Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly December 2019

COD CASTING TECHNIQUES • CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

Features

Freshwater lure options • Fish stocking: will there ever be enough?

• Kayaking Western Port • Casting for cod techniques • Christmas Gift ideas •

Boating & Kayaking Propellers for beginners • Double christening the yak and SUP •

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December 2019, Vol. 15 No.2

Contents WEST COAST West Coast

8

16

18

22

40

Warrnambool 18 Apollo Bay

18

Cobden 19

CENTRAL Geelong 22 Port Phillip West

24

Port Phillip North East

26

Mornington Peninsula

28

Port Phillip Surrounds

32

Western Port North

34

Western Port South

36

Phillip Island

38

EAST COAST Gippsland Lakes

44

Bemm River

44

Corner Inlet

46

Marlo 46 Lakes Entrance

48

NSW SOUTH COAST Merimbula 50 Narooma 51 Bermagui 52 Mallacoota/Eden 52

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Wagga Wagga

62

Yarrawonga 63 Albury/Wodonga 63 Robinvale 64 Bendigo 64 Snowy Mountains

65

West/South Gippsland

65

From the Editor’s Desk...

Every year, it seems as though we become more busy. Fishing Monthly is no exception. We all seem to be working harder for the same rewards. There’s thirteen employees at the Fishing Monthly head office who work hard to put out 48 monthly magazines each year – the Qld, NSW, Vic/Tas and WA Fishing Monthlies are the biggest state-based monthly magazines in their respective regions.

But modern magazine publishing has its challenges. It’s not like it was 20 years ago when there was a stream of companies wanting to spend their marketing budgets with you. The modern publisher has had to become multi-skilled.

Nowadays, we don’t just make magazines, we make magazines and other things. The other

things include events, video content, websites and web stores. And by default we need to volunteer to help the industry in other ways.

Currently I serve on the Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA) and Australian Recreational Fishing Federation (ARFF) boards. All voluntary.

Sometimes it leaves little time for fishing and little time for family. With a hefty away-from-home calendar each year, it’s sometimes great to get the time to spend simple times with the kids on a riverbank.

And with mulloway, threadfin salmon, bream, bull sharks and catfish in my local, do you know what the kids want to catch most?

Toadfish…

Those little brown toadies – the ones that swim around the shore looking to mop up whatever has dropped in. As hydronamic

as a brick and just about as clever as one, my kids (10 and 11) love nothing more than a stick, line, #14 hook and bread sight-casting to toadfish.

I reckon that it comes down to the visual aspect.

I’m a dead set sight-fishing addict. It doesn’t matter if it’s a carp or a tuna, if I can see it eat, I throw at it. The kids are the same. If they can walk along and see the prey and then try to catch it, it triggers something primal in all of us.

They’re definitely not a big or prestigious fish, but I see them learning lessons about how to stalk and present to a fish and be patient enough to catch it.

So that’s what we may well do lots of in the two week break where we shut the office down over Christmas. Watching cricket and chasing the ultimate river toadfish bite.

We’ll all be away for those two weeks, so if you’re after a gift subscription for Christmas or a Carl Jocumsen jersey, get your orders in by 12 December. Kym and Marie in the front of house will be happy to get you hooked up with what you want.

If you’ve left it too late, you can still buy gift subscriptions on iSubscribe right through the holidays.

Just look at the most popular magazines on the Boating and Fishing section – you’ll find us at the top!

From all of us at the Fishing Monthly offices, thank you for your business throughout the year and for keeping a small, independent local publisher that prints in Australia going. We still love doing it – even if it’s a heavier workload than before.

Wangaratta 66 Eildon 67 Shepparton 68 Nagambie 69 Crater Lakes

70

Mildura 70 Ballarat 71

Fun Page

86

Flyfishing 60 Inland Fisheries Service

57

Tasmanian Lake Levels

55

Tournament News

79

Track My Fish

82

Trade and Services Guide

84

Victorian Game Fishing

30

Victorian Tide Times

98

What’s new boating

92

WIRF 76

SPECIAL FEATURES Freshwater lure options

8

Fish stocking: will there ever be enough?

12

Kayaking Western Port

40

Casting for cod techniques

58

Christmas Gift ideas

72

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Dean Norbiato with a lovely Murray cod taken on a Bassman Spinnnerbait.

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Exploring freshwater lure options WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

The Victorian Fisheries Authority has been doing great things for recreational fishing in recent years and when it comes to freshwater fishing, they certainly have gone above and beyond.

Tens of thousands of Murray cod, yellowbelly, brown, rainbow and tiger trout, Chinook salmon, Australian bass and estuary perch have been stocked in many lakes, dams, rivers and streams throughout Victoria, allowing anglers the opportunity to head out on any given weekend and catch fish.

For some anglers, fishing is about relaxation, sitting on the edge of a riverbank flicking out a mudeye under a float or a worm on a running sinker rig; while for those more energetic anglers, catching fish on a lure is far more rewarding. Lure fishing is exciting but each species will respond uniquely to different lures. On one day one lure might work, while on the next it may not. So, how do you decide what lure to tie on?

CRANKBAITS These little bundles of joy tend to be smaller, often ranging in size from 30-70mm, although it is not uncommon to get larger crankbaits, especially for those targeting Murray cod. Crankbaits can

knowing which action to use is vital. Crankbaits can be sinking, suspending or floating models, as well as being shallow or deep diving. This is because fish often change their feeding patterns. For instance, it might be the middle of day

order for it to work its magic.

A constant wind of the jerkbait can have very little action, while a rip ‘n’ pause retrieve will have the lure dart left and right in a fast action, often causing a reaction bite.

Jerkbait fishing is all about the retrieve and more often than not, mistakes are made.

Jerkbaits work best with the use of the rod, not the reel. This means holding the rod’s tip towards the water after a cast, then ripping the rod to the left or right somewhere between 60-100cm and pausing.

Jerkbaits will be pulled though the water, giving off their action, and then on the pause they’ll either sink, suspend or float depending on the model.

There is no surpassing the Zerek Flat Shad. When it’s slow rolled, it is dynamite on Murray cod.

Surface lures come in many forms and are available for all freshwater species. be pretty much any lure with a bib that dives under water, but more specifically they are designed to be cast and retrieved in one constant smooth action. This allows the lure to dive to its desired depth while also presenting its natural swimming action.

All freshwater fish can be targeted using crankbaits but when making a lure selection,

Steep banks where cod and yellowbelly hold are ideal for working with spinnerbaits, vibes, swimbaits and wakebaits.

and bass are held up under an undercut riverbank. A shallow diving sinking crankbait cast to the edge of the bank and left to sink for a few seconds may draw the strike.

Then again, you could be casting into some heavy, thick timber where a deep diving floating lure is required to float up over a piece of timber so it doesn’t become snagged when it draws a strike from fish suspended beneath the snags.

JERKBAITS Jerkbaits are quite different to crankbaits, both visually and in their retrieve method. Jerkbaits are much longer than crankbaits and can range from 40-130mm in their more common sizes, however you can get larger models.

Jerkbaits also contain various bib sizes to achieve different diving depths as well as being either sinking, suspending or floating styles.

Jerkbaits tend to not have the same crazy action as crankbaits and require the angler to twitch the lure in

Whether you’re targeting Murray cod or yellowbelly, spinnerbaits are a very effective lure to use, especially when working steep embankments.

To a predatory fish, this lure resembles an injured baitfish trying to escape and any fish that sees this will smash it.

VIBES Vibes are one of those lures you can always fall back on when the fishing is tough.

They will work all of the time but when it’s the middle of the day or the barometer has crashed and the fish have shut down, a vibe is the one lure you can count on to get that strike.

Vibe lures are available in either ABS hard plastic, soft plastic or metal and all are similar in shape. This is because they have been designed to ‘vibrate’ when being worked. The vibration given off under the water from the lure is enticing to predatory fish. They hunt prey using their lateral line, which allows them to pick up on any

disturbance in the water that could represent a fleeing or injured fish.

Vibes are also extremely easy to work compared to the finesse approach often required with other lures. No matter the material they are made from, vibes can be used

If you’re going to target trout by means of casting or trolling, you can’t go past a Tasmanian Devil.

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in numerous ways depending on their tow points. The usage of the vibe depends on which tow point you have attached your leader. If the vibe has a single tow point on the top of its head, then you can cast ‘hop’ and retrieve for Murray cod or yellowbelly down a steep rocky embankment or it can be vertically jigged next to fallen timber or a tree in a lake. You may also sound up a school of redfin on the edge of bank in open water, where a small vibe can be freespooled to the school and vertically jigged amongst them.

If the vibe has multiple tow points, it can also be fished using the same methods but as an added advantage, can be trolled. While single tow point vibes can also be trolled, those with more tow points allow the vibe to be forced down deeper with the pressure of the water hitting the forehead of

Crankbaits are widely used for Murray cod, trout, redfin and yellowbelly. They are available in a range of sizes and actions.

the vibe (depending on which hole your leader is attached to).

It’s not just in lakes that vibes are used. While they are more common there, smaller 30-50mm vibes can be used in rivers and deep pools for trout. Given the limited depth though, a faster retrieve is required for success.

Most vibes come stock standard with treble hooks, although in today’s market newer models can come fitted with either single inline hooks or are weedless, such as the Zerek Fish Trap. This makes fishing around timber and snags easier, as it allows you

to get right into the thick of it without the risk of snagging up and potentially losing your lure.

SPINNERBAITS Spinnerbaits are quite a unique lure constructed with

same features of a metal arm moulded into a lead head with a selection of blades attached to the top of the wire. They are a highly effective lure for Murray cod, yellowbelly and Australian bass.

for use in heavy structural territory where resistance is required. On the other hand, short arm spinnerbaits tend to have a single blade and are used for a vertical presentation or when being worked down a steep embankment.

While there are many colour variations, their weights can also differ depending on the depth of water being fished as well as their blade configuration. In most cases, typical spinnerbaits might be fitted with round style blades known as Colorado or leaf style blades known as willow or willowleaf have.

There are no rules when it comes to using a specific design. Instead, the design is dictated by how you want to fish on the given day. If a slow

retrieve is required for a more finesse approach because the fish are lethargic due to colder water temperatures, then the Colorado blade baits will be more effective. However, if the water temperature is high and the fish are more active, willow blades can be worked with a faster retrieve. There are also combination blades where you’ll get one Colorado and one willow, and these can be worked either slow or fast.

Another lure that still falls under the spinnerbait category is the chatterbait. These use a horizontal blade at their tow point rather than a vertical wire. Chatterbaits serve to create disturbance in the water when retrieved, by the blade rattling side to side displacing the water and creating noise

Vibes are becoming much more popular amongst freshwater anglers. Simply cast, rip and retrieve. a single piece of wire, almost resembling a paperclip.

They come in many forms but they usually have the

Spinnerbaits fall into two groups: long arm and short arm. Long arm spinnerbaits tend to have multiple blades

When targeting big Murray cod, swimbaits and wakebaits are both used. These are usually retrieved with a slow wind to maximise their action.

Jerkbaits aren’t used with a typical cast and wind technique, rather they’re cast, ripped, paused, wound, paused, ripped and so on to get the desired action from them. that predatory fish pick up on, even worked at a slow pace.

One thing to know about all spinnerbaits is that they can be manipulated. Out of the box they might work fine, but anglers have the ability to customise the lure to make it more appealing. This can be done by adding a soft plastic to the hook or swapping the soft plastic for another colour or size/style if they come with one. This can also be done with the skirts and blades that come attached to the lure. Additional

coloured skirts and blades can be purchased, and anglers can chop and change them as they see fit to come up with their own colour combinations.

SWIMBAITS AND WAKEBAITS Originating from the USA bass market, swimbaits and wakebaits may fall into a similar category but in fact behave completely differently when fished. Although they may both contain segmented body designs for action, they To page 10

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are not the same.

Swimbaits do exactly as the name suggests; they swim. Generally, swimbaits have a multi-jointed body, which causes the lure to swim like a live fish would.

However, swimbaits do not have a bib, so when retrieving they swim just under the water surface. Swimbaits can come in a sinking or floating

how to approach on the top the next time you head out.

Paddlers come in many forms, from oversized hand calved timber to small 30mm ABS moulded baits. They are quite similar in that many will have an aluminium or polycarbonate bib. These bibs sit horizontal and are ergonomic in design. When pulled through the water, the angle of the bib causes it to

While there are colours aplenty, it is known amongst trout trollers that certain coloured Tassies work exceptionally well in specific waterways. For instance, in Lake Eildon, clown, pink bomber, frog and fire tiger are the colours of choice.

In the western lakes such as Toolondo, spotted dog and clown work best.

Every lake, river and

In some of Victoria’s lakes, specific coloured Tasmanian Devils are favoured. This Lake Toolondo brown couldn’t resist the clown colour. model and while the floating will sit higher near the surface, a sinking model can be left to sink to a desired depth before being retrieved or if you retrieve the lure as soon as it hits the water, it will swim just below the surface.

When retrieving swimbaits, most of the time they are retrieved with a constant wind of the reel.

However, in some instances (usually with a floating model) you can rip the rod left or right, causing the swimbait to be pulled fast through the water. Then, once you stop the ‘rip’ and begin gathering up the slack line, the lure will do around a 270-degree swim before stopping dead in the water. When the slack line becomes taut, the lure can continue on its retrieval path.

In contrast, wakebaits do have a bib. While they can also come with a segmented body, the bib causes them to swim on the surface, creating a ‘wake’ of water as they are retrieved. This water disturbance can attract Murray cod, as wakebaits are designed to imitate a sick fish, bird, reptile or water rat. They are particularly effective at night.

SURFACE LURES OR ‘PADDLERS’ While surface lures do encompass swimbaits and some wakebaits, I’m talking about actual surface lures, or paddlers, as they are more commonly called. Surface luring is undoubtedly the most exciting form of fishing for any species of fish, whether you’re salt or freshwater orientated. Trout, Murray cod and Australian bass are the top three most targeted species using surface lures and when you get that hit, it’s easy to become totally immersed in 10

DECEMBER 2019

‘paddle’ or almost walk in a side to side action. This creates noise and disturbance on the surface, replicating a water rat or baby bird that has fallen from its nest and is trying to stay afloat.

Murray cod and Australian bass will vigorously attack the lure, providing the retrieve is done correctly. This could be a constant wind or a wind and pause. It is always a good option to mix up the retrieve to find out which presentation they want.

Not all paddler baits come with a fixed bib; some baits, both large and small may have retracting side wings made from metal, plastic or rubber.

While the action is still the same as a fixed bib, these retractable wings aid in further casting distance against wind resistance.

Trout, bass, bream and estuary perch will also take smaller-sized paddlers without hesitation. Once again, it is the retrieve that triggers the attack from the fish being targeted.

TASMANIAN DEVILS Celebrating their 40th year anniversary this year, Tasmanian Devil lures are as synonymous with trout anglers as tomato sauce is to a sausage!

Tassies are more of a sub-surface lure. The main technique is to troll them either flatlined behind a boat or kayak or using a downrigger, allowing them to be sent to a desired depth. Land-based anglers can also cast and retrieve them and given their 7g or 13.5g weight, they can be cast quite a distance. The retrieve is simple, as soon as they hit the water’s surface, click the reels bail arm and retrieve at a constant pace.

This will initiate the side to side action they are known for.

stream in Victoria will have specific colours that work better than others and with these inexpensive lures. It is worth having a very wide colour selection in your arsenal.

SPOONS Spoon lures have been around for donkey’s years and they are still one of the most reliable lures to use for trout and redfin. Some anglers might still remember the Wonder Wobbler. Spoons can be made from plastic or metal and come in a wide range of weights, shapes and sizes. They get their name from their shape as in some instances, they do resemble an actual spoon.

Spoons have quite a unique action where they can swim with a similar action to that of a Tassie Devil on the retrieve or if ripped through the water, can give off a more vigorous action. Due to their weight, spoons are a sinking lure so if you pause for a few seconds during the retrieve, they will flutter towards the

bottom. Any fish following the spoon will think it is a bait that has died and will drill it hard.

Lakes aren’t the only location where spoons can be used. Small 5g models are ideal for streams and rivers, while the 10g and above weighted models are best suited to lakes where anglers can cast them long distances to cover more water.

Spoons are available in a wide range of colours like all lures and it does pay to have a range of colours and weights. The specific spoons that regularly appear in freshwater fishing reports include the Yakamito 5g and 10g, Zerek Twinkle, Blue Fox Matrixx, Nories Metal Wasaby 12g, Pegron Minnow, Strike Pro Bob ‘N’ Spoon and the ever reliable Luhr Jensen Krocodile.

SPINNERS Still to this day, spinners are highly sought by freshwater anglers fishing in lakes, rivers and streams.

Spinners are undoubtedly the simplest freshwater lure to use, as all you have to do is cast and retrieve with no other action required. If I was a betting man, I’d say that the majority of children in Victoria that go on camping holidays near a lake or river start out their lure fishing exploits by casting a spinner about.

One thing about spinners is that not any spinner will spin. These days there are a lot of no-name imported spinners that may look good in the packet but when cast, they don’t spin. The idea of a spinner is to attract the fish and imitate a water insect as if it is swimming toward the river or lake bank. While there really isn’t much to a spinner in its construction, it all comes down to the blade being able to spin freely on the retrieve.

Advancement in technology today has produced some branded spinners that make different sounds in the water caused by the blades dispersing water at different speeds. Some brands like Mepps provide the sound of each blade emits when under the water on their website.

Even today, the Rublex Celta closely followed by

the Blue Fox Original and Wordens Spinners would be the biggest names in spinners.

The Mepps Black Fury is also a popular model that is most suitable for trout in Victoria.

Spinners are often chosen on colour. I still remember fishing Lake Dartmouth some thirty years ago and I had to use a copper bladed green no.

1 Celta, and yes, it worked.

Spinners are a great lure to fall back on if the fishing is tough but they work best early morning and late evening.

SOFT PLASTICS If there wasn’t enough of a freshwater lure selection,

fish. Murray cod like shads such as the Zerek 9” Flat Shad, Megabass 10” Magdraft and Lunker City 8” Shaker.

These same plastics in smaller sizes can also be used for yellowbelly, although yellas are partial to quite small baits too. Berkley’s 2” Gulp Minnow Grub in black is a yella lolly. These tend to be worked right next to submerged trees simply by freefalling next to the trunk, and ever so slowly being wound to the surface. They need to be worked extremely slow so that just the tail spins.

Yellowbelly holding under the

Trout are a sucker for a soft plastic and whether you’re fishing a dam, river or stream, shad styles are very easy to use. Just cast them and slow wind them back. the category of soft plastics is endless. From jerkbaits to shads, wrigglers and grubs there is bound to be something to tempt a freshwater fish. As the soft plastic models are extensive, you really just need to stick to a good handful to avoid getting confused.

Shads are a very reliable plastic for all freshwater species, as they can be constantly wound at a slow pace, jerked vigorously or hopped along a riverbed where the tail action excites

The humble spinner in its true form. Spinners are undoubtedly one of the most widely used lures for trout.

timber will suck them in as they swim past.

Trout are also partial to a plastic. While a shad style plastic can be trolled in a lake, smaller 3” models are ideal for river fishing. These can be cast into pools or riffles and wound, hopped or jerked to get attention. Alternatively, you can’t beat a nymph or small wriggler styles, as these replicate the water insects trout are used to feeding on.

Bass, redfin and estuary perch are also willing soft plastic takers. It all boils down to what model you want to toss out to try. Keep in mind that when using plastics, the jighead used is equally as important, not necessarily for the actual hook but the weight of the lead. You don’t always need to go heavy, in fact, quite the opposite. A slow sinking plastic allows the lure to be in the strike zone longer to encourage a strike.

Hopefully now you can see just how easy it is to fill up a tackle box. One lure will never do the job, so a good selection of the above allows an angler to be versatile and adapt to how the fish are feeding on any given day.

Having all bases covered will bring a higher chance of success.

DECEMBER 2019

11

Fish stocking: will there ever be enough?

GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

Will some anglers never be satisfied? For 20 years, Victorian freshwater anglers have been asking for more fish and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (formerly Fisheries Victoria) has been increasing fish stocking numbers. Now, despite a four-fold increase in stocking, many anglers still want more.

PRE-RFL SURVEYS In 1998, in laying the groundwork for introducing Victoria’s Recreational Fishing Licence, Fisheries Victoria surveyed anglers on the conditions under which they would support the introduction of an all-waters licence. This included questions on how licence revenue should be spent. In response, 86% indicated that fish stocking would be one of the “essential uses” of the funds, encouraging them to support a licence. Stocking topped the list of “the single most important uses” (24% of responses).

Increased enforcement

believed that recreational fishing was being well managed rose from 60% to 77%. The major reason given for this was “there was a good restocking program in place”. But, while many anglers were aware of the fish stocking program, the main reasons given by those critical of fisheries management included “inadequate restocking of fish” (17%), with fish stocking topping the list of areas where RFL funds should be spent (24%).

Maybe these two responses stemmed from the facts that: • under the influence of the ‘Millennium Drought’, annual stocking numbers had decreased by 26% between 2003 and 2006 (see Fig.1), and • annual RFL-funded fish stocking didn’t begin until 2011.

On top of these contradictions, the finding that 39% of responses indicated ignorance of how RFL revenue is used pointed to this being an important focus for Fisheries Victoria communications.

2009 SURVEY Fisheries Victoria’s

Millennium Drought, this was understandable although what was most needed was water.

2017 VRFISH SURVEY VRFish’s 2017 survey sought an update of anglers’ views on the priority areas for investing RFL funds to improve fishing. Ninety per cent of responses indicated positive levels of satisfaction with the quality of their fishing. When the results on expenditure priorities were compared with the 2009 survey, little had changed: increasing fish numbers ranked second, just below restoring fish habitat.

2018 SURVEY The VFA’s Recreational Fishing Survey 2018 followed a broader approach, having no specific purpose or objective. The survey looked separately at inland and marine/estuarine fishing activities, preferences and satisfaction levels. It went on to examine anglers’ responses to several topics.

Awareness of changes Of all those who fished in inland waters, 31% considered that fish stocking had improved, 40% said it was unchanged and 15% said

KEY RESPONSES FROM VICTORIAN INLAND ANGLERS’ SURVEY • Anglers consistently rank fish stocking among their top priorities.

• Most are aware of, and appreciate, the VFA’s response in increasing annual fish stocking numbers four-fold since 1998.

• The significant number who still continue to press for stocking increases appear to be unaware of, or dissatisfied with, recent increases.

(20%) and fish habitat improvements (20%) were seen as the next most important uses of licence funds.

2003 AND 2006 SURVEYS In 2003, Fisheries Victoria surveyed anglers’ views on its performance.

A follow-up survey in 2006 looked for any changes in how anglers saw their licence fees being used.

Between these surveys, the proportion of anglers who

2009 survey sought anglers’ views on their priorities for improving recreational fishing.

Questionnaires covered six topics including, “Increasing the numbers of fish for recreational fishers to catch” which anglers rated a high priority. Among regional anglers, stocking native fish and salmonids was the highest priority under the Increasing Fish Numbers category. A decade into the

it had “got worse”. Of those who fished only in inland waters, 19% said that the numbers of desirable fish had improved, 37% said they were unchanged and 22% said they had “got worse”.

Priorities Similar to previous surveys, stocking to increase fish numbers was among the three top priorities for improving fishing. Among inland-only anglers, 49%

Fig.1 Annual inland fish stocking numbers, 1998 - 2018. indicated stocking as a priority.

Previous improvements 64% of inland-only anglers recognised increasing the stocking level to five million fish annually as an action that had improved fishing.

Target One Million 72% of inland-only anglers recognised the investments under this program as being moderately to extremely successful in improving fishing.

Finally, an open-ended question invited suggestions for “building great recreational fishing in Victoria”. Once again, among the top responses was “Increase fish stocking (especially native species)”.

These 2018 survey results indicate broad awareness and satisfaction regarding improvements to inland fishing brought about by increased stocking levels.

However, there are significant inconsistencies among the responses. The graph shows how the numbers of fish stocked had increased steadily after the Millennium Drought broke in 2010, followed by a sharp increase from 2016.

As native fingerlings made up most of the increases from 2010, a lag of several years, while they grew to catchable

sizes, could be expected before anglers saw improved catches.

More than 90% of the recent annual native fish releases comprised of golden perch, Murray cod and Australian bass. So, it could be argued that, perhaps, inland anglers seeking further stocking increases actually want more diversity in the form of trout cod, Macquarie perch, estuary perch, blackfish and catfish. But no: the 2018 survey showed that fewer than 3% of inland anglers nominated these as their ‘favourite fish’.

Overall, marine and inland anglers’ satisfaction with recreational fisheries management in Victoria rose from 77% in 2006 to 90% in 2017. Much of this can be attributed to inland anglers’ awareness of the VFA’s responses to their calls for increased stocking, with annual stocking levels increasing from 1.5 million in 1998 to six million in 2018, including the addition of several more angling species to the stocking program.

Despite this, many inland anglers continue to indicate dissatisfaction, calling for increased fish stocking.

It’s not as if the VFA and Minister Jaala Pulford

are remiss in publicising recent achievements and new, ambitious goals for the stocking program. Media releases such as Victoria smashes native fish stocking record (May 2019) regularly announce progress and the annual stocking targets promoted under Government policies have doubled, from five million in 2014 to 10 million in 2018.

Next time the VFA conducts a survey of anglers’ attitudes and preferences, perhaps they will pose questions designed to determine exactly what’s behind the ongoing dissatisfaction.

Merely repeating the same questions and continuing to increase overall stocking numbers is obviously not enough.

While it seems that many anglers remain ignorant of how RFL Trust Account and government ‘initiative’ funds are being invested, it’s hard to see what more the VFA can do by way of publicising its program and achievements.

Perhaps it’s time to return to stocking based on annuallyadjusted numbers, based on water conditions and returns to anglers, and accept that some anglers can never be satisfied.

FISHING NEWS

Boat seized for illegal calamari catches

Queenscliff’s fantastic run of calamari has proved too tempting for a St Albans man who was apprehended on Monday night by Fisheries Officers. He had his boat seized and will face court on several charges relating to exceeding the bag limit repeatedly.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Director of Education and Enforcement Ian Parks said the man was observed on three separate days in October during Operation Focus allegedly taking 17, 33 and 38 calamari.

“The daily bag limit is 10 per person,” Mr 12

DECEMBER 2019

Parks said.

“On one occasion, the man allegedly made two trips in one day with his wife. On the first trip between 6.25am and 10am, the man was observed taking

five calamari. He launched his 4.35m aluminium boat again at 3.30pm and allegedly took another 12 calamari, including some from within the Port Phillip Heads Marine National

Park where fishing is not permitted.

“A week later, the man allegedly took eight calamari in the early morning. He returned to the boat ramp to pick up his wife, took another eight, then retrieved his boat and left Queenscliff. In the afternoon, he returned with his wife and allegedly took 17 more calamari, making 33 for the day.

“On Monday, the man allegedly took 18 calamari, retrieved his boat and returned to Melbourne. He came back to Queenscliff in the afternoon with his wife and allegedly took 20 more, making 38 in total.

“Soon after, Fisheries

Officers intercepted him at the boat ramp. He initially claimed the 20 calamari were all they’d caught that day and were taken by both himself and his wife. However, during a subsequent interview the man admitted to taking all the calamari himself and being fully aware of the daily bag limit.

“His boat, estimated to be worth $7,000, fishing gear and calamari were seized on the spot and the man will be charged on summons with exceeding the calamari catch limit on three occasions, and various other offences relating to fishing in a marine park and boat safety equipment.”

Mr Parks emphasised that your catch is your own and you cannot claim them under someone else’s daily bag limit who is aboard your boat.

“Furthermore, multitripping to exceed the daily catch limit and appear compliant at the boat ramp is a deliberate and serious attempt to deceive and is unfair to legitimate recreational and commercial fishers who abide by the rules.”

To report suspicious or illegal fishing activity call 13FISH (133474) anytime. You can remain anonymous. Make the call and make the difference. – Fisheries Victoria

Your fishing licence fees at work

Tracking King George whiting Saltwater fishers are doing their bit to help track the movement patterns of King George whiting in Victorian waters, thanks to a research project funded by your fishing licence fees.

The three-year Melbourne University study involves volunteer fishers working as citizen scientists to tag, release and report the capture of King George whiting in Port Phillip and Western Port.

We know whiting enter our bays when they are only a few months old and leave again at about four years of age to mature and begin spawning offshore. What we don’t know is how juveniles move within and between our bays up until they depart.

Volunteer fishers have tagged nearly 700 whiting, the biggest 48 cm, with: • 60 per cent in Port Phillip at places like Queenscliff, Geelong, St Leonards and Clifton Springs, and • 40 per cent in Western Port at Somers, Tortoise Head and Middle Spit.

39 tagged whiting have been recaptured so far and none have moved between bays or offshore, yet.

In Western Port, one tagged whiting moved 20 km from Somers to Dickies Bay (San Remo) over 11 months, growing 5 cm from 35 to 40 cm. Another showed the greatest short-term movement recorded so far in the study, swimming from Somers to Middle Spit in a bit over 3 weeks. That’s about 24 km!

In Port Phillip, one tagged whiting was recaptured near Queenscliff by the same angler who had tagged it, just 45 minutes after it had been released.

The longest period between tagging and recapture was 16 months. The fish had grown 11 cm from 33 to 44 cm!

Like most recaptured fish, this whiting was caught close to where it was tagged. As fish get older and start to move out onto the coast, more recaptures from further afield are expected.”

This project will reveal more whiting secrets this summer and much of the credit can be attributed to just four keen fishers who have tagged and released 83 per cent of the whiting in the study.

If you catch a whiting carrying a yellow tag, report it to whitingtag@gmail.com or call 03 5258 3686. Record the tag number, fish length, date and location of capture, and ideally release the fish so it can further contribute to the project’s learning opportunities.

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

14

DECEMBER 2019

The chase for the $80,000 greenback begins!

December is an iconic month for Aussie native anglers! It’s more exciting than Christmas Day… and we can all agree it should be a national public holiday so everyone can go cod fishing.

What makes December even more exciting is that GoFish Nagambie entries are now on sale! It will be the best weekend on the Aussie fishing calendar, and you’ll be green with envy if you don’t join the chase for the $80,000 cod come the first weekend in April.

We’re talking three days of fishing the Goulburn. We’ve got all the key bite zones covered. We’ve got your favourite native species covered. Boats, kayaks and bank fishing are all covered.

There are some cracking opportunities to land big fish, and cash yourself some ripper cheques and awesome prizes. And off the water, we’ve got four days of fishing festival fun, with live music, family fun, kids entertainment, and outdoor expo and the best pop-up bar the shores of Nagambie Lakes have ever seen.

advantage. With areas including the Goulburn Weir, Hughes and Sandy Creek, and backwaters, billabongs and lagoons, it’s an angler’s paradise.

There’s plenty of heavy timber, standing trees, overhanging structure, willow trees, thick weed beds and a river channel that provides the lake system with depths varying from 0.5-11m deep in some locations.

To get you started, here are our tips for launching cod season with a BOOF! WATER TEMPERATURE As the mercury hits the high 30s and beyond, the water temperature also rapidly increases, which affects the behaviour of cod.

Murray cod prefer warmer water, and become more active during the summer months. We also see an increase in activity from baitfish, crayfish, yabbies, shrimp and even bug activity on the water’s surface. This really switches the cod on and makes them easier to catch.

However, there is a point at which the fish become uncomfortable in the warm water, and at these times they will seek refuge in cooler water. This cooler water can be found either deeper in the water column, in shaded areas or at night. As a general rule, once the water temperature peaks above 22°C, the cod will be in the cooler water. Their preferred temperature range is 18-21°C.

Gather the troops and get your entries now – you’ll be very glad you did!

During a hot day, fishing underneath the shade of Kirwans Bridge is your best bet, as the fish will be schooling up against the pylons seeking refuge in the shade. You can either troll alongside and underneath the bridge or cast lures at the bridge. The big cod like to sit under the bridge in the riverbed, and they hit lures with gusto.

DOMINATE COD OPENING IN NAGAMBIE

LOW LIGHT PERIODS

The Goulburn River and Nagambie is the perfect destination to open your Murray cod account for the season. The river has great coverage to use summer fishing to your

The most consistent bite periods are first and last light, particularly in summer. At these times the fish feel more confident because they can’t easily be seen by predators or prey.

• Afternoon into dark – the fish will be sitting deep, where they’ve been holding during the heat of the day. The general rule is, between afternoon and midnight, fish the deeper water.

• Early morning into sunrise – the fish will be sitting shallower as the water temperature will have cooled off during the night. The general rule is, between midnight and sunrise, fish the shallow water.

During low light periods, hit up the Goulburn Weir. The main river channel snakes its way through to the weir wall, with shallow flats stretching out either side of the channel.

The big fish will reside in the river bed and move out onto the flats to feed during low light periods.

The best way to fish this area is to stay in the river channel and cast past the dropoff and onto the shallows. Retrieve your lure down over the edge and into the deeper water.

Hardbodies are the pick of the lures for this technique.

FISH THE EDGES IN RIVERS If you’re fishing from the bank, you’ll often see people cast right out into the middle of the river. However, this is not usually the best tactic. In rivers such as the Goulburn, the fish tend to push right up against the edges and sit tight against the banks under shady trees.

Some of the best summer fishing is along the edges of the channels in the Della Island area. There’s less than a metre of water on the flats, and then it drops off into deep water. Put your lure into this deep zone and you will find fish.

When fishing the edges, Majors Creek is a fisho’s paradise. It’s loaded with great structure including standing trees, backwaters, weed beds, reedy edges, large fallen logs, overhanging trees and even lily pads. Throw out some 1/2oz spinnerbaits, 50-70mm diving hardbody lures or 60mm lipless crankbaits, and you’re in business!

As you can see, targeting Murray cod in summer is exciting and full of action. It’s a great time to out on the water and by taking on board these tips, you’re set to get some serious cod thumb!

DECEMBER 2019

15

Christmas time on the coast WEST COAST

Brett Carson

With the warmer weather and the longer days now settling in, there seems to be almost too many options in the Glenelg River and surrounds for keen fishos!

Surf fishing this time

of year is a much more attractive proposition and with the seas flattening, the offshore options just across the border in the now not-so-rough shallow bays are also appealing.

Honestly, we have to pinch ourselves to remember how good we’ve really got it, living in this pristine area.

‘Chicken Bone’ Charlie caught a King George whiting on pipis.

There’s no such thing as not being able to get out of the wind somewhere upriver. If you feel like mixing it up, there’s sea fishing offshore and in secluded bays within half an hour’s launching distance. This time of year when the wind drops, I’m torn whether to surface fish for perch, drop some pots for a prized crayfish or two, entice a school of mulloway, or round up a few King George to chew on.

Bream are still spawning in patches and can be right up to Christmas.

Higher reaches have fished exceptionally for them recently as they migrate up and down the system. The edge fish is in full swing and, bar a late major rain event, should continue throughout summer. Plastics have accounted for plenty of bream and perch with dark, natural colours doing the job. Camo and peppered prawn have been great colours, with their added scent in the still coloured water an extra bit of help.

Fresh crabs and podworms have been the preferred baits, with frozen glassies and pipis not far behind. Keep your sinkers as light as possible now

that the flow has slowed, remembering the more naturally they waft to the bottom, the better. The same logic applies for jigheads.

Perch are schooled all through the river and those in the know are finding plenty from way up high to the estuary. As usual, lure fishos will bring them unstuck, as will fly fishers tying their own flies, like local Gordon Jeffrey.

Mulloway have pushed way up the system with the salt, probably more than 40km upstream. They are in big numbers from the estuary. Live mullet are back on their menu, as the large winter mullet that are good for a feed have given way to the highly sought-after bait size that mulloway just love to inhale. This time of year it pays to run your live bait both under a float and down low on a running sinker, at least until you find where they are feeding. When you get a pattern, you can switch to what’s working.

Squid and pilchards are still a handy back up, but livies are hard to match.

Gummies and schoolies are in shallow feeding now and the dark of the moon is a great time to have a crack

Crayfish are one of the many options on the West Coast. in the masses of gutters that line our coast. Even the local ocean beach at Nelson has accounted for plenty, with fishing in the dark is still a must for the best results. The beaches in the area are some of the most remote and unfished in the state, and there’s no better place to be to watch the sun set over your rods while waiting for a big flex in the tip.

• Good luck and feel free to

come and see us at Nelson Boat Hire for the latest info. We have the local ‘live bait licence’ meaning we stock live mullet, crabs and podworms along with all the frozen bait, tackle and lures you need for the area.

We’ll do our best to give you some local knowledge and get you on the fish quicker.

Remember you can hire any of our boats without a boat licence, including our very popular houseboat.

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“It’s the little things you don’t see that make a difference” 16

DECEMBER 2019

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17

Bottom fish in flat conditions WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

December is an exciting time for anglers looking forward to see what summer will bring. We have had an early taste of summer recently, with warm temperatures and flat seas making a welcome appearance during spring.

While the water temperature was too low for kings, cray season wasn’t yet open and summer bluefin weren’t there, there was plenty to keep anglers happy in these good conditions. Anglers have taken some cracking

school and gummy sharks to a whopping 20kg, from depths as close as 40m out to deeper waters in the 100m range. The deeper waters have also produced a few trumpeter, while back in closer some big snapper were taken. Angler Scott Gray had regular captures of fish to 7kg, which is high quality for this area.

Come December though, cray season will be in full swing, with divers and hoop netters hoping for flat conditions to target their quarry. Don’t forget the new tagging system for amateur taken crays; last year’s tags are no good and you will need to apply for new season ones.

With any luck, the first

kings of the season will have been taken and the summer run of bluefin won’t be far away.

The inshore areas should also begin to fire as water temperatures rise. The Killarney and the inshore areas just out from the Moyne at Port Fairy and in Lady Bay at Warrnambool can produce some good whiting in the 40-45cm range at this time of year as well. Silver trevally, squid and pinkie snapper are also common when fishing for whiting in these 4-8m waters.

Some excellent bream and estuary perch have been taken recently in the Hopkins, despite it taking some time to clear up

after winter flows. Late November/December is perhaps my favourite time for fishing the Hopkins River, before the holiday crowds really come out in force. Warmer conditions often see shallow water and surface techniques providing some spectacular lure action. Surface fishing with pink grubs, bent minnow styles, stickbaits and the like can be super entertaining as the fish slurp, slash and boof lures.

Mulloway should also be a viable target as they make their way back into the system when the waters clear.

They can turn up as incidental lure captures while targeting bream or perch, or be specifically targeted on trolled live baits or cut fresh baits at anchor.

Pink grubbing bream is an exciting summer angling option.

Whiting wonderland APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

December should see the first kings of the season show up.

It’s a great time of year to fish in Victoria. The weather is warmer, the water temperatures are rising and Christmas is nearly upon us. I hope you have put in your orders for new fishing gear!

