Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly - November 2015

STACKS OF SPRING FISHING IDEAS

How To

Get ready for the Cod Classic • The bare bones project •

Delights at Phillip Island • Tuna season: a reflection • Redfin rejuvenation •

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T ried and Tested Okuma Azores reel • Harris Grand Mariner SL 230 • Northbank’s 600C •

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A Black Magic BMax ‘bully’ lure and Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon tippet were used by Rod Shepherd to catch this rainbow trout while fishing at Lake Bullen Merri.

A Black Magic KL 8/0 hook was used by Chris Hilder to take this gummy shark.

While fishing 25km from Ocean Reef boat ramp in WA, Sam Bray landed this 21lb snapper using a Black Magic KL 6/0 hook and Black Magic 40lb Tough Fluorocarbon leader.

A Black Magic C Point® 4/0 hook and Black Magic 40lb Supple Trace were used to catch this massive 11.5kg snapper.

Slade Weston was fishing in Coffin Bay, SA.

This 128kg broadbill was landed by Thomas Duggan at Eaglehawk Neck. Thomas used the Black Magic Equalizer gimbal and harness.

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November 2015, Vol. 12 No. 1

Contents WEST COAST

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 60 Robinvale 62 Mildura 62 Shepparton 64 Yarrawonga 63 Victorian Alpine 66 Wangaratta 65 Jindabyne 67 Eildon 68 Bonnie Doon 68 Golden Rivers 69 Central Gippsland 72 West/South Gippsland 73 Bendigo 72 Melbourne metro 72 Crater Lakes 73 Ballarat 74

TASMANIA WRAP

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REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 34 Boating 88 Chappy’s Hotspot 43 Dam Levels 66 Fun Page 86 Inland Fisheries Service 52 Junior City Fishing 21 Kayaking 80 Spearfishing 53 Tasmanian Lake Levels 56 Tournament News 82 Trade and Services Guide 96 Victorian Tide Times 98 VRFish Update 41 What’s New Boating 94 What’s New Fishing 76

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Production: Melissa Carroll, Karen Millward, Jenna Moir Website: www.fishingmonthly.com.au

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Jesse Rotin’s first snapper of the season caught while targeting gummy sharks at Corinella, Western Port.

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it’s coming up to that time of year when you need to organise gifts for your fishing mates. We know that you reckon that Vic/ Tas FM is great read – you’re reading it right now – so there’s no gift that keeps on giving like a VFM Subscription!

There’s a couple of ways to sign up. You can call the office in business hours on our toll-free number (1 800 228 244), you can fill in the forms inside this magazine, or you can do it online.

Follow the links on www. fishingmonthly.com.au.

Or you can do what hundreds of subscribers do every year. You can mention to your significant other that a Sub would be a great gift.

We all know that it beats a pair of socks or undies!

Until next month, tight lines.

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a permanent fixture on the Victorian coastline.

What anglers universally don’t like is the Geelong Star.

One of the bigger threats to this emerging fishery is the reduction of the small pelagic baitfish that are sustaining these beasts. The Geelong Star, or ‘supertrawler’ is designed to do just that and although it will happen before this magazine hits the shelves, another major protest is being organised.

It seems that several politicians have finally realised that the presence of this mode of commercial harvesting is a really emotive issue. Victorians are pretty good at getting out there and letting government know what their opinion is and we hope that the latest protest hit the mark.

CHRISTMAS SUBSCRIPTIONS There’s nothing wrong with being organised, and

AUST

Delights at Phillip Island Tuna season: a reflection Redfin rejuvenation

has significantly benefited from this augmentation.

In Smiths Lake, north of Sydney, these fish reached 1.2kg in 16 months and 2.5kg in two years. And importantly, their growth didn’t slow down during the winter.

So we can assume that these little battlers will be five pounders by Summer 2017 and will surprise plenty of bream and flathead anglers.

WILL THE BIG BLUES EVER END? The other news is that the seemingly endless run of big southern bluefin tuna is, well, seemingly never ending. Fish over 100kg have been quite common from the SA border right through to the heads at Port Phillip Bay. And there’s no anglers complaining about that.

Anglers and tackle stores alike wouldn’t mind at all if these bruiser ‘fin become

ION

Eden 49 Mallacoota 48 Bermagui 48 Narooma 50 Merimbula 51

There seems to be a cycle emerging from Fisheries in Victoria. Every month, just before we hit the press, a Press Release arrives in the inbox from the big smoke, letting us know of a new fishery created – or as is the case this month, one that’s being enhanced.

5,000 mulloway are being stocked into Lake Tyers.

And if the success of previous mulloway stockings interstate are anything to go by, then there’s some great times ahead for Lake Tyers anglers.

NSW Fisheries spent some of their anglers’ license fees doing just this nearly a decade ago, and it hasn’t hurt the fisheries one little bit. In fact, it’s arguable now that the mulloway fishery in NSW

AT

NSW SOUTH COAST

From the Editor’s Desk...

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Welshpool 40 Inverloch 40 Ninety-Mile Beach 40 Gippsland Lakes 44 Marlo 44 McLoughlins Beach 45 Bemm River 46 Lakes Entrance 46

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Geelong 18 Port Phillip West 20 Port Phillip East 22 Port Phillip North East 24 Mornington Peninsula 26 Western Port North 28 Western Port South 30 Phillip Island 32

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

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Year-round fishing delights at Phillip Island WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

One of the best aspects of living in Victoria is that we don’t really have to travel too far to enjoy sensational fishing. All we have to do is to think of which Victorian species we want to catch and head out in search for it.

However, not all anglers have boats and finding

productive locations to fish from the land can at times be very time consuming and unprofitable.

While there are plenty of areas to choose where to fish, locations such as Phillip Island can offer holidaymakers and weekend anglers a huge variety of areas and diversity of species.

WHERE Before I get right into the nitty-gritties of where to fish on the Island, the first

piece of advice that I can give is for land-based anglers to download the Google Earth app on their Smartphone.

This will become invaluable when searching for landbased areas.

Year round, fishing the coastline of the island is very popular and, of course, holiday season is crowded, but there are still plenty of locations to escape the crowds – it all comes down to what you want to catch.

When fishing the surf beaches such as Cape Woolamai, having an assortment of baits and terminal tackle can aid in success by being able to change and adapt to the species and conditions on the given day.

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The author in his younger years thrived on spinning from the stones around the Island. Today, spinning for salmon is a popular affair at Kitty Miller Bay and Berrys Beach in the winter months.

mullet, whiting and elephants are the best targets.

If you’re looking for somewhere to be on your own or at least a less crowded location, Cape Woolamai, Berrys Beach and Kitty Miller Bay are top locations to go in search of salmon and silver trevally throughout winter.

During the warmer months, Berrys Beach and Kitty Miller Bay are producers of big whiting from the rocks.

If we head around to the Nobbies, There’s a small path leads down from the road to a basalt coastline known as Cowrie Beach. During August and September, garfish are the main target and some of these gritters can fetch an easy 45cm.

Those who like catching sharks, Cat Bay and Flynns Beach are two of the most popular locations. Fishing at night during a high tide is the prime time but keep an eye on the weather conditions, an easterly wind is best here.

Ventnor Beach and Cleeland Bight may not look

YEAR ROUND OPTIONS MONTH SPECIES AREA January................... Whiting ............................ Cleeland Bight and Ventnor Beach February................. Garfish.............................................................. Cowrie Beach March...................... Land Based Elephants......................................... Cowes Pier April......................... Land Based Elephants.............................................Rhyll Pier May......................... Salmon.................................................................. Cowes Pier June........................ Salmon........................................................... Cape Woolamai July.......................... Salmon...............................Berrys Beach and Kitty Miller Bay August.................... Calamari...........................Ventnor Beach and Cleeland Bight September.............. Garfish.............................................................. Cowrie Beach October................... Gummy Shark............................................................. Cat Bay November............... Snapper............................................Cat Bay and Cowes Pier December............... Snapper and gummy shark.................................. Cowes Pier Phillip Island has three productive piers located at Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven.

Cowes and Newhaven have access to very deep water but they are also heavily affected by tide, limiting fishing time to around 2 hours either side of a tide change for best results.

Calamari, snapper, gummy sharks, garfish, mullet, silver

trevally, mulloway, sevengill sharks, bronze whalers and basically every Western Port fish species can be caught from both these piers.

Rhyll on the other hand is situated more on a mud flat and the tide is less of an issue so fishing time can be throughout the entire tide.

Due to its location, flathead,

like much but from October to March, fishing a high tide at night is very productive for calamari.

Lastly, there is also the freshwater fishing option if you’re not having any luck fishing in the salt.

Rhyll is fortunate to have the Rhyll Trout and Bush Tucker Farm and if you’re

a weekend dangler that has very little luck, you can always stroll on down and catch up with owner Adam for all the assistance for catching a trout.

TECHNIQUES Fishing techniques vary greatly when fishing the island, mainly due to the vast array of species that can be caught.

Basic techniques can consist of a simple paternoster rig whereby you suspend two dropper loops containing a hook each above a sinker.

If you can’t tie up yourself, you can always purchase a Mustad pre-tied snapper rig.

Then all you have to do is put on some bait and cast out. If you’re going to target smaller species, remove the hooks and replace with a different style and/or size to suit.

If you are a selfconfessed fishing tragic, then targeting specific species with the right technique will yield a better result than just hoping to catch something.

Each species may have a different setup required due to where they feed in the water column and how big their mouth is will differentiate which hook to be used.

When targeting gummy sharks from the pier or beach a running sinker rig tied from 60-80lb trace will suffice and ensure you’re using a quality hook such as Mustad’s Octopus Circle in a 5/0-6/0 size. The circle will allow a much cleaner hook set without you having to manually set it, which could result in missing the fish.

Snapper can also be taken on this rig as well as a paternoster. Paternoster rigs can be tied from 60lb with two droppers using Mustad’s Octopus Circle in a 5/0 or 6/0 size.

Smaller species such as whiting, mullet, flathead, silver trevally or salmon are very popular species for anglers when fishing from the local piers. Paternoster

you’ll require if a fish runs you around the pier pylon.

Hooks in a #4 Mustad Demon light gauge, #6 Bloodworm long shank and stainless steel Mustad 92647S #2 and #1/0 will cover all species.

The species being targeted will dictate which hook

mouths. To catch them, use a float setup and rig it with about 4lb leader. Due to their small mouth, a hook too large will leave you emptyhanded but for the past 20 years, I have sworn by the Mustad 4540 1/2 model as it is an offset half gauge hook

SUGGESTED TACKLE BOX Leader...............Surecatch 12, 15, 20, 60 and 80lb Pre-tied rigs..... Icon Takeshi Bottom Dweller 4/0, 5/0 & 6/0 Swivels..............Mustad round rolling swivel size #1 Hooks............... Mustad Demon Offset Circle #5/0 & #6/0, Mustad Octopus #5/0 Mustad Bloodworm size #12, #10, #8, #6, & #1, Mustad Demon Light size #4, #6, #1, #1/0 & #3/0 Sinkers.............. Bomb style from 1oz to 6oz, star style from 1oz to 6oz.

Top: Ventnor Beach and Cleeland Bight are the most profitable throughout the summer months.

Calamari like this can be caught from the sand.

Above: All the piers around Phillip Island produce garfish. Cowes and Newhaven are the most prolific throughout late winter and spring.

Even though rock ledges around Phillip Island aredangerous locations to fish, it can produce garfish, salmon, silver trevally, sweep, wrasse, snapper, calamari, whiting, snook, pike and the occasional kingfish at different times of the year. rigs tied from 10-15lb fluorocarbon leader is ideal as the leader is much more abrasive resistant, which

to be used.

Garfish on the other hand are a top and mid water feeder and have very small

that sets much better than any other I have ever used.

When targeting garfish To page 10

NOVEMBER 2015

9

From page 9

from any of the piers, it is best to use the Bate Mate branded tuna oil infused pollard berley. Every 5 minutes, toss in a handful of berley, and cast your float and bait into the trail. It might take a little while but the gars will sniff out the trail soon enough.

Another hot favourite species are calamari and best of all, they can be targeted year round. Calamari can be caught from the beach or from any of the piers and are best targeted on a high tide.

Calamari can be caught from the piers using an artificial jig in either a 2.5, 3.0 or 3.5 size. You do need

to get your tide timing right and fish around an hour either side of the high tide change. From a beach on the other hand, a baited jig approach is a better option.

Firstly you can cast out into deeper water and because it will be suspended under a float, can cover a greater area by letting the tide carry it.

At night however, it will pay to put a glow stick into the top of the float so you can see when a calamari takes the bait and pulls the float under the water.

BAIT AND BERLEY Of course you can have the right location, time, tide and setup but you still need the right bait to coax your

Cleeland Bight at the end of ‘the cranny’ is a secluded location that sees very little fishing pressure. Pinkie snapper, whiting, wrasse and calamari are the common species caught year round.

exposed. For some reason there are a select number of anglers that feel the need to try and hide hooks in the bait altogether. When placing baits on hooks always leave as much of the hooks point exposed as possible to ensure maximum hook set when a fish takes the bait.

Berleying is also equally as important as using good baits. Berley attracts the fish to your area and without it; you could be casting 1 small piece of bait into a big area that may only attract 1 fish.

Personally, I’d like the whole school of fish in the area.

When fishing from a pier, fill an onion bag with fish pellets and tuna oil and

BAIT TABLE Snapper.................... Calamari, pilchard and garfish Gummy Shark.......... Calamari, salmon fillet, silver trevally fillet and tuna Elephant Fish........... Pipi, pilchard and calamari Whiting...................... Pipi and mussel Salmon...................... Pipi, blue bait and white bait Silver trevally............ Pipi Calamari................... Silver whiting and pilchard Flathead.................... Anything desired species to the hook.

They say fresh is best, but that is if you have the time to catch it yourself. At the end of the day, as long as you have a small selection of baits available you’ll catch something worth eating.

Bait selection can be a little daunting at times as well as how to present the bait correctly for the species you’re targeting.

With the use of circle hooks today, bait presentation is much easier and you’ll actually use far less bait.

For instance, when targeting snapper and gummy sharks a simple calamari ring with the hook pinned in the top is as

hang on the surface of the water with a rope. This will send a trail of berley with the tide and thus, bring fish right to the pier.

From the beach or rocks, an onion bag can still be used and tossed out into the waves on a long rope. Obviously, this has to be secured so take a surf rod holder and stake off into the sand.

With each wave or just the current pressure, the berley will draw fish towards the beach. Then, in both cases, cast your baits into the trail and wait for the fish to come.

Fishing around Phillip Island is extremely popular year round for weekend

Bait fishing methods for salmon work well but spinning with small metal slugs using a single Mustad inline lure hook is much more entertaining. simple as bait practices go.

For whiting, a pipi or mussel wrapped around a #6 circle hook or long shank hook with the hook point 10

NOVEMBER 2015

anglers and holidaymakers.

Best of all, there is always something to catch, all you have to do pack your kit and make a cast.

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Estuary edge bites are just around the corner WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

November brings us to the crossover point of spring and summer with

improved weather and some hot fishing to be had on the Glenelg River.

The previous months saw a very successful recruitment and spawning for southern black bream

and estuary perch with massive schools of both species sitting wide of the shallow banks. These fish were easily found by slowly moving along the river and watching the

sounder, with 3-5m being the optimum depth. Deep diving hardbodied lures and soft plastics dropped down to the schools and worked slowly and methodically were a deadly technique

estuary perch. The prime time for this style of fishing is early mornings and late afternoon, particularly just before last light and when the shadows fall heavy over the edges and snags.

Baits such as cut crab, local podworm, pilchard fillet and peeled prawn are all sure to tempt a hungry bream, however estuary perch very rarely take a dead static bait.

Left: Bream are in prime condition this time of year. Right: A few livewell kept bream and EPs prior to release.

The author with a typical Glenelg River EP taken from a deep school.

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NOVEMBER 2015

when the fish were in the mood to chew. Short bite windows around the tide changes provided some extremely hot fishing.

As always, small mulloway continue to be abundant and well spread through the entire system and make for an exciting by-catch on light gear.

Reports of larger fish were sporadic, but some very nice fish can be found by those putting in the time.

November will see a change in the patterns of the last few months with water temps beginning to rise and clarity levels starting to improve. With the spawning runs coming to an end both bream and estuary perch will disperse from their large congregations and move back onto heavy snags, rock walls and shallow mud flats.

This is the time for the long awaited edge bite to begin that lure fishers wait for. Lightly weighted soft plastics, shallow to medium diving hardbodies and surface lures all come into their own.

Surface lures are one of the most exciting ways to fish for bream and in particular estuary perch.

This is a highly visual form of fishing and not much can beat the thrill of seeing a large EP smash a surface lure worked slowly back from the bank.

Generally the lure gets hit within the first metre or two of the edge and the strike followed by the ensuing fight is real heart in the mouth stuff. Small poppers, Bent minnows and ‘walk-the-dog’ style lures like Atomic K9s are almost irresistible to

Bait fishing remains ever popular in the river and is also highly productive in the warmer months. Similar technique to lure fishing still applies with baits cast up into the shallows and close to the edges of snags accounting for plenty of quality bream.

Live minnow or glassies suspended under a float and again thrown in close to heavy snags are the key to catching EPs. With the warm weather here and the days stretching out there’s no better time than now to get out on the river and wet a line.

Ben Bickley caught this 2.5lb golden perch out of the Campaspe River near Goornong on a 3/8oz Gully Bait spinnerbait.

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13

Mass mulloway miracles to continue this year like the 135kg fish caught

by Dan Hoey from Salty Dog charters.

WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich

The local trout season has been a pretty quiet one with the lack of rain, but

a cool November can still see fish taken in the deeper pools as well as some redfin.

mgercovich@hotmail.com

With the recent unprecedented late run of massive bluefin tuna on the South West coast this season, who knows what else lies around the corner for this November.

Hopefully we will see a continuation of the resurgence of mulloway that occurred last season.

Last November saw good numbers of these fish being taken from the Hopkins River as well as some of the other smaller estuaries along the coast. Most fish weren’t overly large, either just under the 60cm size limit of just above, however there was enough 6-8kg fish around to keep things interesting.

Many techniques were successful from incidental captures on lures when targeting bream, to slow trolled live baits or static fished fresh baits such as spew worms and cut salmon and mullet. One easy technique we found successful was to get a block of pilchards, cube them up and fish them unweighted on light gear. Some solid bream often provided some fun while the wait for a mulloway was happening.

It was great to be able to go out and specifically fish for mulloway in the Hopkins with a good chance of being successful, and hopefully this season will be the same and those smaller fish carefully released last season have grown well.

November is the month where South West anglers can really begin targeting the summer run of fish with some confidence. Snapper season here in the South West should be firing up during November, often just a little later than Port Phillip Bay. Each season more quality snapper between 3-6kg seem to

Table of plenty at Portland PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Hopefully November will be the start of a good mulloway season. be turning up amongst the prevalent pinkies.

With southern rock lobster season opening on 16 November recreational divers and hoop netters will be also looking for some flat seas to get a succulent feed of crayfish.

Throwing a few plastics around whilst waiting for the next pull on the hoop nets is a good way to cover both the cray and the snapper bases.

As well as the lure of the

big tuna, many local offshore anglers have recently been capturing some excellent sized school and gummy sharks from Port Fairy right through to off Peterborough.

Some of these fish have been pushing the 20kg limit, which not only provides the angler with some succulent flesh, but one hell of a good fight as well. Even though most of the big tuna were caught at Apollo Bay to the east or Portland to the west some were taken locally

Portland and surrounding areas have seen an amazing large tuna run in the last couple of months said to rival even the great run of 2006, with the consensus among fishers as the biggest run ever. Generally the tuna season is well and truly over, but there is so much more to catch out there!

The brilliance of this run was in that people had the chance of a lifetime to catch a large tuna. We even saw multiple hook ups for some, with one charter operator achieving a four way hook up. In the battle one was lost, but three were landed, all over 100kg and the lucky fisho was home by lunchtimeMost fishers have had incredible results but some had a real fight on their hands and often found the tuna victorious.

Most people are now looking for great table fish to catch and Portland is certainly the place to find them. With such a diverse area to fish, Portland has options for everyone. From deep water fishing out at the shelf to some great landbased areas such as the Lee Breakwater.

Electric reel fishing has

Joe from Game On Fishing Charters looks on as Tom hugs his 100kg tuna that he and the crew landed. quality fish with spin and overhead setups.

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The deep-water fishing has been in great form.

Peter holds this very healthy 10.5kg trumpeter. been growing in popularity and gives anglers fishing the deep shelf waters opportunity to chase blue eye, pink ling, knife jaw and other interesting deep water predators.

Around the 130-140m mark has seen good results in trumpeters, snapper, and sharks. Again, some are using electric reels in these areas but others still love the challenge of fighting top

Bridgewater Bay in the 50-70m you can expect good size flathead, gummy and school sharks. Back towards the lighthouse we should also start seeing makos - a great challenge for sport anglers to tackle.

The bay will have good quality whiting by now as well as flathead, squid, snapper, sharks, salmon and bait fish as the water warms up.

The Lee Breakwater should certainly be firing up with large snapper that draws people from miles away to catch the snapper of a lifetime. Other good table fish should be around such as whiting and squid, salmon, gummy and school sharks.

The beach fishing should be firing up with snapper, sharks, mulloway, whiting, trevally and salmon.

If you are looking for a safe area for the kids to fish, the canal in Portland has a great fishing platform or pull up to the side and away you go. The Trawlers Wharf is another great option, or you can go out of town a little to either the Surry or Fitzroy rivers and fish for bream, salmon and mullet.

• For all your bait and tackle needs on your next fishing adventure in Portland call into Compleat Angler and say g’day to the team. We are located next to the Gordon hotel at 61 Bentick St or call us on 03 55211844.

We can help with fishing tips and weather updates, as well as fishing licences, regulation books, and stickers available in store.

NOVEMBER 2015

15

Apollo Bay will go cray crazy APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

Apollo Bay is shining in November with lots of offerings for all types of anglers.

The inshore reefs around Apollo Bay should be holding schools of King George whiting which have just begun to flood back into this region for the warmer months ahead.

Some quality whiting are available each summer with fish of over 50cm being caught with the average size well into the 40cm bracket.

Pipis are my preferred bait and work well when fished

on a light running sinker rig and slowly retrieved along the bottom. This time last year I started experimenting with soft plastic crabs and had good success. Make sure you are fishing close to but not on top of reef structures.

Narrow sandy channels that run amongst the reef systems are likely places to find King George whiting.

The harbour has schools of barracouta and plenty of tasty calamari squid to be caught. Offshore the flathead have moved back over the sand in large numbers. 30-40m is the best depth range for flatties and I recommend drifting to cover more

ground and target more fish. Gummy and school sharks have been taken off Cape Otway in 40m with some big specimens of over 20kg reported. Fresh fish baits fished on the bottom around the tide changes is the key to getting a bite.

Mid November sees the crayfish season kick into action and diving up a feed of crays is a favourite pastime of mine.

Hoop nets can also be used from the shore or a boat but please check the rules and regulations before heading out. I’m often asked where my secret spots for cray diving are and the answer is that there aren’t any. Any reef system in this region

can hold crayfish and it’s just a matter of getting out there and having a look around. Some monsters of 3kg or more are taken each season but specimens of 1kg are common fare for this region.

The rivers along the Great Ocean Road have been fishing well for brown trout but are starting to dry up quickly. We need rain to keep the rivers healthy so here’s hoping we get more then a sprinkle this month.

Bream are biting in the Aire River on prawn baits and the lure fishers have been getting good numbers too. The best fishing here occurs on the low tide when the river is open to the sea.

November is always a reliable month for good King George whiting captures around Apollo Bay.

Baitos line up for a giant greyback greeting COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The southern bluefin tuna scene just keeps going on and on. At this stage we don’t know when it will end!

Recently, three local guys, Sam Hallyburton, Steve McQuinn and Chris Searle launched Sam’s boat off Boat Bay near Peterborough and ventured out about 10km and began trolling a spread of five lures in 65m depth or thereabouts in search of ‘barrel’ tuna. It didn’t take long to hook up to something sizeable and Sam took the rod for over three hours but he came up trumps with a leviathan of a fish that later pulled the scales down to a very impressive 121.6kg!

The lures that have been doing the damage have been Black Magic Maggot head skirts and have accounted for approximately half the hits and hook-ups the boys have experienced in recent for sale on

A bait angler tied up to a channel marker in Peterborough Lake trying his luck for a bream. weeks. After a long night filleting the catch the boys slept lightly as they planned to go out the next morning, however upon attempting to launch once again at Boat

Bay the trailer’s brakes failed so the boys had to call off their back-to-back tuna sojourn.

At the time of writing the Curdies River and lake

was still open to the sea and hopefully stays that way for some time. The water up at the top reaches of the lake including the river is still murky and currently

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I fished this area just before putting pen to paper and only had partial success with shallow diving lures and soft plastics. I had to venture well out into the lake to find cleaner, saltier water before numerous juvenile salmon and two small bream responded to my casts.

Another angler also using lures found it hard going, just like I did. The odd boat lying anchored against the bank or tied up to one of the channel markers out in the lake had a creel over the side, no doubt holding a keeper bream or two.

The gossip on bait being used back at the Boggy Creek boat ramp consisted of bait sized freshwater yabbies, earth and scrub worm and frozen packet river whitebait. The lack of weed in the system is making it hard for netters to source shrimp. Many are making tea tree boughs and tying them up to channel marker poles in an effort to

attract shrimp.

Unfortunately a lot of boaters help themselves to other’s boughs and basically steal their bait.

It’s really not hard to make your own instead of raiding someone else’s.

If the mouth stays open long enough schools of whitebait, or as the locals call them, ‘greyback’, should be entering the system and when they do, they will surpass shrimp as the number one bream bait. Fished alive with a small hook passed through the upper jaw or dead with the hook’s barb exposed in the neck of the bait with a half hitch around the tail, greyback are deadly as a bait. The bream generally strike greyback baits like a rocket so drags should be backed right off to allow for a decent hook up.

September saw a few warm and sunny days but winter still hasn’t released her grip on the weather just yet. Hopefully October will hold more conducive weather for us anglers.

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Gee’d up in Geelong GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

At last we’re seeing some glorious warm weather and we aren’t the only ones excited - the fish are too!

THE LOWDOWN The Barwon River in Geelong has remained clear and the fish are biting well.

Kelvin Baldwin fished the Barwon after dark for redfin during last month’s full moon. What bait was he using? Well, he wasn’t

Plenty of big carp will be biting this November

using any if you can believe it! Kelvin was using lures, a unique way to target these fish and caught a few very fat redfin as well as taking a sizable eel on a soft plastic after dark.

Kelvin also fished up near Buckleys Falls where he cast minnow lures during the day and landed a superbly conditioned brown trout measuring in at 46cm.

The unusual thing about this trout was that it was very light and silvery colour. This colouration is consistent with trout that have moved from the fresh down to the saltwater as they do in their native lands. Have we seen the Barwon River’s first ‘sea run’ brown trout? Remember the fish ladder installed by fisheries last year? We may even end up seeing estuary perch at the breakwater.

Kelvin has also fished the Barwon in Geelong with Sharon Lindsdell and Tracey Trenorden chasing carp with corn and bread as bait and caught a couple around the 5kg mark.

I fished Corio Bay with Kelvin last month. Using soft plastics, we flogged the water to a foam at Portarlington, Clifton Springs and finally the Geelong waterfront but

Night time lures for reddies? You betch-ya! could only manage a few flathead, pike and small Australian salmon. Kelvin caught a King George whiting on one of his soft plastics. A few bigger Australian salmon were also caught by anglers trolling lures near the Alcoa Pier and there seemed to be plenty of flathead about from tiny tiddlers to 35cm.

November should see the snapper go off around the Bellarine. Boat fishos should be heading to Clifton Springs, Portarlington and out deep off St Leonards and Barwon Heads or Torquay.

Land based fishos should be trying North Shore Rocks,

St Helens and Cunningham Pier after dark. Portarlington Pier can fish well during and after a strong northerly wind after dark as well. If you have surf fishing gear and are keen on a snapper, try Fishermans Beach at Torquay, Jan Juc Surf Beach east of the Surf Lifesaving Club and the rock platforms along the Great Ocean Road.

Pilchard and fresh squid are the go to baits but try a few others like silver whiting, sauries or red rockets.

The flathead are thick inside Corio Bay but there are plenty of small ones amongst them. Ross

Winstanley fished in fog one morning out past Point Henry where he caught 41 flatties of which only 5 were of legal length. Ross says they were still enough to satisfy his wife and her craving for flattie tails!

SNAP SNAP SNAPPER Clifton Springs have had a few snapper up to 7kg come in for those anglers fishing after dark in 5-8m of water. Calamari have also been caught by those drifting over the shallow reef and weed areas near the ramp.

Brendan Brown made the trip down from Ballarat to fish Clifton Springs recently and reported a great day,

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The trip from Ballarat was well worth it for Brendan! catching ten squid and some quality flathead in fantastic conditions. As part of the ‘Target One Million’ project

by the Labor Government, Clifton Springs is destined to have a new fishing jetty!

The garfish have also

been busy in and around the Bellarine Peninsula. They can hang deep when the sun is out but won’t say no to a liberal amount of berley sent. These fish make excellent snapper bait and do ok on the plate too!

St Leonard Angling Club and the Bellarine Pirates Angling Club are hosting their annual Bellarine Snapper Challenge again this year. The competition started on 11 September and runs to the 1 April 2016.

Phil Walters says last year’s winner, Tony Mollenhaeur who caught an 8.41kg snapper is already planning his campaign despite having his boat stolen last year. The winner previous to Tony – Andrew (AJ) Johnson – weighed in a cracker at 11.2kg. Both are predicting a good snapper season with some nice fish already being taken. Phil notes that Paul Mayer (the local soft plastics and lure specialist) reckons there is a big chance to be among the trophy winners using some of his new lures.

Calamari have been biting well in the Queenscliff Bight with some up around 2kg. Brendan Brown made the trip down from Ballarat recently and managed a couple of rippers to 45cm hood length using artificial jigs.

The Australian salmon

are biting well in the lower Barwon estuary. Most fish are from legal length to 35cm with the odd 50cm fish caught here and there.

Work colleague, Andreas Rohringer spent a few hours down there on the incoming tide and caught plenty using squid and raw chicken for bait. Andreas also caught a silver trevally and a mullet just to mix things up a bit.

Ten year old Ashton Brogen and his dad Dave also fished the lower estuary but only caught a couple of smaller

salmon. Dave suggests they got there a bit late and the tide had started to run out.

Anglers fishing out off Barwon Heads have caught snapper either side of 5kg in weight drifting in depths of 40-50m. Inshore reefs have also produced pinkie snapper from legal length to 40cm right on sun up.

As soon as the sun hits the water, it’s time to head out and drift as they stop biting.

Lorne has been fishing well for quality flathead to 55cm and pinkie snapper

either side of 45cm, caught by anglers drifting in around 10-20m of water.

• 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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Seeing red at Port Phillip Bay PORT PHILLIP WEST

Brenton Hodges blhodgey@hotmail.com

A burst of above average spring weather has kicked the inner reefs into gear with the snapper firing on all cylinders across the western flank of Port Phillip.

Additionally, some serious blue spot flathead have been lurking in the shallows, and with Australian salmon and snook lurking nearby, it can be a real mixed bag for those prospecting the inner reefs at this time of year. So, whether you’re a complete novice, a casual weekender or a more accomplished angler with years of experience, now is the time to be on the water.

SNAPPER ON SOFT PLASTICS Chasing snapper on soft plastics is fairly common practice these days. Indeed, it’s been on the radar for more than a decade now,

but recently I’ve had a few enquiries from readers in relation to gear and how to get started. Tackling up for snapper on soft plastics is a compromise between presentation and power.

maximise casting distance and bring a plastic to life underwater, a crisp 4-6kg graphite spinning rod up to about 7ft matched to a medium size thread line reel is the way to go.

Big reds are on for one and all this season!

Simply tying a jighead onto a traditional 6-8kg baitfishing outfit spooled with 20lb+ monofilament definitely won’t cut it. In order to

Next, fill the spool with say 10lb braid and tie on 12-15lb leader. While this gear is relatively light in comparison to most standard

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baitfishing outfits, it is more than capable of playing out a big red in snag-less open water. Small to medium size snapper can even be subdued on line class half this strength, particularly when fishing under electric power on the drift. In this situation, chasing the fish down, as opposed to cranking them back to a boat at anchor, is a viable option. Thinner mainlines add metres to your casting, which is vital when fishing the shallow reefs. Fine leaders also increase your hook up rate, especially in clear conditions, although extra insurance is required around heavy structure or when larger snapper are expected.

The ability to rig a soft plastic correctly on a weighted jighead is crucial and this can be practiced and perfected at home. Always ensure a plastic is rigged straight and centred neatly on the jighead. Take the time to measure the head up against the hook to determine exactly where the point should exit. Avoid bunching the plastic up against the jighead or stretching it to fit over the hook. If it doesn’t look perfect, rig it again until you get it right. Once you’re happy with the way it sits, test whether the tail swims straight (i.e. does not spiral or track to one side), when dragged through the water and while falling freely to the bottom. Next month we’ll look at some on water tactics to hopefully help you connect to a snapper on a soft plastic.

AVALON TO POINT COOK Soft plastics have been producing some good eating size flatties to 50cm throughout Corio Bay outer harbour, at Clifton

When chasing snapper on soft plastics, always ensure a tail is rigged straight, centred neatly on the jighead and swims enticingly.

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Top: Nick Mace with one of many Melbourne mulloway he’s encountered of late while pitching lures and soft plastics from his pedal powered kayak. Above: Roy Cusani managed some nice bream to 35cm on live sandworm from the upper tidal reaches of the Werribee River.

number of anglers frustrated by the dislodged floating weed and apparent lack of fish! Over at Werribee South, expect the shallows through to Campbells Cove

to hold increasing numbers of flathead and some good gummy sharks this month.

On the reefs at Point Cook, November traditionally sees a run of 3kg+ reds venturing into some very skinny water of just 3-5m in depth. These fish are prime candidates for a well presented soft plastic.

ALTONA TO WILLIAMSTOWN Reds to 6kg+ have been taken in close at Williamstown, especially at first and last light. Soft plastics, including the Berkley Gulp! 4” Nemesis in the fire tiger colour pattern have been particularly effective in this area.

METROPOLITAN RIVERS Nick Mace has been putting in plenty of time searching for silver jewels in the form of school mulloway on Melbourne’s metropolitan rivers. Recently, Nick managed locate and tempt a number of school mulloway ranging from 70-130cm, all To page 21

Junior City Fishing

Aussie salmon put up a fight to remember!

MELBOURNE

Jason Tanti

Australian salmon may not be the greatest fish to eat but the fight they put up is tremendous fun. When you hook a salmon, you know you’re going to be in for a battle. Salmon will put a bend in your rod and go for From page 20

while perched on top of his pedal powered kayak. Nick says the most effective lures in his arsenal include various 4-5” soft plastics.

More specifically, the Keitech Shad Impact has been a winner of late.

Despite the size of his quarry, Nick runs just a 2-4kg outfit spooled with 4lb braid connected to a 12lb fluorocarbon leader. Using light gear is beneficial given the amount of casts made, but does have its fair share of challenges when big fish are hooked close to structure!

While luring mulloway may be considered a complex assignment, the satisfaction derived from cracking the code and

miles with continuous runs peeling line off your spool.

