Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly - September 2015 by Fishing Monthly

VICTORIAN TROUT OPENING • AFTA WINNERS

Features

Season up for snapper • AFTA Fishing Tackle Winners • Victorian trout opening • Goulburn Festival • Basic boat safety •

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A Black Magic 12gm Spinsect® ‘golden grub’ was used by Rod Shepherd to catch this brown trout while fishing at Lake Elingamite.

A Black Magic 5/0 Snapper Terror was used by Bradley Stewart to take this morwong off Mossy Point, NSW.

Kain Puncher landed this murray cod on Black Magic 30lb Tough Fluorocarbon leader. He was fishing at Burrinjuck Dam, NSW.

Brad Shillitoe landed this 70lb mulloway on a Black Magic KL 7/0 hook while fishing from Yalata, SA.

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Black Magic 60lb Tough Trace was used by Adam Epifanis to catch this 18kg spanish mackerel. Adam was fishing from Steep Point, WA.

SEPTEMBER 2015

September 2015, Vol. 11 No. 11

Contents WEST COAST

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 60 Robinvale 62 Mildura 62 Shepparton 63 Yarrawonga 63 Wangaratta 64 Jindabyne 66 Eildon 69 Bonnie Doon 69 Central Gippsland 71 West/South Gippsland 72 Bendigo 72 Melbourne metro 73 Crater Lakes 73 Ballarat 74

TASMANIA WRAP

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 55 Boating 84 Chappy’s Hotspot 31 Dam Levels 74 Fun Page 75 Junior City Fishing 38 Kayak 80 Spearfishing 79 Tasmanian Lake Levels 46 Tournament News 76 Trade and Services Guide 88 Victorian Tide Times 90 VRFish Update 35 What’s New Boating 83 What’s New Fishing 52

SPECIAL FEATURES

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Barring a slow start, where the outboard was unable to be used (due to an incident involving Kris Hickson and a diesel fuel pump), we happily glided around some Gold Coast canals under electric motor power and boxed a 2.19kg limit of yellowfin bream. Impressively, Colbeck bagged a legal fish on the second cast of the morning with a Tasmanian designed Cranka Crab lure, and proved as handy on the rod as I am at touch typing. It was interesting, however, to gain an insight into the machinations of the political system and how a polly has to deal with keeping a balance. Adam was atypically well behaved. We’ll have to fire him up before the next opportunity arises…. Until then, enjoy the September issue.

SEPTEMBER 2015

8 48 56 68 82

this magazine goes to press, the Premier and Minister for Agriculture opened two recreational trout cod fisheries in Victoria – in lakes Sambell and Kerford, near Beechworth. Currently a no-take protected species, these recreational areas, specifically stocked, are part of the Target One Million project aimed at getting more people fishing. We think that they’re headed in the right direction. And, of course, we’ll be covering the fishery itself in a future issue. YES, MINISTER The day after the Conference, Adam Royter and I got to spend a morning with the Hon Richard Colbeck, the Tasmanian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture. On our terms – the deck of a tournament fishing boat.

AUST

Season up for snapper AFTA Fishing Tackle Winners Victorian trout opening Goulburn Festival Basic boat safety

information overload, impressed with his enthusiasm and optimism for the future of Victorian Fisheries and the Target One Million project. A keen recreational angler himself, the Chair of the Conference had to use the proverbial coathook to pry him from the microphone. I – like lots of us – am often uninspired by the bureaucrats placed in charge of managing our recreation. They all-too-often seem to be managing their positions first and give what little time they have left over to looking after us and what we feel is important. So having fellow attendees coming up to me and asking, “Where can I get one of him for our state?” sets the bar pretty high for other Australian states. Topically, and just as

ION

Eden 40 Mallacoota 40 Bermagui 40 Narooma 42 Merimbula 43

It’s been a busy month – you’ll read about the AFTA Trade Show and the launch of plenty of new products and gadgets inside this issue – but few may know that the day before that, there was a successful Recreational Fishing Conference held at the same venue – on Queensland’s Gold Coast. FRDC-funded as a melting pot of ideas and populated by both delegates from relevant agencies as well as everyday anglers, the Conference proved to be an educational experience for all involved. I won’t bore you with the technical side, but I will tell you one of the outcomes of the conference: every state wants a Travis Dowling as their Director of Fisheries! Travis, although placed in a late slot, where the audience has a lot of

NSW SOUTH COAST

From the Editor’s Desk...

Ninety Mile Beach 32 Welshpool 33 Inverloch 33 Gippsland Lakes 36 Marlo 36 McLoughlins Beach 37 Bemm River 39

EAST COAST

Geelong 16 Port Phillip West 18 Port Phillip East 20 Port Phillip North East 22 Mornington Peninsula 24 Western Port North 26 Western Port South 28 Phillip Island 32

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Season up for snapper PART I WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

September is upon us, the teatree is starting to blossom, the wattle is flowering and some diver who wishes to remain anonymous just reported that he saw a school of snapper 10,000 thick swim through the rip just last week. Ah, it’s that time of year again when the strangest of stories are told from angler to angler and as entertaining as they are, one thing is for sure, the snapper are beginning to arrive. Before getting all excited and just jumping straight in, it is the time to do some maintenance. CHECK THE BOAT Boats that have been garaged all winter will require a good look over before dropping straight into the water on a busy

It is not just about the motor either, check your bungs as the seals could have dried up and cracked, check the boats hull for any gouges or scratches that might need repairing. Then there is the maintenance inside the boat with organisation of items, checking your flares to see if they are still in date and making sure your inflatable life jackets been serviced. When you think about it, there is quite a lot of things you can check and it is all worth doing for your safety. TRAILER MAINTENANCE Although you might have checked the boat, the trailer also needs a good going over for any faults it could have sustained from the prior season. You can check your trailer at home, but a more thorough check is to take the boat to a local ramp, launch it and then inspect the trailer in the car park. This will allow you to really look over everything such

takes an hour or so to do this and could prevent an accident from occurring down the track. ROD MAINTENANCE Fishing rods also need regular maintenance as they are often tossed in the corner of the garage, bashed and bumped around when being stowed for the off season. This can cause damage to guides and the blanks themselves so it always pays to inspect your rods. Blanks can be looked over with a fine eye and loaded by hand to see if the blank itself has sustained any damage while checking the guides and tips that could have cracked ceramic inserts. To inspect the guides, get a cloth and hold one end and thread the other through each guide, then with your other hand grab the other end. In a sawing type motion run the cloth over the ceramic guide under tension. If it slides through free from catching, the guides are fine. If you notice it does catch, then you

The author with a nice red taken out from Seaford. Looking after your fishing gear should be as important as a builder looking after their tools. should replace the guide by doing it yourself or taking the rod to a rod repairer. REEL MAINTENANCE Reels bear the brunt of the hardship over previous snapper seasons and while they are in contact with the

saltwater weekly if not daily, after being stowed for the winter can have corroded and or seized if they weren’t cleaned correctly at the end of last season. Reels always need regular maintenance from

Top Left: Inspecting your trailer before the season begins is a good habit to get into. Middle: When rigging your lines, a soft lumo bead above the swivel will protect your tip guide when winding fish in. Top Right: Reels should receive basic servicing such as oiling and greasing. Otherwise, post back to the manufacture for a proper service. Above Left: Boats should be serviced and checked before heading out for the first snapper session. Above Right: All your rods should be in tip top shape before the season begins. Saturday morning. If boats haven’t been attended to, problems can arise and I’m sure you really don’t want to be towed in by the Coast Guard on your first outing. If you’re handy with boat motors, a good check over yourself won’t go astray, otherwise, it is best to take it to your local dealer and have it serviced. That way you can head out with a head full of confidence you’ll get back at the end of the day. 8

SEPTEMBER 2015

as rollers or skids that might need replacing, the jockey wheel that could be worn, the winch strap webbing that could be deteriorating and you might also want to check your number plate to see if it is secure or not. Checking the tow coupling and breaks is also worth doing as well as inspecting the welding on the winch stand for cracks due to the stress it is put under when a boat is attached. Realistically it only

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oiling and greasing the internal gears to checking the roller bearings and even the bail arm. Although servicing reels yourself might sound like fun, there are dozens of tiny springs and screws when if lost can do more harm than good. Ideally, if you’re in need of a service, post it back to its manufacture for a full service for a small fee and have it done right. Your fishing line will also require replacing if it is still spooled with last season’s. Monofilament line becomes weak due to UV exposure after 3 months. That means that if your fishing line has been on the reel in the garage for the entire winter, and the chances of it breaking while fighting a fish are increased dramatically. At the start of each season it always pays to re-spool your reels with new line and for what it costs to do so, no fish is worth losing because of a few dollars. TERMINAL TACKLE Even though it is important to inspect the boat, trailer, rods and reels, your terminal tackle and items in your tackle box will also require a going over. Rusty hooks and swivels along with old line is not a good way to begin a successful snapper season. Once again, before heading out, open the lid on your tackle box, pull out all of the old, damaged and rusty tackle and replace with all new gear to set you up for the season. As easy as it is to say so, replacing old tackle doesn’t have to be expensive either. In the era of digital technology, most of us are connected on social media. Purchasing new tackle is as simple as waiting for a local tackle store to have a sale, then go out and stock up. Remember though, just because it’s cheap now doesn’t mean it is good quality. Do the research, know your brands and buy them throughout the winter when they come on sale.

SNAPPER SEASON IN A NUTSHELL SEPTEMBER Fishing is a little slow but worth persisting on first light with a tide change. Port Phillip Bay: Early season, fish around Mt Eliza, Frankston, Outer Artificial Reefs. Western Port: Long Reef, Boultins Channel, Bouchier channel, Spit Point, Corinella. OCTOBER Fishing is more consistent, but still persisting on first light with a tide change. Port Phillip Bay: Mornington, Frankston, Seaford, Carrum, Chelsea, Sandringham and Brighton. Western Port: North Arm (Lysaghts), Joes Island, Corinella, Lang Lang, Mosquito Channel, Western Entrance. NOVEMBER Fish are feeding very actively. When barometer crashes, they are tough. Good bite times are first and last light. Phillip Bay: Everywhere – during strong westerly blow, fish in close off Seaford, Frankston, Mt Martha. Western Port: Everywhere – for big fish, fish during the night in 5 meters of water out from Coronet Bay. DECEMBER Fish begin spawning and go quiet halfway through the month. Best bite time will be late afternoon with rising barometer. Port Phillip Bay: Mornington, Frankston, Seaford, Carrum, Chelsea, Aspendale, Blackrock, Sandringham and Brighton. Western Port: North Arm (Lysaghts), Western Entrance, Corinella, Coronet Bay, Rhyll and the Corals. JANURARY Fishing is quite slow with the fish biting every aggressively every few days. Phillip Bay: Mornington, Mt Eliza, Frankston, Mt Martha. Western Port: N orth Arm, Western Entrance. FEBURARY Fishing is quite slow with the fish biting every aggressively every few days. Port Phillip Bay: M ornington, Mt Eliza, Frankston, Mt Martha. Western Port: North Arm, Western Entrance. MARCH Big fish are still about in smaller numbers. Best bite time is around a tide change. Port Phillip Bay: Mt Martha Western Port: Top of Long Reef, Sandy Point, The Corals, Western Entrance.

Top: Always inspect your rods guides for damage. You’d hate to hook and lose a fish due to a crack in the ceramic severing the mono line. Above Left: Matt Boultin from Fish On Charters proves that good maintenance equals quality snapper. Above Right: Mitch Bertachini from Online Fishing Charters displays the fruits of Port Phillip Bay. SEPTEMBER 2015

Good flows in the Glenelg above Sapling Creek will be all worth concentrating on. Finding the best congregations of fish can be a slightly harder prospect but a general search pattern is the best way to locate the fish. Casting lures or baits into the shallows around rock walls, weed banks or mud flats will soon indicate what kind of terrain the fish are holding on and once a pattern is established it is usually consistent through most of the river. September also holds the promise of large mulloway

WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

September is a great month to fish the Glenelg River as we transition out of the cold of winter into the more mild temperatures of spring. The preceding months of winter have seen some fantastic fishing in the Glenelg with a seemingly highly successful congregation, recruitment and spawning of the resident bream and estuary perch populations. Good flow rates and alternating closure and opening of the mouth have seen water and salinity levels remain at ideal conditions for the fish to do their thing. The lower reaches of the river have had massive schools of bream, perch and small mulloway and the fish have been easy to find on the sounder sitting out around 3.5m. Timing is everything though, and the key has been dragging a lure or bait through these schools during the sometimes short bite windows available. As usual, peak times have been early morning and very late afternoon

Tommy Purcell with a small Glenelg mulloway – the big ones aren’t far away… entering the river. In years gone by this month has been very productive for fish in

Schools of bream on the sounder are easily identified when they’re schooled up half against the bottom like this. as well as at the tide changes. Heavy plastics and deep diving hardbody lures fished slowly and methodically through the schools have accounted for plenty of good fish. Bait fishers have had success using pilchard fillet, lightly weighted and allowed to drift down through the schooled up fish. As the weather starts to improve with the onset of spring, we will start to see

these schools break up and move more freely around the system. Estuary perch will commence moving back upstream and onto the heavier snags at the shallower edges. Bream to will be more readily found feeding on the shallow edges and lightly weighted plastics as well as shallow to mid diving hardbodied lures will account for plenty of fish. The estuary through to and

A good mixed bag from the Glenelg River. Mixed bags like this are to be expected at this time of the year.

excess of the 10kg mark. The estuary itself is always a reliable hunting ground when the fish are about. Larger soft plastics and vibe/blade style lures are always a ‘go-to’ when targeting mulloway down the front. Jointed hardbodies and live baits like mullet are also a great way to target the bigger fish. The best times are the 3 days in the lead up to the full moon and the 3 days after the full. The slack water periods at the top and bottom of the tide also seem to be the peak bite period. With the temperature slowly on the rise after the cold of winter, now is the time to get out and spend some quality time on the Glenelg.

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Waiting for the rain to arrive WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

September signals the start of trout season. Even though local anglers have been able to target certain designated sea run areas all winter, there is a degree of excitement amongst trout fishers once they can spread their focus to any part of the local river systems. Last month winter had been super cold, but not wet enough for any high or dirty water trout fishing to occur. I have the feeling though that this month we will have had enough rain to dirty up the rivers and get the big browns feeding up on the shallow runs. Some of the local smaller lakes like Aringa, Gillear and Elligamite also fish well at this time of the year with higher water levels allowing for better access. Plenty of tuna were still available throughout July in the few windows of opportunities presented by the winter weather. Once again,

Tuna continue to respond well to stick baits like this one taken on a Daiwa Overthere Skipping.

casting stickbaits to busting up fish was the most enjoyable way to fish, and a most productive one, as getting a trolling spread near these fast moving fish was often a problem. Surely by September this protracted bluefin season, which has been going on since early February, will have come to a close. But who knows, there may be a few still around. With the tuna being cleaned at the Point Fairy ramp, there has also been a number of smaller species providing plenty of fun off the boat ramp jetties. Mullet, salmon, trevally and bream all respond well to a tiny bit of tuna, fished on a small hook on light tackle and can provide some exciting family fishing. Pick a time when the tide isn’t running too hard and hope that the local seals leave you alone. They are well fed though, so usually aren’t too much of a problem. The Hopkins River mouth has opened and closed again quickly a number of times in the past month or so. This has resulted in water levels

Some quality bream are still coming from the Hopkins despite the cold. remaining high, cold and tide free, which doesn’t help with getting the fish to bite consistently. Despite this, there have been some quality bream over 1kg still being captured by those willing to brave the conditions.

September is often a good time to fish for salmon along the local surf beaches like Levies Beach. Squid also begin moving along the inshore reefs and can provide a tasty treat or a stockpile of bait for the coming season ahead.

A new fishing season begins PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

What a couple of up and down months of fishing we have had in Portland. The icy cold weather with winds and large swells had certainly hit us hard and made the fishing trips a real challenge. The tuna season was reasonable and the number of fish caught when the guys could move due to the weather found them in pretty good numbers and there was no need to travel too far. I would suspect that the tuna are still out there in numbers but most charters have made their way back to Melbourne and the local

guys are pretty over it by now and start looking at options for the new season. When the weather has been kind some very nice fish in the deep water have been caught. Some very nice blue-eye around the shelf have been boated, but coming back into the 130m mark, some very impressive Tassie trumpeter over 10kg, some big flathead over 2kg and a few nice snapper around 4-7kg are also featuring in bags. Also, the chance of a nice gummy or school shark has been keeping anglers on their toes. Bridgewater Bay has also been fishing okay, and again, when weather permits there’s been very good hauls of flathead and sharks. This side of Lawrences

Rock has been killed by small couta and pinkie snapper, which make it hard to fish the bottom, but when you can get past them, some nice flathead have been coming aboard and we should start seeing some big whiting very soon. There are some very big schools of salmon around, which can be taken boat or land-based, and flicking lures or blue bait around generally works the best. The Lee Breakwater has been very quiet for the last couple of months apart from couta, salmon and the odd squid. The local anglers are itching to see the Breakwater improve and are waiting to see the first big snapper arrive and then the chase will be on!

The locals have had some fun with salmon cruising around Yellow Rock and towards Bridgewater. Some of the salmon have been up to 3kg and lures and light-weight baits seem to work very well in these areas. For the fishers chasing bream, the Fitzroy and Surrey rivers have been fishing okay. The Fitzroy has also seen perch and the odd mulloway. Of course, the mighty Glenelg River is another fantastic place to fish and the chance of big bream, big perch and mulloway is why so many people chose to fish this area. • Remember for all your bait and tackle needs call into Portland Compleat Angler and say g’day to the team and check out the great range

We will start to see some good mixed bags of table fish as the weather improves. on offer. You can contact us on (03) 5521 1844 for all up to date weather and fishing reports. We are open seven days a week

from 8am-6pm and you will find us at 61 Bentinck Street, Portland next to the Gordon Hotel. Fishing licences also available in store.

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Perfect month to trick some trout APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

It’s all about the trout this month! The first weekend in September sees the rivers open to trout fishing again and after the winter rains the rivers always fish well in September. The days are starting to get longer and more sunshine means more warmth, so there is no excuse for not having a go. All the streams around Apollo Bay hold trout with a general rule being the bigger the waterway the bigger the trout. This is not to say that the smaller rivers aren’t worth fishing, as the numbers encountered

are often more prolific. Any technique that catches trout elsewhere will work but I’m a massive fan of soft plastics. They just offer a very versatile way to fish and can cover both deep and shallow sections of river. I like to cast them upstream and work them back at a steady pace with a few flicks to get the trout interested and allow them to drop down in any deeper sections. A good day trout fishing in September can produce half a dozen or more fish and you will spook many more. It is really great fun for lure, bait or fly fishers and with so many locations to choose from, you will never run out of options for places to fish. The Braham and Aire

have been coming on the slack water periods of the tide with fresh squid heads or fillets of barracouta for bait. The snapper are starting to fire up and fish of 5kg can be caught in this region at this time of year. Drifting baits in 40-60m of water off Point Franklin or Cape Patton is where you will find the largest concentrations of snapper through the spring. Calamari squid can be caught from the pier at Apollo Bay using 2.5 sized prawn style squid jigs. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times to try but they can be caught all day if you put in the time. Until next month, good luck and happy fishing!

The rivers will open to trout fishing this month and the quality and quantity of fish is always good in September.

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Mid July finally saw some welcome rain fall in the South West. Along with the rain came an icy blast, the likes of which we have not experienced for some time. However, anglers cannot always have their cake and eat it too, unfortunately. The upside is that the Curdies estuary is extremely full. So full, in fact, that if anglers want to launch at Boggy Creek (Curdievale), they’d better pack some waders, as gumboots just won’t cut it. I imagine that this month the mouth at Peterborough would have been manually opened, giving this system a much needed flush out. After the water has settled and tidal movement takes over once again, as a general rule of thumb the fish should be very conducive to bait and

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River estuaries are worth fishing for black bream at this time of year too. Cast tight to any structure or try to find deep holes in the river where the fish will be schooled up. Metal blades are always a good choice at this time of year and it’s not uncommon to catch a few estuary perch as by-catch when using these lures. On the ocean side of things, I would be starting to look for schools of King George whiting around the Bumbry Reef or off Marengo. Try fishing pipis on a light running sinker rig around the reef edges. Gummy sharks are biting well down around Point Franklin and Cape Otway reefs in 40m of water. The best results

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lure. This should last right into spring and hopefully summer as long as a late winter storm doesn’t close the mouth. Otherwise, things are looking up for local bream anglers. Those braving the cold have found some solid bream in the middle and lower reaches of the Hopkins River. Brent Hodges and his father had some recent success using bladed lures in dark tones

preparation for their annual spawning run. The amount of fresh water pushing down from the upper reaches usually dictates where the fish will be congregating at a given time. This is where depth sounders really come in handy. The Gellibrand River at Princetown remains rather turbid with plenty of muddied water currently flowing down from the Otway Ranges. However,

This could very well be the final report on southern bluefin tuna for the season. August usually sees the fish move on with only the odd straggler being picked up from then on. Last month, there were still plenty of school fish about and in quite close to shore. A popular spot has been out from the Bay of Islands near Peterborough with the offshore natural gas pipeline being used

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fished along drop-offs or along deeper stretches for some very solid bream. Brent’s dad even managed a soapy mulloway as well as an estuary perch. This time of year the fish tend to school up away from the shallows in

bait anglers fishing tight up against the bank and out of the main flow are picking up the odd bream as well as smallish mulloway. Cut pilchard and packet prawn are working more than likely because of the strong scent these baits give off.

by many as a marker as to where to start trolling. A lot of tuna are feeding on small whitebait so small skirted lures in white and even chrome slices ripped through a surface school has seen plenty of hook-ups occur for some.

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Seething for September snapper GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

September heralds the start of the snapper season for many, and those in the know always say that some of the best snapper fishing can be straight after the AFL Grand Final, which is normally the last weekend in September. But I reckon, if you get good weather and tides, give it a crack now. Barwon Heads to Torquay is the area to concentrate on if the weather is kind. The outgoing tide is best and you should concentrate on water from 15-18m over reef and 35-50m on the drift over deeper rubble. This time of year can see the seabed carpeted with pesky, bait stealing draftboard sharks. Sometimes it seems they are everywhere and moving about does nothing, but you have to keep trying. School sharks show up out here around this time too so pack a few light traces. Cuttlefish and squid are great baits as they hang on when the pickers are about but top fall backs are regular fish

bait such as pilchards, silver whiting, small but legal length salmon or sauries. Quality snapper were being caught last month but I would consider this an exception rather than the norm for the cold winter we’re peeking out of. Snapper from 4-6kg were being caught out off Barwon Heads in 40-50m of water, which is a great return for pre-September fishing. Anglers seeking snapper are preferring the sheltered waters of Port Phillip and Corio Bay and are starting out off Clifton Springs, Portarlington and St Leonards. Try the deeper water over 8m deep first, and see if you can pin down an outgoing tide. Geelong Fishing, Dive and Cray Yoinkers Club are holding a snapper competition that starts at 6am, Saturday 1 August and goes through to 12pm Sunday 8 November. This is prime snapper time so I reckon there will be some great captures! Senior entry is $50 and juniors are $5 with a big prize pool on offer, it should be hotly contested. For more information, contact Brian Scarlett on 0400 812 348 or lob on over

to their Facebook page at Geelong Fishing, Dive and Cray Yoinkers Club. In June 2015, Victoria’s largest ever artificial reef was created when 25 concrete modules measuring almost 4m high and weighing 20 tonnes were deployed offshore between Breamlea and Torquay to improve offshore recreational fishing opportunities. The purpose-built reef modules are situated approximately 3km offshore, in 25m of water. I would have liked to see these reefs placed somewhere a little more accessible such as Port Phillip or Corio Bay. However, it is a great effort by all involved should be congratulated. I’d expect the artificial reef will be very popular as they start to hold fish. The project was funded by $1,090,000 from recreational fishing licence fees and $410,000 from State Government Initiative funds in one of the biggest fish habitat enhancement projects in Victoria’s history. If those pesky kids are climbing the walls over the school holidays, you could take them to one of the lakes stocked by DEPI with ‘ready to catch’ rainbow trout. St

Augustine’s Waterhole at the Warn Ponds end of Highton is scheduled to receive 500 of these trout and I bet there are some left over from the term two school holiday stocking, which have grown a bit bigger. They love Berkley Powerbait, worms, corn and sometimes take a small bladed spinner, minnow lure or soft plastic. Pack gumboots for the kids as it can be a little muddy around the banks. For more information including the lakes that are stocked, head over to the DEPI website. Wurdi Buloc Reservoir near Moriac is producing the odd quality trout and redfin for those anglers prepared to cast lures until they pass out from exhaustion. Brown and rainbow trout have also fallen to mudeye suspended under a bubble float as well as lures while the majority of reddies have been caught on soft plastic lures slowly bounced along the bottom. The best redfin I’ve heard of was by Bradley Cox who caught a well-earned 47cm, 1.36kg reddy in pouring rain. Bradley was actually fishing for trout using Bob ‘n spoon lures with a reasonably quick retrieve in about 1.2m of water.

Bradley enjoying 8°C and rain out at Wurdi Buloc. Anglers fishing the Barwon River in Geelong while it’s clear have caught quality redfin around the 35cm mark. Greg Ainsworth caught a couple of rippers casting soft plastic lures into the middle of the river, allowing them to sink to the bottom, then slowly retrieving them. Garfish have been biting well inside Corio Bay and around the Bellarine

Peninsula. These fish are dynamite snapper bait and also do very well in the pan. If you defrost a few and luck out on the snapper, you can always cook a few up for a mid-morning snack. Best bet has been to get them excited by flicking some berley about where you plan to fish. This can be as simple as chook pellets mixed with tuna oil and a bit of seawater. Super sharp

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St Augustine’s Waterhole at the Warn Ponds end of South Valley Road is scheduled for 500 trout these school holidays. hooks are a must as their mouths are relatively hard. Add a small float to your rig and you’re in business. The Barwon estuary has seen good numbers of Australian salmon enter the lower reaches. Most of these fish have been from legal length to 40cm but there

has been a few much larger maxing out at 1.6kg. These are fantastic fun on light gear and will gobble lures and almost any bait. They prefer clean salt water and with the recent rain, the best bet could be when the incoming tide brings clean seawater up the river.

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A popular area with surf fishers, the stretch of water between Fairhaven Surf Life Saving Club and Eastern View is a productive spot for anglers chasing Australian salmon, gummy shark, mullet, trevally and elephant fish. The Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee of Management, with support from the Association of Geelong and District Angling

Clubs, obtained the grant which will utilise local contractors to undertake the works. The new boardwalk through the sand dunes at Moggs Creek is expected to be completed by spring. For more information about the Target One Million plan visit www.vic.gov.au/ targetonemillion – Victoria State Government

Salmon have also been caught by anglers fishing from the beaches along the Surf Coast. Some of these salmon have nudged 2kg so it is well worth the numb fingers. Give 13th Beach, Bancoora, Jan Juc or Fairhaven to Eastern View a go. • 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).

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Reds back to the Heads PORT PHILLIP WEST

Brenton Hodges blhodgey@hotmail.com

After a cold and blustery winter, spring is finally here and it’s time to snap out of the doldrums and start gearing up to hit the reds. As huge schools assemble outside Port Phillip Heads before gradually making their way along the eastern seaboard towards Melbourne, there’s bound to be some early arrivals on offer this month. AVALON TO POINT COOK Local lure and soft plastic enthusiast, Phil Jordan says the water temperature on Corio Bay has dropped to below 10ºC and as a result the resident snapper have been tough to tempt. However, the fishing is expected to pick up over the coming weeks, and at this time last year some solid reds to 6kg were taken in the vicinity of Corio Quay

on Gulp! Turtle Back Worms as well as more traditional offerings, including baits of pilchard and silver whiting. According to Phil, the past few weeks have been productive for smaller pinkie snapper and snotty trevalla, particularly amongst the Geelong waterfront piers and jetties on the turn of the tide. Further west, squid have been a reliable target at both Clifton Springs and St Leonards over patches of reef and weed in 4-6m of water. As we move into spring, larger specimens up to 2kg and beyond are expected to make more of an appearance. Jonathan Balfour also managed a tasty feed of calamari recently, this time over at Point Cook where all the action took place in 3-6m of water just out from the RAAF base airfield. Fishing alongside his brother in-law, the boys managed ten squid in relatively quick succession before shooting back to the ramp to prepare their meal.

