a top place to be looking for big snapper as there is good patches of reef

and rubble all through this area that hold fish.

At this time of the year through, I don’t tend to go looking for big numbers of fish, instead preferring to find just a couple scattered in an area. From there I’ll anchor up and get a steady berley trail going, then it’s a matter of getting a few baits in the water.

It’s also worth fishing a good variety of baits early season, with sauries being a personal favourite at this time of the year. It’s good to treat any bite like a snapper while the water is cold, as often the tip will just move or rattle like it’s a flathead, so don’t strike too soon.

SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA This month will see lots of great land-based fishing options with strong onshore winds producing some thumper snapper off places like Sandringham break wall, while in calmer weather places like the Hampton rock groynes will produce fish during the night.

Out in the boats, the shallow reef back towards Black Rock known as Yorkies has been excellent over the past weeks for garfish and hopefully this will continue.

Further north Brighton

Breakwall is hot property over the coming weeks, with some good early reports of both solid pinkies and some big snapper being taken, and there is no doubt it will just get better as the month rolls by.

Out wider, the rough ground that extends off Brighton and out towards the Fawkner beacon is well worth spending time sounding through. Although it’s only relatively shallow all the way to the beacon, about 8-14m, last season it held numbers of bigger snapper, and while it can take a bit of time to sound up the fish the results can be well worth it.

As we get toward the end of the month, the edge of the shipping lane between Black Rock and the Fawkner beacon will also be top places to be searching for snapper.

ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE As we slide into October it is also time for big reds to move into the rough shallow ground that runs through this area, and if there are two things that are certain in this part of the bay, it’s that it’s never too shallow and big snapper are not uncommon.

Places like Elwood drain through to the breakwall at the marina are prime areas

Mercury Australia’s marketing manager Anthony Brown is sure to be into more reds like this during October. after dark, with heavy bottom in 3-8m of water producing steam train snapper.

Other great snapper locations in this area are off St Kilda Breakwall for both boat and land-based anglers and then, of course, all that rough ground between Kerford Road Pier and up to Lagoon Pier. Just remember to give the land-based anglers a bit of room if you’re in the boat.

Out wider, the edge of the channel will fish well off the Fawkner beacon and further north towards Station Pier.

Just remember to stay out of the shipping lane.

The other prime area this month is around Princess Pier.

It produced a few solid fish in September and there is every chance it will have a bunch of fish move into the area this month.

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OCTOBER 2016

27

Kick footy out for the fishing!

MELBOURNE

Luke McCredden www.thelongline.net

We’re wrapping up the AFL footy season for another year and that generally means it’s time to fire up the outboards and start hitting the water!

While there has been plenty of people fishing over the last month, we are set to see the boat ramps full again in the coming weeks. After a pretty horrendous winter in terms of wind, we started to see some more fishable weather through

the last month and certainly a change in temperature.

There can be some very chilly mornings still, but the sun is starting to take the sting out of it a lot quicker.

SNAPPER While the traditional period that some people call ‘snapper season’ doesn’t fire up until mid-October into November, we have certainly seen some really good fishing.

Mount Martha has been a great stomping ground for reds right through from about August. Both land-based and boat anglers have enjoyed a

range of snapper from 1.5-4kg fairly consistently. The deep water fish are still biting and as the year progresses, expect to see more on your sounder closer in and further up the peninsula.

SQUID Southern calamari have been a standout species for the whole year, and for the last month we have seen better than average sizes in areas normally associated with small model squid.

Mornington Pier has seen squid with hoods to 30cm taken on size 3.0 jigs and

Mount Martha rocks has been a similar story. Anglers in their boats have been enjoying good patches of squid around the weed beds out from Sorrento, Blairgowrie and Rye. It’s quite difficult to pinpoint a standout jig, as most conditions suit different colours. Mornings seem to be productive using browns and reds, the Yakamito red and black jig in 3.0 has certainly been one that’s dominating. Daylight hours are good opportunities to use the old faithful whites like the Shimano Sephia and Harimitsu ranges.

WHITING I feel like this year has been as good as I can remember in a long time for King George whiting. Places like the Pinnace Channel, Tootgarook and even shallow

Ben Broomfield with a decent early morning calamari.

Thumping gummies like this beast from Daniel Hatch can be found along the peninsula, as well as offshore, where this was caught.

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water off Mornington and Mount Martha have been exceptional and anglers have enjoyed a great feed to go home with. While the next few months will predominantly feature snapper in most people’s minds, whiting shouldn’t be over looked. The boat traffic will thin out slightly on the traditional whiting grounds so it will open up a great opportunity to chase a feed of ‘ting!

GUMMY SHARKS What an amazing couple of months we’ve had on big gummies. Good numbers of quality sharks have been a feature and with fresh bait and fishing the right tides, landing these beasts has been a reality.

As much as a squid jig is a hot product at the moment, Dan Lee from Compleat Angler Rosebud assures me hooks in sizes 4/0-8/0 have been as popular at the shop.

LOOKING AHEAD I guess it will be hard to

not get excited about snapper this month, but the reality is the species on offer for us along the Mornington Peninsula are many.

Squid shouldn’t slow down, in fact the big models we’ve seen through September should hang around for a while.

As stated above, whiting are a great option in shallow water and gummy sharks are set to fire again this month. Deep water squid fishing is a great option at the moment and the water down toward Port Phillip Heads can be as good a place to look as any. Using jigs starting at 3.0-4.0 and fishing the tidal deep water that can be anywhere from 8-18m is where these large calamari hang out. You can get drop weights, or chin weights, for the squid jigs if you feel you need to stay in the zone longer.

Compleat Angler Rosebud prodigy Tiger Lee found some squid action with his old man. In daylight hours, the bright coloured Yakamito jigs worked best.

OCTOBER 2016

29

Junior City Fishing

Slow times in the CBD MELBOURNE

Jason Tanti

In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a change and improvement in the weather – a great sign. I’ll start fishing places such as Albert Park Lake soon for golden

perch. We rely on warmer water conditions, because that’s when fish become more active.

Lately I’ve been fishing St Kilda pier in hope of flathead or pinkies. Warmer months are more ideal, but you’ll still pick up a few with persistence. My favourite

form of fishing off St Kilda is soft plastic fishing, it’s no doubt a challenge and very rewarding when you hook-up, but it’s an effective style.

Flathead sit on the bottom waiting for prey to swim by.

They won’t come to you, so you have to go to them. When I say that, I mean get a lure

FISHING FILL-ITS

Calamari haul at Portarlington A 69-year old man from Portarlington will be summons to appear in the Geelong Magistrates Court later this year for allegedly exceeding the daily catch limit of calamari.

Fisheries Victoria Officer Brad Smith said the man was observed over the course of a day by Fisheries surveillance allegedly undertaking what they call “multi trip activities”.

“This is when an angler goes fishing on a number of occasions in a single day and catches the daily catch limit on each trip.

“It will be alleged that the man went fishing from the Grassy Point boat ramp in the morning, then again

later the same day at Steeles Rocks boat ramp – ending up with a total catch of 25 calamari over one day.

“After the second trip he was allegedly observed wrapping calamari in plastic bags and concealing them in the leg of his waders, “Mr Smith said.

“When he was approached by officers he produced just 10 calamari and claimed they were his total catch for the day.

“After a search the man was allegedly found to have taken 25 calamari over the two fishing trips and also found to have undersize snapper in a freezer at his home.”

Mr Smith said the daily bag and possession limit for

calamari is 10.

“Anglers considering exceeding catch limits by undertaking activities such as multiple fishing trips in the one day risk serious fines and having their boat and equipment seized.

They also risk lengthy bans from fishing.”

The man had all the calamari, the undersize snapper, his fishing equipment and his boat seized and will face a number of charges when he faces court.

“Intelligence received from 13-FISH (133 474) allows Fisheries Officers to better plan their patrolling so call if you see or suspect any illegal fishing activity.”

– Fisheries Victoria

Flathead sit on the bottom waiting for prey. like 2” ZMan GrubZ and cast it to structure. Flathead like to sit there, because they use it as a form of protection and shelter.

The casting retrieve is simple. Cast your lure of choice and let it hit the bottom – you know it’s the bottom when you your line turns slack. Then give your rod a couple of whips and wind the slack in again. Continue this all the way back to your feet.

On low tide, I like to take my shoes and socks off and wade into the water. St Kilda Beach has a deep drop off, but it’s only accessible during low tide. Cast into the drop for the best chances of hook-up.

Both flathead and pinkies sit on the ledge waiting for little baitfish, or your lure, to swim over the top.

In the next month and later, docklands bream will become active. They’re a

reliable species in warmer water conditions.

The docklands is a very deep fishery and for the bream to push up in the water column, we need water temperatures to rise. I like to sight cast my bream.

With no doubt, the Cranka Crab is the lure of choice, for the simple reason there are a heap of crabs in the docklands.

Matching the hatch is your best start.

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OCTOBER 2016

31

Signs of a great whiting season WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

It’s October and this means it’s snapper time again, but there is much more going on than just these red beasts.

The calamari fishing is still red-hot and some really promising whiting reports are already filtering through giving us a nice indication that it will be a huge whiting season this year.

SNAPPER It would be wrong to not open the report on the snapper, and so far everything is going according to plan.

The upper reaches of the port is where a lot of the action has been, and I would expect this to continue on in a similar pattern throughout October.

David Goldsworthy took his friend Lesley out on a recent weekend and spent a few hours up in the Bouchier Channel. Lesley was rewarded with a very nice 3.3kg specimen that took a squid strip at the top of the tide.

We are going to see heaps of snapper reports from a lot of different areas in the coming months as we see a lot more people head out on the water. Some days can be

Lesley and her beautiful big Bouchier snapper.

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so hectic that it almost seems like there isn’t anywhere left to fish! It’s in these situations that we often see some of the better fish for the season, and it’s those who think outside the square that often get those fish.

Fishing shallow for snapper has become insanely popular and is very productive, as has been proven by the amounts of reports we get from places like Lang Lang and Bouchier and Boultons Channels.

Use your sounder to find a small channel or gully and you will be surprised at the fish that will hold up there.

It’s not often spoken about, but some of our favourite whiting grounds, like the edge of the middle spit, hold some really nice fish. The top of the tide is when to target these fish as they get up into the mud on the hunt for a feed.

CALAMARI This would have to be one of the best calamari seasons on record, and it seems to get better and better every year.

The land-based anglers have had a great little run of squid off the Warneet Pier and plenty of anglers have been down there armed with a squid jig to try their luck.

The water is often a little discoloured around the jetty, so darker jigs tend to be a stand out here.

Think big and take size 3.0 and 3.5 size jigs, as not only do they attract the larger models, but they also sit better in the tide, allowing

Here is proof that the whiting are already in great numbers on the Middle Spit! you to get the jig to where the squid are.

Kallan Braid-Ball and his old man Geoff spent some time drifting along the Quail Bank on the hunt for a squid and they were rewarded in the best possible way! The boys were throwing around Clicks jigs in sizes 3.0 and 3.5 and in a short 45-minute session, they left with seven squid and every one of them was an absolute beast.

The Tyabb Bank has also turned it on in the squid department with oversized models a frequent capture.

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Geoff took this massive Quail Bank squid recently.

Young Jonah, who is the nephew of Jason Portelli, found himself on the end of a few big calamari in a sweet little session recently and local legends, Tyler and Chris, found some great models by floating a couple of baited jigs under floats out the back. This is a method that has taken a back seat in recent times as the popularity of artificial jigs has exploded but it is still a deadly way to catch calamari.

KING GEORGE WHITING I know it’s a little early, but the whiting reports coming from the Middle Spit have been too good not to write about!

By no means have they been going completely bananas, but there is enough there to make it a worthy option, even with the excitement of snapper fever in the air.

Peter Kasidiaris and his dad, Spiro, got their bag on a recent trip and the old pipi with a little strip of fresh squid over the top was just too good to resist for these hungry whiting.

Shaun Furtiere managed a few trips before getting stuck full time into snapper charters earlier in the month and more often than not, got his clients onto some really healthy models up on the top end of the spit. I know Shaun is a massive advocate of fresh bait, so my money would have been on him using fresh mussels and calamari for bait!

There we have it, another month down and as we get gripped by snapper fever for another year it will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds in the months to come.

Thank you to all who submitted a report and good luck to all of the fishos out there for the next month.

Good rains lead into an excellent season ahead PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

It’s that time of year again, the snapper madness is upon us, and the trout season has just opened.

This year we have had excellent rainfall, which will see all of our rivers and streams in great condition, so it should be a good season for all you trout anglers.

Going by past seasons, lots of fresh water flowing into our bays usually denotes more snapper entering the bays and a longer fishing season. It will be interesting to see if this is the case this time. With snapper season starting, I thought that I should pass on some basic tips to any new fishers or those that are having trouble catching snapper.

There are two completely different techniques when it comes to snapper fishing in Western Port and Port Phillip Bay. In Port Phillip, I use a running sinker rig, which comprises of a 2oz flat-sided tapered sinker, a metre long 15kg leader with two 4/0 suicide hooks – one fixed and one sliding. I know a lot of you are saying that I must be nuts using 2oz of lead, as

most people use a small pea sinker with no leader. On a dead flat calm day with the tide coming in the right direction, they work fine, but on a normal Port Phillip day all your baits end up rolling round together or all under the boat.

With 2oz of lead you can cast your bait further and strategically place your baits all round the boat so you can cover a much greater area, giving you more chances to catch a fish.

There is a rule of thumb when fishing Port Phillip, from dusk to daylight fish in close to shore, 10m or less. Once the sun’s up, move out to deeper water.

Another important fact for both bays is that the change of tides is usually the most productive time to fish, so target your fishing times to tide changes.

In Port Phillip snapper show up and tend to stick around a specific area, and these are different each year, so try and find out from other fishos what areas they are catching fish and target these.

For baits, you can catch snapper on a whole range of baits, but my favourites are squid, garfish, silver

A good bag of winter whiting taken from the Western Port area. whiting, couta and yakkas.

Pilchards are good too, but you are forever losing baits to rat flathead and no bait on a hook means no fish.

In Western Port, because of the strong currents you need to use heavy sinkers, and in most areas 6oz will hold bottom. For fishing times, use the same strategy as Port Phillip, from dusk

to daylight fish in close and fish the deeper water in the daytime.

The rig I use is a two-metre 15kg leader, 4-6oz of lead with two 4/0 suicide hooks – one fixed and one sliding. The long leader makes the bait wave around more in the current, which in turn attracts the fish to it. Because of the current,

it’s hard to fish more than four rods from one boat, so I cast one line 20m from the boat and the other one I just drop over the side and my partner does the same on their side of the boat (i.e. one long, one short). This way you eliminate tangles.

For bait, use any of what I mentioned for Port Phillip and remember, fresh

bait works best. If you can’t catch your own, go to the fish market and stock up for 3-4 fishing trips.

SURF BEACHES There’s still good reports coming in from all surf beaches with salmon to 3kg being caught. A trip to the beach is still well worth the effort.

SAN REMO AREA Below the Bridge Cleeland’s Bight area is producing some good calamari and whiting are starting to show up, not in big numbers, but they are good quality fish. The last of the run-out tide has been the most productive.

Above the Bridge There’s been no reports of snapper yet, apart from the odd big fish coming in from the northern end of the bay. Some good-sized gummies are being caught in the deeper channels for those who are willing to brave the cold and sit out there all night. And there are good reports of calamari coming in off Hastings and the Tyabb Bank.

FLINDERS AREA The big calamari run has started with some whoppers around 3kg plus being caught.

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Spring snapper sure to get mouths watering WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Breaking news – barrels are being caught in Melbourne!

Every good report kicks off with a bang and what’s better than a few keg southern bluefin tuna,

tuna that weighed in at 78kg – talk about epic solo tuna fishing. Tam was fishing the area of S 38 34.346 E 144 59.865.

If you can hold out for next year, put late August in your diary to rig up and search for barrels.

I feel like doing the happy dance now, as we’re well into

also easily spooked. A single ball sinker dropped onto an aluminium hull will pass through the water columns, scaring any timid fish in the immediate area.

This is the time many big snapper are caught. When the weather is good with a slight chop, heading out during the night to catch a rising tide can be the key factor that leads to success. Reports of snapper filtering through have been quite comforting these past

Big Red or Octopus Circle hooks in a 6/0 size set around 8-10cm apart will have the hook points exposed at the right distance apart for when a fish swallows the bait to ensure a clean and solid hook set.

Over the next few weeks, reports of snapper will become much more common, especially on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re new to social media, be sure to check with your local fishing tackle store for the latest up to

Octopus Circle hooks are ideal for targeting snapper in Western Port.

Gummy sharks of this size are pretty standard this time of year.

Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

caught off the coast of Flinders. How very exciting for Melbourne Anglers with what seems to fast becoming a regular occurrence around late August/early September each year.

Firstly I want to say big congratulations to Tam Missen, Glen Palmer and friend Stuart Millsom for their catches of tuna in the last week of August. On August 28, local anglers Glen and Stuart headed into 40m of water just out from Flinders, where they were trolling a Pakula Lumo skirt. They were specifically targeting SBTs, because last year Glen nailed a solid tuna over a 100kg from the same area. After launching from Stony Point, they worked the area for only five hours, returning to the ramp with a tuna of 125.7kg.

The very next day, local angler Tam Missen went on a solo mission, wider out from Flinders in 60m of water.

Trolling another Pakula skirt, Tam hooked up to a lovely

snapper season. Winter and its after effects have passed. From now, it’s onwards and upwards with all things red in sight! So far, there’s been no shortage of snapper caught, especially around Spit Point, Lang Lang, Tenby Point and the Corinella area, where the shallow water temperature is higher than the main channels.

Fish are still not in full feeding mode. Prime fishing times in these areas have been the last two hours of the flood tides, and first two hours of abating. During early spring when fish are still doughy, feeding up on the shallows where food is abundant, it takes much less effort to find them in their lethargic state. As the season progresses and the water temperatures increase, you’ll find fish in every nook and cranny of the port.

In quieter times, fishing the flats is a reliable starting point. In the flats, it’s important to keep noise levels to a minimum. While the reds are sluggish, they’re

If it’s fresh bait you’re after, the banks are loaded throughout spring.

Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

few weeks, with some fish well over the 7kg mark being caught on a weekly basis.

Baits have also been important and the freshest available is best. Locally caught calamari used as rings are the kicker. Just ask local angler Adam Mitchelton, who managed a cracking red of 5.6kg out the front of Cowes Pier. Other successful baits have been whole garfish, barracouta heads and big whole pilchards. Bigger sized baits have been catching the majority of fish and are best on a running sinker rig with a snelled hook setup. When setting up the rig, two Mustad

OCTOBER 2016

the weather gods not playing the game, they tucked into some cover against French Island. Having a blast of a day, they managed plenty of smaller gummy sharks, which provided high pitch squeals amongst Sid and his friend Oliver. During another trip, Shaun had clients keen for an early red. After securing fresh bait, they headed off in search.

Although the reds didn’t want to play, they ended up with a nice gummy shark.

Furthermore, the Western Entrance has no shortage of nice fish to be caught.

Providing your can hold

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34

date reports. That way, when you’re thinking of heading out for the weekend, you can pick your location based on where the reports are coming from.

Snapper aside, Shaun Furtiere has been dominating the gummy shark scene in the lower section of Western Port with some real impressive catches plucked from the turbulent waters of the Western Entrance. Shaun reported that despite the snapper on everyone’s minds, gummy fishing has been sensational.

On a recent trip, client Sid and his dad, along with friends, hopped aboard. With

Photo courtesy of Glen Palmer.

back the overwhelming call to target snapper, spring is a good time to catch many

things until the reds really come on the bite. Another species often forgotten, is the

Calamari are prolific right through the year.

Locations like the Middle Spit and Tankerton hold them in very good numbers.

Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

humble King George whiting.

Western Port whiting are not a year round affair, if you care to focus your attention on them anyway. Anglers keen on searching out these little spotted critters should go to locations where there is very little boat traffic.

This is no easy thing, but in locations such as Tankerton, Tortoise Head Bank, Ventnor and the Rhyll Channel, you should find them in some respectable numbers. Of course, berley will be necessary to bring them to your immediate fishing location. When you get them on the bite, they’ll hang around for quite some time.

Pipi baits are also the gun bait, but don’t go just armed with one. Freshly caught calamari turned into tenderised strips is also top notch.

Whiting are fewer in numbers, unlike the summer months, so they tend to be a better class of fish, but they’re finicky to hook. This is where you’ll need to ensure you have the best tackle in use. Shy fish, regardless of species, are always a challenge. In shallow water, whiting are no exception.

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Fishing solo got a big 78kg southern bluefin tuna for Tam, out wide of Flinders.

Photo courtesy of Tam Missen.

striking to set the hook is your best chance.

This is undoubtedly my favourite time of year, purely because we’re rid of winter blues, and can head

out in search of Western Port’s more prized, even though snapper are arriving in droves. Which will you target – snapper, whiting, calamari or a solid gummy?

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35

Practice on the pier with kids WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Fishing with kids is a lot of fun no matter where you go or what you fish for, but with children having on average the attention span of 30 minutes to an hour, boredom can set in quite quick if there is a

lack of fish and not much happening.

The end result is simple; your kids will lose interest because of the lack of action or become upset from being told off by parents if they begin mucking around.

While there is no point turning a fun family activity into difficult task, the best and most rewarding part

is to let them be involved and have them bait up, rig lines and assist in setting the berley trail.

they reply with a “Yes”, ask them where they think you should go and have a discussion on the likely

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PIER FISHING • Fish the first two hours of the run-out tide • Use the right hook size for the species being targeted • Use berley to attract fish to your area KEEP THEM INVOLVED Fishing with kids isn’t about saying “We’re going fishing tomorrow,” or “Do you want to come fishing tomorrow?” It’s about getting them involved. The question should be “Do you want to go fishing tomorrow?” and then when

locations where you’ll catch a fish.

Most kids, especially those under the age of 10, are keen just to catch something. They don’t usually have the aspiration to catch a 10kg snapper or 50cm King George whiting, so don’t be too keen on pursuing such

Fishing with kids is a memory that will last forever, however, you can always kick-start the session with some bait collecting too. challenging species. Not just yet anyway. Getting them involved is the first part, and once they have

them interested. Looking at Google Earth together to decide on a location, looking at willyweather.

NO TECHNOLOGY If there is one piece of equipment that is a must to be left at home, it is any electronic device that your kids might like to play with such as a smart phone or tablet.

The whole reason for going fishing is to get kids outside and to enjoy some time together, rather than take something along for them to get lost in a game while you’re sitting there fishing.

Sometimes the littlies might need some assistance, but teaching them how to bait up and cast is part of the process.

BEST BAITS When you go into a tackle store, there are dozens of different baits that can be chosen to use however, there are some that do work better than others.

Without having to take too many options, squid, pipi and pilchard fillets won’t let you down.

Fishing with kids isn’t all about catching a trophy fish. Grass whiting, leatherjacket, trevally and salmon are all worthy assailants.

Nothing is more exciting that waiting for a bite. Kids certainly love it. When they see an inquiry, will scream with absolute joy.

36

OCTOBER 2016

the passion, they’ll seek out the more challenging species as time progresses.

Having kids involved in the entire process keeps

com to check the weather and tides is all exciting to them, and because they are part of the decision-making process, they are more

Kids will always jump at the chance to go fishing, especially if there’s promise of some hands-on fun.

likely to stick to fishing rather than get bored.

Keep in mind though, taking kids fishing is all about them. Trying to fish effectively yourself is not always going to happen, as your child might need a new bait or their line cast if they do not know how.

However, what we can do is to offer encouragement and teach them how to do it for themselves, so that the more times you go, the less they will ask you for help.

GET THE FISH GOING Boredom is the root of all evil and before long if it is all quiet on the fishing front, things can go from

Teach your kids to fish and they’ll stay off the iPads, get them out bait collecting and they’ll have a blast finding all the little critters that live beneath the water.

LET THEM DO IT Growing up as a young boy, I learnt from experience and being hands-on was always the best way to learn. My children are no different, and I guess there are a lot of kids like me.

When I get my kids involved, it might begin with the location, weather and tides, but also the rigging process and knot tying. This begins at home, but when on the pier can also continue, along with baiting up, berleying and finally casting the setup altogether.

One thing that I have enjoyed mostly is watching

NEVER ENDING FOOD SUPPLY The one thing kids need is food and when sitting back waiting for a bite, nothing can keep their focus on waiting for the rod tip to quiver better than a muesli bar or sandwich.

You can never take along enough food, so it pays to always take along an extra bag packed full with goodies for when the time comes to let them feast.

Children have very short attention spans but if you get them to hold the rod and focus on waiting for the bite, they’ll be super excited once a fish begins nibbling on the bait. bad to worse if your child is losing interest quickly.

The biggest problem with pier fishing is the lack of fish to keep kids interested and their mind focused on the job.

Casting out a bunch of baits and then sitting back waiting for a bite can see a shift in interest very quickly.

To avoid this from becoming an issue, you can bring the fish to you, and the most effective technique in doing so is too use berley.

On arrival, it is always good practise to set a berley trail. In doing this, once you have fully rigged your rods and are ready to cast out, there will be fish in your berley trail giving you instant action.

There are numerous ways to use berley, but which ever way you do choose to set a trail, it must be consistent. Should the berley trail be broken, the fish could swim off. A good technique to keep a constant flow of berley is to use a berley bucket or an onion bag.

I like to have my berley mixture really fishy, so into the onion

bag or bucket I place 2kg of pilchards, blended into 2kg of chicken pellets, 2kg of Wilson berley pellets with aniseed and a litre of Wilson tuna oil.

This is then lowered with added weight to combat the depth and current all the way to the sea floor. As the currents pressure pushed into the bucket or bag, disperses the berley. Over a short period of time, the berley attracts fish to your fishing location and when flicking out baits, continue get the kids to cast into the berley trail as this is where the fish will be schooling up.

my kids learn and be able to rig up, bait up and cast all by themselves, although they do need to improve on their accuracy, the ability to do it for themselves has taken a lot of pressure off me and makes each and every time we go fishing much more relaxing and entertaining, except for when they lose a fish that is.

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Bound for a bumper season MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

With the weather improving, more anglers are beginning to get their fishing gear up to scratch for this fishing season.

With all the freshwater now subsided, the estuary is back to normal and is in pristine condition for the up and coming season.

With the conditions ideal, it is the time of year that many fish species come into the estuary and seem to be on an early spawning run.

Anglers are reporting

big numbers of bream, estuary perch and mullet throughout the system as they move up into their spawning grounds in the lakes and small creeks and streams.

Anglers are reporting getting good bags of bream from the entrance up to both lakes using sandworm and frozen prawn on both the tides, with some bream measuring up to 44cm.

Estuary perch can also be caught from the entrance and up both rivers, again using sandworm and lures.

Mullet are throughout the whole system and are taking sandworm.

I mentioned in the last

issue that with the opened entrance and many big schools of fish entering, some mulloway might appear. There’s a report that has come in of an angler capturing small mulloway fishing from the Marlo Jetty.

Salmon and tailor can be found down towards the entrance on the incoming tide, and the best results have come from using metal lures.

The surf beaches are still fishing great with plenty of salmon and tailor being caught by anglers fishing with surf rods and using blue bait, squid or pipis, always accompanied

with a popper.

Other anglers are getting good results using light gear and spinning metal lures.

Offshore fishing is good all year round, but in the winter months the seas are usually rough and winds make it unsafe and unpleasant on most occasions.

Weather permitting, anglers should get good mixed bins of flathead, gurnard, squid, barracouta, pinkie snapper, morwong and gummy shark.

As the weather warms up and the rough seas subside, anglers will e able to get offshore a bit more often in the coming months.

With the estuary back to normal, flathead should be getting increasingly active.

More mayhem on the mighty Mitchell River GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

“Some of the hottest bream fishing in years” and “I haven’t seen the fish this thick for a long time” are just some of the comments that have been all the talk over recent weeks centred around the Mitchell River.

Although things have quietened down a little, I expect the excellent bream fishing to continue for at least another month before the spawning season kicks into gear. I’ve got plenty to report on!

THE MIGHTY MITCHELL RIVER This magnificent waterway is the real life blood of the Gippy Lakes and come to think of it, the king of all East Gippsland rivers! The Mitchell is the largest un-regulated river in the state and over its 121km is free of dams and its natural flow is unchanged.

It has 13 other significant rivers and creeks that feed it and nearly the entire catchment flows down from steep mountains of native bush. I’m trying to paint you a picture of why this river is such a fishing hotspot. After the last floods the river ran

Bream are happily taking blade lures at the moment and the hotspot is still here in the Mitchell River along the Silt Jetties.

dirty for a few weeks and then almost overnight, it cleaned up with crystal clean water. I swear to you, I could see a metre into its gin clear fresh flow, which is just an incredible sight after such a big flood event.

BEST BREAM FISHING FOR YEARS The wires are running hot at the moment with happy anglers sending pictures and stories to all their mates. I’ll try to condense a few of the best reports from the endless text messages and emails still flooding in.

I saw even more excitement while talking to anglers on the bank or in boats. In a nutshell, the bream moved into the silt jetties about six weeks ago, and congregated into the biggest schools we’ve seen in a long time. Even better, most of them were mid to high 30cm fish.

A lot of 40-45cm fish were also being hooked and some of them lost. At one stage, we sounded up a massive school that stretched for about 800m, jam-packed along the bottom across half of the river’s width!

I’d hate to guess the actual number of fish, but I think you get the idea. Strangely, anywhere down or upstream from this huge mob of bream was absolutely barren of fish,

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The freshwater has made lure fishing a real challenge of late. Be sure to try a wide variety of lures and make sure black blades are in the mix. except maybe a few smaller ones here and there! I expect the bream to now spread out and head up into the river with breeding not far away.

SHRIMP AND NIPPERS ALL THE GO Over the last month, bait anglers have lined the silt jetty banks for weeks on end and most of them bagged out.

The stand out bait was and still is shrimp, and it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s fresh or frozen. Anglers using shrimp quickly ran out of bait, while those putting on worm or frozen prawn found the going much slower.

Two anglers who live in the Welshpool area showed me a big bucket of nippers they had pumped from South Gippsland the day before heading to the Mitchell. Their rods were constantly bent and loaded up on the best bream I saw landed by any of the bait anglers there. This was a real eye opener, and it pays to sometimes experiment with different baits.

For the majority of bank anglers, most of the time the fishing was hit and miss during the day with a few good bream coming in here and there, but when afternoon arrived, the ‘go

switch’ was turned to flat out. At about 4pm each day, every angler who stayed and put in a few extra hours was rewarded with a super hot bite, right up until dark.

Meanwhile at Paynesville on the jetties in town, Rhonda and Graeme Beams, who live in Sale, sat on the jetties for a few hours and pulled in over a dozen good bream to 36cm while using frozen shrimp. A few mullet were finding the hook as well.

LURE SPORT As I predicted, the bream are finally responding to blade lures now, and a few dedicated anglers are pulling in some cracker fish to 45cm.

Michael Dee was the first to find them and quickly shared the news to his immediate mates. In two sessions, he landed 32 and 44 bream each day, all on blades. Most of his fish were around 35cm.

Jason Deenan, Greg Jerkins and I spent an afternoon dropping Hurricane Sting 37 blades in cracked black colour down to the massive schools of fish.

As usual, it was only late in the day when the bream fired up and we were eventually rewarded with just over 40 impressive bream between

us. I don’t think any of us landed fish under 32cm and quite a few close to 40cm.

Justin Dingwall is the local guru when it comes to hooking truck bream around here. He heard about the huge run of Mitchell fish and decided to get in on the action. His first bream came in at 1.6kg, and he broke all trends by hooking them all in the morning and ended up with about 40 bream before lunch. He also shunned the blades and used hardbody vibes and soft plastic lures.

Cam Cleal has also posted pictures of even bigger bream, but I don’t want to give him too much of a mention. He has a nasty habit of finding all the big girls and leaving the little ones for me!

Just before I go, Michael Dee gets the last word, and has just contacted me with another 46cm bream landed, once again on black blades, but this time all were caught out in the salty lake water where the Mitchell flows into. I’ve run out of room, so more on this next issue!

There’s exciting times for bream anglers ahead, that’s for sure!

Happy fishing!

Rising temperatures bring bream on the bite LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

The fishing has been reasonably productive with signs showing that we’re in for a great season on the Gippsland lakes after all the recent freshwater in the system. The water is reasonably dirty but clearing quite quickly.

reaching the bottom, making for some great light tackle sportfishing.

OFFSHORE The offshore fishing has been really productive with the weather allowing access to the offshores reefs. There’s been large schools of pinkie snapper on the Six-Mile reef along with a mix morwong and nannygai. Most of these fish have been taken on blue

Recently, I have experienced consistent sessions with 15 or more bream plus other by-catch for the day.

The most productive pattern lately has been to work bankside snags with small grubs with 1/16oz jigheads and small jerkbaits fished deep in the timber.

The flats fishing has kicked off with many mud banks and flats holding

Estuary perch have also been getting in on the madness.

The by-catch in the estuary often makes a day out fishing all the more enjoyable.

LAKES ENTRANCE The town wharfs have been productive with locals and tourists having a great time. There’s been some great catches of silver trevally, yellow-eye mullet and a few bream. These fish have mostly been caught on blue bait or local sand worm.

A key to success is having fresh bait, which is easy to get your hands on by either collecting it yourself, or buying it locally. These baits are best fished under a float or on paternoster rig.

Lure fishing has been extremely productive. The most consistent pattern has been to fish lightly weighted soft plastics such as the everpopular Berkley Sandworm or Nemesis, allowing it to drift down to the bottom before being worked back with slow hops across the bottom. A mayor key to success has been to cast your lure or bait as close to structure as possible, and most of the time the plastic is intercepted before

bait and squid fished on a paternoster rig. With not long before summer kicks in, we should begin to see a mix of species travelling down with the warm currents LAKE TYERS The lake has been fishing well, epically further up the

quality bream and flathead, and one of the most consistent patterns is to throw chubby style hardbodies across them.

Many baitfishers have been catching quality fish using unweighted peeled prawn cast on to the flats, and this often produces plenty of

has been critical to consistent success with schools of bream, estuary perch and silver trevally scattered throughout the main lake. A lot of fish have been taken on deep diving hardbodies worked off rocky points throughout the main lake. Another great method has been drifting the many deeper drops offs and hopping a vibe tight to the bottom, giving it plenty of time to sit motionless at the bottom.

WHAT’S COMING UP? With the weather picking up and lake temperature rising,

we should begin to see good numbers of bream, flathead and whiting moving up into the shallow lake margins.

Making the switch to much shallower diving hardbodies will be a good idea in October.

The very anticipated gamefishing season is fast approaching, and it won’t be long before the warm currents work their way down to this part of the coast.

Make sure to get on board with National Gone Fishing Day on 16 October, where our local fishing club Lakes Entrance Game & Sport

Fishing Club Inc will be holding an event at the Apex Park in Lakes Entrance. This will be the first National Gone Fishing Day, with thousands of Australians going fishing and plenty of events promoting recreational fishing being held across the nation.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a great picture or two, you can send it to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with a short description, and you could be featured in the mag!

Plenty of great bream have been taken lately. system where the sheltered banks allow the water to warm and keep a good edge bit nearly all year round.

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Salmon inside, flathead and gummies offshore MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Now that spring’s here, that iconic Victorian red sportfish is on everyone’s minds, but for now, the humble Australian salmon and flathead are

when fishing inside the estuaries.

McLaughlins beach has been the main launching pad for chasing salmon, but most salmon are actually up around the Manns Beach area. McLaughlins Beach entrance has produced salmon, just either side of slack tide. When the tide

salmon are going on all tides, but the run out is a little better. When the tide starts running hard, fish metal lures or larger soft plastics, with heavy jig heads around 3/8oz. Anchor and cast out of the boat, as this has been successful. If you don’t mind constantly moving, keep drifting over the same spot and catch plenty.

Anglers anchoring near the entrance and berleying have snagged quality trevally on pipis and bass yabbies. There are some crackers mixed in with the trevally and anglers have been getting up to a dozen at a time. The run out tide has been better for bait, especially an hour before slack low.

PORT ALBERT Calamari have been the most reliable fish to target inside. There’s good numbers around the basket

Dave Johnson and crew caught these beautiful gummy sharks offshore in 22m of water at anchor with pilchards doing the best. beacon and in the snake channel around Sunday Island. Slack tides seem to be the best time to fish.

The calamari aren’t huge, and I’d call them small to medium eaters, with hood

Clint Stanistreet with a couple of nice flatties caught on the drift in 40m off Port Albert. the most prevalent. With water temperatures still hovering at 12-13°C, the elusive snapper has remained elusive. Only a few lucky anglers snag them. However, anglers are having a ball on the Australian salmon,

ramps up, the current is mega, and it’s been very hard to fish.

On the other hand, Manns Beach entrance has been a lot easier to fish and is riddled with salmon, trevally and a few King George whiting. The

With the entrance full of salmon, it was the perfect time to break out the fly rod and catch a few. This one took a size 2 Clouser. A full sinking line was needed to battle the strong current.

lengths up to 25cm. Size 3 or 3.5 Yamashita jigs have been working a treat.

OFFSHORE If you want flathead, offshore is the place to go. For big flatties, head straight to 35m and fish as deep as 45m. The flathead are absolute crackers with plenty around 50-60cm.

Drifting is a must and the run in tides seem to be producing most of the flathead. Just use a paternoster rig or snapper snatcher style rig – you can’t go wrong.

Any bait will do the trick, but there’s so many barracouta out there, that you’ll be able to get as much fresh bait as you want.

In a bit closer, around 30m, is riddled with rock cod, as the water temperature is still around 13°C. The pinkies are just starting to move into the offshore reefs, but there’s a lot more cod and couta than pinkies.

For gummies, fish in closer. There have been some ripper gummies caught over the past month, but most have been in closer than the flathead, around 18-22m. The anglers catching the most have been patient, anchored and berleying heavily to catch the gummies. Pilchards and fresh fish fillets have been both working well.

Next month, we’ll all be talking about snapper.

I guarantee we’ll have the first snapper photos turn up and the whiting should come on the chew more as well.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s Off the Hook on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!

Channel has come alive BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

The local waterways have experienced a brilliant flush out during the past few months, with extreme winter rains and a huge entrance that has been open since June.

The channel is alive with salmon, tailor and

the odd trevally.

There have also been reports of bream being caught between the Mahoganys and the entrance to the channel.

The warmer weather will no doubt entice the luderick, as they will be preparing to enter the channel from the ocean.

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fishing, making for a fun family recreational activity.

The warmer weather and longer days are the ideal combination for a productive night’s fishing on the surf, especially if you are targeting gummies or flathead.

Recent visitors to the area landed 10 nice bream up to 40cm, which they caught in the lake on peeled prawn.

The following day they had fun chasing the salmon in the channel, then on Sunday morning they fished at the mouth of the channel where they had fun catching quality bream.

The water level is very low, which makes it difficult to access the river, therefore I have not had any reports for that location.

The river can still be accessed at Dollys Garden and nearby where there are

Tailor have been taken in good numbers in the channel. two new modern fishing platforms.

There is also an existing fishing platform located near the ‘farm’ via a walkway, past Cosy Nook

Accommodation.