Fishing has really fired up in Apollo Bay. The run of snapper moving along the coast has been awesome, with anglers bagging out on snapper up to 7kg. The fish are in all sorts of depths between 10-70m of water.

Bag limits are very important, as we don’t want happening in Victoria what’s happened in South Australia. With a 3-year snapper ban in place due to mismanagement, it’s good to teach our kids about bag limits, as it will benefit them down the track.

I recently fished in 43m off Point Franklin for some nice table-sized fish on fresh squid and salmon fillet. The slack tide was best, with some quality flathead in the same area up

to 55cm. There have also been consistent catches of decent school sharks well worth the effort at around 20kg.

Last year wasn’t a great year for whiting for some reason, but the early signs show things could be on the up this year.

Just in the last few days with really good seas and no wind, a couple of my good mates caught some decent whiting around 42cm.

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18

DECEMBER 2019

Stuart Robinson caught this awesome 48cm perch on a Daiwa Double Clutch in the Barham River just on dark.

To page 19

Forget the fussy fish COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The Curdies River and Lake have been hot and cold, but it should settle down after the fish finish spawning. My last trip out was hard work, with only four fish boated for the session. They all measured in the mid 30cm range so they were nothing to sneeze at, but I had so many tentative bites and nibbles it wasn’t funny.

Back at the Boggy Creek boat ramp, we met other boaters who had travelled From page 18

I was running a bit late and missed the tide change, but I still caught 11 solid fish. If you fish the tide change, use a fresh berley trail to hold them when they bite.

If they go off the bite, move around until you find them again; don’t sit and wait, as you might not get any more bites and you’ll only waste good fishing time.

Fresh bait is always the best choice for any species but it’s especially true for whiting.

over for the weekend from as far as metro Melbourne to fish the crater lakes, but one group stated that you could have gone surfing on Purrumbete due to the wind, so they changed tact and ventured over to the Curdies to fish more sheltered waters and try for bream instead of trout.

Bream have been schooled up, looking at running from the lake and into the river to spawn. The water is still flowing and is murky, so the fish appear to be hanging around the river mouth waiting to make the run upstream. They have

been finicky to say the least, but they should settle down this month. Most bream were mouthing either bait or lure and once they felt some sort of resistance, they’d let go.

We managed to get a few early on with one landed within minutes just inside the river mouth. The following hour proved fruitless, as fish mouthed and inevitably dropped any offerings, so we moved into the lake around the second channel marker.

This resulted in another good bream plus a couple of runs, but then it went quiet again.

Back into the river and near the island, we picked

Shuck your pipis before you go and add some salt to them to firm up the flesh so they hold on the hook better when the fish are picking at them. Tenderized squid or Bass yabbies are also a gun whiting bait.

Be careful of breaking swell when in close, as it’s easy to look at a clear hole to fish without keeping an eye on the swell around your boat.

The ramp is finished and looks great! All the local rivers and creeks are fishing well. Make sure you pick up all your rubbish before

you leave to keep the river system clean.

I look forward to seeing so many people over this time of year enjoy fishing in this beautiful place. The fisheries and water police are about, so know your limits and check all safety gear, boat, batteries and make sure the motor is running well – it doesn’t take long to check.

• If you’re coming to Apollo Bay for a fish, be sure to pop in to Surf N Fish to get all your bait and tackle needs, as well as an up-todate report, or call us on (03) 5237 6426.

These Curdies bream finally responded to soft plastics fished over the bottom at the river mouth. up another before the bite finally shut down for good.

Apparently we had done rather well, as many other boaters failed to land a single decent fish. Even those pesky small salmon were quiet.

Anglers had much more luck fishing the Hopkins.

One couple using minnow style soft plastics nailed some terrific fish around the edges.

They reported that their best bream measured 46cm and their biggest estuary perch went 47cm, with the best lure colours being motor oil and

bloodworm. Another boat got into the bream, with their best fish measuring 44cm.

So, it appears that big bruiser fish are abundant in the Hoppies, and you shouldn’t discount the possibility of a mulloway or two.

Offshore, it seems that school and gummy sharks have turned up in good numbers for the fast approaching summer season, with some thumpers exceeding 20kg boated.

Along with sharks, some excellent schools of snapper

are turning up, with fish to 74cm or 4.1kg caught. Blue morwong, nannygai, and leatherjackets are in the mix, along with the odd rock cod and flathead. All fish have been taken bottom bouncing using quality baits like whole squid, often topped off with a fillet or two of pilchard, pipi or cray tail. These captures have occurred out over rubbly, reefy bottom in depths of 40-50m+. As the summer holidays approach, the fish will come in closer to shore.

Wishing you a safe and Merry Christmas on the water DEALER

Chelsea Yamaha 13 Ashley Park Drive Chelsea Heights VIC 3196 Phone 03 9772 1277 robert@chelseayamaha.com.au Michael Parker Marine 4 Erica Court Albury NSW 2640 Phone 02 6043 1578 mick.parker.marine@bigpond.com Swan Hill Power Products 40 Nyah Road Swan Hill VIC 3585 Phone 03 5032 2116 warren@shpp.com.au Wonthaggi Motorcycles & Power Equipment 48-52 Inverloch Road Wonthaggi VIC 3995 Phone 03 5672 3500

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19

BLACK MAGIC

MASTER CLASS

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W I T H PA U L L E N N O N

Going after the big bites While I love all styles of fishing, I have to admit these days I’m a trophy hunter and really enjoy honing in on the larger models of a particular species.

to fish this way then it’s important that when that fish of a lifetime does come along you’re ready for it. Everything needs to be covered from your bait presentation to your tackle.

apply, I’m just going to concentrate on a few of the more popular species LARGE PELAGICS Probably the best way to catch XOS pelagics like kings, cobia and Spanish mackerel is to troll live baits bigger then your typical slimy mackerel or yellowtail.

Slow trolling a live bonito up to 1.5kg is a gun way to get connected to the real jumbo class models of these three species.

If you’re serious about it I would run these on at least 24kg tackle with a 100lb Black Magic fluorocarbon leader. The fluorocarbon Black Magic makes is the best out there, providing unparalleled abrasion resistance, making it perfect for this style of fishing.

Big reds, like this 11kg specimen, love large butterflied baits.

It’s then a matter of bridle rigging the live bonito onto a Black Magic GZ 9/0 live bait hook and slow trolling around the shallow reefs holding baitfish.

When doing this to target

big Spanish mackerel, make sure you run a 60cm length of at least 80lb single strand wire from the hook to a swivel on your 100lb leader.

A stinger hook should also be used by attaching

Butterflied baits work great on big snapper and mulloway, and the Black Magic C Point hooks are the perfect match for them.

Doing this usually comes at the cost of less fishing action and takes a pigheaded attitude too not get disheartened by sometimes many fishless trips.

If you are going

This typically means running bigger baits on heavier outfits and upsizing everything from the typical gear associated with that particular species.

While there are many trophy fish fish out there where the above principals

This is a perfect bait for a monster kingfish, cobia or Spanish mackerel.

A trophy Spanish mackerel that ate a whole live bonito on the troll.

20

DECEMBER 2019

another short length of single strand wire from the eye of the GZ hook to another smaller hook or treble that will go in near the rear of the bonito.

SNAPPER When bait fishing for trophy reds I like to run at least 30lb braid to a 40lb fluorocarbon leader and again use much bigger baits then normally associated with snapper.

The Black Magic fluorocarbon is going to be your best defence against a rampaging red dragging you over the ledge as its abrasion resistance is second to none Butterflied baits like large yellowtail or slimy mackerel are my favourite to use. To do this, simply fillet the fish from the tail up on both sides and remove the backbone, leaving the head with two fillets still attached.

I simply run a single 8/0

Black Magic C Point hook on this, which is fed through the nose an out the gill plate of the fish. For smaller yellowtail, slimy mackerel or squid around the 20cm hood size, I prefer to rig them whole on a snelled rig.

Again, it’s very hard to go past Black Magic C Point hooks for snapper fishing and two 7/0 hooks snelled together through a whole bait won’t often miss the mark MULLOWAY While live baits are without a doubt your best chance to find that dream mulloway, the above described baits for big snapper are also adequate big mulloway dead baits.

If you are using live baits, big is best and things like tailor, luderick or mullet to 1kg are awesome big fish baits.

When fishing out of a boat straight up and down, I prefer to use a single circle Black Magic KLT 8/0 circle hook and pin the bait gently behind the head.

If I’m fishing from the beach or rock walls I like to snell rig my live baits with two large 10/0 C Point hooks, one protruding from just behind the head and the other just before the tail.

Big mulloway are not as dirty fighters as snapper and kings, and for most situations 30lb braid with a 40lb Black Magic leader is fine, even on the biggest models. The exception to this is when fishing around structure like rock walls and bridges. Here mulloway can become a totally differently animal, so upping braid size to around 50lb and leader size to 60lb Black Magic fluorocarbon is a better option.

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21

Sleigh the snapper and squid GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Corio Bay has been pumping out heavyweight snapper and Portarlington celebrated Gone Fishing Day with a bang! Now

trout prefer the cooler mornings rather than the warm afternoons, so you’ll have to fish deep or early to nab yourself a trout.

Redfin and carp will bite all year in the Barwon River. For December, cast lures parallel to the weed beds in the Barwon as the

the summer and have been caught on a tide change after dark, using big baits such as pieces of fresh calamari and whole silver whiting.

Quality pinkie snapper from legal length to 50cm are cruising the shallows and structure such as piers and jetties around Corio Bay. Dawn and dusk have seen a short and sweet bite for fish around the 50cm mark if you can find a school.

Pilchard pieces or whitebait have been effective on these fun smaller fish.

Silver whiting were thick at the time of writing and anglers could catch

them by sending small baits down at the edge of the shipping channel. Plenty have also been caught off Cunningham Pier.

Blake West fished from the rocks inside Corio Bay last month where he hooked and landed a 53cm pinkie snapper on a Munroe’s CurlTail Worm in caramel eclair on a 1/8oz jighead.

Initially, Blake thought it was a big bream when he hooked it until it took him for a good run on the light gear! He was using 2.7kg braided line and 2.7kg leader to land his best snapper on plastics to date.

Nikki scored this 2.5kg PB squid on Gone Fishing Day in Portarlington.

Dave heaves an 8kg snapper that was the best of 15 caught in a mad session with Danny Skene.

December is here, we should see kingfish liven up the Surf Coast.

FRESHWATER Hugh Hanson and I cast lures about at Stony Creek Reservoir near Ballan. Hugh had a trout around 50cm follow his lure in but that was it. As the water warms,

fish will be there looking for a snack of minnow. Those keen on bait fishing should try to trap a few minnow in the shallows and use them for live bait.

CORIO BAY Snapper are in rush hour mode! Larger fish either side of 7kg are moving in for

Blake wrestled a 53cm snapper up onto the rocks in Corio Bay using soft plastics.

Kelvin Baldwin fished the west side of Cunningham Pier last month. Kelvin worked a Berkley Gulp Turtleback Worm along the drop-off near the grassy shallows, hoping for a tasty rock flathead but only getting a few small bream nibbles. Kelvin managed to lock horns with a solid silver trevally after it bolted for

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the safety of the pier pylons and was eased back several times. He notes that there were plenty of silver whiting and mullet being caught along the full length of the pier by anglers fishing the bottom with soft baits.

Collan and Malcolm Erard fished a couple of their favourite spots off Point Henry last month. They

managed two pinkie snapper and four whiting, which were around 40cm. The following day, they tried out off Mountain View Quarries for gummy sharks. They ended up with one legal size gummy, two pinkie snapper and three flathead.

Nathan Wright thought he’d squeeze in a pre-work flick from the rocks inside Corio Bay last month. He wasn’t expecting a great deal but on the second cast, the rod loaded up with a solid fish! Before too long, Nathan

had landed a quality snapper using a soft plastic.

Danny Skene had a cracking night on snapper with Dave Jurrasic last month. Fishing the edge of the shipping channel with squid strips after dark, they caught 15 snapper between them with the biggest going 8kg.

BELLARINE PENINSULA Rod Ludlow from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head says some of his hire boat customers are

Danny Skene with a brace of Corio Bay snapper.

bagging out on squid over the weed beds from Grassy Point out to the Prince George light, plus Governors Reef and Indented Head. He recommends trying in close and out deep. Squid have been up to 1kg, with some larger ones being dropped beside the boat so bring a landing net. Flathead have been the other fish caught by Rod’s clients and have been caught by drifting around the 12m mark off Indented Head and St Leonards.

Michael Crawford has been fishing land-based around the St Leonards and Indented Head area and says there has been a few medium to average-sized calamari around. Michael notes there are stacks of whiting around as well and says that throwing a bait out while squid fishing can pay off with a few nice whiting.

You should look for the cleaner water in areas that haven’t had an onshore blow in the days prior to your fishing session.

Gone Fishing Day was celebrated at Portarlington with the Hooked on Bellarine event. Plenty of families enjoyed the event and some gave fishing a go for the first time. The representatives from Women in Recreational Fishing, Nikki Duckstein, Tiffany Newton and Michelle Brittain headed

out from Portarlington and managed to nab a bag of 20 squid! Nikki managed an absolute donkey on a gold foil size 3.5 jig, which weighed in at 2.5kg. They then ran a demonstration on how to clean squid for the crowd. Michelle says there were lots of interactive demonstrations including fly casting, squid filleting, knot tying, painting plaster, making seashell necklaces and a joint effort collecting rubbish from the beach.

The Point Richards boat ramp is one of six ramps the Victorian Government has earmarked for upgrade. A company has been commissioned to process a study that will aim to minimise the impacts of seaweed and other natural occurrences that can hinder launching and retrieving before work starts. Boaters and fishers will get an opportunity to have their say about the Point Richards boat ramp upgrade and give feedback to the concept design options that will be presented to the public later in the year. For more information about the Government’s boating commitments, visit: www. betterboating.vic.gov.au.

The Queenscliff boat ramp is free at last! The Borough of Queenscliff were one of the last ramps

Nathan landed this quality model off the rocks in Corio Bay. to charge a fee for parking or launching in the state and have been negotiating with the Victorian Government for quite some time now.

BASS STRAIT AND SURF COAST December should see an influx of kingfish to the region. Typically, they are caught either side of The Rip and along the Surf Coast reef areas. They love frisky live bait like small legal length salmon, tommy ruff and especially live squid.

FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com 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).

DECEMBER 2019

23

Tick tock, it’s snapper o’clock PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

The fishing gods have finally decided to turn the fishing productivity meter from frustratingly slow all the

way up to productive and exciting. In a mere matter of weeks, anglers have gone from wondering why they’re battling through countless unrewarded trips on the water to suddenly catching snapper in good sizes and numbers.

This has happened so quickly due to two key factors. Firstly, thanks to a few humid days here and there the water temperature has increased several degrees in a matter of weeks. We’re slowly creeping up to optimal snapper temperature, which is

Mark caught a 5kg snapper from Altona.

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generally around 17°C. The other important factor is wind.

The last month had lots of strong wind and snapper are coming in to seek cover during their annual spawning period.

For local anglers, this is great news and we are seeing many large snapper being caught in close and in depths as low as 4m.

Last week, I took my good mate Mark out on my small runabout boat. We launched from Altona and due to a persistent strong northerly breeze that hadn’t let up for a week, we were forced to stay in close. Rather than heading to usual stomping grounds such as P2, Fawkner Beacon or the spoil grounds, we stayed in 4.5m deep around the cardinal mark, which is only a small distance from the Williamstown Cricket Ground. We anchored on sunrise and threw out some berley consisting of cut up pilchards and pellets. We cast out our rods with full pilchards on double snelled rigs and waited with anticipation.

Literally two minutes later, Mark’s reel started screaming.

Even with the drag set very loose, the rod tip was bouncing up and down in the water so we knew this was a good fish.

Mark picked up the rod and held on as the snapper went for a large run. Every time Mark looked like he was in control, the snapper would find another gear and go for another run.

After five runs, the big red was done and we finally had the snapper beside the boat where I netted it. A 6kg snapper caught only minutes out from the boat ramp in shallow water was an amazing way for us to

Good size snapper are being caught in close. open the snapper season.

The windy conditions would shortly get the better of us and we headed home after only two hours on the water.

We did still manage to land several pinkies up to 45cm, several Port Jackson sharks over 1m and a small gummy shark in addition to the red.

Port Jackson sharks and rays can be real pests during peak snapper season, as they have a habit of sitting on your baits or chewing up your hooks and leaders.

They also have venomous spines, making them tricky to handle. However, it’s important we do our best to

see they are released safely and understand that although they can be annoying, they play an important role in the Port Phillip Bay ecosystem.

Our good friend Kevin also ventured out that day, choosing to fish the afternoon around Werribee. The winds were still quite high, so instead of seeking deeper water near the spoil grounds he chose to fish in quite close to shore in 6m of water. The area had quite murky water and with strong winds, weed kept gathering on the bait. However, Kevin was lucky enough to land a 5kg snapper within the first hour of fishing during the slack tide.

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Port Jackson sharks are a common snapper by-catch in Port Phillip Bay.

It took a full silver whiting on a single 5/0 Mustad hook. It too was Kevin’s season opener and sure gave one hell of a

fight, going for a big last run just before being netted.

The winds became stronger, pushing 30km/h,

Pinkies are moving their way up the river.

so Kev and his passengers decided to venture towards the Werribee River mouth and fish there, seeking shelter from the strong winds. They reduced the hook sizes and leader strength and changed baits from silver whiting to scrubworms. In the hour they fished there, they landed a couple of pinkies around 50cm and two bream up to 38cm.

I’m sure many local readers will agree that the weather has been unpredictable lately. We have been consistently getting winds between 20-40km during most weekends. I have made three trips out to the boat ramp only to turn around thinking the conditions would be unsafe in a small boat. Hopefully we can get some calmer and more predictable weather as we welcome summer.

It’s not just those with boats that have had all the fun, land-based anglers have been getting into the snapper action too. I have seen firsthand some amazing catches around Melbourne. I admire those who have the skills to land a big fish in tricky conditions such as steep, slippery and sharp rock walls.

There have been many great catches around the Werribee Wyndham Harbour rock wall, Webb Dock, Princes Pier, Williamstown Pier, Lagoon Pier and Port Melbourne Pier.

The land-based snapper fishing

has been quite exceptional and again I put this to strong northerly breezes, which have seen snapper coming in close to seek cover. Flathead in these areas are also starting to fire up, and they can be great by-catch when the snapper fishing gets a little slow.

Using long fishing rods has been a good choice for land-based anglers to get their baits out further into the strike zone. I managed to catch several pinkies using my

Savage Gear 9’ 1DFR Salt Rod and 4/0 paternoster rigs baited with some chunks of pilchard, with a decent size snapper sinker to allow for optimal casting distance. This style of fishing does require patience and persistence, but those big catches are so rewarding when they finally come around.

That’s all from me this month. You can contact me directly to share your recent fishing experiences

around Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay from Werribee through to Port Melbourne so they can be added to next month’s article. You can contact me by email at alan@fishingmad.com. au, check out my website at www.fishingmad.com.au, or look me up on Facebook (facebook.com/fishingmad. com.au), YouTube (youtube. com/c/fishingmad) and Instagram (instagram.com/ fishingmad.com.au).

This 20kg gummy was caught in Bass Strait by Chris Stamalos.

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25

Weather patterns are continuing PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

After a long, cold, wet and windy winter, many of these weather trends have continued well into the spring months as well. Water temperatures have been much cooler compared to the same time last year, and one thing is for sure, the warmer weather and water temperatures are not far away and will certainly be welcomed with open arms by all the bay’s anglers.

Much the same as last year, the start to this

summer’s season has been strange in many ways, with a few of the trends that we were used to experiencing both on the bay and further afield, not being as prevalent as in past years. The snapper ‘run’ has only really started in our local areas in the last few weeks. With water temperatures increasing gradually through the last couple of weeks in November, some prolonged periods of good fishing are expected, which is all set to continue right through the summer months as well.

Summer on the bay is all about snapper, especially the early summer months.

While many local anglers have been catching good

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numbers of snapper further north in the bay for the last month or so, traditionally December and January are when our local areas really start to fire up. While opinion is divided where and when the bay’s snapper spawns during their summer migration, the vast mud banks in our local areas are where they come to feed in the summer months to put on condition again.

Local snapper reports have been a little patchy recently, but this is no doubt as much a result of the ordinary weekend weather we have been having of late, as well as the inconsistent nature of the fishing. Good reports have been coming from anglers fishing out wide from Carrum and Seaford, and further south out from Mornington and Mount Eliza. Young Jake Solner has been at it again already this year, fishing with his dad Paul, opening his account with a cracking 8kg snapper taken out from Mornington on a calm morning.

Many of the other fish reported coming from the wider marks have been 4-5kg on average. Although bite windows and activity have sometimes been shorted lived, the quality and average size of the snapper has well and truly made up for it. Mount Eliza has been particularly productive, as it was last year, especially in depths of 16-18m where the snapper have been stacked up for some time. The magic 12m area out from Seaford has been productive at times

SPRAT75

as well, particularly early in the morning. I would expect this area to continue to produce and get better over the next couple of months.

Many anglers have reported finding big numbers of snapper on the sounder nearby to large areas of bait, and areas of broken reef and rubble.

However, with cooler than normal water temperatures, bite activity has been slow at times. This has been the trend, especially out from the deeper marks around 18-20m, but some great by-catch of solid flathead and gummies has kept anglers happy.

For the most part, consistent reports of bigger snapper fish seem to be coming from landbased locations, especially from Mornington Pier that is having a blinder of a season so far. The nearby local rock platforms have also been producing well, and are best fished during the worst weather – the rougher the better. No fish is worth risking your life for though, take it from me when the bite is hot it all happens in a hurry. It’s best to fish the rocks with a mate and be prepared to get a good soaking from the waves and from above.

A long handled net is very handy also and removes the need to get too close to the water to land the fish.

Even though this time of year on the bay is all about snapper, there are still plenty of other target options if the reds don’t turn you on. Whiting have already turned up in our local areas, which is a welcome surprise for many

Harry Bould and his mates have enjoyed some ripper land-based snapper action during the windy weather. These fish were up to 3kg, but reports of fish over 8kg have made a regular appearance so far this year. of us, and this is a trend that has become more consistent in recent years. Expect them to keep going strong right through the summer months and beyond, as well as the squid fishing which continues to go from strength to strength.

Predominantly windy weather has made the water on the shallower inshore reefs

a little dirtier than usual, so 4-5m depths have been the most productive, but the shallower areas will fire up as the water warms and clears over the next month or so.

Expect all the other bread and butter fishing to improve over the same time as well. We are in for an exciting summer ahead on the bay!

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Holiday madness begins MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Julian Frank

Everything is firing up, with a promising outlook for the next few weeks. The Peninsula is about to hit peak tourist season and with all the boat ramps free of charge, you can expect it to be absolute mayhem.

Early starts are going to be key when getting on the water this summer.

MOUNT MARTHA Now is the time to be out chasing reds! Fish have been caught from Mount Martha through to Frankston

Mick Brittain has been getting into some decent schools of whiting.

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anywhere between 16-24m of water. With the way the bite is going so far, you shouldn’t have a problem getting into a few snapper.

Sunrise has been the best time, with early afternoon

tide changes also productive.

The most effective baits have been pilchards and squid.

There is a heap of bait out there so if you can get some fresh yakkas, snapper will not turn a fresh fillet down.

Good size squid and garfish have been readily taken from the rocks during the morning and late afternoon. Plenty of flathead have been further out for an easy feed with pinkies also a welcome catch.

DROMANA AND ROSEBUD The pier is starting to get busier now, so get in early enough to bag some quality garfish and a few squid. There has been mention of slimy mackerel hanging around tommy ruff during the day and as they’re irregularly coming and going, you just have to be there at the right time.

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There are still some monster squid around. been caught out the back of the fort and just before the channel. There have also been some good fish around the snapper grounds off Rye. Be mindful of big gummies this time of year, as most are in pup from now right through until March.

BLAIRGOWRIE AND SORRENTO The marina has been fishing very well. Kayak fishers have scored good captures of squid and whiting amongst the moorings. Out the front of the wall is a good option for a mixed bag using soft plastics. Lots of squid have been caught off the pier in the afternoons and evenings, with the occasional salmon school still showing up.

The Sisters have been fishing well for whiting; just look for the boats.

The run-in tide has been

working for most anglers, with cocktails of pipi and squid proving dynamite.

Symonds Channel has been fishing well at the top end for gummy shark, while the shallow grounds towards the north have been great for whiting and calamari. This is a great option if you want to get away from the traffic.

OFFSHORE It is certainly the season for big tiger flathead and generally, working from 35-45m of water is the go. Plenty of snapper have been on the reefs out the front of Barwon and the back of Portsea. Good gummies can be caught around these same areas.

Be safe this summer season and have a fantastic Christmas. See you on the water!

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Tim Hepner caught a lovely snapper from Mornington.

The weed beds on the inside of Rosebud Reef have started showing good King George caught with fresh squid and pipis fishing either side of the tides. Squid and pinkies have shown up again in numbers.

RYE The sand at the boat ramps seems to have built CAN QR CO up again so be mindful if it’s –S busy, particularly with all 4 LOGO DESIGN bassco boats lanes now.

Rye Pier is still fishing well for most species.

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Daniel Battin and Hayley Hocking took this beast of a gummy, which was estimated over 30kg.

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Plenty of offshore presents under the tree GAME FISHING

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

It’s summer and that means warm weather, bluewater and big fish! December is when offshore anglers are filled with the possibilities of what the upcoming months will produce. Hopefully the warm water will push down to our part of the world, bringing with it a sea full of marlin, sharks, tuna and

but also within the fishing community in general.

One thing’s for sure – the Victorian waters are getting better and better as the years roll on.

WEST COAST Warmer water is pushing into this part of the world and while we have had eight months of jumbo tuna in the waters from Portland and further west, it will be interesting to see if they are still there this month or if they have moved on to

When these school tuna and kingfish will arrive is anyone’s guess but when they do, the fishing can be spectacular for anglers casting small stickbaits, plastics and jigs at these surface feeding pelagics.

While getting a bite can be frustrating, the results are worth it with a lot of the tuna in the 20-30kg

range and kingfish ranging from 5-15kg.

Adding to tuna and kingfish, the offshore waters will also start to bring large numbers of mako sharks, which are great eating and spectacular to catch. They can range in size from 30kg squeakers to 300kg angry beasts and they drag anglers back to them time and again.

It’s an exciting time of year to fish in this part of the world.

EAST COAST It’s an exciting time of year in this part of the world as warm water filters in from out wide, bringing with it the summer species that we all love. This month is all about big early season kingfish that will be lurking around the islands off Wilsons Promontory. The key is to find where the clean warm water is pushing in around an island, then fish the pressure points where the current hits the island with live baits and jigs. It’s also well worth having a rod rigged with a stickbait or popper, as kings also love to get up on the surface to sun themselves.

As always, a bite on topwater

The Everard Canyon could hold anything this month, from tuna and marlin to makos and swordfish. kingfish, and hopefully the weather will be kind enough to let us get out there on a regular basis!

I can’t wait to see what unfolds over the coming six months on my own boat

make way for the schools of bluefin and kingfish. The schools should take over the waters between Portland and to the east at locations like Lady Julia Percy Island and the waters off Port Fairy.

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Further east, the reef systems from Marlo to Mallacoota will begin to fill with kingfish, and any areas that hold bait and good water will have numbers of yellowtail kingfish on offer to persistent anglers.

Out on the edge of the continental shelf, the Everard Canyon could hold anything this month, from tuna and marlin to makos and swordfish. Keep an eye on the current charts to find any warm pockets of water that may hold bluewater predators.

Either way, summer is here and so is gamefishing season!

When it comes to chasing mako sharks, a lot of anglers run a few baits out the back suspended under a balloon while sending out a fine berley trail of minced fish.

One of my favourite methods is to get the berley going, then have a tuna head, frame or similar suspended under a float and tied off the back of the boat on about 5m of rope. That way the mako will come to the boat and you are effectively teasing him, allowing you to choose the outfit you want depending on the size of the shark.

To the east near Port Campbell and Apollo Bay, Lorne and Barwon Heads will begin to produce sharks of various species with threshers being quite common along the hard reef areas. Out wider, the first makos of the season will turn up with the bait and bluewater.

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31

Lots of reds this festive season PPB SURROUNDS

Gerry Morsman

It’s not hard to see that we are in the middle of a cracking snapper season, and judging by scientific reports it’s only going to get better. That’s something every Melbourne angler should be very excited about – I know I am!

Although most of the talk

has been about snapper, and rightfully so, let’s not forget about some of our other bread and butter species that hang around our local waters such as whiting, squid and gummy sharks. There have been great reports on all of these species across the bays.

GUMMY SHARK There have been plenty of reports for gummy sharks coming from outside the bay

moving all the way up to the top end of Port Phillip Bay. Areas such as Williamstown are getting reports on the smaller end of the scale, which is quite typical for that area.

Big female gummy sharks tend to only go right up the top to drop their pups, and will generally move back down to the southern end of the bay or, which is more usual, offshore.

Most anglers are catching

Julian Rennie on a solo mission off Mount Eliza.

gummy sharks as by-catch while fishing for snapper when up the top end, but that’s not to say you can’t actively target them. Another great area to target the smaller gummy sharks is at the top end of Westernport around Corinella.

Small squid strips on a size 4/0 Gamakatsu circle have always given me the most success.

If you want to chase the bigger models, try out the front of Gunnamatta, as it has been very productive. If you are lucky you might even get yourself on to a solid school shark, which will definitely give you a run for your money, no matter what gear you are using.

The reports say that fishing in around 40m of water anchored over broken ground is your best bet. Bring some light gear and a bag of pilchards. Cut small slivers off the pilchards and send them down on a paternoster rig, just like you would if you were fishing for flathead. This should see you catching small or even large reef fish in no time, such as Barbers perch, which is a perfect fresh bait for large gummy sharks.

SNAPPER These very iconic fish are in huge numbers around Melbourne this year, and there

A King George whiting head is a great snapper bait so make sure to keep them after filleting your catch. are plenty of recreational fishers getting amongst the action. Mordialloc in around 17m of water is definitely up there with one of this month’s hot spots, but now the water is getting warmer it’s very hard to look past Carrum in around the same depth. If there have been a few days of rough seas, don’t hesitate to go in a bit closer in around 10-12m of water. The weather tends to push any food in closer, and the snapper will follow the food.

Like most years, the best baits seem to be fresh squid strips or rings. There are lots

of pilchards in the bay, so a fresh piece of squid would be like a treat to them. That’s not to say you should never throw a pilchard out as bait though, because you can’t be sure what the fish want on the day.

Moving down the bay to Mount Eliza, fishing in around 17m of water has been highly successful for a lot of anglers. One of the best things about fishing here or even Mornington in the same depth is that you will be able to escape the crowds that fill a lot of the Carrum area over the snapper season.

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For anyone wanting to use plastics it’s hard to go past the area between the Mount Martha mussel farm and the Mount Martha beach. It is a huge area covered in a mixture of reef and broken sandy ground that snapper/pinkies love. Sounding up big schools of pinkie snapper is not a hard

to identify structure or broken ground on your sounder. Squid will hang over any of these areas, due to the resident small reef fish that squid love to feed on.

Other areas such as Mornington, Mount Martha and Safety Beach have also been quite productive. If you

are after the bigger models, Portsea has been quite exceptional of late. For those who don’t know, the further towards the entrance you go, the stronger the tidal system.

Larger squid tend to hunt around these areas, while the smaller squid move up the bay and hang around in the less

Amy got into some perfect eating size snapper this season. She reports that the secret to her success is using squid strips.

Scott Ryde got among some cracker fish off Carrrum over the past few weeks. thing to do, and you shouldn’t get discouraged if you’re only catching small ones because that big one is only a few casts away. And when you do hook a solid fish on your light gear, make sure that you hold on!

SQUID The squid off Mount Eliza have been in great numbers, and the beauty of this is that it isn’t far from the snapper grounds, so if you want to get yourself some fresh bait it would be hard to go past this area.

Getting in close to any of the beaches in this area in around 3-5m of water will give you your best chance. If the water visibility isn’t great, that’s OK because it isn’t hard

tidal waters. When fishing in areas such as Portsea, it’s best to use larger squid jigs around the 3.5 size.

WHITING St Leonards is producing some cracker fish at the moment, with the best baits being pipis and squid strips.

If you are in this area, be sure to bring some squid jigs as it’s a great holding ground for big squid.

Another great area has been Mount Martha in close in the late evening and moving into the night. If you are a land-based fisher this is one of the best times of year to target whiting off the beaches at night. They come in great numbers, and judging by all the reports from boatbasedanglers, the average size of fish has been around 40cm.

Shar Kan showing just how good the fishery is around Melbourne.

DECEMBER 2019

33

Praying for calm weekends WESTERN PORT NTH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Snapper season took a little while longer than normal to kick off this year. Mind you, the weather certainly hasn’t helped with what has felt like constant wind, rain and hail. Getting out has been the biggest hurdle, with many weekends blown out; most of the fishable weather has been during the working week.

Still, a considerable number of anglers have been making the most of the opportunities when the conditions have been favourable.

been producing snapper over 8kg, with an average weight of 4kg. Fishing the run-out tide has been the prime time.

With all the shallow mud flats in this region of the Port, it pays to fish the bigger tides when the flats are covered with more water. This allows the fish to get right up into the shallows to feed. During these times of the month, the fishing in the Top End has been much more productive.

If you like finding new ground, there is one particularly good spot that’s rarely fished: Chicory Lane Channel, which is located on the northern side of French Island. This channel is within the confines of the French Island Marine National

With reports predominantly coming from the three main channels, Joes Island has been another standout. Due to the reef, there are always plenty of snapper caught from here all the way down to Crawfish and Eagle Rock. If you were to draw a straight line on a map of these three ‘islands’ or follow them looking at your sounder, you’ll notice that it is one huge reef structure. This area is a great grazing ground for snapper to put their heads down and swim along with the tide, feasting on whatever they can find.

The North Arm from Hastings to Buoy 35 has also been a productive location.

This area ranges from 15-18m

on the other, there’s a fair chance that plenty of fish will swim under your boat while you’re at anchor.

One particular location called Lysaghts is extremely popular with anglers due to the reef below and the variety of species that can be caught from here. Snapper are the main target now, but there are also whiting, gummy shark, bronze whaler sharks, school sharks and more.

Whiting are currently plentiful but few anglers have been targeting them. For those who have, getting their bag has been quite easy. Gentle Annie and Charring Cross are the pick of the channels, closely followed by the Tooradin and Warneet channels. When fishing the Tooradin and Warneet channels you don’t have to travel too far up them, just start at their mouths and work one side a few hundred meters up them. Berley is the key to success.

Browns Reserve is now starting to fish well for whiting too. For those unaware, this is the bank that runs between the Tooradin and Cockyanes Channel. You are only fishing 2m of water along here for the whiting, so make sure you are quiet.

The local charter operator fleet has also been working the Eastern Entrance for whiting, and they are having no trouble in finding them.

Working the Chilcott Channel and along the edge of French Island to the Top of the Eastern has also proven to be a good location to work.

The calamari population has been exceptional, especially along the Middle Spit, Quail and Tyabb banks. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

Calamari have also been about in fair numbers, and their size is extreme as well.

Just look on some of the report social media pages and you’ll find images of some really big squid. While they are quite scattered throughout the Port, the Tyabb and Quail banks have produced some thumpers recently. Red belly size 2.5 and 3.0 jigs have been very popular with squid anglers when worked along the edges of the weedy banks.

Now that we are into December, it might pay to begin looking for some whiting if you haven’t already.

Though the banks are loaded with them, fishing for deep water whiting is particularly good from now on. This is the time you’ll have a fair chance at a genuine 50cm model. Even if you don’t get one, you can take comfort in the fact that the majority of the whiting from these areas are over the 40cm.

Just out from Hastings in 15m of water, there has been a big congregation of fish recently. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

And an upside is that Western Port has been fishing a lot better than Port Phillip Bay in recent weeks. Despite all the challenges, the Top End of the Port has been firing up in a big way. Lyalls, Boutlins and Bouchier channels have

Park which means no fishing is allowed. However, you can anchor just outside the entrance of the channel and Marine Park in around 12m of water and do quite well.

This are is also known for its mulloway captures.

deep, and while it’s mostly a mud substrate bottom, there are few patches of reef.

Snapper use the North Arm like a highway to the Top End, and with the main channel being the Hastings bank on one side and the Middle Spit

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There have been many solid fish throughout the Port. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

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35

Snapper are now in full bloom WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

There has been much more battling the weather than there has been fishing over the past few weeks. Well, that’s what it has felt like,

fishing still a possibility, depending on the size of your boat.

The Corinella region is still producing plenty of snapper, and if I was a betting man, I’d say that this area has been the most productive location throughout the entire Port. Anglers fishing

more fish than I have heard of before. Brett Palmer from Palm’s Kayak Fishing Facebook Page has been dominating the reds in the Tenby Point area, with fish ranging 78-86cm. Brett has certainly put in the hours for the rewards, and those rewards have been great.

Other kayakers have also been doing well in the area, with some sizeable gummy sharks, whiting and other snapper being caught.

Just as with fishing the top end of the Port, it is important to fish the bigger tides. At these times the mud flats have more water covering them, which means more fish will get up there to look for food.

One word of advice though – this area is quite muddy due to the impact the tides have on the mud flats, so oily baits are preferred. If you are targeting gummies, green banana prawns are dynamite, along with trevally and salmon chunks.

continuing to fish well. As well as being great spot for anglers targeting big snapper during the night, it is also a top whiting location. The area is mostly 5m deep, and from Settlement Point to Reef Island, the entire area is both reef and weed, which is welcoming to many fish species.

One of the most attractive things about Coronet Bay is that there is great access for kayak anglers as well as good land-based whiting fishing. Each week more and more reports are filtering through from here, and as I write this the reports are starting to filter through from The Corals, Rhyll and Observation Point.

These areas also hold great numbers of fish, and it’s worth trying your luck.

Due to most of the area being relatively shallow, that is apart from the Observation Point area, most of the time you can fish with no more than 8oz

Brett Palmer from Palms Kayak Fishing has been dominating the reds and gummies from the Corinella region. Photo courtesy of Brett Palmer.

Gummy sharks have been in good numbers on the beaches. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe. anyway! Although there were some good conditions on weekdays, most of the weekends were practically a write-off.

Still, the best thing about fishing Western Port is that there’s always somewhere to escape the weather, making

Spit Point, Lang Lang and Tenby Point have been catching plenty of reds and gummies, and some of the snapper have been over 8kg.

I’ll go one step further and say that in the right conditions, those fishing from kayaks have caught

Amongst the gummies there have also been some other big sharks about. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

sinker weight. This makes it bearable fishing (other than the Western Entrance).