ALTONA TO WILLIAMSTOWN Areas of shallow reef at both Altona and Williamstown have been producing plenty of pinkies and although most have been quite small, there are a few larger fish to 2kg amongst the juveniles. Worm and baitfish pattern soft plastics, including Gulp! Nemesis and Turtle Back Worms rigged on a 1/12-1/6oz jigheads are well worth a shot in 3-6m of water. Just as the sun dips below the horizon of an evening generally produces the hottest bite, especially when this coincides with a change in tide. Overcast conditions coupled with a moderate surface chop can also bring the fish on the chew in the shallows. Casting soft plastics from his pedal-powered kayak, Luke Harvey picked up several pinkie snapper to 45cm on the reef at Williamstown. After a slow start earlier at Port Melbourne, Luke says he was somewhat surprised by the larger than usual run of pinkies as he was

After a cold and blustery winter, spring is finally here and it’s time to snap out of the doldrums and start gearing up to hit the reds. expecting to be plagued by juveniles. Hopefully this is a good sign of what’s to come later this month. METROPOLITAN RIVERS Bream have been active at times just outside the

known to some to produce the odd early season red. Lure fishing specialist, Toby McClure spent a few hours on the Maribyrnong River recently where he managed a reasonable catch and release bag of bream for

occasion. The crew from Hooked on Bait and Tackle also suggest the Maribyrnong River is the pick of the local rivers for bream at the moment. The stretch along Flemington Racecourse, as well as further

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Left: After some major health issues, Sam Ira will no doubt be hoping to get amongst the reds again this season. Right: Areas of shallow reef at both Altona and Williamstown have been producing plenty of pinkies on soft plastics. Hopefully this is a sign of some good things to come over the coming months.

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Bream should become a more viable option this month and it’s always worth an exploratory cast at the entrance to the Yarra River, and indeed various parts of the bay itself, especially after some rain. mouth of the Yarra River at Williamstown where small diving minnows worked alongside the moored yachts have been productive. Landbased anglers fishing with baits of live and cut crab presented hard up against the jetty pylons can also expect some success in this area. At this time of year, there’s also every chance of snaring a snapper in the lower reaches of the Yarra River. Likewise, the structure-laden parts over at Port Melbourne are also

this time of year. Launching from the Warmies Boat Ramp at Newport under clear sunny skies around midday, Toby made his way upriver to fish the afternoon incoming tide where he managed half a dozen legal size bream before calling it a day after just a few hours. Toby says some bream were hanging about the bridge pylons though most seem to be further upriver. Whilst a few mulloway were also spotted up on the sounder screen, bites were not forthcoming on this

up around Essendon Rowing Club, has been productive on the incoming tides with lure anglers fairing best – flicking crab imitations along the drop-off just out from the bluestone edges. Baits of fresh mussel, tube worm and small freshwater yabbies are also well worth a try in this area. Down the highway at Werribee South, the resident bream have been preoccupied with spawning rituals and somewhat reluctant to feed for the most part. Again, tube worm and small freshwater yabbies are your best bet, particularly up around the island. Further upriver, Nathan Wright managed ten redfin within as many casts whilst flicking a soft plastic amongst from the shore. Though they were mostly small in terms of size, their aggression and willingness to hit a lure certainly made for some entertaining land-based action and helped Nathan fill in half an hour or so. BEEN FISHING? • Reports and images are most welcome and may be submitted via email to blhodgey@ hotmail.com.

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Season warms for snapper haven success PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

Are we allowed to totally dislike winter? I for one am sick of it, the weather has just really put a dampener on actually being able to go fishing. Anyway winter in Melbourne is supposed to throw a few curve balls at us, and as this month sees us heading towards spring let’s cross our fingers for some good weather and the start of the upcoming snapper season. MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK Due to the weather being fairly ordinary over the past weeks, we’ve probably seen a bit more focus on the fish actually in Mordialloc Creek, and it’s been well worth it! Anglers are finding some great mullet, and in among them are some big specimens. There has also been the odd trevally and some decent bream landed as well.

The start of the snapper season should go off with a bang. As per usual the best method has been to attract the fish with a very fine bran style berley that has tuna oil mixed through it. Then it’s a matter of fishing with a well-balanced small float and tiny baits of

peeled prawn, dough or chicken fillet. On the pier itself the pinkies have been biting fairly well over the past weeks, and while there hasn’t been much that we have heard of in the

way of size, it’s only a matter of time before the big reds start to make their presence felt. When the weather has settled for long enough or we have had northerly pattern winds, which allow

underway, however now it’s also a popular area to find a few early season land-based snapper. If the pier gets a bit busy or you prefer to try new areas then try fishing along the shoreline around the pier for both squid and snapper. Up off Ricketts Point and towards Black Rock this is an exciting time of the year as the winter run of smaller pinkies begin to have a few larger mates move in on their territory. So this month is the time to fish some bigger baits or lures to get yourself connected with an early season snapper. Out deeper in the 12-16m areas, it’s also a good time to start looking for some patches of bigger snapper, with locations such as the Mordi Hump and Two Fingers prime locations to start looking. SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA Land-based fishing off the Sandringham breakwall and the nearby Groynes

squid and there has been some excellent pinkie fishing on the shallow reef areas on the south side of the Brighton breakwall, especially during windy conditions – this hasn’t been hard to find lately. As this month rolls by, if you’re keen to have a look for some bigger snapper, try fishing the shallow areas during the night when it’s rough, or look out deeper along the edge of the shipping channel with the T1 and T2 areas often holding good number of early season fish. ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE It’s a bit of an each way bet with this area over the coming month as it will depend on how much rain falls around Melbourne and if the Yarra floods, spewing dirty water into the top end of the bay. On the snapper and pinkie front it shouldn’t make too much difference, and in fact it can often see the land-based crew

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Let’s cross our fingers for catches like this for September. the water to clear up, there has also been a few squid on the chew. Out in the boats being able to move around has allowed anglers to get into some reasonably good fishing, with the Parkdale Pinnacles producing some good hauls of pinkies to 45cm in length. One customer who called into Fishing Fever said he had been doing best by having a steady berley trail going, then fishing half pilchards unweighted and casting them as far behind the boat as possible. He said this way he got less small fish as they were closer to the back of the boat, where the berley is. Up off Beaumaris Pier the squid season is well

will really ramp up this month and for good reason as anglers look forward to the run of big reds that will move through this area, as they do every year. In the mean time however, the past weeks have seen some good fishing for squid around this area, and on the right day both boat and land-based anglers have found some good numbers of garfish. Fingers-crossed they will hang around for the snapper season – what I would give to have a year when you could consistently catch gars while you are out snapper fishing. Further north the shallow reef areas off Green Point and up towards Brighton have been holding

rubbing their hands together as the fish feed in the shallows even in during daylight hours as they feel safe in the dirty water. Over the past weeks there has also been some reasonably good squid fishing in this part of the bay, but if the water gets dirty with rainfall it will put a dampener on them. So in a perfect world a bit of rain would be great – but not too much, that way you can get fresh squid for bait to use on the pinkies and snapper. Up at Station Pier land-based anglers have reported a mixed bag over the past weeks with pinkies, flathead and even a few barracouta being taken, especially at night.

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Approaching reds keep bay tense PORT PHILLIP EAST

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

The cold and windy start to winter has definitely continued during the last month on the bay. With this continuing trend has also come plenty of welcome rainfall as well, which is music to the ears of many anglers. While this rain is needed right across the state and has been received in other much needed regions, the late winter rainfall is also crucial for the bay’s food chain, and especially the

snapper fishery. The downside to the upside of our cold and wet late winter has been that many anglers (especially boaters) have not been able to effectively fish due to adverse weather and conditions. The winter snapper success from last season in Western Port and also Port Phillip Bay, and also the recent land-based captures have certainly got many anglers keen, but small windows of opportunity have kept many anglers off the water. For those anglers who have been able to (or keen enough) to brave the

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conditions, the rewards have been well worth the effort. I have still been receiving fairly regular reports of good pinkies and larger snapper taken from various land-based locations. Many of the popular rock platforms along the esplanade from Mount Martha to Safety Beach have been producing snapper of all sizes, as well as the mouth of Martha Cove. Expect this trend to continue and success to become even more consistent as the next migration of snapper get closer. These areas are also prime spots for salmon at this time of year, and can also produce some solid whiting, although these are more reliable further south at the moment. And while we are talking about reliable land-based locations, the redevelopment and long-awaited completion of Mornington Pier has finally arrived. The grand opening on Saturday 8 August was a big event, and now many anglers will have full access to

While all this construction has been going on, the rest of the accessible areas surrounding the pier have been producing good numbers of squid and garfish, especially when the water along nearby reefy shores is too dirty. Squid and other sight feeders seem to prefer the cleaner water around the Mornington harbour, especially after recent rain when the nearby storm water drains are dumping fresh water onto the inshore reefs. Don’t be put off targeting other species however, as many other winter targets like salmon and bream make the most of dirty water influence and the food that it brings. Big numbers of salmon have currently been hanging around the mouth of Patterson River, Kananook Creek and Balcombe Creek, cashing in on the nearby baitfish and other food items around. Spinning with soft plastics, small metal slugs and even drifting baits in these areas is a fun and very effective way to catch a few fish. I even dusted off the old

With lots of recent rain, big numbers of squid will tend to hang in areas of cleaner water away from shoreline drains. Mornington Pier is a prime ‘after-rain’ location.

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their favourite fishing spot. The pier has long been one of the most popular spots for many anglers, and the new improvements provide safer access to the nearby reef and harbour areas. And what timing, too! With the imminent arrival of big numbers of spawning snapper over the next couple of months and beyond, there’s sure to be plenty of big reds (and other species) taken from the new pier this season.

fly rod recently, and tickled up a few small salmon at the mouth of Balcombe Creek. Muz Wilson’s trusty old Salty BMS was the fly that got it done, but without getting too technical, keep to a small white baitfish pattern, and you’ll catch plenty of salmon. Often getting the fly out to them is the hard bit. Patterson River has also been producing some lovely bream for the dedicated bait fishers, especially up

the top of the system closer to the freeway bridge. The humble scrub worm is the best bait at this time of year, and even other freshwater baits like small yabbies’ and even mealworms are worth a go. The lure fishers have been doing it a little tougher, but most of the better quality lure caught bream have been falling to crab lures and small vibes. I have had no recent reports of estuary perch or

mulloway from the system, but stay tuned. With the onset of the next ‘silly snapper season’ not too far away, many anglers are already bust gathering bait and doing early recon trips out in the bay to their secret marks. Take my advice, and get out on the bay before the AFL umpires put down their whistles, you won’t be disappointed. It might be a little fresh, but the rewards a worth it.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Let’s go squidding! MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Dan Lee info@peninsulatotaltackle.com.au

Finally it’s here! Spring is in the air and I have to say that I am pretty pleased about it. We had a very cold, and windy period over the last 4-6 weeks and it’s a sweet thing to know that

we are now in that period of change which, for me, heralds the beginning of the fishing year. GUMMY SHARK With the inclement weather over the last month we often see a lot of anglers opting for land-based fishing rather than getting their boats out. Our young staff member Jules Frank and mate Trent

North spent a bit of time doing just that, picking up a number of interesting catches including some very nice eater gummies from the east side of the peninsula. The boys had good success at Point Leo as well as around at Somers where they were often able to pick up a couple of sharks in a night usually between 3-6kg.

The new Yakamito squid jigs are still proving popular amongst squid anglers.

Jules Franks caught this cowanyoung on fly at night!

Freshly caught squid from inside the bay was often the bait producing fish however, other minor species that the boys caught, such as yakkas and trevally, also helped produce fish. SQUID On the days that have been fishable, squid have probably been the favoured target amongst many of our anglers and it’s good to report that the fishing has been very productive for this species. I think in part due to the fact that while we have had a cool winter we have not had an excess of rain, which has meant that the waters around the peninsula have remained

fairly clear, which is always a positive for squid fishing. The grassy areas around Safety Beach Ramp and Mt Martha rocks have produced, as have the weed beds at Portsea Pier and out at the Pinnacle Channel. Over last few weeks there has been no stand out colour in the jigs with a wide variety from the super brights to the very natural colours in green, brown and black. The very bright, UV Hayabusa jigs have been popular as a new entry into the market. LAND-BASED It’s been good to see that we have had some reasonable fishing from the piers in the

last month too. There has been some big size tommy rough down at Portsea as well as gars for those who care to spend a bit of time getting a berley trail going. On the gar front it has been a lean year with the warmer months being almost devoid of this species however, we have seen them in fits and starts through winter. The key has definitely been to be patient and ensure you have a very consistent, fine berley trail running. My advice would be to make sure you have some tuna oil or at least ground pilchards mixed with bread crumbs to ensure a nice ‘fishy’ slick.

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Other notable land-based fishing has included action at Blairgowrie Marina with schools of salmon being targeted on plastics and metals. I am not sure if it is due to the works currently

going on at the marina, but on the whole we have not seen as many salmon there through early and mid winter. However, the last few weeks have certainly seen some action with some good quality

A cool night’s fishing can still yield good results. A nice little gummy shark from the beach at Point Leo.

fish around 1.5kg. Although we don’t see a lot of it, staff member Jules franks has been trying his hand at saltwater fly fishing down here, targeting the sand flats and various piers. Interestingly, even through the cool of the last month he has managed to come up with a raft of species including flathead, cowanyoung, barracouta and even trevally – all on fly! LOOKING AHEAD Spring quite simply is snapper season. It is the biggest and, in some ways, busiest period of the year with literally thousands of boats hitting the bays on a weekly, if

not daily, basis. By the end of this month the AFL footy will be over and this is traditionally the whistle to get your engines rolling and get out there to target this favourite species of local anglers. Who knows how the season will unfold but I would certainly suggest getting out and getting some fresh bait over the next few weeks so that you are at an immediate advantage when your quest for the red fish begins! 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.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Charges pending after big abalone haul

Compleat Angler’s Jarrod Day with a lovely squid taken off Tootagrook.

Three men allegedly took 80 abalone and a rock lobster during a prolonged fishing venture at Sorrento back beach. The daily recreational limit for abalone is five per person, when the season is open. However the recreational abalone season is closed at present. A call from a concerned member of the public to the 13FISH reporting line alerted Mornington Fisheries Officers who watched for several hours as two of the

men allegedly dived in a bay for abalone and used a kayak to transport the fish to a third man on the beach. Fisheries Officers later intercepted a vehicle and uncovered 80 large abalone and a female rock lobster in berry (with eggs). The taking of female rock lobster in berry is prohibited and the season for female rock lobster is also closed. A 32 year old Point Cook man, a 32 year old Tarneit man and a 58 year

old international visitor were interviewed by Fisheries Officers. All their diving equipment, including the kayak, were seized. Two of the men will be charged on summons for a number of alleged offences including: • taking more than twice the catch limit for abalone; • taking abalone in the closed season; • taking rock lobster in closed season; and • taking rock lobster in berry. Fisheries Officer Heath

Cameron said this was another good example of public support and vigilance to assist in protecting Victoria’s marine fisheries resources. “Anyone who sees suspicious fishing activity is encouraged to call 13FISH on 133 474, anytime.” For more information about fishing rules and regulations visit our website www.vic.gov.au/ fisheries or call 131 186. – Vic Fisheries

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Calamari blooms in spring WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

It has been a really testing month for the average Victorian fisho as the weather just will not let up and give us any sort of consistency to put a few hours in. Having said that though,

there is a handful of keen anglers that have found a way to brave the elements and a few nice fish have come in, and there is also a little bit of light at the end of tunnel as we draw closer and closer to warmer weather and we all know what happens from there! LAND-BASED I have already

Peter Vink and his 6.5kg of big red!

mentioned the horrible weather, but for land-based fishos it is these conditions where they rub their hands together and head on down to the beach. Lang Lang has been the pick of the land-based locations with some really nice gummies poking about in the shallows. High tide is an absolute must and the cover of darkness is also the other key ingredient to finding a gummy in these waters. I know it is tough when it’s 3ºC outside but at least the rewards are there. The most unique thing about Lang Lang is the angler’s bait of choice. Fresh banana prawns from the supermarket are a favourite of the Lang Lang locals and, although it wouldn’t be my first choice in bait, it’s hard to argue with the results! A few of the top end piers have been producing some nice calamari too. It can be a little bit patchy, so work around the tide changes and flick around nothing smaller than a size 3.0 jig and more often than not you can at least take home a couple of hoods for a feed. Warneet and Hastings

have been the most consistent and are well worth a look. THE TOP END The top end, once again, has been the most consistent part of the port with the odd snapper still kicking around. The most consistent species however has been the big calamari. There has been a noticeable increase in size and they get more and more consistent every day. There are still some big snapper getting around and, although they have eased off just a little bit, the rewards are still there for those dedicated to working for them. Peter Vink was fishing ‘spot-X’ somewhere in the top end of the port and boated really healthy snapper that tipped the scales at 6.5kg. Great signs as we get closer to the season. Bouchier Channel has been producing some really nice table sized snapper. Local angler Evan Spingle spent a couple of hours in

Pat Ellaby with his cracker calamari off the Tyabb Bank.

Evan Spingle and a nice table sized snapper from Bouchier Channel. the cold and managed three nice fish all in the 2kg size bracket. It is cold and bites will be hard to detect, so look at some softer baits like pilchards or tenderised squid strips and strike early on the bites. If there is one species that has really started to fire, it’s the big calamari. There 26

SEPTEMBER 2015

have been some monstrous squid caught already and it’s a fishery that will continue to improve as we approach spring. There is no real ‘mark’ to catch these squid, just locate some decent weed beds and, best case scenario, weed beds broken up by some nice sand patches and

it’s in these areas that the big squid will start to move in to lay their eggs. Jovica Simic had a great little session up on the Quail Bank. Jovica set up a nice little drift pattern and, although he had to work to find them, they came on quite well once he did. Jovica fell just short of his bag of 10 but the ones he did get were in the upper echelon of the size bracket. On this particular day, red foil jigs in size 3.0 did all of the damage. The Tyabb Bank has also fired up on the calamari front. Pat Ellaby enjoyed the spoils of a tough session recently. Pat reported that though it was a tough session once he found that nice little patch he landed three big squid in quick succession with the hoods measuring 43cm in length. Tyler Methers once again showed his old man, Gaven, how it’s done with a bag of lovely calamari off the bank. The biggest model was almost as long as young Tyler and the smile on his face was absolutely priceless! Well done Tyler, and Gav – time to lift your game mate! The boys went with the ‘big jigs – big squid’ theory and it definitely paid off for them. It won’t be long now until the warmth of the sun finally hits the skin and as we inch closer to snapper season I’m sure the majority of the fishers out there are thinking about getting the boats ready for another crazy season. Keep those reports coming and good luck!

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Get on to the gummy sharks WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

So it begins. As I draw a deep breath I can think only of snapper. Finally, winter has passed, spring is in the air and small pockets of snapper are schooling up on the inshore reefs waiting for the water temperature to rise enough to bring them on the bite. Victorian saltwater anglers would all be biting at the bit right now. Waiting for a spike in the barometer, a morning high tide change or a 10-15 knot westerly to head out in search of an early season red. I love this time of year because the depressing winter days are over and everyone is getting toey. Tackle stores are crawling with anglers buying up new hooks and re-spooling their line, some are even out on the water gathering fresh bait for the following weeks first snapper session. Whatever mindset you have, keep in mind that you can burn yourself out very easily.

period requires anglers to fish hard for reds, which means being on the water when events, such as a rising barometer or high tide change, on first light. These key factors can, and usually are, when fish will bite during the early season. In saying that, you still have to find fish. There is no point just driving out and dropping

although they will flood the Port in the coming weeks, catching them throughout September and October can provide a real challenge. The first signs of snapper arriving in the Port are usually when reports of barracouta are reported off Lysaghts and in the North Arm. Then reports of snapper from Spit

Fishing the Western Entrance is particularly productive throughout early spring for big gummies. Photo courtesy of Think Big charters.

Gummy sharks are more active in their feeding patterns at night. Fish the tides and you’ll do well. Photo courtesy of Think Big charters.

The mornings are still cold but the sun is out and the fish are willing. Photo courtesy of Think Big charters. Snapper aren’t the easiest fish to catch even in the peak of the season and even more challenging in spring. The September/October

Settlement Point, Corinella Pier, Tenby Point and Stockyard Point. Only time on the water will lead you to success but don’t go too hard too early or you’ll burn yourself out before the season ends. GUMMY SHARKS Snapper aside, gummy sharks have continued on strong now with reports being

the anchor hoping to catch something. Rather, head out, use your sounder and find fish, then fish for them. Snapper are a very unique species and

more regular in the past month than the entire winter. August is usually a change over month for species and as the water temp begins to slowly warm, snapper, trevally, whiting and gummy sharks all seem to kick into gear. Shaun Furtiere from Think Big Charters has been dominating the gummies throughout winter and into spring. Although he is about to make the switch to snapper anytime; I’m sure by the end of this month Shaun will be snapper happy and working his way around the Port with great success. Of late, most of his gummy shark action has been in the Western Entrance with

most active. Fresh baits have been the key. BAIT GATHERING TIME Although it is an exciting time of year and the snapper aren’t in full firing mode just yet, the first two to three weeks of this month are a good time to go out bait gathering. When you are in search of snapper, using fresh bait will always enhance your chances and finding where to catch it can be a problem from time to time. In Western Port, there are many areas to gather baits, such as slimey mackerel, yellowtail scad, trevally, mullet, salmon and even King George whiting. The better locations are around the bottom end of the Middle Spit, Tankerton Jetty, Tortoise Head bank and along the flats at Silver Eaves. For sure success, fish a paternoster rig with Mustad size 8 Bloodworm hook. Place on two small pieces of pipi and fish back into a fine berley trail. You can also cast out a silver whiting on a squid prong, which is suspended under a float. Calamari in the area will move in on berley trails and should you have a baited jig back in the trail, you can also catch some calamari. Once you do have a good bait selection, remember to

months without freezer burn. GOOD WHITING If you’re not into bait gathering or fishing for snapper or gummy sharks just yet, there are still some good whiting about. Those fishing for them at this time of year tend to keep it quiet to relive an area from boat noise. Good friend Alex Obrien has been doing well with whiting to 42cm. On most of his trips, catches of 12-18 fish are common. Alhough he has been fishing different areas, Balnarring has been the most productive. In saying that, there has also been some nice whiting and calamari at Flinders near the Mussel Farm. As the water temperature increases this month, fishing during a rising tide at night will be very popular from the Flinders Pier. Whiting will be the main target, but take a second rod and some berley. Fishing for garfish is very productive but few anglers engage in fishing for them here. A fine berley trail is required with a float set up and size 12 Mustad 4540 1/2 hook. This hook works particularly well on garfish due to its fin gauge and offset point. There are plenty of options this month and it all comes down to being creative and

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Another happy Think Big Charters customer with a solid gummy shark. Photo courtesy of Think Big charters. some very impressive models caught. Most of the fish have fallen during the run-out tide and at night when they are

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The Glenelg River CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

The Glenelg River is an estuary-angler’s dream. It’s picturesque landscape and abundance of fish makes it a premiere waterway. People travel from all around the country in search of bream and estuary perch, but what gets the hairs standing up on the back of most anglers neck is ‘the ghost of the estuary’ (every angler’s dream), the elusive mulloway. PRIME TIME The prime time to chase mulloway in the system is from September through to December. Big schools of fish, ranging in size, like to enter the estuary around the full moon and big tides and gorge themselves full of the abundant salmon and mullet that call this river home. Bream fishing is red hot in the warmer months where they like to cruise around on the flats and mooch around the never-ending cliff faces that line the river. Winter can be good fishing also where the bream school up in the middle of the river getting ready to do their thing. If the schools of fish can be found it can make for some very memorial fishing.

THE RIG A 6lb braid for bream and 10lb braid for mulloway is more than enough for lure fishing. Bream like light leaders so 4-8lb fluorocarbon is a must and will give you the best opportunity and improve your catch rates 10-1 compared to heavy mono leaders.

THE GEAR A light graphite spin rod is best suited for this estuary and is more than capable when targeting bream, perch and mulloway. For bream, a 2-4kg spin stick is ideal but if you want to chase mulloway then something a little heavier with a bit more pulling power is needed, especially when fishing along the cliffs and rock faces.

If targeting mulloway, then heavier leader is best suited from 10-20lb. There is nothing worse than hooking a fish of a lifetime only to lose it because your leader was unable to hold up. BAIT AND LURES The most effective way to target mulloway is to bump vibes and blades along the bottom. Small Ecogear VX40s and 45s are a ‘go to’ lure. Chasing bream there is

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a wide variety of lures that work well. Fishing the deep, again blades and plastics are deadly, but when working the edges and flats down the front of the estuary, hardbodies like SX40s, Daiwa Double Clutches and the Atomic range of lures are all a good lure to tie on and cast. Lightly weighted plastics skip casted back into the shadows are deadly and a good one to use are pink grubs fished on a worm hook twitched across the surface. BEST METHOD Cast parallel along the banks when working artificials and always look to cast at some form of structure, whether it’s a snag, rockwalls or drop-offs. Don’t be surprised when targeting bream along the edges if a mulloway comes along and takes a liking to your little bream lolly. MOTHER NATURE After veering off the road from Portland to Nelson be very aware of the Kangaroos along the side of the road, especially when driving at night. These big animals can do a lot of damage to vehicles and cause great danger to those who drive and are not concentrating. So remember, keep your eyes open and drive with care and awareness. HOT TIP A lot of mulloway are caught in the Glenelg by anglers who catch a few live baits and have them trailing out the back of the boat while casting lures from the front. As much as mulloway love to eat a lure, I don’t think there is a more effective way to catch these fish than on live baits. So why not cover both bases when lure fishing? SEPTEMBER 2015

Fishing for the future PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

Fishing has become a very popular pastime and more and more people have become attracted to the sport. Fishing, as I see it, is not like other sports as it has so many different facets to it. You can become competent in trout fishing and then move on to game fishing or surf fishing or snapper or whiting, etc. Or you can do as I do and follow the seasons and the different species as they come and go. That’s what I love about it. But with more and more people wetting a line brings about more and more pressure on our fish stocks and we need to closely monitor these stocks to ensure that we have a healthy fish population for the future. Fisheries Victoria don’t have the resources to monitor our current stocks and they would love to have your help through their Angler Diary Program. It is not difficult to do, all you have to do is to ring Simon Conron on (03) 5258 0111 at Fisheries Queenscliff and he will send you out a booklet that is selfexplanatory.