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STA15972SearangerFM_Layout 1 28/06/2016 2:32 PM Page 1

Wanting warmer weather INVERLOCH

David Walsh

There is some good fishing to be had this month.

There are reasonable trevally around at the moment, taking bluebait and whitebait. These fish are averaging around 35-45cm, and can be found between the jetty

from around the pylons of the bridge and down towards the rock wall between the bridge and the mouth of the Tarwin.

The Venus Bay surf beaches have been yielding good salmon to 1.5kg on the last two hours of the incoming tide. These hard-fighting fish have been caught on a variety of methods including surf

FORECAST FOR OCTOBER With the new moon falling on October 1, the first week of October will be a good time to target gummy sharks. As we get the more consistent overnight temperatures, we should start to see the whiting moving into the inlet as well – and late October will be the start of

Schools of salmon have been a bit evasive, but when you find them there are typically good numbers of them. and Pensioners Point on the edges of the weed beds.

Schools of salmon have been a little bit elusive, but when they’re on they’re on in good numbers. They have been taking bluebait and whitebait patterned metal lures, such as 25g and 40g River2Sea Searocks, and 35g Lazer Lures. The salmon are moving around with the baitfish schools, so it’s hard to know where they’ll be next. Anglers have been getting some while fishing shore-based off Pensioners Point, and also out the front of the angling club down towards Screw Creek.

We’re starting to see a few signs of whiting but we probably need to see some consistent warmer weather for them to come into the inlet. Some good specimens have been caught by anglers fishing off Flat Rock with pipis and Bass yabbies.

Anglers have been picking up some good estuary perch in the Tarwin River on the run-out tide. If you want to give yourself the best chance you should use live Bass yabbies, but if you prefer flicking lures you can also do well with any grub-shaped soft plastic around 2.5” or 3.5” long in bloodworm colour.

The fish have been coming

poppers, bluebait and pilchards.

Around the new moon there has been good gummy shark activity. The fish are around 3.5-4ft long, and the number one bait would have to be fresh trevally.

our run of snapper in the Andersons Inlet.

All in all, it’s a good month to be on the water.

• Thank you to David Walsh from Rod Bendings World in Inverloch for all the great local information to help write this report.

Ben and Joe show the pensioners at Pensioners Point how it’s done.

OCTOBER 2016

41

Get into the fish before the visitors arrive Unlike Mallacoota to the south, the water temperature offshore is a lot warmer, which makes all the difference to the fishing boats heading out from Quarantine Bay. Heading out to the flathead grounds around the Pinnacle or off Mowarry Point, you’ll find good numbers of sand flathead and tiger flathead.

Most boats are coming back with a good feed.

EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The Far South Coast over the winter months sees very few visitors, and Eden is no exception, but with the weather warming, it’s not a bad destination fishing wise, with a variety of fishing options available.

This time of year sees the snapper fishing come alive once the cuttlefish shells are being washed up on the beaches, and when this happens, you can be sure the snapper are on the go. Good fish are caught by anglers fishing from the local headlands on daybreak, and fresh, lightly-weighted baits have been the undoing of plenty of good fish. Once the

FISHING FILL-ITS

Shark ‘trophy’ hunters land themselves in hot water

Two young men who removed the jaws of a dead Great white shark have found themselves in trouble with the law.

The men came across the 2m shark on the 90 Mile Beach east of Seaspray.

They decided to remove the jaws as a trophy but great white sharks are fully protected, even when dead, no matter how they have died.

Senior Fisheries Officer in Gippsland, Errol Parmigiani, said even if found dead on the beach, it was illegal to cut or remove any part of a great white shark.

“Land-based game

fishing is increasing in popularity along the 90 Mile Beach,” Mr Parmigiani said.

“There are shark competitions scheduled on the 90 Mile Beach in the coming months.

“Fishers need to be aware that if they catch great white sharks they need to be released immediately unharmed. Great white sharks are still protected when they are dead. The reason is that people may claim that the shark has died from natural causes when in fact they have caught it themselves.

“If they were not fully protected alive or dead it would not provide any real

protection at all. A complete ban is enforced to discourage everyone from taking great whites.

“Even though the men were dealt with by way of a diversionary order in the Sale Magistrates Court. It still cost them over $300 each. This serves as a timely warning to others.”There are heavy penalties for taking or possessing a great white shark or any part of them.

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing activity is urged to call the 24 hour reporting line 13 FISH (133 474). – Fisheries Victoria

Black bream are firing in the upper system. sun is up though, the bite is generally over.

When fishing the inshore reefs from a boat, you can move out a bit deeper as the sun rises, and that way you can stay among the fish.

Fishing with a berley trail is the way to go, and once again, use light sinkers, as the fish will rise for the bait.

The kingfish can be caught in the same way, and they can turn up at any time.

The coming months will see more fish caught.

Plenty of salmon are moving along the local beaches and they will be around in numbers for the next few months. Any good gutter fished on a rising tide

should see you amongst the fish.

The local estuaries have seen good numbers of black bream caught upstream and yellowfin bream towards the mouth. There’s been plenty of silver trevally by-catch too.

As the water warms, the flathead will also start to come on the bite.

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Estuarine critters are on the move this month working, it’s a good chance the salmon are there.

Salmon move fast, often moving upstream and into the top lake. They’re not fussy, so choice and colour of lure is of little importance.

The breakwall at Bastion Point is a good fishing spot, offering a variety of species with silver trevally and bream still turning up, along with a few remaining salmon.

There are plenty of good fishing opportunities out there this month in both the top and bottom lake and further upstream towards Gypsy Point, and as usual, this is what draws anglers to Mallacoota at this time of year.

When enjoying a day

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

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The past month has seen little rain, but as usual for our cooler months, there has been no shortage of cold days this time of year, and there are very few visitors to the area.

If you head out fishing, you won’t see too many other boats.

The cooler months will see very few boats heading offshore fishing and with the cold water, it’s not surprising, as not too many fish are on the bite.

A few gummy sharks are being caught, but it’s a lot of effort with little reward.

Once the water starts to warm up, the fishing will start to fire. Sand and tiger flathead are a common catch, and some big fish on offer. It pays to keep on the move when searching for the bigger models.

There are good numbers of salmon being caught from the gutters along the local beaches, with fish entering the bottom lake on the rising tide.

If you spot the birds

CH

MALLACOOTA

on the water at this time of year, make sure you rug up, as it’s still cold, especially when traveling from spot to spot. In saying that, even though there is still a chill in the air, don’t forget to wear sunscreen. The sun can really burn when you’re out fishing all day.

Silver trevally, yellowfin bream and flathead are all being caught in the top and bottom lake. The key is to find the schools of bait when you find the bait you will find the fish.

Like the bait, you need to keep moving for the best results, as the bait will move with the tide.

Because of this, you need to try and anticipate where they are moving to stay with the action.

Once again, keep changing your lure to find the lure and colour that is working. With the flathead, don’t move the lure too fast, you need to keep the lure in front of their noses for as long as possible.

The chopper tailor can be a real nuisance at this time, attacking and stealing every lure that comes in front of them. It’s a catch 22 – if they are there, so are other fish. You just have to sift through little tailor.

Good numbers of black bream can be found further upstream, as they going into their annual spawning run.

They can be hard to catch one day, and then eat almost anything the next!

Good luck for this month.

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Bring on the hot spot NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Spring is well and truly here with some warm days making it an ideal time to wet a line. The estuaries in particular will be hotting up as each week passes.

Water temperatures will start to increase, and in turn, Summer techniques will come in.

Both Narooma and Tuross estuaries are firing up nicely. The next few months will be something to remember. We’ve had rain at the right time over cooler months and both systems had quality flushes, which every estuarine system needs a few times a year.

This has seen a stack of bait enter both systems. I expect the prawning season to be a cracker.

In Tuross, the river section seems to fish better in October, especially for flathead and bream. Due to it being quite shallow, water warms quicker than deeper

tidal areas, and the fish respond to it. Concentrate from the main highway bridge to Four Ways, fishing water depths of 1-3m with smaller prawn imitations and blades. There’s already been solid flatties caught around the 80cm mark, so all looks good.

For those targeting bream, slow rolling hardbodies over the flats will work. If the water is warm enough, an early season surface session is not out of the question. I’ve regularly caught bream on surface in 15°C water, especially if smaller jelly prawns are evident. There’ll be EPs in snags mixed with the bream, and again, hardbodies and plastics will work.

At Wagonga, the big breeding female flathead will start to stir, heading downstream to spawn. This month is the start of it all for them, and some cracking fish to 90cm should be readily available.

Concentrate around the basin margins in 6-9m of water for a good place to start. This month

will see an increase in tailor numbers, and that means mulloway. These silver slabs will be stalking tailor schools, so cast your plastics near them and you’ve a great chance of getting connected.

Sure you’ll loose a few lures to the choppers, but the end reward might just be worth it.

Outside, fishing the bottom has had good results with snapper, morwong, sand and tiger flathead, pigfish and kingfish all chewing at times. Reds have been excellent off Potato Point with water depths between 40-60m. Every day has been different for where to find them. Drifting first then anchoring once you’ve located a patch has worked for some switched on local crews. Catches of 15-20 fish are usual with the average fish at 2kg, but there’s still the odd better fish at 5kg.

This action should continue for a while yet, but the reds will spread out a bit.

At Montague Island there’s been the odd patch of kings turning up, which is great to see. These fish are

Clean yellowfin bream, like this couple caught by Jimmy Downes, will be chewing well at presented hardbodies over the flats. anywhere between 65-90cm, just on legal size up to some pretty solid fish. Jigs, live baits and squid have all worked. Live bait seems to be getting the bigger fish at present. The Fowl House Reef and southwest corner over the rip have been the places to fish.

Later on this month, yellowfin tuna and albacore should be patrolling the shelf line. Trolling is certainly the way to go early in the season. They’re getting a

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heap of albies north of us, so it shouldn’t be long before they’re on our doorstep.

I know of a few better yellowfin coming from crews fishing very wide at 70-80kms, so if you have the fuel and seaworthy boat, it’s worth a look.

On the beaches it’s been a little hit and miss.

We’ve had very calm seas of late, making the salmon fishing tough at times. In saying that, they’re still being caught. Fishing peak

1.2m O/W LED Strip

October will see the whiting start to play the game. With a few warm days, the flats warm up and then it’s surface time. Bring it on.

44

OCTOBER 2016

periods and tides has been important for consistent results. Anglers have been spinning the beaches with chromed slices up to 50g.

This enables you to fish each gutter along a beach, fishing the more productive areas and not waiting for the salmon to come to you. When we get the right conditions, beach fishing will pick up for bream, whiting and mullet. This month is ideal for these species and pipi or live beach worms are gun baits. Better beaches to try include Brou, Tilba, Coila and Narooma main.

The rock-hoppers are also in the transition period, with a good mix of all species playing the game. If a feed is what you’re after, then luderick, drummer, bream and snapper can be found on most headlands.

Mystery Bay to the south, and the Golf course rocks in town, are the better places to try. Use fresh crab, cunjevoi, peeled cooked prawns or cabbage as bait. For the reds, fresh squid or whole pilchards should suffice.

Sport-fishers who like throwing medium-sized chromed lures are in for a treat. Bonito numbers are excellent at the minute, and will only get better as the month progresses. These speedsters are solid fish with the average at 3kg.

On the right tackle, this is great sport. If you look after them correctly, they’re pretty good on the plate, especially smoked. You can expect the odd kingfish mixed in with the bonnies and if all else fails, salmon are a great back-up.

NSW South Coast

Fish are heating up MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

What a cracking month to fish the estuaries around the Merimbula region with both Pambula and Merimbula lakes fishing extremely well. Anglers using softplastics and vibes will have the edge, as the water slowly warms and weeks go by. We’re still getting 15-16°C water, which is quite cool, but the fish don’t seem to mind.

Flathead are the main species that anglers are targeting. Fish up to 80cm+ are quite possible. October

is renowned for croc-sized flatties with solid fish captured in the previous weeks. We’ve managed some cracker models up to 84cm so far. Everything looks promising.

The fish have moved down to the lower sections of the estuaries, and the ribbon weed edges in 4-6m of water are ideal. I use big plastics this time of year, 4-5” models. Fish them slowly with a methodical lift and drop presentation, and use a variety of natural colours. Even with larger lures, you’ll still get a great feed of duskies up to 50cm and there’s always the chance of mulloway at this

The Tuross snags will hold plenty of EPs. Bruce Kefford caught this beauty.

time of year.

Those anglers fishing the channels have been doing well on bream, trevally and luderick. Both bait and plastic throwers are getting fish. Anchor up and use sparse berley with live nippers or striped tuna cubes.

These have been great on bream, and you can expect some nice whiting too, as the water warms further.

There have been sporadic patches of salmon entering both systems, but they’ve been patchy. One day it’s all the go and the next, nothing.

When they’re about, great fun will be had. You can catch them on shiners, plastics and bait, but every day is different. There’s the odd big tailor in the salmon schools too. Expect to lose a few lures if fishing like this.

The beaches have been a little slow with the calmer conditions, but there’s still some quality fish to be caught. Locals have been getting solid bream, mainly around the rockier corners of the beaches, with whiting and yellow-eye mullet in the shallow gutters. Fishing the flood tide on sunrise has been the key to their success.

Live beachworms and pipis are the preferred baits.

It’s mulloway time – the author found out with this neat 87cm fish.

When the conditions suit, the salmon action will get better. The usual paternoster rig with a bait or popper combination is best. There should be a few mulloway in the suds as well. Fresh tailor slabs or big bunches of beachworms are ideal. Better beaches include Tura, North Tura and Haycock.

The lure anglers, throwing from the stones and targeting pelagics, should have some fun this month. Kingfish, bonito and big salmon are all a real possibility. The headland at Tura and Merimbula wharf would be the pick of spots.

Use livebait at these locations as a gun way to catch most fish. Remember to use heavier

gear, especially for the kings.

There’s still been the odd report of kings on poppers, but it’s like a few months back.

Casting whole pilchards on ganged hooks will work great for salmon and bonito.

Short Point to the north of Merimbula is fishing ok for luderick, drummer and the odd bream – cabbage used with berley works well. Fresh peeled prawns on a lightly weighted outfit should see a bream or two.

Anglers fishing outside are getting quality snapper on the inshore reefs. Numbers are not huge, but a lot of fish are averaging 2kg – good table sized fish and great fun on the right tackle. Long Reef

and Horseshoe are choice.

Lennards Island is also worth a look. There’s been a few kingfish around too, not big fish, but that will change this month. Trolling deep divers and live bait are the best to tempt them.

Out wider, there’s been sporadic catches of albacore and smaller yellowfin tuna. Like usual, everything depends on water temperature, current and bait activity. The water further north of us is 19°C – when that gets wide of Merimbula, the tuna action will heat up.

Troll from the 70 fathom line to the second drop and fish a spread of bibbed and skirted lures.

Hot Spot

Lake Purrumbete CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

Known for its trophy trout and Chinook salmon, Lake Purrumbete has stood the test of time.

It’s Victoria’s premier big trout fishery, along with its neighbour Bullen Merri. Fish up to 15lb are a real possibility and 10lb plus fish are caught more regularly than not. If it’s a trophy you’re after, then Purrumbete is the place to be.

PRIME TIME The best time to fish Lake Purrumbete is during the colder months, when the water temperatures cool down and the fish become active, feeding on bait balls and smelting around the margins of the lake.

THE GEAR A 2-4kg graphite spin rod with 2000 or 2500 sized reel is best suited when casting and trolling for trout. Spool the reel up with 6lb braid and fluorocarbon leader, anywhere from 6-12lb. This is also a must.

There are some seriously big fish in this lake, and the first hit from an angry trout can pop leaders like cotton.

BAIT AND LURES Hardbodied lures such as Lucky Craft Flash Minnows and Double Clutches work well, if you want to cast the lake. Tassie Devils are always a popular choice for anglers who like to troll.

BEST METHOD Flat lining Tassie Devils on first and last light is a popular method around the lake’s margins. As the day goes on, the use of down riggers is essential to get your lures down deep, sometimes as deep as 80-90ft.

Baitfishing with

pilchard strips and whitebait is another popular method and well proven over the years.

MOTHER NATURE The lake can rough up with bad winds and become quite choppy. Small to medium boats need to be careful, because it’s easy to get caught out on the other side of the lake, when it gets nasty.

HOT TIP Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes and rug up. In the middle of winter, the lake is so cold, especially on first and last light.

HOT SPOT Location:

Lake Purrumbete

Prime time:

Colder months

Gear:

2-4kg graphite spin rod 2000-2500 reel 6lb braid 6-12lb leader

Lures:

Lucky Craft Flash Minnows Double Clutches Tassie Devils

Bait:

Method:

Pilchard strips Whitebait Trolling

It’s taken Mick, from Ray Long’s Fishing World in Geelong, 25 years to catch a trophy trout over 10lb. He caught these two in one morning, both over the magical 10lb mark caught flatlining Tassie Devils. The best one was 5.47kg and the smaller was 4.6kg.

OCTOBER 2016

45

Flathead on the move BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

The estuaries are heating up nicely and starting to produce some very good fish. In the upper reaches of the Bermagui River, fantastic dusky flathead are being taken on lures.

Some of these fish have been in excess of 70cm, providing good sport.

Look for them over the flats at high tide, where they warm themselves in the sun’s heat. Up on these flats, schools of luderick will graze over the ribbon weed. Mixed in with them are bream, whiting and mullet. All can be taken on nippers or worms. At night, the bridge will produce all those species and more, as they feed on what’s washed down with the current.

Prawners should also start to look on the dark of this month, out at Wallaga, Cuttaggee and Barragoot lakes. These systems were open to the ocean at the right time and allowed stock to enter the system, so both should prawn well. Out at Wallaga Lake, things are

heating up at the fringes, especially around the western edges or around the creek entrance. These are producing well for flatties, as they feast on prawn – match the hatch.

Out at sea from around 30m in water depth and right out to the Continental Shelf, tiger flathead are moving along the coast, as they do around this time of the season. They’re relatively easy to target and the best way is drifting. Sounders are important when fishing this way, as they allow you to find the edge of the reefs or muddy bottoms, where the tigers lurk. GPS is also valuable here as it allows you to track your drift, so you can concentrate your efforts on more productive areas.

Keep in mind, these fish have fins. If you’ve been catching a lot of fish in a particular area and return to find little activity, it’s more than likely these schooling fish have eaten the area out and moved on. It will pay for you to move around in this case to find them. In some cases it may be several kilometres.

Other benefits of drift fishing out from Bermagui

are the amount of scattered reefs ranging just off the main headland south for many miles. If you crack a good southern drift, it’ll be possible to cover many of these areas in one continual long drift, saving you moving a lot. Flathead are going to be in between these reefs. You’ll know when you find harder structure by the assortment of reef fish including coral cod, snapper, hard pulling morwong and many other odd balls thrown in.

October generally heralds the start of the game fish season, with school run tuna, sharks and the remote possibility of an early marlin.

Albacore will be on the short list for sure, while striped tuna and yellowfin will also be encountered. Trolling is best at this time of year, as you can cover more ground.

A variety of small skirts and diving lures will account for most strikes, but I always like to have a large pusher out the back, for a marlin or larger tuna.

Where there’s tuna, there’s likely makos. If you’ve caught plenty of tuna, use the frames of strippies for bait and berley and

These anglers caught a flathead on a lure and a luderick on a nipper in the shallows of the estuaries. start your trail where you encountered the tuna. It may take a while or not happen at all, but when it does it will be spectacular.

The FSCBSA is hosting its 18th annual bass comp, at Brogo Dam on the first weekend of December, and you’re invited! This fun-filled

family event is designed to raise funds for the ongoing stocking program, to keep this dam the fantastic fishing impoundment it’s become.

Little Robbie Caves had a great time chasing blackfish with his uncle Andy. Photo: Bermagui Bait & Tackle

The kids are on holidays having fun.

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Melbourne Marine Centre expands their range Melbourne Marine Centre has expanded their range of available products to suit your boating and fishing needs.

A new shop layout has allowed a higher level of stock and greater range of boating accessories, chandlery and electronics, combined with the addition of fishing tackle, rods and reels, lures and bait all now available in-store.

With their in-house boat show event on 21-23 October, they will have an extensive product range for all customers to peruse through to fine tune their boats and fishing gear in time for the boating season.

Andrew Stephen from Melbourne Marine Centre is excited about the new layout.

“We like to be able to offer our customers the right advise and products to suit their needs, not just for boating accessories, electronics and chandlery but also for fishing gear,” Andrew says. “We have an expert team with great knowledge across all fields.”

“The range of product we are now carrying

complements our boat brands in Northbank, Stacer and Bayliner, and suits the local recreational anglers.

We are looking forward to the season this year, and especially our in-house boat show event.”

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49

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50

OCTOBER 2016

The answers to Find the ZMan Logo for August were: 8, 12, 14, 23, 26, 28, 30, 35, 38, 40, 43, 74, 78, 82, 88. – VTFM The Find the ZMan logo prize winners for August were: R Crossman of Cunningham Downs, Z Stevens of Alfredton, V Illman of Mt Gambier , G Bonner of Coragulac, S Davies of Craigieburn, J Wild of St Arnaud, G Ball of Clifton Springs, R Sanders of Lang Lang, F Healey of Traralgon, D Hynes of Highton, A Foster of Drouin, P Finn of Numurkah, S Coronado of Mt Waverley, R Moore of Greenvale, P Musgrove of Casterton, D Collins of Mildura, B & M Morrien of Langwarrin, I Lovel of Bealiba, F Weber of Corack East, H Kirk of Hadspen, J Darch of Altona, R Bragg of Birchip, P Cornish of Paynesville, P Harwood of Wonthaggi, T Darker of Daylesford, C Byrne of Wangaratta, E Hopkinson of Drouin, J Bell of Allansford, N Sanders of Irymple, K Bradley of Sale, J Collier of Smythes Creek, S Andrighetto of Inverloch, B Gillies of Spring Gully, H Siesmaa of Ferntree Gully, R Newton of Wangaratta, A Bird of Grovedale, M Shaw of Ringwood, W Henley of Park Orchards, B Bell of Wodonga, B Gordon of Traralgon.

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SUZUKIMARINE.COM.AU OCTOBER 2016

51

Animal rights versus fishing ‘rites’

SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

It seems that the greyhound ban in NSW has emboldened animal rights activists to call for a ban on fishing in a much louder voice.

In the past, this wouldn’t make the news, but the RSPCA have updated their policy on fishing and are now opposed to ‘bluewater’ angling for species such as tuna and marlin as well as the use of live bait. They have certainly come down on the side of fish feeling pain, quoting their policy on angling.

“RSPCA Australia considers that the available scientific evidence demonstrates that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering. Anglers should therefore treat fish humanely and avoid practices that have the potential to cause pain, injury or suffering during capture, handling, killing or release” (RSPCA, 2016).

The ‘fish feel pain’ argument isn’t going away anytime soon. There is a dedicated website on the topic (http://fishpain.com) with what I feel is a fair bit of cherry picked information. I also noted that the Wikipedia page on fish pain comes down heavily on the side that fish feel pain.

While I think it’s putting a target on your head to discuss these issues, there has been quite a bit of work done on the topic. In reviewing what is a mountain of literature I have tried to move past the moral arguments on either side and get my head around what is a complex topic. One of the problems that I have discovered in this field is that like social science, political biases can influence the interpretation of the research.

That happens on both sides of the debate.

A 2012 paper addressed this issue in some detail. This paper is quite complex, but an article in Science Daily in 2013 did a pretty good job of explaining it in simpler terms.

HOW HUMANS FEEL PAIN “To be able to understand the researchers’ criticism you first have to comprehend how pain perception works for humans. Injuries stimulate what is known as nociceptors.

These receptors send electrical signals through nerve-lines and the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex (neocortex).

With full awareness, this is where they are processed into a sensation of pain” (Science Daily, 2013).

The activation of nociceptors does not necessarily mean conscious 52

OCTOBER 2016

pain. If that weren’t the case doctors would have a much harder job. If you have ever had a tooth removed or a mole cut out or worse, you are probably grateful for that fact you can switch off the conscious awareness of pain.

HOW DO FISH COMPARE TO HUMANS? Many of the more extreme animal rights groups like to make posters of children or animals with fish hooks in their mouth. Ignoring the fact there are some people that like that sort of thing, it is important to have some level of understanding of how fish differ from humans. Again, here is a good summary from the science daily article.

“Unlike humans fish do not possess a neocortex, which is the first indicator of doubt regarding the pain awareness of fish. Furthermore, certain nerve fibers in mammals (known as c-nociceptors) have been shown to be involved in the sensation of intense experiences of pain.

All primitive cartilaginous fish subject to the study, such as sharks and rays, show a complete lack of these fibres and all bony fish – which includes all common types of fish such as carp and trout – very rarely have them. In this respect, the physiological prerequisites for a conscious experience of pain are hardly developed in fish.

However, bony fish certainly possess simple nociceptors and they do of course show reactions to injuries and other interventions. But it is not known whether this is perceived as pain” (Science Daily, 2013).

FISH AND PAIN The Wikipedia entry cites the work of Professor Gary Varner, an American Philosopher who focuses on Bioethics. In a table that summarizes his views he builds on the presence of the basic pain equipment to behavior that demonstrates a pain response. He asserts that ‘Analgesics affect responses’ and ‘Response to damaging stimuli similar to humans.’

The 2012 paper contradicts both of these assertions. In the case of Analgesics, the article notes that Morphine, which is effective in humans proved either ineffective or only effective in doses that would prove fatal to small mammals.

On the subject of behavior, again there was a repudiation of the methods used.

The current overviewstudy raises the complaint that a great majority of all published studies evaluate a fish’s reaction to a seemingly painful impulse – such as rubbing the injured body part against an object or the discontinuation of the feed intake – as an indication of pain. However, this methodology does not prove verifiably whether

The RSPCA is now opposed to ‘bluewater’ fishing for species such as tuna and marlin, where the fight time is prolonged. the reaction was due to a conscious sensation of pain or an unconscious impulse perception by means of nociception, or a combination of the two. Basically, it is very difficult to deduct underlying emotional states based on behavioral responses.

Moreover, fish often show only minor or no reactions at all to interventions, which would be extremely painful to us and to other mammals.

The conscious recognition of pain is where most of the contention exists. Those concerned with animal rights take one interpretation of behavior; other scientists take a different view. Brian Key from the University of Queensland in his 2016 article “Why fish do not feel pain” (http:// animalstudiesrepository.org/ animsent/vol1/iss3/1/) cites a series of evidence that fish do not feel pain and asserts the burden is on those that believe otherwise to prove that they do. In response, others such as Jonathan Balcombe, the Director for Animal Sentience at the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy in Washington DC, argue that a precautionary principle should apply. In his view, fish should be treated as sentient and able to feel pain, fishing practices should be changed to reflect that and as such it’s up to those that believe otherwise to prove their case in order to keep the status quo.

Which all just means there is a lot more back and forth to come.

SHOULD WE JUST IGNORE THIS DEBATE? I don’t think ignoring this debate is a good idea, but reacting to it isn’t much help either. The fact that the Wikipedia entry is mostly pro the fish feeling pain side is

a case in point of how the general public, who may have no experience of fish, can be influenced. As Greyhounds NSW have discovered, we may be only an outrage away from potential consequences.

Personally, I can’t say that I am convinced one way or the other. There is substantial evidence that fish don’t experience pain in the way we do. That doesn’t mean fish aren’t affected. All my life, experience in fish handling says that fish do suffer stress and can be injured. Reducing fish mortality from poor handling was the focus of the Released Fish Survival project some years back.

The Australian Museum takes the following position, and I agree with it.

“In short, if you need to touch a fish, you should remember that the fish may (or may not) experience pain the way you do, but it undoubtedly does suffer from stress. Professional ichthyologists follow stringent guidelines to reduce stress when handling fishes.”

I will make a side note that I believe that banning fish photos, for example, to get fish back in the water faster is not helpful. On the other hand, further discussion on the best methodology of taking fish photos should not be off the table. We should all be willing to look at new and better methods.

CATCH AND RELEASE AND TOURNAMENTS Catch and release fishers take note. You are going to be among the first targets in this debate, as are tournaments.

Both groups need to consider ways to ensure fish are well treated. Both would do well to look for how community value adds to their activity

by assisting with habitat rehabilitation or collecting data to support efforts aimed at the improvement of the fishery.

Fortunately, fishing is highly regarded by the community, and there is no serious mood for change. Just remember, though, Germany has banned catch and release, and other nations are watching.

WHERE TO FROM HERE? I share the objectives of animal rights activists who wish to see fish treated with care and with as little stress as possible, but I don’t think that turning fishers into the enemy helps. Then again, there will always be those that see humans as evil killing machines no matter what I say.

I plan to explore this topic more directly with the researchers involved but more likely, in an online video forum where fishers can get the evidence from the horse’s mouth. There are scientists on both sides of the fence here and overseas; it will be fascinating to hear what they have to say.

In the meantime, thank god there is fishing to chill out.

GROWTH IN PUBLIC INTEREST IN MARINE CITIZEN SCIENCE Changing gears a little, researcher papers don’t get a lot of coverage in the media in general, so I thought it would be a good chance to give exposure to a recent report along with some ‘gentle’ rebuttal.

An article by V. Martin, L. Christidis and G. Pecl reports the following findings: “Potential volunteers are passionate about the marine environment.

Volunteers are generous with their time for projects they support.

Divers stood out as the most enthusiastic group to contribute.

Volunteers are likely to be educated, particularly in science.

In general people are more interested in data collection and sharing results than ‘getting involved in the science’.

Fishers are more interested in having a say on the direction of science where as divers are more interested in analyzing the results.”

Scientists have been wrestling with the whole ‘citizen science’ scene for a while, and I think that astronomers, in particular, have their mix about right. The space sector engages more often with the community and business in a much broader array of models. Marine science in my experience prefers more control over the process.

Before I dive into that topic though here is the summary of the article in the author’s own words.

“Social studies in citizen science typically focus on existing project participants.

We present results from an

online survey of 1,145 marine users to identify broader public interest in marine citizen science. Although we found considerable community interest, the most enthusiastic tended to have a higher education in science, were under 45 years old, primarily enjoyed SCUBA diving, and had contributed to scientific research in the past. The type of research organization involved in a project played a role in people’s willingness to share information. The discourse of public participation in scientific research encourages public involvement in all aspects of the scientific process; however, we found that the respondents were primarily interested in datacollection opportunities.

Feedback and past experiences in research were important considerations for gaining and retaining the volunteers. Our results indicate considerable potential for growth in volunteer recruitment, which can contribute constructively to scientific and public knowledge of the marine environment” (V. Martin, L. Christidis and G. Pecl, 2016).

ELECTION PRINCIPLE My primary issue with this paper are the kinds of problems presented by all polls. What someone says in a survey is a reflection of what they feel at the time, there is nothing on the line. As every politician will tell you, an election is the only poll that matters because there is a real choice to make.

It may be true that educated divers are more likely to be involved in citizen science. I suspect though that there are more fishers than divers. I also suspect there are only certain projects that would be suitable for divers.

Would they be interested in a project on Australian bass in impoundments? This for me is the weakness of the paper. It doesn’t sufficiently link the projects available with the interest. Nor does it sufficiently tease out what turns interest into action.

BEING ONE DIMENSIONAL The Marine Citizen Science community is so one dimensional. There is one option on offer: a researcher, most likely government funded, running a project using volunteer labor. Volunteers generally will have shared values with the researcher, some skill and a desire to know more on the subject.

My issue is that is where the story ends. You get one flavor – vanilla.

Here are two different models that don’t just offer an alternative they change the game. To be clear, I am not advocating throwing out the standard model, but I do think that spicing it up and including more public facing project

models would improve Marine Science overall.

CROWDFUNDING The future of science funding will be a mix of government funded, private funded and public funded projects.

The latter category is the most interesting to me as publicly funded projects are usually ‘crowdfunded’, that is the researcher has to put up a project on the internet and the project is funded entirely from donations.

It’s a slightly different form of citizen science where the citizen sponsors science they want to see done. Depending on the project there are usually rewards and project updates.

I have sponsored more than one project, and there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction that comes with seeing them succeed and knowing you played a part.

Crowdfunding as a model is more likely to produce projects that serve the public rather than science.

The Seabin Project (http:// www.seabinproject.com/) is a good example. The Seabin project was started by a couple of Australian Surfers to help keep marinas and closed waters clean. It raised over 250k US via Indegogo (https:// www.indiegogo.com/projects/ cleaning-the-oceans-onemarina-at-a-time#/). While is more an engineering project

The advantage of crowdsourcing is numbers. More data, more participants.

The disadvantage is in quality. There is usually a higher level of error due to less control over the process or skills of the person providing data. than a ‘science’ project but it does fall under the category of marine science. It’s a project that benefits the community including the fishing community. If a pair of surfers could make it happen, then our highly skilled and brilliant scientists can do even better.

The challenge is to solve the odd problem that affects ordinary people on things that matter to them. Science overall would benefit from the greater public support.

The good news is some newer marine science projects seeking to crowdfund. It will be interesting to see how this area progresses.

CROWDSOURCING In the standard citizen science model, you have a known group of volunteers with a known method.

Crowdsourcing, on the other hand, is a way of allowing anyone to contribute to a project. The advantage of crowdsourcing is numbers, more data, more participants.

The disadvantage is in quality.

There is usually a higher level of error due to less control over the process or skills of the person providing data.

Crowdsourcing is an area where industry has stepped up.

Insight Genesis, for example, is one of the world’s best

crowdsourcing platforms of any type. It’s simple enough in practice, fishers record their scan logs and upload them to a central server. These get combined, and the resulting community maps are made available to everyone.

Why does Insight Genesis work? There are two keys; it delivers a benefit to its end users, and they reward their best mappers.

The Australian crowdsourcing service Redmap was very well funded in comparison to most ‘crowdsourcing’ startups yet when compared to commercial projects it’s been a financial

failure. It just hasn’t delivered the volumes of data that commercial services do. The main reason I would suggest comes down to benefit.

There has been a low level of reward for participants or the community in terms of output.

While we all have a level of altruism if any service wants a slice of our time, we need something to it. That is just modern reality. That is not to say it serves no purpose or is not useful.

Crowdsourcing can be very beneficial to science, but I would suggest that finding ways to partner with businesses that crowdsource data would be a much better model than science going it alone.

Businesses are always looking for new ways to engage their clients. Clients are looking for new benefits.

Scientists need data or eyeballs on the water. Bring it all together and everyone wins!

Public Interest in Marine Citizen Science: Is there potential for Growth? – A good start.

Marine citizen science will evolve with the inclusion of a more diverse set of voices and skill sets in their operation.

It’s too much to expect that change will come from within.

I think marine citizen science would benefit from involving more technology, business and social media skills in their teams for example.

I also think marine citizen science would benefit a lot from broadening the definition of how to work with the public.

This paper is a step in the right direction in that it highlights that there are people willing to get involved.

I can only hope this is the beginning of a conversation that expands the ways fishers can be involved, not another paper that will be forgotten in a year’s time.

LIST OF REFERENCES “J D Rose, R Arlinghaus, S J Cooke, B K Diggles, W Sawynok, E D Stevens, C D L Wynne. Can fish really feel pain?Fish and Fisheries, 2012; DOI:10.1111/ faf.12010”.

Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB). “Do fish feel pain? Not as humans do, study suggests.” ScienceDaily.

ScienceDaily, 8 August 2013.

“VICTORIA Y. MARTIN, LESLIE CHRISTIDIS, AND GRETTA T. PECL Public Interest in Marine Citizen Science: Is there potential for Growth? BioScience August 2016/Vol. 66 No. 8” explores attitudes to Citizen Science and the scope to recruit additional volunteers.

“VICTORIA Y. MARTIN, LESLIE CHRISTIDIS, AND GRETTA T. PECL Public Interest in Marine Citizen Science: Is there potential for Growth? BioScience August 2016 / Vol. 66 No. 8”

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53

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

On the chew in October TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

Sunday 2 October is a date anglers must mark and celebrate with gusto.

Why? Because daylight savings starts! It’s go time and time to fire up. I know that spring was last month, but as always Tassie is a little behind. October is the month where we can all get a little Egyptian and worship the great Ra, God of the sun.

There is more of it, it is around longer and it brings the fishing on. To be fair, the fishing has been quite solid through winter and early spring, but not everyone wants to dress up looking

like Douglas Mawson about to attack the South Pole.

The weather has been getting better throughout September, but the water temperatures are slower to react. October will see the water temperatures start to shift upwards and signal to all species to move and get active. This should also be the case with the anglers out there. The sun brings with it some enthusiasm and warmth that is infectious so get the gear sorted. So stock up on stuff you have run out of or lost, get outside and wet a line!

The striped trumpeter season is still closed, so we won’t be talking about them, but Tasmania’s other favoured fish for eating will be active and hungry.

The humble flathead is the target for thousands of Tasmanian anglers each year and October has them come on strong around the state.

Calamari have hated the outflow of freshwater and stirred up coastal conditions in previous months. In October though, look for them to come on around the state like mad.

If a day out on the boat with mates results in some flathead and some squid, those hungry mouths at home will be suitably impressed.

I still hear of people that would not eat squid?

I’m not sure if this is because they look like large marine spiders, or that they do not know how

Two common mistakes with plastic fishing is not concentrating when putting the plastic on the jighead, and not allowing the plastic to sink if you’re fishing deep water. While not rocket science, getting a plastic on a jig properly is well worth the effort.

Using these techniques should have you finding some nice very nice flathead and silver trevally in the inlet.

The same can be said for the Duck River further along the road to Smithton. The added bonus of the Duck River in October is the advent of the searun trout. The searunners start to really thicken up as the whitebait come on strong throughout the month. Look for the trout along the edges, driving bait as they go. The reduced water on a low tide will be your friend. Look for pockets of water or little kick backs in the river bank where the bait is sitting, waiting for the tide to carry them upstream to spawn.

When that tide starts to

come in, you can throw a few casts out across the top and pick your return speed up a bit. This may have you finding some cracker Australian salmon coming in with the tide.

River systems and estuaries come in all shapes and sizes. You just can’t say definitively what tide will be best for what species in what river. The systems in and around the Smithton and Stanley areas are very susceptible to tide, so get up there and learn what works for you and take note of all the little things. Weather, wind and tide can all be noted, as well as what you caught and how you caught it. That way, the next time you go up you can look at your notes and not have 20 casts trying to remember what worked previously.

Stanley is a wonderful place to go fishing around in a boat. Make sure if you are heading there for the first time that you take it easy and go slowly. No one wants to be ‘that angler’ that put their flash new boat up on

NORTH WEST SMITHTON AND STANLEY The Smithton area is on the North West tip of Tasmania is often overlooked by Tasmanians as a fishing destination. This really pleases the locals, as the fishing is very good.

The slow rise in water temperatures will start to have places like the west inlet near Stanley really come alive. The fishing in here can have something for the baitfishers as well as the lure and soft plastic tragics.

Slow hopping a plastic with a long pause can produce some interesting results. If you don’t have any success, make your hops smaller and more erratic and your pauses longer. This works very well with plastics that are grub-like or made to imitate a worm.

