Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly - October 2015 by Fishing Monthly

SNAPPER MAYHEM BEGINS • UNDERSTANDING SPINNERBAITS

Features

Bullen Merri bass and Chinooks • Australia’s first trout cod fisheries • Tasmanian trout hotspots • Summertime boat safety •

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T ried and Tested Streaker’s 4850 Tournament • Savage 385 Big Boy • Stingray Polarised Eyewear • Beachmate trolley •

How To

Catch snapper on soft plastics • Bottom fish successfully • Understanding spinnerbaits •

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OCTOBER 2015

Gerry Hope landed this Tasmanian trumpeter using Black Magic 100lb Tough Trace. Gerry was fishing at Pedra Blanca.

Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon tippet was used by Neville Dean to take this flathead in Botany Bay.

A Black Magic BMax ‘bully’ lure and Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon tippet were used by Diego Gadea to catch this brown trout while fishing at Lake Toolondo.

Brett Johnstone landed this squid on a Black Magic Squid Snatcher® 2.5 ‘copper camo’ while fishing from the rocks around Low Head.

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YOUR PHOTO COULD APPEAR IN OUR ADS! If we use your photo in our advertising you will receive a FREE BLACK MAGIC CAP AND STICKER! Include your name, address, fish weight, where you caught it and which Black Magic or Wasabi products were used. Send a high resolution image to: photos@blackmagic.co.nz

OCTOBER 2015

Black Magic 40lb Tough Trace and a Black Magic KL 6/0 hook were used by Lee Rayner to catch this sailfish.

Bar Crusher 490 Gen 2 TM has arrived!

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Bar Crusher’s 490C (Cuddy) and 490WR (Walk-Around) will change the way you look at sub-5m aluminium boats. A true high-tensile ‘plate boat’ designed from the ground up, it was Bar Crusher’s aim to create a series of superbly engineered, high-performance plate aluminium fishing boats never before seen in this size range and price point. Priced around $35k (depending on selected options) the new 490 Gen2™ models combine key features including the distinctive Delta Flare TM – multi-faceted planing plank delivering greater hydrodynamic lift for more efficient planing and improved fuel economy and a higher bow attitude with better spray deflection for a dryer ride. Naturally, the Gen2™ hull design incorporates all the original Bar Crusher design features. The Quickflow ® water ballast system, which sees a cavity in the hull fill with water at rest to allow the boat to sit down on its chines for superior stability. When the boat accelerates, this cavity drains fast to allow the hull to fly up onto the plane.

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October 2015, Vol. 11 No. 12

Contents WEST COAST

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 68 Robinvale 69 Mildura 69 Shepparton 70 Yarrawonga 63 Victorian Alpine 71 Wangaratta 72 Jindabyne 73 Eildon 74 Bonnie Doon 74 Central Gippsland 75 West/South Gippsland 76 Bendigo 76 Melbourne metro 76 Crater Lakes 77 Ballarat 78

TASMANIA WRAP

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 60 Boating 98 Chappy’s Hotspot 35 Dam Levels 74 Fun Page 86 Spearfishing 85 Tasmanian Lake Levels 58 Tournament News 80 Trade and Services Guide 104 Victorian Tide Times 106 VRFish Update 43 What’s New Boating 99 What’s New Fishing 90 Inland Fisheries Service 56

SPECIAL FEATURES

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John Macleod with a chunky calamari taken from Western Port.

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Carl Jocumsen’s journey through the Bassmaster Elite series this year? Proudly sponsored by Fishing Monthly Magazines, Carl did us all proud in his rookie year – making two top-10s in the toughest bass fishing competition on the planet. If this is the first you’ve heard of it, jump on www.carljocumsen.com and follow his journey. We’re sure you’ll love it. And finally, thank you to all of the entrants to the Find-The-Berkley Logo competition. Victorians seem especially keen on weeding out the Berkley logos from the pages of the magazine. Maybe it’s the long winter responsible, but per magazine sold, you’re the biggest competitors when it comes to entries in this competition.

OCTOBER 2015

8 18 52 62 66 88 94

was voted into power earlier in the year. There’s a message there for all politicians – Australians take their recreation seriously and they’ll definitely vote for a party that takes their passion into account! And to help you get ready for the opening of the Murray cod season in a few months, you’ll find a feature on spinnerbaits inside. These, of course, are an essential part kit for any visitor to the Murray basin. There’s also some ideas to consider when you bring your boat out of hibernation with a Boat Safety Gear feature. Please make sure that your kit is up to scratch BEFORE you run into any issues on the water. We don’t like losing readers. How many of you followed Aussie bass angler

AUST

Going soft on snapper Bullen Merri: bass and Chinooks Tasmanian spring trout hotspots An in depth look at spinnerbaits Australia’s first trout cod fisheries Post-capture shrinkage Summertime boat safety

expanding fisheries, we also saw recently the opening of a couple of closed system trout cod fisheries. Wayne Dubois has covered the opening in the freshwater section of the magazine, but mark this fishery down to another feather in the cap of Victorian Fisheries. It’s no wonder that we’re the envy of other states. It’s also interesting to note what’s going on in other states. It looks like Queensland’s been successful in achieving three ‘net free’ areas near major metropolitan centres – in Rockhampton, Mackay and Cairns. Maybe it’s the Queensland Government taking the lead from Victoria, as these areas were a part of the pre-election promise of the Labor government which

ION

Eden 48 Mallacoota 48 Bermagui 49 Narooma 50 Merimbula 50

We love the October edition of Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly. It marks the end of the footy season and the start of the time of year when we all drag the boats out of storage and line up at the ramps pre-dawn for a crack at a snapper-of-a-lifetime. Each year, the seasons seem to be getting longer and better. At the time of print, the big SBTs were still being landed on the west coast, and assuming that the supertrawler doesn’t eliminate their food source totally, there’s no reason that they won’t stay and harass the bait indefinitely. With the cod season closed, there’s even more reason to get some salt water on the boat and tackle. In the theme of

NSW SOUTH COAST

From the Editor’s Desk...

Welshpool 41 Inverloch 40 Gippsland Lakes 44 Marlo 44 McLoughlins Beach 45 Bemm River 46 Lakes Entrance 46

EAST COAST

Geelong 20 Port Phillip West 22 Port Phillip East 24 Port Phillip North East 26 Mornington Peninsula 28 Western Port North 30 Western Port South 32 Phillip Island 38

CENTRAL

PRO

West Coast 12 Warrnambool 14 Portland 14 Apollo Bay 16 Cobden 16

ING TRADE

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Snapper Feature

Going soft on snapper PART II WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

It is difficult to try and re-invent the wheel when it comes to fishing for a particular species. Often there are only a few techniques that continue to keep things interesting before reverting back to plain old bait fishing methods. However, when it comes to snapper, there really isn’t a thing they won’t eat and for anglers this means being

able to adapt and try new innovative techniques that have been developed each season. The bonus of this is that there is always something new and different to try to keep the ‘spark’ about them firing in your blood. Whether it’s a humble pilchard, vertical jig, metal vibe, soft plastic or hardbody lure, the options are almost endless, yet still, I’m sure some anglers may invent their own techniques that bring them success. The downside to them eating practically everything in their path during the season

When choosing colours, natural pilchard patterns, white and silver colours are highly effective.

is that certain demographics of anglers who begin to dabble and explore other more modern techniques, can give up easily if they’re not having instant success. If you were to draw a line in the sand, you’ll have three groups of anglers. Those that grab the bull by the horns and solely use lures, those that just use bait and those who like bait but flick the odd lure and go back to bait. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that but if I can just put one suggestion forward, if you are going to ‘try’ a lure, then don’t just make 5 casts and give up. Make 100 and I bet you’ll catch something, even if it is the soft plastic bug! SUCCESS IS IN THE EYE OF THE RODHOLDER It is fair to say that we have the most consistent snapper fishery in the country. Sure South Australia can boast about having the biggest reds but our snapper fishery lasts for the best part of seven months and even more if you’re willing to fish throughout winter. That aside, snapper can be the most frustrating of species on any given day throughout the season. As much as I might gloat

ALL NEW

When you begin ‘dabbling’ in soft plastics, it pays to set a berley trail and work a plastic through it. Snapper will congregate in berley trails and a softie is usually hunted down pretty quick. about how easy they are to catch, I am referring to in November when they are at their most active. December is generally the ‘spawning’ months for snapper in the Bay, which is why they try to pack on as much fat content by eating everything during spring. I often liken this period to a trout farm and by the time December hits, they go off the bite almost completely until they begin to feed spasmodically again with a small spattering of bite windows in January,

February and March. During the peak of the season, from October until mid December, catching snapper with lures is at its most productive. That aside, snapper can still be frustrating at the best of times. Heavily affected by barometric pressure, water temperature and tidal fluctuations, snapper make their own rules and as anglers, we need to do the research to find them out. Unfortunately snapper do what they want and their bite times, could be any time of

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research showed the best wavelength of visible light for the squid’s eye to detect is 490nm. 490 GLOW stickers are attached to the LIVE search so it now incorporates the best light for squid, the best sound for squid, the warm jacket cloth and the easiest darting action for the angler. Yamashita have discovered after much research with a leading Japanese University that squid can pick up sounds between 400hz and 1400hz with 600hz being the optimum level for squid to be most interested. To achieve the 600hz Yamashita needed to change the plastic body material to a bone plastic material and use stainless steel bearings (not glass or plastic). This combination results in a high pitch rattle that no other jig on the market can replicate. The Live Search jigs all feature this 600hz rattle.

Features:

the day or night. Yep, don’t you just hate it when your Facebook feed is flooding with reports and your at work or your next child is about to be born and you’re still fishing but have to pull the pin because your wife is having contractions, well it happens, take it from me first hand! Snapper are snapper and they will bite when they want to, leaving just one option for us, fish at every darn minute you can. Still, when searching for snapper

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OCTOBER 2015

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Snapper Feature

There are hundreds of styles of plastics available with shad tails being one of the most effective. to target with lures, you do have to put in the time and find the fish. There is no point going out and while under anchor, setting a berley trail and casting out a bunch

gear and tackle to get the job done. Those who take the technique seriously are primed to the max with the rods, reels, braid, leader, jigheads and about 50 packets

You don’t have to go too big on the plastic either. The standard lengths are 4” and 5” models. of baits only to make a dozen casts to fish that aren’t there. In fact, it is better to focus on finding fish on your sounder before dropping anchor and setting the entire trap. In saying that, it is often more productive to drift through the area you found fish than to set anchor and disturb them. Think about it, snapper will be mooching about looking for food on the sea floor, then all of a sudden, a heavy metal thing lands in the sand, drags across the bottom sending plumes of sand and silt into the water column, and not to mention the almighty deafening sound of an anchor chain rattling spooking the utter crap out of them. In a perfect world, working a school of snapper with lures should be done in two ways: by motoring ahead of the school you had sounded up and then allowing the boat to drift back with the wind and tide flicking the lure through where the fish are, or using an electric motor and holding yourself in position while casting your selection of soft plastics about. Of all, the most important key is to locate the fish before casting and working the bottom. GEAR SELECTION Flicking soft plastics demands the use of the right

of plastics, some of which even I have never heard of. Then there’s the baito who wants to start out. He

or she has a few packets of plastics and some jigheads; they set out the baits, rigs and one rod with a softie and flick it about. Using an existing fibreglass rod they had in the garage, they soon refine it and go back to bait! While this might sound like a dramatisation, it does occur for a few reasons. Firstly, anglers don’t want to spent countless dollars to ‘try’ something in case they don’t like it while that is understandable, using the wrong gear for the job isn’t going to have the entire equation work right in the first place and the fish won’t take the bait. I guess you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t in this situation. I can’t stress enough that when fishing with soft plastics the importance of using the right gear. In the bay, a new rod To page 10

When flicking about in the bay, using the right weighted jighead is paramount as it is vital the plastic is worked along the bottom in the snapper feeding zone. OCTOBER 2015

Snapper Feature From page 9

and reel setup to get the ball rolling can start at around $99, but the bonus of this is that it can double as a whiting outfit if you’re not fond of flicking plastics. The next set from there is about $150 and so on. When you’re totally addicted like me, you don’t have to go over the top but something such as a Wilson Magnum 701SL 3-8lb with Shimano Stradic 4000 is about ideal. Load the reel with 250yrds of 6lb braid and you’ll be in the perfect frame

reel and line, leader is of equal importance. Of course, snapper have teeth so ensure you’re using an extra abrasive resistant leader material. This will give you the added security and confidence of knowing you’ll land the fish when using lighter tackle. PLASTIC FANTASTIC Snapper are partial to a big meal in these waters and if it is a big red you insist on catching then don’t be afraid on upsizing your lure selection. Bait fishos might opt for whole silver whiting and pilchards, which may

Plastics in the 4 and 5” sizes are about the standard size used to hunt these bigger fish. Styles can also play a part in attracting snapper to take the lure. Thinner profile lures will have more

of a lifelike persona in the water, giving more of an appearance of a live baitfish. In this case, your typical jerk bait style softie tends to be well received when worked along the bottom. Zerek’s

Live Flash Minnow and Live Flask Minnow Wriggly in 110 and 130mm sizes, Yakamito 95mm Viper Vibes and Zerek 4” Flat Shads have

fishing. Jigheads made from good quality hooks like Mustad’s Ultra Point Darter heads will stand up to fish of this calibre.

Transparent colours also have their place in a snapper angler’s tackle box. There’s a time and a place for everything.

Fish finders these days make finding fish much easier, especially with the use of structure scan and broadband technology. of mind to begin working a soft plastic the way it should be worked. Aside from the rod,

range in size from 4-6” in length. With this in mind, your plastic selection should also be similar in size.

Snapper don’t tend to be fussy when it comes to devouring a plastic but the more you can make it imitate a baitfish the more success you’ll have.

certainly proven themselves worthy snapper lures. Due to the depth of water and limited current if any, lighter jigheads will be ideal. When choosing heads, a range is recommended depending on the depth being fished. Suggestions are a 1/4oz with 3/0 hook, 1/2oz with 2/0 or 3/0 hook and 3/8oz with 4/0 hook. This type of range will allow you to select which will be best for the area you’re

What’s more is that snapper will take the plastic and put up much more of a battle compared to the same fish caught with bait. Sitting back waiting for a rod to load may be entertaining for some, but to cast and work a softie over a reef only to have it engulfed followed by the reel screaming as braid is ripped from the spool is one adrenalin pumping and knee trembling fight you won’t quickly forget.

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Glenelg’s picky perch – how to get a great bite WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

October is when we really start to see some major improvement in the weather and this month welcomes more pleasant conditions for fishing the Glenelg River. TIMING A BITE August and September saw a reduced average level of rainfall that has lead to problematic natural inflows. However, the river did get enough at times to colour up the water which led both bream and perch to school up in the lower sections and become quite easy to find on the sounder. Easily found schools don’t guarantee an easy catch with quite small bite windows. Dragging lures through massive schools of fish was not always successful either. The fish were focused on recruitment and breeding which occurs when they find the right salinity levels. The fish need just enough saline in the water to lift the eggs to float off the bottom, a process that limits predation and hopefully delivers a higher success rate in creating future

The author with a typical Glenelg River bream. generations. The peak bite times seemed to be on the largest of tides and this tidal influence had an effect all the way up the river as it held up the water flow. Slack water at the top of the tide was definitely a great time to find the fish, as they switched on from lockjaw to actively feeding.

perch will be more inclined to swim in the shallows and aren’t as easily found via a sounder. Move along the river and alternate the terrain you are targeting and you will eventually expose a pattern. Whether lure fishing or bait fishing, the key is to try all possible areas including 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. Best baits will be cut crab, shelled prawn, and pod worm, rigged as lightly as possible - even unweighted - and thrown up hard to the edges in the early mornings. Later in the day allow those same baits

to sit out a little deeper when the sun gets up and you’ll catch plenty of fish. With clearer water, small shallow to mid-diving hardbodies will be the lure of choice. Good old SX40s and shallow diving minnow profile lures, also 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 drift down through the snags. October is a great month to get out on the river for both lure and bait fishers with plenty of quality fish on offer.

THE MONTH AHEAD October will most likely see an improvement in water clarity and temperature which should encourage those large schools to break up and start to disperse widely through the river. The key at this time of year will be to stay on the move until you find the fish in numbers. Both bream and

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OCTOBER 2015

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Top: Small mulloway are always high in numbers in the Glenelg River Above: A healthy estuary perch.

Your fishing licence fees at work New offshore reef Victoria’s largest ever artificial reef modules have been installed approximately three and a half kilometres offshore from Torquay. The modules were deployed into 25 metres of water on bare sand and will improve fishing opportunities for boat-based anglers. The 25 concrete modules each measure more than four metres high and weigh up to 20 tonnes. They were designed to create variable water turbulence and habitat that will attract baitfish and predators such as the highly sought after kingfish. More than $1 million from fishing licence fees contributed to the $1.5 million project. Watch the reef deployment video:

38˚19.828’ S 144˚ 22.500’ E

25 m

Cluster 4 Cluster 5

Ocean Grove

38˚19.942’ S 144˚ 22.600’ E

4 38˚20.065’ S 144˚ 22.225’ E

Cluster 3

Cluster 2

Queenscliff

Torquay

1 2

4 3

Cluster 1

Anglesea

38˚20.184’ S 144˚ 22.320’ E

Each reef cluster consists of five concrete modules, grouped to create habitat for species such as kingfish.

1 2 3 4

38˚19.828’ S 38˚19.942’ S 38˚20.184’ S 38˚20.065’ S

144˚ 22.500’ E 144˚ 22.600’ E 144˚ 22.320’ E 144˚ 22.225’ E

The new offshore reef is Victoria’s largest and complements others already installed in Port Phillip Bay, the Gippsland Lakes and Mallacoota.

www.vic.gov.au/fishinggrants

Starting the spring perch search WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

With wintery conditions restricting offshore options many of the local rivers have been fishing well during the past few weeks. The Moyne River at Port Fairy, usually viewed

as the highway bridge at Rosebrook. The Fitzroy River has also been providing some good mixed bags of fish of late with the odd mulloway and decent sized EP mixed up with the plentiful bream. Yambuk Lake also produces well at this time of year on the bream front and might be well worth a look.

deep diving lures is another technique that works well at this time of year and can also produce the odd mulloway too. Most of the perch have been in the 30-36cm range but there are always a few big girls around like the 53cm beast Mick White caught recently. Remember these bigger fish are the

in early August, although the numbers of fish finally seemed to drop away from the previous months. Then, just when it looked like time to pack the tuna gear away for another year, a big run of barrels turned up off Portland, with one also taken at Apollo Bay. Plenty of school fish are again turning up the length of the South West Coast the 2015 tuna season continues to amaze. Good numbers of salmon have been taken off some of the local beaches but they seem to be good one day, gone the next. October often does throw up some warm flat days, which are ideal for getting

Mick White with a 53cm EP in the upper part of the Hopkins. out and targeting various shark species off the local beaches. Gummies and schoolies are the main target

with plenty of seven-gillers, Port Jacksons, skates and more providing the somewhat annoying by-catch.

Great Portland tuna run PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Vibe lures have been effective on the perch population. by serious anglers as more of a passageway to the areas offshore fishing, has been producing some good fishing over the cooler months. Good numbers of silver trevally, yellow eye mullet and small salmon have been active in the lower regions particularly on the high change of tide. Further upstream, bream and the odd mulloway have been the target as far up

OCTOBER 2015

The Hopkins has been producing good numbers of estuary perch that have moved into the lower reaches as they do during the cooler months as part of their spawning regimen. The Dawia TD vibe has been a good producer on the perch for me recently with metal blades and heavily weighted soft plastics also producing the goods. Trolling

females and important to the continuation of recruitment of the fishery and should be carefully released. Trout season still hasn’t reached any great heights in the local rivers. It only takes a significant dump of rain to fire things up and that can still happen right into October. Tuna were still being encountered off Port Fairy

What an amazing season we’ve had here in Portland! Just when we thought the weather had us, with everyone ready to close the tuna season, a sudden turnaround and good weather has provided an amazing amount of barrel tuna. These fish have showed up out of the blue and at the end of the season in the mid water area around Lawrences Rock to Cape Nelson Lighthouse. Around this time of year barrel tuna are generally caught in 50-70m of water. The largest catch we made weighed 153kg however, plenty more were to be found, ranging from 50-120kg. Catches are numerous too with Bob and Chris managing to weigh 23 barrels in one day. These catches have been made on large skirt lures such as the Pakula Sprocket and Richter Splash with ‘Lumo’ winning the colour of the day. A healthy mix of school tuna can also be found swimming with the big fish. It is hard to say when this run will end but it has certainly made our season one of the best and made our little town of Portland even more famous for a great tuna run. As the weather improves, so should the fishing. This has been reflected in good runs of blue-eye for deep water anglers around the shelf, most of whom are running large rigs on electric reel set ups. Fishing the 140m mark will produce good size Tasmanian trumpeter, snapper up to 7kg, as well as gummy and school sharks. We should start seeing anglers target makos around the Cape

It’s been an amazing late run of monster tuna in Portland. Nelson area soon, which is very exciting. Towards Bridgewater you can target good feeds of flathead, gummy, and school sharks. The flathead love squid rigs as well as squid and pilchard baits. Flathead, whiting and quid are making good returns around the bay area . The breakwater should be starting to fire on large snapper, squid, whiting, salmon, trevally, and sharks. If you’re after the thrill of those large snapper though, putting in long hours will get you a good result throughout the season. The North Shore and surrounding beaches should also produce some good

fish - large whiting, squid and sharks. The Fitzroy River has a great new platform – bream, perch and the odd mulloway are the fish to target there. The Surrey River is another relaxing spot for a good bream and mullet bag. • For all your bait and tackle needs call into Portland Complete Angler at 61 Bentinck Street Portland, or contact us on 0355211844. Come to us for licences, regulation books, and stickers open seven days a week 8am - 6 pm. We are also on Facebook Portland Complete Angler.

OCTOBER 2015

SBT still sizzling drags APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

A late run of big bluefin tuna off Cape Otway has been a bonus this season and they now seem like a year round prospect.

Fish of 90kg to well over 100kg have been taken along with some heartbreaking stories of anglers fighting fish and loosing them. Trolling skirted lures has accounted for most of the big tuna with the area between Point Franklin and Cape Otway being the most productive.

The deepwater reefs off Cape Otway are fishing well for gummy and school shark, which have been caught up to 20kg in recent weeks. Fresh fillets of salmon or barracouta are excellent baits and even the odd snapper has been caught on these baits too. There are still plenty of flathead over the sand bottom in 30-40m and they are well worth targeting for a feed. Further inshore around Marengo, the King George whiting are starting to return in numbers for the summer months ahead. Light paternoster rigs loaded with pipis tend to work very well and other species such as silver trevally, sweep and leatherjackets are common by-catch. Wild Dog Beach is producing excellent surf fishing for salmon. Both bait and lures can be used from the beach and the salmon aren’t fussy about what you offer them. Early morning or late afternoon are prime times but the fish will bite right throughout the day on occasions.

The Barham River right in Apollo Bay is a great spot for the whole family to catch a fish. The Apollo Bay boat harbour should be full of squid by time October ends so pack a squid jig and test your skills at catching a lovely feed of calamari or fish the inside of the breakwall for a King George whiting. The Aire and Barham rivers are great places for all the family and with bream, mullet, salmon and estuary perch biting you are sure to catch something. If you are

into bait fishing then try some peeled prawns or scrubworms fished on the bottom with little or no weight. Lure casters will have success with soft plastics or small floating hardbodied lures. Make sure you fish your lures around structure or along the bank drop offs as this is where the fish will be hunting for food. These rivers are also great options further upstream in the freshwater for trout.

In fact, any river you come across in this area will hold good numbers of trout. A general rule is that the bigger the waterway, the bigger the trout you will catch but some of the smaller streams will catch you more fish. I like to walk Smythes Creek or the upper Barham River casting soft plastic minnow lures, which I find this to be a very effective method of catching trout.

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Rod Shepherd

There has been a late run of big bluefin tuna biting off Cape Otway.

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down towards the mouth not only for a taste of highly oxygenated saltwater but to take advantage of any small prey caught up either exiting or entering the system. It’s been many months since this estuary has been under the influence of tidal movement and it certainly needed a decent flush out. Once the estuarine waters calmed and seawater began pushing in, in earnest, the bream began to school up and slowly moved back into the lower reaches of the river in preparation for their annual spawning run. While the bream were down near the mouth, the fishing was excellent to say the least. Even baits such as frozen packet prawn saw

many an aggressive take. Here’s hoping that anglers obeyed the daily bag limits and I’m hoping that some, like me, practiced catch and release. The ideal areas to fish were just back from the wedge where the fresh met the salt. This was best undertaken from a boat on an incoming tide. Last month, a massive upsurge of barrel southern bluefin tuna were being caught along our coastline. Fish in excess of 110kg have been caught, mainly on skirted lures such as Pakulas in pink, white and purple. For many months smaller school fish have been caught right in close to the shore and a definite absence of bigger fish was noted. Now they

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have turned up in force, but for how long? Technically August has spelled the beginning of the end for the tuna run down here but then again, rules are made to be broken. Local offshore angler Marty Ellul from Warrnambool went out with his young son Xavier in tow looking for tuna. However, what they did end up catching was a thumping mahimahi. These allegedly tropical pelagic fish have been caught in previous seasons and apparently follow the tuna schools along our southern coastline in winter. Have they always been there or is this a recent phenomenon? One thing for sure; you don’t need to fly north to tangle with a mahimahi! August saw more welcome rainfall across the South West, seemingly enough to open many estuary mouths to the sea. As we enter into September the air temperatures are beginning to rise and the days are getting longer, making it a more comfortable proposition for anglers to get out and wet a line. Spring down here does see the wind pick up from the North West making an offshore trip difficult. This annual phenomenon has yet to begin in earnest and fingers-crossed it doesn’t get too blowy.

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Bullen Merri: heading back to its former glory COLAC

Scott Gray

In late 2012, Lake Bullen Merri received a restocking of Chinook salmon and already the lake is producing good quality fish. With the purchase of new equipment in the hatchery, managers were able to produce good numbers of yearling fish to restock the crater lakes but also included some new trial waters across the state.

salmonids and, being an old volcanic crater it is also very productive. It supports massive populations of baitfish including gudgeon and galaxias. The crater is basically a fish bowl with limited structure and weed beds and the fish just swim around feeding on the abundant baitfish, which is why they grow so quickly. Like many other salmonids, the salmon don’t live long, but what they lose in longevity they make up for with their ability to reach large sizes.

techniques of targeting the salmon are bait fishing at anchor or from the shore with pilchards or glassies or trolling lures usually with the help of a downrigger or paravane to get them down deep. Flat line trolling works well in the early morning and evening, but during the day the fish often retreat to the depths and you may need to get down to depths of 10-20m to find the fish. Bait fishing is very effective when just fishing your bait off the bottom in 10-20m of water and the

The average Chinook is a fairly ordinary fish, but the average bass is fat and over 40cm long! When stocked alongside brown trout, rainbow trout and Australian bass, this water creates a great multi species fishery, which provides something for every type of angler. CHINOOK SALMON FISHERY Lake Bullen Merri is known historically for its ability to produce XOS Chinook salmon and in the 1980s fish of up to 11kg were landed during Fisheries surveys. Over the past few years Fisheries Victoria have tried to re-establish the once great Chinook salmon fishery with trophy fish and although fish of this calibre are no longer available, anglers are starting to catch the odd fish around the 3.5kg mark, which are great sportfish. Brown and rainbow trout have also been found to reach trophy size in this water and last season there were a number of brown trout in the 5kg size class landed. The Lake Bullen Merri aquatic environment is unique primarily due to its depth, which can reach up to 50m. There aren’t many natural waters in Australia that reach this sort of depth and that’s is why it is well suited to Chinook salmon and other salmonids. The lake provides deep cool water habitat for the 18

OCTOBER 2015

They also provide a good return to anglers as they are aggressive feeders and respond well to both bait fishing and trolling. The two most effective

fish respond well to berley, so make sure you throw in small amounts often to bring them around your boat. The depths at which fish are found will vary

during the year, as they are happy to move around most of the water column in the winter months when the water is cold and saturated with oxygen, but in the summer months the fish are often found holding in around 15-20m depth on the thermocline, retreating from the warmer lower oxygen surface waters. It is important you identify the depth the fish are holding to be in with a chance of hooking up and if you can get your lure in the zone, it will have a positive effect on your strike rate. You will pick up the odd rainbow trout when bait fishing using this technique, but for the larger brown trout in this water nothing beats a live galaxias or gudgeon fished at night under a float from the shore. AUSTRALIAN BASS FISHERY While Lake Bullen Merri fishery is renowned for producing quality Chinook salmon and other salmonids, the lake actually supports a very good Australian bass fishery. Australian bass were experimentally stocked into this water from 1996-2005, primarily due to the fact the lake went through some serious algae blooms and fish kills in the mid 1990s. Over 160,000 bass fingerlings were stocked into the lake during this period. Australian bass are a much hardier species than salmonids and therefore it was hoped that they would survive and create a

Downrigging is a great way to get down to deep schooling Chinooks and bass. fishery in the tough times when water quality wasn’t ideal for the other species. Australian bass are long lived and although they are considered slow growing when compared to other stocked salmonids, these stockings are beginning to pay off for anglers.

Left: The days of 10kg+ Chinook salmon are gone, but who knows… maybe they will come back in future years. Right: You can come across these two great sportfish in the same area, but often different tactics are required to catch them.

Almost 20 years on anglers are beginning to catch very good quality bass with some specimens reaching 1.9kg and 46cm. These fish are very fat and in excellent condition. What’s even better is that they hit hard and fight even better. They provide a great option for anglers who want to try something different or are a great go-to option when the trout and salmon aren’t biting. They certainly aren’t the easiest fish to catch, but with time and persistence you can expect the rewards. Simply trolling around the lake with a couple of winged lures won’t help you catch a bass in this water. The two most effective techniques are to troll the edges of the drop-offs with minnow styled lures in the 5-9cm size. I often used leadcore or a downrigger to get the lures down to depths of around 10m or more, which is where I catch most of my fish. Using your sounder is so important to identify the terrain and ensure you get in nice and close to the submerged reefs. I usually troll until I mark or hook a fish, then I can pull up over the top of the schools and fish vertically if it’s not too windy. Schooling behaviour is often observed during the early winter months when the fish school up trying to spawn (although they can’t viably spawn in this water).

Left: Great catches of Chinook can be made in Bullen Merri in terms of numbers, meaning you can usually take home a feed. Right: An average Chinook taken downrigging in Bullen Merri. As the lake hasn’t been stocked for 10 years the bass are all big and I haven’t seen one under 1.3kg this year! With bass found to reach 15 years of age in other lakes in NSW, it’s likely there will still be plenty of big fish available in the coming years. THE FUTURE With the bass fishery fully developed and the Chinook salmon fishery re-established it would be great to see the stocking of brown trout increase from 5,000 fish per year to 10,000

Left: This is what bass schooling up over a drop-off looks like in Bullen Merri. Right: A spread out school of Chinooks can be seen schooling around the bottom.

per year to help restore what was also arguably the best quality brown trout fishery in the state. This spring is a great time to head out and chase some of the quality Chinook salmon in the lake and with the water warming up the bass will become more active, so if the salmonids aren’t co-operating, you can try something different and have a go at trolling or vertical fishing on the rocky points for Australian bass. You might be surprised what you find!

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Options open in October GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

October is a heck of a time to be alive if you’re a snapper fisho on the Bellarine or Surf Coast. If this season is anything like the past five, we’re in for another treat. The lads down the West Coast were ripping in snapper

mid-August so they could be well and truly on fire by the time you’re reading this. If all goes to plan, anglers should be enjoying snapper from Lorne to Geelong. Known hotspots include Torquay, Barwon Heads, Queenscliff, Portarlington and Clifton Springs. Sure, they are caught almost anywhere when they are on the

Son father team of the year – Ashton and David with 63cm of Wurdi Buloc brown trout.

chew, but these locations do consistently produce quality snapper this time of year. Geelong Fishing, Diving and Cray Yoinkers Club are running a snapper competition that finishes up at the end of this month, and there has been some ripping fish caught in the region so far. For more information on the competition, contact Brian Scarlett on 0400 812 348 or head on over to their Facebook page. The calamari were going bananas out off Queenscliff last month with rippers measuring in over 40cm hood length. Brendan Brown travelled all the way from Ballarat to have a crack at them and boated a few quality calamari with one measuring in around 44cm hood length. Inside the Queenscliff boat harbour there has been Australian salmon from legal length to 48cm and silver trevally caught from 30-40cm. Both species have taken raw chicken and pilchard fillets plus single-tailed grub style soft plastics. The Barwon River estuary has been teeming

Wurdi continues to produce. with small Australian salmon from legal length to 45cm. There are a couple of whoppers caught around the 60cm mark but they are few and far between. Fellow writer Brenton Hodges runs a fishing program at Lara Secondary Collage called ‘Connections – Fish for the Future’ where he teaches them about local fish stocking initiatives, recreational

fishing guidelines, effects of introduced species, marine parks, commercial fish harvesting processes and various other marine and environmental issues. The program also aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop their angling skills, including learning to tie basic knots and rigs, the importance of bait presentation, casting and retrieving,

correct release techniques to ensure an undersized or unwanted catch has the best chance of survival and the effects of wind, tide and current within an estuary environment. Brenton has had his students fishing in the Barwon estuary at Barwon Heads and Spring Creek at Torquay where they have enjoyed catching a wide variety of species

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including yellow eyed mullet, Australian salmon, silver trevally and the ever-present toadfish. The lads used a variety of soft plastic lures and baits, which included pipis, peeled prawns and Berkley Gulp 3” Nemesis. Wurdi Buloc Reservoir near Moriac is hard to ignore with quality trout and redfin coming to anglers prepared to put in the time with quality bait

and lures. Michael Evans loves nothing better than casting until his arms go numb out there but he does get rewards. This month, Michael sent in a report of another big redfin he caught casting lures from the bank. This big reddy was 44cm and caught on a Daiwa Spike lure. Michael noted that at the time of capture, the water level was on the rise and the fish were biting well.

David Brogen hadn’t been fishing for about ten years and his lads had been on his back about going. So David got on a Facebook group called ‘Victorian Trout and Redfin Fishing’ and asked a few questions about fishing techniques for Wurdi Buloc trout. A few willing chaps kicked in their ideas as did I. loaded with this advice, David and his ten year old son Ashton, had lines in the reservoir

by 8:30am one Saturday morning. They used a mudeye under a float and cast lures about. Around 8:45am, they hooked up on a very large trout and after a good fight, they were both looking at a 63.5cm, 2.23kg (4.92lb) brown trout! David says Ashton is just about doing backflips and cannot wait to catch another fish. The boardwalk leading down to Moggs Creek Beach that has been in disrepair for a while has

now been earmarked for replacement. The replacement boardwalk is one of the projects funded through the Labor Government’s Target One Million plan, which aims to get more people fishing, more often. The Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee of Management, with support from the Association of Geelong and District Angling Clubs, obtained the grant, which will use local contractors to undertake the works and

is expected to be completed by spring. • 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 997 348. 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).

Lara Secondary School students had a ball down the Barwon with Mr Hodges.

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Port Phillip Bay getting snappy for October PORT PHILLIP WEST

Brenton Hodges blhodgey@hotmail.com

The annual snapper migration has arrived and the stage is set for another big season. One of the key target areas at this time of year is Hobsons Bay, in particular the stretch from Port Melbourne across to Williamstown and around to Altona. We’ve already seen reds of 3-5kg show up just beyond the inner reefs at Williamstown as well as a few more out wider from Altona at P2 and surrounding areas. Further west, some serious reds of 6-7kg have been taken down the road at Geelong. Whether these fish are new arrivals or Corio Bay residents doesn’t really matter - the snapper are on and it’s time to hit the water! TRADITIONAL TACTICS Fishing at anchor with various baits presented

The annual snapper migration has arrived and the stage is set up for another big season. Local snapper guru, Pete Mesto got stuck into the early season reds last year with some beauties taken in the shallows at Port Melbourne and further out from Williamstown.

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un-weighted or via a light running sinker rig is a tried and trusted technique. The humble pilchard is by far the most successful bait, followed by silver whiting and freshly caught squid. Over the past few seasons, some very large snapper have also been taken on small - but legal size Australian salmon which tend to school around the mouth of the Yarra River. Regardless of your choice of hook bait, a steady stream of berley in the form of cubed pilchard is essential to keep the fish interested and schooled up behind the boat. PLASTIC FANTASTIC Chasing snapper on the drift with lightweight spin tackle and soft plastics continues to increase in popularity. Basically, the technique involves using a tailing breeze to make a full length cast into undisturbed water ahead of the boat. Wriggly tail patterns such as the new Gulp Nemesis range as well as the Turtle Back Worm and Crazy Legs Jerk Shad varieties each have an inbuilt action and swim enticingly on the drop - which is when most hits occur. Selecting an appropriate jighead and hook pattern is crucial. As a general guide, weights of 1/8-1/6oz. are ideal for prospecting shallow ground less than around 8m in depth. Moving into 10-20m of water, a 1/4-3/8oz. weighted jighead should get a plastic down deep enough in most conditions. A 1/0-3/0 hook pattern is generally the go, depending of course on the size of the soft plastic. BEST OF BOTH Indeed it is possible to combine both methods, and quite a few locals do well by berleying up at anchor, setting the bait rods and then flicking a plastic to pass the time. One of the many benefits to having a softie rigged up while bait fishing is that you can often trigger a reaction bite from snapper that are not necessarily dialled into feeding mode. AVALON TO POINT COOK Squid continue to provide an option for anglers surveying the inner reefs and weed beds between Point Wilson and Point Cook. More recently however, early season snapper have been the major drawcard with a fine run of reds averaging 2-4kg taken in 5-6m of water just out from the abandoned jetty. The Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak-Body (VRFish) is exploring the possibility of having Point Cook pier restored for use by recreational anglers. The pier once provided a popular land-based option for anglers west of Melbourne in search of calamari, snapper, King George whiting, flathead, silver trevally, and bream. Records indicate it has been

Top: Mid to late spring is a prime time to snare a Melbourne mulloway on a soft plastic. Above: If the past few seasons are anything to go by, a few pinkie snapper, and perhaps even the odd larger red, can be expected in the metropolitan rivers this month. This one snatched a soft plastic and proved a real handful on just 3lb bream gear! closed for the past decade and given the projected growth in fishing and housing growth in the area, it’s about time it was revamped and reopened. ALTONA TO WILLIAMSTOWN Judging by the amount of bait schools stationed at the entrance to the Yarra River and the adjacent shallow reefs, it will only be a matter of time before the reds arrive in numbers. Recently, pilchard baits have accounted for the odd snapper to 5kg, but many more are expected in the near future. METROPOLITAN RIVERS Although most anglers have their sights firmly fixed on snapper at this time of year, the resident bream should start to come alive as we move further into spring. Come October, spawning

rituals should be largely taken care of and the fish more actively on the lookout for a feed. Casting small diving minnows along the rock wall that line sections of both the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers will be well worth a shot. Likewise, the boat hulls at Williamstown and the maze of jetty pylons within Victoria Harbour at Docklands can turn up some good bream at this time of year. Whilst the Melbourne mulloway scene slowed somewhat through the latter parts of winter, mid to late spring has seen a surge in activity over the past few years particularly for those pitching soft plastics at bait schools and structure. BEEN FISHING? Reports and images are most welcome and may be submitted via email to blhodgey@hotmail.com.