Every time you go fishing you just fill in the spaces (when you get home) e.g. what species you were after, how many you caught, kept and released, their size, etc. Believe me, it helps Fisheries and it also helps you. If you tick the box on the front of the booklet when they send you out a new one they will also send your completed book as well (they photocopy it for their records). The returned booklets will also give you valuable information on when and where you caught fish in the past, which has helped me to locate the hot spots from previous years. So if you would like to participate and help Fisheries, just give Simon a ring. I have been filling out these booklets for the past six years and if I can do it then anybody can. SURF BEACHES The surf beaches are fishing reasonably well with Baxters and Williamsons being the stand out beaches with fish up to 2.5kg being caught on a variety of baits, with white bait and pipis accounting for most of the fish. During the week I tried my luck at Gunnamatta Beach, the weather was good and the water was nice and clean. But the fish weren’t

co-operating, two bites and a couple of 1/2kg fish for four hours of fishing. But then again, that’s fishing, and you can’t catch them all the time. SAN REMO AREA Below the Bridge Outside the Entrance, weather permitting, and if you are up to standing the cold then there have been some excellent gummies landed. Cleelands Bight is still producing calamari, the odd whiting and some salmon in the channel. Above the Bridge Still the odd big snapper is being caught up the northern end of the bay and also at The Corals. Squid are about in reasonable numbers on the Tyabb Bank. Whiting are hard to find anywhere, but with another month or so and they will be back in good numbers. FLINDERS AREA It’s that time of year again off Flinders when the big calamari arrive. These big squid tend to prefer a baited jig rather than an artificial one. Baited jigs are normally fished under a float so you need to weight your jig because of the current to keep it close to the bottom. Usually a 1oz sinker tied under the prongs so it hangs beneath the jig works well.

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EVERY WEEK 32

SEPTEMBER 2015

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A reasonable bag of winter whiting taken by the author, plus one extra-large (1m) snook.

Salmon have arrived! NINETY MILE BEACH

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

The depressing report I wrote last month about the pitiful salmon fishing this winter, they made a liar out of me and turned up in full force. Better late than never. The best reports came from the spin anglers who walked the beaches casting metal slugs of around 25-60g. Mcloughlins surf beach right out in front where you arrive from crossing the footbridge has been one of the best locations. Anglers spinning that area during both tides have been catching good quantities of salmon of mixed sizes. The fish have been anything from small 25cm fish to bigger 50cm fish. Anglers spinning with 8-10ft spin rods with 10lb braid and small reels have been having an absolute ball on the salmon. Further along the Ninety-Mile Beach, Seaspray has been producing some good sized salmon to 55cm by bait anglers. They tell me that blue bait and blue/white surf poppers have been the go and anglers fishing the mornings and evenings have been doing the best, especially the mornings. The salmon are actually going well throughout the whole Ninety-Mile and I have heard equally good reports coming from Golden Beach and Loch Sport, so don’t be too stressed about which beach to pick, just pick one and if it’s no good after an hour or so, maybe drive to the next beach. Alternatively, check the conditions and structure of the beach before you unpack your rods at all. It doesn’t take much to get

Bailey Reid caught this cracker of a salmon off the surf at Seaspray on a blue/white surf popper. over the dunes and search for any gutters or rips, or at least to see the depth of the beach and how rough it is or if there’s weed or not. If you spend a bit more time looking at the beach structure first, you will have more success in your actual fishing. Now is the time to have a serious crack at the gummies. The gummies will be a certain in September and it’s always the best month to start going over of an evening. The seven-gill sharks will be more prolific this month

and will hang around until December. It’s probably even worth paddling a line out for a shark at the end of this month as it’s just about time to start seeing the toothy critters pop up on the beaches. • 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!

Expect stonking flathead and plentiful salmon WELSHPOOL

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

It’s hard to work out our weather in this part of the world but one thing is certain, we won’t be bored

as it is constantly changing. Even though it has been cold, there have been patches of hardly any wind and as a result boaters have been taking advantage of the settled conditions. Outside the entrance out wide, boaters have

been managing to bag good numbers of salmon that have been to the 3kg mark that have been taken on a variety of lures. There has also been a good run of quality flathead being bagged to the 1m mark and bigger. I received a call

from a visiting boater who picked a fine, flat calm day and headed way out to Cliffy Island looking for whatever might come along. He didn’t want his name mentioned, which was fair enough but didn’t mind talking about the fish. He said that he has

Anglers flock to Pensioners Corner INVERLOCH

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

Although we were in the middle of freezing cold weather there were patches when the water had been calm and there had been some good results. For instance there have been good results from outside the entrance at Inverloch where anglers have been doing well. Leongatha angler Jason Kitchener and a crew decided to try their luck outside the entrance on a cold but windless day looking for whatever might come along. They had a fairly quiet day but Jason did manage to hook into and land a very nice gummy shark about 1.5m long. There have been quite a few other similar reports in the area where there have been good numbers of flathead as well as reasonable size pinkies being bagged on a variety of presentations. Locals who know where to look are also doing well outside the entrance where there are very good size whiting, silvers and garfish being bagged with the best of the baits being Bass yabbies.

This Inverloch angler looks happy with his salmon caught at Pensioners Corner. Inside the entrance around Pensioners Corner there has been standing room only at times on the beach with the news that big schools of salmon to the 1.5kg have finally made an appearance. Mixed in with them have been quality silvers and a sprinkling of flathead. Naturally the good news spread quickly and the

Robert Thompson with a Wonthaggi Angling Club competition winning perch caught in a local estuary. numbers of fishers was made up of locals and visitors. The fish were taking just about any bait that was thrown into the water as well as

mullet, silvers and flathead with best results being on the last half of the run-in tide. The Tarwin River has been going along very well

a variety of lures, including soft plastics. Everyone was having a great time when I came across them one Sunday afternoon at low tide. People were catching fish until along came a local boat, well known to many of the fishers. Quite a few who knew the boat were disgusted and said that the boat just motored through a large school of nearby salmon as well as breaking off four lines of the land-based anglers. Of course, this frayed tempers and they were still angry when I arrived on the scene a short time afterwards. To say they were really upset by the boater’s behaviour would be an understatement. There has been very good fishing on the jetty with salmon being the main catch. I visited the area on the same day and the fishing was fast and furious with very good size salmon being caught. I could also see that there were quite a few fish being broken off as they wrapped themselves around the pylons. I explained to some of the anglers that the idea is to use long rods as this way they will be able to keep the fish away from the wood work and safely land their catch. Further up the inlet towards Mahers Landing there has been no shortage of boaters and land-based anglers trying their luck, but there has been a bit of a battle to land a fish. The main catch has been

from the rock bank up to well above the highway bridge. Bass yabbies have been the best of the natural baits along with clickers and small strips of pilchards. A variety of lures including soft plastics and hardbodied lures have also been doing the job. Above the bridge there have been quality bream being caught to the 800g mark that have been caught on Bass yabbies. With any sort of luck, the good fishing should continue.

a number of GPS marks naturally that he keeps to himself and they had a great day using a variety of baits. He says that he lost count of how many fish his crew caught but only kept a few for their immediate needs. They also caught a couple of good size gummies and some big salmon. The salmon they threw back into the water as they reasoned that they weren’t any value as the smaller fish of this species are much better on the table. The entrance, or Singapore Deep, as it is known, always seems to be worth a visit. Last month there were reasonable numbers of flathead and gummies caught with best results on the run-out tide. For the benefit of those not familiar with this area, it is a very good idea to keep your eye on the weather as the wind can suddenly spring up against the tide. If this happens it is a good idea to run for cover as a dangerous situation can quickly develop. The Lewis Channel is always worth a try and usually reliable as far as whiting are concerned. The fish are usually most plentiful on the run-out tide where they are up to the 37cm mark. Mixed in with them are fairly good numbers of silvers, flathead and mullet where Bass yabbies seem to be the

best of the presentations. If you can’t get any, then pipis, small squid strips and mussels are also worth a try. The jetties are always worth a look but give them a miss if there is much wind about as this is where there is much gear washed into the water with little or no warning. The resident fish include garfish, flathead, mullet and every so often a whiting will make an appearance. The run-in tide seems to be usually the best time to try your luck. Just a short drive to the east is Port Albert where boaters have been doling very well at the time of this report. This is unusual as they are in good numbers but not very big (but well over the size limit). Flathead are also in good numbers along with salmon and mullet. The jetties have been worth a try where flathead, mullet, garfish and eels are in reasonable numbers. A variety of baits have been successful and for up to date information, try the General Store at Port Albert where Rob Killury will have all the best and latest information. Rob also has scales to weigh any fish and a gantry for larges species such as bronze whalers. Of course, he will take any photos for bragging rights.

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VR Fish Update

Toolondo Advisory Groups The final meeting of the Toolondo Advisory Group was held on 29 July. The final draft report is currently being completed by the Department prior to being submitted to Lisa Neville, Minister for Water and Jaala Pulford, Minister for Agriculture for consideration. The process has been chaired by Joe Helper and comprised a diverse group of fishers, fishery managers, catchment managers, water managers, local council and environmental bodies. Lake Toolondo is one the state’s best-stocked fisheries. The fishery has boomed since 2011, following the high rainfall event that led to the lake being stocked by Fisheries Victoria. Fastforward to January 2015 and recreational fishers rejoiced when the new State Government purchased and released 5,000 megalitres of water into the drying lake, which increased water

VRFish is pleased with the genuine attempt by the Department and other natural resource managers to give recreational fishers a fair go at Lake Toolondo. It has been an example of true co-management with recreational fishers. Special mention to VRFish Deputy Chair Rob Loats, local fishing gurus Trevor Holmes, Geoff Stock and Charlie Officer for their valuable input and expertise at the meetings. VRFISH OFFSHORE OPPORTUNITIES AT WARRNAMBOOL VRFish, the recreational fishing peak body in Victoria representing 721,000 recreational fishers, has welcomed action by the Warrnambool City Council to seek public comment on plans to deliver safer boating options at Lady Bay. VRFish General Manager, Dallas D’Silva said “The lack of natural harbours in Victoria means that we

snapper, kingfish, gummy sharks, mako sharks, thresher sharks and the return on investment would be enormous. ” VRFish is keen to work with all levels of Government to secure extra funding to improve open ocean access across the State. Warrnambool is high on our list of priorities. Previous studies by VRFish and the Boating Industry Association of Victoria in other demand constrained locations can deliver 8:1 return on investment. Much of this value currently bypasses Warrnambool and goes straight to Port Fairy, Portland or beyond to South Australia. Dallas D’Silva added, “Even with the recent expansion of the boat launch facilities in Portland, there are constraints on peak good weather weekends in the tuna season due to a lack of accommodation. It is these

volume by around 10%. This allocation safeguarded trout populations in response to concerns that falling water levels may cause trout to die and the resulting loss of the recreational fishery. It was great this was averted because the fishery attracts many visitors from South Australia to New South Wales and Tasmania. The task of finding more permanent water for Toolondo Reservoir has been overshadowed by the growing affects of drought conditions including the continuation of historically low rainfall in the Wimmera and Glenelg catchments and warnings of strong El Niño conditions. Regardless of what the longer term future holds,

have fewer open ocean access points than required. This means that large areas of coastal waters are unable to be accessed by Victorian recreational boaters.” Warrnambool is already a well-known and loved destination for recreational fishers because of its excellent freshwater, estuarine and land based fishing. The addition of a safe all weather boat launching facility will increase the attractiveness of Warrnambool as a fishing destination throughout the year. VRFish Chairman, Russell Conway said “There is a $15 million southern bluefin tuna fishery just waiting to happen in Warrnambool. Add in other offshore species such as

sort of initiatives that will help reach the Andrews’ Government goal to grow recreational fishing to 1 million fishers by 2020.” This has been a longstanding issue and it is great to see some action by the Warrnambool City Council. We acknowledge the constructive input from local and other fishers from across the State toward developing better facilities at the harbour. VRFish would like to acknowledge the efforts of Councilor Brian Kelson for his foresight and recognition of the economic benefits that a true safe harbour will bring to the region. There are three options for comment and we will be working closely with the BIA to provide a submission to the Council.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Bream move up into the rivers GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

The Gippy Lakes are alive and well after heavy snow dumps over winter. The runoff from the mountains will be widespread and will surely ignite the bream spawning run. The clear cold water will also help to clean up the rivers that have been running fairly coloured after winter rains. It can be a difficult time to target fish because the flathead virtually shut

down or refuse to bite and the bream have breeding on their brain. Mullet can save the day and it’s time to think about bass again. So let’s try to unpack a plan to swindle a bag of fish. MITCHELL RIVER This almighty stream is the real powerhouse of all the Gippsland rivers and there will be plenty of snow melt coming down the Wonnangatta and its streams that, in their own right, are impressive systems. The estuarine waters of the Mitchell start below the rock barrier just upstream

Mark Ramsay just keeps on pulling up bream from deep water using black blades.

of Bairnsdale and it’s here that estuary perch can be found with the bridges in town a magnet for these fish. Don’t forget about all the bass that have been released over the last few years up stream of the barrier. Those bass will continue to thrive as we experience yet another fairly wet year. There are also huge bass between 45 and 50cm that have always been in the river so you need to gear up for them as well. Perch around 35cm have been caught as far down as The Cut recently and a few bream as well. The middle section of the Silt Jetties will get the most attention from anglers either from the bank or in boats. Live shrimp baits are the go at the moment and a few 35cm bream are seemingly always there. For lure anglers, try the 2 1/2” Z-Man Wrigglers or blades and hard plastic vibes worked slowly with extra long pauses. NICHOLSON For those who really enjoy the Nicho, there are some thumper bream to be found. They are wary and elusive, but I often score my biggest bream in this river and you only need a handful of trucks from 40-43cm to make it a day to remember. Recently a good number of bream between 44-47cm have been landed with plenty of others shredding lines and finding freedom. This year a lot of us have been using

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Cam Cleal with a big Nicho bream falling to a lure worked deep in the snags. snag action and rock wall opportunities later in the month as a few early post spawners go feeding higher in the water column. TAMBO RIVER AND HOLLANDS LANDING With so much land-based access to the Tambo River, the weekends have and will continue to be very busy with bait and lure anglers alike. Big schools of bream are still up around the Blue Hole well above the highway bridge and another hot spot is down below the boat ramp all the way to the river entrance. Boat anglers should cruise the river with their sounder on and get a feel for where the bream are schooling up and then

target them with blades or bait. Surprisingly, the area from Hollands Landing to Seacombe is still producing a few bream and as usual metal blades are accounting for most fish. Usually at this time of year the bream start to shut down in this area. Mark Ramsay and Mick Gned from Traralgon know this place better than anyone and fish it almost weekly. I’m getting rather fed up with the barrage of pictures and reports they send me with talk of big bags and dozens of bream to 40cm. You blokes are now scrubbed off the Christmas card list forever and you can kindly lose my email address and phone numbers please!

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hardbody lures weighted with a bit of lead and worked hard up on the snags and drifted down deep before retrieving. I’ve just been sent email pictures of a 47cm bream caught by Tom McIntosh up past the railway bridge on a Hurricane Fatty Junior lure. Dave Morris invited me out for a day in the kayaks using soft plastics and we fished the same area. We hauled out some very big bream. I hooked 19 bream and landed only 11 of them with the four best fish between 40 and 43cm. I was broken off a few times and dropped a couple of rippers at the net. Dave horsed in seven bream to 40cm and was towed into the snags by a huge bream pushing the 47cm mark. Peter Nord, Cam Cleal and Justin Dingwall are sending me reports and pictures of thumping bream all deceived on sinking hardbodies, crab or soft plastic lures. The bream also seem happy to school up in depths of 4-5m and for now you will be better off dropping blades down on these bream out in the middle of the river in its lower reaches and try tea bagging them for a better hook up rate. Some of the biggest schools of bream have been moving into the Nicho for weeks now and most of the fish are a modest 28-32cm. Mid water blading has been yielding nice tallies but so often we sound up heaps of fish with lock jaw, but these bream have to bite at some time. Look for

There has been little change with the wet and very cold winter; the rivers are still running very fast, continuing to clean all the rubbish that has been clogging the rivers over the past year. Hopefully when the river subsides the whole system will be deep and pristine again, ideal for an excellent spring and summer season. Although the rivers seem to be continually in flood, the estuary system is an amazing phenomenon. The fish reappeared in good numbers only a couple of days after the water receded. The local anglers know when the rivers are running hard to fish the backwaters where the fish gather out of the fast running water, and when it is subsiding, they fish closer to the entrance to catch the new ocean fish entering

the system and moving up through the estuary. Just this week anglers have reported getting good bags of bream fishing off the Marlo Jetty using Bass yabbies, frozen prawn and sandworm. Other reports of anglers fishing a little further into the estuary bagging out on bream using sandworm have come through too. Several other anglers fishing out of the current at Frenchs Narrows have been getting good mixed bags of bream, luderick and mullet fishing with sandworm. For anglers wanting a bit of action, salmon and tailor are plentiful down towards the entrance, fishing the incoming tide anglers have been getting good results spinning or trolling metal lures. The sand flats that run from the Marlo Jetty all the way down to Frenchs Narrows are holding plenty of dusky flathead, best results using plastic or hardbodied lures.

The surf beach as always is fishing very well, with big schools of salmon. A few good spots lately have been the Morass, Corringle, Frenchs Narrows, Point Ricardo, Salmon Rock, East Cape Conran and Yeerung River. Along with the salmon, anglers have reported getting plenty of good size tailor, flathead, mullet and sharks. Best results have come from using a paternoster rig with blue bait, white bait, pilchards, squid and poppies, or spilling metal lures using light gear. Offshore the fishing is great when weather permits, and anglers have reported getting plenty of flathead, gurnard, squid, barracouta, pinkie snapper and gummy shark. September is the month of plenty, and there’s plenty of options for those wanting to get out and chase some fish, either for fun or a feed.

Prepare for more whiting and big squid fishing MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

While a lot of anglers have packed the boat up until September, a few of us have been braving the cold and reaping the rewards of the best winter whiting season ever as well as some good squid and bags of flathead offshore. WHITING What a winter at Port Albert! I haven’t had a winter whiting season like this for a long time. This month has been the same as last month, a lot of undersize whiting but a lot of legal size ones as well. You do find yourself measuring 70% of the catch as most are only 27cm and 28cm, however there are still plenty of 30-32cm models with a few bigger 40cm thrown in for good measure as well. Squid and pipis still seems to be the best baits to use and most of the run-in tide has been successful, however I have found the whiting have been a little tough to catch when the tide is at its full flow. They seem to be biting better when the tide slows down a little. We have been using

The author’s young blokes holding up a few of their first ever winter whiting. We had a great day catching 47 whiting. Not bad for the end of July! paternoster rigs with smaller 1/2oz bomb sinker at low tide and moving up to 2oz and even 3oz when the tide starts ripping hard. There’s plenty of small salmon there and the odd flathead as well. The flathead have been going better towards Kearney’s entrance in the shallower water and you need lots of berley to razz them up. But over September the bigger blue spot flathead will come on the chew a bit better and we will be able to start using soft plastics again.

SALMON The entrance started to fire once again a few weeks back, and it’s been a late season this year. Anglers trolling the entrance with metal lures or simply drifting and casting metal lures and large soft plastics have been getting the odd better salmon to 55cm, which is around 4lb on the old scale. There are also lots of mixed smaller sizes as well, which is good to see as last month was a bit depressing in the way of salmon stocks, but now they have also turned up

on the surf in good numbers. It’s also worth heading down to Manns Entrance as well, as this spot always fishes well on a run-in tide when McLoughlins entrance is fishing well. OFFSHORE The flathead fishing has been sensational. While the gummy shark numbers have dropped slightly, the flathead fishing has more than made up for it and anglers fishing either straight out from Manns Entrance or Port Albert Entrance in 34m+ of water are bagging out on flatties to 45cm on the drift. If you choose a day with a fast drift, remember to keep opening your bail arm to let

more line out to keep your baits on the bottom for longer. Also, when you do find a few flatties, mark the spot on your GPS and re-drift the area, as where there’s a couple, there’s usually a heap. Anglers are still complaining about the barracouta out there so take plenty of sinkers and maybe even use wire paternoster rigs as the flatties don’t mind. Anglers have even been catching small couta inside as well. LOOKING AHEAD Next month, I’m sure I will have a snapper pic or at least some snapper reports. Don’t wait for the reports, be the one to make them. The

snapper were caught very early last year at Port Welshpool, so if you are reading this article, it is time to start having a crack. Also, I can almost guarantee that those big calamari will be around now! Don’t miss out on them either, September and October are the two best months for those big calamari at Port Welshpool and Port Albert. • 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!

Another good bag of whiting we caught in 10°C water at Port Albert.

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Junior City Fishing

CBD bream basics MELBOURNE

Jason Tanti

Considered a species that punches well above its weight, black bream are often classified as a bread and butter fish. Although

River has a reputation of holding big black bream in the 40cm+ range. Bream fishing in this area can be made quite simple or quite complicated at the same time. For this reason, bream have become arguably the most popular and widelytargeted fish in Australia.

facilities for families, fishing platforms and jetties. There are trails and paths, which cater for cyclists, walkers and joggers. Both Southern Cross and Flinders Street Station back onto the Yarra River, so getting there by public transport is made easy. There are a number

Jason Tanti holding a typical 34cm black bream taken up close to structure.

looking from a sporting side of things, it’s one of the harder finesse species to catch. Melbourne’s own Yarra

ACCESS The Yarra River has a lot to offer for bream anglers. The banks of the river have a number of barbecue and picnic

of trams that stop outside both stations, with the closest boat ramp being Williamstown, also known as the Warmies or Hotties.

SABFOPT001

Cranka Crabs producing the goods.

GEAR OF CHOICE Whether you’re lure or bait fishing, a light rod is a must, the reason being that you can feel sensitive bites and stay in contact with your line a lot easier. A 1-3 or 2-4kg rod with a 1000-2500-size reel is a perfect outfit. Bream can be one of the toughest fish to catch at the best of times. During the cooler months, bream will become less active meaning a lot more persistence and in depth knowledge is needed. When targeting bream on lures, fishing as light as possible is best. Soft plastics

such as curl-tail grubs with a light jighead that will flutter down as slow as possible is your best chance. Whatever lure you choose, something that will stay in the strike zone for as long as possible is the key. The phrase ‘match the hatch’ is used quite frequently when it comes to targeting a fish, and with a large population of crabs around the mouth of the Yarra, using an imitation such a Cranka Crab is the perfect lure to tie on. When lure fishing for bream, a finesse approach is a must, meaning a light leader

such as 4-6lb is required, because your casting will become more accurate when choosing light lures. When bait fishing, a simple running sinker rig with a small hook and a bit of prawn or muscle will get the job done. Keep in mind that the lightest possible sinker is best. TECHNIQUE In most cases of fishing, there is a specific retrieve when casting lures. However, with bream, mixing things up can work in your favour. Bream tend to shut down in the cooler months, meaning

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To page 39

Quality bream at The Bemm BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

We’ve just come out of winter and this year has been particularly cold,

windy and extremely wet. July we saw heavy rains that caused the river to flood, but luckily the entrance was still open to let the dirty water and debris out to sea.

The anglers, who braved the elements and had to work hard for their catch, still found pocket of fish to target. The bream seemed to head into the shallow water and preferred baits of

Jason Tanti with a nice 30cm bream caught on an Olive Cranka Crab using a 2-4kg Wildbait matched with a 2500 Daiwa Exist. From page 38

slow retrieves with a pause every now and then will really work in your favour. One of the most popular

retrieves when bream switch on is bouncing your lure off the bottom, and it has proven to be a really effective method,

especially with sinking lures. LOCATION AND TIME From the mouth of the Yarra there’s kilometres of

sandworm and soft plastics worked shallow. As we get further into spring, and the weather is beginning to settle, we are bound to see another productive fishing season. fishable water all the way through the city. Fishing one hour of the run-in tide and half an hour after high tide gives you the best chance at hooking a bream in this area. As the water comes into the river, bream will be coming over the flats holding around structure, waiting for the current to wash food past. Overall, the key to bream fishing is structure. For the simple reason that that’s where bream forage for food and use it as a form of protection from predators and fast flowing current. Fishing around Bridge Pylons, berthing docks, and rocky banks will increase your chances of hooking a Bream. ON YOUR DOORSTEP For Melbourne anglers, particularly land-based angler, bream fishing in the Yarra is a fantastic means of getting your fix without even leaving the city! In fact, many bream are taken right in the heart if Melbourne’s CBD! Get out there and give it a go!

Luderick should be around in good numbers, as they are every year. We anticipate the entrance will be closed by the time this article is published, which should lead to a good prawn season. The Bemm has been ‘flushed’ with heavy rains from late autumn right through the winter months and the entrance has opened and closed several times. Once settled down, we should see the bream and luderick do their normal thing and go gangbusters in the river, as this is obviously their spawning ground. As the water begins to warm the flathead will be back and prove

once again that this is an anglers’ paradise. The brave-hearted surf anglers who venture onto the beaches have been rewarded with quality salmon. It’s just matter of gritting your teeth and dealing with the cold. • For on the spot and up to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website at www.bemmaccommodation. com.au or ‘like’ us on Facebook at Bemm River Holiday Accommodation & Boat Hire. You can us on (03) 5158 4233 or Mobile 0427 584233 and also email at bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

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Mallacoota’s muddy water is set to clear up in an appearance. Some good fish have been caught from the new jetty at the Bastion Point boat ramp. This is a good safe spot to fish offering a variety of species including blackfish, yellowfin bream and salmon. With all the rain we’ve had the lake has been brown. It managed to clear up but it didn’t take long before we had more rain and it was all brown again. All the small creeks and rivers are open to the ocean pouring out dirty water and as a result it will be a while before the ocean clears. Both the Bottom and Top lakes have been fishing well, which is typical for the winter months. Yellowfin and black bream are being caught in both lakes. A variety of lures have been working well, such as soft plastics, hardbodies and blades. The black bream are well up the system with fish being caught in the Gypsy

MALLACOOTA

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Winter is always a quiet time of year with very few visitors to the area, this year, however, is one of the quietest in recent years. It’s not just the Mallacoota area, it’s the same right along the far south coast. This winter has been cold wet and windy with consistent big seas pounding the coast and as a result there hasn’t been a boat heading offshore fishing in the past few months. With the cold water temperatures, you could be doing better things than heading offshore fishing. The consistent big seas have created plenty of gutters on all the local beaches and salmon have been moving along the beaches, but big numbers of fish are yet to put

Black bream are easily caught on blades once a school is located.

Point area and above. The flathead are being caught throughout the system, you just need to find a school of fish and target them. At this time of year, it pays not to move the lure too fast. The silver trevally are still around but with the recent rain the fish have gone scarce, no doubt they will show up once again when the water has cleared. It’s fingers-crossed that over the summer months the weed beds will once again start flourishing as there has been no weed beds since the floods of 2010. This could be the reason we haven’t had a decent run of prawns for as many years. The recent rains should benefit the system as we head into spring with good flow allowing the bass to move freely from pool to pool. Wilderness Fishing Tours is now on Facebook check us out!

Warmth of spring spurs estuary bite into action EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

As we head towards spring we can be thankful that winter is all but behind us with the shortest day being 22 June well and truly gone. It won’t be long and we will start to feel things warming up. All the rivers and creeks are flowing well after all the recent rains the estuaries are just starting to clear up after spending a few weeks the colour of a cup of coffee. The big seas haven’t missed the Eden area and as a result there are great gutters on all the local beaches. But with the water temperature dropping to around 15°C, the

only species on the go has been the salmon and until the water warms there will be very little variety in the species caught. If game fishing is your thing the next few months is the time to maintain your fishing gear, as this cold windy time of year sees little opportunity for game fishing. There’s time to get prepared, and that way you will be ready to go when things fire up. Closer to shore the inshore reefs have been providing a feed of fish for the anglers prepared to get out there and give it a go, and species like snapper, morwong and flathead (both sandies and tigers) are being caught. Good catches of snapper are coming from in close with a few good fish caught by anglers fishing from the rocks at first light.

Fish are being taken out deeper as the sun gets higher, and when you see the cuttlefish shells washed up on the beach you know it’s worth wetting a line for a snapper. The local estuaries have been fishing well and dusky flathead have been caught with the best place to look being shallow muddy bays that face the north. The extra few degrees in water temperature can see the fish come on the chew. Yellowfin bream are also being taken with the best area to fish being the front section of the estuary. In the same area there have been a few sand whiting. This time of year sees the black bream heading upstream in preparation for spawning, and they can

There’s been plenty of black bream around, and the boys enjoyed targeting them recently. often be hard to catch. A bit of discoloured water makes it easier than the crystal clear water often experienced over

the winter months. The winter months can see some good catches of perch, and it’s great to see these fish

being released as they spawn in spring. They are a great sport fish and a real asset to any estuary system.