A broad shouldered and chunky fish, Australian salmon are considered the torpedo of the bay and are renown as one of the best sporting fish within reach of the typical land-based fisher. When your preferred fish isn’t biting, salmon are a great alternative. The Newport boat ramp (also known as the

‘Warmies’) is a nice close ramp from Melbourne’s CBD to launch from.

The peak season to target Australian salmon is from March to September, fishing early morning or late afternoon. Salmon are a schooling fish and are always looking for food so if you are lucky enough to spot a school, the chances of hooking one is

piecing together a successful pattern is what drives most to succeed.

Down the road at Werribee South, Roy Cusani managed some nice bream to 35cm on live sandworm

from the upper tidal reaches of the Werribee River.

BEEN FISHING? • Reports and images are most welcome and may be submitted via email to blhodgey@hotmail.com.

The resident bream will become more active in the shallows as water temperatures rise.

Jason Tanti with the ‘torpedo of the bay’ – Australian salmon. almost guaranteed. That being said, a few hours either side of high tide will enable your best chances of hooking one.

There are many techniques and styles to target salmon but the most popular is casting metal lures and slugs that resemble little baitfish. A lure such as the Halco Twisty is the perfect candidate.

Coming in a range of different sizes and colours, the Halco Twisty is great for those long casts. Whether you’re on a boat or land-based, covering ground is the key to finding the fish. How do you find the salmon? Diving birds and

moving dark patches are signs that can indicate a school of salmon beneath the surface.

While salmon can turn up almost anywhere, they tend to gather over and around gravel beds within sheltered bays and around the base of jetty pylons when they’re not herding baitfish. A successful method to cover ground while boating is trolling. This method consists of throwing a few lures out the back of your boat while driving at a slow speed. This way you aren’t just looking for the fish, you’re fishing at the same time. Another method

that has proven to be very effective for catching salmon is bait fishing. Using a simple running sinker rig with 40-60cm of leader line and a bit of your favourite bait will receive interest almost every time.

When it comes to targeting salmon I like to use a 2-4kg rod with a 2500 sized reel. This allows me to put a bit of grunt on the fish but considering it’s a light outfit you still have a heap of fun.

Whether I’m fishing on the bottom or flicking lures I like to go as light as I can when it comes to using a leader line.

Luckily Australian salmon don’t have sharp teeth meaning you can go a little bit lighter.

However, taking structure into consideration is a must, if you are fishing around structure such as pylons and reefs you might want to go a heavier leader because salmon tend to put their heads down and the chances of getting wrapped around a snag are likely.

Overall the salmon population in the top end of the bay have a lot to offer for both fishers on a boat and on land to take home for a feed or to keep as bait. The minimum legal size is 21cm and the bag/possession limit is a total of 20 fish.

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Snapper right on schedule dedicated anglers, this and the coming months are all about snapper in the bay.

No other fish has such an

PORT PHILLIP EAST

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Much like the sudden onset of the cooler months, the beginnings of warmer days has come with a bang.

At the beginning of last month, during and after the AFL Grand Final weekend, the bay’s anglers were treated to some days in the mid-30s, which really gave the enthusiasm of many anglers a real kick in the pants. And although the action has proven to be a little slow getting underway, the early signs and reports are pointing towards a great late spring and summer ahead for the bay’s anglers.

While it is becoming a realistic year-round prospect for many of the bay’s more

year. I know, I’ve said it before in these pages, but if you don’t get pumped for a snapper fish at this time of year, I’d strongly suggest that you take up another hobby unrelated to fishing.

Early reports have been good, but not fantastic, but I reckon that the number of anglers has been slightly less than usual, and this can be attributed to the sensational and prolonged tuna action occurring right along the Victorian Coast. There’s no doubt that many anglers have remained focused on this iconic fish, and why not.? Long may this trend continue, it really is great to see!

For those anglers who have stayed and put in the time on the bay, the most consistent reports have been coming from 14-18m out from Seaford, Carrum and Chelsea, and also wider out from Mordialloc. The wider marks out from Mornington and Mount Martha have also been turning over a few fish as well. Some of the snapper that have been landed have been some real crackers as well, including

a great sign for the rest of the season.

Many of the other snapper reported have been 3-4kg in size and also quite a few school-sized snapper coming from the deeper marks as well. All of the anglers that I have spoken to or that have sent me reports have been sounding large schools of bait right throughout the bay, which is a great sign for the bay’s food chain, but

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can make the reds a little tricky, which happened last year. Last month, the water temperatures were still pretty low, but expect this to change fairly quickly, especially if the hot conditions during early October prevail during the later parts of the month as well.

Once again, the landbased anglers have been enjoying some good success on the snapper over the past month. The lack of recent rain has kept the water clearer than normal and this has kept prime feeding windows in shallow water to the more rugged conditions when the water is more stirred up. Just like the reports coming in from the boating anglers, the

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two fish around the 9kg mark weighed in at Launching Way. Great fish, and in top condition as well, which is

A pair of ripper early season snapper weighed in at Launching Way recently, both around the 9kg mark. These fish were taken in 14m out from Seaford, which has proven to be a productive area.

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Big squid have been a standout over the past month, especially in the south of the bay. guys from the stones and piers are having better and more regular success using fresh quality baits and fishing during prime bite periods.

The squid fishing has been sensational, especially further south in the bay, but some better than average

schools have been smashing bait for long periods of time, especially out from Fishies Beach and have provided lots of sport and fun for local anglers. This general area has also been producing some nice flatties as well, especially for the

That’s what 9kg of snapper looks like on the scales! specimens have been turning up around our local reefs as well, especially for those anglers targeting the bigger models with larger jigs. Don’t be shy to try a little deeper and fish a little slower at this time of year, especially if your normal shallow honey holes are not producing.

More of the bread and butter favourites will become more regular captures, especially as the bay continues to warm up towards summer, and to this end the good old salmon schools just keep on keeping on around Mornington and Mount Martha, as they have done all through the winter months as well. Big

kayak anglers, and some better that average pinkies are coming from the reefs nearby and also those further north between Mornington and Frankston.

The bream fishing in the Patterson River has been great over the past month. The fish in the canals probably get more fishing pressure these days, and are a little harder to catch as a general rule, especially if you count the number you can see, but can’t catch. The bait fishers have accounted for some nice bream of late, and expect the local mulloway diehards to start hitting the river in earnest over the coming months.

Stay tuned for those reports.

NOVEMBER 2015

23

Victorian snapper run ramps up to full speed PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

You’ve got to love November as I think it’s fair to say this is the month when the Victorian snapper run really hits a new level.

The water warms and the fish get very active after thawing out from the cold winter conditions.

The thing I love about this month is that with longer days, it’s also the prime time to get the family and friends on the water to experience what snapper fever is all about.

MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK When conditions have been right, Mordialloc Pier continues to fish well with some seriously good sessions being had by the land-based crew. In fact, on some nights you really have to wonder if its worth having a boat at all when almost every angler on the pier gets one or several shots at catching a big snapper in a night.

And while the past weeks have seen some varied weather between hot calm conditions, through to southwest blows, when the

onshore winds have hit, the fish are there. It’s a fairly simple formula of getting onto the pier, when there is a good southwest blow happening, then fishing with baits of pilchard or squid.

In the boats the reports are starting to flow in from a wide area, with some better fish being taken in shallower 6-9m areas off Mordialloc and up to Mentone. These areas have been good at night and also when it has been rough with a few anglers mentioning that its best to fish with unweighted baits as some of the ground through this area is fairly heavy. While out slightly deeper, places like the Hump and up off Ricketts Point the fishing has been very consistent for snapper in the 2-4kg size, which has also made them the prime target for anglers to cast plastics, troll or even jig them up with small metal jigs.

Up in Beaumaris Bay there has still been the odd snapper caught landbased, but for the most part the squid and garfish are keeping most land-based anglers busy.

Out off Ricketts Point the deep area known as the Gasso is once again a

top place to be fishing for snapper, and while it has been producing snapper over the past weeks its this month that will see it go crazy as big schools of reds move over this food rich mud bottom to feed.

Back in a bit closer the 16m line up towards Black Rock has been fishing very well over the past weeks, with a lot of anglers reporting that they have been doing well on baits of garfish and couta. Both these baits are around in decent numbers, especially if you spend the time fishing around the Anonyma Shoal, which is where most of the couta and garfish reports have come from.

With the water warming up and the fish biting on a more consistent level, its also the prime time to be getting out on the snapper with light metal jigs in the 20-60g size, add some flashy assist hooks and work them in the bottom 3-4m of water for some awesome fun on often bigger snapper.

SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA Off Sandy Breakwall and up at Brighton there has still been the odd snapper taken in the rough weather,

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however it’s the boat anglers who have been fishing in the 6-8m area that have had some great fishing at dawn for some very good snapper in the 4-5.5kg sizes.

As an added bonus, however, the flathead have been quite spectacular in the area with heaps of anglers reporting good numbers of flatties being caught in the 40-50cm size.

Out on the edge of the shipping lane the snapper fishing has been very good for those anglers who are willing to find the patches of fish as they seem to be moving up and down the channel between Ti and T2 and the Fawkner Beacon.

Out in the 14-16m line there has been lots of bait showing up in the sounder, in fact at times it has been so thick its been hard to mark a snapper. If you find this sort of thing happening try fishing in the area as usually the snapper are in close proximity waiting for an easy feed. The other thing I love about the snapper that are holding on the bait is

that they are actively hinting baitfish so they naturally love to eat a lure with a soft plastic being the most deadly option. It’s also well worth checking out the new Samaki 20g Vibelicious lure, it’s a soft plastic vibe that is ridiculously good on snapper.

Heading further north up towards St Kilda, if the past weeks are anything to go by then the next few weeks should be a winner as even more big snapper will push into the shallow areas in front of St Kilda Marina through to the Breakwall and along in front of all the piers.

The best bit about this, however, is that it offers great fishing opportunities for both the land-based anglers, kayakers and of course the boat fishers.

Other areas that need attention this month are the cungevoi beds that run along the front of the Elwood area and back towards North Road. While these shallow areas fish best under the cover of darkness, during the daylight hours the deeper

areas off St Kilda and the Fawkner Beacon have been holding huge numbers of reds and it is really just a case of sounding around until you mark a bunch of fish that are feeding on the mud bottom.

ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE Some heavy rain in October put a serious stain of fresh water into this part of the bay, which by all accounts after it had settled a bit has kept the snapper chewing. There’s been some good reports of snapper and some very big fish are being taken off all the piers in the area. Out in the boats, the same areas that fish so well through winter are now producing numbers of quality snapper in the 3-8kg range, and what could be better than fishing under the lights of the city, especially on a calm night.

It will also be interesting to see if the very top end of the bay in around Station and Princess piers get a big run of snapper like they did last season.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Find it on your fish finder For the amount of high dollar electronics adorning the helms of boats big and small across the state, there aren’t many broad resources to fall back on when it comes to understanding the workings of a fish finder and what fish actually look like on one.

That is, of course, discounting social media.

showing on the screen of your fish finder can make the difference between an awesome and a fishless day on the water.

At Fishing Monthly, we’re a fan of John Adams’ book, How to Use an Echo Sounder/Fish Finder. This literature gifts you with a step-by-step guide to how a conventional fish finder

conventional, under the boat finding of fish.

Nearly half the book is a collection of images collected in the real world with explanatory notes. In practice, this is a great way to connect the dots.

I’ve been using fish finders since they changed from paper graphs to LCD screens and I still learned

works and there’s a large section that will help you interpret the images that come back from the deep blue.

Note that there’s no content in this version on side scan or 360-degree scanning – just the

plenty from this book.

The best way to buy a copy is via John’s website: howtouseafishfinder.com where you’ll pick one up for $49.95 plus postage.

– Steve Morgan

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Although others may not agree, you cannot master reading an electronic sounder by simply viewing or ‘liking’ photos of on Facebook. Other people’s ability to recognise a fish on a sounder won’t help you when you’re out on the water by yourself.

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Anglers angling for big snapper MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Dan Lee info@peninsulatotaltackle.com.au

Cup Weekend signals the start of the busiest snapper month of the year, November. Hand-in-hand with Cup weekend is the Tea Tree Snapper Comp, ranking as one of the largest fishing comps in Australia.

The Tea Tree comp will see thousands of boats hit the water in both Port Phillip Bay and Western Port.

However, if snapper are not your cup of tea, November is also a sensational month for targeting big gummies in the south of the bay or big breeding squid which tend to get a reprieve while everyone focuses on the snapper.

focused on one of the hottest big tuna bites that Australia has seen on the Victorian west coast. However, we quickly saw anglers refocus their efforts on the local fishing as more and more reports started to come in from both bait and land-based anglers.

In the south of the bay reports started to come from Mt Martha and Mornington almost as soon as the season

the first couple of hours of the morning, which is true to form for early season snapper.

Baits have worked well early on, I recommend the humble pilchard, Californian or fresh squid and silver whiting.

It was also pleasing to see some fish taken from the Mornington and Mt Martha rocks as well. Even anglers without a boat have an opportunity to tangle Mick Brittain took this lovely red while fishing of Mt Martha. with these fantastic fish – how terrific!

WHITING It is not often that we start talking whiting as early as November, but this year it stands to reason as the local fishing around Rye, Tootgarook and Rosebud has been positive in early spring.

We have seen some good bags of healthy whiting in the 34-40cm range coming from these areas on all the traditional baits such as pipi, mussel and fresh squid. The pinkies have not been a problem at this early stage so it could be a good time to get out and get a bag.

SQUID It has been an interesting squid season thus far. We seem

Above: A nice big breeder squid from Portsea.

Top Right: Captain Baz Gorman from Southern Sport and Game Fishing Charters with a lovely swag of Peninsula whiting. Right: Keith Thomas took these snapper at Mornington. The larger of the two weighed a healthy 5.6kg.

SNAPPER To start, let’s discuss our favourite red fish – snapper!

Early in October, some of the keenest local anglers had their attention understandably

had started. This is a good sign for us as traditionally the best fishing in the south can be as late as December.

Typically, most of the bites occurred around dawn and in

to have had a sustained run of big breeder squid, often found in pockets, with the smaller and mid size specimens coming in waves. Some days you get a bag, some days you struggle.

On the whole I would still rate the squid fishing pretty well.

The water has been very clear, making it easy to sight out the quality sea grass and generally get a few.

The tidal areas at Portsea and Queencliff have no doubt been best for big squid but I would go as far as saying that Safety Beach, and the grass beds in the area, have been the most consistent for your more average size calamari.

LOOKING AHEAD We are only a moment away from another Christmas and another very busy period down here on the Mornington Peninsula. My advice would be to enjoy the next couple of months, get out on the water and have a bit of fun while the ramps are still manageable and there is so much to do.

December is often our best snapper month, so Mt Martha should be a destination you find yourself heading.

Alternatively, I have always had great success at this time of year on the South and Symmonds channel targeting gummy shark.

The thing that excites me the most however, is the possibility of some December kingfish. In years gone by, December has been the month that the yellowtails have first shown up, so fingers-crossed it is one of those years!

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Gummy bear down on Western Port WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

In case you’ve been living under a rock the last couple of months, the snapper are here! Now’s the prime time of year and the snapper are not letting us down! The warm weather has also prompted a few other species to fire up as well. Gummy sharks and calamari are playing the game and are making the top end of Western Port a clear winner when planning your next fishing trip!

SNAPPER The hardest part of this report is where to start! The entire top end has fished exceptionally well from Joes Island all the way through to Warneet and the class of fish has been really good as well. The local charter boats are dominating and the recreational anglers are finding their fair share of fish as well. Jayson Turner from Pro Red Fishing Charters has spent a little bit of time up the top end of the port and has been getting his clients amongst some really nice snapper. Jayson has been focusing most of his time around the tide changes and using the freshest baits has been the clear standout capture method.

Fresh calamari and fresh salmon fillets have been the two best baits by far. Jayson gave his client Andy, a trip he won’t forget any time soon as he knocked off his old personal best with a whopping 7kg fish that measured in at 87cm.

Shaun Furtiere from Think Big Charters is another who knows the top of the port like the back of his hand and the years of experience puts him in the upper echelon of snapper fishers in Victoria. Shaun is a master of fishing shallow and this year he has definitely not disappointed his clients.

Shaun took a couple of

visitors out from Malaysia recently and showed them what Victorian snapper is all about. They had a couple of big snapper on the deck within three minutes of each other with the bigger of the two weighing 6.4kg! Shaun also put another client of his onto her PB snapper.

Ashleigh now has a new benchmark of 6.2kg which I’m sure she will try and knock off again this season, which is what it’s all about!

Shaun is a huge believer in fresh calamari for bait, with squid rings his preferred option. It’s not all about the charter operators though!

The rec boys have been dominating fish as well and there is simply just too many fish to report on! Gav Methers has been out-fished by his boys, Tyler and Brodie again as they put in a few hours up the top end.

They boated a lovely 3.5kg snapper and a whopping big snook that I’m sure will end up as fresh snapper bait!

Dale Smith is another angler that has boated a PB so far this season as he found a cracker of a fish out of Hastings. Dale fished through the night for his fish

Nathan Peterson with a fine Tyabb calamari.

Top: Dale Smith with his personal best snapper. Above: A fine specimen taken aboard Think Big Charters. and picked it off during the early stages of the run in tide. Old mate Don Newman fished one of his favourite little snapper marks just out from Esso in 12m of water for a massive 7.4kg fish on a humble pilchard. Donny has it pretty sussed with the snapper with a few different hidey holes that he visits depending on conditions, but let me tell you, Esso is pretty close to number one!

GUMMIES AND CALAMARI It’s not all about the

snapper! The gummies have really started to fire up with some bigger fish starting to make their presence felt and some genuine submarine squid have also been taken in the shallows. Mason Shulz spent a few hours chasing the reds when he was surprised by a huge 15kg gummy.

We will see a lot more of this throughout the snapper season as a lot more people

hit the water. Now that fresh bait is a clear favourite among Western Port anglers the big gummies just can’t help themselves. Mason got a couple of quick snaps of this big girl and then let her go to fight again another day, well done Mason!

Joel, a young gun local angler spent some time out from Hastings with friend Dave Cussans looking for snapper but instead found a beautiful little 6kg gummy which took a Californian squid bait. I’m sure mum would have been stoked with some fresh flake for dinner!

The calamari have grown in size again and we are starting to see some whopping big squid enter the port. Don Newman, who you may remember from earlier in this report, went for a drift in 2m of water on the Tyabb

Bank after getting that big snapper and also managed a huge calamari that weighed 3.03kg! The squid took a pilchard suspended under a float which really drives home the benefit of having a baited jig out while you are prospecting around for the squid!

Nathan Peterson is a squid genius and had a cracker of a session up on the Tyabb Bank as well. He managed 12 for the session with the new Hayabusa squid jigs in size 3.0 accounting for most of these tasty morsels.

I could keep writing for days on the fish coming out of Western Port at the moment so if you haven’t already, get that boat of yours wet and get amongst them! Don’t forget to keep those reports coming too, good luck!

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Mason Shulz and his mammoth gummy shark.

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29

Big reds raring to go WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Despite a slow start to the season, there is no doubt that the snapper are now well and truly on the chew.

Fishing was a little challenging throughout spring as the water temperature proved a little cooler than in previous years.

scattered throughout the Port, but in typical fashion, Spit Point and the Corinella region produced fish early on due to a very slightly higher water temperature than the channels.

On any given calm day, there are a significant amount of boats scattered from Ram Island, up through Mosquito Channel to Spit Point. Some days it’s standing room only as there are a lot of

Fresh bait and quality terminal tackle are just some of the components to make your day a successful one.

This caused the fish to be less active in their feeding patterns compared to other seasons. Of the few reported captures, there were some very nice sized models about. The early bites were

fish throughout this section of the Port. I was recently out in the same area and while waiting for the tide, decided to go for a drive to find a better concentration of fish from the ones we were

sitting on during the previous tide. After travelling for 2km we found over a dozen solid fish with many smaller models scattered about.

Unfortunately on that day, the fish didn’t bite but still, sounding around and finding the quantity we did was good insight for our next trip.

Shaun Furtiere from ‘Think Big Charters’ on the other hand has been dominating the snapper in recent weeks. Shaun has been fishing around the Corinella region and has been putting his clients onto some very impressive fish with one angler landing a cracker at 6.2kg. The other fish have been around the 4-5kg mark. Fresh calamari has been the top bait with the fish biting best on the second hour before a tide change.

The Rhyll area hasn’t fired just yet and although a lot of boats are fishing the area, the fish that have been caught have been around the 2kg mark. Rhyll does fish extremely well throughout the season but tends to fire at the end of November and into December.

This month is also a great time to be fishing down the Western Entrance. The smaller reef areas around

Top: When the snapper are on, expect the popular areas to be crowded. Above Left: Think Big client Ashleigh was fortunate enough to land a magnificent 6.2kg snapper for herself. (Photo supplied by Think Big Charters). Above Right: When baiting for snapper and gummy sharks keep it simple. Always leave as much hook point exposure as possible, especially with circle hooks such as this Mustad Demon 6/0.

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Buoy 15, 14, 11, 8, 5 and 2 are all worth sounding around until you find fish, then anchor and set your trap.

This area is open to both the ocean swell and of course easterly, southerly and south westerly winds so make sure you check the weather before venturing down.

LOCATION LOCATION There are many top locations to be fishing this month and now is a great time to go in search of new fishing spots while the fish are madly on the chew. You may be able to pluck a big red from the murky waters.

Locations such as Coronet Bay on first light, Observation Point and Silverleaves are all worth exploring as these three locations are known to harbour 20lb fish from November to January. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t take much effort to sit out a few hours during a tide in one of these locations.

Boat anglers aren’t the only ones catching snapper with land based anglers fishing from Settlement Point, Lang Lang, Stock Yard Point and Stony Point Pier catching some nice fish. Of those caught and reported, a 5kg red was caught from the stones at Settlement Point on a pilchard bait during the last of the run out tide. Smaller fish have also been caught at Corinella Pier and Stony

Another Think Big customer with a cracking snapper coming from the Corinella area. (Photo supplied by Think Big Charters).

Point Pier.

With the snapper hype at the moment you wouldn’t think that Western Port produced any other fish.

Anglers that have already had enough of catching snapper have made the switch over to whiting and they are rife throughout the typical areas. Jim Barrington caught a magnificent bag of whiting while fishing along the southern end of the middle spit. Fishing in 4m of water and using berley, Jim reported that the fish bit best on the flood tide with pipi used for bait.

WHITING FOR THE WIN! Other reports of whiting have been from Tankerton, Tortoise Head Channel and around Reef Island where anglers have also been catching some nice rock flathead on occasion.

Depending on how you get there, Balnarring (the home of the 50cm whiting) is also starting to fire up now with plenty of solid fish being caught in the high 40s. Local angler Phillip Miller was fishing in 12m of water out from Somers. Phillip said he was using the Icon Y-Ting

rig and had an epic session catching 4 double headers of whiting during his session.

Mussel and squid strip baits worked best on the run in tide. This area is well known for producing many of Western Pors 50cm+ whiting over the years and if you’re going to catch one in your lifetime, this is the location to be fishing.

Although many anglers do like to up anchor and move to another spot if they are not having success, I find this to be a lot of hard work and although it does work, using berley makes whiting fishing much easier and takes all the hard work out of the equation.

Whiting are always on the look out for food so when

there is a significant amount of fishy smell in the water, they are quick to follow it to the source. Berley pellets mixed with tuna oil will do the job otherwise just a 2kg bag of pilchards mashed up and placed into a stainless steel berley pot will do the job perfectly. Obviously in Western Port, this has to be weighted and placed on the sea floor.

Whether you’re targeting snapper, gummy sharks, whiting or calamari – berley can be used and will give you the best chance at having success even when times are tough. Next time you’re fishing the Port, toss some berley overboard, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at your success rate.

Although it might be snapper season, there are plenty of whiting about too.

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Time to start restocking our trout streams PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

Another trout opening has come and gone. I took my grandkids for their yearly trout fishing trip to a small South Gippsland stream where they managed to catch a couple of fish.

The scene was set – cloudy and overcast, the weather was just perfect, with good stream flow – the only thing missing were the fish! Back in the 70s and 80s, the inland mountain streams were teeming with fish, with a trout fishery that was near equal to Tassie. My brother and I would do a couple of yearly trips to King River at Pineapple Flat, just wading the river and spinning.

Back then, fish 2-4kg were fairly common and to catch and release 100+ fish on a weekend was standard.

Today it’s a different story, the fish are much smaller and few and far between.

What is becoming clear is that the majority of fishers are looking for trout and can’t find them. Fisheries pour millions of fish into our impoundments but haven’t stocked our trout streams. Once upon a time

Ben and Chloe Cornford with a couple of brown trout at the season opening. they stocked all of our rivers, something that needs to occur again with obvious benefits to anglers, and small country town tourism generated income.

SURF BEACHES On the beaches, lots of good salmon are around weighing up to 2kg. Baxter and Williamson are both fishing well when the

weather permits. Surf poppers and blue bait seem to be the go at the moment and now, with the weather warming up at last, there should be a few gummies about. Fish for gummies just on dusk with a rising tide.

SAN REMO AREA Below the bridge, Cleeland’s Bight is still producing some goodsized calamari and some better quality whiting have started showing up. Outside the Entrance, quite a few medium-sized couta are about which are excellent to use as snapper bait.

ABOVE THE BRIDGE There have been reports of schools of snapper entering Western Port. Hopefully this year will be a better season than previous years. The whiting should be starting to show up in numbers but as it was the coldest winter for 20 years they could be a little later than usual. Reports of calamari in all the usual places, if you want to bag a few you need to be on the water at daylight.

FLINDERS AREA The calamari are on the go but not in big numbers yet. Snook are about for fishos wanting to target them.

Whiting are yet to turn up.

FISHING FILL-ITS

New fishing jetty Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Lisa Neville fulfilled another election commitment announcing a $250,000 grant from the Andrews Labor Government for a purpose-built fishing jetty at the Clifton Springs boat harbour.

The funds will help the City of Greater Geelong design and construct the new jetty, which will improve fishing opportunities for landbased anglers at this popular spot on Port Phillip Bay. The grant has been allocated from the Labor government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing, which aims to get more people fishing, more often by boosting participation to one million anglers by 2020.

Minister for Environment, Climate Change & Water Lisa Neville said it would benefit more than just the economy.

“Our Target One Million plan will give local families better opportunities to spend more time together outdoors,” she said. “By improving fishing opportunities we will

increase the number of recreational anglers to one million, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and strengthening our rural and regional communities.”

Construction is expected to commence by autumn next year with completion in winter 2016.

Clifton Springs is a popular recreational fishing spot with boating anglers who chase snapper, flathead, King George whiting and calamari, and boasts good facilities including toilets and a fish cleaning table.

The new jetty will help those without a boat to wet a line safely with a good chance of success.

Target One Million will also build new recreational fishing reefs, deploy fish attracting devices (FADS), increase fish stocking from three to five million, strengthen angling club membership and establish children’s fishing programs in schools. Victorian Fisheries

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How to catch your first bream on a soft plastic!

I’m damned if I can work these bream out!”

If you’re in that camp, I’m here to help! Below I’ve listed a simple, fivestep strategy for cracking

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Lots of anglers still struggle to crack the ‘bream on lures’ code.

Truth is, these fish are no pushover. But if you follow Starlo’s simple, five-point plan, we’re confident you’ll be posing for a photo with your first bream on a soft plastic very soon!

As I travel the country fishing, researching stories and gathering material for this and the many other publications I contribute to, I come across an increasing number of anglers who’ve embraced lure fishing and, in particular, the use of soft plastic lures. The uptake of soft plastics has definitely been one of the most significant trends in Australian recreational angling over the past 10 to 15 years, and its

NOVEMBER 2015

video on my YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions.)

FISH WHERE THE BREAM LIVE You won’t catch ’em

Bream love soft plastics, but unless you get the whole package just right, success may prove to be elusive. popularity shows no sign of diminishing any time soon.

Softies are great lures and they’re not all that hard to use. Most new chums start catching at least the odd fish very early in their plastic-flicking careers. But some species are tougher

nuts to crack than others, and the humble bream is perhaps the trickiest of the lot. It’s also the one I get asked about the most. The question typically begins with a statement along the lines of: “I can catch plenty of flathead on plastics, but

You’ll never forget your first decent bream on a soft lure!

Top Left: Light, sensitive spinning gear based around a 1000 to 2500 reel and 1.9 to 2.2 m flick rod is perfect for bream. Top Right: Small, natural-looking plastics and light jig heads with fine, sharp hooks are the way to go, especially when getting started. Above: Prime bream habitat typically contains a mix of depths and plenty of hard structure.

34

the ‘bream on lures’ code.

I’ve accompanied this with a short, no-nonsense how-to video clip on my ‘Starlo Gets Reel’ YouTube channel. You can go

straight to that video by scanning the QR code at the bottom, or by typing this URL into your browser: w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=8wuLI5-M3UQ Okay… Are you ready to learn how to catch your very first bream on a soft plastic? Here we go!

USE THE RIGHT GEAR The perfect tackle for chasing bream on soft plastics is a 1.9-2.2 m ‘flick rod’ with a nice light tip, usually rated for 1-3kg line. Match this light rod with a 1000 to 2500 size spinning reel and fill the spool with quality 2 or 3 kg monofilament line, or braid carrying a similar strength rating. (If you choose braid, always add at least a rod length of clear monofilament leader of a similar strength to the end before tying on your lure.)

CHOOSE THE RIGHT LURES Start off with small, curl-tailed grubs or wriggler-style plastics measuring somewhere between 50 and 100 mm in length. Pick natural, lifelike colours that mimic prawns, worms or little fish.

Combine these tails with light jig heads weighing anywhere from about 1 to 3.5 g (about 1/30 to 1/8oz) that carry sharp, fine-gauge hooks in sizes from No. 6 up to No. 1 (a No. 4 or No. 2 is usually perfect).

RIG THE LURE STRAIGHT! You’d be amazed how many people get this important bit wrong, and it makes a huge difference on bream. Take the time to properly rig every tail and if it’s not right, do it again.

(Study the accompanying

if you cast where they ain’t! Bream love structure, including man-made structure.

Concentrate on snags, rock bars, creek mouths, bridge or jetty pylons, weed bed edges, oyster leases, boat moorings, breakwalls, channel markers and the like, and cast your lures close to these structures.

WORK YOUR SOFTIES SLOWLY As a rule (unless the spot you’re fishing is very snaggy), start by letting your rigged plastic sink all the way to the bottom.

Then work it with a series of fairly slow lifts, hops and drops. Again, study my basic how-to video on the Starlo Gets Reel YouTube channel for more details and a demonstration.

And that, folk, is about it! As I like to say, it ain’t rocket science! Follow this simple five-point plan, watch my accompanying video for additional information, and I can all but guarantee that you’ll start catching bream on soft plastics sooner rather than later.

So, what are you waiting for?

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35

Southern Bluefin Tuna

Victoria’s ultimate tuna season!

MELBOURNE

Andrew Smith

Southern bluefin tuna command the attention and focus of many Victorian anglers from late summer through to winter every year along the Victorian coastline, with a particular focus upon the far southwest area near Portland. This year began like many others, with numbers of school fish and a smattering of ‘jumbo’ or ‘barrels’ frequenting catches to encourage even the serious and passionate game fishers to continue the quest for the ultimate Victorian tuna. However, from late July onwards and well into spring, the fishing accelerated to a level never encountered anywhere in the world,

with catches of massive tuna over 80kg and up to 165kg almost every day and across the entire western coastal region of the state.

No one could have predicted the sheer numbers of huge southern bluefin that were spread along the coastline! Catches of massive tuna from central Bass Strait, all the way across to the South Australian border and beyond were the norm, with anglers spread across multiple ports and launching facilities at any one time.

Huge concentrations of baitfish, seals, dolphins, whales, and of course tuna were amazing to witness and in levels never seen along the entire coastline in memory.

When it comes to baitfish, tuna behave in much the same way as

humans do at a Saturday afternoon Bunning’s BBQ! Masses of baitfish were positioned along the coastline and while the ocean currents held the bait in productive water and in easy access to the coastline and boat ramps the feeding fest simply did not cease.

Maybe there were early signs of things to come that we missed or never thought would lead to the astounding fishing experienced. Let’s explore a few possibilities and reflect on a tuna bite that will potentially go down in history as the greatest ever seen.

RARE CAPTURE In late June, the commercial trawler Costella Rosa operating from the Port of Portland hauled aboard a truly surprising by-catch of a 3t basking shark measuring

6.5m in length. The basking shark is rare and massive – the second largest shark on Earth – and this one was only the third specimen ever captured in Victoria on record. But how does a basking shark captured in a trawler net relate to the greatest tuna fishing ever witnessed in Victoria?

Basically, basking sharks are filter feeders.

They feed exclusively on plankton through their enlarged mouth and gill system akin to a massive siphon that filters up to 6000L of water per hour.

Plankton can generally be regarded as phytoplankton (tiny microscopic sized plant like organisms) and zooplankton (tiny microscopic sized animals) and are considered a key driver of ocean productivity.

Think of plankton as the fuel for the environment

Luke Meli and crew with his 164.3kg tuna caught in September. and if there is enough of this fuel to have basking sharks around, there must be plenty of fuel for other marine life such as baitfish to feast on.

Logic dictates that if there are increased amounts of food around predators ,such as seals, whales, dolphins and tuna, won’t be far away.

WHALE MIGRATION Significant numbers of southern right and humpback whales were seen along the western Victorian coastline during this winter and spring.

While not uncommon, the frequency of sightings rose. The habit of whales hanging near baitfish schools reinforces the

Game fishing boats flocked to Victoria’s coastal waters.

highly productive marine environment existing along the coastline. Across the world, whales and tuna are regarded to exist closely in the environment and one can assume it is no different here in Victoria. The sheer number of humpbacks encountered around the tuna fishing grounds was phenomenal.

OCEAN CURRENTS ‘Find the good water’ is a term often declared among game fishers and the good water never left the western Victorian coastline this year. Not the green or aqua looking water we often encounter close to the coastline, but the deep rich cobalt blue ocean that provides nutrients

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Southern Bluefin Tuna and life for the previously mentioned plankton communities and in turn delivers food sources such as whitebait, pilchards, squid, sauries and redbait for southern bluefin tuna to feast on.

The Portland area is known for being the central hub of a deep water ocean current cycle known as the Bonney Upwelling, created by south easterly trade winds from November to March that lift nutrient rich

current from Western Australia. The Leeuwin flows southwards down the west Australian coast and then in an easterly direction across the Great Australian Bight. This current is used by southern bluefin tuna in their life cycle migratory routes across the oceans between feeding areas and to the only known spawning area in the world, situated in the Indian Ocean, south east of Java, Indonesia. This season, the offshore currents

waters of the coast for nearly three months, generally in depths of 40-80m and around water temperatures between 12-15째C. This in itself is purely unbelievable, but with the sheer volume of food and activity these jumbo tuna saw no reason to leave.

Locations of bite centres varied over the course of the season, but generally the tuna were spread across the entire western half of the state. Abundant reports

Top: Active feeding events were common inshore. Above: Bait balls across the coast provided an ideal food source for jumbo tuna. water to the surface from deep offshore and push it parallel to the coastline.

This cycle creates a rich feeding environment for the entire ocean community and is renowned for attracting blue whales to the area during summer.

During other times of the year when the Bonney Upwelling is less effectual, the Victorian coastal ocean is influenced by the seasonal strength of the Leeuwin

assisted greatly by blocking the productive water holding baitfish and tuna from dispersing. Instead, it funnelled parallel to the coastline and delivered the ultimate experience for many anglers with coastal towns reaping economic windfalls with the influxe of game fishers.