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OCTOBER 2015

Snapper stampede through Port Phillip Bay PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

After a long miserable winter this month sees anglers’ eyes go red with thoughts of early morning starts and those big red fish that come on the chew at this time of the year. It’s October and that means its snapper season. One of the things I really love about this month is that its also when the land-based crew generally see some amazing fishing, and for those anglers that like to fish the shallows in their boats it can and usually provides some of the best fish of the season. MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK As it always seems to do at this time of the year the Mordialloc Pier should see numbers of solid snapper coming in for the land-based anglers, with a lot of the fish being caught ranging from 4-7kg. And while it’s the rough conditions that generally produce the best fishing, there will often still be the odd big fish taken in calmer weather, often in

the middle of the day, so you should always have a big bait out at this time of the year. In the creek itself there has been a good run of mullet for the anglers fishing small baits suspended under floats, while a small soft plastic thrown around the mouth of the creek has also seen some small salmon being taken. Out wider the snapper are the focus for anglers with areas like The Hump and out to the 16m area have been producing some good fish early in the mornings, while the 18-20m area have been producing solid numbers of fish during the day and into the evenings. For those who want to chase some big snapper, now is also a great time to get in really shallow water, about 4-6m, during rough conditions with places like the horse paddock and Parkdale Pinnacles being perfect areas to look at. Best of all, when it’s really rough you can catch solid reds in these areas all day long. Up into Beaumaris Bay the garfish have also been in good numbers along with patches of squid, and while

you may need to move around a bit to find them when you do good numbers of them can be taken. Up off Ricketts Point and through to Black Rock there are still plenty of pinkies on offer with a good mix of better snapper in among them to keep anglers on there toes, and while a lot of guys and girls are fishing bait and plastics for them, another very effective method has been trolling with deep diving minnows or downriggers to work the reef edges. Best of all, with this technique and by using slightly bigger lures you can avoid a lot of the smaller pinkies and get bites on the better class of fish. Out deeper, the 14-16m area is holding snapper with locations like the two fingers mark through to Black Rock holding snapper. Now is also the time that places like the Gasso and its surrounds will really fire up as the snapper move into the area to feed on the mud bottom. SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA This stretch of the bay can be awesome at this time of the year, especially if you like to fish really

shallow, with places like the Anonyma Shoal and the area known as ‘the gully’, which is the area just out in front of the rock groynes at Hampton producing excellent fishing at night and when it is rough. For land-based anglers the rock Groynes at Hampton and the end of Sandringham breakwall will and have been producing snapper in the rough weather, and when it’s calm and the water is clear there has been some good numbers of squid to be found through the area. Out wider the edge of the shipping channel will start to hold good numbers of snapper this month, with the T1 and T2 area through to the Fawkner Beacon well worth fishing, especially if you want numbers of school sized fish in the 2-4kg size. The trick that has been working well in this area over the past weeks has been to berley hard and be patient as the snapper aren’t necessarily feeding for long periods, but when they do the action has been fairly flat out, especially on dawn and dusk periods. Up off Brighton breakwall, pinkies have been

good and while I haven’t heard any specific reports of bigger fish from the landbased anglers, I am sure a few have been taken and this coming month should see plenty more as the big reds move in to feed on the heavy bottom through this area. The great thing about these shallow areas in this part of he bay is that while you are snapper fishing there are generally plenty of garfish that you can berley up and catch while you are waiting, or casting a squid jig around will often turn up a few calamari for fresh bait. Up off North Road area and towards St Kilda, reports have been a little leaner, however this month should see these locations really fire up and fingers crossed it will be with those big snapper that love to get in the very shallow water at night through places like Elwood and towards St Kilda breakwall. If you have never done it I seriously suggest doing a late night session in this part of the world as the snapper are generally big and they fight so hard in these areas you will think they are bigger than they are.

ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE This month should see some good fishing on offer in around the boats on swing moorings behind St Kilda breakwall, with soft plastic anglers finding pinkies, bream and some nice trevally over the past weeks. In along the other piers and landbased locations anglers have been finding pinkies and small salmon, while the boat anglers are starting to work the shallow areas at night between St Kilda and Station Pier, with some customers saying that one fish will be a kilo and the next over 5kg, which makes for some very exciting fishing. Anglers fishing wide at areas like P2 and along the Shipping channel that leads towards the mouth of the Yarra River are also starting to see better numbers of snapper in the area and there would be little doubt that in the coming weeks this area will go crazy with a bulk amount of snapper pushing up to these areas as they always do during this month. You have to love this month as snapper season is really on now, so get out there!

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Snapper aren’t the only option PORT PHILLIP EAST

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

After shivering through the coldest winter in over 30 years, the warmer and longer days of spring are certainly a welcome relief to the bays anglers. And while the cooler weather will still remain for some time yet, the change of seasons brings a new lease of life to the bay, and the activity of most of the anglers increases with it. Apart from the early months, we have not

received a great deal of substantial rainfall in local areas as yet, but forecasted spring rains will do much to charge up the bay’s food chain, and the enthusiasm of the bay’s boat and landbased fishers as well. I can’t do this report without mentioning the yearly build up and hype that goes with the annual snapper spawning migration into the bay. I’m a big believer that we have a 12 month snapper fishery in PPB, but growing up on the Mornington Peninsula, you had to live under a rock or in a cave not to get

caught up in snapper fever each year, and for me, and many other anglers as well, it’s the most anticipated time of year. Early snapper reports have been very encouraging, and although the lion’s share of the action has been coming from Western Port, especially during the early weeks of September, some nice fish have been taken in PPB as well. Boating anglers have reported some solitary snapper up to 5kg, mostly falling to fresh fillet baits and squid around the inner and outer artificial. Snapper will tend to hold to

structure early in the season, so these areas are the best place to spend time on your sounder, and to concentrate your efforts with a good berley trail. This will bring the fish to you, especially if they are in the area. Other reports have been coming from the shallower scallop beds out from Seaford and Carrum in 8-12m of water. These fish have been predominantly smaller reds about 2-3kg, but I reckon these areas are your best bet for a larger grazing fish as well early in the season, especially when the water is a little

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As the bay warms and the fish become more active this month, snapper like this lovely early season Western Port fish taken a fresh salmon fillet will be the main target of PPB anglers. Early signs are looking promising for the summer ahead.

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discoloured, or early and late in the day. The land-based guys

This beast of a Patterson River perch measured over 50cm! Some dedicated anglers have taken quite a few good-sized perch over the past couple of months in the Patto lakes system. have been getting amongst the action as well, mainly from the rock platforms south of Monrington. Mornington Pier is now complete as well, and although I have had no recent reports from there, by the time you read next month’s VFM, plenty of reds will have been taken from the pier as they do each season. For anyone bitten by the estuary lure craze over the past 15 years or so (both my hands are up), the monster estuary perch that have been taken by some very dedicated anglers in the Patterson River system recently are very exciting indeed. There are several theories on where they came from, and why they are still around, but all I can say is who cares! It’s awesome to see 50cm plus EPs being taken, and they are in prime condition too – definitely well worth the hours of casting in the freezing cold at night. Some ripper bream have also been taken in the Patto over the past month, especially by the bait fishers at the top of the system, and particularly after recent rain. The lure anglers have been reporting a few nice fish as well, but the canals will fish better as the season warms up. The mulloway diehards will start hitting the river in earnest over the coming

months too, and with plenty of bait and tucker in the system, there’s sure to be some good fish landed! With all this going on, I have also received lots of recent reports of salmon in the Mornington and Mount Martha area, especially out front of Mills and Fishermans beach, and out from the mussel farm. They can be a little sketchy at times, but stealth and a quiet, downwind approach helps. Salmon are prime bait, great fun to catch and aren’t too bad to eat if they’re looked after properly. Expect the great squid fishing down south to roll onto our reefs over the coming months as the larger spawning pairs move in. These and the resident squid will also become more active as the water warms into the season. Also, expect the whiting to follow suit across wider areas as well. They become a great low light option for boat and land-based anglers fishing close to shore. I have had some great recent reports of big numbers of whiting coming from inside Mornington Harbour itself, but this has gone quiet for now. Overall, October is a great month to get out and wet a line, and even if you’re not mad about snapper, there’s plenty out there to tangle with. Good luck!

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Snapper seems to be the buzzword in October, and these fish should be moving into Port Phillip Bay in great numbers any day now.

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Snapper hysteria running high MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Dan Lee info@peninsulatotaltackle.com.au

If October doesn’t get you excited, I am not sure what will – as far as fishing goes

Along with myriad anglers out targeting the fish there are numerous competitions, both small and large, which run over the next two months and keep the snapper fishing hysteria running high!

A nice bull cray taken by Stuart Heron on one of the peninsula back beaches. anyway! Often it is during this period each year that the bay temperature hits 16°C, which seems to be the magical number to really turn the snapper in our bay into feeding machines! Port Phillip Bay and Western Port snapper fishery is world class and it is no wonder one of the most exciting periods of the Victorian fishing calendar.

SNAPPER We have had limited and sporadic reports so far this year but it’s no wonder with epic runs of giant bluefin on the west coast and some quality squid fishing locally, many anglers have been understandably distracted. However, we have seen some early fish down at Queenscliff, along with a few taken off

Mornington. I would expect things to heat up very quick from here, so stay tuned. SQUID We have had a terrific start to ‘big squid season’ with plenty of breeders being caught as early as late August. This is generally a pretty good sign, an early spawn, and boding well for the months right through summer. There is no doubt that once we start to see pictures of squid with 50cm+ hood lengths rolling in, that the breeding squid have without doubt begun to move into the bays from coastal waters. Key areas early in the season included most of the tidal water around the heads including Portsea and Queencliff as well as over at Flinders where some of the land-based anglers enjoyed some great fishing. Yakamito jigs have been popular this year but some of the stalwart favourites are still getting plenty of attention such as the Shimano Sephia 14T. There is no doubt carrying a baited, float set-up can also be incredibly effective if you wish to target big calamari at this time of year. And let’s face it, even if it is not for eating, with snapper season here there’s no harm in shooting out to do a bit of bait collection given the prevalence of this species this season. OFFSHORE We had a lot of northerlies through winter this year and this has extended over the last few weeks. Occasionally, the offshore swell has played the game making for good conditions to take the boat through the heads or the western entrance. A few anglers did just that and had some incredible fishing sessions such as Aaron Habgood, who managed two snapper to 6.5kg and a 10kg gummy to boot. Pretty good for a day drifting the mid water reefs offshore.

FRESHWATER We don’t do a lot of freshwater down on the Mornington Peninsula but we do have one local waterway, Devilbend Reservoir, which provides for some good fishing if you can get away from the weeds. Devilbend was originally stocked a few years back and now had some stonker brown trout living in it. With the aforementioned issues of weed, it has probably not developed the reputation it deserves, as many of the fish in there are now 8-10lb. Local Shane Branch is one bloke who enjoys

Aaron Habgood got in early with a lovely offshore snapper while fishing outside the heads.

Ben Broomfield got amongst the big breeder squid that have been on offer early in spring. his lure fishing up there and he again produced the goods with a lovely early morning trout that fell to a Rapala lure. SURF SCENE WRAP-UP Spring ends the winter

forays down to the back beach for many anglers. My take on the season that has been is that it was average at best. While, as you would expect, there were pockets or weeks where we saw good

fishing at Gunnamatta and Portsea, there wasn’t the consistency that you would need to make it a really good winter surf season. We saw big fish early in the season, with salmon between 2-3kg in some significant schools, but then they were gone and didn’t return toward the end of the season as we usually see. LOOKING AHEAD November is generally the itmus test of how the snapper season has run. Questions around whether the fish are wide spread or all holed up in one area; what the average size of the fish is proving to be, and many other variables are often answered this month. So we will wait and see. All I can say is that I hope it is a bumper season, which is good for all. Whatever the case, with so many fishing options available over the coming months (gummies, kingies, whiting all in their prime), it would be pretty hard to not find a certain spring in your step as we head through the month! • For more information feel free to drop in and see the boys at Peninsula Compleat Angler, 11 Boneo Road in Rosebud or phone: 03 5981 1994.

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Reds and tentacles wreak havoc WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

It’s all finally kicking off in the top end of Western Port and the fishing over the last month has been clearly better than what we have been used to over the cooler months. The weather is slowly getting better with more frequent calm days

water that is heated by the beautiful spring sun and the calamari swarm to the shallow weed beds to feed up before spawning. Joes Island is a consistent producer of snapper and this month will be no different. We start to see the snapper switching to harder baits as the water slowly heats up and Chris Bowden found this out first hand. He put in a couple

Jayson Turner and his lovely 6kg snapper from the North Arm. Don’t discount the North Arm, the snapper will move up here through October. and there is a beautiful mildness in the air, which is reminding us that summer isn’t far away. The snapper have started to show up in good numbers, the calamari are in abundance and a lovely big black bream also feature in this month’s report! THE TOP END All of the action has been through the top end of the port, which is typical for this time of year. The snapper head up here in search of shallower

of hours at Joes and managed a nice sized snapper on a nice chunky King George whiting head. Whiting heads have taken a lot of big snapper over the years and are a very under rated bait, so the next time you score a few whiting for the table, don’t forget to chuck the heads in the freezer for your next snapper trip. Some really nice fish have been taken out of Tooradin recently as well. Lachie and Cam of the ‘Bent Rod Squad’

launched the kayaks in the Tooradin Channel and had a paddle around in search of a few fish. Lachie managed a beast of a snapper, which I’m sure would have been loads of fun in yak. It would be worth spending an hour on the way back in to have a poke around the shallows of the Tooradin Channel as well, I know it’s a little bit early but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few nice whiting turn up from here in the coming weeks. Now, here is a report from Tooradin that you don’t hear every day. Chris Slevison was having a flick around Sawtells Inlet for mullet when a horse of a bream measuring 42cm took his offering of chicken intended for the mullet. You will all be pleased to know that this huge bream was released after a couple of photos! Warneet has been the land-based fisher’s location of choice with a heap of nice calamari coming off the pier there. Most captures have been on darker jigs in sizes 3.0 and 3.5, so make sure you have a few black jigs in your collection. The Quail Bank is where most of the squid seem to be stacked up and there is some really nice sized models amongst them as well. John Macleod put in a couple of solid sessions up on the bank. John went for a quick fish on dusk and into the night and landed 4 really tasty models before backing it up again a couple of days later by boating 12 calamari between himself and good mate Chris Preston. John tells us that white jigs did all of the damage on their 12 fish day. White and clearbased jigs are a deadly option, particularly when the water is really clear. It’s hard to talk about calamari without mentioning the Tyabb Bank. Stinga and Andrew, a couple for members

of the ‘Bent Rod Squad’ went for a drift along the Tyabb Bank and picked off a few tasty calamari. They also managed to pick up some big snook on the troll for gummy baits in a later session. Chris Gilham took a couple of good mates, Drew Wilson and his young son Michael, and they absolutely slammed the calamari in shallow water. As it normally turns out, young Michael comprehensively out fished everyone else on the boat and they left with 29 good squid between them. They found that any jig with a gold foil produced the goods on that particular day. Well done boys! You can really gauge just how much the fishing has improved by how many reports I have unfortunately had to leave out of this report! As well as the above information we have had reports of plenty more snapper and I could really write this whole piece on just calamari if I needed to! I know I have

John Macleod took this big calamari at the Quail Bank.

Lachie Allen with a beautiful Tooradin snapper from his kayak. focused a lot on the Top End, but don’t discount the North Arm itself either. As we

move further into October the snapper will school up along Lysaughts and it will be chaos

on the water once again! As always, good luck and keep those reports coming!

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More than just snapper out there WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

You couldn’t ask for a better beginning to snapper season with fish going bananas right throughout the Port. Traditionally, snapper season doesn’t really get going until mid September but this year the fish began to fire earlier. Some cracking fish were reported throughout the first half of September with some pulling the scales to 8kg. Generally there tends to be a good spattering of bigger fish early on in the piece and it is great to see some models being caught already. Plenty of other fish have also been taken with many in the 3-6kg bracket. What is best about fish firing early in the piece is that it gives you a good indication on where to try your luck. Of the most productive locations, Elizabeth Island, Corinella, Tenby Channel and The Corals have all be producing some nice models. Most of the action has been two hours either side of the high tide change. In saying that, there has been a significant bite period right throughout the run-out tide at the Corals. Flathead, salmon and small gummy sharks have also been a common catch too. The Corinella area is a top choice as the three muddy channels that run either side of Pelican and Snapper rock funnel snapper to the upper reaches of the Port. Anglers can focus on these channels and usually do quite well. Shaun Furtiere from Think Big Charters has been out and about and while not

set in snapper mode just yet, Shaun has already managed to bag a few. While out on an after hours gummy shark mission, Client Nick was stoked to have a lovely snapper engulf a fresh squid bait. In saying that, a few nights prior to that fish Shaun was out in search of gummy sharks and managed a very nice fish for client Brendan. This gummy also took a fresh calamari bait. Though the Western Entrance is also beginning to produce snapper, it is not always the easiest area to fish. Strong tidal variation prevents smaller craft from fishing the area as it is not always the easiest of locations to get the anchor to dig in. However, if you are planning on fishing the Entrance, ensure you have the right anchor and enough

rope and chain to do so. Due to the tide variance, the best fishing is around an hour either side of the slack tide. During this time, snapper can move about more frequently and it doesn’t take them long to find your baits. This month though, things are really starting to ramp up and by ramp up I mean, the ramps are becoming increasingly busy as you’d expect when the annual snapper have arrived. Unfortunately, these busy times mean more anglers and boat users all trying to get out at the same time so I can only stress that you either get to the ramp as early as you can or just take a deep breath, get in line and relax. CALAMARI Although it is all about snapper at the moment,

calamari are also on in a big way for those wanting to wait until the snapper are really on the chew. While the calamari are about in the numbers they are, now is a good chance to catch them both for food and for bait for the snapper season. The high tides have been the better time to find them up on the shallow banks. I recently headed out with Nathan Peterson and did quite a scouting mission to find some calamari. Unfortunately we fished the bottom end of the tide so it was hard to find them in any numbers but as the tide increased, they came on the bite quite well. We fished the bottom end of the Middle Spit and around Tankerton and providing you get your drift line right over the weed beds; you’ll find them rather quickly.

Top: Nathan Peterson worked the Tankerton area for a nice bag of calamari. Middle: Think Big Charters client Brendan holds a nice gummy from a recent night on the Port. Photo supplied by Shaun Furtiere from Think Big Charters.

Above: When the calamari are on, it doesn’t take long for the word to get around.

Top: There are a lot of calamari around this size on the shallow banks, the perfect snapper bait size. Above: Think Big Charters client Nick with a nice snapper to begin the season. Photo supplied by Shaun Furtiere from Think Big Charters.

OCTOBER 2015

I tend to focus on the edge of the weed during the run-in tide in around 4-5m of water and flick size 3.0 jigs about. Approaching the top of the high tide, try and work further onto the shallow bank and reduce the jig size to a 2.5 as you’ll only be fishing in 2-3m.

BAIT COLLECTION Many anglers have itchy feet and want snapper action, but keep in mind that snapper are not always as predictable as first thought. September and October are still challenging months mainly due to the up and down barometer whenever a cold front comes over the

state to drop some more rain. When this occurs, they typically go off the bite and of course, you have to try everything in your ability to try and coax them to your bait. One sure way of doing this is by using the freshest bait possible and now is the time to be on the Port catching it for future snapper sessions. If you are looking for locations to try and find something worth using for fresh bait you can always hedge your bets on the Tyabb Bank for calamari, Sunken Island for garfish, the Middle Spit for mullet and the submarine for silver trevally, yakkas and slimey mackerel. To be successful, it only takes a berley bucket full of fine pellets and mashed pilchards and a paternoster rig with size 10 long shank hooks to get the job done. Although it is all about snapper and will be for the next few months, there is plenty of fishing options out there. This is the prime time to be on the Port and as long as the weather plays its part, it will be fun for all.

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Industry Profile

A brand to be proud of Brisbane and Tampa (Florida) may be a world apart, but the two cities have forged a connection through fishing that has become beneficial to all Australian anglers. 13 Fishing, a Florida born sportsfishing company, launched in Australia in late 2012 and I’ve been along for the ride ever since. When 13 Fishing launched in Australia we began with the release of our two bloodline fishing rods OMEN Black and ENVY Black. We incorporated the suitable actions from the American models and I then began work to develop Australian specific rods to complement our range. Australian fishing is unique and multifaceted with a variety of environments and species that therefore require very different rods, not to mention a range of differing

we wanted to do, and the INCEPTION has been kicking goals since its introduction. Right now the range consists of 5 rods. However, another 8 models are currently on my desk being prototyped as we speak. INTO THE FUTURE Now we are launching what is probably our most important release in our brand’s short history, our first update and overhaul of an existing product line, the introduction of the new OMEN Black. The new OMEN Black represents everything we’ve worked so hard on as a brand over the past 3 years. We pride ourselves on building fishing equipment for today’s angler, and we evolve our product to suit your needs. Technology is developing at an incredible pace, and we are using these

allows us to make a much stronger blank. This may not sound like a very big deal, but controlling that process can be the difference between the rod you can’t put down and the one you don’t take a second look at on the shelf of your local tackle shop. We made new reel seats that are more comfortable, offer better blank access for increased sensitivity and that look awesome! The new ALPS Double Diamond product is a different guide train that ensures that the line flows effortlessly from your reel to your lure without you ever having to worry about durability or performance. MUSE GOLD We have recently launched another great technology in a completely new series. The Zonal Action Theory debuts in our new MUSE Gold

Tom Slater and Dean Thomson with some cracker Somerset bass caught on the new Muse Gold. development to cater for all the bluewater fans out there. But we aren’t just a rod company - in 2014 we launched CONCEPT to a worldwide resounding success. CONCEPT is our take on the low profile baitcast reel market. This reel was not a cardboard copy of the current market. At 13 Fishing we take pride in the practicality and design of our products and so we created this piece from the ground up with our own tools, in our own way, just the way we like it! The next logical step in our reel program? Yep, you guessed it. A spinning reel is

markets. US Bass style rods are generally too heavy for our light tackle sportsfishing, but we enjoy their actions and taper. Trout rods are the right line weight, but often lack the feel and response we have grown to love for lure fishing. To conquer these limitations we started with the design of 16 additional models. These rods provided all sorts of solutions from light spinning rods for bream, through to heavy short baitcast rods for barramundi and cod. Adding these Australian specific models to our range had almost everything covered. In 2014 we launched OMEN Green, our rod for heavier sportsfishing use. Stronger actions and bigger guides were the backbone of the OMEN Green series. In March 2015 we launched INCEPTION Green, a specifically designed series for Australia, which allowed anglers within a budget to experience the 13 Fishing brand. The need for an entrylevel price point became evident, so the INCEPTION Green range was a real winner. A high performing rod at a price that the average Australian angler could afford was always something 34

OCTOBER 2015

Top Left: Up close and personal with 13 Fishing’s new Muse Gold. Top Right: The KP Concept reel. Above Right: Concept reels and rods looking great on deck. developments to improve our equipment and bring you, the angler, something truly unique. The new rods are lighter and stronger thanks to a new graphite technology which we call PVG or Poly Vector Graphite. Essentially with PVG we have more precise control over how our graphite gets laid - a more evenly controlled graphite alignment in the blank rolling process

series. MUSE is sort of the in-between. Sitting between the OMEN and ENVY, the MUSE is the third child in our bloodline. MUSE Gold is a series of 9 very high performance, specialised spinning rods designed for light line finesse applications. Whether you’re a bream guy or a bass fisher; MUSE Gold will have something to offer you.

What helps us differentiate MUSE from our other lines is that by incorporating ZAT we can break the blank down into its parts and focus on them individually. This allows us to extract the best performance out of each part. We use the highest modulus – the most sensitive graphite on the tip sections. The mid-section graphite is laid more parallel,

resulting in the perfect ‘springy’ shock absorbing action. The butt-section uses a hex-axial wrap pattern resulting in more strength from the same material so you get that nice powerful backbone if you need to lean on one to get a fish out of some nasty cover. So we’ve gone from two to five ranges, with another new range already in

already underway at 13 HQ and we’re hoping to tease you with some progress in the not too distant future. While 13 Fishing might be the new kid on the block, we bring something pretty unique to the table and I think anglers in Australia will love what we’re all about. When it comes down to it, 13 Fishing is a brand based on one thing – the angler. – Tom Slater

Hot Spot

Torongo River's top shelf catches CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

Nestled in the hills of Noojee lies a picturesque stream that is a lot smaller than the surrounding waterways. A feeder stream to the Latrobe River, the Torongo River offers some top shelf fishing for all ages and experience.

Although the fish aren’t big, the scenery and the sights will keep you coming back for years. PRIME TIME This special little river can be fished all year round except during the closed season. February and March is prime time, when the local population of grasshoppers are out in full force. With

daylight savings the days last longer and getting on the water in the late afternoon can see some incredible dry fly fishing. THE GEAR For the lure fisher, a light graphite 1-3kg spin rod matched up with a quality 1000-2500 spin reel is ideal for tackling these small stream trout. Light fluorocarbon

The perfect little hole where local trout population love to hide.

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leader is a must as the water can be crystal clear and will avoid spooking fish and entice them to eat your lure with more aggression. For the fly angler anything up to a 5wt outfit is best suited with light 4lb tippet. If you want to have some fun then use a 3wt outfit fishing dries. It’s hard to find anything more enjoyable than this. THE RIG When fly fishing, it always pays to run a dry fly with a nymph trailing about 6" behind. The dry fly (generally something buoyant) acts as a strike indicator but also catches its fair share of fish, so keep your eye on the fly. If you see it disappear and get pulled under this indicates that a fish has eaten the nymph at sub surface. BAIT AND LURES Go-to lures for casting are small streamline floating lures. Ecogear MX48s and Yo Zuri pins minnows are ideal as they can be worked in fast flowing pools, and when paused in the deeper water will slowly float up and avoid snagging. Fly fishers find it hard to go past the old faithfuls. Royal Wulff, Elk Hair Caddis and Hopper patterns are a must in any fly fisho’s tackle box.

Aaron Sammut with a nice wild river brown caught casting small hardbodied lures. BEST METHOD Best way to fish this river, and any Victorian trout stream, is always to work your way up river and cast up stream, working your fly or lure back towards to ensure your presentation looks at its most natural. At the best of times, trout can be picky, if they sense something is wrong with your lure chances are you will not catch that fish. MOTHER NATURE In the peak of summer always keep your eyes open for snakes. They can be seen basking in the sun close to the riverbank or hiding in

the long grass. It doesn’t hurt to make a bit of noise when walking, but once your down on the water be as quiet as possible. HOT TIP Don’t forget to pack your waders. Waders are crucial in your success as you can really get down in the water and work areas a whole lot better than what you could standing on the river bank. You are also lower making it harder for fish to spot you. You may have to cross the river or get lures out of snags - without waders this would be very hard and very, very cold!

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Fishing Fill-its

Blue Rock restrictions axed The Andrews Labor Government today announced new measures to help make Blue Rock Lake one of Victoria’s premier Australian Bass fisheries. Recreational anglers will now have better access to the Lake, near Moe, thanks to changed rules that alter horsepower and boat length rules. A great family pastime, recreational fishing currently contributes $2.3 billion to our social and economic well-being. The changes deliver on a key commitment in the Andrews Labor Government’s Target One Million plan, which aims to get more Victorians fishing, more often. Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water - Lisa Neville stated that; “Blue Rock Lake supplies water for power stations, environmental flows, irrigation and households, and will now also become a great recreational asset for the local community and visitors.” NEW REGULATIONS Fishing boats of any length and any engine size may now operate on Blue Rock Lake. Water skiing and

jet skis will continue to be deterred via the 15 knot speed limit. These changes follow community consultation and

are in place for a 12 month trial period. Lisa Neville had this to say; “We are working with our water corporations to promote shared benefits

from our water resources – and this is a great example of boosting recreational, social and economic activities in

the Gippsland region.” The change of rules is great news for freshwater anglers in Gippsland and Melbourne’s east who

have been keen to access the Australian Bass fishery at Blue Rock from sport-fishing and trailer boats. Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford describes the importance of recreational fishing; “By improving fishing opportunities we will increase the number of recreational fishers to one million, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and strengthening our rural and regional communities.” MORE FISH EQUALS MORE FISHING Since 2002, more than 160,000 Australian bass fingerlings have been stocked into Blue Rock, which has rapidly become one of Victoria’s premier destinations for the popular native fish. The Lake is also home to a stocked population of brown trout and rainbow trout, along with a selfsustaining populations of redfin, which are a great table fish. To help promote this fantastic bass fishery, some larger bass were released that if caught, will earn a lucky fisher a fishing voucher at the local tackle store or fishing gear. Improving fishing opportunities and access is a

key component of the Target One Million plan, which will grow participation to one million anglers by 2020, boost fish stocking from three to five million per annum and strengthen angling club membership. As Labor Member for Eastern Victoria – Harriet Shing says; “Recreational fishing

brings great economic and social benefits to our community – these changes will see more and more people travelling to our region.” For more information about the Target One Million plan visit www.vic. gov.au/targetonemillion.

–Fisheries Victoria

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OCTOBER 2015

It’s that time of year PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

It’s that time of year again and I can’t believe how quickly it has come round. Snapper fever will hit with a vengeance and all you fishos out there will be out chasing big red but if the amount of boats that I have seen on the water this past winter is any indication there’s going to be lots

of ‘ramp rage’ at boat ramps this season. On a good day it could take you longer to launch and retrieve your boat than the time you actually spend fishing. While Councils and Government are happy to take your money, no one is putting their hands up to upgrade existing ramps or build new ones that we desperately need to accommodate the dramatic increase in boat traffic.

SURF BEACHES All the local beaches are fishing okay with most salmon being caught in the 500g-1kg range. Williamsons, Baxters and Woolamai Beaches have all had good reports. Whitebait and chicken strips soaked in tuna oil have been accounting for most of the fish. SAN REMO AREA Below the Bridge The Cleelands Bight area has been fishing well

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with some good-sized calamari. While outside the entrance, when conditions permit, drifting for flathead has been producing some nice fillets for the table as well as the odd big gummy as a bonus. Above the Bridge The odd big snapper

and smaller gummies are still being caught up the northern end of the bay with some new reports of snapper being taken at The Corals and Sandy Point. Whiting are still a ‘no show’, but hopefully it won’t be too long before they make an appearance.

Tyabb Bank is producing calamari if you are prepared to put the time in. FLINDERS AREA There have been some good reports of the large calamari coming in off Flinders and some good-sized snook in the same area.

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

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Help released snapper survive Fish shallow water to avoid barotrauma Leave snapper in the water for release Minimise handling and netting Use circle hooks or lures Release snapper quickly

Snapper fishers can help the survival of released snapper by following these key points. For further information on these points go to www.vrfish.com.au/snappersurvival

This project was funded by the Victorian Government using Recreational Fishing Licence fees OCTOBER 2015

Torpedo terror has arrived later than usual INVERLOCH

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

They might be a bit later than usual but better late than never as far as the salmon are concerned. Of course, we all know that they are with us all year but they school up in big numbers in the cooler weather. For instance, there have been consistent reports of the torpedo fish at the area known as Pensioners Corner. Naturally the news spread and in no time there were hopeful boaters and landbased anglers everywhere. Steve Pool and son Bailey don’t need much of an excuse to go fishing and

have been doing well on the salmon that have been to the 2kg mark and taking a variety of lures and natural baits. There can be a fair wait where things can be fairly quiet but suddenly at low tide the action can begin. Experienced anglers will look for a distant approaching ripple on the surface and this is a sure sign that it is a school of salmon. As they draw near, the action will begin and fish will be caught on just about anything they can fit into their hungry mouths. Steve and Bailey Poole have made numerous trips to the area and only keep what they want for immediate needs and throw the rest back.

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As well as the salmon there are very good size silvers being bagged in the same area. Wonthaggi Angling Club members Robert Thompson and son Sean decided to try their luck on a competition day and Robert won the monthly competition with a very nice torpedo fish that weighed in at a winning weight of 675g. The jetty at Inverloch has also been very popular with land-based anglers and although there can be a fair wait between enquiries, but when the schools of salmon decide to make an appearance the action is fast and furious. Outside the entrance, for boaters who are prepared to make the trek to the Venus Bay area there have been good numbers of quality flathead being caught. The fish have been caught on soft plastic lures as well as the usual natural baits such as white bait, pipis and strips of pilchards. Still outside the entrance there have been quality whiting being bagged, but local knowledge is essential and those in the know

like to keep the marks to themselves. As well as the whiting there are also good numbers of silvers and flathead to be caught. Land-based anglers have been happy with their returns with good numbers of salmon to the 2kg mark; mainly on whitebait and the occasional fish falling to surf poppers. The Tarwin River continues to produce good numbers of perch and above the highway bridge quality bream are being bagged to the 700g mark. The fishing platforms have been very popular with land-based anglers, as visitors and locals are happy with their results. Perch, mullet and silvers have been making up most bags. The best of the baits have been Bass yabbies, sand worms and gents, with perch taking soft plastics close into the reeds. Generally speaking, the best results have been on the run-out tide but as we all know, fish can change their eating habits without notice. The best thing to remember about the fish is that they won’t be caught at home.

Wonthaggi angler Andrew Wardle waiting for a fish at Maher’s Landing.

Winter is now over for Welshpool’s fisheries is usually good for quality snapper and gummies. However, apart from the odd snapper hitting up to the 3kg mark and a few good flathead, there hasn’t been a great deal to talk about. Many boaters haven’t bothered to visit this area during the cold months but as the warmer weather cycle continues, the results will definitely improve. The Lewis Channel has

WELSHPOOL

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

been worth a look as fish have been in fairly good numbers with salmon making a strong display and filling up bags. This should continue to put a smile on the face of anglers! The season will continue to get better then with the arrival of whiting that coincides with rising water temperatures and will provide royals that get up to the 37cm mark or thereabouts.

With winter now behind us we can look forward to some warmer conditions and some great spring fishing on the East Coast. There’s no doubt this winter has been a cold one, but the frost hasn’t stopped the fishing! The word from the local boat storage is that through the cold there have been quite reasonable bags of fish caught. Local fishing legend Graham Godding can always be found out on the water and the cold hasn’t kept him indoors. Graham is a boater who always seems to get onto fish, while the rest of us mere mortals fail to even get a fish on the scales. One day, while looking for flathead at one of his favourite spots, Graham decided to throw out a soft plastic lure. Time passed and suddenly there was action and after quite a fight and much to his surprise - he landed a big mullet! Mullet are not often caught on soft plastics, which just goes to show that as far as fishing is concerned - always expect the unexpected. The Franklin Channel Grab a gummy feed this spring. STA15827HP-FM_Layout 1 10/09/14 4:16 PM Page 1

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We all know that you might not catch a fish every time you wet your line, but that you have to be willing to put in the effort and the hours to reap the rewards. Graham Henderson who is a regular to this area decided to try his luck on the jetties with a mate, Laurie Johnson from Pakenham. Graham says that although the pair do not consider themselves great fishermen, they are the first to listen to those who are experienced in the sport. On this occasion

they tried dropping down a few whitebait presentations amongst the underwater furniture with long rods. Previously I have suggested that the long rods will assist with hook ups by keeping the fish from becoming entangled with the obstacles under the water. On this occasion they were successful and managed a mixed bag of salmon, silvers, and mullet - all caught on the eastern end of the structure. Port Albert has seen an influx of whiting in very good

numbers. Rob Killury who runs the local general store says that the fish aren’t huge but they are very fat and well over the size limit. This has been the case for some time and there is no sign that they might leave the area. These fish have been caught on a variety of baits such as pippies, bass yabbies and sand worms. The jetties always seem to be worth a visit where fish such as flathead, mullet, silvers as well as eels seem to be in fairly good numbers.

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VR Fish Update

VR Fish slams campaign VRFish, the recreational fishing peak body in Victoria, representing 721 000 anglers, have slammed calls from the Humane Society International to list recreational game fishing as a key threatening process under federal environment legislation.  VRFish Chairman Russell Conway said; “This is an outlandish claim that has no basis. It is a knee jerk reaction to the sensible decision by the Australian Government not to proceed with listing five species of sharks under the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) earlier in the year.”  In late 2014, VRFish demonstrated the high value of the common thresher shark to Victorian recreational game fishers and highlighted the responsible management that is already in place. The Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt and the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Agriculture, Senator Richard Colbeck accepted VRFish’s position and sought a reservation from listing the species under the federal law.   T he CMS and subsequent EPBC Act listing had the potential

to disproportionately and inequitably impact on recreational fishing in Victoria and other jurisdictions. If listed, it would be an offence for recreational fishers to harm or injure the listed species, even where the species are unintentionally caught when targeting other species. Geoff Fisher from the Game Fishing Association of Victoria said; “The scientific tagging and data collection programs run by game fishers have helped fill vital information gaps, and we continue to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into research for game fish species. The common thresher shark is seasonally abundant at many coastal locations across the State and there is a code of practice for game fishing in Australia that is all about responsible and sustainable fishing.” VRFish strongly supports cooperative action by countries to ensure they address the real risk to thresher and other shark species, which includes targeted commercial fishing, by-catch, illegal and unregulated shark finning operations and the trade in shark fins. Targeted commercial fishing and

trade in shark fins needs to be better managed and brought in line with Australian standards.   Dallas D’Silva, General Manager of VRFish said, “The recreational fishery in Victoria is valued at $2.3 billion to the state economy and provides thousands of jobs. The game fishery for southern blue fin tuna in Portland alone is estimated to be worth at least $15 million to the regional economy.”   Daniel Stanilovic from We Fish added; “We remain concerned with the inappropriate way in which the EPBC Act responds to CMS listings. As has been highlighted by past listings - Mako and Porbeagle sharks - and the Hawke review, the EPBC Act needs to be adjusted immediately to remove its current inflexible, draconian responsiveness to CMS listings. We are calling on both sides of Federal parliament to fix the legislation as a matter of priority.” VRFish appreciates the advocacy of partners We Fish, the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), and the Game Fishing Association of Victoria on this important issue.- VR Fish

TIPS TO DIFFERENTIATE TROUT COD FROM MURRAY COD Please be aware Trout cod cannot be taken from any Victorian water outside of Lake Kerferd and Lake Sambell. If you catch a Trout cod outside of these lakes, it must be released alive immediately. The following illustration is designed to help inform fishers about how to distinguish these two different species. Regulations also apply to the take of Murray cod throughout Victoria.

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TROUT COD Max reported weight:.................................................................................... 16kg Head Profile:...............................................................................................straight Head width:..................................................................................................narrow Jaws:................................................................................... upper overhangs lower Body colour:.......... blue grey to dark brown on back. Paler (grey to white) on the lower surface. Body markings:..... dark spots and irregular dashes, except on forehead or snout

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The mighty mullet invasion of 2015 is here! GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

The Gippy Lakes are alive and well with an incredible run of mullet over the last month or so. The rivers are in perfect order after heavy snow dumps during winter and the early runoff from the mountains has cleaned up the Mitchell and Tambo nicely. I expect all the rivers to fish exceptionally well over the coming months so stay tuned. Surprisingly, a number of bream are now showing up quite early for the season in the shallow lake edges around Raymond Island, Duck Arm, and down at Metung. But the focus for

fish are there all year round and only bite at certain times of the year, but right now, anyone who targets mullet with sandworm from Metung right through to Hollands Landing is scoring their bag limit in no time. I heard from bait anglers that the first few schools had started to bite and I couldn’t wait to get amongst it. A large concentration of mullet presented around Paynesville so I travelled there recently, determined to get them on lures. In just a few casts I found them stacked up thick around the jetties and hooked them on 2” Z-Man grubs in amber colour. It’s fair to say that this plastic represents a worm rather well so I decided to change things up a little and see if I could

everywhere I threw them. Here was a truly remarkable congregation of mullet, my sounder showed ridiculous and almost endless schools of fish. I watched jetty anglers lifting in fish for hours with young and old all having fun. For those of you who dismiss mullet as fairly average table fare, well I beg to differ. I rate them in my top five fish and I’ve convinced nearly everyone of their deliciousness when I presented them with fresh or deep fried mullet in a delicious thin crispy batter. When cooked this way, the moisture is kept in the fillets and makes for a scrumptious treat! Hopefully the mullet will stay on the chew for a while. For some strange reason they only take lures

filleted the mullet and then cooked a few for the locals right there on the spot. As mentioned, people are really shocked at how mouth-watering they are. Great effort by Paul to show us how grass roots angling can be so much fun in what was one of his self-described favourite IFISH episode. MITCHELL RIVER The Mitchell River looks to be in fantastic condition with a nice flow of clean water that I find awfully hard to drive past each time I cross the highway bridge. With the volume of clean water coming down the system you can count on aggressive estuary perch attacking soft plastics around the bridge pylons or further upstream in the snags. Already I’m hearing the perch are taking soft plastics like Gulp Worms and 2” Grubs. Spring is when the estuary perch start to fire and going on last year’s experience and the emergence of big schools of perch at this time, the season is set to be an exciting one. Even better, most of the perch last year were up to 34-42cm. Reports of bream from around The Cut are trickling in and a few bigger fish up around the Bairnsdale bridges as well. The mullet are also milling around the lower section of the silt jetties and surprisingly quite a few trevally are taking worm baits and soft plastics as well.