Land-based anglers have also had plenty of success around the Port. Justin Blythe has been fishing from the sand at Balnarring, with excellent results on gummy sharks.

Land-based calamari fishing has also been productive, especially with the influx of calamari that have swarmed in. These big models are caught throughout the Port, but they’re in their greatest numbers around the Eastern Entrance, Ventnor and Flinders.

Land-based fishing is quite productive at night, and if you’re fishing from the sand, it’s advisable to fish the top of the high tides.

Alternately, for snapper, you really can’t go past fresh calamari.

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37

Roll the dice and you can score big on the water PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

After the first real winter in many years and a very trying spring with a lot of unsettled and unpredictable weather, plenty of people are looking forward to the upcoming Christmas holidays and the hope of settled conditions.

The fishing has been good, making it even more frustrating for those unable to get out.

Anglers who have managed to fish during the week have had a very good season so far. Coming up to Christmas, remember that everything will be busier and the wait at the ramps will be long whether you’re retrieving or launching, either go early or be patient.

The fishing this time of year can be a bit like a lucky dip, as you just don’t know what you might come back with at the end of the day, with so much variety available.

It’s also the start of offshore fishing, which opens up even more options as well. Around this month, it’s not unusual for customers to tell us that they managed 6-8 species of fish in one session. Not all the species are table fish but generally

Steve has a boat but enjoys a quick fish from the yak after work. a decent amount has been making for a mixed seafood dinner. The other thing you will find over the next couple of months is that while you

will catch a variety of fish, you might not necessarily catch a lot of each species and you won’t often get your bag limit.

The snapper season has

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been all over the place, with the most successful customers being the ones that threw away the history books and tried places and times that probably shouldn’t have worked. While several reports were where you would expect them, there wasn’t a lot of pattern and people have been fishing all over the bay.

The sizes lately have been getting a bit smaller, with large schools of pinkies moving in, especially over areas like The Corals. The deeper channels are still producing bigger fish and they are moving out of the bay as they normally do this time of year. You will still find some larger snapper in the bay towards dark in the shallower areas on the mud after a sunny low tide afternoon. Bigger snapper will also start to appear on the offshore reefs, with most of the ones currently offshore being small, around mid 30cm. Head down towards the hard bottom off Kilcunda to find them but be prepared to put up with several wrasse, as they like similar ground to snapper.

Calamari have been the best in size in about four years, with very few reported catches not having at least one hood over 45cm. We have seen more 50cm hoods this year than in the previous 14 years we have been in the shop and some anglers have managed up to six or more in a session.

The reports have been very good from boats and land and while the sizes have been similar, the boats have been much better with numbers.

Many will chase calamari for a feed and to put some bait in the freezer, although the majority of snapper reports coming in have been on pilchards and not squid.

With the unsettled weather

keeping the water dirty, we have seen baited jigs being used much longer than normal, even in the boats. It has been about even between the San Remo and Newhaven jetties, with both performing best in the evening on the change of the high tide. Cleeland Bight Beach has outdone Ventnor Beach. In the boats, if you take out Cleeland Bight, everywhere else has been about even.

The best part about the squid fishery is its sustainability. Even when you take the bigger ones, they are at the end of their life cycle anyway and have finished breeding. The squid fishery in the bay has improved considerably over the last ten years and with the increasing grassed areas, it only makes for

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a better breeding area. Experts say that even if only 10% of their laid eggs survived, it should be a quality fishery well into the future.

Whiting will be small and hard to come by this month. However, the more experienced anglers will have better odds at the occasional big ones if previous patterns hold true. There seems to be a cycle of younger fish coming through at the moment, whereas the last couple of years have been all about the bigger older ones.

The reports back this up, with sessions in spring offering an initial quality 50cm+ model, only to produce 26cm fish for the rest of the half-hour period. The reports have been good for numbers only if you’re counting undersize

Chloe managed her PB for the snapper season with this quality fish.

throwbacks. In previous years when we have enjoyed periods where the first fish was 40cm, the next 20 were also 40cm.

If everyone does the right thing and returns smaller fish to the water, it should lead to some good seasons in the future. When handling whiting you are going to return, make sure you handle them as little as possible. If you must pick them up, use a wet towel and don’t use those fish grips that put holes down the fish’s body, since they don’t have spikes like flathead.

Through Christmas to the end of January, we will have extended hours in the shop for those who want to get an early start. Melanie and I would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas but most importantly a safe one. Be patient and you will get to your destination, it just might take a little longer. If you are heading near San Remo way over the Christmas break, drop in and say hi.

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A beginner’s kayaking guide to Western Port quicksand! This is mostly a very shallow spot and you’ll have to travel a long way if you want to reach the deeper waters of the channel.

The good news is you

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Tom Wilson

While I enjoy fishing from my kayak in many Victorian waterways, not many situations fire me up like the pre-dawn peddle into Western Port.

No matter what species I’m targeting, I never know what I’ll encounter in there. There is always plenty to learn about this amazing expanse of water so consider this a very brief introduction to a few of my favourite spots.

TIDES No introduction to Western Port is complete without a rant about the tides. In short they are brutal, especially in a kayak.

It’s common knowledge

Ready to launch from Flinders Pier. spot. At this point you must fight the urge to turn around and leave because believe me, there are sharks in that water!

As the concrete boat ramp doesn’t reach the water when the water level is low, I always make sure to launch two hours before high tide in this area and return no more than two hours after the change.

Do not attempt to journey over the mud – it’s like

The author caught a great eating size gummy shark.

Leatherjackets are plentiful in the bay. that tides affect your ability to catch fish, but safety and the possibility of getting stranded are big concerns in Western Port.

The run-out tide is the one to be most concerned about, especially near the entrances. I’m a lot more fearful of being sucked out into the ocean than being pulled back into the bay!

The run-out is also likely to leave you stranded short of the boat ramp and surrounded by impassable mud in some spots at the top end of the bay. I’d give the southeastern side (Corinella to San Remo) a miss when the tide is running hard, as you’ll be struggling so hard to paddle against the raging torrent that it will be almost unfishable. Flinders is a great spot for sheltered fishing in most tides but do not venture past the point in the peak of the run-out!

I learnt this the hard way once and had to make a very risky rock landing to avoid being swept out to sea.

Overall, it’s best to plan your trips to coincide 40

DECEMBER 2019

and May each year. They are great fun to catch and will respond to all of the same baits as gummies on a running sinker or paternoster rig, but maybe downsize hooks and baits

with high or low tide until you are familiar with the area. An hour either side of the tide change should be comfortable to fish in wherever you go.

LANG LANG I’m fairly new to this

spot, but Lang Lang has been popular with kayak anglers for years. When you arrive, you’ll find it hard to believe there are fish here at all, as the water is so muddy it looks more like a yabbying dam than a saltwater fishing

Diving hardbodied lures work well when trolling for snook.

The variety of terrain at Corinella allows for a wide range of species, with this pinkie snapper just one of the possibilities.

really don’t need to. You’ll be amazed by the quality of gummy shark fishing you can enjoy in 2m of muddy water right throughout the day. Perhaps it’s the muddiness of the water, but you certainly don’t have to be there in the dark to find good fish. All of the usual gummy baits work well (pillies, squid, cured eel) but my secret weapon is to always to bait up with a large prawn. I’m told it’s because the fish naturally hunt for mantis shrimp over the mud flats but whether or not that’s the case, prawns are dynamite on gummies in this spot!

Another popular target species at Lang Lang is the weird and wonderful elephant fish that turn up seasonally between March

a little if you’re looking to target elephants specifically.

CORINELLA Corinella is one of the most interesting spots I’ve ever fished due to its variability in terms of terrain. You can go from 1m of water to 10m+ in a very short distance. There are weed beds, mud flats, reef and sand all within a relatively small area and pretty much every fish species that Western Port has to offer can be caught here. In less than ten visits I’ve caught snapper, gummy, silver trevally, salmon, barracouta, flathead, leatherjackets and mullet. I’ve seen garfish and banjo sharks and I hear that the elusive mulloway is a viable target for those willing to put in the hours.

With so much on offer, it’s hard to know where to start. I’ve found that positioning myself in about 6m of water just north of Snapper Rock is a good all-round spot that is slightly protected from the raging tides. You can launch at the boat ramp before high or low tide, but you definitely want to fish the change because the tidal flow in between is brutal.

If you’re clever, you’ll use the tides to not only take you to your spot but also bring you back.

Baits of pilchard and squid are always good for

snapper and gummies, but you will need a decent bomb of a sinker to hold the bottom. This is one spot where I’ll nearly always drop anchor to hold position while I fish. Soft plastic lures are another great option, but once again your

entrance but conditions get a little risker, so always wear a life jacket. Gummy sharks and whiting are the bread and butter fish species most often targeted.

An unusual favourite method of mine at Flinders is catching snook on the

It’s easy to score decent gummy sharks throughout Western Port. challenge will be getting them to the bottom in the tidal flow. I usually give them a go right on the slack tide and take advantage of the brief opportunity to let a curl-tail grub flutter naturally to the bottom on a 1/4oz jighead. If you’re fishing plastics outside of this window, you’ll need at least a 3/8oz jighead to keep in touch with the bottom. The Berkley 4” Gulp Nemesis is a favourite lure of mine for targeting snapper and flathead and the ZMan 2.5” grub in motor oil is a ripper for silver trevally and schoolsized Australian salmon.

FLINDERS Flinders is great for kayak fishing and a good starting place for anybody

the point and you’ll be in the right spot. Next is lure selection – snook are best caught in mid-water, so that’s where you need your lure to be working while you troll. Diving hardbodied lures with a baitfish profile and a depth range of 2-3m are great, or heavily-weighted paddle-tail soft plastics like a 100mm squidgy fish on a 5/8 jighead also work a treat. Snook are lightning fast hunters, so you don’t have to worry about trolling too fast on a peddle powered kayak – as fast as your legs will carry you is perfect!

Another lure that I tried recently with great results is one rarely used in saltwater.

The Winged Tassie Devil is known almost exclusively as a trout lure but it’s a definite winner on snook.

I weighed it down with a sinker attached to a snap swivel about 2m above

This impressive snook was caught at Flinders on the troll. troll. The poor old snook is hardly ever recognised as a target species; usually they’d be considered by-catch or at best they’d be collected as shark bait. I target them because they hit

where my leader ties onto the lure. The erratic wobble of the trolled Tassie Devil drove the snook crazy and I pretty much had a hook-up every five minutes!

Western Port can be

It’s important to be careful and research tides in a new area before setting out. Otherwise, you might have to make some risky manoeuvres to avoid getting swept out to sea! new to the sport. The reeflined bay to the right of the pier is sheltered in most conditions and always holds squid, wrasse and leatherjackets. The list of available species does expand as you push past the point and into the western

lures hard, are great fun to catch on a kayak troll, and they are all over this spot!

The first step is to get out to the optimal water depth, about 6m. If you don’t have a sounder, travel parallel with the car park just inside the shelter of

a daunting place to start fishing from a kayak, but hopefully this introduction will give you the confidence to get your yak on the water.

Remember to watch those tides and always do your research before launching into a new area.

DECEMBER 2019

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One of the famous piers along Port Phillip is Mordialloc, which is a hotspot for a variety of species throughout the year. Right now it’s snapper season, and this place is consistent for producing reds. Salmon and squid are also abundant and anglers flock here for the chance to put a bend in their rod.

for bream, garfish and mullet. When the snapper aren’t playing the game, try throwing a lure in and around the structure. You never know what you might catch.

THE GEAR Normal snapper gear will be more than enough for here, only thing I would do is get longer rods than normal, as you want to be casting out as far as possible. A long rod also helps you play the fish and keep them away from the

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Jake Griffin was just as surprised as the fish was, as he was targeting bream. This healthy EP decided to take a liking to an unweighted yabby offering.

PRIME TIME September through to November is prime time for snapper. It is a great early season spot and there are always good reports of anglers catching big snapper off the pier before the boats have really got onto them.

Inside the creek can be really good fishing

pylons at the pointy end of the fight.

In the creek, a 2-4kg spin rod will be perfect, which you can also use on squid, garfish and salmon as well.

THE RIG A paternoster rig is common when fishing landbased off piers, it allows you to cast an absolute

mile. At the pointy end a twin hook rig of 5/0 hooks works well. A good 30-40lb abrasion-resistant leader will help stop fish bite-offs and running you around structure, but still supple and soft for tying up rigs.

BAIT AND LURES It always pays to take a variety of baits out because one day they will hit one bait then the next it will be something totally different.

Pilchards, silver whiting and squid are all up there as go-to snapper baits.

Maggots under floats will fish well for gars, bream and mullet in the creek.

BEST METHOD Snapper fishing in the shallows is best done in low light or less than ideal conditions.

If you get down there during the dark on a rough windy day, then you are putting yourself in with the best chance to catch a landbased snapper off the pier.

Fishing inside the creek, then casting lures at the structure is key to catching snapper. Fish love structure, whether it’s natural or artificial.

MOTHER NATURE As I mentioned earlier, snapper love rough weather.

When the wind is blowing straight into the pier in wild conditions, you need to be careful, especially at night.

HOT TIP It’s no secret that fish love food, so berley inside the creek is a good way to bring the fish to you. Mullet, bream and garfish respond well to a breadcrumb base mix with a bit of aniseed oil or tuna oil. If you’re fishing for squid, pay attention to the ink stains on the pier, as this is a good sign that the squid are about and the area is fishing well.

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Mordialloc Pier is a popular spot for a variety of species throughout the year.

DECEMBER 2019

43

It’s all go for the holiday season GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

December is the month we get serious about chasing those large trophy flathead. You can also expect bigger bream to now be feeding in the shallows. Pinkie snapper will move in around Metung and there could be an early arrival of big kingfish as well. With the Christmas holidays not far away, I will go through a couple of ideas for keen bream and flathead anglers making their yearly trip to Gippsland for the summer break.

LEGISLATION PASSED First up though, it’s been a big year for the Gippy Lakes, especially with the announcement of commercial netting to end as early as April next year. Bait and eel netters will still operate within the system but by 2021

there will be no more commercial harvesting of species like bream, estuary perch, whiting and flathead. This will allow the lakes to be restocked with hatchery-bred fish like bream and estuary perch into the future.

There are still some big issues to look at in the years ahead and the main problem I see is the ever-decreasing flow of water down all the rivers.

Drought and relentless irrigating has reduced some of the streams to almost no flow at all.

BIG BREAM TIME The spawning season is now over and reports of bream moving back to the shallow lake margins are starting to filter in already.

This is the time of year when a lot of bream come back down to the mouth of rivers and spread out into the lake. They feed hard to recharge after the spawning season and can attack lures aggressively.

Early morning is the prime time to work shallow running hardbody lures.

Work them with short sharp rips and plenty of long pauses. Lightlyweighted soft plastics are also the go, with the ZMan 2.5” GrubZ and the new Hurricane Sprats the top lures. Surface lures can be surprisingly effective at this time of year, especially in the calm mornings, but they will work during the middle of the day too.

The areas to concentrate on are Lady Bay, Emu Bight, Mason Bay and Wattle Point in Lake Victoria. If you are searching in the clear water, be careful not to spook the schools of big bream feeding in the skinny edges around the lake. When you drift into the shallows and look for structure like logs and weed beds, keep an eye out for big flathead too.

The Nicholson and Mitchell flats are also must-try areas and are best

Merry Bemm bags BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

The entrance remains open at time of writing.

However, the water level is low so it pays to be careful and use the navigation markers to guide you.

Anglers have reported excellent bream fishing in the river and parts of the lake with the occasional luderick about. Sandworm has been the preferred bait recently and it is available from the local

bait collector.

This time of year is usually when most areas of the inlet produce a variety of fish. The surf is fishing remarkably well at the moment, with salmon in abundance. The Pearl Point Road’s improvements have made accessing the surf beaches much easier.

All boaties should check their safety gear before venturing out on the water, especially the flares.

If they are out of date, you will get booked. Please be vigilant when launching and retrieving your boat while the water is shallow.

Rocks at the end of the ramp are more exposed and pose a threat to propellers.

• So, now is the time to plan your spring fishing trip to Bemm River. Give me a call on 0427 584 233 – the phone is always in my pocket! For on the spot and up-to-date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation. com.au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/ Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

fished in the late afternoon when the wind gets up. It’s one of the few places in the lakes where the bigger the waves, the better the bream bite will be and battling wind to 30km/h or over will get you more fish.

FLATTY TIPS When looking for the biggest dusky flathead, you have to upsize your lures or use big live baits. Plastics around 6” are the go and use a 1/4 or even 1/2oz jighead to work the deeper areas thoroughly. Try the shallow water early in the morning and then move out into the depths as the sun rises and the day warms up towards lunchtime. I’m always surprised how huge flathead will totally ignore smaller plastics or metal blades but when you fish the same area with much bigger lures, they’ll wake up and attack aggressively.

You will also be shocked at how even small flathead around 40cm will attack big lures.

Live baits like mullet or even small garfish are very deadly on big flathead. The great thing about using live fish for bait is that you could also hook a surprise mulloway or kingfish.

YELLOWFIN BREAM December is also the time to start looking for big yellowfin bream that

Shallow waters during summer are where large flatties hunt. water, working them faster than you would when trying to catch black bream because yellas are a much more aggressive predator.

Over the last few years, big yellowfin bream have been caught well into the mid 40cm range, so gear up accordingly.

around 38-42cm, which are a welcome change of pace and are excellent on the plate.

For those keen to try for even bigger snapper, anchor down near Kalimna and work large baits an hour each side of the tide changes. A few keen

Blair Bryant knows the Gippy Lakes well and gets plenty of big bream out in the open water.

Some good catches of bream have been taken on sandworm.

44

DECEMBER 2019

are now calling the Gippy Lakes home. The saltiest tidal water from Kalimna up to Bancroft Bay is the best area to chase them.

Use very lightly-weighted soft plastics and try sight fishing the big yellas around the shallow jetties and boat moorings.

Another method is to use small blades in deeper

PINKIE SNAPPER As the water warms up, the lower section of the lakes will be inundated with schools of juvenile snapper. They love hanging around the Metung to Kalimna area and most of them are around 25-32cm, but you will often find a school of bigger pinkies

anglers get the biggest snapper there in the dark and not many people are aware of just how good a snapper fishery the eastern area of the lakes can be.

Plus, there’s always a chance of by-catch like big kingfish, mulloway and thumper flathead.

Merry Christmas to all and a very fishy new year!

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Snapper season set to ignite CORNER INLET

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

What a month it has been down at Corner Inlet! With the snapper going berserk, it has been a mad house.

However, with fish to 10kg being caught, who can blame anyone for heading down here for a chance to catch a trophy?

In October, snapper anglers start hitting Corner

Inlet pretty hard for the first snapper of the season. It didn’t take long with the first fishable day to produce good numbers of big reds. We scored big on our first successful trip of the season, with good mate Benny getting his PB snapper of 10.07kg. We landed 6 snapper in total with our smallest fish weighing in at 7.5kg.

The fishing has got even better since then with stacks of snapper over 80cm being caught.

The Franklin Channel has Ryder Thompson with his PB snapper measuring 85cm caught on a Black Magic Snapper Snack rig. been where most anglers are anchoring up for the snapper.

However, as the water is now warm, the snapper will be spread throughout the whole inlet. Prime baits have been squid and pilchard, and some anglers have taken advantage of the salmon schools in the entrance by catching a few for fresh baits.

Prime times for the bite are still morning and evenings, but as the water temperature increases the snapper will bite a bit more frequently. Running sinker rigs and paternoster style rigs are probably catching an even amount of fish, but the popular flasher style rigs are always worth putting out.

The main by-catch when chasing snapper has been the humble gummy shark. They are extremely thick inside the inlet at the moment with most anglers getting a couple each

A good haul in November while fishing Port Welshpool.

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trip. Most gummies have been measuring between 85cm-1m, with the Toora, Franklin and the Entrance being the best locations.

The calamari have been red hot this season, and in the last month they have got even better. They are still only medium sized at around 25-30cm hoods but it’s easy to get your bag if you are using red or white Yamashita jigs.

Ben Barnes with a cracking PB 10kg snapper from Port Welshpool caught on a squid.

The last species on the chew is the King George whiting. The Lewis Channel has been producing plenty to 40cm on pipis and squid on the run-out tide. Next month is only going to get better, as the water approaches 20oC inside the inlet. We should

Summer species are off MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

There has been no relief for the farmers with not enough rain to even give the estuary a good flush, but with the entrance still open schools of fish are coming into the estuary to spawn. Bream have already been in and begun to spawn, large schools of luderick and mullet have followed and schools of estuary perch have also appeared.

The arrival of big schools of fish into the estuary system coincides with the time of year that prawns begin to emerge from their nurseries among the reeds and mangroves and start to grow into mature prawns. They will

move down towards the entrance and gather on the sand flats, waiting for the right moon and tide to run into the open ocean.

As the numbers of prawns on the sand flats increase more and more, dusky flathead will also appear to feast on the prawn.

With plenty of dusky flathead on the sand flats, anglers will be out with their soft plastic lures trying to bag that trophy flathead for a picture and a brag to their fishing friends.

Anglers have reported getting bags of big bream in the Brodribb River with many over 40cm of both species.

Luderick have been taken on the rock groynes surrounding the islands,

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with the best results from those using sandworm.

Mullet are in good numbers throughout the system and have also been biting on sandworm.

Estuary perch can be found schooling around the snags and structure in the rivers. Lures and sandworm have both been productive.

The surf beaches are firing. Salmon, tailor, flathead and gummy shark are on the bite, giving anglers plenty of reasons to hit the beaches and join in on the action.

Fishing offshore from Cape Conran has been very good, with anglers reporting quality catches of flathead, gurnard, barracouta, squid, pinkie snapper and gummy sharks.

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December offerings are sure to delight anglers LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

Christmas is on its way and the days are counting51 ERA EREHT down to the start of 2020.

UO Hnow GUwarm ORHT NEDDIH SOGOL WithTthe days and long, the system .YLfired HTup NO MLakes GNIHSIF FO SEGAP EHT has and Entrance to Metung is WOLEBproducing MROF YRTNE EHT NI LLIF consistently all manner of fish, like HCGeorge AE Fwhiting O REand BMUN EGAP EHT HTIW King Aussie salmon.

OG DNA NOITACOL OGOL LAKES ENTRANCE With summer the WARD EHT OTNI !NIWhere, OT yearly run of whiting is on the move. Compared to previous years, the size is down, but anglers using fresh baits like mussels Throwing small hardbodies in the timber snags is great fun at Lake will always get consistent Tyers and quality bream usually do their best to break you off. results. How bait is presented can make a big Footbridge and Metung. difference and paternoster been productive due to be long before rat kingfish start to show up in the Australian salmon have rigs have been the most fishing pressure. system.

These turned up. With the lower effective. Casting these With the lake warming lake lakes full of whitebait, offerings to the edges and the currents pushing predator fish like to hang these aggressive hunters of deeper weed beds has down the coast, it shouldn’t around areas such as the

have been smashing the bait schools on the surface early in the day. Small metal lures have been highly effective either cast or trolled.

LAKE TYERS The lake is at its peak with water temperatures 22°C and over, and thus offers many fishing styles this month. The higher reaches of the Nowa Nowa arm have produced quality bream, with the lay down snags and rocky edges producing consistent catches. Small shad style hardbodies have been standout when cast up tight to rock walls or fallen trees, then worked back with a combination of small twitches and pauses.

The lower lake has produced decent flathead, with fish in the 70cm range being caught regularly. Areas such as the powerlines with the

deep points have been ideal places to invest effort.

The major attraction to Lake Tyers recently has been huge tailor on the move, with 70cm+ tailor being caught. These monster greenbacks have been commonly seen on the surface feed aggressively chasing bait. Large soft plastics, flickbaits and pencil style topwater lures have been great options for targeting these fish.

Patience has been critical, as these schools will appear randomly, so it’s a matter of waiting.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for a fish lately and have a great pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@ gmail.com with a short description and you could be featured in the edition of Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly.

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49

All estuary species are firing MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson

Outside sportfishers look forward to this time of year as it all starts to happen.

There’s already been a handful of yellowfin tuna caught, with stacks of albacore in the 6-12kg bracket. There’s been a lot of mako sharks about as well, which is good to see.

These brutes fight hard, with the smaller fish up to 80kg excellent on the plate.

The water just north of us is warm and it won’t be

long before the first marlin is encountered. They’re probably there already, especially striped marlin, with the water at 19°C. Those smaller tuna are like jelly beans to marlin, so slow trolling one is worth a go. You will have more success trolling skirted pushers early in the season, with the shelf a good place to start. By trolling skirts you get to cover the ground, and this can pay handsomely, even if it costs you a few more dollars.

Those after a feed of bottom fish won’t have any trouble. Snapper, morwong

Big flathead like this 80cm model will still hit bream lures in the shallows.

and kingfish are plentiful on the reefs, with sand and tiger flathead in good numbers on the sand. Fish in 30m straight off the Pambula River mouth for the sandies, with the gravel edges along the reefs in deeper water best for the tigers.

Closer to shore the estuaries are also firing.

Both Merimbula and Pambula lakes are the places to fish, where all estuarine species aare vailable.

Flathead will be the main species targeted, with fish to 5kg on the cards. Anglers using a variety of different methods will catch fish, but the soft plastics brigade should do well this month.

The flatties will be more active as the water warms, whacking lures fished slowly over weed-fringed flats with gusto. This is great fun on light tackle that anyone can do.

In the channels bream, blackfish and trevally are the main species, and fresh or live prawns, Bass yabbies and striped tuna cubes are the gun baits. If you’re fishing from land, wading the sand flats just west of the Fisheries office near the bridge on Merimbula Lake is a great place to

stalk whiting. Using lightlyweighted baits like nippers or squirtworms on a rising tide should see some tasty fillets in the pan.

On the beaches tailor numbers are increasing, with some nice fish up 1.5kg being caught. The salmon are still there in huge numbers and with the warmer weather, both bream and whiting numbers will also be on the increase.

Both species are great fun on light lines and pretty good on the plate. I’d be concentrating around the estuaries mouths like Pambula and Short Point (Back Lake) for best results.

A few locals have been having some nice sessions there, so it’s worth a look.

Other beaches to try include North Tura and Tura, especially if a gummy shark or mulloway is your target. There’s been the odd gummy caught by those fishing for salmon, so if you fish the right conditions at the right time you should do well. I’d be fishing the flooding tide just after dark with fresh salmon strips for your best chance at getting one.

Don’t be surprised if a decent-sized bronze whaler

A cracking yellowfin bream that couldn’t resist a well-presented hardbody. shark plays the game.

There’s been plenty seen in the shallows over the last month. Fishing with drones has really opened our eyes to how many sharks are in close, and it’s very surprising, but I suspect it’s been like that forever.

December is a good time for the rock spinning diehards to throw metal around. Mac tuna, bonito and the odd kingy can be expected, with Tura Head the pick of the platforms to fish. Inside Merimbula Bay, the rocks north of the wharf and the wharf itself are goo places to fish. I

like using quite large lures at this time of the year, with 40g metals a favourite.

Have a selection of lures on hand, as each day can be different, especially when trying to match the hatch.

Using pilchards on ganged hooks also works, and a slow wind mid-water can pay dividends, especially for the bonito.

The wharf has been producing plenty of squid too. These too can be used as live bait under a balloon for a bigger kingfish, and if it doesn’t get eaten at least you will still have a feed of squid!

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50

DECEMBER 2019

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Flathead are now widespread NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson

The inshore reefs have been a little slow, with the odd morwong, snapper and flatty being caught.

Some better-sized reds are coming from 60-70m straight off Potato Point.

Most fish are around 2kg, and the average catch is 4-5 fish per session.

The snapper fishing should only improve from now on as the water temperatures increase, and when it does we can expect some good fishing on the close-in reef off Brou Beach.

It has produced the goods in the past, with soft plastics and unweighted baits the best way to tempt them.

December in this system.

Large soft plastics and live poddy mullet are the gun two methods if you’re after a big lizard.

This month the bream and whiting will start to patrol the various sand flats looking for nippers, squirt worms and small prawns.

Live bait will definitely work better here, but small shallow running hardbodies fished on a high tide around the mangroves will certainly fool a bream or two.

There’s a heap of tailor in the system too, so mulloway are possible, especially around tide changes and bait schools. Casting softies to the edges of feeding tailor is the best way of connecting to mulloway, it can prove expensive but

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Releasing another high 80cm+ fish. Gotta love summer!

Anglers using an assortment of soft plastics and soft vibes should see a fish or two also.

At Montague Island the kingfish have been good, with some solid fish caught.

In saying that, they haven’t been red-hot; some days are good and others are just plain ordinary. As usual, the water temperature and current direction have a big impact on whether the kings are going to play or not.

When they do, jigs and live bait have worked, with the western side of the island being the pick of areas to fish.

Further offshore, the good yellowfin bite has stopped. There are still a few rats getting around, but the action isn’t like it was last month.

We should start to see some billfish action before too long, we just need that water to get better for the marlin action to start to hot up. What has been interesting is the amount of mako sharks getting about.

I know of several boats that have had multiple captures of sharks to 150kg, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Wagonga Inlet will be in full swing by now, with whiting, bream, mulloway and big flathead all available. The flatties will be widespread but the bigger fish tend to travel downstream from late November/early

worthwhile also.

Further north, the Tuross river and lake system is fishing well, and this will continue over coming months. The place is loaded with baitfish and prawns, with the flats on a flooding tide excellent for bream and whiting. Anglers using surface walkers and poppers are faring best, with windy warm afternoons being prime time. The ruffle that the wind provides on the water is certainly advantageous to the angler, as it provides cover from the fish looking up at your offering. Casting downwind will increase casting distances also, thus

increasing your chances as you’re covering more water.

If this type of fishing isn’t for you, there are plenty more options available.

Anglers using bait and lures can expect bream, flathead, blackfish, tailor and whiting.

With the water warming, both the river section and basins will produce the goods. Look for those slightly deeper depressions, especially in the river. Casting a soft plastic or lightly weighted bait to these edges will produce some great angling.

The local beaches have continued to fish well for salmon. Locals fishing the flooding tide in the morning have been smashing them lately, catching and releasing an average of 10-15 fish per session. A lot of these fish are being caught on bream gear, and casting small metal shiners into the suds has worked a treat. It’s a stack of fun on the skinny stuff.

As the water warms further we can expect bream, whiting and mullet to show

up in the shallows and beach breaks. Fresh pipis and beach worms are the best way to get a feed. Better beaches at present include Tilba to the south, Narooma main and Brou Beach just north of Dalmeny.

There’s still some good drummer fishing for those fishing the stones. By December the pigs tend to taper off a bit, but that hasn’t happened yet. The rocks down at the golf course rocks have produced good results over the last few weeks, with cabbage being the top bait.

The deeper waters of Mystery Bay should start to see some pelagic action from now on until May. Small kingies, bonito, salmon and tailor are all a possibility, with lures and ganged pilchards the best methods to try. If you’re after a bigger kingfish then a live bait under a balloon or bobby cork is the go. You can usually get all the livebait you want from this ledge, with slimy mackerel the preferred bait to use.

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51

We all just want a rainy Christmas BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

All anglers want for Christmas is rain, rain and more rain. Sadly we are going through one of the worst droughts in a long time, and there doesn’t seem like any relief in the near future. Nevertheless, there are still fish to be caught, it just means you may have to put in a bit more work and try some new techniques.

Many lakes and estuaries are currently closed to the ocean, which will make the fishing tough. However, the ones that are open will have migrating fish enter to feed, so will be the best option.

Offshore water temperatures are rising and will bring the pelagics we so desperately await each season.

December is the lead up to the marlin season and a few fish have already filtered their way off the coast out

from Bermagui. They have come to feed on the schools of slimies that frequent here and are caught while trolling for tuna. Sharks are also following these schools and are more readily encountered when using live bait with the occasional mako being taken on a lure.

Kingfish up at Montague Island are also progressing quite well offshore. Jigs, live baits and squid are all performing on their day with both kings and bonito being taken on the troll.

Yellowfin tuna are in good numbers schooling around the edge of the continental shelf and beyond – they feed on the many bait schools now in the area.

These fish vary in size from 2-40kg and are mostly taken on the troll. Lures range from small skirted lures through to larger styles. The the best results have come from lures that will hang deeper when trolled, with their own built in action (bibless and

bibbed styles).

When you find a school of tuna, you might like to try a different form of lure fishing just to spice up the day’s action. Working in conjunction with your sounder, use a heavy spin outfit with braided line and work jigs through the school on the sounder. This action can be very exciting, as large yellowfin can be a real handful using this type of tackle.

There are also lots of striped tuna, with marlin and sharks hot on their tails, and there are plenty of albacore amongst the yellowfin captures.

For the bottom fishos, most of the reefs and flathead grounds are producing well.

Snapper are still being caught on most of the reef systems with those everpresent schools of morwong topping up the bags. Kingfish have been encountered out from Goalen Head south of Bermagui and, with a bit

You’ll find tuna out around the continental shelf.

more effort, more fish should be encountered.

Tiger flathead are in extremely good numbers at present with most fish being caught in 50m+ depth – the deeper you go, the better quality of fish. Sand flathead are being found in shallower water, with the most popular areas out from Tilba, Cuttaggee and Murrah beaches.

Shallow water offshore soft plastic fishing is increasing in popularity and is producing all sorts of weird and wonderful captures for anglers. I suppose why it’s so exciting because you never know what’s going to jump on next, from shallow to mid-water speedsters to bottom dwellers, it is all fun.

Beaches are fishing well with the most popular areas choked with salmon. Lure and bait fishing are both producing good numbers.

Optimum times are early mornings and late evenings, combined with higher tides.

Bream are also arriving along the coast on most beaches and have been taken regularly on baits, such as tuna strips, cut pillies. Along side the bream, whiting are also featuring regularly on beach worms.

Fishing the rocks has produced well during the early morning before the wind and sea gets up. Plenty of drummer and groper are mooching around at this time of day, so most anglers should have little trouble getting one of them hooked. It’s also a very good time to throw lures from the stones for the surface species, anything from kingies to salmon are passing by, and the odd schools of small tuna

The Bermagui River holds many species of fish, like this nice flounder. are surprising anglers.

Most lake and estuary systems are fishing all the way through from the entrances to the backwaters. Most species on the chew are trying to condition before the onset of the cooler months, so most methods should produce fish.

Target the deeper holes, dropoffs and weed-lined channels for flathead and the shallower rocky oyster areas and flats for bream and trevally.

Bait fishing will produce at will for those who don’t like to be as energetic as those tossing lures. Nippers and worms over the flats will see nice bags of whiting, bream and other assorted species.

Live mullet in the deeper areas or drifting the lakes

will produce its share of good flathead, with trolling being another option.

Brogo Dam is fishing well, especially early mornings and late afternoons when insect life is at its peak.

This is the time for the fly fishos (with dries) to catch the bass. Styles of flies will vary as much as the size of the bass in Brogo. Lure fishing, of course, will produce lots of fish along the weed banks, with most minnow style lures producing the best results.

By using spinnerbaits to get down deep, or by trolling, you can find some action throughout the day closer to the dam wall. Some fish are still being caught in the river below the dam.

Bag out over the holiday break MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With spring now behind us, it’s great to see the days getting even longer and warmer. This has started to bring visitors to the Eden Mallacoota area and it should remain busy right through until Easter.

This area of the coast has had a little more rain than other areas but much more is needed, as the bushfire risk in summer is real. Without the rain, the smaller creeks and rivers are all closed to the ocean with Mallacoota still open but not navigable.

Constant sand build-up at Bastion Point has required regular dredging to allow boats access to the offshore fishing grounds and with the summer north easterlies on the way, that sand will keep on coming.

52

DECEMBER 2019

The offshore fishing out of Eden has really started to fire up, with warm water pushing its way down the coast. There have been reports of yellowfin tuna caught and the coming month should see some good fishing with tuna passing by as they make their way down towards Tassie. Plenty of

humpback whales have also been sighted.

The flathead fishing for tigers and sandies has really come alive, with good bags of fish being reported. Decent numbers of snapper and morwong are been caught, but the large numbers of couta around have made getting

Good numbers of flounder are still being caught in the Top and Bottom lakes.

a bait to the bottom near impossible.

This time of year it is important to get out there early, catch your fish and be back before the wind really starts blowing. Keep an eye on the tide as too low a tide can make launching and retrieving tricky.

Fishing the local beaches has seen plenty of salmon caught and as the warm water pushes along the beaches, the variety of species caught will increase. Sand whiting, yellowfin bream, tailor and salmon should all be available to anglers fishing the local beaches.

The estuaries have really fired up with good numbers of good sized flathead caught with both bait and a variety of lures. Black and yellowfin bream have been caught with bait fishers using local prawn achieving excellent results. A few sand whiting have been caught but the fishing should improve over the coming

This yellowfin bream ate a big soft plastic lure intended for flathead. months as this species turns up in greater numbers. Luderick have been fishing well, with some quality fish caught around the entrance area at Mallacoota, especially in Harrisons Channel.

Further upstream, estuary perch have been caught. Some solid bass have started to come on the bite.

The fishing should only improve as we get further into summer.

Mix it up for more strikes NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Sometimes, even subtle variations in the way you work or present a lure or fly can radically improve your catch rate.

Little things can and do make a huge difference to your fishing results.

Things like dropping your leader diameter by a few fractions of a millimetre, changing you hook size, or varying your boat speed while trolling. On occasions, these seemingly small shifts can spell the difference between success and failure; between a donut day and a blinder.

I’ll never forget my very first experiences with impoundment golden perch or yellowbelly, at Copeton Dam in northern NSW during the early 1980s. I was fishing there with Rob Smith, chasing yellas on the edge of a full dam by casting-andcranking hardbodied deep divers. We were doing reasonably well, but Rob was kicking my butt… until I accidentally discovered a subtle retrieve trick that turned it around for me.

before turning and suddenly climbing out of the depths.

A lot of our strikes were coming at that moment, when the lure turned back on itself and began to rise.

However, on one retrieve

retrieve, just prior to the lure’s turn-around point, and that’s exactly how, when and where I hooked most of my fish for the rest of that trip.

Interestingly, it has

go-to method for working these sinking vibration lures consisted of short hops off the bottom, interspersed with brief pauses. I hate to think how many goldens have been brought undone

Soft vibes like the Jackall Mask are deadly.

Nowadays, lots of anglers prefer to retro-fit them with small assist hooks when chasing yellowbelly.

Jo Starling took this trophy yellowbelly on an Ecogear ZX40 fished with the more conventional ‘slow hop’ presentation.

However, that once-deadly retrieve is ‘so yesterday’ now!

— just a few cranks before my lure reached that critical flip-around point — a fly managed to crawl in behind the lens of my sunglasses.

I stopped cranking and

also been yellowbelly that have prompted my latest ponderings on the impact of subtle variations in lure retrieves. I’ve been fishing Lake Windamere in Central Western NSW for this species since 1989, and the invitational tournament I kicked off there in 1992 is still going strong as it approaches its 30th year.