MIGRATION AND RESEARCH Amazingly, these tuna stayed in the close shore

came from the locations fished by the greatest number of boats.

The proximity of the fish near the coast for such a long time is astounding, as existing research has been accepted that southern bluefin tuna over the age of 5 years are seldom seen in the near shore surface waters of our oceans, spending the majority of their life in deeper To page 38

NOVEMBER 2015

37

Southern Bluefin Tuna From page 37

waters well south of the mainland. After speaking with fisheries scientist Dr Sean Tracey and others, a general theory among several professionals was that the jumbo southern bluefin tuna along the Victorian coastline may be ‘feeding up’ prior to moving up the west Australian coast towards the known spawning grounds. Investigation of gonad state and spawning condition of these large mature fish may have assisted in adding to the knowledge base of current research.

Fisheries researchers have completed significant and highly relevant research on the migration patterns and behaviour of southern bluefin tuna.

Cutting edge technology such as satellite tagging and stress recovery of recreationally caught tuna by scientists such as Dr Tracey assist in the knowledge base of the long term behaviour. This aims to continue the future recovery and growth of the entire bluefin population after being fished to the brink of collapse in the past.

Assistance from bodies such as the Fisheries Research and Development

Corporation (FRDC), Victorian Recreational Fishing Trust (funded by recreational fishers), the NSW recreational fishing trust and Tasmanian Fishwise Community Grants have co-funded the project investigating how these bluefin tuna survive after capture and release, along with learning even more about the species.

The initiative of anglers contributing back into science and research to ensure we have ‘fish forever’ is a fantastic and uplifting thing to see!

TECHNIQUES The standard approach to tackle southern bluefin tuna has been trolling a spread of skirted lures and hardbody lures. This season however, the vast majority of barrels were taken on lures significantly larger than regular.

Previously, the standard length skirted lure trolled by most game fishers was around 6”(15cm), however this season saw a huge amount of 10”(250mm) and 12”(300mm) lures used to target jumbo bluefin. Many brands were a standout, but Jaks, Marlin Magic, Billmark, Pakula and JB Lures asserted their stamp as ‘must have’ in your tuna tackle box during the season.

Andrew Smith with a 120.8kg southern bluefin tuna taken in spring off Portland.

A logical conclusion that a bigger lure can be perceived as a more valuable meal to a large tuna is commonly assumed.

However, inspection of the stomach cavities of large individual southern bluefin tuna indicated quite the opposite. The barrels were gorging themselves on small baitfish, generally under 50mm in length. Some fish contained up to 3kg of baitfish in various stages of digestion. So, were these tuna simply viewing these larger lure presentations as a more efficient and useful food opportunity?

FUTURE Tuna fishers have experienced the greatest and longest run of jumbo southern bluefin tuna in history, and now the million dollar question is – will we see this again in future years?

Stepping back and taking a wider look at fisheries science, and the population dynamics leaves the southern bluefin tuna in a favourable position.

Surveys published by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna list that while the entire stock is still only at around 9% of its original levels, the population has made a significant improvement

since the previous survey in 2011, up from 7%. The large increase of smaller school size tuna (2-4 years of age) in recent surveys, as well as an increase in the biomass numbers of mature breeding fish over 10 years of age in the population are two interesting and significant indications of a possible improvement into the future. Australian fisheries management practices, along with other nations involved with the southern bluefin tuna are to be congratulated for turning the fate of a species on the brink of collapse around.

Anglers can assist the long term future of the southern bluefin tuna – we all want to experience the thrill, power and beauty of these awesome predators. Obey the relevant local fisheries bag and size limits, but don’t use them to define your catches. Take only what you need, and respect the catch with the honour and privilege it deserves.

Chill it immediately, prepare it properly and manage it effectively.

Most importantly, there is nothing wrong with leaving one to catch another day.

Let’s have more tuna and bigger tuna for our future generations!

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Salmon run better late than never INVERLOCH

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

Since my last report there has been quite a bit of activity in this part of the world with very good bags of fish being caught both by boaters and land-based anglers.

The area known as Pensioners Corner has seen the arrival of huge numbers of salmon that have been to the 3kg mark and naturally putting a smile on the faces of anglers.

The torpedo fish might have been a bit late in making their appearance and usually arrive when the water is at its coldest. The water has certainly been the coldest that many long time residents can recall, even if it has not been all that wet with many remarking how dry the land itsat this time of year.

Having said that, when the salmon did arrive it was in big numbers with the fishing fast and furious. Probably the most popular beach, for both landbased anglers and boaters, is thecomparatively short beach in Inverloch known as Pensioners Corner. This is relatively safe with the best fishing on both sides of the low tide. The tide can flow at a brisk rate but in the last half of its cycle, it slows considerably and this is when the lures and bait anglers have best results.

The main catch is salmon and I have come across anglers who can often be seen with the family who have a great time in the good conditions.

I spoke to a new resident of Inverloch who has recently moved from the township of Cockatoo. Chris Ruigrok says that he has done plenty of freshwater fishing but this is a whole new ball game. He has just started up an electrical

business but will be out on the water looking for a fish whenever he gets spare time.

At the time of coming across him at Pensioners Corner there were plenty of other hopefuls looking for a fish but not many had any success apart from Chris. He had just caught a very nice size whiting that stretched the tape out to 37cm.

I decided to have a look at the jetty where there were quite a few land-based anglers wetting a line. The successful ones were catching fairly good size crabs that were destined for the soup pot.

Two locals, Jack Habulin and Mick Hill had just returned from a productive day out on the water.

Mick said that they bagged out salmon that were all around the 600g mark, which are generally considered to be good on the table as the larger fish have a bland taste and hardly worth taking home. On

this occasion he was cleaning salmon and giving most of them away to visitors as he had more than enough and knows that they must be eaten fresh, as they are fairly dry if frozen.

I decided to have a look at Mahers Landing and came across boaters who were also into the salmon but not in as good numbers as at Pensioners Corner. There were a few land anglers trying their luck and I spoke to a local who can often be seen trying to catch a fish.

Andrew Wardle was hoping for whatever might come along and although he had failed to trouble the weighmaster, he was hopeful that there might be some action on the run-in tide.

The best time for landbased anglers in this area is on the run-in tide and even better if this occurs around dusk, as the fish will move in closer under the cover of darkness.

Salmon like these are being caught in good numbers at Anderson Inlet by local legend Mick Hill.

Gummy sharks going strong NINETY MILE BEACH

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Warm weather and rising water temperatures have created the perfect gummy shark conditions with plenty caught!

Over the past month we’ve had some brilliant weather, giving us plenty of opportunity to hit the surf for sharks with plenty of other species caught as well.

Firstly, the salmon have gone well and while there haven’t been many, there have been some quality fish of up to 3kg caught randomly, especially at Golden Beach, McGaurans Beach and Loch Sport.

Most anglers are now targeting gummy sharks of an evening. The water temp is good and we are seeing decent numbers of gummy sharks to 1m. Woodside has been fishing well, especially on weeks where slimy weed has been present; Woodside seems to get rid of the weed first after a westerly blow. In

saying this Golden Beach and Loch Sport have produced some good gummy sharks as well. If the slimy weed is there, move to a different beach. The weed has been patchy recently and simply moving a kilometre down the beach can be enough to get away from it. Now is the time for seven-gill sharks and they have been around in huge numbers lately with some anglers have getting them during the day as well, especially those that been paddling out baits for bronze whalers. Over the next month, the bronzies will turn up and anglers paddling out baits to land game fish will have a good chance of catching a big shark, hopefully the weed isn’t as

There have been some nice early season gummy sharks down at Woodside. bad as last season.

Next month, the big blue spot flatties will come in close and those big 60cm+ specimens will be available and Mcloughlins Beach, Woodside and Seaspray.

• 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!

Conditions are set to improve WELSHPOOL

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

Zach and Hannah Bates caught this big flathead and salmon down at Seaspray over the school holidays.

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Information from many anglers who like to try their luck in this part of the world is that there is plenty of water mixed in with the fish.

This is not surprising as we have had some of the most ordinary conditions as well as strong support towards winter sports, such as football and netball, it’s not hard to understand people taking the easy way out.

All that is gone now and we can look forward to what is predicted to be a hot summer, but of course, this is what was predicted last year

Fish like this 37cm whiting caught by Chris Ruigrok are being landed at Port Welshpool on a variety of baits.

and look what happened…

Last month there had been quite good numbers of pinkie snapper being bagged inside the entrance. The fish have been to the 3kg mark, which in the eyes of many anglers is just a bit shy of being called a snapper.

Dan Graham is a mad keen visitor to the area and often will go out with mate Tony Gardener from Morwell, which he says is not too far to catch a fish. On his last trip they decided to try their luck in the Franklin Channel. Now we have all heard that there are two types of boaters, those who forgot to secure the bung and those who will and Tony is now in the latter. Yes, he forgot this To page 41

VR Fish Update

Halting commercial netting in Port Phillip Bay VRFish is currently being consulted on a proposal to introduce a catch cap on commercial netting operational in Port Phillip Bay. Work is being done to establish a catch cap as a central plank of the Andrews Government commitment to phase out commercial netting in Port Phillip Bay over eight years. We understand there are also new measures proposed to introduce a series of additional reporting conditions to support enforcement of the catch cap on commercial fishing. The catch cap is a significant improvement on previous commercial licence buyback programs because it means actual commercial catch levels will be adjusted downwards as licences are removed over the next 8 years. It is great to see the Government delivering on what they have promised and getting on with the job.

VRFish are helping to educate fishers about snapper handling and survival.

Spring has finally sprung and that can only mean one thing: the snapper season is upon us once again!

Snapper stocks are in good condition and the recreational fishery is worth millions of dollars to the Victorian economy and our way of life. Snapper fishers can help ensure that released snapper are given the best chances of survival. Barotrauma can be minimised by following a few key points: Fishing in shallow water, minimising handling and netting and using circle hooks and releasing quickly. For more information and detail on fishing and handling tips, see the VRFish snapper survival video and the VRFish YouTube channel.

GEELONG STAR UPDATE The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has lifted the night time fishing ban on the Geelong Star.

To say recreational fishers are perplexed by this move is an understatement, as for months now we have been calling on the Commonwealth Government to implement additional controls to protect recreational fishing and the regional communities that these fisheries support. For example, there are still no regulations to prevent this or

other vessels fishing in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF) from fishing alongside iconic recreational fishing tuna grounds in South West Victoria.

We will keep up the fight and work closely with our state and national recreational fishing peak bodies, through the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) so that the Geelong Star does not fish our key areas of concern.

It is time our concerns were taken seriously by the Commonwealth Government and the industry. Commonwealth fisheries legislation must be amended as a matter of priority to ensure fishery management decisions by the Commonwealth take into account the flow on impacts to recreational fishing in Victoria and elsewhere.

VRFish and ARFF will be taking our concerns direct to the new Ministry and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

This month, VRFish will be supporting ARFF and Member for Corangamite MP, Sarah Henderson, at a rally on 25 October at Torquay. Stay tuned for more updates next month.

‘TALK WILD TROUT’ CONFERENCE Those interested to find out more about Victoria’s wild trout fisheries are encouraged to attend the conference in November in Mansfield.

The Conference will include presentations from fisheries scientists, including findings from research being conducted

under the three-year ‘Wild Trout Fisheries Management Program’, and will include an address from key note speaker Dan Dauwalter of Trout Unlimited.

The Trout Film Festival, hosted by Mansfield and District Fly Fishers Club will follow the conference.

Here are the conference details. When: Saturday

21 November 2015 , Time: 9:30am-5:00pm , Where: Performing Arts Centre, Mansfield , Cost: Free (lunch provided) .

Admission to the conference may be free but places are limited, so please make sure you register by 6 November to avoid disappointment at www.vic.gov.au/ talkwildtrout.

sports but now that’s behind everyone. The whiting are traditionally up to the 37cm mark, which makes them well worth while going after and have been taking baits such as Bass yabbies, pipis and sand worms. Mixed in with them have been silvers, flathead and mullet that have been caught in reasonable numbers.

Graham Godding is a local legend and before this report decided to have a look in the Lewis Channel looking mainly for whiting.

He missed out on the royals and then decided to throw out a soft plastic lure. He had immediate success but it was not a whiting but a big mullet.

He decided that this would be all right and ended up with a very good bag of these very under-rated fish and he

was happy.

Outside the entrance there have been good numbers of big salmon being caught. This can be very hit and miss as the fish are in huge schools but when located there is plenty of action with the fish to the 4kg mark. Fish this size are not very good on the table but they can make good bait and fish patties.

One crew who came across a big school on the water had a ball and caught so many on surface lures they had no idea of the final total but weren’t too worried.

They had a great time and just kept a few fish for their immediate needs while some were destined to be frozen for shark bait later on in the season.

From page 40

chore and found out some time later but fortunately there was not too much water in the boat to get excited about and the bung was secured and the bilge pump did its work. Did they catch any fish? As it turned out they managed five very nice reds that were all virtually right on the 3kg mark and they were happy. Tony said that he now has a GPS mark and will be making a return visit at the first opportunity.

Information from the local Boat Storage is that there has been reasonable numbers of whiting making an appearance in the Lewis Channel. To be fair, there hasn’t been much activity along this stretch of water owing to the cold awful conditions as well as the local

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Mitch Chapman

An old volcano, Lake Bullen Merri lies placid, free from any eruption for years now.

With stockings of brown and rainbow trout, chinook salmon, and the ever elusive Australian bass, this lake holds the answers for any anglers chasing trophy sized fish. Trout of 10lb and upwards are not uncommon, and now with large chinooks on the scene, fish of 7-8lb have been reported since the stocking a couple of years ago.

fishing from the shore with powerbait and live bullhead under a float account for some very large fish, especially at night time.

BEST METHOD Flat line trolling on dawn is a great method for big browns cruising the shallows chasing smelt and other minnow. As the sun gets high in the sky the fish like to head for deeper water so down rigging in depths of 40-80ft is a good place to start until you find where the fish are holding.

When bait fishing, bluebait and glassies work well fished on a running sinker. Burley is a must and cat food from the

be sure to wash down all your gear and most importantly your boat, motor and trailer.

The salt in this lake is far worse than that of Port Phillip Bay or any other sea water.

HOT TIP I find trolling into wind works better than trolling with the wind. I don’t know why, maybe it affects the action or the speed of your lure through the water, but I have done several runs where I hooked 3 or 4 fish trolling into it, then worked my way back and not received a hit. After repeating that process I can definitely get behind this tip.

So if times are tough and

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This is a 2kg Chinook salmon. These fish now should be up around 3-4kg mark.

PRIME TIME The uglier the weather, the better the fishing is on the ‘crater lakes.’ Overcast days with a bit of chop on the surface are the best times to venture out. The trout feel safe and tend to feed better under these conditions and won’t be sulking down in the depths of cooler water.

THE GEAR Graphite rods with a soft taper absorb the initial hit and have a better track record of keeping fish connected during the fight over short, stumpy, heavy rods. The fight may last longer but you increase your chances of keeping your hooks in the fish.

THE RIG 8-10lb braid with a minimum of 10lb leader is a must. You wouldn’t want to fish anything lighter when trolling the lake as there are some trophy trout pushing 5kg+. The initial hit from a big trout while trolling can easily pop a leader knot leaving you shaking your head in disbelief.

Trust me – I’ve seen this happen before!

BAIT AND LURES Pink and white Tassie devils are a favourite and are a must have lure in the tackle box. Down rigging bigger hardbodied lures and flat lining them is also popular.

Rapala F7 and F9s and Daiwa double clutch minnows are standouts for this method. Bait

supermarket works wonders for the chinooks.

MOTHER NATURE With the level of salt content in Lake Bullen Merri,

you aren’t getting any fish, see what way the wind is blowing and head towards it.

Hopefully you have the same success as I do.

This cracking squid took a liking to the orange 3.0 Black Magic Squid Snatcher. With a hood measurement of 38cm this beast pulled drag and didn’t give up until in was in the esky!

Brett Johnstone caught the squid at Low Head, the mouth of the mighty Tamas River.

NOVEMBER 2015

43

Bream back on the chew GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Surprise surprise! Just when I thought the bream were going off the chew and concentrating on all things reproductive, they school up in hungry droves!

In fact, just like Canberra at the moment bream are like those crazy pollies, almost shocking us with where and when they turn up utterly

snags on hardbodies and plastics right up until August this year.

Just a few years ago that was almost unheard of, but this season the bream stayed upstream for longer than I can remember. More to the point, we all went looking for schooling bream in June and July and failed miserably.

Over the last three years the bream have now come together in early spring.

This year the bream first started schooling in mid and

FISHING WITH WORM I’ve been talking to more bait anglers recently and they have caught a lot of big bream. Sandworm is the only bait of choice with bream ignoring everything else. A by-catch of mullet is also a bonus with worm.

Those areas I’ve mentioned above are also the standout areas to target.

In fact, the gun bait anglers were telling the lure anglers where to fish.

In my last few reports

Yellowfin bream were once rare in the Gippy Lakes and this recent 45cm truck is yet another special catch.

Using cured or live sandworm on a jighead has caught plenty of bream lately. unexpected. This trend of the bream firing up in late spring has gained a lot of momentum over the last three years or so and may also determine where you fish during the next month.

Let me now explore this trend for you in more detail.

DEEP WATER SCHOOLING Historically, bream have gathered in huge numbers during late winter in the lower Tambo, Nicho and Mitchell rivers. You can also mention deep lake areas like Paynesville, The Silt Jetties and Hollands Landing in that equation. June and July were the months when bait and particularly lure anglers could stack big tallies of bream. I can tell you that seasonal movement of fish has definitely changed.

In fact, we were catching stud bream in upper river

late September at Paynesville and the lower Mitchell. I eventually stumbled onto them and was shocked at how late they had turned up and I thought it was never going to happen.

Another new feature this spring is how reluctant those same fish were to attack blades. We had to use heavy weighted soft plastics and 2” Z-Man GrubZ were almost the only lure effective. They had to be fished super slow and once you hooked a few fish the surrounding bream shut down. Constantly moving onto a fresh patch of fish was crucial. Hooking large tallies has also been out of the question with a score of 20 or 30 fish for a long session about normal.

I predict this trend will continue for the next month or so as we follow the fish into the breeding season.

I’ve been talking about going bait fishing for a change. I finally got around to it and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. In fact, I’ve learnt more about my bream lure techniques than ever, by using cured and fresh sandworm. The first thing I can tell you is that sandworm is outscoring lures by about 50 to 1 at the moment! That’s been the case for about the last three months. That might not be a surprise to most of you, but it’s quite a blow to me.

When I moved onto the big schools of bream recently I tried my slow grubbing techniques and scored just one or two bream. I got nothing on blades or hardbodied vibes. When I dropped the sandworm bait down to the same fish, bingo! A fish a cast. I used a small jighead

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for my sandworm bait and it had a profoundly better hook up rate than a running sinker rig or any other bait rig for that matter.

This may be a reverse learning tool where bait anglers can learn a few tricks from lure anglers. I baited my jighead with a single worm, dropped it down and gave it small twitches. The bream attacked it straight away and the added bonus was that every bream was hooked around the roof of the mouth, ever so quick and easy to unhook. Not a single fish was gut or even gill hooked.

I came away from that bait fishing session learning so much and I can’t stress enough at how deadly effective the jighead was compared to traditional bait rigs.

A mate, Brian Lazarro, joined me for the session and we landed close to 80 bream, all caught using jigheads, before we ran out of worm. When we changed to lures for the last two hours, only eight bream ate our plastics and blades. By the way, I’ve used cured and fresh sandworm and I could hardly tell the difference.

For those still looking for mullet, they are still there but catch rates have dropped right away compared to the mayhem of the last two months. I’ve found the best place to buy cured or fresh sandworm is at Bairnsdale Bait Supply. It’s right behind the local KFC takeaway store and cheaper than anywhere else. Found at a private address 172 Macleod Street and open 7 days a week from 7am to 6pm.

BIG YELLOWFIN BREAM I’m hearing noises about big yellowfin bream on lures lately and a few have shown up down near Kalimna and Metung. It sort of makes sense, because they breed at different times to black bream and have still been in feeding mode.

I bumped into a big yellowfin myself while searching the areas around Point Turner near Loch Sport. It shocked the heck out of me because at 45cm I had a devil of time trying to horse it in on 4lb leader. After a brief pylon wrapping I was very happy to see this fish into the net! As I’ve often said, the Gippy Lakes yellowfin bream population is growing every year, much to the delight of all anglers.

Dawn of the spawn run MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

Fishing in the Snowy and Brodribb estuary system is really starting to yield results with big schools of bream moving up rivers and small streams on their way to Lake Corringle and Lake Curlip and other backwaters on their spawning run.

Along with the bream, huge numbers of estuary perch have also moved into the same areas on their annual spawning run. With the EP in large numbers, the authorities have taken advantage and are collecting a number for breeding in the hatchery in order to restock some of the waterways in other areas where numbers are down. With the ideal and pristine condition of the estuary many other species including mullet, luderick, trevally, flathead,

salmon and tailor can be found throughout the whole system.

With fish around in such numbers it’s no surprise that reports have been coming in on anglers getting good captures of mixed bags in a very short time. Anglers have reported getting bream and estuary perch up to and over 45cm by fishing the structures and using sandworm, Bass yabbies, frozen prawn, and black crab. Lure fishing anglers are getting good results using both hardbodied and soft plastic lures fishing the snags and structures in both rivers. Other anglers have reported bagging plenty of luderick up to 42cm using sandworm and small prawn. Salmon and tailor are in good numbers down towards the entrance and often found on the incoming tide using metal lures.

This is the time of year gummy sharks come in close to shore in the shallow

waters to pup and feast on swimmer crabs. Although only the odd gummy has been caught from the beach so far, they will be in big numbers very soon.

Salmon and tailor are still plentiful with anglers getting their share on most occasions using blue bait, white bait and pipis accompanied with a popper or surf grub. Anglers who prefer to use light tackle are getting good bags by spinning with metal lures.

Offshore the fishing is good, with most boats getting good bags of flathead, gurnard, pinkie snapper, squid, barracouta, and gummy shark. Now we have to wait until the warm currents move down the east coast and flow into the Bass Strait to bring the baitfish. Schools of baitfish will herald the return of the pelagic fish, yellowtail kingfish and a little later hopefully of the marlin.

Get your game on in Gippsland!

MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

What a month fishing!

Finally, some good weather has warmed the waters and we are starting to see those spring and summer

species roll in.

Everyone wants to know about the whiting and calamari, but I’ll get to them soon enough! Let’s start at Mcloughlins Beach. Firstly, we had huge numbers of salmon caught over the past month. The Mcloughlins entrance did not produce

Shane Wedrowics has been bagging out on squid regularly at Port Albert on 2.5-3 size squid jigs.

many of them, most of the salmon were out of the Manns entrance. There weren’t many huge ones but there were plenty of salmon to around 45cm caught and you could catch as many as you liked on any metal lures and soft plastics. Recently however, the water has warmed to almost 15°C. Anglers are now targeting flathead as they have come on the bite earlier than expected with catches up to 65cm already with plenty of good 45cm models along for the ride as well. Some anglers are now using vibes lures on the sand flats and are doing very well, however the best bet has been 3” and 4”soft plastics.

PORT ALBERT Now let’s get to the whiting and squid. Firstly, the whiting went strong all winter and spring has continued this trend.

Anglers are still consistently getting their bag of whiting at Port Albert and both the incoming and outgoing tide are fishing as well as each other.

Pipis and squid have been the best baits and there have been some good fish mixed in amongst them with big whiting up to 43cm as thick as your wrist. The calamari are just now really coming on the bite and entering the system in big numbers. We

are seeing those large spawning calamari now with some squid measuring over 40cm hood lengths and weighing well over a kilo. Areas around the basket beacon have been the most popular and size 3” squid jigs have been the best.

OFFSHORE The flathead have been nothing short of sensational out wide with anglers drifting in 30m+ of water bagging big flathead to 55cm quite often.

There have been some good catches in closer around 22m as well. Some anglers have been catching massive gummy sharks to 20kg as by-catch, mostly while on the drift. There has also been some really big seven gill sharks caught as a by-catch as well. Lastly we’ve just started seeing decent numbers of snapper turn up in Corner Inlet so far. This indicates that the snapper will be inside Port Albert as well now and also out on the Mcloughlins Beach reefs, so get out there and give them a go.

• 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!

Top: There are a few really big whiting being caught inside now. This one measured 43cm. Above: Leo has been smashing the big flathead out from Port Albert. Check out the size of these lizards!

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Fussy flathead at Lakes Entrance soon to bite LAKES ENTRANCE

Leigh McVeigh

Fishing in Lakes Entrance has been tough of late with very few fish taken locally, but there is hope!

LAKES ENTRANCE Peeled prawn fished under a running sinker have resulted in a few small bream and trevally landed on Bullock Island and the Post Office jetties on an incoming tide, however most of the bream have been just on the legal 28cm limit so a measuring device is advised. The local flathead population is yet to wake up with no reports filtering through at all, although fishing Cunningham and North Arms this week we did see a few large dusky flathead as we spooked them from their morning sunbake, so hopefully they are a sign that things are about to change.

It’s not all doom and gloom here in Lakes Entrance with a huge population of sand crabs keeping locals and visitors both entertained and well fed. Sand crabs are very easily targeted with a hoop net baited with fish or chicken frames. Make sure you tie your bait in tight when fishing for crab (I like to use cable ties) as crabs are strong, very persistent and will have a loose bait out in no time.

With so many crabs around it’s a great time to take advantage of these tasty

crustaceans and any of Lakes Entrance’s jetties makes a great crabbing platform. You will be a star with the kids keeping them busy all day and well fed at night.

OFFSHORE Things are starting to improve offshore, still lots of pinkies and coota about but the snapper are moving in with fish over 5kg starting to appear regularly.

This week when the big reds were being fussy and wouldn’t take anything else one crew fishing 6 Mile caught some nice bags of snapper by fishing fresh trevally fillets at the change of the tide.

The Pines has been the pick of the spots for gummy, with full bags caught on squid legs coming from the area all week. With the weather warming up the fishing outside will only improve.

Last year saw an influx of anglers fishing outside Lakes for their chance at a marlin, it will not be long now before the first reports come in and the local boat ramps fill up with game fisherman heading out to the rigs once again.

BEACHES Beaches have been consistent for salmon but we are yet to see the spring run of the big bucks that East Gippsland usually experiences this time of year. Blue bait and surf poppers have been deadly at the change of tide and the lure army is still getting

plenty on slugs tossed into the surf but it’s the gummy shark everyone is waiting for. There have been a few reports of gummy but they are far from consistent, hopefully we are only one steady weather pattern away from kicking the season right off. The beach is a great option during the busier times, with so much sand in East Gippsland it’s very easy to find a nice quiet spot away from the crowd and usually you don’t even

have to walk too far.

TYERS Some very good bags of leatherjacket have come out of Tyers in the past few weeks and it’s great to see these fish back in the system in numbers. Prawn has seen a good number of fish caught but the crews bringing bass and/or fresh water yabbies are the ones scoring the best of the fish.

Long shank hooks fished under a light running sinker should see you land a few

leatherjacket without too many bust offs but take lots of spare hooks anyway.

The bream in Tyers have been very inconsistent, the best of the fishing is happening around the island in Nowa Nowa Arm but there doesn’t seem to be a pattern emerging at all with captures seeming to be more good luck than good management.

Small bream have been caught on prawn in the evening at Mill Point,

however, a lot of these fish are undersize.

Flathead are slowly waking up but there have been some long hours out there between bites. Small prawn style plastics have picked up fish around the Mill Point area as well as at Black Fellows Arm where the odd dusky has been taken.

It won’t be long now before the switch flicks and the Tyers flats fill up with hungry frogs.

Banana prawn for Bemm bream BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Considering the weather has been rather unpredictable, fishing has been good. We have experienced enormous rainfall, which has definitely contributed to keeping the entrance open.

Anglers have reported quality bream caught in the vicinity of the storm hut and the Mahogoneys. Banana prawn has been the most popular bait for the bream.

Keep in mind that once the prawns start running though, the bream don’t seem to be hungry until late afternoon/ early evening.

Nice size bream have also been caught off the fishing platform at the boat ramp.

The odd flathead have also been caught in the past few days, although

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Left: Just your average Bemm bream. Right: One happy camper with a nice big bream! the weather and water has probably not been quite warm enough for them at the moment. Sandworm is the outstanding bait to use. If you feel like pumping your own bait, Siberia is the spot

to pump for shell and worm.

Trevally have been prominent in the channel, especially opposite the storm hut, and biting on banana prawn – leave the heads and shell on.

The surf has been productive with plenty of salmon.

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Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With spring here and summer in our sights, many are happy to see that cold winter weather behind us. Great fishing has been on offer over the past few months with very few visitors to the area, which just adds to the charm of fishing during the cooler months.

The local beaches have seen good numbers of salmon moving along the gutters with high tide fishing well. These fish will eat anything that moves be it lure or bait with plenty of fish caught on a barrel sinker painted white, slid on the line and tied on a treble. This setup costs less than a dollar and will catch as many fish as lures that cost over 5x as much. The new jetty at the boat ramp at Bastion Point provides a great place to fish along with the breakwall.

As the growth on the rocks becomes more established, the fishing will only get better. Remember this is not the area to clean fish as it is only a couple of hundred metres away from the main swimming beach and attracting sharks to this area could be aconcern in the future. Cold water temperatures in the ocean have seen a few anglers

Hurricane lures are smacking the bream in deeper water. chasing a feed. As things start to warm, the fish will begin to fire up and the boats will start to head out for a feed of flathead, gummy shark, and (fingers-crossed) kingfish.

The bottom lake has been fishing well with good numbers of yellowfin bream, silver trevally, and flathead caught. As per usual you’ll need to move around to find the fish, then concentrate your efforts in that area. A number of locals have set themselves up to fish for

the luderick or blackfish that are in the system – there are numerous land-based locations to fish for them.

Not only are they a good size, they taste great, and they are a challenge to catch.

Flathead have been caught throughout the system and as the water warms, the fishing should only improve. Currently, the bays facing the north with slightly warmer water are fishing the best.

Good numbers of black bream have been caught,

Is it the beginning or the end?

BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

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48

NOVEMBER 2015

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with fish anywhere from the Top Lake to well upstream.

These fish can be near impossible to catch one day and virtually jump into the boat the next!

Bait fishers have had great success using fresh local prawn for bait while those fishing with lures have had to chop and change to find the lure that works.

With the rivers all flowing well, the bass fishing in the months ahead should be good as the fish move freely from pool to pool.

We may be coming to the end of spring, however it is the beginning of summer and better fishing ahead, bring it on! This is one of my favourite times of year as most forms of fishing are beginning to flourish.

In the fresh Brogo Dam or the river just below is teeming with bass only too willing to feed after winter spawning and a lack of food. In Brogo Dam itself, concentrate around the weed beds as shrimp numbers begin to increase as are the native minnows or gambeezies. In the river below, look for structure as it is not hard to find.

In the estuaries it is full steam ahead with flathead being most prolific in both Wallaga Lake and the Bermagui River. Upstream is the place to be where the warmer water carrying the nutrients for prawns that need to feed. Fish like to eat prawns so expect other species like bream, whiting,

It looks like another good season for bream in our area.

luderick to also be lurking.

Now is also the time to start looking for those tasty crustaceans if you like prawning, however, you may have to do some searching to find the best lakes and estuaries that are harbouring them.

Salmon schools are moving along the coast, providing opportunities for beach anglers, off the rocks or boat fishing close to shore. Often all that is needed is a handful of lures, and casting from all these locations or trolling from a boat can often result in hours of entertainment.

Out to sea, tiger flathead are on the move with most of the fish lurking in and around the 50m mark.

Larger fish are out wider, however the ones closer in will produce a bag in quick succession.

Out there too is where species like morwong or snapper are likely to be found and of late those tasty pigfish have also made their presence felt.

Now’s the time to venture out to Montague To page 49

NSW South Coast

Plenty of fish to catch in Eden EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The past month has seen a bit more rain falling on the far south coast – great news for fishing in the months ahead.

Big seas have stirred up the sand on all the local beaches and have created some great gutters which has truly ramped up the salmon fishing. Good numbers of fish have been caught with the average size around the

1kg mark with bigger fish to 2kg caught on lure and bait. A few yellowfin bream and sand whiting have been caught recently and with the water warming, the variety and number of fish caught on the beaches is set to improve. Out wide on the shelf the water temperature has warmed to 18-20°C – a temperature that indicates yellowfin tuna. The start of the game fishing season is not far away, with good numbers of albacore tuna already caught and plenty of striped tuna about.

The big seas of the past month have made it hard to get out wide but as things settle and some good conditions see boats heading out I am sure we will hear tales of fantastic fishing.

Some good catches of snapper and morwong have been had on the inshore reefs with flathead (both tigers and sandies) on the catch. With the warming water, fishing in the estuaries is really starting to pick up – the flathead especially have started to wake up in all the local estuaries. Silver trevally and

tailor have been caught at the entrance area, which is fishing well particularly on the incoming tide.

There have been a few reports of mulloway around.

As we head into summer, the fishing for this species will only improve. Black bream are starting to spread out through the estuary system after spending the past month upstream spawning.

With the rivers and creeks flowing, all is looking good for the coming bass season as the fish will be able to move upstream to their

There are decent fish on the bite in the Eden area. summer haunts.

The town is quiet with tourism not picking up

until Christmas time, which makes now a great time to visit and enjoy the area.

Bass don’t have to be big when you’re fishing in the beauty of Brogo Dam. From page 48

Island, as there is a fair chance the kingfish should be showing. Check with the locals to see if this is so, or just go and give it a go, as if they are not feeding, there is plenty of reef fish to be found around the island.

The other option you then have if it is quiet around the island, you can go wide to chase game fish such as albacore, yellowfin or maybe even a bluefin tuna. After last year’s very warm water temperatures there is a big possibility of an early season marlin.

Trolling is the best way to go with a good spread of both surface and diving lures, as this method allows you to cover more water to find where fish are holding.

Maybe the last option while out wide with the aid of those electronic reels is to do some deep water fishing in depths of 200-400 fathoms of water. This form of fishing is like a box of chocolates; you just don’t know what you might get. Blue eye trevalla, jemfish, ling, ghost cod just to name a few… so go out and explore your options!

Is there some yellow on offer? Go find out!

NOVEMBER 2015

49

Ferocious fights on the flats!

NAROOMA

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Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The local estuaries around the Narooma region have well and truly fired up over recent weeks – partly due to increased water temperature from offshore currents hitting the coastline. More importantly longer warmer days means more heat on the water with temperatures rising quickly especially in the shallows.

This has been evident by the increased action on the flats with bream and whiting starting to play the summer game.

On a recent guide we saw15°C water temperature in the morning rise in the shallows to 22°C by early afternoon. With a warm day at around 25°C I wasn’t too surprised to see the water temp rise so quickly. As a flooding tide covered the flats, the fish life increased exponentially. You could see the prawns skipping around with bream and whiting darting everywhere.

We were rigged up with smaller softies at the time but quickly changed to surface presentations with an assortment of walkbaits used. What followed was incredible, a two hour non-stop action packed session which included catch of bream, whiting, flathead, and EP with 40+ fish caught and all released. An unexpected furious session this early in the season goes to

Not a monster, but your first mulloway is always great to get on the board. you, then the lower reaches in the main basins of both estuaries have been fishing well, especially in Wagonga.

