Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly January 2019

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Features

Rigging techniques for Victorian kings • Conquering inshore marlin • Victorian bass guide •

Boating & Kayaking Beating the holiday crowds • Tips for towing the boat •

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JANUARY 2019, Vol. 14 No. 3

Contents WEST COAST West Coast

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16

18

20

30

Warrnambool 18 Cobden 19 Apollo Bay

18

CENTRAL Geelong 20 Port Phillip West

22

Port Phillip North East

24

Port Phillip East

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Mornington Peninsula

27

Port Phillip Bay Offshore

28

Western Port North

30

Western Port South

32

Phillip Island

33

EAST COAST Lakes Entrance

36

Marlo 40 Gippsland Lakes

38

Corner Inlet

41

Bemm River

40

NSW SOUTH COAST Bermagui 44 Mallacoota/Eden 44 Narooma 43 Merimbula 42

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Robinvale 54 Mildura 66 Snowy Mountains

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From the Editor’s Desk...

It’s rare that the biggest fishing news in town is political, but with the re-election of the Andrews Labor government, it seems as though the news is all good for recreational anglers. Let’s hope that the promises are realised.

There’s full coverage of the election promises in Mike Burgess’ piece on page 35, but here’s what we can expect in a nutshell.

• 10 million fish stocked per annum as of 2022 (compared with the record 6 million in 2017/18.

• New fish hatchery in Shepparton.

• Full amount of $27 million collected for boat ramp infrastructure to be spent actually on boat ramp infrastructure.

• Consolidation of boat ramp infrastruture management and abolition of many ramp fees.

• New fish cleaning stations

across Port Phillip Bay. • An end to netting in Gippsland Lakes with buyback of the remaining 10 licences.

• Resolution of legistaltion that impedes stream and river access to anglers.

• Opening of more waters to paddle and/or electric craft, imcluding Tullaroop, Lauriston, Hepburn, Barkers’ Creek, Upper Coliban and Malmsbury reserviors.

• Implememntation of Fishing for All and continuation of the VicKids programs.

• Implementation of a Recreational Fishing Tourism plan.

• Money towards habitat improvements in Port Phillip Bay. Excited about the direction of the government? Regardless who you voted for, it’d be hard not to smile about the narrative if you’re a Victorian angler.

Rest assured that other states are jealous and it’s great to see the parties understand

that recreational anglers’ votes are just as valuable as those of the unenlightened.

EAST GIPPSLAND HOSTS BREAM GRAND FINAL Early December saw the biggest show in bream fishing - nationally - come to town with three iconic venues hosting 45 of Australia’s best breamers for three days of competition to win a $60,000+ boat package.

And although the trophy and rig eventually went back into NSW thanks to a stunning win by Jason Mayberry from the state’s South Coast, there were plenty of Victorian anglers who did their state proud: Brad Hodges (2nd), Cam Whittam (3rd), Dan Mackrell (4th), Braddley Young (6th) and Mario Vukic (9th) all showed that local knowledge pays off.

There’s coverage of the event in this issue - make sure that you scan the QR codes embedded in the story with

your smartphone to get a more detailed video.

We do this in the What’s New section and in the boat tests, too. No longer do you just do print if you’re a magazine!

Make sure you Subscribe to the Fishing Monthly Magazines YouTube channel to see all of this video content as it’s created.

While we’re at it, do you know that you can read back issues for free on issuu.com?

Or get advance copies of the latest magazines on the same platform?

It’s an ever changing world in the media nowadays, but you can rest assured that Fishing Monthly is out there bringing you the best fishing news on whatever platform you choose.

At the end of the day, the fishing hasn’t changed - just the way we go about researching, reading and sharing it.

Albury/Wodonga 62 Yarrawonga 66 Horsham 58 Wangaratta 61 Ngambie 62 Shepparton 60 Bendigo 64 Ballarat 63

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Crater Lakes

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TASMANIA WRAP

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BOATING AND KAYAK

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Fun Page

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Inland Fisheries Service

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Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold, Annie March

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Track My Fish

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Trade and Services Guide

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JANUARY 2019

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Marc Gercovich loves getting stuck into big kingfish at this time of year!

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OUR COVER

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Victorian bass set to go off

Printing: APN – Print

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Conquering inshore marlin

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Rigging techniques for Victorian kings

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Yellowtail Kingfish

Rigging techniques for Victorian kingfish WESTERN PORT

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

For those in the know, kingfish aren’t your typical run of the mill fish. In fact, they can bring even the most experienced anglers

head out to their regular haunts in season and find them holding down deep with your electronic setup or see them busting up a school of slimies on the surface, but when it comes to hooking and landing them, that’s a whole other ball game.

Due to their strength

When your rod tip touches the water, you’d want to cross all your fingers and toes that your knots are securely tied. to their knees. From my experience, there isn’t a species as tough in Victoria as kingfish and none that can easily strip 80lb braid from a reel’s spool.

Kingfish get the nickname ‘hoodlums’ for being extremely brutal when hooked up. Like a gang of criminals, these fish are tougher than any nightclub bouncer and in the split second you lose focus, it’s all over.

Today they are a household name on the Victorian fishing scene. They have become heavily targeted in recent years, and they pose a challenge for anglers of all levels of experience.

Targeting them is not as easy as it seems. You might

and power, kingfish will always find any weakness in your tackle, which is why you always want to ensure that all your rigging connections are 110%.

Unlike other Victorian fish species, kingfish can be caught using varying techniques, with the most common being jigging, live baiting, trolling and general bait fishing with each requiring attention to detail.

JIG RIGGING Kingfish are quite an inquisitive species, however, more often than not they can switch into attack mode at the glimpse of something moving fast in the water. I think before their brain analyses what the foreign object is they are already hunting it down and find themselves hooked.

One of the most effective methods used to catch kingfish is jigging.

Although the technique is strenuous enough, rigging the jig doesn’t need to be. Jig rigging is simple, as it uses multiple pieces of terminal tackle including swivels, split rings, solid rings, hooks and

Don’t be shy about the size of the live bait being sent to the depths. Kings can devour big baits with ease. of course the jig. Putting it all together is like a jigsaw puzzle, but when you begin, keep in mind that the split ring is the central part.

While some jigs come pre-rigged with a hook, these are not always reliable, and you may want to replace that hook with a specifically made Yakamaito, Shout or Owner Assist hook to ensure

or fluorocarbon leader. The best hook setup is a Mustad 4x strong 6/0-8/0 Hoodlum Livebait hook with Mustad 1/0 Jigging Assist hook looped onto the live bait hook. This setup is then tied to the leader using a three turn uni knot.

After you have attached the hook setup, on the other end of the metre length of leader, tie a rolling size 1/0 swivel to prevent any line twist when in the current. The rest of the setup consists of a ball bearing snap swivel

Kingfish can be targeted using specific techniques and rigs. Always remember to use terminal tackle that will stand the test. strength and quality.

LIVE BAITING RIGS If there’s one fish that will find any weakness in your rigging, it’s a king. It is imperative that all knots are inspected after tying as well as tested before being deployed.

Live bait rigs can be made in a number of ways, with the simplest being a metre or so length of 80-100lb nylon

Top: When rigging a whole bait such as calamari, the snelled hook setup is recommended.

Above: Kingfish will find any weakness in your terminals, so kit yourself out with the best.

The purpose of the jigging assist hook is to make the rigging of the live bait faster, limiting the amount of time you have it out of the water, and this maximises its life when sent to the bottom.

crimped or tied to the end of your 80-100lb leader that is connected to your braid.

Attached to this, is a kingfish 8oz barrel sinker followed by your live bait rig. Keep in mind, depending on the

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JANUARY 2019

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When attaching live bait hooks to the end of your leader, a loop knot will allow the live bait to freely move and swim without restriction.

Yellowtail Kingfish strength of the current you might require two kingfish sinkers to get the bait down to the strike zone.

Once all that is in order, the live bait can be threaded onto the hook setup by pushing the assist hook through the membrane above the live bait’s nose. This

rigging technique will keep the livie alive long enough for it to be eaten.

If you’re using a live calamari, the hook setup is a little different. Instead of using a live bait hook and assist, a snelled octopus hook setup is recommended. While the rest of the setup is the same,

Solid kings are a challenge to catch, but certainly rewarding when you land them.

you will be using an 80lb leader and a set of 6/0 octopus hooks. Fix one to the end of the leader and snell the other around 15cm apart. Of course, calamari come in all different sizes, but this setup is a good general rule.