It’s amazing to look back and observe the changes in tackle, tactics, techniques and lures across those three decades.

Today, you’re not seriously in the game at Windamere unless your either grubbing the trees with a plastic or chucking a metal blade like an Ecogear ZX or a soft vibe such as a Jackall Mask, a Transam or a Zerek Fish Trap; ideally a black one fitted with small, sticky-sharp assist hooks.

For several years, the

raised my hand to deal with the sticky little intruder… and the rod was almost ripped from my grasp by a fired-up golden!

From that moment, I began incorporating a deliberate pause into every

than ‘hopping’. I’m sure the end result is very reminiscent of a foraging yabby. Bream anglers familiar with working crab imitations like the Cranka Crab will immediately relate, I’m sure.

The take-away message is that today’s ‘hot’ techniques, lures and retrieves won’t necessarily be the best ones next season, next month or even next week. If your results begin to slip, it really pays to mix it up and try some new

The author with a solid Lake Windamere golden perch. Lure fishing techniques for this species (and many others) are constantly evolving. It pays to experiment.

Ecogear’s ZX blades are cracker lures that will catch a whole range of species using retrieves ranging from the ‘shake-and-bake’ or ‘shuffle’ to the gentle hop, the slow roll and an even fast burn… Mix it up!

Those lures dove deeper and deeper as we pulled them away from the bank until they reached an area directly under the boat.

Here they would actually swim past a point where the line was perpendicular

by that exact retrieve, at Windamere and right across the geographic range of this hardy inland native.

However, most fish eventually seem to ‘wise up’ to specific lures and popular presentations, especially land-locked populations in confined waterways like dams. Just as surely, switched-on anglers are constantly looking for new twists to boost their strike rates.

For the past few seasons, at Windamere

Baitcaster, spin or fly, it really pays to vary your retrieve and constantly try new things until you discover what’s working on the day.

and elsewhere, savvy anglers like Jamie Hardman, Murray and Glen Stewart, Jakko Davis and several others have been adapting and mixing up their presentations of these go-to lures, often producing results on days when everyone else is struggling while doing the same old things as they did in the past.

Space precludes me from detailing all of the subtle twists these innovators have come up with, but suffice to say that many of them involve various forms of shake and shuffle that see these sinking lures staying in almost constant contact with the lake bed, rather

twists. Sticking to the same old patterns that worked for you in the past — especially in the face of diminishing returns — really isn’t all that smart. Remember, it was the scientific genius Albert Einstein who famously said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Maybe Albert was also a yellowbelly fisherman!

If you’d like to learn more, Google ‘how to shake soft vibes for golden perch’, or go to Rhys Creed’s excellent podcast series at www.socialfishing. com.au and listen to his wonderful interview featuring Murray ‘The Fish Whisperer’ Stewart.

DECEMBER 2019

53

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

The 12 crays of Christmas TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

Summer is in full swing, and thankfully so too is the fishing. Everything has been warming up and there is no excuse not to get out and wet a line. The amount of daylight hours after knock-off time is also a huge bonus, with everyone enjoying more time doing what they love.

Tasmania really starts to fish well at this time of year, with more species coming on the chew and getting about in bigger numbers. The water has been slowly warming and it has been of great quality,

about 500m wide at high tide and narrowing again at the Bass Highway bridge.

When the tide is all the way in and the green/blue water from the ocean has filled the creeks and gutters, there is a lot of fun to be had by light line anglers. There are some very nice bream that get up on the mud flats and move around oyster-encrusted rocky outcrops. You can bait fish for these with some berley on the edge of a deeper channel, or sneak up onto the flats and cast hardbody lures. If you go steady and are stealthy, you can do very well. Keep an eye on water levels, as the water falls out of here quickly and

to narrow again at the town bridge. There is a 5 knot zone from here to the breakwater, and just beyond is open sea.

To the port side or Penguin/ Burnie side there are some rock bommies that pop up that need attention on most tides, but on mid to low tide some care must be taken. On the starboard side or Devonport side when leaving the river and heading north there are also some rocky bommies that need some care to avoid.

These bommies on both sides are excellent to troll and cast around for big Australian salmon at high tide. ‘Black back’ is the other name we use for them, and when they

Sammy Sherriff showing dad Damon how it’s done with an 8kg Tassie snapper. helped by the low rainfall.

Let’s have a brief look at some of the places that have fished well late in November, and which will continue to fish well throughout December.

We will also have a look at a favourite fishing pastime of mine, beach fishing.

THE LEVEN RIVER The river that flows through the small town of Ulverstone has been improving for a number of years. I think that industry and farmers have been doing the right things and should be congratulated. I grew up in and around this river system, and the improvement is obvious.

The greatest improvement is to the tiny micro-organisms, which flourish in clean water, and attract small bait. These, in turn, attract the predatory fish that we’re after.

The upper reaches of the Leven River stretch right up to and past Gunns Plains, and are full of brown trout of varied sizes. You will find the odd rainbow trout as well as fat, silver sea-runners further down near the golf course bridge and out to sea. Not too much further downriver from the golf club bridge, the river opens into a narrow estuary 54

DECEMBER 2019

can leave you the wrong side of a mud bar or hit a rock with your skeg.

In the deeper channels you can find some holes where a couple of channels converge into the main river channel.

I find this is a good spot to pick up silver trevally. These fish have been coming into the estuary in greater numbers each year, and this year they seem to be of good size, with 50cm brutes from time to time.

On light gear these fish are fantastic fun.

Tailor have been also getting bigger as the seasons roll on. Although I have only caught small ones while testing lures down near the rowing club, I’ve seen pics of some nice ones caught out of here. It will be interesting to see how many bigger models will be taken from our beaches and gutters this season.

Cocky salmon are always in here and can be found relatively easily. Anything bright and flashy or with a good tail action will have them come a-running, and we’re also seeing some bigger models caught out the mouth.

The Leven River again widens on the other side of the Bass Highway Bridge only

are biting it doesn’t take long before the word gets around.

You will always know when the word is about a week old as there will be 4-5 boats both here and further to the west off the Forth River working the areas after work. The size of these black back have been

fantastic, and they will test your angling skills on mid to light line. The drama here is the pesky barracouta will want to get in on the act; they make short work of the light line, to the detriment of your lure collection.

DEVONPORT The big hope for this fishing town on the Mersey River will be that the kingfish return, as they did last year. It may be a little early for them but it wouldn’t hurt to have a look around Wrights Island and further out to the low lying bigger island known as Egg Island. Use some medium size hardbodies and silver slices and keep your trolling speeds up. It will feel too quick, as you will be used to a trout and salmon trolling pace, but if you get up to 10km/h (just over 5 knots) you’ll be at the right speed. If there are some kings around, the speed fires them up like a group of greyhounds at the Dapto Dogs.

The big news off Devonport has been the really early and good run of snapper.

It’s been a couple of years now since the real excitement of more and more people finding them and sharing a few tips, and this has led to more people catching them.

If you are still honing your craft and process, it may be best to use the snapper catcher rigs that most stores now carry.

These are paternoster rigs with a few small tweaks to maximise catch rates. Fresh baits cut into strips that flap about enticingly seem to be best. If you happen to catch a ‘couta or salmon, send them back on a hook as they make great bait.

It’s a tough gig trying to catch your first snapper, and the biggest tip I can give you is to set up for the job at hand, and don’t try to do a bit of everything. You must have your berley going out for a while, your baits drifting

Stuart Hill with a fabulous crayfish from the waters of Tasmania. back beautifully, and keep quiet in the boat. Clunking and banging the bottom or sides of the boat is not ideal.

The next tip I can supply is to set the alarm clock. These fish love low light conditions and will be most active at dawn and dusk. If you don’t like heading home after dark, get out there early. You want a minimum of an hour’s berley in the water as the sun starts to come up.

Have the boat clear of anything that doesn’t need to be on a snapper trip, as you don’t want a cluttered boat when the bite comes on. It’s often a fairly narrow bite window, so the quicker you can get the fish in the net and a fresh baited rig out, the better.

I recommend killing these fish instantly with a spike to the head (there are many YouTube videos to show you how). Get

The tailor are getting bigger each season in the Leven.

the fish in an ice slurry and they will be fabulous eating.

Damon Sherriff is no stranger to smacking a few snapper, and has been finding some very big units further down the coast. These big fish take some practice to draw and trap in your berley trail, but Damo has been on the forefront of Tasmanian snapper fishing for 20 years. He is now passing on that information to his two sons and the greater fishing community.

Snapper grounds are abundant along the North West coast, and that time on the water and a good knowledge of how your sounder works and how to tune it really makes a difference.

BEACH FISHING The warmer weather makes for some very nice evenings, and there’s no better way to spend a late arvo than fishing into the night on a beach. Beach fishing is awesome! You don’t need too much planning, and you don’t need a boat or heaps of fancy gear. All you need is a big, long fibreglass rod, a 6000 or bigger size reel, some braid, bait, sinkers and hooks.

Once you have picked your spot and worked out a favourable tide, you can work out if you can take some luxury items like a fold-out table and chairs. I always love to have a small, lightweight fold-out table to place stuff on and prepare baits.

When the bite comes on it is normally fast and furious on the beach. If you don’t have the ability to catch, dispatch and get another bait out there you will miss heaps of fish.

A beach fishing trip can be enjoy able for the kids as well.

Make sure you take plenty of towels and have the kids’ spare clothes, because they

Go Behind the Scenery will get wet. It doesn’t matter if they originally say “oh no I don’t want to swim”, as they will change their mind or find somewhere to fall in.

The beauty of beach fishing is that you don’t need to always find pristine, sandy beach. There are some really good spots along the Tasmanian coastline that are rubble and gritty, and they can fish quite well from time to time. A section of shore maybe a bit ordinary to look at, but a finger of sand could only be a cast away. The fingers of sand or bigger patches of sand are the ideal haunts for big flathead and King George whiting – two of the best tasting fish you are ever going to come across. So as an added bonus while you’re enjoying the great outdoors with a cold beverage, you may get to catch something to make a great family meal.

WIND AND SWELL Early in November when cray fishing season opened across the West Coast, the weather and sea conditions kept everyone quiet. Now the season has been open for a month in the western region,

Tasmania checking your dive gear. It doesn’t matter if you are using bottles of compressed air or a dive compressor, all your equipment should be in excellent condition. If you are diving from a compressor make sure that everyone in the boat knows what to do in case of a kinked hose or engine stall. Also explain to all involved why it is vital that the compressor has good clean air to draw from. We don’t to see any deaths from misadventure.

If the weather settles and

and far between on the West Coast. This is the time to head to Strahan and break out past Hells Gates and head south.

The further south you can trek, the better the fishing for crays can be.

Now that the striped trumpeter season is back open, it’s also the place for horse-sized stripies. It’s hard to get a crew that can just drop and go like that, but the rewards are awesome. The best trick is to get very good at reading a weather forecast and make the call as early as

Sammy Sherriff with a solid 8kg snapper from the Bridport area. and with the weather settling some good catches have been reported. The eastern region is still trouble with biotoxin levels, and it pays to constantly check the dpipwe.tas.gov.au website for the most current

information. This will also have the new rules regarding catch and possession limits for each zone. This can get confusing so it does pay to get your head around it.

Those in the west who

Coming up with bags of crayfish like this would make anyone smile.

have potted and dived have been doing well and the numbers have been reported as very healthy. This looks good as we go into Christmas as they make a sensational centre piece on any Chrissy dinner table.

The age-old tradition of cray ringing has also been going well, and you don’t have to always have a boat. A crew at Trial Harbour recently did very well from the rocks.

They had a few young kids in the group who had never ‘ringed’ for anything, and they were astounded when after 30 minutes the adults in the group dragged in some creatures from the deep. I also spoke to some divers who had been finding a feed in and around Stanley and further west towards Montague and beyond, and they said they had little trouble in finding their bags, and the crays were a good size.

Just as important in checking the regulations is

Ezekial Munro has been catching some silver trevally on light gear in the Leven River. a high sits off the West Coast for a number of days, that’s when you need to go. The boat needs to be packed and the crew needs to know that when you ring it’s time to go.

Days where there is no wind and little or no swell are few

you can. If the weather breaks up a bit, make sure you have some tuna gear on board as you never know what you may find on the Wild West.

It’s now time to get out there and enjoy what Tasmania has on offer.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 6th November 2019 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Trevallyn Pond..................................0.66........................................................Steady Lake Mackenzie................................7.72........................................................Steady Lake Rowallan..................................3.28........................................................Steady Lake Parangana................................0.89........................................................Steady Lake Cethana....................................3.12........................................................Steady Lake Barrington................................0.95........................................................Steady Lake Gairdner...................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Paloona....................................0.82........................................................Steady Lake Augusta....................................2.82........................................................Steady Arthurs Lake.....................................1.74........................................................Steady Great Lake........................................12.93......................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.40........................................................Steady Shannon Lagoon...............................0.10........................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon..............................0.17........................................................Steady Woods Lake......................................0.79........................................................Steady Lake St Clair.....................................1.59........................................................Steady Lake King William.............................1.05........................................................Steady Lake Echo.........................................5.44........................................................Steady

Dee Lagoon.......................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Pine Tier Lagoon...............................2.03........................................................Steady Bronte Lagoon..................................0.93........................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............3.05........................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................0.35........................................................Steady Lake Liapootah.................................0.85........................................................Steady Wayatinah Lagoon............................0.13........................................................Steady Lake Catagunya................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Repulse....................................0.13........................................................Steady Cluny Lagoon....................................0.76........................................................Steady Meadowbank Lake...........................0.14........................................................Steady Lake Burbury....................................1.81........................................................Steady Lake Margaret..................................0.43........................................................Steady Whitespur Pond................................6.01........................................................Steady Lake Newton.....................................2.52........................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll....................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Murchison................................11.92......................................................Steady Lake Mackintosh..............................2.25........................................................Steady Lake Rosebery..................................0.65........................................................Steady Lake Pieman.....................................0.93........................................................Steady Lake Pedder......................................0.92........................................................Steady Lake Gordon.....................................21.52......................................................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 DECEMBER 2019

55

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Tassie turns it on for summer HOBART

Andrew Large

This month has seen many fisheries come online for the season and there’s a very real chance of most species being available now.

SALTWATER Australian salmon have continued to build in numbers throughout the Derwent, South Arm, Huon and wider Storm Bay areas. Cremorne has been the best land-based option lately. Salmon up to 1.5kg have been around

of the shallower areas.

Tasman Peninsula jetties and those down throughout the channel such as Woodbridge have provided good angling. In recent weeks, squid have really been the star species with some huge fish appearing over spawning grounds.

Reports 50cm hoods have surfaced from in and around the southern areas of Storm Bay. Sand flathead have been going well in most areas, which is a sure sign that things are warming up and fish are becoming more active feeders. Undersize

during the recent rougher weather. With settled weather around the corner, we should see some boats going for a troll. Hopefully anglers can score Christmas SBT this year to make it four years in a row on the SE at Eaglehawk Neck.

Tailor up to 1.3kg have been encountered by anglers spinning for bream and searun trout and those out chasing Australian salmon. Tranmere seems to be a consistent holding area.

These fish aren’t fussy and have hit everything from small 65mm bibs intended for trout to 40gm Halco

Sam Shelley had a great day at Lake St Clair. the southern surf beaches, especially Hope Beach and Rebounds near South Arm. Pidgeon Holes is also still productive. Lots of slightly smaller models have been in the upper Derwent beneath the Tasman Bridge and Kangaroo Bluff at Bellerive.

Calamari have been increasing in numbers in most of the usual spots for months. Settled weather and the calamari’s urge to spawn has allowed anglers to target them in some

fish have been dominating captures and anglers have been working through them in order to find some keepers. Last month, some solid tiger flathead were reportedly caught wide of Maria, while Eaglehawk Neck and the Tasman Peninsula have been patchy.

SBT have been unusually quiet for the last 3-4 weeks and we are unsure if the fish have disappeared for the moment or anglers have not been able to chase them

Sliced Lures in silver thrown for salmon and kingfish. On average, the tailor in Tasmania are much larger than usual, with fish up to 45cm long taken from as far up as New Norfolk to the mouth of the Derwent River at South Arm. Mullet have responded well to berley in the Denison Canal at Dunalley recently.

Bream have been fishing well. The River Derwent steals the limelight a lot of the time but in recent weeks good

reports have come from the Huon estuary. Bream have been smashing bait along with searun trout around the many rocky shorelines of the Derwent and Huon rivers. Windermere Bay has seen recent captures on hardbodies and soft plastics.

Searun trout captures have been steadily increasing over the past few weeks, with nearly all areas of the Derwent and Huon estuaries producing the odd fish to persistent anglers. However, the upper reaches of the Derwent above Granton seem to still be the more reliable area. Recently fish up to 2.4kg have been caught there. SE rivers and estuaries have been coming alive, including the Huon and Lune rivers. Bait is thick and seatrout are gorging themselves, so get out there!

Morwong were recently caught over reefy bottom off Marion and Fortescue bays. Strong rumours of kingfish have also just started, so the fish should grace anglers’ bags in the next few weeks.

THE LAKES Great Lake has been producing quality fish for this time of year.

The condition has been excellent, considering trout in this water only started coming good around the end of October. Browns and rainbows have fallen to bait, lure and fly.

Although low, Woods Lake is still producing fish – mainly to those trolling.

Flies have worked well around the edges. December has seen the end of early season action, predominantly because of the rising water temperatures and inability for anglers to troll and spin effectively. These fishers will eagerly await the galaxia feeders of January and February.

Penstock Lagoon is on

There have been great reports of large calamari in and around the southern areas of Storm Bay. fire! It’s very unusual to hear of a bad report about this water and it’s well worth a visit to this fly only spot. Stripping wets is the best option but dry fly fishing has been sensational lately. This water will be closed for The World Fly Fishing Championships from 1-6 December.

Bronte Lagoon has had good numbers of fish around 2lb taken on the troll and spinning from the shore. Daiwa Presso Minnows and Tillins 2” Ashley Spinners no. 22 and 43 have been standouts. Fly fishers have been finding good fish walking the shores with Stick Caddis, Fur Flies and Red Tags.

Numbers of fish have been caught at Lake Echo with soft plastics fished in amongst the trees. There have been reports of fish taking mayflies in the shallower bays on warm days. Good old 2.5” Berkley Powerbait T-Tail Minnows

in black and gold and a 1/8oz jighead combination has been effective from the boat and shore.

The water is incredibly low and discoloured in Lake Leake. Boating is not recommended, but good numbers of larger than average rainbows and browns have been caught spinning from the shore and on the troll, placing this water back into contention as a serious trout water this season.

Lake Pedder has had good hatches of midge in the morning, making for good early dry fly fishing until the fish quieten down around mid-morning. Lures have been productive all day, with good bags being caught on smaller black/ gold and black/silver lures.

Get out over Christmas, be safe and chase what’s on offer in our waters while it lasts. Tasmanian summer doesn’t last long and the peak may be just arriving.

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

Camden Dam filling and open to eager anglers IFS

Tim Farrell

The Inland Fisheries Service installed an information sign in the car park at Tasmania’s newest fishery, Camden Dam, in the northeast last week. Camden Dam is situated approximately 10km south of Targa via Camden Hills and Diddleum roads. There is one designated public access point and car park on the eastern side 56

DECEMBER 2019

of the dam.

Anglers should be aware that there are numerous hazards around and in the dam such as floating debris and tripping hazards. Foot access is permitted around much of the lake, however the dam structure, spillway and Camden Rivulet below the dam are strictly no access areas.

Motorised boating is not permitted, however canoes and kayaks powered by manual propulsion are allowed. Kayakers should be particularly careful

of submerged trees and floating debris.

The open season for Camden Dam is from the first Saturday in August to the Sunday nearest the 30 April. Fly fishing, artificial lures and bait fishing are permitted. Fish must be a minimum of 30cm and bag limit is five fish, which can only include two fish over 50cm in length. Angling is permitted from one hour before sunrise until three hours after sunset.

LAKE ROWALLAN In collaboration with

Inland Fisheries Service (IFS), Marine and Safety Tasmania (MaST) and various local contractors, Hydro Tasmania has been working to improve our recreational infrastructure.

The latest achievement has been the boating infrastructure at Lake Rowallan. This large, gravel boat ramp is now functional across the operational range of the lake. The upgrade has realigned and widened the boat ramp, creating an even and gentle slope, with rocks

placed along the right-hand side to indicate the edge of the ramp.

The fishing season at Lake Rowallan opened on Saturday 28 September 2019. The campground area, along Mersey Forest Road, provides visitors a place to stay while on their fishing or camping holiday.

This site is only suitable for self-sufficient campers.

For further information about access and fishing, go to the Lake Rowallan brochure available from www.ifs.tas.gov.au.

CARP MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Find out all about the 2018-19 season and how the battle with carp in Lake Sorell is progressing.

Read about the jelly gonad condition affecting male carp, the results of the juvenile carp surveys, and how close the program is to a complete eradication.

The Carp Management Program Annual Report 2018- 19 is complete and available through the publications page on www.ifs.tas.gov.au.

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

10 tips for making the most of an overnighter Nothing beats overnighting on your boat. It feels like an exotic getaway, even if you’re just a few miles from home. It’s a good chance to relax with friends, do some stargazing or night fishing, and then wake up in paradise.

Here are some tips for a fun overnighter.

1. Make a list of all of the things you think you’ll need for an overnight trip, and check off each item as you pack it.

2. Pack smart. Most people tend to over-pack clothing for overnighters; you don’t actually need that much, and the only real essential is a good jacket or rain gear.

It’s also worth bringing a couple of pillows, because even though they take up a bit of space they’ll give you a better night’s sleep.

3. When it comes to meals, you have two options: food that doesn’t require cooking/heating, or you can cook on your boat.

Cooking meals at home that can be packaged and frozen and then defrosted and reheated on your boat will make life easier. Freeze pasta sauce in sealable plastic bags and lay them

flat in a cooler. If you’re bringing cold foods, pack lunch meats and cheeses separate from the bread to keep sandwiches fresh. Try using hard rolls or bagels instead of bread (they stay fresher for longer), and put ready-made salads in plastic bags. Freeze poppers to serve as freezer bricks, and then to serve as drinks, and pack fruits that don’t easily bruise.

4. Use two coolers, one for storing food that needs to

stay cold or frozen, and the other for beverages, fruit and snacks. One cooler can be opened on a regular basis while the other will stay closed, and colder, for longer, preserving the food inside. A good tip is to thoroughly wash out empty milk bottles, fill them with fresh water and then freeze them. They serve as freezer bricks and can be drunk later on.

5. Cook safely. Portable charcoal and gas grills are

popular, but grilling on board should be approached cautiously. If possible, take the grill to the beach and cook there.

6. Outfit your galley utensils. In addition to basic utensils such as a spatula and at least one all-purpose knife, we suggest keeping three pans on board – a frying pan, a small saucepan and a pot for things like boiling pasta.

A few versatile spices, such as mixed herbs, garlic

powder, salt and pepper are worth bringing.

7. If you have a refrigerator on board, turn up the temperature so it doesn’t use as much energy. Only open it when necessary, and know in advance what you’ll be taking out. Consider using a two-battery system – one for starting the engine, and the second to run the other systems, such as appliances. Little things like having your stern light on all night or even playing

the stereo can substantially drain your battery, running the voltage down below starting capacity. Using two batteries will ensure that you always have the power to start up the engine.

8. If there are some luxury items that you can’t bring yourself to leave behind, you can use a small portable generator. These are lightweight and can be used to run a variety of appliances. Just consider how much space it will take up.

9.

Under the right conditions, you might consider towing an inflatable behind your boat.

You can use it for storage space, as well as a shore tender. Before sunset, tie your dinghy tightly to your stern so boats passing in the night don’t accidentally go over your line.

10. Get settled for the night before it gets dark. Chores such as anchoring, putting up the canvas and retrieving items from your towed inflatable are a lot more difficult in the dark.

And there you have it. All that’s left is to get out and enjoy your overnight adventure! Adrian Morrisby

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57

Cod opening

Mastering the art of cod casting WAGGA WAGGA

Rhys Creed

Casting lures is becoming more and more popular, and in some locations it’s starting to overtake the once go-to method of trolling. Don’t get me wrong, trolling is a very successful technique that allows you to cover large amounts of water in the shortest timeframe. It also keeps your lure in the strike zone the entire time.

However, in some situations casting is a more appropriate choice, and it’s also a more active technique that brings out more of the

Mitch caught this chunky cod off the point behind him by sitting off the bank and casting directly in at the large rocks and snags that were submerged (style 3).

I’m also going to share a few other critical tips and key lessons to help you on your future trips. Ensuring that you approach, analyse and use the correct technique is vital, and will result in more consistent success.

STYLE 1: DIAGONAL CASTING TO BANK This first style is the most

minute. First, I want to explain the technique.

To start with, you should position the boat out off the bank in your desired depth (which changes depending on the conditions, season, time of day and bank structure). For this example let’s say we are working a steep rocky bank in 8m of water.

Then all you do is slowly move along the bank with your electric motor and cast at a diagonal angle forward towards the bank (electric motors are vital; without one all these techniques are almost impossible to execute correctly). Most of the time you’ll want to land within a metre or two of the bank, especially if it’s a steeper bank.

From there you work your lure back to the boat and continue the process.

Now for the important rule.

When using this technique, you MUST cast at a diagonal angle forward in the direction you are travelling. “Why is that?” I hear you ask.

I’ll explain by telling

When you’re working along a bank, it’s important to cast diagonally forward. it from sinking properly. You just cannot work the lure effectively nor naturally.

If you cast your lure forward (and it only has to be slightly), you can allow it to sink without pressure, and retrieve it with full control back to the boat.

The next thing you might be wondering is how far forward you have to cast. This is where boat speed is critical.

I prefer to work extremely slowly, because that way I have a long time to cast and retrieve, and I can work it right back to the boat properly and before the boat ‘overtakes’ my

High quality sounders make a massive difference when it comes to this style of fishing. angler inside of us. It’s like an art form of constantly being switched on to where we are casting, feeling the lure as it passes through the underwater battlefield, ensuring it’s in the strike zone and at the correct depth. Our awareness as an angler is heightened, and I believe that’s what drives us to cast lures – especially when it comes to chasing Murray cod.

And also, casting works!

In this article I’m going to talk about the three main techniques or approaches that I use when chasing impoundment cod. The process isn’t as straightforward as just casting, letting it sink and winding the lure back in. You can make it that simple, but the rewards won’t consistently follow.

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The author with a giant 122cm Murray cod that was caught working diagonally along a bank extremely slowly. common and most popular, and for good reason: it’s simple, easy and it works. If you have cast for cod before, chances are you have probably used this technique. In saying that, there are some key rules to do it properly and many a time I’ve taken mates fishing and they have broken the number one rule!

I’ll cover that rule in a

you what happens when you DON’T obey this rule. If you are to cast straight into the bank or back behind the boat (the opposite direction in which you’re travelling) you don’t have complete control over the lure. The reason for this is that the boat is moving the opposite way, and dragging your lure away from the structure, preventing Sitting stationary allows you to cast directly at structure, like this set of standing trees.

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working any type of structure.

Rocky banks, standing timber, flat banks, gullies or creek beds – it will work on them all. It’s the most popular style, and is the one that I use most of the time. It’s the best way to cover lots of water and every depth, because you’re casting in shallow and working your lure out deep. It’s the go-to technique if you’re not sure what depth the fish are sitting in.

When you first visit a new lake that you’ve never fished before or even a new section of the lake, it would be the technique I would use. I also use this technique about 95% of the time when working steep rocky banks in places like Burrinjuck Dam. I just work nice and slow, and cast slightly diagonally forward.

STYLE 2: PARALLEL CASTING The second casting style is underused and underrated when it comes to targeting Murray cod. It is used a lot when chasing golden perch that school up and sit in specific depths, but most people don’t know that it can work just as well on cod.

I’m guessing this technique doesn’t need much explaining; you just hold your boat out from the bank and cast parallel or straight ahead. With this technique, the ‘working forwards’ rule still applies, although it’s almost impossible to get it wrong,

This boat is positioned parallel to the bank just on the edge of the water clarity.

lure and starts dragging it. The slower you work (drive the boat along the bank) the less of an angle you have to cast (you can cast perpendicular in at the bank, with a slight angle). If you’re working quickly, you have to cast with more of an angle forward, but still at that diagonal angle.

When do we use this style?

You can use this style any time you like, and when

unless you start drifting backwards away from the lure. As you’re moving in the direction you’re casting you’ll always maintain full control over your lure.

When do we use this style?

You won’t use this technique as much as the first one, but there are times when it works incredibly well. The main reason as to why you would cast parallel is when

Cod opening you know what depth the fish are sitting in, or you happen to know about a good ridge or line of structure that is sitting exactly in that depth along the bank. Usually it’s the first reason.

For example, you may have worked out that the hungry fish are sitting in 6m and you’re working a set of rocky points. Instead of wasting your time and casting in against the bank and only working the lure through that 6m mark occasionally, you may as well keep it there as long as possible by casting parallel.

One thing to note with this technique is that it will take longer for the lure to sink, especially if you’re fishing deeper than 6-7m of water.

This means you will lose a bit of your cast and time. You need to be patient and allow your lure to get to the bottom.

I like to use this technique in places like Blowering Dam when I’m fishing the

along a bank.

If you have a high quality downscan and sidescan sounder you’ll also be able to see the contours and the structure type below… and most importantly, the bait!

I find a lot of anglers get caught up on trying to find cod and then cast to them. Yes, this does work, but a lot of the cod (especially the ones that are ready to feed) are sitting

Working diagonally along a bank (style 1) is the go-to technique. change from Style 1 when we find these key areas.

Best of all, it’s the simplest technique. You just hold the boat stationary out from the structure, and make your casts.

Because you aren’t moving there aren’t any rules about where you cast, because no matter what you do you will always have full control over

If you have a high quality downscan and sidescan sounder you’ll get a much better view of what’s below you. flatter banks chasing giant cod, especially in the heart of winter. On these large, flat banks, you can find yourself a long way from the edge but it doesn’t mean you aren’t in the prime location. We know that the fish sit in the 3-5m mark, so we try to hold the boat in 4-5m and cast straight ahead of the boat. Because we are fishing shallow it doesn’t take too long for the lures to sink, and then we slow roll them back to the boat with a few pauses here and there. This is a prime technique for targeting big winter cod at night and early in the morning.

STYLE 3: DIRECT CASTING TOWARDS A FEATURE POINT (POINT OF INTEREST) The last of the three techniques is casting at some sort of feature or point of interest that needs more attention than just a quick drive by. We use this technique when we come across a really steep or gnarly rocky point or a large set of submerged logs that we have found on the sounder – anything that basically screams cod and needs the time and casts before moving on to the next spot.

It isn’t a technique that we set out to use, it’s more of a

structure. Finding the bait is key, and it’s always better to fish areas which have plenty of activity.

This article has only just scratched the surface of lure casting for Murray cod.

However, it gives you a strong foundation to work from, as it covers the fundamentals about casting styles and your approach, which many anglers forget. All three casting styles

your lure.

When do we use this style?

I use this technique when fishing large boulders, points or rocky ledges that stand out from all the surrounding structure. Those are the key spots that catch your eye, and you know they must hold cod. I use this technique a lot at Burrinjuck Dam when I’m working the super steep rocky banks.

One thing to note when casting at those steep banks is that the technique is a little different from normal. These fish will be sitting tight in

against the ledge, and the best way to target them is to cast your lure in as close as possible to the bank and allow it to sink. When it hits the bottom, give it one crank of the handle and allow it to sink again. This way your lure will stay as close to the bank as possible, falling through the key strike zones. If you give the lure a big lift and a few winds, you’ll rip it too far from the bank. Remember this is just on those extremely steep, almost vertical clifflike banks.

EXTRA TIPS TO HELP WITH YOUR CASTING SESSIONS Fast or slow?

By speed I’m talking the speed that the boat travels.

I know I already touched on this earlier, but I want to go into a little more depth.

Just so you know, when I mean fast, I don’t mean too fast for chasing cod. You’re still working along the bank slowly, casting your lure in against the bank and winding it back. It’s just about how many casts you put in along that stretch.

Here is an example to make it a little clearer.

• Slow: each cast is 1-2m apart • Fast: each cast is 5-7m a apart So what speed is best?

Both speeds work, and it all depends on a few things.

The main consideration is whether you know that there are fish there. The time to cover a bank quickly is when you’re not sure where the fish are, or which bank is the best. I use this approach when fishing a place or bank for the first time as I don’t want to spend too much time working

it over. If you know the fish are there, then definitely work slowly!

I much prefer to take my time and work a bank thoroughly – that’s just how I fish. I want to make sure I give the fish time to see my lure.

I fish with good friends who work slightly quicker. You should start out by following that simple rule, and then finetune your approach to figure out what works best for you.

Casting’s best friend: a sounder A high-quality sounder is your best friend for all styles of fishing, but casting in particular. First of all, it helps you navigate, and it gives you the depth and temperature, which are the first things you need when working

Charles Cribb nailed this 93cm Blowering Murray cod by working extremely slowly along a steep, rocky bank. extremely tight to structure, ready to ambush. They aren’t sitting out in the open, and a lot of the time you won’t actually see them on your sounder.

What you will find though is the bait – the carp, redfin and yellowbelly schools, which will sit up just off the

work in the correct situation.

Start out with Style 1 until you find the fish, and if you work out that they are sitting in a particular depth, change up to Style 2. Then when you come across the biggest log jam you’ve ever seen, pull up and start using Style 3!

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This boat is positioned in close to this rocky bank, and the angler is using the parallel technique (style 2).

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DECEMBER 2019

59

Shooting lines in warmer times CANBERRA

Richard Barnsley

The river had been running low for some time and as we entered the upper gorge, I realised it was going to be tough.

High water temperatures and low oxygen meant the fish would be sluggish, but we’d give it a go. Daz lead

often. Stop and watch the water – my best cod came during a tough day when I noticed a tail fin sticking out from under a boulder in a shallow pool. I backed out and waited until the fish emerged, then tweaked a Bounty Hunter across his nose. Bingo!

Trout respond to marked changes in water temperature. During low

Find running water Agitated flows are cooler and carry more oxygen that slow runs, especially with increased air temperatures.

Find smaller rapids where there is a bubble line and target it. Side streams, particularly those fed by springs will be considerably colder that the main current.

Wherever you have an inflow make sure you explore

In hot summer conditions, the side creek confluence in the bottom right corner of this photo is a prime spot for trout to hold. downstream and soon we were dumping packs on the sandy beach of our usual campsite.

Over the next few days we managed to pull a few smaller cod on the fly rods. It took some time to work it out but eventually we discovered most action in the shallow, shaded backwaters, where an agonizingly slowly stripped yabby pattern was the key.

Low water conditions can bring special problems (and delights) for fly anglers.

The coming summer and long-term drought forecast suggest that it will be a long time before river levels rise substantially. Tactics, rigs and equipment need to be considered to tackle such conditions.

A couple of things should be kept in mind.

Regularly check your hook points throughout the day. When fishing low conditions it is not uncommon to contact the bottom regularly or drag poppers over logs and boulders. When conditions are tough the last thing you want is to raise a fish and loose it due to poor hook condition.

Low water angling can test your patience. A long day in the hills needs commitment, so give yourself realistic targets. You have the options of fishing a shorter section of river thoroughly or covering a lot of country and picking the eyes out of it.

Stay hydrated and rest 60

DECEMBER 2019

conditions or slow flows, streams can get warmer and suffer from lower oxygen levels. Both are necessary for active, feeding fish. To locate holding trout under these conditions there are a couple of simple strategies.

TROUT Fish early and late Getting onto the water after the cooler evening will often find fish feeding before they retreat under the banks during the hotter part of the day. In tough conditions, I’ll target the shallower runs, especially with bankside vegetation at first light. As the day progresses, I’ll often return to camp for a siesta then hit the water for an hour at last light.

the pockets immediately downstream.

Bankside vegetation is a trout’s shade cloth Overhanging vegetation provides shade and reduced water temperature. During bright conditions the lower light levels offer an increased sense of protection to shallow water fish. Don’t forget that bankside brush is the home of a wide variety of terrestrials such as beetles.

Undercut banks and droopy tussocks are the equivalent in the open high country and offer prime hopper angling.

Pick the pockets One of the prime low water lies are behind a large boulder or log jam. The downstream side of these

obstructions have generally been scoured by the flow and offer a deeper pocket than the general stream bed.

Fish will tuck into the spots year round, so look for them and present a small nymph gently upstream.

COD AND BASS Warm water cod and bass are similar propositions, although their tolerance of higher temperatures exceeds that of trout.

Although standing weed beds can tend to increase water temperatures, they are favoured haunts of shallow water natives. Working a slider fly across the top of weed beds at first and last light is a terrific tactic when the levels are down.

Downsize and modify your patterns When conditions are tougher I prefer floating patterns with slider heads rather than poppers. Shallow water fish have less cover generally and can be quite spooky. Ripping a Super Blooper across their heads is a quick way to put fish down.

I prefer floating patterns with slider heads. These are a terrific alternative for searching shallow water.

Take note of my October column about switch heads – a good option when conditions are tough.

Low clear water conditions bring their own problems.

Use streamer patterns with weed guards. I prefer mono loops but whatever your preference. Fishing sub-surface during low water levels means you’ll be bottom bouncing a fair bit. In one of my favourite England streams it is mostly wind-blown branches on a sandy

A salmon carcase on the Squamish River, British Columbia.

Brush-lined streams are a terrific option in warmer conditions.

They provide a retreat for cool water trout.

substrate. A small mono loop weed guard allows me to tickle a deceiver style streamer across, in and around the bottom. Under these circumstances that’s where the fish tend to sit.

Seek out the pools It sounds simple enough, but often during drought conditions there is a hell of a lot of walking between pools. Summer heat makes even the best of us a tad lazy, but it’s worth pushing through and find the primo water. Once I’ve found a good looking hole I’ll often have an afternoon snooze in the shade and not hit it until evening. This means another long walk out in the dark, which is not preferred but a necessity to fish the better spots other

anglers won’t work.

Slow your retrieves Stressed fish won’t move too far to hammer a fly. For that reason you should cast tight to the cover and then give you’re offering as much time in the ‘strike zone’ as possible. Low flows mean low current speed, so it is unusual that your fly will drift out of the strike zone. Compensate by using lighter flies and incorporate less weight if tying your own.

DON’T DESPAIR IN DROUGHT At first impressions, drought conditions appear difficult to fish, but with a few tactic and gear modifications you will still enjoy success. In parting, remember that heat stressed fish don’t handle catch and release that well. Ensure you devote plenty of time to reviving a fish before release and locate it where there is running water, shade and cover.

As a side note, I recently returned from a trip to Canada. I didn’t do much fishing, but managed one day chasing salmon near Squamish, British Columbia. The river was heavy with the carcases of dead fish – post spawning.