For deepwater fishing, it’s a dynamite time to fish for mulloway and croc sized flatties on the cards. The place is loaded with whitebait and pilchard schools so it’s no wonder the bigger predators are about. I’ve already heard of some thumping flatties to 93cm caught and mulloway to 85cm as well so it’s definitely worth a look.

The bait schools are moving about from day to day but once you locate them you should be in business.

Their location is sometimes made more apparent by diving terns after the salmon and tailor have hammered

nice yellowfin tuna action recently. The fish aren’t thick but there’s enough there to keep you interested with a few models around the 50kg mark. Even at this size, on the right tackle you’re in for some serious fun. If the yellowfin are quiet there’s been plenty of albacore hunting the same grounds, with the average fish being 10-14kg. The fish have been wide with most crews waiting until they reach the shelf before setting their lines. Any tell tale signs of life may change this approach but most crews I’ve spoken with have steamed straight ahead. Depending on water temperature, there’s every chance an early season striped marlin might make his presence felt. Last November

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The boys with a solid bag of bream from the flats. They managed over 50 bream for the day and all were released.

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NOVEMBER 2015

show that as the temperature rises the shallows become a pretty exciting place to fish.

This surface action will only get better as we head towards summer with the Tuross River a good place to start.

The upper reaches of Wagonga Inlet are firing up nicely with the area from the 4kn sign upstream the perfect place to throw a lure.

If the surface action isn’t for

them. These species are great fun to catch too while targeting the bigger prey. I expect this season to be a cracker, everything looks right, we’ve had a decent recent flush of the system, the bait’s there, the fish are there, we just need you there.

OFFSHORE Offshore the game crews are getting a tad excited as we’ve experienced some

saw a number of big stripes hooked with a couple landed.

Trolling is the go with a mixture of skirted pushers in various sizes proving to be the best method, quite often the smaller skirts in a spread are the fish takers.

Closer to shore, Montague Island is heating up nicely with kingfish and bonito doing the right thing. The kings have been pretty good

all spring so far and l can’t really see that changing any day soon. They have responded well to a mixture of methods but jigging seems to be getting the desired results.

I would be looking at live bait for the bigger fish with the NW corner and Fowlhouse reefs worth a look.

Those after a bottom feed of flatties will have little trouble as these tasty morsels are in great numbers right along the coast. Further north off Dalmeny has been excellent with water depths of 35-40m the place to fish.

I know of locals getting their 10 fish bag in a drift so the fishing is right on track.

BEACHES On the beaches salmon continue to rule the roost with most fishos having a ball. These pocket sized speedsters are responding to all methods but spinning with chromed slices is a good fun way to catch them. Almost all beaches with a half decent gutter are producing with Narooma main a standout at present. There’s a cracking gutter to the south of the beach with bream, whiting and the odd gummy shark.

Fishing the flooding tide late into the afternoon and evening seems to be best with beach worms and pipis the preferred baits to use.

Off the stones the bread and butter brigade like drummer and blackfish have been a little tougher to entice, mainly due to little wash at most platforms. Anglers are working hard for a feed but if you persist and use the freshest of baits with a little berley you should do well.

Platforms I would look at include Dalmeny, the inside of the southern breakwall and the Golfie Rocks in town.

If you’re after the pelagic speedsters, expect salmon, bonito and smaller kingfish at times. Whole pilchards rigged on lightly weighted ganged hooks or chromed slices will work.

NSW South Coast

Merimbula will make some summer magic MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

What a great time of year to fish the Merimbula area! A range of species are available to target so whether you’re a local or a visiting angler there’s something for everyone.

BONITO The rock-hopper brigade are in full swing with great results for those targeting the pelagic species. There has been a great start to the bonito season with numbers and size at good levels. This energetic speedster is responding well to chromed slices fished flat chat. Casting these bullets towards the horizon and winding them back as fast as you can isn’t for everyone but there’s no better feeling when that lure gets slammed.

The bonito are averaging a solid 2-3kg and at this size can be targeted on lighter gel-spun to enhance the fight even more. The only problem here is there’s still some big kingfish hunting the shallow ground so use the light stuff at your peril!

Mixed in with the bonnies are good sized salmon to

3kg, these bruisers are thick at times and can start to be frustrating when targeting the bonito. In saying that, they are still great fun on the light stuff and have rescued a quiet session into a solid session many a time. Like I mentioned before there’s still some very big kings getting around that are hard to entice, but if you fish a live bait you may be in luck. The last few seasons have seen good kings around the rocky points so let’s hope that continues.

The better ledges to try are Tura Head and Long Point.

Both are a bit of a walk but worth a visit.

ESTUARY FLATHEAD In the estuaries the big girls are waking up and starting to play the game. I’ve heard of a handful of 80cm+ flathead getting caught recently, and thankfully all released. These flathead are important for future stocks so, in my books, letting them go should be the law! Most anglers do the right thing but there’s still a minority that don’t and the sooner these restrictions are enforced, the better.

Both the Merimbula and Pambula lakes are fishing well but Merimbula is

Scotty and Luke with the type of species that can be expected when fishing surface lures. definitely better for flatties at present. Most of the bigger fish I’ve heard of are coming from there. The top lake is the best place to fish, I recommend casting 80-100mm fish style plastics towards the ribbon weed edges for best results. As the month progresses it will only get better and it shouldn’t be too hard to score a nice feed too. With the warmer weather approaching,

surface presentations for bream and whiting around the margins and oyster racks will come into their own. There’s already been some nice surface action happening so if you haven’t tried, give it a go – it’s a whole stack of fun.

OFFSHORE Offshore, the bottom bouncers are having their usual success with flathead, snapper, morwong, and

kingfish all chewing at times. The northern grounds seem to be fishing best with Long Point and White Cliffs producing good catches.

Each day is different, it may take you awhile to locate the fish but once you do it’s all systems go. My neighbour had a solid outing a few days back and said the snapper and reef species were fishing well. He took his bag of reds and came home pretty happy

with himself with some great fillets for the pan.

A little further offshore the tuna action is just starting to fire up. Most crews from Merimbula are heading north where the action has been. It won’t be long before they’re on our doorstep and those monster miles won’t be needed.

Those that have ventured out have done well – local charter skipper Nath Brown from Headhunter Charters has done the miles and reaped the rewards. Nath has got his clients onto some solid yellowfin tuna to 40kg, plus a heap of albacore.

This tuna action is likely to continue improving as we head into summer and if those temperature charts are right there’s a sneaky chance at a striped marlin as well.

On the beaches, the usual suspects like bream, whiting and mullet will respond well to pipi and live beach worms. I’d be using a lightly weighted baitcast just past the shore dump for best results. A lot of anglers cast past the fish unaware that the fish are right at their feet! A little berley will help too with Tura Main, North Tura and Haycock beaches all fishing well.

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What a load of abalone!

WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

November is the unofficial start to the spearfishing season with the weather improving as well as a great variety and quality of species on offer for the keen spearo.

The previous months saw an extended and incredibly successful southern bluefin tuna season with a seemingly endless run of tuna on the far South West Coast. The school tuna remained in the 50m water off Port Fairy for the majority of the season and were easily accessed on several successful dives by members of the local Port Fairy club, Shipwreck Coast Skindivers Inc. Members of Melbourne based club Southern Freedivers also took advantage of the availability of these fish. The success of the 2015 season has prompted the Shipwreck Coast Skindivers Inc to create a new competition called the ‘Bluefin Battle’ to be held in late May 2016 in which divers from all over the country are invited to come to Port Fairy to compete. For anyone interested in becoming part of the club or competing in any of the organised dives we can be found on Facebook under Shipwreck Coast Skindivers Inc. November generally sees the tuna run come to an end as many other species become the prime targets. In the Melbourne region, Port Phillip Bay still has plenty of southern calamari and scallops for the

taking. The annual bulking of snapper numbers has begun on the South West Coast. Areas around Port Fairy and Portland such as The Crags, Killarney and the North Shore are all prime areas to find snapper.

Berley is the key to stalking this timid species. As snapper become more aggressive while actively feeding, they will be less aware of a diver stalking them.

Inshore diving is also great through the warmer months and species like King George whiting, trevally, Australian salmon and snook

are abundant this time of year.

Shallow reefs with adjacent sand holes are prime hunting grounds and a liberal stream of berley will not only attract fish to the area but will also hold them there.

Abalone are an ever present delicacy that are available in these very same areas all year round and are certainly worth taking the time to pick a few. The bag limit is 5 of which no more than two can be greenlips.

Please make yourself aware of the regulations around the taking of abalone as this

Abalone are a year round option. Check your local regulations before taking them.

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Top: Whiting and abbs are abundant in the South West. Above: Scallops and a bycatch of salmon taken by Bob Manning.

varies slightly in terms of size etc depending on the region.

Current Fisheries regulations handbooks have all pertinent information.

The opening of the southern rock lobster season – a day anticipated by keen divers – is on the 16November.

The same inshore reef areas are the place to hunt for lobster that tend to hide in ledges covered by heavy weed.

With summer approaching and plenty of potential targets on offer there’s no better time to be in the water.

NOVEMBER 2015

53

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Fishing flat out on the flat fish for summer TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

A Tasmanian November is all about long days and warm weather. The season’s fishing has really started to heat up in tandem with the seas and waterways. Warm afternoons are reminding us of just why we love Tasmania so much. A laid back lifestyle and no traffic to be concerned with means a swift knock off from work and a short drive to a fishing hole somewhere.

All types of fishing are really building on the momentum we gained in October. Last month we still saw some indifferent weather and wind and it will be nice to see that settle down. In October, I managed to get out and find a few flathead for the table. Getting on the water with my young son was fantastic and I managed to show him the charms of a good ol’ fashioned flatty drift.

You can give this technique a bit of a modern lift with good electronics – but more on that later. When I was a lad, warm days out off the coast drifting around for flathead was an event to look forward to. As a junior angler I normally fished land-based, but my best friend’s dad had a boat! Being invited out on a trip was better than Christmas!

SOUTHERN SAND FLATHEAD The method to chase southern sand flathead has changed little in all the time

King Island Flinders Island

10

Sisters Beach Wynyard

5

4

BURNIE

3 6

DAVONPORT St Helens LAUNCESTON 8

9

2

SOUTHERN SAND FLATHEAD

Mason caught this flathead on his great grandfather’s 60-year-old rod in the Mercury Passage.

I have enjoyed fishing. These tasty morsels can be found all around Tasmania. They tend to prefer depths of 0-35m over the sandy bottom. Great news for us is that they are commonly inshore in warmer months. Make a decision as to where you think the fish are and at what depth and make a start. I like to be fairly

systematic, start out deep and slowly work my way in trying to find a good patch of fish. In the Bass Strait in November I would start in around 30m.

The best conditions to prospect for flatty are calm seas with no chop and just a slight bit of wind to aid in a nice drift. A bit of a drift allows you to cover more

1

HOBART

Marion Bay......................... 1 Mercury Passage................ 2 Wynyard............................. 3 Sisters Beach...................... 4 Bridport.............................. 5 Port Sorrel.......................... 6 King or Tiger Flathead Off Pirates Bay................... 7 Bicheno............................... 8 Off Schouten....................... 9 Tomahawk.........................10

ground while establishing where good fish are situated.

Should conditions worsen you can increase the amount of lead you have on your rig or use a drift bag. Once you start to lose contact with the bottom your peaceful day of fishing is

7

50 KM

just about done. You can have some good results in marginal conditions by tripping your bail arm and letting line out to keep baits of jigs in good position. This kind of fishing is alright out with mates, but if you’re fishing with kids or

beginners it would be best when the weather turns to look for some shelter or call it a day.

If you aren’t achieving good results after a little while consider moving in shallower.

No need to go from one extreme to the other though, I

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

Henty River sea-runners make serious splash IFS

Tim Farrell

To start with, we would like to share some info on one of IFS Officer Paul Middleton’s favourite fishing spots, the Henty River.

Whilst having a boat is quite useful for this water, there is a reasonable 4wd drive track from the B27 Henty (Zeehan to Strahan) road. The track, which is roughly 3km long, is mainly sand so there is little risk of getting bogged.

If you don’t have a 4wd vehicle it can be walked in a bit over an hour.

There are several grassy flats, which make for good camping.

The main attraction of the Henty River is the shallow sand flats, where sea-run trout frantically chase schools of bait fish right up into 10cm deep water. The result is massive splashes of frightened 54

NOVEMBER 2015

baitfish and crazy seagulls as the trout gorge themselves.

Activity peaks at first and last light, particularly when these times align with an incoming tide.

It makes for incredibly exciting sight fishing, and the best way to catch these fish is to cast your fly straight away exactly where the bait showered and just let it sit. The trout will smash the schools, and then return to that point to pick up any dead/wounded baitfish resulting from their attacks. Blind casting the main river channel will also result in catches of strong sea run fish. Keep an eye out for groups of cormorants – these will give you an idea of where to focus your angling efforts.

LAKE CRESCENT FISHING WELL For the second season in a row, Lake Crescent continues to attract many anglers seeking to catch some of the magnificent brown trout that inhabit

this fishery. ABC 936 radio presenter Leon Compton recently had a great day out with two beautiful browns taken and then released, after the obligatory photos were taken.

Regular reports have been coming in of fish up to 6.5kg being caught at Lake Crescent this season.

Anglers are reminded that only two fish can be taken over 500mm in length per day from this water with a total daily bag limit of five fish.

DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A LICENCE It is expensive to get caught fishing without a licence - $308 per offence and this would certainly take away the enjoyment from a day’s fishing. For the seven weeks of this season, IFS Fisheries Officers have detected 29 offences for fishing without an angling licence or being in possession of an assembled rod, reel and line without an

ABC 936 radio presenter Leon Compton with one of the smaller Lake Crescent brown trout.

This fish went approximately 2.5kg. angling licence.

Fisheries Officers intend to check at least 5,000 angling licences this year and patrol waters across the state.

A current angling licence is required to fish with a rod, reel and line

at any inland water in Tasmania, including farm dams on private property, during the angling season that applies to that water. A separate licence is required for whitebait fishing.

You can only use one rod and line at a time unless you

have purchased a licence for the use of two rods, which is an additional $15 for adult licence or $7.00 for all other licence types.

An angling licence is not required to fish at a Registered Private Fishery, for bream in the specified bream (indigenous fish) waters listed in the Inland Fisheries (Recreational Fishing) Regulations 2009 or with a single rod at an open inland water if the person is under the age of 14 years.

If you suspect or witnesses what you think is unlawful fishing please contact Stephen Hepworth, Manager (Compliance and Operations) at the Inland Fisheries Service on 0438 338 530.

We thank all those anglers who do the right thing and purchase a licence as all licence fees go directly back into making our world-class fishery even better.

Go Behind the Scenery prefer to do little hops towards the shore and check for action along the way.

TACKLE CHOICES The good thing about flatty fishing is that the tackle and rods you already have will do the job even if you don’t have a lot of it.

The occasional angler who is not going to fish over 40m will get by with any rod and reel combo under 7ft long. Boat rods are a lot easier to handle if they are around 5ft long and can be even shorter if kids are to use them effectively. If you are looking to re-spool something lying around the shed for flathead fishing get some 40lb braid.

This will allow you to feel the lightest of nibbles and also hold you in a good position should a gummy shark take a fancy to your presented bait.

Paternoster rigs are the go-to rig for a good flatty catch. You can tie your own in some mono or buy some pre made ones from a friendly tackle store. I recommend doing both as it is important to keep your skills up to date and by practicing my own I can remember how to do twisted dropper knots for that one time I get stuck without some store bought models. You will need a nice range of sinkers from 12oz down. I don’t use the 12oz but if you start thinking you need them to hold bottom and start rattling around the sinker box

Hooch caught this flatty working a 4” Nemesis in 11m of water with trout gear in the mouth of Chinamans Bay. looking for them, it’s probably time to call it quits.

Flathead fishing is all about the serenity and the laidback nature of the process.

Find a good spot, drop bail arm, hit the bottom, close bail arm and place finger on line awaiting a bite. You should not have to wait long if you find them. Flathead are aggressive little blighters and will have a crack at most offerings. They will fall to bait, a huge range

of artificial offerings, and a combination of both. Flasher rigs, jig-ems, and soft plastics can be deadly on their day. If you’re traveling a bit slowly, get some good hooks loaded with fresh bait down on the bottom and see if that is the key to unlocking their jaws. I have a good friend who likes to hedge his bets and puts a little piece of bait on his 2 hook paternoster rigs threaded with soft plastics.

Tasmania

My personal preferred method is to drop a paternoster down running circle or octopus style hooks on a soft tipped rod. Place this rod in a rod holder and then fish in hand a different soft plastic set up. I cast this out, let it sink to the bottom and work it back along the bottom to the boat.

This allows me to cover more ground. If the bait rod goes off, sit the soft plastic set up in a rod holder while you reel it in. If you are in a good spot, by the time you have sorted out that first fish there will be something having a real go at your soft plastic. It can be hectic, but it always lots of fun. If the kids are aboard it keeps them amused for a good while.

Just to really ask for some pandemonium why not set a couple of squid jigs up at the front and rear ends of the boat.

Should you get involved in a hot bite it might look like two samurais having a sword fight, but with squid ink and flatty spikes the weapons of choice.

A good drift is a run in the current or wind driven movement that pushes you onto a good patch of fish.

Today we have two modern tools that can help you locate your drift and track the good patches of fish as you find them.

WAYPOINTS Logging waypoints is the best way to repeat good

catches. Logging waypoints and naming them has become far easier with the systems from Navico some of the best on the market. Lowrance and Simrad units are very easy to navigate and the touch screen functionality leaves no excuse not to name waypoints.

They have the added amazing function of Insight Genesis.

This function gives a sonar reading of your own personal and favourite fishing grounds and have them generated into mapping detail far greater than that available on generic cards.

Use your sounders to your advantage and they will reward you. If you get several drifts going, name your To page 56

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55

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 55

waypoints and use different icons over separate drifts, you may see a pattern forming and work out why they are there and where they might be located elsewhere.

KING FLATHEAD The above techniques generally apply to king or tiger flathead although it is important to step up the tackle and gear to the increased depth where they are found.

Big kings are found in deeper water to 160m. Confusingly though they can be found in sheltered areas as shallow as 10m as well. Predominantly discovered in the deeper water around Tasmania but often in better numbers off the south and east coasts.

Due to the increased depth and use of bigger sinkers to attain and stay on the bottom, rods can be beefed up to 10-15kg line weight rating. Braid is a must for these deeper circumstances.

The feel and connectivity to what’s going on at the wet end is amazing. Reels can range between 7000 and 9000 sizes.

STRIPED TRUMPETER After being closed for two months, November opens the striped trumpeter season. As these fish are a favourite for many, there will be plenty of anglers with smiles on their faces this month. These fish are fun to locate and catch and a spectacular table fish.

Stripeys will now be the main focus of offshore fishos until the albacore and mako sharks arrive in January. These fish live on reefs in around 100m of water just inside the continental shelf. They can be found closer inshore for those that are prepared to search and put some time in.

A good sounder is again the first thing on the list to locate suitable structure, then a heavy paternoster rig and squid bait on a 13/0 circle hook. Get all your ducks lined up in a row and you should

find fish. This is another form of fishing that demands the feel and sensitivity that braid delivers. The by-catch can be nearly as good as the main prize. Good sized jackass morwong and the occasional large gummy shark are welcomed.

The activity in the water along with the occasional bit of bait over the side can have a mako shark turn up out of the blue so be ready for that and have a suitable outfit and leader ready to go.

I love a good stripey fishing trip. They are tremendous fun to catch and pull hard once they nail your bait and head

quality braid. This allows the lighter jig presentation to cut down through the water quickly and not have the braid catch current. Sea conditions are usually very good while fishing for stripey and make for enjoyable days. When the weather turns foul and you have to back up on lines behind the boat to hold bottom, it’s time to head home!

INSHORE As the weather warms, so does the water and the surf beaches will now be good spots to target flathead and salmon. These conditions will continue throughout November. Around the full

spot with a few comforts and it’s a magic time to share.

Good lighting and some nibbles will see you fish well into the night and with a bit of luck some nice fish to show for your effort.

Australian salmon will inhabit our coastline in increasing numbers as we move into the summer months.

They are great sport and good fun on lighter gear and are accessible from the shore as well as by boat. A particularly deadly and fun way to target these fabulous fighting fish is by kayak. Taking them on head to head and having them leap and splash about is quite exciting. Get them cleaned and iced down and they are

Slippery salmon put up a good fight on fly gear. for home. To catch striped trumpeter on jigging outfits has become more and more popular. The jig outfit does not need to be expensive to get the job done. The only area to spend a few dollars on is some

moon the gummies come into the shallows at night to feed.

Beach fishing is a fabulous evening pastime and one you can also enjoy with your kids on a Friday or Saturday night.

Set the car up and get a good

Top: Chunky brown trout can be a handful, especially at this size! Above: Happy anglers are what it’s all about!

alright to eat fresh. They do make is very tasty base for Thai fish cakes!

Nice big garfish are coming inshore to spawn and they too will be mincing around the sheltered bays. A little bit of fine berley in the water and some bread busted up on the surface will have them come and find you. Use

light gear for these tasty little slender barrels. Small j-hooks and a pencil float is amazing fun for kids, but remind them to keep an eye on the float!

Your little berley trail will also draw the attention of some silver trevally. If your berley starts to see some love, leave the kids to tackle the small fry and bounce a bigger plastic in underneath the action. Although a tad early for yellowtail kingfish – who normally come through when the water temperature gets north of 16°C – it doesn’t hurt to try something! Worst thing you could do is find a snapper!

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

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta....................................2.54........................................................Steady Arthurs Lake.....................................2.40........................................................Steady Great Lake........................................15.11......................................................Steady Trevallyn Pond..................................1.00........................................................ Falling Shannon Lagoon...............................0.15........................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon..............................0.16........................................................Steady Lake Echo.........................................5.44........................................................Steady Dee Lagoon.......................................0.29........................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............2.95........................................................Steady Bronte Lagoon..................................0.60........................................................Steady Pine Tier Lagoon...............................2.29........................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.79........................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................0.97........................................................Steady Lake St Clair.....................................1.79........................................................Steady Lake King William.............................3.01........................................................ Falling Lake Liapootah.................................0.76.........................................................Rising Wayatinah Lagoon............................0.53........................................................Steady Lake Catagunya................................0.32.........................................................Rising

Lake Repulse....................................0.46........................................................ Falling Cluny Lagoon....................................0.24........................................................ Falling Meadowbank Lake...........................0.16........................................................Steady Lake Pedder......................................1.24........................................................Steady Lake Gordon.....................................35.91......................................................Steady Lake Burbury....................................8.13........................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll....................................3.91........................................................Steady Lake Murchison................................17.47......................................................Steady Lake Mackintosh..............................5.82........................................................Steady Lake Rosebery..................................0.67.........................................................Rising Lake Pieman.....................................2.84........................................................ Falling Lake Mackenzie................................3.33........................................................Steady Lake Rowallan..................................1.95........................................................Steady Lake Parangana................................0.89.........................................................Rising Lake Cethana....................................-.............................................................Spilling Lake Barrington................................1.58........................................................Steady Lake Gairdner...................................3.65........................................................Steady Lake Paloona....................................0.32........................................................ Falling Woods Lake......................................1.49........................................................Steady Whitespur Pond................................8.03........................................................Steady Lake Newton.....................................4.47........................................................Steady Lake Margaret..................................3.69........................................................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

56

NOVEMBER 2015

Go Behind the Scenery SNAPPER Not enough is known about when and where the snapper are or when they will be at their thickest as of yet.

Building up that knowledge by heading out and having a crack is the best bet. Try to find spots based on what worked last year and build on that. We will be trying a few spots along the north west coast in November and I hope

to have something to report for you all as the action heats up in December. Fishing at anchor with a berley bucket over the side is a good way to start or start some pilchards for cubing and plop a few over every now and then. Google snapper rigs and give a few different ones a go out either side of the boat. Patience and more patience. It takes a little time to substantiate a

berley trail so don’t get tired of it too quickly. Once you have picked a likely looking spot. Tough it out and give the berley a chance to do its job. Take a book or listen to the radio. Remember it’s the unwatched rod that will buckle over.

TROUT The Derwent is again performing well and fishing superbly. This will continue

throughout November.

Anglers will start to head further upstream as the whitebait start to wane late in November. I spent some time chasing sea runners in the Forth River in October and they were in sensational form.

Good trout to 4lb driving fish up into the shallows and feeding on them. Bait showered out of the water surface with an ominous bow

Tasmania wave pushing under them. A trout stalker’s delight.

November can be a fly fisher’s best and worst time.

Everything starts to happen on the dry fly front, but what technique to try? Hatching duns are well underway all across the state and into the highlands. If conditions get muggy and a little overcast the mayflies will be on to get airborne and off the water’s

surface. These little chaps will be in big numbers on highland lakes and are the favoured snack by hungry trout. What can really put the trout off is very bright weather or extreme cold. The good news is we should be seeing very little ‘extreme cold’ in November as we head full speed into the coming of summer.

Get out, be safe and find fish!

SPRINGTIME CAMPING TRIP I have mentioned the weather is on the improve big time here in Tasmania in November. This has us feeling fresh and energetic about blowing out the cobwebs left over from the winter months. A great way to get outdoors and feel alive is to go boating.

Tasmania has some spectacular and sometimes underused waterways and boating destinations.

Recently, Mozz and I decided to take our very young sons on an overnight trip away in his new boat.

Some parents may think that sounds like too much hard work, but the joy on the faces of kids when included in such an adventure is reward enough for any perceived difficulties. Mozz’s son is 4 and my little Mason is 6 and they were super excited once we mentioned ‘an island’, I’m sure they thought there would be pirates and treasure to be found.

Planning is of great importance when taking small children onto the ocean. Safety and comfort need to be addressed if you are not to make your life a misery while away. Simplicity is the key here. Don’t overthink what you need and pack light but smart. Food can be kept simple and make sure you have plenty of water and of sunscreen. Coming home with a lobster red junior will spark some heated discussion and frowns.

Weather is a huge part of enjoying a day or trip away on a boat and this is even more so when kids are involved. Boating for the uninitiated can be a bit daunting and the dreaded seasickness can ruin great plans. The worst thing you can do is break someone new to boating with a rough trip. This goes for adults and kids alike. Make sure the weather looks good a couple of days out, and check again the afternoon before. If it looks like the weather has all turned to poo

All anchored up and ready for the evening. in the Mercury Passage and this can be accessed in a number of ways. We chose to travel to Triabunna just out off Orford on Tasmania’s South East Coast. Triabunna has some new launching facilities and allows quick and easy access to Mercury Passage and Maria Island. Our plan was to fish our way down towards Lachlan Island and make camp on the anchor in Chinamans Bay. The trip was a great success and we managed to find some nice flathead as we drifted across the sandy bottom. The two young boys mixed catching flatties with some fun in the sun and had a ball. We pulled stumps early and made our way to where we would be spending the night. The spot Mozz had chosen is a well-known anchorage and will often see a number of motorboats and yachts taking advantage of its sheltered aspect. The corner often used is tucked right in around to the north and is called Encampment Cove.

We were lucky enough to come across some mates from our Game Fishing club set up and very well settled in. They had brought across a heap of camping gear and were staying 2 weeks on Maria Island. Maria Island is a national park and a very popular tourist destination.

The boat was moored and we enjoyed the hospitality of the Hammersley, Hartland and Hicks clans. Once off the boat the boys were in a nature wonderland and were taken under the wing of the older kids on the island. This allowed Adrian and I to move the boat fore and aft and once happy… wet our whistle. The wildlife is abundant on Maria and both young boys loved seeing their first Tasmanian devil and wombat up close.

The Maria Island area is a fantastic fishery and over

the coming months all of the favourite sport and table fish will and can be caught from around its shores.

There is a small marine reserve on the northern tip to be aware of. Sand flathead in the shallows are found across all the sandy bottoms in the area and the bigger king or tiger flathead in the deeper zones. Gummy sharks will be moving in and staying for a while in the warmer shallows. Once the water temperature rises in late November the yellowtail kings will frequent the rocky points.

We had a great evening on shore and made our way to the boat for the boys’ first night sleeping on a trailer boat. There was some concern they may need some settling, but this was far from the truth. They had enjoyed a sensational fun-filled day of wide-eyed new experiences and they did not take much rocking.

We woke to one of the most pristine and still mornings you could ever hope for and weighed anchor for an early fish. We had to be back in Hobart by 1pm so we fished for a while, picking up some more nice

Encampment Cove is an excellent place to anchor up and camp. flathead and some squid. When it was time to head off we left some time to take a leisurely tour across to Rheban and up past Orford and back into the safe harbour of Triabunna.

All in all a wonderful trip that we both said we must do again real soon. The kids had the time of their lives and are also super keen to be involved and go again.

This is due to Mozz’s planning, picking the weather and an awesome boat.

The boys had an absolute ball camping and fishing. it can be a good idea to cancel or shape the trip to another more sheltered location.

We picked an awesome location and Mozz watched the weather like a hawk all week. He pulled the trigger on the trip the Thursday before and she was go time. I mentioned the trip to my son Mason and he was super excited. It was the last day of school for the term so I pulled him out just after lunch that Friday and we were off.

Mozz had decided we would fish the flathead grounds

The still, pristine mornings are something you can expect in Tassie’s South East.

NOVEMBER 2015

57

Redfin

Redfin rejuvenation HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

Through years of dwindling waterways and tough drought conditions, the toughest of all freshwater fish – the redfin perch, scientifically known as Perca fluviatilis – has proven time and again to be a survivor.

Known to frequent channels, lakes, swamps, rivers, and streams this tough little fighter is extremely resilient.

First introduced to Australia in the 1860s as a sport fish they have become widespread in NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, South East SA, and the South West parts of WA. Although they have been known to grow in length up to 60cm and weigh around 10kg, the more common specimen is found around 40-45cm and between 1-2kg.

In the Wimmera the biomass of redfin is still rebounding post-drought.

Local Fisheries officers have

anglers with any reports of good numbers bringing out methods of bobbing and bottom baiting.

Redfin are a dominant predator to many fish however, larger species in the waterways are willing to devour the juveniles. Trout and cod prey heavily on young redfin if food is not prevalent or abundant in the system. Redfin’s ability to decimate stocked natives or trout make them a target for anglers in the Wimmera.

Successful methods are trolling medium to deep diving lures, casting vibes, and bait fishing with minnow or gudgeon. Redfin metabolism slows in the colder months so these fish are best targeted in autumn, and spring through to summer.

Ideal water temperatures are between 12-14°C and above a barometer of 1020. A good sounder is a great advantage to define schools and the structure holding them. Side imaging on a sounder is invaluable to cover larger areas and mark

often stock smaller redfin into dams for their own sport. These can grow to maximum size providing there is food in the waterway and over stocking or over breeding doesn’t occur.

It’s important to manage numbers in impoundments to prevent what’s locally known as ‘pygmy’ redfin. This occurs when the food source in the waterway is depleted and a breeding cycle takes place, lack of nourishment prevents the juveniles from developing properly, they become stunted and in extreme cases, suffer from spinal deformities which is then bred into the following generations.

METHODS Trolling Trolling is probably the most productive method and the prime way to locate schools of fish. Covering ground with a sounder will locate the fish and from there it’s usually a matter of trolling back and forth through the patch. Slow speed, to match your lure selection is critical, as is the depth of the

Another Rocklands reddie fell victim to a StumpJumper. these fish upwards. Usually I find fish sitting deep are best targeted with bait or drop shotting/jigs. I prefer to run a split screen most of the time on my sounder. Being in side scan mode allows for coverage of bigger areas and more chances of finding schooled up fish.

Normal sonar mode is shown on the other side of the split as it helps identify the actual fish in the beam below the boat. Another tip is to not stop the boat on a hook up, instead troll another 10-20m as redfin will chase the hooked fish looking for whatever it appears

in the bottom bash for redfin forever. A simple paternoster style rig dropped to the bottom and slowly lifted and dropped every 20 seconds or so usually initiates an impulse strike.

Minnow also have been great bait but these dry times have seen minnow become very scarce throughout the region.

Worms are prime fare but also become the target of pesky carp and can decimate your bait supply in no time.

Redfin aren’t overly fussy about their feed and being a school fish, double hook ups are not uncommon nor is the chase up by the whole school to the top trying to grab the regurgitated stomach contents of hooked fish.

Casting Anglers spend hours working rivers and streams in search of redfin and with the introduction of many different styled lures and imitations such as soft plastics in both fish and grub/worm form, the search has become easier. The older generation didn’t have a lot to pick from, back in the day the choice was basically Celtas, Dicksons, and Hogbacks.

Today the variations are

Top Left: A nice catch at Rocklands. Top Right: Trevor Holmes with a ripper Rocklands redfin. Above Left: Ben Young with a Toolondo redfin. Above Right: Prime redfin habitat at Rocklands. recognised that numbers of redfin aren’t booming in local waters where, in days gone by, many a fishing trip in search of trout or natives was saved by a bag of these delicious perch. Many of the older locals recount survival of the depression era on a staple diet of redfin due to their huge numbers and ease of capture.

Although numbers are down, reddies are still the preferred species with the older local 58

NOVEMBER 2015

schools then navigate to them.

On the other hand, many rely heavily on visible habitat and structure without the use of a sounder and are still rewarded with fish.

There are many location options to try for redfin as they can thrive almost anywhere, however, the main lakes throughout the Wimmera are the hardest fished for a feed of these great tasting, tenacious fighters. There are anglers who

lure. I work through water to a maximum depth of 5m but focus mainly on up to 3m.

Structure and tree lines usually shelter a school of fish and trolling past these can result in multiple hook ups. Trolling will also locate the deeper schools and double your options. Often a deeper sitting school is located while trying for the shallower schooling fish. A quick change of lures to the required depth can entice

to be chasing and often take another lure, resulting in multiple hook ups.

Baitfishing A long time favourite of the older generation of redfin hunters, bait fishing has almost become a thing of the past for younger anglers with technology taking over and artificials almost perfectly imitating baits and scents.

Gudgeon and yabbies have been the basis of bait used

amazing and you can pretty much buy a match up to any bait or living critter that would inhabit any waterway. For me, flashy bladed lures still dominate and always will.

Working overhanging trees, gravel beds and deeper holes in the warmer months is ideal for getting a good feed.

Soft plastics also in minnow/ gudgeon forms will eliminate the need to carry a bucket full of water, and run an aerator

plus provide more fishing time. Reddies love structure, so fallen trees can hold a single fish or a whole school.

Covering a good stretch of river or stream is possible in a short time as redfin normally hit hard on the first cast or so, and if thy don’t they simply aren’t there. Time to move onwards!

Jigging/Bobbing My first memories of redfin fishing are in the great Toolondo 45 years ago when, at the ripe young age of 6, my dad, uncles and cousins set out in small boats to cruise the tree lines in search of redfin.

Back then Polaroid sunglasses weren’t abundant and it was a hit or miss operation. In short, you pulled up at a tree, threw in what was known as a Baltic Bobber and dropped it to the bottom then lift it up a metre or so off the lake bed, trying not to snag up on branches or logs. Schooling fish would see the Bobber and within minutes there would be a frenzy of action with many fish coming aboard. At times a double hook up occurred with a reddie on each hook.

If no action happened it was just a matter of shifting to the next tree and trying again.

Very rarely would the redfin be switched off, a trend that is currently taking shape. Ice jigs have become very popular and productive in recent years and virtually replaced the old Baltic Bobber. Same type of action required but the advantage of ice jigs is the ability to be cast and retrieved in a hopping fashion to cover more ground.