TROLLING RIGS If you haven’t tried trolling for kingfish, then it is probably something that you should have a crack at at some point, especially if they are busting up bait on the surface or at least in the area you’re fishing. Back in the day, trolling rigs were also called lead lines, consisting of a handline containing a 70m or so length of 200lb leader with an 8oz barrel sinker crimped into the leader around every metre or so. At

Kingfish of all sizes are powerful. Ensuring your knot connections and rigging are up to scratch will ensure you land your fish.

The Rip can become a very busy area when the kings are on, so take care.

the end is a length of 80-100lb trace containing a hook. The idea is as you’re trolling you can drag the rig behind the boat and should you need to take the bait deeper, you can let more line out. The more sinkers sent out the back, the deeper the rig will sink.

Although this technique is rarely used today, a simpler method is to use a kingfish sinker and attach a length of 80lb trace to one end of it with a suicide style hook on the other end. This rig is similar to that of a live bait rig, except the changing of the hook To page 10

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Yellowtail Kingfish From page 9

style. A strip of fresh calamari hood can be placed onto the end of the hook and sent to the desired depth of where the fish are holding. Then, slowly driving the boat, the calamari strip will be trolled behind the boat.

Another effective bait fishing method is the use of a paternoster rig, which can be trolled or just left to suspend off the bottom while drift fishing. Single dropper paternoster rigs tied from 80lb trace make the ideal rig with an 8/0 octopus circle hook or suicide hook used. Of course the weight

The kingfish sinker up close. It can easily be made at home from an 8oz barrel sinker, 200lb leader, armour spring, two crimps and a heavy-duty snap swivel. of the sinker may vary depending on the current.

This rig can be used pretty well anywhere and in any situation, especially if you’re drifting offshore over wrecks or reefs where kingfish frequently hang out in season.

BALLOONING In Victoria, ballooning baits from the boat is a rarely used technique, however, from the land it is popular. For land-based anglers keen on catching kings from the rocks, ballooning baits or suspending a live bait under a float is the

When it comes to rigging jigs, always source the strongest pieces of terminal tackle.

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JANUARY 2019

most effective method.

Of course with ballooning or float fishing, you do need to the wind and current in your favour at your chosen location, otherwise your live bait might take cover under the rock ledges and you won’t be able to get your bait out into the water.

There are many different ways to rig a bait under a balloon, however, I always like to keep things simple when rigging. A rolling swivel can be attached to the end of the main leader, followed by a secondary length of leader around a metre long to which a live bait hook is tied. If you’re ballooning, then you can tie a balloon around the leader just above the swivel and then send the bait out. Alternatively, you can use a squidder float and thread it into the leader between the swivel and the hook. Rigging in this way allows you to cast the live bait our further rather than waiting for the livebait to swim out into deeper water with the balloon.

Both methods are effective, with each having its own

specific time and place to be used to allow the live bait to head out into the deeper water.

Attaching live baits when using this setup must be done carefully. The whole time, the bait will be trying to swim away and will have resistance from the balloon and the float.

This will result in the bait tiring quickly and, if rigged incorrectly, dying quickly.

If you know kings are about and you’re not worried about the length of time the bait is alive for, rigging the bait through the shoulders

While there are many different ways to rig up for kings, it’s always good to experiment to find out what works for you. Keep in mind that the situation can change all the time, requiring a change of rigging depending on how the fish are reacting.

If they’re finicky, you might have to drop your leader strength down to something lighter to entice a bite, but then again, you might have to change the rig altogether.

Just because you caught kings one day using a

When rigging jigs, keep in mind the split ring is the centrepiece of the setup, then attach everything to it. will suffice. If you’re doing a bit of research at a location and require the bait to stay alive for as long as possible, then you might want to brush up on how to bridle rig a live bait through the nose.

certain rig doesn’t always mean it will work the next day or the following week, so it always pays to be flexible and adapt your techniques as you go to find what works.

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New Year fishing resolutions NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

It’s that time of year when many of us make worthy resolutions aimed at improving our lives: we pledge to lose weight, get fit, drink less, give up smoking, clean out the garage or whatever else. But let’s not leave our fishing lives out of this important process!

The end of one year and the start of another is a great time for taking stock of things and re-evaluating one’s priorities. We shouldn’t ignore our fishing life when we’re undertaking this process, either. Most of us can easily do things that will make us happier and more successful anglers, as well as taking actions that benefit the fish stocks we chase and the environments they live in.

This year I’ve chosen 10 resolutions that I’ll do my very best to stick to. Hopefully, they might give you some ideas, too. The first five are intended to improve my personal fishing results (and my enjoyment of the sport). The second five aim to benefit the fishery itself.

Here they are:

hopeless at it myself. This year I plan to change that, thanks to the introduction of an online log book function by my favourite weather platform, Fish Ranger.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION 2 Organise my gear better:

keep: Instead of almost always filleting and skinning my catch and discarding the frames and offcuts, I pledge to more often keep the ‘wings’ and fry them up, to make soups and stocks from fish heads and frames, and to occasionally cook fish whole to reduce wastage.

FISHERY RESOLUTION 2 Practice restraint, in addition to sensible catchand-release: In other words, to actually stop fishing for a certain species, in a specific spot, or using a particular technique once I’ve caught and kept or released a couple of the target fish. This might involve packing up and

We have a responsibility to honour our catch and make the most of it by reducing wastage at the cleaning and preparation stage. This starts with a sharp knife and the right attitude. with smaller ‘micro’ barbs and partially or even completely flattening my barbs (particularly on treble hooks) by using a pair of long-

Hooks, leaders and line are amongst the cheapest elements in the whole fishing process, but also the most important. Changing them often definitely pays dividends.

Despite my best intentions, my tackle room and shed constantly turn into a confused nightmare of tangled gear. I can hardly ever put my hand straight onto what I need for a particular trip, especially

Keeping a diary can help to identify productive patterns, but when you strike pay-dirt on fish, like this snapper pulled from 50m of water, stopping when you have enough can be much kinder to fish stocks (and therefore more sustainable) than switching to catch-and-release.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION 1 Maintain an accurate fishing diary: For years I’ve been telling people to keep a diary or logbook in order to identify successful patterns and repeat them. But I’ve been

tackle in good working order, but I know I can lift the bar.

As well as a wash down and dry off after every trip, I’m going to add a light spray of my favourite aerosol lubricant (Mako Oil) for each rod and reel after every trip.

if it’s something a little out of the ordinary. This year, all that changes.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION 3 Improve my gear maintenance routine: I’m not too bad at keeping my fishing

PERSONAL RESOLUTION 4 Turn consumables over more regularly: Line, leader and hooks are amongst the cheapest components in the entire fishing process, but their performance is also critical to our success. So, no more scrimping on line, re-using leaders of getting by with slightly dulled or rusty hooks for me. I pledge to change each one of those key components more regularly.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION 5 Finally, I’m going to slow down and do more looking: Instead of rushing in to any new situation and firing a bait, lure or fly straight into the water, I’m going to hang back and observe, even if only for a minute or two. One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that careful observation is a major key to success. Now it’s time to really implement that lesson!

I reckon the five steps just listed will lead to a noticeable improvement in my catch rates this year. However, as mentioned earlier, I’m also going to pledge to do five important things to help protect fish stocks and the habitats they rely on. Here they are: FISHERY RESOLUTION 1 Utilise more of every fish I

Most modern hooks have tiny barbs that do much less damage to fish than the ‘ski jump’ barbs of the past. Single hooks are also a great option when catch-and-release is on the cards.

Thinking about this stuff is important. heading home early or (more likely) switching to different targets and locations.

FISHERY RESOLUTION 3 Go barbless or partially barbless more often: By choosing hook patterns

Slowing down and spending a little more time observing before wading straight in and wetting a line can make a huge difference to your fishing results.

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nosed pliers in more fishing scenarios. Better for the fish and me.

FISHERY RESOLUTION 4 Continue experimenting with retro-fitting single hooks to lures: I’ve been dabbling

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JANUARY 2019

with using singles to replace trebles on some lures for a while now, but this year, I resolve to take it to the next level and apply it to a lot more of my lure fishing. As with reducing barb sizes, it’s kinder to the fish, and safer for me.

FISHERY RESOLUTION 5 Finally, always carry a garbage bag with me when I’m fishing: And make it a habit to bring home at least half a dozen or so items of rubbish I encounter in and around our waterways every time I go fishing. Can you imagine the difference it would make if we all did this?

So, there you have it.

Those are my 10 fishingrelated New Year’s resolutions for 2019. What are yours?

If you interested in pursuing these ideas further (or monitoring the progress of my resolutions), my website portal www. fishotopia.com offers access to lots more content like this.

Jump on, have a look around and consider signing up for the free monthly newsletter.

Meanwhile, happy New Year!

JANUARY 2019

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Get in quick as entries are open now. To secure yours, visit www.gofishnagambie.com.au and be sure to check out the GoFish Nagambie Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news and give us a ‘like’ to join the community.