Snapper are lingering BERMAGUI

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Offshore reef fishing is very good with morwong R E V A L LY . S N A P P E R . E S G.T TU A PE R RY

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dominating most bags. Mixed in are tiger flathead that are starting to make an appearance and should increase in numbers as we advance into spring. Snapper have lingered on

from the cooler months to provide anglers with some nice bags. Some of these fish have been taken on soft plastics jigged in varying depths while others have

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Winter can see some southern imports visit our estuaries like this King George whiting.

NSW South Coast

Go looking and you just may find the odd good snapper. From page 40

been caught drifting with paternoster rigs and a mixture of different baits with squid and tuna being the best. Water depths around 50-70m seems to be the prime depths, so start on the edge of reefs for snapper, mowies and as you drift wide of them, tiger flatties will take over. Our reefs are not prominent structures as they

may rise only a couple of metres so pay careful notice to your sounder and be prepared to drop on any lump no matter how insignificant it may be as these little service stations in the middle of nowhere host some very nice fish. Conditions at this time of year are usually, lovely and calm mornings building up to northeast winds of a fresh nature in the afternoons, so

early starts will be necessary. Further beyond the Twelve Mile would be worth a look for Tassie trumpeter. Not only will you find these fish here but others already mentioned and even more species, which favour the deeper water. By the way some good news for those fishing the reefs, is the plague of leatherjackets that have been affecting anglers

seemingly have moved on, at least for the moment. With water temperatures down there is not a lot to report on the game scene, a few small albacore and striped tuna are around with those willing to put in a berley trail attracting the odd mako shark. Keep in mind if berleying, do so around the Twelve Mile Reef where you can also fish the bottom for reef species. Since the winter rains the estuaries, rocks and beaches have taken their time to recover, but have done so brilliantly. Channels have been carved in the estuaries exposing structure for fish to congregate around with new snag piles being formed. Further up the system where the water is warmer is best at present with an array of species being taken on both lures and bait. In fact, as a result of the rains the beaches have now exposed rocks that obviously had been covered by sand for who knows how long. Anglers should look for this new structure both on the beach and the adjacent rocks as these areas provide good cover and feeding areas for fish like bream, drummer and a surprising amount of different species. One way to target these fish within this area is the use of berley. Often fish species not accustom to eating certain types of food

will respond to what is on offer. For example striped tuna or pilchards used as both berley and bait off the beach close to exposed rocks will attract the usual predators in

the form of bream, salmon, tailor, trevally or mullet. However, fish like drummer, luderick or even groper may be attracted by the scent so expect the unexpected.

Wallaga is still fishing well. Check out the shallow water in the back ground from where this fish was taken.

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Shake off the winter doldrums at Narooma NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

With spring on our doorstep it’s all systems go on the fishing front with most species getting out of their winter slumber and ready to feed. The estuaries in particular will

flushes from winter rains and the fishing over the previous cooler months was quite exceptional. This all adds up to promising times and I for one can’t wait for my rod to be bent. Up at Tuross the river section fishes better early in the season especially for flathead and bream. Due to it being quite shallow, the

looks good. For those targeting bream, slow-rolling hardbodies over the flats will work and if the water is warm enough an early season surface session is not out of the question. I’ve regularly caught bream on surface presentations in 15°C water, especially when smaller jelly prawns are evident. I’d

expect some cracking fish to 90cm and possibly bigger to be caught over coming weeks. Concentrating around the basin margins in 6-9m of water is a good place to start. This month will see an increase in tailor numbers and that means mulloway. These silver slabs will be stalking the tailor schools, so cast your plastics near them and you’re a great chance at getting connected. Sure, you will lose a few lures to the choppers, but the end reward might just be worthwhile. You should get a few decent reds and bream under the tailor also, so a lighter outfit with a smaller plastic or blade may be worth a cast or two. Outside, anglers fishing the bottom have had good

results with snapper, morwong, sand and tiger flathead and kingfish all chewing at times. The reds have been excellent off Potato Point with water depths between 40-60m the go. Every day has been different with where you will find them, drifting first then anchoring once you’ve located a patch has worked for some switched-on local crews. Catches of a dozen fish hasn’t been unusual with the average fish around 1.5-2kg but there’s still the odd better nugget to 5kg being caught. This action should continue for a while yet but I’d expect the reds to spread out a bit. At Montague Island there’s been the odd patch of kings turning up, which

times. In saying that, they are still being caught but fishing the peak periods with time of day and tides being important for consistent results. Those that have done OK have been spinning the beaches with chromed slices up to 50g. Doing this enables you to fish each gutter along a beach fishing the more productive areas and not waiting for the salmon to come to you. When we get the right conditions the beach fishing will really pick up for bream, whiting and mullet. This month is ideal for all these species with pipi and live beachworms the gun baits. Better beaches to try include Brou, Tilba, Coila and Narooma Main.

John Williams with a solid black and yellowfin bream from the flats. They are great fun on skinny tackle and even better when you sight cast to them. be hotting up as each week passes, water temperatures will start to increase and in turn summer techniques will return. Both Narooma and Tuross estuaries are firing up nicely and I think this spring period will be one to remember. There’s a stack of bait in both systems, and they have both had decent

water warms quicker than the deeper tidal areas and the fish seem to respond accordingly. I’d be concentrating from the main Highway bridge to Four-ways fishing water depths of 1-3m with smaller prawn imitations and blades the lures of choice. There’s already been some solid flathead caught with a few models nudging 85cm, so all

expect to see EPs in the snags with bream too, again, hardbodies and plastics will work but accurate casts to the structure will be needed in the crystal clear water. At Wagonga Inlet the big breeding female flathead will start to stir, heading downstream getting ready to spawn. This month is the start of it all for them and I’d

Tom and Kenno got amongst the bream with 33 fish caught for the day. They provided good entertainment in the shallows and all fish were released.

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is great to see. These fish are anywhere between just on legal size, 65cm, up to 90cm, so there’s some pretty solid fish around. Jigs, live bait and squid have all worked but live bait seems to be getting the bigger fish at present. The Fowl-house Reef and SW Corner over the rip has been the place to fish. Later on this month both yellowfin tuna and albacore should be patrolling the shelf line with trolling certainly the way to go early in the season. Anglers have been getting a heap of albacore north of us so it shouldn’t be long before they’re on our doorstep. If sharks are your thing then get out there now. There’s a heap of mako and blue sharks along the shelf, their numbers haven’t been seen like this for a number of years. Some of the bigger biteys are upwards of 180kg, solid fish in anyone’s books. On the beaches it’s been a little hit and miss, we’ve had very calm seas of late making the salmon fishing quite tough at

The rock hoppers are also in the transition period with a good mix of all species playing the game at times. If a feed is what your after then blackfish, drummer, bream and snapper can be found on most headlands with Mystery Bay to the South and the Golf Course Rocks in town the better places to try. I’d be using fresh crab, cunjevoi, peeled or cooked prawns and cabbage as bait. For the reds fresh squid or whole pilchards should suffice. For the sport-fishers who like throwing medium-sized chromed lures then you’re in for a treat. Bonito numbers are excellent at the minute and will only get better as the month progresses. These speedsters are solid fish with the average at 3kg. On the right tackle this is great sport and if you look after them correctly they are pretty good on the plate, especially when smoked. You can expect the odd kingfish mixed in with the bonnies and if all else fails, salmon are a great back up.

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Estuarine shallows switch on so solid models that are a whole lot of fun. As the water warms even further it will only get better with anglers using surface presentations like walk-the-dog baits and poppers getting amongst the action. In the basins of both estuaries, flathead, bream and blackfish are chewing quite well with lure addicts certainly seeing the best of the action. Pambula has some solid salmon and trevally in the lower river section with stick-style soft plastics rigged on 2g heads the go. I’d expect some jumbo-sized flatties to 90cm and beyond in both estuaries with water depths of 3-8m being ideal. Casting larger plastics to the edges of the ribbon weed will produce the goods. It’s important to let these breeders go. There’s the chance of mulloway too, especially if smaller tailor are present. Many a good mulloway has come from beneath tailor schools so it’s certainly worth a few casts. Anglers fishing the stones have had mixed fortunes of late. Some days the salmon are prolific and

MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Merimbula and its surrounds are in the transition period from cooler water temperatures that winter brings to warmer water and air temperatures during the spring period. This is certainly evident in the estuaries, especially in the shallows with sunnier afternoons sometimes making the water temperatures 2-3°C warmer than that of tidal channel areas. These areas are ideal to cast smaller soft plastics and hardbodied lures for bream, flathead and to a lesser extent whiting. Both the Merimbula and Pambula Lakes have extensive shallow sand flats that are full of fish at this time of year. The fish get up there on the flooding tide, feeding on small prawns, yabbies and worms. A few locals have done particularly well using lightly weighted worm baits for the whiting. A few of these fine table fish are nudging 42-43cm,

others very quiet. The only thing to do is keep going and hopefully you get a good day. When we get the right conditions on the stones the salmon action will pick up. We have had reasonably flat seas of late, not ideal for these pelagic species. The fish that have been caught are responding well to ganged pilchards fished slowly on a continual wind in. A few snapper have fallen to the same technique so it’s still worth ago. The place to fish is Tura Head, it’s a deep headland and this region’s LBG hotspot. It’s a decent walk in from Headland Drive, but totally worth it, especially when the fish are on! If a good feed of fresh blackfish and drummer fillets is more for you, then Short Point is the place to fish. I’ve heard of some nice fish taken there on cabbage and cut black crab. There’s been reports of grouper from Long Point also, so that in itself may be worth a look, again crabs and cunjevoi the better baits to use. Offshore the snapper have slowed up somewhat, but some good fish to 3kg

are still being captured if the hard yards are put in. Most reefs are holding a few fish but the deeper reefs have certainly fished best. You can expect morwong, pigfish and the odd kingfish when targeting the reds. Sand flathead are also in good numbers in 30-35m of water straight off Bournda Island. There’s been good reports of tiger flathead coming from 60-70m, so that too is worth a look. I have heard of some quality gummy sharks being caught out the front of Lennards Island by the guys fishing for snapper too. Some of these fish have nudged 12kg with the odd bigger fish lost also. At that size they’re pretty good sport and not bad on the plate either. Fresh squid has definitely been the gun bait! Out wider the game season has slowed to a crawl, SBT are still possible but from what we are hearing the fish are a very long way out, too far for most trailer boat fishos anyway. It might be worth waiting for a few weeks yet and see what the currents and water temperature does before wasting hundreds

Tom Williams with a couple of cracking bream taken on plastics before release. Tom and his dad John managed 31 bream for the session. All fish were released. of dollars on fuel. If the tuna are there and you do get out, trolling will be the way to go with both skirted and bibbed minnows bringing results. If sharks are your thing there has been a heap of smaller blue sharks and some decent sized mako sharks. This type of fishing isn’t for everyone but they are abundant at present. A few makos have nudged 200kg, not to be taken lightly, that’s for sure. On the beaches it’s been a little hit and miss with the calmer conditions but that will change once

we get some decent swell. In saying that, salmon and tailor are still being caught but not in huge numbers. You do have to work for them with anglers fishing the early flooding tides getting the better results. This month will see an increase in bream, whiting and mullet numbers, every September produces solid fishing for these species as they feed up before entering their estuary haunts for the summer period. Fresh baits like beachworms and pipi are ideal with North Tura and Tura Main beaches the pick of beaches to fish.

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Warm conditions will arrive soon enough TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

It’s September and the weather will be improving. However, don’t get too excited and break out the sunscreen just yet as spring in Tasmania can still be quite severe. The cold snap we had in August was sensational and we had a national news event when it snowed at sea level. The pictures of snow covering some of our more well-known beaches nearly shut Facebook down. It was a short respite for poor Adam Goodes and Bronwyn ‘let’s take the chopper’ Bishop. There are more daylight hours available and we are getting closer to that hallowed angler’s delight in October when we start daylight savings time. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves as it’s September and we need to concentrate on where we can find fish and what to use this month. It’s very important to plan out any trip and make sure you have all the right gear for an outing on land or sea. September is another month in Tasmania that can have the conditions change in a heartbeat, so clothing for all seasons and a spare set are often a good idea. We can have a fair bit of rain this time of the year and large headwater areas can supply lots of run off. Some anglers who look for flooded areas will rejoice, others who like still waters at their favourite holes will not. A BIT OF A SURPRISE The common thought is the tuna have well and truly bugged out and skedaddled ages ago. This has proved not to be the case. Those out there that read my ramblings will know (that’s the four of you and my mum), I am often saying “Anglers slowed down during winter, but the fishing was still pretty good”. In August there were some super keen fishos that kept keen and rugged

up and found bluefin tuna at St Helens on the east and Eaglehawk Neck down south. Watching the weather and maintaining a positive approach had them find fish. This is sensational as it keeps people keen and gets them thinking about what may be possible. Josh Hammersley is a keen angler and has a little dynamo of super crazy keen angler in his daughter Chloe. Catching bluefin in August only leaves the question… Will anyone find some in September? Crews also found some really good patches of striped trumpeter on the west coast and the rugged Pedra Branca in the far south. The trumpeter season is closed for this month and also October. This allows the fish to spawn in peace and have the fishery sustain itself for a strong future catching a super tasty species. SPEAKING OF SPAWNING Squid are one of those species where a lot of anglers say they have gone or not turned up yet. They do have times when they are a lot thicker and plentiful, but Tasmania is super blessed to have a couple of spawning aggregations a year. If you know where to look you can catch southern calamari all year round here in Tasmania. September is the start of a spawning aggregation off our East Coast and you will find the squid starting to lay their eggs on the weedy margins where the sand meets the weed and seagrass. Mommy and daddy squid like to give their cephalopod kids a nice start in life and will be lay their eggs in sheltered bays and areas that are not exposed to open ocean swell. Mercury Passage is a great example and you can find squid in close in 2-10m so a jig in the 3.5 size that is not too heavy will have you connected to squid and not the bottom. In the deeper water with a faster drift you can start to fish a heavier jig. When you

NORTH WEST TASMANIA This is my back yard and genuinely has some superb trout waterways. As an angler anywhere on the North West coast you never have to travel too far to get amongst the fishing action. The highlands will still be a temperamental climate with the inkling to snow at any time, so the lakes and rivers at lower elevations excite the North West angler. MERSEY RIVER The Mersey River is a huge favourite and holds its own as river 44

SEPTEMBER 2015

fishery across the entire state. The Inland Fisheries Service reports the Mersey River “…has recovered well from the cormorant predation that affected so many of the Tasmania’s river fisheries in 2012. Lure, fly and bait fishers all do well on this river and there are sections that suit all these forms of angling. The lower reaches of the river could produce sea run brown trout in the first few months of the new season. The IFS has undertaken a lot of work providing

King Island Flinders Island

Smithton

BURNIE DAVONPORT St Helens 1

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Deloraine Meander

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Strathgordon HOBART Kingston DAMS · RIVERS · LAKES 1 ...................... Lake Barrington 2 ............................Mersey River 3 .......... Leven and Forth Rivers 4 .........................Meander River

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hook one it pays to have a rod lying in wait, nice and handy. Once you have set the barbs on the original capture, fire a cast long and hard over the back of the squid on the line. While you are putting the first one into the back of the landing net thinking of salt and pepper calamari,

a second one has more than likely grabbed your other jig. Empty the landing net, and repeat. TROUT WHILE OUT AND ABOUT The key to Tasmanian trout fishing is ease of access. Anyone from local anglers to interstate fishers can easily

find a stretch of water that may hold that wild trout of a lifetime. The Inland Fisheries Department have, and do, put a lot of time and resource into improving and maintaining the awesome trout fishery we enjoy. Opening weekend saw a good number of

anglers battle the elements from around the state and Facebook lit up with a pleasing selection of happy anglers posing with their catch. The enthusiasm for freshwater angling was as strong as ever with lures, soft plastics and bait all being part of the plan.

access to anglers and has produced an Angler Access brochure for the river.” LEVEN AND FORTH RIVERS Closer to home for me are the Forth and Leven rivers. These waters really start to fish well in September. The rain can hinder those who are looking to fish light soft plastics or finesse hardbodies by increasing water flow substantially. Those that find a nice backwater in these cases and drown a worm can be richly rewarded. These rivers have a

sensational whitebait run and this will start to be on the minds of those anglers that like chasing the big hungry, silver football sized sea run trout. The Leven was well stocked with 400 adult brown trout in August and I imagine there would still be some good fishing looking for new homes in the banks of the river BURNIE AREA Still in the north and the Pet and Guide dams are often favourites for those wanting to fish still waters, but not brave the icy chill of the Central

Highlands. The Pet Dam received 1,000 adult brown trout from the highland spawning runs and this complements the rainbow trout stocked there over the last 12 months. These two waters have fished very well for the bait anglers over a number of seasons. LAKE BARRINGTON A short drive from Devonport or Ulverstone and you can be on Lake Barrington trolling lures until your heart’s content. There are boat ramps on either side of this lake and you can access from the Wilmot or Sheffield sides.

I have fished this water quite a lot and it is often stocked with Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. It’s a great spot for kids as the scenery is wonderful with plenty going on around the lake and on the bank to keep them amused. Trolling and bouncing soft plastics around the edges often finds fish. There is said to be a large population of brown trout in Barrington, but I am yet to find them. Small rainbow and the salmon keep my kids and I on our toes and it’s always an enjoyable day.

NORTH EAST TASMANIA MEANDER RIVER September can mean a bit of rain here in Tassie and if that is the case the Meander River further east may be worth a look. This is also a good river to take the kids for a fish as the healthy population of redfin will keep them amused while you look for a trophy trout. Rain Fall River flows can be abated in this water body as Lake Huntsman was formed by damming the Meander and regulates flow well. The Huntsman Lake itself is also worth a look. It has a fantastic boat ramp and is holding

good stock of smaller fish that are growing well. Drift spinning and soft plastics in and around the shallows as you push down the lake on the breeze is a great day out. The lake level has been rapidly rising recently and should have flooded margins for the opening of the season. This is a productive lake with smaller brown trout on offer. Fishing can be good for trolling anglers, but keep an eye out for some rain as when the lake floods over the grassy banks it can offer some exceptional fly fishing.

Big trout are on offer this time of year, and they’ll be hungry!

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FLYFISHING IN GENERAL Things start to really fire up for the fluff and feather brigade this month. September is all about tailing fish and with the fabled flooded margins of swollen lakes and rivers, even I can get excited. Frogs and tailing fish in the shallows start grown men and women salivating. The fly fishing gear has been cleaned and stowed far too long and it is time to dust it off. Other than some big flashy wet fly presentations and some nymphing, August was a bit sad for the fly fishers. Big bow waves pushed in front of fish charging the shallows looking for frogs always excite. Once spring really gets a hold on our weather patterns these fish can be quite easy to locate. Shallow water in and around marshes and grass plains on an overcast or foggy day is hot property. The beauty of this style of fly fishing is accurate casting is not essential. Even part time punters like myself can land a frog pattern wet fly close enough to a brazen hungry brown trout. Fly patterns like the Black Woolley Bugger are very popular as are the Sloane style furr flies. Dry fly fishers miss out on this action, but

late September could see these anglers turn their frown upside down. If the conditions later in the month align we may see some possible hatchings of the may fly spinner on low land rivers. This with a bit of luck and little breeze could also include Four Springs. LAUNCESTON AND SURROUNDS Those based or visiting Launceston or who live in the north of the state have a huge range of options only an hour or from the city centre. Rivers, rivers everywhere. The Macquarie, Meander, St. Patricks and South Esk rivers are all a great low altitude choices while the cooler weather is still about. The snow run off and rain can have these rivers rising and spilling throughout the month. Casting a fly, soft plastic or worms to trout as they forage over newly flooded ground can be very exciting and rewarding. The Esk rivers, particularly the south, are known to perform this time of year. Look to Longford, Evandale and Hadspen to access these fabulous waterways. There are good access opportunities on some of these rivers and the IFS have a brochure that shows Angler Access points for the Macquarie and Lake rivers To page 46

Some super keen fishos kept keen and found bluefin tuna at St Helens.

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that can be found on the IFS website The South Esk has a good reputation for this time of fishing as well and popular access points

can be found at Longford, Evandale and Hadspen. There is a project currently underway to improve access to this river and I will share in future months when complete.

SOUTHERN TASMANIA HOBART AREA The lucky fishos from down south have been a bit spoilt and are lucky they get a head start on the trout season. The sea runners started to move into the Derwent and Huon rivers well before the gun had sounded to start the trout season. The waters below Bridgewater Bridge and the Huonville Bridge are open all year waters and the favourite spots are targeted by sea runner anglers.

The entire river systems are now open on both, as are all the little tributaries that run into them. These two rivers fish well early and in September really start to fire. There are many spots to try all techniques at your disposal up and around the New Norfolk area. I have only had the chance to fish this area last year for 2 days and I fell in love with it. There is a lot to like for both land-based and boat anglers. The scenery is fantastic and the fish you

Opening weekend saw a good number of anglers battle the elements for a trophy trout.

Still waters are always popular and the Launceston area has a few good ones. Brushy Lagoon is often stocked with Atlantic salmon and I have read a number of stockings placed encounter are in great nick and of good size. The Huon River is another that fishes well in September and regularly produces large trout. They have sensational whitebait runs and as the whitebait move up the river visual fishing can be very exciting. Still water anglers have some real gems to travel to and try their luck. Craigbourne Dam is a short drive from Hobart and was stocked with 2150 adult brown trout from the central highlands. I drove past the other day and the lake was looking full and finding these fish should provide challenging sport. In this area you cannot go without mentioning Lake Crescent. It has significant history and an aura around big trout. If you are looking for a trophy trout, a visit to Lake Crescent in the early part of the season would be worth a try. Last season saw some huge fish up to 8kg being caught and this year they will be bigger! This lake has received 2030 adult brown trout from the highlands and if the resident monster have not eaten them, they too should add to the fun. Big bright and flashy are the rules of thumb when using anything in Crescent. Fly, lure or soft plastic benefit from a bit of razzle-dazzle and size, big is beautiful. KINGSTON Despite the cold weather the local area has been by all accounts fishing well. Local rivers have produced some nice bream, with Browns River being the clear stand out with some anglers managing

fish from 1-4.5kg. Not far from Brushy is Four Springs Lake. The heavy opening weekend pressure will be starting to abate and fishes very well early for bigger specimens.

Brown trout transferred from highland spawning would have fed well in their new surroundings. Good size brown and rainbow trout bring smiles to faces and this lake produces

Mercury Passage is a great spot to find squid in close in 2-10m. fish in excess of 40cm to the fork. Vibe lures worked slowly along the bottom producing the goods for most. Anglers have reported captures of calamari in the shallows of North West Bay, with smaller squid jigs being the key to success. We have just had a steady run of Australian salmon turn up. Key spots are Blackmans Bay Rocks and the jetties in North West Bay. Silver slice lures as always a popular choice.

With the trout season in its starting month, many anglers have made the most of local rivers such as the Huon and Derwent. The Huon, in particular, is producing good numbers of fish. Most anglers having success on the new Liquid Gold minnows in the colour purple storm. One local angler reported a session of 22 fish in 3 hours – a great achievement this time of the year! Flathead have still been available for those venturing

grins from ear to ear. Very important to remember that these two lakes, Brushy and Four Springs, have a five fish bag limit with only two fish over 500mm permitted to be taken. out off Bruny Island. Although many have been using bait, soft plastic lures fished on a paternoster rig have been the standout. I have had many reports of tiny couta plaguing anglers. Although fun, these little guys can be a tackle stores owner’s dream, with even the smallest couta making quick work of an anglers tackle. For those of you who want these for a feed, I recommend cheap silver wobblers with a thick wire leader. For those still venturing deeper, bluefin tuna are still in abundance with many anglers managing multiple strikes of jumbos. This is a bit unusual, but no one is complaining. – Thomas Crawford Thomas Crawford is well known to most fisher people from the Kingston area. He managed a store in town that sadly shut. He has taken the bit between the teeth and opened up a new store in Kingston! Thomas has been involved in and around fishing and tackle for 15 years as a career and obviously much longer as a super keen angler. OVERALL There is a lot starting to happen in September with the warmer weather trying its little heart out to get here. I have noticed a lot of energy and enthusiasm around fishing and among fisher people so we are ramping up for a fabulous new season. That’s it from me so stay warm, stay dry and have a great month!