WIMMERA LOCATIONS Rocklands Reservoir Rocklands Reservoir is probably the most productive waterway throughout the Wimmera and holds massive numbers of redfin year round.

A 10 minute drive from the town of Balmoral, it’s the ultimate spot for trying all of the above methods and a great camping location too. With several other species including trout, bass, cod and carp available it’s a great prospect for a feed.

Lake Fyans Located 15 minutes from both Halls Gap and Stawell, Fyans is well and truly on the rebound as a redfin fishery after suffering huge fishing pressure during the drought. Bank and boating opportunities open up here as a great location for

Redfin junior anglers to get a shot at the reddies. Also holding brown and rainbow trout, it’s a magnificent location at the foot of the Grampians with a caravan park on the foreshore.

Lake Bellfield Another lake within a short drive of Halls Gap holding several different species including chinook salmon and trout. Restricted to electric motor boats only, large schools of redfin are present here and trolling, bait fishing, and jigging work well.

Lake Wartook A 20 minute drive from Halls Gap through the Grampians, Wartook holds good numbers of reddies as well as trout. Trolling diving lures is my preferred method here but the local angling

club members do very well with both jigs and bait fish at depths. Fishing the wall is a good idea with varying depths of 3-4m in easy casting distance.

Lake Toolondo Located 30 minutes drive southwest of Horsham, Toolondo is widely known as the best trout fishery on mainland Australia but also a great redfin location. Postdrought we haven’t seen the population re-establish as yet but the signs are there of a rejuvenation. Trolling and casting is the best option here as abundant weed growth around the edges has restricted bank fishing.

Taylors Lake Within 15 minutes drive of Horsham, Talyors produces

some nice fish to both boat and bank anglers mainly in the warmer months. Water transfers occur in the lead up to Christmas that makes the water here turbid. As redfin rely heavily on eyesight, post Christmas will yield better results as the water clarity improves. Holding cod, yellowbelly and silver perch, it’s a great fishery that also doubles as ski/ recreational lake.

Green Lake Only 10 minutes drive from Horsham, but currently receding in water levels the lake holds a good number of redfin for both bank and boat anglers. Over the past couple of years there have been good numbers taken by slow trolling diving lures or soaking baits

My favourite redfin stick that covers every method comfortably.

Whether bait, troll, or casting – the Brave Rods 702 med/light combined with the Diawa Revros DX2000H loaded up with 4kg braid. such as worms and yabbies.

May become un-fishable as summer hits with blue green algae blooms and low levels.

Left: A selection of some ideal redfin lures, vibes, spinners and bobbers.

Right: A typical sounder screen shot at Rocklands prior to a triple hook up.

Wimmera River Many kilometres of the river is accessible both close to Horsham and further afield.

Out to the west of the town is the better location. Bait fishing in the turbid water is preferred but carp will most likely beat the redfin or yellas to the offerings. As far as the system stretches there is great fishing but around weirs are the prime spots for redfin. Spinning can produce fish to avoid the carp and a surprise yellowbelly is a bonus catch.

Other locations Most waterways throughout the region that hold permanent water will usually have an existing population of naturally occurring redfin.

While sitting patiently with bait is relaxing, the best

WORLD CLASS FISHING IS ONLY A

method to find Redfin by far is spinning lures. Reddies find it hard to resist a flashy lure and a few casts into a waterhole or river can on most occasions entice a strike to establish if they are present.

GEAR Light spinning rods and 2000 or 2500 sized reels are sufficient, so is either mono or braided lines. I prefer braid for the feel of every little bump or strike. To cover the jigging/ bobbing side of things a similar stick will do the job as well as diversifying for the bait fishing.

Diving lures of various depths are a must to cover all different lakes. Plastics and bladed, spinning lures are also a must and minnow and gudgeon imitations will see you hooked up in no time.

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NOVEMBER 2015

59

2/10/2015 10:36 am

Rocklands on the drop HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

After being away for a couple of weeks to get married and experience some magnificent Fiji weather I was looking forward to getting back on the lakes and chasing some redfin. Not to be let down, the fish has risen to the challenge and are starting to play nicely.

REDFIN REWARDS Some exceptional fish

yet, as the water is shallower than most of the regions lakes making the water warmer. Hatches of insects and dragonflies results in the usual afternoon aerobatic trout display but also causes them to reject bait offerings.

ROCKANDS RESERVOIR Once again Rocklands is on the drop water wise as transfers take place to supply the northern lakes and Taylors Lake. Reddies have really fired up here in the larger

some fun working both from boats on the drift or from the shallows early and late in the day on foot. Trolling has also seen a few fish taken and with a fresh flush of water still going into the lake the fishing will only improve in coming weeks.

The inlet area once again will be the zone for the redfin as the big spawning girls head towards some inflow. Trout will also gather in the same areas searching for a cheap feed and sweet

Darryl Jaques ventured up from Geelong and landed this cracker redfin of 45cm up at Glendinning trolling a Diawa Double Clutch.

Left: Dave Jensen also from Adelaide landed this beaut Toolondo buck brown trout.

Right: Colin Matthews from Adelaide with a lovely Toolondo brown hen. are on offer, however, postdrought conditions have left the bio-mass of redfin still not back in most systems.

I can see these bigger fish being harvested quickly and supplies dwindling under a bit of fishing pressure as the spring/summer anglers get out and about. Trout have been a little patchy still with the barometer being unusually high over the last few weeks. Native fish are only a degree or two from starting to become active in the lakes and rivers as well so the lead up to Christmas is looking exciting. Once again, a dry winter is going to hamper many of the Wimmera lakes as water levels decline and evaporation depletes these systems.

LAKE TOOLONDO As water levels slowly decline, the trout have already become very moody and dependant on the barometer, which indicates that it could be a very tough summer for trout enthusiasts.

With a maximum depth of 2.6m visibility, the odds are stacked in the trout’s favour.

Casting lures and plastics in the shallows is still working well as is the ever reliable mudeye under a float.

Gudgeon have also been fishing well, and anglers should fish under a float where they are exposed from the increasing weed beds.

Redfin haven’t appeared here 60

NOVEMBER 2015

variety and it’s not unusual to snag a fish between 40-47cm. These seem to be found as individuals or in pairs although we have seen the odd school in the last few days following up a hooked fish. Best time to catch them seems to be first light until around 10am after which, the fish go deep. Locating them on side scan on the sounder is the key, working around the fish and casting plastics or hard body lures that dive to their range. Bait fishing has been very slow for them as they haven’t schooled up just yet. Trout have also started to move nicely here with some great fish landed lately.

Trolling lures such as Tassie Devils mixed up with a couple of shallow to mid running hardbodies is the best option. Both rainbows and browns are starting to feed freely and the shallows will be a great option for the working angler willing to cast plastics. I’m still yet to see a bass landed this spring and fisheries still need a sample fish for ageing, if anyone lands one please keep it and let me know.

LAKE FYANS Some fantastic angling has started here again with some ripper tout, both browns and a few rainbows landed over the last few weeks mainly on mudeye fished under a float in the deeper sections of the lake.

Fly fishos also have had

water. Working the tree lines and weed beds should see some great action as the water temps rise and fish become active.

LAKE WARTOOK While the trout have been sporadic, the Redfin have fired here too with locating them being half the battle.

As these fish are bunched up pretty tight in schools it’s a bit of a hit or miss affair.

Locating and sticking with a school is critical and most of the fish are hugging the bottom. Size wise these fish

Top: Nat Holmes with her PB brown trout of 63cm landed trolling at Rocklands. Above: Dean Doherty with the best of his redfin – 40cm from Rocklands taken trolling a StumpJumper!

are fantastic – we recently landed fish up to 1.9kg by sounding then dropping soft plastics amongst the fish. They are still a bit lethargic due to cooler water temps but if provoked into action are willing to strike presented plastics. Staying connected to the fish is critical as once a hooked fish is lost the whole school relocates and becomes wary.

Trout are moody here and as usual Wartook fishes well trolling early and late in the day as these fish hide and go deep as the sun brightens up the water.

I don’t think I’ve seen the trout this good for years proving the recovery of the waterway. With an abundance of feed in the lake there will be some magnificent fishing here this spring and summer.

Keep a look out for what we believe is an albino brown trout sighted in the shallows lately!

NATIVE FISHING With the cod season now closed until December for the big girls to breed there hasn’t been a lot to report of late with the exception of a couple of golden perch being landed in the Wimmera on the warmer days. Both fish I know of were landed on small yabbies fished on the bottom but it’s only a matter of time and water temp before they become really active and we see some great catches in the region.

The lucky golden perch angler also reported almost losing a rod and being busted off in a snag by a much larger fish that stayed deep which I’m tipping was a large cod. Taylors Lake will still provide some good action on baits but being so discoloured due to inflows the fishing will mainly be a bait option until the clarity improves and the water level stabilises.

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61

All signs point to a bumper yellowbelly summer MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

The river around Mildura has been running dirty and low for the past month or so making lure fishing very difficult. Fortunately, water clarity is improving which should see lures work more effectively. In the meantime we have seen some nice yellowbelly caught on bait.

YELLOWBELLY Yellowbelly are coming on the bite around Mildura due to the warmer water temperatures and weather we have been experiencing lately. As the sun continues to shine these fish will be caught particularly easily below the locks and weir structures. It is not unusual to see yellowbelly activity at a high around springtime and

once the water clears up, all signs point to a bumper yellowbelly summer.

The best way to pick up a yella or two is to fish with bait, particularly around Hattah. Shrimp and worms are proving the best of the bait and even though live shrimp are still difficult to find, the warmer weather should bring them out as the season goes on. It’s great to be able to take the family down the river for a few hours on a weekend and bag a few yellas or have some fun catching large carp on light gear.

Backwaters have been producing some good yellas particularly around snag piles and in eddy currents.

Even though water clarity has been poor, a slowlyworked lipless crankbait or small hardbody in the right spot have caught a few fish. Another good method

is to tie up to a snag, throw lures along the bank, and slowly retrieve.

Murray cod season will once again open very soon and is set to be a cracker of a season with some very nice cod caught right up until the close in late August. In the meantime, anglers should not be targeting Murray cod in any way to allow them the ability to nest without disturbance of their breeding.

Pick of the spots to target yellowbelly on bait at this time of year is around the Hattah area and downstream Mildura, close to the banks and tight up on most major structure. Places like Wemen and Fort Courage are great spots to fish at the moment.

Redfin should also come on the bite and are great fun to catch on light gear using soft plastics and blades.

Most anglers around Mildura will be waiting for

Yellowbelly of this size are considered a very nice river fish. This particular one was caught around the Hattah area on a lure during the spring months. summer when the cod season officially opens. By then, waters should be back to normal levels and we should see a Murray cod season like

no other.

This summer should also be a cracker for surface fishing, especially in the shallow waters of local

billabongs and creeks.

Fly-casting is a great method of surface fishing as you can present really small lures into hard to get spots.

Copeton Dam and Murray River open for business ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Along the Murray River it’s business as usual, with the river producing great numbers of golden perch on bait. It’s a seasonal recipe that never fails. Just mix a

month of warm weather with a high spring flow and you’ll get a run of golden perch that are relatively easy to catch.

NO SHORTAGE OF GOLD ON OFFER Numbers of shrimp in the Murray have begun to increase and a cocktail of these translucent crustaceans mixed with

Bryden Whitfield caught this ripper cod on his third cast at Copeton Dam.

worms will tempt perch from their hiding places every time. The bite in along the Murray has been consistent on bait with Tol Tol, Robinvale, Euston and Wemen all producing good perch. The cod have sparked this last month and accidental captures lay the foundation for the open season yet to come. Water clarity along the Murray has been poor and has seen anglers shift to bait. With the river currently falling the Murray should begin to clear over the coming weeks and lures will once more come into play. All up it’s a typical spring bite with plenty of gold on offer in the eddies and snags for anglers drowning bait.

COPETON DAM OPEN While I don’t mind catching a few perch, the closed Murray cod season seems to have dragged on longer than those of previous

Chris Stiglic with an average spring run golden perch. years. While three months may not seem long to your average Joe, it’s more like an eternity to those afflicted

with green fish fever. So a few weeks back, a chance to wet a line and scratch the itch saw us crammed in the

ute for the 12 hour drive to Copeton Dam. Located in the New England region of Northern NSW, Copeton Dam is roughly three times the size of Sydney Harbour and its crystal clear waters act as a magnet to those who fish for Murray cod.

There is no closed cod season at Copeton Dam as it’s believed the Murray cod do not breed in this large waterway.

Copeton is regularly stocked with Murray cod, and the diverse size of fish from small to large in the dam shows that this stocking program is working well. Copeton’s banks and islands are made up of numerous granite boulders some larger than the family car and they provide the perfect cover for some absolutely thumping Murray cod.

To page 63

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Go on the hunt for yellow fever this spring YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Once again it’s a guessing game this time of year – when and where will the yellows fire in and around Lake Mulwala! As pen hits paper, we’re in the middle of a great spell of warm weather and that might be all that’s needed to get yellowbelly up and about.

Traditionally the water above Majors Creeks up to Bundalong and surrounding backwaters or areas with increased current flow

should be your first port of call. Hardbody lures in the 50-70mm size range or smaller profile spinnerbaits in natural colours would be my preferred option.

Looking back, September proved to be an interesting month. Ethically it is wrong to target cod during the closed season but if they happen to be caught as a genuine by-catch and are worthy of mention, I will give them a run. Starting at the top of the tree by sheer weight of size, a genuine Mulwala monster was landed by a fella who was fishing off the foreshore at DC On The Lake. Details of the capture

are slightly sketchy but the ultimate outcome was a beast measuring a whopping 130cm being caught and released.

Bendigo boy Mick Bateman was another to received a pleasant surprise while fishing around the Kyffin’s area. Mick’s cast Bassman Spinnerbait sparked the interest of a healthy 98cm cod that took a liking to his golden perch intended offering.

The feel good story of the month undoubtedly goes out to the Crothers’ kids from Woodlands and their fishing posse. It all started when young Mia went fishing off their front lawn in search

bad introduction to Copeton cod and a ripper catch from the bank! The fish had inhaled a large soft plastic fish imitation that looked as lifelike as any lure I had ever seen in the water. Over the next few days we scored numerous cod from this excellent fishery including several large fish on surface lures during periods of low light.

During our stay we camped by the water’s edge in the Copeton Waters Caravan Park. There are several different locations

throughout the park that have shower and toilet facilities for those wanting to camp right on the waters edge. The main campground has a kiosk, powered sites and cabins. There are quality meals available on site at a great price and the park has numerous activities for all the family. With a great atmosphere not to mention the chance to fish for Murray cod during the close Copeton Dam is one location I will most certainly be returning to at least a couple of times a year.

From page 62

Our introduction to the Copeton cod population came on the third cast from the bank. It was mid-morning and the long drive had all but taken the sting from three keen anglers. With camp set, a quick kip in the swag was interrupted as Jamie Stewart informed me that our fishing mate Bryden Whitfield was on the fish.

I climbed out from the swag just in time to see Bryden wrestle a striking coloured cod of at least 15kg from the water. Not a

of carp. An offering of corn was cast out with the cast ultimately going about 1m into the water! Low and behold the rod soon sprang to life and Mia landed a beautiful 69cm cod. This sparked the interest from the rest of her siblings and the neighbour’s kids. A huge two days of bait fishing followed with some amazing results. Carp, a yella and a couple more cod were all taken out of less than 3ft of water. Little sister Demi landed a 50cm+ model while young Jobe Fraser got in on the action as well. To top it off, 8yo Hudson Crothers took the ‘Champion Angler’ title when he got the surprise of his life landing an 85cm cod (again on corn!). Well done kids!

A few Yarrawonga/ Mulwala locals started sniffing around up the top of the lake with varied results. George J came across a few yellas while Glen Becker had some success in his new 455 Hornet Wildfisher; whenever he could get it started or hadn’t forgot his keys!

Organisation is well under way for the 2015 Yamaha Cod Classic. Again the Cod Classic promises to be huge with the amazing prize of a potential One Million Dollars* (that’s right $1,000,000) on offer for

somebody if they can catch ‘Phil’ the specially tagged Murray cod.

• If you are visiting town, I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala and say

G’day. We are your largest Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/Mulwala and specialise in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports, give us a hoy on (03) 5744 3133.

Daniel nailed this 59cm yellowbelly at Lake Hume around some drowned timber. A fish of this length at Hume is estimated at around 6-7kg, or 14lb!

NOVEMBER 2015

63

Local rivers in prime condition SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Bushfires in Victoria and a 4-day heatwave was what we were welcomed with in early October and the higher temperatures really helped fire up the spring fishing in the Goulburn River.

Small hardbodied lures such as the 70mm AC Invaders and Codgers have been working great while Jackall TN60s have been doing just as well, especially with a bit of Garlic Dizzy Scent smeared on the lure. Small yabbies and scrubworms are the best baits for the river at the moment.

There has been plenty of environmental flows in mid spring so this and the warmer start to October have both been huge contributors to the good fishing. There has not been any standout areas in the past month with reports coming from Toolamba to Undera.

Last month the Broken River was a complete reversal to the Goulburn in regards to flows of water.

This has not affected the

fishing with plenty of good reports of yellowbelly up to 45cm being caught in the shallows on small hardbodies. Using the small 10ft Codger or the 70mm Koolabungs has worked well for many in the Shepparton area.

There have been plenty of anglers staying closer to town of late as out towards Benalla and Dookie has copped a lot of fishing in past seasons.

Walking along the bike tracks along Broken River Drive and shooting off to the river in different spots works well, but the banks are not as consistent as towards Benalla. They seem to drop away quick or have some very tough terrain, so moving from spot to spot using the bike track is the easiest way to fish the Broken closer to town.

In November we see Shepparton’s biggest and best tackle event, The Trelly’s Tackle Spectacular. It’s set to be even bigger than the 2014 event. With leading fishing companies represented on the night and guest speakers including Rod McKenzie, Glen Casey and

Trelly Himself.

The expo will again be held from the Shepparton showgrounds and all the action will kick off from 6.30pm. For just $10 entry you give yourself the chance to win in over $5000 worth of prizes.

There will be drinks and a BBQ available on the night so make sure you all get down there as it’s a night that should not be missed for any fisho from the expert to the beginner.

SHEPPARTON LAKE The spring has seen plenty of trout caught and released from the lake and I was lucky enough to run a small fishing competition for the Victorian Teachers Games. There were only eight fish caught on the day and the trout ranged from 25-31cm. There was one lucky teacher, who managed to land four trout and took out the Gold Medal for both Biggest and Most Fish. Most fish were caught over at the big green hill area on worms.

The weed situation is again getting worse with it being almost impossible to troll any lures more than 4ft deep. As well as the weed under the water, there

is plenty of surface weed floating around, which makes it very hard to fish out in the middle. There is now only three or four spots that you can fish away from the weed, which can make these areas pretty crowded.

LOCAL CHANNELS The channels are now filling up with plenty of yabbies and a lot of locals are catching yabbies the old fashion way, with a chunk of meat on a string with a small scoop net.

This way is much more fun than throwing a drop pot in and sitting around waiting.

If you’re not chasing yabbies there has been a handful of reports of redfin being caught around the bridges in the Pine Lodge Area. Casting small plastics and spinners has been working the best.

I managed to take my son out for his first fish at the channels in early spring.

We didn’t manage to catch a fish but sometimes it’s not all about catching fish.

I hope in years to come there is plenty more fishing to be done with him.

KIALLA LAKES There’s not a lot going on at the lakes. I dropped in for a flick one afternoon and managed to get 2 decent hits using a Tiny Bassman Spinnerbait with a super slow retrieve.

Kaleb Oxley with a rare mirror carp caught in a local creek.

Casting around the weed banks or under the willows are the best areas. If you can get out to the Island in Lake number 1, I would just troll circles around it at all different depths to see where the fish are hanging out.

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The author managed to take his son Ayden fishing for the first time.

I spoke to an old local who has been catching plenty of small carp around the 20-25cm mark using corn and bread. Carp aren’t a bad option when there’s not much else on.

CRAIGMUIR LAKE Craigmuir is now fishing very well with the warmer weather. The water temperatures are almost perfect for targeting redfin and yellowbelly. There has been reports of yellowbelly up to 45cm being caught on worms and shrimp off the bank. The key is finding some clear water either side of the weed edges, these have been the best areas to fish. Slow trolling spinners or vibes has also been working for the fishos in kayaks and canoes.

WARANGA BASIN Just like last spring, it’s just been too windy to fish at the Basin for most of us. There has been a small number of locals braving the windy conditions to chase redfin. With the early spring heat, these fishos managed to find plenty of smaller redfin but most could only get a few hours in before the conditions become too dangerous.

There have been more reports of yellowbelly being caught over the past 12 months and with the water temperatures rising each day the chances of landing a good yellowbelly are increasing.

Slow rolling lipless crankbaits or soft plastics is a great way to catch both redfin and yellowbelly. For bait soakers, the shrimp and yabbies are now easy to catch, so I would suggest using these in the Basin.

Time to get amongst some Wangaratta trout WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

One thing is for sure – it’s been a dry spring. September saw Wangaratta receive less than 25% of its annual rainfall. The upside is that the rivers and creeks have been in great condition and access to the waterways has been good and much earlier than most other seasons.

The downside is that with little rainfall in the forecast things could be mighty dry this summer.

So far this spring, we have had exceptionally good trout fishing. The season started off well in September and remained that way for quite a long time. Locating the trout is hit and miss with some streams containing lots of fish, some having a few and some having just enough to keep the angler interested.

The main river in the catchment, the Ovens River has fished quite well for trout all spring. Early in the season trout were landed on just about everything that was thrown in their direction,

catching plenty of trout on scrub worms.

The best section of the Ovens River has been from Bright upstream, although I have also had a few reports of trout being caught from down around Porpunkah as well. During November, the Ovens River should continue to fish well as the last of the remaining snowdrifts melt away and plenty of water flows down which the Ovens River drains. Around the region, the Buckland, Buffalo, and Rose rivers should all tick over well with the trout found in patches.

Now there’s a face that only a mother could love, and the carp isn’t all that pretty either! During the closed cod season, light line and large carp provide great fun in the Ovens River around Wangaratta.

OVENS RIVER

By November expect many of the rivers and creeks to be somewhere close to their usual summer levels. So for Melbourne Cup weekend, expect to find similar conditions to what you would normally see in December. There is always a remote possibility though that we could get a deluge of rain, which would mix things up a bit.

but September saw quite a lot of fishing pressure on the Ovens River, which has caused the trout to inhabit their environment warily.

By the end of September, anglers using the most natural presentations achieved the best results. Small natural coloured soft plastics have been working in the lure department, and fly fishers have been picking up a few on nymphs. Bait fishers have been having a great time,

The most likely parts of the rivers to hold trout will be the headwaters.

RIVERS RUNNING RIFE WITH TROUT The King River should fish well for trout during November, but only upstream above Lake William Hovell.

Downstream of Lake William Hovell the river has degraded so much as a trout fishery in recent years that it is no longer worth targeting fish there. The

water there no longer gets much shade as so many of the willow trees have been removed, and as a result the water is much warmer than it once was, making conditions unfavourable for trout.

The lower reaches of the Ovens and King rivers have provided some great fun for anglers heading out chasing carp over the spring months.

Yellowbelly that used to be stocked in the Ovens River years ago are now almost obsolete as the population of protected trout and cod has replaced them. I would love to see a few yellowbelly stocked around Wangaratta each year to provide a springtime option for anglers, especially the kids!

But in the meantime, chasing carp with light line, soft tipped rods and a bunch of worms or corn kernels is keeping us very well entertained.

Lake Buffalo should start to come to life during November as the water begins to warm up. There is not a huge population of yellowbelly in the lake, however there are a few, and a few large ones at that. November is the best time of the year to target them. Look for rocky outcrops, particularly around the island. Try casting lipless crankbaits around the steeper banks, or bait fishing with small yabbies around the many dead standing trees in the lake. There are still plenty of redfin in Lake Buffalo, with a few good ones in the mix to keep anglers entertained while they wait for the yellowbelly to show up.

Don’t forget that the Murray cod season opens on December 1. With the weather the way it is at the moment, I am expecting conditions to look perfect during November.

Don’t be tempted to jump the gun and start flicking lures around or you could find yourself staring into the eyes of the law.

Top: Gary Alexander with a wonderfully coloured brown trout from a small tributary of the King River.

Above: A juvenile brown trout caught in a tributary of the King River. The author has caught quite a few of these in various streams this season. It’s great to see so many smaller fish in the system.

Left: A beautiful brown trout from a small tributary of the King River taken on a Strike Tiger 1” Froglet soft plastic. Right: Most of the small streams have been fishing quite well this season. Sandy Hector, Will O’Connor and the author recently landed 29 trout in one afternoon in a small tributary of the Ovens River. During November these creeks will most likely slow right down as the water becomes low and warms up a bit.

NOVEMBER 2015

65

Trout no trouble this year VICTORIAN ALPINE

Brenton Richardson

The trout are back!

September and October has seen some sensational trout fishing in the Kiewa River. After last year’s poor season, it’s good to see trout being caught in good numbers again.

I’ve heard several reports of 10-15 fish being caught in an arvo session, which is what the Kiewa used to be renowned for. I haven’t heard of any real monsters caught but the average size would be around the 1lb (500g) mark, with a few around 3lb (1.5kg) popping up as well.

Most fish have been

plastics is with a missed hit the fish is likely to come back and hit the lure again because of the soft, life-like body of the lure.

Very rarely a trout will hit a bladed spinner, fail to hook up and come back and hit it again. It does happen, but it’s a lot more common with soft plastics.

Every lure has its purpose, so don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. If something isn’t working, try something completely different.

The tributaries of the Kiewa and Mitta rivers are fishing exceptionally well. I suspect that towards the end of November these streams will slow down fishing wise. When the summer days arrive and

best options for the smaller streams. The new Strike Tiger Froglet has also been having a lot of success.

As we start getting some warmer nights, we should start getting some good insect hatches, which makes for great fun fishing the evening rise with the fly rod. By mid November there isn’t many places along the Kiewa River that won’t be bubbling, with trout sipping insects during the low light periods of the day.

Lake Hume has also been fishing exceptionally well throughout October and should continue to do so through November. Yellowbelly have really turned it on over the last month. Most fishos are getting fish in about 20ft of water,

An average size Kiewa River brown taken on the ever reliable Strike Tiger 3’’ curl-tail grub. bait and hopefully your hook along with it.

There’s always plenty of redfin and stinking carp that can be good fun between bites.

Just remember, if you don’t get a fish in the first 5 minutes, try a different spot.

As for lures, when casting, the Jackall Mask Vib and TN60 would be my preferred option. It’s not often you don’t catch something when you’re using one of these.

In short, November is a great month to be fishing in the area with options everywhere you look. I hope you all hook into a few.

This magnificent brown trout was caught using a size 3 Vibrax bladed spinner in the middle of the day. It always pays to mix things up a bit.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Forums to reel in anglers The author with a nice trout taken from a tributary of the Kiewa River. The tributaries have been fishing well lately but will slow down once the warmer weather arrives. caught using small Rapalas and Vibrax bladed spinners, but I recently had a good arvo using the Strike Tiger 3’’ curl-tail grub in the black and gold colour. I managed to land 4 trout but lost quite a few as well.

The benefit of fishing with

water temperatures skyrocket, the trout will shut right down and in some severe cases, possibly die! So be sure to get out there and have a crack at them while you can.

Number 1 size bladed spinners or Strike Tiger 1” nymphs would be your

either by trolling, casting or using bait.

The best bait for springtime goldens would have to be small yabbies, with scrubworms coming in a close second. Try tying up to a tree in about 15-25ft of water and something should steal your

DAM LEVELS Lake/Dam % Full

Dam % Full

LAKE/DAM Aug Sep Oct Cairn Curran 33 31 28 Dartmouth 71 68 64 Eildon 58 61 56 Eppalock 44 41 39 Fyans 70 69 81 Greens 64 64 62 Hepburn 52 53 51 Hume 39 49 47 Lauriston 86 85 82 Malmsbury 28 29 31 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 97 92 94

Newlyn 42 43 44 Nillahcootie 55 56 54 Rocklands 16 18 17 Taylors 12 15 19 Tullaroop 31 28 27 Upper Coliban 56 58 61 Waranga 18 20 12 Wartook 65 74 79 William Hovell 101 98 99

66

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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.

Fisheries Victoria will hold 10 regional forums across the state commencing later this month to hear anglers’ thoughts on opportunities to build even better fisheries in Victoria. All are welcome!

Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the forums were a great opportunity for anglers and fisheries managers to exchange ideas, understand how fishing licence fees were being spent and identify new projects that would improve access and facilities.

“The State Government’s ambitious Target One Million plan for

recreational fishing aims to get more people fishing more often, so we want to hear ideas from anglers about local projects that will deliver local benefits,” Mr Dowling said.

“Previous forums have suggested projects ranging from artificial fishing reefs in our bays and inlets, more defined pedestrian access alongside trout streams, fish stocking, research and fish cleaning tables at major boat ramps.

“This is the seventh consecutive year we have engaged anglers this way because face-to-face conversations have yielded great ideas and helped build meaningful relationships.”

The forums will

be run in partnership with VRFish.

This year Fisheries Victoria will also visit several Victorian universities to discuss and promote recreational fishing opportunities to interested students.

“It will also establish a Better Fishing Facilities Fund, increase fish stocking from three to five million annually, help angling clubs strengthen membership via a grants program and introduce children’s fishing programs to schools,” Mr Dowling said.

Learn more about the forums at www.vic.gov. au/regionalfishforums – Victorian Fisheries

FORUM CALENDAR 2015 LOCATION DATE TIME VENUE Warrnambool.....29 Oct.........7pm....... Warrnambool and District Angling Club Wodonga...........4 Nov..........7pm....... Department of Economic Development Nagambie..........5 Nov..........7pm.......................................Senior Citizens Hall Nunawading......10 Nov........7pm................................Laburnum Angling Club Torquay..............11 Nov........7pm....................................Torquay Angling Club Shepparton........13 Nov........6.30pm...................................... McIntosh Centre Ballarat..............18 Nov........7pm...............................Ballarat Fly Fishers Club Bendigo.............19 Nov........7pm....................... Bendigo Legion Angling Club Williamstown.....26 Nov........7pm..... Williamstown and Newport Angling Club Lake Tyers..........2 Dec..........7pm........................................... Toorloo Arm Hall Mr Dowling said Target One Million aimed to grow recreational fishing participation to one million anglers by 2020.

It’s full-stream ahead for a Snowy trout run JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

November is upon us and it will be a big month of trout fishing for the Snowy Mountains, starting off with a bang with the annual Snowy Mountains Trout Festival. Participants are likely to find improved conditions this year with the water temperature and levels in their favour.

The major annual Snowy River flushing release to Lake Jindabyne is now over and the lake is on the rise quite quickly. High lake levels have kept the edge fishing on the lake at its best with plenty of trout caught on bait, lure and fly.

The spawning run for the trout was excellent with the higher water levels in early spring on the Thredbo River.

Gaden Trout Hatchery released some huge tagged rainbow trout into lake Jindabyne this year ranging between 2-3kg with the biggest, a whopping 4.7kg. Please let Fisheries know if you manage to catch any of these rainbows, if you want to release the trout at least take the number from the tag and report that.

FLY FISHING For the fly fishing enthusiasts, the rivers and streams are seeing plenty of white moths and tea tree beetles as well as a start to the hopper season. You can still use a small nymph dropper in the faster water and double your chances at catching a fish.

The fly fishing on the lake is still very good around the edges. If you’re careful not to spook the trout, fishing the small bays and inlets will get some results very early and late in the day. Woolley Buggers, Craig’s Night Time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been the flies well worth using at dawn and dusk. The shallow bays on the lake are worth a try early before sunrise but after that you’re better off fishing deep.

TROLLING The best method to get a trout at the moment, for lake boat trollers, is surface trolling lures at 2m deep while leading core lines at 3 colours or 30m.

Try trolling some minnow lures early in the morning off the lead core lines.

StumpJumpers have their 3.5” model out in some great colours now alongside Tassie Devils (Canberra Killer and the Willy’s Special with a brown Bomber thrown in for

good luck) and Rapalas. With an arsenal like this, you are sure to catch a few fish. Best areas to troll at the moment with the high lake level have been the East Jindabyne Islands, Hayshed and Hatchery Bay and up at Creel Bay. BAITFISHING Team your rig up with worms, artificial baits, or the underrated mealworm for good baitfishing. Put two hooks on the line and combine a worm and artificial bait to double your chances of a trout.

Mealworms are most effective fished like a bunch of maggots by placing them about a metre and a half under a float.

Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been Waste Point area, the Claypits and East Jindabyne near Rushes Creek.

LURE FISHING Lure spinning has been good early and late in the day and should continue that way for a while yet. The best fishing for trout happens in the shallows early and deep water later in the middle of the day. Trout love to chase minnow lures like floating Rapalas, StumpJumpers and other minnow style lures. Try either natural rainbow trout and brown trout patterns or gold colours to represent the

Ryan Clark, Emily Cruickshank, and Braydon Carr with their catch.

Jindabyne goldfish that the trout enjoy eating.

Don’t stay in one place too long and only put in a couple of casts in each area.

If you have been following

Steve Williamson’s ‘Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures’ on Facebook, you would have seen the new Bullet Lures that we have been trying out and the newer larger

minnow have again proven to be very successful both in the lake and on the rivers.

Why not call into my shop next to the Shell Service Station at the intersection of Kosciusko Road and the Alpine Way or give me a call on 02 64561551 for more details and latest updates.

• If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly-fishing tuition and lake trolling trips. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours’ duration, and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day. If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, just give me a call on (0264) 561 551 or check out my website at www.swtroutfishing.com.au.

You can also see our daily Facebook updates at https:// www.facebook.com/LJTFA.

BEST METHODS TO CATCH A TROUT Method:..................... Bank based bait on the lake with artificial bait or scrub worms.

Lake trolling lure:...... Tasmanian Devil green and gold Number 111 and Holographic.

Lake area:.................. Creel Bay and Waste Point area and Stinky Bay (The Haven).

Fly method lake:....... Black weighted Woolly Bugger and Williamson’s Goldfish.

River Fly Fishing:...... Black bead head nymphs and a size 12 Tea Tree Beetle or white moth.

River Lures:............... Gillies feathertail spinner and Trout pattern Bullet Lures.

Lake spinning lures:. Trout Pattern Dorado and Rayza 40 Blades in gold.

Contact your local dealer for more information.

VICTORIAN DEALERS

O U TLAW

MELBOURNE BL MARINE

612-614 Plenty Rd, PRESTON

Ph 03 9478 1420

info@blmarine.com.au www.blmarine.com.au

GIPPSLAND

CRAWFORD MARINE

7 great models to choose from

71-77 Chickerell St, MORWELL

Ph 03 5134 6522

www.crawfordmarine.com.au

MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE 92 Hallam South Road, Hallam

Ph 03 9703 2003

info@melbournemarine.com.au

429 Tiller steer 449 Centre Console/ Side Console 469 Side Console 489 Side Console 529 Centre Console/ Side Console

GEELONG

MOOLAP MARINE

250 Portarlington St, GEELONG

Ph 03 5248 3772

info@moolapmarine.com.au www.moolapmarine.com.au

NOVEMBER 2015

67

Consistently inconsistent? Not anymore!

EILDON

Andy McCarthy

Where has this year gone?