If your plastic has a big paddle-tail or t-tail, keep that moving and vary your slow roll with a few rod tip rips.

Mark Danziger took the boys out chasing blue eye and found this alfonsino.

54

OCTOBER 2016

Jonah Yick found some solid school bluefin in September and will continue the search for a jumbo in October. to clean them, but if this is you, you are missing out. Squid and flathead introduced to egg and bread Shag Rock.

I have a little tip for you.

When going to a new area and you are unsure of the hazards or depths of the area, look on Google Earth and set it to satellite view. You will see what the ground is like in and around the boat ramp and any dangers that are on the route you wish to take.

It’s not the be all and end all of marine safety practice, so please use your eyes and chart plotter as well. What it can do is give you a good little heads up for the area you are looking to fish and can quite often, show a few places worth a try.

What you might find on Google Earth or your electronic charts around Stanley are some features that are worth a look for snapper.

These fish have been caught for years in the area and the locals have it sussed. If you find a likely spot and can hold anchor on the right tide, there is much success to be had. Running sinker strayline rigs over the back corner with whole pilchards or whiting as bait is a great way to catch them. In the side rod holders, I would run a snapper flasher rig with some strips of squid or tentacle to cover the bases.

Berley cubes are worth a go, with a little often the right measure for some interest.

Combine these with a small weighted berley pot on a rope on the seafloor at the stern of the boat and it should only be a matter of time before those rods buckle over!

SISTERS BEACH This area is a favourite of mine and it has an interesting boat ramp. It’s tricky to launch at low tide for bigger boats, but no problems after two hours of incoming. It’s actually an area that is good to have a look at on Google Earth before attempting to launch at.

Once you have the ramp and surrounding areas mastered, you can move on

crumbs is sensational when deep fried, shallow fried, or even barbecued. Throw a simple salad together and

you’re good to go!

Let’s have a quick look at what’s unfolding this month.

Jumbo tuna are around in September and not looking to slow for those willing to get out and try. and enjoy the fishing wealth.

Riches are in every direction and with a little time up your sleeve, you can find flathead, squid, couta and solid Australian salmon.

On a still day in some of the little rocky bays towards Boat Harbour, you can also target some nice sized garfish.

October is about flathead and squid, so let’s concentrate on those for this month at Sisters Beach. Right in front of you to the port side will be a point, its called Wet Cave Point. It should be called ‘loaded with squid point’, as it so often is. To the seaward side right back into the shallows is a fantastic spot to load up on squid. Take some to eat and bank some flesh early in the trip. Squid hoods are always nice to have fresh, but looked after well they can be frozen and are good to eat whenever you so desire. You

will also have some great fresh bait for the rest of the day’s flathead fishing.

When squidding in this area around the point, you can work both sides of a drifting boat. The landside is shallower, so use the cheaper lighter jigs and really work the bottom over. The squid will be in the ledgey and broken ground waiting to pounce. On the other side of the boat, away from land, it drops away into deeper water and a sandy edge.

The water quality is often sensational down in this part of the world, and you can see the transition from reef to sand with your own eyes. This side of the boat is for your more expensive jigs that you do not want to lose. They should be a bit heavier, as they will need to get down to the bottom and To page 55

Go Behind the Scenery From page 54

you can work them as you drift along.

There are some other sensational areas of squid ground around the small island off the other end of the beach. Look for it on Google Maps and get a feel for where it is. Fish the east side of the island first, as this is more often than not the more sheltered side of the rocky outcrop.

WYNYARD This little seaside town often flies under the radar, and the locals will be all too happy if it continues to do so. The dual ramp in the river is a good amenity that you can share with the yacht club activities on a weekend. It is also a ramp and river that demands some attention at low tide. Vessels under 5m will have no issue at any tide, but any bigger than that and you may want to wait for some water to fill the river from a dead low tide.

Once out of the Inglis

River and clear of the rocky outcrops as you leave the mouth, the sea opens right up to some great fishing.

The Australian salmon are prolific around the mouth and can be caught trolling just about anything. Slicers and diving lures are popular.

The area from Fossil Bluff towards Table Cape is the type of bottom that will hold plenty of squid, pike and if you want to keep the kids amused, parrotfish and blue head. You will also find some very nice leatherjacket as well.

The type of ground I have just mentioned should also be of interest to the budding snapper fishers out there. If you have a good sounder and can find the edge where the reefy rocky sections finish and the sand starts, you are on the money for a snapper session. Once again, set yourself up to anchor and establish a berley trail. Big well-presented baits and a couple of snapper flashers

should do the job.

For the snapper, explore the area with different depths and tides, and if you’re willing to put the time in you will crack them. It is a battle of wills between you and the draughtboard sharks, but if you start to catch a few, don’t worry, it’s actually a good sign. Just head a little further off the reef edge and further onto the sand. You have to sift through a little bit of by-catch when snapper fishing, because the berley will be interesting to all. It can be this activity in and around your baits and boat that can have the snapper come over and have a look.

Further out across the sea floor there are some good patches of sand to be explored off Wynyard. If you are new to the area you will have to work and find a patch.

There are two ways you can start. Either head out to 40m and start your drift, or start off in close and hope you drift across them early. This is only

really a weather consideration if you have not struck them anywhere recently. The winds that get up in the afternoon are more often than not north or northwesterly, so starting wide and working your way back in 5m of depth at Leven and a time is my preferred method.

If I am on a search mission for flathead, I like to fish two bait rods with different baits on the top and bottom of a paternoster rig, get them down and start a drift. Once they are down and settled on their way, a third rod can be cast with a big paddle-tail soft plastic on a jighead to suit whatever depth I am in. If it has gone 10 minutes without so much as a bite, I’m usually not happy with the spot. If there is a nice little drift going and I’m covering a little bit of ground, I will give it 10 minutes more.

If there has been no action or very little after that, the spot is dead to me and I am looking to work my way into

Tasmania

Part of the coastal crew firing up the trout fishing – Bryce Purton with an afte-work Lever River fish. shallower water.

Here is a tip for you that you may not have thought of before. Use waypoints.

They are the features we can put in our sounders to mark spots of interest. Normally, they are the spots we have

caught fish. What is also of interest is spots that you have tried previously and had no luck. Mark the spots you have tried for flathead and done absolutely no good at. Pick an icon that you keep for the To page 56

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

IFS training in electrofishing for carp captures IFS

Tim Farrell

In July, Jonah, Brock, and Chris from our Carp Management Program (CMP) attended a training course in electrofishing. IFS uses electrofishing to catch carp in shallow water and to herd them into gill nets set sticking out from the shore. We also use it for sampling trout, native fish and pest fish.

An impressive 14 people attended the training. They came from a range of departments around the country.

Patrick Cooney, the Director of Electrofishing Science for SmithRoot, ran the training course.

Smith-Root make the electrofishing equipment we use.

The first day of training was in the classroom.

We learnt the science behind electrofishing, safe equipment usage and how to use the equipment as effectively as possible, causing little harm to the fish. The second day was at a small lagoon in Port Stephens. We tried out the techniques we’d learnt in the classroom.

Our staff were already very good at electrofishing. But the training course gave them the chance to learn more. They learned more about; troubleshooting in the field, improved use, the essentials behind electrofishing and accuracy in reporting what they find.

Thanks to Soldiers Point Marine Centre at

Xavier Doherty enjoying opening weekend on Four Springs Lake.

Port Stephens, NSW who organised the training.

IT’S BETTER TO TELL THE TRUTH Lachlan John Newett has been fined $1600 plus ordered to pay court costs of $81.09. On 3 August, he appeared in the St Helens Magistrates court. He pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence and two counts of providing false details.

Mr Newett was fishing without a licence at Brushy Lagoon in September last year. When we questioned him he gave a false name and date of birth. We did some investigation and found out who he was. When we finally caught up with him Mr Newett gave a false name again.

Giving false details is a serious offence and is not

taken lightly by the courts.

This fine shows us that Mr Newett wasted valuable time and resources. If he’d had told the truth, the fine would have been $308 for fishing without a licence.

A FANTASTIC START! What a fantastic start to the 2016-17 trout fishing season! The weather was magnificent. Both Saturday and Sunday were calm and sunny right across Tasmania.

Our Officers were busy on that weekend. We checked 549 licenses across 33 waters.

It was great to see so many anglers trying their luck and enjoying the company of family and friends. Some fantastic catches were taken, making the upcoming season quite exciting for all.

We were pleased to see good compliance with Inland

Fisheries and Marine and Safety Tasmania regulations.

Out of the 549 anglers checked, three were found to be fishing without a licence, one was found using a bottle as a strike indicator, and three people were found not wearing a PFD while motoring on a boat and using a kayak.

For how the waters fished, here’s a bit of a round-thestate wrap up; Tooms Lake The fish at Tooms Lake averaged around 1.3-1.8kg.

The largest was a whopping 3kg brown trout monster!

Most of these fish were caught on lures, with bait and fly also successful. This fishery should be moved to near the top of your ‘must visit’ waters this season.

Wood Lake In the highlands early

mornings were very icy but these conditions soon gave way to beautiful sunny days. Quality brown trout were taken from Woods Lake, averaging 1.3-1.8kg.

Trolling appeared to be the best method.

Penstock Lagoon Fly anglers did extremely well on Penstock Lagoon.

Many anglers caught their bag limit. We noticed that the fish stocked into this water over the last two years are in excellent condition.

The River Derwent The River Derwent also fished extremely well. Many quality fish were weighed in at New Norfolk. The best was a 3kg brown. Again lures were most successful, but bait and fly anglers also did well. It was pleasing to see anglers using the new River Derwent Anglers Access infrastructure. At least one angler was seen at nearly every site.

Hydro lakes Hydro lakes did not receive a lot of attention but when we visited we saw some good fishing. One angler on Cluny Lagoon had 10 brown trout. Another at Lake Repulse had nine.

There were three anglers at Wayatinah Lagoon who caught 10 fish between them, including nine brown trout and an Atlantic salmon.

Mersey River The Mersey River between Kimberley and Latrobe was outstanding.

Many trout were taken by bait and lure fishers. The weight range was 0.5-1.8kg, and it was good to see the recent floods had not affected the quality of the fishing. Please keep in mind

that due to flood damage, some Anglers Access sites are currently closed. Up to date information can be found in our Anglers Access brochure and on the Mersey Anglers Access map of closed areas.

South Riana Dam The new South Riana Dam Anglers Access was officially opened on Saturday morning by Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff. This was met by great excitement from anglers. We met one junior angler that had caught a fantastic 2.5kg brown trout before 10am. There was also a 3kg fish caught later in the day. This water will be well worth visiting this season. Catch rates might not be that high but the size of the fish will be something to behold!

Lake Kara After being stocked with Atlantic salmon last week, Lake Kara was extremely busy. We inspected 47 anglers before 9am! We saw a good many Atlantic salmon caught in this time.

Four Springs Lake As always, Four Springs Lake was very busy on Saturday. Fly anglers out in boats seemed to do the best, although the bait and lure anglers were also successful. Catch rates for the day worked out to be roughly one fish per 2 hours of fishing time across all methods.

The fish were in excellent condition averaging around 1.3kg.

All in all, it was a great opening weekend and we hope you have a successful 2016-17 season!

OCTOBER 2016

55

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 55

purpose and you won’t have to name each waypoint, but put a date in the detail. Over time you will end up with a sounder map that should have some bad waypoints and some good waypoints. Zoom out and the position or cluster of the good and bad waypoints may lead you to working out where to have a go next.

LEVEN AND FORTH Trout season has been an absolute belter. I have seen the interest in trout wain over the last three to four years, but this season it has come back with some vigour. The keenness for those of all ages to get out and rediscover the joy and satisfaction of fooling the wily trout is fantastic to witness.

I have been lucky to see first hand how well the Leven and Forth rivers have been fishing. There is a young crew of anglers on the North West Coast who have been leading the charge. The fishing is competitive in a manner that is fun and sporting. Fish are being fought and proudly photographed, and then released for someone else to enjoy. The pictures have been uploaded to social media as a badge of honour.

The anglers are learning their craft and honing their

skills. Line and its breaking strains are hotly debated.

Leader material and its cotton like thinness is used to get the bite, but when the big one pounces, hearts are in mouths.

Battles are won and lost and the banter is contagious.

Lures and each persons’ favourites are discussed, argued about and then argued some more. Don’t even get me started on soft plastics!

They are many and varied, and they all seem to catch their fair share of fish. Rods are getting lighter and lighter and the rods that are of one-piece construction are finding favour, and long dismissed as being too awkward to travel in the car with, the performance benefits are out weighing the inconvenience.

Rod tubes are being made from PVC tube and I see cars with stretchy rope and pool noodles tied between the handles above car seats.

The rods are poked up in the roof lining ready for action.

Just like a surfer with a board quiver of different size ready for each style of wave, there is a rod for all occasions. Leaders are already tied and lures ready to fly. The local river fisher is an angler of opportunity.

Before and after work, or even on a lunch hour, finding a

backwater is the goal.

There are plenty of trout about at the moment in the Leven and Forth. The recent severe flooding has reshaped and carved new hideyholes for trout to lie in. The amount of logs in the water creating habitat is amazing. I

am convinced that the heavy water flows from the floods have packed the fish stocks of these rivers down toward their openings to the sea.

To that end, it has these two rivers fishing wonderfully for residents and searunners.

Searunners have been in

to any of the seaside towns and stay at a mates or family shack. If you don’t have access, get set up at any of the accommodation set ups scattered across the coastline. They have some of the best views and trouble free access to the water you will find anywhere in Australia. There’s usually great boat ramps with no crowds. What’s not to like? There’s plenty for the family to do if they don’t like to fish all the time.

Flathead will be the main target, as they taste very good and are fairly easy to catch most of the time. October is one of those times. Sand flathead and the bigger tigers out a little deeper should be quite easy to find on the chew.

Paternoster rigs are the go-to style for this type of fishing. Vary your baits and find what they are preferring on the day. It may be salted blue bait from the tackle store freezer, pilchards, or even the defrosted squid

tenticles you froze down from the last batch of calamari you caught. Mix it up and see what they are going at. If one starts to out perform the other, switch over to that.

Calamari go crazy in and around Swansea and all the way down to Schouten Island. There are so many sheltered bays and hidey-holes to pull squid out of, it’s ludicrous. Don’t think you are limited to the shallow water either, make sure you have some heavy squid jigs and get some prospecting done to depths of 30m if you have a boat. Make a couple of passes and have at least three jigs down working the area over. When you get a squid on, you can slowly work the squid up the water column and bring the other jigs up with it.

With some skill, you can work the squid school up to the boat and have multiple squid on at one time.

Make sure you have a net with a long handle for these squid, as they

are normally quite big and may test your leader if you look to tuna pole them in.

The net is also handy to keep them at bay while they ink in the water a few times before you bring them aboard.

BREAM RIVERS The bream rivers of the East Coast become of real interest in October to the anglers who like to target them. The fish can be concentrated up the top ends of the river systems and not spread far and wide like they usually are.

The Swan River fishes well at this time. The deeper pools upstream of the Swan River Road ramp are a lot of fun, but can spoil you to bream fishing. The action can be fish a cast until you get sick of catching them, and when you go to fish other waters around the state, you can become very disappointed.

I’ve found that the trick to fooling these bream is to pause your lure for as long as you can get away with.

Bream have very bony

and hard mouths, so make sure you have your drag set properly. I say this as when you feel a bream have a crack

you should set the hook with the drag sounding a little. I like to stick ‘em and stick ‘em early !

some good-sized school bluefin. The talk has been of more trips out and the tuna story is set to continue throughout October.

There are not a great deal of changes to be made when looking for late season bluefin. The pressure is on the skipper to watch and keep an eagle eye on the sounder and look for

bait and big marks on the screen that could be feeding jumbos. The crew on the deck have to be watching for birds working or any sign of surface disturbance that could be feeding fish. The skirted lures might need to have a little more pink or red in them to mimic the late bait we have in the state, which is predominantly red bait. The divers can be whatever colour you want, as the action of the lures is

really what wakes fish up and draws them over.

Maintaining a vigilant look around the horizon, and if weather permits, occasional turns at standing on the gunnel trying to find some sort of action, is even more important when only a few boats are out. The information of where the fish were caught yesterday is hard to come by when you are the only boat out.

The radio chatter about who

caught what is also a bit slow if only three boats are out on the water. You have to make your own luck and make a plan and stick to it.

Decide if you are going to find bait and work it over until something comes up, or do the charter boat trail to try and find fish. Stick to a plan and execute it!

Unless you see a mad bird feed out wide or from where you came from, stick to your plan.

DEEP DROPPING The more settled weather we have, the more anglers will have a deep drop on their minds, and for two reasons. The first being that when the weather is good and the forecast stays true, it’s a lot of fun. The second is that the deep ooglies taste very good and yield some good flesh returns.

Blue eye is the target species of most deep

EAST COAST INSHORE TARGETS It’s no secret that I love daylight savings, and I look forward to it every year. So too does every seaside town on the East Coast from St Helens to Orford. The towns come alive with that extra bit of sun and shack owners remember they own a shack and this brings more people into the towns. The towns become hustling hives of activity and this ramps up right onto the tourist months of summer. My message here is get to the east coast and enjoy it now before the crazy comes to town.

The fishing is starting to fire in October with the slight rise in water temperatures letting fish know its’ time to spawn and get active. Some of the spawning gets done in late September, and after some piscatorial jiggy jig, the fish get hungry.

Make your way down SOUTH TUNA It is absolutely crazy to say it, but the talk down south is still around tuna.

The season on tuna has just been going on and on. In September, we had some 100kg+ specimens boated by separate boats, proving it was not a fluke. This has had other boats go out from Eaglehawk Neck and boat 56

OCTOBER 2016

Graham Purton with a very nice squid from the Sisters Beach area.

the rivers early, but we have yet to see the strong thick runs of whitebait to come from their seaward homes and course up the rivers to spawn.

Look for this annual run to really come on in October. The strong flows from upstream will abate, and the fishing on low tide can be sensational.

I say low tide beucasue there is the same amount of fish for less water.

In the Forth for example, the areas the searunners get in and around is shallow and they can push the bait around. This can inevitably end up with bait pushed up into a dogleg or head of a creek opening and have multiple trout working them and send them flying.

If you can stalk these fish and put a soft plastic or fly in their path, they are usually hungry and aggressive enough to nail your presentation violently.

The Forth has a man-made weir that has the tidal effect stall at its concrete lip. This leads to some fantastic resident brown trout fishing above it, but on occasion some remarkable searunner fishing just below it.

The Leven River has its searunner action well up the river near the golf course bridge, where it mingles with the residents and turns on

some awesome action.

Don’t think the Leven offers fantastic fishing from just its lower reaches. The Leven goes up through Gunns Plains and the access there is fantastic to go along with the brown trout fishing.

The methods vary with whatever water flow you are trying to fish. Hopping soft plastics down fast flowing shale rapids and in and out of eddies and slower pools the rapids generate is good fun. Be prepared to donate some jigheads to the river bed though. Slow rolling soft plastics works well, but make sure you work at varying depths with your presentation.

It takes a bit of will power to cast and let your jighead hit the bottom, and a few high rod tip hops to wake up whatever is down there.

Bibbed divers come in all shapes and sizes, colours and actions. By all means have your favourites for sure, but when you are looking at bibbed lures, its all about action. I like a floater for trout.

This allows me to use the bib to get down and work the bottom, and then rest it up and work the bottom hard again without snagging. You can work drop offs and tree snags a bit better as well.

The author has been getting his ‘bream’ on lately and really enjoying it – it’s all about the pause…

To page 67

Go Behind the Scenery From page 66

droppers, but by-catch or rays bream, gemfish and pink ling add to the attraction.

The electric reel brigade has grown, as they have become available to do the job for less and less of our hard earned cash. While some may argue it is not fishing, it’s still a whole heap of fun and makes for a great day out on the water.

They allow you to fish deeper and deeper and raise a number of interesting fish.

I like the idea of the electric reels as you can control your catch numbers a lot better than a set long line.

This is the domain of specialist 4-6 hook rigs attached to 80-100lb braid. Big sinkers are sent to the bottom on promising sounder readings from 1-2kw transducers feeding information to big head units. There is a real knack to dropping your baits into something that is 400-600m or more below the surface.

Seeing a biomass of something on the sounder screen is one thing, but organising the deck and having reels drop at the right time of a structured drift takes some practice and solid understanding of what is going on.

As good as braided line is at cutting the water and not being drawn as much by currents, it still does to a degree. When starting out, it is a good idea to drop one first and have it all but hit the bottom until you let the second one go. This will alleviate some tangles that may occur if they both go over together and also have you spread the chance of fluking the target.

It’s normally a fluke when you hit the target.

Using the sounder waypoints here works for you as well. As soon as the first sinker goes over the side, create a waypoint and create another when the second outfit is deployed. This info along with your drift lines

Adrian ‘Mozza’ Morrisby with a couple of very tasty looking flathead. on the screen will allow you to manoeuvre the boat for another drift and have some information to make some deductions around what is going on.

THE DERWENT RIVER The Derwent River will have its fair share of searunner action in October, and with the advent of daylight savings, there will be an army of anglers out after work. The shoreline will be peppered with keen fishers, all trying their luck to catch a big whitebait gorged silver football shaped trout.

This action starts well down the river system and carries right on up past Cadbury Point and on to Bridgewater.

The shallows on the top side of Bridgewater Bridge are favoured grounds, as is the

reedy edges all the way up to New Norfolk.

TROUT I mentioned before what a thrill it is to see the resurgence in trout fishing around the state.

The doom and gloom of the very low water levels has been washed away with the record rain recorded in previous months. Water storages have been filling with a great number of them spilling. The fishing in the lakes has been every bit as good as the river fishing. Great Lake has been performing very well with the fish feeding around the edges of the lake and shallows around the islands.

In mid to late October you can look for early midge fishing in Lake Leake and Four Springs. This can call for early starts, with the best fishing being before the sun gets up.

This is a month that can see the start of some classic dry fly fishing in Tasmania’s wild trout fisheries.

Look for the Esk, the Macquarie and Mersey rivers to lead the way. The better weather and longer daylight hours also lend themself

Tasmania to walking into some of the favoured Western Lakes. Frog feeders and tailing trout are the excitement here. If we get some warm still days, we may be treated to some spinner hatches. Both red and black mayfly spinners can be falling on the Macquarie and the Elizabeth Rivers

by that cancer. The first Australia Gone Fishing Day will coincidently be the one year anniversary of the day friends and family say ‘Matthew went fishing’.

So not only will this be a great day for everyone to get out and enjoy what fishing has to offer, it will

Aaron Bissett with a very solid West Coast wild brown trout.

Matthew Pace was a keen young angler, and is sadly missed by all who knew him.

NATIONAL GONE FISHING DAY Fishing is a big deal in Australia, with over 5 million people involved each year. In Tasmania, fishing is just a big a deal and we have some awesome areas to practice and enjoy our pastime and way of life. We also have some characters and people involved that are well known. One of those keen fishers was the late Matthew Pace, who worked in the industry at Spot On – The Fishing Connection in Hobart. He was a much loved and jovial character sadly taken far too soon

have special relevance for the great many people in the angling fraternity to remember a solid human and take part in an activity he revelled and excelled in.

Fishing for some can be a sport, for others it’s a leisure activity and a way of life. For the most part though, it’s a chance to connect with nature and Tasmania’s unique marine and riverine environments.

So welcome October and its extra daylight, and make sure you do something for National Gone Fishing Day, cast a line for Matthew and have a ball!

HYDROTASMANIAWATERSTORAGEINFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 14th September 2016 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta ...................................3.04 ..................................................................

Arthurs Lake ....................................1.49 ..................................................................

Great Lake .......................................13.77 ................................................................

Trevallyn Pond .................................1.13 ..................................................................

Shannon Lagoon ..............................0.16 ..................................................................

Penstock Lagoon .............................0.09 ..................................................................

Lake Echo ........................................7.31 ..................................................................

Dee Lagoon .....................................0.26 ..................................................................

Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah .............2.40 ..................................................................

Bronte Lagoon .................................1.90 ..................................................................

Pine Tier Lagoon ..............................1.89 ..................................................................

Little Pine Lagoon ............................0.85 ..................................................................

Laughing Jack Lagoon ....................0.14 ..................................................................

Lake St Clair ....................................1.55 ..................................................................

Lake King William ............................0.34 ..................................................................

Lake Liapootah ................................0.49 ..................................................................

Wayatinah Lagoon ...........................0.37 ..................................................................

Lake Catagunya ...............................0.42 ..................................................................

Lake Repulse ...................................0.31 ..................................................................

Cluny Lagoon ...................................0.29 ..................................................................

Meadowbank Lake ..........................0.18 ..................................................................

Lake Pedder ....................................0.43 ..................................................................

Lake Gordon ....................................32.98 ................................................................

Lake Burbury ...................................1.05 ..................................................................

Lake Plimsoll ...................................3.53 ..................................................................

Lake Murchison ...............................11.66 ................................................................

Lake Mackintosh .............................2.49 ..................................................................

Lake Rosebery .................................0.15 ..................................................................

Lake Pieman ....................................2.00 ..................................................................

Lake Mackenzie ...............................2.51 ..................................................................

Lake Rowallan .................................2.22 ..................................................................

Lake Parangana ...............................0.56 ..................................................................

Lake Cethana ...................................3.49 ..................................................................

Lake Barrington ...............................2.36 ..................................................................

Lake Gairdner ..................................6.82 ..................................................................

Lake Paloona ...................................0.28 ..................................................................

Woods Lake .....................................0.14 ..................................................................

Whitespur Pond ...............................7.32 ..................................................................

Lake Newton ...................................4.04 ..................................................................

Lake Margaret .................................0.01 ..................................................................

These levels are provided for an indication of lake level only and can vary from day to day. For more up-to-date lake level information please visit www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Lake+Levels.htm OCTOBER 2016

57

Water is warming – perfect for spearfishing WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

October is always a welcome relief from the cold of winter and crisp September mornings.

The better conditions

of October makes it one of my favourite months for spearing.

Thursday 15 September saw the closure of male southern rock lobster, which means both male and female lobster are now off limits until 15 November. It’s important

to honour this closure, as it’s their peak breeding period, and they should be left to do their thing.

During this time avid spearos can now concentrate on targeting quality table fish and molluscs, such as abalone and scallops.

The ultimate gourmet mixed bag: squid, whiting and flathead.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Co-ownership site to change lifestyle assets investment The launch of a worldfirst website will change the way Australian families purchase and use large-ticket luxury, lifestyle and hobby assets.

Sharebuyit.com.au will enable would-be asset owners to share the cost, and the fun. Boats, jet skis, camper trailers, caravans, high-end road bicycles, and even horse floats are some of the assets that Sharebuyit will connect between co-owners.

Director of Sharebuyit, Ross Quigly said the ability to co-own an asset has never been more appealing. It allows all ages to access an enviable lifestyle without the financial outlay.

“The market already understands the economic, environmental and lifestyle benefits of co-sharing, with Virgin estimating the value of the global share economy to be $355 billion by 2025,” Quigly said.

“Sharebuyit simply takes the co-share opportunity to a new playing field, one where everyone can benefit and in particular, time or budget poor families.

“Young families might love to own a boat or jetski but don’t necessarily have time for year-round usage 58

OCTOBER 2016

or the spare funds to finance a luxury item. Families could co-own a caravan and achieve the open road dream much sooner, with much better return on investment,” he said.

Sharebuyit doesn’t just offer upfront financial savings on the cost of the asset, equipment or item – it provides ongoing cost efficiencies with shared ownership, running and maintenance costs. It has the potential to service a huge market, from travelhappy and solo adventurers, to cost-conscious or selffunded retirees.

“You can post or browse others’ posts to find a like-minded partner to instigate a purchase with.

Then, agree on where and what you are buying, and use Sharebuyit management tools to co-own your new asset.

“Unlike a handshake with a mate or verbal arrangement with a family member, Sharebuyit provides members with secure confidential contact, then an array of tools and handy tips for management.

It’s a ‘win win’ for all parties. Everyone benefits economically, and the portal ensures that

co-owners are accountable, and understand the exact nature and expectations of the arrangement.”

Here are some added benefits of Sharebuyit – Sharebuyit’s legal partners can tailor an agreement specific to your needs, the membership portal offers secure cloud storage of all shared documentation, like ownerships, contract copies, registration, insurance, and log books.

Documents are easily and readily accessible by all parties, at all times.

An interactive bi-annual calendar, inclusive of all school and public holidays, provides members with an easy to access tool for arranging their agreed usage schedule.

The log and service schedule offers members a simple interactive calendar to log service dates and pending payments. The calendar may also be used as an engine log, tailored to other similar requirements.

The website will also offer options for criminal background checks and insurance.

For more information, please visit www. sharebuyit.com.au. ­– Sharebuyit

Brett and a nice southern calamari speared over the shallow weed beds.

This month, we should see the southern calamari and snapper heading inshore.

Currently, squid are pretty thick around Melbourne and the South West. If you’re after a feed of squid, you’re best off heading shallow into the weed/grass beds where they congregate to breed and lay their eggs. It’s important to use berley to attract the calamari in the area, which will also to distract them as the diver gets closer.

Pilchards are great at drawing squid closer to a diver, and when the squid focuses on the berley, they are often

completely oblivious to anything around them, making it easy for a diver to draw closer.

The snapper are certainly a highly prized and sought after target this month and all through the summer, and are usually found near the squid.

Like squid, they respond well to berley and will feed aggressively if there’s a sensible stream of berley on offer. If you can get them keyed in on the berley, they seem to become far less wary of a diver and become easier to spear.

Port Phillip Bay offers

Future columnist Brett Illingworth has been finding plenty of whiting on the sand edges.

divers great opportunities to hunt snapper and the far South West coast is a good option early in the season. Locations such as The Crags and Killarney at Port Fairy and the North Shore at Portland are great snapper haunts.

A few other species on offer at this time of year are sea sweep, bastard trumpeter, King George whiting and silver trevally. You’ll be able to find these species on the inshore reefs that border areas of white water. Again, a bit of berley is the key to distract the fish and allow the diver to mooch in quietly.

Regretfully, this will be my final spearfishing report and I’d like to thank all the people who’ve not only followed the report, but have contacted me both publicly and privately for advice and also to offer their own dive reports and pictures. Thankfully, Brett Illingworth, who spends more time in the water than anyone else I know, and is a diver I greatly respect, has agreed to take on the monthly column and I really look forward to reading his reports. I will still be writing my monthly South West fishing report and popping up from time to time with feature articles. Thank you to everyone for their support over the last three years that I’ve been writing the report, it has been greatly appreciated.

Happy spearing.

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LOGO COMPETITION There are 15

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OCTOBER 2016

59

Big changes at Norval FMG

Nicole Penfold nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

The MV Norval, the only charter boat that specialises in fishing the remote Marion Reef in the Coral Sea, is being revamped! For starters,

dories, or staying on the mothership.

I fished with Norval earlier this year, and I really enjoyed the bottom fishing and pelagic trolling we did on the mothership. However, luring the reefs from a dory was the highlight of my trip.

It’s paradise out there, and the

REEF LURING When you’re chasing the likes of coral trout, it’s all about the pressure points – locations where current pushes against structure, such as a reef edge or bommie.

This is where you’ll find the bait and the predators. The predators like to sit just out

The author with a beautifully-marked trout taken on a trolled Rapala X-Rap. there’s a new skipper, Adam Cheers – a young gun with years of experience fishing the northern reefs.

Whether you want to bottom bash for reefies, troll for dogtooth or do some jigging, Adam will be happy to accommodate you.

Norval owner Ron Murphy is also sourcing a 6m+ tender skippered by a guide. This will give clients the choice between fishing with the guide, doing their own thing in one of the 4.2m

strikes are very different from those you get on bait. The fish absolutely smash the lures, and it’s heart-pounding stuff!

On this trip I shared a dory with Rick from Seaya Boats and Redcliffe Marine. He’s an expert at shallow water luring, and we had an absolute blast.

There isn’t room in this article to cover everything we did, so I’ll focus on what lures we used and how to work them, so you have an idea of what to bring on your Norval adventure.

This really is picturesque country!

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OCTOBER 2016

of the main current, waiting to ambush baitfish that get swept past. You can fish these spots by anchoring just in front of them and feeding out a bait or working a lure towards the reef edge or bommie.

At Marion we found a large pressure point created by a gap in the reef. It allowed the current to pour through, clashing with an upwell rising from the below the reef ledge.

Visually, it was a mishmash of every kind of water imaginable – shallow and deep, green and blue, smooth and rough.

In a location like this, the bottom feeders like holding in back eddies and slow water whirlpools, feeding off what comes through into the backwater, including scraps from feeding pelagics above.

Pelagics can be found pretty much everywhere; wherever there is bait being brought through the upwell, the pelagics will be there. As soon as you see bait on the sounder, you’ll find the predators. At

Top: Fishing from the coral cays is an amazing experience.

Above: A bluefin trevally in shallow water fringing a coral cay. the time the dories didn’t have sounders (the new dories do), so we trolled around to find the fish.

Some of the best lures were micro jigs. We mostly used 30-80g Samakis and Tactical Fishing jigs, but anything that has a nice, slow flutter, and which you can rip hard when you need to, will catch fish in the right spot. We worked them as we drifted along the edge of the pressure point, and the fish went nuts over them. We lost a lot of gear to trout, GTs and sharks, but that’s par for the course in a place like this.

Plastics also caught their share. Two models that worked for us were the ZMan 4” DieZel MinnowZ and 5-7” JerkShadZ. You need to mix up your retrieves to see what works on the day; e.g. try one big lift and slowly lower the rod, or make a number of smaller hops.

Another gun soft lure was the Zerek Fish Trap curl-tail vibe. You need only small lifts of the rod tip to work these lures, creating the vibrations that draw the strikes.

And while we’re on the subject of vibrations, it’s also worth trying metal vibes. Rick used TTs Switchblades, and got fish using both short lifts and big lifts.

When it comes to surface lures, it’s not all about big poppers. Lots of our fish came on stickbaits, such as the Asari GT, Gladiator Searcher, and Rapala Long Cast Shallow.

We trolled them as well as casting and retrieving, and caught a wide range of species.

Last but not least are the diving minnows, such as Barra Classics, Rapala X-Raps and RMG Scorpions. These were

fantastic around the shallows, where we trolled them past tidal pressure points.

We lost count of the species we caught – everything from trout to GTs to jobfish. It wasn’t all about the fishing though; just being in such a pristine location is heavenly.

Marion is stunning, with azure water, vibrant reefs and gorgeous coral cays. It’s also an amazing place to dive and snorkel, with visibility to 30m.

THE MOTHERSHIP Back on the mothership, the focus was on bottom fishing, and we also trolled for pelagics between drops.

There’s a great atmosphere on board, with lots of laughter and good-natured ribbing. It’s hard not to be happy when so many great-eating reefies are hitting the deck, or when big mackerel and tuna are smashing lures.

Between the 12 of us

we caught over 20 species – everything from dogtooth tuna to trout and emperors.

You just never know what you’ll hook next, which is one of the best things about a trip like this.

ABOUT NORVAL Norval operates from Airlie Beach in QLD. This 60ft boat is a long-range specialist, travelling 200nm from land to remote reefs in the Coral Sea including Marion, Diamond Islets, Flinders Reef and Aventong Reef. The boat has spacious, undercover back and side decks, providing miles of fishing room. Clients enjoy home-cooked meals, air-conditioned cabins, hot showers and FREE beer!

For more information and videos, check out www. norvalcharters.com.au. I can confidently say you’ll get an unforgettable experience on this boat!

A green jobfish caught on an Asari stickbait.

This was one of the smaller jobfish – we got some much bigger specimens on this trip.

OPPORTUNITY AWAITS Remote locations

Reef Fishing

Pelagic Paradise a Yellowfin Tun

Giant Trevally

Long Nose Emperor

Dogtooth Tuna

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Coral Trout

Your catch is Filleted, bagged and snap frozen for transport

Spanish Mackerel

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Brilliant Beechworth’s lake fishing options WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Located in the North East Victorian hills at an altitude of 550m above sea level, Beechworth is one of Victoria’s prettiest towns.

It has a lot of history, particularly surrounding the gold rush of the 1850s, and was also the town where Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen Kelly spent time in prison on various charges.

These days, it’s just a beautiful town with a lot of historical buildings nestled in beautiful countryside and

for 1 pound per year by a local farmer. Council reclaimed the land and proposed the construction of a dam wall to hold back water and flood the site.

Now, Lake Sambell is a fantastic tourist attraction right in the heart of Beechworth, offering a variety of activities, including walking tracks, a kids play park, public toilets, a boat ramp, swimming, and best of all… fishing!

Lake Sambell is stocked with a number of fish species and has a self-sustaining population of others.

The self-sustaining fish species are redfin and tench,

November is probably the best month of the year to chase golden perch with October and December being close behind.

After Christmas the golden perch slow down a little bit, however they do continue to fish well all summer until the water cools in around April when they slow down.

Trout cod have been stocked into Lake Sambell since 2008, and last year (2015) they were opened to the public as a recreational sport fish. Lake Sambell and Lake Kerferd just up the road are the only two places in Victoria where it is legal to target trout cod. They are A nice Lake Kerferd golden perch caught on a Super Vibrax bladed spinner. rainbow trout, which are usually around 25-30cm long, are stocked in time for the winter and spring school holidays with 400 trout going in each holidays. The local kids wait with anticipation

a two-minute walk from the main street of Beechworth.

LAKE KERFERD Lake Kerferd is a very old lake, and was built in 1862 when the Beechworth council built a retaining wall to retain

the waters of Hurdle Swamp.

The lake is fed from a tiny stream, which carries a self-sustaining population of very small brown trout and is exceptionally hard to access. The creek flows for

Casting lures for redfin in Fletchers Dam. is a very popular tourist destination.

Beechworth is also a very popular fishing destination, as it has several lakes that are stocked regularly with various fish species, as well as numerous smaller lakes, which have self-sustaining populations of redfin.

LAKE SAMBELL In the township of Beechworth lies the almost 90-year old Lake Sambell.

Lake Sambell was constructed in 1928 on an old gold mining site, which had been leased

which are similar to carp, but much less invasive, and not seen as a potential threat to other species. Speaking of carp, the great news is that there are no carp in Lake Sambell.

Species stocked into Lake Sambell are golden perch, trout cod and rainbow trout.

Golden perch have been stocked in Lake Sambell for many years and have offered fantastic fishing for anglers.

Each year in the spring time, the golden perch fishing heats right up in Lake Sambell.

protected a protected species everywhere else. This is due to the fact that they are stocked into these lakes where they cannot spawn, making them a put and take species.

At the moment, the trout cod in these two lakes are subject to a one fish per person bag limit with a slot size limit of 40-50cm. Everything outside of those sizes is protected and must be released.

Rainbow trout are stocked into Lake Sambell each year under the Family Friendly fishing program. Yearling

The redfin in Fletchers Dam are not large, but they are prolific and provide great fun for anglers, particularly kids.

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Kayaking fishing on Fletchers Dam for redfin is great fun. Kayaking is permitted on Fletchers Dam and Lake Sambell, however it is prohibited on Lake Kerferd. each winter school holidays for these fish to be stocked.