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 13th August 2015 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta ...................................3.13 .......................................................Steady Arthurs Lake ....................................2.33 .......................................................Steady Great Lake .......................................15.19 .....................................................Steady Trevallyn Pond .................................1.51 ....................................................... Falling Shannon Lagoon ..............................0.11 .......................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon .............................0.04 .......................................................Steady Lake Echo ........................................7.18 .......................................................Steady Dee Lagoon .....................................0.22 .......................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah .............1.28 .......................................................Steady Bronte Lagoon .................................1.09 .......................................................Steady Pine Tier Lagoon ..............................1.15 .......................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon ............................0.46 .......................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon ....................2.44 ........................................................Rising Lake St Clair ....................................1.41 .......................................................Steady Lake King William ............................5.03 .......................................................Steady Lake Liapootah ................................0.33 .......................................................Steady Wayatinah Lagoon ...........................0.6 .........................................................Steady Lake Catagunya ...............................1.22 ....................................................... Falling

Lake Repulse ...................................0.35 ....................................................... Falling Cluny Lagoon ...................................0.38 ....................................................... Falling Meadowbank Lake ..........................0.11 .......................................................Steady Lake Pedder ....................................0.69 .......................................................Steady Lake Gordon ....................................33.99 .....................................................Steady Lake Burbury ...................................5.9 .........................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll ...................................3.92 ....................................................... Falling Lake Murchison ...............................6.89 ....................................................... Falling Lake Mackintosh .............................3.24 .......................................................Steady Lake Rosebery .................................0.69 .......................................................Steady Lake Pieman ....................................3.25 .......................................................Steady Lake Mackenzie ...............................2.15 .......................................................Steady Lake Rowallan .................................3.84 .......................................................Steady Lake Parangana ...............................1.75 .......................................................Steady Lake Cethana .................................................................................................Spilling Lake Barrington ...............................0.53 ........................................................Rising Lake Gairdner ................................................................................................Spilling Lake Paloona ...................................0.92 ....................................................... Falling Woods Lake .....................................1.78 .......................................................Steady Whitespur Pond ...............................4.74 ....................................................... Falling Lake Newton ...................................3.72 ........................................................Rising Lake Margaret .................................0.28 .......................................................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

SEPTEMBER 2015

*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 31/10/2015. 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. Boat Package price does not refer to the pictured Renegade 420 package. SEPTEMBER 2015

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Deeper fish finder is the first of its kind, portable, wireless sonar, compatible with 7000+ iOS and Android devices, specially designed to find the location of fish, depth, water temperature, bottom contour and more. Enhance your fishing experience with the detailed view of the bottom terrain and fishholding habitat using innovative Deeper Smart Imaging technology. High accuracy sonar shots reveal most of the fish species with crystal clarity, allowing you to target your prey with confidence. This sonar is powerful enough to perfectly function in depths from 0.5m to ~40m below in both salt and fresh waters. With castable Deeper and its mounting solutions you can explore the lake, river or sea from every angle. You can scan places other fish finders cannot reach, and Deeper’s temperature sensors also provide accurate fluctuations of the water temperature. The smartphone app lets you adjust all sonar functions, add info and pics to a fishing log, and more. www.rapala.com.au SEPTEMBER 2015

In designing the new Stradic FK, Shimano has made a great reel even better. The first big feature is the Hagane Body. This metal frame delivers high rigidity, so there’s no flexing when under load and no loss of cranking power either. This is complemented by the Hagane Gear system — not cut gear teeth, but 3D design cold forging for increased resilience and longer durability. The new Stradics have an additional SA-RB bearing and they’re all high 6:1 to 6.2:1 gear ratios, so cast lures will really motor on the retrieve. Aero Wrap II, the AR-C spool, One Piece Bail and G-Free Body make these reels a delight for repetitive casters to use, with better balance in the hand. The presence of Coreprotect on the roller clutch, the drag, the body and the line roller make the Stradic FK stand up to the harsh Aussie saltwater environment. Price: from approx. $270 www.shimanofish.com.au

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FINS have released a revolutionary new braided superline: 40G. The unique composite structure of the 40G makes people think it’s mono the first time they touch it, and this durable braid has the smallest diameter-to-strength ratio ever offered. To construct the line, FINS starts with a core of Spectra fibre and then over-braids this tightly with eight ends of smaller yarns. Pro-staffers report at least twice the wear compared to standard braids, and when 40G is close to wearing out you have an advance warning as the over-braid will show damage before the core. The colour will last as long as the line does, due to the colour being applied to the core fibres. FINS 40G is scheduled to hit tackle stores in early October. This line is expected to cost about 20% more than others in the stable, due to the slower processing required to produce it, but from all accounts the benefits are worth it. www.jmgillies.com.au

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 TwinPower / Ocea Offshore combo

Ocea Offshore Series rods are incredibly versatile, covering the gamut of bluewater fishing pursuits from jigging to casting stickbaits, switch-baiting for marlin, to inshore snapper fun on soft plastics and bait. What’s more, there’s been a significant weight saving – up to 20% – so Ocea Offshores are even more comfortable to use over the duration of a long fight. The Twin Power SW features a Hagane body and Hagane gears, and an increased number of bearings and heavy drag capabilities have made the Twin Power spin reels must-haves for the elite saltwater angler. The AFTA award-winning combo is made up of the TwinPower 4000 SWBXG (12kg260m mono capacity, 0.31mm-170m diameter capacity, 6.2:1 gear ratio, 95cm retrieve per crank, 10+1 bearings, 11kg drag power, 355g weight) and the Ocea Offshore Jig PE3 (5’3”, 1-piece, 30lb line weight, 100g lure weight, TC4 Toray graphite blank, Fuji/full length EVA butt assembly and Fuji K Alconite guides). www.shimanofish.com.au

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Using Shimano’s exclusive Hi-Power X construction graphite blanks, Zodias casting rods deliver incredible distance and accuracy. The lightweight blanks are complemented by custom shaped EVA grips, Fuji alconite guides — with a Fuji SIC tip to reduce heat buildup at a key point — and a Ci4+ reel seat for an additional weight saving. Hi-Power X blanks have an acute sensitivity, which crisply transmit every tap from a snag, weed, or a cautious short-striking fish, especially when used in conjunction with reels spooled with zero stretch braid. There are four light to medium spin rods of 6’, 8’ and 7’ lengths, the latter in two piece, and a pair of 6’6” baitcasters to choose from. So whether you're chasing black bream in the Gippsland Lakes or barramundi in a muddy tropical creek, you’ll be impressed with the performance characteristics of the new Zodias series. www.shimanofish.com.au

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Squidgies has answered the calls of the angler with the release of their new larger sized prawn plastic, the Squidgy Pro Prawn. Measuring in at around 115mm and available in two versions, paddle-tail and curltail, the new XOS prawn imitation are tailor made for large species such as barramundi, threadfin salmon, mulloway and snapper, and are destined to become a hit around the country. Hyper realistic with striking eyes and protruding antennae the new Pro Prawn is available in six different colours, and with a price tag that is in reach of all anglers. Just about everything with fins eats a prawn and we're sure just about anything big with fins will eat the new Pro Prawn. Price: under $10 www.squidgies.com.au G

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Angler requests have again inspired the latest addition to the TT Lures stable, the SnakelockZ jighead. Combining the ‘chin lock’ system from their ChinlockZ hooks, with the free-swinging front weight concept of their Snake Head jigheads, the team at TT have enabled anglers to secure their plastic in place with the ‘chin lock’ while offering maximum action and the weight required to get the soft plastic deep in structure with minimal chance of snagging. In the process of developing the SnakelockZ jigheads it was decided to use a stainless steel, through wire loop, with a locking system that enables anglers to twist and unclip the hook from the head. This gives anglers the freedom to swap hook sizes and weights as required, or attach a different hook to the head to suit a particular soft plastic or technique. SnakelockZ are built tough on chemically sharpened Mustad, heavy duty worm hooks to handle hard hitting and strong fighting Aussie species and are available in 2/0H-6/0H and 8/0H, with 3 per pack (2 per pack 8/0) and weights ranging from 1/12oz – 3/8oz. Price: from approx. $10.95 www.tackletactics.com.au TE

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The original Cranka Crab has been on the market for two years, and it’s been a big success on the bream tournament scene. Now, in response to angler demand, creator Steve Steer has released a larger version for anglers targeting the likes of permit, jew and snapper. The bigger Cranka Crab still has those lifelike floating claws, which mimic the defensive behaviour of a threatened crab, but instead of trebles on the claws it has a bigger single through the body of the crab. There’s a locked split ring at the rear, and if you remove that you can dismantle the lure and switch its parts around to match the local crabs in the area you’re fishing. This customisation could include swapping out the lure’s soft legs, using different coloured claws or even different sized claws – and of course you can change the weight to suit the conditions. Price: from RRP $18.95 www.crankalures.com

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The Rapala X-Rap Diving Magnum 40 great addition to the Diving magnum family. It is the deepest diving minnow that Rapala produces, and is one of the deepest available in Australia. When you know the fish are down deeper, the Magnum 40 gives you that extra extension required to get your lure down to where the fish can notice it – the goal being to bring the fish up to not only your Magnum but also to other lures in your spread. With this latest addition, Rapala X-Rap Magnums now come in six sizes: 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40. Each has lifelike scale detail and a massive diving lip to get the lure down deep, unassisted. Magnums run perfect right out of the box, and can be run up to 13 knots. Well known as an Australian favourite when it comes to bluewater trolling, these lures are available in specialised Australian bait imitations – lure patterns that are found nowhere else in the world. Exclusive colours include petrolero, red sardine and UV patterns. www.rapala.com.au

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Shimano have delivered anglers the ultimate backpack with the new feature packed Shimano Backpack. Comfortable and functional, the Shimano Backpack leaves your hands free, which is especially useful when carrying rods and reels, or just tackling difficult terrain on the way to that next fishing spot. This well-made and comfortable-to-wear fishing-friendly backpack holds a heap of fishing gear and comes with its own tackle boxes (4 trays in total) as well, making it essential item for all keen anglers on the go. At 25L in capacity and featuring classic Shimano styling, design and build quality, this new award winning Shimano Backpack sets a new standard in tackle storage and portability. www.shimanofish.com.au SEPTEMBER 2015

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RIO’s new LightLine is an award-winning (Best Fly Fishing Line – AFTA 2015, Best New Freshwater Fly Line – IFTD 2015) fly line that has been designed to load slower, more traditional action fly rods such as bamboo, glass and the more classic flexing graphite rods. Built to precisely match the industry line standards, this line will not overload such rods – even at longer range. The weight distribution and short front taper ensures the line loads at close range, making it ideal for fishing on smaller creeks and streams, while the softer, supple coating ensures the line remains relaxed and easy to handle in the majority of conditions. The line will be available in WF and DT profiles, from #2 to #6. www.jmgillies.com.au

 A hat for your hat

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Some guys look like they’re wearing their kids’ sunglasses – even when they try on the biggest pair in the store! Spotters has solved this problem with their new Freak model, engineered for Aussie blokes with Hulk-proportioned melons. It has a massive 150mm girth from screw to screw and the expansion flexibility to accommodate any man-sized think tank. It also has a chunky frame front to balance out the lens surface area, and added sculpted temples. A great match for the Freak frame is the Nexus Mirror lens. This iridescent blue/green mirror overlays a high definition emerald green polarised crown glass lens. The lenses use real metallic particles to reflect bright light and heat away from your eyes. To stop the mirror being scratched off, it’s sandwiched between layers of crown glass. The high definition green base tint is soothing to your eyes, allowing for increased depth perception and improved colour awareness without altering your colour vision. Price: SRP $289.50 www.spotters.com.au 50

For the angler looking for a reel that is as adventurous and dependable as they are, look no further than the NEW Atoll Reel Series from Temple Fork Outfitters. Precision machined from cold-forged 6061-T6 billet aluminium and hard anodized to a clear satin finish, Atoll reels are as tough as they are handsome. The revolutionary and unique “hubless” design of the Atoll moves the stacked delrin/stainless steel drag system away from the centre mass of the reel. What does this all mean? More efficient stopping power and greater heat dissipation, as the drag contact area is spread out over a larger surface area. The Atoll is available in four sizes, ATL I (7-8 weight), ATL II (9-10 weight), ATL III (11-12 weight) and ATL IV (13-14 weight). All models feature easy left-hand/right-hand conversion and TFO’s legendary Lifetime Warranty. Price: RRP $639 www.ejtodd.com.au

 Spotters Freak Nexus

 TFO Atoll

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Just like you wouldn’t pull out your driver when you need your 7 iron, the Sage Mod is optimized for the distances and scenarios most often encountered by the trout angler. Thoughtfully crafted with contemporary line designs, fly patterns, and angling styles in mind, the Mod is a modern interpretation of a moderate action specific for trout fisheries. Designed between the deep loading Circa and fast action One, the Mod excels at measured distances to the short game, delivering delicate presentations with pin-point accuracy. Designed and handcrafted on Bainbridge Island, USA, the Mod features all the lightweight, strength, responsiveness, and accuracy benefits of Sage’s proprietary Konnetic Technology. The Mod blank is jade coloured and has yellow-green thread wraps with black trim wraps. Fuji ceramic stripper guides and hard-chromed snake guides and tip- top complete the blank. The Mod singled-hand fly rods are available in 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 weights in 9ft lengths, and the Spey models come in a 6 and 7 weight in 13ft lengths. www.jmgillies.com.au

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The award-winning CapHat is a one-size-fits-all attachment that goes on top of your favourite cap or hat to provide ultimate sun protection. To put it on, you just slip it over the crown of your cap or hat, tighten the CapHat’s toggle and you’re away. For an evaporative cooling effect in hot conditions, just dip it in water prior to use. If there’s a lot of wind or blinding glare, close the Velcro tabs at the front to cover everything but your eyes. Made from UPF 45 material, CapHats have been independently tested and rated as excellent sun protection, and recently got a seal of approval from the Melanoma International foundation. The current model CapHat is just $14.95, and there’s a new model coming out called Extreme that will be $19.95. Check them out on the CapHat website or like them on Facebook. Price: RRP $14.95 www.caphat.com.au

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With a 20% thicker drive gear, the new TwinPower SW delivers a new level of durability, allowing anglers to fight powerful fish with confidence. Large precision cut gears with increased bearing support provide greater power transmission efficiency. Increased power combined with Hagane body results in maximum pressure on the fish. The Hagane metal body’s high impact resistance allows it to withstand sudden impact while minimizing flexing. The shape and thickness of the aluminium rotor creates high rigidity for more fish fighting power. The increased mass of the aluminium rotor generates more inertia, resulting in easier fishing of heavy jigs and high resistance lures. This new reel also has the most stable, tough and durable drag system Shimano has ever offered in Twin Power SW. Its superior water resistance, repelling both low pressure and high pressure water, holds up against the toughest conditions. The award-winning TwinPower 14000 SWBXG has a 6.2:1 gear ratio, 134cm retrieve per crank, 10+1 bearings, 25kg drag and weighs 650g. www.shimanofish.com.au

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Viva Fishing Tackle Australia took out the Best Game Lure award at the 2015 AFTA Show with their Richter Lures Oscar with reflective wings. This lure was the end result of Viva’s collaboration with Luke Ryan from Richter, based in Perth. With Luke’s input, Viva designed the bright UV Skirt and Wing combinations that wowed industry members at the Show. These reflective wings are now an optional addition to most of the Richter Lure range. The existing Richter range includes high quality pushers, plugs, skirts and terminal tackle. Richter also has its own pre-made rig inserts made out of top quality stainless hooks and wire. These rigs cover the entire range, from single 14/0 for giant cavitators right down to single 7/0 to suit the Tornado range. Richter lures have accounted for their fair share of record gamefish and it’s not hard to see why when you watch their action in the water. www.vivafishing.com.au

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Wilson Fishing’s legendary Live Fibre rod series has won an AFTA award for the second year running.This year it’s the Live Fibre Venom Game rods that have taken out the prize. Live Fibre Venom Game rods don’t have a standard metal grip. New Venom technology enables the use of a Kevlar graphite system, which delivers both strength and light weight. This difference in weight is noticeable when compared to other game rods; the Venom Game rods are actually up to 750g lighter than Telaxiums. And as you’d expect, quality components are a feature, including Winthrop roller guides. To see this and other recent releases from one of the best known and trusted names in rod building, head to your favourite tackle store. Price: $1400-1500 www.wilsonfishing.com

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The feature-packed GoPro Hero4 Session is 50% smaller and 40% lighter than other Hero 4 cameras, making it the most wearable and mountable GoPro ever. Compatible with current GoPro mounts and featuring a new low-profile frame, and ball joint buckle, Hero4 Session provides ultimate mounting flexibility in any situation. The Session captures 1080p30 ultra-wide video and 8MP time-lapse photos at 0.5 second intervals right out of the box. You can also access most of the modes of other Hero4 cameras using the GoPro App or Smart Remote. You can also use the app or remote to easily adjust settings like video resolution, frame rate, field of view and more. Hero4 Session’s rugged and waterproof design, to a depth of 33’ (10m), eliminates the need for a separate housing. Easy one-button control provides unprecedented camera control; a single press of the shutter button powers the camera on and begins capturing video or time lapse photos automatically. A second press of the shutter button stops recording and powers off the camera. SuperView, Auto Low Light, Protune for video, HiLight Tag, dual mic system, built-in battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GoPro Studio, complete this award winning camera’s list of features. www.vsport.com.au IN

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RinseKit is a portable, pressurised shower that’s like having a garden hose wherever you go. With no pumping, and no batteries, RinseKit fills in 20 seconds and uses the pressure from the tap when filled to deliver pressurised spray for up to four minutes. The only product of its kind, RinseKit’s patented design features the eon pressure system that holds up to 8L of water, with a spray nozzle that offers seven different settings from jet stream to shower. RinseKit can also be filled with hot or cold water straight from the tap. It comes packed with awesome features, including, compact design with a 8L pressure chamber, built-in ruler to measure fish, folding handle for one-handed carrying, and easy-to-remove lid to stand on for changing at the beach. www.vsport.com.au SEPTEMBER 2015

What’s New FISHING

SAMAKI BOOM BAITS

It can be a hassle trying to get your soft plastic sitting just right on the hook, and now there’s an easier way to do it. New from Samaki is a range of plastics called Boom Baits, which have a unique rigging system. The Booms feature marker dots along their backs to make it easy to line up specific sizes of worm hooks or jigheads. Designer Josh Lowry said these baits also have a great action. “I’ve used a special stretchy material in the Boom Baits, so they don’t just swim well but are durable,” he explained. “And of course the unique rigging system lets you match, say, a 2/0 or 3/0 with the marker dots, so these baits swim perfectly every time.” There are 10 models, starting with little smelt for trout and bream, up to larger paddle tails and shads for barra and reef fish. All have UV inhibitors and impregnated scent, and they’ll go on sale in November. Price: RRP $9.95 www.samaki.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

ZEREK FISH TRAP

The Zerek Fish Trap is a unique soft lipless crankbait with a curl tail. Available in 65, 95 and 110mm sizes, the Fish Trap’s tail undulates at the slightest of movement, giving off visual and acoustic cues to the fish. Even when the lure is sitting on the bottom, the slightest current will make the tail wriggle. Built from virtually indestructible TPE plastic, the Fish Trap can take on the toughest of fish with the use of extra strong split rings and Mustad 4X Saltism trebles. A through wire connecting all tow points is moulded into the lead weight. Working with a strong vibration, the Fish Trap can be cast and retrieved in any depth or trolled for a unique presentation that shallow rock bar and weed bed fish love. There are 15 colours in the range, with UV accents and highlights, and some ultra-realistic colours designed for Australian species. Price: SRP $19.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

DAIWA SALTIGA AIRPORTABLE

At this year’s AFTA Show we saw a number of award-winning Costa polarised sunglasses on display. The first was the durable Rooster, featuring a black frame and anti-glare green mirror lens – perfect for inshore conditions. The rugged Cortez features flexible rubber called Hydrolite, whose special properties mean the more you sweat the more it clings to your face. Its dark lens allows only 10% light transmission, making it the go-to model for bright, high-glare situations. The Mag Bay is a more urban style with an extra-large fit. The display model had a copper base poly lens, which is lightweight and repels water and oil. Propriety Costa lens technology enhances optical acuity, making reds redder, blues bluer and greens greener. The plastic lenses are lightweight, impact- and scratch-resistant, and the glass lenses have the greatest clarity and are scratch resistant. All Costas are built by hand and have a lifetime warranty. Price: from SRP $299 (poly) to $370 (glass) www.blackpete.com.au

Daiwa has introduced the latest Saltiga rod series, Airportable, providing anglers with a range of multi-piece, high quality offshore sportfishing rods. Daiwa’s low resin, high strength, reduced weight, high density carbon creates a rod that is lightweight yet powerful and capable of punching well above its weight. X45 wrapping technology eliminates twist to improve sensitivity, increase strength and allow the blank to perform at its optimum capability. V Joint technology ensures that these multi-piece blanks match the performance of one-piece blanks in flex, power and responsiveness. Fuji Super Ocean Silicone carbide guides provide extra strength, abrasion resistance and help to eliminate line wrap, and metallic blue accented custom alloy reel seats create an immovable fusion between rod and reel. There are eight models, ranging from the C77MHS spin (3-piece, 231cm, mediumheavy action, 20-60g cast weight, PE 1.5-4 line rating) through to the J66XHB overhead (2-piece, 198cm, X-heavy, 80-200g, PE 2-5). www.daiwafishing.com.au

BIG FISH ANGEL BAITS

The latest release from Insanity Tackle, the brainchild of Wayne ‘Mr Freshwater’ Dubois, is the Big Fish series of Angel Baits – the natural progression from the original Angel Baits. Angel Baits can be used the same way and in the same places you would a spinnerbait, as they ride hook-up and can be worked over and through timber. Their spinning device and blades attract fish with a natural pulse and flash but, unlike other spinnerbaits, don’t scare them. Angel Baits are a great choice on highly pressured waters. These lures have been built on the thickest wire on the market compared with spinnerbaits, so the lure won’t let you down no matter how big the fish is. Wayne has added 5” curl tail and paddle tail plastics (also available separately) making the lure 8” in total. They have natural ribbed silver blades and four skirt colours to mix and match with plastic colours. For more info check out Insanity Tackle on Facebook. Price: RRP $15 waynedubois@westnet.com.au

SEPTEMBER 2015

KING OF THE BEACH

The new collector’s edition 6500C8 is the most space age Alvey you’ve ever seen. Launched at the 2015 AFTA Tackle Trade Show, the 6500C8 combines the traditional Alvey stainless steel back with super strong fishtail reinforcement for ultimate stability and strength when under load. Replacing the traditional Alvey composite constructed spool is a cold billeted marine grade aluminium CNC machined spool. It has a carbon fibre single 2” (50mm) clutch washer which generates 7.5kg of drag. There’s a rapid retrieve handle system, with both the handles and drag wheel genuine stainless steel alloy coated. For ultimate cranking power there’s a power knob on the top of the handle, and there’s also a rapid-retrieve knob for bringing in bait or for high speed luring. As well as looking amazing, this limited edition reel has all of the durability and longevity that anglers have come to expect from Alvey. Price: approx. $900 www.alvey.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 52

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

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

AUSSIE-MADE NINJA LURES

KERSHAW CAMP 18

Ninja Lures are handmade in Australia with quality components at an affordable price, and cover all freshwater needs from redfin and bass all the way up to the mighty Murray cod. Ninja also has a range of soft plastics and jigheads made from quality saltwater grade materials, with a realistic feel to keep the fish coming back for more. Ninja spinnerbaits are durable and designed to stay connected with more fish. All models come in a big variety of colours, with custom orders welcome. Hand moulded lead heads range in weight from 1/8oz up to 1oz, and each head has a hardy powder coat finish. Multiple blade combinations are available in all sizes, and stinger hooks come standard in basic models. If divers are more your style, check out the hand-carved timber Ninja Assassin. It has an enticing, wide swaying action, and at 80mm long it’s ideal for bass, yellowbelly, Murray cod and more. www.facebook.com/ninjalures

From slashing a path through the bush to making kindling, the Camp 18 is the ultimate heavy-duty outdoor and survival tool. And for those of us who like a bit of extra badassery, it can also double as a pirate cutlass. This full-tang 18” knife is made of carbon tool steel for toughness and wear resistance. Cut, slash, hack, split, scrape – just about any task you ask of it, the Camp 18 can handle. A basic black powdercoat protects the steel and makes maintenance easier. You’ll like the secure, contoured grip of the Camp 18, too. The handle has a built-in hand guard and is drilled in both front and rear so you can attach a lanyard at either the front or the back (or both) for carrying versatility. Like the other knives in Kershaw’s Camp series, the Camp 18 comes with its own moulded sheath with study nylon straps. The next time you’re out roughing it in the bush, or stealing booty from a hapless merchant vessel, make sure you bring the Camp 18. Check out the website for other Kershaw outdoor essentials. Price: RRP $180 www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

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YO-ZURI 3DB CRAYFISH

The Yo-Zuri 3DB Crayfish is a slow sinking lure that’s designed to land in a level position. Its jointed tail moves as the bait is fished as a jig, or slow swimming action, just above the bottom. The tail hitting the bottom causes the gravel to stir up, attracting fish looking for yabbies or redclaw. This lure has a weedless rig setup, with a piece of wire wrapping around a W hook, allowing you to fish dense structure for cod or yellas. You can throw the Crayfish up over a log, work it over the top and drop it down, attracting the attention of fish hiding beneath. Other features include a patented Internal 3D Prism Finish, Wave Motion Technology, and a realistic prism egg sac with UV properties. The Crayfish weighs 23g and comes in six colours, including redclaw and yabby imitations. There are also brighter colours that have accounted for snapper. Price: RRP $20 www.tacspo.com.au

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

NEW FROM TIDE APPAREL

13 FISHING MUSE GOLD

Tide Apparel has released some cool stuff for spring, including a new sun shirt with Tide and Fishing Monthly logos on the front and back. Like all Tide gear it’s made from top quality materials to provide the most comfortable fit possible, and its flattering cut allows you to look your best both on and off the water. Also new on the scene are the Anchor Jigging Gloves. They’re nice and flexible, and the palms are thin, durable and provide a good grip. Tide’s new black shorts are made from basketball-style material so they’re super comfortable whether you’re on the water or relaxing at home, and designer Nick promises they’re the most comfortable shorts you’ll ever wear. These and other new releases will be rolled out soon. To check out the existing range, including winter gear, drop by your favourite tackle shop or visit Tide’s online store. Price: $24.99 (gloves), $79.99 (sun shirt) www.tideapparel.com.au

The 13 Fishing brand has just released a new range in Australia called Muse Gold. With slightly softer tapers and a slower action, these light spin rods are perfect for luring for bream and bass. Designed with the most demanding anglers in mind, the 13 Fishing Muse Gold Spinning Rods excel at a variety of applications. Highmodulus 36-ton Mitsubishi graphite blanks feature Zonal Action Technology (ZAT), which divides the blank into three distinct zones – lower, mid and tip – for increased sensitivity, hook-setting power and forgiveness. Other features include lightweight yet sturdy Kigan’s 3D ZH guides with Zirconia inserts, ergonomic reel seat, winding check and trim pieces, and high-grade cork and EVA handles for a comfortable, nonslip grip. There are nine rods in the range, all spin, ranging from 2-6lb through to 6-12lb. They’re perfect for the tournament bream and bass guys, or for anyone who likes light tackle finesse fishing. Price: RRP $299 www.13fishing.com.au

YAMASHITA TAIKABURA

Yamashita, distributed by EJ Todd, have released a new snapper jig called Taikabura. “It’s easy to use – you just drop the jig to the bottom and slow roll it,” said Bryan Todd from EJ Todd. “It’s a line through system so the lure has a natural presentation as it falls, which results in more hits on the drop. You can change weights quickly, and the weight breaks away on hook-up, so the fish can’t easily shake the hook out.” These jigs come in weights from 60g up to 120g, allowing you to target snapper in deep water. Alternatively, in shallower water (say, 10m or so) you can hop the jig like you would with a soft plastic. The Taikabura comes packaged as a set, or you can buy the heads or skirts separately so you can interchange them and find what works best on the day. Price: RRP $18-$20 www.ejtodd.com.au

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

What’s New FISHING TESTED:

Lightning Stix Surf Rod

I have always enjoyed beach fishing at night, especially targeting mulloway. The best time to fish for them is on the darkest nights on or around the new moon phase. However, when you have two or three rods baited up in the water and sitting in rod holders up and down the beach it’s not that easy to see when you get an enquiry or a hook-up, so until now I’ve always used glow sticks. On a recent trip to Fraser Island I had the opportunity to try one of the new Lightning Stix rods from Juro. This rod eliminates the need for glow sticks because it has a builtin LED that illuminates the tip section of the rod. Turning it on and off is as easy as inserting a small, single alkaline battery that is housed in the base of the tip section. It’s easily accessible via a screw cap. Will ‘Bream King’ Lee and I fished the Kingfisher Bay jetty after dark on the first night we arrived at the resort. With the Lightning Stix we had no problems seeing the tip dancing with every bite; I was amazed at how much light the LED put out. We used a live herring for bait, and the rod was well suited for this but it would also be at home throwing metal slugs or working soft plastics. The rod is made from using a specially designed carbon and fibreglass blank. It loads up well, has plenty of grunt where you need it and casts a long away. The rod we tested was the 13’9” Surf,

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which was a bit cumbersome to use on the jetty. However, the Lighting Stix Surf rods do come in 10’ and 12’ versions, which would be more suited to the jetty fishing we did. This 3-piece rod is easy to transport, and hopefully Juro will bring out a lighter 1-3kg model for chasing whiting up the river in the boat. All in all, I rate this rod range as well worth a look for anglers who enjoy fishing at night. To find out more check out www. jurofishing.com. - Michael Fox

Rod Runner

Tackle shops are full of accessories that claim to make your fishing experience easier. Some of these accessories are genuinely useful, while others aren’t much more than a gimmick. On a recent trip to Fraser Island I had the opportunity to try out the brand new Rod Runner portable rod transporting system, and it definitely made my life easier. The first thing I noticed about this rod storage system was how light it was, which made me sceptical of how sturdy it would be. I tested it on both the sand of Seventy Five Mile Beach and on the timber planks of the Kingfisher Bay Jetty loaded up with three short spinning rods, a 12’ spinning rod and a 10’6” rod matched to an Alvey reel. Fully loaded, the Rod Runner was very stable, and it seemed like the more weight it was loaded with, the sturdier it became. I always like to have my rods rigged and ready to go the night before a fishing trip, and in the past I’ve found it difficult to carry multiple rigged rods when setting off on a land-based mission. They always seem to get entangled in one another. However, with the shock cord strap that secures rods in the Rod Runner, this was no longer a problem. It was great to start fishing with five rods all ready to go with different lures and rigs. With plenty of tourists and kids running about on the Kingfisher Bay jetty I found the

Rod Runner was also a handy place to put my expensive rods and reels out of harm’s way while removing the fish from a hook, baiting up or tying on a new lure. It was also great to have somewhere to put our spinning rods and reels and keep them away from the sand while fishing off Seventy Five Mile Beach. You wouldn’t take your golf clubs around 18 holes without a golf bag and I now wouldn’t go landbased fishing without my Rod Runner. For more info call (07) 3889 3033, visit www.brismarine.com. au or drop into Brisbane Marine in Clontarf, Qld. - Will Lee

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

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE TESTED:

Mustad Dry Duffle Bag

One thing that’s the same with all fishing trips is the need to keep valuable items dry. I had been searching for a quality storage bag for quite some time, and really wanted something waterproof – or at least very waterresistant – and robust enough to deal with the rough and tumble of fishing trips. I also wanted enough practical storage space to hold some tackle, a camera, lunch and wet weather gear, but I didn’t want the bag to be too big. Otherwise I knew I’d be tempted to cram lots of non-essentials in it and end up with a bulky, heavy pack to lug around. I then came across the Mustad Duffle Bag, and decided to take it on a work trip to Fraser Island. Between fishing the Kingfisher Bay jetty and chasing tailor on the island’s beaches, I wanted to carry only one bag (plus a few rods). I wanted the bag to hold all the essentials I mentioned above, plus an ale or two. The bag spent a week bouncing around in the ute and being lugged from pillar to post, and I was happy with how it stood up

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to this punishment. The zippers are large and sealed to stop water getting through, and there’s a

waterproof side pocket for essentials like keys, wallet and bottle opener so you don’t have to rifle through the main bag. The zipped mesh side pocket, which is ideal to put wet clothes, sandy shoes and empties in, so you don’t have to put them inside the bag. Having a meshed pocket that’s zipped is gold, as other bags’ mesh pockets don’t usually have zips so the contents can fall out. The Mustad MB006 50L duffle bag (RRP $79.95) is made of waterproof PVC and measures 24” x 11” x 12”. It certainly did what I needed it to do. If I were to say anything bad, it would be that it’s all white and marks easily, but I consider each mark as a mark of pride! Mustad has a number of other sizes and configurations in their dry bag range, and you can get more info at www.mustad. no or ask for them at your nearest retailer. - Michael Fox

Spooltek Lures

We get plenty of baits come across the desk for review, so you can excuse me for being a little sceptical when a box of Spooltek lures graced the PO Box recently. Like most innovations, the theory was sound: the bait includes a retractable trace that deploys on the strike, eliminating bite-offs and reducing the leverage that a jumping fish has on the lure embedded in its mouth. This also makes a biteleader redundant. In practice, though, there’s often a disconnect between theory and reality. So I grabbed a handful of 4” models and headed down the local to see if I could get them eaten and to test my theory that I wouldn’t get a hook-up. Logic was telling me that the bait would be spit out between the hook disconnecting from the bait and the trace hitting the extent of its reach. But I was wrong. The way the Spooltek baits work is that there’s a robust minispool inside the head that you need to manually wind the trace up on to. When it’s fully retracted, the hook eye slips firmly into a notch in the hard head. Behind that point, a slip-in plastic booted tail paddles away and gives the bait action. My first outing resulted in three bites

and three hook-ups. I landed two fish and another fell off during the fight. This was neither better nor worse than my average. I’d lose that many on hard baits with a couple of trebles. With threadfin up to 92cm hitting the deck, I was pretty happy with the robustness of the little spool. Dead-lifting a 70cm+ fish was no problem, and the bigger fish played up like a footy player on Mad Monday. I was impressed. There’s plenty more testing to do, but over a month of leaving the baits unwashed and full of saltwater, they still fished, retracted and deployed just fine. To find your nearest retailer, email Spooltek’s local distributor at sales@innovativefishingsolutions.com. - Steve Morgan

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

Sharp hooks are critical NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

There’s an old saying in fishing circles that the two most important keys to consistent angling success are a strong knot and a sharp hook. This month, Starlo gets to the point — literally — and examines the all-important subject of hook sharpness.