Bream are starting to push higher into the rivers at the moment and they will continue to take hardbodies in the snags. THE NICHOLSON For those who really enjoy a lure challenge on the bream then head to the Nicho and do battle with them in the snags up river or on the rocky edges downstream. As always they are quite cranky and often will only take hardbodies twitched with long pauses or soft plastic grubs on the drop. There is

much searching involved and plenty of pain with lures smashed off and shredded leaders. If you can wrangle in four or five bream for a session then it’s all worth it because I’ll bet most of them will be either side of 40cm. Right now big bream to 43cm are still in the river but be prepared to do some hard yards for your reward.

An angler’s paradise A nice haul of twenty fat mullet ready for the table and all of them caught on lures. this issue is on the good old yellow eyes. MULLET MAYHEM First up I’ve got to tell you about the phenomenal run of yellow eye mullet right across the Gippy Lakes. Over the last few months they have turned up in numbers I’ve not seen in many years. Maybe the

get them on blades with red stinger hooks. Well they worked even better and I pulled in a big chubby mullet to 36cm with nearly every cast. I filled my keeper net with 20 fish and then went in search for bream. No such luck however because the mullet continued to eat my lures

at this time of year but I’ll use bait if I have to! Paul Worsteling was in the area to film a show with a target species of the humble yellow eye mullet. He caught countless numbers of fish with the locals, showing them how to berley for them and use different rigs. Paul

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Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

With the winter behind us at last, and the rivers running at a steady rate, anglers can begin to dust off their fishing tackle and make ready for the spring season. RIVERS With the estuary in pristine condition, the season promises to be excellent with the Snowy and Brodribb estuary system set to be an angler’s paradise. The reports coming in suggest changes have begun with schools of bream and estuary perch moving up the Snowy River and all the way to the highway bridge at Orbost, as well as up the Brodribb River to Lake Curlip. Both rivers now hold big schools of fish, giving anglers who prefer to fish from the bank plenty of access from the

platforms erected alongside the river. Not completely unknown but fairly rare, flathead have been caught in the Snowy River almost up to Orbost by a couple of very keen junior anglers who ventured out after school for a fish. This goes to show that at the end of the day persistence and commitment wins. With all the action it won’t be long before reports start to emerge of luderick and mullet being caught in good numbers. BEACHES As always the surf beaches are fishing well with reports from anglers of good size schools of salmon and tailor cruising the beaches. The salmon here aren’t only good for numbers, there have also been many reported captures of these fish measuring well over 60cm caught on both bait and lures. For anglers that

choose to use bait in our area it is essential to use a popper or surf grub above baited hooks. For anglers spinning with metal lures it seems that the best captures appear to be when the surf is a little choppy. Other anglers have reported catching plenty of flathead, bream, and mullet using estuary gear in the troughs close to the beach. With good weather comes great offshore fishing, with anglers targeting plenty of flathead, gurnard, barracouta, pinkie snapper, morwong and gummy shark. Now with the winter done and dusted, the warm currents will begin to come down the east coast, swing into the Bass Strait and bring the baitfish that game fish prey on into the area, keeping those keen game fish anglers happy. Bring it on!

An amazing whiting season MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

27cm. Having that many small whiting in the system is a good sign for future fish stocks.

What a winter season this has been! Yes, it’s been cold, but the fish have not minded one bit, this is the best winter whiting season in the past few decades. I’m not going to talk about McLoughlins Beach all that much this month, as there is way more to talk about from Port Albert. Firstly, the whiting have been nothing short of sensational. I have bagged out on whiting every trip, and now there seems to be a slightly bigger run of fish inside and we are getting some bigger specimens to 42cm mixed in with our catches of small to mid-sized fish. Tides have been important, and they seem to be feeding hard when the tide is at its slowest. The first and last hour on the run-in and the start of the run-out have been prime times to catch the whiting. Pipis and squid are as good a baits as any. There’s plenty of undersize whiting as well, so make sure you measure them and don’t keep anything under

MANNS BEACH It’s late but the salmon have finally arrived in droves. You can catch any

Clint Jones is happy with his catch of whiting from Port Albert.

number of salmon in the entrance at the moment, and they are moderate size between 35-45cm. They are mostly down deep, so use metal lures between 25-60gs and let your lures sink before you retrieve. Also, soft plastics have been working a treat with heavier jigheads and again, let them hit the bottom. Some anglers have been having a ball on fly using sinking lines and catching a salmon every cast. I’ve got to get over and have a crack at that myself! OFFSHORE The big calamari are getting caught offshore around the Prom, so it will only be a matter of weeks until we see them come inside the inlets. Anglers are catching them over 1kg at the moment. If you want a feed of pinkies, try the reefs in 20-30m as anglers are bagging out on good eating size pinkie snapper to 35cm and are getting some morwong mixed in as well. There are still the usual draughtboard sharks and beared rock cod annoying everyone as well, which will continue until the water rise a

Some bigger whiting have moved in lately, these ones were 42cm each. few degrees. Over the next month, we should start seeing those first snapper reports come in, so be sure to send in your photos. Be sure to sign up for our weekly fishing reports at www. allwaysangling.com.au and send us your reports and photos.

• 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!

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Gippsland gearing up for spring sensations LAKES ENTRANCE

Leigh McVeigh

The Gippsland Lakes area is well known for its fighting fish, and currently there is great opportunity for keen anglers to get out on the water and chase down some big ones. LAKES ENTRANCE At Lakes Entrance, the jetties and rock walls have not produced the expected run of bream and luderick that has normally been seen at this time of year. As a result anglers have turned their attention to other species such as silver trevally a fish that has been prolific on the incoming tide. Bullock Island jetty has been the platform of choice and the best results have come from local prawns, fished under a running sinker or small metal vibes worked slowly along the bottom. Yellow eye mullet have been haunting Cunningham arm and have been easily located with the help of working birds. These fish have been readily taking sandworm fished under a float, giving locals and visitors alike hours of entertainment. With the weather warming up it will not be long before the annual dusky flathead run.

With the introduction of the 55cm slot limit, good numbers of large female flathead up to 5kg are caught and released over the spring and summer months every year. Anglers in the know have chosen to use large prawn imitation lures worked over the sand flats - to successfully catch flathead. However, a well presented fresh bait will also tempt any sunbaking dusky in the warmer shallow water. BEACHES Local beaches have been a reliable option with good numbers of salmon up to 1.5kg working the bait schools close to shore. The later stage of the rising tide has been the most productive giving anglers the opportunity to tackle these fish on ultra-light spin gear with ease. Many anglers are choosing to leave the long poles at home, opting to toss small metal slugs to 25g. With their spin rods fishing as light as 1kg anglers are proving salmon is not only a challenge but also a great sports fish from the sand. Reports of gummy shark caught at dusk from Pettmans Beach certainly roused the fishing community’s attention and it won’t be long before the capture of these fish becomes

more consistent. Fresh salmon fillets or squid will see you tangle with a local gummy shark but if the crabs are thick tougher bait such as cured eel may be required to keep that bait in the water long enough for a shark to sniff it down. LAKE TYERS Lake Tyers has recently opened giving schooling fish the opportunity to make their way up the arms of the Tyres system for their annual spawn run. Most notable is the recent but irregular captures of estuary perch in the system. It has been well over a decade since these highly sort after sports fish has been in Tyers in numbers and it has locals buzzing for the upcoming spring. Targeting these elusive fish can be tricky in any system, but a well presented plastic on a weedless rig fished deep in the structure is a great place to start searching for this Gippsland icon. There has also been some great captures of black bream to 1.5kg reported by anglers working the weed edges in the Nowa Nowa and Trident Arms. Local prawn, spider crab, as well as deep diving minnows such as the Diawa Double Clutch or Strike Pros Bass X in natural colours have been a deadly way to

target these fish that patrol the weed edges of the lake’s many drop-offs. Cold water has not stopped large female flathead to 3kg being landed by the unsuspecting bream angler

in the same areas. This has provided a welcome side catch and some great photos for the album before the release of these breeding fish to go on and fight another day. With the lake opened, the

water level is low and care should be taken navigating the system, there are many sand and mud flats that should be avoided to save that long wait and embarrassing tow off the flat.

Big bites at Bemm BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Slap on some sunscreen, pop on a hat, and grab your rod - the fish are biting at Bemm! After a very long, cold, and wet winter the warm weather is finally upon us which should result in some amazing fishing. The entrance remains open and the water level is very low. With spring comes the impending close of the entrance, which encourages a productive prawning season. Of recent times, anglers have experienced successful fishing in the vicinity of the Mahoganies and Siberia area with quality bream

usually caught on sandworm or peeled prawn. With the warmer weather here we should see the flathead start to become very active again and there is no doubt they have been breeding up in large numbers. Over the past three years flathead have been our major ‘sport’ fish over the spring and summer periods. The flathead will take plastics, live prawn, bluebait, frozen prawn, and vibes. Now the days are warmer, the salmon are going gangbusters along our surf beaches. Hardbodied lures are generally more successful along the beach as an abundance of crabs are

just waiting to steal your bait faster than you can cast it out! The upside of a thriving crab population is the appearance of gummy sharks lured by the crabs, especially during the full moon cycles. The river has been quiet but as the freshwater flows slow we should see the bream enter the river to spawn. • For on the spot and up to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation.com. au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Proposed catch cap for Port Phillip A four week public consultation period has commenced today about a proposed sliding catch cap on the harvest of fish by licensed commercial fishers in Port Phillip Bay. Fisheries Victoria met with Seafood Industry Victoria representatives to take them through the proposed changes. The sliding cap is an integral part of phasing-out commercial netting in Port Phillip Bay, which was a commitment made last year in the State Government’s Target One Million plan that aims to grow participation in the recreational fishing sector. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the proposed cap would prevent any increase in commercial fishing effort

during the phase-out period of eight years. “It will also ensure that as licences are bought out from the fishery the overall catch reduces in a fair and transparent way,” Mr Dowling said. “The cap will place an annual catch limit on each fishing access licence based on the average catch over five fishing years prior to the government’s announcement to remove netting. “After listening to industry it was decided to use an average of five years of catch as this was the fairest way to introduce the cap but also note individuals’ personal circumstances and fluctuations in fish abundance. “There is also a proposal to introduce new reporting requirements for commercial fishers to enable effective

enforcement of the cap, consistent with best-practice fisheries management in Australia. “Phasing-out netting in Port Phillip Bay will improve recreational fishing opportunities and help increase the number of anglers to one million, growing tourism and strengthening our rural and regional communities.” The four week consultation period, which provides the public with an opportunity to comment on the details of the proposed Fisheries Notice (Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Commercial Catch Limit), concludes on 25 September, 2015. Learn more at www. v i c . g o v. a u / P P B n e t s . – Fisheries Victoria

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Jay Blumfield caught this 9kg snapper at Corinella. It was his personal best and his first red for the season. He was fishing out of his new Evolution 500 Cuddy that he won at the 2015 Melbourne Boat Show – must be a lucky boat!

*The payment examples are based on the weekly equivalent of the monthly payment and is based on secured consumer loan over 60 months with repayments of (1) $38.74 (2) $59.58 (3) $75.51. Drive away price of (1) $10,000 (2) $15,000 (3) $20,000, with a deposit of 25% for (1)(2)(3) and an annual percentage rate of 9.99%. Offer is only available to approved applicants of Yamaha Motor Finance. Conditions, Fees and charges apply. Finance applications must be received and approved by 30/11/2015. The comparison rate is based on a secured loan of $30,000 over a period of 60 months. WARNING: This comparison rate 10.56% is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. The purchase price includes Goods and Services Tax. Fitting and extra outboard rigging charges may also apply. Credit is provided by Yamaha Motor Finance Australia Pty. Ltd. Australian Credit Licence No: 394553. Pictured boat for illustrative purposes only. Boat Package prices does not refer to the pictured Top Ender package. OCTOBER 2015

Peace at last: Mallacoota finally quietens down MALLACOOTA

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With the lack of visitors to the area this time of year you can expect to be the only car at the boat ramp! To have a day undisturbed on the water is always special and at the moment you can expect some quiet time out on the water. There are not too many spots on the

East Coast that deliver such a luxury as this and Mallacoota won’t get much busier until Christmas. Now is the time to take a personal day on the water. The new boat launching facilities at Bastion Point have made it easy for big boats to head to Mallacoota for the offshore fishing. The winter months has seen the cold water slow the fishing right down, but

once the water warms it will be well worth heading out and chasing some of the big flathead – both tigers and sandies – that the area is known for. Around the same time there is every chance that the kingfish are about; if the bait schools are around they won’t be far behind. The break wall and jetty have proven to be good fishing spots producing blackfish, yellowfin bream and salmon. These are just

‘When the wattle’s blooming the bream are moving’.

A solitary vehicle haunts the boat ramp car park – the joys of fishing in winter.

a few of the species you can expect to catch. Salmon have been caught along all the local beaches, they are in good numbers and an easy catch. One of the cheapest lures to catch salmon on is a barrel sinker; first thread the sinker onto the line, then tie on a treble hook. This works really well as the sinker slides up the line it makes it very difficult for the fish to throw the hook.

Paint the sinker whatever colour you like and there you have a lure that will catch plenty of fish with very little cost. The lake has finally cleared up after the recent rains with good fish caught in the Bottom Lake including silver trevally, yellowfin bream, and flatheat. The Top Lake, up as far as Gypsy Point has been fishing well for black bream and flathead with

some good size flounder also caught. As always, the key is to keep moving until you can find the fish. A variety of lures have been working, blades, soft plastics, and hardbodies as well as plenty of result on local prawn bait fishing. Fish have also been caught in the rivers above Gypsy Point - as the saying goes ‘when the wattle’s blooming the bream are moving!

Expect a little slice of Eden paradise this month EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Everyone is over what was one of the coldest winters experienced in a long time and it feels great to know that spring is just around the corner. The rivers and creeks in the Eden area have all cleared up after the recent rains and are still flowing

well which should make for some great fishing in the coming months. The days may be starting to warm up but the ocean is still cold. When the ocean gets warm, the fishing will really take off. Fishing the beaches for salmon has been excellent, choose any of the beaches in the area and you’ll find yourself with a bag. Fishing a good gutter on a rising tide will set you up among the fish. At this

time of year big tailor and salmon are found from the beaches. These fish enter the local estuaries to chase the whitebait as they school over the winter months. Landing one however, isn’t easy – their teeth will cut through trace like it wasn’t there, and they will almost always reject a wire trace. The inshore species are all being caught. Snapper, tiger, and sand flathead along with some good size

morwong in the coming months will see the boats heading out wider to the shelf. Here’s where you’ll find game fish species that put in an appearance as the water starts warming. The local estuaries have really cleared up after the recent rains and some good fishing has been reported towards the fresh at the top of the system. Black bream are plentiful in these spots but are there to spawn and thus for sale on

catching them can prove tricky. Dusky flathead have been caught in their wintering spots but will start spreading out through the system as the water warms. Fish are about in numbers so its looking good for the summer months. Some healthy sand whiting are still being caught in the front section of the local estuaries - their numbers will increase over the coming months as more fish arrive with

the warmer water. Good silver trevally are making an appearance and can be caught on a variety of lures or fresh bait. For their size they are one of the hardest fighting fish you can expect to catch in the estuaries on the South Coast. Some great estuary perch have been caught over the winter months with keen perch anglers. To be successful in your endeavours, you have to put in the time.

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Bass bust out in Bermagui BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

As we move into spring, fishing options are opening up to anglers and one of these options are bass fisheries. The best in the area is Brogo Dam warming up ready to get hot! BASS STOCKING IN THE BROGO Thanks to the efforts of the Far South Coast Bass Stocking Association, this fishery has now been stocked for the last 19 years with an average of 20,000 baby bass annually. As you would expect, with so many fish in the impoundment it is not hard to catch a bass, the only distraction from the fishing is spectacularly beautiful natural surrounds. If you can tear your eyes away from the scenic beauty try working a variety of lures around the weed beds where most of the aquatic species to be found thriving including shrimp, galaxias, gambusia, mudeyes, and many a nymph. Keep a watchful eye on the sounder to find the warmer water and try there in the evening as the sun fades with surface lures – a

technique that can produce spectacular results. ESTUARY SEASON Fishing in the estuaries surrounding Bermagui is also improving with the warmer weather. At this time of year

focus on getting into the upper reaches of the systems as these spots are where the warmer water is and therefore where the prawns live. These prawns provide food for the predator fish, in

The end result – a beautiful big bass taken in the dark on a surface lure.

this instance flathead, bream, whiting, luderick, trevally and many more. This is great news for anglers, both those who enjoy lure fishing or for those who just like to soak a bait. All you have to do is look to match the hatch and you should have some excellent angling. OFFSHORE Not to be out done, the offshore scene is pretty active too and spring is the time for tiger flathead. In, around or beyond 50m water depth is where you are likely to find these fish. Reefs are scattered in the depths and you’ll encounter flathead and many other reef fish as you drift over them. Snapper are a likely find as are morwong, nannygai, perch, and kingfish. Out wider over the shelf, a few game fish are being encountered. Mostly albacore or striped tuna although the odd yellowfin may also appear. What is favourable amongst anglers at present is burleying for mako sharks as they follow tuna schools and, with the aid of electric reels, fishing the canyons for those deep water blue eye trevalla, ling, hapuka, gemfish and many more odd ball species from the abyss.

What the FSCBSA is all about – releasing more bass for future angling BROGO BASS BASH Just a reminder to those who have been before or wish to participate in the annual Brogo Bass Bash fishing competition it is on again the weekend of 4th,

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Narooma systems looking good for October NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The Narooma region has received buckets of rain over the last week with an excess of 200mm falling in some areas. This has left the estuary anglers a little light on options in the meantime, but the journey ahead looks nothing short of sensational. NAROOMA SYSTEMS LOOKING GOOD Every system needs a good flush from time to time and the estuaries that have been closed to the ocean most of the year are now open which is awesome for fishing. Bait anglers fishing the lower sections toward the entrances of lakes such as Mummuga and Corunna Lakes will do extremely well especially for bream. Fresh

sinker than normal to keep that bait near the bottom. You might have to change it up a bit as the current slows, but if you get it right you will reap the rewards. The next few months is exciting fishing for the Narooma and Tuross systems, especially after this rain as both will fire up nicely. October is the start of it all for the mighty mulloway and I can’t wait for them. Mulloway will be on everyone’s list with fish up to 15kg and possibly bigger to be expected. Both bait and plastic throwers will get amongst them, but I would expect more to be caught by those casting soft plastics and bigger vibed lures. The main basins will be the place to fish, concentrate your efforts around whitebait schools and if tailor are present you’ll do even better. Fishing deep

flathead are another option to chase as they head to the lower sections of the systems to do their thing. Fishing the baits schools is again a great way to target them, but I find the weed-fringed edge in 6-8m of water is the best place to start. Using bigger softies around 80-100mm is the go with fish patterns and natural colours are your go-to lures. You will get plenty of eating models too so a feed shouldn’t be too hard to get. Up at Tuross the river is the place to fish for bream and estuary perch early in the season. Casting smaller hardbodies and plastics among the snags and various rock walls that litter the river is a good method The recent rain will do a world of good, although the water may still be a little dirty it will certainly be fishable. Flathead should be a good chase in the shallow parts

The boys with a few sambos caught up the Tuross River just before the rains. bait like striped tuna and mullet strips will work better as they sit a little tougher on the hook. This is important as the water will be flowing quite quickly. Use a heavier

bait is a dynamite way of targeting mulloway here so use your sounder to increase your catch rate. If the mulloway aren’t playing then monster

of the river. I would suggest fishing the slightly deeper gutters around 1.2-2m and with smaller soft plastics. OFFSHORE FORECAST Offshore anglers haven’t

The coming months will see some happy anglers catching croc sized flatties like this 92cm model which was released in great condition. had the best run of weather especially those fishing wider for early season yellowfin tuna. When it does improve, there is certainly an increased chance of finding them, but this will depend on water temperature, current movement, and bait activity. I would be waiting a few more weeks, keep a close eye on reports from fishers to the north of us and maintain knowledge of temperature satellite charts to know when to get out on the water. At Montague Island the kingfish over the winter period have been fairly good, not on fire but some days have been exceptional. This seems quite promising as spring arrives with October - usually the month the jig fish turn up. The fish are generally around that 65-75cm mark and jigs are the preferred method. You will still get them on live bait but jigging is easier, you get more time on them and it’s a stack of fun even though you have to put your

back into it. There’s plenty of bonito still at the island and this will continue right through spring and summer, jigs, livies and trolling should see you get as many as you like. For those after snapper and other bottom eaters you’re in luck as the heavier seas of late has really turned them on. I know a few locals are doing extremely well off Potato Point which is famous as this region’s hot spot for reds. There’s so much awesome looking ground up there, with reefs and gravel beds from 20-60m all producing at times. The fish don’t leave the general area, they might move around a bit and can be tricky to locate but once you do it’s all systems go. Fresh bait like squid, cuttlefish and tuna strips will work, and anglers casting softies when the currents allow will also get among them. You can expect morwong, trevally, pigfish, john dory and heaps of sand and tiger flatheads just off

the hard ground. In fact the bottom fishing continues to get better every year now the trawlers are gone. Those beach anglers after a feed will do well on bream, whiting, and yellow-eye mullet as they patrol the gutters looking for food. A lot of these fish will start to enter the estuaries again so I’d recommend fishing beaches that have an estuary entrance close by. My suggestions would be Brou, Tilba, and Blackfellows towards Tuross. Using beach worms, pipi and tuna cubes will work and don’t underestimate the chance of mulloway. These silver beasts will be following the blackfish schools as they head back into the estuaries. If you have the patience and time to fish the flooding tides into the evenings with fresh bait you have a serious chance of hooking one. Coila Beach is also a great option as it’s now open to the ocean after recent heavy rains. Good Luck!

Rain creates perfect conditions in the estuaries MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

With spring well and truly here and the water temperature on the rise, now is great time of year to wet a line around the Merimbula region. It really doesn’t matter what you target or where, there’s something to catch for everyone. ENTERTAINMENT IN THE ESTUARIES For myself and many other anglers, these estuaries will be high on our hit lists. Almost all species will play the game at some time throughout 50

OCTOBER 2015

the month and I for one can’t wait. The recent rains have flushed the estuaries creating perfect conditions and I expect the next period to be exceptional for angling. Those after monster flathead are in for a good time as both the Merimbula and Pambula basins will produce. These big girls will be hungry for big soft plastics, vibed lures, as well as live bait which is sure to catch fish at all times. There have been a handful of 75-85cm fish caught over recent weeks which is great to see so early in the season. I’d recommend concentrating around the ribbon weed edges on the perimeter of

Gotta love kids getting into fishing. Here’s young gun Ryan with a pair of cracking bream prior to release.

the lake with ideal water depths of 3-7m. You will get plenty of 40-50cm fish as well, so if you’re after a feed you will be appreciate this spot. Cast smaller plastics and you can expect trevally, bream, tailor, and smaller pinkie snapper when casting to these same edges. Those using fresh bait like live nippers or worms will start to see some solid whiting and bream on the flats and channels. The lower sections of both systems towards the estuary entrances are a good place to start with the flooding tide offering the best. As the water warms during To page 51

NSW South Coast From page 50

the month, surface lures for bream and whiting will be another option and are a whole stack of fun. BEACH BONANZA Salmon are still in numbers with most beaches holding a few fish. These speedsters are responding to all methods, it really just depends on how you want to catch them. Anglers using baits like blue-bait and pilchards have certainly accounted for the bigger fish. Using a paternoster or single hook rig is the go when using larger baits. For

Pambula Lake salmon smashing surface lures in calm crystal clear water are a stack of fun.

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those who want some sport, cast small chromes into the suds on light gel-spun for some serious fun. You can lose a fish when it throws the hook, to combat this, try replacing the treble with a decent straight shank single hook for better hook up to landing ratio. Mixed up with the sambos are some nice tailor and it won’t be long before the mulloway start to show. I have recently heard whispers of a few mulloway caught up to a 1m in length, so it may be worth a look. I’d expect a few decent gummy and school sharks to be caught also. Better beaches to try include North Tura, Tura Main and Haycock. Outside anglers have done it tough of late but that will certainly change this month. We’ve had some cold, dirty water off Merimbula lately mainly from the estuaries cleaning out, but that will change quickly as the northern currents push south. North of Merimbula, the temperature charts are looking promising and hopefully those warmer fronts could hit our shores soon. When it does arrive, yellowfin tuna and albacore are possible appearances along the shelf and the wider area. Trolling a range of bibbed minnows and

skirted pushers should do the trick early in the season. Closer to shore the kings have been a little sporadic, but there’s still been the odd big fish close to the headlands. Keen sport fishers with poppers, large soft plastics, stik minnows, and unweighted live slimy mackerel have caught these fish. This type of fishing isn’t for everyone but if you locate a good patch you’re in for some serious fun. Those anglers fishing the stones have also enjoyed themselves. I know of kingfish up to 8kg coming from Tura Head, mainly caught on live bait. There have also been a few caught on poppers and bigger chromed slices. I had a look there recently and though I didn’t land one, I saw some extremely big boils on the surface which I knew were kings in excess of 10kg, exciting stuff. These are solid kingfish and there’s a few there so it’s worth a look. If you’re after a feed then Short Point, Long Point and Tura Head has seen a few pigs and blackfish caught. Better baits to use include cunjevoi, prawns, and cabbage. Those who have done alright are using berley sparsely, although a bit more preparation berley is certainly worth doing.

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OCTOBER 2015

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Zone in on spring hot spots HOBART

Justin Causby

Does it get any better? Chasing the wild Tassie trout in our spring air? Lowlands or highland, it doesn’t really matter at this time of the year. It’s really starting to turn it on right through the majority of our systems; rivers and streams on our coastlines or tributaries to our highland lakes are beginning to come alive. In this feature we’ll take a look at some of the springtime fishing hot spots and hopefully put you on to a few more Tassie trout. LOWLANDS RIVERS AND LAKES The Derwent River is right now in the final 4-5 weeks of its premium sea run trout fishing before

basic rules. Lure, fly and plastic anglers will do best to target channel edges on the outgoing tide. The current flow pushing bait towards the edge where trout can prey upon it easily. Add an outcrop or point or any snaggy tree or boulder that disrupts the current flow and you’ve upped your chances again. Bait use these areas as resting places out of the current flow. The high tide offers amazing flats fishing, something that was not even considered 10 years ago and only now just becoming popular. The sea grass beds are seasonal and do fluctuate from year to year. Thick weed years offer the best returns. They also produce the most annoying fishing. On the water, following windy days and it’s very frustrating removing weed

northern shore the channel holds the reed edge. Fishing here with mid depth lures or plastics will produce good results. The southern side comprises of a river flat that extends out in to the river a few hundred metres below Murphys Drain. Both the channel edge on the run out and the flats at high tide are excellent options. Fish the flat downstream through the gutters above Lime Kilns Point in to the bay below. All of these options will be rewarding. The channel edges and flats south of the Bridgewater Bridge both offer high rewards. Much of the remaining river has hundreds of great spots. Get out and explore, you’ll be surprised at what you find. Night fishing is where you’ll find the big fish. I prefer not to bait fish, rather

A nice 750g Lake Echo rainbow trout on #55 Tassie Devil. the small trout invade the system in November from the previous spawning season. Whitebait numbers are generally still quite good and what you’ll also find are bigger galaxia that are fully matured and up to 3-4” in length. Known locally as jollytails or greenbacks, they offer huge protein to the trout and a bring night fishing to a whole new level. It’s a formidable fishery and its size can be daunting for the inexperienced but you can increase your success following a few

from hooks cast after cast after cast. But the sea grass holds the food, and a small clear shrimp is a winner for the trout. There are couple of shrimp beds that never move but they aren’t easy to find. That comes from noting where you catch fish, stomach content, even taking a look in their mouths when boated as they never really stop feeding and often will give up something. The best edge fishing can be found on either side of the Lime Kilns upstream to Green Island. The

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OCTOBER 2015

opting for soft plastics. Any variety will do but personal choice has Gulp in 3 and 4” my go-to option. I prefer the scent for these estuary sea run trout. Colour I find not overly important but smelt is probably my favourite. I rig light and fish slowly, with just the odd twitch, nothing too major. The fish generally always hook themselves and I run a 1/0 hook to get the shank well back in the plastic. At night, look for current flow, a point, drain, gutter etc.; anything that offers movement. But the main thing is outgoing tide. You will not, and it doesn’t matter how good an angler you are, catch anywhere the number of fish on any tide other that the bottom half of the outrun after dark. The stronger and lower the better. Cast slightly upstream, draw slowly across the current and back up the shoreline. Keeping in contact with the plastic at all times. If you feel a touch, drop the rod tip then resume the slow

retrieve. Most times you’re already on, but if you miss the fish don’t stress, you’ll be back on to it again in most situations. Keep your ears alert for any swirl, splash or noise that may give away a feeding fish. Cover it immediately and more often than not you be rewarded. Keeping in theme with rivers and sea runners, our West Coast rivers are in prime time. The locals like to keep things a little quiet but we all know the fish are out there. Barring any major rainfalls it’s time to journey west if you can find the time. It’s a long haul for anyone not on the North West Coast, but the rewards are huge if you crack the code. In the last two or three season some exceptional double figures of fish sessions were had right between the bridge and the mouth on the Arthur River, arguable Australia’s premier big fish river during these months. Only the Huon historically could match it on size alone. The most productive method is trolling although more and more are taking fish by cast and retrieve. Deep diving Countdown Rapalas are the lure of choice in CD7 and CD9. The hot colour though is a discontinued colour. The locals have chased all worldwide stock to the point I’m certain that every tackle store in the USA and Europe has fielded calls and emails from Tasmania. That said, use something that stands out in the tannin-stained water. It’s a feature of the West Coast. Sea run trout are opportunistic feeders, so get it in their face and they’ll strike. The Arthur River sea runners are nothing short of impressive. Magnificent

Putting some side strain on a feisty trout in the timber. condition, silver and fat. There is also a resident population of estuary perch in the Arthur. These are a protected species and must be returned to the water if caught. The Arthur population is the the only known ongoing populous in Tasmania. It’s great to see studies underway on the EP from IMAS Honours student Bryan Van Wyk. The current studies include some tagged fish and if caught they must be released. It is asked that anglers; record the fork length, the two tag numbers, release the fish, record your location (how far upstream from mouth/surrounding habitat) and Notify Bryan Van Wyk on 0437 103 176 or call IFS. Our lowland streams are now offering up very

rewarding sport. Flows are at a level that is both kind to anglers and fish alike. In the south the Tyenna, which too can lay grasp on the monster trout water status, it’s looking very good at this time of year. Generally the big fish are caught at higher levels where they are pushed into backwaters. Springtime offers all round fishing to most styles of fishing. Small bibbed lures, plastics and weighted flies all produce good captures. You can expect anything from pan-size to 10kg ‘munters’ as they have been named by the devotees. The IFS has and Angler Access Brochure to assist navigating the river. As a general rule if you fish within a few kilometres of Nation Park you’re in the strike zone. Keeping in mind the river is

Large trout like this thumper are a real possibility in spring.

Go Behind the Scenery long and has some excellent water both around Maydena and south to the mouth at the Derwent. Further south the Huon and tributaries all start to offer more settled fishing. Going on the locals efforts

with Heaviest Fish awards in both adult and junior categories coming from tributaries of the Huon. On the East Coast, Tooms Lake is suffering greatly from low water levels. IFS had hoped, as

was putting far too much pressure on the waterway. The water is very dirty and the boat ramp is out of the water. Reports of fishless days are returning. Lake Leake is coming off a fantastic season and was at

A Bronte Lagoon brown in prime condition taken on the Cranka Minnow. around August in the Huon it could be quite a good year for these rivers. The Huon Anglers Club certainly faired very well in association awards last year

had long time fans, that this year would be a bumper one for Tooms with good fish numbers stocked. But the complete lack of rain in an extended irrigation period

an extremely low level in the off season. There were improvements to the ramp and launching facilities undertaken during this time but again these were high

Tasmania

and dry. The fishing, while not fantastic, has returned some nice fish. Lure casting from shore or a drifting boat has been putting fish in the bag. We can only hope for some late winter or spring rain to fill the shallow basin. If that happens, I’d expect the place to fire. Keep it on your radar as it holds some very impressive trout. One quiet little stream on the East Coast that doesn’t get a lot of attention is the George River. The locals love the place and it holds some beautiful stream trout and more than the odd sea runner at times. But these little gems are all over coast, so get out and explore. Right across the entire north coast we have streams and rivers from the Break O’Day and Ringarooma, South Esk, Leven, St Pats, Macquarie, Mersey, Forth, Inglis and the list goes on. There’s a plethora of ways to fish these streams and while the fly is probably more successful on its day, I prefer casting a small lure up the runs and across the riffles. I learnt to fish that way in the Plenty River as a school boy and it’s still where my heart is. HIGHLAND RIVERS AND LAKES The harsh cold of winter is leaving the highlands and as it does my desire to head

Top: A lovely brown catching a bit of sunlight. Above: Good sized Derwent resident trout are mixed through the sea run catch. This one went 1.4kg. back up top returns. The Bradys system has been heavily stocked with thousands of wild browns from across the highlands. The majority of fish coming from the spawning runs on Great Lake. The system is close to full capacity, which

promotes some great fishing through these lakes. Fishing the edges in these high water periods will produce some excellent fishing. Anywhere in the highlands, I’m tying on black and gold, it’s a winner To page 54

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all year round and trout just can’t resist it. A hot orange belly and you’re on a sure thing. While the Bradys System suffers terribly from drawdown at times, nearby Bronte Lagoon feeding the three lakes isn’t quite as bad, at least in the springtime. Bronte holds some exceptional trout. Always in very good condition and they generally fight very hard. Expect fish from 0.5-1kg as average with a few better fish among them. The fly action isn’t quite at full flurry just yet, although successful mornings can be had on midging trout cleaning up the tucker from the night before. Look for calm still nights to follow up this style of fishing. Finding a nice drift adjacent to a shore is the key to a great day out here. Searching with a wet fly in these spring months or casting lures towards the shore from a drifting boat will produce some very nice catches. My preferred drift is from Bronte Bay on the Eastern Shore starting a couple hundred metres from

Red Rocks shore is also quite reliable, although I prefer this section of the lake around to the shacks in the summer months and evenings in particular where it offers up some exceptional fly fishing. Over the tier nearby to the east, to perhaps once the most underrated fishery in the state, Lake Echo. A decline in fish quality in the past 5-6 years has finally last season seen a substantial improvement to both catch rates and fish quality. There was a strong push to try to tilt Echo towards a stronger rainbow fishery over recent years with well over 500,000 rainbow trout liberations. The outcome in my opinion only degraded the already excellent trout fishery that was predominantly browns at around a 20:1 browns to rainbows. The quality of browns dropped off markedly to the point the fishery lost favour with regular devotees. I believe the exercise failed as the many triploid rainbows released early on should have attained weights of 3kg or more quite comfortably,

Flooded margin fishing at Echo as water rises and begins to inundate higher ground. The southern extremity of Storm Bay is marked by a very deep point. It can offer good trolling all the way in to Teal Bay with a run of leadline and top water spreads. It’s best to hug the standing tree line for best results. Again I prefer the either drift spin or cast softplastics between the trees. This is the most

Two peas in a pod. A couple of silvery sea runners caught on the same cast on a two fly rig at Bridgewater. the canal. A gentle northerly with a bit of west to keep you in touch with the bank is ideal. Casting to the bank in between the strap weed that dots the 50-60m of water from the shore should see you hooking into fish. This is the perfect drift and can take you all the way to the southeastern reaches in to the Long Arm and Hut Bay. This drift is littered with humps, bumps and holes. The undulating bottom offering a myriad of feeding options for the trout. As the weather warms and insect life begins to spring up, it’s also where the food gathers, blown east by the prevailing wind. Trout will patrol this windward shore mopping up all in front of them. Provided the wind is cooperative, this drift can be repeated all day long if the fish are on the chew. 54

OCTOBER 2015

but we rarely see a bow over the 1kg mark to this date. It is very pleasing to see that the browns are now looking much more solid once again and the average size is back up closer to that 750g mark. The rainbow population was always in excellent condition, and they’re making the most of feeding in the wide open expanses and utilising the incredible gum beetle falls far more efficiently than the browns and any angler for that matter. While more a feature of the summer months, falls here rival any lake in the state with fishing to match or exceed. Through spring, however, it’s the northern half of the lake that anglers should focus on and the many bays and connecting shorelines joining them right across the west and north.

effective method by far for good returns. Starting south of Teal Bay working north. It is not critical to hit the banks on these shores, as fish tend to cruise deeper over the weed beds that lie deeper in water not exposed by draw down. It doesn’t affect fishing as greatly as other waters. That said, periods of high water offer what is some of the state’s best margin fishing you will ever likely find. Teal Bay itself is a hot spot when water backs up over the freshly flooded grassy shallows. It has a continuous inflow in Dicks Creek as do all the marshes in the top end. Large Bay is one large flooded bay and is fed by the largest of these creeks, Harrys Creek and in the North West corner Surveyors Creek into Broken Bay gives up

perhaps the best fishing of the lot. The water in all three pushes back over acres of grass, marsh and to the rushes, kerosene bush and tea tree. Fish gorge on all manner of flooded food from worms and grubs to spiders and form of insect varieties. The trout caught more often than not are stupidly fat and worms still fresh in their mouths. The size and weight these trout put in a small space of time is nothing short of phenomenal. Broken Bay is the highlight. A nice deep shore that extends deep into the bay, a secondary drop off can be sounded up and this is dynamite running adjacent to the shore for much of the length. It gives way to gentle slopping bank and in turn exceptional margin fishing. The beauty of this place is you can choose your sport – fly, lure or plastic. The trout will eat it here more often than not. The water is beautifully clear and trout can be spotted cruising and are not hard to track once they show themselves from a rise or swirl or tail in the air. The bay runs east to west, which in Tassie in the highlands is perfect given our general weather patterns. A few drifts through here will return some great fishing. From broken Bay to the canal you will find flooded trees on a barren bank. It looks uninviting after fishing the heavy weed bed bottom of the recent bays, but looks can be deceiving. These trees probably return for me more fish than any other area of the lake on a regular basis. A submerged headland divides Broken Bay from the northern shore to the canal. Inside the initial tree line, which offers exceptional trolling, opens to pockets of open water right in to the shore. Lure casting these pockets fishing up to about 2-5m in depth is a winner.