Lake Sambell’s wild redfin population has been around for as long as I can remember, and most likely many years before I was born. The redfin are self-sustaining and readily available. As with many redfin fisheries, small undersize redfin dominate the catch, however there are some larger redfin in the lake. The redfin fishing usually starts to heat up around October, and can vary from season to season.

Little is known about the tench in Lake Sambell. They have been there for as long as I can remember and turn up as a by-catch from time to time, usually to bait anglers. Most people choose to release them, as they are not classed as a noxious species and offer little threat to the fishery.

Lake Sambell is very easy to find. It is well signposted in town and is easily viewable from the Stanley Road. It is

A decent sized redfin from Bates Dam caught on a soft plastic.

a few hundred meters above the lake before disappearing underground in a disused gold mine.

Lake Kerferd has been a great redfin fishery for as long as I can remember. It has never been a great trout fishery, although the odd large brown trout has turned up.

Back in the 1990s, it was stocked with rainbow trout for a while, which provided a lot of fun, but sadly the stockings were discontinued.

Golden perch were stocked for quite a while up until 2008, which provided some fantastic fishing, and

lured a lot of anglers to the lake. Catching good-sized redfin and golden perch in the one session was common as the golden perch were stocked and the redfin numbers dwindled. Eventually, the redfin almost completely disappeared as the golden perch dominated.

In 2008, trout cod were first introduced into Lake Kerferd, and not long after golden perch stocking was discontinued, which was a real shame.

Since 2008, catches of golden perch have become more and more infrequent to

about 500m until Lake Kerferd Road heads off to the left.

Lake Kerferd is about 500m down Lake Kerferd Road.

STANLEY DITCH DAM Stanley Ditch Dam is quite a new waterway. It is a small, manmade and spring fed dam in the heart of the small mining town of Stanley, which is nestled high in the hills behind Beechworth at an altitude of around 700m above sea level.

Will O’Connor with a rainbow trout caught in Stanley Ditch Dam. the point where I only caught one last summer.

Sadly, the trout cod have remained elusive and catches have not been common.

Hopefully, last year’s enormous stocking of 11,000 trout cod will change that.

On a positive note, the demise of the golden perch has seen the redfin numbers bounce back and once again they provide fantastic spring fishing, although most are small. A lot of kids get a real buzz out of catching these small redfin, and so do I! From Beechworth, follow the signs and head towards Stanley. As you drive along the Beechworth-Stanley Road you will see Hurdle Flat Road heading off to the left. Head down Hurdle Flat road for

Bates Dam is a pretty little lake with a picnic table. It is only a stone’s throw from the Beechworth-Myrtleford Road.

A Fletchers Dam redfin the author caught from his kayak.

Stanley Ditch Dam was built to hold water for firefighting purposes, and also serves as one of the most popular little fisheries in North East Victoria.

Each year, Victorian Fisheries stock 700 rainbow trout into the small dam under the Family Friendly fishing program to give kids an

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stocked into the dam, but I am not sure how successful the stocking has been, as I have not heard of any being caught.

The dam was built by being dug out with earth moving equipment, and then lined by clay, which was brought in from elsewhere.

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incentive to get out and go fishing. This incentive works extremely well in this little dam, as kids seem to just fall out of the sky the moment it is stocked each year!

Stockings consist of 350 ready to catch rainbow trout in time for the July school holidays and another 350 in time for the spring school holidays.

As well as trout, 500 golden perch have also been

63

this small dam, which is not much bigger than a large farm dam, and lure fishing is very popular. The dam is 12ft deep in the middle, making it more than suitable for the trout to survive. This waterway gets the Robbie Alexander thumbs up!

From Beechworth, head to Stanley along the Beechworth-Stanley road.

When you arrive at Stanley, stay on that road as it goes around a sharp bend in town and then heads to Myrtleford.

About 200m past the Stanley pub you will see Stanley Ditch Dam on the right-hand side. It is only a small dam, but provides fantastic fishing during the winter and spring school holidays.

FLETCHERS DAM I am not exactly sure of the history of Fletchers Dam, but it is obvious that it is very old.

It appears to have been built by damming up a steep gully and damming a small creek in an area close to the township of Stanley, which was heavily mined in the mid 1800s.

Fletchers Dam is a fantastic redfin fishery, however most of the fish are small. There are a few brown trout in there from time to time, but most are quite small

afternoon are not common like they are in other lakes in the Beechworth area such as Lake Sambell, Lake Kerferd and Fletchers dam.

down that track.

FIND A DAM So there are the main dams in the Beechworth area that offer anglers an

An underwater photo of a small Lake Kerford redfin caught on a Strike Tiger Froglet soft plastic.

An aerial photo of Parkys Dam in the Stanley Pine Plantation shows how well hidden, and how pretty this little lake is. Although the fishing is poor, it is a great family destination. My wife and kids are actually in this photo, playing with our dog. it from my kayak and it is great fun. I caught stacks of redfin, although they were all pretty small.

As with Lake Kerferd, turn left off the BeechworthStanley Road onto Hurdle Flat Road. Just keep following this road straight until you get to Fletchers Dam. There is a dogleg corner where you have to go left and then right

Catches of large fish are also uncommon in Bates dam.

There are a few bigger redfin kicking around, but don’t go there expecting to catch

opportunity to wet a line and catch a fish. Redfin and trout are the predominant species, with golden perch and trout cod also a possibility in Lake

plantation behind Stanley, about 15 minutes from Beechworth. The dam is about the size of a decent sized farm dam and has exceptionally clear water, especially in the summer months.

To the best of my knowledge, the dam has never been stocked. It contains a small natural recruiting population of brown trout

Late afternoon on Lake Kerferd.

Stanley Ditch Dam is a very popular little waterhole, especially during the winter and spring school holidays when it gets stocked with rainbow trout each year. as well and catching them is uncommon.

It is the redfin that is the main angler attraction of Fletchers Dam. Unlike Lake Sambell and Lake Kerferd, kayaking and canoeing are possible. I have fished

straight away, but if you just continue straight, eventually you will find the very pretty Fletchers Dam nestled in a pine plantation.

PARKYS DAM Parkys Dam is a small dam hidden deep in the pine

An average sized Lake Kerferd redfin.

Larger redfin are caught in the lake, but fish of this size are more common.

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and rainbow trout have been caught from time to time, however both species are not regular catches. As a fishery it rates the lowest among the Beechworth lakes. As a pretty place for a family picnic where you can wet a line and pray for a bite, it rates right up near the top.

The easiest way to get to Parkys Dam is to turn left onto the Mt Stanley Road in the middle of Stanley, then about 100m along, turn left onto Lower Nine Mile Road.

Follow 9 mile Road along until you see Chinamans Road going to the right. Turn right into Chinamans Road and follow it until you get to Pastorelli Road. Turn left into Pastorelli Road and about 100m along on the right-hand side you will see an unnamed road heading to the Right, Parkys Dam is just down there about 150m.

BATES DAM To the south of Beechworth in the Stanley State Forest is

Bates Dam. Bates Dam is another smaller dam, just a little bit larger than Parkys Dam. Bates Dam contains quite clear water, particularly in the summer months.

As with the other dams in the area, Bates Dam was built by the construction of a wall damming a small creek in a heavily mined section of the Stanley Forest. There are old bits of steel and other relics still lying around in the area and channels cut into the hills paint a clear picture of a steep mining history.

For anglers, Bates Dam offers a population of small redfin. There are not a lot of redfin in the dam, and catches of 30-40 redfin in an

very many!

The attraction to Bates Dam is that it is a small, pretty little lake, with a few small redfin and is a great place to take the kids for a picnic.

It has a picnic table but no public toilet.

To find this pretty little dam, follow the Buckland Gap Road (Beechworth-Myrtleford Road) from Beechworth towards Myrtleford. Just before the road steeply descends down toward Myrtleford, there is a track to the left called Lady Newton Drive. Turn left and follow Lady Newton Drive for a few hundred meters before turning left again onto Jensens track.

Bates Dam is about 200m

Sambell and Lake Kerferd.

The best time to visit the Beechworth area and fish any of the lakes is mid to late spring before the heat of summer arrives, however even in the heat of summer the Beechworth region is a bit cooler than the lower lying areas in the region due to its altitude.

CAUTION! The Beechworth region is littered with mine shafts.

These mine shafts are particularly dangerous in the forest around Lake Kerferd, but can be found anywhere in the Beechworth area, and some are very deep. Once again, be very careful where you place your feet!

A decent sized redfin caught on a soft plastic in Lake Kerferd. It’s not big enough to have mounted, but it’s big enough to fillet!

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65

Signs good for Toolondo HORSHAM

Chris Spence

Fishing in the region has been very quiet, mainly due to a wetter than average winter. The cold and wet weather has kept anglers inside rather than outside chasing fish.

Still, all the extra rainfall augurs well for a really good spring. There have been good inflows into lakes such as Rocklands Reservoir, Lake Bellfield, and Lake Fyans, and other waters such as Wartook Reservoir and Taylors Lake are full.

With the good flows into Rocklands, and more wet weather forecast for spring, we’re all hoping that levels will reach the trigger point at Rocklands to allow transfer to Toolondo Reservoir. Toolondo is the premier trout lake in Western Victoria, but it has suffered in recent years, which have been some of the driest on record. There is a complex set of rules involved in water transfers, involving different departments including catchment management

authorities and GWM water, the operators of the system.

If the water level trigger point of Rocklands isn’t met, the transfer can only be approved by either the water minister or the premier.

Things are looking positive for Toolondo though; the trigger point is 116 000 megalitres and rising, and weather forecasts indicate this will be reached.

There’s also been good natural flooding of the Wimmera River, which will create a very healthy fishery come late spring and early summer. These are the first natural flows this river has received since the floods in 2011.

FISHING FORECAST As far as the fishing goes, as spring progresses we should see a resurgence in the trout fishery. Lakes such as Toolondo, Fyans, Wartook and Rocklands Reservoir all good options, particularly if you have a regular supply of mudeye.

Fishing them under a bubble float is the best way to go.

Flyfishing also a very good option, given the good inflows and recently

flooded shorelines. Any pattern that resembles a mudeye or a minnow works well at this time of year in these conditions.

Redfin are another key species that anglers are very much looking forward to catching. Rocklands Reservoir, Lake Wartook and Lake Fyans are all prime redfin fisheries.

Fishing livebaits such as gudgeon, minnows and small yabbies amongst the timbered parts of the lake will give you the best chance of catching some redfin. Rocklands in particular is always a serious option come October for these tasty fish.

Traditionally, golden perch start to become active at this time of year.

It’s difficult to predict exactly how the fishing will be though, given the amount of rain we’ve had.

These fish will be enjoying the flows of freshwater, but the problem for anglers will be the dirty water, which makes fishing a bit more difficult. Fishing worms or peeled yabby tail in a calmer part of the river may

The author caught this 2.3kg brown trout at Lake Fyans on a 5cm rainbow trout pattern Rapala. persuade a golden to bite.

Taylors Lake is also very popular golden fishery, and fishing yabby baits around the shorelines

and bases of submerged trees usually results in a nice fish. There’s also the chance of a solid Murray cod.

That’s the wrap-up for this month; I hope you all get a chance to hit the water this month and catch some quality fish.

VR Fish Update

VRFish welcomes increased no netting in Gipps VR FISH

Dallas D’Silva

VRFish, the peak body representing Victoria’s 838,000 recreational fishers, has welcomed the Andrews Government endorsed by Target One Million Coordinator Craig Ingram, regarding commercial net fishing around Gippsland Lakes River mouths.

Rob Loats, VRFish Chairman said, “We are pleased that the Government has delivered on its pre-election

is no doubt that recreational fishing in Victorian bays and inlets is a much higher value use of the resource, when compared to commercial netting.”

The current 400m exclusion zone in the regulations doesn’t offer adequate protection to spawning fish that congregate at times of flood or high flow. Netting practices during and after these high rainfall events have been indiscriminate to say the least, and of big concern to VRFish. In the past, they’ve resulted in a fivefold increase in the tonnage

Million policy to get more people fishing, more often.

It’s a watershed policy for recreational fishing and in the case of Gippsland, it recognises the value of recreational fishing to regional economies.

CROWD FUNDING FOR LAKE TOOLONDO Lake Toolondo, one of our premier stocked trout fisheries, is in desperate need of water. This is unfortunately due to the lack of rain and a long, hot summer. VRFish are leaving no stone unturned in trying to sustain this trophy trout fishery for the future.

Lake Toolondo needs support to get much needed water.

Anglers enjoy the trout fisheries supported by VRFish.

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OCTOBER 2016

commitment.”

Recreational fishing is worth $381 million to the regional economy and VRFish has long opposed commercial net fishing around river mouths. When the fishery in the Lakes is not performing as it should be, it’s clear that the local economy suffers. The impact on businesses like hotels, restaurants, cafes, petrol stations, tackle shops and supermarkets is significant, with the average spend per fishing trip close to $400.

Rob Loats added, “There

of commercial catches from one year to the next, which is far from acceptable.

Bream populations have in the past been subject to heavy, opportunistic commercial netting at river mouths, without the imposition of an effective catch control. The catch has included other species such as Australian Bass, stocked for recreational purposes and paid for by our licence fees.

VRFish commend the Andrews Government for reviewing this important issue in its Target One

Crowd funding is currently underway in efforts to secure additional water for the fishery.

With above average spring rains predicted in the coming months, we want to be ready if more water becomes available. Your support and donations are needed to sustain the great fishing at Toolondo and to ensure it continues to be a trophy trout fishery.

Visit www.gofundme. com/2kqwvuc to donate to help secure Toolondo’s future as a premier trout fishery.

Talk Wild Trout

Come along to our second conference about wild trout in Victoria.

It’s free and a great chance to meet other keen trout anglers.

Hear from experts about results from year two of the three-year study, funded by recreational fishing licence fees.

Conference topics include: • Spawning results from 12 key rivers • Summer trout movement in the Delatite River • Climate change and trout • Angler river restoration program • Instream habitat improvements • Stocking contribution in the Howqua and Goulburn rivers • Size limits for Victorian trout • Keynote speaker, Ms April Vokey from north America.

We’ll also outline how the State Government is investing $46 million into the Target One Million plan to grow participation and get more people fishing, more often.

A panel discussion will end the day with questions from the audience.

When: Saturday 5 November 2016, from 9.30am until 4.30pm.

Where: Mansfield Performing Arts Centre, 15 View Street.

Registration: Visit www.mansfieldmtbuller.com.au/twt to reserve a free seat.

Registering helps us plan seating and catering, which includes lunch and refreshments.

2016

Spring on the warm weather ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the Murray cod season done and dusted in our inland rivers, those intent on catching cod

awesome cod captures over the coming months.

In the Murray and many of the adjoining rivers, high dirty flows will see angling mostly restricted to the use of bait.

I love the high spring flows along the Murray

meals to wash their way.

Sometimes, holding in just a few feet of water, they’re keen to feed. The expectant warm waters usher in the need to breed.

Perch do not fall under the same closed breeding season as Murray cod, as their numbers are deemed self-sustainable with year round fishing pressure.

Even so, if I keep a few fish for the table, they’re smaller. The larger fish are female and full of roe, so

back they go, to get on with the business of propagating a future golden perch run.

The high flows prompt yabbies to scurry free and feed in large numbers. I’m looking forward to this with several new recipes, including a specialty wok-fried chilli yabby tails.

With the warm weather comes the expectant run of redfin in many local lakes, channels and dams. These are great fish to catch – freshly filleted and cooked,

The author with a couple of solid surf-caught salmon.

Spring offers numerous angling opportunities and is a great time of year to wet a line in fresh or salt.

Cod on fly was a real eye opener this season. will need to look to some of the impoundments open to cod angling all season round. Eildon will no doubt attract its share of attention and we’ll be hearing of some

River as they provide ideal conditions to catch large golden perch on bait.

Hidden in the back eddies of rolling water, large perch fan out to hold in slack pockets, and wait for easy

Surface lures provide some memorable fish, like this stonking cod landed on a Wake Snake by the author. it’s hard to beat them in the pan. Redfin respond to numerous baits, but I prefer to use both soft plastics and blades to catch these fish, as they work so well.

Spring is possibly my favourite season for fishing, and while it may spell the close of the Murray cod season, it provides so many options in both fresh and

salt. Trout season opens in many rivers – a great reason to get out the walking boots and enjoy some smaller inland streams.

Along the coastal beaches, the long rods bend to the tune of several different species.

A crossover of fish show amongst the suds. While large schools of salmon have terrorised smaller baitfish along the beach over winter, numbers are still good in spring. Over the next month, giant mulloway will share the shoreline gutters with salmon, as will large gummy sharks and sizable snapper.

Then there are the seven gillers, bronze whalers and elephant fish to consider.

It’s a who’s who of the shoreline break, that’s sure to keep anglers happy for the next few months.

All up, it was a ripper Murray cod season with many milestones achieved.

A 100lb cod on the cast was only topped by a 113cm fish on the fly. Add another dozen over a metre in length, and you might say our cod fishery looks to be in very good nick! With high flows prompting another good breeding season, the future of our fishery is well and truly on the right track.

Local dams still fire MILDURA

Darcy Sherger

Pip Clement with his biggest cod on surface fly measuring in at 95cm.

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OCTOBER 2016

As the Mildura region has recently experienced high rivers and flows, the fishing has been quite difficult for the local Mildura anglers.

Many anglers have relied on dams, billabongs and impoundment fishing for golden perch and redfin around the region to get their fishing fixes throughout this high flow period and the close of cod season. Cod season will open up again on 1 December, with hopefully those three months providing an ideal time for Murray cod to breed as well as allow the river to clear up around Mildura.

The dirty water has definitely kept many boats off the river over the past month, in turn reducing

Murray cod taken as by-catch during the closed season. This will work in our advantage by minimising stresses on Murray cod throughout the closed season and encouraging a better end result from the breeding season.

With these high rivers and dirty water, local anglers have been trying a different style of fishing than the river and resorting to areas such as billabongs, dams and impoundment, chasing redfin on soft plastics. Redfin are a beautiful table fish and are great fun to catch casting small soft plastics on a light spin rod. Soft plastics such as 80mm Squidgy Wrigglers, Strike Tiger 3” Curl Tail Grubs and or even a Squidgy Worm or Critters will do the job in clear water.

Soft plastics will work the best in clear water, but

if it’s stirred up a little bit, small TN50 Jackalls, small blades and or even Small Celta spinners will turn some redfin heads and entice a hit.

Chasing golden perch within impoundments and billabongs has been a success, with small Bassman Carl’s Compact spinerbaits as well as Jackall TN60 and 70s working a treat.

During the cod closed season, if you encounter a Murray cod unexpectedly, it is encouraged to release them without taking them out of the water and minimising harm. The less pressure that is put on the fish during this time of the year, the better our fishery will be for the future. Anglers need to respect the breeding season as much as possible, and try to minimise encounters with them during this threemonth period.

Yella fever is coming, so look out Mulwala YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

A trip to the dentist or a day’s shopping could be more fun than trying to pull a fish from Mulwala this time of year. With cod season closed, it’s illegal to target our iconic Murray cod until December 1. For the native fishos, you’re left with chasing yellas and they don’t tend to fire until mid October.

When they do, look out!

Cricket scores are not uncommon and quality fish measure well into the 50cm bracket.

Traditionally, the top end of lake around the Bundalong area is more productive than the open waters of the lake itself. For anyone who encounters a cod over the next couple of months, release it unharmed as quickly as possible.

Anglers must keep in mind that as of 1 September through to 1 December, targeting Murray cod is not permitted. The Murray River below Yarrawonga, downstream through the Cobram area to the Tocumwal Traffic Bridge, is

totally closed to all forms of fishing for this time.

Looking back, when conditions settled after July floods, the traditional run of big fish on the chew below the weir took off.

Trolling and casting larger hardbodied lures proved most productive. Kev Brooks and Ant Grant were a couple who landed a super cod measuring in excess of the 120cm mark. Cain Peatling was another to have a good run with quality cod, while his brother Brent ‘human banana’ remained fishless.

Above all, one angler stood out for his remarkable return of a mighty meter plus cod – Kyle Dalrymple of Corowa. Kyle landed close to half a dozen ‘meteries’ with his lure of choice, the 120mm Kuttafurra Mud Honey. All up, over 20 cod measuring in excess of the magical meter mark were caught along, with many other 70cm+ quality specimens.

I’ve just spent six weeks fishing everywhere between Copeton Dam and Townsville. It’s not the perfect time to chase barra or bass, but it’s a great trip none the less. If you’re

headed north, half a dozen locations that should not be missed include Copeton, Kinchant, Teemburra, Monduran, Cania and Peter Faust dams. There are plenty of other great locations around QLD, but these six won’t leave you disappointed.

Coming up on 22 October is the popular Golden Dollars Fishing Competition, an event designed to specifically target yellas. Entry forms and invites are now available for this. Also, organisation for the seventeenth annual Cod Classic is well under way, with the event looking as good as ever. Seven boating packages, a chance to spend 30 seconds in a cash grab machine along with $150K of prizes makes this is one event not to be missed.

Entry forms are now available on line at www. codclassic.com.au.

For more information on the Cod Classic, the upcoming Golden Dollars or anything relating to fishing Mulwala, feel free to give us a call at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski on 0357 443133.

• If you are visiting town, I urge you to call

Kyle Dalrymple with a 111cm beast of a Murray cod. into Lake Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala and say G’day. We are your

largest Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala and specialise in all things ‘green’! For

any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports, give us a hoy on (03) 5744 3133.

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69

Keeping stocks up for anglers WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

October can be a fantastic time of the year to fish in the Wangaratta area.

Sadly, there are no real catchable fish species

and a small but growing population of the critically endangered Macquarie perch. Neither species are allowed to be targeted by anglers and are protected all year round.

Sadly, golden perch in the river are in such few

chain at their end.

Victorian Fisheries are excited and happy to stock it with ready to catch rainbow trout, as soon as the council signs off. Unfortunately, Wangaratta Council has more pressing issues, like coffee shops, bike tracks

Like most kids, Holly Alexander loves fishing for redfin.

October is when the redfin become active each year. in Wangaratta itself, other than European carp. There are other waterways in the region, which offer great spring.

In the Ovens River, there is always plenty of carp to target. The river has a healthy population of Murray cod, which are off limits during the spring months due to the closed season. There is a wonderful population of endangered trout cod,

feeding activity.

The Ovens River upstream of Bright will be a great place, as it’s one of the most reliable trout fishing rivers in the region. It hasn’t fished exceptionally in recent years, however it’s consistent. Anywhere along the Buckland River will be worth a look too – it’s delivered great results for persistent anglers over the last few years. Creeks and rivers are all carrying quite a lot of water, and lakes that aren’t already full are filling, thanks to above average rainfall this winter.

Around Beechworth, there should still be a few rainbow trout kicking around in both Lake Sambell and Stanley Dam, a remnant of the spring school holiday fish stocking. Lake Sambell will have more trout, as they’re harder for people to catch. Lake Sambell should be starting to turn on the golden perch fishing as water temperatures rise.

Lake Kerferd was a fantastic golden perch fishery for a long time.

With no golden perch being stocked into the Ovens River since 1994, and the Murray cod season being closed in October, all we have left to target in the Wangaratta area are carp. and anglers often caught five or six in a single evening. Since the trout cod fishery opened, I’m yet to hear of a legal trout cod

numbers that it would be misleading to tell you that they even exist there at all.

I’m working on getting a family friendly fishery in Wangaratta, to offer year round fishing for everybody, with a particular focus on kids and people with mobility issues. I’m getting places with this project and have a waterway worked out, ready to be stocked. Sadly though, the Wangaratta Council are dragging the

A lovely small mountain stream. I can just imagine my bladed spinner swimming through that pool, with a 40cm brown trout chasing after it. October is a great month to target trout in small streams.

Will O’Connor with a nice brown trout caught in a small stream in October last year.

70

OCTOBER 2016

and fancy footbridges to open. A fishing spot for the youth in this town appears to be a low priority. For now, anglers targeting golden perch are better off heading to Benalla and fishing the Broken River, or Lake Nillahcootie.

Lake Hume near Albury is a fantastic golden perch fishery, about an hour from Wangaratta. It usually fishes quite well during October, particularly later in the month. October is a great time of year to target trout in the region’s creeks and rivers, which are still running quite well.

The water should be cold enough to ensure trout are still active and insect life picks up during warmer weather, bringing with it an increase in the trout

Stocking of the species was discontinued eight years ago, to make way for the trout cod fishery. Catches of golden perch were frequent

being caught.

Both lakes are now open year round for anglers targeting trout cod. They are the only waterways in

Victoria that are open to trout cod fishing and are subject to strict size and bag limits. Make sure you check the latest Victorian Fishing Guide for the rules and regulations.

October can be a good month to target redfin, as they’re likely to become more active. Lake Sambell, Lake Kerferd and Fletchers dam are all great places to try, as are Lake William Hovell and Lake Buffalo.

Lake Buffalo is shaping up to be a mini version of Lake Eildon – set in similar surrounds and fed partially by snow melt, it’s been stocked with thousands of golden perch and Murray cod in recent years.

Last year, heaps of Murray cod were caught during the cod season, which has been a fantastic result for anglers in the area. What was once a bustling redfin fishery has now come to life as a great mixed fishery with golden perch, Murray cod, redfin and the odd trout turning up on anglers’ lines. October and November will be great to fish Lake Buffalo as the water warms.

Trout fishing in the small streams will be popular during October. This small rainbow trout was caught in a tiny tributary of the Ovens River last season.

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OCTOBER 2016

71

Settle in for a spring fishing session in the lakes SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Our local rivers could either be picture-perfect, dirty or in flood. The late winter and early spring rains have made it hard to predict what’ll happen in October. If we get rain, I hope it’s not all at once. When the rivers have had a couple weeks to settle down, with some rain, it’ll be perfect time to chase Broken River yellowbelly. There are three areas that are best when we get spring rain – the weirs along the Broken and below the lake in Benalla.

Flowing water downstream of these areas is perfect for springtime fishing, but you have a window of two or three days before they get too dangerous to fish, with water being too high. If the rivers stay high in October, there are plenty of areas closer to Shepparton in the Broken River, around the walking bridge near Broken River Drive and near the train bridge.

Plenty of sharp bends in these areas can have back eddies where the fish sit. It’s easy to target these areas when the river is flowing and the lure or bait stays in the strike zone

for longer.

If the water is steady and we don’t get much rain or environmental flows, the Goulburn’s a good option.

Baitfishers would do best in the Goulburn. Out at Raftery Road, there’s plenty of good bank access and live bait. There are endless areas to fish with sandbars, snags, weed areas and deep bends, all within walking distance of each other.

If the river is flowing or dirty, stay away from the Goulburn, as it doesn’t fish as well as the Broken on a sharp rise.

KIALLA LAKES The Lake system is rebounding again. In 2015, Kialla Lakes had no action.

I think this has to do with more people fishing the lake, and also the better water conditions. The brown, still looking swamp is a lot cleaner now, and the fish are looking healthier as well.

I caught many fish early this year that were more white and milky looking. The last couple of fish have been a darker shade and actually look like yellowbelly. The hot spot seems to be near the crossover from lakes 1-2. There are anglers fishing it daily, and mostly with bait. With lures, I tend to fish around the willows, small sandbars and

rocks. I try to fish the edges of these areas and have had the most success doing so. If you have a kayak or canoe, target the island as it holds some big fish.

LOCAL CHANNELS The channel system should be nice and clean with all the early spring rain and flows settling down. With locals looking for a fishing fix in the closed cod season, I suggest the channels.

Lures or bait work well and exploring new channels has really been productive for anglers. In years gone past, the old outlet channel produced good amounts of yellowbelly. The inlet and outlet channels at Waranga Basin always fish well in the spring. I find the best lure when searching new areas is the Jackall TN50 – it seems to catch fish in any water.

Once you find them, you can chop and change lures to upsize fish.

If you’re using bait worms and shrimp, around any structure will work best.

Floating shrimp under bridges can be very successful in the spring months. If you’re not keen to leave the Shepparton area, the main eastern area around Pine Lodge is still producing fish, and it does

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SHEPPARTON LAKE Shepparton Lake has dropped right off again and it’s very difficult to fish due to weeds. Shepparton are hosting the 2016 Teachers Games and the fishing section will be held from the lake.

It’ll be interesting to see what fish are entered in that event.

PowerBait Salmon Eggs in orange are still proving to be a hit in the Shepp Lake.

There are reports of bag limits being collected quite easily. For those targeting reddies this week, casting a plastic Squidgy Bug in jelly prawn or green grunter is working well. The choice to baitfish with worms is there, but they seem to be hitting lures at the moment.

CRAIGMUIR LAKE

With the water temperature more suited for catching yellowbelly, kayakers have been enjoying themselves. They’ve been catching most fish trolling small hardbodies and lipless crankbaits. Yellowbelly up to 45cm have been reported in early September. Some anglers caught 3-4 fish in an evening on the troll.

If baitfishing, try to get your hands on some small yabbies and live shrimp. Both are dynamite on the fish in Craigmuir. There has been a lot of carp being caught of late. With all the late winter rains, they came to the edges and gorged themselves in the runoff. If you catch a carp, don’t just leave it on the bank

FISHING FILL-ITS

to stink out the area.

WARANGA BASIN The Basin has gone up over 40% since June and now sits at 92%, which is a hell of a lot more water! It also makes chasing the fish harder in deep water, as you now have to find lures that dive deep enough to target bottom feeding fish.

The Halco Crazy Deeps are probably the best lure if chasing these fish, or you can drift and bottom bounce jigs or Jackalls. The fish may still be around the edges, but after the initial rise, they have seem to have moved off the grass flats and into deeper water.

There’s an advantage to the higher water levels – on the Murchison side, there’s a few more points and drop offs well and truly underwater.

Boats & More one day sale!

Boats & More in Shepparton and Echuca will be having a huge one-day sale on Saturday 22 October 2016! The sale will go from 9am until 5pm, and everyone is welcome!

There’ll be huge savings across the entire range at To page 73

Make sure you don’t miss out on some great deals from across our huge range.

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www.boatsandmore.com.au 72

OCTOBER 2016

72 Northern Hwy ECHUCA VIC 3564

Rivers looking good in spring JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

The question everyone asks is, “How are the rivers going to fish this season?”

The river season opens on the October long weekend each year. At times, if the spawning season is late, then the main spawning rivers like the Eucumbene and Thredbo rivers can be full of trout – mainly rainbows. There can also be a few late spawning brown trout as well.

The past winter has been a wet one with a couple good floods. I’m expecting this year that most of the spawn run will be finished before the rivers open. However, that is From page 72

both stores, and everything from boats, motors, trailers, jetskis, fishing gear, ski gear and boating accessories will be slashed right down.

We’ll also have workshops on display for you to have a gander between purchases.

not all bad news. We still have a few stragglers as well as the resident trout that haven’t seen an angler for months, so there’ll be some good trout captured.

Late last August, 220 rainbows, ex Gaden Trout Hatchery fishing clinic trout, were released into the Thredbo River and Lake Jindabyne. Some were up to 5kg – most of those massive rainbow trout are still waiting for you to catch them.

October is a great month for trout fishing as the water level of the lake is rising, and the temperature is perfect for trout. Bugs are now flying about, some having hatched from the water. The trout response to this is feeding time. When the rivers first open, the emphasis is on

trying to catch trout.

Lure anglers are best to try minnow style lures and there are heaps of them out there. A newer lure on the market growing quickly in popularity is the Bullet Lure.

There are two sizes suitable to the river, the tiny 3cm Bullet was very productive last season, so is the new 5cm lure. This lure has in its favour a great range of colours, many of which have been designed especially for trout.

With the introduction of the Strike Tiger range of soft plastics, designed with trout in mind, and a fantastic range of trout colours, the popularity of soft plastics in trout waters has escalated. Soft plastics can be rigged almost snagless and anglers fishing the rivers for trout are starting to adapt

If you visit either store between 17-30 October, you’ll be in the running to win $20,000! It’s one entry per person, so if you needed a reason to pop in, this is it!

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Make sure you bring the family and friends down to Boats & More Shepparton or Echuca, and cash in on some seriously great deals! – Boats & More

Both the stores will be pumping on 22 October!

DAM LEVELS brought to you by w w w. b a r g a i n b o a t b i t s. c o m . a u

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

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

LAKE/DAM Cairn Curran Dartmouth Eildon Eppalock Fyans Greens Hepburn Hume Lauriston Malmsbury

Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 93 91 87 Newlyn 17 82 95 Nillahcootie 32 88 103 Rocklands 12 16 22 Taylors 32 45 72 Tullaroop 13 20 45 Upper Coliban 38 82 100 Waranga 39 82 90 Wartook 55 79 98 William Hovell 101 102 102

Jul Aug Sep 12 31 51 46 54 60 35 50 59 22 35 48 53 61 69 48 49 69 25 73 104 42 74 96 66 79 99 15 36 50

(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.)

their practices to also suit trout waters with great success.

Back on the lake, fishing will be great for the bait anglers, with plenty of big browns and Atlantic salmon caught. If you’re lucky enough, you might catch yourself a brook trout over the next month. There have been schools of brookies moving around the edges of the lake from bay to bay.

Get one, and you’ll get more.

Brookies are very aggressive fish and less fussy about what lure they strike – it’s about placement rather than lure.

There’s still time to polaroid for trout around the lake. As the water rises, trout cruise the edges. For fly anglers in particular, it’s an exciting time of the year. A selection of flies you might want to try are Jindy Bugger, olive nymph, green Woolly Bugger and maybe even a Tom Jones.

Lure anglers can polaroid trout as well. After spotting trout, watch to see which way they swim and cast a small minnow lure well out past the trout. Retrieve slowly and try to swim the lure about 2m in front of the trout. The best lures will be those that float and then dive to about 1-1.5m deep. Bait anglers, try to spot cruising trout and cast a nice big scrub worm in front – works a treat from winter to spring, when the trout are really hungry.

If you have light enough tackle, a worm on the hook and no sinker is the best way to fish for trout. Boat trollers have been waiting for the weather to warm up and bring the trout to the surface prospecting for insects. It’s easy just surface trolling lures, and there’s no need this time of the year to go too deep, but on sunny still days, a lead core line outfit is very helpful.

There are new colours of Tasmanian Devil lures to try out now. The Y131 yellow mongrel is one new colour that’s been particularly popular, and the yellow wing version of the new 131 spotted dog. A great spring fishing season lies ahead and if you are coming to the mountains, don’t forget to call into my shop and catch up with the latest fishing information.

• If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly-fishing tuition and lake trolling trips.

Lessons can be booked from 2 hours’ duration, and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day. If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, just give me a call on (0264) 561 551 or check out my website at www.swtroutfishing.com.au.

You can also see our daily Facebook updates at https:// www.facebook.com/LJTFA.

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73

Eildon cod are now fair game EILDON

A U S T R A L I A

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Pantera II 2016

Andy McCarthy

The weather gods have been kind to us with the lake now up to 60% and rising. All we need now is a wet spring and who knows, she may just fill up again! Here’s hoping.

For some reason the last month or so has produced outstanding fishing, but I’m not sure why, because we have had lots of rain but quite balmy conditions throughout September. Even back in August it was like spring was already upon us.

The wind hasn’t gone away either, but you can always find calm water in the multitude of freshly filled bays.

David and Kim Munn have been doing very well lately catching some very

well-conditioned cod with a lovely looking 75cm green fish hitting the deck recently. Top shelf work guys, keep it up!

It’s great to see some locals enjoying this time of year.

The go-to lure at the moment from several sources seems to be white StumpJumpers.

I’m not sure if size is as important as the colour, but whichever way you look at it, the trusty old Stumpy is a fish-catching machine, regardless of the colour.

Stumpies are also excellent value for your dollar in comparison with a lot of other lures on the market.

On a recent trip for Clive Pickin it was a gold mine. He landed a beast of a cod, and it was very typical of this waterway with its amazing condition and health.

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Jack ‘Digger’ How with a cracking Pondage brown.

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Clive cradles a great cod capture from a recent trip.

This season I’m making a suggestion to up the strength of your mainline and leaders, because some of these cod are enormous and ridiculously powerful, and you don’t want to be busted by a big cod. Trust me when I say, it hurts.

I recommend a minimum of 30lb braid and up to 50lb for your leader. Even with your drag locked up on your reel with 50lb leader, there is still no guarantee of success once a big cod gets you back in the snags.

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A U S T R A L I A

74

OCTOBER 2016

Phone: 0410 173 060 basscataustralia@gmail.com

David Munn nailed this 75cm cod near a steep rock wall.

The yellas will fire up very soon, and I’m tipping a bumper year, as the entire fishery is getting better and better every year, particularly on the natives.

As for the redfin, there hasn’t been quite so much activity.

The trout seem steady, but a lot of the trout are still quite slabby and lacking condition, but this spring is all about the natives, and now we can actively fish for cod all year round in Eildon, so enjoy it!

Golden times scheduled for Bonnie Doon bags 3lb leader. It took close to 25 minutes to land, but it was so much fun.

There have been a few yellas caught lately. Luke

BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

October up the top end of the lake takes on a different colour at this time of year, and that colour is gold.

This is such an exciting time of the year when we know the yellowbelly are starting to school up and get really active.

In other news, now that the lake is open to fishing for cod all year round, this is going to be a season to remember.

Up around the Delatite arm is a real hot spot that produces good numbers of fish on a regular basis, particularly on the rocky fringes on the northern shores. One of the best techniques to try is the old faithful lipless crankbait and similar lures, anything from 40mm right up to 90mm. The most important thing when choosing these lures is to make

Muscat picked up a nice yella up in the Goughs Bay area and I expect to see a lot more from that area over the next four months or so.

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Luke Muscat nailed this chunky yella recently, which is a great sign of things to come. sure that the tail sits up off the bottom to look like a feeding fish. Some of the cheaper versions just lay flat on their sides and aren’t as productive,

and most punters agree with this theory.

If you manage to come across a school of yellas that aren’t very active and you

A great cod taken from the top end of the dam.

try all your tricks and still can’t get them to eat your lure, here’s a little trick for you. This method goes against what a lot of guys do, but I’ve managed to catch fish when others couldn’t. It’s all about finesse. Go back to basically trout gear, 4-6lb leader a small jighead of around 1/12-1/16oz with hook size size 1 or 2, and put a black and gold t-tail or a black grub cut down to about 25-30mm long. Put this down in front of them and they simply can’t help but to eat it. It’s like offering someone a party pie even if they aren’t hungry. They’ll think ‘why not’!

These fish are the best fun on light gear, and one of the best yellas of my life was a 15lb model fought on an Ecogear SX-40 on a 7’6” Howler custom finesse bream rod with 5lb braid and

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Season opening a cracker GOULBURN RIVER

Steve Vidler

What a great opening to trout season in the upper Goulburn area.

Brilliant winter rains that were absent over the last few years were very welcome over the closed season. Virtually all the rivers, creeks and streams in the upper Goulburn area had good flushes of water, from heavy downpours and reliable flows after follow up rains.

Some top quality fish have been taken in the Rubicon, Steavenson, Acheron, Delatite and Jamieson rivers although most of these systems have been slightly discoloured due to great flows. Small soft plastics such as Berkley grubs and Z-Man Grubz have been very successful, with the ability to work slowly

and still maintain plenty of tail action to attract hungry trout. Spinning blade lures such as the good old Celtas are also doing the job, and scrubworms have been a stand out bait.