Research has shown that the spawning runs contribute huge levels of nutrients to the local wildlife such as eagles, bears and otters.

Similarly the forests rejuvenate from the rich waters and streamside brush can be thick.

It’s a bit different here in Australia, and as noted over recent summers a fish kill is a sign of a river in distress. If you find dead fish this summer please report it to Fisheries.

2019

MURRAY CODFERENCE

FREE EVENT Come along to our 4th conference to hear about: • Keynote address from Rob Paxevanos including a peek at his new DVD Total Native 2 featuring Lake Eildon • John Cahill on new age baits for cod • Native fish report cards from Dr Brett Ingram • Jacko Davis on cutting edge techniques for goldens • Native fish news on new hatchery, access and urban fisheries • Relocating native fish from irrigation channels The conference is part of the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million phase two plan to get more people fishing, more often.

When Sunday 8 December 2019, from 9am until 4pm.

Where Eastbank Conference Centre, 70 Welsford St, Shepparton.

Make a weekend of it...

Registration

Bring the kids along to our free VicFishKids event.

Seats are free. Registering helps us plan catering that will include lunch and refreshments.

Visit: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/codference2019

Saturday 7 December at Victoria Lake, Shepparton, from 10am - 4pm.

Top tips for Tumut trout WAGGA WAGGA

Rhys Creed

Summer is well and truly here with extreme heat and long days, which means plenty of new fishing opportunities! We start to move our attention to the Tumut River for trout

February are my favourite times to fish this river.

It will be running high with irrigation flow, which can make it difficult to fish the conventional way by walking banks and casting lures. Therefore, we need to adapt our approach to fish the river effectively.

My favourite technique

easy and stealthy technique that works incredibly well at this time of year.

I run a 6wt fly rod, with a 6lb tippet (but drop to 4lb if getting rejected) and use a size 10 foam hopper.

Other files that work well are cicadas and willow grubs. It’s all about trying to figure out what they are feeding on and matching that food source.

If you’re going to use spin gear, use small hardbody lures, particularly small grasshopper hardbodies, which will work really well in these backwaters.

The technique we use is to walk up to a hole, sit and wait for any sign of a fish and, if nothing, move on to the next. Most of the time we will spot them doing laps and be able to place the fly or lure in their path. This is the most successful and exciting way to chase them.

BLOWERING DAM Golden perch are well and truly feeding now and we have already seen the incredible November bite period that we get every year. The fish were schooling

Mitch Condell with a ripper brown trout from a backwater on the Tumut River. up on the rocky banks and points and feeding really well. They will continue to do this through December, just on a smaller scale.

The fish are still active and are well worth chasing in the afternoons and early mornings. Both casting and trolling the rocky banks up around the wall are the best option. The best lures when casting are yabby pattern soft plastics and also ZX blades.

When trolling, use lures between 60-80mm in length.

The best part is the smaller cod that live on these banks

The size 10 Foam Hopper pinned right in the corner of the jaw. and, during the low light periods, to Murray cod.

TUMUT RIVER Finally, we get to fish the Tumut River again. It’s a location that has been on the back burner over the cooler months. I did talk about it during November as the fishing started to pick up with the warmer weather, but December through to

is to sight cast the big browns on fly that sit in the still backwaters that form with the high-water level. You can fish in the still patches and flooded margins with spin and fly, as they both work well. Fly is preferably as you can easily stalk the fish and present small bugs like grasshoppers that the trout are feeding on. This is an

The rocky banks around the wall are prime areas to cast and troll for cod and yellas in December.

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

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

Sep Oct Nov

Mulwala

Cairn Curran

52

(Yarrawonga) 90 91 91

Dartmouth 58 57 54

Newlyn

Eildon

45 45 45

Nillahcootie 36 40 39

Eppalock

40 36 34

Rocklands 27 26 25

Eucumbene 26 29 30

Tantangara 27 25 19

Fyans

78 83 83

Taylors

52 59 59

Hepburn

103 101 99

Tullaroop

79 83 82

Hume

42 40 38

Waranga

48 48 50

Jindabyne 66 75 81

Wartook

57 60 59

Lauriston

William Hovell 101 100 100

96 98 97

DECEMBER 2019

will hit these lures as well.

The best trolling depth depends on the time of day.

If the sun is high, try to stick to 8-9m of water. As the sun starts to dip you can move

feeding now more than any other time of year, but this doesn’t mean they are easy to catch. You want to spend some time searching the lake for food and try to figure out what depth they are sitting in. Some years we have caught big cod in that 5m mark in summer and other years it needs to be down in the 8m mark.

Casting plastics and chatterbaits are my go-to, just hold the boat out a few metres deeper than where you want to fish and cast in against the bank. If you’re trolling, big hardbodies like

fishing deeper. Also, don’t forget to look on the flats as some of the giant cod will move onto the flats to feed on schooling carp.

Another location that will be fishing well is the entire length of the Murrumbidgee River. The go-to techniques of casting spinnerbaits tight to the structure and fishing topwater in the low light periods are the pick.

If you’re bait fishing, then tying up under a shaded tree near structure is a winner.

Good luck with your summer sessions. See you out on the water!

101 100 100

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

62

the 120mm and 150mm AC Invader and big 2oz spinnerbaits are the pick.

The rocky banks around the wall end of the lake are the most productive when

This solid yella fell to the slow rolled Mazzy Vibe along a rocky edge.

DAM LEVELS 53 52

into 6-8m of water, making sure your lure is always within a metre of the bottom.

On the cod scene, fishing night and first light are critical. The fish will be

There are plenty of smaller cod around in the summer months, including this model that took the new 160mm Ignite Cod Fury.

Thank cod it’s December YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

The wait is all over for those of us who target the mighty green fish at the home of the Murray cod, Lake Mulwala. Sure there are other options open during the September to November period but nothing beats fishing the Mecca itself!

The first full weekend in December, Lake Mulwala will come alive with the running of the 20th Anniversary Cod Classic.

Over 3000+ anglers will be looking to hook a mighty Murray cod and share in the staggering prize pool that includes an amazing 10 boating packages.

Targeting Murray cod early season can be rewarding

fishing many different styles.

Getting off the edge of the deeper channels and casting in depths of 1-3m can be productive. Any style of lure, whether hardbody, spinnerbait, crankbait, swimbait, and many more, will see you in with a good chance. Trolling probably turns up more cod than casting in the lake and the options are limitless. As long as your lure isn’t consistently ploughing the bottom but you’re somewhere close to it, you’ll be in with a chance.

For the bait brigade, as long as it’s in the water you’re in with a chance. Nothing can beat a fresh grub, while yabbies, scrubworms, cheese or chicken will also do the trick.

Looking back, the yella season was hit and miss at best. Just when it looked like there’d be a good run of warm

weather to fire things up, the weather would turn and shut things down again. The usual yellowbelly hot spots, Train Bridge and Canal, produced spasmodic results with many anglers trying their luck on a daily basis. Jackall TN60s and Profishent Vixen Vibe 65s were the lures of choice for most.

GOLDEN DOLLAR$ COMP The popular Golden Dollar$ tournament was held late October with a strong field of 64 anglers taking part. Based around the Bundalong area and its plethora of backwaters, competitors can be rewarded with plenty of cash if they can crack the code to where the yellas are hiding.

Fishing was tough with only 14 yellowbelly being brought to the scales for the day. Three teams managed

Kyle Dalrymple with a Mulwala monster at 110.4cm.

Hopefully, we’ll see fish this size in December. to catch three each, so it was going to be a close race. Only 4mm overall combined total length separated the top two placing with Mick Massier and Simon Abernethy of team Big Daddy getting their hands on first place and $2,000+ cash for their

efforts. A close second was Team Venom, Ian Rogers and Vanessa Bennett. Taking out third place were Dave Gerscher and Tom McGregor from Geelong, a great result for boys who aren’t regulars to Mulwala.

If you’re visiting

Yarrawonga/Mulwala for cod opening I urge you to call in and see us at our two locations, opposite the Post Office in Mulwala with the big green fish out the front or find us at our Yarrawonga store located between Rivers and One Zach.

Green and gold for summer!

ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

At last! Cod season is here once again and we welcome summer!

For so many freshwater anglers cod opening is the absolute highlight of the cod season. We get to uncover and dust off our stored rods and much loved tackle, and once again put them to the best use!

Being such a warm time of year, and being the start of a new season,

fishery, flows, water releases, dam levels, water quality and weather conditions, cod can still be difficult to catch. A lot of the time you definitely do need to do some homework before heading out. There’s also a bit of trial and error involved.

Generally, come cod open lure size doesn’t really seem to matter a great deal.

Anything over roughly 70mm should get plenty of attention. As I often state, lure size, brands, styles and colours comes down to personal choice and

Fishing in the morning or evening or even well into the dark of night can bring awesome results. Often fish will feed well at nighttime after long hot days, so this can be a golden time to be on the water if you’re able to get out there.

With cod season aside, if you’re still into chasing golden perch in impoundments, December is also a prime time of year to do so. Numbers of golden perch can be caught in December if conditions are right, and the Hume Weir has been good to me in recent times. If you

are wanting to give Hume a go, it’s definitely also worth a shot. Trolling in the evenings, fishing trees during the day or casting at banks should all bring decent results when looking for golden perch.

I know what I’ll be doing in my spare time this month! As always, be persistent and try different things. Venture out and fish new fisheries, as generally speaking December is a good time to do it. Work areas well, but don’t spend too much time in the one area if you’re not getting results, just move on and

Vibes are always a good option for deep water yellas. cover as much structure as you can. Remember to always enjoy yourself and have fun, and results should

come your way! All the best to everyone out fishing this month, and I hope to see you out there!

Cast off at Yarrawonga Mulwala Holiday Park Right now, when you stay 3 nights you can save a huge 40% off cabins, caravan and camp sites. Plus, NRMA Members save a further 5%*.

Despite the closure being lifted, anglers should still be handling all cod with care.

December is a month where numbers of cod can be caught quite regularly.

The fisheries haven’t copped pressure for the past few months because of the closed season, and the fish are very active, with the warmer weather being more frequent, meaning that catching these fish can be much easier compared to the cooler months.

However, with that said, depending on the

preferences. There’s no use throwing around a lure you don’t like or have zero confidence in, because at the end of the day confidence is one of the key factors to you hooking into more fish.

My recommendation is to have a good mixed bag.

Have a few hardbodies, swimbaits, spinnerbaits and definitely surface lures.

December is a fantastic time of year to catch good numbers of cod off the roof.

1800 817 570 Search NRMA Parks Yarrawonga Mulwala

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Exclusion dates and minimum night stays apply. Valid for new bookings only. National Roads and Motorists’ Association Limited ABN 77 000 010 506 is a separate and independent company from Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 trading as NRMA Insurance.

DECEMBER 2019

63

Cod catches are set to join bags of yellowbelly ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

The Murray River at Swan Hill has fished well recently as the environmental flows dropped away and the river returned to a somewhat stable level.

As the river level dropped the golden perch continued to feed mostly on bait in the poor water clarity. Backwaters close to the bank were well worth a look, with yabbies, shrimp and worms all tempting fish. Some sizable by-catch cod were also keen to muscle in on the action and several metre plus specimens were in the mix.

All cod captured were returned to the river in preparation for what looks to be a promising cod season.

Lake Charm has been producing some good-sized redfin to 1kg on both bait and lures. A few golden perch have

Some good by-catch cod have turned up at some locations and are a good sign for the coming cod opening. also been caught of late on small lures and soft plastics.

It’s a similar story at Lake Boga, with just a few cod thrown in the mix. This lake would be another good cod opening option should you be looking for a mixed bag.

The Murrumbidgee at

Balranald has good numbers of golden perch taking both bait and lures but there’s been no by-catch cod from this area. Two doses of black water in the past 10 years has effectively cooked their numbers from the river. I recall some great cod catches back in the day, with numerous big cod smashing lures and bait.

One of my all-time favourite cod haunts is gone.

The Wakool has fished well for golden perch this past month on both bait and lures. Shrimp bobbed close to the timber has worked well, with numerous perch to 50cm falling for this technique.

The Murray River at Boundary Bend through to Belsar Island has produced goods catches of perch in the falling water. Once again, most fish have been taken on bait.

The Murray River at Robinvale has produced good numbers of perch on bait, with the odd small Murray cod getting in on the act.

Some thumping carp have also been landed proving great entertainment on light gear, or a real thrill for the first time fishers.

Kym Sykes from Mildura Outdoors and Fishing says the Murray has fished well both above and below the Mildura Weir. Good numbers of perch have been landed on both bait and lures, with a few sizable cod mixed in. Sykes said all the cod were returned to the river and things are looking great for this year’s cod opening.

The Murray River from Wentworth downstream through Neds Corner and below has fished very well for golden perch, with most anglers bagging out on bait.

There have also been a few big cod encounters on small lures that were over as quickly as they begun. This is another stretch of river that might be worth a look for the cod open this month.

Some good news from the Darling River is the relocation of a vast number of native

fish that would otherwise have died in the dwindling pools this summer. Of course, not all fish could be rescued and sadly we will see many fish die this summer along the Darling River.

With cod season upon us this month it’s refreshing to see a few more good-sized fish starting to show in our local waters. Who knows, in a few years’ time we might just return to a time where you were a real chance of landing a 130cm+ fish!

While a good number of native fish have been relocated from the Darling River, which has to be applauded, unfortunately most of those fish still trapped in the holes will die over the summer months.

Golden perch are on the go BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Plenty of perch are on offer for bait anglers and the author’s favourite hook for the job the 2/0 Mustad.

We would like to thank all our 2019 Event Sponsors who were:

Davey Marine, Tonic Eyewear, Bridgewater Lures, Intents, Gangster Lures, Haswing, Regal Marine, Kuttafurra Lures, J.D. Eddy Lures, Lowrance, and AFN. Thank you to all the anglers that participated in the 2019 events.

2020 dates and events will be on our Facebook page soon.

Check out our Facebook page:

• Central VIC Lure Casters Super Series For more information contact

Shane Melrose 0406 141 967 64

DECEMBER 2019

Spring had a slow start to the fishing. At this stage, the Bendigo region has not received the amount of rainfall that we were hoping for. Water temperatures have been cooler than normal. Now that summer is here, the productivity in the fishing has taken a turn for the better. Water temperatures are now steadily increasing and the fishing is finally starting to improve.

LAKE EPPALOCK The water clarity is excellent in Lake Eppalock at the moment. The clearest section of the lake is currently the Kimbolton Pool. Water levels have started to drop over the last month, which is a concern considering the lake normally receives its best inflows by now. With minimal rainfall forecast, we needed a significant weather system to come through during spring and produce a major rainfall event.

The number of golden perch caught has increased, with the fishing being excellent last month. For bait anglers, periods of low light have been the most productive. The best baits have been worms and small yabbies.

Lure anglers have found the perfect depth range has been around 8m of water.

Trolling small to medium sized hardbodies around the rocky shorelines and around

the timber sections of the lake has been productive, but silent lipless crankbaits have been the most effective option. It’s important to know the sink rate of the lure to make sure you let it sink long enough to get down where the fish are holding. Over the next month as the water warms up, rattling models will become more productive.

Redfin catches are currently few and far between, but the majority of redfin being caught have been from deep water.

CAMPASPE RIVER Fishing in the Campaspe River has started to improve over recent weeks. This trend should continue, making it a great destination for the next couple of months. Water clarity remains good at most locations along the river.

Golden perch have been making up the majority of captures. Good lure options

have been suspending hardbody lures, small profile spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. Not many anglers have been fishing at Campaspe lately but it won’t be too long before it gets busy, so make the effort and get out to wet a line before the rush.

CAIRN CURRAN Don’t be put off by the poor water clarity, the fishing in Cairn Curran is currently the best it has been in a long time with good numbers of golden perch being caught. Brothers Jason and Mark Andriske have had a couple of productive trips to this location. Trolling medium sized hardbody lures in green and chartreuse coloured lures has been working well, and golden perch have often been more aggressive later in the day.

Some very good numbers of goldens have been caught by anglers bait fishing around the trees. The most productive

The author used a burn and kill retrieve on a lipless crankbait to catch this 52cm golden perch at Lake Eppalock.

baits have been worms and yabbies, or shrimp if you can get them.

Large numbers of golden perch have been caught by lure anglers.

Trolling medium-sized lures in 5-7m of water has been productive. Casting lipless crankbaits around the rocky shorelines and trees has also been a good technique.

Again, make sure you let the lure sink long enough to get down where fish are holding.

With the poor water clarity, brightly coloured lures have been working best. Patterns with pink, orange and chartreuse have been good choices lately.

LODDON RIVER Fishing was very slow in the Loddon River during spring. Water clarity has been very poor; however, the water clarity has started to improve in recent weeks and hopefully the fishing should only get better over the next couple of months.

Golden perch have been making up the majority of captures. The most productive lures have been silent lipless crankbaits, with suspending hardbodies also producing a few fish.

The best spots have been the sections of river directly located below a weir. Often at this time of year, there’s a good concentration of fish below the weir.

Anglers are encouraged to do the right thing and practice catch and release with your native fish but if you keep a fish for a feed, minimise your take.

Summer fun in the Snowies SNOWY MOUNTAINS

Anthony Bentley

We are into the summer fishing now! The past couple of months have been a little tough on the lakes and rivers, but things are starting to turn for the better.

There have been plenty of bugs hatching and trout are eating off the surface. The rivers are fishing reasonably well during the early mornings and evenings, with mayflies and caddis being the dominant insects. Mayfly imitations such as Royal Wullfs, Parachute Adams, and Manic CDC Thorax Duns and Caddis imitations like the Elk Hair Caddis, Manic Neversink Caddis, and the reliable Goddard Caddis are all proving to be effective on the rivers.

During the full daylight hours on the rivers and streams, a small nymph dropper like a Hare and Copper or Black Seals Fur tied about 45cm60cm behind the dry and fished in the margins and undercuts will be advantageous. There have also been a few larger

beetles around with some big Christmas beetles starting to make an appearance as well as the odd hopper.

Large Stimulators and Foam Humpies are great flies for the larger bugs.

As there were some late spring rainfalls, the rivers and creeks are still in good shape with just the right amount of flow and good feeding temperatures. Let’s hope this continues throughout summer and the fish stay comfortable.

During the warmer days, fishing the higher water will pay off. Perisher, Spencers and Betts creeks will all be worth

a look. The Mowamba river has been fishing quite slow for the past couple of seasons but has usually been fishing better later in the evenings during the hatches.

Lake Jindabyne has finally come up into some fresh ground and fish have been actively feeding during the day around the edges. As the weather really starts to heat up, the fish will start to retreat into the deeper, cooler water, making it a little harder to spot them. Take advantage of the moment while you can, as the peak heat of summer is creeping closer.

Lake Eucumbene is also slowly creeping up, but the fluctuation of the lake level has been quite erratic and has varied quite a bit during the past few years. A slow walk around Eucumbene and Jindabyne armed with some smaller black or brown nymphs or some small Celtas or blades will the go-to.

Fishing the shoreline during the evening hours will provide some good opportunities to get into some of the larger lake dwellers.

The cooler evenings will see bigger browns come in close, looking for some bigger bugs

The trout have been eating off the surface targeting all the newly hatched bugs.

The rivers and creeks are still in good shape thanks to some late spring rainfalls. such as Christmas beetles and larger moths for a feed.

Muddler Minnows and other mudeye imitations are perfect for these times.

• High Country Outfitters has the largest range of fly fishing gear in the Snowy Mountains, with something for every skill level and budget. Brands include Sage, Rio, Redington, Scott, Simms, Patagonia, Loop, TFO, Vision, Hardy, Riverworks, Scientific Anglers,

Airflo and McLean nets.

There’s also a big range of flies from Manic, Stu Tripney, Mick Hall and Pisces, as well as waders, boots, vests and outdoor apparel. For all the latest information on what’s biting and where, drop into the store at Nuggets Crossing Shopping Centre, Jindabyne.

You can also call them on (02) 6456 2989, like them on Facebook or check out their website at highfly.com.au.

Get festive this season for trout and bass Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

With the silly season ahead and another year almost over, it’s time to sneak away for a peaceful fishing trip before all the festivities start. The best options for this time of year are trekking the picturesque and cooling streams of West and South Gippsland hunting stream trout or battling Blue Rock Lake bass by land, kayak or boat.

The river flows are good compared to this time last year, so December will be a good month for stream trout anglers with plenty of sustenance coming down the system and frequent insect hatchings providing the main food source for hungry trout.

Surface feeding fish in the early mornings and late afternoons will allow anglers to spot and approach their target carefully, resulting in more strikes. If you haven’t sight fished for stream trout before, do yourself a favour and pick up a pair of brown polarised sunglasses; it

Local angler Billy Auldist caught this healthy brown trout in a small local stream in West Gippsland.

adds a whole new dimension to stream trout fishing.

Most of the late spring insect hatchings have been flying ants, various fly or midge species and small black beetles. When fishing the evening, ensure you have a collection of natural flies and beaded nymphs that will give you better luck in matching the hatch. Pay close attention to the weather and if there is a storm imminent that day, hit the water as there’ll no doubt be a hatching that will get the water bubbling with fish.

The key rivers for fly anglers looking at wading are the Toorongo, Loch and Latrobe rivers in the Noojee district. The Toorongo River is a solid place to start exploring the region, as it’s an open river with good flows and plenty of small trout. The Tarago River in the Neerim district has many sections meandering through farmland below Neerim South right through to Labertouche which, like the Toorongo, opens up a lot of potential fishing ground.

Blue Rock Lake is very close to 100% capacity, providing anglers some good fishing along the shoreline.

There were a lot of trout taken off the banks in spring and although trout activity slows down as the water temperatures increase, they should still be feeding close to the shoreline very early mornings and into the evening. Bass, redfin and carp will likely be doing the same.

Carp have been up on the submerged banks and have

been a lot of fun for families wanting to wet a line, almost always guaranteeing a fish.

Carp are best targeted off the banks with corn kernels, worms and gents. Use a small hook, long shank or bait holder, and fish weighted with a small ball sinker or unweighted. In any case, make sure the rods are placed in good rod holders and set the drag loose to avoid any lost rods!

Carp can be targeted with lures too, but this is best achieved in a kayak or boat when you are sight fishing and casting at surface feeding carp. Cicada lures and lightlyweighted small soft plastics work a treat. They are not aggressive feeders, so you need to be able to retrieve a lure very

slowly past their heads to get a reaction, hence surface lures work best.

Water temperatures are starting to get to the optimal warmth for bass action off the surface or just below. There’s lots of shrimp activity in the coves up against the banks and around dead trees in the shallows so target these areas in the mornings or afternoons.

Fish in the shade, as bass seldomly strike lures in the sunshine. Stealth is best, so kayaks and boats fitted with electric engines will be advantageous.

As for lures, there are countless options, and every bass angler has their seasonal favourites. Shad or fish style soft plastics, hardbody

minnows such as crankbaits and jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, surface poppers, and surface lures such as hard and soft body cicadas are all just a few of the types of lures a keen bass angler will carry on them on each outing. Bass can be finnicky feeders, so it’s good to have an assortment of lure types, styles and colours on hand to switch up if you know the fish are there but not biting.

The river blackfish season reopens at the end of the month and will offer another target species for the streams and rivers of West and South Gippsland. Feel free to send me a report or photo, or if you have any questions about fishing this area.

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‘Tis the season for Murray cod WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

December is my favourite month of the year to go fishing in North East Victoria. There’s still plenty of trout fishing, redfin and yellowbelly are biting and best of all, Murray cod season opens on 1 December.

TROUT In the first month of summer, everything is usually quite hot and dry. Usually by now, the lower altitude streams and those running through rural areas have warmed up to a point where trout are rarely feeding. When this happens, trout will lay low at the bottoms of the deepest holes and wait for conditions to improve, only

This redfin took a Strike Tiger Nymph in whitebait pearl at Lake Kerferd.

The author caught his biggest Murray cod of last season in mid-December. in North East Victoria, second only to November.

Lake Hume is a fantastic option for anybody wanting

to target big trophy yellas.

Heading the other direction, Lake Nillahcootie is about an hour’s drive from Wangaratta on the Broken River and is a real gem as far as yellowbelly fishing goes. It is not known for monster fish, but rather for its abundance of quality plate size yellowbelly.

In the Ovens River catchment, Lake Sambell in Beechworth is probably

over 1m are caught. Most anglers wanting to catch a trophy-sized fish generally head downstream to Lake Mulwala. There is, however, a decent population of Murray cod that are mostly undersize.

People sometimes ask me where the best places are to fish for Murray cod in the Ovens River, and I always tell them anywhere between Myrtleford and Bundalong! The Ovens

A beautiful brown trout caught in the Ovens River system on a WildBait Minnow. feeding when absolutely necessary.

If you move further up into the headwaters and faster flowing waters in search of cooler water, you can still find some great trout fishing during December. The Ovens River upstream of Bright usually fishes quite well this month, but I would go closer to Harrietville to get just a bit further upstream in search of slightly cooler water.

The Buckland River up high around Beverage Station may be worth a visit. This area is beautiful, but will be absolutely packed with campers during the Christmas period so be warned!

The King River high up around Pineapple Flat can also be good for trout fishing this month.

REDFIN Although it is a little bit of a drive, Lake Hume can often fish very well for redfin this month. Just wading around the margins of the lake casting a small bladed spinner or soft plastic is guaranteed to see you catch a few small redfin. Most of the redfin caught using this technique 66

DECEMBER 2019

are very small but the kids will not care as long as they are catching something.

This is the type of fishing that my youngest daughter enjoys the most.

Lake Kerford and Lake Sambell at Beechworth should also be fishing well for redfin throughout December.

The other main redfin

lakes in the region, Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell may fish slow. Both lakes usually start to fire up after Christmas, although I have previously had patchy success at Lake Buffalo in December.

YELLOWBELLY December is probably the second best month of the year to target yellowbelly

If you’re trout fishing in December, it may be worth your while to venture up into the headwaters in search of cooler water.

The author caught his first cod of last season before sunrise.

the best spot. It often fishes well for yellowbelly in December. A boat or kayak to get you out past the annoying ribbon weed will increase your chances of catching fish.

MURRAY COD Not only does the Murray cod season open on 1 December, but December is also the best month of the year to target them in North East Victoria. The Ovens River contains Murray cod from Myrtleford to Bundalong, and even slightly further upstream.

The main tributaries of the King and Buffalo rivers also have healthy populations of Murray cod, however both can be a bit harder to access.

The Ovens River system is not known for its trophy Murray cod, although each year a few large cod

River is a very healthy waterway and just about every log has Murray cod sitting underneath it.

The junction of the Ovens and King rivers in the middle of Wangaratta is possibly the most heavily fished section of the Ovens River, with multiple people fishing it most days for at least six months of the year. Despite this, many Murray cod are still caught at this very spot in the heart of town.

For bait, Bardi grubs and yabbies are productive. Spinnerbaits and hardbodied divers are very popular for Murray cod but surface lures are probably the top lures used in the Ovens River these days, with many anglers keen to get out and attract their first ‘boof’.

Stuff your stockings with cod EILDON

Peter Burtchell

Extreme weather events including gale force winds, a constantly rising or falling barometer, cold snaps, thunderstorms and blissful sunny days were no deterrent to Eildon’s Murray cod and those dedicated to catching them.

The variety of events around the lake over the past few months has been just as exciting as the weather, with the Mountain Bay Fishing Classic, the inaugural Lake Eildon Boating and Fishing Show and the Trelly’s Outdoor Lake Eildon Cod Classic all coinciding with the

Sammy Muir had the time of his life fishing in the pondage while his mum Katrina was busy hosting the Boating and Fishing Show.

Steve Threlfall caught this beefy yellowbelly in the Jerusalem Creek Arm on scrubworms. filming of Total Native 2

by Rob Paxevanos.

The 2019 Mountain Bay Classic saw Victoria’s famous weather in fine form with a few showers followed by clear skies. The competition attracted 290 entries and over 100 fish were caught and entered.

Cindy McLeish, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party for Victoria, made an impromptu visit to the lure

convention being held at the inaugural Lake Eildon Boat and Fishing Show to demonstrate her support for regional development at Eildon.

Many boat trials were conducted and test drives were available for anybody who wanted to try out their next possible purchase. The Women In Recreational Fishing (WIRF) enjoyed their ride

on the new airboat that conducts guided Murray cod bait fishing tours from Jerusalem Creek.

The inaugural Trelly’s Outdoors Eildon Cod Classic outshone the inclement weather with some great catches of Murray cod and yellowbelly.

A 96cm Murray cod and a 56cm yellowbelly took out their respective categories.

Filming for Total Native 2 hit the mark with big Murray cod catches daily during the eight days on set around the lake. Our local Murray cod master Mick Caufield proved again that if you put in the time, you will produce the goods, with some great catches for the cameras.

The documentary was released on 22 November

were made in all prize categories.

During the same week, Tommy Antoniou and his friends were in two minds about where to go for their annual fishing trip and

Raeleen Yuill with one of her many catches at the Lake Eildon Events Big Fish Challenge.

Tommy bait fished for Murray cod from the comfort of his hired houseboat. to show that whether you are trolling, flicking or just bait fishing from the bank, you never know what you

may hook into.

December will bring on the same activity from Murray cod and yellowbelly, with the best fishing late afternoon and into the evening.

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Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality.

Mick Caufield caught this great cod on topwater at Goughs Bay.

Cindy McLeish got in early to check out some of the Murray cod lures showcased at the Lake Eildon Boating and Fishing Show with Gary Fox from Goulburn Murray Water and the author.

and provides an insight into Australia’s burgeoning native fishing industry.

The week following the filming was the Lake Eildon Events Big Fish Challenge, which proved a great weekend away for fishing families. A hundred competitors braved the colder weather and catches

decided on trying Eildon.

From the rear deck of their hired houseboat moored on the east side of the Lake Eildon wall, Tommy and his mates pulled out the big guns – very large yabbies. Within three hours they had landed over six Murray cod, all around the 80-90cm mark. It just goes

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Casting out for Christmas cod SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

It’s been a few years now since we have had some decent spring rains. The farmers missed out on some late rain to top off their crops and anglers missed out on some natural river rises to fire up yellowbelly.

Considering how dry it has been with limited natural flows, the yellowbelly fishing was pretty good during spring.

We didn’t get the bumper days at the weirs like we do after rains but there were reports of fish being caught up and down the Broken and Goulburn river systems. Fishing in the Broken River near any flowing water with live bait worked best and casting smaller hardbodied lures and spinnerbaits were also effective. The Goulburn fished best near the Broken River junction with fish being caught at the mouth and just downstream of the junction.

December is cod time!

Casting big chatterbaits or hardbodies around the

bigger timber between the back road Mooroopna Bridge and the junction will be my go-to at cod opening. This area holds some decent size fish seen during the off season, with some cod accidentally being caught as by-catch on smaller lures and baits.

The Toolamba area always fishes well at cod opening, with plenty of locals heading out that way for opening weekend. Bait fishing in the deeper pools or trolling spinnerbaits or hardbodies will work well at Toolamba.

With the Christmas period now upon us, I would just like to wish every reader a safe and merry Christmas. I look forward to seeing all the fishing photos and stories over the summer months.

LOCAL CHANNELS Late October to early November, the local channels fired right back up. After some fish relocations and a fresh flush of water, it seems the channels are again the local hotspot for redfin, cod and yellowbelly.

Lemnos should be the go-to area for all three species. There were plenty

2020 SPORT FISHING

of solid yellowbelly being caught around drop bars and bridges with lipless crankbaits working best.

The redfin bite seems to be dropping off, with the possibility of bigger resident fish cleaning up the smaller fish.

This summer I would stick to the same areas as usual. Any artificial or natural structure in the channel system will be the must-hit spots.

Vibes will work well, but for bait fishing I would be using yabbies or shrimp with a big scrubworm also on the hook. This bait combo will catch big cod and yellowbelly in the local channels. I am going to try to target yellowbelly on some bass jigs and see if a different technique will work, so stay tuned for some upcoming reports on a few different ways to target these fish.

SHEPPARTON LAKE With a lot less weed to tackle, the lake has produced some good numbers of fish for locals targeting yellowbelly and trout. Yellowbelly have been sitting right on the weed edges and pockets so casting skills have come

into play. If you can land a smaller spinnerbait or spinner in these tiny pockets, you can get smashed on the drop. It can be frustrating fishing these pockets as you will weed up the lure once out of the strike zone, but the fish being caught go hard and are great dark colours.

Trout have been caught by casting spinners or small blades in the main rowing channel but make sure you keep the lure off the bottom, as there is still plenty of weed down there. Bait fishing off the grass hill is still producing trout and silver perch and it can be a good area to take the kids.

With plenty of cod being released in the lake, shift your attention to surface fishing the nights around the edges and casting platforms. There are heaps of birds and water rats that call the lake home so I would expect cod to be feeding off the top.

KIALLA LAKES Without the spring rains, Kialla has not had a decent flush of water.

Still, there have been some reports of fish being caught regularly. The fish seem to

Josh ‘Disco’ Dohnt caught this channel cod on a Team Rapta lure. be a white, silvery colour, which may be due to the milky coloured water in the lake. The fish don’t seem to be too well conditioned but still put up a decent fight on light gear.

Soft plastics rigged with a beetle spin have worked around the sand bars and blades have been effective around the rocky edges. Floating worms around the willow trees in the late afternoon has been the best method for bait fishers.

If we do get some rain,

I recommend getting out to the lakes because it’s a massive turn on for the fish out there. The lakes just fish differently after the fresh flush of water.

WARANGA BASIN Reports of the basin finally fishing well are music to so many locals’ ears. There have been some tough months of fishing at the basin but redfin and yellowbelly are now on the chew.

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DECEMBER 2019

Twas the night before ‘Codmas’ NAGAMBIE

Sunny Martins

December is here and Murray cod are back on the target list. With water quality well and truly on the rise, river flow levels set to stabilise over the irrigation period and plenty of bait around, it is shaping up to be a productive season for chasing Murray cod in the Goulburn River and around the Nagambie area.

MAJORS CREEK Majors Creek is lacking significant flow upstream and this has caused most of the resident golden perch to travel downstream closer to the mouth where the creek meets the Goulburn in order to spawn and find more food. In saying that, there are still some great fish showing up around the Majors Creek boat ramp with one angler reporting three carp, a golden perch and a small redfin in only a couple of hours of fishing, all caught on live shrimp and scrubworms rigged on the same hook.

Anglers hoping to fish Majors should target the areas around the boat ramp, as there is easy access to From page 68

the wall has produced redfin up to 40cm and yellowbelly around 45cm. Some anglers have rigged soft plastic trailers and have reported double hook-ups in this area and

the water. There have not been many reports from lure fishers and the water quality hasn’t been ideal for it, but for those who want to give it a go, any

small diving hardbodies or lipless crankbaits usually work well.

MITCHELLSTOWN With the river levels settling in for the irrigation

A 61cm Murray cod was caught slow rolling down the side of standing timber on a spinnerbait. near Harrimans.

Those wanting to cast should fish the shallow edges in the morning across from the Harrimans ramp. Jerkbaits work well in the 4-6ft depths.

Smaller spinners from

the bank have also been productive, as you can cast while your mate launches the boat. The fish caught have only been small but they’re still good fun on 6lb line and 1000 size spin reels.

Big vibes are very effective on Murray cod.

months ahead and anglers hoping that the levels won’t fluctuate too much, the Mitchellstown area is set to be a productive destination for seeking trophy Murray cod. The area is known for tough fishing, especially in regards to Murray cod, but when anglers manage to fool one into taking their bait or lure, odds are that its tail will fall on the larger end of the brag mat.

For anglers heading to Mitchellstown chasing cod on bait, chicken or cheese rigged on a 1/0 circle hook and running bean sinker right down to the hook will be productive.

There can be a little bit of current, especially with excess water coming down the river.

Although bait will be a great option, lures have proven to be the best at this time of year, as the fish are super aggressive post spawn and will tend to have a crack at just about anything you put in front of them. When targeting Murray cod in this area, it pays to go big – casting or trolling big divers, casting big 1/2-1oz spinnerbaits and for the early and late hours it will be worth chucking a surface lure too.

NAGAMBIE LAKE This time of year it gets very busy in and around the main lake area, especially right in front of town. With boat and people traffic on the increase, it was expected that the fishing would slow down in this part of the system.

However, there are still reports of some redfin and carp being caught around the main boardwalk in town on bait and lures. The bait of choice has been scrubworms rigged about a foot under a float. Small hardbodies and spinners work very well around this area too and redfin and the occasional golden perch just can’t resist them.

There have been some reports of Murray cod and a few golden perch being caught off the reedy islands across from the Nagambie township on spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.

KIRWANS BRIDGE The Kirwans Bridge area is fishing really well at the moment, with reports coming in of multiple catches a day. The most common species have been Murray cod, golden perch and the occasional redfin. Most of the fish are being found close to structure and on the river edges. All methods are working fine right now, but trolling and casting along the stumps lining the river edges have proven to be the most productive. The

This well conditioned yellowbelly was caught on a Jackall TN60 casting to reedy islands. most effective baits have been cheese and chicken for targeting cod and scrubworms for redfin and golden perch. All the baits have had the most success presented on a circle hook rigged with a running bean or ball sinker.

For anglers targeting natives on lures, slow

to produce a bite. Topwater fishing has shown some great success too with the fish being super aggressive on the surface in the early morning and late afternoons. Golden perch have been found schooled up in great numbers further downstream closer to the weir and one angler even

This nice Murray cod was taken on a Jackall Doozer near Kirwans Bridge. rolling spinnerbaits or hardbodies close to the bottom and along the shady part of logs is sure

reported a two person bag limit in one afternoon slow rolling small yabbies down the side of rocky banks.

DECEMBER 2019

69

Trophy trout are about CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Several good reports have come from Lake Purrumbete recently, with some excellent trout being landed by anglers.

Although some people like to keep their catches to themselves, I’m more than happy to pass onto readers all captures that come out of the lake. This waterway is large enough to cope with plenty of boaters and the local

businesses could no doubt do with more visiting anglers staying and spending in our locality.

Recently an angler boated a trophy brown but weight or size wasn’t mentioned. I can safely say that from appearances, the fish would have pulled the scales down to well over 2kg and, at a guess, possibly pushed well towards the 3kg mark.

October saw good mate Shane Stevens from Ballarat decide to have a day or two on Purrumbete

instead of tackling his favourite South West lake, Elingamite, and he landed two browns plus a redfin casting OSP Bent Minnows towards the bank. It was tough going over two days but persistence does pay off for those who stick it out. One brown certainly looked the goods, going well over 1kg.

November saw more trout boated.

Mostly browns and Chinooks were caught, with the odd rainbow thrown in for good measure. Recently a There are still a few deep-dwelling reddies at Purrumbete, although not in huge numbers like in the recent past.