It’s November already and the big fat bloke in the red suit is coming to visit very soon, a sign of great fishing ahead on Lake Eildon. The next 8-12 weeks are going be crazy with golden perch schooling up for some fun.

Scattered reports of yellas

little bit excited!

There have still been good reports of nice sized brown trout being taken in the Big River Arm trolling Rapala XRaps and Tassie Devils with the clown pattern a definite standout. A strange year for cod, the fishing has been consistently inconsistent as I have touched on in the past.

The bite window has been short and sharp and at very random times of the day. Now

lead up to the end of the year.

RIVERS The trout season on the rivers is in full swing and with dam flow releases around the 500ML mark things are looking good. The results aren’t bad either with good number of browns to 3lb in the Goulburn and the Rubicon, as well as lots of smaller rainbows in the faster water playing the game. These little guys go really well in the old

Close up shot of a Lake Eildon yella. caught right throughout winter is unusual, and with reports filtering through this season promises to be one of those special ones. Expect to see massive numbers being caught and released from now right up to Christmas. I’m just a

that cod season is closed and the weather is turning for the better we will see a rise in the water temperature and hopefully a more consistent pattern for yellowbelly. Once 1 December rolls around, the cod will be raring to go in the

Kicking everybody else’s for over 10 years

smoker but let’s remember to be steadfast on the bag limits particularly on the Acheron, and the Rubicon which has copped an absolute pounding over the last 4 years.

PONDS At this time of year the ponds have been sensational for obvious reasons and the size and number of fish being caught is fabulous to say the least. With our good friends at Fisheries putting in some nice sized brood stock there

is a promising stretch ahead.

A couple of nice browns around 6lb have been taken on Powerbait in the pink colour and a few also on dough. The Tassie Devil in the rainbow trout pattern is always a winner in the ponds and old mate wonder wobbler in silver has also been doing the job. It’s important to enjoy the fishing while it’s going off and until the ‘powers that be’ start dropping the water for irrigation and the fishing begins to slow. The Eildon Big Fish Challenge is into its third year and going to be a belter of a comp again. Have a look at the advertisement in this issue and come along with the whole family – you won’t be disappointed.

WATER LEVEL I’ve been asked by loads of people of late why they are letting so much water out of the lake. The reason is simple – due to a very dry year, the Waranga Basin is very low to the point where they were almost in need of putting pumps in at great cost to keep water flowing. The decision was made to start the irrigation season early to fill the basin now and slow down the flow later in the season which will be great for fishing the Goulburn River around Christmas time where the flow should be around 4000ML instead of 80009000ML. This is a positive for the basin along with a guarantee that the water will not go below 30%. Officials are saying that next year will be a very wet one and the lake will go close to filling again so let’s wait and see!

Peter Jung with his cracker catch on Lake Eildon.

A GREAT PLACE Recently VFM’s own Peter Jung came to Eildon to visit some clients and was treated to a personal tour of the Snobs Creek Hatchery with native fish breeding guru Steve Vidler. As any other mad fisho would, Pete loved it! After his tour, Pete went out on the lake for a short and sharp fishing session with Lenny from the Eildon Bakery and wouldn’t you know it he landed a beautiful 55cm yella on a spinnerbait, making the trip well worth it. Pete had a score to settle after his last trip where he got absolutely smoked by a massive cod. I will never forget the look on his face – it was priceless.

Due to the lake dropping so much in tandem with low water temperatures, it has been a relatively slow time

compared to other years.

I’m sure things will turn around really soon and the yellowbelly will fire on all cylinders.

Quite a few nice trout have been caught lately with Big River the standout point to flatline troll pink Tassie Devils and Rapala X-Raps. Only a few redfin to speak of but good ones hitting the kilo mark.

As the Junior Vice President of the Snobs Creek and District Angling Club (credit Homer Simpson) I am very excited to announce that our club has secured the old cricket club rooms nestled nicely on the Pondage to use as our club headquarters for the next 10 years. If anyone would like to join our growing, family orientated club give our secretary Barb Vidler a call on 0428 951 958 and keep an eye out for upcoming events.

Yellowbelly Bonnie beasts BONNIE DOON

bassmanspinnerbaits.com.au

Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality.

Open for breakfast from 6.30am everyday Coffee Light meals Pastries Cakes Bread

10 Main St, Eildon Victoria 3713 03 5774 2362 0438 881 629 68

NOVEMBER 2015

Andy McCarthy

Finally, the water temperature has risen to a point where the yellowbelly have woken up and kicked into gear!

Yellowbelly action has been more subdued than the past two Octobers but November will be a great month with loads of fish coming on the chew.

The fish started to school up in good numbers around the shores of the Delatite Arm but held quite deep while the water temp was around the 13-140C mark.

Yellas normally really start to fire up when the temp exceeds 160C. A few abnormally cold mornings below 00C kept the water temperature fluctuating and the fishing a little on the quiet side.

Throughout October there was an abundance of cod caught by people chasing

A fine example of a chunky yellowbelly waiting to be caught at Bonnie Doon! yellowbelly. Russell Sanford and Tarnea Kitchenerbun were chasing goldens when Tarnea picked up a massive 95cm cod as by-catch. This is a fantastic catch! Plenty of other reports of cod caught from 55-90cm is proof of what an amazing fishery

we have thanks to Fisheries Victoria. Our waterways are getting better every year and I am in awe of the health and condition of all the fish in the lake due largely to the amount of food in the system that has flourished since the drought broke.

It might even be worth Fisheries Victoria opening Lake Eildon to all year round Murray cod fishing.

Following in the footsteps of Copeton Dam, which has been well received by anglers from all over. I have been led to believethat there is minimal natural breeding in Eildon and that the lake should be considered a stocked fishery and therefore should be opened permanently – which would be great for fishers as well as local business.

A few reports are coming in of nice reddies once again, not big in numbers but quality sizes in the 1-2kg range.

There have also been some nice big brown trout poking around. Local fisher Adam Poidas picked up a big fat brown that was 66cm and a healthy 6lb nice catch Poida.

Let’s get onto these big goldens in November – tight lines everyone!

Finding gold at the rivers With trout season now in full swing and afternoon hatches becoming more frequent November should see some productive fishing in the rivers and creeks.

GOULBURN RIVER The river experienced some water fluctuation in October due to irrigation needs and seems a lot of anglers get turned off by high flow. Don’t let this high water deter you; some of the best fishing can be had at this time. Find the flooded margins, slow moving pools, and structure and undercut banks.

Whether using hardbodies, fly or drifting a bait your first cast should be hard up on the bank’s edge. Nevertheless, anglers using spinners and small plastics have been

landing trout to 3lb. For bait fishers, I suggest using maggots at this time of year.

RUBICON RIVER This river has been hit very hard by recreational anglers but still holds some great fish, and is one of the only places to hook a brook trout in Victoria.

Catch and release fishos are doing a great job to keep them in the system. Shallow running hardbodies have been working for fish around the 1lb mark but the occasional fish to 3lb has been caught.

SNOBS CREEK This little pristine creek holds plenty of trout around the 200g mark. It is very rewarding to sneak up on a feeding fish and entice into a strike. Fish the shadows and steeper banks. Small

WHAT’S WORKING? GOULBURN RIVER Flies • Elk hair caddis size 12-16 • Adams wulff size 14-16 • Copper bead head size 12-14 • Caddis grub bead head size 10-12 Baits • Earth worms • Mussels • Maggots Lures • Soft plastics • Minnows plastics, spinners and emerger pattern flies will be my pick for November.

TIPS Longer days are here so it’s imperative to protect yourself from the elements.

Hat, sunscreen and a good pair of polarised sunglasses.

My Spotters sunglasses are with me on every trip, they alone have counted for many fish. Walk slow and scan, especially around your feet as there are also plenty of wriggle sticks. I suggest some thick socks and long pants. – Jarrod Biles • For your next guided adventure, give Jarrod Biles from Walkabout Tours a call on 0488 448 826. Specialising in Victorian Waters, Jarrod can hone your skills and teach you all the tips for catching trout, Murray cod, yellowbelly and redfin.

A cold winter and lots of snow has given the newly released trout a good start in the rivers.

Wild boost for Lake Eildon The rivers that feed Lake Eildon are packed with many great fishing opportunities. The area has received a boost of fish stocked from The Wild Trout Fisheries Management Program – 5000 brown trout per year in the Upper Goulburn River, Howqua River, Jamieson River, Big River and the Delatite River.

It will be exciting this season to see how the fish release over the pass year have grown and developed from last season. A good winter and lots of snow has given the fish a good start, and if we get some good spring rains this year these fish will explode into some

WHAT’S WORKING? RUBICON RIVER Flies • Geehi beetle size 14-16 • Bead head hare’s ear size 12 14 Bait • Worms • Mudeyes Lures • Minnows of the best fishing we have seen for some time.

So get out there and see the new fish. Catch and release is always a good policy to keep our trout rivers alive.

GOULBURN RIVER This year was one of the best opening seasons, which saw big specimens and a lot of fish over 2lb. There were even a few over 4lb when the river was low and clear. With the irrigation season starting early this year, due to hot weather in October, will have an effect on the fishing or the way we fish the Goulburn River. When the river is running around 10mL it will require a different approach.

Along the slack water (sides and back waters) the flow is slower, whereby fish food will get stuck and attract predators. As the hot weather builds, so does the food supply with caddis, beetles, duns, ants and an assortment

of other prey.

If you find the food, you’ll find the fish. Stay away from the middle of the river as it is too fast for the fish – they’ll burn up too much energy. The fish will be at our feet and close to the edge, so be careful not to spook them.

The Goulburn River is easy to fish when you understand it.

RUBICON RIVER The Rubicon is a fast freestone stream that offers a great variety of water for anglers; slow long pools to fast runs in the head waters.

This river can be broken up into two sections – upstream of the bridge on the ThorntonTaggerty Road and drown stream of this point.

The Wild Trout Fisheries Management Program has had a significant impact on local trout fishing.

The upstream part of the river becomes a tumbling mountain stream rock/gravel bed and pool/run type best for fly and lure fishing methods.

The lower section is a delightful water with snaggy bends along the valley flats.

Eventually the river enters into the Goulburn, which is very good for bait drifting –

an excellent technique for fishing these smaller rivers.

– Craig Foulis • If you’d like to try fly fishing or just get all the best tips for your next trip, give Craig Foulis a call from High Country Fly Fishing School. He can be contacted at craig.foulis@yahoo.com. au or call 0400 716 934.

Eildon Bakery Café - A flavour friendly retreat FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

I don’t often have the wonderful opportunity to visit Victoria’s inland playground – Lake Eildon.

There are many piscatorial reasons to visit and explore Eildon, Eildon Pondage and the Lake itself. The fish stockings in the Lake will ensure that the fishing only gets better and better. The resolve of Fisheries to create an experience for anglers

The team from the Café that makes you feel at home.

fishing the Pondage during holiday periods has seen them release brood stock and size fish to give all anglers a great chance of success and maybe even catch a fish of a lifetime.

For those that like to walk, a stream, waterways like the Goulburn, Rubicon, Acheron, Jerusalem Creek and Big River are all within a short distance of Eildon and give you a fair chance of tackling with a fish.

With all that said, my time-honoured Eildon tradition is to stop at the Eildon Bakery Café.

Whether it’s before going fishing, in between fishing sessions, or after I definitely don’t need much of an excuse to do so, I just have to stop in.

Situated in the main shopping centre in the Eildon Township, the Eildon Bakery Café is a lovely retreat where you

can sit down, relax, enjoy a coffee with a pastry or get in early, have breakfast and plan your day. Len, Jo and the team make you feel welcome and their smiles are infectious. There are not many things better than a great cup of coffee, good food and a friendly atmosphere no matter where you are and the Eildon Bakery Café covers all the bases.

The recent construction of a roof over the back deck of the Café makes great place to do all of the above and means you can still enjoy the view, even if the weather is less than ideal.

Len is a keen angler and loves getting out on the Lake or fishing Eildon Pondage. He can be a great source of information and was kind enough to get me on the water on my last visit. He put me onto a beautiful 55cm golden

The Eildon Bakery Café has quickly become my visiting ritual when I am in Eildon. perch and the banter on the boat was excellent. I am not saying he will take you out for a fish, but he does know his stuff and is happy to pass on his knowledge.

Anyone who can put me onto a fish must know what they’re doing!

The Café offers catering for groups (bookings

required). I stopped in for breakfast after a group finished dining and the only complaint was that there was too many options. Not a bad thing really!

I strongly suggest if you are in Eildon to stop in and have a coffee and a treat, read the current issue of VFM, and spoil yourself.

NOVEMBER 2015

69

Record golden perch A record number of 252,000 golden perch have been stocked into Lake Eildon to improve fishing opportunities for anglers and get more Victorians fishing, more often.

The previous record was 233,500 golden perch fingerlings in 2009.

This new record complements another big summer of native fish stocking with over two million fingerlings released into more than 90 lakes and rivers.

Most fish were golden perch (1,120,650) and Murray cod (607,000) with smaller numbers of Australian bass (120,000), estuary perch (107,000) and silver perch (35,000).

The stockings were funded by recreational fishing licence fees and the State Government’s Target One Million plan, which aims to get grow participation to one million anglers by 2020, boost stocking from 3 to 5 million per annum and improve fishing facilities and access.

For a full list of stocked waters visit www.vic.gov.au/nativefish2015

Lake Eildon’s trophy size golden perch attract anglers from all over the state, particularly during springtime.

Golden perch do not breed in Lake Eildon so stocking is the only way to maintain the fishery.

One of Victoria’s finest mixed fisheries, Lake Eildon has been stocked extensively with golden perch and Murray cod over recent decades.

www.vic.gov.au/fishinggrants

stocking at Lake Eildon Target One Million - More Victorians fishing, more often Stocked waters included: Water

Murray cod

Albert Park Lake

Golden perch

Australian Estuary bass perch

-

5,000

-

10,000

5,000

-

-

-

Avon River

-

-

5,000

-

Blue Rock Lake

-

-

25,000

-

5,000

5,000

-

-

Broken River

20,000

46,600

-

-

Buffalo Lake

23,690

27,860

-

-

Cairn Curran Reservoir

10,000

20,000

-

-

Campaspe River

20,000

45,000

-

-

Charm Lake

12,360

5,000

-

-

Cowwarr Weir

-

-

2,000

-

Devilbend Reservoir

-

-

-

25,000

Eildon Lake

46,193

252,740

-

-

Eppalock Lake

75,000

120,000

-

-

-

-

10,000

-

100,000

65,700

-

-

20,809

-

-

-

-

-

-

10,000

Hume Lake

90,000

120,000

-

-

Kangaroo Lake

20,000

25,000

-

-

Karkarook Lake

-

-

-

5,000

Kow Swamp

-

20,000

-

-

Laanecoorie Reservoir

10,507

35,000

-

-

Loddon River

35,000

50,000

-

-

Macalister River

-

-

4,000

-

Melton Reservoir

-

-

-

20,000

Mitchell River

-

-

10,000

-

Narracan Lake

-

-

10,000

-

Nicholson River

-

-

10,000

-

20,000

10,000

-

-

Struan Lake

-

-

-

5,000

Tambo River

-

-

10,000

-

Taylors Lake

20,000

30,000

-

-

Werribee River

-

-

-

32,000

Wimmera River

-

70,000

-

-

Wonnangatta River

-

-

8,000

-

Avoca River

Boga Lake

Glenmaggie Lake Goulburn River Gunbower Creek Hamilton Lake

Nillahcootie Lake

#target1million

Specialised trucks with on-board oxygenation deliver native fish fingerlings to waterways where Fisheries Officers and volunteers help release them.

Most native fish are released as fingerlings and take several years to reach legal minimum sizes.

Our Snobs Creek hatchery, near Eildon, grows most of the Murray cod fingerlings released each summer.

Trout fishery returns to Gippsland CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

What a start to the trout season! It’s safe to say, it seems the trout fishing is back like the good old days

Jack Leeson caught this very special 43cm tagged bass in Blue Rock on a hardbodied lure.

and it hasn’t taken long for anglers to remember why they all love trout fishing.

Starting with our local streams in the Strezlecki Ranges, it’s been a real eye opener to see these little rivers come back to life and start fishing like they did years ago.

The fly fishers have been taking advantage and the sport has seen a new burst of life and fishing bead-headed nymphs in the bubble streams has been very successful.

There have been some really healthy little browns caught in most of these small streams and it hasn’t been uncommon to find trout up to 32cm.

Recently, with these hot nights we have had, there have been some termite and beetle falls already, so the dry flies have been working a treat on these late evenings. For the non-fly angler, small size 1 and 2 spinners have been the best lures to use.

In the larger Gippsland streams such as the Macalister and Thomson rivers, the trout have been really good and there has been quality brown trout up

to 40cm in both the rivers. The Macalister has been producing the odd rainbow trout to 30cm as a bonus as well.

Tassie Devils, Mapso Celtas and small Rapalas have been the standout lures in these larger streams and fly anglers are also taking advantage with larger bead-headed nymphs and streamer pattern flies as well. In the Macalister, the humble garden worm is working a treat.

The Wellington River is fishing well as it usually does in spring, but it normally gets difficult over summer. Plenty of small brown trout to 30cm have been caught.

In Blue Rock Lake, the removal of the boating restrictions has got plenty of anglers having a crack at trout trolling and some anglers are having success trolling the bank edges with Tassie Devils and hardbodied lures.

A big congrats to Jack Leeson who did the impossible and landed a tagged bass that was part of the Victorian government’s ‘Target One Million’ campaign, which involved the stocking of 12

Andrew Ketaller caught this big brown trout in a local stream on a Rapala lure. tagged bass, and any angler lucky enough to land one of those fish wins a prize. Jack was lucky enough to be the first to land a tagged bass, which won him the prize of an Allways Angling Gift Voucher. Jack told me he caught the bass casting deep diving hardbodied lures.

• 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!

A golden time of year BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

This time of the year can often be one of the most productive periods for catching fish. Water temperatures have continued to increase, rises in water levels in our impoundments combined with better water flows in our river systems are all factors that contribute to an increase in fish feeding activity. I encourage anglers to make the most of the improved weather conditions and go to your favourite destination to catch a fish.

LAKE EPPALOCK During the spring months it can be very difficult to predict what the weather is going to be and in turn how it is going to affect the fishing.

The amount of rainfall that the catchment above Lake Eppalock receives is critical in determining how productive the fishing will be and also determining where

the best concentrations of fish will be found.

If the rainfall is below average for spring, inflows will be minimal and rises in water levels will also be minimal. This will have a negative effect on the productivity in the fishing.

Water clarity will remain good.

If this scenario occurs greater concentrations of fish will be found in deeper water. Fish will be found holding closer to structure such as standing and lay-me-down timber.

If we do receive above average rainfall and inflows are good and water levels increase, this will have a positive effect on the productivity in the fishing. The fish will become less structure orientated and more fish will forage along the edges of the banks. The water clarity will also reduce and water temperatures will increase as the water is rising over the fresh ground. These are all factors that will improve the productivity in the fishing.

Anglers will see an increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught. Good stockings over the last few seasons will start to be caught by anglers

on a more regular basis.

Unfortunately, the productivity in the redfin fishing is more than likely to only be average again this season.

CAMPASPE RIVER Cold water releases from Lake Eppalock have been having a negative effect on the productivity in the fishing. During these releases, reasonable captures of golden perch are being caught in the weir areas. During these periods of higher flows golden perch can concentrate in this locations. The productivity in fishing the rest of the river systems is often low.

If releases have been reduced for a few days and water temperatures increase, we will see an improvement in anglers’ catch rates. Golden perch are making up the majority of captures, but small numbers of quality redfin have still been caught.

CAIRN CURRAN The productivity in the fishing has continued to be disappointing. I believe we should see a significant improvement in the fishing this month. A couple of good

Quality golden perch are starting to be caught in the Bendigo region. rainfall events and we will see water levels rising over the fresh ground, this will help stimulate fish feeding activity.

This reservoir is fairly small and if the Loddon River catchment does receive some good rain inflows, the fishing can be good.

Cairn Curran has also received some reasonable stocking over the last few years. We should start to see more golden perch being caught by anglers. Casting around the edges of the rocky shorelines can be productive.

Casting the standing timbers

as well as the lay-me-down timbers is also a good option.

If you’re targeting the redfin then trolling hardbodied lures or vertically jigging ice jigs and soft plastics has been working.

LODDON RIVER At this stage it has been a slow start to the fishing in the Loddon River during spring.

The main reason for this has been the weather, cooler than average temperatures have only seen water temperatures increasing at a slow rate. This could change quickly a couple of weeks of hot weather and then there can a significant

improvement in the fishing.

I predict that this will occur this month as long as water clarity remains good.

The Loddon River continues to be a very popular destination amongst anglers.

Hopefully with the stocking of golden perch in both Lake Eppalock and Cairn Curran we will see a reduction in the angling pressure. As always with the Loddon River, those anglers who are prepared to put in the hard yards and fish the more remote areas along the Loddon River will be rewarded.

Spring into November for freshwater fishing action MELBOURNE METRO

Ian Debar iand@gottabite.com.au

November in Melbourne is a good time of year with the mild spring weather and 72

NOVEMBER 2015

daylight savings to help you get motivated to fish! The best offerings for those keen anglers will be found 40 minutes down the road from the suburbs and will see you get amongst some awesome

freshwater fishing action.

TROUT Karkarook Park is one of the closest trout fishing lakes in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs, situated in Moorabbin. The lake has

still been producing rainbow trout since its last stocking prior to the September school holidays, and some of the fish have been around 30cm in length. Anglers fishing with lures and bait have been

catching these fish, with the most productive method being the refined coarse bait fishing method. The trout here can be caught all day long, with a little bit of activity around the first and last hours of sunlight.

Emerald Lake is another trout fishing option on the outer edge of the suburbs and can be a good spot for the whole family. Situated in Emerald Lake Park the To page 73

Bass continue to be the star of the show WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

This month the fishing really heats up for both stream and lake anglers in the region. The streams of West and South Gippsland will start firing up with latespring insect hatchings that will excite stream trout and fly anglers alike. Blue Rock Lake is fast becoming a bass hot spot for sport anglers and with insect hatchings and warmer waters bringing bait fish to the surface, there’s no doubt there’ll be some hot bass surface action over the coming months.

The streams around the Noojee District have been fishing well with plenty of small stream trout keeping fly, lure, and bait anglers happy.

While the fish aren’t big, they are plentiful, in good body condition, and a lot of fun

to catch and release on light gear. The odd small rainbow trout are swimming about but brown trout remain the predominant species.

Providing there are no late season downpours, most streams will start to clear up nicely over the coming month. Many streams are well vegetated and are best tackled by wading upstream and casting into the many pools and runs where trout are feeding. Beaded nymphs work best this time of year and as the water flow starts to slow down, it will be wise to fish the evenings with dry flies to match the hatches.

At this time of year, the pick of the streams has to be the Toorongo River with its picturesque setting. The river meanders through farmland with a bush backdrop so even if the fish aren’t biting on the day, it’s still an enjoyable day out. What makes this stream such a great spot is the number

Leigh Mirams with a thumping Blue Rock Lake redfin caught from the bank near the boat ramp.

The fish measured 50cm and weighed in at 1.5kg.

of trout feeding zones. Waders are not a necessity but are helpful in some areas. Much of the river downstream can be accessed by walking along the banks so lure anglers can have a lot of fun here too. Soft plastic Wriggler Tail Grubs and small floating minnow hardbodies are dynamite on actively feeding trout.

Blue Rock Lake is fishing really well for bass with many fish now being caught and released. Sizes vary with some thumping 40cm+ specimens caught recently. Many anglers are having fun with these healthy bass ranging between 25–30cm alongside plenty of hungry little nippers putting up a decent fight to rival their older brothers and sisters.

Bass are being targeted with a variety of methods.

Over winter bait fishing down deep has been the most successful method but as the water temperature warms up, lures will be the chosen

approach by many anglers.

Casting surface poppers, spinnerbaits, shallow bibbed hardbody minnows and soft plastics are all proven techniques with aggressively feeding bass. Surface lures will be fishing well when bass are feeding up on insects, bait fish and shrimp.

When the weather isn’t as inviting for lure casting, bait fishing with scrub and garden worms close to the bank in amongst snags will still do well. When you find the school, jigging with soft plastics or hardbody jigs work a treat as well. Finding the fish can be hard but if you are prepared to move around and cast a lot, then you can expect to have some bass fishing fun.

A reminder also that blackfish season is still closed until December 31.

Please feel free to send me any reports or photos.

Happy fishing!

Get reddy this month CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

The rains are falling but apparently we are still under our yearly average, so that’s not good for the long term.

Still, many kayakers as well as small shallow draft tinnies have been able to launch at Lake Elingamite near Cobden.

So far, I have been able to get out on two occasions with the help of my bow mounted electric operating in shallow drive to propel my 4m bass boat out past the buoys where the lake is at its shallowest.

The trout have been active but the trophy redfin bite has been sporadic.

Hopefully, this month the reddies will have switched

on, as this lake is known for its huge redfin. There’s plenty of fish from over 1kg to almost 2kg.

But please, don’t get the wrong end of the stick.

They are not a common catch but are definitely out there.

In fact, it took me over ten seasons on this lake to crack a 2kg, 50cm redfin, but in the meantime I’ve managed many reddies from 1-1.8kg, so the wait for the big one has been well and truly cushioned.

In saying that, my first trip out this year in late September netted me a 1.8kg fat redfin plus three one-year-old rainbow trout. Not a bad start in anyone’s books.

Two-year-old brown and rainbow trout far exceeding 2kg have been caught by anglers either casting or trolling shallow to medium diving lures in and around

the encompassing weed beds.

On the eastern shore, narrow gutters and channels can be easily identified by using polarised sunglasses and its’ here where many a fish lies in wait to ambush its prey.

Smaller yearling fish are still coming in around a kilo and can still provide some feisty action once the lure’s trebles have securely embedded in the mouth.

Again, this lake is surrounded by sucking, quick sand like mud, therefore bank fishing is basically impossible.

Lake Bullen Merri at Camperdown has been a tad up and down of late but anglers flat line trolling for trout in the shallows have still picked up some solid rainbows to 2.8kg using medium diving lures. Chinook salmon also approaching this size have gone quiet, however I believe

My first trip on Elingamite for 2015 resulted in this huge redfin taken on a Damiki Saemi 70. this is only temporary.

Bank anglers using Powerbait in chartreus, reds and pinks; local live gudgeon minnow and mudeye all suspended under a bubble float have also caught some solid rainbow trout. The northern shoreline is the place to concentrate your efforts.

Lake Purrumbete has some excellent brown trout with one and two-year-old fish evident. Bait anglers fishing not far from the channel that exits the caravan park boat ramp have managed a few good fish. Mudeye suspended under a float and presented near the weed beds has been

From page 72

lake itself is surrounded by bushland suitable for walks or a picnic lunch, so everyone will be happy. The same methods used in other suburban lakes work well here, with a small running float only modification to your bait fishing rig. There are large pockets of weed in the lake here so the running float will help to suspend the bait above the weed where the fish can see it easier. The trout in the lake will also be caught by fly anglers who pay attention to the surroundings. Early morning and evening can see some good midge fishing in the lake, and normally something like a size 14 Zebra Midge or Griffith’s gnat will bring these fish undone. Small

Left: Morgan Taggert with a wet fly crunching urban lake rainbow trout.

Right: Jordan Cervenjak with a nice wetland lure caught redfin.

Wooly Bugger type patterns also work when slowly stripped around the weed beds.

While not everyone’s cup of tea, some of the storage basins and wetlands around

the suburbs provide good fishing for redfin at this time of year. While they probably aren’t the ideal place to take the kids, keen lure anglers normally find themselves with

some solid redfin that don’t get fished for very much.

Jordan Cervenjak and Jinsu Park have been catching some nice redfin from small wetlands close by to their

homes recently and they report that the fish should only get more active as the weather gets warmer.

If you’ve had some success in these areas lately

successful. This area is known to locals as Horan’s Point. Casting shallow diving minnow lures right up close to the weed has also attracted quite a few strikes.

So far, the season is looking very optimistic and hopefully it should stay that way until late summer. send me a photo and go into the draw for your chance to win a store voucher valued at $100.

FURTHER INFORMATION Email your photo and details to: admin@ fishingcamping.com.au 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.

NOVEMBER 2015

73

Ballarat brown trout bandits BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Extended dry season words that we as anglers certainly do not want to hear but must now recognise as reality. The Ballarat and surrounding district have moved through a cold dry old winter, with great hope of a very wet spring. But our optimism was not enough as the weather pattern has continued in cold, dry fashion.

of rain we get now flows straight into the lake.

Tullaroop Reservoir is the top fishery in the wider district at the moment with some excellent trophy sized trout being caught but the drop in reservoir levels will have a significant impact on the spring fishing results. Instead of fishing over green grassy bays and banks you will be fishing over muddy sandy shorelines with not much incentive for trout to move into the shallows. For now, conditions are good

The water levels in the district are all still falling which is a bad sign of things to come, especially with summer on the way.

Hopefully we receive some late spring rains!

DRY OLD SHOW It would be a shame to not receive these rains as the waterways have been stocked with some magnificent trout by the Fisheries department, paid for by the proceeds of your angling licences. Lake Wendouree is the exception to the rule in the district.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars has been invested by the local council and state government over the drought period to ensure that Lake Wendouree is drought proof. There is always water in Wendouree and every drop

Above and below: Ben Sharp’s awesome Tullaroop browns caught on local minnows.

Top Left: Brown trout caught by Tom Kulczynski on scrub worms fished on the grassy banks of Moorabool Reservoir.

Above Left: Jakey Young with a Lake Wendouree brown trout caught casting Ecogear soft plastics with Dad Ben (who said school pickup was no fun!) Above Right: Shane Stevens’ magnificent Tullaroop rainbow trout caught on a mud eye.

ORDER ONLINE www.adrenalinflies.com.au NOVEMBER 2015

levels but there are still some grassy banks that the trout have been feeding over. Tom Kulczynski has been putting in the hard yards once again and has been reaping the rewards.

I mention Tom’s name in nearly every report because he fishes lots of different waters with varied methods. Tom is always happy to pass on his reports and his valuable knowledge can help other anglers to catch fish. Tom has been catching some awesome brown trout on

been catching a few by casting either soft plastics or hardbodied lures from both boat and bank. The lake will certainly fire up over the coming months as the weather warms.

Currently, the water temperature is absolutely freezing and the insects are a bit on the slow side, once this warms up we will have plenty of midge, caddis, and mud-eyes hatching and with that the trout and redfin in the lake will certainly come on the chew. Fly fishers will once again be hoping for some mayfly action, we saw glimpses of hatches in autumn so hopefully they fire up and bring the lake back to the pre-2010 drought years when Lake Wendouree was Victoria’s premier mayfly water and a destination for fly fishers from all over Australia.

Not a bad rap for a lake in

“Over 250 patterns to choose from”

74

and anglers have been catching some thumpers on bait, lures, plastics, and flies. Ben Sharp scooped the pool recently with two absolute stonker brown trout! Both were approximately 8lb, caught on local minnows fished on a running rig. This makes a lot of sense as the main diet for Tullaroop fish is small smelt, minnows, and yabbies. I fished Tullaroop myself with mud-eye suspended under a bubble recently and was lucky enough to

land a beautiful rainbow trout approximately 3.5lb.

The fish seem to be just cruising around looking for food now after their winter slumber and for a lot of trout fishers this makes spring the prime time for fishing.

RESERVOIR FISHING Moorabool Reservoir is now starting to show some real potential. Once again, the reservoir is suffering from low water

scrub worms at Moorabool recently with quite a few over 3kg. His secret is to put 4 or 5 scrub worms on a running sinker rig and fish on the grassier banks – big bait, big fish. Tom suggests that the smaller fish are scared off by the sheer size of his bait ball of wriggling worms and cannot swallow them and that only the big fish can inhale them.

Proven to be a good theory as Tom has conquered these

big Moorabool browns.

Although time of day hasn’t mattered, overcast weather seems to affect the fishing positively.

Lake Wendouree has had a slow start to the season with some tough fishing. I’ve had a few short sessions with not much to write about but can vouch through the experience of others that the fish are there! Ben and Jakey Young have

the middle of Ballarat!

Fishing in the district will be dictated over the coming months by rainfall and hopefully we get plenty of it. Waters that I would normally write about during the spring months, like Hepburn Lagoon, Newlyn, Bostock, and Cosgroves Reservoir, are all still very fishable but this may change obviously depending on the weather conditions.

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75

What’s New FISHING

1

EVAKOOL PORTABLE TRAVELMATE

Evakool has announced the release of their new TravelMate range of portable fridge freezers, with models to suit almost all applications.

TravelMate is available in two styles: a side-opening version (the TMX 35, TMX 45 and TMX 50) and an end-opening version (TMX 45, TMX 55 and TMX 65). Sizes range from 38-80L. Features include: a stylish, rugged cabinet; unique design that enables the lid to be opened from either side or removed completely, all in one action; no protruding hinges or latches; Secop (formerly Danfoss) compressor; low power draw; silent operation; multi-voltage operation DC 12V and 24V, and AC 240V; heavy-duty handle with built-in magnet to stop rattling; soft touch electronic control; USB port and bright LED internal light.

These new fridge freezers are backed by a 5-year warranty and are available from all leading outdoor retailers.

Price: RRP $1079-$1399 www.evakool.com

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FACEBOOK FOR FISH

Catchability is the app for anglers in Australia, allowing them to follow friends, spots, check the tides, weather and more.

The iPhone and Android app lets anglers upload their catches online and share with fellow anglers the species and its size, as well as info such as where it was landed, with what gear and when.

Above and beyond the features, which track, locate and store, Catchability can even help you identify what kind of fish you’ve caught! The database of photography is shaping up to be one of the best online, and anglers from around Australia are contributing to the information on a daily basis. Sponsored by Shimano Fishing, the free phone app is available to all users who use any brand of fishing gear in Australia. The Catchability app is tracking some of the best fishermen in Australia, so log on and find out where and when those fish are biting! Available for download now for free on iPhone and Android devices.

Price: free www.catchability.com

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SAMAKI SPIDER PRAWN

The all-new Samaki Boom Baits have been well received since their launch at the 2015 AFTA Tackle Trade Show. Boom Baits are made of a 10X super stretch material that is designed not only to last but have enough suppleness to create the perfect action.

The Spider Prawn adds to the range with its unique prawn imitation shape aided by soft legs that create a slow flutter action on the drop. The Prawn’s feelers are even softer, lashing and curling on the retrieve, enhancing the lure’s visual attraction and enticing even the most elusive of species.

The Spider Prawn has been designed in two sizes, 40mm and 60mm, with a colour selection of watermelon orange, pumpkin seed orange, avocado pearl, motor oil, bloodworm and pearl brown. Like all other Boom Baits models, they are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and sport Samaki’s unique rigging system, allowing you to rig your plastic with ease.

Price: RRP from $9.95 www.samaki.com.au

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MEGABASS DERBY X

The Derby X, one of the latest creations from Japanese lure maker Megabass, is a retro mouse imitation that’s set to be a hit with the cod brigade.

This 3/4oz surface lure casts well due to its metal wings folding back during the retrieve. It wobbles enticingly along the top on a slow retrieve, making a fair bit of noise due to its metal wings. The disturbance attracts attention from a fair distance, making it an excellent lure for Murray cod, big bass and more. The little wings fold away when cast, unfurl during the retrieve and then paddle away. Big bass on the Clarence and Richmond will also take a liking to this lure.

As you’d expect, the Megabass Derby X isn’t cheap but it’s of really high quality.