The Goulburn River has been typically unpredictable with its flows, presumably due to required power generation as the seasonal irrigation flows have not started. Fortunately, flows haven’t been needed as much as the last few years.

Minnow style lures are attracting the attention of quality trout in the clearer Goulburn system. The number of top quality fish actually visible for patient, wary anglers walking the higher bank, is exciting for the rest of the season.

It’s no surprise that better quality trout, easily viewed with the assistance of good quality polarized glasses, are in virtually uncastable territory. They don’t get that big being

stupid, and will quickly learn where they’re safe.

The Eildon pondage has been ever-reliable with more constant stocking of ex-brood fish and catchable sized trout from the nearby Snobs Creek hatchery. The Goulburn Fishing Festival held each year by Victorian Fisheries, to celebrate the opening of trout season, has again been very well attended and enjoyed by plenty of people, old and young.

The pondage is fishing well with local dough.

PowerBait in lime green and orange, scrubworms and mudeyes are also proving worth a go. Tassie Devils and Wonder Crocs in bright colours, particularly pink and orange, are attracting some of the big old brood fish, as are lightly weighted ZMan GrubZ in dark colours and motor oil.

Get out there and give it a go, it’s a great time of year to chase a trout in this area,

with more natural flows prior to irrigation season.

If the rivers are quiet, have a crack at the pondage or run up to the lake. It truly is a great region for fish chasers, here in the upper Goulburn area.

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75

Gippy streams back in action CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Finally, trout season has arrived and the question on everybody’s minds for the past few months has been how will our small

creeks fish?

With decent amounts of steady rain, our creeks look amazing and they’ve fished as well as they’ve looked.

Our small Strzelecki streams have been amazing.

The colour was just off clear in September, with a solid flow that had good runs and rapids

as you would expect to have in spring.

They were all perfect for fly fishing and spinning with small spinners and small hardbodied lures. Most anglers I spoke to had caught plenty of small brown trout ranging anywhere from 15-30cm with lures and fly working

Shane Wedrowicz with a healthy brown trout caught on Mapso Spinner.

equally well.

The fly guys would be happy to know that trout were already rising to emerging insects and many fly anglers managed to catch up to half a dozen trout on dry fly in one session. Dry flies including standard mayfly patterns worked well, but the popular Stimulator fly or Royal Wulff worked a treat as well.

I did a lot better using bead head nymphs on a hare’s ear colour fished about 60cm under a strike indicator. It will be interesting to see how the creeks continue to fish as the weather warms up, and I guess they will be dependent on how much rain we receive in the area to see what type of flows the creek can maintain. With any luck, this is a sign that our small Gippsland streams are back to what they used to be like.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s Off the Hook on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!

Ryder Thompson with a beautiful brown trout that took a liking to his spinner.

Victoria primed for a great season if rain falls BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Fishing in the Bendigo region is currently slow, but we should see an improvement over the next few weeks. The potential is there for a great season. The biggest factor to determine how productive the season will be, will be how much rainfall the region receives over the next couple of months. At present, our catchments are saturated and we’re currently getting good runoff after rainfall events. We don’t want the rainfall to stop now, as good rains will see our impoundments reach high levels again. This will lead to good flows of quality water down our river systems, and in turn, the productivity of the fishing will be good.

LAKE EPPALOCK Fishing at Lake Eppalock is slow, with water temperatures still cold, but should get better in coming weeks. Water clarity is average, with some parts of the lake being dirty due to inflows coming into the lake. Water levels are around 39% of capacity and slowly rising.

The rising levels are already coming over the top of good 76

OCTOBER 2016

amounts of vegetation around the banks. If it increases another 10%, then the water will be going over the high water mark from last season.

This means more vegetation and improved fishing.

The water impoundments above Lake Eppalock are the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury reservoirs. They are currently a combined total of 90%. With good rains forecast over the next few weeks, there’s a good chance we’ll see these reservoirs reach capacity. If so, Lake Eppalock water levels can increase quickly and we’ll

see some great fishing at this destination.

Surface temperatures are currently around 11°C. Temperatures will increase shortly and this will help the fish become more active. We’ll see an increase in catch rates.

Right now, small numbers of golden perch have been caught, mostly by anglers baitfishing with worms or small yabbies. A few redfin have also been landed. The best concentrations of redfin are being caught in depths around 10m.

CAMPASPE RIVER The Campaspe River

has been slow, which is to be expected at this time of year. Water clarity is average and has been changing from week to week, depending on rainfall and the inflows running into the system. It can be hard to predict what’s going to happen with water clarity in the short term. At this stage, clarity is probably only going to get worse over the next couple of months, and it’s likely we will see higher inflows into the river system. If this occurs, the productivity of lurefishing will stay low and the best results will be produced by

The golden perch fishing should improve over the next few weeks.

Excellent fishing is coming up at Lake Eppalock this season.

baitfishing.

Small numbers of golden perch are being caught by anglers, walking the banks and fishing with spinnerbaits or hardbody lures. Redfin have been caught by anglers targeting the edges of cumbungi-lined banks and weed beds. The most productive options for the redfin have been soft plastics and small hardbody lures.

CAIRN CURRAN Fishing reports from this destination have been isolated. This location received good inflows over the last few weeks. Water levels are steadily rising.

The inflows have produced a reduction in water clarity and a good rainfall has been forecast over the next few weeks. It’s likely that we’ll continue to see good inflows over coming months. Water clarity will stay poor in the short term, but will improve when inflows reduce and the water has a chance to settle.

This is short-term loss for long-term gain. It means the productivity of the fishing will be lower in the shortterm period, but over the season, we’ll see very good fishing for anglers. Currently, redfin have been caught by anglers. The most productive method has been baitfishing with worms and yabbies. A couple of trout have also been caught by anglers baitfishing around edges of the lake. The

most productive bait for the trout has been worms and mudeyes. At this stage, very few golden perch are being caught. We should see an increase in golden perch catches in around 3-4 weeks, when water temperatures increase.

LODDON RIVER Water clarity is average at most locations along the Loddon River. It should stay okay over the next few weeks, as there’s a good chance we’ll see good inflows in the short term.

There have been small numbers of golden perch caught at this destination.

Anglers fishing with medium sized hardbody lures and spinnerbaits have been producing the best results. Anglers need to be prepared to put the time in to catch a few.

Often, casting into a good holding location is needed to stir the fish up before a strike will be produced. Slow retrieval speeds are also required. In the next month or so, when water temperatures increase the fish will be more active.

Fishing in the Bendigo region will continue to slowly improve over the next month. If we continue to get rainfall, when the water clarity improves, we should see some terrific fishing this season. Bring on the rain.

Fish firing after drought broken CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

July was definitely a wet one, a very wet one indeed.

Considering that for many months the South West has suffered almost droughtlike conditions, which didn’t see the weather patterns begin to change until May, July’s massive rainfall was so, so welcome.

Lake Purrumbete’s water levels where almost to the point where tinnies could not be launched, and now the springs in the nearby Stoney Rises are working and the run-off is going straight into the lake. In fact, a waterfall of water is currently pouring into the lake.

Some lovely browns have been caught, exceeding 8lb

(4kg) in recent times. These fish are not being landed in huge numbers, but they are being found very close to the lake’s rim and especially over near where the inflow is currently pouring into the lake.

Shallow diving lures fished at first and last light are nailing a few. So too is fishing a mudeye suspended under a bubble float allowed to drift in quite close to the weed beds and the shallows.

You must consider the strength of leader used as well as the drag setting, as these areas mentioned are rather tight to play a large brown. I suggest a minimum of 8lb fluorocarbon leader attached to at least 6lb braided line.

Late July saw some of us finally get out onto Lake

Elingamite. Canoes, kayaks, small punts and boats such as mine can now get out onto the lake. My boat is a 4m vee-nosed flat bottomed tinny with a bow mounted electric that when run in shallow drive will get me away from the boat ramp and finally out fishing on this exceptional body of water.

So far my adventures have seen plenty of redfin boated on minnow lures including Damiki Saemi 50s and Pontoon 21 Cablistas in a variety of colours and patterns cast and trolled. The run of redfin includes one thumper measuring 46cm and pulling down the scales to almost 1.5kg!

There’s been no trout as of yet, but remember only 400 instead of 4000 got released last year. They are about, it’s

just that I have to connect up with one. Others certainly have, and the catches have included a couple of threeyear old release fish that each pulled the scales down to well over 8lb.

Lake Bullen Merri continues to carry on in its typical wintery way, with fish being caught on a regular basis. The fishing remains tough, as the sheer amount of gudgeon and galaxias that are currently available in this impoundment is literally astounding, and the fish are growing extremely fat living off this bounteous banquet.

Rainbows and Chinooks are mostly caught, with bank anglers offering up live minnow under a float receiving the most attention.

These fish are literally coming out of the lake in

A fat 46cm redfin taken on a Damiki Saemi 50 minnow lure on Lake Elingamite in early August. the shape of footballs! They are so well fed that our offerings seem to be playing second fiddle! Patience and perseverance is the order of

the day and those calmly wiling away the hours along the shoreline seem to catch more than those actively working from boats.

Searching for Melbourne gold MELBOURNE METRO

Dylan Brennan

After a reasonably wet and miserable winter in Melbourne, spring is finally revealing itself. The recent weather provides anglers with a taste of what’s to come. Longer days coupled with mild air do a world of good to angling aspirations and give us the boost we need to put some time in around our freshwater locations.

October is a good time of year to be out fishing the fresh in Melbourne. Most suburban lakes still have a few rainbow trout eager to take a bait, lure or fly. Fish like redfin and golden perch are also feeding up after a

bit of winter dormancy. It’s perch, and mainly the golden variety, that are good to target this month.

Golden perch can be found in a handful of locations in Melbourne, with Albert Park Lake and Sugarloaf Reservoir two of the better known places.

While baitfishing can work well for goldens, lure fishing is usually more effective to catch them. In the case of Sugarloaf reservoir, fishing with natural baits like worms is not actually allowed.

Lure fishing or spinning normally sees the angler become more active and mobile – this in itself can be the key to catching. Golden perch can at times be found in decent schools, comprising of similar sized fish. The issue

is that when these schools of fish are concentrated, they may only be found in a couple spots in amongst a whole big lake! Being able to move around until you locate fish can quite often be the difference between heading home defeated or hooking into a few and having an awesome session.

When it comes to the pointy end of the discussion, there are lots of different lures that will catch golden perch. There are somewhat fewer lures that will catch metro goldens in a lake or reservoir situation consistently. The main styles of lure I tend to rotate through when searching for metro goldens are beetlespin style, spinnerbait booms rigged with soft plastics

between 1/4 and 1/12oz, Jackall TN vibration baits 40-60mm, soft hybrid vibes, suspending hardbodies in the 45-75mm size range and sinking spybaits. All of these lure styles have their time and place, whether it be cast and rolled back along a featureless bank at a medium pace, or slowly hopped along the bottom amongst a patch of fish.

While golden perch can be very aggressive hitters at times, normally they’ll bite a bit softer as they start to feed up while the water warms. With this is mind, using a light graphite outfit similar to what you would use on bream and flathead is ideal. I enjoy the feel of a lightweight baitcasting outfit for rolling lures. like spybaits

A seasoned selection of lures suitable to ‘prospect for gold’ around Melbourne. and beetlespins. Anything you can cast all day and feel subtle bites with is spot on. Over the next month, we should see the activity level increase a bit more, but being able to catch these fish while they are still a bit ‘doughy’ gives most anglers a good sense of satisfaction.

• For up to date fishing

information, contact the guys at Compleat Angler in Dandenong on 9794 9397 or drop in and see us at 241-243 Princes Hwy, Dandenong, we are open 7 days a week. For our other latest fishing reports and to download information sheets, go to www fishingcamping.com.au

Spring is in the air WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

Spring is in the air. The warmer, longer daylight hours are exciting anglers across the region. Good news is we can start sneaking that after-work fish in, as daylight savings kicks in October 2. By now, the streams are in their prime and Blue Rock has been topped up by the snow melt from Mt Baw Baw. It’s all systems go.

The rivers of the West and South Gippsland regions are flowing well. Over the next few months, stream trout action will intensify. Warmer weather brings with it more hatchlings, which excite trout and flyfishers alike. Closer to Melbourne, the Lang Lang, Bunyip and Tarago rivers

will all be worth a try over the coming months. Further into the Noojee Valley, is the Latrobe, Loch and Toorongo rivers. All are prime stream trout locations too, and suit those wanting to wet a fly, lure or bait.

Waders are not essential, but can be handy. They allow stealthier access to great trout feeding zones. Snakes will also be out soaking up the sun, so just remember to have your wits about you.

Blue Rock Dam bass should fire up as the water temperature warms up. Insect hatchings bring the fish to the surface. Trout on the other hand, will begin to seek cooler waters as we approach summer.

Success will come to those fishing early morning or late evening, when the trout come to the surface to feed. They’ll make their descent to the depths

during the day.

There’ll be plenty of redfin on offer as by-catches for anglers chasing bass and trout. Rest assured there will be no shortage of carp to keep the family entertained.

If you haven’t been to Blue Rock for a while, it’s worth a visit to see the changes.

Blue Rock and the township of Willow Grove are evolving with the success of the bass stocking program, restrictions lifted on boat and engine sizes, and improvements around the lake for recreational users.

Both boat ramps at either end of the lake are well set up with toilets, barbecues, heaps of parking, well-kept lawns for laying out the picnic rug, picnic benches and rotundas.

The Old Tanjil Road boat ramp now has a scenic 1.5km walking track, which follows the perimeter of the

The author with a stream trout caught on a worm and jighead rig.

The trout hit the soft plastic, but wasn’t interested. The author took the plastic off and cast it back in with the worms, resulting in success. This nice brown was released to fight another day. lake up to Blue Rock Road.

This gravel track provides great access for land-based anglers to a number of coves along the western shores. All up, the access available for land-based anglers from the Old Tanjil Road boat ramp is approximately 2km of shoreline.

The dam wall boat ramp has good access to the lake too and has about 500m of shoreline. Both ramps now have a floating jetty too, installed by Southern Rural Water. For those who tried to launch a boat with a nice painted hull at the dam wall boat ramp, this is

awesome news!

Please remember the river blackfish season is closed until December 31.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have success stories from the opening of trout season, or out in the lake.

Email me any questions too.

OCTOBER 2016

77

Cracking start to the season BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Trout fishing season has started off with a bang – great news for the anglers around the Ballarat district.

Even better news is that most of our waters are either full and overflowing, or getting very close. This hasn’t happened for a few years and the threat of another heartbreaking drought is fresh in our minds from a few years ago. Hopefully, the rain continues to fall throughout spring, and all waters get to the stage of overflowing.

fish – something that hasn’t happened for a few years.

Victorian Fisheries and local volunteers have been stocking rainbow and brown trout in most of the waters in the district, which is great news. Some waters have been stocked in hope they receive the much needed spring rains to fill them up – a win for anglers and a great use of money raised from our fishing licences.

Lake Wendouree is starting to fire up, with mixed reports from anglers doing well and others struggling.

Lake Wendouree’s water level is full and overflowing, which is great to see.

be the best time. The plastics doing the damage are only new on the scene, Westin ShadTeez brook trout pattern in a 9cm size. Big lure, big fish – that’s the theory.

managed to wrestle a 7lb male brown trout on a Craig’s Nighttimes fly pattern after dark. Ian has landed some magnificent browns up to 5lb as well, on smelt fly

Shane Jeffrey snagged this lovely 52cm brown trout using fly.

Photo Courtesy of Shane Jeffrey

Ben Young with a magnificent brown trout of 6.5lb prior to release caught on soft plastic in Lake Wendouree.

Photo Courtesy of Ben Young

Shane Jeffrey, another keen angler, has been flyfishing Wendouree out of a drifting boat with some success. One session rewarded Shane with four trout. The biggest was a lovely 52cm brown trout on

imitations during the day.

Lake Wendouree will only get better for flyfishers with warmer weather and insects hatching, as local mudeyes start to move around as well.

Young guns Ben Cochrane and Jayden White-

Jayden White-Powell with a lovely Lake Wendouree brown trout, caught casting a Bullet Minnow hardbodied lure.

Photo Courtesy of Ben Cochrane

The fishing has really fired up around the district with most waters producing lovely fish. The fishing will only get better over the next few months, as we see the weather warm up and insects hatch. Trout really start to feed up from their winter slumber, especially over newly flooded shorelines.

Food will be abundant, worms, grubs and more will be flooded out and easy prey for hungry trout.

Fishing in the district over the coming months should be absolutely awesome.

The only issue is picking a

The weed cutters are still harvesting from the lake and have cut as close to the shoreline as possible. This is great for the shore-based anglers. As a result of this weed cutting, anglers have caught some cracking fish from the shore.

Local Wendouree guru Ben Young has been nailing fantastic brown trout up to 6.5lb, casting soft plastics from the walking tracks around Lake Wendouree.

Ben has been catching and releasing his fish recently.

Early in the morning, before the sun comes up seems to

OCTOBER 2016

see for this water is that it got low over the summer. How many fish survived over that time is unknown, but I’m sure there’ll be quite a few. Heppy is well stocked with 5000 rainbow and brown trout released every year. Hepburn is a shore-based fishery, which is easily accessed from the southeastern and northwestern shorelines.

Anglers using flies, baits, lures and plastics are all in with a chance to catch a quality fish.

Moorabool Reservoir is water well worth looking at over the next few months.

Moorabool’s water level is rising, though not as much as other waters in the district.

The reservoir’s water is creeping over very grassy banks and shorelines, so it looks fishy to me. I’ve had a

The author with Lake Wendouree brown trout that nailed a customised hardbodied lure. an Olive Magoo fly pattern.

Flyfishers Ian Penberthy and Cam Griffin have been having success from the shore, during the day and after dark. Cam recently

Moorabool Reservoir brown trout, caught by the author flyfishing using a Tom Jones fly pattern.

78

Angler numbers will be high.

With so many waters being nearly full, anglers will have a lot of choice for waters to fish in the district. Lake Wendouree is appealing as you can use all methods of angling, whether it’s bait, lure, fly or plastics. Shore or boat anglers are catered for, with four different boat ramps located around the shorelines.

Newlyn Reservoir is back on the map, full of water.

Absolutely magnificent brown trout have been caught out there last month.

I’ve landed some cracking fish up to 56cm, and Shane Jeffrey has landed browns on fly as well. Tom Kulcyznski has been nailing these lovely browns on lures – the fish seem to be about the same size, 4-5lb.

Powell have been getting amongst the brown and rainbow trout on Wendouree as well. The guys have been casting hardbodied lures out of a drifting boat. The most successful lure has been the Bullet Minnow Christmas beetle pattern.

I’ve been having luck using the same method casting hardbodies from the boat. Overcast, windy days have produced the best results. Finding fish has been the hard part, but once you find them, you’ve a good chance of catching a few.

The lure doing damage for me is a customised Norries B74 lure, using a slow roll retrieve.

Lake Wendouree over the coming months will be one of the go to places to fish in Western Victoria.

The author with a beautiful golden coloured brown trout from Newlyn Reservoir.

Newlyn looks awesome at the moment as the water is up over flooded grass, bushes and shrubs. Fish are in close, feeding on whatever has been flooded. Fishing over the coming months should be fantastic for flyfishers, bait anglers and casting lures or plastics.

Hepburn Lagoon, ‘Heppy’, is full to the brim and overflowing – a familiar story. I’ve heard no reports from Heppy as yet, but it’s worth a look. The only issue I

few trips out there to flyfish and have only managed to land one fish, but I’ve had a few other chances. I’d put it on my list of waters to fish over the spring months, as the reservoir has been heavily stocked with trout over the past few years.

Moorabool holds a good population of redfin as well.

For anglers headed out to fish Moorabool, a good old bunch of worms on a running sinker would be hard to go past.

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TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2016 OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Oct 8-9

Rnd 5 Glenelg River Bream Classic Nelson

Bill Hartshorne 0409 823 070 www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

Oct 8-9

Rnd 14 Hobie Kayak BREAM series Bribie Island

www.hobiefishing.com.au

Oct 15

Rnd 7 Central Vic Lures casters Eppalock Holiday Park

David Nelson 0418 378 944 roundy@cvlcss.com

Oct 15-16

Eildon Big Fish Challenge Eildon

www.eildonbigfishchallenge.com.au

Oct 22-23

2016 Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic Lake Hume

Adrian Kent 0490 049 111

Oct 28-29

Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition Mornington Peninsula

teatreecontact@spac.net.au www.spac.net.au

Oct 28-30

Hobie Kayak BREAM Aus Championship Queensland

www.hobiefishing.com.au

Nov 4-5

Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic Dartmouth

Lorrae Saxton-Smyth 0260 724 263

Nov 19-20

Rnd 8 Central Vic Lures casters Eildon

David Nelson 0418 378 944 roundy@cvlcss.com

Nov 26-27

Vic Bream Classic Series Grand Final Nelson

Bill Hartshorne 0409 823 070 www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

Dec 2-4

BREAM Grand Final St Georges basin

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.

Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition incorporating The Victorian Amateur Snapper Championship FRIDAY 28th OCTOBER & SATURDAY 29th OCTOBER 2016

Hosted by the Snapper Point Angling Club.

Weigh in and presentation MORNINGTON RACECOURSE.

$140,000 IN PRIZES including...

3 BOATS!

sponsored by:

Snapper Point Angling Club wishes to acknowledge the generous support given by the sponsors of this competition and thank them for their involvement.

The 33rd Annual Mornington Peninsula Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition

- the competition for the serious Port Phillip and Westernport Snapper fisherman...

Entry details at www.teatreesnapper.org.au 80

OCTOBER 2016

The Grabine Freshwater Fishing Tournament The Grabine Freshwater Fishing Tournament was held August 26-28, with great weather, lots of water in the dam at 93% and 226 campsites booked

out at Grabine. Over 983 anglers entered for the event with a tonne of catches – 195 yellowbelly, 15 Murray cod, 21 silver perch, 3 catfish and 191

carp were all weighed in over the weekend. Many more were released that weren’t big enough to win.

SENIOR WINNERS Catfish winner Steve

Almost a 1000 anglers attended the Grabine Freshwater Fishing Tournament had great weather and a lot of fun.

Canak had a 491mm fish, and runner up went to Scott Baker with 471mm.

Silver Perch winner, James McIntyre, had a 490mm perch and runner up was Peter Stibbard with 480mm.

For Yellowbelly, Steve Webber took the prize with 520mm. Grant Newton came close with 515mm.

Leanne Corcoran took out Murray Cod with a cranking 985mm monster, and runner up Mark Mangellsdorf managed 950mm. Carp winner Josh Cutler had 630mm. Runner up went to Robert Fazel at 623m.

JUNIOR WINNERS No juniors entered the Catfish section. Silver Perch winner Hugh Collins had a 400mm fish, and runner up went to Keelee Fraser with 390mm. Yellowbelly winner, Lachlan Carter, scored a 490mm beauty.

Runner up, Blake Smith’s fish went 475mm. Connor Corcoran won Murray Cod with a 786mm beast, and runner up Billie-Joe

Garham had 702mm. Carp winner went to Will Casey with 660mm, and runner up went to went to Jai Carney at 650mm. Finally, Biggest Bag of Carp went to Dillian Webber with 42 mud suckers.

Baitfishers took most of the prizes home, as the water was dirty from all the

rain in the months before the competition. As Grabine’s tournament has changed from a ‘catch-and-kill’ competition, to catch, photo and release, which is a good thing for the fish in the dam.

We hope to see you all again next year, and maybe we’ll have over 1000 entries next time. – Michael Collison

Melbourne Rivers Fishing Comp Another trip for members to ‘Melbourne Rivers’ was held last Sunday. Members could fish any of the rivers that lead into Port Phillip Bay. Ten members attended and once again fished Werribee River.

Weather conditions were better than last time, with cool temperatures early and sunny conditions once daylight arrived. Unfortunately for those who fished this trip, only two bream were brought back to the scales for a total weight of 1330g. Norm Bull caught the bigger fish, weighed in at 760g. Terry Quirk’s fish weighed in at 570g.

Angling clubs are great for anyone who enjoys fishing. Being a member is beneficial for ongoing fishing tips, learning from others, and also mateship and socialising. On this trip, we saw one of our members during the

morning had ‘no spark’ left in his motor. With the support of two older members, he was

towed back to the boat ramp.

Everyone on his boat was safely brought back to land.

– Helen Simester, Secretary Keysborough Angling Club Inc.

ROUND 7:

OCT.

15

LAKE EPPALOCK

LOCATION: EPPALOCK HOLIDAY PARK

2016 Super Series

• Each round will have a target species, either Murray Cod or Golden Perch • Catch and release lure tournaments • Entrance fee $30 per Senior • New for 2016 we will also be running team’s events (maximum 3 anglers) • Conditions Apply

Largest target species caught in each event wins a rod from

SHARE SHAREYOUR YOUR

Norm Bull and Terry Quirk with their bream.

SHARE YOUR

CATCHES

Fishing

For information contact Create, Create,JOIN JOINmore &&FOLLOW FOLLOW

CATCHES CATCHES CATCHES CATCHES – www.cvlcss.com roundy@cvlcss.com David Nelson 0418 378 944

Create, JOIN & FOLLOW

CATCHES

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81

Get ready for the Cod Classic!

As always, excitement is starting to reach fever pitch in the lead up to the 17th annual Yamaha Cod Classic! Off the back of last year’s massive One Million Dollar tagged cod promo, competitors can expect the same high-level event, minus the tagged fish. You would be crazy to miss this iconic event held at the home of the Murray Cod, Lake Mulwala!

An estimated 3,000+ anglers will be looking to share in the staggering prize pool that totals in excess of $150K. A whopping seven boating packages, a chance to spend 30 seconds in a cash

grab machine, plus a list of goods too long to mention will see the twin towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala come alive over the weekend of 2-4 December.

In its 17th year, the Cod Classic celebrates the opening to cod season and continues to go from strength to strength, being a benchmark for many other tournaments to follow.

The Fishing & Outdoors expo will be a main feature, with the chance to grab a bargain not to be missed.

Other popular parts of the competition include iconic entertainer Flathead Fred for the juniors, Cod Talk with Rod ‘Codmac’ McKenzie and

Winners are grinners, and there’ll be plenty of that on the weekend of 2-4 December.

2016

Gus Storer, and the Samurai Rods Australian Pro Casting Championships.

The Native Watercraft Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Championships enters its sixth year. Catering for the new breed of anglers who chose to fish from either a canoe and kayak, this event is a must for those who chose paddle and peddle over petrol and power.

Designed for the family with all levels of fishing skills catered for, everybody has a chance of winning one of the

many great prizes on offer weather fishing from boat or bank, using either bait or lures. The majority of prizes are randomly drawn, with you not having to catch a fish to be a winner! Those who are lucky enough to register either a legal size Murray cod or golden perch go into additional draws to win extra great prizes. There will be over 1500 prizes (adults) and all juniors will receive several prizes.

Entry fee for adults is $95 pre-paid, or $100 on the

Last year saw many great cod landed. weekend, and all juniors are $50. This includes four meals, a souvenir stubby holder, a

As always, there’ll be some great prizes up for grabs.

free ticket in major boat raffle, Wilson Slickback lure & Bassman Spinnerbait (for the kids), entry into thousands of lucky door prize draws and the promise of a great weekend.

Sharpen your hooks, pack the boat, grab your swag and baton down the hatches as the 2016 Yamaha Cod Classic is going to be huge!

See you all in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala for the chance to catch a legend in the mighty Lake Mulwala!

For more information check out – www.codclassic. com.au, and call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski at 74 Melbourne St Mulwala (opposite the post office), It’s the official Cod Classic shop. Alternatively, you can also call Tony Bennett on 0439 441 667. – Yamaha Cod Classic

+ COD CLASSIC

JUNIOR COD CLASSIC

DECEMBER 2ND, 3RD & 4TH ~ LAKE MULWALA & THE MURRAY RIVER

CHANCE TO WIN TOTAL CATCH & RELEASCHE FOR ALL MURRAY COD & GOLDEN PER

$

150,0IZ0E0S!

IN PR

ENQUIRIES: TONY BENNETT 03 5744 1667

www.codclassic.com.au

82

OCTOBER 2016

+

1 7 ING of

BOAT PACKAGES

Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic is coming up The Border Marine Centre Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic is this year running its ten-year anniversary. The competition is being run on 4-5 November, and we are expecting another great year for competitor numbers.

are generally the river rulers. The charity Auction last year saw over $3000 raised to help the Riding for the Disabled group in Albury and Wodonga.

There is always lots of entertainment over the weekend, with a Friday

The Dartmouth Pub has lots of great food available for lunch and dinner and the Motor Inn can offer a range of accommodation in motel rooms, apartments and lodges. Dartmouth Alpine Caravan Park has cabins and powered sites.

Amy OKeefe from Trout Trackers.

Leah Hodgkin casting and Kelly Mitchell on the stump from Holy Mackerels. night charity auction, theme dress-up, presentations and a live band on Saturday.

This year’s competition raffle includes a car fridge, tupperware gift pack, and

With Lake Dartmouth water levels rising rapidly, we’re expecting some great fishing. The competition is pre-entry only and signing up early can win you a great prize. For entry details, go to our website and read the guidelines and rules. Register online at www.dartmouth.net. au, or phone Lorrae on 02

6072 4263 for inquiries, or Ebony on 02 6072 4213.

For accommodation, call the Dartmouth Motor inn on 02 6072 4233. We hope to see you there.

Major sponsors are BMC, Stacer, Yamaha, Dartmouth Pub, Dartmouth Motor Inn, Elks Hunting and Fishing, Masons Compleat Angler and Edge FM. – FMG

4th & 5th November 2016 e i W g h r o in Comp e s a e l e R & h c t a C N

PRIZ

Janelle Beach from Trout Trackers.

N

I

BE

ES

$30,00 TO

The competition is one of the leading national events for women around Australia, catering for all fishing techniques.

Competitors can enter the Catch and Release section or a Weigh-in section and also fish as an individual, a pair, a team of three or a club of four to six people.

Male skippers are able to assist the competitors by launching and retrieving the boat, and giving advice on fishing methods.

Once again, the major prize will be a boat package, sponsored by the Border Marine Centre. This year’s prize pool is predicted to be around $30,000. We promote our competition on Facebook, so watch for updates. The Weigh-in and Catch and Release sections add a huge variety of prizes to be won.

Last year, local ladies of the The Holy Mackerels took the boat home, which was fantastic to see. They

a pink swag sponsored by Opposite Lock Wodonga.

Other than individual awards, there are pair, team of three and club of 4-6 sections in both Weigh-in and Catch and Release. This year’s proceeds from the Friday night charity auction will be donated to the Dartmouth Mobile Phone Tower Funding, which the town is in desperate need for.

0

WO

MAJOR PRIZE – Boat Motor Trailer Package All proceeds from Friday Night charity Auction to go to Dartmouth Mobile Phone Tower Project

REGISTER ONLINE OR PHONE BY 3 NOVEMBER 2016 Val White, Leah Hodgkin, Skipper Les White, Jan Mitchell and Kelly Mitchell from Holy Mackerels, winners of the 2015 Competition Boat.

Call Lorrae on 02 6072 4263 or Ebony on 02 6072 4213

www. dartmouth.net.au OCTOBER 2016

83

Slater’s Clarence revenge CE 1ST PLA Tom Slater secured his maiden ABT BREAM Qualifier victory almost 12 months after leading the BREAM Grand Final on the very same waterway.

Wind back the clock to last year’s grand final and Slater lead on the Clarence after day one, but failed to find limits over the next two days and finished well down the field. Slater got his revenge this time. After sitting 4th overnight, Slater sacked up the heaviest five fish limit of the tournament at 3.2kg to relegate good friend Tristan Taylor to 2nd place.

There’s no doubting Slater was on the right fish throughout the weekend, managing to claim victory despite only catching 4/5 on the first day of competition.

His 9/10, 6.14kg limit was 130g clear of Taylor and one of only two limits above 6kg.

Arriving early Friday morning, Slater launched his boat and made his first stop on the upper end of Middle Wall.

“I caught a 32 forker on my first cast on pre-fish day on Middle Wall on a Gomoku Crank. After that I went in tight and spooked some more, so I thought ‘that’ll do’ and moved on.”

After checking Middle Reef and seeing a fleet of boats already fishing, Slater turned around and went upstream, to catch the last of the run-in tide at Browns Rocks. His first cast there played out exactly the same as his first cast at Middle Wall.

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

“Those first two fish being above 30 told me I knew what I needed to do.

I don’t try and complicate things at the Clarence, I know where they live and I’ve spent a long time ironing out every little detail of how to catch them, so unless something crazy is happening upriver, I generally stay down the front.”

Day 1 saw Slater with an early boat draw, and like the pre-fish, his first stop was the upper end of Middle Wall.

Fishing a Storm Gomoku Crank in BG colour tight to the wall on 3lb straight through fluorocarbon, Slater put two fish in the boat early before a professional fisher moved in on the stretch Slater was fishing.

“The technique was really straightforward. I just got in tight to the wall and threw the crank as far as I could and used a slow roll back to the boat. The lure would bump over the rocks at the base of the wall. This is why I like that Gomoku Crank, it’s got quite a square bib, so it deflects really well.

I usually hooked up just after it deflected.”

After a few fruitless stops on other walls in the front of the system, Slater made the run up to Browns Rocks to attempt to fill his bag.

“I generally prefer Browns Rocks on a run-out tide, but this tournament we had a run-in almost all session,” said Slater.

“The difference between catching them at Browns and not catching them can be as simple as not paying attention. I cannot stress how hard I concentrate on each and every cast, ensuring I have the perfect amount of line out, the perfect boat speed and the perfect cast

so that my lure gets to the bottom and I can feel it straight away. You’re not going to catch one if you can’t feel it bite!”

Opting for the everreliable Heavy Cranka Crab in a variety of colours, Slater essentially dragged the crab

With two more legals in the boat before midday, Slater felt great about the bag he had built.

“Every fish I had on the first day was over 30cm to the fork, I had one 35cm that weighed 910g and the rest must have been about 700g

Tom Slater with a pair of his Clarence winning bream. over the bottom. It sounds easy but it’s not.

“I pay really close attention to what my lure is doing and try to ‘hover’ the crab just above the rocks, to try and avoid snagging. Then it’s a case of waiting to feel a bite, and if they miss, I quickly slow the boat with the electric and open the bail arm to try and let the crab sit on the bottom and stop drifting.”

apiece. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get that fifth one, which goes to show how tough it was over the weekend. To not catch five off Browns Rocks definitely shows it was a tough bite.”

Heading out on day 2, Slater was adamant to not fall into the same hole that swallowed him in the 2015 BREAM Grand Final.

Starting again on Middle

R

Retrieve Move rod position

Heavy Cranka Crab Cast

Storm Gomoku Crank BG

OSP Dunk P45 Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

84

OCTOBER 2016

Wall, Slater could see the fish, but there was no way he could convince them to eat a crankbait.

“I could see them on the wall, so I threw an assortment of cranks and couldn’t get a reaction, so I went to an unweighted

Ecogear Aqua Bream Prawn and let it drift over the wall. I managed one solid keeper doing that before it shut down.”

Bailing from the front before 10am, Slater headed to Browns Rocks and found his fortunes much better

than the day prior.

“I had my limit filled by lunch time, then it was a matter of finding a few upgrades,” explained Slater.

With an hour to go in the session, the tide had stopped, the bite was off, and nothing much was happening. Slater

decided to move in shallow and look for an upgrade, casting an OSP Dunk 48 crankbait to the shallow part of Browns.

“The decision to move shallow won me this tournament, and I upgraded a 26 for a 27, then not 10

minutes later upgraded that 27 for a 33cm fork. That was the 130g that got me over the line.”

For this win, Slater pocketed $2,400 plus the $300 Yamaha Bonus Cheque for the highest placed boater with a Yamaha on the back,

BREAM

SERIE Presente d by Aus S tackle which by all accounts, is going straight towards a new tow vehicle.

Taylor doubles down for second place again CE 2ND PLA Tristan Taylor was relegated to bridesmaid position again, after two consecutive days on the front of the system produced a 10/10 6.01kg limit. Not making it to Clarence until the Friday afternoon, Taylor didn’t get a chance to pre-fish.

Instead, he relied on his previous experience and knowledge of the waterway to get him by.

Taylor spent his entire tournament fishing the bottom end of Middle Wall, a popular spot on the Clarence River that produces bream throughout the entire year.

Taylor however, approached it differently from the other boats also fishing the area.

“I actually started the morning of day 1 in close as I would normally do at Middle Wall, but I noticed fish staging underneath the boat on the sounder. So I cast out the opposite side, away from the wall and quickly hooked a solid 30cm fork fish. I followed that with three more, all over 30 in about five casts. That’s what really set me up for this weekend.”

There’s no doubt Taylor’s fish were in good condition, even with him failing to get one of the kicker bites you so often need to finish up the pointy end of the field. Taylor’s consistent 3kg average bags were put together by limits of bream all around 30cm to the fork. The fish were sitting on the sand, off the edge of Middle Wall where Taylor believes they were still spawning, which would contribute to his better than average bag weight.

His technique was one that has become somewhat synonymous with the

Clarence River, fishing deep with a Cranka Crab. The floating claws of the Cranka

-BOATER 1ST NON Stuart Walker continued his domination of the non-boater side of the Costa BREAM Series by claiming his 3rd victory this season. The only non-boater to weigh a full 10/10 limit, Walker claimed the win by over a kilo from Rodney O’Sullivan.

Pre-fishing with Todd Riches, the pair had a look at the vast majority of the river from Maclean to the mouth, catching fish almost everywhere they stopped but lacking size. Walker used the pre-fish day to identify

with 10lb Unitika Aorikira braid, topped with a 6lb Unitika Aiger fluorocarbon leader. He fished two different coloured Cranka Crabs throughout the weekend, olive and cockle.

Taylor won $1200 for second place as well as the $375 first place pro cheque, which he got from backing himself at the briefing on Friday night.

WINNING NOTES

Winning Edge

Adjusting with the tides was Slater’s key to success on the Clarence. Hitting Middle Wall with just the right amount of tidal flow and then moving shallow on the second day at Browns Rocks when the tide slowed proved invaluable to secure the final upgrade to the biggest bag of the tournament.

Winning Tackle Crankbait Gear

Rod: 13 Fishing MUSE Gold 72L 2-6lb Reel: One 3 Creed GT 2000 Line: 3lb Gamma Touch Fluorocarbon Lures: OSP Dunk P45, Storm Gomoku Crank BG

Tristan Taylor claimed another podium finish at the Clarence.

Walker wins the triple crown key lures and techniques that were likely to dominate his weekend.

Day 1 saw Walker paired with QLD BREAMer Peter Cashman. A veteran of bream fishing, Cashman is no slouch on the waters of the Clarence.

The plan for the day was simple, Middle Reef right between the two seaway walls.

The fishing was hot to start, with Walker achieving a full limit and two upgrades by 11am. Opting to fish a ZMan 2.5” GrubZ in motor oil colour on 1/4oz TT Jigheads, Walker worked the lure off the bottom with short sharp hops, quickly setting the hooks when he felt a bite in the deep water.