In my opinion — and it’s an opinion based on more than four decades of on-water experience — the use of hooks with extra sharp points is one of the easiest and most effective ways to instantly boost your catch rate, regardless of where you wet a line or what species you target. Certainly, there are a few styles of fishing where having a wickedly sharp hook point might not be so critical to success. The most obvious

of these are specific bait fishing scenarios where the fish is allowed to completely swallow a baited hook before the angler strikes. In those instances, there’s a reasonable chance that your hook will find its mark and establish a hold, even if it’s not razor sharp. There’s even one specialised fishing style I can think of where excessive point sharpness might actually prove to be counterproductive. This unusual situation occurs when using a so-called ‘circle hook’ or ‘tuna circle’. These unusually-shaped hooks with their extremely re-curved points are designed to catch around the jaw bone or jaw hinge as they exit the fish’s mouth. They’re best used by simply allowing the line to draw tight gradually as the fish moves away, rather than striking to set the hook. If the point of a circle hook

A fine file or sharpening stone is perfect for touching-up dulled hook points. Here the author is re-sharpening the hooks on a spinnerbait after they lost their sticky edge due to repeated contact with submerged rocks. intended. However, in every other form of angling I can think of, sharp hooks offer significant advantages. Nowhere is the importance of hook sharpness more critical than in lure and fly fishing, where a fish will often nip,

fly fishing typically comes down to the sharpness of your hook points, and this is an area far too often disregarded or under-rated, especially by novice anglers. Keen, experienced lure fishers regularly talk about the

Quality lures like this Ecogear ZX typically carry very sharp hooks, greatly enhancing their ability to pin lightly-biting fish.

Top: Jo Starling with a small golden perch that was only very lightly pinned, thanks to the use of ‘sticky sharp’ hooks on her lure. Above: Treble hooks on lures need wickedly sharp hook points in order to regularly find their mark… Check your hooks often!

is too sharp (or if it’s offset from the plane of the hook shank and bend), it may catch lightly inside the fish’s mouth or throat and fail to slide into the correct position and lock around the jaw bone, as

snap, slash or grab at a moving artificial bait, offering the angler a single, split-second chance of obtaining a solid connection. The difference between a missed strike and a solid hook-up when lure or

desirability of having ‘sticky sharp’ hooks. When they use this term, they’re referring to the propensity that really keen hook points have of literally ‘sticking’ to any surface they happen to touch, be it your

finger, an item of clothing… or a fish’s lip. Sticky sharp hooks can make a huge difference to your day-to-day lure and fly fishing results. In the bad old days, new hooks were rarely sticky sharp straight out of the pack and committed anglers were forced to spend time touching them up with fine files or sharpening stones. In this modern era of improved metallurgy and ‘chemically sharpened’ hooks (which have been etched in an acid bath to remove the imperfections left by the mechanical sharpening process), most quality hooks are keen enough to use when brand new, without any touching up. However, these very fine points are also highly susceptible to damage and deterioration from corrosion or contact with hard surfaces such as rocks, boat hulls and fish teeth. Get into the habit of regularly checking your hook points by touching them lightly against the ball of your thumb or dragging them across a fingernail. Really sharp hooks will instantly bite in. If they don’t, change them out or sharpen them… Trust me, you’ll catch a lot more fish if you follow this advice!

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Victorian trout season begins WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Earlier this year I retired from my regular gig as a fishing reporter right across all magazines. For a couple of months I twiddled my thumbs, but then I was offered the opportunity to write a trout opening feature – I pounced. For many people, Bathurst weekend is a special time for them; others love the AFL Grand Final; many love the Melbourne Cup – for me, my favourite weekend of the year is trout opening weekend. I enjoy cod opening each year as well, but trout opening weekend is my favourite and one that I look forward to with anticipation many weeks in advance. This year, trout opening is Saturday 5 September. It’s always the first Saturday of September, as opposed to cod opening being the 1 December regardless of what day of the week it is. Unless I write this article 3 or 4 days in advance, it is almost impossible to know what the conditions will be like, so I will write it with ‘average spring conditions’ in mind, that being cold and damp with slowly increasing warmth in the sun. 2015 TROUT OPENING Cast your minds back to the bumper 2011-2012 season. Leading up to that, we had massive amounts of rainfall in September 2010, December 2010 and then again in March 2011. There was water everywhere. Trout were free to swim wherever they liked as every little gully and seasonal creek was flowing for lengthy periods of time. Food was abundant and trout growth rates were phenomenal. This lead to the 2011-2012 season being one of the best trout seasons in living memory. Everybody that went trout fishing caught trout and the fish just appeared out of nowhere once conditions became favourable.

The following season was nothing short of devastating. There were no fish. Some streams fished okay but overall the decline in trout numbers was widespread and immense. I formed a belief that it was like a ‘boom and bust’ type cycle. The previous season being a boom, and the new season being a bust. Some people blamed fishing pressure, some blamed cormorants, some were so

spoilt in 2011-2012 that they forgot what the fishing was ‘usually’ like and got a bit of a reality check. Victorian fisheries at the time believed that it was a combination of things, with birds and fishing pressure having a minimal effect as trout have such high growth rates and can grow from fingerlings to pan size in a matter of weeks if conditions are right. Their main concern was low flows and higher

A lovely rainbow trout caught in a small rural stream early last season before conditions became too warm and the water flows slowed right down.

than usual average water temperatures, both of which were backed by scientific evidence and field-testing. Anyhow, for whatever reason, the 2012-2013 season was appalling. Towards the end of autumn 2013 there were some encouraging signs with numbers of smaller trout on the increase. We headed into the 20132014 season with higher hopes, thanks to the number of smaller fish at the end of the previous season. This new season shaped up OK. It was not great, but was better than the previous season. Trout were caught on a regular basis, but not in great numbers. Last season, 2014-2015 saw a marked improvement in trout fishing across the region. Once again, it was not as good as it can get, far from it, but the gradual improvement in trout fishing after the disastrous 2012-2013 season has continued. Some streams still offered poor or no trout fishing potential all season, and some fished 100% as good as they get. It was easier to find trout last season than it was the season before,

Top: Typical early spring conditions with high water flows lend themselves to perfect worm fishing conditions. Above: Fishing in the upper reaches of the Buffalo River.

The author caught this Kiewa River trophy trout on Christmas day a few years back. There are some very large trout around in some of the bigger rivers, but they are very hard to catch. Fishing with a natural presentation under the cover of darkness is a good way to try and find them. This one was caught on a Strike Tiger nymph soft plastic at 10:30pm.

and many anglers caught good numbers on a regular basis. This brings us to the new season, the 2015-2016 trout season, which is upon us now. Will the improving pattern in trout fishing continue? This is what I predict: My prediction for the new season is a slight improvement on last season. I am tipping that it will be quite a similar season to last year, but may possibly be a little bit better. As mentioned, trout numbers in general have picked up in

recent seasons and when last season closed things were looking good. Prior to the closing of last season, we had some very good widespread rain in April and May, just in time to put more water into the rivers and creeks to allow trout to swim upstream and spawn much easier. At the time of writing this article, it is difficult to know exactly what will happen with trout sizes as I do not have a crystal ball to tell me how much rainfall we are going

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to receive. Trout are a very fast growing fish, capable of growing 2-3kg in a single year if there is an abundance of food. These insane growth rates are usually only seen in lakes, particularly lakes that have filled for the first time, drowning plants and shrubs and providing a never ending food source. In the rivers and creeks they still have the potential to grow quite quickly though, and last season’s small 10cm trout may well be up around the 30cm size provided we

get enough rain. The rain is essential as a large part of the trout’s diet in streams during the colder months is worms. These worms enter the system when the rain washes them in. During the warmer months, trout have all types of insects, grasshoppers, crickets to chew on, but these are not around in the middle of July. Worms are around, but we need the rain to wet the ground. The wet ground brings the worms to the surface, then the heavy rain washes them into the system. At that point, trout

growth rates increase. So we’re praying for rain this winter to get a better grade of trout for the new season. On all but the driest of drought years, July, August and September usually provide enough rainfall in the mountains to wash worms into the system, so there will be trout growth of some description this winter, but how much will they grow? This all depends on what the rain gods send us. Come September 5, it will be pretty safe to say that

A brilliantly coloured Ovens River rainbow trout from the Harrietville area.

Wayne Gardner unleashing a big cast in the Kiewa River early last season.

there will be enough water in the streams to warrant using worms as bait. I love bait fishing with worms early in the season – it is so much fun! Just a small size 8 hook, and couple of garden worms and a split shot sinker or two to assist with casting distance and you can’t go wrong! People rave on about scrub worms, but I think they’re a bit over-rated. Granted they are a dynamite trout bait, there is absolutely no doubt about that, but I think that garden worms are just as effective on trout, particularly early in the season when there is usually

a fair bit of water about. Any sort of worms will do. Garden worms, scrubbies, tiger worms… in fact, I reckon you could probably get an intestinal worm out of a dead kangaroo resting on the side of the Hume Highway and it would probably still work... although I wouldn’t advise doing that! Seriously though, any type of worms will work when the water is a bit higher. If you’re planning on lure fishing, try using something shiny and metallic. Something like a silver or gold Celta is a great starting point. The Celta is a great spinner and

has proven itself over time as a fantastic trout spinner, however I think the more modern spinners like the Super Vibrax is a bit better as it is heavier and can cast further. On top of that they are also a more reliable spinner. It’s very rare to have problems with them spinning properly. The Rooster Tail is a great all round trout spinner as well, and has an incredible knack of inducing strikes when other spinners are just getting follows, however to the best of my knowledge they do not come in full metallic shine, To page 58

SEPTEMBER 2015

From page 57

which is why I recommend the shiny silver or gold Super Vibrax. Be mindful, there are a lot of cheap knock-offs out

there of the Super Vibrax, particularly online. When you buy a cheap lure of any kind on the Internet, you may not always be getting what you’re paying for. My best advice is

Wayne Gardner with a solid brown trout he caught on a Strike Tiger Hawg soft plastic early last season in a stream that gets so low that it almost dried up last summer. When that happens, the trout tend to retreat to the bottom of the deep darker holes in the shade where they sulk until conditions improve.

to support your local tackle store and make sure you buy the genuine products. Small minnows can work well early in the season as well. Trout love to feed on small fish of any kind. Whether it’s a minnow of some kind, a small blackfish or even a tadpole, it doesn’t matter. If the trout are hungry and they see something small and swimming they will attack it. Most of these smaller minnows are a dark colour. For this reason, when using minnows early in the season I have a personal preference for natural colours. Those dark green Rapala minnows with the orange belly are a very reliable fish taker, but that’s just an example. There are literally hundreds of different lures and different manufacturers and importers in the country these days. As long as it is small, dark and swims OK you are in with a chance! LOCATIONS TO GET STARTED Ovens River I am predicting that the Ovens River will fish well all season. Last season it fished quite well. A few years ago the upper reaches of the Ovens River were devastated by a bushfire, which was quickly followed by a flash flood, which washed all sorts of ash and debris into the river, choking the waterway

Strike Tiger 1 inch nymph

SEPTEMBER 2015

Brenton Richardson with a magnificent rainbow trout caught on a Strike Tiger nymph soft plastic in a small rural stream early last season. and leading to massive fish kills. For several years after that event the trout fishing in the upper reaches of the Ovens River could be best described as poor. Last season, 2500 mature brown trout were stocked into the river following a lot of campaigning from various angling groups. On top of this brown trout stocking, the rainbow trout that have survived in the many tributaries had moved back into the river once conditions were again favourable. The end result is an improved trout fishery in the upper reaches of the Ovens River, which should see great trout fishing throughout this upcoming trout season. I think the Ovens River from Bright upstream will be the best river in North East Victoria to head to this season if you’re targeting trout. It will be quite high and very difficult to wade early in the season as it always is, but heading into late spring the water levels should subside as the last of the snow melts off the back of the great dividing range and the river should become much more user-friendly in time for the summer holiday period. Kiewa River The Kiewa River has been quite disappointing over the last few seasons. The trout fishing has been quite slow, and will more than likely continue to be slow this coming season. In saying that, trout were caught all last season, but not in the numbers that the Kiewa River is famous for. There were some larger trout caught, indicative of very good conditions for trout to survive and feed, but

unfortunately the numbers have been down and look to stay down for some time. I would love to see 3000 trout per year stocked into the Kiewa River for 3 years, and then 1000 per year after that for a further 3 years after that, but that is highly unlikely to happen. The powers-to-be seem to think that nobody likes trout and everybody wants to see only native fish stocked, as the Kiewa River is one of many Victorian rivers to have Murray cod

large volumes of cold water being released from Lake Dartmouth providing very good conditions for trout. The trout returned from various tributaries, to the Mitta Mitta River to thrive in the colder water. Areas of the Mitta Mitta catchment that were known to be densely populated with trout saw a thinning of trout numbers as these small trout living in pockets of deeper cooler water spread out and fed like no tomorrow, gaining condition and providing a wonderful trout season for all who ventured up there fishing. This season I am predicting great trout fishing in the first few months of the season. What the fishing will be like after Christmas will largely depend on the volume of water released from Lake Dartmouth. Buckland River The Buckland River is another river that has ticked over for the last few years. It has not provided any red-hot fishing, but has seen a steady number of trout caught in various sections of river. This upcoming season should be no different with mid to late spring being the best when the water is still very cold and flowing well, before summer arrives and the flow in this natural flowing mountain stream reduced to a small trickle. Buffalo River One of my favourites, the Buffalo River seems to provide at least reasonable fishing each season. Wet winters tend to lead to better trout fishing in the warmer months in the Buffalo River, whereas dry winters seem to

A Buffalo River rainbow trout caught on a soft plastic. stocked en masse each year with zero trout stocked. Mitta Mitta River The Mitta Mitta River downstream of Lake Dartmouth was an absolute pearler of a trout fishery last season. This large river had seen a succession of quiet trout fishing seasons, similar to the Ovens and Kiewa rivers, and then last year that all turned around with

lead into shorter trout fishing seasons as the Buffalo has a tendency to run very low after Christmas. The best trout fishing is usually upstream around Abbeyard. Closer to Lake Buffalo, the Buffalo River has quite a few small redfin, 88 gazillion river blackfish and the odd Macquarie perch. It is also extremely hard to wade in this area due to

dense bankside vegetation. Upstream around Abbeyard, there appears to be no redfin that I know of. There are still plenty of blackfish, a few Macquarie perch and better numbers of trout. Huge trout are not common, but the odd Buffalo River 4lb specimen turns up from time to time. Don’t bother wasting your time if you are wanting to fish for trout on the downstream side of Lake Buffalo, as the lower reaches

of the Buffalo River are very well known for the fantastic Murray cod fishing. There was great trout fishing down there many years ago, but these days the Buffalo River trout fishing is all in the headwaters. Rose River The Rose River is just a small version of the Buffalo River really, with the same fish species, same deep granite pools and same type of trout fishing dynamics. As with the Buffalo River, the

Brenton Richardson with a fat and healthy brown trout caught in a small rural flowing stream early in the season on a Super Vibrax bladed spinner with a red body and metallic coloured blade.

Rose River tends to fish best for trout after a wet winter and spring period. The last few seasons have seen quite poor fishing in the Rose River, however a few trout have turned up. I am expecting this coming trout season to be a similar story. In fact, unless some of our fishing licence revenue gets reinvested into the Rose River by way of trout stocking, it’s quite hard to imagine the Rose River picking up 100%. If we get a wet winter, then the Rose will be worth a look in early in the season. King River Just like the Buffalo River, the King River is all about the headwaters when you’re talking trout fishing. Murray cod have pushed all the way up as far as Lake William Hovell these days and trout numbers have dropped so far that it is barely worth fishing the King River downstream of Lake William Hovell for trout. That’s OK though, at least we have fishing of some kind. Where we use to have trout, we now have cod. That’s a far better set up then hundreds of the smaller creeks around the region. Where we use to have great trout fishing, we now have NO fishing whatsoever because these small streams never get stocked.

A lovely coloured North East Victorian brown trout caught on a soft plastic fishing lure. So if you’re wanting to fish for trout in the King River this season, make sure you head upstream of Lake William Hovell, the further upstream the better. There are plenty of trout up there in the headwaters of the King River. In fact, it’s one of the better trout fisheries in the region with the section right up high being the best, from Pineapple flat upstream. Small streams North East Victoria is

littered with small streams. Some streams run through forest only, others run through farmland. Some have trout and some don’t. It can be a game of hit and miss when targeting trout in the small creeks around here these days. My best advice is to fish them early in the season when the water flow is still good, particularly the rural flowing streams, which have a tendency to get lower and warmer quicker than the creeks that flow

through the forested areas. Get in early, be prepared to explore and try different creeks, and most of all, don’t write a creek off if it doesn’t produce any trout because many of the small streams have ‘pockets’ of trout, or good populations of trout in sections of the creeks, not the whole creek. Good luck to everybody heading out trout fishing this 2015-2016 season. May your drags scream and your lines stay tight.

SEPTEMBER 2015

Rain needed for productive trout season HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

There’s been a lot of talk throughout the region of late about the dry conditions and lack of rain, which in turn has an adverse effect on water levels, fishing and stocking of lakes. With parts of the Wimmera getting good soaking rains leading to run-off, other areas have not been so lucky. Catchments are at a low, and with serious talk of water restrictions being enforced over the summer period, I can see some waterways becoming

Tassie Devils once again being the prominent lure in the bright colours either cast or trolled. Soft plastics, like Fish Arrows and Nories spoon tail shads in minnow/ gudgeon colours also have a good chance. A not so new lure on the market has probably been the standout for cast/retrieve style fishing, the OSP Bent Minnow. These erratic actioned minnow imitations give great results in the shallows and they seem to entice the wary and territorial fish into a strike rather than a follow. Mudeyes and other baits like yabbies, minnows and

landed with the big girls all schooled up in preparation for spawning. As I’ve said for a while now, finding the schools is easy on a good quality sounder, staying with them is the hard part. Deep diving lures have been best here with the Rapalas and Daiwa Double Clutches working well in 2-3m depths. Jigging over schools has also produced with some using ice jigs, others working lipless crankbaits through schools or my preferred method of a heavily weighted jighead on a soft plastic free spooled down amongst the fish then worked up through them. Most

The Tassie Devil Pink Panther claims another Toolondo scalp! non events once the high temperatures take force and evaporation depletes lakes and systems once again. Through the Toolondo Advisory Group meetings over the past few months we have gained a valuable insight into how the system as a whole operates and the valuable resource, water, is allocated. Environmental flows, recreational allocations and stock and domestic are the priority and, as fishers and conservationists, we now know we live in a boom/bust scenario where water is a valuable commodity. Hats off to all involved in this group, putting together a package that now sits with the Ministers and Government for consideration. LAKE TOOLONDO Once again the fishing has been pretty tough here with the spawning right on the tail end now and fish being a little finicky over this period. Seasons wise, we are what I gauge at around 3 weeks behind last year, which means the coming weeks should get very interesting. We’re starting to see a few fish taken trolling now, with weed only being a major problem on the calmer days. 60

SEPTEMBER 2015

keen to get a sample fish and do studies on it. LAKE FYANS AND WARTOOK Both of these lakes have been producing a few nice trout of late with those able to access mudeye doing well under bubble floats. As the water temps are around the 6-7ºC mark, trout become willing to freely feed; looking for that high protein meal and becoming a little more ferocious. Smelting on top has been noted by a few anglers and casting soft plastics to rising fish is a sure fire way to get hooked up. Trolling lures has also done well with flatlining early and late in the day a sure bet. Deeper diving lures in the mix can result in a good-sized redfin too and double your trout chances as they become more reliant on a diminishing food source. I know a few fly fishers who have done very well at both lakes lately with minnow and mudeye pattern. TAYLORS LAKE After a very quiet patch there in early winter there’s been some great reports coming from here of some very nice cod about. Trolling the big bug type lures as well as chatterbaits around trees, logs and drop-offs, there have been some big smiles returning to the ramps. A few anglers are also casting spinnerbaits and getting smashed on the surface around known hideouts. Look for the structure and lairs of the cod on the sounder and persist. Sometimes it’s just a matter of that

Top: Ray Skinner had the pleasure of landing this Toolondo buck trolling a Tassie Devil Beetle Bomb. Above: Tracey Trenorden landed this beaut brown at Toolondo recently trolling a Tassie Devil. many anglers, hunters, etc over the years. With water temps currently 6-7ºC, you fall or slip into the water they fill up and will in most cases turn you upside down as the feet cavity fills with air pushed down by the incoming water. If you don’t drown, then

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

Left: Dean Doherty with a trolled up brown trout taken on a Tassie Devil Holographic. Right: Anthony Forster from Fisheries Victoria landed this cracker buck brown on a OSP Bent Minnow. gudgeon are now starting to produce some fish. Rigging is critical here and fished under a clear float rather than coloured produces better. In shallow water these wary big trout are spooked easily so use a clear float to advantage and no drag at all for best results. ROCKLANDS There have been mixed results here of late, but still a few nice redfin are being

times this entices a hit and on occasions when the fish are active they are taken on the drop. Trout have been a little scarce but flat line trolling has seen a couple of bigger fish landed as well as a few of the new release fish. Bass have gone into their winter slumber but anyone who does land one, please keep and let me know as Fisheries Victoria are still

one last cast that makes the difference. Check all the legal requirements and most would be aware of the new slot limits brought in prior to this year’s season. SAFETY I know I harp on about this but I still don’t understand people wearing waders in boats or failing to wear a PFD in vessels under 4.8m in length. Waders have killed

hypothermia will most likely take over within minutes. As for PFDs they are light and un-obtrusive to your fishing, the best life insurance you can have on a boat. They are there to be worn, not because the law says you have to have them! • Victorian Inland Charters are proud to announce we have just purchased 3 Polycraft 4.1m hire/drive boats that

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Mildura returns to normal MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

Since the boards were placed back into Mildura Weir after a period of being out for maintenance, river levels have finally gone back to normal. After what has been a productive winter for Murray cod, things are looking even better for September. The maintenance of the Mildura weir and removal of the weir structure in July/ August meant that river levels above Mildura were extremely low making it difficult to launch the boat. The weir maintenance has now ceased and river levels are re-gaining some normality. Some nice Murray cod have been caught recently around Mildura over the past couple of months, but were a bit hit and miss toward

the later part. Water clarity has been good since the start of the year making lure visibility very good, but the Murray River has since started flowing faster, making fishing with lures difficult. A flush of water has been affecting the way in which the fish, in particular Murray cod, have been behaving. It has resulted in some slow fishing for most anglers leading up to the season close. The few fish that have been caught recently have been very healthy looking, obviously feeding up on copious amounts of baitfish with a few of these fish reaching well over a metre. In order to catch that monster Murray cod, time on the water is the key. Cast spinnerbaits of all sizes and colours have been working well where water clarity has improved. Whites and silver heads with nickel oversize blades have been working best in this clear water.

Trolling large lures in the deeper parts has been slow of late, as can often be the case during winter, but has still been producing results. Bait fishos have been enjoying some good fishing with yellowbelly up to 50cm caught on shrimp and worm around Mildura and below. Of course, there have also been plenty of carp being caught everywhere. Quite a few reports of smaller cod around the 50-60cm range are still being caught on lures and bait in several locations around Mildura and up the Darling River. These smaller cod have been enjoying the flows that this river can bring being active, especially around eddy currents and the downstream side of snag piles. Spring is up on us and it can be a special time of year for yellowbelly fishers around Mildura. Spring can be a very busy time of year for recreational anglers as

A typical spring yellowbelly caught casting the snags with a small hardbody lure. Fish like these are common in the spring months. they flock around the weir structures in great numbers for an easy catch on bait or lures. This is the time is when golden perch start to swim upstream and school in readiness for spawning.

Luring with lipless crankbaits around the lock structures during these times can be fun and quite productive and a good alternative with cod season closed for another year. Good yellowbelly set-ups for the river are

typically 10-20lb braid on 1-4kg rods. Smaller spinnerbaits like the Bassman 1/4oz and 1/8oz models and smaller hardbodies are ideal for casting in and around snags, lock structures and rock bars.