The trout are normally lined up through here and seem to be in groups themselves. You will quite often hit a patch of fish here and there. Note your depth, check the bottom for rock or weed bed etc. This will show a pattern to follow. The canal shore or ‘beach’, as we have named it over the years, is hit and miss. When they are on here is hectic. Generally the inflow dictates your fishing, and a strong run out of Monpeelyata Canal will more often than not have a few fish in the boat. Drift spinning in 1.5-3m of water here is the aim. Trolling anglers running a figure-eight pattern out deeper will find rainbows in good numbers. They love that water flow. This current

I love throwing a Double Clutch in black and gold here. It’s my hot spot for good Echo rainbows. Cast hard and long to the bank working out all the way to the boat. The amount of hits you get as your lure comes into view is astounding at times. This is the windward shore, so the fish patrol it and they are there to feed. Access to Lake Echo has improved dramatically in recent years. The northern boat ramp to the south of Large Bay offers immediate and sheltered access to all the best fishing grounds. Informal camp spots abound and launching while steep is also sheltered from the prevailing west. We can’t look at a springtime feature without mentioning Lake Crescent in some detail. With the massive golden galaxia population, it has boomed since the lakes semiresurrection. These things grow to enormous size compared to the majority of our other species. They’re big enough to take a lure or fly, in fact up to and over 6” in size, pure protein for the relatively small trout population. Its little wonder trout were nearing 10kg (20lb) last season and I would without little reservation say that next magic mark might very well get topped this season. Spring coincides with galaxia spawning time, October and November in particular. Crescent’s galaxia population spawns on the rocks, not in the

A lovely solid Great Lake brown in spawn mode with bright red dots fell to a lure with an orange belly, fished along a point adjacent to the inflow. line will push out in to the lake and most times extend along the shore south. Fishing the deep bank from the end of the beach for 500m or so can bring some very solid fish to the boat.

reeds, as do many of our Tasmanian species. Common sense may well indicate that trout will congregate in these areas. Water quality, while improving, is a long way

Go Behind the Scenery from good. Visibility is very low, which means you have to have an element of luck in putting your lure, fly or plastic right in front of a fish. You can improve your chances by adding a bit of knowledge to that.

Keep your eyes open for any sign of a feeding fish. They are big and they give themselves away with most swirls or charges. Cover the area fast to find where they are. On days you don’t see fish, you just have to cast…

and cast and cast and cast. Big flies are the order of the day, and something that will move some water and make a disturbance is preffered. For lures, don’t be scared to go big. The Nories Laydown Minnow

Tasmania

in holographic is a known producer. It’s not a big lure at all but the colour isn’t far away. Fish slow though, keep lures shallow and make a disturbance when you can. Something with a rattle is good too. Cast long,

run it shallow and give it a few twitches. I’d suggest very shiny or very dark, as you want bright or contrast to get noticed. Surface isn’t a bad option either. The trout are actively looking to feed.

Top Left: This brown took a wet fly fished deep over the weed beds among the trees. Right: Martin Exel with an 11lb Lake Crescent thumper. Above Left: Trolling the edge of the tree line brought this solid Echo brown to the boat.

A wounded galaxia on the surface of the water is easy tucker, but persistence is the key. Navigation hazards have been removed from the front of the canal, which is the only launching site on the lake, but please enter the lake with care as it is shallow although relatively safe over the majority of all water. ‘Up top’ as we say in Tassie, Great Lake for me is at its best in October. You have two options, which are casting lures to the bank or fishing slow and deep over the weed beds with a plastic. Both are great options. Nearby Arthurs Lake Is also enjoying improved fishing now that the winter cold is leaving. While not carrying as much water as the past three years, it’s still at very good levels and trout are in fantastic condition. Look to fish in tight early in the mornings and gradually fish out to 3m as the sun gets up. Casting all manner of lure, wet fly and plastics will get the job done. Keep moving until you find as they are in their millions literally, you just need to get on to them. I hope that helps you in your spring search for trout in Tasmania, maybe I’ll see you out there! Have fun!

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Daylight savings heralds great fishing action TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

Even though the rest of the country officially celebrated the start of spring last month, unfortunately someone forgot to tell Tasmania! However, now it’s October and spring is finally here! We have a great deal to look forward to in October. Tasmania is going to be warmer, there is a lot more daylight hours and the fish start to move about and become more active. The good

King Island Flinders Island

Sisters Beach Wynyard BURNIE

Naomi Wisby taking the battle to some gummy shark with an old school PENN reel.

DAVONPORT St Helens 2

John Sims making the most of the sun.

weather has boats coming out of the woodwork and many shore anglers happy to get fishing. October can still see the last of the highland snow, and the afternoon sea breeze along coastal areas can be a pain. However, on the whole the weather is a vast improvement and having a positive outlook will have us in the right frame of mind to get fishing. LET THERE BE LIGHT The first Sunday in October is the start of daylight savings in Tassie and for anglers of any kind this is great news. I just love daylight savings – it’s time to drop the reins, dig the heels in and yell giddy up! The weather is really improving, fish of all breeds are starting to move and really gear up for spring. Having more daylight hours to play is a huge advantage for all anglers. Fishing after work

LAUNCESTON 1

HOBART

DAMS · RIVERS · LAKES 1.............................Mersey River 2........... Leven and Forth Rivers 3................................Lake Leake

becomes a great option for all. Weekends become that little bit longer as we have more daylight hours to fit some fishing in. I remember as a kid growing up in Tasmania it was a magical

50 KM

time. The darkness was gone and the energy that seemed to come with the warm sun was amazing. Getting down to the banks of the river and spending hours throwing spinners or homemade whitebait flies

was a perfect excuse as to why my homework was not done. Teachers in their droves however did not share this view… So what can we expect in October?

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

Survey for estuary perch part of honours study IFS

Tim Farrell

During the second week of August 2015, IFS Fisheries Officer Paul Middleton and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Honours student Bryan Van Wyk surveyed the estuary perch population at Arthur River. PERCH Estuary perch (Percalates colonorum) is a native predatory fish closely related to Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata). Estuary perch have a reputation on mainland Australia for their hard fighting ability on light tackle when hooked around snags. They take interest in various methods of fishing including bait, lures, and fly. Once thought to be prolific across northern Tasmania’s rivers, estuary perch are currently only known to inhabit the Arthur River on Tasmania’s west coast. Due to population 56

OCTOBER 2015

uncertainty, a strict no-take policy applies as per IFS regulations since 2008. Studies are currently being undertaken by researchers at IMAS to develop knowledge on the reproduction and the population dynamics of the Arthur River stock. Information of this kind is crucial for the management of the species in Tasmania and may provide insight into developing estuary perch fisheries to increase recreational fishing opportunities. Part of this study involves a long-term tagging program to acquire population estimates and to build an understanding of movement and growth. IFS recently surveyed the river and found good numbers of estuary perch, including a few tagged fish from a previous survey that was also a part of the current study. There were also a number of sea run brown trout taking advantage of some early bait migrations. With the above-average rainfall over the past month, the river mouth has opened up wider than in previous years

Bryan Van Wyk showing a recaptured tagged estuary perch. which should allow for some fresh oxygenated salt water to push in. Anglers can expect some good fishing in the up and coming months but should be cautious of floating logs coming down the system. With the whitebait season fast approaching it’s expected that estuary perch will be caught as by-catch by trout anglers. Anglers are reminded that they must be released. Anglers

may aid IFS with this study by reporting any tagged captures during the fishing trips. It is important to note that if a tagged estuary perch is caught it must still be released as would any untagged specimen. Due to the nature of this project, a dead tagged perch can’t contribute any more information to the study. If you catch an estuary perch you should:

1 Record the fork length. 2. Record the two tag numbers of the fish. 3. elease the fish. 4. Take note of the location (how far upstream from the mouth, what sort of habitat etc.) 5. Notify Bryan Van Wyk (0437 103 176) or Inland Fisheries Service. TROUT Trout fishing is a pastime that should be enjoyed by everyone. Those who fish regularly will know the thrill of landing a trout. The Inland Fisheries Service seeks to encourage a greater take-up of this time honoured sport, especially for those who may not have the opportunity to do so, by providing exemption permits to a range of organisations across the state. Disability, aged care, school groups, angling clubs, and community groups are provided with exemption permits so they can fish without a licence at specific events and angling days. One such group is the EACH Home and Community Care (HACC) social activity

group. David Roberts, the group’s coordinator, takes participants on regular Tuesday fishing excursions and says trout fishing promotes an active outdoor lifestyle, social inclusion, sense of achievement, and positive self-esteem. David takes his groups to fishing spots on the Derwent and Huon rivers and other locations around Hobart. This week they took advantage of the new River Derwent angler access work that has just been completed and enjoyed a fun day of fishing at New Norfolk. Following on from reports by anglers, guides and fish farm workers the IFS investigated the state of Tasmania’s river fisheries using electrofishing survey during early in 2013. This survey was expanded to include more rivers in 2014 and followed up with a repeat survey in early 2015. A report has been generated on these surveys and is now available on the IFS website.

Go Behind the Scenery NORTH WEST TASMANIA SISTERS BEACH This area is one of the jewels in the crown of Tasmania’s North West Coast. Just around the corner from the beautiful boat harbour. It has some sensational fishing and, like all areas in Tasmania, really starts to come alive in October. The squid fishing is superb and even the smallest of craft can find a spot to pick a few up. The shore and point immediately to the west is a good start, as is the

broken ground to the south. The little island to the north east is also a squidders haven. This time of year the water quality and clarity is fantastic. Driving over the bottom you can physically see the motley patches of weed-covered rocks and sandy patches. If the water clarity is good you will spot some good ground in 6m or more. This is a great place to start. Using 3.0 jigs to 20g will allow you to cast out and work the bottom. This is important, as getting the jig down about

Nathan Scatchard with a snapper he cracked last season.

a 1-2m of the bottom in the initial retrieve will draw them out of their lair. Once in the mid-water, you can jig them up and hopefully get a hook up. If you do and have a fishing partner or your kids on board, have them cast out over the back of where you hooked up as there is often a partner in crime lurking. Repeating this process over good ground can have a number of squid super keen to nail your jigs. Jigs come in a huge range of sizes, colours and weights. When working over the shallow ground from 4-6m it is a good idea to use the 3.0 size jigs in the lighter weights. This will mean you can work the zone close to the bottom without the risk of snagging up too much. You will find that if you are working the bottom over properly a snag or two is par for the course. This is why I don’t use expensive jigs in close. Deeper water and you can start prospecting off the bottom a little more. If you have a sounder, check the depth and cast 2m shorter than the depth showing. This will allow the jig to get down and be clear of any snags. This normally has me brave enough to tie on the more expensive jigs. Squid is not the only species of interest at Sister Beach. Sisters Beach has some interesting bottom contour

Tasmania

Hooch found some squid in deeper water with Valley Hill 40g. and you can find the odd reef section on the sounder that will be of interest. The reef section will not be massive, but there will be enough transitional change from smooth sand to a rocky bottom with the occasional sharpish rise. Some of these areas have been found and held in high regard as they are coveted spots to try for snapper! Snapper is the buzzword of last season along the coast and this year I look forward to seeing anglers who never

ever thought it possible to catch one, tick that bucket list item. I will talk more about snapper later. If you travel west around the point there are a number of rocky headlands. These are broken up with stretches of white beaches. This is a great stretch of coast to bounce and jiggle some plastics along the sandy bottom between seagrass beds and rocky sections. Start in close and continue out into the 30m mark increasing your jighead size as you go. The

entire area is prone to schools of Australian Salmon and a keen eye will see some surface disturbance or birds feeding over them. The little ramp is tricky at low tide and there is a channel that needs to be respected for boats over 5m. Local Tasmanians and interstate anglers will ask themselves, “Why haven’t I been here before?” and want to return again to explore further. To page 58

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 57

• For more detailed information on the Sisters Beach areas further west. Head into Burnie and see the gang at Tassie Tackle and Outdoor. Long standing tackle store within the town and jammed full of everything you will need to find and land any fish. They are situated in town at Wilson Street. Contact them on 03 6431 6500. WYNYARD This seaside town on the Inglis River is a forgotten treasure trove of anglers’ delight. The sea floor conditions are not unlike the Sisters Beach area and the squid fishing is every bit as good. Squid, salmon, couta and pike can be found looking for a feed. Letting out some deeper divers with some smaller Halco slices over the top is a good way to locate some action. Trolling along and varying the speeds will be effective in finding a range of species to play with. Some of them you will return to the water and some you will slip into an esky with some ice to feature on the menu at home. Flathead will start to move in but will still be patchy. If you try a spot and don’t do any good, then move to another spot and try a drop. Good old-fashioned paternoster rigs are the staple here. You can learn to tie your own 2 and 3 hook rigs or purchase some from your favourite tackle store. There are some fabulous and easy to use pre tied flasher style rigs available. Add a little bit of bait and they are a fantastic way to find fish. Once you have found a good patch, you may like to get out some plastics and have a bounce. Catching flathead on soft plastics is good fun and adjusting jig

weights for water depth is a must. The shallower the water, the lighter the jighead you can get away with generally. There have been some very nice snapper catches out off Wynyard in the past few seasons, which is very exciting now we are honing our techniques. Wynyard can also yield some good gummy shark and with a bit of patience you will have some more sensational fish flesh to make mum happy. If the weather

to tie. This will capture your ball sinker and have it free to run up and down the line. Now this is where I differ from some and like to use a heavy mono leader and not a wire trace. A 60-80lb mono leader tied, once again with the Pitzen will be sufficient on gummies. Bigger octopus or circle hooks, right up to 6 and 7/0, will allow you to present big fresh strip baits to your quarry. Heck, tie that on with the Pitzen as well! If you are using a mainline of mono make sure it is sufficient

tail lobe and, while you are at it, scrape out the bloodline down its spine. You will be left with the trunk ready for skinning and filleting. Gummy shark flesh freezes very well and comes up a treat when coated and lightly fried. I had a girlfriend once that used to cook Green Thai Curry gummy chunks and it was beautiful! The Inglis River flows through Wynyard and should start to see some nice thick runs of whitebait in October. The upper reaches of the

Dazzling Darrell with a little salmon barrel. conditions permit, you can fish at anchor with some berley attached to the anchor. This will remarkably improve your gummy shark catch rate. The rig I prefer is a big ball sinker threaded onto the main line of mono or braid. The deeper the water, then I turn to braid. Tie a swivel to the main line using the Pitzen knot. The Pitzen is a cracker as it will hold with braid and mono. Look on YouTube or head into a tackle store to be shown how

to withstand some abrasion in case the fish decides to roll up your leader and into the mainline. As always, caring for your catch is imperative and even more so with sharks. If you catch a real big-un, remember it is more than likely a breeder so have a think about whether to keep it. Keeping a gummy will require you to remove its head and guts as soon as you can. It is a good idea to cut off any fins including the upper

river can produce some very nice trout and always worth a look. The better weather will allow the rains to slow and the reduced flow will have whitebait ambushed by the silver runners. The river itself, as most on the North West Coast, has a significant tidal rise and fall. The Inglis is also tricky at low tide, but with care and caution can be navigated safely. As the rains and water current slows, the whitebait will increase.

ULVERSTONELEITH-DEVONPORT The underwater landscape offshore from these towns do not change a great deal and fish very similar to the more western areas previously mentioned, as are the species encountered. Techniques will also transfer. Each of these towns enjoys a river system and boat launching facilities allowing great access to the open ocean. Ulverstone is the Leven, Leith is the Forth and Devonport is the Mersey River. In October there will be a growing stream of anglers heading out of these rivers and out looking for food, sport and fun. Couta and salmon will keep all amused and those lucky enough to find a patch of flathead ground will drift over it a couple of times in the new found sun, hoping to catch a feed. Gummies will factor across the deeper water, but it is the shallower ground that is of interest – pike and squid ground along the front from Ulverstone stretching past Moorlands Beach and out to Point Sorrell to the east. It never really used to hold much interest other than the times of year the squid would come in as it’s just a wrasse and draughtboard shark playground. Now it is a whole new story. Snapper have set the coast alight. These areas that we would motor up to and try to fish with paternoster rigs with small hooks and small baits on the drift would never get a second look. We would catch a power of wrasse and move further out trying to find a gummy or feed of flats. The more switched-on anglers have quickly sussed out that this type of ground is where the snapper come through and hang out. Make sure you fish at anchor and make sure you have some

berley going out – small cubes of pillies and the occasional larger few. This will bring the fish to you, and yes, you will have to put up with a few blue head wrasse and draughtboard shark, but if you have significant patience you will be rewarded. You may not be successful the first trip out chasing snapper as you will have to hone your techniques and get your set up right. To maximise your chances, try to fish just either side of the low and high tides to find the best action. When you do find that action and have a snapper come into view, it will all be very much worth it. My fishing buddies and I have put considerable effort into working our own little patch out off the Forth River. The satisfaction of moulding and shaping what has worked in other areas around the country in our own backyard is massive. I got smoked last season by a very solid fish in about 8m of water, so I have some unfinished business to attend to! • Those who live in the area and are interested in knowing more about how to target snapper and what tackle you need, head into Reel Tackle and Bait in West Ulverstone. They are a new store opened recently and are doing very well. They have more and more products arriving daily and have found favour in delivering friendly and helpful service. Owner and manager Clinton Howe has fished across all of Tasmania all his life and has travelled Australia wetting a line whenever possible. If you need any gear for whatever you are doing, where ever that is around the country, drop in and see him or give him a ring on 0429 475 550.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 9th September 2015 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full (trend)

Comment

Lake Augusta ...................................1.53 ....................................................... Rising Arthurs Lake ....................................2.22 .......................................................Steady Great Lake .......................................14.9 .......................................................Steady Trevallyn Pond .................................1.69 ........................................................Rising Shannon Lagoon ..............................0.02 .......................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon ...........................................................................................Spilling Lake Echo ........................................6.04 .......................................................Steady Dee Lagoon .....................................0.21 .......................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah .............0.92 ....................................................... Falling Bronte Lagoon .................................0.96 ........................................................Rising Pine Tier Lagoon ..............................0.54 ........................................................Rising Little Pine Lagoon ..........................................................................................Spilling Laughing Jack Lagoon ....................1.24 .......................................................Steady Lake St Clair ....................................1.44 ........................................................Rising Lake King William ............................3.83 .......................................................Steady Lake Liapootah ................................0.45 ........................................................Rising Wayatinah Lagoon ...........................0.24 ....................................................... Falling Lake Catagunya ...............................0.9 ......................................................... Falling

Lake Repulse ...................................0.05 ....................................................... Falling Cluny Lagoon .................................................................................................Spilling Meadowbank Lake ..........................0.05 .......................................................Steady Lake Pedder ....................................0.8 .........................................................Steady Lake Gordon ....................................34.67 .....................................................Steady Lake Burbury ...................................6.55 .......................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll ...................................4.57 ........................................................Rising Lake Murchison ...............................15.31 .....................................................Steady Lake Mackintosh .............................5.79 .......................................................Steady Lake Rosebery .................................0.3 ......................................................... Falling Lake Pieman ....................................2.64 ........................................................Rising Lake Mackenzie ...............................1.22 ........................................................Rising Lake Rowallan .................................2.11 ........................................................Rising Lake Parangana ...............................0.8 .........................................................Steady Lake Cethana .................................................................................................Spilling Lake Barrington ...............................1.95 ........................................................Rising Lake Gairdner ..................................5.29 ....................................................... Falling Lake Paloona ...................................1.39 ........................................................Rising Woods Lake .....................................1.52 ....................................................... Falling Whitespur Pond ...............................5.31 ....................................................... Falling Lake Newton ...................................2.9 .........................................................Steady Lake Margaret .................................0.93 .......................................................Steady

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 2015

Go Behind the Scenery EAST TASMANIA ST HELENS As mentioned before, this fishing destination is developing a reputation of being a great fishery all year round. October will be the start of some increased action on Australian salmon, flathead and garfish. St Helens is situated on Georges Bay, a sheltered area of water situated a quarter of the way down Tasmania’s East Coast. October can offer anglers plenty of options across a great many species and

The estuary and bay fishing is some of the very best in the state. In October you could take every style of rod you own and still need to buy something specific. If you do get to St Helens and find you need some tackle, get into St Helens Bait and Tackle and speak to Jamie Henderson. He will show you all the rigs and spots to go. Salmon, bream and big garfish are all regular estuary targets. Silver trevally are really starting

The offshore scene on the east coast is certainly turning into an all year round fishery. weather probabilities. There are lots of nooks and crannies to make the most of time spent at St Helens. It has traditionally been said that the best game fishing is between December until June. But, over the last few years you just don’t know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to turn up. There are some known facts that combine to make St Helens a fabulous game fishing area. These include; good water depth (100m) only three miles from shore and oxygen rich warm water from the north (eastern Australian current) combining with nutrientrich cold water from the south creating upwellings and current lines. On top of that, it also has inshore reef systems such as Merricks, Pulfers and Eddystone rise from 60m to within 6m of the surface and provide huge baitfish holding areas. To cap it off, there’s low fishing pressure and close proximity (only 21km) from St Helens Point to the Continental Shelf.

to propagate within the bay and fast becoming a favourite with anglers too. The river systems also hold some nice trout, so don’t forget them in your plan to explore. It is a part time fly fisher’s delight as the rivers and lagoons to the north and south of St Helens provide good bream fishing. Good enough for the hack to hone his skills enough to trick a bream on fluff. However, Georges Bay at the heart of St Helens is large and offers a diverse range of species. Don’t stop there, keep wielding the magic wand about the place and look to snare salmon or gar on fly. If you happen to be in town with the family the main wharf in the middle of town is one of the best places to catch a fish. It is a great place to go down and have a look and take in the area as well. OFFSHORE Tasmania has shared the amazing and totally bizarre run of late tuna that Portland had in September.

Who knows what is going on and the question remains - Is it a late run or an early start? The super keen crews that fished right through the bleak winter months and into September showed us what we might be able to expect as the seasons and fish migrations have shifted. These diehard fishos will be joined by many more boats and their exploits recently will fuel some considerable enthusiasm. In a complete turn up for the books Bradley Day, Director of Independent Oils and GFCNT committeeman, was off the East Coast and managed to find some very nice albacore. It’s these captures that are completely blowing the mind of veteran anglers around the state. Very late in August, Jamie Harris was out of the west coast and cleaned a fish over the side to have a 140kg mako pop up and take interest in what he was doing. It is these incidences that will have people trying for a broadbill early and having a look for some tuna with skirted lures on their way out to bottom drop the shelf. It’s all very exciting for the build up towards the summer months. Just a reminder that the striped trumpeter season is still closed through October and will not be open again until November. Do not despair, bottom droppers, as there is a whole world of opportunity on the shelf and beyond. Blue eye are a much sought after species and the targeting of them generally leads to a lot of interesting by-catch. Thankfully, nearly all are very tasty once cooked. The depths these fish are found at start at 200m and can drop well past 400m. Normally, the domain of recreational droplines, but electric reels are becoming more and more common place. The use of some lights or glow sticks also heavily increase the hook up rate as does baits that stay on hooks. Squid and octopus are the standouts in this area. GET OUT AND ENJOY Don’t wait for it to happen. Don’t look on Facebook and see a picture of a fish and someone else holding it. Be that someone else. Make the most of the daylight hours and fish hard. Cast lures and bait rigs about. Heck, get busted off – the tackle stores will love you. They have super keen trained staff that have a great deal of experience. Ask questions of them and make sure you leave the store with a better understanding of what you need to be a better angler. Maybe not better than the next angler, but better than you were yesterday.

Tasmania

LAKE LEAKE LADS This month we have some words from a champion young fisher, Samuel Evans 16yo. Samuel wanted to share some of his lake Leake fishing knowledge: “My name is Samuel and I am 16 years old and I have grown up and fished with my brother Connor, who is 13. We are born and bred Lake Leake boys and are the 5th generation of the Evans’s in the Lake Leake district. Our Evans family generations have all been anglers throughout those years and today it still continues on with us. “Connor and I are very keen and proud Tasmanian trout fishers. We mainly fish Lake Leake and the Elizabeth River as we live less than 1km away from the lake and 5kms from the river. We do also enjoy heading over to Swansea to do some sea fishing from the beach. We often go to Dolphin Sands, which is only a 25 minute drive away. We have also fished Lake Dulverton at Oatlands and Lake Crescent in the Central Highlands. Crescent is a very well known big fish water and we are very keen to do more trips up there. “I am looking forward to getting my P1 driving license in a couple of weeks time so Connor and I can explore and fish many of our fantastic Tasmanian inland lakes and rivers trout fishing. “Growing up in the Lake Leake area we were able to go fishing with an older generation of fishers across many ages. The opportunities this has given has allowed us to get to know and learn the old ways of freshwater fishing and the new ways and different techniques of trout fishing. “We have found our older relatives either fish with Ashley, or Tillians Spinners, Loftys or the Tassie Devil Wobblers. Whereas the later generations like us, like to fish with the soft plastics and the newer type of hardbodies. All techniques are successful, it’s just some techniques work better on different days as it is with all fishing.” “Connor and I have always been interested in trout fishing and not just because it’s in our blood, but because it’s just great to get outdoors. I really like the excitement and surprise of not knowing what you may catch for the day. We love nothing more than slipping on a pair of waders, grabbing the rod and heading off to the lake or the river for an afternoon’s fish.”

Top: One of the ‘Lake Leake lads’ Samuel Evans with a tidy river brown taken on fly. Above: Conner Evans loves fishing as much as his brother, and displays that with this lovely brown trout. “Being taught at home through Distance Education also has its advantages as some days are just too good to be inside doing schoolwork when fish could be caught. Not that we aren’t learning – fishing is very educational for example being able to read the weather covers science, measure and weighing the trout caught covers maths, and writing up a recount report covers English, spelling and grammar! But we always made sure our schoolwork for that day was completed by that night. “We both enjoy spin fishing trying all types of lures as well as fly fishing. We have been fly fishing for the last 4 years, and with a lot of patience from our neighbours and

fishing friends, we have maintained our passion for it. They have been very generous with their tips, and even let us practice in their dams until we got the knack of casting the fly.” “Connor has really got into tying flies where as I get frustrated with them being so fiddly. In the last 12 months I have really got into fly fishing and love it more than anything. Being able to flick a fly to a fish that’s smutting insects off the water, or just casting a big wet fly into the early season cold waters is just the beginning of that thrill of the fly line slipping through your fingers.” “Thank you for letting me share some of our world.” – Samuel Evans, ‘Lake Leake Lad’ OCTOBER 2015

Basic bottom bouncing NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Whether undertaken by paying passengers aboard chartered ‘party boats’, or from private vessels of all sizes and shapes, bottom fishing with bait remains an extremely popular and effective style of offshore angling. But even this traditional branch of the sport has benefitted from modern ‘finesse tackle’ breakthroughs over recent years. Bottom bouncing, bottom bashing, plum bobbing… However you choose to describe it, dropping a couple of baited hooks to the sea bed with the aid of a fairly hefty sinker remains one of the most popular and productive ways of harvesting a fresh meal or two of seafood. From Tassie to the Torres Strait, you’ll find Aussie offshore anglers drifting or at anchor in boats of all shapes and sizes over reef, gravel or sandy sea floors, chasing everything from snapper, morwong, flathead and nannygai down south to emperor, coral trout, sweetlip and cod up north. Traditionally, bottom bouncing in this country has been undertaken using relatively heavy tackle. Thick, monofilament handlines or short, stiff boat rods mated to big overheads and direct-drive centrepin reels were standard fare until recent times, and still are in some regions. However, switched-on deep-sea anglers are increasingly turning to more sophisticated modern tackle in order to

weight of their sinkers. These skinny, low-stretch “super lines” make it possible to effectively present baits on the bottom in 50, 100 and even 150 metres of water while using much smaller

come unstuck from anglers’ rigs during the long haul back to the surface. Rods and reels have evolved, too. Today, most bottom bashers prefer lighter overhead or spin

Top Right: Jo starling with a very nice rubberlip or grey morwong taken while bottom bouncing with prawn baits. Note the three-way swivel: a viable alternative to tying dropper loops. Above Left: Things can become a little hectic at times when bottom fishing aboard a crowded charter boat! Tangles happen. Above Right: Wrapping heavy sinkers in tape or rubber tubing reduces damage to boats and tackle and is very common on some charter operations. The catch this time is a spangled emperor. sinkers than in the past. Just as importantly, GSP main lines allow an angler to clearly feel the sometimes tentative tugs of a biting

outfits built around 1.5-2m graphite or composite rods. Because their GSP lines are so much thinner, these anglers no longer need over-

Terminal rigs and baits are probably the aspects of bottom bouncing that have changed least, beyond the general reduction in sinker

weight already mentioned. Most anglers still use somewhere between two and four hooks (check you local regulations to find out

how many you’re allowed). These hooks (typically 3/0 to 7/0 in size) are attached to relatively short droppers as part of a Paternoster rig, with the sinker hanging at the bottom end. Streamlined bomb or snapper-lead style sinkers are best as they descend fast, without tumbling or spinning. Hook droppers may be created using knots such as the Blood Bite Dropper, or attached to three-way swivels. Keeping the droppers short (well under 30 cm in length) greatly reduces their propensity for twisting and wrapping around the rig as it plummets through the water. Exactly what strength of GSP main line and mono leader you choose and precisely how you construct your Paternoster rig will vary depending on the terrain you’re fishing and the species list you wish to target, as will the baits you load those hooks with (popular choices include prawns, squid, octopus, pilchards and cut fish flesh). These minor variations aside, the basics of bottom bouncing remain the same… as does its deadly effectiveness as a technique.

The black-spot pigfish is a reasonably common bottom fishing catch in southern waters, and provides a tasty meal. increase the efficiency of their pursuit, and raise the fun factor associated with bottom fishing. In particular, the adoption of thin-for-strength braided and fused gel-spun polyethylene (GSP) fishing lines has allowed offshore bait fishers to dramatically reduce both the overall bulk of their outfits and also the 60

OCTOBER 2015

fish across that considerable distance, and to more easily set the hook with a sharp, upward sweep of the rod tip. It’s not just lines that have changed, either. Modern bait hooks are considerably sharper and thinner for their strength than those of old, while modified patterns such as the unusual-looking circle hooks mean that far less fish

sized reels. A 6000 to 10,000 size threadline or a 10-20 size overhead will easily do the job. Of course, a few really dedicated deepwater specialists will take things one step further and opt for an electric-powered reel, but unless you regularly fish in waters deeper than 150m, these expensive tools are far from essential.

With a slow drift, Jo was able to get away with using a relatively light sinker on her bottom-bouncing rig, even in 50m of water.

OCTOBER 2015

Spinnerbaits

An in-depth look at spinnerbait specifics FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Around fifteen years ago, spinnerbaits weren’t very popular at all. Of course, there were a few clued-up

anglers throwing lures that looked like minicoat hangers around – and catching great fish on them – but it wasn’t until the inception of the cast-and-retrieve bass fishing tournaments that spinnerbait use became more mainstream. And although Australian bass were the focus of these initial journeys into spinnerbaitland, it so happens that most Australian native species – from sooty grunter and saratoga in the north through to Murray cod and yellowbelly in the south – love a spinnerbait. In the subsequent 15 years, spinnerbaits have become commonplace on the walls of tackle stores and a burgeoning cottage industry has developed to supply this local market. But if you’re not into the spinnerbait thing, what are they and what are you missing out on? WHAT IS A SPINNERBAIT You can see on the enormous spinnerbait anatomy pic here that there’s a few parts to a spinnerbait, but the end result is a lure that creates a lot of flash and vibration, rides hook-up, is easy to cast and catches fish on a straight retrieve. You don’t need to add any extra action for these lures for them to be effective and you can fish them on wither braided or monofilament line. Frequent spinnerbait users will most likely tell you that braided line will give you more feel. You can usually feel the blades of a spinnerbait vibrating

through braided line and a mono leader and if it gets fouled with weed, you know to rip the bait to get the lure free of the gunk and spinning freely again. Wind a spinnerbait fast as soon as it lands and it’ll work right under the surface. “Buzzing” a spinnerbait like this lets you cover water fast when the fish are up and feeding. Alternatively, let the spinnerbait to the bottom and wind it ‘low and slow’ to tempt fish that are near the bottom. All in all, the spinnerbait is a great all round bait that have now caught countless people bass, yellowbelly, cod, saratoga and sooties. ANATOMY OF A SPINNERBAIT Although there can be some wild and wacky variations on the theme, the spinnerbait consists of a basic collection of parts, and the parts control its action, appearance, running depth and overall

fishability. Let’s look at them one by one. Wire The wire is the backbone of the bait, but it controls a lot about how the spinnerbait swims. Fine wired spinnerbaits have less resistance in the water and tend to swim deeper. This can be an advantage when fish are holding deep

on a lake but you want to run a spinnerbait past them in 20 feet. Fine wired spinnerbaits with a heavy head an low resistence blades are good for this. Head The spinnerbait head holds most of the weight of the spinnerbait. It’s usually molded from lead and painted with a set of eyes. It

Swivel

Blade

Tow point

Head

Top: Yellowbelly love a spinnerbait slow-rolled past their nose. Above: The ability to fish your spinnerbait through the nastiest of structures makes them a primary tool for many cod anglers.

Kicking everybody else’s for over 10 years

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OCTOBER 2015

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Spinnerbaits holds the hook securely to the wire and also provides a place for the skirt to mount. Nearly all spinnerbaits have a head that allows them to brush across snags and obstacles without hanging up. Obviously, heavier heads run deeper and cast further and lighter heads will run shallower. Hook Spinnerbait hooks are usually rounded and wide gaped. Since they are

can gain against one hook, so it’s rare for a well hooked fish to fall off mid-fight. Some anglers counter shortstriking fish by adding a ‘trailer’ or ‘stinger’ hook ganged to the main hook. There are special, wideeyed hooks available for this and they can be kept in place by a lumo bead or something as simple as a tab of milk-bottle plastic threaded onto the main hook after the stinger has been added.

of strands included can increase or reduce the bait profile in the water. Personally, I think that a sparse skirt looks more realistic, but there are situations in dirtier water where the bulk can be advantageous. In lieu of a skirt, you can mount a paddle tailed soft plastic or even tie some bucktail on the head to create the baitfish profile. The world is your oyster in this regard.

A ‘tandem’configuration of blades with a small Colorado and a larger willow blade is the most popular on the tackle store walls, however it may not be the best suited for the area you’re fishing.

Blade

Anatomy of a spinnerbait

Stopper Aussie bass were the catalyst for early spinnerbait uptake in Australia.

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supplied with only one, it needs to be a gauge strong enough to handle the fish you’re likely to encounter. On the other side of the equation, though, there’s not much leverage a fish

Skirt This is one of the two areas where spinnerbaits can differ a lot. Traditionally, spinnerbait skirts are made from a bunch of silicon strands, and the number

Trailer If you hear people talking about a ‘trailer’ for the spinnerbait, it’s when they add a soft plastic in addition to the skirt. This creates a bigger target for

the fish and also makes the spinnerbait run a little shallower, due to the greater resistence. Single-tailed, paddletailed and shad-style plastics are all popular

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Spinnerbaits to use as trailers and yellowbelly and cod anglers are more prone to using them. BLADES Blades really define the action of the spinnerbait and the number and type of blades give the bait its own, unique action. There are two, basic types of blades, a rounded “Colorado” blade and an elongated “willow” blade. And the most popular spinnerbait configuration is a “Tandem”, which consists of a small Colorado blade up front and a bigger willow blade at the end of the wire. Colorado blades offer more vibration and more resistance while the longer willow blades feature less resistence and more flash. With this in mind, you can then construct (or choose) a spinnerbait configuratiuon that suits your style of fishing.

Bass in manmade environments love a spinnerbait as much as those in a natural river system.

Surprisingly, saratoga are suckers for spinnerbaits fished around the wooded margins of toga waters.

Some local manufacturers boast blades on multiple arms - mimicking a tightly packed pod of baitfish.

There are endless configurations of spinnerbait heads, skirts and blades available. Make sure you use the one that suits your situation and species the best.

Golden perch take on vivid colouration in clear water. Spinnerbaits can elicit a strike in all water conditions - from clear to turbid. 64

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If you’re fishing a shallow, snaggy, dirty river for Murray cod, you may choose a ‘double Colorado’ configuration spinnerbait with a bulky skirt and a fat trailer plastic. Likewise, if you’re trying to fish a spinnerbait down deep for an impoundment bass on light line, you might opt for a heavy head, sparse skirt and a single willow blade. DO-IT-YOURSELF Making your own spinnerbaits is quite a popular pastime for anglers who like catching fish on lures they’ve made themselves. It’s not as hard as you’d think – although it is more complicated than molding your own soft plastic lure. Kits and molds are available in Australia and the process involves casting the head around the hook and wire, painting the head, adding the skirt and finally adding the right combination of blades. So if you’ve never tried them, you should add some spinnerbaits to your freshwater kit. When that first, crunching strike comes, you’ll be glad you did!

Sooty grunter are famous for being not fussy when it comes to lures that grab their attention. I once said they’d eat a shoe if you threw it in the water. Spinnerbaits are a great substitute for shoes if you need them to walk out of your sooty local.

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The Bassman Shorty is an all new Bassman spinnerbait that has been developed over the last 5 years in partnership with Carl Jocumsen – Australia’s First Bassmaster Elite Angler, and avid spinnerbait user. The Bassman Shorty is built using a super strong but lighter camo wire unique to Bassman, making this a tough little spinnerbait ready for use straight out of the packet. Coupled with the light wire is the smaller blades, ensuring that this finesse spinnerbait delivers all new acoustics and extra vibration. This is great for those hard pressured areas and super clear water, tempting bites from timid fish. This new addition to the Bassman range will be great for all Australian Natives, including bass, Murray cod, Golden perch, sooty grunter, barramundi, saratoga and more. The Bassman Shorty is available in 12 fantastic colour combinations to cover a range of angling situations. Price: RRP $14.95 www.bassman.com.au

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U-Make-Em Softplastics has been around for a few years now and their range of luremaking products continues to grow. On top of their soft plastic making parts, they also have a huge range of all the spinnerbait components and tools you need to make your own spinnerbaits without complication. Included in their range they have put together some Start Up Kits for those who want to have a taste of putting together their own spinnerbaits from scratch. There are two options to chose from: The standard Start Up kit for beginners and the Deluxe Start Up Kit for those wanting to develop their spinnerbait making skills. These kits include everything you need to get started and put some lures together. There is plenty of satisfaction in catching some fish on a lure you have made yourself and this is the best way to get started. Price: From RRP $41.15 www.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au

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Kingston Lures is a family run business based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. Their brand Lurestrike encompasses quality spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and Rumblers (chatterbaits). Operating for over 10 years, Kingston have grown to be one of the largest spinnerbait manufacturers and suppliers of components in Australia. The Lurestrike Small Fry spinnerbait is a tournament quality spinnerbait manufactured using global brands such as Sampo and Owner. The spinnerbait head has been specially designed by Lurestrike to suit Australian conditions, powder coated and finished off with 3D eyes. The high quality hammered blades come in various colours and configurations and a quality 44 Strand silicone skirt, Sampo ball bearing swivel and Owner hook finish off this top of the line spinnerbait. The Small Fry spinnerbait comes with a stinger hook. It comes in weights of 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2oz, with your choice of gold, silver or copper lacquer blades and 20 different skirt colours. Price: RRP $13.95 www.kingstonlures.com.au

The Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbaits are a result of years of fine-tuning from Professional USA bass angler, Skeet Reese. Built with a compact, yet hefty, profile the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow offers excellent casting distance and the ability to reach greater depths with comfort and ease. Complete with two super-bright willow blades, the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow delivers an abundance of flash that will attract fish in a wide-range of water conditions, from gin clear streams to dense and muddy ponds. Adding to its attraction, the Lucky Craft SKT Spinnerbait Double Willow is fitted with a banded skirt that perfectly accents its life-like colour scheme and a soft plastic hook keeper. This amazing spinnerbait is available in four life-like colours that are sure to excite Aussie natives. Price: RRP $15 www.ejtodd.com.au

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Jackpot Lures have been producing spinnerbaits for over five years. They have an extensive range comprising of single, twin and quad spinnerbaits. All of their spinnerbaits are made from the highest quality components sourced locally and from America. Choose from our standard range of 35 skirt options in weights ranging from 1/4oz to 2.5oz or have them custom make your spinnerbaits to suit your fishing requirements. Their spinnerbait is best for catching Murray cod and yellowbelly in dirty water, due to the contrast of the colours in the skirt and the deep pulse given from the Colorado blades. Jackpot Spinnerbaits can be used and worked in a variety of ways for a range of different species, and have proven their charm on many native species. For quality Australian-made spinnerbaits designed for Australian natives, check out Jackpot Lures’ range. Price: RRP $14.95 Facebook ‘Jackpot Lures’

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TT Lures FroggerZ Jnr Spinnerbaits are built from quality components and designed for targeting Murray cod, golden perch, bass and saratoga. They are available in 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights and feature a hand-sculptured, realistic frog profile with 3D eyes and lively, 10X Tough ZMan ElaZtech web foot trailer. Quality nickel and 24K gold plated Colorado blades create a frog leg thump in the water to attract predators and the FroggerZ Jnr is finished with a stinger hook for maximum hook up rate. FroggerZ Snr Spinnerbaits are built tough for taking on Murray cod and will also find themselves in the mouths of other large fresh and saltwater predators. They feature a realistic frog profile, along with a 10X Tough ZMan 4” Hard LegZ trailer and double Colorado blades for plenty of flash, vibration and a frog leg thump in the water. Other features include 3D eyes, quality silicone skirt, 24K gold and nickel blades, heavy-duty hook, included stinger hook and that crazy leg action. Price: RRP $17.95 www.ttlures.com.au OCTOBER 2015

Australia’s first trout cod fisheries are now open BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Friday 14 August marked a very special day in Australia’s fishing history, as it was the day that Victoria opened the first official trout cod fishery. I was lucky enough to be

the least amount of harm to the fish. It is because of this protected status in the wild that some anglers questioned this new fishery but the wild fish will remain protected and the only place in the country, or the world for that matter, that you can legally target this fish species is these two lakes in and near Beechworth.