“Fishing the deep, fast flowing water like that really made me appreciate the quality of the gear I was using. Those

Crab make it the ultimate deepwater lure for Taylor and many others, reducing snags and increasing hook-ups. It’s a combination of the ultrarealistic finish and clever features that make the Cranka one of the most successful lures for fishing the Clarence.

Taylor’s equipment consisted of a Samurai Reaction 201 rod, Daiwa Freams 2500 spin reel, loaded

Daiwa Silverwolf Z rods are just so sensitive,” Walker said.

By 11am, the bite had slowed to the point where Cashman and Walker were simply wasting time. The pair both had respectable limits and waited for the clock to run out.

Weighing 5/5 for 2.79kg, Walker was well and truly in the driver’s seat of this tournament.

Walker found himself aboard ABT rookie Brandon Gosbell’s boat for Day 2.

Walker had seen Gosbell fishing nearby on day one, so he was confident they were going to be around fish again.

Gosbell was out of the blocks quickly, fishing the end tip of Middle Wall. Walker took a little while to get the hang of fishing the popular spot. With two fish by mid-morning, and

Crab Gear

Gosbell looking for more, the pair made the quick move to the pontoons right next to the Yamba Tavern, and it was here Walker went to work on filling out his full tournament limit.

Fishing a heavy Cranka Crab around the pontoons and poles, Walker put three more fish in the boat. The pair then returned back to Middle Wall and both managed a few upgrades, and although it was a smaller bag than the previous day’s catch, it was still more than enough get him over the line.

Walker’s gear consisted of Daiwa Silverwolf 2004 reels, matched with Silverwolf Z ShiShi-Ou and Sei-Ryuu rods spooled with 6lb Daiwa Evo 8 braid and 4lb Sunline Bream Special fluorocarbon leader.

TOP 10 BOATERS

Rod: 13 Fishing ENVY Black 71LM 2-8lb Reel: One 3 Creed GT 2000 Line: Sufix Nanobraid 8lb Leader: Gamma 6lb Fluorocarbon Lures: Heavy Cranka Crab, Olive Crab, Brown Crab, Cockle Crab

Austackle Big BREAM

James Morgan claimed the $500 Austackle Big BREAM with a 1.25kg stud. Morgan caught the fish along Middle Wall, fishing a Cranka Crab deep at the base of the rocks.

Morgan took home a huge prize bag courtesy of Austackle to go along with the $500 cash.

OSP Rookie Award

Brandon Gosbell won the OSP Rookie Award in his first ever ABT BREAM Qualifier. Gosbell put together two great days on the Clarence to finish the tournament in 6th place with a 10/10 5.23kg limit. Gosbell fished the front of Middle Wall both days to place in the money in his first ABT event, and took home a great prize bag full of OSP product for his efforts.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Tom SLATER Tristan TAYLOR Matthew FINNEY Taigan HEATH Russell BABEKUHL Brandon GOSBELL Graham FRANKLIN Warren CARTER Mark CROMPTON Chris BRITTON

9/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 9/10

6.14 6.01 5.72 5.64 5.35 5.23 4.93 4.73 4.65 4.58

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

Payout $2400 $1200 $1000 $750 $650 $525 $450 $450

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stuart WALKER Rodney O’SULLIVAN Luke SLAVIN Simon WILSON Clint VOSS Clint NORTHCOTT Russell WINTERS Andrew HARTCHER Shaun EGAN Brett PENPRASE

10/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 6/10 7/10 7/10 6/10

4.97 3.82 3.47 3.27 3.24 3.15 3.08 3.07 3.05 2.94

Payout Costa Prize Pack Samurai Prize Pack Berkley Prize Pack Spotters Prize Pack Tonic Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au OCTOBER 2016

85

Carter claims coast and AOY CE 1ST PLA Victorian BREAMer Warren Carter stamped his name on the PowerPole Angler of the Year title in emphatic fashion, winning the final qualifying event, the Berkley Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier.

There’s certainly no better way to guarantee an AOY victory than by winning the final event. With six anglers in contention going into the final event, Carter knew exactly what everyone needed to improve their tally.

With one of the largest playing fields on the ABT calendar, anglers could spread out from as far north as Mud Island in Moreton Bay, all the way to the upper reaches of the Nerang River.

With the forecasted winds not eventuating until late on day one, Moreton Bay was cleared for exploration for the first session, and that’s exactly where Carter exploded out of the gates to take the overnight lead.

“I spent most of my pre-fish day exploring Moreton Bay,” said Carter, “I fished all of the southern bay islands and didn’t find much that excited me, so I travelled to Mud Island and caught three nice fish and decided that was enough for me to make the hour and 20 minute run from the start line.”

Carter arrived at Mud Island and was greeted by a low tide, with much of the shallow reef exposed. Carter turned his attention to the steep reef edge where he

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

began his day fishing a mixed assortment of deep diving crankbaits.

“I really understood how much the tide influences the fish in Moreton Bay. Almost all of the water I was fishing later in the day was high and dry, those fish have to move somewhere so naturally I assumed they would be on the reef edge waiting for the tide to rise.”

His day went almost perfectly to plan, apart from losing one good quality kilo class fish halfway through the session. He quickly remedied with the tournament’s Austackle Big BREAM, a 38cm fork Moreton Bay special.

Throughout the day, Carter continued to adjust to the rising tide. Initially moving to the inside edge of the main drop off, he then continued over the shallow flat finishing right up on the mangrove line as the session ended with a high tide.

His technique was straightforward and perfectly suited to targeting fish that are looking to feed in the shallow water when the tide allows.

“I relied solely on a slow rolled crankbait on the first day, it allowed me to cover a lot of water and got the attention of plenty of bream the first day. I alternated between three different lures: a deep Cranka Crank, deep Jackall Chubby and a Smith Camion Dredge,” said Carter.

Carter fished the fat profile crankbaits on 11lb Varivas Max Game braid and 5lb Varivas Absolute fluorocarbon leader. He favoured an EDGE Black Widow 702 rod, rated 4-8lb and paired it with a Shimano Stella 2500 reel.

With Moreton Bay shut to anglers on day two due to high winds, Carter’s game plan

flew out the window. Visibly shaken by the news his newly found honey hole would be unavailable, Carter threw caution to the wind, opting to travel almost the same time in the opposite direction to access the bridges of the upper Nerang River.

“I’d spoken to my good friend Cam Whittam about where he was fishing, because my limited experience on the

throughout the upper canal system with heavy Cranka Crabs. “The first bridge I pulled up to I had a legal on the second cast, so that sort of set the tone for me for the rest of the day, I spot hopped from bridge to bridge, and slowly filled a respectable bag for the canals.”

Carter would target the small eddies formed on the down current side of each

Warren Carter holds aloft two of the fish from his Gold Coast and AOY winning bag.

Nerang left me with only a few spots up my sleeve, and Cam had been fishing some of those spots. So I decided to replicate what I’d done in the past and just apply that same technique in different areas.”

Not wanting to intrude on his good friend, Carter travelled into Lake Intrepid, and targeted all the bridges

bridge pylon. The heavy weighted Cranka Crab would fall down the pylon and often Carter would get hit on the drop or almost as soon as it hit the bottom.

As it turned out, his 5/5 2.36kg limit only just scraped Carter clear of second placed Ross Cannizzaro by a mere 40g.

Jackall Chubby

R

Gravel bottom

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

86

OCTOBER 2016

Ross ‘Canal’ Cannizzaro CE 2ND PLA Ross Cannizzaro travelled north to the QLD doubleheader to ensure he qualified for the upcoming Costa BREAM Grand Final on St Georges Basin. Having seen the title slip through his fingers at the Hawkesbury River in 2014, Cannizzaro is out for revenge.

With only limited experience from one prior visit to the expansive waterways of the Gold Coast, Cannizzaro decided to eliminate water that was at the extremities of the tournament venue.

“I didn’t even know where to begin, so I stayed in the broadwater for the entire tournament. Where I knew the channels and speed zones, and wouldn’t eat into

my tournament session by travelling long distances.”

An experienced structure fisherman spending so much time on the structure-laden waterways of Sydney Harbour, Cannizzaro was comfortable in amongst the plethora of pontoons, pylons, jetties and boats scattered throughout the broadwater. But it was two specific areas with increased current flow that garnered most of his attention.

“Sovereign Island and Runaway Bay that seemed to hold better than average fish, and even with my little experience on the Gold Coast, I knew that a bag of 28-30cm class fish was well and truly above par.”

Focusing on these two areas, Cannizzaro went to work with his Abu Garcia arsenal, focusing on hitting the deepest and darkest sections of each pontoon or boat, where he knew few others would spend the time or have the skills to present a lure to the

bream lurking beneath. “I had to be really creative in some instances to get a lure where I thought there would be one sitting, occasionally even busting out the bow-andarrow cast to get a lure into a tight gap.”

Identifying early on that the fish were responding much better to a lure with a very slow fall, Cannizzaro trimmed up, lightening his jighead selection from a 1/24oz Nitro to a 1/50oz Nitro Hidden Weight, which when paired with the ever faithful Gulp Camo Craw offered an irresistible slow sink that Gold Coast bream just couldn’t ignore.

“Day one I probably caught close to 50 fish, it was one of those magical days that everything just goes right.

My non-boater Mark Lawson said to me that my bag would challenge those that travelled the long distance to Moreton Bay and I was surprised to be that far up the standings after the first day.”

BREAM

Presente SERIES d by Berk ley

Ross Cannizzarro was as consistent as ever, finishing second at Berkley presented Gold Coast round of the Costa BREAM Series.

With the bay closed on day two, Cannizzaro knew he stood a good chance of running down those in front, with a solid plan in place and a good supply of fish, it was only a stroke of bad timing that might have possibly cost him the victory. “It was late on the second day and I’d miss-timed my run back to Runaway Bay, the tide had risen and there was a real off-coloured water clarity throughout most of the canal, but there was one

Rocket Rod’s day two rally -BOATER 1ST NON Rodney O’Sullivan stormed home on day two of the Berkley Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier to back up his runner-up finish from the previous weekend’s event with a win to round out the almost perfect northern swing.

O’Sullivan found himself with the local gold, as he drew QLD locals Mick Torley and Nabeel Issa, two boaters with arguably more experience on the Gold Coast than anyone else in the field.

Starting day one with Torley, the pair headed left out of the start at Southport to a set of canals around The Southport School in the lower reaches of the Nerang River.

While Torley had a bag early, O’Sullivan struggled to unlock the secrets of fishing as a non-boater in a waterway like the Gold Coast.

With no fish in the well by midday, O’Sullivan changed his approach; he targeted the various boat ramps and sandy patches between the pontoons, completely ignoring the obvious structure that attracts almost all of the attention.

a lot and it took me a while to adapt to how best to approach it fishing from the back of the boat.”

Weighing 4/5 for 1.76kg, O’Sullivan found himself in 6th place with a number of anglers hot on his tails.

Rodney O’Sullivan secured victory in the non-boater division.

“I managed to scrape up four fish in the last few hours throwing Ecogear Aqua Bream Prawns in salt and pepper into the gaps between the pontoons.

It’s not a technique I’ve fished

On day two, they headed to the deep water of the Seaway.

The pair went to work on the deep water, adding a number of good quality fish to their bags in quick succession.

WINNING NOTES

An experienced deep water fisherman, O’Sullivan relied on a heavy Cranka Crab fished slow and deep to draw the bites. O’Sullivan also lathered the bait in Liquid Mayhem scent, which he believed helped draw fish back for a second or third attempt if they initially missed the hooks.

It didn’t take long for him to put together a five fish limit, and ended the day with a number of small upgrades that pushed his 5/5 limit to 2.55kg, the biggest bag from a non-boater across the whole tournament.

O’Sullivan delivered his lures on his brand new Samurai Reaction 203 rod that he took home from the Austackle Clarence River BREAM Qualifier only a few days before. He paired the new rod with a Shimano Stradic Ci4 2500 and spooled the reel with 9lb Yamatoyo Resin Sheller PE and chose a lighter 3lb Yamatoyo Fluorocarbon leader. “I definitely noticed I was getting more bites on the lighter 3lb line than on the 5lb I was originally using,” said O’Sullivan.

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

5.71 5.67 5.62 5.36 5.32 5.09 5.02 4.96 4.89 4.86

Warren CARTER Ross CANNIZZARO Tony MOORE Steve ELDRED Tristan TAYLOR Alex ROY Russell BABEKUHL Ben RICHARDS Tom SLATER James HOWARTH

probably 100m stretch of clear water with fish loaded under every pontoon. At that stage I had a bag of 26 and 27cm fish, and in the last 20 minutes, I upgraded every single fish I had. With an extra 10-20 minutes to fish the last of the stretch of pontoons, I think I would have scraped up the extra 40g I needed.”

Cannizzaro’s key bait was a cut-down Berkley Gulp Craw, in camo colour, which he threw on a 1/50oz Nitro

hidden weight jighead. He threw the offering on a slightly shorter 6’10” Abu Garcia KRX Salty Stage rod, which he favoured for the accurate casting he desired. He paired the rod with the matching Abu Revo MGX 20 reel, which he spooled with 4lb Berkley Exceed braid and topped it off with a 4lb Berkley Sensei Fluorocarbon leader.

Cannizzaro was classy in defeat, offering praise to all anglers who backed themselves to compete at the highest level of tournament bream fishing. He put a lot of his recent success to having his family accompany him on the trips away from home. With a much shorter drive from his base in Sydney to this year’s Costa BREAM Grand Final on St Georges Basin we’re all expecting big things from Cannizzaro, this could be the year he puts his name on the Grand Final trophy.

Winning Tackle

Rod: Edge Black Widow 702 4-8lb Reel: Shimano Stella 2500 Lures: Cranka Crank Deep, Jackall Chubby Deep, Smith Camion Dredge Line: Varivas Max Power PE 11lb Leader: Varivas Absolute Fluorocarbon 5lb

Winning Edge

Taking advantage of the clear weather on day one allowed Carter to make the most of an open Moreton Bay arena. Catching the tournaments biggest limit set up an early lead that turned out to be unassailable. His diversity shone through on day two, fishing almost two hours by boat away from where he’d spent most of his pre-fish and all of the first day of the tournament. Catching his 10/10 limit from two very different locations earned him not only the title of Berkley Gold Coast BREAM Champion, but also the very coveted and highly regarded Power-Pole BREAM Angler of the Year.

Austackle Big BREAM

Carter’s 38cm fork fish claimed the Austackle Big BREAM award. Carter caught the brute on the shallow reef flats of Mud Island, on a slowly retrieved crankbait banging into the reefy bottom. “The deep diving lures actually snag up less in the shallow water, the extra diving angle keeps the trebles away from the reef more so than a shallower diver would.”

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS Payout $2100 + $500 $250 $1,100 $950 + $300 Y $700 $550 $450 + $150 $350 + $100

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

1st Pro ($200)

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rodney O’SULLIVAN Mark LAWSON Paul MAZAROLI Jonathan THOMPSON James MORGAN Mark PALAZZI Christian WARDINI Brett WATSON Mathew BACIC Joe ALLAN

9 10 10 10 8 9 8 8 8 7

4.31 3.76 3.71 3.71 3.23 3.20 3.13 2.89 2.84 2.72

Payout Costa Prize Pack Samurai Prize Pack Berkley Prize Pack Spotters Prize Pack Tonic Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

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

OCTOBER 2016

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yak Hobie Ka ries Se BREAM by Daiwa d Presente

Almost 100 anglers from all over Australia, arrived at the seaside town of Forster, New South Wales, to compete in the Hog’s Breath Cafe Round 12 of the 2016 Hobie Kayak Bream Series, presented by Daiwa.

All were competing for a seat at the 2016 Australian Hobie Fishing Championship to be held on the Gold Coast

Somerton cleans up at Wallis Lake over the weekend, from the edge fishing along Pipers Bay, Yahoo and Garden islands, the weedy flats directly in front of the launch site, to the adrenalin filled highs and lows of oyster racks found throughout the arena.

The weekend started with wet, cold and windy conditions, coming from the southwest, stirring up the water. This became an epic afternoon of fishing on

Anglers from all over Australia came down to participate in Round 12.

Somerton had his whole rod under the yak, trying to pull in his winning fish. in late October. This was the last chance for those campaigning for a spot on the 2016 Australian Hobie Fishing Worlds Team, to build their qualifying score.

The Wallis Lake arena was the perfect spot to do just that.

The arena is a favourite on the Hobie Calendar, due to the quality and diversity of fishing the system delivers.

There were plenty of options

Saturday, with 41 full bags of four bream, and a total of 225 yellowfin bream for the day.

In contrast, day two delivered calmer conditions with high sun and very little wind, making a more comfortable, albeit tougher second day on the water. At the close of competition, 81 of 96 anglers had presented a total 390 yellowfin bream to the tournament director,

weighing in excess of 180kg over the course of the weekend.

Ultimately, Richard Somerton from Victoria claimed the top spot and took home the monster cash prize of $2,730, as well as a generous sponsors prize pack for his trouble. Somerton’s impressive two day total of eight bream for 6.6kg were pulled from the racks, near Tuncurry – an 8km pedal from the Atomic Lures launch site. He secured the

Award for his 1.41kg horse.

WINNING WAYS “There was one set of racks that had shags all over it, which is just berley in the water,” he said. “Plenty of cover, plenty of food, plenty of fish! When I got the big one, I had the crab under the racks and he went sideways with it. When he came out, I saw how big he was and he just buried me. I had the whole rod underneath the yak. I don’t know how I landed him on size 14 hooks and 10lb leader.

and SIX Maps to build a plan of attack for the weekend, with the intention of ‘spot hopping’ a lap around Wallis Island. After getting his bag early on Saturday morning, he continued fishing where the fish were and saved his legs.

With the high sun on day two, he headed to the racks about an hour from the launch site, but had to find his own water as there were many anglers with same idea.

“My game plan across both days was pitching unweighted Ecogear Aqua soft plastic on a sample pack of Daiwa Saq Sas teflon coated super sticky worm hooks, which worked really well on day one, but the bite changed on Sunday.

Between that and the good old 2.5” bloodworm ZMan GrubZ covered in Pro-Cure, just pitching them as close as possible to the racks worked really well,” he said.

Hickson used a Zantetsu 6’8” 2.5kg rod and 2500 reel from the Daiwa Silver Wolf range on day one, with 15lb Evo 8 braid, 10lb Gamma FC leader and an unweighted Ecogear Aqua soft plastic. On day two, he used a Daiwa

Black Label 6’8” 2.5kg rod with 2500 Freams Z reel, 10lb JBraid line, 8lb Gamma FC leader and 2.5” bloodworm ZMan GrubZ. COMING UP

Round 13, the penultimate round for 2016, sees the Hobie Fishing Road Show head to Nelson on the South Australian Victorian border for the Ecogear round of the series, before heading back to Queensland for the final round of the year at Bribie Island.

SPECIAL THANKS Like all of the events in the Hobie Kayak Fishing Series, this round could not have gone ahead without the great support of our generous sponsors, Daiwa, Berkley, Atomic, Lowrance, Rhino-Rack, Strike Pro, TT Lures, Yamatoyo, Ecogear, Power-Pole, Hog’s Breath Cafe, Mortgage Corp, ABT and also to the team at Barclay Marine for providing dealer support for the tournament. Thanks especially to those who helped out on the day, and the 96 anglers in attendance, for making this the largest New South Wales round since the series started in 2009.

Hickson came prepared and mapped out his plan of attack.

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

88

OCTOBER 2016

victory with a comfortable 1.29kg lead over second place Kris Hickson from NSW, with eight fish at 5.11kg total. Carl Dubois, also from NSW, came in third with eight fish, 4.67kg.

Somerton put the work in with a 16km round trip and snatched the bulk of his fish from cover. Some particularly shag covered oyster racks not only provided shelter for the fish, but also a plentiful food supply. The decision paid dividends, and the racks not only delivered his bags, but also landed him another $100 for the Hog’s Breath Cafe Boss Hog Big Bream

“The Cranka Crab really worked for me. He had the two sets of trebles on either side of his mouth and that’s the only reason I held on to him.”

Somerton used a Duffrods 1-5kg Custom rod with a Daiwa Exist reel, 10lb braid and Sunline FC Rock leader. The lure was a Cranka Crab in brackish fiddler.

Kris Hickson, who won the 2014 Wallis Lake round, landed himself a seat at the Hobie Fishing Australian Championship on the Gold Coast, with his second place bag. Hickson used his prior knowledge, Google Earth,

Over the weekend, anglers presented 390 yellowfin bream, weighing over 180kg total.

h t i w e r e h w y n Go a

e r e h w y r e v e

NEW

HKC-6000

hybrid

We set our design team some key goals that they had to meet.

• One man needs to be able to set up his camp in under 3 minutes complete even with the roof loaded with a tinny, motor, camping gear ect. Up to 400kg payload.

• A real sized queen innerspring mattress, the double bed just doesn’t have enough room for the average Aussie and his partner.

• Light weight construction marine grade aluminium but still strong enough to handle even the harshest terrain Australia has to offer.

• 100% Made in Australia and tuff as nails.

Superior ground clearance

Innovative and feature packed

Tough and well designed • We designed an awning on the side that is a simple one man operation to make setup a breeze. It will comfortably hang off the side of the camper unaided, unless there is high winds. Straps and Poles will be supplied for such an occasion.

Features • The cutting edge design is not just skin deep, it starts with the Vehicle Components Suspension, and goes all the way up to the engineering of the innovative heavy duty roof lift system that has never been seen before on a full off-road camper trailer.

With 4 heavy duty rams to lift the roof up in less than a minute, you can leave all your gear on the roof, and with the press of a button, up it goes!

Will lift 400kg on the roof

Precision laser cut components

• Set up in under 3 minutes • A real sized queen innerspring mattress, the double bed just doesn’t have enough room for the average Aussie and his wife.

• The engineered construction of the camper is built with a 3mm heavy duty hot dip galvanised chassis and the body is made out of 2.5mm aluminium sheeting with all the internal components welded to it.

Doing this doubled the strength of the campers construction compared to a typical off road camper built in composite panel. This will be one of very few campers constructed in this manner.

For more information on the HKC-6000, give our experienced sales team a call on (07) 3801 8332 Email: sales@hardkorrcampers.com.au

• Loads of standard features and optional extras available

HKC-6000

hybrid

HKC reserves the right to change features, designs, materials and inclusions at out discretion.

All inclusions listed are current at time of printing and are based on pre-production approved specifications and could be altered or deleted prior to the units manufacture date.

OCTOBER 2016

89

What’s New FISHING

1

KRAKEN HALF NUDE EGI

The unique Kraken Half Nude Egi from River2Sea has a cloth back and a fluidfilled belly, giving it the action of a hard jig with the feel of a cloth jig.

The fluid that fills the Kraken Half Nude Egi has a couple of benefits. Firstly, it acts as a casting weight, similar to a ball bearing, so the lure casts true. The fluid also contributes to the lure’s action, splashing from side to side and adding a lifelike, erratic factor to the jig’s action as you work it.

This jig fitted with ultra-sharp, Japanese barbs to maximise catch rates, and the bulb balanced lead acts like the keel of a yacht, ensuring the lure glides at perfect angles. The Half Nude Egi has two tow points so you can vary the action of the jig, and it’s available in a variety of colours. And as you’d expect from River2Sea, the price is very good value for the quality of the jig.

Price: SRP $19.95 www.river2sea.com.au

2

AMPHIBIAN WATCH

Much like its namesake, the Australianmade 200m Amphibian is geared around diversity. Just as happy in the water as it is on dry land, the Amphibian from Adina gives you the freedom required to live a life on the move.

This watch boasts a robust, cold stamped, nickel-free, stainless steel case. This houses a fully repairable Swiss movement, and the case is also equipped with a stylish sapphire crystal face for unparalleled scratch resistance. All in all, it’s tough exterior that’s purpose built to handle the kind of bumps and knocks that you get out on the water or in the great outdoors.

The Amphibian can handle all the elements. Whether you’re in the shower, out fishing, at work or having a swim, the Amphibian will feel right at home. It employs a screw crown system for supreme water and dust protection, and the comfort moulded P.U. strap features internal ribbing for breathability and incorporates a classic diver’s buckle.

Adina designs and assembles every single watch in Australia, using the best watchmaking technologies from all around the world. For more information on this and other men’s and women’s models in the range, log onto the Adina website.

Price: SRP $279 (NK167 S2FS) www.adinawatches.com.au

3

BALISTA TRANCE

For years Balista has been giving anglers the edge in lowlight conditions and dirty water, and their latest release is the 50mm Trance.

The Trance features Balista’s miniaturised LED system. This technology has been proven time and again in larger lures for Murray cod and barra, and now it’s game on for smaller species such as bass, bream and trout.

You can use the LED all the time, although you’ll notice a spike in bites in dirty water, lowlight conditions and overcast days. The Trance dives to 6ft, and has a super slow float. Crank it down next to structure or weed beds, and allow it to sit on the spot before beginning to float, while its tail flashes blood red.

Every feature of this lure has been considered carefully and tested heavily. It has ultra-sharp BKK trebles and excellent castability. It comes in a range of proven colours, most of which have UV in a pattern on the side, the base coat or under the nose.

Price: SRP $24.95 www.balista.com.au

4

DAIWA AIRD X

Over the past few years Daiwa’s brightly colored Aird reels have built an enviable reputation, not only on value but incredible performance. Now Daiwa has introduced the all-new Aird X – Daiwa’s most feature-packed reel in this price range.

Built on a solid, corrosion-resistant graphite frame and side plate, Aird X uses many of Daiwa’s innovations like Digigear, for powerful smooth cranking; ABS, for supreme casting; Airbail, for perfect line control; Air Rotor, for increased strength and weight reduction; and Twistbuster, to eliminate line twist.

All up, the Aird X delivers class-leading performance without breaking the bank balance, and is an ideal reel for beginners to pros.

There are four models: the 2000SH (5.6 gear ratio, 225g, 2kg drag, 2.7kg/125m, PE 1/200m); 2500SH (5.6, 255g, 4kg, 3.6kg/155m, PE 1.5/200m); 3000SH (5.6, 290g, 4.5kg/185m, PE 1.2/350m), 4000SH (5.7, 380g, 5.4kg/240m, PE 2.5/300m). www.daiwafishing.com.au

5

OCTOBER 2016

1

2

AUSTACKLE GIZMO HD

Big predatory fish are suckers for the flash and vibration of Colorado blades, and Austackle’s Gizmo HD Big Fish Edition takes full advantage of this. It’s built on a solid Mustad hook, perfect for snapper, kingfish, cobia, mulloway, big flathead, Murray cod and barra.

You can retrieve the Gizmo HD in a number of ways. You can slow roll it, crawl it along the bottom, hop it, drop it through schooled fish, burn it through structure and more. Use it as you would a jig or bait; look for fish on the sounder, then drop the Gizmo and let it sink through the bait school/fish.

Lift and drop the lure and get hit!

The Gizmo HD’s sturdy wire arms are adjustable, so you can bend and tune as required. You can also add a soft plastic trailer to boost the lure’s size and vibration, and to slow the rate of fall. Austackle recommends a Paddleworm 100 or Whiptail Grub 85.

The Gizmo Big Fish weighs 1oz and comes in six colours, including UV patterns for maximum attraction.

Price: SRP $22 www.austackle.com

6

3

4

ATOMIC ARROWZ RODS

Designed in Australia for Australian species, Atomic Arrowz rods integrate advanced designs with the finest materials, including Fuji components and performance-focused, fullgraphite blanks.

This series has been designed for both bait and lure angling, and features three ranges: estuary, offshore and barra.

The Estuary Series has four spin models.

From the finesse special 70SUL designed for ultra light bait and lure fishing, to the heaviest model in the series, the 70ML, this is a series that delivers refinement, precision, and lightness.

The Offshore Series delivers superior muscle and control. These four 7’0” spin rods feature ultra-refined fore and rear neoprene grips, and are great value for money.

In the Barra series there’s one spin and two baitcaster rods, all with neoprene fore and cork rear grips. You get the finesse to feel the most subtle of bites, and blank sensitivity and control to twitch, rip and pop baits.

Price: approx. SRP $150-$200 www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 90

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

BY REDD BY WERE PO POWE

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

What’s New FISHING

POWERED BY

7

8 9

7

ICERAYS UV SLEEVES

8

XP BUTTERFLY ICE JIG

Icerays UV Sleeves are Australia’s best selling, fully tested and certified sun sleeves. They allow you to wear your favourite T-shirt or polo without having to slather on sunscreen, worry about having to reapply it, or miss areas of your skin. Icerays Sleeves are also a cool and comfortable alternative to a hot, longsleeved shirt.

These sleeves are easy to slip on and off, and as the breeze blows, the Tactel/Spandex fabric cools the skin. They’re certified 50+, are hand washable, and there are seven colours to choose from. And for the ultimate in protection, you can team them up with Icerays Hand Covers.

As well as being great out on the water, Icerays UV Sleeves are handy for other activities. You can slip them on before a road trip, use them while you’re gardening, or wear them while playing sport like cricket, tennis or golf (they’re the sun protection product of choice for golf professional Anne Rollo).

Price: SRP $29.95 per pair www.icerays.com.au

The XP Bait Butterfly Ice Jig, with built-in ‘butterfly wings’, is like no ice jig you’ve ever seen before. As it sinks its wings open up, slowing the glide and making the jig flutter through the water column. This keeps the jig in the strike zone for longer and in the fish’s face. When the jig is raised the wings fold closed.

Another feature is the TFLF (Temporary Fishing Line Fixation) System – a small clip on the lure’s tail that you can thread your line through. It causes the jig to rapidly drop nosefirst, to get you into the strike zone quicker.

Once the jig has reached the desired depth, give a quick flick of the rod tip to release your line from the clip.

XP Bait Butterfly Jigs come in 50mm and 60mm sizes and a range of colours, with holographic foil that flashes when the wings open. These lures are sure to be a huge hit with anglers chasing bass, redfin and yellowbelly.

Price: SRP $18.99 www.jurofishing.com

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12 SCAN THE QR CODE!

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

GULP JIGGING SHRIMP

Combine the proven fish-catching profile of a Gulp Shrimp and add the enticing tail action of a long, curl tail and you get the New Berkley Gulp Jigging Shrimp.

Designed in Australia, the Gulp Jigging Shrimp is essentially a cross between two very popular lures – the Gulp Shrimp and the Nemesis. The Jigging Shrimp delivers more movement on the drop than the original Gulp Shrimp, and it can also be wound on the surface in the ‘pink grub’ style. Whether it’s on the drop or on the hop, the Jigging Shrimp tail swims at the slowest of speeds, delivering a continuous lifelike action.

This new lure is available in 3” and 5” sizes and 12 colours, and appeals to a wide range of species. Basically, any species that will eat a prawn will eat this lure. And like all Gulp soft baits, it’s packed full of potent scent that fish can’t resist.

Price: SRP $13.95 www.berkley-fishing.com.au

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

10

NOMAD DTX MINNOW

The DTX Minnow is a revolution in trolling minnows, featuring Nomad Autotune, Hydrospeed and Gorilla Through Wire advanced design technology.

The DTX (Dogtooth Extreme) entices and stands up to the toughest fish in the ocean.

The unique design creates a distressed baitfish swimming action, and the Nomad Designed Autotune tow point and bib system means this lure just keeps swimming deep and straight every time, no matter how many bites it has had. The concealed Hydrospeed belly eyelet allows faster trolling speeds than conventional tow points, so the DTX Minnow just keeps swimming straight and true.

The 165mm Model can be trolled at up to 9 knots, and dives to 10m+ when trolled at 6-8 knots. The 200mm version can be trolled at up to 11 knots and dives to 12m+ when trolled at 6-8 knots.

The DTX minnow is rigged with Nomad’s purpose-designed, inline single hooks. It’s ideal for tuna, wahoo, mackerel, mahimahi and more.

Price: SRP $34.95-$39.95 www.nomaddesigntackle.com

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GEECRACK GILLING

A new hardbody swimbait from Japanese lure maker Geecrack is set to explode on the Australian freshwater gamefishing market.

This new model is called the Gilling, and the attention to detail and precise construction of this Japanese-made lure make it a step above its competitors on the Australian market.

Surprisingly though, the Gilling won’t cost you an arm and a leg when you add it to your freshwater fishing arsenal.

Built in three pieces to mimic fluid and realistic movement, the Gilling is suitable for a range of large freshwater predators including bass and Murray cod.

This floating, rattling swimbait comes in a range of sizes and 43 colour combinations. www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

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MOZZIE-FREE SHIRTS

The new BF Maxflow Repel apparel from Bigfish contains an insect-resistant agent that repels 95% of mosquitoes and other biting insects.

The range has all the features of Bigfish’s current fabric (soft, cool, lightweight, durable and UPF50) but now when heading out for a day on the water you’ll repel mosquitoes and other bities at the same time!

Bigfish tested the shirts on the flood plains of the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory, where marsh mosquitoes are so thick they actually bite you through traditional shirts.

The team conducted late afternoon field tests where plenty of mosquitoes landed and bit through traditional fabric. However, when they landed on the Repel-infused fabric, they quickly took off again.

The technology behind it is a micro-emulsion treatment that ensures almost perfect transfer from the aqueous phase of the repellent to bond to fabric. It retains 80% efficacy even after 50-70 washes, which is an incredible amount of days on the water!

Price: SRP $99.95 www.bigfishgear.com

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What’s New FISHING

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ZMAN EZ SHRIMPZ

The 3.5” ZMan EZ ShrimpZ has been designed with a segmented body for a realistic action and glide. It also has 3D eyes, along with thin legs and antennae for added realism and lifelike movement.

The rigged version comes in a pack of two and is rigged on weighted Mustad UltraPoint hooks. The weight design locks the ShrimpZ in place and ensures a balanced, realistic glide on the sink. The EZ ShrimpZ weighs about 1/4oz, with the segmented weight system giving you the option to clip off sections of the weight with a pair of cutters.

Unrigged EZ ShrimpZ come in a pack of four and act as replacement bodies for the rigged version, while also being dynamite rigged on your favourite jighead.

The TTs HeadlockZ and DemonZ jigheads are ideal for locking on the super-soft and flexible EZ ShrimpZ, with a 3/0 hook size a good starting point. In snaggy areas, TTs recommends the ChinlockZ, ChinlockZ SWS and SnakelockZ. Price: SRP $17 www.ttlures.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

BY REDD BY WERE POWE PO

EGI OH Q AUSSIE EDITION

Yamashita have worked in collaboration with Australian anglers to release a special limited edition series of colours in the Egi Oh Q Live series.

With five glow body versions and one red tape model, these jigs are ideal for use in low light conditions or at night. The three natural baitfish imitations – the King George whiting, glow prawn and black prawn – are ideal in clear water or when the squid are hard to catch. The three zebra glow colours are ideal in dirty water or when the squid are more aggressive.

The Aussie Edition Egi Oh Q Live jigs are available now in sizes 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5. Keep an eye out for them at your favourite tackle store, or look up Yamashita Australia on Facebook for the latest news and photos.

Price: from SRP $20 www.ejtodd.com.au

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BARRA X PRO

Named for its smooth styling, Swift is Spotters’ take on mixing a retro classic with 21st Century sports function.

The Swift has been built for action, and its lens shape is a classic, born in the 50s and worn by sports celebrities and movie stars. To boost visual performance, Spotters has incorporated its signature lens curve to block glare and give you full UV protection.

The Swift’s frame material technology is strong and durable yet flexible and light – something sunglass creators of the 50s could only have dreamed about. Spotters has moulded a slim temple to keep your peripheral vision clear, completing the look with a hook end on the arms to keep your sunnies secure no matter how active you get.

Price: SRP $289.50 www.spotters.com.au

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STORM ARASHI VIBE

Storm have raised the bar in the vibe market, with the new Arashi Vibe.

Sporting a very handy moving tow point, where the tow point can slide depending on the lure’s movement, this vibe is incredibly versatile.

Being so versatile, they are perfect for both vertical jigging and casting applications.

They give off fantastic vibrations on the lift or steady wind, but even when allowed to sink, the body rocks enticingly. These lures are always putting out distressed baitfish signals, whether it is being imparted by the angler or not.

Rotated hook hangers allow for better hook exposure, so you can turn short takes into hook ups.

The Storm Arashi Vibe comes in eight colours to suit different fishing scenarios.

At 7cm long and 16g in weight, these great vibes can be thrown at (or dropped onto) many different native and nonnative species.

Price: SRP approx. $20-$25 www.rapala.com.au

OCTOBER 2016

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SHIMANO MAIKURO RODS

Maikuro, meaning micro in Japanese, is the new series of nano graphite technology rods from Shimano. They have a sleek, modern design with a matt black finish, white, silver and black trims, and stylish butt configurations incorporating the new Sea Guide carbon hooded reel seat.

The butt design is a combination of cork and extra hard EVA, which was selected for the best transmission of bites and sensitivity in the angler’s hand. Thanks to the highly responsive graphite blanks, this series is best suited to finesse lure-casting situations.

There are rods are perfect for targeting light freshwater and estuary, and of course barramundi. Perfect for baitcasting fishos.

There is currently one model (MK621BCM) which is 1.8m, 1-piece and rated to 3-6kg. The Maikuro range also includes spin, beach, jigging and offshore models, and more info is available at the Shimano website.

Price: approx. SRP $120 www.shimanofish.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 92

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Wilson Fishing has taken the popular Barra X and given it a serious upgrade, creating the Barra X Pro series.

This series has been built with extra strength in mind, as the target species include mulloway, barra and Murray cod.

The Barra X Pro also has a magnetic cast system that gives the lure incredible casting distance and accuracy as well as unique underwater sonics when retrieved.

This floating lure is available in 100mm, 120mm and 180mm lengths. It’s designed with a square bib that creates a unique swimming action that screams ‘eat me!’ to fish, and it’s fitted with terminal tackle that will never let you down.

Retrieved with a slow wind or a jerking, twitchy retrieve, the Barra X Pro in all sizes dives between 0.8m and 1.2m, putting it squarely into the frame for snag bashing Murray cod and barra or taking advantage of floodwaters at river mouths or headlands for mulloway. It comes in 10 specifically developed colours that include some amazing natural patterns, holographic patterns and attractor patterns. www.wilsonfishing.com

SPOTTERS SWIFT

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

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What’s New FISHING TESTED: Award DTD is a company in Croatia that produces high quality squid jigs and accessories, which are distributed worldwide. Croatia sits on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, and boasts some of the most beautiful shallow reefs in the world, so it’s not surprising that they’re producing such good gear.

We at Fishing Monthly were lucky enough to have some sent to us for testing. We knew DTD had won awards in Europe, so we were keen to try them.

UPON INSPECTION Opening the box to see what they’d sent us, we realised DTD have a massive range, with many realistic colour schemes and sizes.

The attention to detail on these jigs was impressive, and obviously based on science. I was intrigued by the range of bibbed minnows with squid prongs at the back – something I’d never even heard of. DTD have even gone as far as to print little fish parasites onto the some of the jigs.

Strong cloth, steady tow points and razor sharp prongs come standard with each jig, with some even having rattles. I’ve never used a squid jig with rattles, and was very keen to see if this made any difference to the action of the jig, and of course, the appeal to the squid.