These tasty redfin fell to a jigged Pontoon 21 3’’ shad at around 15m depth.

rather large and very plump brook trout was reported taken on lure. From the photo, it certainly looked at least 1kg.

Elingamite is a tad up and down at present but the odd reddy along with mostly first year release browns have been caught on hardbodied lures cast or trolled close to the weed.

Some anglers are static fishing, presenting bait under a bubble float and doing just as well on a given day.

Weather wise, it’s finally starting to turn up the heat, which should see more anglers out there wetting a line. The water temperatures are still quite cool and therefore ideal for

trout to exist in, but a bit of warmth in the air can only fire up the scenario with insect hatches and the like.

I’m sure as we head into December this will be in full swing, putting the fish into serious feeding mode.

The lower reaches of the Mount Emu Creek to where it flows into the Hopkins River near the falls has been hot for trout, mostly browns ranging from 800g1.2kg. The flooding this waterway received a couple of months ago did this stream no end of good. The waters have calmed down and are quite conducive to fish. Keeping low and using the bankside vegetation for camouflage is necessary.

Flicking plastics and lures

along the edge of the bank or working either the run-in or run-out of any pool has been the go. Redfin are also on the chew and working your bait or lure close to the bottom will bring results, as there are some thumpers here.

Keep a good eye out for snakes, as they are definitely out and about. No one wants to annoy a tiger or king brown, especially if you have walked several kilometres along the bank away from your parked car.

It would pay to fish with a mate and possibly invest in a snake bite emergency kit. They are not cheap and your pharmacist generally has to order one in, but they can save your life.

All warmed up for cod season MILDURA

Rob Oswin

What a month it has been, and what a fantastic start to the cod season. The fantastic weather has really set in and many people are getting back out and onto the water. The warm weather has brought

some excellent fishing!

Over the last month the fish have been moving in huge numbers. There’s been reports coming from all over, with many anglers catching fish in both large quantities and sizes.

Loch 9 is a massive hotspot for those using vibe style lures and soft plastics. There’s reports of golden perch being caught

anywhere and everywhere from Ki Bend all the way down to Loch 8. This can be put down to a combination of the more and more anglers getting out and about and the great weather we have been having.

Bait fishing has also been extremely effective with golden perch as well, especially now that the summer weather is upon

The lead up to the cod season has everyone licking their lips ready to target this great freshwater fish.

70

DECEMBER 2019

us. Shrimp and yabbies are becoming more and more effective. Lures have also been a huge hit, with vibes and soft plastics being the go-to for many people.

There’s been some reports of small hardbody lures producing some excellent size fish up to 50cm.

Over the coming month we can expect more and more great reports, with many reports of cod being caught on both bait and lures. It can be expected that the cod season this year is going to be another great one, with the Darling no doubt going to produce some amazing fish.

With the excellent weather comes many more people using the river, so safety is key, especially around this time of year when there are more and more people in and around the river. Being aware in heavily-populated areas, shallow waters and timber will go a long way. We all know that accidents happen, but most of the time they can be avoided.

Stay safe and have fun on and around the water.

Bait fishing has accounted for some nice golden perch.

Trout and redfin on the bite around Ballarat good reddies being caught.

Jakey Young has been out with his dad Ben chasing a few redfin, with some success casting chatterbaits out of the boat. Phil Sansom has also been out with Ben, trolling lures in the main rowing

BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

It seems like it’s taken an eternity for the fish to start biting around Ballarat. I think this is due to the long cold wet winter we had, as the fishing season seems to have been a few weeks behind since then. Despite this, the weather has finally started to warm up, water temperatures have started to rise and all of the aquatic insect life cycles have returned to normal.

The mayfly hatches have started and trout have certainly tuned into feeding on them.

The author caught this Moorabool brown trout on a Stick Caddis fly pattern.

Jakey Young nailed this lovely Lake Wendouree reddy casting a chatterbait.

Over the next few months, mudeye migrations/hatches will increase and trout and redfin will feed on them with gusto. This means that when the fish are in feeding mode, they will eagerly eat flies, lures or baits so all anglers will have the opportunity to

take advantage of the weed being cut in very close to the shore on early mornings or evenings and on overcast days before it grows back.

The fly fishing on Wendouree over the coming months should be excellent.

catch a fish.

The Ballarat Fly Fishers Club recently hosted the Wastell Trophy, one of the oldest fly fishing competitions in Australia dating back to 1936. Trout are the target species in this length-based competition promoting catch

and release, and fly fishers from all over the state come to Ballarat to fish the competition, based in Creswick. Fly anglers were able to fish all local waters including Wendouree, Tullaroop, Hepburn, Newlyn, Cosgrove, Dean and Moorabool reservoirs.

This year’s Wastell Trophy saw 48 fly fishers register, representing seven different fly fishing clubs. Ballarat Fly Fishers Club member Mick McKay won the 2019 Wastell Trophy with a magnificent 53.5cm brown trout caught from Lake Wendouree on a Shrek fly pattern.

Moorabool Reservoir has been the pick of the local waters in the past month. Many fly fishers have been walking the shorelines of Moorabool, catching some lovely brown and rainbow trout. The water is alive with insects like midge, chironomid, mayflies, dragonflies, caddis and beetles.

Trout have so many different types of insects to eat, it’s just a matter of matching the hatch and putting the right fly on.

One particular day when there were fish rising everywhere, I found them very hard to catch until I used a Stick Caddis fly pattern and managed to land one.

Gun angler Vern Barby has been fishing Moorabool during the day and in the evening with excellent results.

One evening session produced four fish, with the biggest a magnificent 6lb brown trout.

They were all caught on a small unweighted nymph pattern and released.

Moorabool will continue to fish well over the next few months. Pick your times to head out – head out during overcast days or in the evening, as trout can be a bit timid on bright sunny days.

They tend not to come into the shallows to feed; they wait until dark to feed on insects.

For anglers who don’t fly fish, mudeyes suspended under

Ballarat Fly Fishers Club member Mick McKay landed a 53.5cm brown trout from Lake Wendouree on a Shrek fly pattern to win the 2019 Wastell Trophy. Photo courtesy of Mick McKay.

Phil Sansom got his new PB, a magnificent 3kg brown trout caught while trolling an Ecogear MX48 rainbow trout pattern lure on Lake Wendouree. Photo courtesy of Ben Young.

A well conditioned brown trout caught by Vern Barby while fly fishing Moorabool Reservoir with a black nymph fly pattern.

floats or a bunch of worms fished on a running sinker rig will do the job.

In Lake Wendouree, the fishing has been a bit patchy.

That is changing very quickly given all the aquatic life forms starting to hatch. The lake has been well stocked with rainbow and brown trout over the winter months and with the ones that have been previously stocked over the past few years, there are quite a few different sizes to catch.

There have also been a few reports filtering in of some

channel. The boys caught some feisty stock rainbow trout on a recent trip and Phil snagged an absolute ripper of a brown trout over 3kg on an Ecogear MX48 in rainbow trout.

Lake Wendouree will be on many anglers’ radars over the next few months. Drifting mudeyes under floats will catch a lot of trout and redfin either from the shore or a boat, and you will certainly catch a few rainbow trout fishing PowerBait on the bottom. Lure anglers should

Fishing during the day when overcast or fishing the lake edges on and after dark will produce some quality trout land-based or from boats. Craig’s Night Times, Mrs Simpsons, Muddler Minnows and Cupid Mudeye flies should be effective.

Newlyn and Hepburn have been a bit on the quiet side, but this should hopefully change with all the food now available to fish. Hepburn is renowned for having massive mudeye hatches, so take advantage before it gets too hot and the water levels start to drop.

There is lots of weed when the water levels drop, which can make Hepburn hard to fish.

Newlyn fishes well early morning and evenings generally in early summer and I expect this year to be no different. A mudeye suspended under a float, a bunch of worms on the bottom or a Mrs Simpson fly pattern fished on evening and after dark with a slow figure eight retrieve will catch a few trout.

Overall, over the coming months the anglers around the Ballarat district should be in for some excellent fishing. The time of day will become even more important as we move into the warmer weather, so factor these conditions in when planning your next trip out.

DECEMBER 2019

71

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This leader is ideal to use in murky water, deep water or when being viewed from below looking up at the line near the surface. It also retains the excellent abrasion resistance and knot strength seen in Black Magic Tough Trace and, like the name states, it gives excellent shock absorption as well. And of course, it’s a more affordable and more supple option than fluorocarbon. Keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. www.blackmagictackle.com

Senshi has released a range of boxed hooks after demand from anglers for bigger quantities in its most popular models.

Senshi hooks are produced using the finest quality raw materials, and are made to the highest standard. The range of hooks have chemically sharpened needle points, use high grade carbon steel and are all a black nickel finish. The boxed hooks are available in the following models: octopus/beak, long shank, baitholder and finesse, and are in the most popular six sizes in each model.

One of Senshi’s latest releases is the G-Point hook – the next generation of high quality chemically-sharpened hooks. The G-Point Iseama Pro series hooks are extremely strong and offer no extra coating over the hook point itself, creating an extremely sharp hook point.

The Senshi G-Point Iseama Pro hooks are a 2X Strong, straight eye with straight beak hook that are available in pre-packs of 10 hooks in sizes 2 through to 12. They are suitable for many fish species.

To find out more about the Senshi hook range visit the Juro Oz Pro Tackle website. www.jurofishing.com

DAIWA LEXA HD

GIANT KILLING JIGGING RODS

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Beauty and brawn blends with quality and performance in the new Lexa HD baitcaster. A sleek and stylish ergonomic profiled aluminium body sits comfortably in the hand, and combines with the Lexa’s advanced technologies and designs to create a mid priced heavy-duty reel that’s unmatched in style and strength.

Featuring many of Daiwa’s best technologies and innovations including Magforce, UTD, Infinite Anti-Reverse, Power Handle, EVA knobs and CRBB bearings, the Lexa HD has left nothing on the table when it comes to strength, with a stainless steel gearing system ensuring ultimate power cranking power and precision.

An amalgamation of strength, looks, and performance the Lexa HD is the heavy-duty baitcaster for those on a budget and those looking for power and strength in a reel.

Whether it’s muscling kingies down south, barra in the north or samsonfish in the west, the Lexa HD is the reel that does it all, and has it all. www.daiwafishing.com.au

PRO LURE FISHTAIL UPDATE

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Over the past 12 months, Australian company Pro Lure has been working on some modifications to the popular Fishtail soft bait.

Looking to increase the versatility and make the Fishtail easier to rig, the designer has made several changes. A shallow split belly has been added to aid weedless rigging with worm hooks, and the dorsal fin has been removed, replaced with a shallow groove along the back. This makes it easier to rig straight and align jigheads, as well as having a protecting channel for weedless worm hook points to sit snugly.

The final change is a slight narrowing up the front of the Fishtail, so that standard jigheads will sit cleaner. The addition of a white albino colour to the range and more rigging options will provide more possibilities.

The Pro Lure Fishtail is available in three sizes, 80mm, 105mm, and 130mm.

Trade enquiries can be directed to sales@ prolureaustralia.com.au. www.prolureaustralia.com.au 72

DECEMBER 2019

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Never before has there been such a highend and comprehensive range as the 2019 release of the Giant Killing Jigging rods.

These are the ultimate in Majorcraft jigging rods, with overhead and spin models for light, standard and slow jigging tasks. As the name suggests, the design principles are focused around large predatory trophy fish.

There are 15 rods in the series with varying lengths from 6’2” up to 6’6”, and they all feature updated cosmetics. The Fuji SiC Slim ring material makes the rods even lighter than before.

The rods come with PE ratings starting at 0.6 for the Light Jigging all the way up to the Jigging models with a PE of 4.0 at the upper end of the range.

For more information on this and other rods in the range, visit the Major Craft Australia website or look them up on Facebook (facebook.com/ majorcraftaus). www.majorcraft.com.au

SAMSON LURES

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Samson handmade lures are long casting and virtually indestructible made for Australian fishing.

With five separate lure designs, all wired through and ranging from 15g to 150g, Samson lures cover everything from lighter tackle fishing right through to chasing big pelagics like tuna.

The range includes various surface and subsurface lures, all with the capability of casting long distances and covering as much ground as possible.

Samson fishing has successfully established its lures range on the UK market, where they have been very effective in catching sea bass.

Of course, the lures are effective for a wide variety of Australian fish species – everything from tailor, Australian salmon and kingfish right through to Spanish mackerel and tuna.

All Samson lures are wired through and are virtually indestructible, making them an ideal choice when up against the razor sharp teeth of mackerel or against hard fighting kingfish.

The Samson lure range is available from tackle retailers and online. For more information visit samsonluresaustralia@gmail.com or visit the website.

Price: SRP $13.99-$59.99 www.samsonluresaustralia.com

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CHRISTMAS SAMURAI ROD ACCESSORIES 7

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Transporting fishing rods is often fraught with danger. Bundles of rods are hard to carry, often arranged more like a game of ‘pick up sticks’ than an easy-to-carry group of fish-catching devices. They splay all over the place and invariably get damaged.

The Samurai Rod Belts are made of high quality neoprene and Velcro and are designed to make it easy to transport multiple rods without the hassle of trying to carry multiple individual outfits. They are slightly stretchy and come in two sizes, small and medium. Simply wrap one around your group of rods near the butt end and another up near the tip and voila – neat and tidy.

While transporting rods, even in neatly arranged groups, you wouldn’t be the first angler who has smashed the tip of your favourite rod into something and ruined it. The Samurai rod tip protector is designed to protect your rod tip from damage during transportation. Made from the same material as wetsuits, the tip protector is easy to slip on and protects the sensitive part of your rod.

To see more information on these and other Samurai accessories, visit the Samurai Australia website or check them out on Facebook (facebook.com/samurairods). www.samurairods.com.au

ZMAN 7” DIEZEL MINNOWZ

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Requests from anglers chasing a big 10X Tough swimbait have seen the release of the ZMan 7” DieZel MinnowZ, a beast of a paddle tail plastic. Featuring the same realistic and proven profile and action as the 4” and 5” models, the 7” takes things up a notch in terms of bulk, water movement and big fish attracting qualities.

Whether you’re chasing barramundi, Murray cod, mulloway or kingfish, searching the depths or slow trolling for bluewater bruisers, the 7” DieZel MinnowZ has you covered, teamed up with a brutally strong TT Lures HeadlockZ Extreme, SwimlockZ or ChinlockZ jighead.

Other features include a belly slot for easy rigging and adding scent, along with a split top fin for simple and effective weedless rigging.

The increased softness and flexibility of ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech material dramatically improves hook set when weedless rigging when compared with standard soft plastics.

If big fish are on your to-do list, check out these mega paddle tails at your local ZMan dealer. ZMan 7” DieZel MinnowZ are available in 12 colours, with three per pack.

Price: SRP $17.95 www.z-man.com.au

DAIWA PHANTOM HYPER LT

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Daiwa’s new light tackle workhorse has arrived with the introduction of the Phantom Hyper LT. This new reel blends design and leading edge technologies with excellent value to deliver anglers one of the most feature-packed mid-range spin reels for some time.

Daiwa’s LT Concept provides strength and weightlessness, quality and performance, while a machine cut forged Tough Digigear delivers class-leading gear strength and smoothness. A metal alloy body enhances reel sensitivity and strength while Air Rotor provides balance and support for ultimate reel performance.

A Long Cast ABS spool, Air Bail and ATD technologies combine for untouchable line control, while a machine cut handle keeps weight down.

The Phantom Hyper LT is available now in four deep spool sizes, ranging from 3000D-6000D. www.daiwafishing.com.au

SHIMANO SQUIDGIES RODS

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Specifically designed for the soft lure enthusiast, the new Squidgies rods are a cunning combination of performance and value. Featuring T45 blank construction and quality Fuji K guides, this series of rods are light and sensitive yet strong and reliable for anglers who demand a lot from their gear.

All Shimano Squidgies series rods have been carefully designed to ensure their actions and lengths complement a range of lure weights and fishing techniques, catering for a wide range of applications and fish species. With eight performance spin and two sturdy baitcast models, these rods may find you in the remote wild gorges chasing cod and trout, to the hard-running rivers of the country’s tropical north.

No matter your chosen style of fishing there’s a rod in the range to suit. Featuring comfortable full-length camo EVA grips and varying actions across the series, nine of the 10 models are two-piece construction, so you’ll always be able to pack a Squidgies rod on your next adventure. Look for them in your nearest tackle store now.

Price: SRP $159.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

7/0 SNAPPER SNACK

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Black Magic is expanding the range of their popular Snapper Snack rigs to include a NEW 7/0 version. These will be available at all good tackle stores soon.

As with all Black Magic rigs, confidence in the components is not in question. In this case they are rigged on the premium PTFE coated 7/0 hooks and 80lb Tough Trace.

The natural swimming action of the Snapper Snack skirts, coupled with the scent of your bait is hard to beat when it comes to catching snapper and other NZ fish species. Now with the bigger size you’ll be able to target an even wider range of fish from XOS snapper to hapuku, kingfish and more.

Features include: twin lure rig incorporating high UV luminous skirts; cast, bottom bounce, or just drop and wait - versatile and simple; best fished with bait, but will still catch without; most hook-ups are in the corner of the mouth, and; available in six enticing colours. You can browse all the sizes and colours at the Black Magic Tackle website. www.blackmagictackle.com

BONE HERO DARTER

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The Hero Darter is a soft, multi-function vibration lure that has a number of awesome features.

There are three tow points on top of the Darter that provide three slightly different actions, and there is another tow point on the nose, which gives the lure a cast and retrieve option. This essentially gives anglers four lure fishing options in the one lure!

However, the big thing with the Darter is that when the lure is in the jigging/vibration mode, a chin weight can be attached to the front nose eyelet that will allow this lure to be sent on deeper missions or fished in faster currents. The real beauty of this option is that the action of the lure is unaltered – in fact, while testing, the nose weight increased catches!

The Hero Darter is a beautiful fishmunching 90mm long lure that is initially available in eight colours. www.wilsonfishing.com

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au DECEMBER 2019

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CHRISTMAS SAMAKI MAKO SHIRT

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The mako shark is impulsive, aggressive, agile, and every shark-lover’s dream! The blue green details of Samaki’s new Mako Shirt are enhanced from the background through to the underbelly of the sharks.

With not just one but two mako sharks attacking at speed, the yellowfin has no chance!

The lightweight fabric of this shirt is perfect for all outdoor elements, protecting you from the harsh sun with Samaki’s UPF50+ resistant technology. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body, and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry.

Samaki designs are brought to you by Australian anglers who love to design Australian species. The shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes from a size 2 through to a 5XL allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water.

For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website, or like them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date.

Price: SRP $59.95 (adults), SRP $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au

SAMAKI SLICK

SHIMANO TREVALA S

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Designed for shallow water jigging,Trevala rods feature lightweight C4S blanks and parabolic actions specially designed for slow fall and flutter jigs like the new Tiger Baku Baku.

The fine diameter one-piece C4S blanks are extremely strong and lessen the respective rods’ overall weight, which allows the angler to focus on fighting the fish and not the tackle. Fuji Alconite guides and reel seats are complemented by shaped EVA grips that are specifically intended for jigging work.

The slow tuned actions are very precise, and allow the angler to effectively work the jig with minimal effort. Shimano recommends matching these rods with the Shimano Tranx series of 300 and 400 sized baitcaster reels, for an outfit that is super balanced and ideal for getting the most action out of your jigs.

Available in power ratings from XL to MH, there are five spin models in 6’ 3” and 6’ 6” sizes, and a 6’ 3” overhead model. They are available in-store now.

Price: SRP: $229.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

OBSESSION 17 BASS SERIES 14 Australian-made Obsession Spinnerbaits

Samaki’s extensive range of sunglasses just got bigger. The Slick is here to stay, and alongside the current range are two awesome new colours: brown tort with an amber lenses and matt black with a copper lenses. Each model is designed for your target species and most loved fishing environments.

The square-shaped Slick is so comfortable that you won’t want to take it off. Each one of the Samaki-designed frames gives you great coverage from the elements and provides you with the polarised lenses you need when you’re out on the water.

Slick colour options are available in matt black/green revo, matt black/blue revo, matt black/grey, brown tort/amber and matt black/ copper, giving you multiple options to suit all anglers and fishing scenarios.

For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website and like them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date.

Price: SRP $49.95 www.samaki.com.au

have a strong following amongst Murray cod and golden perch anglers. Owner and designer Raymond Parry was keen to expand his horizons, and with the assistance of some keen bass anglers he has produced a range of spinnerbaits focused on Australian bass.

This new series is called the ‘Bass Six Pack’, and Obsession Spinnerbaits is releasing six new colours (WB, BG, DONC, GM, GOAT and PBJ). They will be available in 1/4oz, 1/2oz and 5/8oz through your local Obsession Spinnerbait stockist.

Head to the Obsession Spinnerbait website to view their complete product range, which includes single, twin, triple and quadbladed spinnerbaits, mumblers and buzz baits. Jigheads are also available from 1/8oz3.5oz, and there’s an extensive range of skirt colours, as well as soft plastic curl-tails in 4”, 5” and 8” sizes. The product range can be customised to your requirements or you can design your spinnerbait from scratch. www.obsessionspinnerbaits.com

NEW FROM STRIKE PRO

ATC VIRTUOUS

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Two of Strike Pro’s latest lure releases are the Bass Beetle and the Hunch Walker.

The Bass Beetle is an ultra-shallow running Beetle imitation. This lure is perfect when the Christmas beetles and cicadas are buzzing around. The Bass Beetle offers extreme realism in its shape, and this shallow running lure has an enticing body roll and dives to approx. 1ft.

The Bass Beetle is 4cm long, weighs 5.7g and comes in six fish-catching colours. It’s sure to be a hit with anglers targeting bass, estuary perch, bream, trout and jungle perch.

The new Hunch Walker is a wakebait version of Strike Pro’s popular Hunchback range of lures. The Hunch Walker works on the surface and sub-surface, just under the surface in the scum line. When it is retrieved across the surface it creates a commotion and paddles, looking just like a frog or cicada kicking across the top, with a head-down, tailup, wide swaying action. The Hunch Walker is 5.5cm long, weighs 6.5g and comes in six proven colours. It is irresistible to bass, estuary perch, Murray cod, sooty grunter and more. www.jurofishing.com 74

DECEMBER 2019

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New to the ATC range of reels is the Virtuous – a range of reels with a host of features that combine to make them tough, dependable and affordable.

An aluminium body and rotor ensure these reels are built to last, and the 9+1 stainless steel ball bearings give these reels a smooth feel that doesn’t wear the angler down. Add into this an ergonomic handle for the ultimate in comfort when fighting large fish, and the Virtuous is one of those reels that will stand the test of time.

All of these comforts are backed up by a brilliant and exceptionally smooth dual drag system. This system is built to provide two drag surfaces on the top and underneath the spool, allowing for ultra-fine adjustments and exceptional smoothness. The dual drag system also means that when you need to wind up the drag, the ability is there to give you some real stopping power.

Sizes range from the 2000 light line special all the way up to a 10,000 that swallows almost 500m of PE4 line and has a max drag of 20kg! www.wilsonfishing.com

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NEWS FROM

ADVERTORIAL

HOBIE MIRAGEDRIVE 360 AND PRO ANGLER 2020 Truly the Ultimate Fishing Machine, the 2020 Pro Angler with the MirageDrive 360 and Kick-Up Fins delivers power in every direction for unprecedented manoeuvrability and control.

Two decades ago, Hobie revolutionized kayak fishing with the invention of the original MirageDrive. The radical engineering was met with worldwide acclaim and leg-propulsion became the new standard for kayak fishing locomotion.

Imitators eventually arrived on the scene, but Hobie remains the industry benchmark.

Hobie knew improving on its revolutionary MirageDrive wouldn’t be easy, but they weren’t deterred. Six years in the making, for 2020, Hobie is proud to announce the greatest achievement to date in the form of an astonishing 360-degree rotating pedal drive—an all new paradigm in kayak fishing boat control, complete with a nearly 100-page

SPECIFICATIONS Pro Angler 12 Length 366cm Width 91cm Height 51cm Capacity 227kg Vantage seat capacity 159kg Fitted hull weight 49.7kg Fully rigged weight 60.1kg Pro Angler 14 Length 417cm Width 97cm Height 51cm Capacity 272kg Vantage seat capacity 159kg Fitted hull weight 56.5kg Fully rigged weight 67.4kg

patent registration.

Put simply, the remarkable new Hobie MirageDrive 360 propulsion system is a 360-degree rotating pedal drive that allows anglers to easily manoeuvre their 2020 Mirage Pro Angler 360 12 and 14 fishing kayaks in every direction—backwards, forward, sideways, diagonally—or even effortlessly spin on its own axis. Upping the ante with all-new Kick-Up Fins, which automatically retract upon impact, the new MirageDrive 360 delivers precision boat control and closequarter manoeuvrability that’s unrivalled by any other human-powered watercraft. With the MirageDrive 360, anglers go where they want and fish how they want with total control and complete confidence.

The MirageDrive 360 is designed for versatility on the water and to help anglers catch more fish. Infinitely more manoeuvrable, anglers will immediately discover they spend less time positioning their boat, and more time catching fish. Boat control is brought to an entirely new level, affording anglers the ability to surgically position themselves to make the best cast and presentation to the fish, as well as staying right on top of fish once found, shallow or deep or anywhere in between.

The MirageDrive 360 allows access to tighter quarters and more fishing scenarios.

Imagine being able to turn on a dime in every direction. It also allows you to follow shorelines or underwater structure in a way kayak anglers have never experienced.

“The MirageDrive 360 completely changes how you engage with your boat and the environment,” says Philip Dow, Lead Design Engineer for Hobie. “For example, if you’re fishing along a shoreline or highly contoured underwater structure, you can follow those nuances exactly with boat placement. Similarly, with the Kick-Up Fins, shallow and structurefilled waters become far more manageable.

Hobie’s MirageDrive 360 completely

redefines boat control.”

“In the same way a trolling motor can hold an exact point, you can do that with the MirageDrive 360. You can hold an exact location and direction against wind or current, too. Previously, when you drifted out of position, you had to pedal in a circle to point the hull in the right direction between casts. Now, when you’re sitting idle,

additional angling equipment.

“In every environment there’s the need for better control in order to position yourself to present your bait to the fish in the most natural way possible,” says Morgan Promnitz, Hobie’s Senior Fishing Brand Manager. “Whether you’re fishing offshore, inshore, or freshwater, the benefits are numerous. We’ve tested the

ENGINEERED TO SWING FINS A FULL 360 DEGREES

if you turn the drive and start to pedal you’re immediately turning. It’s extremely effective for place-holding in an exact location. You feel like a sniper. If you want to swing the bow past a rock, you can do it exactly and make your next cast without any unnecessary boat movement.”

Designed to accept Hobie’s vast array of accessories, the Pro Angler 360 fishing kayaks can be easily outfitted with

boats in a multitude of fishing environments and our test team’s response has all been the same—the MirageDrive 360 gives anglers a huge advantage that results in more fish caught, period.”

“The Kick-Up Fins add peace of mind to anglers exploring waters with submerged objects such as rocks or tree stumps because the fins will automatically retract upon impacting an object. This greatly reduces any chance or damaging the propulsion system and allows anglers to explore with confidence—no more damaged props or bent fins.” – Hobie Fishing Asia Pacific

and durable Thermoform construction, the Passport is a well-rounded kayak that truly offers something for everyone, from novice to experienced kayakers alike. It is the ideal kayak for casual recreation and family outings, but is ready for all kinds of adventures on the water. Designed to accept most of Hobie’s vast array of accessories, the Passport can be easily outfitted with additional equipment.

Powered by Hobie’s first-of-its-kind Classic MirageDrive pedal system, the Passport makes kayaking smooth and efficient, cruising seamlessly through the water. The shorter hull length and wider body provide great stability, while the

intuitive steering system and stowable rudder enable easy manoeuvring. Standard equipment on the Passport includes a suspended mesh-back, aluminium-frame seat, two-piece aluminium paddle, two rod holders, accessory mounting tracks, Lowrance ready, Power-Pole Micro bracket indent and an accessory mount that accepts the kayak sail and new bimini. Kayakers will also enjoy moulded-in, cross-bungee cargo areas on the bow and stern, as well as Hobie’s ‘twist-n-seal’ hatch. You can create your ultimate setup from weekend fishing to a family day sailing on the open water. – Hobie Fishing Asia Pacific

HOBIE MIRAGE PASSPORT 12 Hobie is proud to announce the latest addition to its renowned line-up of pedal kayaks, powered by the brand’s signature MirageDrive – the original pedal propulsion system for kayaking. The Passport was built

with simplicity in mind, delivering efficiency, ease of use, versatility and comfort in a highly accessible package.

The Passport has been designed to help break down those barriers of entry that may be keeping people off the water and make pedal kayaking more accessible and affordable. The goal of the Passport is to be able to bring the experience that Hobie’s MirageDrive technology has delivered for more than 20 years to a broader audience.

With its excellent value, transportability, simple and sleek design

DECEMBER 2019

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Fishing Day, boat show and plenty of action special guests on C31 Talking Fishing live show alongside the hosts, David Kramer, Adam Ring and Steve Threlfall. The girls were amazing co-hosts and did a wonderful job of sharing the WIRF message and discussed the current state of affairs involving women in fishing and where the future is headed.

GONE FISHING DAY The WIRF girls were out in force across the State on GFD! While the weather and fishing conditions were

WIRF

Cara Cummings

With holiday season approaching, many of you will be heading away, some perhaps to favourite fishing spots and others may be trying new destinations! With this in mind, it’s a great chance to teach/refresh or update your knowledge on a few of the basics, so in this edition we want to focus on fish handling and also share with you all the happenings since last month.

EILDON BOAT SHOW By all accounts the inaugural Eildon Boating and Fishing Show in October was a huge success. We can happily

The Dunbier Trailer workshop was a highlight of the Eildon Boat Show.

Tiff and Niki were special guests on C31 Talking Fishing live show.

RECIPES THAT ARE ‘WIRF’ IT

Thyme for flake INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) 350-400 g Flake 1 tbsp. thyme 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan 1 cup panko crumbs 1 egg (whisked with 1tsp water) 1/4 cup plain flour Pinch salt and pepper 1/4 cup veg oil

METHOD 1. Combine thyme, Parmesan and panko crumbs in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt and pepper together.

3. In a third bowl, mix an egg with 1tsp of water.

4. In three steps: coat the flake in flour, dip into the whisked egg and then coat with the crumb mix.

5. Shallow fry over medium heat in a frypan until lightly golden. Serve with potato bake and a side of greens – Perfecto!’

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so many kids out fishing and enjoying the great outdoors. My 4-year-old son was absolutely thrilled when he took out the Junior’s title!

HOOKED ON BELLARINE It was an early start for Michelle, Niki and Tiff who set off on a boating and fishing mission to catch fresh squid to use at their squid prep demo at Portarlington! These girls smashed it and bagged 20 beauties, with the

report a growth in our membership numbers over this weekend thanks to the WIRF Leaders. We stood out vibrantly in our iconic teal t-shirts, participated in giving talks on stage, chatted to the public and organised a Boat Trailer Reversing workshop!

A highlight of the weekend was seeing several women take up the unique opportunity to up skill themselves in boat trailer reversing, thanks to Dunbier Trailers. These women were shown the ins and outs on the basics and picked up tips and tricks on how to reverse a trailer.

This practical workshop was a hit and gave a boost of confidence to all those who attended.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Two of our fabulous WIRF women, Tiff and Niki were invited as

The WIRF women held an informative squid prep demo at Portarlington. less than ideal, everyone still managed to have a fantastic day waterside wherever they were.

Shea Bloom was at the Khancoban Angling Club’s event and gave a talk encouraging more women and children and take up the sport.

Michelle Jackman took part in ‘Mates Day on the Bay’, a very worthy event hosted by Future Fish Foundation. This incredible initiative celebrated their 20th year and enable those living with disabilities the opportunity to board a boat and head out fishing for the day. The Captain and skippers were all volunteers who are only too eager to assist.

I headed off to the Upper Coliban Reservoir with my family in tow, to participate (and spread the WIRF love) at the Kyneton Angling Club’s Family Day Out. It was lovely seeing

biggest reaching 40cm and weighing in at 2.5kg. They returned to the festival and gave numerous live demonstrations, teaching spectators how to fillet and prepare the calamari effectively!

ON THE DECK PODCAST Tiff, Michelle and Niki have officially kicked off our very first official WIRF podcast On the deck. These ladies talked about all things WIRF and will continue to share an abundance of information, facts and advice in an encouraging and exciting way! We have a wealth of knowledge within our network and have women from all walks of life with so much to share. So be sure to stay tuned to increase your fishing knowledge!

Q&A FISH HANDLING One of the many common questions we receive is to do with fish

handling. Many of us are unsure how to handle the fish once it has been caught.

There may be a fear of touching the fish, of hurting the fish or how to release the fish. The Victorian Fisheries Authority have many helpful tips and hints on their website as to how to approach this in the best, safest and most humane way.

Removing hooks • Whenever possible try to remove the hook while the fish is still in the water (try not to remove the fish from the water).

• If the fish is hooked in the jaw or mouth, remove the hook using a hook remover or long-nosed pliers.

• If the fish is hooked deep in the stomach leave it there and cut the line as close as possible to the mouth.

Handling fish A fish’s body has a slimy protective coating, which can be damaged by excessive handling.

Incorrect handling can damage fish and reduce

Archer Cummings took out top Junior title at the Kyneton Angling Club’s Family Day Out.

their chance of survival after release. Fish can also suffocate (lack of oxygen) and suffer internal soft tissue injury (organs are crushed) when lifted incorrectly or inappropriately handled.

If you must handle a fish (to check its identity or size) reduce damage by: • Using a net without knotted mesh.

• Using wet hands or a wet towel to handle it.

• Placing the fish on cool and wet surfaces (not on hot and dry surfaces).

Releasing fish When releasing fish, hold the fish horizontally and gently under the water, if possible. Wait until it revives then release your hold so it can swim away.

For upcoming event details, please head to our Facebook group www. facebook.com/groups/ womenrecfishing/ or via the VFA website/Facebook page. We wish eveyone happy fishing and a Merry Fishmas!

WIRF representatives Tiffany, Nikki and Michelle dominated the Portarlington squid during Hooked on Bellarine on Gone Fishing Day.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2019

DECEMEBER

7-8 Dec

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 11

Marlo

hobiefishing.com.au

2020

FEBRUARY

MARCH

4-5 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 1

Gippsland Lakes

8-9 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 2

Mallacoota

22-23 Feb

ABT BREAM Queensland Open

Moreton Bay

29 Feb-1 Mar

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 1

Bemm River

7-8 Mar

ABT BREAM Round 3

Derwent River

11-12 Mar

ABT BREAM Round 4

St Helens

28-29 Mar

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 2

Gorges River

28-29 Mar

ABT BREAM Round 5

Mandurah

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

hobiefishing.com.au

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

hobiefishing.com.au

abt.org.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours.

Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name.

DECEMBER 2019

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WIN

SUBSCRIBE AND NEW ALVEY SPINNING RANGE IN STORE DECEMBER 2019

LUCKY SUBSCRIBERS HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN AN

Prize

Valued @ over $300!

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Father-son team’s 1st victory at Marlo The weekend of 12-13 October saw 46 teams head to Marlo for the 2019 Atomic East Gippsland Bream Classic.

Being the last qualifying round of the 2019 NS Rods Sunline Bream Classic Series, everyone was keen to earn those last-minute points to ensure they qualified for the 2019 Grand Final in Nelson.

The weekend saw Marlo really turn on some amazing bags of fish, with numerous 4kg+ bags hitting the scales. However, it is consistency that matters most, and that’s exactly what we saw from Team EGM Revisited’s Paul and Justin Conn.

Day 1 saw perfect conditions, with light winds and clear skies for anglers hoping to get a good bag early.

The boys from Team EGM Revisited headed straight to the area they found in pre-fish that was holding good numbers of fish. Justin said that all of the fish that they weighed in on both days of the comp came from a stretch of bank approximately 30m long in the Brodribb River.

“The exact location was approximately 100m up from the Brodribb River Bridge on the right side,” Justin explained. “We found the fish on the pre-fish whilst sounding up the river. On the Saturday we travelled upriver and sat

on our spot for the first hour of the comp while things calmed down. By positioning our boat roughly in the centre of the productive stretch of river, we were able to cast both upstream and downstream of the boat, although it was a slow bite by remaining on the fish rather than moving on.

“We were able to catch our five fish bag using a mix of vibes and soft plastic lures. We found that the most consistent bite came from

After weighing in their bag for the day which was 5/5 bream for 4.77kg they were sitting in 3rd place and in a good position to still be in contention to take victory.

The boys used a combination of 6’6” Daiwa rods from both the Heartland and Generation Black lines fitted with Shimano reels, including a mix of both 1000 Stellas and 1000 Stradic Ci4s, spooled with Sunline 3lb braid and Sunline 4lb

The top three teams (L-R): Tackle Tactics, EGM Revisited, and Procastinators. great weather conditions but, as can often happen at Marlo, the fishing proved a little tougher with some spots starting to shut down.

“On the second day of the comp we repeated the process of the previous day,” Justin

to our success was the new Humminbird Gen 3 Helix 10 sounder that we fitted. We were marking up fish that other teams had said they couldn’t see, and if it wasn’t for the sounder we may have driven over the small area of fish that

Father-son team Paul and Justin Conn fished consistently over the two days of the tournament, finishing with a winning bag of 10/10 bream for 9.34kg. fishing the lures hard in on the bank. Watching the sounder over the course of the day we found that a deeper channel ran along the bank on the that side of the river, with the fish sitting within the channel.”

As well as taking out 2nd place, Team Procastinators (Tim Webb and Jarod Tyler) took out the Sunline Best Bag with a Day 2 total of 5.22kg.

fluorocarbon leader. The lures they used were primarily ZMan GrubZ in motor oil and bloodworm colours rigged on 1/12oz jigheads.

“We originally were using 1/16oz jigheads,” Justin said, “but in the strong river flow we found that we got more bites on the heavier heads as they were likely to hold the bottom better than the lighter jigheads.”

As well as soft plastics, the pair fished a variety of vibes, including the Ecogear ZX35 in black and the Hurricane Stinger Vibe in camo crab. The boys found over the weekend that these lures worked well fishing in the river, as the lures’ stinger hooks allowed them to be fished hard in on the bank.

Day 2 again saw some

Left: The JML Anglers Alliance Big Bream prize went to The Perry Street Boys (Harry Young and Shane Barling) with their 1.68kg beast. Right: Mark Cribbes won the Samurai Big Perch prize with his solid 1.15kg EP. said. “Because the fish had begun to shut down we found that a last minute change in lure colour [black vibe for brown] was required in order to provoke a bite out of the shut-down fish.

“We believe that one of the key components

handed us victory.”