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However, as we all also know, money isn’t everything, and there are plenty of other reasons to enter and fish the comp. There is certainly more than just the lure of the biggest cash and prizes on offer in Australia for freshwater fishing.

LAND-BASED FISHING OPPORTUNITIES GoFish Nagambie provides anglers with exclusive bank fishing access to otherwise inaccessible river frontage.

In addition to the 5km of public bank fishing areas within the tournament zone at Majors Creek, Lake Nagambie and Picnic Point, we’ve also secured an additional 13.5km of exclusive GoFish Nagambie bank fishing access on private land.

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As always, the fishos who are prepared to put the extra effort in and walk the extra kilometre will usually come up with the goods.

Here are some effective banking techniques to set you up for a session filled with lots of fish.

• Carry two outfits – a lot of anglers don’t like the hassle of lugging extra gear around, but you should have a larger rod for longer casts for the bigger bodies of water and a short outfit for the tight spots. It also allows for two different lure options rigged and ready to go.

• Small streams – using that smaller outfit, swimming weedless soft plastics would have to be the preferred form of luring. Casting skills will certainly be put to the

test in the small streams. You’ll need to nail underhand, backhand and bow and arrow casts.

• Large bodies of water – As always, the key to casting rivers is targeting the snag, rock bar or overhanging cover and presenting the right lure. The longer outfit will help you to reach that prime structure. You can’t go past a paddler for that chance to experience those violent surface strikes.

BOAT RAMPS AND RIVER ACCESS GoFish Nagambie provides exclusive access to boat ramps that are otherwise inaccessible outside of the tournament. We have formally identified 13 public and private ramps within the tournament zone, including the brand spanking new ramp at Majors Creek.

TROLLING VS. CASTING When it comes to lure fishing there are two main techniques you can use, trolling or casting. So which one is better?

Both methods have their benefits and their downsides, but it doesn’t mean that is one better than the other. Let’s take a closer look at both.

TROLLING This technique was among the most popular back 20 years ago, and it still is for a range of species around the world. It’s a very straightforward technique and can be a lot more relaxing and chilled than standing up and casting all day.

Trolling consists of casting your lures out behind the boat, kayak or canoe and moving along at a slow pace, the perfect speed to get your lure working properly.

Hardbody lures are the most common and popular to use when targeting natives as they have the ability to dive easily and are very snag resistant.

This technique is great for people who cannot stand all day (e.g. the elderly, people with back injuries and

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even kids who have short attention spans), because you can put the rod in the holder and leave it there.

In saying that, I wouldn’t recommend trolling in all situations. For those who are keen cod anglers, you want to hold your rod all the time and ensure you are fishing it correctly. You want to continue to feed line out and bring it back in so that your lures is always within a metre of the structure. The more your lure is in the strike zone, the more fish you will catch.

CASTING Our next technique is becoming more and more popular as the years go on, and that is because it’s a much more active style of fishing as you are working your lure and picking the spots to fish. Rather than sitting back and waiting, you are activity fishing and hunting for the fish.

In saying that, your lure is out of the water more often than it is when trolling, therefore you’re in the strike zone for less time. This doesn’t mean you catch less fish casting though, as it all depends on the situation.

So what’s the best for Nagambie? Trolling or casting?

This is a tough question and the answer is BOTH! That’s right, you’ll want to use both techniques to give yourself the best chance of catching a winning fish.

When you’re fishing the tournament, I recommend casting first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon. You can use surface lures, hardbodies and spinnerbaits, cast into the shallows.

During the day while the sun is up I recommend trolling the river and the deep channels in the lake, seeking out that larger fish. If you’re after golden perch, trolling around the standing trees is your best option.

UP FOR GRABS AT AUSTRALIA’S WEALTHIEST FRESHWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT JANUARY 2019

15

Rad river fishing on offer WEST COAST

Brett Carson

Isn’t the Glenelg River an awesome place this time of year? The water has cleared up and the weather is warm and inviting. With summer warmth comes warmer water temps and more consistent fishing. The spawning season is well and truly done now and the edge bite is in full swing.

There have been some interesting catches of late including Brian Heazlewood’s elephant shark in the river; rare but not unheard of. This time of year can be highly productive and it’s a matter

of mixing it up until you find feeding fish, more often than not within feet of the river’s edge!

The bream bite has fired again, with the spawning fish returning and the dry continuing, we might not be far from a temporarily blocked mouth. Often in January masses of bream can be seen near the mouth as you cover the shallows in your boat, they scoot off ahead of you, so try not to spook them too much.

Plastics and hardbodies worked over the sand flats are deadly, and even if you think you’re working your plastic slow enough, slow down more.

Worm styles work a treat as they mimic the popular bait

Brian Heazlewood with a rare elephant shark from the Glenelg River.

16

JANUARY 2019

the podworm that bream are already naturally feeding on.

Upriver, hammer the edges with bait or lures – rocky areas, snags, reed beds, they all

but it doesn’t hurt to have one on the bottom as well.

Trawling a mullet very slow works too, and by covering ground you will inevitably

Joel and Jayden Riddle’s bag of mulloway from 75-93cm.

Nigel with an estuary perch. These fish are smashing surface lures at the moment. hold fish. A lightly-weighted crab cast against the rock walls will be irresistible to a feeding bream. Fair to say, when you’re fishing this way you want the drag cranked up, as the second they take it they’re heading home. For the kids who want action, fish podworms or pipis, soft bait will attract a few smaller fish and they won’t be bored.

Mulloway are suckers for a live mullet this time of year, and a float set up works best,

find and present your bait to more fish. Back the drag right off and let the fish inhale the bait before you strike. Jerk shads will bring a mulloway undone, especially if you work them through the bottom 2ft of water. A sharp rip on the rod tip followed by the plastic fluttering back to the river bed often finds the mulloway hitting on the drop. Mulloway will be at least 50km upriver now that the spring rainfall has

stopped, so don’t discount them anywhere.

Estuary perch are smashing the surface lures now and you can catch them anytime of the day while chasing bream.

Try fishing the ‘magic hour’ before dark or first light. Small poppers or walk-the-dog style lures are the go. You can also fish small livies, as perch only take something that is live or appears to be. Not a bad option if you’re not a lure fisho!

Our remote surf beaches are producing mulloway, school and gummy shark, with plenty of bream and salmon to boot. Find the gutters and put the time in, plenty of fish

are caught around midnight, so be prepared to do the hard yards for what can be unbelievable rewards.

• 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.

JANUARY 2019

17

Put together the Warrnambool fishing puzzle WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

The Hopkins River is still producing some quality mulloway, with fish responding to both baits and lures in a variety of sections of the river.

One interesting mulloway capture was a 90cm lure-caught specimen

by Tackle Shack’s Dylan Pace. Not only is a 90cm mulloway out of a kayak a special capture, but upon landing it Dylan noticed a tag sticking out of the fish.

Upon checking the number it proved to be a fish captured in the river 11 months earlier

by Luke Gercovich. The fish had grown 9cm in that time and this helps add another piece to the puzzle of the wonderful research on the species that has been done over the past couple of seasons by Lauren Brown.

Bream fishing has

Dylan Pace with a 90cm tagged mulloway taken from the Hopkins.

picked up in recent weeks and come January some warmer weather and clear water will see bream and estuary perch smashing surface presentations on clam mornings and evenings.

Watching the fish hunt down a pink grub or a surface popper is addictive stuff.

For holiday anglers not into lure casting there is usually plenty of opportunity to catch bream, mullet and salmon near the mouths of any of the local estuaries on bait. Using a little berley, keeping the line and sinker weights down and using fresh bait, can produce almost non-stop action for families trying to keep youngsters entertained over the holiday period.

For those with the capability to do the same just slightly offshore, there is usually plenty of pinkie snapper around to keep rods bending frequently. Head out a short distance from either Port Fairy or Warrnambool

ramps on a calm morning and you should be in business.

There is the possibility of a mixed bag of squid, whiting, trevally and more.

If you are a little more serious about your saltwater options, January is usually a great month to try and hunt down some pelagics on lures. Kingfish and school tuna schools can be located along the coast on calm flat days when they can be spotted on the surface.

If you are in town for the holiday period, why not take part in the 2019 Richardson Marine Shipwreck Coast Fishing Classic, which is being run from 4-12 January.

The competition caters for all different angling species, from trout to tuna with categories for all age groups and a glittering array of prizes. All senior entries go in the draw for the major prize of an Angler Pro boat package.

Heating up for summer down in the South West APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

This month is a favourite time of year for me, as it’s the time of year

kingfish start to get about and already there have been some catches from the boys from Hit-n-Run Charters. Although the fish were not very big, roughly around 75cm, it

gives for a promising year.