These and other premium Megabass lures are desirable for collectors of fine tackle.

Price: RRP $83 www.megabass.com.au

5

WILLIAMSON SHORE PRO

No longer just a lure company, Williamson has introduced to the Australian market the Shore Pro rod for anglers who are serious about their land-based saltwater fishing.

The Shore Pro is a result of many months of consultation with Australia’s top land-based lure fishers.

At its core, Shore Pro is an ultra lightweight and responsive high modulus graphite rod specifically designed for spinning your favourite coastal spot with 30-70g lures.

Casting, casting and more casting is the mantra of the successful rock angler, and Shore Pro brings casting performance to new heights. At a length of 9’6” (2.9m) and tipping the scales at barely 260g, it’s a genuine ‘all day’ rod for all experience and fitness levels. Shore Pro also features high density EVA grips to help transmit power for ultimate casting distance and comfortable fish fighting. It also has Fuji Alconite K guides and reel seat plus the new Fuji Back Stop lock nut.

Price: RRP $239.95 www.williamsonlures.com

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NOVEMBER 2015

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DAIWA DROWN CICADA II

Topwater bream and bass will be crawling out of the water to engulf the new Daiwa Drown Cicada II. This lifelike cicada imitation features ultra realistic body/paint design, silicone legs and a perfectly balanced body. At the top of the body it has a hollow chamber to keep it floating and upright, and this chamber also collapses easily for solid hook-ups. To prevent the lure from rolling, the belly is solid weighted to keep a low centre of gravity.

If you’re fishing open water, the combination of a worm hook and treble is ideal. In heavy cover or weed beds, you can rig the lure weedless with a size 1 worm hook. Rigging direction changes the action; reverse style allows the lure to walk across the surface, creating a paddling action.

Nose rig it and it will slide delicately across the surface.

The Drown Cicada II is 38mm long, weighs 4g and comes in a pack of two (unrigged). www.daiwafishing.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 76

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

What’s New FISHING

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SILSTAR BACKPACK

10

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MOTOR OIL IN MORE MODELS

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ABU GARCIA SALTY FIGHTER

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The new Silstar Backpack is the ultimate storage solution for anglers who love to take plenty of tackle on their trips.

A number of well thought out and easy access storage sections have been incorporated into the Silstar Backpack, making it ideal for storing extra fishing tackle, clothing, food supplies and even sunglasses.

To keep your lures and hooks organised, this model comes with four tackle trays that are designed to fit the lower section of the backpack. When fully loaded, the large padded back section with adjustable straps makes this backpack extremely comfortable to wear during extended fishing sessions.

A 420 denier PVC shell with a 210 denier padded liner ensures that all contents remain protected from the heavy intrusion of water.

The true test of a good backpack lies in the durability and longevity of zips, and that’s why the Silstar Backpack has nylon zips that won’t corrode if exposed to saltwater spray.

Price: SRP $129.95 www.silstar.com.au

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ZMan’s motor oil colour has proven to be dynamite on a wide range of species, and it’s no surprise when you swim it in the water or shine a UV torch on it and watch it change from a transparent amber to an iridescent green (see photo).

Previously available in 2” CrusteaZ, 2”, 2.5” and 3.5” GrubZ, 2.5” Slim SwimZ, 3” MinnowZ, 3.75” StreakZ, 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ and 4” DieZel MinnowZ, ZMan was flooded with requests that have led to the release of big fish favourites in this go-to colour, including 5” and 9” GrubZ, 5” and 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ and 4” SwimmerZ. Pre-release testing of the new models has exceeded expectations, with flathead, mulloway, snapper, barra, mangrove jack, trevally and a multitude of reef species falling victim to the good oil. If you’re yet to try a motor oil ZMan or have been hanging out for larger models, now’s the time to tie one on. www.z-man.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

Abu Garcia Salty Fighter Origin rods have been designed in Australia for the ultimate casting performance.

Featuring the latest in Japanese rod design, quality components and striking cosmetics, they also represent good value for money.

30 ton graphite delivers a lightweight, sensitive and powerful blank. The lightweight properties of the SiC guide system retains blank action, while tight line control is achieved with reduced diameter SiC ring sizes. The increase in line control improves sensitivity and reduces wind knots. Salty Fighter Origin rods feature a sophisticated EVA grip design with cork inserts that deliver an ergonomic grip system that not only feels great but also looks sensational.

The 16 model line-up consists of 13 spin models and three baitcast models. Actions range from ultra light 1-3kg through to ballsy 6-10kg spin models in 6’6” and 7’. Baitcast models are all 5’6”, from a lightweight 2-4kg through to a barra bashing 6-8kg.

Price: RRP $79.95 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

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

WOLF CHINING PENCIL

Bringing together the best of both worlds, the new Silver Wolf Chining Pencil blends a popper with a walking stickbait to deliver anglers a truly hybrid multi-purpose surface lure.

The Chining Pencil has a shallow smallmouth cup face that delivers a natural pop and splash, and an effective walk-thedog cadence that enticingly zigzags across the surface. With a built in rattle and a silicon teaser on the rear treble, the Silver Wolf Chining Pencil will draw fish in from afar, and tempt those that are near.

Super strong tin trebles add durability and increase lure flash, while its slim profile and aerodynamic design delivers troublefree long casts all day, every day. Trevally, queenfish, mangrove jack and even whiting will be tempted by this hybrid super stickbait.

The Chining Pencil measures 75mm, weighs 4.6g and comes in four premium colours. www.daiwafishing.com.au

LIVE FLASH MINNOW WRIGGLY

The Live Flash Minnow Wriggly brings an entirely new concept and appeal to a lure shape that is already extremely popular.

They say looks can be deceiving, and that’s certainly the case with the Wriggly’s small paddle tail. The paddle is tiny, yet the effect it has on this lure’s action is immense.

On the fall the Wriggly swims to the bottom with a real kick of the last third of the lure.

On a slow retrieve, the tail beat imparts an irresistible action. Of course the Wriggly can still be worked like a traditional jerkbait and can also be rigged weedless or with a jighead.

The Wriggly comes in four sizes (70mm, 90mm, 110mm and 130mm) and eight colours, and has the same indestructible body as the original Live Flash Minnow. It also has the belly foil that enhances the plastic’s colour, and makes the Wriggly come alive.

Price: SRP $16.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

COLOSSUS SPINNERBAIT

The Lurestrike Colossus, from Australian company Kingston Lures, is a quality spinnerbait manufactured using global brands such as Owner and Mikado.

This is one big spinnerbait, and it will troll down to about 6m and is perfect for those deeper sections of rivers and lakes.

The spinnerbait head has been specially designed to suit Australian conditions, with a super tough alloy lead mix, powder coated with a UV Blast Glitter Topcoat and finished off with large 3D eyes. Other features include a 1.57mm twisted eye stainless steel wire form, high quality blades (your choice of genuine gold plated Colorado or matching Goliath Willowleaf with candy coloured front and silver back), 54-strand wide cut Easy Pro Tarantula silicone skirt, HD Duel Spin ball bearing swivel, 11/0 Owner hook and your choice of a Mikado 130mm Fishunter or Lurestrike 200mm Mungo Grub soft plastic trailer.

The Colossus weighs 4oz and comes in five colours.

Price: RRP $21.95 www.kingstonlures.com.au

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

77

What’s New FISHING

13

NEW HEAVIER SPINSECT

The original Spinsect lures have proven their effectiveness on a range of species, particularly flathead, bream, trout and salmon. Building on the successful formula of the 6g and 12g versions, Black Magic has released a heavier 28g model. It’s ideal for fishing the river mouths, in fast current or ultra-deep water when you need something to get down very deep.

This lure has an incredible action in the water and a highly UV-reflective finish to make it stand out to the fish. All Spinsects have a unique blade that spins on a ball bearing swivel, which helps to prevent line twist and also creates a very enticing action.

Spinsects come in an array of colours, and have a strong, sharp treble hook matched to each individual lure’s size.

Price: RRP $11.95 www.blackmagictackle.com

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ABU GARCIA VERITAS 2.0

The updated Abu Garcia Veritas series continues the tradition of lightweight design and superior sensitivity with a renewed focus on strength.

Available in 32 technique-specific actions including light jigging models, the Veritas 2.0 is stronger and more sensitive thanks to a new Spiral Carbon Core Construction. In testing, the 2.0 showed an average increase of 22% in overall break strength as well as a 30% average increase in tip strength over its predecessor. Nano Technology has also been incorporated to deliver 2.5 times the impact resistance of standard graphite rods.

The end result is superior strength, durability and sensitivity without adding weight.

Other features include a Fuji reel seat with custom carbon hood to ensure a secure connection, and Fuji K and KR guides with Alconite inserts. Updates to grip configurations provide a more ergonomic handle design.

There are 21 spin models and three baitcast models in the series, covering a wide range of applications.

Price: RRP $199.95 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

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YAMASHITA LIVE SEARCH 490

The Yamashita Live Search 490 jig has just been released, featuring Yamashita’s “490” glow sticker. This was developed in conjunction with university researchers in Tokyo, who determined the best light for squid to detect.

Like other Live Search jigs, the 490 has a 600hz rattle. Yamashita discovered that squid can pick up sounds between 400hz and 1400hz, with 600hz being the optimum level for squid to be most interested. To achieve this pitch, the Live Search is constructed of a bone plastic material with stainless steel bearings.

This combination creates a rattle that no other jig on the market can replicate.

Other features include Warm Jacket (thermo storage cloth transfers any light into heat), double crown stainless steel hooks, and a patented Slim Nose design to help impart a sharp darting action with minimal effort from the angler.

The 490 is available now in 2.5, 3 and 3.5 sizes.

Price: RRP $20 www.ejtodd.com.au

16

SUPER LIGHT GLASS SLICES

Tonic Polarised Eyewear, the new leader in high quality fishing sunglasses, has launched the centrepiece of its Gen2 range. The new Slice lens is the thinnest and lightest polarised glass lens in the world.

Founder and designer Doug Phillips said the line separating heavy glass from lighter plastic lenses was gone forever.

“We haven’t compromised on clarity and performance,” he said. “The Slice lens is so light you won’t believe you have sunglasses on.”

The new lenses are available in photochromic* copper, photochromic grey, light copper neon, green mirror, red mirror and silver mirror.

Made in Japan, Tonic sunglasses use the latest optical technology including de-centred lenses for distortion-free viewing at any angle.

The scratch-resistant glass lenses are just 1.3mm thick, making them 50% lighter than regular glass. All feature anti-reflective coatings and Tonic’s own polarising filter systems. There are more than 12 wraparound styles.

NOVEMBER 2015

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14

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*Lens automatically darkens or lightens in response to light levels

Price: RRP $279 www.toniceyewear.com.au

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TEAM VENOM KIDS SHIRTS

The Wilson Team Venom sublimated fishing jerseys have shrunk in the wash and are now available in kids sizing.

Featuring the same credentials as the adult jerseys, the kids Team Venom jerseys have a UPF rating of 25+, thumb holes in the arms to provide sun protection for the back of the hands, and a full collar that can be flipped up to protect the back of the neck.

Made from 155gsm polyester birdseye fabric, these jerseys have the ability to manage moisture by wicking it away from the skin. The material can also breathe, keeping the kids cool while they concentrate on their fishing or just fun in the sun.

Coming in kids sizes from 4 through to 14, the Team Venom kids jerseys are generous in sizing to allow the kids to grow into the shirts and not grow out of them too quickly.

Price: SRP $69.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

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GIN CLEAR AND MEDIUM RARE

In response to popular demand, Halco Tackle has made its ghostlike R48 gin clear colour available in a number of new models.

Formerly available in just the two smallest Roosta poppers, the colour has proven very popular with anglers around Australia, prompting the rapid expansion of the colour into more models.

Anglers looking for finesse presentations have found species like whiting in particular happy to inhale the almost transparent offering off the surface.

This colour pattern is now available in the all-new Laser Pro 140 and 45, the C-Gar and Roosta Popper 60 and 45 models.

Halco has also released a new colour called medium rare H84. Available initially in just the award-winning C-Gar and Skim Stick designs, these clear lures with ‘medium rare’ pink backs look the goods and work a treat in clear, shallow waters. www.halcotackle.com

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 78

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

POWERED BY

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

18

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

POWERED BY

TESTED: Okuma Azores Fishing offshore is a tough game.

You’re fishing in a turbulent, salty environment where the things you hook will run hard, change direction in a split second, and every so often be eaten by something bigger and more powerful.

Not only is it tough on you, but it also tests your gear to the very limit. Having gear that stands up to the punishment dished out by constant contact with saltwater and the blistering runs of pumped-up pelagic species is extremely important. It’s a domain where only the best will do, and this usually means spending a lot of money.

Okuma has done its part to blow this theory out of the water by introducing a heavy-duty spin reel that retails for around $200, and comes with a lifetime warranty.

When the Okuma Azores landed on my desk, still in its box, the instructions I was given were simple: “See if you can break it.”

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Due to my work and uni schedule, as well as other tasks that eat into my fishing time, getting offshore to test this product was going to be hard, but I managed to put the reel through its paces.

In preparation, I loaded its deep spool with 300m of 40lb Super PE with room to spare! A few tests with a soft toy and the family dog and I was confident this reel would stand up to the punishment it was about to receive.

First stop was trolling for wahoo off Brisbane’s North Stradbroke Island in a 4.8m fibreglass boat. Doing anything offshore in a boat this size requires your utmost awareness, a little bit of madness and extremely tough fishing gear.

With my mate Kaspar and I trolling a Rapala XXX-Rap and a skipping gar respectively, we did our best to cover our options out on the deep blue, which was pumping out a hefty swell on our chosen day.

We didn’t have long to wait until we were tight to our first wahoo. Kaspar was first to score on 24kg gear, which Kaspar believes is the only way to outrun the sharks this area is known for. In fact, Kaspar believes the sharks have learned what his boat looks like, and have taken to following him when he travels over the bar in his small tub.

With 15kg of wahoo in the esky, it was now the Azores’s turn. It only took a few minutes before the screaming run of a wahoo woke me out of my little daydream.

The pressure was on – there were hungry sharks out there, and even though the Azores has up to 20kg of drag, it was only me manning its gears…

With all my stopping power and the fish’s hard running in equilibrium, it was only a matter of time before a hungry man in a grey suit put an end to the wahoo’s struggle. Sure

Battle ready! The Azores shows off its shine before a trip out onto the big blue.

SCAN THE QR CODE!

This is what remained from a lot of mackerel, wahoo and yellowfin tuna hook-ups. enough, I felt my 15-30lb Terez load up, and the head shakes doubled in size. I now had a shark on. I daresay with someone more experienced and possibly of a more suitable physique, this shark could have been subdued. The lowdown torque of this beastly reel is quite amazing, but my back threw the towel in before I could turn the shark.

Now I know why Kaspar uses 24kg gear!

This kept happening, and the only fish I ended up landing were a few mac tuna, which were released boatside.

I certainly put the reel through some pain – banging and clanging on the way out through the bar, locking horns with things maybe a size too big for the reel and showering it with saltwater. Everything about the reel held up, the only thing lacking in the system was a good operator…

On our second trip we were focused on chasing smaller Spanish mackerel with the possibility of a yellowfin or two. As you would have guessed, the sharks were quick on the game, and having never done this style of fishing I struggled to turn the fish around in the early stages. The result was multiple sharkings for the day. I usually fish fly offshore, and pelagics will often use the softness of the fly reel drag to outrun the shark. The Azores’s drag is wonderfully smooth, but definitely not soft!

As a casting reel though, at only 700g

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

SPECIFICATIONS Size Bearings Gear Ratio Weight (g) Z-55 6BB+1RB 5.8:1

526

Z-65 6BB+1RB 5.4:1

700

Z-80 6BB+1RB 5.4:1

722

Z-90 6BB+1RB 4.4:1

722

and with a very ergonomic design, it felt extremely comfortable to throw around for a few hours. At no point did the braid spring off the spool and cause tangles; nor did the reel show any signs of wearing either, unlike me!

This reel performed beautifully on fish that should have been tackled on gear a size or two up. Despite this, it made me realize just how tough these customers are. Having seldom used Okuma gear, I definitely think that they’re some of the toughest out there, if not the toughest.

I never washed the Azores, and it’s still in fighting form, although this kind of neglect isn’t recommended with any reel.

The Azores is perfect for anyone wanting a way into the world of offshore fishing, or someone like me who only fishes offshore occasionally and doesn’t like to spend hideous amounts on gear.

A fairly inexpensive, all purpose reel like the Azores can be used for trolling, live-baiting, popping and stickbaiting, jigging, and even working over-sized soft plastics and paternosters down deep for reef dwellers. This reel will last forever, and at just over $200 it’s reachable even for anglers who are a bit hard of cash.

To find out more about the Okuma A z o re s , v i s i t w w w. r a p a l a . c o m . a u - Bob Thornton

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

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Kayak sounder success BRISBANE

Justin Wilmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Whatever the application, from locating bait, structure, thermoclines and schooled fish, to selecting an appropriate lure for the depth you’re fishing, working a drop-off or navigating safely to and from your fishing spot, there’s no doubt that sounders have made fishing more productive and water travel safer.

I have been running the Dragonfly-5 PRO Sounder/ GPS for a few months now and have been impressed with the quality of the unit, the simplicity of operation,

a couple home for a feed.

However, there were some days when the flathead weren’t schooling in the area I was fishing. Whether this was due to moon phases, rainfall, tides, or one of the many mysteries of fishing, I suddenly had a couple of fishless sessions.

After I mounted the Dragonfly to the kayak I was excited to see how useful it would be when the flathead weren’t playing the game.

None of it is rocket science, but the detail of what is below the kayak, that the Dragonfly provides, has seen me change things up and while I still fish the edges for flathead, I now have the ability to locate fish, bait and structure, while also using the sounder to make adjustments

use the sounder to assist us wherever possible.

STRUCTURE In an earlier issue I wrote about secondary structure, specifically that by keeping an eye out for structure on the sounder, while working the edge for flathead, you can catch more fish. I now seek out structure when travelling to my fishing spot, moving between spots and exploring new water. By taking the time to position the kayak down current and casting soft plastics back over this structure I have caught more fish and a wider variety of fish species.

BAIT Never underestimate the importance of bait. Often when there is no bait on the

A deeper drop-off and the 3-8oz jighead comes into play. Here you can see the trusty Dragonfly situated at the front of the kayak. a mangrove edge, look for the drains that are holding the bait as they are the ones that produce the fish.

FISH While chasing flathead I have a few areas that commonly hold schools of bream and grunter. If I see the fish on the sounder, then I’m pretty confident that I will catch them on plastics or at least get a few rattles.

If I don’t see fish, or at least plenty of bait on the sounder, then I continue through these spots and onto the next.

On other occasions I have located schools of fish on the sounder and after persistence, have been rewarded with yellowtail pike, school mulloway, trevally and a variety of other species.

After numerous successes I trust that if the Dragonfly says there are fish under you, there are and it’s worth spending some time changing up soft plastic sizes, colours and

Above: Even in shallower water, the dragonfly shows you where to cast. Below: Gearing up for a big day! and the number of high tech features packed into this navigation and fish finding powerhouse.

When I fitted this sounder I started with the ‘bloke test’. The bloke test involves unpacking the unit, fitting it to the kayak and then spending a day on the water fishing – all without opening the instruction book.

I don’t recommend doing this, but at the same time I know that many will and I’m happy to say that there aren’t a million tiny confusing parts to somehow build together! The assembling and mounting was quick, easy and made sense, and once on the water the menu system was intuitive and in no time I was switching between sonar, GPS, and DownVision, or a combination of these via a split screen. I could also adjust the depth range, zoom, mark waypoints and save screen shots to the micro SD mapping card housed securely in the rear of the unit.

Recently I’ve spent the majority of my time fishing the edge for flathead without a sounder, on the last few hours of the run out tide. This is an extremely effective way to make the most of available time, catch fish and bring 80

NOVEMBER 2015

Top: A nice bream I may not have captured if I hadn’t seen the bait and fish on my sounder! Above: This section of water was loaded with blue jellyfish. in jighead weight that have seen me catch more fish. There are many benefits to fishing from a kayak, however the inability to just start the motor and travel long distances to our next spot means that we need to make the most of the area that we are fishing and

fishing my local river there are a few sections that I travel through, including a rocky patch and a deep hole, and if the bait is there I am confident that I will land a few bream on 2.5” curl tail or paddletail plastics. Likewise there are a series of drains along

sounder, there is little fish activity in the area. Find the bait – find the fish. When travelling, drifting, fishing the edge or exploring new water, bait is at the top of the list of things to look for.

If I find a drain, flat, pinnacle, drop-off or any other

section of water that is loaded with bait then I will give it some more time. On the other hand, if I am not seeing bait on the sounder then I will run and gun through the area. I still cover those areas with casts but won’t give them any additional attention. When

styles, along with retrieves, until you are convinced that they simply aren’t eating.

SOFT PLASTICS On the topic of changing things up until you find what works, my experiments with the Dragonfly have seen me changing from two rods in

Top: This drain was loaded with bait and produced bream, grunter and flathead. Above: Justin Willmer’s hotspot that produces bream. Look for bait and fish on the Dragonfly and you’ll get onto them too.

the yak, rigged with 1/4oz jigheads and 3” paddletails in different colours, to three rods rigged with three different jighead and plastic combinations; a 1/6oz 1/0 jighead with a 2.5” paddletail, a 1/4oz 3/0 with a 3” paddle-tail and a 3/8oz 3/0 with a 3” paddle-tail or 4” curl tail.

This combination allows me to adapt to what I see on the sounder. I still sit a cast distance from the edge of the bank, but if the area is shallow I swim the lighter weighted, smaller plastic, producing a more natural presentation, and increasing the number of bream, whiting and other smaller mouthed species that I catch. If it’s between a 1-2.5m deep, which is common in the areas that I fish, then I will run my favourite 1/4oz 3/0 and 3” paddle-tail. The third rod comes into play along sections of bank that drop away to 3-4m below the kayak, where previously I would move quickly through the area, fish the first couple of metres of edge or spend more time fishing the lighter jighead slowly down the drop.

The 3/8oz head allows me to fish these deeper drop-offs quicker and more effectively, especially if there is bait or fish showing on the sounder.

This three rod setup also allows me to mix up my presentations when fish, bait

Always a good day when the flathead are biting! or structure is located on the sounder and more effectively fish the visible fish, bait and structure in a wider range of water depths.

If you’re looking at fitting a sounder to your kayak, check out the Raymarine Dragonfly-5 PRO Sounder/ GPS and then spend some time getting to know your

sounder and learning to trust it by turning what you are seeing on the screen into bent rods, happy snaps and a fresh feed of fish. Keep the checklist of fish, bait and structure in mind when monitoring your sounder and have a few different soft plastics rigged and ready for action! See you on the water.

GEELONG Geelong Boating Centre 88 Barwon Heads Rd, Belmont VIC p 03·5241 6966

TRARALGON Gippsland Boat Supplies Princess Hwy, Traralgon Vic p 03·5174 1223

BRAESIDE JV Marine World 878 Springvale Rd, Braeside Vic p 03·9798 8883

LAVERTON NORTH

Designed and built for Aussie conditions, trust Quintrex to be the best boat your hard earned money can buy!

JV Marine World 15 Fitzgerald Rd, Laverton North VIC p 03·9368 7100

BAYSWATER Streaker Boats 461 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater Vic p 03·9729 8288

MILDURA Sunraysia Marine 13 Seventh St, Mildura Vic p 03·5022 1155

BENDIGO Bendigo Marine World 160 Midland Hwy, Epson Vic p 03·5448 3988

NOVEMBER 2015

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Cod Classic goes large with million dollar fish!

BRISBANE

Stephen Booth

The 2015 Cod Classic will be the biggest yet, with an unprecedented addition to the massive prize pool – a Million Dollar Cod! Yes that’s right, a cod worth a million dollars.

Never before has the Australian fishing tournament scene witnessed as much excitement and anticipation in the build up to an event as the upcoming 2015 Yamaha Cod Classic. With the amazing prize of a potential $1 Million dollars* for catching ‘Phil’ the specially tagged Murray Cod. An ISUZU D-Max ute, seven boating packages, plus a list of goods too long to mention, make up the multitude of prizes on offer.

There’s plenty of time to get lost among the beautiful creeks and tributaries in search of those big Murray cod.

record of the largest amount of fishing boats ever assembled at the one point at the same time.

This is an amazing sight to see but surprisingly there is still plenty of room to fish on the lake and river.

In 2001 a massive fish release was instigated by the committee of the MFNC bringing together funds from Mulwala Football Netball Club, NSW Fisheries, Fisheries Victoria, and Rex Hunt Futurefish Foundation to see the release of 110,000 golden perch into Lake Mulwala. This was the first time cross border parties have come together in such a venture.

In 2009 the first ‘Fishing & Outdoor Expo’ was held in conjunction with the Cod Classic. With the addition of this feature, along with a huge fireworks display to celebrate 10 years of the Cod Classic, the largest crowd ever of 3,113 competitors assembled.

2013 saw the introduction of a $20,000 cash bounty for a lucky angler if they manage to catch ‘Brian’, a specially tagged Murray cod. The bounty for the tagged cod ‘Henry’ increased in 2014 to the choice of either a Ford Ranger or Ford XR6 Ute for the lucky captor.

Mulwala with lures –trolling and casting.

If trolling is your game, look to the edges of the Murray River and the tributaries in the lake. Edge water supports countless numbers of fallen trees, tree stumps and weed edges that can be trolled around, over and through. Choose lures that run to a particular depth and find that depth. For example, if your lures runs at 15 feet (5m), look for edge water that is around 4.5-5.5m deep. This will have your lure on or near the bottom and will have it crashing through the sticks and stumps that Murray cod call home.

If you’re trolling down the river below Mulwala, you’ll need lures that swim a little more shallow as much of the water is less than 12 ft (4m) deep. Concentrate on trolling at a slow walking pace in relation to the current. Obviously at this time of year if you are trolling with the current you are moving fairly quickly, but don’t be afraid to swing it around and troll into the current. Don’t forget to troll slowly in relation to the current – and not to the speed you are going in relation to the bank.

Lure casting is a favoured

You might even be lucky enough to find a chunky yellowbelly amongst the cod!

The twin towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala will come alive over the weekend of December 4th, 5th & 6th to celebrate the most eagerly awaited social event on the fishing calendar, the 2015 Yamaha Cod Classic.

HISTORY OF THE COD CLASSIC The Cod Classic is organised and run entirely by a dedicated and loyal band of volunteers from the Mulwala Football/Netball Club. The competition is used as a means to raise much needed funds to help keep the club afloat with majority of funds raised going towards the maintenance and redevelopment of the new multi-purpose community centre based at

Lonsdale Reserve.

The idea of running a fishing competition for the club was first conceived by club president Brian McKee in early 2000. This idea was put to the committee and supported by all. Almost overnight the club was up and running with the idea and ‘The Big Catch’ was born. This event was held in late February 2000 attracting only 44 competitors. From that day on, the direction of the competition and the date of the event has changed to make it into what it is today – the ‘Cod Classic’– Australia’s richest freshwater fishing event.

The congregation of boats that can be trailered at the Cod Classic is an unofficial world

The days are long, but the rewards are phenomenal. Imagine catching the elusive ‘Phil’ and taking out the grand prize!

Top: Release of a healthy cod during last year’s tournament. Above: Happy anglers all round!

DETAILS The Yamaha Cod Classic will run from Dec 4 – Dec 6, 2015, with the actual fishing occurring on Saturday and Sunday with the pre-event briefing being held at 8:30pm on Friday night.

Entry costs are: Pre-paid Adult:....................................................$95 Adult (on weekend):..........................................$100 Junior:..................................................................$50 82

NOVEMBER 2015

2015 sees the largest prize ever offered within the Australian fishing tournament scene of a potential $1million cash if somebody can catch ‘Phil’ the specially tagged cod for 2015.

After the 2015 event, a staggering total of 89 boating packages will have been given away through Cod Classic history.

FISHING OPTIONS Mulwala and the Murray River provide endless fishing options for those chasing a Murray cod, but don’t forget that golden perch and carp will all have you in the running for some great prizes.

Many anglers love to troll or cast lures for their native fishing fix, but an equal number like nothing better than sitting back in this beautiful area and watching a rod tip while carefully placed bait entices a fish or two.

LURE OPTIONS There are two main methods of targeting cod in

option for many anglers and Mulwala presents one huge problem – there is so much structure it’s almost impossible to know where to start! A good clue is to work in water that is between 1-2m deep. Most casting lures (spinnerbaits or hardbodied lures) will cover this depth very well. If you’re just starting out, look towards the shallow edges of the main river course in the lake and cast at just about everything.

Cod prefer a roof over their heads so pay special attention to fallen trees.

Keep your retrieves fairly slow to allow the cod (or golden perch) to see or feel your lure and react to it. Repeated casts to a good looking snag are sometimes warranted but I think most cod will smash your lure in the first three casts. Golden perch on the other hand can take up to 20 casts to get interested. It’s your call if you want to target a cod or a golden – both are

Close up cod caught on a Zerek Flat Shad. great fun on cast lures.

In the Murray lure casting is a simpler process because you can target snags and eddies more easily. Look for bulges in the water in front of prominent snags as well as swirling water behind prominent snags. Both

areas are likely to hold cod and goldens with the cod usually associated with thicker snags and the goldens found more often on the skinner snags. But the next cod or golden could throw this general rule out the window so expect anything!

BAIT OPTIONS Bait fishing is one of the best ways to connect to a cod or golden (or a carp).

Baitfishing can be as simple as using a running sinker rig with the lightest sinker you can get away with (really light in the lake and much heavier in the river below), a short 30cm trace and a sturdy bronze hook that suits the bait being used.

You can also change it up with a paternoster rig with one or two droppers or even dispense with the leader and run the sinker right to the bait.

Popular bait include worms, shrimp, yabbies and bardi grubs, but in recent years baits such as cheese, chicken breast and fillet steak have been used with surprising success.

The biggest tip when

baitfishing is to use a hook that matches your bait. For bardi grubs a long shanked hook is perfect. For worms, shrimps and yabbies a suicide pattern is great. For the alternative baits, you can use whichever hook you like as most of these baits can be cut to suit the hook – one of the great advantages of non-traditional baits.

It’s a good idea to strike a little earlier than normal to reduce the likelihood of the fish swallowing the bait too deeply, but if this does occur, cut the line as close to the hook eye as you can and let the fish get rid of the hook itself. It’s not perfect, but it is the best way to reduce mortality of released fish.

BOAT OR BANK All of the above tips and tricks can be used whether

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2015 BREAKING

NEWS

you’re fishing in a boat or from the bank. The structure and areas you look for remain the same, however a boat allows you to cover a lot more area.

If you are restricted to fishing from the bank don’t be worrid! My last trip to Mulwala saw a bank angler catch a metre-plus cod on a chicken piece from the bank.

At last year’s Cod Classic we actually walked the bank below Mulwala and landed 2 cod and 3 golden perch on cast lures, so it’s always worth having a crack!

EARLY BIRD ENTRANTS All adults fully paid by 5pm, 20 November will go into a draw to win a 3.9m Quintrex Explorer Boat, 15hp Yamaha Motor, Trailer and Lowrance Fish Finder.

The winner will be drawn on Saturday 5 December at 9pm at Mulwala Football

Ground. The lucky winner must be present.

Junior early bird entrants will go into a draw to win a special package of lures.

Don’t forget the essentials!

Good fishing gear is crucial - rods, reels, terminal tackle, bait, and lures.

You’ll need an Esky, camera, and cash. Not to mention, a Lake Mulwala map, a sense of adventure and a dose of good luck!

For all information, please log into www.codclassic.com. au OR email codclassic@ bigpond.com OR drop in to Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski – 74 Melbourne Street, Mulwala.

The Cod Classic committee strives to make this the best fishing event on the calendar and guarantee anybody who makes the effort to attend the Cod Classic will not go home disappointed.

The whole family can get onboard for the Cod Classic – even this lucky pup got a day out on the water.

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 NOVEMBER 2015

83

Aussies compete at the China Open tournament Once again, and for the third consecutive year, we had a team of Australians off to compete in China at the Shengzhong Lake China Open Championship.

With Aussies taking the honours in 2013 and 2014 events, including the trifecta on last year’s podium, taking home more than $110,000 USD, we looked forward to this year’s event with a few changes.

This year, the China Angling Association along with their sponsors, informed us that there would be a reduced Australian team of four competing against 16 internationals, and 60 Chinese with total prize money reduced from $80,000USD to $50,000USD. First prize was

reduced from $30,000USD to $15,000USD. All competitors would again be fishing out of identical Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayaks fitted with Hobie livewell, Lowrance sounder and a wide angle camera mounted at the front of the kayak. This year’s event would be telecasted live on national television, using the camera footage from the kayak for the live feed.

The Aussie team selected was Scott Lovig, Carl Dubois, Richard Somerton and myself after we took the top four positions from last year.

Although numbers were stacked against us and expecting some Chinese followers on the water,

we were still confident one of us could steal top spot again.

The rules were the same this year with the traditional five fish weigh-in, with the total combined bag weight from both days. Red tail and top mouth culter were the main targets, but the elusive catfish was always going to be a tournament winning catch as a single catfish in the well was sure to outweigh a bag of five culter.

OPENING CEREMONY / PRE-FISH DAY The opening ceremony didn’t disappoint us, with a big crowd of around 20,000 watching on in steamy conditions. The next day we headed out on the water for a six hour pre-fish. With

FINAL RESULTS (TOP 10) Place.........Name...............................................Weight (kg)...............Prize Money 1................Xiaohong Ma (China)........................5.01...........................$15,000USD 2................Richard Somerton (Aust.).................3.50...........................$9,000USD 3................Carl Dubois (Aust.)............................3.43...........................$6,000USD 4................Chris Floyd (NZ)................................2.99...........................$4,500USD 5................Jinbin Wu (China).............................2.96...........................$3,500USD 6................Matt Petrie (Aust.).............................2.84...........................$2,500USD 7................Joseph Kraatz (USA)........................2.75...........................$2,500USD 8................Max Tan Kheng Yeow (Sing.)............2.66...........................$2,000USD 9................Sean Brickland (NZ)..........................2.54...........................$2,000USD 10..............Lars Lundberg (Sweden)..................2.53...........................$1,500USD

An exciting opportunity to meet competitors from all over the globe!

only a four man team, we aimed to cover as much of the fishing area as possible trying different lures and techniques. Knowing that we may have some followers, we left our ‘honey holes’ for Day 1. Confidence was high at the end of the day with all of us finding fish, falling to our ‘go to’ lures and technique. As expected, the Chinese had done some homework, or watched our on board cameras from last year, and happily showed us that they were now using similar lures. It was going to be an interesting competition!

DAY 1 Day one started with the alarm chiming at 4:30am for a 5:30am bus ride to the event

The Australian team arrive in China for the Shengzhong Lake China Open Championship. waters. We were concerned how event staff and volunteers would get 80 anglers onto the kayaks in time for the start, but to their credit it all went reasonably smoothly.

We began, legs pumping to beat others to our spots, with the usual three or four Chinese anglers riding our tails!

At the end of the day, three of the four Aussies had full bags, but news spreads quickly and we soon learned that one of the Chinese anglers (Xiaohong Ma) had caught two catfish with a bag weight of 4.23kg!

This put a serious dent in our quest for a 3rd title position. At the end of weigh-in we had three Aussies in the top 10.