RULES AND REGULATIONS A lot of consultation was done with fishos to try and work out the best bag and size limits and they have come up with a good set of regulations. For starters, anglers can only keep one trout cod per day and only ever have one in possession with a

One of the exciting new legal trout cod fisheries Lake Sambell at Beechworth. This and Lake Kerford just up the road are Australia's first official trout cod fisheries. invited to this very special day and could not wait to lay my eyes on these new fisheries. It was a short but sweet opening ceremony with all sorts of dignitaries present including the Victorian Premier, Fisheries Minister, heads of fisheries and VRfish as well as plenty of media. Although the fish were already stocked, this day marked the official opening of the two new trout cod fisheries. Victorian fisheries as well as VRfish have worked extremely hard to set up these 'put and take' trout cod fisheries and after years of hard work have now established a catchable population of the elusive trout cod in both Lake Sambell and Lake Kerford. Their hard work started way back in 2008 with the first batch of trout cod being released and regular stockings have occurred since. More than 45,000 trout cod have been stocked into the two lakes and the bigger fish are now nudging 50cm in length. Extensive studies were done on a host of things before the decision was made to open this fishery. There will be more regular trout cod stockings and work will eventually start on improving the lakes' habitats even more to accommodate for this species. In the wild, trout cod are a highly prized fish but are highly protected and must be released to the water as quickly as possible with 66

OCTOBER 2015

slot size limit of 40-50cm, which makes great sense. Fish any smaller are not worth eating and fish any bigger will be too highly sort after for sports angling and potential breeding so it is a good compromise. These fish were put there for the purpose of anglers being able to keep one for the table, so if you like the taste of fish or are interested in seeing what a trout cod tastes like, then go for it and certainly don’t feel bad for doing so. Those of you that have never caught a trout cod are probably wondering what all the fuss is about but when you finally catch one and have that rod nearly ripped out of your hands, you will understand why so many people are salivating at the potential of these two fisheries. WHAT ELSE IS IN THERE? On top of the stocked trout cod in the two lakes, both lakes have a population of redfin in them that will keep anglers occupied between trout cod bites. Both lakes also have a population of golden Brood stock trout cod being released by the Victorian Premier and Fisheries Minister.

Top: Up close and personal with a beautiful trout cod. On top of being great fighters they aren’t bad on the eye either. Above: Lake Kerford is the water supply dam for Beechworth and as such has a no boating policy.

perch in them, some of which are quite large. Lake Sambell also gets stocked twice yearly and soon to be three times yearly with catchable trout, so in this particular fishery you just never know what is going to attack your lure, fly or bait next. Lake Kerford is the water supply dam for Beechworth, so there is no boating on this lake and anglers are restricted to bank fishing at this lake. The wall area is the deepest part of the lake and is probably your best area to fish if you want to really target the trout cod. Lake Sambell allows boats but has restrictions on speed and possibly horsepower, so check rules and regulations before launching. If you are bank bound there is really good bank access to this dam anyway, so a boat will not give you that much of an advantage. HOW TO CATCH THEM I’ve never specifically targeted trout cod before but I have caught hundreds over the years while targeting Murray cod from places such as the Ovens River, the Upper Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, so I can certainly offer a few tips to increase your chances of catching one

when you visit. Trout cod are often super aggressive, so you can’t really go too big when it comes to lure, fly or bait choices. As for baitos, just like Murray cod, trout cod can’t resist a juicy bardi grub but if you can’t get these then wood grubs are worth a shot or the increasingly popular cheese bait. Fly anglers will pick them up on large Woolly Buggers intended for trout, golden perch or redfin but to specifically target them, I would be throwing cod specific flies. There is a countless array that will work and for your best selection of cod specific flies, get onto Kaos Cod Flies, their range is second to none. Lure anglers will find it very hard to beat spinnerbaits and although Double Colorado Spinner Baits will work great in the dirty water, it is hard to beat single willow bladed spinnerbaits when targeting trout cod. We have also caught dozens recently on the Angel Baits from Insanity Tackle. Lipless crankbaits like Jackalls, Mazzy Vibes and Insanity Tackle Slap Walkers are another great option and they appeal to all species, so you will cover all bases by throwing this style of lure around.

Left: The premier of Victoria was present for this big day in Australia’s fishing history. Right: A big trout cod being released. Although anglers are allowed to keep one trout cod between 40-50cm all the bigger and smaller fish must be released. Both of these fisheries lend themselves to some potentially great surface fishing as well so chuck your favourite surface lure

in when visiting. At this stage these lakes only have trout cod up to 50cm in them but once they get above that size they

will be protected and to continue to grow bigger and bigger. Trout cod in general are highly sort after but being able to go and

have a chance at trophy sized trout cod will have anglers lining up for miles. So as you can see, both of these lakes are already

great fisheries but throw in legal trout cod fishing as well and you have two fisheries that anglers will soon be travelling from

near and far to get there first trout cod fix. I know I will be back again this summer, so I might see you there!

FISHING FILL-ITS

Victorian Premier visits Beechworth hatchery Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes in Beechworth to officially open Lakes Sambell and Kerferd for trout cod fishing. The commitment to establish the fishery is a key part of the Labor Government’s Target One Million plan – which will get more Victorians fishing more often. Trout cod fingerling production at the Government’s Snobs Creek hatchery will expand and continue to support the recovery of the species in the wild, while further developing the two new fisheries. To ensure the fisheries are sustainable, harvest of trout cod will be restricted to a daily bag

limit of one per angler, and complemented by a minimum size of 40cm and a maximum size of 50cm. Mr Andrews also announced $1 million worth of new recreational fishing projects to improve fishing opportunities across the state. The 17 new projects will be funded by fishing licence fees and provide more recreational fishing opportunities for beginners and experts alike, whether they fish in lakes, rivers, bays or offshore. The Labor Government’s Target One Million plan will boost fish stocks from three to five million per annum, improve fishing and boating facilities and promote the great pastime of recreational fishing. Premier Daniel Andrews said that the opening of these two fisheries will

attract angler from far and wide. “Creating Australia’s first trout cod fishery makes our state an even better place to wet a line with the kids, family and friends,” Mr Andrews said. “More recreational fishers will mean more jobs and support for local businesses in Beechworth and across Victoria.” Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said it would have a positive effect on the economy. “Recreational fishing is a great family pastime and contributes $2.3 billion to our communities,” Ms Pulford said. “The 17 new recreational fishing projects announced today will help us boost angler numbers towards one million. It’s great news for our anglers.” – Fisheries Victoria

OCTOBER 2015

Now the trout fishing hots up! HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

With many anglers coming out of the winter hibernation, now is the time to do the maintenance or upgrade of all rods, reels and lines. For me it’s a year round chore, but for the occasional angler it’s critical to go over all gear and get it right. Why risk the chance of that fish of a lifetime with a dodgy line or a reel drag that’s a bit scratchy? Just a few minutes of preparation and maintenance can be the difference between landing a good fish and having the sad story of the ‘one that got away’. With some good fish on offer throughout the region and the weather improving, days getting longer, now is the time to do the homework and be on your game when the opportunity arises. LAKE FYANS Once again the redfin are playing nicely at Fyans and not a lot of pressure on them as yet. Gudgeon and minnows have done well fished in open areas or the edges of weed beds. Trolling seems to have dropped off a bit of late for reddies but the trout are now starting to rise so the flat line trollers have done well early and late in the day. As the sun gets high, mix the lures up a bit with a couple Tassie Devils and a couple of deeper diving lures like StumpJumpers, Rapalas or the ever-reliable Daiwa Double Clutches. Working soft plastics in the shallows and around structure and weed beds is also doing well on both species. Mudeye under a float has also produced a few

fish around structure and drop offs. LAKE WARTOOK It’s prime time for Wartook as well, with the next month or two being ideal for the early morning rising fish that frequent both open areas, the wall and the shallows. Before too long we will see some insect hatches

providing a feed and maybe a trophy as Wartook hold some monsters during spring. LAKE TOOLONDO With mixed results of late there is a bit of transition from lures to bait occurring and with the big fish preferring gudgeon over mudeye, it’s best to source the right bait from the lake

Graeme Tomkins, 74, travelled up from Melbourne to nail this ripper Toolondo buck brown on a mudeye.

Jeremy Lim from Adelaide with another beaut Toolondo trout. and the surface action will increase with rainbows and browns both going into a feeding frenzy on the tasty bugs. At times they can be hard to tempt but as always it’s important to ‘match the hatch’. Trolling a mix of lures in both the bright and dark colours is my tip finding the most productive at the time, as these trout can be very moody and selective, mixing it up is critical to finding success. Redfin should come on the chew very soon, too,

itself. Bait traps set overnight should supply enough bait for a day's fishing. Minnows are virtually non-existent in the lake now but if they can be caught elsewhere they are dynamite bait. Mudeye are still nailing a few fish and will in the coming weeks be the best option. Working the shallows, drop offs and structure with surface lures has also done well on the trout. Many new release rainbows and browns are willing to hit anything presented but should be

Florian also visited from Melbourne and landed this buck brown on a gudgeon fished under a bubble float. 68

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released to grow out and preserve the fishery. There’s a few smaller redfin around now but the bigger fish will come on when the water temperatures rise in late spring. ROCKLANDS RESERVOIR It’s leading into exciting times as the redfin are only

a couple of degrees water temperature rise from coming on and this lake will produce very well for anglers

prepared to do the hard yards and hunt down schools. As I’ve mentioned before, a quality sounder, preferably with side imaging, will help to locate the schools and stay with them. Gudgeon bottom fished in the 3-5m depths around trees should also nail a fish or two, both trout and reddies. Bass will once again be targeted as the water temperatures rise and there should be some nice fish taken this spring and summer. Plenty of carp populate the lake and provide good fun for the young anglers. Worms or corn fished on a running sinker rig will give hours of fun and help eradicate these ferals. WIMMERA RIVER To date there is not a lot to report as the water is still in the 6-7°C and the natives haven’t woken from the winter slumber. It shouldn’t

Top: Brave Rods pro angler Paul Landmeter landed this lovely hen brown early morning in the shallows of Toolondo. Above: Peter Kallinakos with his buck brown specimen that weighed in at 3.2kg and was 62cm in length.

be too long before they start to fire and with the massive stocking program provided by Fisheries, there is going to be some quality fish over the warmer months. Given some lovely golden perch were taken earlier in the year prior to winter, it’s going to be a great fishery once again. Redfin will be a great by-catch once the water temperatures rise. Cod of various sizes will also be targeted once the season opens again in December. SUNGLASSES While I’m fortunate enough to have a sponsor supply me with these, I can’t stress enough the importance of having a good pair of polaroid sunglasses while fishing or boating. Not only do sunnies reduce glare, they also prevent damage to the eyes and are critical while boating the region’s shallow lakes allowing you to spot dangerous stumps, logs and snags. They also give you the advantage of spotting cruising fish in the water column, increasing your chance of a catch. With a massive and everimproving range of quality fishing rods, reels, boating and safety wear get down and have a look at the Spotters range at Webbcon. • Victorian Inland Charters are proud to announce we have just purchased 3 Polycraft 4.1m hire/drive boats that are now available at Fyans, Bellfield, Wartook, Toolondo and Rocklands. We also have a 4.5m Polycraft in survey for hire drive or charter work based at Halls Gap. These vessels being powered by 8hp Tohatsu motors require no boat licence to operate and are available in daylight hours only. Full equipped with safety gear they are ready for you to enjoy a day or weekend, be it fishing or sightseeing on these magnificent lakes. Enquiries to Trevor on 0438 132 130 or 03 5388 1338. Catch us on Facebook: Victorian Inland Charters or check our web site: www.victorianinland charters.com.au

Yellowbelly river fever MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

The Murray has recently dazzled anglers with clarity of water and a number of good fish. The water is proving even better in the Darling and Wakool rivers where anglers can fish lures or bait to equally great results. YELLOWBELLY ON THE RIVER Yellowbelly activity is forecasted to increase in the coming months. Due to the cold water, they have been quite inert however, as the temperature rises some nice fish will be caught on lures, especially around Lock 11 and below the Mildura Weir. At this time of year the fish make their way upstream

and start to school up below the weir structures. Spring will definitely herald a boost in yellowbelly activity. According to local angler reports, working with bait around Mildura has been a good method to pick up a yella or two lately. A cocktail of shrimp and worm seem to be the best baits to use (although shrimp is still difficult to find). Johnsons bend, just below Apex Park, has produced some good yellas, particularly in the slower moving backwaters and eddy currents. A wellcast lipless crankbait or small hardbody has seen 5 or 6 yellas caught in no time at all. Position your boat in a way that allows you to throw lures to the bank and slowly retrieve. Casting large lures into snags and around

permanent structures like the weir and look for yellowbelly is usually the best method at this time of year. My pick of spots to target yellowbelly on bait is around the Mildura weir and Merbein area. Get close to the banks and tight up on most structures. Luring for yellowbelly from the bank is also best around the new rock structure at Lock 11, particularly at the point where the lock gates open on the down side. COD CLOSURE Murray cod were active in most spots around Mildura during the season, however, fast water toward the end of the open season put an end to good cod fishing in the main river. Anglers should be wary that Murray cod season is closed and will re-open on 1 December. Hopefully when the season reopens, the

This lucky Mildura angler had a day out finding yellowbelly. Spring is the time of year to snag a few yellas around Mildura on lures or baits. water will remain clear and we should see Murray cod activity really start to heat up. Most anglers around Mildura will be waiting for the cod season to officially open again. By then, waters should be back in their banks

and we should see a Murray cod season like no other. Redfin should also come on the bite during the warmer months. These little fish are fun to catch on light gear using soft plastics and blades. Carp are a bit of fun

on light gear too, especially when fishing with the kids. In the meantime, anglers are gearing up for the spring yellowbelly frenzy in the beautiful sunshine Mildura has to offer at this time of year.

Cod season done and dusted ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Well there you have it, another cod season done and dusted and now the three long closed months begins. The wait will come and go fast enough but until then we will need turn our focus and target

other fish species that are still in season. COD SEASON WRAP UP There may be ‘plenty of fish in the sea’, but for me none are as meaningful to the angler soul as the Murray cod. While we may not be able to catch Murray cod during the close it doesn’t mean we can’t ponder on these fish and reflect on the season that was. What did

Dean Norbiato finished off the season with this ripper cod taken on a Bassman 4x4 spinnerbait.

you learn about these iconic fish in the last nine months? If your answer is nothing then you have missed a whole other world of opportunity. Regardless of how many seasons come and go the quirky nature of these fish has no end and the lessons learned are infinite. The season started with a boom. Multiple big cod catches on lures were common of early season sojourns to water that had not seen lure traffic for the entirety of the close. These same fish were quick to respond and return visits would see most lures left wanting by educated cod that were now lure aware. As the season went on little changed with most trips yielding a strike or two from fish a little less cautious. Other catches came from sections of water ventured outside the usual line of the mob. Pushed from their known holds by an endless bombardment of lures these fish would

seek the sanctuary of water that did not fit the angling norm. These locations were gold and on more than one occasion two rods buckled to the cork simultaneously as both lures were monstered by meter plus cod. Other hot bites came in the rise of water pushed between locks. This oncoming rise is the Achilles heel of all Murray cod, regardless of size, and is a true genetic weakness that leaves them wide open to anglers. Not until the rise passes does the cautious nature of these fish return. Soft plastics were another revelation for me this season. I found plastics were useful to tempt cod that would otherwise snob all other presentations. At this stage we fished in slow motion as large plastics took time to find depth and were retrieved in a staggered lift - drop - sink routine. Deadly on the cod as long as you could find the right plastics, something that is not as easy

Rod Mackenzie with a ripper cod that scoffed a well weighted soft plastic just on dark. as it seems. Look for large plastics that move fluently with minimal weight and speed. Sounds simple enough but believe me it’s not that easy, especially out here in the bush. Surface cod were another discovery and several fish over a metre off the top had sparked somewhat o a surface lure collecting spree. A mixed box of paddlers all the way through to a giant jointed snake-like wake bait are now a must have on every outing. That strike has few equals - especially at point blank range from a big fish. With that said the warm spring run of golden perch

has already begun to fire along the Murray and its adjoining waters. From Robinvale through Euston to Wemen and beyond, all are excellent perch fishing locations where you will put a bend in the rod. As the water quickly warms, natural baits like shrimp will multiply and become available on location in a baited trap. Scrub worms always work well on the perch, as do small yabbies if you can get your hands on a few. There is always a fish to be caught and spring is a great time to get out on the water and wet a line.

Plenty of positives to cheer up closed season YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Trying to inspire anglers about any native fishing opportunities that exist in and around Lake Mulwala throughout September and into early October is nigh on impossible. With Cod season closed until December 1 and a few more weeks of warm weather required to get the yellas up and about, this is the time

Riley Hickey with his 59cm Cod.

for a bit of gear and boat maintenance. IMPORTANT SEASONAL RESTRICTIONS Looking on the positive side though, it’s less than 90 days until the new season opens and within that timeframe somewhere, the yellas are guaranteed to fire sooner or later. Traditionally, the top end of the lake around the Bundalong area is more productive than the open waters of the lake itself. If you do encounter a cod

over the next couple of months, you should release it unharmed and as quickly as possible. All anglers must keep in mind that as of the 1st September through to 30 November inclusive, the targeting of Murray cod is not permitted while the crays are off limits until next June. The Murray River below Yarrawonga downstream through the Cobram area to the Tocumwal traffic bridge it totally closed to all forms of fishing from 1

September through to 30 November inclusive. Looking back throughout August, reports were pretty slim once the lake filled completely. Unsettled fish along with cold and dirty water led to minimal encounters. Benalla fishing legend Reggie Smith spent a week or two fishing his traditional haunts returning numerous cod with 3 that measured in excess of the magical 1m mark. Bryden Whitfield seemed to have had the To page 70

OCTOBER 2015

More rain needed to fire the yellas SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

We have had one month without chasing cod and some of us are already counting down the days until 1 December. But in the meantime we are blessed with good yellowbelly conditions and the early spring rain was gold. The rain saw the Broken have a rise and when the Broken is on the rise the yellowbelly are on the bite. Temperatures in early September were not as high as normal but with the flow of water the fish came on the bite. Hopefully by now the water and outside temperatures are rising and we get a few more river rises because it could be a bumper season if that’s the case. Finding flowing water is the key so any shallows or narrows with faster than normal flow is the areas to target. Fishing around any of the weirs will also work well in spring. If you’re not fishing the Broken, the Goulburn fishes very well this time of year. The Goulburn is probably

more consistent and the river rises don’t accelerate the fish catch rate as well as in the Broken but a rise always helps. Toolamba has been fishing well of late with good-sized yellowbelly are being caught in around the 2m mark trolling Codgers or StumpJumpers. If you’re more into bait fishing, scrub worms and shrimp around reedy banks or either ends of sand bars work well. There have always been plenty of fish caught behind the lake in Shepparton, so don’t discount fishing there when targeting yellowbelly. If you’re bank fishing you can fish 3 different systems, within about a 1km of each other. There are sealed walking tracks that link up the Goulburn, Broken and Shepp Lake systems so fishing in that area can work well. Shrimp are easier to catch in the Goulburn and Broken rivers so if fishing with bait in the Shepp Lake catching a few shrimp prior is a good idea. One little gem for yellowbelly is Greens Lake, and if you can be there when the irrigation pump is on you will find it hard not to catch

fish. If you are there when there is no water flow, it can be a tad harder but the fish are still there. In late August there were a few reports of Tatura locals catching some 40-45cm yellowbelly on bait just on dark. There are also cod in the lake so make sure you release them as quickly as possibly during closed season. Greens Lake can be a great spot to take the family and has some nice flat areas where the kids can play if the fishing’s quiet. Bait fishing at Greens will see you land plenty of carp while chasing yellowbelly, so expect to go through plenty of worms. KIALLA LAKES There have been no reports of fish being caught out of Kialla Lakes, but I hopefully will have more reports in coming months and maybe some future stocking news. LOCAL CHANNELS The channel system is now nice and clean with all the early flows settling down. In the week leading into cod closure Andrew Gelsi got a nice surprise when he landed an 80cm Murray cod in a local channel. It would have been a huge surprise to land such a good sized fish right

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before the end of cod season. There seems to be more and more cod, yellowbelly and even trout being caught in the channel system, which can make a day’s fishing very exciting. The channels leading into the Waranga Basin and the Main Eastern near Pine Lodge have fished well since the water levels have come up. SHEPPARTON LAKE The lake has been fishing very well with good spring conditions and the odd flush of fresh water both contributing to a steady yellowbelly bite. In September there were a number of fishing events held at the lake with the Victorian Teachers Games and the local Family Fishing in the park. Both events were catch and release so I can’t see them having a huge impact on the fish in the long term. Just like this time last year using orange Power bait Salmon Eggs for the trout in the lake is working a treat. There is now a range of trout sizes in the lake after numerous re stockings over the past years since its redevelopment. There is also a good number of yellowbelly around the 30-40cm mark, with the odd fish measuring in over 45cm. Powerbait Salmon Eggs are still proving to be a hit in the Shepp Lake with multiple reports of bag limits being collected quite easily. For those targeting reddies, casting a Squidgy Jelly Prawn Bug or Green Grunter Fish is working well. The choice to bait fish with worms is there but they seem to be hitting lures at the moment. CRAIGMUIR LAKE The lake is now in its bite

Andrew Gelsi with an 80cm cod caught days prior to cod closure in a local channel. time and over the coming months you can expect to see catch rates increase. There has been steady reports coming in relating to gold and silver spinners and blades being a successful method. I would use these shinny lures during the middle of the day when the sun’s up, it will give your lures the chance to reflect the sun and send out a nice flicker in the water. Casting small spinnerbaits or a soft plastic rigged with a Bassman beetle spin is also a great option. If bait fishing, try and get your hands on some small yabbies and live shrimp, as both are dynamite on the fish population in Craigmuir. You may find it hard to catch shrimp in the lake, so I suggest heading down to the Goulburn or the Broken prior to fishing Craigmuir WARANGA BASIN This time last year the Basin was at 89%, but as I write this report its sitting

down at 43%. This has made it hard for some of us, as our favourite fishing spots can sometimes be 10-20ft up the bank, so finding new ones can be tricky. With spring rain predicted, this should see the water levels rise again and if that’s the case, get out there. Just like most impoundments, when the water rises up over the existing grass banks the fish move in for a feed. Fishing in these areas can be a tad tough as it’s normally only 3-5ft deep and you can quickly run aground. I would lean towards slow rolling soft plastics in these shallow areas and if you’re a bit deeper, shift to lipless crankbaits or small hardbodies. In recent times the number of yellowbelly catch rates has been up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you land some good sized yellowbelly in the flats.

RESULTS OF THE CENTRAL VIC LURE CASTERS SUPER SERIES 2015 The final weekend of the season saw the final round of the Central Vic Lure Casters (and trollers) Super Series hosted out at Kyffins reserve. 102 anglers hit the water with great expectations. By the end of the 7hr session, 20 cod and two yellas had been recorded. First place went to Russell Aston who cast Mumblers that did some damage returning him 3 cod measuring 54, 65 and 69cm respectively. Second place went to Simon Burke who landed the cod of a lifetime stretching the tape out to a healthy 114cm. Jason Lilly’s bag of smaller cod left him in third place. GOLDEN DO$$ARS FISHING Coming up on the

24October is the popular Golden Do$$ars Fishing Competition, an event that specifically targets yellas and golden perch. Entry forms are now available for this event and the Cod Classic. The Cod Classic promises to be huge with the potential and amazing prize of $1,000,000 on offer for the lucky person who manages to catch Phil the specially tagged Murray cod. • If you are visiting town, I urge you to call 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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From page 69

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OCTOBER 2015

best individual day, by targeting shallow waters and casting spinnerbaits. He was rewarded with four 55cm plus specimens with the best measuring a very healthy 98cm. Phil and Riley Hickey were another pair who gave the lake a fair work out on the final weekend of the season with some good results. Phil got a couple of good cod while Riley bagged himself a nice 59cm cod on a trolled Old Mate lure. The Old Mates are a new cod lure to hit the market and are certainly making their presence felt. Graeme Jarvis and Steve Hogan had an entertaining weekend with a few hits and bumps along the way but Hogan was the only one who managed to pull a scale!

Trouties getting hooked up at Lake Hume VICTORIAN ALPINE

Brenton Richardson

Footy is over for another year, and it’s time to brush the cobwebs off the fishing gear. Those who braved the

but if you’re lucky enough to hook up then it’s likely to be over 5lb. There was some truly monster trout caught last month, with some easily tipping the scales over the 10lb mark. Most fish are being trolled on flatline

starts to warm up a bit they should come on the chew again. Usually late September and early October is when they begin to switch on and by late October the water temp should be nudging 20°, which will really fire them up. The most productive method to target a springtime golden would be trolling larger bibbed lures like McGrath’s or Oar Gees. Casting or trolling Jackalls has also proven successful, just don’t snag them! Bait fishing with worms or small

yabbies in around 20ft of water is also a proven tactic. Lake Dartmouth has been fishing reasonably well for trout but be prepared to troll a little deeper, either by using a downrigger or a lead line set up. Most trout in Dartmouth have been caught in around 20ft of water but the fish will head for deeper water as the surface temperatures rise in the coming months. The odd trout will still be picked up flatlining, either early morning or late afternoon would be your best bet.

Corey Edmondson with a lovely brown trout caught using a Strike Tiger 3’’ curl-tail grub in a tributary of the Kiewa River.

The author with a nice yellowbelly from Lake Hume. Yellowbelly should really fire up by late October. freezing conditions on lake Hume this month were well rewarded. There were still a few unlucky fishers but most managed a feed of redfin at least, with some thumper 40cm reddies being trolled in 8-10m of water. The trout fishing in lake Hume has been hit and miss,

Tassie devils or larger style minnow lures, like the F9 Rapala in spotted dog colour. As far as areas go, anywhere from Kookaburra Point to Bethanga Bridge is worth a shot for a trout. The yellowbelly in Hume have been in their winter slump but as the weather

The author with a decent redfin that was caught as a by-catch while targeting yellowbelly in lake Hume.

As for the rivers, I’m predicting both the Mitta Mitta and Kiewa will be running fairly high through October. The releases from lake Dartmouth have been very high for most of winter, as they try to replace the 50-60% of lake Hume’s capacity that gets used for irrigation each summer. This causes the Mitta Mitta River to be extremely high and dangerous at times. I would not recommend attempting to cross or wade the river. If trout fishing the river make sure you take a selection of heavy lures to account for the high flows. Lures like the Countdown Rapala or soft plastics rigged on heavy jigheads are proven performers. There’s a good chance

the Kiewa will be high as well. We have had a pretty wet winter and there’s an abundance of snow still on the hills. That should keep the Kiewa reasonably high until late October. It can make wading and crossing the river difficult, but high water usually leads to better trout fishing in my opinion. Soft plastics like the Strike Tiger 3’’ curl-tail grub rigged on a 3/32 size jighead would be my ideal lure for October. Vibrax bladed spinners and Countdown Rapalas would be my next choice. The humble worm can also be deadly for this time of year, when the rivers are higher than normal, so be sure to dig up a few of these little critters before you leave.

FISHING FILL-ITS

An evening with Rod ‘Harro’ Harrison The team at Boats & More are excited to extend a public invitation to an evening of fishing information and demonstrations with Rod Harrison to get you ready for this year’s cod season. Rod ‘Harro’ Harrison has a long history both in Australia and internationally as a magazine journalist, film maker, tackle developer, and author. Harro’s wealth of knowledge comes from his lifelong pursuit of just about any fish that swims, both in Australia and overseas. Without doubt he is one of the most important and influential figures in the Australian sport fishing scene. His groundbreaking work in the steamy jungle rivers of New Guinea introduced the world to the formidable and much sought after black bass. But Rod is particularly passionate about his beloved Murray cod or “GooDoo”. Whether presenting a bait, trolling

Boats & More are offering 60% off selected rods

or casting a lure, or on fly, Rod has conquered the cod in his time and is a walking encyclopaedia on the species. Boats & More are excited to have him on board as host for an evening of fishing conversation with the angling community. Harro is sure to have the answer to your questions and will no doubt give you many ideas and techniques to try in the upcoming season. His innovative, insightful and down to earth approach to our sport has - and continues to - influence the way we fish today. Rod will also be showcasing and signing his new book ‘Leviathan’. Boats & More Shepparton and Echuca are delighted to have Harro join them to share his wealth of knowledge and unique style. Entry is free, as is the delicious sausage sizzle on offer. Not to mention, a lucky door prize with a fantastic Daiwa package on offer to win. In addition to all of this, there will also be up

Top: All cod lures will be 30% off for one night only. Above: The team at Boats & More are excited to host an evening with Rod ‘Harro’ Harrison. to 30% off all cod lures for the evening and up to 60% off selected rods. This really will be a night to remember! See you in Echuca for

a 6.30 start on Wednesday 21st October or at the Shepparton store for a 6.30 start on Thursday the 22nd of October. OCTOBER 2015

Trout cod fishery opens up! WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

October is a fantastic month to fish in the Wangaratta area. The rivers are all closed to Murray cod fishing throughout the month, however the other lowland species in the region begin to get active as the water starts to warm. The lower Ovens River has plenty of carp, along with the odd yellowbelly, particularly down in the far lower reaches. Around Wangaratta there are stacks of carp with yellowbelly catches becoming more and more isolated each season. Murray cod are a common by-catch around Wangaratta during the spring months. If I am fishing around Wangaratta during spring, I usually just use worms for bait in an attempt to avoid accidently hooking up to a larger breeding aggressive Murray cod as catching a cod during its spawning cycle can cause the fish abandon its eggs, leaving them open to predation from other fish. If I do catch a cod by mistake while using worms, it is usually too small to breed anyway. All other species in the system will readily wrap their laughing gear around a well presented offering of garden worms rigged with a paternoster rig using the smallest sinker I can get away with. The big news in this area is the opening of the trout cod fisheries in Lake Kerford and Lake Sambell,

Beechworth to announce the opening of the trout cod fisheries. I was fortunate enough to have been given an invite to the opening, which was quite a historical event. Years ago, trout cod, otherwise known as bluenose cod were an abundant

cod being in the Buffalo River in the early 1980s. The decline in numbers can be attributed to a number of things including over harvesting, destruction of habitat (pulling logs out of the river), and competing with introduced fish

now once again breeding wildly in the Ovens River catchment, and possibly other waterways. In 2008 trout cod stockings commenced in both Lake Kerford and Lake Sambell in Beechworth, with the vision of one day opening a ‘put and take’ trout cod fishery, and that is what has just happened. Trout cod are still totally protected in all other waterways except Lake Kerford and Lake Sambell. Currently there is no closed season on the taking of trout cod from Lake Sambell and Lake Kerford, and there is a bag limit of 1 fish per person per day. There is a slot size limit of between 40-50cm. Any fish caught under 40cm and over 50cm must be returned to the

Top: The smaller semi-rural streams will still have a good flow throughout October, but may slow down a bit towards the end of the month. Above: October is the best time of year to chase trout in the small streams.

Brett Corker with a trout cod of around 40cm. Lake Sambell and Lake Kerford are the only places in the country where these fish are allowed to be kept, with a slot size limit of between 40-50cm and a bag limit of one. targeting redfin. I have not caught a lot as the trout cod tend to hang around different parts of the lake and have different feeding patterns to the redfin. The best way to target trout cod in Lake Kerford is to walk along the rocky wall just on sunset, casting hardbody lures around the rocks. I find after sunset to be the best time, and well into the dark of night. I have never caught a trout cod in there bigger than about 15cm. In saying that, I have only ever cast tiny minnows and soft plastics around chasing redfin. Perhaps a medium sized hardbody lure like a number 2 StumpJumper, or a medium sized spinnerbait like a Bassman Yellaman spinnerbait might draw in a larger fish. I do know that fisheries found trout cod up to 40cm long in Lake Kerford while conducting their electro-fishing surveys. As for Lake Sambell, I would be trying the same thing, fishing along the wall

October is the best month to target trout in the region’s creeks and rivers as the water subsides, making wading safer and the water is still usually pretty cool. Towards late October some of the smaller creeks usually start to become a bit warmer, however it is not usually until November that the trout really start to slow down. At that time of the year it is usually best to hit the larger waterways such as the Ovens River upstream of Bright where there is usually a decent flow of cool water pushing through. In mid spring, I like shiny bladed spinners, such as the metallic super Vibrax. I also like small soft plastics, particularly tiny natural coloured soft plastics such as the Strike Tiger nymph, which mimics many of the insects in the area that begin their lives at the bottom of the river before emerging and growing wings. If bait fishing for trout, you may be able to use worms for bait during October if we

Left: Love them or hate them, the European carp is a great fighting fish making them great fun to catch, and an excellent species to target with light line to hone your fish fighting skills. They’re always a favourite with kids! Right: A tiny Lake Kerford trout cod. Most of the trout cod in Lake Sambell and Lake Kerford are around this size, however electro fishing surveys have turned up some larger fish over 40cm long. both at Beechworth. In mid August, the Victorian premiere Daniel Andrews and a couple of his ministers, together with a heap of Victorian fisheries managers and other organisations travelled to 72

OCTOBER 2015

species of fish throughout the Wangaratta area. Over the years they declined in numbers to the point that they became extinct from the Ovens River system back in the 1980s, with the last known catch of a wild trout

species for food. From their extinction in all of their natural environments except two waterways, they have been bred in captivity and restocked enmasse to the point where they are

water unharmed. So, here in North East Victoria we now have a cod fishery during the closed cod season, albeit only 2 small lakes. I have caught trout cod in Lake Kerford whilst

and around any steep and snaggy edges I can find. I have not caught a trout cod in there myself, but have seen the electro-fishing results and know there are some in there over 40cm, in the ‘harvestable’ size range.

get a wet September. If we get a dry, warm September, then you may be able to get your hands on some mudeyes and try drifting them under a small float, or even just fishing them totally un-weighted.

Lure and fly tactics for Jindabyne JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

Spring is definitely here and all eyes are now on the opening of the rivers once again on Saturday October 12 this year. The good news is that the rainbow trout spawning run was very good this year as a result of high rainfall in late August and a good snowmelt that created the perfect spawning conditions. I visited Thredbo River at least once a week last month to establish how many fish I could see and there were plenty! We will have to just wait and see what the river offers up for the opening weekend. WHAT TO EXPECT With the snow melting and the extra water flow river fishing will be good regardless of a late run of rainbow trout. Overall I love spring river fishing because everyone does well. Lure anglers get the goods when the Thredbo levels are up and when the water is lower the fly anglers do better. Anglers shouldn’t forget about the abundance of rivers and streams other than the Thredbo and Eucumbene that are all great fun to fish in spring. River lure anglers are going to do best in October using minnow style lures like Rapalas, 3.5" StumpJumpers, Dorado Minnows and also the new Bullet 5cm minnows. Natural brown trout and rainbow trout patterns are most popular but I also like gold or gold and black colours as well. Fly anglers on the river would be advised to make use of weighted nymphs and maybe even glowbugs. Meanwhile, the fishing has been fantastic on the

Byron Boehm with a brown caught on meal worms. One of 5 fish in just over an hour of fishing. anglers can also spot the fish before casting and will do better with smaller lures like Celtas, Vibrax spinners or Gillies spinners, and of course minnow lures like floating Rapalas, Bullet Lures, Stumpjumpers etc. Make sure to keep them small, lures that are too big will make a big splash and spook the trout in the shallow clear water. On windy days you can switch to Tasmanian Devils for casting a little further. Green and gold, number 111 or Y48 Yellowwing Brown Bomber are just a couple of colours worth a try. TROLLING AND LURE CHOICE As the lake continues to rise this month the boat trolling will be best near the edges early and late in the day. Take care not to spook the fish over shallow water by making sure your line is out further than normal. 80m

colour Tassies to use will be darker lures early with the number Y48 Yellow Wing, Red Nosed Brown Bomber or even Y94. Try the yellowing Tasmanian Devils like 111 Willies Special named after a trout fishing guide in the area - it was by far the most successful lure over summer last season. Minnow lures like Rapalas or StumpJumpers in brown trout and rainbow trout patterns are also good. There are many good brands of lures on the market that will do the job if you know what speed to troll to get the best action out of the lures. Don’t try to mix and match different brands. After the sun hits that water, change to a number 36, Y82 Yellowwing Tassie or my Steve Williamson Red Nosed Yellowwing. As the sun gets higher it’s time to get the lure lower into the water and lead core lines or

OCTOBER ROUNDUP THE BEST OF THE BEST Best method: ...................... Lake trolling Best depth:........................... Surface lures early and late in the day Best lake lure:...................... Tasmanian Devils with yellow wings or holographic Best lake area:..................... East Jindabyne Islands and Creel Bay Best fly method:................... Hamills Killers Best river for fly:.................. Thredbo River with olive or black nymphs (even glowbugs are worth a try) Best River for spinners:...... Thredbo River using small deep diving minnow lures in brown trout patterns lake with some of the best winter fishing we’ve seen in years and there is every reason that this will continue given the water level is rising. Fly anglers should attempt to spot the fish first with the aid of polaroids, as they cruise along the banks of the lakes, as this is the best way to work out your catch strategy. I recommend casting small green nymphs in the shallow water. Lure

is the least you will need out. Fishing on the surface in shallow water at first light and then moving out into deeper water using lead core with 20-30m of line out will extend a good fishing period well into the late morning. This month boat trollers will do best using minnow lures early before sunrise and then switching to Tasmanian Devil lures later in the morning. The best

downriggers are the way to go. The best lures to try and catch those trophy brown trout will be small minnows - you will need to troll these over the weed beds using longer drop backs and lighter line or braid to keep the lures at the deepest depth possible. You need to do this well before the sun comes up to get the bigger fish. Lake bait fishing has been nothing short of

excellent for months now. Fish are coming onto the bite at all times and all you need is a line in the water to catch them. Local scrub worms are best for brown trout while artificial baits of various colours are proving great for catching rainbow trout and salmon. If you want to catch yourself a big brown trout then the best baits are still going to be bardi grubs or scrub worms. Fish these with a greased line to stop them from sinking into the weed and getting caught up. Don’t forget to fish mealworms like maggots under floats for a good result. One angler got a great bag on this kind of bait in just over an hour last month but it would seem that mealworms are still very underestimated as a successful bait for trout in this country. There are no fishing spots doing noticeably better than others at the moment with the trout cruising the margins of the lake they can be in one place one day and another the next. The biggest problem with the lake so high is finding easy access as many of our normal tracks are under water. Those that have a boat will have the advantage of being able to get to spots where others can’t access. We are in for an interesting fly fishing season. The lake water levels are great at the moment and the lake will fish well. When the days warm up and as we get a few more insects hatching we may get some good early morning sessions. The best flies have been green or olive flies like Hamills Killers, small shrimp patterns and olive nymphs. When the water flow slows on the streams the dry fly fishing will improve but for now, brown and green nymphs best. Let’s hope the season is a good one with regular rain to freshen up the streams and cool the water. NEWS It’s not too late to sign up for my beginner fly-fishing school. Due dates for enrolment is 31 October and 1 November. Our schools are the first in Australia to offer a National Certificate of Recognition, which can be used to help gain employment in the recreational fishing industry. • For any information or booking forms for these courses please call me on 02 64561551 or e-mail me your postal address on swtrout@airlan.com. au More information can be found on my web site www.swtroutfishing.com. au. For latest updates on lake levels go to www. snowyhydro.com.au

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Yella season about to fire up EILDON

Andy McCarthy

the Big River Arm trolling Rapala X-Raps and Tassie Devils, with the clown

October means the best fishing on Lake Eildon bar none. The next 8-12 weeks are going to be crazy with the schooling up of the golden perch the most fun you can have on this big lake. With scattered reports right throughout winter of yellas being caught was very unusual and more common than ever before, this leads me to believe this season could be one of those special ones where things just align up perfectly and we will see massive numbers being caught and released. I’m just a little excited as I’m sure you are as well. There have still been good reports of nice sized brown trout being taken in

pattern a definite standout. It’s been a very weird year on the cod as I have

good and the results aren’t bad either. There’s been a good number of browns to

Left: Jarrod Biles with a lovely river fish. Right: Luke Biles with nice Eildon yella taken casting lures.