Last year at this time there were a lot of fish caught down around our well-known local reefs.

The fish were caught on trolled squid, and fresh is

Stephen Toose with a beautiful bream caught on a ZMan GrubZ near Apollo Bay.

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once again best if you can get it. It might pay to bring a few jigs, as last year the ‘couta were a menace and gobbled a lot of jigs. The fish were patchy on the bite, but when they bit it was awesome fishing.

Mick Allardyce had a session on kingfish where the kings went crazy and caught some fish over a metre. The secret is to sound around and find the bait (always look for bird action on the surface) where you can try stickbaits.

Also keep your eye out for school tuna, as there are a few getting around like last January.

Gummies and snapper will be going, with fresh salmon the best bait. King George whiting are biting around all the local areas, and the best baits are pipis and fresh squid.

Some of the best spots are down around Blanket Bay, but can also be caught off the local rock wall for land-based anglers. When fishing in a boat close in, always be aware of swell breaking. There have been some people getting into trouble over the years, so always be careful even though we have a fantastic ocean rescue team in Apollo Bay. Safety should always come first. Fishing in our local harbour is always a good bet at this time of year, with plenty of species to catch.

One of the old favourites for the table is flathead. Flathead have been going great in 30-40m

of water, so it’s going to be a great month for fishing in Apollo Bay this month. The boat ramp will be busy: have some patience and wait your turn, make sure you have all your safety gear checked, also check your license is up to date and know your bag limits, as the fisheries officers are quite active at this time of year.

If you’re not sure, you can get info books on all your catch limits at the local Surf and Fish in Apollo Bay, just call

in and see Wayne. He carries all you need to get started and has a great knowledge of the area.

Feel free to send some of your fish pictures so I can hopefully get them to my next article. Email it to snagga02@gmail. com with your name and where you caught it.

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

Mick Alardyce with a cracking Cape Otway kingfish caught on the surface.

Bring on the bream this summer COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Plenty of anglers are hooking up to mulloway approaching 90cm in length. Specialist mulloway anglers are specifically targeting them at night and even bank anglers are

having success.

The lower reaches of the river are where many are trying their luck. Popular spots have been off any fishing platform, boathouse or jetty just upstream of the road bridge. Fishing baits like squid strips or tentacles has been popular. You could also try any small mullet

or salmon caught earlier on fished live on a sliding snell rig.

Mulloway often swim near or under any artificial over-water structure as they herd up baitfish and can be often heard or even seen smashing bait schools on or near the surface. If you hear or see a mulloway feeding

A great day out for the author on the Curdies River. All bream were taken on soft plastics fished hard up against the bank in the lower reaches.

after dark your chances of hooking up will greatly increase, especially with quality bait. Don’t forget large minnow lures or soft plastics around 130-170mm length. These will attract the interest of any marauding mulloway for sure.

Bream in the Hopkins are also worth targeting. I’m wondering if bream here have finished spawning, as I know of one out of town angler who got stuck into a few solid fish in recent days. This chap was fishing from his new kayak and using soft plastics and landed some quality fish from the mud flats directly upstream from the road bridge. I also have another report of bream coming out from under the bridge itself. This points to the fish having already spawned upstream and are now in the process of moving back down to feed near the mouth.

Meanwhile, bream in the Curdies are being caught from the mouth of the river upstream to the Island, the Lodge, Baileys Straights and beyond. The fish are still schooled up and mobile. It’s simply a matter of locating a school and hoping they are on the chew. Bream

All bream were released alive back into the estuary. are taking worm, shrimp and spider crab along with various soft plastics in grub patterns worked slowly along the bottom, along with dark coloured vibes.

In the salt more 100kg+ southern bluefin tuna have been hooked and landed offshore along our coastline.

Are they this season’s early arrivals or ones that refused to move on from last year? Is our SBT season growing to the point where they can be caught almost all year round?

In 40-50m depth plenty of reasonable snapper to 4kg are being picked up over broken, rubbly ground.

Mixed in with them are

school and gummy shark, blue morwong, nannygai along with the regular assortment of ooglies. Whole squid baits have been the go here. King George whiting have moved right in close to the coast and spots like Newfield Bay and the Port Campbell Pier have been excellent land-based spots in which to try your luck. Squid strips or tentacles topped off with pipi meat has been a favourite of many. Dusk is the prime time for the whiting and solid bait holder hooks are favoured over the traditional whiting hook, just in case something bigger takes the bait.

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19

Fish are firing this January GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

January is busy as heck in the region, with holiday makers enjoying the area and its fishing. Snapper will taper off, but are still a viable target out deep during the day and in the shallows less than 5m after dark. Land-based anglers

keen on snapper should try North Shore Rocks, Geelong Waterfront, St Leonards and Portarlington Piers.

All the talk for January will revolve around kingfish.

They’ll be poking about from Lorne to The Rip and either side of both. They can be super frustrating and show up almost anywhere, so keep at least one heavy rod with you if you’re cruising about in case they pop up.

BARWON RIVER GEELONG Warmer months can see blue green algal blooms in the Barwon River. Barwon Water generally erect signs warning

plastic or minnow-profiled lures. Bait anglers can catch both species on a bunch of worms or live minnow that can be trapped in the shallows near weedy patches.

Aaron with two XXL calamari. The numbers have gone down slightly, but there are still some crackers to be caught.

Cody and his mate David found a few solid snapper off Black Rock.

Collan and Malcolm caught these beauties from Corio Bay on pilchard and salmon.

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JANUARY 2019

the public about contact with the water so keep an eye out for these. This month, carp and redfin will be the prime targets. Warmer weather brings the redfin in close, so cast parallel to the bankside weed growth using small soft

CORIO BAY Geelong waterfront should see flathead around 40-50cm mooching about after dark and they are a prime target for soft plastic enthusiasts.

Collan and Malcolm

Erard fished Corio Bay a few times last month from Point Henry to Curlewis and caught a wide variety of fish including, whiting, flathead to 45cm and snapper to 3kg using pilchard and salmon pieces for bait.

Aaron Habgood from Red’s Fishing Adventures and Salt Guide had some epic sessions on the snapper out off Clifton Springs last month.

Aaron says that squid has been his most successful bait, with almost all his snapper falling to it last month.

Nathan Wright caught a snapper around the 50cm mark fishing land-based in Corio Bay last month. Nathan was

using a ZMan grub 5” soft plastic in motor oil colour on a 1/4oz jighead and says it was great fun on the light gear.

I fished inside Corio Bay a few times late last year using soft plastics. I’ve locked in to plenty of flathead to 45cm and pike around 65-70cm drifting near Point Henry in 4-5m of water.

Gus Theobald was heading to his regular snapper mark out from Clifton Springs when his grandson Braxton saw birds diving into the water near Curlews. Gus quickly rigged a small skirted lure and drove over to the action with half a dozen other boats.

They didn’t have to wait long for a hook-up and Gus handed the rod to Braxton and this saw him have the fight of his life before landing a ripping salmon around 2kg.

Quickly casting out again, Gus’s granddaughter Daisy hooked another salmon around the same size. Gus says the biggest salmon weighed in at a staggering 4.5kg and it was a truly epic afternoon for the grandkids.

Troy Falzon has enjoyed some quality snapper fishing Troy has been cruising the edge of the using soft plastic lures in deep channel searching for schools, then water out off Portarlington sending down a soft plastic. last month.

Troy has been motoring simple double twitch than let Charley Grasso’s hand as he up and down the channel the plastic sink, representing a tried to lift it from the water.

Rod Ludlow from anywhere from marker dying garfish or pilchard.

Beachlea Boat Hire says in numbers three and four to BELLARINE the last month, whiting were the bend in the channel off PENINSULA Clifton Springs and watching Some XXL calamari showing up off Indented Head his sounder for schools of fish. were up and about near the with the flood tide fishing Troy has found snapper on end of 2018. Anglers were best. Outer Governor Reef and the edge of the channel and enjoying calamari over 2kg around the grass beds towards out on the mud flats. The last from St Leonards to the Rip. the Prince George Bank are the two hours of the flood tide or The Bellarine Pirates 2018 best with mussels and pipis as right on sunrise have been the Squid Challenge was held the bait of choice. best times. over nine days during this Rod says that the large Troy suspects the snapper period. Brandon Scaffidi won calamari have slowed down a to be feeding on garfish, which the Junior Heaviest trophy tad, but with a bit of searching is why Berkley 5” flick bait with a ‘Jules Verne’ calamari on the weed beds off Indented soft plastics in pilchard and of 2.68kg, while Joe Scaffidi Head, it is easy enough to blue pepper colours rigged on won the Heaviest Male trophy catch a feed. a Mustad Darter jighead in with another beauty of 1.56kg. Rod reports that there are size six have been working Phil Walters says competition some snapper around the 1kg well. Troy’s method has been participants caught squid from mark being caught near the to work the middle to 3/4 Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale Prince George Bank at high of the depth, and then to the and Clifton Springs, with a tide as well as some bigger ones bottom has been providing the seal taking two from Peter off Steeles Rocks and Grassy STA16113 Revo 469 FM_Layout 1 19/06/2018 PagePoint 1 near Portarlington in the best results. His technique is a Kellam and one 11:20 right AM out of

evenings. Flathead have been plentiful for anglers drifting out off Indented Head, but be prepared to throw a lot of small ones back.