Cod season’s last hurrah ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

We’ve just passed the slippery dip side of winter spiralling headlong into the welcome warmth of spring. It has been a long cold winter along the

and the chance to land one more monster cod is over until December. I have found in seasons past that the last few weeks before the close will often provide an excellent bite window. Perhaps the pending threat of warmth is enough to wake the fish from their otherwise stubborn winter doldrums and kick them up

Robinvale has fished well this past month with sizable perch caught upstream of the road bridge to the cut and around the Nine-Mile. Bait fishos have done well bobbing small yabbies or large scrub worms close to structure. A few fish have also been landed on the cast and troll using lures. Perch have been a consistent catch from below the Euston weir, downstream to Wemen and beyond. There’s a lot of smaller fish in the mix and these smaller perch are a good sign for the future and the good fishing to come. In the Wakool River near Kyalite some good sized perch have been landed on bait with scrub worms working best. In the Kerang Lakes the redfin are starting to fire and the bite will only get better

Rod Mackenzie with a nice sized Murray cod taken on the troll during winter.

While the fishing had been slow in the cold waters, large lures like the new 170mm Codzilla were a meal not to be snubbed. Murray and while the fishing has been tough some awesome fish have been landed by those prepared to brave the elements. With the close of the cod season time has run out for that last hurrah 62

SEPTEMBER 2015

into a higher feeding gear. Perch too must feel the pending seasonal change as they begin to feed with a little more vigour. On bait and lure these silver flanked fish become a regular catch that increases as the weather continues to warm.

Dozer Collins has had a great season scoring numerous winter cod like this beauty landed on the cast using a 120mm Codzilla lure.

as the temperature starts to climb. Both Lake Boga and Lake Charm are fishing well with some surprise catches of perch and cod in the mix. Best methods will depend on water clarity at the time with bait working best when the water clarity is poor. If the waters settled and clarity is good then small minnow styled lures and blades work a treat. All up it’s been a great winter’s fishing at most locations with numerous giant cod landed and released. I look forward to the coming warmth of spring and while the cod door swings closed for three months other doors open that offer some awesome angling opportunities.

Tough month for predictions YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Lake Mulwala is filling at a steady pace, by the time this report goes to print the lake will be full – so guessing at how the lake will be fishing is nigh on impossible! Water clarity and temperatures will have a strong impact on the fishing activity, along with how the cod settle back into their home snags. Traditionally, after a drawdown/refill, action is a bit slow for the first couple of months. As the water warms and settles, reports return to normal where Lake Mulwala can be very rewarding one minute and ‘the lake of 1000 casts’ the next. One thing that never changes is that Lake Mulwala’s dense population of natives assures us it will be forever be known as ‘The home of the Murray cod’.

A better option for the last week or two of the season would be to head downstream in the river. Trolling your 100mm+ sized lures could see you in for some genuine rod bending action. Looking back, July was a tough month as varying water conditions mixed in with some very cool weather made for a challenge. The best cod reported came from a very keen David Foster. Dave’s cast Bassman Mumbler was brutalised by a 113cm beast that made for a memorable day out and some lasting happy snaps. Another to come up tight on a great green specimen was Sasha Jovanovic. Under the watchful eye of the old man George, Sasha’s trolled lure was gobbled up by a healthy 105cm cod. All up during the draw down period, over 20 cod measuring in excess of the magical metre mark were caught, along with many other 70cm+ quality specimens.

While talking draw down, credit must go to either (or both, whoever is responsible?) Goulburn Murray Water or Moira Shire for the work they did at extending the Yacht Club boat ramp. While the lake is drawn down, access was still possible but only via 4WD, which was still fairly dodgy and in some situations risky at best. We now have a newly extended ramp that remains usable when the lake is at its lowest. Great job to all concerned. Cray season has been steady without having much to jump up and down about. Since the new laws increasing minimum size limit and reducing bag limits came into place in 2014, the novelty for many has worn off. Credit must go to Fisheries for allowing the targeting of these tasty critters to remain when it would have been easy to ban ‘craying’ altogether. Cod and cray season

closes September 1 through until November 30. Make sure you’re aware of all rules pertaining to fishing for natives this time of year. Also note that all water from downstream of the Yarrawonga Weir through Cobram downstream to the Tocumwal Bridge are totally closed for all fishing activities. Some of the biggest news on the fishing tournament scene has just been announced by the Cod Classic organising team. This year they will have up for grabs a potential $1 million cash bounty* for some lucky angler if they can catch ‘Phil’, the specially tagged Murray cod. Throw in a Ford Ranger Ute and seven boating packages, this is one event not to be missed. For more information on the Cod Classic, the upcoming Golden Dollar$ in late October or anything else relating to fishing Mulwala, feel free to give us a call at

Sasha Jovanovic with an impressive 105cm Murray cod. Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski on 0357 443 133. • 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.

Entering the yellow zone SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

The winter rains hit just like previous years making the last weeks of cod season very difficult. The lovely water clarity and steady heights of both the Broken and Goulburn rivers was a thing of the past once the rains hit. August always sees an influx of fishers chasing late season cod but all reports leading up to now were that it had been tough going. Only a handful of locals managed to land fish leading into the closure. The small amount of reports were more bait fishers camping out in the tough conditions and landing fish just on dark. There were still numerous reports of crayfish being landed off the bank while anglers were bait fishing for cod. With cod season behind us we shift our focus onto chasing yellowbelly and redfin in our local waterways. The rain was annoying in August but spring rain sometimes can be a blessing in coming months, especially in the Broken River. Spring river rises send the yellowbelly into bite frenzy mode, and anywhere along the Broken River normally can deliver a good number of catches. Last year many people fished the waters around the standard main spots

around the Caseys and Gowangardie weirs. These main areas along the Broken have some artificial walking tracks and you can guarantee it’s not tracks from people walking their dog – it’s all fishing traffic, so you can bank on the fact that these areas are the ones that get over fished. So this spring many have spoken about exploring further upstream around the Benalla area to find more

yellowbelly in the Broken, smaller hardbodies such as the 10ft Codgers or the small to medium Viking Lures and any colour StumpJumer are go-to lures. There is a range of smaller spinnerbaits on the market now, which are more a bass type size but they are working well on yellowbelly. If you’re fishing the Goulburn, head out to Raftery’s Road and fish either side of the sandbars. I have found this to work well and

Kydan Atkinson with two nice little redfin from a local channel.

Kaleb Oxley with a nice yellowbelly taken in the Broken recently. unfished waters. Walking the banks may be a tad harder but the results should pay off. When chasing spring

if you can get fresh yabbies or shrimp use them for sure. If you can’t get any live bait from the river, try big scrub

worms, and don’t be scared to drop your hook size, just because you have a big bait doesn’t mean you need a monster hook. WARANGA BASIN The Basin fishes well this time of year but don’t just target redfin over the winter months, historically there were more reports of yellowbelly being caught at this time than any other year. Hopefully there is a few sharp rises in the lake, as this may stir the fish right up. In coming months the wind can play a massive part in a day’s fishing out there. It may look nice and calm at home but it could be choppy and dangerous out there. Make sure you are well prepared. I use WillyWeather on the Internet to see what the wind is doing, but it’s not 100% accurate but it just gives you a rough idea of what to expect.

CRAIGMUIR LAKE There is some nice weed beds forming on the Mooroopna side of the lake, which is annoying for bank fishers but for those in kayaks or canoes, these weed bed edges are gold mines. There have been a few early reports of good-sized redfin and yellowbelly being caught on lipless crank baits and gold vibes. Casting along the edges has been the best method but you can also troll your lures around these weed beds. Those looking to bait fish, floats are now an ‘in thing’ and work well in the Shepparton Lake so I would expect floating worms, shrimp or yabbies on the edge would also work well in Craigmuir. The lake does not get regularly stocked so try to release as many fish as possible. SHEPPARTON LAKE Fishing in the lake has

been very quiet recently, but I expected it to fish a lot better but hopefully some warmer weather and a fresh release of fish helps it pick up. The water clarity is very good and that’s great for the lure fishos using silvers and golds. There is still a trout being caught on lure, fly and bait. These fish are not massive, but they’re great fun on light tackle. Early mornings or just on dark seem to be the best times for the trout in the lake. LOCAL CHANNELS Finally we can fish in the channels after the authorities spent the winter months poisoning weeds. Now the channels are full and we should see some good fishing in coming months. The drop bars along the Main Eastern channel produce good numbers of fish. Target any structure in coming months with bait or lures. SEPTEMBER 2015

Luscious lowlands will deliver WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Well that was one of my all time greatest failures! A few months ago I retired from almost all forms of fishing journalism. I decided it was time to take a step back from writing and concentrate on other aspects of my life. As the teenagers say these days... “EPIC FAIL!” My retirement lasted little more than 3 months, now here I am back in the game. To be honest, I missed writing more than I thought I would, but also realise that I do not have the spare time that I once did, as a result I will be continuing on with my Wangaratta fishing reports, but have given up the Kiewa Valley reports which I use to also write. Anyhow, that’s enough about me, let’s start talking about the important stuff... the fishing! And September is when everything starts to spring back to life. Trout fishing will dominate the fishing in North East Victoria throughout September as the lowland species just start to become active. TROUT Saturday 5 September is the start of the 2015/2016 trout season. As always, many of the region’s keen anglers will be out at daybreak trying

LOWLAND SPECIES As mentioned, the lowland species of fish are usually just starting to move in September as the days get longer and the weather just starts to warm up a bit. The weather plays a huge factor in the fishing around Wangaratta during the early parts of spring, as too much rain can make the rivers unfishable. This is due to the fact that the Ovens River is not dammed like so many other rivers, making it quite a natural flowing waterway. It makes it hard to project a fishing report, but provides excellent natural fishing spawning conditions. If we do see a lot of August

for the kids. For anybody really wanting to fish for lowland species where it is a bit warmer, try fishing Tea Garden Creek for carp. Tea Garden Creek is fed by water from the Ovens River at Whorouly. It runs through the Oxley Flats and then enters the King River upstream of Wangaratta. As it is fed through water diversion, it does not suffer from high floodwater as much as the main rivers. It will still rise and fall after rain events, however the water usually subsides quite quickly providing alternative fishing opportunities when the Ovens and King rivers are too high.

rain during August and the Ovens River is settled, the fishing will start off slow at the start of the month and gradually improve as the days get longer and warmer. Around Wangaratta itself the majority of fish caught will be carp. The Ovens River around Wangaratta is known Murray cod water, and they are off limits during September, which is the first month of the Murray cod closed season. That does not mean you cannot fish it at all, and each year I have a lot of fun fishing around Wangaratta using worms for bait and catching carp. I do catch a few small Murray cod on worms, but they

The dreaded European carp provide great fun for anglers in the spring months. They’re also great practice, particularly for younger people. Last summer I landed a 72cm Murray cod on 4lb line while bait fishing one evening. Had it not been for my years of carp fishing experience, I doubt that I would have landed that large cod.

Top Left: If the water is high in September, look for backwaters with less current. These are great places to sit and bait fish early in spring. Top Right: A lovely coloured small stream brown trout caught in a tributary of the King River last spring. Above Left: One of my larger stream trout caught early last season on a small soft plastic. Above Right: With the warmer weather in September comes increased snake activity. A snake bite in a remote area can become fatal so watch where you put your feet. If you see a snake, leave it alone and you won’t have any problems. to get in early and get first casts at the trout, which have not seen any lures or flies for close to 3 months. To find more information on the upcoming trout season, please read my feature article in this edition of Fishing Monthly, where I go into detail on some of the regions more respected trout streams and give a general forecast of what to expect this season. 64

SEPTEMBER 2015

rainfall, the Ovens River may be very high and very dirty. When this happens, there are some parts of the river that can be fished, however the fishing is usually quite slow. Lake Sambell in Beechworth can provide a great fishing alternative in September as it is stocked twice during the colder months with yearling rainbow trout, which provide great sport and great fun

The downside is that Tea Garden Creek is really just a carp fishery. It’s a small shallow creek with a mud bottom running through mostly private property, with public roadside access on the Oxley Flats Road. As stated it is only a carp fishery, but opens up another fishing option if the Ovens River is flooded! If we do not get too much

are usually very small and always released. There are yellowbelly (golden perch) further downstream along the Ovens River. The further downstream you go the more yellowbelly there are. I usually consider Peechelba as the upper range of yellowbelly in the Ovens River. Although they are caught upstream each year, including Wangaratta and

further up, their numbers are few and far between and not sufficient enough to warrant targeting them. The lower reaches of the Ovens River around Bundalong is where the best population of yellowbelly is in the Ovens River. Even then there’s not a huge amount, making them more of a sport fishing option than a harvestable option.

If you’re after a feed of fresh yellowbelly, then you are probably better off heading over to Lake Nillahcootie on the Broken River, which is stocked heavily, making it more sustainable, or even Lake Hume near Albury/ Wodonga. Both of those lakes start to become active towards the later part of September.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Lake fishing still fantastic JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

After a very mild winter in the Snowy Mountains there is still a fair bit of snow on the mountains to melt yet and provide water for the rivers and streams over summer. Of course Lake Jindabyne’s water level remained quite high over winter, and as the snow starts to melt this month we can expect the lake level once again to rise quite high. This will remain until Snowy Hydro do another environmental release down the lower Snowy River, maybe sometime in October. This release of about 5052ML in one day is the flushing flow for the Snowy River downstream of Jindabyne, and every year it has improved the conditions. The fishing is also getting better downstream every year, with some very good stocking programs taking place. The release may take the water level of Jindabyne down by about 1m, but this drop in water level has never had a detrimental effect on the trout fishing. Water releases are good both for the lower Snowy River and good for the trout fishing. While the lake fishing is still going fantastic at the moment, just remember our rivers and streams will remain closed for the trout spawning season until next month, when they will

reopen on the Saturday of the NSW October long weekend. Make certain you always carry a current fishing licence on you when fishing; quite a few anglers have been fined this year for not having their licence on them, even though they did have one at home. Now let’s look at what to expect when fishing this month. FISHING IN SEPTEMBER Once again this year, due to lake water levels

weed, and Hatchery Bay and Hayshed Bay have a lot of rainbows in the shallows early and late in the day especially. The first hour around daylight has been best and the weather hasn’t been that cold, so it’s been great watching the sun rise while you land a trout. Use darker coloured lures early in the day, and as the sun rises the yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures have performed better. Number Y48 and Y96 Tasmanian Devils have been the best. Soft plastics,

BEST METHODS FOR SEPTEMBER Trolling........... Troll surface lures close to the shoreline early in the morning. Bait fishing.... Powerbait floating about 2 feet off the bottom. Fly Fishing..... Polaroid fish working out the direction they are cruising and drop a small olive nymph well in front so as not to spook the fish. Spinning......... Small spinners and floating minnows in the shallows will give you some exciting takes. rising slowly, the trout will be close into the banks. If you are out in the boat trolling you’ll need to slow the boat down and hit the shallows. Jointed Rapalas have been best when trolling through the shallows, as they have better action at slower speeds, with either rainbow or brown trout patterns best. The Spotted Dog Rapala has been good and so has the Rapala Scatter Rap in natural trout and perch colours, and again in the spotted dog pattern. The Rapala Scatter Rap’s unique action is working well on the Snowy Mountains trout. The sheltered bays are also holding some good brown trout amongst the

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even the Gulp 1” Crickets, trolled behind Ford Fenders are also well worth a try. I prefer to fish the township end of the lake in September because the water coming out of the rivers is very cold and the fish can be a little less active. Other areas that have been fishing very well are Sids Bay and Rainbow Beach area. Lake bait fishing has been good, and artificial baits once again have been catching most of the fish. Because the artificial baits float, leave about 2ft of trace between the artificial and a big scrub worm sitting on the bottom. This twin hook rig has been producing better catch rates because the scented artificial often helps attract the trout, even if they do take the worm. It’s always best to put some line floatant like Mucilin on your line to keep it floating and to reduce the drag when the fish take the bait. Always fish with the bail arm open on your reel to allow the trout to run with the bait.

SEPTEMBER 2015

unless you know how to cast small floating minnow lures without spooking the fish. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results later on in the day and use smaller lures. Spinning lures like Celtas, Vibrax Spinners and Gillies Spinners are also worth a try around the shallow bays after dark. Don’t stay in one place too long and only put in a couple of casts in each area. On the days when there is a little wind, the better lures have been Tasmanian Devils in number 48 brown bomber and pink sparkler Tassie Devil S12, and don’t forget the ‘Willys Special’ yellowing lure I developed with Wigston’s Lures a few years ago. I predict this lure will be amazing on the lake this spring and summer. With the fly fishing on the lake, the polaroiding is most definitely improving as the lake level rises, and we should see some great fishing over the next few weeks. On bright days use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the

13-year-old Ethan Montagnino was happy with this quality brown. shallows have been full of small shrimp. Bigger flies like Woolly Buggers allowed to sink and then stripped quickly will work best at night. Wollondibby Inlet has been fantastic for fly anglers as the trout cruise amongst the grass. FLY FISHING LESSONS My next beginners Fly Fishing Course will be held in Jindabyne on the weekend of the 30 October and 1 November. Contact me if you are interested. The weekend course of 16-hour instruction is $390. All tackle is provided free and there are specials on

tackle purchased during the weekend school. For those who book early there will also be a special Fishing Monthly Readers Special of a free fly rod if you book and pay by the end of September. • For more information on the latest fishing conditions, call into Steve Williamson’s Tackle Shop, Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne. My website is www.swtroutfishing.com. au, and if you’dd like to receive a copy of my ‘Trout Tales’ newsletters you can contact me on swtrout@ airlan.com.au.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Plenty of rainbow trout at Lake Narracan Rainbow trout are set to be on the menu for local anglers and families with 3,000 rainbow trout stocked into Lake Narracan today. Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford, today visited Lake Narracan to release the rainbow trout into the water, as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s Target One Million plan to get more people fishing, more often. Under the plan, fish stocking will increase from

Strike only when you think the fish has had time to swallow the bait. The areas for bait fishing lately have been The Boat Ramp, Wollondibby Inlet (deeper water), Curiosity Rocks Bay, The Haven and Rushes Bay over at East Jindabyne. If you’re spinning with lures around Lake Jindabyne, remember the fish are cruising close around the edges, and on a bright sunny day are very spooky. It’s better to fish the deeper water

three to five million fish per year, attracting more visitors to our regions for new fishing opportunities, boosting local economies and helping businesses grow and create jobs. It will also grow participation to one million anglers by 2020, strengthen angling club membership and provide the Better Fishing Fund to develop new recreational fishing reefs, improve boat launching facilities and support better access to

waterways. A popular pastime, recreational fishing currently contributes $2.3 billion to our social and economic well-being. The Labor Government provided $20 million in the recent 2015-16 Victorian Budget to implement the Target One Million plan and encourage more families to get outdoors and enjoy this rewarding pastime. The 3,000 rainbow trout stocked in Lake Narracan today will be joined by

7,000 brown trout later this month to further improve the fishery. Lake Narracan is also stocked annually with Australian bass and has received 60,000 since 2010, complementing a growing interest in the species and substantial stockings elsewhere in Gippsland over recent years. Find out more at www.vic.gov.au/ targetonemillion – Victoria Fisheries

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Goulburn festival on trout opening weekend To welcome the opening of the 2015 trout fishing season in rivers and streams, Fisheries Victoria and the Eildon community will again host the Goulburn Fishing Festival on Saturday 5 September. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the Festival promoted the diverse range of recreational fishing opportunities in the region including Lake Eildon, the Eildon Pondage and the Goulburn River downstream. “The Festival boasts free activities through the day for anglers of all skill levels and

ACTIVITIES • Fishing clinics in the Eildon Pondage. Bait and tackle provided. • Flyfishing lessons. • Dave ‘the Barefoot Fisherman’ Hodge casting demonstrations at 11am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm. • Trade show, featuring exhibitors ranging from fishing tackle to local produce. • Cooking demonstrations. • Releasing 1,000 live trout grown at the Snobs Creek fish hatchery. • Guided tours of our Snobs Creek fish hatchery every hour from 10.30am departing from the Eildon Community Centre. • Fly-tying demonstrations from experts. • Children’s activities including face painting, jumping castle, balloon tying and coloring. • Fireworks over the Eildon Pondage at around 7pm.

Top: Free fishing clinics on the Eildon Pondage will help beginners learn the basics. Above Left: Learn some new cooking techniques from a local chef. Above Right: See where trout and Murray cod are grown at the Snobs Creek hatchery by joining a guided tour. fireworks over the Pondage at around 7pm,” Mr Dowling said. “The event, which is free, is part of the State Government’s Target One Million plan, which aims to

get more Victorian fishing more often by boosting participation to one million anglers by 2020. “Festival activities will include fishing clinics from

Above: Watch Dave Hodge put on a casting show. Below: Try flyfishing with advice from experts.

Help stock live trout from the hatchery into the Eildon Pondage. 68

SEPTEMBER 2015

experts focusing on local species such as trout, redfin and native fish, flyfishing lessons and the opportunity to help stock 1,000 live trout into the Eildon Pondage. “Dave Hodge, the ‘Barefoot Fisherman’, will join the list of attractions this year, providing casting demonstrations that will impress even the keenest angler. “There will also be displays showcasing fishing tackle and local produce, cooking demonstrations and free children’s entertainment including face painting, a jumping castle and colouring.

“A highlight will be guided tours of the department’s hatchery at Snobs Creek where fish, such as brown trout and Murray cod, are grown for the statewide stocking program.” Mr Dowling said Target One Million would grow recreational fishing in Victoria by boosting fish stocking from three million to five million, improving access and facilities and strengthening angling clubs membership – www.vic. gov.au/targetonemillion For more information about the schedule of activities on the day, which runs from 10am until 5pm and is centred at the Eildon Community Centre, visit www.vic.gov.au/ fishfest. – DEDJTR

Times of triumphant trout trolling EILDON

Andy McCarthy

Now that spring has arrived it should be a cracking season, so let’s hope that the powers don’t let another 20,000 mega litres out, as it looks like a dry spring on the way. The trout fishing of late has been fantastic with good numbers of fish from all over the bottom of the lake. One of the hottest spots has been virtually in the middle of the Main Arm and flat lining Tassie Devils in the ‘clown’ pattern and the new ‘pinky prominent’ seems to be the go this month. Other spots to produce quality fish was the ever popular Big River Arm with reports of a couple of nice browns of 6-8lb one on StumpJumpers and traffic light Tassie Devils. Goughs Bay has also been going along nicely with solid numbers of trout but smaller models around

the 2lb mark, which are a very nice table fish size, especially in the smoker. The Goulburn arm doesn’t see as much traffic as the Big River, but is still a very good option if you want to go and get away from the crowds. There’s been some promising reports recently

from this area, not huge fish but a few nice 4lb and plenty of fish in the 1.5lb margin, once again flat lining pink Tassie Devils. There have been some nice cod on the chew again of late with reports still coming in on short bite windows, but when they are on its

Gerry with his beautiful winter cod.

gangbusters for an hour or so. Recently Gerry Morsman got a nice winter Murray cod in great condition. Also, one local punter picked up 6 cod in an hour and a half ranging between 58-89cm and all within 100m of each other. Then, all of a sudden, nothing for the rest of the day. There’s still a couple of yellas about. They’re not setting the world on fire but towards the end of the month and into October, it should go nuts. It tends to fire a little bit later than the top end of the lake as it is more likely to be cooler in the deeper reaches of the southern end of the lake. If you are trolling and pick up a yella, it’s well worth throwing a couple of lures in the same location where you trolled the fish up, because you never know exactly when they start to school up. So change it up throw a small spinnerbait, soft plastic, lipless crank, and if it’s not too snaggy you

Author with nice little brown taken on a soft plastic. may just dong a heap in a short period. If you have a substantial live well it’s best to put a few in, my reason for suggesting this is if you put the fish

back sometimes you can shut down the entire school. Afterwards. Of course, you can put them back to fight another day after you have had your fun.

Red and gold on the ‘Doon BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s springtime and that to me means things are about to turn to gold, golden perch, that is. These upcoming 4 months are my favourite time of the year on the lake without doubt. With the water level around 60% and rising, everything is pointing towards a bumper season on the yellowbelly. The fish will be starting to school up heavily this month and will be moving up onto the edges where we can locate and target them with confidence. The Delatite Arm is a very special place this time of year, and it gets fished very heavily in spring, however it consistently produces the best yella fishing of the entire lake. There are so many little bays with structure and perfect rock banks. It’s no wonder it’s the jewel of Eildon. There is so many options for catching these great-fighting native species. Trolling is a very potent method, and you can troll anywhere from 2m deep right down to 16m and you can do very well down deep, so give it a whirl! Scrubbies at the base of trees is a winner and you can pick up some

reddies as well. Lipless crankbaits are probably my favourite style of fishing on the rocky margins, and fishing super slow with light gear so much fun. Spinnerbaits are a winner also and you are always a chance of picking up a cod or two with these baits. When the fish are shut down, super small soft plastics on 1/24oz jigheads will be your best chance of getting a fish to eat. Of late, there have been some good reports of trout

up near the mouth of the Delatite River. They’re mainly browns around the 2.5lb range, and the best lure by far has been the pink Tassie Devil – a must have for anyone fishing for trout. A few scattered reports of redfin have come in, not big numbers, but quality fish of around 40cm. This is no surprise to me as they are hard to catch when we have such huge numbers of small to medium baitfish to feed on, it’s truly insane. So if you see the baitfish,

always try and match the hatch and you will be in the game. Don’t forget that cod season is now closed, so if you get them as by-catch, try as hard as possible to release the fish without taking it out of the water, not just for the fisheries regulations but for the longevity of the species. Bear in mind if you remove a large female and you break her internal egg sack it can really affect her health and she may not attempt to spawn for the entire season.

Bowen McCarthy with a nice winter redfin taken deep.

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Trout opening makes waves CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Trout opening is very nearly upon us and I can’t wait to get out and have a cast in the fresh. I have done a bit of scouting around to see how the creeks are looking and to try and gauge trout stocks, and firstly in regards with my home creek, Traralgon Creek, it actually looks promising. I have seen a few fish already, which is good news as the last few seasons have been terrible. There’s a

few fish up high but there’s already been some numbers of brown trout drop back into the more popular easier access locations that we all fish. I think this season could maybe be one where we get to see a few numbers coming back into the creek. I would dare say Morwell River will be no different and it did fish better last season, so hopefully this season the trend continues. On a different note, the crayfish are already out and we have been selling quite a few cray nets, so there’s are few anglers having a crack

early and they are getting the rewards. This month will be prime time if you want to get a couple to show the kids, they always love seeing the crays and it’s better than them sitting in front of the computer. If you aren’t fishing for trout, remember Gippsland has had huge numbers of bass stocked in most of the region now, especially as of 2014, and the total number of stocked bass is now over half a million. You have a really good chance of catching a bass now in the colder temperatures

it’s worth taking out some garden worms and having a go as the bass love eating worms in the colder parts of the year. You can get on the Victorian Fisheries website and checkout the numbers that have been stocked over the past 12 years. • 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!