DAY 2 With a win looking unlikely, we set out to get solid bags of culter, knowing that a pressured system may not fish as well as Day 1. I struggled, battling through the day to find only three fish, but of better quality. Richard also had to tough it out, managing to finalise his full bag in the last half hour of the day and Carl, also filling his bag early and putting both in contention for a podium finish. After

RESULTS Place.................Name..................................Weight (kg) 1st.....................Xiaohong Ma......................4.23 3rd.....................Carl Dubois.........................1.81 6th.....................Richard Somerton..............1.57 10th...................Matt Petrie..........................1.45 final weigh-in, Richard and Carl held on to finish on the podium with 2nd and 3rd respectfully and myself lucky

enough to secure 6th.

Excellent effort by the Australian team, and our international competitors!

A nice example of a Shengzhong Lake top mouth culter!

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2015

DATE DETAILS

NOVEMBER

CONTACT

Nov 6-8 Berkley BREAM Series Grand Final

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

Nov 6-8

ANSA Burrinjuck Convention Burrinjuck Waters State Park

info@canberrafishos.com

Nov 6-8

Hawkesbury River Classic Hawkesbury River

Brett Chain changa@ol.com.au

Nov 13-14

Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic Dartmouth

(02) 6072 4233 dartmouthmotorinn@bigpond.com

Nov 14-15

SCFCA Freshwater Competition Eucumbene

southcoastfca@yahoo.com.au

Nov 21-29

Rapala BARRA Tour TNQ

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

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au 84

NOVEMBER 2015

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FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION BEATING THE BLUES

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The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Fishing Monthly selected prize pack.

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FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

VIC NOVEMBER 2015

Phone (day):

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FIND THE BERKLEY LOGO SEPTEMBER LOCATIONS BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

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GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The Find the Berkley logo prize winners for September were: P Berner of Box Hill, B Meaney of Tungamah, W Henley of Heathmont, R Ansel of Kyabram, N Chalmers of Ararat, R Crossman of Torrumbarry, R McMillan of Grovedale, B Whyte of Myers Flat, B Cunningham of Mildura, A Grant of Geelong West, A Rudkovsky of Sunshine West, E Howarth of Cowra, D Baulch of Colac, J Killian of Briar Hill, R Sanders of Lang Lang, T Sowter of Rosebud, T Sweeney of Emerald, R Waters of Temora, P Raymond of Rosebud, W Fearnhead of Skipton, C Gios of Myrtleford, B Walpole of Warrnambool, K Tripp of Glenroy, S Davies of Craigieburn, M Harvie of Rye, C Byrne of Wangaratta, R Wenzler of Ashwood, E Attard of Yalloura North, T Dron of Alfredton, M Ambler of Churchill, J Stoop of Norlane, E Jarvis of Traralgon, P Geale of Georgetown, F Healey of Traralgon, P Clarke of Wonthaggi, B Sebire of Traralgon, B Tranter of Strathfieldsaye, M Fryer of Balwyn North, W Johnson of Morwell, D Tonkin of Lavington.

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NOVEMBER 2015

87

The bare bones project PORT PHILLIP EAST

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

I have been fortunate in the past to own a tournament bass boat, which proved to be an exceptional vessel for competition and social lure fishing for all sorts of estuary, inshore, saltwater and freshwater fish species.

A growing family, changing work commitments and less competition fishing were all contributing factors that forced my hand, and the good old Stratos had to go.

After finding my bass boat a new home in Tasmania, the search was on for a new boat that would be more suitable for family fishing in the bay and estuaries, and that would also suit my favourite forms of lure and fly fishing as well.

THE QUEST FOR A BOAT As anyone who’s owned a boat will tell you, there’s no such thing as a perfect boat, but my previous experience owning a Formula 15 led me back to that same hull again.

My budget didn’t allow for a Formula, so I decided to go retro and hunt down an old Haines Hunter 445 or 146, which has the same hull shape as the Formula, underneath. The idea would be to find an old hull that was in good order, and build it to my specifications. Sounds simple enough?

It wasn’t long after my grand idea had been floated, that I got a call from my mate Stuart Buckingham to tell me that he’d found a Haines Hunter 146R for sale on eBay. This call came even before my

into major American brands, I based the basic layout and design on a Ranger 16T. The biggest change to the factory layout I made was to convert a forward-steer runabout to a tiller steer while maintaining the maximum horsepower possible. I made myself a list of ‘must haves’ for the layout, using my past experience in a bass boat to decide the modifications and items I wanted to incorporate.

Before any building and design work could take place, a new trailer needed to be purchased, as the original Tinka trailer resembled more of a spider web than a boat trailer. I wanted a ski-boat style trailer for ease of towing and low maintenance. After talking to a few people in the know, there was only one way to go – I approached Dan Brown from Easytow trailers, and the end result was a custom built, heavy duty ski boat trailer. Dan

he showed up at my house that I realized our daughters went to the same school – small world! Adam was immediately on board with the ideas I had for the hull, and gave me a more educated opinion on the best way to start the process.

He wrote me a list of things to do before he could start work and I was underway.

The first thing I did was strip and gut the hull, and sell off anything that could be re-used, like the original engine (still running), windscreen, seats and side pockets. Next I took to the top deck with a grinder, zipping off any excess fibreglass that was not going to be part of the new design.

Heaps of fun – but dirty, dusty, and very itchy work! Once this was finished, the new hull shape was really starting to take form.

I was fortunate when I bought the boat that the transom was still 100%, and

The finished product – looks amazing on the water! re-glassed into place. I’d like to thank my old mate Peter Mazey for his help during this messy process, and for storing my boat for some time while this was taking place.

The boat was then dropped off to Adam at AWM

Top Left: My little rocket has proven to be a handy little tournament boat too! Top Right: Total underfloor re-construction was completed by Adam Wilson to house a 75lt underfloor tank. The tank placement greatly improves hull stability at rest.

Left: Looks like just your typical 15ft runabout. The plan was about to make it a whole lot different Above: After the purchase of a new trailer, the next step was to gut the hull, and remove all excess top deck not required in the re-design. old boat had been delivered!

A quick trip the following weekend to visit the owner, and the deal was done. The project was underway.

The hull I chose was only 15ft long, so the challenge was to maximize the fishing and storage room in such a small space. After extensive research 88

NOVEMBER 2015

was an enormous help during the whole design process.

THE BARE BONES PROJECT Next I had to find someone who could make my vision for the hull a reality. Luckily, I found a local boat builder, Adam Wilson from Adam Wilson Marine. It wasn’t until

didn’t need to be replaced. The floor of the hull was a little soft, but needed to be removed anyway to make room for an underfloor fuel tank – time to crack out the grinder again!

As well as the floor, all of the surrounding old flowcoat needed to be removed so that the new floor could be

so he could get to work. I had already purchased a 75L underfloor tank that would be placed along the spine of the floor, but the lack of room required a total re-construction of the underfloor structure.

The reconstruction needed the approval of a naval architect, and custom filler and breather

tubes integrated into the design. The new fuel tank placement improves the hull’s stability at rest, and allows for a greater range of travel.

Over the life of the project Adam proved to be a real master of his craft. His willingness to achieve what I wanted with the design, and

also involve me in the project was amazing.

After the new floor was in, the layout for the decks and storage was mapped out. This was when everything really started to take shape. Rod storage lockers, a big livewell, tackle storage and a food/drink cooler were ‘must haves’ for

Left: Travel cover and bimini from Avtek Covers finished the job. Right: After the new floor was completed, the deck layout is mapped out. the layout, and the real basis of the design. The layout had to be functional, and maximize floor level seating and fishing room, as well as providing a roomy front casting platform, big enough for two anglers.

CONSTRUCTION The bulkhead construction for the deck layout came together fairly quickly afterwards, and Adam completed all of the timber construction for the top of the casting decks as well. Before all of this was sealed and glassed together though, the underfloor fit-out needed to be completed.

Firstly, all of the plumbing, hoses, and connections for the livewell needed to be installed.

The guys at Marine Warehouse supplied me with a complete Flowrite kit for the job, which is the same system used in bass boats and other tournament boats. Installing this kit was a breeze, made easy by the ‘Kwik-lok’ hose and fitting connectors – everything just clicked together. Gold! I also installed a three-way Rule pump, allowing pump out, a three way pump actuator, Flowrite timer for the livewell and an automatic bilge pump and float switch.

Next we installed the

After this step, the top of the floor was glassed into place. Adam also glassed the gunnel to the deck itself giving the hull extreme strength and rigidity. Everything except

colour to a brighter ‘Kawasaki’ green, which I love!

We flipped it over again, and gave the same treatment to the top deck. As I was planned to wrap the sides of the hull,

Bream GF at Mallacoota. I wanted this trip to be the first big one for the new boat and it all came together just in time.

There were still a few minor things to be done and changes

to be made at this stage, but these were completed over the Christmas break.

In conclusion I am stoked with the way my little rocket came together – it has

proven to be a very useful and functional vessel, and a pretty good tournament boat as well.

More importantly, this boat allows me to take the family fishing in comfort.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped me during this project, and if I’ve forgotten anyone, I apologise in advance. Adam Wilson, Stu Buckingham, Peter Mazey, Shaun Clancy and Scott Eastwood at BLA, Dan Brown from Easytow Trailers, William and Steve at Marine Warehouse, Riley Tolmey at BRP, Michael Starkey at Frogleys Offshore, Cranbourne Boating Centre, Tackleworld Crabourne & Mornington and Sport Phillip Marine.

Left: After all internal construction was complete, the hull was spun on a jig so the hull underneath could be re-finished Right: The hull undercarriage was expertly finished by Adam after a lot of sanding and filling by yours truly! the livewell lids, and the lids for the rod lockers and tackle storage were part of this construction. For the lids I used 12mm king starboard plastic, for ease of installation and maintenance. This product has no competition, and is exceptionally easy to work with.

Then the fun really started.

Adam spun the hull upside

these were not re-worked at all, except for filling some holes and scratches. Every other inch of the boat was given the treatment, and I have to say that the finished product greatly exceeded my original expectations.

When the engine was fitted to the transom, I was starting to get really excited.

Nearly 8 months had passed

Qualified Boatbuilder/ Shipwright 25 Years Experience

Before

After

The finished layout is very functional for two anglers, and even has enough room for my two kids as well. wiring for accessories, lights, and other gadgets that needed to run underneath the gunnel before the final firbreglass work took place. This I did by hand, but you can buy readymade looms off the shelf, including a switch panel if it suits your needs better. I installed a factory Minn Kota wiring loom that has an inbuilt circuit breaker –also easy to fit.

down with a hoist at each end so he could work on the underneath of the hull. I was on hand to help during this process over a few weekends, which involved lots of sanding and elbow grease. The finished product was done with two-pack, not gel coat which looks great and provides a real classy finish. We were also able to tweak the original hull

since the project had begun, and the final bend was in sight. I had never owned a tiller-steered boat before, and I couldn’t wait to get it on the water and give it a spin.

THE HOME STRETCH The final fit out of the hull was a whirlwind, cramming in every night after work for nearly two weeks to get it finished before last year’s Vic

• Boat Fit-outs • Boat Painting • Custom Teak Work • Transom & Floor Repairs

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0412 529 361 – awilsonmarine@gmail.com NOVEMBER 2015

89

Harris Grand Mariner SL 230 FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

In the car heading to Echuca to do this boat test, I tried to picture how I was going to tackle a boat test on a pontoon style boat – a style of boat often referred to as a ‘party boat.’ I tried my best not to have too many pre-conceived ideas, but that proved to be impossible! I went into the test with some positive expectations in regards to comfort, space and family orientation but found myself unable to find too many angler friendly thoughts to go with them.

I met Paul Eade from Xtreme Marine the following morning and was introduced to the Harris Grand Mariner SL 230. Aside from the obvious comfort and luxury of the fit out, my eyes were immediately drawn to the Mercury Verado 300 PRO supercharged 4-stroke on the back of it. With that, some of those preconceived ideas I had were already being blown away and I could see this was going to be a lot of fun.

LAUNCHING AND RETRIEVING The Murray River at Echuca was the destination for the boat test and launching facilities there are excellent.

First impressions are always important and the ease in which Paul launched the boat by himself was impressive. In less than a couple of minutes the SL 230 was nudged against the bank and you could just walked on and off through a front gate.

Not a wet foot in sight and we were ready to take it for a spin!

Putting the boat back on the trailer proved to be just as easy. The SL 230 has a drive on trailer and once the boat is lined up, driven all the way onto the trailer and locked into place you are ready to head off to your next destination.

ON THE WATER As you can imagine, many of my fixed ideas about a pontoon style boat at 25ft

The Harris looks and performs with excellence.

SPECIFICATIONS Overall length:......................................................25’ Pontoon length:...................................................23’ Beam width:....................................................... 8’6” Weight:............................................................ 3743lb Weight capacity:............................................2900lb Max persons:........................................................14 Max hp:........................................................... 300hp

Top: The ability to sidle up to a bank and enjoy what a waterway has to offer is a huge advantage of this style of boat. Above: The aluminium skin kit, full-length keel, lowered centre tube and lifting strakes all contribute to how well the SL 230 handles and performs on the water. long, related to handling and manoeuvrability. I was full of questions for Paul and getting a feel for what the handling would be like prior to getting behind the wheel myself was of great interest to me. Paul conceded that many people who had come for an on water test had similar doubts to mine and he enjoyed seeing their thoughts change just by the look on their faces.

It didn’t take me long to understand this change of heart. The transition onto the plane was very smooth and it didn’t take long to get to a very respectable 42.5knot top speed.

Considering the size of the SL 230, it manoeuvred

more like a small craft. I do not consider myself to be an immensely experienced boat driver and the beauty of this craft is that you do not need to be. The ride was incredibly soft, as you would expect from a pontoon style hull.

The air pocket created by the pontoons cushions the boat from any harsh landings and the dolphin nose cones ensure you slice through any chop with ease.

Although we were testing on the Murray, there is no doubt that the Grand Mariner SL 230 would be at home in a saltwater environment and would deal with any wind chop, boat wake or swell with ease.

FIT OUT It will be difficult to fully explain just how many options are available to personalise the Grand Mariner SL 230 to your every need. First and foremost is the floor plan and seating configuration. Options for this area include a fishing pod with bait station, rod holders and live well at the rear of the boat, and that’s just the beginning.

Layouts can include a ski tow bar, ski locker, entertainment bar, changing room with curtain, deluxe seating and multiple floor plan options.

There is clever storage in and under all of the seating and above floor fittings. The attention to detail to ensure the end result is user friendly

and meets the purpose they are designed for is second to none. Paul showed me the battery housing and to say that it was immaculate would be an understatement. There was not a wire out of place and this was the same with every aspect of the fit out.

The boat we tested had a double bimini top, which zips together to provide a serious amount of sun protection.

You can also option to have mesh sides to keep the bugs out or full clears to give you even more protection from the elements.

It also had a full multimedia system fitted, with LED lights in all the speakers. The LED lighting didn’t stop there

either, with plenty of floor lighting, lighting in your cup holders and even in the bimini if you wanted, so you would never have an issue with not being able to see what you are looking for or navigating around the boat.

THE HULL The Grand Mariner SL 230 is part of the performance package range of the Harris Pontoon boats. Basically this means that a third pontoon is incorporated into the hull design to allow for larger motors (150hp and above). There are three levels of performance package dependent on the motor configuration.

The tested boat had a level 3 package hull, which included a full-length centre tube that is lower by an inch, creating more of a V-hull design. This further improves handling, increases fuel capacity, improves the hole shot and increases the horsepower rating of the vessel to up to 350hp.

Considering the size of the SL 230, the handling and manoeuvrability is hard to believe. Until you get behind the wheel and take it through its paces, you can’t understand how well it performs and how easy it is to drive whether at top speed or cruising. Harris has been around for 55 years and continues striving to improve its hull designs. I have to say it would be pretty amazing to improve on what we tested.

MERCURY 300HP VERADO PRO FOUR STROKE No matter the hull, a quality outboard is required to bring all of the elements together.

QR CODE

The tested boat had a changing room option.

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NOVEMBER 2015

Scan the QR code to watch Harris Grand Mariner SL230 in action.

Mercury’s 300hp Verado Pro 4-Stroke is an incredible piece of kit. A supercharged air-cooled inline 6 motor, it is one of the lightest in its class.

The DTS (Digital Throttle and Shift) gearshift system provides a smooth power transfer and the electro-hydraulic power steering further enhances the ease of driving the SL 230.

The Mercury is perfectly suited to the SL 230 and had plenty of power to get us on the plane quickly, to tow a skier or slowly cruise and troll a lure behind the boat.

FISHABILITY The Grand Mariner SL 230 is not a lure casters dreamboat.

Heading up shallow backwaters is not what it is designed for.

However it does come into its own as a platform to fish from and as a base to explore a waterway.

There would not be a more stable platform anywhere to fish from and if you included the fishing floorplan that has a bait station and live well you have some serious fishing options available to you, whether it be in an estuary system, on the Murray River or larger inland waterways.

The ability to easily park it on a bank, set up the biminis, sneak out for a bit of lure casting in the smaller boat you have towed behind you and then return knowing that there is a cold drink, shade and plenty of comfortable seating to come

back to – a bizarre scenario where being left behind has its benefits!

TOWING The SL 230 is a large vessel and –with the additional weight of the Mercury 300hp Verado as well as extra fuel storage – it is not something that can be towed by the family sedan. However, any vehicle with a 3t towing

capacity would easily tow it.

There are no additional width towing requirements, so if you have the vehicle, you can get out and get on the water.

CONCLUSION After three hours on the water my thoughts on what the Harris Pontoon had to offer had changed dramatically. The obvious things like family orientation,

comfort and versatility had only been enhanced. I know my family would thoroughly enjoy getting out on the water, running a tube or skiing behind it, then sidling up to bank for a bit of lunch and wetting a line, before further exploring the waterway.

My reservations about launching, retrieving, manoeuvrability and handling

had been totally dispelled.

In fact, everything was hassle free.

The versatility of adapting the floorplan to meet your needs is a serious bonus. It can be set up to cruise, to fish, to ski or any variation of that.

There are not too many boats that can offer this amount of choice.

If I had to use one word to

Crowne, Solstice, Sunliner, Cruiser, Omni.

To find out more about the SL 230 and the range of Harris pontoon boats you can contact Paul Eade at Xtreme Marine in Echuca on 03 5482 2333 or you can go to their website www.xtrememarine.net.au • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Above Left: There is lots of practical storage everywhere. Above Middle: All of the seating is comfortable including the skipper’s chair. Above: LED lighting is a feature of the boat. There is enough to put on a fantastic light show. Far Left: The seating in the Grand Mariner SL 230 is absolute luxury. Left: One of the options is to have a fishing station at the rear of the boat including a bait station, rod holders and live well. describe my last impression of the Harris Grand Mariner SL 230 it would be ‘excellent.’

The Grand Mariner is second in line as far as what Harris Pontoon boats offer – other boats in the range include:

HARRIS

®

Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

GRAND MARINER SL230

SL230 Overall length 25’ Beam 8’6” Max HP 300

T R A N S E N D

T O

L U X U R Y

Phone: (03) 5482 2333 24 Sturt Street Echuca VIC 3564 www.harrisboats.com.au

See it in action!

NOVEMBER 2015

91

Northbank’s 600C with Mercury 150hp 4-Stroke

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

When Fishing Monthly first tested a South Australian built Northbank boat earlier in the year, we were pretty impressed with the finish and performance of the brand. Set up at Melbourne Marine Centre with one of the new, 2.1 litre Mercury 4-strokes, the 550 Cuddy was a great rig and we were keen to get out in the boat’s bigger brother.

Fast forward six months and we get to take it out for a ride – the 600C. Paired with a 3L 150hp Mercury 4-stroke, our initial impression was that this setup was going to be underpowered, but we were wrong. Overall, we were highly impressed by the set-up and value for money that the combination presented.

Andrew Stephen from Melbourne Marine Centre got QR CODE

Scan this QR Code to watch the interview about this boat with Melbourne Marine’s Andrew Stephen.

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NOVEMBER 2015

his timing just right. This was a boat set up for hardcore snapper fishing and we were testing it just before the AFL Grand Final – if you wanted to get out on the water quickly with a stock boat that’s ready to go right out of the yard, this rig would tick all of the boxes.

Like all Northbank test days so far, we were greeted with a sloppy Port Phillip Bay. Nothing wrong with that though, as the conditions the boa face are actually testing.

There are plenty of awesome boats when it’s blowing 2knots with 10cm of wind chop.

Imagine a couple of feet of leftover westerly roll combined with some northerly white caps and you can see we were in for a challenge of a comfortable ride.

Indeed, with the unpredictability of the waves, we couldn’t get WOT performance data – 4000rpm was the maximum we felt comfortable pushing the boat to – both with and against the chop.

At around 3000rpm and with the boat trimmed down, the 600 landed softly and progressed at around 30km/h into the mess. About face and jacking the motor up a little, she surfed nicely down the waves.

Andrew expanded on why the seemingly minimal 150hp works so well on this hull; “It’s a large, 3L capacity engine and matched with a 14 ½” Enertia propeller it develops a lot of torque at low range. That’s why it jumps on the plane so quickly and has

SPECIFICATIONS Length (with bowsprit):....................................6.0m Length Overall:..................................................6.3m Beam:...............................................................2.42m Length on trailer:.............................................. 7.3m Capacity:...................................................7 persons Fuel:...................................................................150L Max hp:................................................................200 Deadrise:............................................................. 21º Hull only weight:........................................... 1100kg Towing weight:.............................. 2000kg (approx.)

Price as tested: . .........................................$80,938 Prices from: . ...............................................$65,602

There’s a mile of cockpit room at the business end of the 600C. The test boat was fitted with all round rod holders (including rocket launchers) and a bait station to the starboard of the transom door.

PACKAGE PRICING RPM................................... km/h.......................... L/h Idle (650):........................... 4.5..............................2.1 1000:.................................. 7.5...............................3.6 2000:.................................. 13...............................8.4 3000:.................................. 29................................ 17 4000:.................................. 44................................28 Note: rough conditions meant that we couldn’t open out the rig to WOT.

fantastic economy,” Andrew said. On average, this package returns 1.5km per litre of fuel used.

Therefore 150L of fuel capacity will give you around 300km of range – ample for multiple snapper trips in the bay or extended trips chasing SBTs. And although this boat is at the lower end of the price range for vessels in this class, it seems that there’s not much skimping on the little bits that make the boat much more ‘liveable’.

“The carpet is clip-in and removable, which makes it easy to pull out and wash down after a heavy fishing session and the little comforts – like the fold-away rear lounge – makes for a great place for the mates to sit while travelling and you can swing it away when the business starts,” Andrew continued.

Melbourne Marine is also focussed on making the transition to a larger vessel user friendly. After all, towing, launching and driving a 6m craft may be daunting

if you’re upgrading from a smaller boat.

“You can tow this with a family Prado or Territory no worries,” Andrew said, “And it’s easy to launch, easy to clean, easy to drive and it’s easy to get in and out of the boat with the swim board, transom door, step and ladder,” he continued.

Indeed, as tested, this rig came in at just over $80,000, but with ‘starting-from’ pricing as low as $65,602, it’s a great stepping stone into the world of big boats.

For more information on this package, give Andrew and the team at Melbourne Marine Centre a call on (03) 9703 2003 or visit www. melbournemarine.com.au.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

Effortless anchor deployment and retrieval is virtually standard on boats of this ilk nowadays. The hardware doesn’t look bad, either, although expect that anchor to be well worn by the end of the snapper season.

The bunks and shelving are simple and easy to clean. Sometimes it’s important for the family to get in and out of the weather, it enhances their boating experience and makes it easier for Dad to get the thumbs up for another boat down the track.

The helm seats are comfortable, adjustable and are positioned well to access all instruments.

Fitted with Mercury Vessel View and a Garmin touch screen sounder, the dash was definitely uncluttered. Imagine what it would have looked like only five years ago to get that same functionality.

We definitely got to test these babies out in some sloppy conditions. They turn a full 180° to make a comfortable place to monitor your spread of snapper rods.

The twin-axled, fully rollered Dunbier trailer makes short work of drive-on, drive-off launch and retrieval and the alloy wheels look classy.

It would have been nice for Andrew Stephen to have the Fishing Monthly guys help him load the boat back on the trailer, but we wanted to see how he could do it single-handedly. Piece of cake.

The Northbank 600C is a great looking boat and represents excellent value for money in the 6m glass boat category. It can be towed with a 3L dual cab 4WD.

You can’t do a proper boat test and not get the anchor wet! The StressFree winch deployed and stowed the anchor with ease. Who remembers the days where you had to do this by hand?

Here’s a look at the offset fold-down seat and bait station on the starboard side and the transom step-through door on the port. It all makes sense and is presented neatly.

NOVEMBER 2015

93

What’s New BOATING

1

GARMIN GHP REACTOR

Designed to be mounted just about anywhere and in any orientation, Garmin’s GHP Reactor autopilot series sets the standard for performance, ease-of-use and safety.

The GHP Reactor’s unprecedented performance is the result of Garmin engineers integrating a new solid-state nine-axis attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) that yields less heading error and course deviation, reduced rudder movement and lower power consumption, providing a smoother ride and overall better experience for boaters.

Installation is easier than ever with mounting options nearly anywhere on the vessel. Once installed, the GHP Reactor autopilot also reduces configuration and calibration time from 20 minutes to as few as 5, allowing you to get out on the water with more confidence and in a shorter timeframe.

Using the Garmin-patented Shadow Drive feature, the GHP Reactor automatically disengages the autopilot with a turn of the helm wheel.

For hydraulic installations, the SmartPump can also be implemented, providing improved reliability, lower power consumption and further installation simplification.

Price: RRP from $2,999 www.garmin.com.au

2

MERCURY FESTIVAL OF FOURSTROKE

More and more boat owners are moving to Mercury FourStroke technology – and now there are literally hundreds of additional reasons to make the switch.

For a limited time, participating Mercury Dealers are offering up to $700 off FourStrokes from 2.5-75hp. Boaters can now enjoy the many benefits of world-class, leading-edge technology at even more affordable prices.

Better still, this offer is available to recreational and commercial customers – no restrictions.

By combining performance, superior corrosion protection, efficiency and peace of mind, these engines will take your time on the water to a whole new level. Mercury FourStrokes are so popular because they do exactly what you need them to, hassle free.

No matter the size or job, Mercury’s 2.5-75hp FourStrokes all have one thing in common: uncompromising reliability. And they are also very easy to operate.

Offer ends on 20 November. www.mercurymarine.com.au

3

LATEST UPGRADE TO LIGHTHOUSE II

FLIR Systems, Inc. announced the release of the latest upgrade to its acclaimed LightHouse II operating system for Raymarine multifunction displays.

LightHouse II Release 15 gives captains the ability to monitor their engine room using the new FLIR AX8 marine thermal camera system, improves collision avoidance with completely new graphical representations of AIS targets, and now supports direct software updates over Wi-Fi to keep Raymarine users up-to-date with the latest technology.

Boaters can gain an entirely new view of their vessel’s mechanical systems with the FLIR AX8 marine thermal monitoring system.

Combining thermal and visible cameras in a small, affordable package, the AX8 integrates with Raymarine MFDs to keep a watchful eye on such critical equipment as engines, exhaust manifolds, and shaft bearings.

With LightHouse Collision Avoidance tools, both expert and novice captains can now monitor potential dangerous crossing situations with easy-to-interpret on screen graphics, called target interception zones.

Price: RRP $1,750 www.raymarine.com.au

4

BENNETT SLT TRIM TABS

Now you can have the durability of a Bennett trim tab system with a simple, quick and easy installation.

There is nothing to do inside the boat – only the mounting of two actuators and two tabs at the transom. It’s an affordable, simple solution for small boats from 3-5.5m (10-18ft).

The SLT uses some of the high-quality, proven materials and durable design used in Bennett standard hydraulic systems.

Quick and easy installation – no template needed! You can change the position of the actuator with adjustable mounting options that are available on the trim tab.

The SLT reacts instantly to boat speed and water pressure by adding trim when it’s needed. At slower speeds, when the boat is trying to get on plane, the actuators hold the trim tabs down, which automatically lifts the stern and simultaneously puts the boat at planing attitude. On plane, the boat’s speed increases, and water pressure pushes the tabs up.

Price: RRP from $269 www.harroldmarine.com.au

5

The Haines Group, distributors of Suzuki outboards have just released a new digital engine management gauge to the Australian market.

The team is delighted to announce Suzuki’s next generation standard equipment gauge that features a colour, 3.5” LCD display. Suzuki Marine outboard engines showcase the very best technology available and this is certainly apparent in the new engine management gauge.

It provides users with information such as engine RPM, speed and trim angle as well as a whole range of diagnostic data received from the outboard motor such as fuel consumption, economy data and warning alarms, so you’re always up to speed with what’s going on.

The new gauge’s easy to read display offers a variety of modes including day or night settings and the option for digital or analogue display of information. www.suzukimarine.com.au

6

NOVEMBER 2015

2

SUZUKI’S NEW DIGITAL GAUGE

3

4

5

QUINTREX’S TOP ENDER 510

Quintrex’s Top Ender series is back with more features to help you land that next big catch.

Claiming its place as the ultimate fishing rig the 510 Top Ender now features 4mm bottom sheets and 3mm side sheets; both increased by a 1mm for extra strength and durability.

New practical features to the 510 Top Ender also include full-length side pockets, underfloor storage bins and a large anchor well opening.

With the Blade Hull the Top Ender range not only beats the best in the fishing department it offers the smoothest and driest ride on the water including superb stability at rest.

The 510 Top Ender comes standard with an impressive line of features including rod holders, a live bait tank in the back deck, scupper drainage system and a rear ladder.

The 510 is available as a Quintrex Instant Boating Package including boat, motor and trailer complete with a threeyear factory backed warranty. www.quintrex.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au 94

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Len Timmons from the Eildon Bakery Café loves his fishing around Eildon, however a yearly trip to North Queensland is something he always looks forward to.

Especially chasing fish like this.

& Fishing Trips, Geelong (03) 5275 7107 Katrina Louise Charters, Cheltenham 0402 828 140

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Victorian Tide Times

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA SEPTEMBER Time 0107 0649 TU 1343 1920

1

Time

m 1.55 0.34 1.63 0.39

0148 0736 WE 1400 1957

m

Time

Time

m

1.47 0.47 1.49 0.41

0150 0726 TH 1359 1946

1.51 0.47 TH 1431 1.51 2030 0.37

2 0243 0815

17 0337 0923

3 0331 0900

18 0412 0957

4 0520 1045

19 0447 1032

5 0608 1130

20 0524 1107

6 0658 1214

21 0604 1143

7 0041 0750

22 0647 1220

8 0127 0845

23 0027 0736

9 0219 0943

24 0116 0832

16

2015

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

1

1.70 0.40 1.61 0.15

1.75 0.40 FR 1444 1.62 2036 0.11

0303 0848 FR 1458 2059

m

Time

Time

m

1.57 0.53 1.45 0.30

0415 0943 SU 1603 2200

1.60 0.52 SA 1533 1.46 2131 0.28

2 0500 1028

17 0430 1012

3 0545 1112

18 0507 1049

4 0629 1155

19 0545 1127

5 0012 0714

20 0627 1206

6 0055 0801

21 0010 0711

7 0141 0851

22 0101 0801

8 0235 0944

23 0200 0900

9 0344 1037

24 0310 1005

16

1

1.77 0.46 1.54 0.12

m

Time

m

Time

1.66 0.55 1.42 0.24

0441 1013 TU 1628 2223

1.66 0.54 TU 1624 1.41 2210 0.25

2 0521 1056

17 0452 1034

3 0600 1139

18 0530 1115

4 0637 1220

19 0610 1158

5 0024 0715

20 0002 0651

6 0106 0755

21 0052 0737

7 0152 0839

22 0146 0830

8 0246 0929

23 0248 0930

9 0354 1023

24 0401 1037

16

1

1.71 0.48 1.46 0.23

1.66 0.47 WE 1713 1.41 2304 0.31

0414 0954 WE 1608 2152

16

17 0225 0811

3 0255 0830

18 0259 0845

4 0346 0918

19 0333 0918

5 0437 1003

20 0408 0953

6 0530 1048

21 0445 1028

7 0625 1134

22 0528 1103

8 0009 0723

23 0614 1141

9 0100 0822

24 0706 1224

10 0158 0922

25 0042 0808

10 0324 1040

25 0218 0937

10 0503 1130

25 0430 1112

10 0513 1119

25 0007 0520

11 0306 1022

26 0144 0916

11 0440 1135

26 0332 1045

11 0034 0613

26 0026 0548

11 0045 0621

26 0108 0632

12 0417 1119

27 0258 1025

12 0006 0551

27 0455 1149

12 0121 0704

27 0126 0656

12 0131 0713

27 0203 0733

13 0521 1211

28 0418 1126

13 0101 0649

28 0041 0613

13 0201 0746

28 0220 0751

13 0214 0756

28 0254 0826

14 0019 0614

29 0532 1222

14 0148 0735

29 0142 0716

14 0239 0824

29 0311 0841

14 0254 0836

29 0340 0915

15 0107 0658

30 0055 0633

15 0228 0814

30 0236 0809

15 0315 0900

30 0358 0927

15 0334 0915

30 0421 1000

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

0.53 1.36 SA 1655 0.71 2323 1.29

0.52 1.39 SU 1754 0.63

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

1.54 0.49 FR 1503 1.52 2104 0.34

1.55 0.50 SA 1536 1.51 2137 0.33

1.54 0.53 SU 1610 1.48 2209 0.33

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

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

0.45 1.33 SA 1426 0.70 2122 1.29

0.48 1.37 SU 1544 0.63 2244 1.37

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

1.61 0.42 WE 1312 1.56 1856 0.24

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

0.63 1.28 SU 1723 0.64

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

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

1.62 0.52 SU 1609 1.46 2204 0.27

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

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

0.44 1.37 SA 1357 0.60 2049 1.27

0.51 1.34 SU 1502 0.57 2213 1.31

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

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

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

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

1.52 0.65 FR 1345 1.35 1951 0.30

1.59 0.61 SA 1426 1.39 2027 0.26

1.64 0.58 SU 1506 1.41 2101 0.24

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

1.53 0.51 FR 1833 1.33

0.40 1.47 SA 1251 0.50 1930 1.31

0.48 1.42 SU 1344 0.47 2042 1.31

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

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

1.65 0.64 FR 1314 1.44 1912 0.14

1.72 0.59 SA 1407 1.48 2004 0.11

1.76 0.54 SU 1456 1.50 2052 0.12

1.75 0.50 MO 1543 1.49 2139 0.16

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

1.49 0.75 SA 1307 1.30 1916 0.30

1.57 0.69 SU 1356 1.34 1957 0.26

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

31 0327 0857

1.78 0.47 SA 1518 1.56 2113 0.09

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

m 1.67 0.52 1.42 0.23

1.66 0.48 TH 1651 1.42 2232 0.27

2 0202 0742

1.63 0.34 WE 1427 1.67 2011 0.28

1.72 0.46 MO 1647 1.50 2245 0.19

0352 0936 MO 1545 2136

Local Time DECEMBER

1.63 0.44 FR 1736 1.40 2316 0.33

1.58 0.40 SA 1826 1.38

0.41 1.53 SU 1244 0.37 1924 1.36

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

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

1.57 0.71 SA 1248 1.38 1855 0.19

1.64 0.64 SU 1345 1.41 1947 0.17

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

1.67 0.48 WE 1611 1.42 2204 0.26

31 0458 1041

1.63 0.45 TH 1655 1.40 2244 0.33

Last Quarter

Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

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