Although it was a slog on Day 2 for Team EGM Revisited, they still managed a quality 5/5 bream bag weighing 4.57kg. This gave them a total of 10/10 bream for 9.34kg.

Team Procastinators (Tim Webb and Jarod Tyler) took

out 2nd place and the Sunline Best Bag with a Day 2 bag weighing 5.22kg, which gave them a total of 10/10 bream for 9.11kg. Rounding out the top 3 was Team Tackle Tactics (Corey McLaren and Adam Brown), who weighed in 10/10 bream for 8.59kg.

The JML Anglers Alliance Big Bream went to The Perry Street Boys (Harry Young and Shane Barling) with their cracking 1.68kg beast landed on Saturday. The Samurai Big Perch prize was secured

by Mark Cribbes from Team Mad when he weighed in a solid 1.15kg EP. Taking out the final prize for the weekend was Team Metung Hotel’s Rhett and Allan Sandy, who took out the Hurricane Monster Movers prize with their day 2 bag of 5/5 bream for 4.45kg, rocketing them 13 places up the leader board.

Christmas is now fast approaching, and so is the start of the 2020 NS Rods Sunline Vic Bream Classic Series. Be sure to check the January issue of VFM for the launch of the series with all the rounds and dates, or you can visit www. vicbreamclassics.com.au for all the info.

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79

Healy a safe pair of hands at Port Stephens The final qualifier of the 2019 Costa BREAM series saw the competitors heading to a new arena, Port Stephens.

While only a short drive from other great bream venues such as Sydney Harbour, the Hawkesbury River and Lake Macquarie, only a few of the competitors had fished the area for bream previously.

Lake Macquarie local Mark Healy managed to take top honour in the boater division, using his very limited experience bream fishing in Port Stephens to grind out a winning bag.

“I’ve fished Port Stephens a couple of times, but not for many years – probably 7-8 years ago,” he said.

“I do fish the area offshore of the port fairly regularly though.”

During pre-fish, Mark’s plan was to cover a lot of water and search for active fish. Doing this, he managed to find catchable fish in three spots, with two areas in the Soldiers Point area and one down at the Tea Gardens.

On day one Mark’s plan was simple: hit the three spots he found on pre-fish

MARK HEALY’S WINNING TACKLE Rod: Reel: Line: Lure

Mark Healy spent most of his time fishing one rock wall to grind out a much-deserved win at Port Stephens. and try to put together a decent bag of fish! The first spot he pulled up to was a timber jetty near the starting line in the Soldiers Point area, where he had been blown away three times on pre-fish.

Mark had a brown

Cranka Crab in heavy tied on, and sure enough, after only a few casts he was hooked up to another decent bream. Deciding to fish slightly heavier than he did during pre-fish proved to be the right decision, and within minutes of leaving

BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Mark Healey 2 Vaughn Lewis 3 Tristan Taylor 4 Steve Morgan 5 Todd Riches 6 Andrew Stubbs 7 Scott Wilson 8 Brett Crowe 9 Charlie Saykao 10 Tim Vickers

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 9/10 10/10 7/10 8/10 6/10

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 80

DECEMBER 2019

Total Weight (kg) 7.32 7.10 6.17 5.50 5.40 5.39 5.34 4.88 4.81 4.04

the start, Mark had a 35cm bream in the livewell!

Mark and his non-boater then fished their way around Soldiers Point, catching nothing but one small legal for his non-boater waiting for the tide to start running in.

Finally the current started running in, and the pair went to the Tea Gardens. While Mark wasn’t overly confident by this point, he decided to methodically work over one particular rock wall called The Cut. With the tide rising, the seemed to be moving in from the bay and onto the wall to feed, and Mark could see the fish he wanted to catch.

Mark had been fishing with a 6lb leader but decided to drop down to 4lb. His

Shimano Zodias 701UL 1000 Shimano Stella 4-6lb braid, 4-6lb fluorocarbon Jackall Chubby 38 Deep in brown suji shrimp, Cranka Crab Heavy in brown

choice of presentation on the rock wall was a Jackall Chubby 38 Deep in brown suji shrimp.

With the strong current making fishing difficult, he still managed to catch six more legals to round out a decent bag of 3.69kg, putting him in a strong position ahead of day two.

On the second day Mark knew there would still be good fish to be caught from his wall down at the Tea Gardens, some decided to leave the fruitful jetty from the day before, knowing that it had been hit hard by other anglers.

Mark figured that as the tide was slightly later on day two, he might get in a good half hour of fishing with the run-out tide. He executed his plan perfectly, got in there and landed a kilo fish early, and about 2-3 casts later he hooked another one that looked bigger, however the hooks pulled. To keep the hooks in Mark was using size 14 Decoy trebles on his crankbaits, because they were only getting lip hooked and were biting very timidly.

The tide slowed up for about two and a half hours as the tide changed and Mark and his non-boater fished around the area, landing no keeper bream.

As the tide started pumping in, he arrived back at the wall. About halfway

along, he hooked a good fish, which he estimated to be about 1.3-1.4kg.

“I got it away from wall and we were drifting back with the tide,” he said.

“There was nothing around for him to get me on, and I had him just out of reach of the net and the treble on lure rolled off split ring; I was spewing!”

Mark said it took him a good half an hour to regroup after this setback, however soon after he landed a another fish of about 30cm, which gave him confidence to keep fishing.

For the remainder of the session he ground out 3 more fish and returned nervously to the weigh-in.

As it turns out, he had nothing to worry about, as he had managed to weigh the heaviest overall bag of 7.32kg. This was Mark’s first ABT BREAM qualifier win, and he couldn’t have been more stoked!

Scan the QR code to see the Day 1 highlights.

BREAM Series presented by

Tough fishing no match for Lewis Sliding in behind Healy by just over 200g was Newcastle local Vaughn Lewis, who prior to the tournament, also only had limited exposure to the arena. Vaughn used these limited experiences to rule out some areas and narrow his focus to some areas he knew would hold hungry fish.

In the pre-fish Vaughn identified the bottom of the Myall River, the Kuruah River and some islands in the middle of the bay would be his primary targets.

Come comp day, Vaughn had some decisions to make.

“I thought on comp day that lower Myall would be the car park of spots, so I wrote it off, and focussed on the Kuruah River and some of the islands,” he said.

With the early low tide on day one, Vaughn focused on structure while waiting for tide to come in.

He started at some oysters racks at the bottom of the Kuruah, fishing the poles rather than the trays. Cycling between a soft plastic and a crankbait, he managed two decent keepers.

He then moved to some bridges in the river itself and

“I was fishing around an island, and there was a point with tide coming around and wind blowing onto it,” he said. “Using 3lb straight through fluorocarbon and a black Jackall Chubby 38 Shallow, I was able to fish right up on the rocks and that’s where I got him.”

Vaughn didn’t manage any upgrades on day two, just a solid bag of bream and many undersize fish to keep the day interesting.

Returning to the

weigh-in tent on day two saw his overall weight dip to 7.10kg, relegating him to second place.

DAIWA J BRAID BIG BREAM

Vaughn Lewis used his limited experience at this venue to find some productive areas in this tough arena. managed two more quality fish as he waited anxiously or the tide to come in.

At around 10 o’clock the flow slowed and the prime time for an edge bite came on.

“I spent the rest of the day fishing rocky edges, islands, and a few other rocky edges to pick up good fish,” he said. “I also managed two upgrades.”

Vaughn returned to the weigh-in on day one with a respectable bag of 3.62kg.

Vaughn decided to start in North Arm Cove on day two, once again fishing oyster racks with similar presentations. The rack fishing was slower on day two, which made Vaughn and his boater all the more anxious for the tide to come in so they could fish the edges.

Once it did, the edges really fired, and with a bit of overcast weather and wind direction change, Vaughn and his non-boater were able to fish right up in the shallows.

In doing this he managed to catch the biggest bream for the tournament, a stonking 1.16kg monster, which is huge for the Port Stephens area.

Vaughn Lewis managed to wrangle a 1.16kg beast from the shallows in North Arm Cove by throwing a black Jackall Chubby 38 Shallow.

Johnson grinds it out for non-boater honours Craig Johnson is from the South Coast of NSW, however this was his first time fishing the Port Stephens area for bream, because as he puts it, “there’s just too much good water down there.” It seems that applying some of the tricks and techniques he has learned fishing further south helped him take out top honours in the non-boater division!

While Craig did pre-fish with boater Tim Vickers, the pair didn’t do a whole lot of fishing. Rather, they fished very little and just looked for good-looking water to store in the memory bank.

For the first day Craig found himself fishing with Jason Mayberry, and the plan was to head downstream of the starting line and fish some shallow weed beds,

edges, flats and points. Like most competitors, the pair was waiting for the tide to

come in and bring the bream on the bite.

Craig only weighed one

fish on the first day, which he caught at around 10:30am throwing a Gulp Crabby on a

1/20oz jighead in Salamander Bay. Craig said he just had to cycle through baits to find something that would work.

Despite fishing some amazing looking country around Garden Island and the oyster leases, Craig didn’t catch any other weighable fish on day two.

The second day would prove more fruitful, however, as some favourable conditions brought the fish on the bite.

Fishing with Charlie Saykao, the pair decided to head to where Craig and Jason had finished their previous day at Garden Island. With the wind now swung around to the west and southwest and some overcast weather overhead, the fish seemed to be biting better. Craig had his first fish in the boat before

8:00am. Seeing that the fish were now biting in the area, Craig and Charlie stayed in this vicinity all day.

Heading to the Correebah Island area, the pair found lots of random bits of reef and oysters and noticed lots of fish cruising around. Once the tide came in they started hauling in fish one after another, and hooked lots of fish but only stuck three.

Fishing these flats, Craig was cycling between various topwaters, including a Jackson Pygmy Popper and a Sugoi Splash.

Returning to the weigh-in Craig was nervous but found that the rest of the field had struggled, and was pleased to see the scales dip to 2.76kg.

Non-boater Craig Johnson took out top honours in his division with only 5 fish over two days, proving just how tough the fishing was!

NON-BOATER RESULTS

Scan the QR code to see the Day 2 highlights.

Place Name 1 Craig Johnson 2 Nick Penprase 3 Daniel McNeice 4 Bernard Kong 5 Gordon Pullin 6 Darren Murphy 7 Shaun Egan 8 Justin Reeves 9 Richard Wootten 10 Rebecca Fazio

Fish 5/10 3/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 1/10 1/10 1/10

Total Weight (kg) 2.76 1.63 1.10 0.99 0.97 0.89 0.80 0.76 0.58 0.56

Everyone could agree that there were worse places to start a morning!

DECEMBER 2019

81

Measuring biomass in shallow water SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

In my last article I outlined a lot of the problems associating with shallow water and looking at fish biomass. In fairness if you read that article, you might be forgiven for wondering why you would want to look at biomass, thus it’s probably a good idea to provide some background on what Biomass is and why you would want to measure it.

WHAT IS BIOMASS? Biomass is the living organisms that inhabit an area.

In the case of fish you will find in any given system a range of species and in general the more diverse the species

has had a deal of success at using citizen science data, mainly from fish tagging as an alternative approach but it suffers the same scalability issues as many other solutions.

In other words, you need a lot of fishing trips reported in an area to get a real sense of what is going on.

What we really need is a non-invasive method of looking at biomass that is scalable. That is a problem I have lost many nights sleep to in the past few years.

So how do they use Echosounders to Measure Biomass in the Northern Hemisphere?

Using scientific echosounders for biomass problems is not new. I have read papers dating back to the 1970s using paper sounders.

The very first paper detailing the measurement of fish

Using the ability to detect length and count fish in aquaculture to monitor fish biomass growth rates over time.

Setting up fixed units side facing to track numbers and sizes of species like trout and salmon moving during spawning runs in rivers.

Using downscan on larger impoundments and freshwater rivers to detect numbers and sizes of fish. This uses a method of sampling smaller areas then extrapolating to total biomass.

Of the three applications the last – downscan is the most applicable to southern hemisphere conditions but more on that later.

So why would you measure Biomass in the Southern Hemisphere?

The interesting thing about having worked with biomass intensively is I think that the inverse question is probably

Biomass assessment in aquaculture. which is the worst time to be holding an intervention. Just addressing those two problems is a lot of work even before you hit saltwater systems and the competing forces of recreational and commercial fishers. Then there are threatened species and systems in danger from climate change like the Great Barrier Reef.

As it happens our inability to measure fish without killing

echosounding method used in the northern hemisphere but side facing scan comes with a lot of advantages in terms of the amount of data that is collected. A normal survey day for us will net around 100,000 tracks – ie 100,000 things of interest. It should be noted that 100,000 tracks is made up of bottom noise, structure and things other than fish – all valuable but that’s

20-40 times more data on a side facing transect for the same distance travelled.

There is a reason why these large datasets are important. The larger the sample, the smaller the error when estimating the dynamics of a larger population. When using downscan to estimate populations we have had much greater volatility as you would expect, as much as

Fig 2. Fixed point installations of biosonics units. present, the more robust the ecosystem. Diversity is the measure of the range of species, Biomass is the amount of that species present.

What ‘measuring biomass’ means depends on what you want as an outcome. If you are running an aquaculture pond, biomass is a measure of weight – ie what weight of fish is present? If you are talking in the wild, biomass is often a numbers game – how many fish of particular type are there, that could be based on species or size class.

So how is biomass measured now? If ever you needed the definition dictionary for irony – you measure fish populations by killing them.

Okay, probably a little harsh but the most common method globally is through commercial catch data.

There are some other methodologies used in specific circumstances, but they lack the scalability and low cost of collection that comes with commercial catch data.

As a result, for fifty years commercial catch data has been the global measurement tool.

I have always believed there has to be an alternative way of measuring biomass.

Over the past 20 years Infofish 82

DECEMBER 2019

length via echosounders dates to the late 1960s. Ignoring the problems listed in my last article, there have always been concerns around the use of echosounders particularly identifying fish species. This has in my view unnecessarily held back the development of the technology because the reality is as most fishers would know – echosounders are really good at locating fish.

None the less significant progress has been made with three key applications arising in the northern hemisphere.

more relevant – why wouldn’t you? There are an endless number of instances where we make decisions about fish without much of a clue what is going on. Take stocking for instance. We know how to breed fish and release them in a system, we don’t on the whole have very much of an idea though of what an optimal stocking program looks like. Then there are our natural rivers, ever more deprived of water, we don’t really know often what is in a system until things start dying

An echogram with targets.

Fig.1. An example echogram. them hampers so many of our decision-making processes and leaves everyone relying on guesswork.

SIDE FACING ECHOSOUNDERS AND THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS As I noted earlier, downscan is the most common

a lot of data to process when you consider each of those data points generates nearly 200 fields of data. That’s 20 million datapoints, and that’s before we start looking at individual echoes.

It has to be said that downscan is much easier to manage precisely because we capture less data, which is why it’s used.

For a point of comparison, we did intensive survey downscan on 40km of river near Brisbane with downscan edge to edge transects cutting across the river around every 100m plus two transects along the edge and one in the middle. That netted us around 4000 fish from 308km of transects. Doing the same area shooting from one bank to the other (typically 30-40m) using side facing we ended up with around 130,000 fish from 89km of transects. That will give a pretty good indicator on why we value side-facing echosounding.

In general, we collect

100% over or underestimating on the recorded numbers from side facing.

THE PROBLEMS WITH SIDE FACING DATA Having established the value of side facing data let me get back to the previous article where I listed a lot of the challenges that go with collecting side facing data.

In the last article I highlighted that shallow water is an inherently complex environment, and if you are going to capture fish data then you are going to capture a lot more than fish. Anyone that has used conventional sidescan (a different technology to scientific echosounders) in shallow water will know that finding fish in structure is a lot easier when you can see them.

The human eye and brain is pretty good at interpreting those kinds of images. What happens if all you get is a flat 2D image? Fig.1 is a pretty good example of what you end up with, can you see the fish amongst all that green noise?

Fortunately, we don’t have to make sense of the noise.

Biosonics have done a great job of providing a tool called Autotrack, which helps pick out targets, but as you would expect there is a catch. Fig.2 2 shows Autotrack assessing the signal and providing a list of targets.

The catch is, while Autotrack and all tracking systems for that matter are good at picking out targets, they suck when it comes to telling you what you are looking at, or where it is.

Further, they are based on the downscan assessments, which have two inherent advantages: the fish and boat are in close proximity, and the location of the bottom is a known via bathymetry INTRODUCING AARON Aaron Dunlop joined the Infofish team to work on an unrelated project about two years ago. When he came on board he said he was looking for challenges, and I think it’s safe to say that the biosonics delivered. To be honest, he chipped me for not mentioning him in my last article, but I don’t think his part in the story of our use of Biosonics relates to the problems – he has been all solutions.

After the first project it was clear we had three big problems to address: how to resolve the spatial data problem, how to tell the difference between objects, and how to optimise the survey volumes.

THE SPATIAL DATA PROBLEM Solving the spatial data

Aaron with an early build of the rig. He would go on to redo the design and lay the foundations for cracking 3D representations of the beam. cameras were mounted at axes to give a complete view of the action and we mapped out the ‘strike’ zone which we knew to be about 30cm wide and place a bait (chicken) at the centre of the beam.

Our intended subject was baby bream, between 4-10cm long. The goal was to lure them into the beam and capture them on the three cameras as well as the echosounder so that we could work out the position of the fish in three dimensions.

I learned through this exercise that Aaron could MacGyver almost anything on the water.

a lower grade component.

There was nothing elegant in solving that problem, just brute force trial and error until I managed to generate a map that matched the echogram.

The results were worth it though as we can map out the fish we detect by size, depth and location.

GETTING THE DATA AND TELLING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OBJECTS Telling the difference between objects is something of a trade secret for us. We invested a lot of time and money on that particular problem. All the same I am

Fish mapped out by size class using QGIS. problem involved two parts, one fun and one boring. The boring part was going back to school. Youtube has been a boon for self-education because there are a lot of lectures from US universities online and that was my part in solving the problem, many hours spent learning the mathematics needed to turn the raw data we had into something useful.

Aaron had the fun part that included a bunch of mythbuster style builds where we would create rigs for the unit to operate in small scale, so that we could understand what was happening on the larger scale.

The first rig we built was a 3m long polypipe contraption, with the transducer at one end then a cube frame at the other. Three

The results of that work would lead to us then being able to extrapolate fish in 3D. Fig.3 shows one of the money shots we used to work out what was happening with two bream sitting perfectly in the beam. It’s less impressive than some of the balls of bream we have but in data terms – this one is the gold.

A second issue in the spatial issue was understanding where everything was in terms of mapping and that in of itself was a journey. We worked out early on that we should be able to convert the data we collected into a map. Getting there proved a serious hurdle, not helped by a discovery much later that a motion sensor we were relying on was

happy to share some of the how we went about it.

I had been working with Machine Learning for a range of other problems, particularly looking at fish health. Machine Learning is kind of a proto artificial Intelligence, a way of providing a computer the tools to ‘learn’ patterns in data.

Image recognition is a rather popular form of this type of learning, if you have used Facebook you will have noticed it can recognise your friends from photos. Machine learning would prove to be one of the key tools we used to solve the object identification problem.

In our problem though we weren’t sure what we were looking at. We didn’t have a large set of nicely labelled

data, so before we could teach the machine the difference between bottom, structure and fish we had to learn how to do that ourselves first.

This is where the 3D representations became critical because they provided a good picture of how the scanner sees the world. For most of our time using the biosonics, we have only been able to use clean water, that is no bottom noise. Using only clean water meant we were losing up to 50% of the available survey area. Once we had 3D we were able to use 100% of the scan data, which was the single biggest hurdle to unlocking the power of side facing scans.

As with many parts of our biosonics journey, this step became a feedback loop.

Once we could survey all the

data and then work out how to cross-match.

Once we had one dataset to crossmatch with, other datasets also came into play.

Once again, this is where Aaron came to the fore. While I was working out the maths, Aaron was learning how to interpret the echogram. We started with the clean water, where we knew we were only dealing with fish, then gathered datasets with increasing amounts of structure. Over many, many weeks Aaron teased out the echograms and provided me sets of labelled data that I could use to train the machine learning. To be fair the early attempts sucked but eventually we got there.

That mix of human expertise and mathematics has served us well. Machine Learning has been critical

On that front, I wish I had more time in the day, but we do have datasets with known species and while I am not ready to say I am there, we have managed to detect the differences between species in the signals. I won’t say that we have cracked species, but we certainly have cracked morphology (shape) and given two different shaped species we can pick the differences.

In the case of two similarly shaped species we have found other datapoints that can help separate them.

I have a big dataset ready to go to classify five key species from around 20,000 fish and room to expand that to seven species once we have the base set done and I can look more closely at the habitat side of things.

On the list of species we

Fig.3. Two bream with their echoes. water, that led Aaron to further improve the survey techniques to ensure that we can get as much data as possible.

As I said earlier, the advantage of downscan is you get bathymetry at the same time. Bathymetry is vital because it gives you a point of reference – the bottom. In most of our early surveys we had no bathymetry at all, and it wasn’t until we unlocked the 3D data we realised how big a mistake that was. It was at this point we started to deviate from traditional methods of processing the data because the current approaches treat the signal as a self-contained set of data, there is no use of external datasets. We couldn’t capture the bathymetry using the side facing echosounding so we had to get that external

in improving our processing times because increasingly clients come to us specifically for the bigger datasets. We have had datasets that have required assessment of half a million or more tracks in a single run. At our best pace that would take 11 years by hand. We can crunch that in 3-4 hours.

THE NEXT STEP – DETECTING SPECIES Detecting the species of fish via the echosounder is the holy grail. There are systems to do that in downscan, using a multifrequency approach but those units are expensive and have proven unreliable. Doing so with conventional split beams would reduce the costs and make it possible to deliver a truly effective biomass assessment tool.

have classification data on we can include carp and tilapia, two species that mapping out biomass for is critical in many regions.

Our biosonics journey has been a combination of hundreds of hours on the water and even more time back in the office. We have had to be single-minded, many times we have been told things can’t be done only to work out how to do it.

Our journey though isn’t about us, it’s about the fish we all care so much about. Unlike terrestrial animals, they are shielded from our sight – it’s only in very recent times that technology made it possible to peak into their world.

Now that we can ‘see’ the fish, a whole new world is opening up.

Fish mapped out by size class using QGIS. DECEMBER 2019

83

BAIT & TACKLE

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

84

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85

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS FISHY CHRISTMAS FILMS

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

A CHRISTMAS CORAL THE SNAPPER CLAUSE LIVIES ACTUALLY

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A CHRISTMAS DORY

RUDOLPHIN

THE GRUNTER

EELF

FRY HARD

WRASSE CHRISTMAS

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SILENT NANNYGAI

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack.

SEND ENTRIES TO: VIC Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

VIC DECEMBER 2019

Phone (day):

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The ‘Real Fish Oita’ is an incredible, award winning squid jig manufactured in Europe by leading Croatian company - DTD. Taking out the coveted ‘best new product’ in its class at the EFTTEX 2015 Expo in Warsaw, this wonderful range is now available in Australia through Dogtooth Distribution.

The product imitates real fish species. This coupled with DTD’s use of only the highest grade materials available, ensures great balance and results in superior catching ability. With the unique ‘fish parasite’ feature, aimed at luring predators in for an ‘easy kill’, these truly unique jigs are set to explode into the Australian market.

FEATURES - Double weight system with inner weight designed to produce sound while squid jig is in action.

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SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

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ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Tom Gillett, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition!

Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – V&TFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for October is N Knights of Bayswater North, who won a Wilson Fishing prize pack valued at over $300.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

K Rich of Miners Rest, J Stoop of Portland, D Hill of Cranbourne North, G Johnson of Portland, D Clarke of Colac, J Raymond of Rosebud, J Drummond of Moe, R Coombes of Vermont, J Darch of Altona, P Wickham of Corinella, A West of Emerald, G House of Ferntree Gully, J Tippet of Nurrabiel, B Rafferty of Maryborough, T Darker of Daylesford, D Parry of Stawell, M Meyer of Dartmouth,

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Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE DAIWA LOGO

86

DECEMBER 2019

GUESS THE FISH?

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Silver Perch

The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for October were: 8, 16, 19, 24, 26, 36, 40, 42, 46, 52, 53, 56, 59, 63, 82, 90. – V&TFM The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for October were: M Pearce of Devonport, S Ward of Curlewis, R Meaney of St James, C Peeters of Colac, R Batty of Brighton, W Henley of Park Orchards, G Bannister of Lorne, W Johnson of Morwell, G Finco of Sunshine West, R Wilde of Maryborough, H Heyme of Pomonal,

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Inside story...

In 1998, Formosa Marine Pty Ltd became a registered business in aluminium pressed boats. Since then, Formosa Marine has earnt a reputation through word of mouth as some of Australia’s best-designed and versatile aluminium boats.

Made for...

Formosa Marine brands are designed with versatility and practicality in mind.

Each boat has the same engineering specifications, so you can be assured that Formosa Marine’s famous strength qualities, spacious layout and freeboard is in each hull regardless of the size or model.

This month...

Editor Steve Morgan puts Formosa’s 550 SRT with Suzuki 150hp through its paces at Coffs Harbour. Check it out on page 94!

88 A double christening Justin Willmer kills two birds with one stone in a weekend of kayaking and SUPing.

90 A look at propellers Wayne Kampe provides an introduction to props, in what is the first of a two-part series.

96 Yellowfin Plate 7000cc with Evinrude 200hp This is a serious rig for serious anglers, and Steve Morgan really gives this monster a good thrashing!

FEBRUARY 2019

87

It’s a double christening in one weekend little plastic to cross paths with a fish and I continued my retrieve as it tapped at the plastic, before the hook found its mark, the rod loaded and the drag screamed on the light spin combo. After a couple of earlier soft taps on the plastic, I made the call that there were a few grunter on the flats and when the soft taps turned into this screaming run, I knew it was a decent one. I am addicted to catching fish in less than half a metre of water, as the only way they can go is across the flat and it’s generally at speed.

I soon had a 40cm grunter on board and we opted to keep it for a feed as we had the Friday off and hadn’t planned anything for dinner.

BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

After a successful first adventure christening Sheri’s new SUP with a paddle adventure around a local mangrove island, there was much discussion and planning for a future SUP camping and fishing adventure. Firstly though, Sheri needed to get some more time in on the water, standing and fishing, while also needing to christen the SUP with its first fish.

I had also just given an old kayak to a mate of mine and he’d tidied it up and was ready to take it on its maiden voyage. A quick check of the tides

A solid grunter on the SUP to kick things off.

Sheri christened her SUP with a bream that inhaled a soft plastic. and weather and it was decided that the weekend would be a double christening, hopefully putting a fish on the new SUP on the Friday and a fish in Sean’s kayak on the Sunday. Game on!

SHERI’S SUP The Friday saw a slight breeze and the forecast of a morning storm around 10am, so Sheri and I opted to hit the water about 7:30am, leading up to a 9am high, use the current to carry us to some flats that we would fish until the tide turned and then paddle back with the run-out tide and be out of the water before the storm. A tight schedule, however we were confident of getting a couple of fish as they moved up onto the weed flats to feed.

That was until we were on the flat and there was 88

DECEMBER 2019

after 40+ years of reading tide books it still happens occasionally.

By this point we were on the flat though and with a limited window of time we persisted, working the deeper edges and pockets, along with the sandy patches in the weed.

It was cool to see Sheri gaining confidence on the SUP, paddling around the flat with no issue when seated on her new icebox and gaining confidence when stand up paddling.

By the end of the session Sheri stood up and paddled virtually the entire way home. We both had a fun session, and agreed there is something different and special about both kayak and SUP fishing. The SUP is a relaxing platform that you just step onto, the seating is raised and comfortable and standing gives you excellent vision and an entirely different experience. Anyway, we’re here for the fishing…

that the school had moved on. I continued to drift off the flat while Sheri paddled back up to work some sandy patches and was soon yelling that she had hooked up. I paddled over as quick as I could and arrived in time to see her land a bream that would have been around legal size. Her verdict was small, while my verdict was success! I was stoked that Sheri had christened the SUP and it didn’t really matter if the fish was a just legal bream or a metre flathead… it was a first for her and so we celebrated!

Not long after I also managed a bream and then I saw that Sheri had paddled into a sandy area where we sometimes get out of the kayaks – this

Success! Sean christened the kayak with a bream on an inline spinner.

The fish come up here to feed and I was hunting for active fish that were working across the flat. It didn’t take long for the

By the time we landed the fish we had drifted away from the area and once we returned to drift the area again it seemed

time the SUPs – to target flathead. As I approached the sandy area I slowed up and made a few casts to the edge of the weed, had

Grunter love eating plastics rolled over the weed flats and this one was great fun on the SUP. no water… It was really shallow and we later found out that I had misread the date in the tide book and we were short about 40cm of water! Yep, even

back to it!

As usual I was fishing the shallows fast with the rod tip up and a 1/4oz jighead and 2.5” paddletail zipping across the flat.

Sheri was rapidly gaining confidence in her stand up game.

a rattle and then watched a flathead rise behind the plastic and nail it in front of me. Off it screamed in the shallows and I just smiled and enjoyed the fight… man I love fishing. I soon had a mid-40s flathead in the net and opted to paddle

and Sheri had christened her kayak. Time to get onto planning that lightweight SUP camping adventure… stay tuned!

SECOND HAND SUCCESS FOR SEAN When Sunday rolled around Sean and I opted

I kicked things off with a bream and soon followed it up with a reasonable grunter. No pressure for Sean, Sheri had christened the SUP, and now it was his turn to christen your new yak. Sean was fishing an out of the box presentation

Sheri scenting up her soft plastic to attract fish and trigger strikes.

2ft of water. Success! Sean was happy with the bream on the spinner and I was stoked that we had a double

christening on our hands.

Both Sheri and Sean had landed a fish on their new vessels in one weekend and

Sean working the flats in his reconditioned yak. in and add it to the grunter in Sheri’s icebox.

We then made the most of the calm conditions and paddled home together, chatting, spotting fish and stingrays and just taking it all in. The SUP is a

for an early start and headed to the same flat hoping for similar success.

Sean had done a good job of patching the cracks in the old yak and so far, so good… he was dry in the cockpit of the sit-inside.

in the salt, as he often does, running a Mepps Bug inline spinner that would more often be associated with bass or trout in the fresh. He was rolling the spinner across the flat and experimenting with pauses and retrieve speeds when I heard him say something and looked over.

A quality 60+cm flathead had followed the spinner to the kayak and then he ran out of room for the retrieve and the fish sank back to the bottom. There’s definitely some potential for that presentation in the salt!

It wasn’t long before I heard a “fish on” call from Sean and paddled over to see him landing a nice bream on the spinner. He had been retrieving it with a slow roll and added pauses.

The bream had nailed it on the pause and gave a good account of itself in

A cast right up into a sandy pocket in the weed and this 57cm flathead nailed the author’s ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ.

A mid-40cm flathead landed while working a weed edge. cool vessel for exploring, fishing and getting some exercise without even realising it. We arrived home, washed down and packed away the boards and then the wind and average weather arrived.

Mission successful, the plan had come together,

I was still rigged up from the Friday session and spotting a couple of flathead lies near the launch point had me fired up to catch a flatty or two.

We had a little more water on the flat than on the Friday, so that would work in our favour.

A couple of quality eating fish in the box for dinner!

I think I was happier than both of them. I had made a plan and executed it!

It went a bit quiet on the flat, so we moved to a large weed bed and began to work the sandy edges around the outside of it as the tide turned and dropped. These weed beds hold loads of prawns and baitfish that begin exiting as the water drops away and flathead love picking them off the edges of the weed as the dropping water forces them out. I knocked over three small flathead quickly, before Sean was onto another solid flathead on the spinner. After a short tussle the hook pulled and we were both shattered.

He could have easily had

two quality flathead on the spinner for the session, however on this day it wasn’t meant to be.

I pushed up on the weed a little further and began targeting any little sandy pockets that ate their way back into the weed bed. These breaks in the weed edges seem to create perfect ambush points for flathead and they will lay right up in these little sandy channels. If your casts are accurate the takes will often come as soon as the lure lands and they can be brutal. It didn’t take long for a mid-40s flathead to detect my plastic landing and swimming to the bottom, pouncing as I made the first hop, loading the rod and engaging the drag.

In the net, a quick photo and I was repositioning the kayak to pick the next pocket.

The next take was more serious and I let the rod and the drag do their thing, smiling as I enjoyed what had been a great weekend on the SUP and the kayak.

Another stubborn run when the fish saw the kayak and then a 57cm flathead was slid into the net and into the icebox where it would make a fresh fish dinner for Sean and his girls. That was enough for us and we opted to head home in time for lunch.

If you haven’t been out for a while it’s definitely time to plan an adventure.

Grab a mate and explore a new area, target a new species or even hire a new vessel to fish from! There are some awesome adventures out there just waiting for you. Check your tides better than I did, keep an eye on the weather and always remember safety first. It had been an awesome weekend on the water and a double christening for Sheri’s SUP and Sean’s reconditioned kayak. I wonder what the next adventure holds? Time to start planning…

See you on the water.

DECEMBER 2019

89

A layman’s look at propellers PART 1 BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

For years I took my boat’s propeller for granted as little more than a big screw. The reality, however, is that a propeller is quite complex, and is designed for maximum efficiency.

In this article I’ll discuss propeller components, before going into more detail next issue. Before going further I have to thank Glenn Gibson of Yamaha Motor’s Marine Division here in Brisbane for his invaluable advice on the subject.

water to propel the boat.

Propeller blades actually have two working surfaces. First of all, the back of the blade creates a low pressure area that moves the boat forward as it rotates. The front of the blade (the face) creates high pressure as it rotates and forces a stream of water away from the propeller, to the rear, and thus does its bit to aid forward motion. All we see is a big stream of water heading away from the engine as we push the throttle forward, but there are come interesting things occurring at the end of that gear case.

The larger the prop’s diameter, the more water it can push.

THE NITTY GRITTY A propeller consists of a hub attached to an engine’s gearbox, usually with a flexible bushing, ensuring that the connection can withstand a bit of jarring from time to time.

On the outside of the hub there are blades of the same length and size. These blades are manufactured to a rigidly set shape or pattern so they displace

DIAMETER VERSUS PITCH If you taking a close look at a propeller, you’ll see that it is inscribed with two numbers. One number describes the diameter, which is the overall size measured across the circle of the tips. The other number is the pitch, which is the theoretical distance the propeller will move the boat in one revolution, as the raked blade moves

through the water.

Why a theoretical distance? Because there will be some slip as the prop bites into the water.

But here’s the secret: the less slip there is, the more efficient the propeller!

With all propellers we have two main things to consider: the diameter and then the pitch. There’s no denying that the larger the propeller’s diameter, the more power it has to push water behind it, which means that really heavy loads are best handled by larger diameter propellers.

However, let’s not lose sight of the fact that it’s the pitch that determines efficiency in many respects.

The less the pitch, the less ‘bite’ the prop has, and the easier it is for the engine to turn the prop. However, while this means the engine might pick up revs very rapidly to provide faster acceleration and extra pulling power, it’s the norm to have reduced speed. It’s similar to gearing in cars, where lower gears provide lots of grunt but reduced top speed.

Higher pitched propellers, on the other hand, are akin to higher gears in a car because they produce more forward travel with each prop revolution, with the downside being more load on the engine, reduced low speed pulling power and acceleration, but a higher top speed.

So we can see that although revving hard the boat might not gain much extra forward motion due to the lack of bite from the reduced pitch, while a prop with a higher pitch might cause a reduction in engine revs but at the same time will be biting harder into the water and kicking the boat further with each engine revolution, despite the inevitable slip.

The ideal situation is

for the propeller to have just the right amount of size to push plenty of water with each revolution, but at the same time have just the right amount of pitch to ensure the engine is in its correct operating range for best efficiency. Yet that propeller should be generating as little slip as possible in each revolution.

Propeller manufacturers devote a lot of R&D to achieving this balance of physics.

LEAVE THE HARD STUFF TO THE EXPERTS So where does that leave you and I when it comes to selecting the right prop for a given engine and boat?

The reality is that our basic knowledge isn’t enough for us to decide what’s best for the boat.

The selection of a prop for any given craft will usually come from the consideration of trained experts in the field, given that engines’ outputs are very standard, and to a very large extent so are boat hulls. Whether

Here you can see the degree of rake on the propeller blades, which is linked to the propeller’s pitch. from virtually any established boat maker have now been in existence long enough that when a manufacturer turns out a

When we look at any propeller we are looking at a complex bit of machinery, designed for best efficiency, with the blades having just

Every aspect of a propeller’s construction is designed to maximise efficiency.

Here you can see the diameter (13.7/8) and pitch (15”) figures marked on this prop.

90

DECEMBER 2019

a boat is designed with a flat bottom, a slight or large degree of vee in its design, or is manufactured from fibreglass, alloy or timber, there won’t be much radical departure in design. Large or small, lightweight or behemoth, there’s a pointy end to broach the water, and a blunt section at back for an engine to be fitted.

Boat design parameters

boat, that craft will have engine ratings specified as ideal for the size, design, and weight of the hull pre-determined and prominently displayed on a compliance/manufacturer’s plate. Accordingly, a chosen engine (whether minimum or maximum horsepower) comes with best performing propellers (size and pitch) specified as well.

the right amount of size and rake against the hub for a given task.

SUMMING UP As you can see, there’s a whole lot more to propellers than meets the eye. And yet I’ve really only rippled the waters; created no waves at all.

Next issue, we’ll look at why different propellers have two, three, or even

four blades per hub, and the steps that propeller manufacturers are taking to safeguard their products against damage. We’ll also look at the choice of alloy vs stainless steel props, and also investigate the effects of cupping, ventilation and cavitation on overall

propeller performance.

Last but not least, I earnestly believe that the selection of the right propeller should be left to the professional to decide, after considering all relevant factors such as the maker’s recommendations for the engine, plus the proposed

use and anticipated load during that use, which should be provided by the customer as accurately as possible. There’s definitely some leeway there, but it’s best left to data reference and the experience of the professional to determine the right outcome.

There’s more to propellers than meets the eye.

PRODUCT

Bug Barrier shirts for summer Summer is here, and you can hear the hum of mozzies in the air!

To tackle this problem, Royal Robbins has released their new Bug Barrier Expedition Long Sleeve Shirts for both men and women, to keep the bugs at bay in the warmer months.

These shirts are made from Bug Barrier fabric, which gives the garment odourless insect protection.

Built tough with quickdrying abilities, these long sleeve shirts are lightweight and breathable, so you can fish in comfort all day.

Providing more than just protection against the insects, the Bug Barrier Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt allows you to beat the heat thanks to their most technical Expedition Stretch Fabric. It also boasts UPF 40+ protection and Royal Robbin’s TempraTech thermoregulation, making it Royal Robbins’ most durable travel shirt yet.