Trout opening takes the spotlight this time of year, but there’s plenty of bass about too.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Record number of golden perch to be stocked in Lake Eildon A record number of golden perch have been stocked into Lake Eildon to improve freshwater fishing opportunities for Victorian anglers. Around 250,000 golden perch fingerlings have been released this year, eclipsing the previous biggest total of 233,500 in 2009. Golden perch do not breed in Lake Eildon, so stocking

is the only way to maintain the fishery. This new stocking record complements another big summer season of native fish stocking across northern Victoria that saw over two million fingerlings released into more than 91 lakes and rivers. Funded by recreational fishing licence fees and the Victorian Government, the

majority of the fish stocked were golden perch and Murray cod, with smaller numbers of Australian bass, estuary perch and silver perch. Last summer, 607,000 Murray cod were stocked, the bulk of which were grown at Fisheries Victoria’s own hatchery at Snobs Creek, near Eildon. Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford

said that Eildon’s golden perch fishery is one of the best in that state, and locals want to keep it that way. “Our Target One Million plan will grow recreation fishing in Victoria, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and giving families better opportunities to spend time together outdoors,” She said. “We’ll also boost fish stocking from three

to five million per year and invest in improved fishing facilities, creating more opportunities for our anglers to wet a line.” This is the third consecutive season the fish production team at Snobs Creek have grown more than 500,000 Murray cod onsite for recreational stockings. The remainder of Murray cod fingerlings

were bought from private hatcheries in Victoria and NSW. The Andrews Labor Government’s Target One Million plan will grow recreational fishing in Victoria by increasing the participation to one million anglers by 2020 and will boost fish stocking from three to five million per year. – State Government Victoria

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Trout buzz across Gippsland WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

Midnight Friday 4 September brings a big smile across many trout anglers’ faces as we see the season open for stream trout fishing across the West and South Gippsland regions. Whether you’re a fly, lure or bait angler, you can’t not get excited by this year’s conditions and the prospects of hooking into some fantastic stream trout action. The streams are flowing well and are carrying an abundance of food for these hungry postspawn trout. Some rivers hold small rainbow trout but brown trout are the predominant species and are in good numbers in all streams in the West and South Gippsland region. Please remember these streams are not stocked with trout but instead rely only on trout naturally spawning

in the winter months so it is good practice to catch and release trout to ensure we have this terrific fishery in the future; so close to Melbourne. Typically stream trout average 100-300g but don’t let the size fool you when using light gear. They aggressively strike then put up a great fight against stream flow, darting in and out of snags as well as providing some intense aerial acrobatics. Landing one is a bonus! Rivers to target early in the season are the Latrobe, Toorongo and Loch rivers in the Noojee district. The Latrobe is a big catchment, which includes the Toorongo and Loch, and so many trout will be returning back downstream to their haunts. These three rivers provide plenty of fishing access from the bank and waders are definitely recommended to expand your fishing horizons. The Tanjil River is fed by the spring waters and snow

melt from Mt Baw Baw and offers some amazing fishing surrounded by forest with fast flowing rapids easing out to large deep pools. Tough comfortable waders are needed as you will be able to wade sections of the river and access other fishing spots as the river opens and deepens up. This river will be flowing hard now so is possibly best marked in the diary for later spring. In September, spring is in the air and we start to see insect hatchings with those warmer spring days and longer daylight hours. Fly anglers should have a range of fly options on hand to imitate September hatchings. A brass-beaded black nymph is always popular amongst fly anglers in the early stages of spring when the water flows are still quite strong. Blue Rock is the only waterway stocked in this region. It receives healthy stockings of brown and rainbow trout and Australian bass. Bass are by far

becoming the most popular target species on the lake with earlier stocked fish now exceeding lengths of 40cm. There are some monster trout at Blue Rock cruising about. If you have the patience to troll day in and day out you can be pleasantly rewarded. The best thing now is that lake anglers have a few options; troll for trout in the morning and flick lures around the trees in the afternoon for bass and redfin. Bass are also being caught on scrub worms, garden worms and crickets fished unweighted next to a dead tree. If fishing from the bank, either cast out an unweighted bait or drop a bait below a float cast close to the bank. A reminder that the river blackfish season has closed now from 1 September and will re-open on 1 January 2013 so make sure and accidental by-catch are released back immediately. This species is integral to the health of our freshwater

Wayne Farrar with an above average sized Blue Rock brown trout trolled up on a bibbed lure this winter. Now is the best time of year to get out in a boat or kayak and flat-line troll Blue Rock Lake. rivers and streams. Feel free to send me a report or photo particularly

if you have any success stories early on the trout opening. Happy fishing!

Promising season ahead BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

We are now moving into September and with the change in season brings a change in weather conditions. It will finally start to warm up after what has been a long cold winter and with these improved weather conditions we will start to see a gradual increase in anglers’ catch rates. Golden perch will become the target species for many anglers over the spring months and anglers need to remember we are now in the closed season for Murray cod. What happens with the weather over the next few months is a major factor in how productive the fishing will be in the Bendigo region this season. Last month, the catchments in the region were starting to get saturated, but run-off had only been minimal. A few major rainfall events are required if we are going to see good inflows into our impoundments and river systems. LAKE EPPALOCK I am like many other anglers and am looking forward to the fishing opportunities that this location will offer this season. Thanks to some very good stockings from Victorian Fisheries of golden perch in recent 72

SEPTEMBER 2015

seasons, we should see a steady improvement in the numbers of golden perch being caught at this location over the next few years. The numbers of golden perch being caught at the present time has been very low. This should start to change shortly and by next month the numbers of golden perch being caught should improve. When surface temperatures reach around 18°C the golden perch start to feed more consistently and catch rates improve. With the current long range forecast being for below average rainfall it is likely we will only see smaller inflows into Lake Eppalock this season. If we can see an increase in water levels around 15-20% this will be good as it will be enough to get water levels rising over a good amount of vegetation, which will have a positive effect on the fishing. If Lake Eppalock’s water levels are around the middle of the lakes capacity this will be good for targeting the resident native fish. When the lakes water capacity is at these lower levels a lot more good casting structures are available for anglers to target. At this stage with the current conditions combined with the long-range weather forecast, I would predict the productivity in the redfin fishing is only going to be average this season. This

would change if we received good amounts of rainfall and the lakes water levels increased significantly. This in turn would produce a boom in the redfin fishing like we had back in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. CAMPASPE RIVER Last month water clarity remained good at most locations along the Campaspe River. It is at his time of the year when the region often experiences its heaviest rainfall events and water clarity can change very quickly after a major rainfall event. How productive the fishing will be in the Campaspe this season is hard to predict, but the productivity of the fishing in the Campaspe River was adversely affected last season because of the large volumes of water that were released during the spring months from Lake Eppalock. These large releases produced a reduction in water clarity and volumes of cold water coming down the system, which in turn made the fishing tough. Hopefully this season we will see reduced volumes being released from Lake Eppalock and the productivity in the fishing should improve this season. CAIRN CURRAN Redfin are making up the majority of anglers’ catch rates and the majority of these are being caught trolling in deep water. When a concentration of redfin is located then

The next couple of months is an excellent time of the year to target golden perch in the Bendigo region. changing techniques and vertically jigging ice jigs and soft plastics has been working well. As always with the redfin the hard part is locating the fish, but the best concentrations are being found in depths between 10-15m of water. It is worthwhile putting in the effort as redfin weighing over 1.5kg have been landed in recent times. The productivity in the native fishing has been very low. In the next few weeks as water temperatures continue to increase we should start to see a steady increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught in this location. Casting the timber areas and rocky shorelines are often the most productive areas to locate some good golden perch in Cairn Curran.

LODDON RIVER The fishing in the Loddon River last season was very good, although the river did suffer from a large amount of fishing pressure, which in turn had a negative effect on the productivity towards the end of the season. Hopefully due to the increased stocking in our local impoundments and with the productivity set to increase in these areas, we will see the fish start to disperse to these areas. Anglers need to be aware that fishing pressure is a major factor when fishing the Loddon River. As always, if you are fishing the sections that receive the least amount of pressure you will be rewarded with increased catch rates. If you are fishing an area that receives a lot of fishing pressure, try and fish those structures that are

submerged or less obvious. Any resident fish that are on these structures have not been targeted as often by anglers and therefore increases the chance of getting a strike. Water clarity is currently very good along the Loddon River, but this can change quickly at this time of the year. With a couple of major rainfall events the river can very quickly start to run dirty. Lastly, please remember there is a closed season for Murray Cod. Anglers are not allowed to target this species during closed season, even if you are planning to practice catch and release. If you do catch a Murray cod while targeting golden perch, it must be released immediately, and preferably not lifted out of the water.

Bring on the river fishing MELBOURNE METRO

Ian Debar iand@gottabite.com.au

This time of year can be joyous for many freshwater anglers, especially those trout ‘diehards’ who have been waiting for the Victorian streams and rivers to open up ever since they closed back in June. We have had a properly cold winter this year, with a decent amount of snow melt still to work its way into the rivers during spring, so all signs are pointing to a good river season ahead, which will officially open after midnight on September 4. The rivers and streams that source from the alpine plateaus will mostly likely be running too cold this early in the season and the fish will be there, but they can also be very doughy and unresponsive. Concentrate

your efforts on either the lower ‘downstream’ sections of these rivers, or head to some that aren’t flowing straight off icy ranges. Generally most of the rivers will be up and flowing this early in the season, with a slight bit of discolouration. Lure choice in these conditions can be a critical factor in getting fish to strike. Good options for typical runs and glides can be hardbodied minnows and bladed spinners, with options like Daiwa Double Clutch 60 and Blue Fox Vibrax both good options. Both of these lures ‘work’ as soon as you pull tight to them, which means you’re effectively covering every inch of moving water. Colours like gold/orange, pink and black can be good options to give the trout a ‘reactive’ bite. For the anglers who would prefer to stay a bit

closer to home and catch their trout in a stillwater environment, many of the stocked urban lakes have continued to produce fish. Rainbow trout in the 25-30cm size are the mainstay, with multiple methods working on these fish including bait, lure and fly. Undoubtedly the most effective method has been to berley and bait fish using coarse fishing methods. Specialist ‘stocked trout’ berley worked into a fine mix has been a key ingredient in keeping active fish around, and baits of dough, Powerbait and maggots have all worked in conjunction. One of the keys to being successful with this method is to make sure that you don’t move locations once you have found a spot. By moving around you end up breaking your berley trail and sending the fish out

of your area, possibly to another angler. If you are unsure of the nearest stocked lake close by to you, there is a list of locations on page 43 in the current Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide 2015. If you have had some success in these areas lately send me a photo and go into the draw for your chance to win a store voucher valued at $100. Email it to: admin@fishingcamping. com.au and include, angler’s name, species, and the area you were fishing. • For up to date fishing information, contact the guys at Compleat Angler in Dandenong on 9794 9397 or drop in and see us at 241-243 Princes Hwy, Dandenong, we are open 7 days a week. For our other latest fishing reports and to download information sheets, go to www fishingcamping.com.au

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Media spotlight on Crater Lakes CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

My good friend Shane Lowery from Hamilton visited our Crater Lakes over July accompanied by the YouFish TV camera crew and came up trumps on Lake Purrumbete with a large brown trout. Shane was casting a surface Mega Bass live X-Smolt 55 minnow lure around the lake’s edges when he hooked up to a very sizeable brown. Shane was a tad rattled during the fight as he had scaled down his leader to 4lb in an attempt to attract a bite! However, after a long tussle he managed to safely land the fish. The fish was a very mature buck brown, a tad on the skinny side and no doubt this was his last chance at a futile attempt to spawn. Shane put his catch down simply to ‘patience and perseverance and basically just keep casting until you hook up.’ Shane and the boys did more fishing than that, but that’s all under wraps at the moment until the episode is aired on television in the near future so stay tuned! Daniel Kent also paid a visit and managed two browns at 60 and 63cm respectively in a morning’s session. Daniel was using Nories Laydown Minnows numbers 6 and 74. Michael Lane and good friend Mark Sarik ventured down from

the big smoke to attempt to fish Lake Elingamite in the same month. Both anglers managed to get their smallish kayaks out on the lake without getting into trouble and over the

lures all over the lake and the one that did the most damage was a shallow diving Ecogear gold trout patterned minnow. The trout were cruising just below the surface so deep diving lures

Meanwhile, I have been concentrating my efforts over at Lake Bullen Merri where recently the rainbows and Chinooks have begun leaving the depths and opting for the shallows. I

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A Bullen Merri hen rainbow in roe that responded to a Black Magic B-Max minnow. day between the two they managed nine fish. At least five fish were browns up to two years old with one two-year-old rainbow and a couple of smaller Chinook. The boys were stoked with their bag and are probably tucked into a trout dinner with their families as I wrote this. Even though the weather was cold and windy the boys put up with the misery as they were both catching solid fish. Both anglers cast

were not an option. Whether they were close to the weed beds or well out in the open they caught fish everywhere. Local angler Travis Beale also managed three yearling browns plus a two-year-old rainbow trout from his kayak all taken in a single session. Elingamite is still not a viable option for boats and it really is still a battle to get out in a canoe or kayak. More rain is still needed to raise the water level.

have yet to hook a brown but they must be there. Chinook salmon to over a 1kg and rainbow trout to over 2kg have been caught on the troll using Pontoon 21 Greedy Guts, Damiki Saemi 70s and Black Magic B-Max minnows in depths to 4m. The rain has finally arrived bringing with it cold weather, the likes of which we have not seen for a few years. Not so good for us but excellent weather for our trout fisheries.

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No winter blues for Ballarat BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers in and around the Ballarat district have certainly been putting up with some incredibly cold weather, -5ºC on the outside temperature gauge on the car the other morning! But that’s where it stops, there has been no winter blues when it comes to catching some quality fish around the district. As I mentioned, some very cold but not wet weather, which we desperately need around the district as a lot of our waters are very low due to below average rains last year. Unfortunately the weather pattern looks very similar to that of last year… let’s all hope for late winter and spring rains. On the upside, most of all the waters in the district have or are currently being stocked with trout by the DEPI, which normally happens during the winter months. This gives the fish time to establish themselves in the waterways and also the waterways are usually filling

Tullaroop Reservoir as the trophy trout water where you had the chance to catch that elusive trophy fish. Angler numbers have increased to no end, and with a lot of fishers come lots of casts and a few more monsters being caught. I also mentioned that Tullaroop is not an easy place to catch a fish at, so no guarantees there. Colby Leskie, an excellent

favourite lure has been the Daiwa Double Clutch lure in the 60mm size. He mentioned that some days you will get plenty of follows by these hardto-catch monsters. They will follow the lure in all the way to your feet and then just cruise back out into the deeper water. Some days you might only see one fish and bang it grabs the lure! It’s just a matter putting in

Darryll Luttrell with a magnificent Moorabool Reservoir redfin caught casting an Ecogear Powers Shad in the eel colour. Photo courtesy of Darryll Luttrell.

the time to get the results. Robbie Rawlings heard about some of the monsters lurking around Tullaroop and made the trip up from Melbourne to tackle the beasts from beneath. Robbie spent quite a few hours in very ordinary weather conditions, with winds blowing a gale and intermittent rain showers. Fishing the deep rockier shorelines of Tullaroop he managed to snag a cracking male brown trout on a Rapala hardbodied lure. Robbie mentioned that he made a thousand casts before he nailed one, so fishing once again is not a walk in the park at Tullaroop. I’ve seen all the photos and spoken to many of anglers that have ventured up to Tullaroop and come home empty-handed, but I thought I’d better head up and try to catch a fish myself. I had plan A, B and C: I would cast some lures and plastics around, then drown a mud eye and finally cast a fly, but not everything went to plan on the way up to Tullaroop. In my haste to leave home, I packed everything I thought I needed.

A 60cm+ brown trout prior to release caught by Shane Stevens on a 4” Norrie’s Spoon Tail Shad soft plastic. up and this provides plenty of food for the young trout to grow quickly. These stockings by the Fisheries are funded from revenue raised from our angling licences. Last month I mentioned

all round angler, has been putting in the hard yards and spending plenty of time walking the vast shorelines of Tullaroop and catching some magnificent looking brown and rainbow trout. Colbies

Lake Wendouree’s been turning up some quality trout, and Kris Leckie’s been getting into them with a 3” Fish Arrow soft plastic. Photo courtesy of Kris Leckie.

DAM LEVELS Lake/Dam % Full

Dam % Full

LAKE/DAM Jun Jul Aug Cairn Curran 36 35 33 Dartmouth 73 73 71 Eildon 56 54 58 Eppalock 45 45 44 Fyans 74 65 70 Greens 64 64 64 Hepburn 49 49 52 Hume 25 33 39 Lauriston 88 88 86 Malmsbury 25 26 28 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 19 19 97

Newlyn 41 41 42 Nillahcootie 53 52 55 Rocklands 17 16 16 Taylors 19 10 12 Tullaroop 32 31 31 Upper Coliban 55 54 56 Waranga 9 9 18 Wartook 60 57 65 William Hovell 99 98 101

SEPTEMBER 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.

Everything but the mudeyes… Not to worry, a change of plans saw me cast some lures and plastics. Anyway, that’s what most of the fish have been getting caught on. I fished the shallower bays and banks of Gulloways Bay in pretty windy conditions with no luck – not even a follow. I decided to head to the steeper rocky banks of Tullaroop to try my luck. The water was crystal clear, so I tried hardbodied lures with no luck, so I went back to a 4” Norrie’s Spoon Tail Shad soft plastic, which I’ve had plenty of success on at Wendouree. I cast out into the deeper water along the rocky banks everywhere while covering plenty of shoreline, and BANG! A magnificent 60cm+ hen brown trout engulfed the plastic, and it was game on! I finally landed her, took a couple of photos and released her to fight another day. Once

Robbie Rawlings nailed this cracking brown trout taken on a Rapala hardbodied Lure from Tullaroop Reservoir. Photo courtesy of Robbie Rawlings.

again lots of casts and lots of water covered, but it was very rewarding to catch one of the awesome brown trout that lurk in Tullaroop Reservoir! With some late winter and spring rains, Tullaroop will fish extremely well, as the water rises up over new ground and I’m sure some of the thumpers will be found swimming around in the shallows and will be targeted by the bait and fly fishers. Lake Wendouree has quietened down a little bit over the last month but I think that’s mainly because the angler numbers have dropped off from the previous month. It could have something to do with the freezing cold weather as I mentioned – we’re not seeing 10-15 boats on the water on weekends, it’s down to 4-5, but those guys that are putting in the time and effort in these freezing conditions have been rewarded for their efforts. Kris Leckie and a few mates ventured up to fish after hearing the reports coming from Wendouree that the trout were on the go. The boys trolled lures and cast plastics all over Lake Wendouree with not much success until Kris came across a brown trout feeding on smelt. He cast a 3” Fish Arrow soft plastic where the trout was chomping down smelt and the fish nailed the plastic like there was no tomorrow! After a good fight, Kris landed the brown of around 3lb. Ben Young has also been landing some quality browns casting EcoGear Power Shad soft plastics from the shore and jetties that are located around the lake. Ben’s secret is cover plenty of water and retrieve the plastics very fast. Lake Wendouree will start to improve in the coming months as the trout and redfin move from spawning mode and back into feeding mode again, but in the mean time casting lures and plastics from the shore or boats should prove

productive. So too should fly fishing. Fly anglers stripping big wet fly patterns from the shore and boats will catch a few. Moorabool Reservoir has been pretty quiet over the winter months and once again I think it’s been a lack of anglers putting in the hard yards and battling the elements leading to a lack of reports coming in. Moorabool generally fishes very well during these colder months with the trout targeting the smelt as they move into the shallow bays to spawn themselves. The trout find them irresistible and are generally easier to catch in shallow water. I’m sure this is happening like every other year, but I have not heard of any reports. Darryll Luttrell and Tom Kulczynki would have to be two of the most consistent fishers I know. They spend every weekend out on the water, rain hail or shine. Darryll and Tom have just started fishing Moorabool again after spending quite a few weekends fishing Tullaroop, and they decided that they could get an extra 2 hours fishing instead of driving any further to Tullaroop. On a recent trip, Darryll mentioned it was one of the coldest days he has ever fished and by the photo, I can tell he’s definitely feeling cold! Darryll and Tom also like to target the cracking big redfin that reside in the Moorabool Reservoir. The boy’s like to fish on the steeper banks casting wobblers, spoons, hardbodied lures and also soft plastics, trying to temp the redfin to bite. On their most recent trip the fish really didn’t want to play the game, but Darryll still managed to tempt one big redfin. He caught it casting an Ecogear Power Shad in the eel colour. Over the coming months, like most other waters, Moorabool Reservoir should start to fire up with both trout and redfin really coming on the bite.

FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION I SEE RED!

BASS BREAM BULLSEYE COD CORAL EMPEROR FIREFISH GOBY GROPER

GURNARD MOKI MORWONG MULLET PERCH RAINBOW FISH REDFIN ROCK COD SCORPION COD

SNAPPER SQUIRREL STINGER THROAT TRIGGERFISH TROUT VELVETFISH

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 SEPTEMBER 2015

Phone (day):

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for July was R Rayner of Bannockburn, who won a new Wilson Magnum combo valued at $325. 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 July were: T Dron of Alfredton, A Burt of Ballarat, J Williams of Cranbourne North, D Handreck of Dunkeld, E Dix of Hamilton, N Warry of Maffra, P Clarke of Wonthaggi, B Tranter of Strathfieldsaye, J Killian of Briar Hill, B Shelton of Romsey, M Collier of Smythes Creek, Z Strakis of Pearcedale, R Waters of Temora, C Smith of Traralgon, M Coates of Elliminyt, B Meaney of Tungamah, I Lovel of Bealiba, K Morrison of Moama, J Smith of Carranballac, R Harper of Narrawallee, M Ambler of Churchill, B Whyte of Myers Flat, P Cobb of Berrigan, W Chapman of Pomonal, T Sowter of Rosebud , K Hartley of Coburg North, R Barns of Euroa , L Jarvis of Traralgon, R Carson of Wheelers Hill, G Evans of Newbridge, G Lester of Bundoora , D Dunn of Warrnambool, M O’Borne of Colac, B Cunningham of Mildura, G Illman of Mt Gambier, R Newton of Wangaratta, F Oleszko of Braybrook, E Howarth of Cowra, L Bennet of Traralgon, G Waddington of Hastings. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

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

Congratulations to Fred Weber of Corack East, 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

check out! 1

• DECEMBER 2010

• New products • Videos • Indepth Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2015

2015 Yamaha Cod Classic $1million tagged cod Never before has there been such excitement in the lead up to a fishing event than the upcoming 2015 Yamaha Cod Classic with the amazing prize of a potential $1million cash* on offer for anybody who can catch ‘Phil’ the specially tagged Murray cod. You would be crazy to miss this iconic event held at the

home of the Murray cod – Lake Mulwala. An estimated 3000+ anglers will be looking to share in the staggering prize pool that totals in excess of $150K plus the

$1million cash bonus*. An Isuzu D-Max Ute, seven boating packages plus a list of goods too long to mention will see the twin towns of Yarrawonga / Mulwala come alive over the weekend of December 4-6th. In its 16th year, the Cod Classic celebrates the opening to cod season and continues to go from strength to strength being a

bench mark for many other tournaments to follow. The Fishing & Outdoors Expo will be a main feature with the chance to grab a bargain not to be missed. Other popular parts of

2015 BREAKING

NEWS

the competition include iconic entertainer ‘Flathead Fred’ for the juniors; ‘Cod Talk’ with Rod ‘Codmac’ McKenzie and Gus Storer, and the Samurai Rods Australian Pro Casting Championships. The ‘Native Watercraft’ Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Championships enters its fifth year. Catering for the

new breed of fisherman who chose to fish from either a canoe and kayak, this event is a must for those who chose paddle and pedal over petrol and power.

Designed for the family with all levels of fishing skills catered for, everybody has a chance of winning one of the many great prizes on offer weather fishing from boat or bank, using either bait or lures. Majority of prizes are randomly drawn with you not having to catch a fish to be a winner! Those that are

lucky enough to register either a legal size Murray cod or golden perch go into additional draws to win extra great prizes. There will be over 1500 prizes (adults) and all juniors will receive several prizes. Entry fee, adults $95 pre paid/$100 on the weekend and juniors $50. This includes four meals,

souvenir stubby holder, a free ticket in major boat raffle, Wilson Slickback Lure and Bassman Spinnerbait (for the kids), entry into 1000s of lucky door prize draws and the promise of a great weekend. Sharpen your hooks, pack the boat, grab your swag and baton down To page 77

LAKE MULWALA & THE MURRAY RIVER

DECEMBER

4·5·6

$ $ $ N O I L L I M ONTEAGGED COD *

+$150K PRIZES INCLUDING AN ISUZU D-MAX UTE & 7 BOATING PACKAGES

Enquiries 03·5744 1667 | www.codclassic.com.au

*Conditions apply. See website for details

SEPTEMBER 2015

2015 Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic Early indications are that things are shaping up for a great 2015 Leigh Martin Marine Mercury Classic. The lake is rising and some good quality fish are being caught. Trout in the 2-4kg range, 70cm+, along with yellowbelly around the 45-60cm and redfin up to 4lb have all been caught in the past few weeks. Trolling winged style lures in amongst the trees is producing the trout, while 50mm deep divers trolled around the edges and points are producing the redfin and yellowbelly. This year’s event will be held on the weekend of the 24-25 October. Last year’s competition saw 332 anglers produce 104 yellowbelly. This event is primarily a yellowbelly event, and as such the organising committee have put the focus on this fish this year. The champion angler for each of the categories, adult and junior, will only be based on yellowbelly, unlike previous years were all fish except carp counted. This year carp will not count towards the team score, only yellowbelly, trout

Jackie Webb with a great looking Lake Hume capture from last year’s Classic. and redfin. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for the biggest fish in the four fish categories: yellowbelly, trout, redfin

and carp, for both adults and juniors. There will be a stack of random draws on the Saturday night. There is a section for teams of up to four anglers, based on

the number of fish weighed excluding carp. There is also a section for the bestrepresented angling club for the weekend. This year’s major prize is again a magnificent boat, motor and trailer package supplied by our major sponsors, Leigh Martin Marine, Mercury and Quintrex. There will be several weigh stations based around the lake along with mobile stations on the water. The mobile stations are for yellowbelly only as they are strictly catch and release. Anglers are reminded that for this event, trout, redfin and yellowbelly must be 30cm or greater to be eligible for measuring. There is no size limit on carp. Anglers are also reminded that all the backed up waters of Lake Hume are Victorian waters for the purpose of holding a recreational fishing licence. All anglers are required to hold a current Victorian fishing licence, unless exempt, to fish the event. Merchandise for the event will again only be by pre order. More information about the

event, along with entry forms and merchandise order forms, can be found From page 76

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 the mighty Lake Mulwala. For more information check out – www.

at the event web site www. lakehumeclassic.com.au. – Adrian Kent codclassic.com.au. Call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski, 74 Melbourne St Mulwala (Opposite Post Office) the official Cod Classic shop or call Tony Bennett 0439 441667. *Conditions apply. Check web site for details.

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 SEPTEMBER 2015

Tomakin Mighty Bonanza The Tomakin Mighty Bonanza annual event brings families together and is recognised as one of the premier events on the Far South Coast of New South Wales. It has been running for 34 years with thousands

two days on the October long weekend and the weigh-in is 2pm Saturday and 1pm Sunday. Entry fees can be paid on Friday night for the whole weekend, or after the weigh in on Saturday for a Sunday-only entry, at the Tomakin Club.

All prizes are on display prior to the competition start, so we all know what we are competing for. There will be a sausage sizzle and BBQ available on both days at a very reasonable price. The event is for

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

There is a nominal fee for Juniors and special rates for families. Many local businesses get behind this event with great sponsorship. Should the competition be a total wipe-out the Senior cash prizes are drawn against the entry certificate on Sunday, the same applies to the Junior anglers. Should any prize not be won, it will also be drawn on the Sunday after the presentation.

competitive fishing clubs and, more importantly, is an open invite for visitors and families – an event for all to enjoy. Set the weekend aside and be sure to enjoy what the great South Coast has to offer. ave prizes for all fishing (i.e.) Rock, Beach and estuary, Blue water, Game fish and most of hook line and sinker bottom fishing. Just come on board and have a great weekend. – Tomakin Mighty Bonanza

DATE DETAILS

CONTACTS

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 www.lakehumeclassic.com.au Lake Hume

DEC

of dollars in cash prizes for Senior anglers and great angling equipment for all the Junior competitors. The juniors are categorised into two sections: Juniors and Sub-Juniors. There are also special prizes for Senior and Junior females as well. There are special handouts for Juniors that have met with little success and I have not seen a Junior leave the competition disappointed. The event is run over

OCTOBER

2015

Dec 4-6

2015 Yamaha Cod Classic Mulwala Murray River

www.codclassic.com.au

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au

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...