From what I could read on the packet, I noticed that most of the jigs had a slower sink rate than most other jigs, which suited me to a T. I like to fish very shallow for my squid, and a slower sink rate meant more time for the jig to sit in the squids’ face!

Up here in Queensland, the main quarry is tiger squid, or northern calamari. I was charged with the task of finding squid for the

winning squid jigs hit Aussie shores squid community by storm in recent years, the jig really came to life! The side-to-side motion of the jig looked so good! And when worked, it came right up in the water column for anything in the area to see and home in on. That was enough mucking around, it was time to start fishing!

For some reason, the action was quite slow in my usual area this year, but I was confident we’d catch squid. We got a few aggressive swipes and bites from flathead and trevally, which was a good sign. If it’s good enough for wily flathead or trevally, then a silly old squid probably won’t ask questions!

Strong cloth, steady tow points and razor sharp prongs come standard with each DTD jig. team to catch, so it was time to get out of the office and hunt some tentacles!

IN THE FIELD We started by looking at the action of the jigs in the water. I was drawn to the orange Retro Oita model in size 3.0, because it reminded me a bit of the jigs I’d normally use.

The difference was that this DTD jig had a rattle, and a tantalisingly slow sink rate.

With a steady wind, the jig cruised upright, much like a prawn or baitfish would when not being chased. However, upon employing the popular, fast whip-like action that’s taken the

TESTED: Platypus

The author was given a spool of 6lb P8 to try, and it was ideal for casting small hardbody lures.

Braided line, or ‘super lines’ as many people call them, changed the fishing landscape many years ago. The sensitivity and feel these lines provided, changed the face of lure fishing in particular.

At the time they weren’t cheap, but as manufacturing processes improved, so did the quality and price. Braid is now accessible to many more anglers.

Platypus (Australian Monofilament) has been there from the start, producing braid from their Brisbane head office like Bionic Braid (one of the first 8 carrier braids), Super Braid and now Platinum, Platinum Plus and P8 braid. P8 Braid is their latest 8-carrier braid, and when a couple of spools landed SCAN THE QR CODE!

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

BY REDD BY WERE POWE PO

Big, angry QLD squid loved the DTD jigs almost as much as we did!

The slow sink rate of the jigs will suit land-based anglers very well.

Finally, I spotted a big loner cruising along a rock wall, and I suggested to Fishing Monthly’s Michael ‘Foxy’ Fox to pop one near it. Almost immediately after the first few jerks, the chunky animal wrapped its tentacles around the jig and Foxy’s rod buckled over.

Rattles work for squid!

Since that first encounter, we’ve enjoyed using these innovative Croatian squid jigs.

Unfortunately, we only started using them at the tail end of the Queensland squid season, but we’ll be well equipped for next season.

I can’t wait to test out some of those other weird and wonderful jigs from DTD, especially the bibbed ones!

BANG FOR BUCK In the world of squid jigs, you definitely get what you pay for. Spending that little bit of extra money is recommended if you want to catch more squid, and have your jigs last longer. DTD’s range of jigs present the perfect balance between price and quality, and have proven their worth on Aussie squid. There’s a place in tackle boxes all around Australia for these innovative imports, and I’m keen to see what DTD will do next! – Bob Thornton

P8 braid – 8-star quality

on my desk six months ago for testing, it immediately found its way onto a couple of my spin and baitcast outfits.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS P8 braid is seriously thin (I was given 6lb and 20lb to test) and smooth to touch.

However, although thinness and smoothness are desirable they can also create issues with knot tying. Not all of us can tie knots likes Geoff Wilson, and I wondered whether I’d be able to continue tying the braid-toleader knots I had always used. Losing fish due to knot failure is never a good feeling.

I liked the orange colouring. Most of my fishing is done using lures, and the ability to see the line, as well as feel the bite, is important.

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST The first test for any line is when you spool it onto a reel. Will it go on evenly, will it spool tightly enough and can you get enough onto your reel to meet your fishing requirements? These are the things to consider, and the P8 delivered on all fronts.

Its fine diameter ensures line capacity isn’t an issue. Additionally, because the line is so supple and round in shape, it goes onto the spool snuggly and evenly when you apply firm pressure while spooling. This trait means you’re unlikely to have it bite or over-bind on the spool. This is critical on a baitcast reel.

My first opportunity to use the line was on a trip bass fishing to some gorge country west of Brisbane. An ideal testing ground, but also scary as any line failure would be a disaster; the area is a hike-in and hike-out location, with minimum tackle on board.

I needn’t have worried though, as the

P8 ticked all the boxes. I didn’t need to learn any new knots, and the knot integrity was excellent. Castability, due to the fine diameter of the line, was better than I had hoped. This was pretty important as much of my time was spent casting surface lures and small hardbodies, and any added distance was appreciated. This also translated into

A quality bass caught on a surface lure, caught using the Platypus P8 line for the first time.

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

the baitcast outfit I used, and when the inevitable bird’s nest happened I was able to sort it with minimal fuss.

The sensitivity of the line is excellent, as you would expect from an 8-carrier braid, and I enjoyed the feel through the guides. It is a very soft feel compared other braids I have used, and less harsh running through the guides.

In successive trips I have continued to be impressed with the P8 braid. The wear and tear of fishing has not affected the performance of the line, and there is no sign of it losing its strength or integrity. Yes, like most braids the colour of the used portion of the line has faded, but that doesn’t affect its integrity.

Platypus P8 braid is available in eight breaking strains from 6lb through to 80lb in 150 yard and 300 yard spools. Pricing starts from just under $50 for a 150 yard spool, and remember when you buy Platypus you are supporting an Australian company.

– Peter Jung

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au OCTOBER 2016

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Paddling Patto Lakes MELBOURNE

Corey Gallagher

Paddling the canals of the Patterson Lakes Complex in your kayak, you could believe you’re holidaying on the Gold Coast, until the cold chill of Melbourne winter brings you back to reality. The weather may not be as spectacular on

specifically when conditions are right.

FISHING METHODS / TECHNIQUES When chasing bream in the canals at Patterson Lakes, there’s a vast range of techniques that will get you a bite. The key to success is working out which technique is working on any particular day. During warmer months, when bream

Nick Mace with a couple of Patterson Lakes bream extracted from heavy structure. the Patterson Lakes canals, but fishing certainly can be. Offering a plethora of pontoons, pylons, wharfs, boat hulls, docks, rock walls and mud flats, the area is jam-packed with fish holding structure. It might be the best place to catch a bream in the greater Melbourne area.

ACCESS Patterson River Boat Ramp is undoubtedly the best launching option for kayak anglers in the area.

Less than 30km southeast from Melbourne’s CBD, the ramp can be accessed via Launching Way off Macleod Road, Carrum. Facilities at the ramp are excellent and include four concrete ramps, floating pontoons, public toilets and a massive car park. Despite its size, the ramp can get very busy, particularly during snapper season. I prefer to launch outside of peak times to avoid the queues. My preference is to launch at ramp four at the eastern end of the boat ramp. It sees far less boat traffic and is closer to the entrance to the canal system.

TARGET SPECIES Southern black bream are the main target species for kayak anglers fishing the Patto Lakes. However, they’re not the only species on offer in the system.

Estuary perch and mulloway are also an option at certain times of the year, and can offer a very welcome by-catch or be targeted 94

OCTOBER 2016

drop, long pauses followed by subtle movements of the rod tip will often result in some interest.

Once hooked, tight drags are required. Heavier leaders allow you pulling power to extract the fish from all that structure. Bream are notoriously dirty fighters and will do their absolute best to get back home and bust you off. Similarly, small vibration style hardbodies such as Strike Pro Micro Vibes are super effective and have accounted for countless Patterson Lakes bream over the years.

Fishing the structure doesn’t just limit you to crabs or micro vibes; sinking bibless minnows, stick minnows, are another effective way to entice bream.

The key to success fishing these techniques is an accurate cast. Keeping your presentation as close as possible to where the bream are feeding is critical. For this reason, kayaks come into their own in this type of structure-laden water. Kayak anglers can approach a likely looking pontoon or boat hull in silence, meaning they get considerably closer before spooking fish. The size and

Paddling the Patterson Lakes canals feels like holidaying on the Gold Coast. superior manoeuvrability allows anglers to position their yaks at that perfect angle, so the cast can be successfully fired into a seemingly impossible small gap between boat hull and pontoon. It’s those casts that regularly result in a hit.

Soft plastics, particularly small curl-tail grubs in the 2-3” range, rigged on a 1/16oz jighead, are very effective and versatile at Patterson Lakes. Like other methods, they can be cast

in tight and worked close to structure, or used to target schooled up pre-spawn bream sitting in deep, open water during cooler months. Metal blades are effective when the

the bank and worked down the flat using a hop, hop, pause retrieve can produce a strike. Diving hardbody lures are useful when fishing the flats. Long casts, with a slow

A crab imitation thrown up tight against a concrete wall accounted for this healthy specimen, caught by the author.

The relatively small size and superior manoeuvrability of a kayak helps anglers position their yaks for a cast to be successfully fired into that perfect gap. are actively seeking bait and sitting higher in the water column, I prefer to focus on fishing structure. Bream will often hold under boat hulls, floating docks or pontoons, so casting accuracy is critical.

Casting crab imitation lures tight against structure is a dynamite method of catching bream at Patto Lakes. Once the crab hits the water, keep a ‘belly’ of slack in your line and pay attention. The slack line will allow the crab to fall down through the water column as naturally as possible. Often, bream will hit the crab is it falls, so watch that belly for anything that indicates a bite.

If I don’t get hit on the initial

fish have moved away from the structure and are schooled up. Cast these lures over a school and work back using a lift and pause retrieve – this can be a killer technique.

There are also extensive mud and sand flats at Patto Lakes. Grubs cast towards

This area is jam-packed with fish holding structure.

twitch and pause retrieve in contact with the bottom, will account for perch, mulloway and bream.

SAFETY GEAR Remember to wear a PFD and carry a bailer on your kayak, as required by Victorian law. The Patterson Lakes ramp can be very busy, so take measures to ensure you’re highly visible for boat traffic. During large tides, strong currents exist, particularly when paddling through the narrow floodgates at the entrance to the canals.

CONCLUSION In recent years, the popularity of fishing from a kayak has grown. With the lake’s close proximity to Victoria’s capital, it’s the perfect place for kayak anglers living in the city to get their fishing fix. Kayaks are the perfect craft for taking on the vast array of structure featured throughout the Patterson Lakes system – it’s one place I never tire of fishing.

Product Profile

Fusion StereoActive combines cool with practical FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

As far as product launches go, Fusion’s recent gig on the Gold Coast was pretty cool. Food, drinks, boats – all very GC. But by far, the coolest part of the afternoon was the launch of Fusion’s new Stereo Active product, which fills a niche in the market, especially for craft that don’t have a battery or a need for an inbuilt audio rig.

What is a StereoActive?

Let’s see if I can summarise it into a sentence…. It’s a floating, waterproof, selfpowered radio/stereo that can play off a USB, tune in your favourite AM/FM channel or stream from your phone. PS: it can also keep that phone and your keys dry and unsinkable.

Confused?

Probably.

There’s a lot to this product, so let’s break that sentence down a little and see what it can do.

There’s two pieces to the system – the StereoActive unit, which houses all of the technology, and the ActiveSafe, which holds your valuables and connects seamlessly to the base mounting plate and the StereoActive unit.

Still confused? Might be easier to watch the video that we made of the Launch event. Scan the QR code hereby or search for the

Weighing in at 1.3kg, there’s plenty of features in this IPX7 level waterproof unit that floats!

Fishing Monthly YouTube channel. We were lucky enough to corner the lead product designer, Graham Brain, to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Straight up, the StereoActive is a fully selfcontained sound system that can play AM/FM radio, media from your phone via Bluetooth or as much as you can cram onto a USB memory stick. The battery lasts for around 20 hours, unless you crank up the volume to “I hate the neighbours” level, which will reduce that time a little.

The buttons to control the unit are large and sensitive, but intelligently, they’ve been designed to be able to be used with the blade of a paddle.

Canoeists, paddleboarders and kayakers will appreciate this when the unit is mounted

action camera. Both the music and the camera point at you. Selfie nirvana.

The second part of the system, the ActiveSafe, works perfectly well as a fully waterproof, floating sanctuary for things like keys, cards and phones that don’t like getting wet.

Plenty of anglers would use just the ActiveSafe alone.

After all, who hasn’t sacrificed a car key or smartphone to the boating gods at least once over the years? $129AUD RRP is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that the ActiveSafe alone delivers.

The StereoActive system

on the extremities of the craft.

Tinnie users will appreciate that the unit can take a beating and a soaking at the same time.

As there’s no LCD screen, the system tells you verbally the functions you have selected. And it can do that in half a dozen languages if you don’t speak Aussie or Kiwi.

You can control the unit with a paddle, the buttons, or via a compatible Garmin smart watches via ANT technology or the Fusion-Link App on your phone.

Incidentally, the unit’s USB port can also be used as an emergency phone charger – handy if you find yourself out of juice and immobilised on the high seas.

Finally, there’s a flat spot on the top of the unit that is ideal for mounting a personal

VIDEO

The StereoActive/ActiveSafe combination mounts firmly, but also floats in case you do something silly – like drop it in the drink.

I dare any reader of Fishing Monthly to say, “I never have and will never need an ActiveSafe.”

($399 AUD RRP) connects to your craft with a base plate, the FUSION Puck, that either sticks or screws on. You can lock the StereoActive on to this plate, or you can cascade the ActiveSafe under the StereoActive. If you already have RailBlaza or RAM mounting systems, there are base plate adaptors that allow you to use your existing hardware.

Either way, the unit takes about 2 seconds to connect and disconnect, and because the StereoActive is freestanding, you’ll most likely find that you’ll find uses for it that you won’t have thought of while making the initial purchase.

Personally, I reckon that even without the raucous cackle of Kerry O’Keefe, I’d be perfectly happy listening to Warner belt a hundred on the StereoActive this summer while barra fishing in North Queensland.

Yep. That’d be sweet.

Expect to see Fusion’s StereoActive in-stores in Australia by early November 2016 – most likely in your smaller, independent stores straight away.

They’d make a cracking Christmas present. For more information visit www. fusionentertainment.com or Like the Fusion Stereo Active Facebook page @ FusionStereoActive

Scan this QR code on your smartphone to see the full interview with StereoActive designer, Graham Brain.

Kiah Vaughan has been having fun catching trevally like this one. Photo: Bermagui Bait & Tackle OCTOBER 2016

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Turning to the dark side BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Busy lives can often see us anglers struggling to get out on the water as much as we would like and the ability to make the most of small windows of time is one area where the kayak comes into its own.

hold fish, launch right there and hopefully make the most of the short session.

There are a few key safety considerations to take into account when night fishing, along with a few tips that may see you land a few more on your adventures.

SEEING THE LIGHT Boat ramps, marinas, bridges and roads running along the waterfront can

night use and map reading.

Most of this information will be included on the packaging of quality headlamps.

I avoid rechargeable headlamps with the battery enclosed inside the unit, preferring to choose a headlamp with removable batteries, enabling me to carry a spare set of batteries, or rechargeable batteries and not have the worry of limited

Sunrise and sunset are peak bite times and magic times to be on the water.

Back on the trolley after a successful sunset session.

It can be as simple as a kayak, paddle, PDF, rod and reel combo and a dry bag with a bit of safety and fishing gear and we’re on our way… even if we only fish for an hour or two, it can be enough to tame the itchy casting finger and give us our fix. If you’re struggling to find even those small widows of time, then you may have to turn to the dark side.

Fishing in the dark, whether it be of an evening or in the wee hours of the morning has its challenges, however it may be the best opportunity you have to sneak a fish in pre or post work, or once the little ones have gone to bed or before they rise for the day. Being able to launch anywhere is an advantage as you can drive to spots that you know

often provide light for setting up, launching and retrieving your kayak, however a good headlamp will do the trick if you are sneaking into less populated areas. I have had good service from a range of headlamps and if you select a waterproof headlamp from reputable brands you should be set up for your adventures.

LED is a must, offering a cleaner, more even white light, lower draw, less heat and much less chance of failure when compared to incandescent or halogen bulbs. Check out a range of headlamps and consider waterproof rating, light output, light distance, weight, batteries required, run time, different light functions offered, such as multiple levels of light output, flashing and different coloured light outputs for

run times. Another preference is for a powerful headlamp that can act as a spotlight when on the water, while having multiple levels of light output, so that I can tame the light down when rigging and working within the cockpit of the kayak. It’s not a bad idea to carry a spare headlamp in your dry bag, just in case, and this can be a cheaper, smaller option that is simply carried as a backup to get you out of trouble, but is also handy when trying to change batteries on your main light.

Other options to light up your kayak include mounted lights such as LED strip lighting and deck lighting and I have seen some kayak setups on the water that look like a floating nightclub.

BE SEEN AND HEARD We can now see what we’re doing, however we

Anglers aren’t the only ones that enjoy hunting with the advantage of lower light.

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A pole setup allows the all-round white light to be visible 360° above your seated position. also need to ensure that we can be seen. High-vis and reflective clothing is a good idea and I always wear my inflatable PFD that is fitted with large strips of reflective tape. Reflective tape attached to the kayak is another option, and I have seen some nice efforts with reflective names, eyes and teeth displayed on kayaks.

Navigation lighting should be fitted if you are paddling and fishing in the hours of darkness.

Kayak anglers that spend extended periods on the water in darkness often set up their kayaks with 12-volt lighting systems consisting of a 12-volt battery, switch panel, all-round white light and red/green port and starboard lights. As I often switch between my larger pedal kayak, a smaller sit-on top and a smaller sit-inside kayak, depending

on the mission, I have opted for portable lighting that can be simply and easily moved from one kayak to another.

When it comes to portable lighting, it’s hard to go past Railblaza’s Illuminate i360 Allround White Navigation Light and the Navilight Port/ Starboard (tricolour) Light.

The Navilight has a white stern light, along with red and green, port/starboard lights, all of which can be switched on independently, or you can run red/green together or all three at once.

I mount this light in front of me in the kayak on a StarPort Extender and simply turn off the white stern light so that it doesn’t shine back into my eyes. The all-round white light is then mounted behind my seat on a Railblaza TelePole 1000 (new version called an Extender Pole 1000), which elevates the light above my seated position so that it is clearly visible for 360°. These light options are excellent quality, made in NZ, waterproof and float light up if detached and thrown to someone in the water.

The Railblaza mounting and lighting system makes setup quick and simple.

had great success at night fishing with live worms and yabbies, flesh baits and mullet gut. Darkness is also a great time to send out a live bait as larger predators often hunt more actively under the cover of darkness.

For me, it’s hard to beat actively hunting with a

lure though and feeling an interested tap or brutal strike as you are retrieving the lure.

When fishing lures in the dark, I prefer lures that make a bit of noise or move a bit of water, including paddletail plastics, blades and diving hardbodies for targeting sub-surface predators. I’ll

often use plastics such as frogs or paddle-tails on the surface or surface hardbodies such as poppers, walkers and paddlers that create a disturbance for attracting predators that feed on the surface, especially in the shallows.

So next time you’re suffering from

Having an organised deck or cockpit area is essential when darkness falls – net, lip grips, ruler and boomerang tool all leashed within arm’s reach.

Geared up and ready for a sunset session.

Netting all fish is a good idea in the dark as it makes them easier to handle and release.

It is also a good idea to carry an audible signalling device such as a marine safety whistle attached to your PFD or air horn packed in your dry bag and kept within easy reach.

WHERE TO FISH The aquatic world changes at night and it’s amazing how busy swimming areas, crowded boat ramps

and bustling rivers that can be tough areas to fish in daylight hours come alive in the dark. Areas that have some form of lighting are the first port of call, as the light attracts bait and predators lurk in the shadows waiting in ambush.

Other prime areas to fish include structure that produces for you in daylight

Quality, waterproof headlamps with multiple light levels are ideal.

hours, including rocks, oysters, weed beds and snags, along with areas that fish should travel along as they actively hunt and feed, such as mangrove edges, weed edges, points, drains and channel edges.

If the tides are high, get up on the flats, as fish can be found hunting in shallow water in low light, making sure that you keep noise to a minimum, especially in shallow water.

Freshwater anglers should again look to structure that produces during daylight hours, but don’t forget the shallows as fish move into feed under the cover of darkness. Fish will also more actively hunt in open water and covering plenty of ground with noisy lures can produce results.

BAIT OR LURE A common question people ask me is do lures work at night and the answer is simple, yes.

For those who want to fish their favourite baits in the hours of darkness, these will work too and I have

The author snaps a selfie after a successful night raid, with one fish kept for dinner.

It’s all about being able to see and ensuring that other vessels can see you.

‘lackoffishingitis’, take some time to investigate your lighting options, check the tides and pencil in a session on the dark side. Always remember safety first when selecting a location, paddle with a friend when possible, pack your safety kit, select appropriate clothing for the after dark adventure, don’t forget your bug spray and let someone know where you’re heading and when you expect to be home. The aquatic world comes alive after dark and you may be surprised by what you get connected to just metres from your launch point.

See you on the water.

OCTOBER 2016

97

Aquayak Snapper Pro Kayak BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Aquayak are a Melbournebased kayak manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler.

Australian owned and operated, they offer a range of options from entry level, to fitted out fishing kayaks, single and tandem kayaks, along with all the accessories to get you started. Recently, I launched their Snapper Pro sit-on kayak, fitted out with their Fish Kit, for a day of targeting bream and flathead in a local estuary system.

This kayak is easy to handle, for paddlers as young

An intelligent deck layout means everything’s in arm’s reach.

SPECIFICATIONS Length: 2.7m Width: 0.79m Weight: 19kg Capacity: 120kg Pricing: $599 + delivery

Fitted out and ready for fishing, the Snapper Pro passed the Evakool test with its roomy rear well.

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as eight. With a length of 2.7m, 79cm width and weight under the magic 20kg mark, sturdy carry handles on the nose, tail and each side, it’s a breeze to load, unload and transport to water. It has a capacity of 120kg and easily handled my 90kg+, along

Snapper Pro is ideal for sheltered waters such as rivers, lakes, bays and estuaries. with icebox and fishing gear.

On the water, the hull design is impressive for buoyancy, along with speed and tracking. It has very little of the side-to-side zigzagging that similar size kayaks, with

flatter bottoms, are notorious for. In calmer waters, lakes, rivers, bays and estuaries you will find this kayak to be fun, easy to paddle and extremely manoeuvrable. It’s ideal for smaller paddlers. If

you spend time in windier, rougher conditions, check out Aquayak’s other models with more length.

The deck of the Snapper Pro is well laid out, with a

Other storage options include a front hatch that allows access to the hull for fitout, or storing additional items that you don’t need to access on the water, such

1

There are two flush mount rod holders fitted behind the seat for rod, net and gaff storage. An adjustable Railblaza Rod Holder II can be mounted on the included

2

3

4 6

easy reach.

The Snapper Pro also comes complete with a comfortable and supportive seat, paddle leash and a sturdy two-piece paddle, which is a handy option when it comes to storage and transporting gear in smaller vehicles. A bungy paddle holder on the side deck of the kayak makes it easy to store the paddle when it’s time to fish, and handy to adjust your drift angle or position.

It was a glassy day when we paddled out, I fitted the four plugs into the cockpit scupper holes, keeping the area nice and dry. In rougher conditions, or playing in the surf, scupper plugs can be removed to make the most of the self-draining feature.

Even when the wind came up with the turn of tide, the Snapper Pro still handled well, cutting through the chop without issue.

We had a cracker day on the water. We drifted the

Snapper Pro is right at home, bream fishing the flats.

I stored my landing net in one of the rod holders, my second rod in the Railblaza

FEATURES Comfortable seat, Double paddle, four heavyduty handles, two flush rod holders, one Railblaza rod holder II, two storage hatches, two accessories tracks, Railblaza Starport, Railblaza Sideport, large rear tub and a paddle clip.

5 mounted in the centre fitted StarPort, and attached my lip grips and Boomerang Tool to the fitted pad eyes. My tackle was in the included

flats for bream and flathead, worked some edges and drains that accounted for more flathead, fishing 2.5” paddletail plastics on 1/4oz jigheads.

12L dry bag between my feet and a flatty for dinner stayed in the Evakool icebox that fit neatly in the rear well.

I was comfortable and had everything at my fingertips for rigging, fishing and landing fish from the Snapper Pro. If you’re looking to get into kayak fishing, check out the range at Aquayak. com. If it’s a smaller, fast and manoeuvrable kayak you want, affordable and set up for fishing, the Snapper Pro with Fish Kit is worth your time.

Manufactured in Melbourne, Victoria

1. The roomy rear live well includes a bungy for securing your gear. 2. The hull design is fast, and easily supports its 120kg capacity. 3. The front hatch accesses the hull for fitting out and additional storage. 4. Sturdy carry handles make loading the Snapper Pro a breeze. 5. The accessory tracks, with two included Railblaza mounts, make fitting out simple and flexible. 6. A centre hatch with bucket is handy for storing gear, while scupper holes ensure quick drainage of water. large rear well that passed the Evakool test. It snugly fits a 20L icebox for taking a feed out, or bring in a feed home.

The bungy cord in the rear well can unclip to secure the icebox, or quickly and easily clip back in place, to secure dry bags and other items.

as car keys. These can be placed in a dry bag and stowed securely. A centre hatch is within easy reach and includes a removable bucket, where bait can be stored out of the sun. Other items like sunscreen and tackle can be secured.

Railblaza StarPort, SidePort, or on the accessory track fitted on either side of the cockpit. Railblaza mounts and accessories are excellent on the Snapper Pro, allowing you to quickly and easily add other accessories and keep all your rods and tools within

SNAPPER PRO

599

$

“See our website or call to find a dealer near you.”

LE OPTION AVAILAB

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ALL KAYAKS...

• Stable with great tracking • Quality workmanship • UV certified plastic • A variety of colour options • Fishing/Non fishing models • 10 Year warranty on construction • Guaranteed not to crack or fade • Ability to option up any model

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* Torqeedo Ultralight 403 1HP - Electric Motor Option on some models • Torqeedo Ultralight 403 $ 1HP - Electric motor option on some models Not Fit

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For a smaller kayak, the Snapper Pro tracks well.

Ph: (03) 9357 9992 – www.aquayak.com OCTOBER 2016

99

Product Profile

Why we’re excited about the new Deeper BRISBANE

Bob Thornton

The has new and

Australian market seen some exciting introductions lately, leading the charge

is that the Pro+ connects via WiFi rather than by Bluetooth. What this means is that you get more range.

For the Pro+, that’s up to 100m of horizontal range, and looking underwater it will give you 80m of depth-finding capability. In

the GPS enabled one will be useful to anyone bank fishing. You can actually cast this out into your chosen waterway, and it will map the area as you wind it back!

So, with all this in mind, we decided we’d

could get the device set up, find some bass school and convert those fish arches into landed fish, you’d probably be strapped finding someone who couldn’t! On that day, we even switched off the regular sounder and relied solely on the Deeper ’s fishfinding capabilities!

For our field testing day of the Deeper Pro+ at Hinze Dam in South East Queensland, we were blessed with beautiful weather.

Once we’d launched, we spent a few minutes setting it up.

We were all keen to crack back into some chunky

The Fishing Monthly team had a lot of fun marking bass on the Deeper unit and catching them. is the second generation of Deeper Fishfinders.

The latest version, the Deeper Pro+, took out the John Dunphy Inovation award at the AFTA Trade show on the Gold Coast this year, and when you

most waterways, that will be plenty.

The other exciting new feature is a faster ping rate on the new units. The old Deeper pinged at eight times per second, whereas the Pro+ pings at 15 times

pick one up and see if they work or not!

ON THE WATER We’d previously tested out the first generation Deeper the year before.On that day, we were tagging a bass in the unpressured and

Hinze was the perfect testing field for the Deeper set to ‘Boat Mode’. Simon from ABT was more than impressed with the capabilities of the little black ball.

Hinze bass, but there was just a few bits of admin we needed to sort before we got to that.

To set up your Deeper Pro+, firstly, we had to download the Deeper app from the app store.

Secondly, we had to register the app (when you’re doing this, make sure you’re in an area where you have Internet access). Lastly, we had to pair the WiFi on Editor Steve’s phone to the WiFi on the Deeper.

Once we’d completed these tasks, which only took about 10 minutes, we switched the Deeper over to ‘Boat Mode’, and immediately, we saw fish showing on Steve’s iPhone!

We were situated – now it was time to get stuck into some bass!

Steve decided that these fish would probably be receptive to an ice jig, so with his smartphone mounted to the rod blank with the very simple rod

mount the Deeper Pro+ comes with, it was possible to fish the jig and watch the fish on his phone! We decided to trail the unit off the back, and we tied it to the end of a heavy swimbait rod. It’s pretty handy to not have to keep glancing down at a sounder, since it’s already mounted on your rod blank!

In about 20 seconds, Steve was on. Immediately after the capture, the bass started schooling in big

Steve loves cracking back into a few bass! The smartphone mount made watching the fish shows while fishing very easy. look at the specs, it’s no wonder why.

For those who don’t already know, the Deeper is a sonar encapsulated in a floating ball that tethers to your smart phone to give you sonar functionality. The main difference between the Pro+ and the original 100

OCTOBER 2016

per second.

The really cool thing though, is that they can actually map the area that you’re fishing. There’s a GPS enabled Deeper, and a non-GPS enabled one.

The non-GPS enabled version will tether to your smartphone’s GPS, but

usually out of bounds lower Lake Samsonvale in South East Queensland.

While it wasn’t challenging to both find and catch those bass, we were able to prove just how easy they are to use! If a couple of technologically challenged bumpkins

On the display, you can see the map on the left, and some bass stacked up in about 15ft on the right!

Product Profile numbers under the boat as they so often do, and we enjoyed a great deep bite on Hinze Dam! Even Matt the cameraman got stuck in.

What was really cool was that while we fished, the Deeper Pro+ was busy mapping the area. With this map, it painted a picture

as to where the fish were actually sitting. We found that the bass were sitting on an edge between 15-20ft, and this really helped with cracking a pattern.

We were fishing out of a small fibre gtlass electic boat, but anyone using kayaks, float tubes,

stand-up paddle boards, even fully kitted out bass boats, will find a lot of use for the Deeper Pro+.

Even if you don’t have a lot of use for them, they are pretty damn interesting to play with, and can spill the beans about a spot you think you’ve known well

Simon releases a better than average Hinze bass while the Deeper transducer bobs out the back of the boat.

for years!

FROM THE BANK After all the fun on Hinze Dam, it was time to test out some of the bank fishing capabilities of the new Deeper unit.

We caught up with Tim Morgan from Rapala VMC Australia, who are the distributor of Deeper in Australia, and he took us through just what it could do. Our venue for the day was a pond to the south of Brisbane, and our plan was to map it from the shore. Mapping only works from the bank if you are using the Pro+.

To get set up for mapping from the bank, you need to go into ‘Settings’.

From here, you need to select ‘Sonar Mode’, and then ‘Onshore GPS Mode’.

It will split the screen to give you a view below the water on the right side, and a map on the left.

The Deeper Pro+, being water-activated, will only start mapping when it’s in the water, meaning it will save battery and is incredibly efficient.

There are three attachment points on the new unit. The top one is for when you’re just dangling it from a boat, the middle one is for when you’re bank fishing from a high platform, and the lowest one

is for casting, which is what we were using on this day.

Our aim was to produce a full bathymetric map of the lake, and we did so in just under a hour. Once you have made a map, you can save it if you want, and then overlay it to really study it if you so desire.

Here’s a few tips if you plan to map waterways from the bank.

We found that you need a fairly heft rod if you want to huck this thing out a fair way. On testing day, Steve was using his long heavy swimbait rod, and Tim was using a medium spin rod.

Tim found he had to lob the Deeper, and achieved around half the distance Steve was getting. Something worthy of throwing cod or big barramundi lures is an outift to consider if you want to map largr waterways regularly with your Deeper.

You should remember that the Deeper Pro+ won’t map anything shallower than 3ft.

This isn’t usually a problem, because this water is most often ignored for fishing, and in clear water you can probably see the bottom anyway. Another thing we found is that it tends to hold a better connection if your smartphone is on your person or mounted on the rod.

Lastly, it’s worth waiting a few seconds after the

Deeper lands in the water for it to connect. This only takes about five seconds at the most.

TRY IT YOURSELF! If you’re a bank-based angler who wants to see what’s really under the water where you’re fishing, or you have a vessel and don’t want to spend money on multiple units, the Deeper Pro+ is a great option for you.

If you want more info about the Deeper range, you can visit www.buydeeper. com and it will tell you everything you need to know, including where you can buy one!

This latest bound in technology is such an exciting one for anglers wanting that extra edge, and we hope you can have just as much fun with your Deeper as we did with ours... well, Steve’s – he nicked off with this one!

VIDEO

Scan this QR code to see Steve Morgan talking about the Deeper on the water.

OCTOBER 2016

101

The unique 4.5 Island Hopper from Cross Country

BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

It’s not often that you come across fibreglass boats as light as the Cross Country range. Whereas conventional glass craft are manufactured via layers of hand-laid fibreglass bonded with resin, the Cross Country range are different, with vacuuminfused glass bonded to a very tough, sealed foam core. The unique construction imparts both lightness and superb strength, resulting in the 4.5m Island Hopper’s hull weighing only 135kg. Think of that: a bay/estuary rig with a length of 4.5m, beam of 1.8m and with a side height of 640mm tipping the scales so gently.

Construction is solid: there’s a bottom thickness of 24mm linked to sides and upper sections of 18mm thickness. The test boat, with its clinker-styled hull design, has been designed as a car topper, but the same hull can just as readily be set up on a trailer. As a bonus, there’s an inbuilt Keel Guard to prevent wear and tear at the ramp or on a trailer.

AN UNUSUAL HULL The 4.5m Island Hopper has a lapstrake (clinker built) hull, which is something you don’t see very often these days. The term ‘lapstrake’ refers to an old, time-proven method of wooden boat construction. The wooden planks overlap each other along the sides of the boat, descending from the top of gunwales to the connection 102

OCTOBER 2016

with the hull bottom. This construction looked brilliant and worked well, but it was always a laborious process because it required accurate overlay and fitting of the timber.

Because the Island Hopper is a moulded, one-piece unit, its lapstrakestyle hull delivers every advantage of this traditional, svelte design. Each side’s strake-like mouldings are carried through under the hull to enhance both stability at rest and lift underway.

Looking much like a standard punt when viewed from the side, the Island Hopper’s under section consists of a fairly shallow vee aft with very big moulded strakes running to a fine and well-formed bow section. It did an excellent job of ironing out chop without undue jarring.

STABILITY ASSURED Back at the ramp at Toorbul, the Island Hopper slid off its temporary trailer and sat level in around 12cm of water. Climbing into the Cross Country from a pontoon, I immediately noticed how stable the boat was; this thing just would not lean! Without doubt those big strakes under the ultralight hull were doing their job in resisting any tendency to lean, as would the hull’s inbuilt ballast tank, which held 80L of water at rest.

Seated comfortably up front was John Hall of Cross Country Boats kicked the Suzuki 30 tiller steer into gear, I was impressed by the boat’s overall roominess. Other attractive features included storage compartments up front under

a generously large casting deck, and another full-width platform astern set up with a live bait well/esky to port and a fuel tank compartment in the centre.

The test craft belonged to a customer who uses it as a car topper. It came equipped with a side console for a sounder, which was the sole extra apart from a bicycle seat up front. A bow mount 55lb Motor Guide was fitted for the test run, and it did a brilliant job of powering the craft given its light weight.

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Before looking at performance, I’ll touch on some things that also impressed me about the Cross Country. Firstly, its light weight was a huge bonus and so was the liberal use of SeaDek on all the upper areas. SeaDek is a rubberised coating that you stick to the deck. It has a super strong adhesive and provides an attractive non-skid surface.

As well as putting SeaDek on the deck, the owner also stuck some on the underside of the seat.

When placed on the SeaDekcovered foredeck, the seat stayed firmly in place when I sat on it. It’s a good idea – it means you have the freedom to move the seat to other areas of the boat without

worrying about seat spigots, which saves weight.

Another good feature was the hatch hinges. Hatches in boats (unless strut equipped) always seem to want to drop down while you’re busy locating or removing an important item. The Island Hopper, on the other hand, had friction hinges. They could still be readily closed or opened, but they stayed open – even half open – without any tendency to annoyingly close. It’s a good example of the attention to detail on this boat.

Last but not least was the sheer practicality of this craft. Up front, a big hatchcovered anchor well was installed ahead of a very large under-floor storage compartment. Because of the slight overhang of the deck up front, the Motor Guide was fitted straight to the deck, doing away with the need for a side mounting point. On the test rig, a bicycle-style seat was one of many options available.

The non-skid floor of the craft was clean, uncluttered and large enough for at least three anglers to enjoy their fishing thanks to 3.86m x 1.65m of work room.

GREAT PERFORMANCE FROM 30 SUZUKI Up and running the Island

SPECIFICATIONS Length................................................................4.5m Beam..................................................................1.8m Weight hull....................................................... 135kg Deadrise.............................................................. 14° Horsepower................................................. 20-30hp Motor.......................................30hp Suzuki 4-stroke Max persons...........................................................6 Towing.................................. family big 4 or 6 sedan

Hopper was a very easy and predictable craft. It may have been lightweight, but rough riding or inclined to pound it certainly was not. The hull’s excellent design, centred around those big under-hull strakes and a really well formed bow with a lot of vee in it saw us whizzing over wash from passing boats in the Bribie Passage with only the slightest lift of the bow accompanied by a gentle bump. There was absolutely no pounding or noise, just a gentle slap of water on fibreglass to show for our efforts.

Sensibly, engines are rated from 20-30hp for the car topper. Why overpower a small boat? I enjoyed some very entertaining test runs, which proved to me just how well the craft handled (great for mangrove creek work) and that the water ballast under the hull didn’t stop the craft from jumping onto the plane in about two boat lengths. The 30 Suzuki 4-stroke with its smooth and seemingly endless power would be ideal for two or three people aboard the standard rig as tested. The performance figures achieved were: plane at 10.4km/h, cruise sweetly at 28km/h, near full speed (limited by a new engine) at 47.5km/h. There’s no real need to go faster.

OVERVIEW After having a very enjoyable time aboard the Cross Country Island Hopper, I give the Cross Country team full marks for a very well turned out and well performing craft.

Some people might like to think of these ultra-light

rigs as tenders, or best suited to being carried atop a vehicle, but the reality is that they compete very favourably with similarsized glass and alloy craft of a similar size.

Options for the Island Hopper include an under floor 60L fuel tank, rod holders, rod lockers, step up full size kill tank, side or centre console, deck wash and many other items.

Because of ride quality, willing performance from limited power, ample work room and good stability, the Cross Country Island Hopper with the 30 Suzuki is suited to a host of fishing situations and applications. I really was impressed with this rig.

There’s a safety aspect as well. Thanks to the flotation material used in construction, these craft are totally unsinkable and rated for level flotation.

The finish was also very good, and the list of available additional features was impressive. A cartop hull can be purchased from $14,900, and a trailer version from $22,900. The boat as reviewed with electric motor, trailer and 30 Suzuki would come home for $34,350.