QUEENSCLIFF Aaron Habgood also enjoyed the XXL calamari bite that was all the buzz down at Queenscliff last month.

He found size 3-3.5 jigs worked a treat.

Australian salmon tend to school up in the lower reaches of Port Phillip Bay near the Rip and are fantastic fun to flick a lure or fly at. They also make great gummy shark bait, so keep an eye out for them this month.

Kingfish fever will be well and truly in top gear over January with the Rip being a prime location. Time your run for slack water and send down a live squid or salmon. Jigging is also popular and it can get crowded, so give everyone a little bit of space.

Dave Davies from

Bellarine Fly Fishing Association reports members have caught pinkie snapper to 50cm and trevally to 40cm in and around the Queenscliff Harbour using the everreliable grey and white Clouser minnow. Dave says that when hooked the trevally have been bolting for the nearest piece of structure. It’s a matter of hook up and hang on!

BASS STRAIT AND SURF COAST Aaron Habgood also reports that gummy sharks are still in good numbers offshore in Bass Strait and that using fresh bait is the key to his success.

January is the time to head out into Bass Strait in search of blue and mako sharks.

Set yourself up in 60-70m of water with a decent berley trail and a slab of salmon under a balloon and you’ll be in with a good chance.

Cody Carruthers fished with a mate in 12m of water

Flatties should show up along the Geelong waterfront this month.

out off Black Rock last month where they caught a few quality snapper to around 3kg using pilchards, squid, salmon and Berkley Gulp Turtleback Worm soft plastic lures.

Drifting in 35-50m of water can yield quality flathead in January and don’t forget the FAD and artificial reef system in 25m out off Torquay in case a few kingfish are lurking here.

Hugh Hanson caught a 70cm kingfish drifting in 50m of water for flathead this time last year so keep an eye out for schools on the sounder.

Alan Falzon fished with Justin Green and a few mates across two other boats out off Lorne in 28m of water last month. Alan says that snapper were hard to find with three boats only managing three pinkies up to 33cm, but the flathead were a very respectable 55cm.

FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterbunch@optusnet. com.au with “VFM” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997 348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1MB (file size).

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21

Wishing you a ‘snappy’ new year PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

Wow, 2018 passed by so quickly. In reflection, it was a year full of remarkable

fishing around Port Phillip Bay and many of our lakes and estuaries in Melbourne.

There is no looking back now, as we set our sights on what to expect in the early stages of 2019.

Without a doubt, now is

There are plenty of options for landbased anglers around this area.

peak snapper fishing time in Port Phillip Bay and after an unpredictable start to the season we’re now seeing snapper being caught in good numbers. Daily I’m receiving reports from local anglers about their catches around the bay. Spots that are continually producing snapper include Black Rock, Mornington, Port Melbourne and more locally around Williamstown, The Stick, P2, T14 to T18 markers, spoil grounds, and around Fawkner Beacon.

Justin Aquilina and his dad have been covering lots of areas around Port Phillip Bay this season, generally fishing in depths around 19m in their Quintrex runabout boat. The guys anchor up and berley in an isolated area before casting their rods, rigged with fresh silver whiting fillets and pilchard.

It has been a very productive season, with several bag out sessions. That’s what fishing’s all about, getting

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out there with your family or friends and spending an enjoyable day on the water, perfecting your craft and catching some quality fish.

Jack Patterson, a local young gun angler, has also been spending time out on Port Phillip Bay chasing some big reds, his best catch of the season was a couple of weeks ago landing a 7kg snapper from the spoil grounds on a half pilchard with a single 5/0 hook. There is nothing better than the sound of a screaming reel to liven up your day.

James Muscat is another keen local who has been taking his boat regularly hitting between P2 and T18 markers. After putting in some long and hard hours, James has finally been rewarded with some mid-size snapper. James explained to me he was cutting up some berley cubes when his ugly stick buckled, his reel started screaming and his 6000 size reel was almost completely spooled. He fought a monster size snapper for 10 minutes only to lose it within arm’s reach of the boat. He was shattered, but certainly not defeated and still caught plenty of good fish that day, all while enjoying watching his young boys catch their first ever snapper.

You may recall that back in 2016 fisheries started an initiative to gradually cease all commercial fishing in Port Phillip Bay. The first nets were removed in 2016, and all nets were removed from Corio Bay in April 2018. Their goal is to have all commercial netting completely removed by 2022, which isn’t that far away. Studies are already showing a large increase of pinkie numbers around the bay, which is great news.

I see this as a win for recreational anglers of Port

A good day for Justin Aquilina on the reds. What a haul!

Phillip Bay, but surprisingly the fishing has been a little hit and miss lately. I’m sure in time this initiative will pay dividends.

Don’t stress if you don’t have a boat, there has still been plenty of great fishing around Melbourne’s estuaries and lakes. John Regali has been reporting in consistently over the last few weeks of bream up to 39cm in stretches along the Maribrynong River. Having many years experience he has developed some terrific fishing techniques to target bream by bait that are very successful. John has also reported that jetties around the ‘Nong have been getting some upgrades, which is welcome news. Another

option is the Werribee rock wall opposite Wyndham Harbour, as it has also been fishing well. While fishing there recently I almost lost a rod in the water when something took well over 100m of my line. I was hoping for a big snapper, but unfortunately it was only an eagle ray. Anyway, it was good fun and drew a decent number of onlookers.

It’s been a strange month for me, the fishing took a little bit of a back seat over the Christmas period while I spent some time shopping around for runabout boats.

For inexperienced boaters this can be a daunting task and an eye opener to all the things you may have never thought of,

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This is the best month to target snapper in this region.

such as registration, safety requirements and launching techniques.

It’s very intimidating for new boaters to be launching at busy boat ramps during peak snapper season and there really isn’t much compassion shown at times.

Those who know me

well would know that I have no tolerance for politics, a place I consider to be full of false promises. However, I did follow our recent state election that was decided on 25 November with great interest. For those who are unaware, Labour leader Daniel Andrews promised

if re-elected he would fix Victorian boat ramps, abolish boat ramp launching and parking fees, and increase stocking programs with a 10 million target by 2022, while ensuring that all moneys gained from boating license and registration fees would be put straight back into boating

James Muscat was a happy camper with this solid red.

John Regali with a healthy bream from the ‘Nong. This species has been especially prevalent in stretches along the Maribyrnong River.

facilities across the state.

Labour went on to a landslide victory, which poses the question: who will hold them accountable for delivering these promises?

When should we expect to see boat-launching fees removed and ramp facilities improved. Funnily enough, the day after state election I launched my boat from Altona boat ramp and paid $20 to launch. I queued up

for 90 minutes to launch then had to park miles away because there was no parking available. When returning to my car I noticed that a lot of other boaters had been fined by parking inspectors.

Let’s hope this situation gets better quickly and well done to those behind the boat rage campaigns for having a voice on behalf of local boaters.

That’s all from me this month, but please share your

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recent fishing experiences around Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay so they can be added to next month’s article.

Contact me by email – alan@ fishingmad.com.au. Also check out my website www. fishingmad.com.au, and social media pages Facebook – facebook.com/fishingmad. com.au, YouTube channel – youtube.com/c/fishingmad and Instagram – instagram. com/fishingmad.com.au.

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23

Snapper season the best one yet PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Much the same as last year, the start of this year’s summer months brought a vast array of changing

weather and fishing conditions for anglers on the bay. And while the normal peak action and species activity seemed to be running a little later this year, in line with the slowly rising water temperatures, the changing weather also

brought some peak periods of great fishing as well.

As we settle into the peak of summer and early autumn over the next few months, anglers should expect the action on the bay to return to a more traditional summer pattern. Early summer had

Paul Solner with a corker snapper caught off Mornington.

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things starting to settle again for a long summer ahead.

Snapper reports have been well and truly centred around changes in barometric pressure, especially before, during and after recent storms, and also changes of light, especially in the afternoons.

Some really great fish have been landed in recent weeks, especially in closer around Mount Eliza, Frankston, Mornington and Seaford in 8-15m of water. These areas around and near reefs and other structure have been the best.