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touched on in the past few reports, and the best way to put it is it’s been consistently inconsistent. The bite windows have been short and sharp and at very random times of the day and having spoken to people who caught fish on the same day, the bite windows were at the same time no matter where they were fishing on the lake. Now that cod season is closed and the weather is turning for the better and we will see sharp rises in the water temperature, hopefully there will be some consistent pattern for the yellowbelly and once we hit December 1, the cod will find some consistency. RIVERS Now the trout season in the rivers is in full swing and there have been releases around the 500mega litre mark, things are looking

3lb in the Goulburn and the Rubicon, as well as lots of smaller rainbows in the faster water playing the game. These little guys go really well in the old smoker, but let’s remember to be steadfast on the bag limits particularly on the Acheron and the Rubicon, which has copped an absolute pounding over the last 4 years. PONDAGE The ponds once again at this time of year have been

sensational for obvious reasons and the size and number of fish getting caught has been fabulous to say the least. With our good friends at Fisheries putting in some nice sized brood stock 200 strong, I think it’s going to yield some potential, with a couple of nice browns around 6lb being taken on Powerbait in the pink colour and a few also on dough and Tassie Devils in the rainbow trout pattern. The Wonder

Wobbler in silver has also been doing the job for some anglers too. So enjoy the fishing while it’s going off until they start dropping the water for irrigation and things slow up a fair bit. The Eildon Big Fish Challenge is into its third year and going to be a belter of a comp again, so make sure you’re up to date on the details and bring along with the whole family, you won’t be disappointed!

Persistence pays off BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

Now that the water temperature is starting to rise, I can’t wait to get out on the water and get stuck into them.

It’s amazing sometimes to think about the water temperature and just how critical it can be to catching

DAM LEVELS Lake/Dam % Full

Dam % Full

LAKE/DAM Jul Aug Sep Cairn Curran 35 33 31 Dartmouth 73 71 68 Eildon 54 58 61 Eppalock 45 44 41 Fyans 65 70 69 Greens 64 64 64 Hepburn 49 52 53 Hume 33 39 49 Lauriston 88 86 85 Malmsbury 26 28 29 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 19 97 92

Newlyn 41 42 43 Nillahcootie 52 55 56 Rocklands 16 16 18 Taylors 10 12 15 Tullaroop 31 31 28 Upper Coliban 54 56 58 Waranga 9 18 20 Wartook 57 65 74 William Hovell 98 101 98

OCTOBER 2015

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

Adrian Morter with a nice cod taken just before the season closed.

To page 75

Blue Rock open to all CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Big news this month with the removal of boat length and horsepower restrictions at Blue Rock Lake in Gippsland! Part of the Target One Million Plan initiative of the current government - the removal of any restrictions is aimed at giving the wider Gippsland community more opportunity to fish the lake which had thousands of bass and trout stocked there over the past decade. To celebrate this occasion, Fisheries, in association with other organisations and businesses, have donated prizes as part of a fishing competition. On the Wednesday of the announcement, 12 ex-brood stock Australian bass were tagged with the word ‘reward’ printed on the tags. Any angler that catches one of these tagged bass will win a prize, one of which is a $500 Always Angling voucher. 5000 brown trout were also stocked on the day as well. Since the removal of the restrictions, plenty of anglers have fished the lake

trying their luck for some bass or trout. I’ve heard of some nice trout caught up to 45cm in length, mainly on the trawl with Tassie Devils and 5-7cm hardbodied lures. The bass numbers have been down as usual over the winter, however the bait anglers fishing with worms early and late have been catching a few to a session. The opening of trout season is only a few days away so I hope to have

plenty of photos and reports for the November article. Feel free to send us your photos and reports at www. allwaysangling.com.au • 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!

The boys from the Thorpdale Angling Club caught this nice brown trout trolling in Blue Rock Lake after the removal of the boating restrictions.

From page 74

native fish. Over the coming month, I would be using my sounder and searching for the warmer pockets of water, which generally hold the fish and it only has to be 1-2°C that can make all the difference between a bad day and a great day. Trust me when I say this, it can be one of the most rewarding fisheries, but it can also be extremely frustrating. If you’re expecting to come here and get fish every trip it’s more likely not going to be the case. It has the reputation of being a hard nut to crack and I think of it as an inbetweener. What I mean by this, is right across

Aaron Hall with a nice yella from the top end of the lake.

the board for all the main species the lake contains, it’s not perfect conditions for trout, which would obviously be better if it were colder, and it’s not perfect conditions for natives either, which prefer warmer water. That makes Bonnie Doon unique and also the reason it can be so inconsistent a lot of the time – just a bit of food for thought. With cod season closed, it is important again to be as careful as possible if you happen to hook a cod while chasing yellowbelly. Try to release it without removing it from the water where ever possible, particularly the bigger ones. A few more reports

have come in about nice quality redfin up to 40cm and beyond and in a few more numbers, which is encouraging. I’m looking forward to reddy fillets and a nice salad for lunch on Sundays in spring. If any of you fishers catch any fish at Eildon or Bonnie Doon and would like them see them in the magazine, join me on Facebook at Andy McCarthy. Send me a request and we can have it sorted. I love using pics from people with different stories and methods, so don’t be shy guys. Stay safe on the water and enjoy your fishing!

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OCTOBER 2015

Opportunities now open for all WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

For many years Blue Rock Lake has been a great spot for local anglers. Recently we’ve been able to enjoy the spoils of the successful bass stocking program and predominantly keep it all to ours local selves. Now that is all about to change with a 12 month trial allowing boats and engines of all sizes to use the lake providing boaters stick to the speed limits and exclusion zones. Some have criticised this program but I believe this move opens the lake up to more anglers. More anglers attract more funding, more stocking programs, and better facilities. We’ve been assured that there’ll be a lot more focus on enforcing these new regulations so that

small boats, kayakers, small sail vessels and swimmers can still enjoy the lake. As of Wednesday 26 of August, a dozen large bass were released to great fanfare at the announcement of the new lake regulations, with each fish carrying a tag with a prize money bounty on its head to encourage more anglers to the lake. The breakdown of the new rules include an exclusion zone at the swimming area (160m x 60m) adjacent to the toilet block at the Old Tanjil Road Recreational Area, and within 200m of the dam wall at the southern end of the lake. Speed restrictions include a 5 knot zone up the Tanjil Arm and within 50m of the shoreline across the whole lake and 15 knots across all other waters. Recent fishing has seen Blue Rock Lake shake off the terrible nickname of ‘Lake Disappointment,’

with increasing numbers of anglers reporting great fishing conditions and results. This is a credit to the successful bass and trout stocking program by Fisheries Victoria. Bass fishing on Blue Rock is starting to heat up alongside the temperature gauge. Bass continue to be caught over the winter months, however because the fish settle deep and are less active live bait has been the best way to target them. As the water warms up the fish will come to the surface to chase baitfish, shrimp, frogs, and to snatch insects off the surface. This is when lure fishing kicks off! There are a plethora of lures on the market and you would be well advised to consult some of the local tackle stores in the Gippsland region before settling on something to throw. The rivers of West and South Gippsland are flowing

well with late season rains and snow melt from Mt Baw Baw. The trout action in streams will intensify over the next few months. As the weather continues to warm up, insects will hatch, pushing the trout into a feeding frenzy. Closer to Melbourne the Lang Lang, Bunyip, and Tarago Rivers will all be worth a try over the coming months and if you are keen to explore further, the Latrobe, Loch, and Toorongo Rivers also provide prime fishing locations. Happy fishing! • Please remember the blackfish season is still closed until the 31st of December 2015. Feel free to send me a report or photo - particularly if you have any success stories from the opening of the trout season or if you’re lucky enough to catch a big tagged bass in Blue Rock. Please email me any questions.

Blue Rock Lake attracted plenty of attention recently with the announcement of a 12 month trial to remove boat and engine restrictions and implement new speed restrictions and exclusion zones.

Run off action heating up spring fishing challenge MELBOURNE METRO

Ian Debar iand@gottabite.com.au

Although it seems like it has taken forever, spring has finally brought along some milder weather to thaw winter’s chill from our Melbourne bones. We should expect a lot

more activity on the water from now on, as there is no AFL football to watch and the cricket hasn’t yet jumped into gear. This month can be a great time to target either trout or warmer water species locally as they start to feed a bit more regularly. While the Yarra is fishable for trout up above Woori Yallock, it is still

receiving run off from the ranges higher up and should continue almost into early summer. The most failsafe method of tracking down a local trout would be to drift a bunch of worms down through some of the bigger runs and pools. Otherwise, a good artificial option is to crank a small mid-running jerkbait

through the same water. The Daiwa 60mm Double Clutch is a firm favourite in this scenario. In the southeastern suburbs, Karkarook Park has also been producing a few rainbow trout. These fish were stocked into the lake just prior to the last school holidays and are now feisty towards both bait and lures.

Recently, small metal blades and plastic vibes have been very effective on these trout when slow rolled just above the bottom. Devilsbend Reservoir has been fishing well for both trout and redfin lately. The trout have been more active around low light conditions in close amongst the weed beds. Baits of mudeye or

minnow are a good way to tempt the larger fish in the lake. Some of the redfin mixed in along edges have also been reasonable size, up to 2lb. A few lure anglers have been catching the redfin from around these weed pockets on weedless plastics and small 1/8oz spinnerbaits and jig spinners.

Low returns for angling efforts but hopes still high BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Last month, the amount of fish being caught in the Bendigo region was very low, and as a result, the numbers of anglers trying their luck has also been low. With the very cold winter water temperatures being low, the fishing activity has been minimal. One positive note is that we are starting to see an improvement in the weather and water temperatures are now starting to increase slowly. By the end of September we should see a good improvement in the numbers of fish being caught. LAKE EPPALOCK Water clarity remains good, but unfortunately at this stage water levels have continued to decline. History tells us that if the lake is going to receive good inflows, and it usually occurs over the next couple of months. The catchments are currently wet, but we 76

OCTOBER 2015

need to receive a couple of major rainfall events if the lakes water levels are going to rise significantly. The long range forecast is currently suggesting below average rainfall for the region. At the present time, redfin are making up the majority of captures at Lake Eppalock. The best concentrations of redfin can be located in deep water. Trolling deep diving hardbody lures is a good way to locate a school. Casting soft plastics has also been a productive technique. Locating a good school is not easy and anglers must be prepared to try a number of different locations in order to locate a good concentration of fish. The numbers of golden perch being caught at Lake Eppalock has been very low. The activity in the golden perch should start to increase in the next few weeks as water temperatures increase, but if the lake does get good inflows the best concentrations will be located in shallower water

The numbers of golden perch being caught in the Bendigo are currently low. We should see an improvement in catch rates over the next few weeks as water temperatures increase. around the edges of the lake. If inflows are minimal, then the golden perch will hold in deeper water. CAMPASPE RIVER Water clarity is currently

very good in the Campaspe River. How long this will last is dependent on the amount of rainfall the region receives over the next couple of months. If we receive

minimal rainfall and water clarity remains good the productivity should improve over the next month. There are currently small numbers of golden

perch being caught in the Campaspe River, and casting and retrieving spinnerbaits and medium sizes hardbody lures has been the most productive technique for catching a golden perch. Small numbers of redfin are also being caught in the Campaspe River, casting bladed spinners and small hardbody lures have been working on the redfin. CAIRN CURRAN Water clarity continues to be good, but unfortunately water levels continue to decline. We should see this trend reversed in the next few weeks. The fishing has been slow, but redfin are making up the majority of captures. Vertically jigging ice jigs and soft plastics has been the most productive method on the redfin. The trout fishing has been slow with only small numbers of fish being caught. The numbers of golden perch being caught has also been low. The numbers of golden perch being caught To page 77

Crater Lakes firing up in the spring shallows CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

The recent wet weather trend has not let up, with water levels in our lakes slowly rising. With scientific warning of a severe El Nino on the cards we should appreciate every drop that falls from the sky while we can. The temperature is finally rising and as the days gradually grow longer, heralding the birth of spring we can see more favourably comfortable conditions to get out and fish on the horizon. LAKE ELINGAMITE Lake Elingamite near Cobden is currently open, but not to all watercraft. Canoes and kayaks have been able to access the lake for some time, but now small boats can get onto the water, keeping in mind the following conditions. Boats cannot be over 4m in length and must be flat bottomed or bass boats. Electric motors for use in shallow drive are a necessity and it is recommended to take a pole on board as the shallowest section of the lake is out past the first two

sets of buoys. Be aware of the weight in your boat and don’t overload. Currently some excellent browns and rainbows ranging between 1-2kg are succumbing to a wide variety of lures and plastics either cast or trolled. There have been some healthy browns from around 1kg to over 2kg caught in Lake Purrumbete. These fish are found around the lake’s fringes close to the weed beds by using shallow diving minnow lures cast in amongst the weed and then twitched out into the open. Mudeyes fished live about 1m under a bubble float and allowed to drift towards the weed beds have also proven very effective to target trout. LAKE BULLEN MERRI Lake Bullen Merri has been constant for rainbow trout and Chinook salmon weighing in well over 2kg. These fish are caught close to shore either from the bank using local gudgeon minnow fished on the bottom with little or no weight, or under a bubble float. Mudeye and even Powerbait in pink or chartreuse can work just as well. Flat line trolling minnow lures in depths of between 4-5m have caused some

excellent strikes. Remember to have the lures out a fair distance - 30m is a good place to start. The boat’s hull has a distinct habit of spooking fish, however salmonoids have no lasting memory so hopefully by the time your lure swims past, the fish have ‘forgotten’ about the large dark shape of your hull and resumed feeding. A collapsible minnow trap that can be picked up at most tackle stores for less than $10 is ideal for trapping the lake’s local minnow. The minnow, or gudgeon are the number one food for Bullen Merri’s fish. Baited up with seafood flavoured cat pellets and left to soak in at least 2m depth and preferably overnight should see a session’s worth of bait for anglers.

A 41cm Elingamite redfin taken on a Damiki Saemi minnow. From page 76

should start to increase over the next few weeks as water temperatures increase and the resident golden perch start to feed more aggressively. LODDON RIVER Water clarity is currently good at most locations along the Loddon River. The fishing at this location like at

most locations in the region has been disappointing. There has only been the occasional redfin and the occasional golden perch that have been caught. Casting lipless crankbaits and hardbody lures have been the best option for targeting the golden perch. Because water temperatures are still cold it

is very important to maintain a slow retrieval speed. The majority of redfin have been caught on soft plastics and small hardbody lures. In the spring months conditions can change very quickly depending on weather conditions and rainfall. As long as water clarity remains good we should start to see the

productivity in the fishing increase in the next few weeks. Anglers are reminded we are now in closed season for Murray cod. Anglers are not allowed to target this species during closed season. If a Murray cod is accidently caught by an angler it must be released immediately.

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OCTOBER 2015

Smelting pot of Ballarat trout BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

After a fantastic start in winter, fishing in the district has certainly tapered of in recent time. Less anglers means less fish caught. In addition to this, a lack of winter rain has severely affected the water levels of our waterways. Water levels are still falling as opposed to a steady increase that usually occurs at this time. Things may look a little grim unless we have a really wet spring but the long-range forecast seems to suggest that we are once again caught in an El Nino weather pattern. THE BRIGHT SIDE It’s not all doom and gloom though, we are now into the start of another trout fishing season. The days are longer and warmer which also means we will once again start to see insect activity both on the surface and sub surface and this will wake the trout up from their winter slumber. Lake Wendouree is just starting to fire up and will only get better with that increased insect activity and the fish back in feeding mode. The lake currently has two

Ecogear Powershads delivered him great results and he landed some magnificent browns with quite a few follows, so there you have it - another angler hooked on soft plastics! Damien Keirl has been trying his luck fly fishing recently with a couple of warmer days and evenings in the hope of an insect hatch in the evenings. Damien managed to scoop the pool with a personal best 3kg brown trout. In the coming months Lake Wendouree will be the place to be - whether

for his time and effort. The flavour of the month in lures is the frog pattern Tassie Devil. MOORABOOL RESERVOIR Moorabool Reservoir has flown under the radar recently and not many anglers seem to be attempting to fish there. Kiel Jones, a regular fly fisher who fishes Moorabool a lot over the winter and spring puts a lot of time in and and covers miles and miles of shoreline has been snagging the odd brown trout that have

erratically! Kiel says they are easily spooked so if you rush in they will swim back out into the deep water. Smelt feeding happens in very still conditions so you have to be very accurate with your fly presentation and also have the right pattern, not to mention a fair bit of luck! In my experience I have had with smelter the fishing can be frustrating. When the water level rises the Moorabool Reservoir will be an excellent water to fish. I recommend trying a deadly old bunch of

Kiel Jones with a Moorabool Reservoir smelt feeding brown trout caught fly fishing on a Tom Jones fly pattern. TULLAROOP RESERVOIR Tullaroop Reservoir has quietened down a little but if you’re prepared to put in the effort you will be rewarded. The water level at Tullaroop continues to drop but this hasn’t bothered the

Lure casting still seems to be the most productive way of luring these big fish out of the deep with lots of casts between actually getting a follow and a chance to catch a trophy fish. Colby Leskie is one angler who has put in the hard

Top: Big hungry trout are on offer in Ballarat! Left: Tom Kulczynski with a Newlyn Reservoir brown trout - caught casting Frog Pattern Tassie Devil lures and also bait fishing with a mud eye. Middle: Colby Leskie’s magnificent brown trout. Taken by casting Diawa Double Clutch lures at Tullaroop Reservoir. Right: Tom Kulczynski at Newlyn Reservoir. weed harvesters cutting the lake weed all over the lake and in close to the shoreline. This gives land-based anglers nearly the whole 6km of shoreline to fish as well as the many jetties that are dotted around the lake. Without weed harvesting we wouldn’t be able to fish as the lake would be choked with weed. Tom and David Jarman have braved a couple of chilly sessions on Wendouree with some success using loch style fly fishing from a boat - their best fish, a magnificent 57cm female brown trout caught by Tom on a Coral Dancer fly pattern stripped very fast from a drifting boat. LAKE WENDOUREE After hearing reports that trout and redfin love soft plastics, my brother Malcolm experimented with them at Lake Wendouree. Walking along the shorelines casting the 78

OCTOBER 2015

you cast a fly, drown a mud eye, troll or cast lures and soft plastics, the trout and redfin will be on the chew. NEWLYN RESERVOIR Newlyn Reservoir is back on the map. The water level is still very low but slowly rising we can only hope for those spring rains for a mid-season boost. The fish are starting to move around and are starting to feed once again. The ‘Newly Master’ Tom Kulczynski - one of the most consistent anglers on the scene - has just started to catch some beautiful brown trout again. Tom has used a two-pronged attack to catch and release some of the trout that lurk around in Newlyn Reservoir. Tom reported catching them by casting lures and drifting a mud eye suspended under a bubble float. He fishes hard, sometimes from dawn until dusk and is duly rewarded

been feeding on the local smelt in the reservoir. Kiel walks the perimeter until he sees a feeding fish and observes the fish’s movements and feeding patterns. He doesn’t race in all guns blazing casting flies

worms on a running sinker rig, or a mud eye suspended under a bubble. In the shallows the fly fishing can be awesome early morning or on evening when the chironomid start to hatch and ball up.

fish. Anglers using mudeyes suspended under bubble floats have been catching trout. Kevin Brady, a member of the Ballarat Anglers club, recently snagged a these monster that tipped the scales at over 8lb.

Tom Jarman with a magnificent Lake Wendouree brown trout caught fly fishing.

yards casting lures all over the vast shorelines. Colby has been using a wide variety of hardbodied lures that vary in size with the Daiwa Double Clutch proving to be the most consistent and productive lure. Colby mentioned that Tullaroop brutes are hard on your gear - make sure you have very strong hooks and fish with new and tested lines and leaders when you start a new session. The power and force of these fish is unbelievable. The steeper banks have been the areas to target but hopefully with some spring rains the water will rise and these bigger fish will come into the shallow bays dotted along the western shorelines to forage for flooded out worms and grubs. That’s when the fly and bait anglers will have a better chance of catching one of these absolute bruisers.

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OCTOBER 2015

Tea Tree Snapper time again ‘When the Tea Tree blooms the snapper are in the bay.’ The Snapper Point Angling Club’s 32nd Tea Tree Snapper competition will be held on Fri 30 and Saturday 31 October at the Mornington Peninsula. This event is unofficially recognised as the opening of the snapper season. This will be a great event once again and it’s your big chance to get out there amongst the fish and get in the pool of anglers competing for more than $140,000 in prizes, including three fabulous boat, motor and trailer packages. Reports suggests that 2015

will again be a very positive year for bay snapper stocks so the competition is guaranteed to be a success. SPAC strongly advocates responsible angling and for this reason sets the competition limit of two fish per angler, which must be over 40cm in length. The three heaviest fish in the Open and Junior divisions will be awarded trophies and great prize packs but the majority of prizes, including the 3 boat, motor and trailer packages, are awarded by random draw and often won by smaller fish. There is now some scientific evidence starting to

13th & 14th November 2015 Catch & Release or Weigh in Comp N

PRIZ

$30,00

MAJOR PRIZE – Boat Motor Trailer Package All proceeds from Friday Night charity Auction to go to Riding for the Disabled Albury/Wodonga

OCTOBER 2015

www. dartmouth.net.au

emerge that snapper caught from water deeper than 11.5m and held out of the water for even a short time can suffer barra-trauma. Returning unwanted fish to the water quickly or releasing them at the

side of the boat will greatly improve the chances of released fish surviving. Fish released today will be available for another day and help maintain stocks. Upgrading provides no advantage in the competition.

It’s time to start planning, getting your crew together, getting the boat, trailer and safety equipment checked and preparing your gear, and most importantly, entering the competition early as entries close 20 October. Fish can be weighed in on Friday night the 30 October from 8-11pm at Carrum, Mornington and Hastings boat ramps and on Saturday from 10am-2pm at the Mornington Racecourse. The entry form and rules need to be read carefully and the times strictly adhered to as no fish can be accepted under any circumstances outside the published competition times. The racecourse gets very busy as the end of weigh-in time approaches and traffic can cause delays so don’t leave your run until the last minute. The presentation area at the Racecourse is a great place to be, with lots of tackle, boat and equipment exhibitors showing and demonstrating their products, there is also entertainment for the kids including a junior competitor’s casting competition. It’s a great family day so why not plan to be there and be part of the excitement. All you have to do now is to enter the competition either by completing an entry form that can be obtained from most tackle shops in the South Eastern area of Melbourne or by getting on the web at www.teatreesnapper.org.au and enter online or download an entry form. – Snapper Point Angling Club

The 2015 Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic The Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic will be held on 13-14 November in 2015. The competition is one of the leading national events for Women around Australia, catering for all fishing techniques. Competitors are able to enter the catch and release section or a weigh in section, and fish either as an individual, a pair, a team of 3 or a club of 4-6 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 is a boat, motor and trailer sponsored by the Border Marine Centre. Competitors only have to catch one fish to be in the draw to win the boat. This year’s prize pool is predicted to be around $30,000. They promote the competition on their Facebook page, so ‘like’ for updates. Other major sponsors include Yamaha, BF Panels, Ray White Wodonga, Elk’s Hunting and Fishing, Mason’s the Complete

Fisherman, and Edge FM. A great range of fishing and camping equipment will be donated by these stores and businesses for the winners of each section. Go to the website (see below) to see the range of merchandise for sale including jackets, vests, stubbie holders, and caps. The local tradies sponsor the stubbie holders each year, which include Graeber Painting, Mick Smyth Constructions, Chapman Electrical, Peninsula Furnisher Polishing and

Peter Sonnenrein Builder. Keep your skippers happy by purchasing a skipper cap for them. The Monster Raffle includes a car fridge sponsored by ARB Albury, a Tupperware gift pack, and a beautiful hamper of preserves, oils and wines from The Olive Branch in North Central Victoria. The competition is pre entry only and for signing up early you can win 2 nights at the Red Oaks Farm

Stay Bed and Breakfast at Eskdale. There is always lots of entertainment over the weekend, with a Wild West dress up and charity auction on the Friday night, and presentations and live band on Saturday. All proceeds of the auction will go to the Riding for the Disabled group in Albury/Wodonga. The Dartmouth Pub has lots of great food available for lunch and dinner and the Motor Inn can offer a range

of accommodation from motel rooms, apartments and lodges. Dartmouth Alpine Caravan Park has cabins and powered sites. For entry details you need to go to the website and read the guidelines and rules, and then you can register on line or phone through your entry. For entry inquiries phone Lorrae Smyth on 02 6072463 or go to www.dartmouth.net. au. – Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic

Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition incorporating The Victorian Amateur Snapper Championship FRIDAY 30th OCTOBER & SATURDAY 31st OCTOBER 2015

Hosted by the Snapper Point Angling Club. Weigh in and presentation MORNINGTON RACECOURSE.

$140,000 IN PRIZES including...

sponsored by:

3 BOATS!

Snapper Point Angling Club wishes to acknowledge the generous support given by the sponsors of this competition and thank them for their involvement.

The 32nd Annual Mornington Peninsula Tea Tree SnapperFishing Competition

- the competition for the serious Port Phillip and Westernport Snapper fisherman...

Entry details at www.teatreesnapper.org.au OCTOBER 2015

A million reasons not to miss this Cod Classic The Cod Classic juggernaut is gaining some serious momentum as the days tick down to what is surely going be one of the most exciting fishing events held within Australia. There’s a million reasons why you shouldn’t miss this iconic event and that comes in the form of a $1,000,000 cash

meet 4 criteria: 1. Be a competing angler in the 2015 Cod Classic; 2. Spend a minimum of $50 at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp Ski; 3. Catch ‘Phil’ the tagged cod; and, 4. Choose the single correct envelope from a set of 100 that contains the $1

to celebrate the opening of cod season. A huge Fishing & Outdoors Expo, the Samurai Rods Australian Pro Casting Championships, the Native Watercraft Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Championships, Cod Talk hosted by Rod McKenzie, the Great Northern Bar and Flathead Fred for the kids

lucky door prizes. All juniors receive a Bassman Spinnerbait and L. Wilson & Co lure upon entry. Throw in a chance for the kids to win their own boat as well, this provides great value for all. Amazingly after this year, the Cod Classic has given away a total of 89 Quintrex/Yamaha/ Lowrance boating packages. Competitors have until

5pm 20 November to get their early entries in. This makes them eligible to claim the early bird prize of a boating package. Entries can now be submitted on line at www. codclassic.com.au. If you are looking at paying in person call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp Ski (opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala or call 0357 441667 for more details.

Sharpen your hooks, pack the boat, grab your swag and baton down the hatches as the 2015 Yamaha Cod Classic is going to be huge! See you all in Yarrawonga/Mulwala for the chance to ‘Catch a Legend’ in mighty Lake Mulwala and the Murray River. apply. * Conditions Check web site for details. – Tony Bennett

Eildon Big Fish Challenge

bounty* on offer for some lucky angler if they can catch ‘Phil’ the specially tagged Murray cod. The only one thing on the minds of all serious anglers should be how they are going to catch ‘Phil’? Bait or lures, deep or shallow, in the timber or out in the open are some question to ponder. To claim the $1,000,000, anglers must

million cheque. Thanks to Blacklocks Automotive Albury/ Wodonga, catching ‘Phil’ will see you become an instant winner as an Isuzu D-Max Ute valued at $45,000 is a consolation prize even if you don’t claim the million! Entering its 16th year, the Cod Classic is a fishing competition and a festival

2015 BREAKING

NEWS

will see everyone kept entertained. Entry fee for adults is $95 pre-paid ($100 on weekend) and $50 for juniors (aged 15 or under as of 5 Dec). For the adults, this includes four meals, the chance to win six different boating packages, over 100 major lucky door and fishing section prizes along with 1500+ minor

It’s on again! It’s time for the third instalment of the Eildon Big Fish Challenge on the 17-18 October. Last year’s event topped an incredible inaugural opening the previous year with 300 competitors vying for top spot, and this year is looking even better. The weather gods were very kind at both previous events, which made for great conditions for fishing. This is probably why there were so many returning competitors! That, and a whole lot of fun not to be missed out on. There were good numbers of fish caught last year with our good friends at Fisheries stocking the Pondage just

prior to the event. A big thanks to the loyal sponsors: Eildon Outboard Services, Mercury Marine, Savage Boats, BLA, Aqua Bar & Cafe, Reddrops Foodworks, Golden Trout Hotel / Motel, Alexandra Events, Great Northern Brewing Company, Eildon Bakery, Murrindindi Shire Council, Lake Hume Hire, Fishooka, Eildon Bait and Tackle, Fisheries Snobs Creek, DMK Taxation & Business Solutions, Anchorage Houseboats, Hedger Constructions, Bluegums Caravan Park, Totally Trout Fishing Center, Upper Goulburn Freight Lines, Boulevard Holiday

Park, Benalla Timber & Hardware, Breakaway Twin Rivers Caravan Park, Eildon Caravan Park, Eildon Trout Farm, Armstrong Agricultural Services, Eildon waters Holiday Park, Landmark Embling, Churches of Yarck, Rubicon Hotel Motel and I.M Simpsons & Sons Fuels. So make sure you get along and see what all the fuss is about and try your skills to maybe win a boat or a stack of other fantastic prizes and trophies. Check out the website www. eildonbigfishchallenge. com.au for all the details. – Andy McCarthy

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OCTOBER 2015

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DATE DETAILS

CONTACT

OCTOBER

Oct 10-11

SBS Bream Grand Final TBA

Basin Lure and Fly www.basinlureandfly.org.au

Oct 17-18

Eildon Big Fish Challenge Eildon

www.eildonbigfishchallenge.com.au/

Oct 17-18

Hobie BREAM Kayak Series R14 Georges River

www.hobiefishing.com.au

Oct 17-18

SCFCA Estuary Competition Kiama

southcoastfca@yahoo.com.au

Oct 24-25

Toray BASS Pro Series Grand Final Lake St Clair

www.abt.org.au ABT (07) 3387 0888

Oct 24-25

Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic Lake Hume

www.lakehumeclassic.com.au

Oct 30-31

Tea Tree Snapper Mornington Peninsula

www.teatreesnapper.org.au

NOVEMBER

Nov 13-14

Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic Dartmouth

(02) 6072 4233 dartmouthmotorinn@bigpond.com

DECEMBER

Dec 4-6

2015 Yamaha Cod Classic Mulwala Murray River

www.codclassic.com.au

Dec 5-6

Brogo Bass Bash Brogo Dam

Darren Redman 0427 934 688

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au

Food and Wine Festival

Motorboat Major Draw

Each fish caught gives you an entry into the Major Draw

This competition supports catch & release for sustainable fishing

EILDON PONDAGE ~ EILDON VICTORIA Saturday & Sunday 17th & 18th October • Food & Bar facilities • Auction

SATURDAY • Trade Shows • Stalls all day • Children’s Amusements • Live music Saturday 5pm-9pm • Richard Perso • Tim Farren Band • Casting competitions • Fireworks 9pm Major Raffle: Tinny full of tinnies + trailer SUNDAY 10am-3pm • Trade Displays • Food • Children’s Amusements

• Competition Presentations & Raffle Drawn 2pm Sunday

SATURDAY Fishing from 7am-4pm

MAJOR SPONSORS • Eildon Outboard • Mercury Outboard • Alexandra Events • Redd Motors rop’s Foodworks • Great Northern Lager DMK Financial Services Eildon Bait & Tackle Murrindindi Shire council

Fishing entry fee • Adults $25 • Junior / kids $10 • Family $60

SUNDAY Fishing from 7am-12noon

TRADE DISPLAYS OCTOBER 2015

FIND THE

LOGO

COMPETITION There are 15 Find the

Logos hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly.

Logo and page number, fill in the entry form and go in the draw to win!

The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of the month will win a packet of Gulp Lures. All entries will go into the major prize draw. (Drawn Nov. 30, 2015)

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OCTOBER 2015

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Hit the reefs for a gourmet feed WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

The weather in October is certainly a welcome relief from the cold of winter and the early spring mornings of September and the better conditions make it one of my favourite months for spearfishing. The closure of male southern rock lobster season on 15 September meant both male and female lobster are now off limits until November 15. This closure period is extremely important to protect the lobster in their peak breeding period. The upside to this is that it means avid spearfishers can now concentrate on targeting fine eating fish species and molluscs such as abalone and scallops. October is the month we really start to see a build up of southern calamari and snapper as they move onto inshore grounds. At this time of year calamari are at there thickest in the bays around Melbourne and indeed on the far South West Coast. Squid in the 2-3kg range are not unusual and are best hunted on the shallow weed and grass beds where they congregate to breed and lay their eggs. Berley is an important tool to not only attract the calamari in the

area but also to distract them as the diver stalks their prey. Berley such as pilchards are great at drawing squid closer to a diver and once a squid has locked its attention on the berley they are often completely oblivious to a diver who approaches them stealthily. With the squid come the snapper and they are certainly a highly prized and sought after species starting in October and all through the ensuing summer. Snapper are a particularly wary fish and seem to stay just out of range. However, like squid, they are extremely receptive to berley and will feed aggressively on a liberal stream of berley. Also, like most fish species once they are focused on feeding they seem to become far less wary of a diver and become an easier target to approach. Port Phillip Bay is the standout in terms of opportunity for divers to hunt snapper and the far South West coast is a great area to find early season snapper. Locations such as the North Shore at Portland, The Crags and Killarney at Port Fairy are prime snapper hunting locations. Other reef species that are abundant at this time of year are King George whiting, silver trevally, sea

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Top: A lovely bag of squid speared by Paul Blackborrow. Above: A South West Coast mixed bag of reef species.

Green and blacklip abalone are an easy option when the crays are off limits.

sweep and bastard trumpeter. All these fish can be found inhabiting close inshore reefs that border areas of white water. As always a bit of berley is the key to distract the fish and allow the diver the chance to move in. Abalone are an all year round proposition but with lobster being closed, abbs are an even more attractive target to find a gourmet feed. As we move closer to summer the diving opportunities continue to improve as do the conditions in the water. Warmer water temperatures and better water clarity make spearfishing even more enjoyable for the keen diver and as we approach the opening of the southern rock lobster season next month there is much to look forward to.

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to be eligible to enter to win some amazing prizes from Berkley. Come down and do some shopping to receive your entry form, which is awarded to the customer by friendly store staff. To enter, just visit the promotional website, enter the required personal details and the unique code on the entry form, and submit the completed entry during the

promotional period. You can receive an entry form for every $25 purchase of Berkley product during the promotional period, so feel free to come by a few times, just remember to keep your receipts. PRIZES Awesome Berkley prize packs will consist of -Berkley plastics, jigheads, line and

leader. Each prize contains: 31 packs of Gulp 30 packs of PowerBait; 20 packs of Nitro jigheads to suit; 4 spools of Fireline and 4 spools of Vanish leader. Lucky winners will be able to choose from some exciting pack including light estuary, medium estuary, and offshore packs. For more information visit www.berkley-fishing.com.au .