Royal Robbins clothing is purpose-built for an active lifestyle so you can guarantee your Bug Barrier Expedition Long Sleeve Shirts will keep you looking

and feeling fresh. The men’s and women’s shirts are designed with classic chest pockets, clean styling, tabs for sleeve adjustment, and a hidden button-down collar to ensure everyone looks their best, even in the most extreme conditions.

Breathable, lightweight, and comfortable, the Bug Barrier Expedition Long

Sleeve Shirts are the ultimate outdoor and travel shirt. The men’s shirt is priced at SRP $139.95, and the women’s shirt is SRP $129.95. For more information on the Paddy Pallin range of apparel, or to find your nearest stockist, visit www.paddypallin.com. au. – Paddy Pallin

DROP IN TO YOUR LOCAL QUINTREX DEALER! TASMANIA Lewis Marine

273 Kennedy Drive, Cambridge TAS p 03.6248 3222 www.lewismarine.com.au

BENDIGO

Bendigo Marine & Outdoors 160 Midland Highway, Epsom VIC p 03.5448 3988 www.bendigomarine.com.au

GEELONG

Geelong Boating Centre 88 Barwon Heads Rd, Belmont VIC p 03·5241 6966 www.geelongboatingcentre.com.au

BRAESIDE

JV Marine World 878 Springvale Rd, Braeside VIC p 03·9798 8883 www.jvmarine.com.au

LAVERTON NORTH JV Marine World

15 Fitzgerald Rd, Laverton North VIC p 03·9368 7100 www.jvmarine.com.au

BAYSWATER Streaker Marine

461 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC p 03·9729 8288 www.streakermarine.com.au DECEMBER 2019

91

WHAT’S NEW BOATING BAR CRUSHER FOLDING HARD TOP 1

SIMRAD HALO20 AND HALO20+

Innovation has always been at the core of Australian plate aluminium boat builder Bar Crusher, and the latest upgrade to its cuddy cabin ‘C Series’ is case in point. The completely-redesigned folding hard top of Bar Crusher’s popular 615C and 670C looks – and is – all business.

Like the previous folding roof design (which Bar Crusher had for 20 years), this latest beefed-up version – together with the folding, toughened safety glass windscreen – reduces the on-trailer height by around a metre for easy storage in standard garages and carports.

With front and extended side clears delivering all-weather protection, the folding hard top and rock-solid superstructure is a huge plus for those who want a serious offshore fishing boat but have limited storage at home.

Along with the increase in strength, the new folding hard top incorporates an LED cabin light as standard, allows for easy mounting of rear-facing LED cockpit lighting and a removable shade awning, provides a solid base for a radar, and also has the option of side-mount roof-top rod storage for another six outfits, in addition to the standard rearmounted rocket launcher. www.barcrusher.com.au

Simrad HALO20+ and HALO20 radars are compact, pulse compression radome units, ideal for smaller sportfishing vessels.

Both radars provide excellent detection with unrivalled short-range performance, but HALO20+ features the fastest RPM rotation on the market, VelocityTrack, Dual Range operation and can detect targets from a greater distance.

HALO20+ radar delivers a full 360° sweep every second at ranges up to 1.5nm, giving boaters an almost real-time view at close range. It has a compact dome antenna and delivers high-quality short-, mid- and longrange detection. Boaters can monitor two distance ranges at once in Dual Range mode, and beam sharpening provides enhanced separation between small or distant targets.

VelocityTrack Doppler technology delivers instant feedback on whether targets are coming toward you or moving away.

HALO20 is a compact, cost-effective solution for boaters to increase situational awareness and collision avoidance, detecting collision hazards and other targets nearby and up to 24nm away.

Both models offer MARPA Target Tracking, InstantOn technology and Harbor, Offshore, Weather, Bird, and custom modes.

Price: from SRP $2,399 www.simrad-yachting.com

YANMAR YD42 MFD

2

The Yanmar YD42 MFD and YD25 LCD Switch Panel Display have innovative functionality and a compact style.

Featuring a low-profile glass helm design and a 4.1” colour screen, the YD42 reads and displays Yanmar engine alarm and diagnostic codes. Users can also view additional info, from engine speed and load, oil pressure and coolant temperature, to speed and depth. It’s compatible with a range of NMEA 2000 devices and allows engine data to be easily transmitted to other MFDs. The water-resistant YD42 is suitable for all weather conditions, and eliminates fogging.

It has a 170˚ viewing angle, superior daytime visibility, and a night-time mode. It has an easy front-mount option, requiring no access to the back of the console or panel.

In addition to engine start/stop functionality, the compact YD25 LCD Switch Panel Display shows all Yanmar engine data, alarms and diagnostic codes, and integrates with MFDs and glass helm systems. The info can be viewed on four customisable screens. Ideal for boats with limited dash space, the weather-resistant YD25 has a 2.5” LCD screen with a 80˚ viewing angle. www.yanmar.com

FUSION SM SERIES

3

Fusion’s new SM Series shallow mount marine speakers, are engineered to deliver high-quality acoustics ideal for installations where mounting depth is limited.

The sealed enclosure design provides a truly shallow mounting solution without compromising sound quality, and protects all components from damage, making the SM Series capable of being installed in positions such as cabinets without needing rear speaker cups that often reduce sound quality and complicate installation. In addition, concealed mounting holes allow for a more uniform, cleaner look.

There is also an optional two-surface corner spacer, which fits perfectly into perpendicular spaces where two walls meet, and a threesurface corner spacer, which is ideal for angling the speaker down from a ceiling corner for better acoustics. There are two colour options: fabric white and black for interior installations. www.fusionentertainment.com 92

DECEMBER 2019

SIGNATURE STOCK CLEARANCE

4

1

2 3

5

The Haines Signature stock clearance offer is now on, with a combined value of up to $2,700 free extras with new boat purchases.

These extras include: 12 months’ Nautilus Marine insurance valued up to $1,000; a $1,000 Missing at Sea voucher; and a safety bag kit (including 4 x inflatable life jackets) valued at $700.

The stock clearance period lasts until 16 December 2019, and is available only on current dealer’s stock boats. This special offer can not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Refer to your local authorised Signature dealer for more information, or visit the Haines Signature website. You can also see all the latest news and photos on Haines Signature’s Facebook page (www.facebook. com/hainessignatureboats) and Instagram (@ hainessignature). www.hainessignature.com.au

CLUB MARINE PROMOTION

PRODUCT GUIDE

4

5

6

Club Marine is giving away over $260,000 in prizes to eight lucky members in its ‘Win the Dream’ member promotion.

One lucky member will win the keys to a car and boat package comprising of a RAM 1500 Laramie Pickup Truck and Northbank 600C boat with a Mercury Pro XS 150 HP FourStroke engine and Easytow trailer.

There is a host of other prizes on offer as well, including a Sea Doo Fish Pro, Kimberley Cruise, NT Outback Adventure and YETI prize packs.

Qualifying for automatic entry is easy. To be in the running to Win the Dream simply have a Club Marine Pleasure Craft Insurance policy and a Club Marine Magazine subscription in either Australia or New Zealand at the time of each draw. Winners will be contacted directly and announced in Club Marine Magazine.

To find out more about how you can be in the running, visit the Club Marine website. www.clubmarine.com.au

6

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

175, 200, 225hp V6 175, 200, 225hp V6

A New Era in A New Era in FourStroke FourStroke

TAKING PERFORMANCE, EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY TO A LEVEL YOU HAVE ONLY DREAMED ABOUT. TAKING PERFORMANCE, EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY TO A LEVEL YOU POWERFUL & EFFICIENT HAVE DREAMED ABOUT. • Superior ONLY torque from high-displacement V6 powerhead • Lightest weight for maximum performance POWERFUL & EFFICIENT • Quicker acceleration from performance-inspired quad-cam design • Superior torque from high-displacement V6 powerhead • Unprecedented fuel efficiency with Advanced Range Optimisation (ARO) • Lightest weight for maximum performance • Quicker acceleration from performance-inspired quad-cam design MORE INTUITIVE & MORE REFINED • Smoothest, Unprecedented fuel efficiency Advanced Range Optimisation (ARO) • quietest operation with through advanced engineering • Maintain rpm regardless of conditions with Adaptive Speed Control MORE INTUITIVE & MORE REFINED • Smoothest, operation through advanced engineering For new boat quietest packages or repower see your nearest Mercury dealer today.

• Maintain rpm regardless of conditions with Adaptive Speed Control For new boat packages or repower see your nearest Mercury dealer today.

ALBERTON ALBERTON MARINE

ECHUCA EADES XTREME MARINE

MELBOURNE THE MARINE SHOP

39 Johnson Street Alberton Phone: (03) 5183 2344 | Fax: (03) 5183 2219 Website: albertonmarine.com.au

24 Sturt Street Echuca Phone: (03) 5482 2333 | Fax: (03) 5482 2133 Website: xtrememarine.net.au

6 Holland Drive Melton Phone: (03) 9747 0588 | Fax: (03) 9747 3999 Website: themarineshop.com.au

BENDIGO BENDIGO MARINE & OUTDOORS

BRAESIDE JV MARINE WORLD

MELBOURNE TRIPLE M MARINE

160 Midland Highway Epsom Phone: (03) 5448 3988 Website: bendigomarine.com.au

878 Springvale Road Braeside Phone: (03) 9798 8883 | Fax: (03) 9798 7554 Website: jvmarine.com.au

117 Northgate Drive Thomastown Phone: (03) 9465 8787 | Fax: (03) 9466 1418 Website: triplemmarine.com.au

MELBOURNE BL MARINE

MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MARINE

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

92 Hallam South Road Hallam Phone: (03) 9703 2003 Website: melbournemarine.com.au

SHEPPARTON BOATS AND MORE

TOORADIN P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L

207 Numurkah Road Shepparton Phone: (03) 5822 2108 | Fax: (03) 5821 2908 Website: boatsandmore.com.au

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

MORWELL CRAWFORD MARINE

MELBOURNE REGAL MARINE

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

514 Canterbury Road Vermont Phone: (03) 9874 4624 | Fax: (03) 9874 6586 Website: regalmarine.com.au

Formosa 550 SRT with Suzuki 150hp 4-stroke - SC

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Main: The jury is out on whether this type of shot is appealing to a boat customer or not. Rupe said that landing was “much softer than expected” after searching out some stand-up swell at the mouth of the harbour.

Above: Stability at rest is where this Formosa shines, with a 2.45m beam and the Quad4 water ballast system fitted.

The 550 is the smallest Centre Cab that Formosa make. With models extending up to 7.4m in length and the simplification of the Formosa range (these SRT hulls were released on the 2019 boat

PERFORMANCE RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) Idle ..........................5 ...............................5 1000 .........................7 ............................3.3 2000....................... 12 ............................2.5 3000....................... 28 ............................2.0 3500 ....................... 30 ............................2.0 4000....................... 46 ............................2.0 5000....................... 59 ............................1.4 5900 ....................... 74 ............................n/a features and turning heads with a new Suzuki 150 bolted to the back.

“The locals here love the Formosas and we sell plenty of them here,” said NCBC’s Dayne Taylor. “We always make sure that we order boats with the features that local anglers want.”

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DECEMBER 2019

show circuit), navigating their line up has become a lot easier.

There’s a surprising amount of room in the centre cab, as much as in some 7m models that I’ve tested in the past; however, the flipside of that is the front deck space is compromised in this model. If front deck space is important

to you, check out the longer models in the line up.

Exiting the ramp, there’s a fair expanse of semi-sheltered water that we could use to do some speed runs in. Although the specs show economy of 2km/L, I’m sure that with more granular metering this would actually register in the low 2s.

It’s no slouch either, with a flat-water test yielding 74km/h.

Unfortunately, conditions didn’t allow us to run at wide open throttle on the test day – that was a quoted reading from the team when they were prop testing in the local river.

Creeping out of the harbour, the calm day belied the decent ocean swell that rolled through. Indeed, it was fun to do a few jump shots off the colourful south wall.

Sneaking up along the coast, we took the opportunity to do some running and fishing shots in the slop. You can check these out on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel or

by scanning the QR code on this page.

The other compromise in this boat is stability versus ride. With a near 2.5m width and the fourtube Quad4 water ballast system in play, the hull was rock solid in the water.

DE FOR EX

After hundreds of boat tests, we finally made it to Coffs Harbour to get some hulls wet. Hosted by Dayne Taylor and the team at North Coast Boating Centre (NCBC), it’s definitely a part of the world that offers lots – not just for fishing but also a compact array of conditions to test the abilities of hull and motor combinations.

NCBC is a Formosa and Suzuki dealer and both come from South East Queensland – the hulls are manufactured there and Suzuki’s local head office is also located there.

Although the quality of the main Coffs Harbour boat ramp is a bone of contention amongst locals, on the test day it coped fine with the launch and retrieval of a black and grey 5.5m Formosa Centre Cab, loaded with

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s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Even with 19 degrees of transom deadrise, the hull tended to ride over rather than through the swell. Add a deeper vee in the hull and you would lose stability in favour of a smoother entry to waves. It’s the perennial boating dilemma.

Otherwise, the boat is well finished and definitely turns heads at the ramp. Its practical features, such as the removable underfloor kill tank, an entirely practical transom and transom door coupled with a folding bench seat that redefines simplicity shows that this rig has been designed by anglers – or at the very least, by builders who listen to their customers.

Price wise, this rig is right in the ballpark for those looking to move into a plate boat and not have to sell the house to do it. As tested, this rig comes in at under $60,000 and if you want to drop to a 140hp outboard, you can shed another five or six grand again.

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SPECIFICATIONS Length................. 5.7m Beam................. 2.45m Bottom ................ 4mm Sides ................... 4mm Fuel ..................... 150L Dry hull weight . 840kg Max hp .................. 150 Transom deadrise .19° Capacity ..... 6 persons VIC/TAS DEALERS Geelong Boating Centre 88 Barwon Heads Road Belmont P: 03 5241 6966 W: geelongboats.com.au Cranbourne Boating Centre 1 Bowen Street Cranbourne P: 03 5996 2206 W: cranbourneboating centre.com.au Tasmania Marine Centre 21 Wellington Street Longford P: 03 6391 1543 W: tasmaniamarine.com.au

If you’ve ever been offshore from Coffs, you’ll know this wall. A calm wind with some leftover swell presented ideal testing conditions.

Above: We’ve seen plenty of kill tanks under the floor of boats, but this one is removable.

Below: There’s more room than you think in the centre cab, with plenty of space to get out of the elements when things get hot and nasty.

Egress is easy on the trailer with the fold-down aluminium steps.

Above: Side pockets are short but feature room for your toes underneath them and a high gunwale to keep you in while out in the ocean.

Below: The trade-off of a large centre cab is less casting deck up front. There’s plenty of room to circumnavigate the cab, but two anglers casting lures up here is a crowd.

Main: The fold-down rear bench seat is a neat and practical solution – with no fold-down legs required.

Inset: The transom door folds inwards and forms a step to give access to the Active Transom.

Top Left: The helm is simple and although the throttle box initially felt a little cramped, it offered plenty of places to support the throttle hand while varying revs in lumpier water. Bottom Left: Next to the anchor box there’s an electric motor mount. Either a self or standard manualdeploy would work, as you can easily access the mounting area.

Right: Although basic, there’s plenty of storage room in the seat pedestals and simple foot bars.

The new Suzuki 150 is an EFI double overhead cam, 2.8L inline 4-stroke that throws this centre cab up and out of the water.

The hard top offers shade for driver and passenger and accommodates a handful of rods up and out of the way. It folds down for garage storage.

Left: There’s ample room to shuffle around the centre cab and the deck remains the same level all the way around.

Right: The short windscreen is in the ideal place – you can look through it while seated and over it while standing.

DECEMBER 2019

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Yellowfin Plate 7000cc with Evinrude 200hp E-Tec - SC

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Length............... 6.98m Beam................. 2.40m Max.hp .................. 225 Bottom.Sheet ..... 6mm Side.Sheet .......... 4mm Capacity ..... 7 persons Hull.weight ..... 1075kg Fuel ..................... 320L a show in 2019, you got a 10-year warranty for your own peace of mind.

At the launch, Yellowfin Plate National Sales Manager, Drew Jackson said, “Yellowfin Plate is all about the one-percenters. We’ve taken the best welders and boat makers at Telwater and 96

DECEMBER 2019

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SPECIFICATIONS

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2019 saw the re-launch of the Yellowfin Boats brand as Yellowfin Plate by Queensland boat building giant Telwater.

Subsequently, the company sold a major interest to BRP, the manufacturer of Evinrude outboards. A such, you’re likely to see plenty of Evinrude powered Yellowfin Plate boats in coming years, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

As the last remaining manufacturer of 2-stroke technology outboards, these guys do 2-stroke better than ever. They deliver the famous 2-stroke acceleration and torque throughout the rev range while boasting industry-leading emissions.

And if you bought at

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they were nowhere near as trim responsive and as quiet as this rig.

Also, the centre cab is positioned well forward on this rig – offering maximum cockpit space. You only have to look at the images to see that there’s plenty of room in this boat for you

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dirty and for you to do a lot of cleaning with a hose when you get back.

Additionally, a 300L+ fuel tank gives you the range to get to the most distant reefs. At optimum cruising speed, the G2 delivers 44km/h and 1.9km/L. That’s a theoretical range of around

PERFORMANCE

Main: There’s a whole lot of space in this boat for you and a handful of your mates to embark on a 600km adventure to fishing paradise.

Above: This iteration of Yellowfin feels 100% solid and quiet in the water.

Granted, it was a choppy day and not a full blown ocean test. moved them across to the Yellowfin Plate team. You won’t find a more talented and dedicated team of boat builders anywhere,” said Drew, “and these guys have made sure that we have got everything right. These boats look and perform like nothing we’ve ever built.”

That said, there’s not much change in the hulls.

The Marine Core construction features over 100 hours of welding and a design that simply won’t break. It’s the top deck and the modifications where we have seen the most improvements.

“The small changes we’ve made have all come about from dealer and customer feedback – there have been lots of little things that we’ve changed to make the boats look amazing and to add to the on-water experience,” Drew continued.

On the water, this thing is a beast. We shared time

on it pre-launch with JV Marine owner, Mark Stav.

And he was excited about the boats. You can see the full video review on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel or by scanning the QR Code at the top of the page with your smartphone.

“As a dealer, there are a couple of things I like about this boat. The first is the Offshore HD hull – it’s soft, stable and dry. The way they build these things means that they’re super solid and super quiet. That’s what a rigid hull gives you,” Mark said.

“The second is that the boat and motor are made in the Yellowfin Plate factory, and so is the trailer. The Evinrude G2 is fitted there and, as a dealer, all we need to do is add a battery and we’re ready to go. It means that we can turn around a boat in a day at the yard. You get to drive it home just after we get it,” he said.

This version of the Yellowfin Plate is the best riding that I’ve driven to date.

The hull is solid and quiet and it seems as though the balance is just right. I have driven Yellowfins in the past that weren’t as well balanced and

RPM....................... km/h........................km/L Idle ............................. 4 .......................... 3.8 1000 ............................ 7 .......................... 3.4 2000...........................12 .......................... 1.3 3000...........................34 .......................... 1.8 3500 ...........................44 .......................... 1.9 4000...........................51 .......................... 1.5 5000...........................66 .......................... 1.2 5600 ........................... 74 .......................... 1.1 and three of your mates out on the deep blue.

On the spectrum of family comfort to serious fishing, this boat is no family cruiser.

It’s designed to get out and

600km – imagine where that will take you!

For more information you can call Mark and the team at JV Marine, or visit www. jvmarine.com.au.

The 200hp Evinrude H.O. is a torque efficient powerplant that matches the hull perfectly.

Above: With all of that cockpit space, the compromise is that there is just enough room to walk around the cabin. Above: It’s the small things, like the tip-down rod holders that let short people like me load them, that makes this a very fishable boat.

Above Top: The starboard side transom door allows easy entry. The port livebait tank has a clear front for keeping an eye on your live baits. Plenty of room to get things done at the bait station, with room for 5 rods, a couple of cans, half a block of pillies and a shelf for the popular terminal tackle.

If you bought an Evinrude at a boat show in 2019, you got a 10-year warranty!

If you’re a chequer-plate fan, the Yellowfin Plate is the boat for you. A good hose out at the end of the day and you’re well on top of maintenance.

The helm and instruments are on the starboard side of the console, with a cabin door on port side. We liked the ability to flush mount large electronic choices.

Top Left: The for’ard deck is raised a little. Watch the steps.

Bottom Left: Transom mounted live bait tanks are nearly a standard feature of boats of this size.

Right: The cabin is roomy enough, yet not the biggest we’ve seen in a boat of this length. The WR is all about cockpit size!

Left: There are two steps on the starboard side walkaround.

Right: The huge esky under the seat is practical and big enough for extended trips.

DECEMBER 2019

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Victorian Tide Times

2019 2019 Local Time

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINT – 144° VICTORIA LAT 38°LONSDALE 18’ S LONG 37’ E

18’ S of High LONG 144° 37’ E TimesLAT and38° Heights and Low Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY OCTOBER SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER Time m Time Time m Time m Time m Time m 0113 0801 TU 1359 2109 SU

1 1 2 0205 0853 2

WE 1455 MO 2215

3 0304 0948 3

TH 1557 TU 2318

4 0414 1046 4

FR 1700 WE

5 0018 0529 5

SA 1145 TH 1800

6 0115 0635 6

SU 1240 FR 1852

Time 0.54 0026 1.48 0617 0.35 1320 1.37 1852 0.65 0128 1.41 0715 0.36 1407 1.38 1945 0.75 0224 1.35 0807 0.36 1451 1.41 2036 0.81 0317 1.30 0855 0.35 1532 2125 1.45 0410 0.82 0942 1.28 1613 0.33 2212 1.50 0501 0.79 1026 1.29 1653 0.30 2257

m

Time m Time m 0032 0.58 0230 0.73 01191.32 1.65 07120111 1.431.39 0907 07020.36 0.41 13050710 0.410.48 FR 1515 13371.35 1.60 1956 1.311.49 2245 MO 1341 TU 1933 0.52 1923 0.25 0116 0.67 0330 0.80 02141.26 1.74 07520152 1.381.46 1004 07520.39 0.41 13460746 0.390.48 SA 1617 14211.35 1.62 TU 1412 WE 2058 1.311.51 2345 2007 0.45 2012 0.16 0207 0.75 0444 0.84 03051.22 1.77 08400230 1.331.52 1106 08380.40 0.44 14350821 0.360.49 SU 1724 WE 1442 TH 1502 1.62 2205 1.341.53 2058 0.13 2040 0.40 0307 0.83 0045 1.38 03530.82 1.76 09360305 1.291.55 0559 09211.21 0.47 15330854 0.330.51 MO 1208 15430.38 1.59 TH 1514 FR 2317 1.391.53 1825 2143 0.15 2112 0.36 0420 0.86 0138 1.43 04400.76 1.70 10420341 1.281.57 0704 0929 0.54 1003 0.52 1644 0.29 1.24 TU 1305 16230.36 1.53 FR 1545 1.51 SA 1918 2143 0.34 2227 0.20 0026 1.47 0222 1.47 0418 1.57 0626 1.61 0538 0.84 0757 0.69 1003 0.58 1145 0.57 11561618 1.301.48 WE 1356 1.28 1804 1.46 SA SU 1757 0.24 2005 0.34 2215 0.33

16 16

1.48 0.32 WE 1.63 0.54

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Time 0140 0234 0802 0824 SA 1400 1433 WE2128 2032 0233 0311 0859 0859 SU 1457 1508 TH2241 2105 0341 0346 1008 1608 MO 0932 1543 FR2356 2138 0501 0422 1132 1730 TU 1008 SA 1617 2211 0101 0500 0621 1043 WE 1251 1653 SU1848 2245 0159 0539 0730 1119 1358 TH 1729 MO1953 2320

16 16

17 17

22

17 17

18 18

33

18 18

1.58 0.31 TH 1.67 0.41 1.66 0.33 FR 1.69 0.30

19 19

1.70 0.38 SA 1.69 0.23

20 20

1.69 0.44 SU 1.65 0.21

55

21 21

1.65 0.51 MO 1.60 0.23

19 19

44

20 20

66

21 21

m 0.72 1.52 1.34 0.56 0.30 1.44 1.36 0.36 0.79 1.60 1.30 0.55 0.30 1.47 1.36 0.31 0.83 1.64 1.27 0.55 0.31 1.48 1.41 0.28 0.81 1.66 1.29 0.56 0.30 1.47 0.27 1.48 1.65 0.72 0.58 1.36 1.44 0.26 0.27 1.56 1.61 0.59 0.61 1.45 1.40 0.24 0.29

1.55 1.59 01280458 1.551.54 0300 00091.51 0.2822 0250 0621 1.62 1.55 7 0203 22 22 0730 0.73 0.58 06481039 0.760.62 7 7 0841 7 0555 1109 07140.62 1.51 220828 1157 0.45 0.64

1.30 1.52 1.361.44 TH 1441 1458 MO 1330 TU 1307 12271.32 0.62 FR 1809 1.55 1.36 SA 1735 MO TU2048 SU 1653 1939 0.28 0.28 1903 0.180.33 2046 0.24 2341 2247 18480.33 1.38 0246 0649 1.58 1.51 02230542 1.631.50 0331 0337 00511.54 0.37 0000 1.66 0.32 0816 1152 0.68 0.66 07481115 0.660.68 0920 0921 08040.55 1.42 0708 0.33 1.48 1415 1.33 1409 1.43 1522 1.37 1553 1.61 TU WE MO 1730 1.39 FR TU 1310 0.68 SA SU 1819 1.44 WE 1237 0.67 2022 0.27 20032324 0.150.34 2123 2139 19380.34 1.29 1858 0.26 1.32

8 8

23 23

88

23 23

1.60 0.35 03140631 1.691.44 0401 0420 0026 01351.56 0.46 0045 1.67 0.37 9 0323 24 24 0859 0.63 1.43 08441156 0.540.73 9 9 0956 1010 9 24 0745 09000.49 1.3424 0802 0.23 1.41 WE 1458 1.35 TH 1505 1.50 SA 1601 1.40 SU 1646 1.64 MO 1238 0.74 TU 1814 1.35 2102 1910 0.28 1.36 2058 0.15

WE 1400 0.74 2157 20380.37 1.22

TH 1325 0.69 2225 1958 0.31 1.28

Time 0113 0348 0741 1345 FR 0918 2105 FR 1533 2130 0158 0433 0829 1431 SA 1000 SA 1615 2201 2215 0250 0515 0924 1528 SU 1042 SU 1655 2301 2257 0359 0557 1030 1639 MO 1122 MO 1736 2337 0003 0638 0520 1203 1138 TU 1819 TU 1753

11

22

33

44 55

m 0.63 1.81 1.38 0.52 0.32 1.55 1.37 0.12 0.71 1.78 1.29 0.52 0.39 1.52 1.32 0.16 0.78 1.72 1.22 0.54 0.46 1.47 1.29 0.23 0.82 1.63 1.18 0.56 0.50 1.40 0.31 1.30 1.54 0.82 0.60 1.17 1.33 0.50

Local Time APRIL DECEMBER Time Time m

m Time m Time m 0036 0.65 0215 0.77 0327 04140846 1.75 1.22 06521.70 1.39 0910 09421439 0.57 0.54 12480.62 0.28 SA MO 1.45 1.29 19581.43 1.44 SU 15502210 SA 1515 MO 2107 0.22 2150 0.20 0118 0.71 0316 0.81 0405 04530955 1.70 1.18 07381.71 1.35 0946 1023 0.56 0.61 13330.60 0.30 SU TU 1543 1.42 1.28 SU 1554 TU 20591.43 1.39 MO 16312310 2144 0.22 2231 0.26 0209 0.76 0438 0.80 0445 05301110 1.63 1.18 08371.70 1.30 1024 0.59 1103 0.56 0.64 1430 0.35 1705 MO WE MO 1632 22101.42 1.37 TU 1713 1.37 WE 2221 0.23 2311 0.34 0315 0.78 0008 1.30 0524 06060601 1.56 0.74 09531.65 1.28 1102 0.59 1143 0.57 1.23 1543 0.40 1220 TU TH 1.31 0.64 TU 1714 TH 23251.40 1.38 WE 17551822 2348 0.42 2301 0.27 0437 0.74 0058 1.34 06430659 1.48 0.65 0606 11231.59 1.31 1223 0.58 1.32 1142 0.59 WE 1710 0.42 FR 1318 1.25 0.62 TH 18401919 FR WE 1758 1.36 2345 0.32 0031 1.44 0140 1.39 0027 0.51 0650 1.52 0600 0.64 0742 0.56 0720 1.42 1226 0.59 1.40 1.42 TH 12431.33 SA 1407 1305 0.59 SA FR TH 1850 1833 0.41 19332002 1.21 0.60

16 16

11

1535 2124

22

0431 17 17 1007

18 18

33

0513 18 18 1049 TH

19 19

20 20

44 55

66

22 22

77

77

0350 16 16 0926 TU

17 17

0100 1.33 0.40 6 0017 0636 0.76 21 6 0721 1.44 21 WE 1243 1.21

WE 1245 1855 1907 0146 0059 0733 0808 1339 TH 1331 TH 1945 2005

Time

WE 1619 2207

1704 2251

0553 19 19 1133 FR 1753 2338

0635 20 20 1220 SA 1848

m 0055 1.71 0730 0.62 1313 1.42 2043 0.19 0200 1.71 0852 0.58 1425 1.43 2153 0.21 0322 1.67 1021 0.54 1552 1.42 2258 0.26 0443 1.63 1136 0.49 1715 1.40 2356 0.34 0548 1.57 1241 0.46 1822 1.37

m 0.73 1.33 0.46 1.41 0.72 1.32 0.55 1.41 0.67 1.38 0.60 1.44 0.56 1.49 0.60 1.49 0.43 1.61 0.59

0048 1.54 0.32 1.72 1310 0.42 1957 1915 1.35 0.58 0120 0136 0.55 1.57 0809 0731 1.45 0.24 MO 1430 1405 0.39 1.79 2115 2002 1.36 0.58

0028 0.44 0643 21 21 0719 1.51 SU 1339

0.64 0.48 1.26 01300.41 1.51 1.38 0.49 0033 01080217 0.60 1.44 07111.46 0.50 0.67 1.36 0740 08010718 1.35 0.47 13500.57 1.52 1.27 FR SU 0.67 1315 13511349 0.59 1.52 FR SA SU 19401.30 0.40 0.45 1.19 20391940 1.18 0.58 1955

22 22

02210.51 1.57 0225 0.59 1.43 01560153 0.70 1.48 0218 0219 0.66 23 8 0145 230129 8 0752 08081.41 0.36 8 0846 0817 1.30 0.5823 8 23 0900 1.30 0.39 0904 0816 1.40 0837 1516 1450 1.63 1429 1.60 1426 1.35 TU SA MO FR

1.58 0.21 FR 1426 0.69 SA 1415 0.54 SU 1444 0.58 MO 1506 0.36 1.80 20341.31 0.39 2028 1.16 0.44 2120 21532015 1.20 0.58 2230 2045 1.41 0.58 2118 03080.61 1.61 0259 0.67 1.48 02530229 0.79 1.51 0325 0300 0.75 24 240234 9 0826 9 0241 08591.38 0.25 9 0938 0855 1.26 0.5024 9 24 0955 1.27 0.34 1005 0900 1.36 0940 TU 1507 1.65 WE 1559 SA 1508 1.42 SU 1545 1.71

1.57 0.22 SA 1537 0.68 SU 1526 0.48 MO 1545 0.55 TU 1615 0.32 1.77 21231.38 0.41 2104 1.18 0.44 2237 23012051 1.26 0.58 2337 2125 1.47 0.60 2242

1.61 0.43 04000007 1.710.36 0431 0501 0330 0.74 1.51 03510.69 1.63 04040304 0.85 1.51 0443 0338 0.80 0115 02281.56 0.54 0141 1.65 0.44 10 0356 25 25 250351 25 10 0354 0937 0.58 1.37 09360730 0.431.3910 1029 1057 0929 1.25 0.4325 09451.37 0.181010 25 10 10 25 1049 10320900 1.25 0.30 1108 0941 1.35 0843 09580.44 1.2925 0906 0.18 1.37 10 1044 1639 1537 1.36 1600 1.54 1639 1.42 1738 1.63 1546 1.48 1634 1.73 1545 1.67 TH

FR WE 1243 0.77 SU TH 1501 0.77 MO TU 1330 0.80 FR 1425 0.68 2139 2009 0.30 1.29 21491909 0.181.31 2230 2309 21500.40 1.18 2116 0.38 1.28

1.54 0.26 1651 0.49 WE 1722 1641 0.39 TH 0.27 1.71 SU 1657 0.63 MO MO SU TU WE 2204 0.62 2139 1.25 0.45 22071.49 0.44 2127 0.59 2345 2354

1.60 0.49 04450101 1.710.39 04310.71 1.61 0401 0.76 1.53 00010339 1.35 1.50 0039 0416 03341.55 0.61 0249 1.61 0.52 1.55 11 0427 26 26 11 0520 260515 11 0212 110502 260540 26 26 1015 0.54 1.34 10270838 0.341.3611 1100 10301.39 0.161111 1000 1.26 0.3726 1140 1141 05270934 0.86 0.28 0943 10570.39 1.2726 1016 0.17 1.36 11 1145 0559 1019 0.79 1717 1616 1.37 1652 1.55 1717 1.43 1721 1.71 1623 1.67 1624 1.53 1829 1.58 FR

SA TH 1343 0.80 MO FR 1625 0.76 TU WE 1437 0.84 SA 1541 0.63 2214 2115 0.33 1.24 22382021 0.241.28 2303 2350 23040.45 1.19 2246 0.46 1.33

1.49 0.32 1.26 TH 1210 1748 0.29 FR 1.35 1.64 TH MO 1757 0.54 TUTU MO WE 1129 2248 0.48 2212 0.47 17482203 0.42 0.61 1823 2243 0.23 0.65

04561.53 0.64 0413 1.54 0.57 0042 0057 00540415 1.45 1.48 0136 0455 1.62 1.59 0.53 05270210 1.680.43 05101.60 1.57 0433 1.35 1.53 12 0323 120533 270619 27 27 27 12 0458 27 12 27 1044 11520.36 1.2827 1122 0.19 1.38 12 0629 0628 06321010 0.83 0.28 0702 1058 0.74 1050 0.51 1.34 11150951 0.281.3712 1131 11120.70 0.181212 1032 0.74 0.3327 1222 1559 0.84 1745 0.70 1703 0.52 1459 0.77 1229 1.30 1242 1.42 1224 1.28 1307 1.37

1.54 1757 1.43 TH 1.36 SU 1747 FR SA 1654 TU SA 2246 2224 0.38 1.23 23252147 0.331.31 2338 0.50

SU1920 1.51 WE

1.43 0.39 TU FR SA 1756 1.56 WE 1806 1.66 TH FR 1704 1.63 TU 1701 1.55 WE 1842 1845 18372241 0.34 0.64 1916 2321 0.20 0.69 23280.20 0.53 2246 0.45 0.50

00111.49 1.25 0129 0154 01410452 1.56 1.45 0228 0535 1.67 0003 0.54 1.45 1.56 0.53 06070332 0506 1.46 1.51 1.630.46 05471.70 1.51 13 0434 28 130606 28 28 280031 13 0529 13 28 28 1141 06090.33 0.6328 0716 0726 07221047 0.78 0.29 0755 1134 0.69 0539 1.47 0.58 13 1124 0.48 1.36 1103 0.71 0.3028 0659 12021058 0.241.4213 1203 11510.66 0.231313 1714 0.78 1241 1.32 1622 0.67 1313 1.34 1334 1.45 1315 1.32 1400 1.39 1221 1.43

1.50 1840 1.42 TH FR 1.35 MO 1845 SA MO1303 0.25 SU 1733 WESU 1841 0.61 2310 1.40 1813 1.44 0.38 2319 2328 0.44 1.26 2012 1.58 0.56 1.48 1909 0.25

0210 0245 02250534 1.64 1.41 0314 0001 1.69 0539 1.57 1.48 00071.76 0.58 14 29 29 0757 0815 08041129 0.73 0.33 0843 0620 0.64 14 29 1136 0.68 0.2829 06270.62 1.441414 TH 1355 1.38 FR 1423 1.47 SA 1404 1.36 SU 1446 1.40

0208 1.71 0.54 1.52 2000 0.16

1.68 0248 0330 03080003 1.69 0.71 0356 0045 0614 1.65 1.44 00461.78 0.64 15 30 30 0927 0715 0.59 0833 0900 08450625 0.67 1.36 15 30 1210 0.64 0.2730 07070.59 1.361515 FR 1435 1.41 SA 1508 1.47 SU 1450 1.40 MO 1530 1.40

01070.57 1.33 0110 1.53 0.51 00100457 0.430.44 14 0536 29 140015 1229 07041.44 0.60 29 0650 14 0600 29 1157 0.46 1.41 06481157 1.561.4814 0641 SA 1812 0.69 SU 1733 0.52 MO 1322 1.36 TU 1315

MO 1815 1.33 2354 0.50

TU 1248 0.24 1945 1.45

0024 1.32

0018 1.53

TH 1236 0.31 19231.40 0.51 1929 0154 1.43

1.48 0054 0.53 0.64 15 0627 30 150055 07471.39 0.58 30 0745 15 0635 30 1230 0.43 0.49 07300606 1.480.4215 0718 SU 1308 1.45 MO 1249 1.55 TU 1359 1.41 WE 1405 TU 1902 1.32 WE 1333 0.27 FR 1315 0.30 1856 0.60 20451831 20001.37 0.42 1.400.37 2024

31 0140 0816

0.64 1.40 TH 1421 0.31 2144 1.37

1.37 0.46 WE SA SU 1837 1.48 WE 1739 1.55 THTH 1850 1.58 FR SA 1748 1.58 1920 1936 0.15 19202320 0.27 0.68 2005 0.19 2322 0.37 0.54

31 0300 0834

1.78 0.52 TH 1450 1.55 2045 0.11

TH 1820 1.53 1956 2359 0.30 0.59

FR 1905 1.49 2031 0.25

FR 1230 0.30 2023 19340.13 1.49

SA 1309 0.38 2108 20210.15 1.41

31 0128 0752

0.71 1.29 SU 1350 0.46 2113 1.34

0.73 1.30 SU 1837 1.51 MO 1214 0.55 2001 0.22 2050 1922 0.21 1.41

0.76 1.24 TU 1257 0.63 MO 1215 0.39 0.24 1.36 20431935 0.19 1.45 2132 2012 0432 1.65 1008 0.56 TU 1613 1.38 2212 0.29

31

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia2018, 2018,Bureau Bureau of of Meteorology Meteorology  Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide are in local standard time (UTC +10:00)orordaylight daylight savings savings time when in effect TimesTimes are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) time(UTC (UTC+11:00) +11:00) when in effect Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter Full Moon LastLast Quarter New Moon First Quarter Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon 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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