As always, the humble pilchard has accounted for more than its fair share of snapper so far this year, and is still the go-to bait for many of the bays anglers.

The bigger fish that have been taken, however, seem to be responding to more specific baits like fresh

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squid and salmon, and also to those anglers willing to put in a little extra time fishing outside the box. The strong and growing population of slimies in the bay have also made fresh bait gathering worthwhile. I have had at least two reports of snapper over the magic 20lb mark being taken already this year, which is great to see, and let’s hope there’s plenty more to come in the new year as well.

The entire eastern seaboard of the bay is beginning to fire in a much more traditional ‘summer snapper’ pattern, and with a later start to the season this year, anglers should expect this bite to continue for some time. Additionally, with predictions for the next few years to be the best snapper seasons of all time, things couldn’t be looking better for snapper anglers in the bay!

Over the New Year period and beyond, expect the reds to move into more of a grazing pattern as they will look to put on condition before spawning later in the summer months. They will move into the wider and

Plenty of smaller school-sized snapper have been on the chew early and late in the day, keeping the kayak anglers busy. especially closer to dawn and dusk, and during the rougher weather, making it a great option for kayaks and smaller boats. Personally, I

Jake and his dad had a productive trip off Mornington this month, with fish like this to show for it. deeper marks, and therefore finding fish on the sounder before dropping the pick and setting the rods becomes more important, as well as the use of berley.

Last year, many of the bay anglers had moved on from snapper by Christmas due to a slow start to the year, but the best fishing of the whole season was in January, especially from the traditional wider marks out from Carrum to Safety Beach. Traditionally, these wider marks, and those closer to the shipping channel, will fish well, especially out from Mornington, Mount Martha and Safety Beach. The time to fish in closer, and from the piers and rocks, is during and after onshore winds, so there are plenty of snapper options for anglers of all persuasions over this holiday break.

The lure fishing for smaller school-sized snapper has been very reliable over the past few months,

have had some great sessions in recent weeks, especially around the inshore reef areas in 8-12m out from Mount Eliza, Mornington and Mount Martha.

UV-enhanced soft plastics have been a real standout,

but like the bait fishing reports, bite windows have been very short at times, and centred around the change of light in the morning or at night, and sometimes during the change of tide. Kayak anglers have been doing very well in these areas as well, especially those keen (or brave) enough to fish when the storm fronts have been rolling in.

Expect many of the bay’s mainstays to really become part of the furniture along the eastern seaboard over the next few months, especially calamari and whiting. They have not started to load up heavily just yet, but they certainly will as water temperatures continue to rise, and the days get longer still.

Good reports have been coming from further south in the bay for some time, so the summer pattern should be in full swing along the eastern shores of the bay soon. I’m especially looking forward to the kingfish showing up in our local areas again this season.

Jake Solner from Mornington with a ripper of a red taken recently off Ansetts.

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Hot and dry, but you can still wet a line PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

You just have to love this time of year – everyone is in a good mood and who wouldn’t be with Christmas holidays and plenty of great fishing on offer. From the snapper out in the deeper water to squid and whiting in on the shallow reefs, there is plenty to keep you busy.

Add to this the other great summer species that pop up, like the schools of salmon and even the odd raid from a few yellowtail kingfish, and there is plenty of fishing over the coming weeks to keep you well and truly on your toes.

MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK It’s a busy time on the Mordialloc Pier, with kids jumping off it and plenty of people attempting to get a fish over the holidays. For those who target the dawn and dusk periods when there are less people around, it offers some great fishing opportunities in the calm weather. Squid and whiting are the target species on the northern side of the pier,

while a bigger bait cast off the end should see you with some pinkies and flathead.

In the boats, a bit of rain and some warm weather in November and December has really helped to set up the fishing for January, with the inner reefs really firing up with a variety of species on the chew. The main focus this month, however, is the whiting. They are turning up in good numbers, with fish being taken from Mordialloc Pier all along through the Horsepaddock Reef and up to Parkdale Pinnacles. As an added bonus, in the same areas squid are still going well, and there was great numbers of garfish kicking around during December, so let’s hope that they continue as, I have found in past years that when the garfish are around the kingfish are never far behind.

Out wider the edge of the shipping channel has still been fishing well for some bigger snapper and often times during January targeting the big bait schools with plastics and jigs can be very successful. Or another great option is to jig up some bait in the form of small yakkas or slimy mackerel and fish them live, as this

Fishing Black Rock style. will get you bites at any time of the day.

SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA It’s whiting time in this area with anglers already reporting a few catches of whiting off locations such as Yorkies Reef, which lies between Half Moon Bay and the Sandringham break wall. This is also a very good location for garfish and it’s well worth getting

a small bait out with a fine berley trail while chasing whiting. Adding to this, it’s also a fantastic way to find a roaming kingfish as they will be lurking through this location in coming weeks and are quick to home in on a school of garfish.

If you’re after a mixed bag of fish, it’s also worth heading out a little wider to the Anonyma Shoal, as it’s been holding good numbers

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of pinkies, snook, and a few big whiting. It’s also a prime location to find a few salmon.

Over the years I’ve had some great sessions during January by simply trolling small deep-diving hardbodies around the shoal with big snook, salmon and even some decent snapper lining up to clobber the lures.

Further to the north the shallow inshore reef areas between Green Point and up to North Road really tend to fire up over the coming weeks, with the shallow reefy bottom really helping to warm the water, which in turn attracts species such as garfish. It is also an especially good area to be fishing small soft plastics in between the reef patches as now is the time that the big blue spot flathead become active. Catching a half a dozen or so of these guys not only provides a bunch of fun, but also a fantastic feed.

ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE By now this part of the bay has really heated up and the shallows from St Kilda to Port Melbourne have some great flathead fishing on offer for those anglers who want to wade the shallows casting small hardbodies and

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soft plastics for some very solid flathead that are in the area. The key to getting some of the big flathead here is to cast your lures into any small deeper gutters in the sand or around any rocky or weed beds, as the flatties will hide in these locations to ambush any bait.

If you love lure fishing and getting a serious stretching is your idea of fun, then it’s also a great time to be chasing bream around the moored boats. They will hold up in the shade of the hulls and feed on any growth on the bottom of the boat. With this style of fishing it’s hard to beat a small soft plastic cast into the shadows and left to slowly sink down near the bottom. The bites are gentle, but the bream that eat them are not, so hang on.

If January continues to be hot and dry as predicted don’t be surprised if you also find some kingfish in this part of the bay, especially in and around the moored boats.

So, that is what we have to look forward to this January, plenty of fishing options! So, let’s hope that you get out on the water and get that brand that new fishing gear well and truly worked over by some fish.

Snap up some great opportunities MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Julian Frank

A happy new year to all our readers, I hope everyone’s festive season has been fantastic and the fishing even better. January is looking positive with a stack of different fishing options on hand, despite the amount of watercraft out and about.

MOUNT MARTHA TO ROSEBUD Mt Martha is really kicking off with plenty of snapper out and about and on the chew, making it easy for many anglers wanting to target these great fish.

every night. There have been reports of decent flathead being pulled out regularly in the mornings and evenings and during the night large schools of mackerel can be easily taken, and these make for fantastic baits for gummy and snapper.

The Rye Channel is fishing well for gummy sharks, and across the other side fishing the top end of the Pinnace Channel for whiting and squid.

SORRENTO AND PORTSEA Sorrento has had a fair run of different species, and you can expect to catch squid, silver trevally, whiting and even the odd gummy shark at

the moment.

The areas around the Sisters are fishing well for whiting, with some pan-sized pinkies also being taken amongst these fish, certainly a welcome by-catch.

Squid can be a little quiet at times due to increased boating activity, so fish before and after the busier periods.

Back towards Blairgowrie, the moorings

anglers chasing the bigger models there has certainly been no questions about it, there are some big fish about.

OFFSHORE If you’re out fishing the reefs, expect to find snapper and kingfish as your main species. Gummy fishing has been good out the back of Sorrento with a few bigger 15-20kg specimens caught and released by a few

Zach with a quality squid from the Rye area.

Ben Broomfield with a couple of ripper snapper.

Mount Martha to Rosebud and offshore are where you can expect to find these beauties.

Theo with one of many cracker fish he’s been landing.

Snapper are around in huge numbers at the moment.

A little further towards Mornington is also a hotspot at the moment, accounting for many good fish still being landed during the morning.

Best baits are silver whiting and fresh squid.

The Rosebud Pier is extremely busy this time of year, with many anglers chasing squid and tommy ruff in the evenings along with a few garfish.

Out the front in 6-8m of water the whiting bite has been quite good. There are plenty of fish around the wreck with sizeable fish amongst the schools.