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FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION WORLD FAMOUS FLIES

ADAMS BASS VAMPIRE BEND BACK CLOUSER COPPER JOHN CRAZY CHARLIE CREASEFLY DAHLBERG DIVER DECEIVER

GLOBUG GOTCHA GREEN DOCTOR LEFTYS BUG MRS SIMPSON MUDDLER MINNOW PINK THING RED TAG WOOLLEY BUGGER

Name: Address:

P/Code:

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

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

VIC OCTOBER 2015

Phone (day):

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for August was B Williams of Rochester, who won a Hard Korr Lighting XD S340 and XD60 valued at $343.99. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

FIND THE BERKLEY LOGO WINNER BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

The Find the Berkley logo prize winners for August were: T George of Lalor, R Warren of Currie King Island, F Oleszko of Braybrook, R Crossman of Torrumbarry, R Carson of Wheelelrs Hill, G Lester of Bundoora, R Leathers of Romsey, L Milkins of Wonthaggi, G Ball of Dennington, T Logiodice of Morwell, F Weber of Corack West, C Byrne of Wangaratta, J Killian of Briar Hill, J Raymond of Rosebud, M Harvie of Rye, M Whitaker of Hampton East, D Nicholson of Colac East, T Gamble of Narre Warren, T Siposs of Skipton, J Collier of Smythes Creek, B Thomson of Horsham, D Handreck of Dunkeld, G Evans of Newbridge, G Bonner of Coragulac, S Woolstencroft of Warrnambool, C Peeters of Colac, R Meaney of Tungamah, D Tonkin of Lavington, K Hartley of Coburg North, A Healey of Morwell, D Cunningham of Broadmeadows, B Sebire of Traralgon, S Molent of Blairgowrie, N Sanders of Mildura, C Beaumont of Rosebud, K Pezos of Notting Hill, M Ambler of Churchill, P Cornish of Paynesville, J Thornton of Wandin North, G Robin of Millgrove. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

Congratulations to Nathan Byrnes of Wangaratta, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – VTFM

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Post-capture shrinkage of fish: Fact or fiction? GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

The occurrence of — and how to deal with — shrinkage of fish that were legal sized when caught, but then measured as undersize some time later, has been known to fisheries agencies for some time. Possession of undersized fish is one of the most common offences seen in the fisheries compliance field, resulting in large numbers of Penalty Infringement Notices for minor offences and court appearances, convictions, boat/vehicle seizures and major penalties for more serious offences. Fisheries agencies have tended to keep the shrinkage issue quiet, largely because it’s just so hard to know how to deal with it. It flares up occasionally, mainly in interactions between Fisheries Officers and those commercial fishes whose catches include numbers of fish that are millimetres undersized when inspected. On rare occasions, such instances become public knowledge, arousing interest among anglers and local media. For example, in 2000, Fisheries Victoria decided against prosecuting a Gippsland Lakes’ commercial fisherman alleged to be in possession of undersized black bream on the basis of the department’s own research on post-capture shrinkage of bream. While some local anglers pondered how prevalent this might be among commercial fish catches, the implications for their own fishing did not produce a ripple of concern. It is probably safe to conclude that, in most states, some potential cases of possession of undersized fish have not proceeded to court based on consideration

of the shrinkage factor. If so, it’s fair to contemplate how many anglers may have paid Penalty Infringement Notices for lesser offences of the same sort when their fish were all of legal size when first caught. Careful examination of fish that are close to Minimum Legal Lengths (MLL) is front and centre when Fisheries Officers conduct field inspections of anglers’ catches. MLLs are crucial to the regulatory framework needed to ensure that recreational

supported, where necessary, by the courts. So, when recreational and commercial fishers take (catch and keep) fish that just meet a MLL while alive, the possibility that the fish may shrink after death presents a risk to the fisher and a challenge to Fisheries Officers in how they interpret and apply the regulations. There are several possible explanations for an angler to be in possession of undersized fish. These range from postcapture shrinkage of fish that

FACT BOX For red throat emperor there is about a 1 in 5 chance that a legal-sized fish will shrink by as much as 10mm within 2.25 hours after death. • Shrinkage of up to 3.7mm in summer whiting occurs mainly in the first 6 hours after death. • More than 70 per cent of legal-sized black bream up to 10mm above the MLL may shrink to less than the MLL within a few hours of capture. Legal-sized King George whiting measuring up to 5mm above the MLL may shrink by up to 8mm within a few hours of capture. • Shrinkage of snapper occurs faster over the first 6 hours after death and is virtually complete after 24 hours. For those measuring close to the MLL, the reported shrinkage averaged 5.5mm and ranged from 2-9mm. • Where tag-recapture programs are aimed at measuring growth rates in fish, it is critical that recaptured fish are measured carefully while alive, immediately upon capture. • Fishers should be wary of keeping just-legal sized fish in ambient conditions for hours before landing. and commercial fishing is conducted sustainably. In some instances, such as stocking-based recreational fisheries, MLLs are important in strategies aimed at ensuring that fishing conforms to broad community views on what constitutes a fair or acceptable size for retaining fish. Wherever MLLs are specified, they are widely publicised and are a key focus of both the fisher information and field enforcement sides of compliance programs,

met the MLL when taken, to carelessness, calculated risktaking or out-and-out flouting of the size limit regulations. Among the factors that a Fisheries Officer may take into account are the fraction of the total catch that are undersize and the degree to which fish measure under the MLL when inspected. How the officers respond might be left to their discretion or agency directions might guide them — who knows? To inform fisheries

Snapper eventually shrank by the same amounts, but the intact fish shrank faster than the filleted fish. 88

OCTOBER 2015

Modelling showed that there was almost a 1 in 5 chance that a legal-sized fish would shrink by as much as 10mm within 2.25 hour post mortem, but the probability of observing a 15mm reduction was very low for red throat emperor. agencies on this point, there has been some good work conducted — independently of each other — by marine fisheries researchers in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia on the shrinkage of 5 popular saltwater species that are taken by recreational and commercial fishers along the East Coast. REDTHROAT EMPEROR In a 1991 study of coral reef fishes, 45 red emperor were hooked, measured, tagged and iced in insulated containers. They ranged in length from 235-495mm fork length. At the time the MLL was 350mm total

placed on a tray over crushed ice and the other fish were buried in crushed ice. They were re-measured after 2, 4, 6 and 24 hours. All fish shrank over 24 hours with virtually all shrinkage occurring in the first 6 hours after death. The chilled fish shrank by 1.1-3.7mm (average 2.5mm) while the iced fish shrank by 0.7-3.7mm (average 1.9mm) over 24 hours. Shrinkage was faster among the chilled fish compared to the iced fish. SNAPPER Carried out in the early 2000s, the Victorian study of post mortem shrinkage in snapper was a more sophisticated investigation.

FACT BOX In most states, Fisheries legislation specifies 2 distinct offences in relation to undersize fish — taking fish that are less than the minimum size, and — possessing fish that are less than the minimum size. In relation to the possession offence, the relevant size of the fish is the length of the fish at the time it is examined by a Fisheries Officer. length, equivalent to 324mm fork length. When measured around 2 hours later, the average reduction in length was 5.0 and 4.2mm as measured by 2 observers. Modelling showed that there was almost a 1 in 5 chance that a legal-sized fish would shrink by as much as 10mm within 2.25 hour post mortem, but the probability of observing a 15mm reduction was very low. SUMMER WHITING Thirteen summer whiting taken in a beach in 1996 measured from 134-329mm fork length; the MLL was 300mm, equivalent to 281mm fork length. They were divided into 2 groups held separately in insulated containers: 1 group was

Using snapper measuring 179-262mm fork length (about 19-29cm total length), the study was designed to account for any impact that rigor mortis may have on shrinkage. The possible effect of rigor mortis was examined by comparing shrinkage of intact snapper and snapper that had been carefully filleted to eliminate any compression of the vertebral column during rigor. After being euthanized, measured and tagged, both filleted and control snapper were covered with ice and held in a chill room at 4°C. They were then measured 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours after death. Fish from both groups showed similar amounts of shrinkage, so the results were pooled for

all fish. They showed that shrinkage was faster over the first 6 hours and was virtually complete after 24 hours, although some showed slight shrinkage up to 168 hours after death. The amount of shrinkage averaged 5.5mm and ranged from 2-9mm. While they eventually shrank by the same amounts, the intact fish shrank faster than the filleted fish. BLACK BREAM In a December 1999 study in Victoria — when the MLL was 26cm — 70 black bream were caught in a commercial haul seine and were initially treated as if part of a commercial catch, being stored in unrefrigerated insulated boxes. They were individually tagged and measured about 1 hour later, then divided among 3 separate treatments involving differing levels of ambient temperature and cold storage. When first measured, the bream were 246-353mm in total length. When measured 24 hours after death, the mean shrinkage was 5.0mm. There was no difference among the groups subjected to differing forms of storage, and the degree of shrinkage bore no relation to the original length of the fish. Bream that were held at 22°C for 12 hours before being iced tended to shrink faster than those immediately iced or refrigerated at the start of the experiment. The researchers estimated the probability that 50% of bream measuring 260-264mm when caught would shrink to below the 26cm MLL after 24 hours. They estimated that the probability of a bream measuring more than 270mm shrinking by 12mm is extremely low. The researchers noted that the rapid initial shrinkage

observed may have been even greater if the bream had been measured immediately upon capture and not the 75 minutes or so later. They calculated that between 60 and 145 minutes after capture, bream shrink by an average of 2.5mm per hour. KING GEORGE WHITING The 1995 whiting study was conducted in SA, where the aim was to measure length changes between capture by commercial fishermen and onshore inspection up to 8 hours later. Mesh-netted whiting were measured immediately on capture, individually tagged and placed in an ice-seawater slurry in insulated bins. At the end of normal fishing operations, the fish were measured again at the processing plant up to 12 hours after capture. When re-measured, 72 of the 76 whiting showed shrinkage of up to 8mm. This study was carried out at 2 locations — Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln. What was particularly interesting — and important if results are extrapolated elsewhere — was the significant difference in the amount of shrinkage between whiting of the same sizes at the 2 sites. Coffin Bay fish shrank by an average of 3mm, while Port Lincoln fish shrank by an average of 5mm. The researchers calculated

the probability of whiting measuring up to 5mm above the MLL when caught shrinking to below the MLL was 4% at Coffin Bay and 30 per cent at Port Lincoln. OVERSEAS OBSERVATIONS These Australian studies have shown post mortem shrinkage to be common in all 5 species examined. Similar results have been observed for many species in the northern hemisphere. These range from tropical reef and pelagic fish to coldwater groundfish and trout, and are linked to a variety of postcapture storage treatments. Adding to the intrigue attached to this phenomenon, a Florida study found that, while most bluefish (tailor), Spanish mackerel and pompano shrank over 6 hours after death, 7 out of 8 common snook increased by an average of more than 1% of their length over the same period. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? Post mortem shrinkage of fish can pose serious risks to fishers, and complex challenges for those in compliance and judicial positions. For those species in which it has been observed, shrinkage happens fastest in the first hours after death and happens faster in fish held in ambient/warm conditions

than those chilled or iced. The findings for these 5 popular species pose a number of interesting questions. It is all very well to advise anglers to measure their retained fish carefully and to immediately place them on ice or in chilled brine for food quality purposes. However, the reality continues to be that this is not how many (most?) anglers operate. So, either way if their catch is going to die and quickly begin to shrink, should they be advised to act conservatively by routinely allowing a margin of error for fish that barely meet their respective MLLs when caught? What margin of error do — or should — Fisheries Officers allow for legitimate shrinkage? Whether their judgements are based on set departmental protocols or their own discretion, are these the subject of discussions and review with angler groups and industry? In the complex business that constitutes fisheries management, compliance is “where the rubber hits the road” and has 2 equally vital components — education and enforcement. So, what messages do recreational and commercial fishers need to hear to maximise compliance with MLLs and are these messages being clearly

One study showed that all summer whiting shrank over 24 hours with virtually all shrinkage occurring in the first 6 hours after death. delivered? In every state, MLLs are well publicised, as are messages about holding and dispatching fish humanely and chilling them as quickly as possible, but shrinkage is not mentioned in information products. A special consideration is worth mentioning here. Scientific programs and high level fishing tournaments that depend on accurate measurement of fish lengths

should emphasise the critical importance of carefully measuring fish immediately they are caught. This is particularly important for tag-recapture programs that are intended to determine growth rates in fish and for age-length studies where fishers supply otoliths along with length, other capture data and fish frames. Maybe it’s time for an open conversation about post

mortem shrinkage for the sake of fishers and effective fisheries compliance? Footnote Most of the information presented comes from the 2003 report “Post mortem shrinkage of 4 species of temperate and tropical marine fishes, without freezing or preservation” by A K Morison, I W Brown and G K Jones in the Journal of Fish Biology vol.62(6).

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What’s New FISHING

BLACK MAGIC ENTICERS

The continued expansion of Black Magic’s freshwater range has seen the introduction of the Enticer range of spinners. These new lures feature startlingly lifelike finishes which imitate a number of juvenile fish species. When coupled with their fluttering action, they are particularly attractive to predatory fish. There are five colour options to choose from in either a 7g or 12g weight. The lures are manufactured from high quality components including chemically sharpened treble hooks, strong split rings and a swivel to help prevent line twist. Enticers are very effective for both trolling and casting from the shoreline for a number of species, including trout and salmon. Price: RRP $8-10 www.blackmagictackle.com

SAMAKI SILVER BULLET

Silver Bullet has taken surf rod technology into the future, and now there’s a new blank concept available to the Australian fishing market. It’s called Oval Blank, and when incorporated into the base section of the rod it enables you to make greater and more powerful casts to launch your lure further. Combine this with a tip that’s been designed for greater sensitivity, so you can feel the strike as it happens, and you have a serious weapon for surf casting. Built to withstand the elements, the Silver Bullet consists of Japanese Toray Carbon Fibre 36 and 40 Tonne combined, Fuji K Guides and Fuji reel seat for longevity, and super hard EVA grips for comfort. There are four models available, all 2 piece, from a 9’0” heavy to a 12’0” extra heavy. For more information visit the Samaki website, or like them on Facebook or Instagram. Price: RRP $299.95 www.samaki.com.au

RAINBOW BRAID ELITE

The Black Magic team have released an upgraded version of their popular Rainbow braid. The new product is called Rainbow Braid Elite, and it’s available in six different line tests: 12lb and 16lb on 150m spools; and 20lb, 30lb, 50lb and 80lb on 300m spools. Like the original Rainbow Braid, Elite has 10m colour changes with a 5m marking and then 1m indicators. Rainbow Elite is still braided from 100% Japanese PE fibre, but unlike many alternatives on the market it’s an 8-carrier braid (8 braided strands). This provides greater strength from a finer diameter, and its smooth, round shape allows for long, accurate casts. The new product retains its renowned abrasion resistance, low stretch and high sensitivity when it comes to feeling bites in deeper water. Whether you’re casting, bottom bouncing or jigging, Rainbow Braid Elite is a ‘best by test’ high performance braided line. Price: RRP $49.95 (160m of 12lb) www.blackmagictackle.com

REPEL BUGS WITH NOSILIFE

OCTOBER 2015

Available as a long sleeved or short sleeved shirt, the NosiLife Anglers Shirt won’t just keep the sun off your skin – it will also keep biting insects at bay. The patented insect repellent NosiLife is woven into the fabric, and won’t wash off. NosiLife is a breakthrough technology in textile innovation that weaves permethrin – a synthetic insecticide – into the fabric itself, meaning it will keep bugs away no matter how many times you put it through the wash. NosiLife technology is also non-toxic, so it won’t irritate your skin. Other features of the Anglers Shirt include UPF40+ sun protection, a vented back and underarm gusset to help keep you cool, and multiple pockets for easy storage of your essentials while you go hands free. There’s also a hidden zipped security pocket and a buttoned sleeve pocket to keep your valuables safe and secure. Price: RRP $109.99 (short sleeve), RRP $119.99 (long sleeve) www.craghoppers.com

Weighted for extreme casting distances, the new Rapala X-Rap Long Cast Shallow will not let you down when the fish are busting bait further than most lures can get to. This lipless lure is fast becoming the ultimate stickbait, with its irresistible darting baitfish action on an aggressive retrieve, combined with a sinking action that flutters on the pause. Now Aussie anglers are given the ability to change tactics with a single lure when targeting fish that are constantly changing their feeding depth. When you get a strike, the heavy-duty through-wire construction of the X-Rap Long Cast Shallow and in-line VMC 7266 single hooks will ensure you remain connected to any hard fighting predator. Available in 12cm and 14cm lengths, and weighing 36g and 53g respectively, the X-Rap Long Cast Shallow will be available this October. www.rapala.com.au

X-RAP LONG CAST SHALLOW

RAPALA AGGRESSOR

The all new Aggressor reels embody all that is synonymous with Rapala – quality, reliability, function and performance. This series of heavy-duty spinning reels features an aircraft grade alloy body and rotor, making it ultra tough yet light enough to fish with for extended periods. Incorporating 5+1 ball bearings into the body ensures faultless performance and all internal components are subject to a 72 hour anti-corrosive treatment to maximize saltwater durability. A ported big capacity braid ready spool with carbon drag washers produces between 19kg and 25kg of relentless drag pressure. Such a high output a drag gives you the ultimate confidence as you take the fight to the fish and become the aggressor. Available now in a 3500, 5000 and 7000 size, the Rapala Aggressor series is ideal for all medium to heavy jigging and casting techniques. All Rapala reels come with a limited 5-year warranty. Price: RRP $350 www.rapala.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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What’s New FISHING

SCAN THE QR CODE!

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

DAIWA ISLA SPIN

Daiwa’s newest heavy-duty super reel starts with Daiwa’s Real Four design formula. An amalgamation of Real Engine, Real Control, Real Endurance, Real Custom, Real Four delivers the ultimate in performance and quality. Rigid, strong and highly durable, the Isla’s unyielding body allows for seamless gear function and prevents twisting under load, and results in greater cranking force. The super aluminium alloy material is also highly corrosion resistant. The Hyper Digigear system, made from a corrosion resistant new age alloy, is lighter and stronger than any gear that Daiwa have developed before. Added protection is provided by Mag Seal, with its magnetized oil that forms a seal against dust, water and salt intrusion, and eliminates oil spray associated with traditional seals. Available in 4000H, 5000H, 7000 and 7000H sizes, and topped with 10-30kg drag (model dependent), Daiwa delivers saltwater spin reel excellence with a value packed price tag. www.daiwafishing.com.au

Japanese company OSP have created a top quality spinnerbait range called Highpitcher. The Highpitcher features the very best in spinnerbait design and performance. Its compact design means it casts beautifully and is also perfectly suited to Australian conditions. The top quality blades spin faster than others on the market, and this allows these spinnerbaits to be fished slower without affecting the fish catching abilities of the lure. Thinner, stronger wire transmits vibration better, thus making the whole spinnerbait vibrate for a more realistic presentation. Add to this top quality skirts held in place with wire, and you have spinnerbaits are both durable as well as highly effective. The Highpitcher comes in 1/4oz (7g); 5/16oz (9g) 3/8oz (11g); 1/2oz(14g) and 5/8oz (18g) weights, and a range of colours. For more information visit the Fish-Tec website or email sales@fish-tecsoultions.com. Price: RRP $22.95 www.fish-tecsolutions.com

UNBREAKABLE GLORYFY 3G AIR

The Gloryfy G3 Air, with its gradient shiny finish and streamlined style, is one of the highlights of Gloryfy’s 2015 collection. Air Flow 90° technology prevents the lenses from fogging, and at the same time protects your eyes from draughts at high speeds. And of course, these sunglasses provide complete protection from UV radiation. The G3 Air is available in Black and Yellow versions. Both have interchangeable, unbreakable lenses, and an unbreakable frame. Anglers will like the polarisation option, plus there’s the option for lens tinting, accessories and prescription lenses. Other features of Gloryfy unbreakable eyewear include: highest optical quality equivalent to the human eye without colour falsification; 100% UVA/UVB protection; blue light blockers; and ‘colour-fastness’ lens technology. Lightweight Gloryfy lenses weigh 1.11g/ cm2, outperforming usual materials. Made in Austria to the highest European quality standards, they deliver the latest technology in eyewear. Price: from RRP $225.85 www.gloryfysunglasses.com.au

The new Quantum Smoke Speed Freak baitcast reel features a screaming-fast 8.1:1 gear ratio—which rips in 89cm of line for every turn of the handle. It also features Quantum’s new PTX frame, designed to add rigidity while reducing overall weight, which is just 181g. The new Micro Infinite ACS external centrifugal cast control has a 250° rotation, adding 13 new settings for an even wider range of control for precise adjustments. Plus, when casting, the new Smoke Speed Freak design disengages from the pinion gear completely, allowing the spool shaft to ‘float’ freely for zero friction, adding even more distance to your casts. The new CSC2 drag system delivers a silky smooth and impressive 25lb of drag power. Other features include an aluminium PT main gear and drive shaft, titanium-nitride coated line guide, spool tension click knob, 10+1 bearings, and a lightweight aluminium frame and gear-side cover. The aluminium spool holds 155m of 30lb braid. Speed Freak spin reels are also available. www.quantumfishing.com.au

SAMURAI REFRACTION

Refractions are the new and improved baitcaster series born from the original. Tuned and built specifically for lure casting, the range combines incredibly light blanks with the finest Fuji components. New models have been added to create a versatile range of rods for barra, bass and everything in between. The Refraction series is built on a lightweight, class leading Samurai blank with the new PTS reels offering real-time sensitivity from its pioneering exposed blank construction. Add Fuji Titanium SiC guides, and Samurai have crafted the most refined and comfortable baitcasters in their class. Carbon highlights and the iconic Samurai camo grips maintain a nostalgic nod to the past while firmly looking to the future. Price: $429.95 www.samurairods.com.au

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OSP HIGHPITCHER

QUANTUM SPEED FREAK

3” GULP NEMESIS

Combine the fish catching profile of a Jerkshad and the enticing tail action of a grub and you get the Berkley Nemesis. Designed in Australia, the Nemesis shape is now available in a bite-sized 3” size. Testing by the Berkley Pro Team has proven they are deadly on bream, with an enticing tail action at any speed, easy to swallow profile and that potent Gulp scent. The tail action of this shape has to be seen to be believed. On the drop or on the wind, the Nemesis tail swims at the slowest of speeds, delivering continuous lifelike action. Each Gulp Nemesis is also loaded with Berkley’s exclusive Gulp scent and flavour formula, a powerful water-based scent dispersion system that also makes Gulp 100% biodegradable. Price: RRP $11.95 www.berkley-fishing.com.au

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

What’s New FISHING

ABU REVO MGX SPIN

Abu Garcia has added the Revo MGX (due out in November) to its list of finely tuned spinning reels. A new AMGearing system and X-Mag gearbox highlight a bevy of new features that set this reel apart from its competitors. The AMGearing system is a finely tuned, machined gear that has better tolerances and better performance throughout the life of the reel (available on all Revo models except the Revo S). The X-Mag gearbox design provides a super light yet extremely strong gear housing. Each Revo is equipped with the Rocket Line Management System – a combination of bail angle, spool lip design and slow oscillation that lets you cast farther and manage line more effectively. These reels also feature a Carbon Matrix system for super smooth, consistent drag pressure throughout the entire drag range. Other models in this latest release are the Premier, STX, SX, S and Inshore. Price: $219 (S series) to $400 (MGX) abugarcia-fishing.com.au

ZMAN 10” HEROZ

The new ZMan 10” HeroZ jerk bait is ideal for a wide range of big fish applications. Its buoyant ElaZtech construction makes it perfect for everything from walking across the surface through to weighting it to fish the depths, where its buoyancy and super-soft construction brings it to life on a jighead or paternoster rig. When retrieved at speed, the HeroZ have a lifelike, snaking swimming action that has already proven effective on tuna, cobia, trevally and more. Unlike other slug-style plastics, the HeroZ is 10X tough to stand up to brutal strikes and hard fought battles, making it a go-to when chasing toothies or fishing through schools of toothy species to access fish holding deeper. Whether you’re chasing pelagics like kingfish, tuna, mackerel, cobia and trevally, or fishing deep for snapper, dhufish, coral trout and other reefies, the 10” HeroZ is a great choice. HeroZ are available in six colours, with three per pack. Price: RRP $27.95 www.z-man.com.au

G.LOOMIS E6X RODS

For decades now, the G.Loomis name has been associated with brilliant casting and fish-fighting tools, but the latest G.Loomis E6X rods are something else again. What makes these rods so special is a G.Loomis exclusive blank that draws upon other proprietary materials with low resin content and high strain rate carbon fibre. Most importantly though, they have the right weight balance, sensitivity and actions for Australian fish, techniques and conditions. There are six rods in this new line-up — four spin of single piece design from 6’3” to 7’, and two single-piece baitcasters of 5’8” and 6’. The grips are fine density cork with customised Fuji reel seats, and quality lightweight Fuji guides to keep the actions sharp. Line weights are 2-17lb for the spin rods and 10-20lb for the baitcasters, so for freshwater, estuary and inshore coastal fishing situations, you’ve got it covered. www.shimanofish.com.au

MAKO G0H2 LENSES

Mako has released their newest lens in the Blade frame, the G0H2. This grey lens base recipe with a red mirror has been carefully crafted using feedback from customers to deliver a comfortable lens suitable for a wide range of outdoor activities. The grey lenses accurately and naturally represent the colours seen with the naked eye, and this low colour distortion makes them very comfortable over long periods. The downside of grey lenses traditionally is that it’s the darkest tint and therefore cuts more light out, sometimes making objects in shadows and low light more difficult to see. However, by carefully manipulating the light coming through the lens, and adding their proprietary HD filter, Mako have successfully addressed this problem. A wider active viewing window has also been created, meaning more hours of viewing time during the day. www.makoeyewear.com.au

OCTOBER 2015

TD BATTLER SPIN REELS

To complement the popular TD Battler light tackle rods, Daiwa has introduced the ultimate reel: TD Battler, available in 2000, 2500 and 3000 sizes, from midspring 2015.

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the Battler is its weight. The machined Zaion body and rotor is incredibly lightweight, strong and is completely corrosion resistant. The precision engineering of TD Battler supports the re-vamped, high-accuracy Digigear II drive and silent oscillation system to produce smoother rotary efficiency and increased cranking power. It also features Magseal, a membrane of magnetic oil, which prevents dust or saltwater intrusion, avoids friction, eliminates oil spray and improves reel life expectancy. Combine this with a Magsealed Line Roller, Air Rotor and ATD, and this is one of the smoothest, most sensitive and technically advanced reels in the Daiwa range. The end result for the angler is feeling more connected to lures, detecting more bites and fighting fish more easily. www.daiwaaustralia.com.au

N.S BLACK HOLE AMPED

The N.S Black Hole Amped series is the result of a collaboration between the US designers and Australian distributors, and is fine tuned for the Australian market. The new blank technology used in the Amped series results in feather light rods with impressive sensitivity and performance, and they’re also priced very competitively. There are 12 models, covering everything from light bream spin models, short lengths for kayak anglers, barra spin and barra baitcast, and some bass in between. The butt section has been designed to be comfortable to use even when you have a big fish on. There are seven spin models and five baitcast models. The spin models range from the S-602UL (6’, 2-piece, 2-6lb rating, 2-8g lure weight, ultra light) through to the S-701XH (7’, 1-piece, 15-30lb, 15-50g, X-heavy); and the baitcast models range from the C-602L (6’, 2-piece, 2-8lb, 4-15g, light) up to the C-681H (6’8”, 1-piece, 10-20lb, 7-28g, heavy). Price: RRP $150 www.ejtodd.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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What’s New FISHING TESTED:

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

Beachmate trolley

I love finding products that make certain tasks easier, whether it’s a new type of tool for handyman work around the house right through to the functionality of a reversing camera on large cars. I wouldn’t say I’m a lazy person, I just don’t like overcomplicating tasks that should be simple! And it’s for this reason I enjoyed using the Beachmate trolley. Around the time this package turned up at Fishing Monthly I had just been given the all clear from the doctor after hobbling around with a broken leg for seven weeks. I was keen to get out and about again without crutches and go fishing – so it was the perfect time to check out the functionality of the Beachmate and put it through its paces. If you’re like me you always pack too much gear when you go fishing. I have this nagging worry that if I don’t take something I’ll be guaranteed to need it – and when it comes to land-based fishing or fishing off a pier, jetty or beach, there’s nothing worse then overloading yourself with gear and having to stop a thousand times to rearrange and shift what you’re carrying.

Enter the Beachmate!

This trolley was designed to assist in carrying gear to and from the beach, but it’s also perfect for carting your fishing gear to and from other fishing destinations. The trolley

TESTED:

Saving coin with Stingray Eyewear

I think I was chosen to review these glasses when on a recent trip chasing squid, a colleague I was fishing with saw me struggling with servo quality sunnies… Not that it was worrying me greatly, I mean, I’ve tried (but never owned) some very expensive lenses, and they offered great protection, but sunnies just need to keep the sun out of my eyes, right? All the ‘good’ quality eyewear is well out of my ‘student-living-just-above-the-povertyline’ budget anyway…

to test, the Mackerel, as it made me look like a Floridian flats guide! But looks aside, I was very keen to see how a sub $100 lens compared to the other glasses on the market. Being a sight-fishing addict, I knew that my usual fishing habits would provide an adequate testing field. Where cruising targets are swimming in and out of shadows cast by trees, pontoons, bridges and rocks, quality sunglasses are invaluable. Glare on the water seems to render the naked eye practically useless, and while cheap sunnies are some help against glare, the Mackerel lens manages to First impressions deflect most glare from going into your eyes That was the first thing that struck so you can keep a visual on that feeding me about Stingray’s range of fishing fish. That’s the idea, anyway…

The Testing field

specific sunglasses – they don’t cost hundreds of dollars, but they boast a stylish look that makes them appear like their more expensive counterparts. I was immediately taken by the lens I was given SCAN THE QR CODE!

doubles as a seat, so once you unload all your gear you can sit down, relax and crack a frothy one while you wait for the fish to bite. The Beachmate also has a compact, inbuilt shade canopy to give you a bit of relief from the sun’s glare. A lot of thought has been put into the design of this product. It’s very user friendly, so any numbskull can use it – even me! It packs up flat and can easily be stored in your car or cupboard. The materials used are of a high quality and are designed to withstand the elements. The trolley also has several pockets, which are great for storing valuables like your keys and wallet. Also supplied is a cargo net, which you can attach over your load to stop gear falling off as you move between fishing destinations. What I like about this product the most though is that its functionality is perfect for my needs. Not only is it great for taking all the gear I need when fishing off the river banks, jetty or the beach, it’s also great in other aspects of my life. I have a young family – a 2-year-old and a fresh little 2-month-old – and when we head out for a birthday party, BBQ, or even a trip to the beach, this product is extremely useful in carting our ever-increasing bits and pieces from A to B. The Beachmate retails for $129. For more information or to order this product go to www.ezybeach.com.au or freecall 1300 822 469. – Ryan Limpus

Having tested these lenses across a variety of environments targeting different species, I’m more than impressed by the fish-spotting and glare-deflecting qualities it has to offer, not to mention the protection it offered. At first I tried a bit of simple land-based squidding in Moreton Bay, where your ability to see not only underwater structure, but also the squid themselves is important. Squid are masters of camouflage and even in shallow water, they can be quite tricky to spot. At all stages of the day, I was able to spot

squid through glare, even when they tried to be clever by swimming into a shadow or diving down a few feet. Elsewhere, they proved their use while fly fishing for carp in shallow water. Where I fish, the brown colouration of the carp makes them difficult to spot against the muddy bottom, and their inability to stay still sees many targets lost to glare or turbulence in the water. Cutting out that glare made spotting cruising carp very easy, especially with the sun rapidly dropping and the shadows lengthening. Spotting fish was easy, getting them to eat, of course, was another matter. Even when not spotting fish or squid though, having your eyes protected during those long days out on the water is very important. I’ve done a few full day trips out in the dams and in the bay with the Mackerel lens and I haven’t ended up with the sore eyes that were a part of fishing with my servo sunnies. As a plus, they haven’t caused any discomfort when on my head, even though they sit fairly tightly around my skull. Being a tight fit means there’s no need for extra lanyards to prevent them from falling off your face.

Final thoughts

Stingray Eyewear is absolutely perfect for anyone looking for affordable, fishing specific sunnies that demonstrate quality far beyond their price. For the years of use an angler can get out of them if looked after, it’s not a huge investment,

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For long days out on the water, the Mackerel definitely provided the protection it promised, and made me look as though I knew what I was doing as a bonus! especially when you consider the protection they offer and underwater features you’ll see that you would have otherwise missed. The Mackerel is Stingray’s ‘all rounder’, but they have other more specific lenses available, to check them out you can visit www.stingrayeyewear.com.au. – Bob Thornton

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

Make sure your safety gear is ready for summer At this time of the year, when the boat is coming out of hibernation after the footy season, it’s well worth doing a little bit of a stocktake on your safety gear. After all, when you need it, you’ll be glad that you did. Do you have the required gear? Is it in working order?

a few of the items under the spotlight and see if they’d make your boat a safer place to be while out on the water. KAPTEN BOAT COLLAR You mightn’t think that a boat collar for your tinnie is a piece of safety gear, but the people at Kapten

Make sure you check your fuel and batteries, as you don’t want to be stranded when out on the water, especially with little ones onboard.

Always make sure that the CO2 cannister for your inflatable PFDs hasn’t fallen out. Also, you need to ensure that these jackets are serviced in line with your state requirements.

The addition of a Kapten Collar can turn a roly poly tinnie into a safe platform.

A Kapten Boat Collar adds positive flotation and stability to your tinnie. Are the batteries charged and ready to use? Is there anything more than the prescribed gear that you’d like to have on board when things get nasty? These are all the questions you should be asking yourself each time your safety gear collection comes under the microscope. As an example, let’s put 94

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realised this early on and developed their product with this in mind. NSW Department of Transport found that falling overboard and vessels capsizing accounted for 60% of all fatalities while recreational boating (20022012). The addition of a Boat Collar to your tinnie adds a reverse chine and a

massive amount of flotation that drastically reduces the risk of falling out of your boat or having it capsize. The Kapten collar is a shaped piece of foam that is fitted to the gunwales of your boat and can be fitted to most hulls. Check out www. kaptenboatcollar.com for more details and pricing.

NAVIGATION LIGHTS It’s usually when you’re getting a written ticket by your local Maritime authority that you realise that your all round white ‘anchor’ light should be on at all times – not just when you’re anchored. Indeed, a set of fully functioning, well fitted navigation lights are essential if you want to do any boating

Fuel filters are only effective if the water they catch is removed from them.

WARNING WARNING ON UNAUTHORISED BATTERY REPLACEMENTS ON EPIRBS Periodic battery replacement is essential to maintaining the compliance of EPIRBS and PLBs beacons with applicable ANZ standards. These standards are produced in order to maximise the likelihood of the beacon functioning correctly in the adverse environments in which distress and emergencies generally arise. Only the manufacturer or its authorised service centre has the necessary equipment, access to the factory approved parts and technical information to carry out battery replacement or repairs and then confirm that the beacon continues to meet the relevant standard. Serious risks arise if batteries are replaced or repairs to beacons are undertaken by someone other than the manufacturer (or its authorised service centres). In recent weeks it has come to our attention that a number of non-certified beacon service centres are offering a low cost EPIRB and PLB battery replacement service. While such offers and operations are not technically breaking the law in replacing beacon batteries, they are certainly exposing themselves for liability particularly if the beacon owner is unaware they are non-compliant and the beacon may not function correctly in an emergency. Australian/New Zealand standard 4280.1 (EPIRB) and 4280.2 (PLB) mandate that beacons must be returned to the manufacturer or a manufacturer’s approved service centre when repairs or battery replacement are required. This standard document is available from www. standards.org.au. Furthermore, if a beacon is required to meet carriage requirements under CASA or Maritime regulations the standard requires the beacon must be compliant with AS/NZ 4280.1 for EPIRBs or 4280.2 for PLBs. Consequently if the beacon battery was replaced or serviced by a non-certified service centre then the beacon is non-compliant for mandatory carriage requirements in Australia. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has provided further clarification and guidance on beacon maintenance. www.beacons. amsa.gov.au/maintenance/ Should there be any doubt regarding the status of companies offering battery service on GME EPIRBs, please contact us directly on 1300 462 462 or by email at servadmin@gme.net.au. – GME

and fishing at all between sunset and sunrise. This includes pre-dawn launches. Just ask ABT’s Simon Goldsmith, who copped a fine one morning in Sydney Harbour around 5 minutes before the prescribed ‘sunrise’ time for having his red and green lights on but not the all round white light! PFDS Each year, you should check your PFDs in a few key areas. If they are a foam PFD, you need to check that the coverings are not ripped or wearing. This could mean that when you go to use them, they’d fall apart when you jump in the water. If they’re an inflatable type PFD, then you need to get them certified and tested every year or two – depending on the manufacturer’s instructions or the regulations of the state you’re boating in. In practice, I’ve seen people wearing inflatable PFDs where the canister of CO2 has worked its way loose and dropped off the mechanism. This would mean that when you pull the cord, then absolutely nothing would happen. That’s the last thing you’d want. You only pull the cord when you need to. FIRST AID KIT There’s nothing worse than being in a situation where you need a first aid kit and yours is missing or depleted. Make sure that you check the contents at least every season to make sure that you have what you need when there’s trouble. Remember in particular, that you may need treatments for seasickness, sunburn and getting impaled by a fish hook. On a boat, it’s definitely best to have your first aid kit packed in a waterproof box or container. CHECK YOUR FUEL… You should make sure that your fuel supply is not compromised – especially if your craft has sat idle for a while. There is a suite of additives that keep the octane level boosted and mechanically, you need to keep an eye on your fuel filters to check for the presence of any water. Once

RELAXN NEXT STEP IN LED NAVIGATION SAFETY The durable Relaxn LED Navigation Lights are ultra-low power consumption. Using the latest technology in LED lighting using the 5050 SMD LEDs, not only are they ultra-bright but have low power consumption at just 1.1watt per light. All Relaxn LED Navigation Lights are internationally approved ABYC-A16, USCG, 2nm visibility suitable for vessels up to 12m. Each light is manufactured from ultra-durable UV resistant polycarbonate, with an IP67 rating. The LEDs have an ultra-long service life and are purpose-built for the harsh marine environment. They’re prewired for easy installation and come in black, white or high polished stainless steel housings with models designed for horizontal or vertical mounting. You can relax knowing you have a Relaxn product. – Sam Allen Wholesale

a fuel filter is full of water, it stops working. … AND BATTERIES Lastly, and probably obviously, you should make sure that your batteries are charged and capable. But we’re not just talking about your motor starting battery. If you have a Jump Starter, these only work as well as the charge you give them. And what about the EBIRP? Have the batteries passed their use by date? You know what if you ever need to flip the switch, you’ll want them to be at full strength, so take the time now and make the investment in your own safety by making sure that these are up to scratch.

LED NAVIGATION LIGHTS Ultra Bright LED’s Long Service Life Ultra Durable CE Certified ABYC-A16/USC6 2NM

Now available from your leading marine stores or contact Sam Allen Wholesale for your nearest stockist. Ph: 07 3902 7222 sales@samallen.com.au www.samallen.com.au

CHECKLIST • Prescribed safety gear for the waters you’re boating in • EPIRB • Flares • PFDs • Radio • Lighting • Batteries • Fuel filters • Jump starters • Boat insurance • Anchors • First-aid kit OCTOBER 2015

Technique

Serving smoking hot tuna BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Smoking, one of the oldest ways of cooking, flavouring and preserving meats and fish, combines the effects of salting, drying, heating and smoking. While meats and fish can be cold smoked to preserve them, this process can take several weeks and requires generous salting and a substantial smokehouse to complete the task, especially with larger volumes of product. Hot smoking is easier, and is the most common method used. It can be completed with a minimum of equipment and ingredients, and it doesn’t take long. WHY SMOKE When you burn wood (pyrolysis) and break down its combustible carbonbased components, it releases hydrocarbons into the air: smoke. Smoke has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which is why it helps to preserve meat and fish, but nowadays smokers are used mainly for flavour. Another advantage of smoking is that it can lock in both flavour and moisture, thereby improving meats and fish, which can often be fairly dry when cooked with conventional methods. A prime example of this is tuna. When cooked all the way through with conventional methods, such as frying or baking, tuna becomes very dry and almost unpalatable. It is best eaten raw (sashimi style) or partially cooked and consumed immediately once it is taken from the heat – or smoked. Whilst almost any fish can be smoked, some of the best ones include the more oily species, such as mackerel, mullet, tailor, tuna, bonito, trout, herring and salmon. CHIP OFF THE BLOCK During the smoking process, wood is burned slowly to create both heat and smoke. Any wood can be used for this but it’s imperative that you don’t use treated timber, or any wood that has come into contact with chemicals or pesticides of any sort. This could poison you. While there are plenty of great smoking wood mixes available from places such as tackle stores, Bunnings and some BBQ and camping outlets, there are no issues with sourcing your own clean, dry product from non-poisonous timbers. Some of the more popular timbers for smoking include hickory, mesquite, gum, bloodwood, apple, cherry, alder, oak and beech. Sometimes old oak wine or port barrels are used for a different flavour. 96

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These popular timbers are generally used as chips (small chunks), however finer shavings will give a much more intense smoke flavour as they will burn faster and more intensely, creating more smoke. Small blocks of wood are sometimes used when you want to smoke something for a longer time at a lower heat. Many people soak their wood chips in wine, port, masala or other liquids which permeate the wood and impart a greater depth of flavour to the smoked product. How long you smoke your fish will depend on the heat generated by the burners, the size and amount of wood being used and also the density of the flesh being smoked. I like to use chips of wood rather than shavings, and I initially move the burners away from the base of the smoker (probably between 10-15cm) once the chips have started smoking up. Be sure to check on the fish regularly to ensure you are not overcooking it, which will make it too dry. If it’s cooking too fast, move the heat further from the base of the smoker or decrease the flame size by adjusting the air vents on the burner, to slow down the cooking process. There are so many variables to take into consideration during the smoking process, however a lower heat and longer smoking time will generally produce a better end product. Just check your burners and product regularly and regulate where necessary to avoid too much heat. Burners have a habit of flaring up after a while because the metho used in them burns more efficiently as it gets hotter or when it receives more oxygen, so keep an eye on them. BRINING Brining is done before you smoke the fish to remove excess blood and moisture. There are a lot of brine mixtures and recipes available and these generally include salt, water and brown sugar with the possible addition of soy sauce, wine, garlic, teriyaki sauce, port or other ingredients. Although I generally make my brine to taste without measuring the ingredients, I have included a basic recipe here for you to follow to get started. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Sometimes when smoking chicken I simply use a mix of soy sauce and brown sugar to immerse it in for an hour or so before smoking. This is also good for tailor or mackerel. For fish such as tuna however, I generally stick to a classic brine recipe because tuna flesh has a lot of moisture and blood to draw out before smoking.