Cross Country Boats can be contacted on 0410 090 317 or 07 5499 3155, and are based at Caboolture in South East Queensland.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

This boat can be thrown about in fast turns to virtually recover on its length – great for mangrove creek work.

The SeaDek material provides an attractive, non-skid surface. It also grips onto other SeaDek surfaces, such as on the underside of this seat.

A very clean and uncluttered work area is a feature of this craft.

Here you can see the Island Hopper’s large under-hull strakes. This is certainly no standard punt.

An under-hull ballast system works well with the Island Hopper.

Big storage up front is a feature of this boat, and the friction hinges are excellent as well.

Sounders are a part of today’s fishing, and a mini console was provided for mounting one.

This photo gives you an idea of the stability and work area of the Island Hopper.

OCTOBER 2016

103

McLay’s 581 CrossXOver with Suzuki 140HP 4-stroke

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

I think there’s no argument that the New Zealanders have been making bulletproof alloy boats ever since that famous whale got ‘beached-as’ last decade. And for a long time before that.

As a result there have been plenty of rigs to cross the Tasman to be used by Aussies that love running them hard. Also, I think there wouldn’t be many arguments against the statement that some of these boats aren’t the most eye-catching rigs on the market.

Pleasingly, McLay combine the toughness of a 5mm plate hull with practical finishing and aesthetics that draw a smile and not a wince.

The 581 CrossXOver’s name aptly describes the hull – it’s a fusion of a hard-ass fishing boat with enough creature comforts to keep the family on the water longer.

Powered by the rock-solid Suzuki 140hp, the McLay won’t break the bank at the dealership or the bowser, with a comfortable cruising

Looks like you? Check out the full range of McLay boats at Warragul Marine with David Garcia, or visit www.warragulmarine.com.au. speed of 4000rpm delivering 40km/h at 2.5km per litre of fuel burned.

The 18” pitch aluminium Suzuki propeller jumped the 581 up onto the plane with ease and with judicious use of the trim switch, it took on an attitude that chewed up any small chop that Port

SPECIFICATIONS Length..............................................................5.81m Beam................................................................2.28m Freeboard.........................................................72cm Hull weight......................................................700kg Transom height................................................... 25” Horsepower...............................................90-115HP Bottom sheet....................................................5mm Side sheet..........................................................4mm Fuel....................................................................130L 104

OCTOBER 2016

Phillip Bay could offer on the test day.

You can tell that McLays are designed by anglers. Heavy traffic areas are unpainted. Instead, bare aluminium sections are covered with a coating called Nyalic, which stops oxidation and keeps the ‘new boat’ look. This means that you can spend your time getting to work landing fish or pulling pots instead of babying your paint job.

The walkaround is abundantly non-skidded and there’s a mountain of grab rails exactly where they are needed. Add this to a cockpit floor lined with a removable, washable rubber

matting and you’re ready to get the messy jobs done and to wash up perfectly afterwards.

Warragul Marine’s David Garcia spends as much time in these McLay boats as anyone, and is in love with this layout. In fact, Warragul add their own touches to these rigs, with the baitboard withdraw being an after-market inclusion.

Indeed, the entire transom area is impressive with a clear-fronted live bait tank, walk through transom door with ladder and neat folding and stowing bench seat making this cockpit one of the best designed I’ve been in.

“Everyone likes to get their kids out on the water and introduce them to fishing, and this CrossXOver is predominantly aimed at the family fishers,” said David Garcia.

PERFORMANCE RPM.......................Speed................................ Km/L Idle (600).......................4.3........................................5 1000.............................6.4.....................................4.1 2000..............................11.....................................2.2 3000..............................21.....................................1.6 4000..............................39.....................................2.5 5000..............................52.....................................1.9 WOT...............................68.....................................1.6 *Fitted with 18” Suzuki aluminium propeller

As tested, this rig on a twin axled Dunbier trailer came in at $66,000, although packages start from as little as $53,000.

To find out more, drop into Warragul Marine or visit their website at www. warragulmarine.com.au.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers,

hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

VIDEO

Scan this QR code to see Steve Morgan talking about this boat on the water.

The 140hp Suzuki jumps the McLay out of the hole. Spinning an 18” propeller, the hull was quite trim-sensitive and responded well to proper trimming.

Sometimes it’s the small things – like the water diverter that stops wash dropping into the cockpit – that makes boating a more enjoyable experience.

This rig would turn heads at any boat ramp around the country.

The Nyalic coating on the unpainted, high-traffic areas looks good and will keep the boat looking good for years to come.

We don’t see that many carpeted dashboards, but the covering helps dampen the sound. We are big fans of under seat storage.

Non-skid on the walkaround is a nice touch. We had no problems getting from the bow to the stern.

With the canopy and wraparound clears, you can be comfortable in most weather conditions.

The rear pod and steps combine with broad reverse chines to make the 2.28m beam as stable as possible. The welded box section to mount transducers and other sensors is a nice touch, and keeps the integrity of the hull intact.

Plenty of places to hold onto up here, and a full-sized hatch helps you anchor.

OCTOBER 2016

105

What’s New BOATING

1

PRECISION FISHING WEAPONS

From the 575HT up to the 780HT, the new design innovations in Bar Crusher’s Fishing Weapon HT series have been carefully considered to enhance your boating and fishing experience.

The newly-designed Game Lock gunwale/ sidedeck incorporates a 45° angle on the inner edge which, along with the secure toe-holds, lets you lock yourself into a comfortable and secure position. The Game Lock coaming is now slightly narrower to maximise space, yet is still wide enough to comfortably sit on.

New hard top designs are complemented by re-designed rocket launchers and slideopening side windows as standard (670HT, 730HT and 780HT), and there are fresh paint schemes. The bow rails, grab rails and bowsprit have also been upgraded.

Bar Crusher has redesigned the dash of the 615HT, 670HT, 730HT and 780HT to accept up to a 16” multi-function display, with plenty of space left over. There’s also a new optional roller-door lockable cabin.

For the full list of specs, features and options, visit the Bar Crusher website. www.barcrusher.com.au

2

J-B WELD ADHESIVES

J-B Weld adhesives bond strongly to a variety of surfaces in even the toughest environments. The range began with the original J-B Weld, developed as an alternative to torch welding. Once it sets, it’s tougher than steel.

Another J-B adhesive is called MarineWeld, a chemical and petroleum resistant two-part adhesive and epoxy filler system for strong, lasting repairs. It’s designed to be used on decks, hulls and accessories. It sets in 20 minutes and is fully cured in 15-20 hours.

If you have to seal a leak or patch a hole/ crack in wet conditions or underwater, you’ll need WaterWeld. As well as being handy on boats, it’s ideal for repairing plumbing, fuel tanks, potable water tanks and more. After curing, it can be drilled, tapped, filed, sanded and painted. It has a set time of 15-25 minutes and sets hard in one hour.

For more info on the range, head to the BLA website.

Price: SRP $18.90-$19.30 www.bla.com.au

3

MERCURY 9.9HP TWOSTROKE

Mercury Marine is introducing a new 9.9hp TwoStroke outboard that is the lightest in its class.

Weighing in from just 26kg, the new 169cc model is not only easier to lift and carry than its competitors, its compact design means it’s simple to handle. And an optional push-button electric start model makes it a pleasure to operate for all boaters – young or old. It also features loop charge combustion, which delivers reliable performance and better fuel economy.

Trips will also be more enjoyable, with through-prop exhaust reducing engine noise for a quieter boating experience.

As with all outboards in Mercury’s extensive line-up – from 2.5 through to 400hp – the new 9.9hp TwoStroke benefits from superior anti-corrosion protection.

Owners will gain additional peace of mind knowing that Mercury’s extensive service network will always be there to provide product and customer support. www.mercurymarine.com.au

4

SAVAGE RAPTORS

After retiring the Jabiru range, Savage has filled the gap for budget-friendly tinnies by releasing the Raptor range with 355, 395 and 425 models. All are full of useful features at the right size and the right price.

Standard features include a glove box, drink holders, transom handles and plenty of storage, and options include bimini and envelope, rod holders and a carpeted floor.

With front and rear seats, the Raptors can comfortably fit up to four people. These boats can be easily towed behind a family car and will also fit nicely atop most utes.

Savage National Account Manager Jason Draeger said the models and options available in the Raptor range means there’s a boat to suit any backyard or budget.

“We have developed the Raptor range to offer customers affordable, reliable, nofuss tinnies,” he said. “The Raptors can be used for fishing, as a tender or for taking the family on fun adventures.” www.savageboats.com.au

5

Whether you like fishing, family cruising or skiing, a Quintrex Sea Spirit cabin boat will work for you. The entire range (510, 530 and 570) now comes with 3mm topsides and 4mm bottomsides as standard, and can handle a variety of conditions thanks to the Quintrex Blade Hull.

Quintrex National Account Manager Cameron Wood said these versatile boats will please the entire family.

“For fishos, the aluminium side pockets and rod holders hold all your fishing gear while the large side decks are comfortable to sit on and lean against when reeling in your catch,” he said. “For the laid back boaties, the rear lounge is perfect for relaxing and taking in the sun but it can also be folded up to create extra deck space while fishing.

“You can also option up the Sea Spirit to include ski hooks, ski pole and hydraulic steering.” www.quintrex.com.au

6

106

1

2

QUINTREX SEA SPIRIT

3

5

4

DESALT BEATS RUST

Desalt is a simple cleaning and protective product that safely dissolves salt from all surfaces, including when used as a boat engine flush. It can even remove surface rust and act as a retardant, preventing rust from forming.

This is a great value marine cleaner specifically designed to protect valuable assets from the corrosive sea and salt air. It is specially formulated to help dissolve salt deposits in boat engines and cleans other exposed bits (with a sparkle) including your trailer, kayak, car and fishing tackle. In fact, anything that comes into contact with the corrosive nature of the marine environment can be washed down by using Desalt.

This water based product is non-toxic, biodegradable and PH neutral.

For easy application you can use the Desalt Dispenser. Just add 50ml Desalt to the Dispenser and then attach it to a garden hose.

The dispenser can also easily be attached to your outboard or flush port on your engine.

Price: SRP $44.95 (2L), $39.95 (dispenser) www.whitworths.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au OCTOBER 2016

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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Built to perform.

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More Power, Performance and Reliability – Insist on Mercury MerCruiser.

EAST GIPPSLAND

SORRENTO

BLUEWATER MARINE CENTRE

NAUTICAL MARINE

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MORNINGTON

EADES XTREME MARINE

WES FROST MARINE

35 SLIP ROAD PAYNESVILLE Phone: 03 5156 6613 Email: manager@bluewatermarinecentre.com.au Website: bluewatermarinecentre.com.au

24 STURT STREET ECHUCA Phone: 03 5482 2333 Email: info@xtrememarine.net.au Website: xtrememarine.net.au

139-141 HOTHAM STREET SORRENTO Phone: 03 5984 1666 Email: nautical@surf.com.au Website: nauticalmarine.com.au

See your authorised Mercury MerCruiser Dealer today.

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42 BRASSER AVE, DROMANA Phone: 03 5981 9400 Email: info@leisuresportmarine.com Website: leisuresportsmarine.com

OCTOBER 2016

107

Melbourne Marine Centre (03) 9703 2003

BAIT & TACKLE

BOAT HIRE

Regal Marine (03) 9874 4624 Streaker Marine (03) 9729 8288

Lake Eildon Houseboats (03) 9397 6977

Triple M Marine (03) 9465 8787

Portland Bait & Tackle (03) 5523 5213

Boab Boat Hire Shepparton (03) 5822 2108

Warragul Marine (03) 5623 6250

Boab Boat Hire Echuca (03) 5482 1992

Compleat Angler Portland (03) 5521 1844

Wes Frost Marine (03) 5976 4622

WEST COAST

CENTRAL

HOLIDAY RENTAL

EAST COAST Inverloch Marine (03) 5674 1502

Hooked On Bait and Tackle Hoppers Crossing (03) 9748 3811 Fishing Fever Mordialloc (03) 9590 9899

FRESHWATER

Melbourne Marine Centre (03) 9703 2003

Boats and More Shepparton (03) 5822 2108

JV Marine World Braeside (03) 9798 8883

Boats and More Echuca (03) 5482 1992

Compleat Angler Ringwood (03) 9870 7792

Eades Xtreme Marine Echuca (03) 5482 2333

The Flyfisher Melbourne (03) 9621 1246

BOAT MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS

EAST COAST

Salt-away 1800 091 172 or www.salt-away.com.au

Always Angling Traralgon (03) 5174 8544

ONLINE TACKLE PRODUCTS

FRESHWATER Compleat Angler Echuca (03) 5482 1992

Specialty Fishing Products www.specialtyfishing.com.au

Compleat Angler Shepparton (03) 5822 2180

MARINE MECHANICS

EAST COAST

SHALLOW INLET CARAVAN PARK On the Waters Edge

FRESH BAIT | HIRE BOATS | ICE

• Easy access for boats • 10 cabins (3 with ensuites) • LPG gas refills • Kiosk

“Over 250 patterns to choose from”

Unique Marine Accessories (03) 5427 1802 CMC Marine Sales www.cmcsales.com.au

ORDER ONLINE www.adrenalinflies.com.au

Hunter Marine Boat Builders (03) 5032 2320

CENTRAL Chelsea Yamaha (03) 9772 1212

Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au

Kris Oakley Marine Services (03) 9794 5524

Korr Lighting www.korrlighting.com.au

JV Marine World Braeside (03) 9798 8883

She Left www.hdvcs.com.au

JV Marine World Laverton (03) 9368 7100

Nautical Marine S TO M E R

NTEED GUASRA C E

CU

FREE ADVICE ON WHERE THEY’RE BITING

OPEN

from dawn to dusk

• Plenty of powered and unpowered camping sites • BBQs • Playground

Lester Rd Yanakie WILSONS PROM E sicp@sicp.com.au

03 5687 1385

Shallow Inlet Caravan Park (03) 5687 1385

Naaj Marine 0421 955 371

ERVI

RE-POWER & SERVICE EXPERTS NEW

Warrnambool Holiday Park (03) 5562 5031

7 DAYS

Compleat Angler Wangaratta (03) 5722 4622

Nautical Marine has been providing all your boating and marine needs since 1976, and continues to ensure that your days on the water are enjoyable and safe.

WEST COAST

Boat, motor & trailer packages!

TRADES AND SERVICES ADVERTISING Line listing from $90 + gst 6 months* 2cm x 2 from $195 + gst 6 months* 4cm 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 0835 or email pjung@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

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION EAST GIPPSLAND

MARLO

21 Marine Parade MARLO VIC

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

03 5154 8268

• Deluxe cabins HOSTS: Les & Kathy HEYNE • Cabins with ensuite • Budget cabins • Premium ensuite vans • Powered & Unpowered sites • Pet friendly • Undercover BBQ areas in Marlo • Large oval • Kitchen Largest park • Camp fires • Kiosk the beach to Short walk • Coffee shops

www.marlocamping.com.au Marlo Ocean Views Caravan and Camping Park, Marlo (03) 5154 8268 Bemm River Holiday Accommodation & Boat Hire, Bemm River (03) 5158 4233 or 0427 584 233 Lazy Acre Log Cabins, Lakes Entrance (03) 5155 1323

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You will have approximately 60 words within a 10x2 ad size.

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FISH TAXIDERMY Fish Taxidermist 0428 544 841

FINANCE AVAILABLE

Neptune’s Treasures 0419 643 654

SCREEN PRINTING Logan Specialised Screen Printing (07) 5546 4107

PH: 03 5984 1666 W: nauticalmarine.com.au E: nautical@surf.net.au Nautical Marine: 139 - 141 Hotham Rd Sorrento Vic Nautical Marine (03) 5984 1666

108

BOAT TRAILER CENTRAL Vic Marine & Trailer Warehouse 0412 264 450

pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

This section in V&TFM 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.

OCTOBER 2016

NSW SOUTH COAST

CHARTER BOATS

EXTENDED QLD REEF TRIPS

EAST GIPPSLAND East Gippsland Charters 0400 564 032

WEST COAST Portland Fishing Charters, Portland (03) 5523 3020

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear.

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FOR UP TO 10 PEOPLE •Swains Reef •Port Clinton •Stanage Bay •Island Head Creek •Shoalwater Bay •Pearl Bay P: 0419 789 921 www.inyadreamscharters.com Inya Dreams Fishing Charters, 0419 789 921 Reel Affair, Merimbula freecall 1800 233 247 Espirit Charters, Bermagui (02) 6493 4104 or 0407 260 110 Freedom Charters, Eden (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446 Headland Fishing Adventures, Merimbula (02) 6495 1134 Island Charters, Narooma (02) 4476 1047 or 0408 428 857 K9 Fishing Charters, Merimbula (02) 6495 1681 Merimbula Marina, Merimbula (02) 6495 1686 or 0427 951 080 Narooma Charters, Narooma 0407 909 111

pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au CENTRAL

O’Brien Charter Service, Bermagui 0407 214 124

SHOP ONLINE 24/7

www.bargainboatbits.com.au or IN-STORE WITH YOUR LOCAL BBB MEMBER!

FISHING GUIDES

BONUS GARMIN SHIRT

NSW SOUTH COAST

South-West Fishing Charters, Portland 0418 306 714 Gone Fishing Charters 0409 007 068 Able Fishing & Charters, Williamstown (03) 9502 3777 ACE Fishing Charters, Bonbeach (03) 9773 4183 Adamas Fishing Charters, Barwon Heads (03) 5254 3320 Big Red Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 1800 805 587 Blue Magic Fishing Charters, Rowville (03) 9759 5301 Calypso Fishing Charters, Tootgarook (03) 5985 8463 Geelong Charters & Fishing Trips, Geelong (03) 5275 7107 Katrina Louise Charters, Cheltenham 0402 828 140 Kestrel Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 1783 Queenscliff Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 0458 504 058 Pro Red Fishing Charters 0421 442 775 Rip Charters Fishing Trips, Sorrento (03) 5984 3664 Saltwater Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 4888

Valued at

Wilderness Fishing Tours, Mallacoota 0424 625 160

$69

Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures (02) 6495 9902 or 0400 062 504

$ IDEAL GIFT!

FISHING

D HASTINGS

FROM ONLY

NOW FISHING SNAPPER, WHITING AND GUMMIES

• ALL BAIT & TACKLE SUPPLIED • CORPORATE BOOKINGS • DISCOUNTS FOR GROUP BOOKINGS

DVD’S -

SNAPPER Specialists

0419 554 916

Off The Hook Fishing Charters 0419 554 916 St Kilda Fishing Charters, St Kilda (03) 9770 2200 Western Port Fishing Charters, Hastings (03) 9769 5544

EAST COAST

Ausprey Tours, Launceston (03) 6630 2612 Gone Fishing Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 1553 Fish Wild Tasmania, Hobart 0418 348 223 Flinders Island Adventures, Flinders Island (03) 6359 4507 Trout Territory, Northern Midlands (03) 6397 5001

99 BRYTEC 12 LED Trailer Light Set

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Capella III Fishing Adventures, Port Welshpool (03) 5688 1585 Far Out Charters, McLoughlins Beach 0428 401 819 Prom Coastal Charters, Yanakie (03) 5687 1248 or 0429 935 583 Razorback Bluewater Charters, Port Albert (03) 5183 2691

Angling Expeditions Victoria, Tawonga (03) 5754 1466 Highland Trout Lakes, Ballarat (03) 5368 9574 Millbrook Lakes Lodge, Ballarat (03) 5334 0404

198

•18 Litre $99 •28 Litre $139

Series 3 through 9

CUSTOM CHARTER BOAT - 8.8M HYDROFIELD

Fishfinder 560c

12V Bait Boxes

FROM CURRUM AN

BOOKINGS CONTACT JOE

Fishing Monthly SPECIAL Offers!

36

STORES STRONG

99

WE YOU BUY MORE PAY LESS

www.bargainboatbits.com.au

CHANDLERY & ACCESSORIES Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014 Techni Ice (03) 9783 1922

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

OCTOBER 2016

109

Victorian Tide Times

2016 2016 Local Time

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINT – 144° VICTORIA LATLONSDALE 38° 18’ LONG 37’

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER Time Time m

11

TH TH

22

FR FR

33

SA SA

44

SU SU

55

MO MO

66

TU TU

77

WE WE

88 TH TH

99 FR FR

10 10 SA SA

11 11 SU SU

12 12 MO MO

13 13 TU TU

14 14 WE WE

15 15 TH TH

Time 0451 1152 0451 1727 1152 2351 1727 2351 0552 1245 0552 1826 1245 1826

m 0.45 1.47 0.45 0.70 1.47 1.39 0.70 1.39 0.43 1.52 0.43 0.61 1.52 0.61

0049 0644 0049 1330 0644 1914 1330 1914 0141 0729 0141 1409 0729 1956 1409 1956 0225 0808 0225 1442 0808 2034 1442 2034 0303 0845 0303 1513 0845 2109 1513 2109 0339 0919 0339 1543 0919 2144 1543 2144 0413 0954 0413 1614 0954 2217 1614 2217 0447 1029 0447 1646 1029 2251 1646 2251 0526 1105 0526 1721 1105 2326 1721 2326 0609 1142 0609 1800 1142 1800

1.45 0.42 1.45 1.55 0.42 0.52 1.55 0.52 1.50 0.42 1.50 1.57 0.42 0.46 1.57 0.46 1.53 0.43 1.53 1.57 0.43 0.41 1.57 0.41 1.54 0.46 1.54 1.56 0.46 0.38 1.56 0.38 1.54 0.49 1.54 1.54 0.49 0.37 1.54 0.37 1.52 0.53 1.52 1.51 0.53 0.37 1.51 0.37 1.49 0.57 1.49 1.48 0.57 0.38 1.48 0.38 1.45 0.63 1.45 1.43 0.63 0.40 1.43 0.40 1.41 0.68 1.41 1.37 0.68 1.37

0000 0658 0000 1221 0658 1845 1221 1845 0041 0755 0041 1307 0755 1940 1307 1940 0130 0900 0130 1405 0900 2045 1405 2045 0231 1005 0231 1516 1005 2201 1516 2201

0.43 1.36 0.43 0.74 1.36 1.32 0.74 1.32 0.46 1.33 0.46 0.79 1.33 1.27 0.79 1.27 0.50 1.31 0.50 0.82 1.31 1.25 0.82 1.25 0.52 1.33 0.52 0.80 1.33 1.27 0.80 1.27

16 16 FR FR

17 17 SA SA

18 18 SU SU

19 19 MO MO

20 20 TU TU

21 21 WE WE

22 22 TH TH

23 23 FR FR

24 24 SA SA

25 25 SU SU

26 26 MO MO

27 27 TU TU

28 28 WE WE

29 29 TH TH

30 30 FR FR

LAT 18’ of High LONG 144° Times and38° Heights and Low37’ Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters NOVEMBER OCTOBER m Time Time m Time OCTOBER m TimeNOVEMBER m

Time 0344 1108 0344 1630 1108 2315 1630 2315 0459 1203 0459 1736 1203 1736

m 0.52 1.38 0.52 0.71 1.38 1.34 0.71 1.34 0.49 1.45 0.49 0.59 1.45 0.59

0019 0601 0019 1253 0601 1830 1253 1830 0115 0656 0115 1338 0656 1919 1338 1919 0207 0745 0207 1421 0745 2006 1421 2006 0256 0830 0256 1503 0830 2054 1503 2054 0344 0916 0344 1544 0916 2141 1544 2141 0431 1002 0431 1626 1002 2228 1626 2228 0522 1047 0522 1711 1047 2315 1711 2315 0616 1133 0616 1800 1133 1800

1.45 0.44 1.45 1.53 0.44 0.45 1.53 0.45 1.57 0.41 1.57 1.58 0.41 0.33 1.58 0.33 1.65 0.40 1.65 1.62 0.40 0.23 1.62 0.23 1.70 0.40 1.70 1.63 0.40 0.17 1.63 0.17 1.71 0.43 1.71 1.61 0.43 0.15 1.61 0.15 1.67 0.47 1.67 1.57 0.47 0.18 1.57 0.18 1.61 0.52 1.61 1.51 0.52 0.23 1.51 0.23 1.53 0.58 1.53 1.44 0.58 1.44

0003 0716 0003 1223 0716 1900 1223 1900 0056 0820 0056 1321 0820 2012 1321 2012 0200 0923 0200 1435 0923 2129 1435 2129 0315 1024 0315 1558 1024 2239 1558 2239 0430 1121 0430 1707 1121 2344 1707 2344

0.31 1.45 0.31 0.64 1.45 1.36 0.64 1.36 0.40 1.39 0.40 0.69 1.39 1.30 0.69 1.30 0.49 1.36 0.49 0.71 1.36 1.28 0.71 1.28 0.54 1.36 0.54 0.68 1.36 1.31 0.68 1.31 0.55 1.38 0.55 0.60 1.38 1.37 0.60 1.37

Time 0524 1222 0524 1759 SU 1222 SU 1759

m 0.58 1.40 0.58 0.45 1.40 0.45

0102 0637 0102 1316 0637 1858 1316 1858 0200 0735 0200 1406 0735 1950 1406 1950 0252 0826 0252 1453 0826 2041 1453 2041 0342 0914 0342 1538 0914 2130 1538 2130 0430 1000 0430 1622 1000 2218 1622 2218 0517 1045 0517 1707 1045 2306 1707 2306 0605 1131 0605 1755 1131 2354 1755 2354 0657 1219 0657 1847 1219 1847

1.51 0.54 1.51 1.46 0.54 0.31 1.46 0.31 1.64 0.50 1.64 1.52 0.50 0.19 1.52 0.19 1.73 0.47 1.73 1.57 0.47 0.12 1.57 0.12 1.78 0.45 1.78 1.58 0.45 0.09 1.58 0.09 1.78 0.45 1.78 1.57 0.45 0.10 1.57 0.10 1.73 0.46 1.73 1.53 0.46 0.16 1.53 0.16 1.65 0.49 1.65 1.47 0.49 0.25 1.47 0.25 1.56 0.53 1.56 1.39 0.53 1.39

0042 25 0752 0042 25 1309 TU 0752

0.35 1.47 0.35 0.57 1.47 1.32 0.57 1.32 0.46 1.39 0.46 0.61 1.39 1.27 0.61 1.27 0.56 1.34 0.56 0.62 1.34 1.26 0.62 1.26 0.64 1.32 0.64 0.59 1.32 1.30 0.59 1.30 0.68 1.31 0.68 0.53 1.31 0.53

Time 0534 1213 0534 1802 SA 1213 SA 1802

m 0.54 1.41 0.54 0.52 1.41 0.52

0039 0726 0039 1356 0726 1947 1356 1947 0226 0809 0226 1433 0809 2026 1433 2026 0306 0846 0306 1505 0846 2101 1505 2101 0341 0921 0341 1537 0921 2135 1537 2135 0413 0956 0413 1608 0956 2209 1608 2209 0445 1030 0445 1642 1030 2243 1642 2243 0518 1104 0518 1715 1104 2315 1715 2315 0555 1139 0555 1752 1139 2347 1752 2347 0635 1215 0635 1831 1215 1831

1.44 0.52 1.44 1.45 0.52 0.44 1.45 0.44 1.51 0.50 1.51 1.47 0.50 0.37 1.47 0.37 1.56 0.49 1.56 1.48 0.49 0.33 1.48 0.33 1.59 0.50 1.59 1.49 0.50 0.31 1.49 0.31 1.59 0.51 1.59 1.48 0.51 0.30 1.48 0.30 1.59 0.52 1.59 1.46 0.52 0.31 1.46 0.31 1.56 0.55 1.56 1.43 0.55 0.34 1.43 0.34 1.52 0.59 1.52 1.39 0.59 0.37 1.39 0.37 1.47 0.63 1.47 1.33 0.63 1.33

17 17 MO

0020 0720 0020 1251 0720 1916 1251 1916 0059 0813 0059 1334 0813 2012 1334 2012 0147 0912 0147 1429 0912 2121 1429 2121 0249 1017 0249 1536 1017 2241 1536 2241 0404 1122 0404 1650 1122 2357 1650 2357

0.40 1.41 0.40 0.67 1.41 1.28 0.67 1.28 0.45 1.36 0.45 0.70 1.36 1.25 0.70 1.25 0.50 1.32 0.50 0.70 1.32 1.24 0.70 1.24 0.55 1.32 0.55 0.67 1.32 1.28 0.67 1.28 0.58 1.35 0.58 0.58 1.35 1.38 0.58 1.38

26 26

11

22

SU SU

33

MO MO

44

TU TU

55

WE WE

66

TH TH

77

FR FR

88 SA SA

99 SU SU

10 10 MO MO

11 11 TU TU

12 12 WE WE

13 13 TH TH

14 14 FR FR

15 15 SA SA

16 16

MO

18 18 TU TU

19 19 WE WE

20 20 TH TH

21 21 FR FR

22 22 SA SA

23 23 SU SU

24 24 MO MO

1950 TU 1309 1950 0132 0850 0132 1407 WE 0850 2105 WE 1407 2105 0230 0948 0230 1516 TH 0948 2219 TH 1516 2219 0340 1045 0340 1631 FR 1045 2327 FR 1631 2327 0457 1141 0457 1737 SA 1141 SA 1737

27 27 28 28

29 29

0029 30 0606 0029 30 1231 SU 0606

1830 SU 1231 1830 0122 0701 0122 1315 MO 0701 1915 MO 1315 1915

31 31

1.37 0.67 1.37 1.33 0.67 0.46 1.33 0.46 1.45 0.64 1.45 1.35 0.64 0.39 1.35 0.39

Time 0206 0745 0206 1354 0745 1953 1354 1953 0244 0823 0244 1430 0823 2030 1430 2030 0316 0859 0316 1504 0859 2104 1504 2104 0348 0933 0348 1539 0933 2139 1539 2139 0421 1008 0421 1615 1008 2211 1615 2211 0455 1043 0455 1651 1043 2243 1651 2243 0531 1116 0531 1729 1116 2314 1729 2314 0610 1151 0610 1809 1151 2347 1809 2347 0651 1228 0651 1856 1228 1856

m 1.52 0.61 1.52 1.38 0.61 0.33 1.38 0.33 1.58 0.58 1.58 1.41 0.58 0.29 1.41 0.29 1.62 0.56 1.62 1.43 0.56 0.27 1.43 0.27 1.64 0.55 1.64 1.43 0.55 0.27 1.43 0.27 1.64 0.54 1.64 1.42 0.54 0.29 1.42 0.29 1.62 0.55 1.62 1.40 0.55 0.32 1.40 0.32 1.58 0.57 1.58 1.36 0.57 0.35 1.36 0.35 1.53 0.59 1.53 1.32 0.59 0.39 1.32 0.39 1.47 0.60 1.47 1.28 0.60 1.28

0028 10 0738 0028 10 1310 TH 0738

0.45 1.42 0.45 0.59 1.42 1.26 0.59 1.26 0.52 1.37 0.52 0.58 1.37 1.26 0.58 1.26 0.59 1.34 0.59 0.53 1.34 1.32 0.53 1.32 0.66 1.34 0.66 0.45 1.34 1.42 0.45 1.42 0.68 1.37 0.68 0.34 1.37 0.34

11

TU TU

22

WE WE

33

TH TH

44

FR FR

55

SA SA

66

SU SU

77

MO MO

88 TU TU

99 WE WE

1951 TH 1310 1951 0117 0830 0117 1400 FR 0830 2101 FR 1400 2101 0218 0930 0218 1503 SA 0930 2221 SA 1503 2221 0331 1034 0331 1614 SU 1034 2337 SU 1614 2337 0451 1139 0451 1725 MO 1139 MO 1725

11 11

12 12

13 13 14 14

0043 15 0609 0043 15 1239 TU 0609

1.55 0.66 1.55 1.42 0.66 0.22 1239 1.42 TU 1829 1829 0.22

Time 0142 0713 0142 1335 0713 1926 1335 1926 0236 0806 0236 1427 0806 2018 1427 2018 0327 0856 0327 1515 0856 2109 1515 2109 0415 0944 0415 1603 0944 2159 1603 2159 0501 1031 0501 1651 1031 2246 1651 2246 0548 1118 0548 1741 1118 2333 1741 2333 0635 1206 0635 1834 1206 1834

m m 1.68 0.61 1.68 1.48 0.61 0.13 1.48 0.13 1.76 0.55 1.76 1.52 0.55 0.08 1.52 0.08 1.81 0.51 1.81 1.54 0.51 0.07 1.54 0.07 1.80 0.48 1.80 1.54 0.48 0.11 1.54 0.11 1.75 0.46 1.75 1.50 0.46 0.18 1.50 0.18 1.68 0.46 1.68 1.45 0.46 0.28 1.45 0.28 1.59 0.48 1.59 1.38 0.48 1.38

0019 0723 0019 1256 0723 1938 1256 1938 0106 0813 0106 1348 0813 2050 1348 2050 0157 0904 0157 1446 0904 2159 1446 2159 0255 0956 0255 1551 0956 2302 1551 2302 0405 1048 0405 1655 1048 1655

0.39 1.51 0.39 0.50 1.51 1.31 0.50 1.31 0.50 1.43 0.50 0.52 1.43 1.27 0.52 1.27 0.61 1.36 0.61 0.54 1.36 1.26 0.54 1.26 0.70 1.31 0.70 0.53 1.31 1.29 0.53 1.29 0.77 1.28 0.77 0.49 1.28 0.49

0002 28 0520 0002 28 1140 MO 0520

1.35 0.78 1.35 1.27 0.78 0.44 1.27 0.44 1.43 0.76 1.43 1.28 0.76 0.38 1.28 0.38 1.50 0.72 1.50 1.31 0.72 0.33 1.31 0.33

16 16 WE WE

17 17 TH TH

18 18 FR FR

19 19 SA SA

20 20 SU SU

21 21 MO MO

22 22 TU TU

23 23 WE WE

24 24 TH TH

25 25 FR FR

26 26 SA SA

27 27 SU SU

1751 MO 1140 1751 0055 0625 0055 1229 TU 0625 1839 TU 1229 1839 0140 0715 0140 1313 WE 0715 1921 WE 1313 1921

29 29

30 30

Local Time DECEMBER Time TimeDECEMBER m

Time 0217 0757 0217 1355 0757 2000 1355 2000 0252 0835 0252 1434 0835 2037 1434 2037 0327 0912 0327 1514 0912 2112 1514 2112 0400 0947 0400 1552 0947 2145 1552 2145 0436 1023 0436 1631 1023 2217 1631 2217 0513 1058 0513 1711 1058 2250 1711 2250 0549 1133 0549 1752 1133 2327 1752 2327 0628 1211 0628 1839 1211 1839

m 1.56 0.67 1.56 1.34 0.67 0.29 1.34 0.29 1.61 0.63 1.61 1.37 0.63 0.27 1.37 0.27 1.64 0.60 1.64 1.39 0.60 0.26 1.39 0.26 1.65 0.57 1.65 1.40 0.57 0.28 1.40 0.28 1.65 0.55 1.65 1.39 0.55 0.30 1.39 0.30 1.62 0.54 1.62 1.36 0.54 0.33 1.36 0.33 1.58 0.52 1.58 1.34 0.52 0.38 1.34 0.38 1.53 0.50 1.53 1.32 0.50 1.32

99 0010 0710 0010 1252 FR 0710

0.45 1.48 0.45 0.48 1.48 1.31 0.48 1.31 0.53 1.43 0.53 0.44 1.43 1.31 0.44 1.31 0.63 1.39 0.63 0.40 1.39 1.36 0.40 1.36 0.71 1.36 0.71 0.34 1.36 1.44 0.34 1.44 0.75 1.36 0.75 0.27 1.36 0.27

24 24

1.54 0.74 1.54 1.39 0.74 0.19 1.39 0.19 1.64 0.69 1.64 1.43 0.69 0.13 1.43 0.13

29 29

11

TH TH

22

FR FR

33

SA SA

44

SU SU

55

MO MO

66

TU TU

77

WE WE

88 TH TH

1935 FR 1252 1935 0100 0756 0100 1341 SA 0756 2043 SA 1341 2043 0157 0850 0157 1438 SU 0850 2200 SU 1438 2200 0303 0951 0303 1544 MO 0951 2315 MO 1544 2315 0419 1057 0419 1655 TU 1057 TU 1655

10 10

11 11 12 12

13 13

0023 14 0539 0023 14 1204 WE 0539

1804 WE 1204 1804 0124 0648 0124 1307 TH 0648 1906 TH 1307 1906

15 15

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorology  Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight when in effect New Moon Firstsavings Quartertime (UTC +11:00) Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon

16 16 FR FR

17 17 SA SA

18 18 SU SU

19 19 MO MO

20 20 TU TU

21 21 WE WE

22 22 TH TH

Time 0219 0747 0219 1405 0747 2001 1405 2001 0312 0841 0312 1458 0841 2054 1458 2054 0400 0931 0400 1548 0931 2144 1548 2144 0446 1020 0446 1638 1020 2230 1638 2230 0530 1108 0530 1728 1108 2315 1728 2315 0611 1154 0611 1820 1154 2358 1820 2358 0651 1238 0651 1918 1238 1918

0040 23 0730 0040 23 1323 FR 0730

2020 FR 1323 2020 0123 0812 0123 1409 SA 0812 2121 SA 1409 2121 0211 0856 0211 1500 SU 0856 2221 SU 1500 2221 0307 0945 0307 1559 MO 0945 2320 MO 1559 2320 0416 1039 0416 1700 TU 1039 TU 1700

25 25 26 26

27 27

0015 28 0531 0015 28 1136 WE 0531 1759 WE 1136 1759 0105 0636 0105 1230 TH 0636 1848 TH 1230 1848 0148 0727 0148 1321 FR 0727 1933 FR 1321 1933 0228 0810 0228 1408 SA 0810 2013 SA 1408 2013

30 30

31 31

m m 1.72 0.62 1.72 1.48 0.62 0.10 1.48 0.10 1.76 0.55 1.76 1.51 0.55 0.10 1.51 0.10 1.77 0.49 1.77 1.51 0.49 0.15 1.51 0.15 1.74 0.45 1.74 1.49 0.45 0.22 1.49 0.22 1.68 0.42 1.68 1.44 0.42 0.31 1.44 0.31 1.61 0.41 1.61 1.38 0.41 0.41 1.38 0.41 1.54 0.42 1.54 1.32 0.42 1.32 0.51 1.46 0.51 0.44 1.46 1.28 0.44 1.28 0.61 1.38 0.61 0.45 1.38 1.26 0.45 1.26 0.71 1.32 0.71 0.46 1.32 1.27 0.46 1.27 0.79 1.27 0.79 0.46 1.27 1.30 0.46 1.30 0.84 1.24 0.84 0.44 1.24 0.44 1.36 0.84 1.36 1.23 0.84 0.40 1.23 0.40 1.42 0.80 1.42 1.25 0.80 0.35 1.25 0.35 1.49 0.75 1.49 1.29 0.75 0.31 1.29 0.31 1.55 0.68 1.55 1.33 0.68 0.28 1.33 0.28

Last Quarter Last Quarter

Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

110

OCTOBER 2016

the

WHITTLEY party

#

VOTE

1

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OCTOBER 2016

111

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