Juvenile snapper have been thick at times, so for anyone wanting to bottom bash for flathead, be prepared to work through the pickers. There are some bigger 2-3kg fish around the wreck, as well as smaller gummy sharks, too.

RYE Rye jetty is packed this time of year, so don’t be surprised if you sometimes can’t find a spot. However, the fishing is worth it with plenty of squid being caught

local anglers.

Plenty of tiger flathead at the 20-30m lines. There has also been the occasional

mako, which has chased fish up to the boat. It is worth having a heavier game setup, just in case.

are good areas to look for squid and whiting. It is also worthwhile trolling deep divers for a nice feed of flathead.

PORT PHILLIP HEADS Kingfish season is here and there are stacks of boats in the heads and offshore getting stuck into these hoodlums. There are plenty of rat kings about. For the

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A great haul from the yak. These catches are quite common at the moment.

JANUARY 2019

27

Some royal catches about PPB OFFSHORE

Gerry Morsman

The hardest thing about the offshore fishing this far into the season is deciding what you are going to target, and for a fisho that’s a pretty good problem to have. I think a lot of people forget just how good of a fishery we have down here and they don’t realise just how good it is once you start to venture offshore.

I totally understand that some people might be a little

hesitant to get out there, but once you do it a few times you will always be looking for that next window to plan your next trip. There’s just something about the big open waters that I absolutely love.

The fishing is next level, but you really can’t go past the wildlife you see out there that you just don’t generally see in the bays, such as huge groups of seals, dolphins and even whales, which is quite an extraordinary sight to see.

On a super calm glass out day there isn’t much that makes me feel better than

Darren with a pretty common size gummy shark from one of the closer reefs.

hearing that soft splash off the hull of your boat and you find there is a pod of around 20 dolphins cruising and playing beside you while you head off to your next fishing destination.

These kind of things, even if you aren’t into your fishing, are a must see.

There’s a fish out there at the moment that everyone keeps talking about and for a couple of very good reasons, they taste great and they pull hard! That’s right, kingfish are here!

‘The Rip’ is one area that everybody just loves to target them. This area can be found at the entrance into Port Phillip Bay, which as we all know is quite a large bay. The entrance, however, is quite narrow compared to the size of the bay, so you could imagine when the tide is running either in or out just hard it can flow through there.

The Rip is named as the second most dangerous piece of water in the southern hemisphere, so this no place for losing concentration or for kicking back and relaxing.

When fishing this piece of water, it’s not just the tidal flow you will need to be looking out for, as there will be ships passing through up to every hour on some days and let me tell you, these ships aren’t

small. While you are getting out of the way of ships you will also have to dodge around 200 boats on some days, which is pretty crazy, but it’s not all bad because, this is where you can find incredible numbers of kingfish.

Most anglers like to target them on the slack tide using knife jigs, which is hard work but very rewarding. Using a 10,000 size reel is the most common as kings aren’t usually more than 10kg, but this isn’t to say you won’t hook a 20kg+ fish, as this happens quite a lot each year amongst all the boats. These big fish are nearly impossible to land once they get moving with the tide, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.

An effective way to target them is to head offshore. Some of the more popular places are Pyramid Rock, Seal Rock and Cape Schanck. With every school swimming around, each one could be feeding completely different to the next, so always head out giving yourself a few options to target these fish. These fish fight hard and the harder you pull the harder they pull back, so never lock your drag up, as more often than not this will result in losing more fish than you land.

Let the fish take line and lead it away from the structure.

Gawaine Blake did the damage on this ripper local king trolling squid strips.

As always, the gummy shark fishery has been awesome. When you go out to target a piece of flake, you know you are in for a good chance when heading offshore.

There is a heap of different ways to target them, but there are two types that have proven to be the most consistent by all reports. One is to find reefy ground in water depths of around 30-45m and anchor up on it. When you are anchored up, make sure to let out plenty of rope so that you don’t pull anchor due to the swell lifting your boat up and down.

Once you are confident you have held it, it’s go time.

I say this because it’s not like your usual gummy shark fishing in the bays, where you chuck a bit of bait on your hook and then you just sit there and wait. There is constant

action, because as soon as you get there the first thing you want to do is target your bait.

All I take with me is a bag of pilchards and use this as berley and bait to catch the big bait such as parrotfish and barbers perch. Most people like to use oily baits like salmon or the typical squid baits, but once you have tried that you will see why it’s not the best option.

All the pickers like parrotfish and barbers perch will destroy it in no time, hence why we use these guys as bait: because they won’t eat themselves and gummy sharks love them.

As soon as you have caught one of these, chunk bait it straight away and get your gummy rod out, and while you are waiting for a bite keep catching fresh baits for the rest of the day. While doing all To page 29

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From page 28

this I’d recommend putting a squid on a paternoster style rig with a sinker and dropping it down so it sits just off the bottom, and let the rocking of the boat do the work. You will be surprised how many big calamari sit down on these reefs in up to 50m of water.

If you want an easy feed and a bit of fun, then head out into about 100m of water and target some good old flathead. They are out there in the millions and are by far one of our best eating fish in the ocean. The method is simple, rig yourself up either a running sinker or paternoster rig with a squid strip as bait, drop it down while you are

For fu

Barbers perch are gummy shark candy! drifting and within seconds you should find yourself with a pretty sizable flathead on the end of your line. You don’t always have to use baits either, as dropping down a paddletail plastic with a fairly heavy jighead is also a very effective way of targeting them.

I can only see the fishing getting better in the

coming months, as the water temperatures are still a fair way off from where they usually would be. Kingfish should become thicker and there should be more reports of mako sharks, which in previous years hasn’t been all that great. So, let’s hope we are in for a bigger and better one this year.

New year with a bang MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Harry Bould

We’ve had some great snapper fishing lately, with heaps of guys coming in with large catches coming from Mornington right through to Carrum.

Most are school fish from 2-5kg, but there have been some bigger models around lately as well. One customer recently caught a specimen that weighed in at 10.3kg.

The best baits are pillies and silver whiting on a running sinker snelled rig, or on Snapper Snatchers for that extra bit of attraction.

When it comes to water depth, 16-18m seems to be where it’s at.

The whiting fishing is starting to heat up as summer progresses. We recently went for a night fish at Middle Spit and picked up some good fish through there. Pipis and fresh squid are both producing the goods.

If you fish out a bit deeper for the whiting

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Everyone’s getting a few squid as well, and we’re also

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FISHING IN JANUARY This month we can definitely expect the kings to show up more consistently. Your best bet is to look more offshore; out towards Port Phillip Heads is very popular, and guys are also heading out the western entrance side towards Cape Shank and Seal Rock. Live squid is always the best bait, and good fish are being caught on jigs as well. Two of the best producers have been Entice Ringers and Hayabusa Jack Eyes.

The snapper might slow down a little bit, but you should still be able to catch a feed – and there are plenty of other options as well.

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The guys landed some fantastic snapper to 5.3kg using fresh squid which they bagged out on prior to the snapper bite. Odori squid jigs in white are working well on overcast days.

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Pinkie snapper are in full force this January WESTERN PORT NTH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

There has been no shortage of snapper from around the Port these past few weeks, which is great for holidaymakers. Western Port’s top end has copped a hiding from anglers with the bout of good weather over the past few weeks.

Snapper are still the most targeted species and

while there have been a lot of good-sized fish being caught, the pinkie clan has also moved in on the reefs.

Pinkies in the 35-50cm range will be a common catch from now on right through and into March. Unfortunately, they make it to the bait before the larger models do, so you might have busy bite sessions when targeting a decent-sized fish.

Calamari is still the top bait, and if you can’t catch any yourself a good

alternative is the USA Californian squid purchased from your local tackle store.

If you’re keen on targeting snapper throughout this month, working the drop-offs around Joes Island, Crawfish Rock and Eagle Rock is where you’ll find them in fair numbers.

These areas also produce some very solid whiting, as the tide backs off drop a whiting paternoster rig over the side.

We should be starting to

David Borninkhof took his daughter out into the Port and had some good success on snapper.

Photo courtesy of David Borninkhof.

When the reds are on, there are plenty to be caught.

Photo courtesy of David Borninkhof.

30

JANUARY 2019

see gummy sharks appear in the top end. Boultins, Bouchiers and the Horseshoe channels are worth a fish.

Big oily baits are the key, especially on the run-out tides. There are also some

extremely big sharks in these areas such as seven-gill, the odd thresher and bronze whaler sharks. However, to land a toothy, you do need to run wire leaders, which when targeting gummy sharks, can

deter them. If you are going to target sharks, rig it right and focus on the particular species you want to catch.