You can smoke both freshly caught tuna as well as previously frozen fish, however you are best to wrap the chunks in absorbent paper towel overnight to draw some of the blood out. Also cut off any of the bloodline, as it tastes like dead buffalo butt when smoked. Cut your tuna chunks across the grain into slices of between 15mm to 25mm thick. I prefer thicker chunks because they’re likely to dry out. Ensure all slices are very similar thickness otherwise they will smoke unevenly.

Take the wood chips out of the fluid and drain. Coat the bottom of the smoker with the wood chips, with a little more concentration over the area where the burners will sit underneath. Place your rack inside the smoker. I like to use a rack that sits up high in the smoker as this keeps the fish away from the heat, allowing it to smoke slower.

Light your burners and place them under the smoker to start the smoker heating and the chips eventually burning, which will create the smoke we want. The burners will only produce a small flame initially until they heat up. Once an orange flame is produced, turn the dial to close the air vents on the burners and decrease the flame.

To prepare the brine I generally use roughly 1/2 cup of cooking salt, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and eight cups of room temperature water for a large amount of fish (a couple of kilograms). However you can adjust the quantity of each depending on how much brine you’ll need for the amount of product you have to soak. Additionally, I add around four or so tablespoons of soy sauce to my brine, but this is not essential. Mix it all together, ensuring that all the salt is dissolved. Place all the tuna chunks into the brine and stir around a bit, then leave it to sit for at least 45 minutes.

Remove the tuna from the brine and allow it to drain on a rack, or wipe it with some absorbent paper towel.Sometimes I coat some of the tuna with additional brown sugar. This gives a different (yet not sweet) taste to the tuna.

While the tuna is brining, put some smoker chips into a bowl and cover with water or wine. This will ensure that they do not burn too quickly. You will need just enough chips to lightly cover the bottom of your smoker. These need to soak for 20-30 minutes.

Once you have the wood chips burning nicely and a good amount of smoke inside the smoker, place all the tuna chunks on the wire rack. Avoid having them touching so the smoke can encompass them evenly. Ensure you do not have too much heat present. It’s best if the tuna cooks and smokes slowly. Move the burners further from the base of the smoker or stunt the flame by starving it of oxygen to decrease the heat if necessary. As it smokes and cooks, the tuna will change colour to a brownish-grey. I like to check the tuna regularly to ensure it is not overcooking, and often turn it over when I think it is around half done.

Next get your smoker ready. Fill the burners with some methylated spirits. The burners will often have some gauze and cloth compound in the bottom. Fill the burners until the metho just covers these. I line the inside base of the smoker with alfoil to make clean up easier. Spray the rack or racks with a little olive or vegetable oil to avoid the fish sticking to it.

If you think it may be ready, break a piece to see how well it is cooked. When the tuna chunks are cooked most of the way through, with just a small tinge of pink remaining in the middle, remove the entire rack from the heat. You can eat your tuna immediately, or allow it to cool and eat it later. It’s a great addition to pasta, salads and sandwiches, and divine when served with cottage cheese or cream cheese on crackers while having a few coldies. I sometimes cryovac a portion and freeze it for future needs when doing a large batch.

the power to get you there

the reliability to get you back We’re proud to welcome the new generation of outboards – the mighty FourStroke Verado 350hp. Along with the power, performance and extreme reliability, Verado includes: - Awesome acceleration, superior torque and better fuel economy - The latest in Electro-Hydraulic steering providing car-like precision and feel - Exclusive ‘Fly-by-Wire’ Digital Throttle and Shift as standard for smooth, quiet, instantaneous shifting and throttle response - Compact engine that’s 56kg lighter than its nearest competitor - Maintenance Free Valve train for life, lowering cost of ownership - 3+2=5 Year Recreational Warranty

See your authorised Mercury Marine Dealer today. Alberton Alberton Marine

Echuca Eades Xtreme Marine

24 Sturt Street, Echuca Phone: (03) 5482 2333 | Fax: (03) 5482 2133 Email: info@xtrememarine.net.au

6 Holland Drive, Melton Phone: (03) 9747 0588 | Fax: (03) 9747 3999 Email: admin@themarineshop.com.au

Melbourne Avante Marine

Melbourne Melbourne Marine

Melbourne Triple M Marine

Bendigo Bendigo Marine World

Geelong Moolap Marine

Warragul Warragul Marine

Melbourne BL Marine

Sorrento Nautical Marine

Mornington Wes Frost Marine

Shepparton Boats and More

Melbourne Regal Marine

Morwell Crawford Marine

Tooradin P&J Marine Service Centre P/L

39 Johnson Street, Alberton Phone: (03) 5183 2344 | Fax: (03) 5183 2219 Email: albertonmarine@wideband.net.au

345 Dorset Road, Boronia Phone: (03) 9760 2222 | Fax: (03) 9762 8565 Email: info@avantemarine.com.au

160 Midland Highway, Epsom Phone: (03) 5448 3988 | Fax: (03) 5448 3940 Email: sales@bendigomarine.com.au

612- 614 Plenty Road, Preston Phone: (03) 9478 1420 | Fax: (03) 9470 4638 Email: info@blmarine.com.au

207 Numurkah Road, Shepparton Phone: (03) 5822 2108 | Fax: (03) 5821 2908 Email: sales@boatsandmore.com.au

71-77 Chickerell Street, Morwell Phone: (03) 5134 6522 | Fax: (03) 5134 6455 Email: info@crawfordmarine.com.au

92 Hallam South Road, Hallam Phone: (03) 9703 2003 Email: info@melbournemarine.com.au

250 Portarlington Road, Moolap Phone: (03) 5248 3772 | Fax: (03) 5248 5913 Email: info@moolapmarine.com.au

139 – 141 Hotham Road, Sorrento Phone: (03) 5984 1666 | Fax: (03) 5984 1680 Email: nautical@surf.net.au

Melbourne The Marine Shop

117 Northgate Drive, Thomastown Phone: (03) 9465 8787 | Fax: (03) 9466 1418 Email: triplemmarine@dodo.com.au

172 Queen St, Warragul 3820 Phone: (03) 5623 6250 | Fax: (03) 5622 0623 Email: info@warragulmarine.com.au

3 Satu Way, Mornington Phone: (03) 5976 4622 | Fax: (03) 5976 4633 Email: sales@wesfrostmarine.com

514 Canterbury Road, Vermont Phone: (03) 9874 4624 | Fax: (03) 9874 6586 Email: sales@regalmarine.com.au

101 Tooradin Station Road, Tooradin Phone: (03) 5998 3107 | Fax: (03) 5998 3108 Email: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com

OCTOBER 2015

Mercury MerCruiser’s 6.2L V-8 sterndrives Mercury engineers have again shown the boating world how it’s done – creating two new engines which deliver truly impressive power and torque while delivering a remarkably quiet and smooth ride. MerCruiser ’s new 6.2L V-8 300hp and 350hp

“Like the purpose-built 4.5-litre V-6 sterndrives we introduced a year ago, we’re extremely proud of the remarkable reliability and ease of maintenance delivered by the 6.2. This is a terrific engine platform that will improve boating everywhere.”

The engine’s high displacement ensures it produces an outstanding power-to-weight ratio, which means boats get onto a plane more quickly, stay on plane at lower speeds and handle rough seas better. The 6.2L V-8 also

Axius Joystick Piloting. “This new V-8 platform is another outstanding example of a Mercury product designed from the ground up with technologies, design features and materials that deliver unmatched value to our

A number of technical advances in the 6.2L V-8 combine to create the most enjoyable boating experience on the water. An air-intake resonator suppresses harsh sound frequencies across the engine operation range making it dramatically

contributes to the engine’s long-term durability, corrosion-resistance and easy maintenance. SIMPLIFYING MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE Ease of maintenance on the MerCruiser 6.2L includes a maintenance-free

The new 6.2L sterndrives from MerCruiser. These machines are set to be smooth, easy to maintain and built or power! sterndrives are purposebuilt specifically for marine use, which is why Mercury has been able to create a perfect blend of power, reliability, superior corrosion-resistance and a quiet, pleasurable ride. “With the introduction of our new 6.2-litre V-8 sterndrive engines, Mercury continues to build on its success of designing and manufacturing propulsion systems that deliver the most intuitive, powerful, worry-free, smooth and quiet boating experience,” said John Pfeifer, President of Mercury Marine.

Engineered with new innovative features and state-ofthe-art technology, the MerCruiser 6.2L sterndrive platform was designed, and is manufactured, at Mercury Marine’s world headquarters in Wisconsin. POWER, ACCELERATION AND PERFORMANCE With the MerCruiser 6.2L, a long runner scrolled intake manifold optimises airflow for higher torque, which translates into greater acceleration and improved boat performance.

offers Adaptive Speed Control (ASC), which automatically maintains a set rpm point regardless of load or changing conditions such as tight turns, lower speeds on plane and tow-sport activities. This gives increased throttle response and a ‘sportier’ feel for the driver, who no longer has to make continual throttle adjustments. For the ultimate in docking experience and manoeuvrability, the new engines with Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) can be partnered with

marine customers,” said David Foulkes, Chief Technology Officer for Brunswick Corporation and Vice President of Mercury Product Development, Engineering and Racing. SMOOTH AND QUIET QR CODE

QFM Steve Morgan talking to Justin d’Offay from Mercury about the new 6.2L sterndrives. 98

OCTOBER 2015

Scan the QR code to listen to the full interview with Justin d’Offay from Mercury.

quieter, while an all-new aft-facing throttle body directs noise away from the cockpit so conversations are easier. Also, the larger, optimised engine mounts isolate undesirable engine vibrations and sounds, making the ride quieter and smoother than ever. UNCOMPROMISING DURABILITY AND CORROSIONRESISTANCE The 6.2L V-8 comes with the ultimate anti-corrosion protection system. Durable cast-iron componentry has been used wherever the engine encounters raw water. Elsewhere in the engine, composites and marine alloys provide lightweight efficiency. A convenient and easy freshwater flush system

valve train for the life of the engine and a maintenance centre near the top-front section of the engine, ensuring that touchpoints are easily identifiable and accessible. The result is a reliable engine that is more affordable to service. The 6.2L is available with optional freshwater cooling and the SeaCore drive corrosion protection treatment, which provides extra corrosion protection only when needed, such as saltwater environments. Freshwater cooling uses a heat exchanger and coolant fluid to maintain engine temperature. The coolant travels through the entire engine and the exhaust manifolds, and prevents internal corrosion of the cooling passages. The SeaCore protection treatment is a hardanodizing process that alters the surface layer of the aluminium drive casting to prevent saltwater penetration that leads to corrosion. WARRANTY Because Mercury designed and makes these engines, Mercury backs them with two years of Mercury Limited Warranty. The 6.2L also enjoys a three-year anti-corrosion warranty. – Mercury

What’s New BOATING

ET80 AND ET100 EMERGENCY TORCHES

In any maritime emergency, a reliable and quality-made torch can always lend a hand. The ET80 and ET100 Emergency Torches from GME are constructed from high visibility yellow polycarbonate, so they’re easy enough to find. The ET80 and ET100 are near indestructible, with a buoyant contruction, they have waterproof casing and are multi-function LED torches with a unique ‘Twist to Charge’ functionality. A USB cable (included and stored within the torch body itself) can also charge the torch or other USB devices. On top of all these great features, the ET100 also comes with a can opener, which doubles as a knife, a compass, a whistle and a signal mirror (heliograph). A metal bottle opener is also moulded into the base of the torch on both models. GME’s Emergency Torches are just another simple way of making your marine vessel safer. – GME

ANGLAPRO RELEASES TRIXSTA RANGE

Anglapro has carved a unique reputation for building strong and functional fishing boats with excellent on-water performance and flexible internal designs. They have been working on a project for those keen fishers who love all things on and in the water. This boat is full of tricks and the success of the design means fun for everyone. This versatile new range of boats is called TriXsta. TriXsta uses our market leading Sabre hull design and incorporates a space generating interior that provides fishability, comfort and internal room to move. From the entry level 39, 42 and 44 to the plush 43, 45 and 48, the TriXsta line up leaves no questions unanswered. You won’t see any limits to the fishing options available. You can be sure that everyone will be satisfied with the diverse options to make their boating experience fun! – Anglapro

GEN 2 TOURNAMENT 2000 BLUEWATER

The Tournament 2000 Bluewater sitting in the middle of the Tournament Pleasure Boats range as the ultimate family boat. Ideal for fishing, skiing or just cruising, this magnificent boat ticks every box and has just been given a major facelift with the release of the Generation 2 design. The cockpit area now benefits from almost seven inches of extra room thanks to a redesign of the rear coaming that now extends internally to the floor and comes standard with a transom door, live bait tank, split rear folding lounge and access hatches for batteries and bilge. When it comes time to anchor, the 2000 Bluewater Generation 2’s anchor well area has been reconfigured to house the latest optional drum winches. There is now the ability to host all the modern electronics available on the market, and more options that allow you to make your Tournament 2000 Bluewater truly unique to you are available. – The Haines Group

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

SAVAGE’S NEW 485 SCORPION

Savage’s brand new release, the 485 Scorpion, is hot off the production line and set to make a serious bite into the fishing market. Available as side and centre console with a large variety of options the 485 Scorpion is set to suit every angler’s needs. Featuring new 3mm smooth look side sheets and fitted out with a rear casting platform with a live bait tank as standard, the 485 Scorpion will have you reeling in that big catch in no time at all. Complete with a 77L fuel tank and plenty of storage options including large side pockets and storage bins in the front casting platform, the 485 Scorpion offers a practical and reliable boat for your next fishing trip. “The great thing about the new Scorpion range is we’ve packed them with standard features like extra rod holders, live bait tank and an extra transducer bracket – all at a competitive price,” Savage Director of Sales and Marketing Damien Duncan said. – Telwater

WHITTLEY EXPANDS IN NSW

In response to steady and sustained growth, Whittley Marine Group has appointed a second dealer to cater to the boating families of New South Wales. Effective immediately, Terrace Boating joins Sydney-based Hunts Marine, doubling the presence of the brand in New South Wales – Terrace Boating will cater to the central and northern regions of the state and long-term Whittley dealer, Hunts Marine, will continue to service the region south of the Hawkesbury River including the Greater Sydney area. Located at 2382 Pacific Highway Heatherbrae, Terrace Boating is owned and operated by the Padmos family and has been servicing the boating community of the Hunter Valley for the last 35 years. “We are excited to have Whittley Marine onboard to complement our extensive Quintrex range”, said Terrace Boating’s, Josh Padmos. “We believe the Whittley line-up is ideally suited to the boating environment central and northern NSW offers. – Whittleys Marine

4 5

QUINTREX 610 TRIDENT HARD TOP

Quintrex’s newest release into the plate market is the much anticipated 610 Trident Hard Top. After demand from customers and dealers Quintrex has expanded their ultimate offshore fishing range, which now includes 6 models. The 610 Trident Hard Top offers customers a slightly more versatile and affordable option while still incorporating all the features and practical layout design of the larger Hard Top models. Featuring a fully enclosed hardened windscreen complete with sliding side windows and a windscreen wiper kit all as standard the 610 Trident Hard Top is still the perfect match for unruly weather conditions. The only offshore range to feature Quintrex’s renowned Flared Bow and Blade Hull the 610 Trident HT cuts through rough water with ease by deflecting spray and offering stability at rest and underway. Constructed with 5mm marine grade aluminium bottomsheets and an underfloor rib structure the 610 Trident HT is made to handle and manoeuvre through Australian waters and weather. – Telwater

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

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

SCAN THE CODE! OCTOBERQR 2015 99

Streaker’s 4850 Tournament designed to do it all

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

There’s a definite trend at the moment for anglers to want a boat that can do it all. Some people come from the big boat end and want something that’s a little more friendly to trailer and can be used in lure casting applications. Other anglers come from a specialised bass boat and want something that’s a little more versatile and able to handle bigger and rougher water in comfort. Whichever way you’ve come, it’s great to see plenty of options available from local manufacturers. When the Aussie dollar was high there

was the definite temptation to try to import something that would do this job – and plenty of people did. Some kicked a goal while others found out that the risk wasn’t worth the reward. Fast forward to 2015 and the playing field has changed. The low Aussie dollar makes importation even more expensive and risky – to the point that you’d be crazy to want to take on the challenge. Especially when there’s a Victorian-made boat and trailer package that ticks all of the boxes for a jack-of-alltrades craft. It’s a Streaker boat called the Tournament 4850 – a pleasant mix of 17° deadrise for handling chop, casting decks for calm water work and cockpit for open water fishing.

We met Streaker’s Sean Savage and his brother at the ramp at the Patto on an overcast autumn morning where Port Phillip Bay was more suited to water-skiing than wave jumping. However, it did offer us the opportunity to interview Sean about the genesis of this boat and why they’d built it as they have. You can watch the interview by scanning the QR code in the fact box at the end of this article, but let us give you some of the highlights. “This is the most diverse boat we make and it’s also the smallest one that we produce, but we make it with big boat features and big boat quality,” Sean said. “It’s designed so that you really feel comfortable and safe inside the boat, especially

Powered by the best-selling Yamaha F70 4-stroke, the rig is frugal in the petrol department. The 60L underfloor tank will give you more range that you’d need for day trips. The amenity of the ride is brilliant – it’s quiet and clean. 100

OCTOBER 2015

on those bigger trips if you’re happy to be in the elements a little bit.” The safe feel is because the casting decks and cockpit are recessed well below the gunwales. “It’s designed to have maximum fishing room and deep, internal freeboard. It feels like you’re ‘inside’ the boat,” Sean said. “The economy of this boat is awesome. It sits on 42-44km/h at a 4000rpm and at that load, it’s getting around 2.2-2.3km per litre of fuel burned.” When you do the maths with the 60L fuel tank, that’s around 130km of range from less than a hundred bucks worth of gas. The fuel tank itself is located forward in the boat to help with balance, and the balance was evident as Sean took the helm for some drive-bys. Jumping the wakes of the boat’s biggest brother – the 6700 Commander – the little Tournament landed sweetly and without the jarring thuds that can plague hulls with flatter bottoms. You can see this in the video. Clever design at the bow allows you to have your cake and eat it too. You can mount a bow-mounted electric motor and a Stress Free anchor winch simultaneously. And with the removable workstation and rod holders at the transom, you can convert this craft from a serious snapper chaser to a bream tournament boat in a

SPECIFICATIONS Length (incl. bowsprit)...................................4.85m Beam................................................................ 2.11m Average height (to top of windscreen).........1.80m Total length (on trailer and motor)................5.75m Deadrise...............................................................17° Fuel capacity.......................................................60L BMT tow weight...................................... 800-950kg Max hp (2-S)......................................................90hp Max hp (4-S)......................................................70hp Capacity.......................................................5 adults PACKAGE PRICING (AS OF SEP 15) With 70hp Yamaha F70 4-S................. from $40,900 With Yamaha 90hp 2-S................................ $41,000 With Mercury 75hp 2-S...............................$39,430 matter of minutes. The fibreglass-lined livewell can serve dual proposes also, easily changing from a livewell to a kill bin. Very handy. And you can even use it as a chilly bin for extended camping trips. The helm seats are comfortable and the console is well designed. There’s upright rod storage to complement the gunwale rod locker, plenty of grab rails and the console isn’t so obtrusive as to hinder your movement around the cockpit. There’s also secure rod storage in the gunwale for rods up to 2.1m long. Supplied on a rollered EasyTow trailer, the whole rig weighs in at just under the 1000kg mark and can be towed by a 4-cylinder family car, meaning that you don’t need to upgrade your tow vehicle when you upgrade your boat.

The single axle means that it’s easily manoeuvred to fit in a standard garage, something that’s often harder to do with longer rigs and those on twin-axle trailers. The package price for this rig as tested – with the electronics, custom boat wrap, F70 and trailer from $40,900. Visit Streaker Boats for more details at www.streakerboats.com. au or visit the showroom at 461 Mountain Highway, Bayswater, VIC. You can call Streaker on (03) 9729 8288. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

The Savage boys make launching and retrieving this rig look supereasy. The galvanised EasyTow trailer with rollered keel doesn’t hurt, either. Both the boat and trailer are made in Melbourne.

A plumbed livewell/kill tank under the front casting deck can hold bream in a tournament, snapper when you get onto the springtime PPB bite, or some ice and coldies on your extended camping and fishing trips.

Want to lock a few of your valuable rods and reels away while you’re off the water? The portside rod locker can help you do just that.

The starboard-mounted console is designed by people who fish and spend lots of time in boats. There’s upright rod storage to complement the gunwale rod locker, plenty of grab rails, and the unobtrusive console gives you freedom of movement around the cockpit.

From above, you’ll see that this boat is much more cockpit than casting deck, so if you’re up and casting at fish, it’s a one-up-front affair.

Plenty of customers in this size range of boat will want a bow-mounted electric motor. This custom plate will fit all makes and models and is designed to not obstruct the anchor well and bowsprit.

The helm is simple and effective. Although there’s only a 5” sounder mounted here, the console holds much bigger. For my 5’10” frame, the seating position was perfect. There’s the option to replace the standard instrument package with the new Yamaha, colour, touchscreen information centres. And who doesn’t like colour RPMs at your fingertips? This image shows the standard install. QR CODE

If you’re a snapper seeker, this is really the business end of the boat. There’s a removable workstation and enough rod holders to create your own nest of demersal destruction. With live bait wells close to the action, you can swivel the helm seats and get straight into business.

It’s the small touches that make the difference. Here’s a vinyl shroud keeps your stuff separated from the stuff that makes the boat go. The two should never be confused. Small details like this turn a good boat into a great boat.

Scan the QR code here to listen to the interview with Shane Savage about his little pocket rocket. OCTOBER 2015

101

Savage 385 Big Boy trailer, the Savage 385 Big Boy can be easily towed by most 4-cylinder vehicles

FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Entry-level packages or packages put together with a budget in mind are almost a dime a dozen these days. But how many brands can claim over 100 years of manufacturing experience and knowledge in producing boats that are suitable in meeting the customers needs? Savage Aluminium Boats have been around since 1898, providing fantastic quality boats and I had the pleasure of spending a few hours on Lake Narracan in Victoria getting to know one of their entry-level options the Savage 385 Big Boy. There are a few must haves when it comes to start off packages. These boats should be able to be towed by a small vehicle, you should be able to launch and retrieve them with one person, the

be correct, as we had no trouble getting the 385 in and out of the water.

SPECIFICATIONS Length Maximum:...........................................3.90m Hull Length:.....................................................3.85m Beam:...............................................................1.85m Depth:..............................................................0.87m Bottom/Top sides:............................................3mm Minimum hp:.....................................................15hp Maximum hp:....................................................30hp Number of People:..................................................4

Lots of fun and practical too, the Savage 385 gave us a great time on the water.

QR CODE

Scan the QR code to watch David Garcia take us through the features of the Savage 385 Big Boy.

Top Left: The Mercury 30hp 2-stroke is the maximum horsepower for the 385 Big Boy. Top Right: There is enough storage at the front of the boat for your anchor and to keep things out of the way. Above Left: Launching and retrieving was easy and could be done by one person. Above Right: The low floor that comes with the package is a great standard feature. floor plan needs to be simple and practical and they should allow room to take you and a mate or you and the family safely out on the water. TOWING Coming in under 500kg including boat, motor, and 102

OCTOBER 2015

available today. I was at Lake Narracan with David Garcia from Warragul Marine and he assured me that the launching and retrieving would be easy - in fact “one person, one hand” were his exact words! This proved to

THE LAYOUT As you would expect with a package like this, there are not a lot of bells and whistles in the 385 Big Boy, but the standard features are practical and cover everything you may need. I loved that it came

with a carpeted low floor. Not having a floor was one of my pet hates in my first tinny and now I have a family it is also practical to have a level surface for when children are in the boat. It also keeps things out of the way from

any water that may find its way into the boat. The fuel tank and battery are both on raised and carpeted platforms at the rear of the boat. Another very practical set up as these items tend to be quite heavy and not

having to reach into the hull to lift them is gold. There is also an anchor shelf provided to store your anchor in the bow, as well as ample storage room. The bench seating is practical rather than comfortable but nothing a cushion couldn’t fix. There are also two transom and bow grab rails – it’s always nice to have something to hang onto when you are zipping around. Tough is a good way to describe the Big Boy’s construction. The 3mm through construction means the 385 will deal with the inevitable bumps you are likely to come across. The 385 Big Boy is rated for four people, but I would suggest it is ideal for two people or three if required. This would also depend on the motor on the back. The boat we tested had a Mercury 30hp 2-stroke on it and would cope easily with 3 people on board. PERFORMANCE There is a quality I hope I can convey when I write about the performance of the 385 Big Boy on the water. It’s not about the blistering speed that it got out of the hole or how it turned on a knife-edge or even how stable it was at rest. I will get to that shortly. What I want to express is the joy that a small boat can provide. Here were three middle-aged men - some of us older than others - having a run in the Savage 385 Big Boy at Lake Narracan. Every time one of us set off, it was like drinking at the fountain of youth. Zooming around inspired an instant smile that made me realise there a boy still existed in all of us. I always thought when I was young, that it was only me who enjoyed getting out in dads tinny, I now realise he enjoyed it as much as I did. Having said that, the 30hp 2-stroke Mercury motor, which is the maximum horsepower for the 385,

Left: The Savage 385 Big Boy is a great entry-level package that will tick all the boxes for anybody looking for this style of boat. Right: We all had a smile on our faces when we went for a run. provided plenty of low-end grunt to get it out of the hole and plenty of zip to get you from A to B. It did handle well and stability at rest wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an issue. FISHABILITY There are some true advantages to having a tinny like the Savage 385 Big Boy. Firstly, access to small waters is important, the boat draws very little water and is ideal to get into those little tidal creeks or into those back waters situated along the Murray and similar waterways. As it is easily launched, there is nothing to deter you from heading out on your own and the simple floor

The Savage 385 Big Boy was really a lot of fun to drive, handling well and getting on the plane easily.

575 BLUEWATER

came in under the magical 10K mark at $9,500. To find out more about the Savage 385 Big Boy or the other boats available in the Savage Aluminium boat range you can contact the team at Warragul Marine on 03 5623 6250 or check them out at www.warragulmarine.com.au â&#x20AC;˘ 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.

385 BIG BOY

A BOAT FOR EVERY

SITUATION

plan gives you plenty of fishing space whether you are casting, trolling lures or soaking a bait. LAST WORD The Savage 385 Big Boy ticks all the boxes you would expect it to for this style of boat - including price point. You can pick it up from Warragul Marine from $7,375 fitted with a Mercury 15hp ML 2-stroke motor plus safety gear, registration, and trailer. The boat we tested was fitted with a Mercury 30hp ELH electric start motor and had a few optional extras including extruded side decks, a bow cleat, rod holders and a transducer bracket and still

FROM

7,375

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HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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www.sharkmen.com.au Sharkmen Charters, Carrum 0418 107 071 St Kilda Fishing Charters, St Kilda (03) 9770 2200 Western Port Fishing Charters, Hastings (03) 9769 5544

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BOAT TRAILER CENTRAL BMS Marine (03) 9731 7269

CHARTER BOATS EAST GIPPSLAND

pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au FRESHWATER Angling Expeditions Victoria, Tawonga (03) 5754 1466

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WEST COAST Sharkmen Fishing Charters 0418 107 071

Highland Trout Lakes, Ballarat (03) 5368 9574 Millbrook Lakes Lodge, Ballarat (03) 5334 0404

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Portland Fishing Charters, Portland (03) 5523 3020

Ausprey Tours, Launceston (03) 6630 2612

Shipwreck Coast Diving & Charters, Warrnambool (03) 5561 6108

Gone Fishing Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 1553

CENTRAL South-West Fishing Charters, Portland 0418 306 714 Gone Fishing Charters 0409 007 068 Off The Hook Fishing Charters 0419 554 916 Able Fishing & Charters, Williamstown (03) 9502 3777 ACE Fishing Charters, Bonbeach (03) 9773 4183 Adamas Fishing Charters, Barwon Heads (03) 5254 3320

Fish Wild Tasmania, Hobart 0418 348 223Flinders Island Adventures, Flinders Island (03) 6359 4507 Trout Territory, Northern Midlands (03) 6397 5001

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Charters, Narooma (02) 4476 1047 or 0408 428 857K9 Fishing

Blue Magic Fishing Charters, Rowville (03) 9759 5301

Charters, Merimbula (02) 6495 1681

Calypso Fishing Charters, Tootgarook (03) 5985 8463Geelong Charters

Merimbula Marina, Merimbula (02) 6495 1686 or 0427 951 080

& Fishing Trips, Geelong (03) 5275 7107

Narooma Charters, Narooma 0407 909 111

Katrina Louise Charters, Cheltenham 0402 828 140

O’Brien Charter Service, Bermagui 0407 214 124

This barrel tuna weighed in at 120.8kg when bled and was caught in 65m of water south of Lawrence Rock at Portland. On 24kg Momoi line subduing the beast took 45 minutes at full drag (18kg). This proves the quality of Momoi line as we caught another fish the following day on the same outfit, fight time was 3.5 hours at full drag (again!) on a really stubborn fish that weighed 102.8kg.

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Victorian Tide Times

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA SEPTEMBER Time 0107 0649 TU 1343 1920

Time

m 1.55 0.34 1.63 0.39

0148 0736 WE 1400 1957

Time

1.47 0.47 1.49 0.41

0150 0726 TH 1359 1946

1.51 0.47 TH 1431 1.51 2030 0.37

2 0243 0815

17 0337 0923

3 0331 0900

18 0412 0957

4 0520 1045

19 0447 1032

5 0608 1130

20 0524 1107

6 0658 1214

21 0604 1143

7 0041 0750

22 0647 1220

8 0127 0845

23 0027 0736

9 0219 0943

24 0116 0832

2015

LAT 38° 18’ LONG 144° 37’ Times and Heights of High and Low Waters OCTOBER NOVEMBER

1.70 0.40 1.61 0.15

1.75 0.40 FR 1444 1.62 2036 0.11

0303 0848 FR 1458 2059

Time

1.57 0.53 1.45 0.30

0415 0943 SU 1603 2200

1.60 0.52 SA 1533 1.46 2131 0.28

2 0500 1028

17 0430 1012

3 0545 1112

18 0507 1049

4 0629 1155

19 0545 1127

5 0012 0714

20 0627 1206

6 0055 0801

21 0010 0711

7 0141 0851

22 0101 0801

8 0235 0944

23 0200 0900

9 0344 1037

24 0310 1005

1.77 0.46 1.54 0.12

Time

1.66 0.55 1.42 0.24

0441 1013 TU 1628 2223

1.66 0.54 TU 1624 1.41 2210 0.25

2 0521 1056

17 0452 1034

3 0600 1139

18 0530 1115

4 0637 1220

19 0610 1158

5 0024 0715

20 0002 0651

6 0106 0755

21 0052 0737

7 0152 0839

22 0146 0830

8 0246 0929

23 0248 0930

9 0354 1023

24 0401 1037

1.71 0.48 1.46 0.23

1.66 0.47 WE 1713 1.41 2304 0.31

0414 0954 WE 1608 2152

17 0225 0811

3 0255 0830

18 0259 0845

4 0346 0918

19 0333 0918

5 0437 1003

20 0408 0953

6 0530 1048

21 0445 1028

7 0625 1134

22 0528 1103

8 0009 0723

23 0614 1141

9 0100 0822

24 0706 1224

10 0158 0922

25 0042 0808

10 0324 1040

25 0218 0937

10 0503 1130

25 0430 1112

10 0513 1119

25 0007 0520

11 0306 1022

26 0144 0916

11 0440 1135

26 0332 1045

11 0034 0613

26 0026 0548

11 0045 0621

26 0108 0632

12 0417 1119

27 0258 1025

12 0006 0551

27 0455 1149

12 0121 0704

27 0126 0656

12 0131 0713

27 0203 0733

13 0521 1211

28 0418 1126

13 0101 0649

28 0041 0613

13 0201 0746

28 0220 0751

13 0214 0756

28 0254 0826

14 0019 0614

29 0532 1222

14 0148 0735

29 0142 0716

14 0239 0824

29 0311 0841

14 0254 0836

29 0340 0915

15 0107 0658

30 0055 0633

15 0228 0814

30 0236 0809

15 0315 0900

30 0358 0927

15 0334 0915

30 0421 1000

1.68 0.36 TH 1510 1.68 2100 0.21 1.69 0.40 FR 1552 1.66 2148 0.18 1.65 0.45 SA 1634 1.62 2236 0.19 1.59 0.51 SU 1717 1.55 2322 0.24 1.51 0.58 MO 1804 1.47 0.31 1.44 TU 1221 0.66 1858 1.39 0.39 1.38 WE 1314 0.72 2000 1.32 0.47 1.34 TH 1420 0.77 2110 1.27 0.52 1.34 FR 1540 0.76 2218 1.26

0.53 1.36 SA 1655 0.71 2323 1.29

0.52 1.39 SU 1754 0.63

1.35 0.50 MO 1253 1.43 1842 0.55 1.41 0.48 TU 1329 1.47 1921 0.47

1.54 0.49 FR 1503 1.52 2104 0.34

1.55 0.50 SA 1536 1.51 2137 0.33

1.54 0.53 SU 1610 1.48 2209 0.33

1.51 0.57 MO 1645 1.44 2241 0.34 1.47 0.62 TU 1723 1.39 2315 0.36

1.42 0.66 WE 1806 1.34 2354 0.38 1.37 0.70 TH 1858 1.30 0.41 1.34 FR 1317 0.72 2002 1.27

0.45 1.33 SA 1426 0.70 2122 1.29

0.48 1.37 SU 1544 0.63 2244 1.37

0.48 1.43 MO 1658 0.50 2354 1.48 0.45 1.50 TU 1801 0.36

1.61 0.42 WE 1312 1.56 1856 0.24

1.74 0.42 SA 1527 1.60 2124 0.12 1.70 0.45 SU 1710 1.56 2310 0.16 1.62 0.49 MO 1755 1.49 2356 0.24 1.53 0.54 TU 1842 1.41 0.33 1.44 WE 1300 0.60 1936 1.32 0.43 1.36 TH 1350 0.65 2040 1.25 0.52 1.31 FR 1453 0.69 2152 1.22 0.60 1.28 SA 1609 0.68 2302 1.22

0.63 1.28 SU 1723 0.64

1.27 0.63 MO 1226 1.30 1822 0.56 1.35 0.61 TU 1310 1.34 1909 0.47

1.43 0.58 WE 1348 1.38 1948 0.40 1.51 0.55 TH 1423 1.42 2024 0.34

1.62 0.52 SU 1609 1.46 2204 0.27

1.61 0.53 MO 1645 1.43 2237 0.28 1.57 0.55 TU 1722 1.40 2309 0.30

1.53 0.57 WE 1801 1.36 2345 0.33 1.47 0.59 TH 1846 1.32 0.38 1.41 FR 1303 0.60 1941 1.29

0.44 1.37 SA 1357 0.60 2049 1.27

0.51 1.34 SU 1502 0.57 2213 1.31

0.57 1.35 MO 1619 0.49 2332 1.40 0.59 1.39 TU 1733 0.38

1.53 0.57 WE 1248 1.45 1837 0.25 1.65 0.53 TH 1342 1.50 1932 0.16 1.74 0.50 FR 1431 1.54 2024 0.10

1.65 0.48 TU 1732 1.44 2329 0.27 1.56 0.51 WE 1820 1.36 0.37 1.47 TH 1240 0.55 1913 1.29 0.47 1.39 FR 1328 0.58 2015 1.23 0.57 1.32 SA 1422 0.61 2127 1.20 0.66 1.27 SU 1527 0.61 2235 1.22 0.73 1.25 MO 1638 0.57 2339 1.27 0.75 1.25 TU 1740 0.51

1.35 0.73 WE 1218 1.27 1830 0.43 1.44 0.69 TH 1303 1.31 1913 0.36

1.52 0.65 FR 1345 1.35 1951 0.30

1.59 0.61 SA 1426 1.39 2027 0.26

1.64 0.58 SU 1506 1.41 2101 0.24

1.63 0.53 WE 1704 1.39 2246 0.28 1.58 0.52 TH 1746 1.36 2326 0.33

1.53 0.51 FR 1833 1.33

0.40 1.47 SA 1251 0.50 1930 1.31

0.48 1.42 SU 1344 0.47 2042 1.31

0.57 1.38 MO 1445 0.44 2204 1.35 0.65 1.36 TU 1557 0.38 2319 1.44

0.70 1.37 WE 1709 0.29 1.54 0.68 TH 1215 1.40 1815 0.21

1.65 0.64 FR 1314 1.44 1912 0.14

1.72 0.59 SA 1407 1.48 2004 0.11

1.76 0.54 SU 1456 1.50 2052 0.12

1.75 0.50 MO 1543 1.49 2139 0.16

1.58 0.48 TH 1758 1.35 2345 0.40 1.51 0.49 FR 1846 1.29 0.49 1.44 SA 1303 0.51 1943 1.24 0.58 1.37 SU 1348 0.52 2046 1.21 0.67 1.31 MO 1439 0.52 2152 1.22 0.76 1.27 TU 1538 0.51 2255 1.26 0.82 1.24 WE 1643 0.48 2354 1.32 0.83 1.24 TH 1743 0.42 1.41 0.80 FR 1215 1.26 1833 0.36

1.49 0.75 SA 1307 1.30 1916 0.30

1.57 0.69 SU 1356 1.34 1957 0.26

1.63 0.63 MO 1442 1.38 2035 0.23 1.66 0.57 TU 1525 1.41 2113 0.22

31 0327 0857

1.78 0.47 SA 1518 1.56 2113 0.09

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astonomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter

m 1.67 0.52 1.42 0.23

1.66 0.48 TH 1651 1.42 2232 0.27

2 0202 0742

1.63 0.34 WE 1427 1.67 2011 0.28

1.72 0.46 MO 1647 1.50 2245 0.19

0352 0936 MO 1545 2136

Local Time DECEMBER

1.63 0.44 FR 1736 1.40 2316 0.33

1.58 0.40 SA 1826 1.38

0.41 1.53 SU 1244 0.37 1924 1.36

0.50 1.47 MO 1333 0.35 2034 1.35 0.60 1.42 TU 1430 0.33 2150 1.37

0.69 1.37 WE 1534 0.30 2301 1.43 0.75 1.35 TH 1645 0.27 1.50 0.75 FR 1145 1.36 1754 0.23

1.57 0.71 SA 1248 1.38 1855 0.19

1.64 0.64 SU 1345 1.41 1947 0.17

1.68 0.57 MO 1438 1.43 2037 0.18 1.69 0.52 TU 1526 1.44 2122 0.21

1.67 0.48 WE 1611 1.42 2204 0.26

31 0458 1041

1.63 0.45 TH 1655 1.40 2244 0.33

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. 106

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