For a little closer to the boat ramps, the whiting have been in abundance around

the usual haunts such as Charring Cross, Gentle Annie and the Tooradin Channel. Berley is a must if you want to really fire them up and there have been many occasions where you can only fish with one rod due to the amount of fish in the area.

If those locations are busy with anglers, Browns Reserve is another productive bank that gets little attention. Running

you’re berleying. Keep in mind, you may be required to fish two different rigs depending on the thickness of the weed bed being fished and depending on how aggressive the whiting are biting. There are many scenarios when whiting fishing that require either a location or rig change in order to be successful. It isn’t until you pull up at the first area that you’ll soon work out what’s required.

whiting, it pays to flick out a squid jig or suspend a squid jag under a float. With the smell of berley in the water, calamari will swim up into the trail.

In saying that, calamari can be caught over any weed bed within the Port and while it is fun to catch them while whiting fishing, it is more fun specifically targeting them.

Working locations such as the Middle Spit, Tyabb Bank, Quail Bank and

580

SEAHAWK

Justin Blythe has been having a ball on the gummies recently.

Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

between the Tooradin and Cockyanes channels, the bank averages 4m in depth but boasts some amazing whiting fishing. Best fished on the last few hours of the ebb tide.

There is no doubting that the rain last month slowed the fishing up a little with the amount of fresh running into the system, but that has all passed now and the fishing has been exceptional.

Another popular whiting area is around the entrance of the Yaringa Channel. On one side you have Tyabb Bank and the other, the Quail Bank. These shallow weedy banks contain the perfect whiting habitat and it doesn’t take long for them to come on the bite when

Should you find the weed is quite thick from becoming snagged you might want to use a twin dropper paternoster rig containing circle hooks.

Then if you find the whiting are quite tentative in their feeding patterns, you’ll need to change to an extended paternoster rig with a long shank hook to be able to strike. The downside to this rig is that in thick weed it can easily become snagged requiring you to move to find a sandier location to fish.

Whiting fishing can be frustrating having to adapt to their ways but once you figure it out, the fishing can be insane.

In these areas, the calamari fishing is also exceptional. While targeting

around Tankerton is where you’ll find calamari in good numbers. Be sure to work the right size jigs for the depth you’re fishing. In most of the aforementioned locations, you’ll be drifting over shallow weed beds where a 2.5 or 3.0 sized jig is ideal.

Should the tide slacken, and you find yourself in 5m+, then you might be required to switch to a 3.5 size.

Northern Western Port is extremely productive this month and while the southern parts of the Port are plagued with holidaymakers and heavy boat traffic, this potentially shuts the fish bite down. Fishing in the North, the boat traffic isn’t as busy, thus the fishing is quite productive still.

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Darren Hamilton-Moore had a blast catching this solid gummy shark from the sand.

These fish will be a popular catch for land-based anglers in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of Darren Hamilton-Moore.

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Seeing red this summer WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

There really is nothing more relaxing than spending a few weeks kicking back without the stress from work and with your only dilemma being whether you’re going to sacrifice that sleep in to get up and fish while on holidays.

these past few weeks and along with the snapper, some fair gummies as well.

Local angler Chris Gray recently headed to the Rhyll area in search of snapper and while catching a few nice ones, also managed a quality thresher shark.

In recent weeks, these areas have seen a stack of pinkies move in, but they are still a lot of fun to catch.

Most of the fishing this month within the Port will

you don’t have to move. It is a good idea just to wait until the boat turns and the tide kicks into gear. With the berley still deployed, it doesn’t take long for the whiting to move back into the berley trail.

Despite the whiting being widespread, some of the largest whiting caught at this time of year in the Port is at Balnarring, Somers, Flinders and Cat Bay. Cat Bay in particular

Anglers have been doing quite well on snapper this season.

David Jarman has been smashing reds, with some exceptional models being landed.

Photo courtesy of David Jarman.

Southern Western Port is awash with holidaymakers and with the increased boat traffic, you might have to sacrifice one sleep in to get the early bite.

The Corinella area has begun to slow a little on the snapper front, but there is a plethora of fish being caught at the Corals, Silverleaves, Observation Point and Rhyll.

I’d expect these fish to hang around these areas until nearing the end of the month.

David Jarman from T-Cat Charters has been dominating the snapper in the Rhyll area

involve of flathead, whiting and calamari, which are in plaque proportions. Whiting are sure to be the top targeted species and can be found in the shallows of the Tortoise Head Bank, Coronet Bay, Dickies Bay, Cleeland Bight, Ventnor, Cat Bay, Flinders, Balnarring and Somers.

Like all whiting fishing, berley is the key to keeping them on the bite, but keep in mind that as the tide strength backs off, so will the frequency of the bite.

When the tide does go slack, and the bite is off,

requires anglers to do a bit of research to locate them and as a good rule of thumb, work in 8m of water. It can be a little reefy and of course, you will have to deal with a few wrasse, but when the whiting are on, they are big.

Flinders is quite similar, but you’ll tend to find them in numbers around the mussel farm and out in the 10m depth range amongst the sand holes.

Both locations also boast some amazing calamari fishing, and big ones too.

Though the breeders

have gone, the size of the calamari is still exceptional compared to those in the rest of the Port. Of course, when targeting calamari, drifting is the preferred methods off the seaweed beds.

On the other side of Phillip Island, the Eastern Entrance is a great location for an afternoon of fishing.

Drifting down the entrance along the edge you can catch calamari or, if you set anchor, some monster whiting.

If the weather is playing the game, this entrance allows anglers to head offshore in search of mako sharks, which will become more prevalent this month and well into March. I am sure over the coming weeks we will begin to get some solid reports of makos being caught. If you are keen on heading offshore for a dabble, then it is hard not to take a drift in 20-40m of water and drop a few paternoster rigs to the bottom. The tiger flathead will be in full force and it can be a real fun day out catching them. In saying that, if you head down to Kilcunda, drifting in 20m of

water, tiger flathead and sand flathead are in abundance.

Land-based fishing also ramps up with the holidays and if you’re staying on Phillip Island, there are plenty of options for you.

Fishing from the beaches such as Cape Woolamai,

Snapper have been in quite good numbers around the Rhyll area of late.

Photo courtesy of David Jarman

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Smiths Beach, Berry Beach and the others inbetween will be popular for Australian salmon. At Cat Bay during the night you have the potential for a big gummy or seven-gill shark if you fish a big bait.

Further towards Cowes,

When fishing around Rhyll, head to the corals where the snapper are plentiful.

Photo courtesy of David Jarman

Ventnor Beach is a top area for whiting day and night and the Cowes Pier itself produces flathead, gummy sharks, whiting, snapper amongst a myriad of other species.

Something a little left field if you’re into walking and flicking lures, the sand flats from Cowes Pier to Observation Point are prime big flathead habitat. However, you do need to hit the flats at the right time and that is with around two hours before the top of the high tide and an hour thereafter. Soft plastics and in particular a shad style are best. Simply cast as far as you can and work the lure back in before repeating the process and working your way along the beach.

While Western Port does become inundated this month, there is still plenty of fishing to do and plenty of places you can escape the crowds to find quality fish.

A time of change in the Port PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Another new year has started, and this is generally considered the middle of the season and we’re about to experience a changeover of species and locations to fish. We also see a change in fishing methods, with the lure bag brought out of the cupboard and the lighter rods for the soft plastics.

January is always a bit of a breather after the Christmas rush of getting the house ready for the Christmas relatives and for the tradies doing the impossible to get work finished. It is a relief to all that we actually have some time to spend out fishing.

4m of water at first light; the strange thing was we were also getting reports at the same time from the deep.

Now, into January head anywhere for The Corals in 6-8m of water and you shouldn’t have too many problems. As a general rule swap to a paternoster rig with 3/0-4/0 hooks for your pinkies, but don’t be afraid to try the deeper water every now and again, or even if in the shallows have a running sinker rig with a decent hook size and larger piece of bait.

Every year a percentage of the snapper school stays behind and become residents and you have a chance of a 6kg fish anytime of the year.

There is also the chance of a decent gummy.

Quality snapper will still be caught through the summer.

Patience is needed anywhere near a boat ramp, and unfortunately it doesn’t matter what time you go, they’re always busy. The mornings are busy with those on holidays, but the afternoon and evenings are equally as busy with those still working sneaking out for a quick fish in the evening. It’s a great time to grab the family, something to eat and drink, fishing gear, don’t forget the sunscreen and a hat and head out into the fresh air. If you have a boat, head out for an evening fish or cruise around the bay and if you don’t own a boat, just find a quiet spot on the beach somewhere.

With snapper season over, it’s now pinkie time, which I think are the best of the eating snapper anyway, and there are plenty around to keep the kids busy. Some of our snapper customers had more donuts than success this season, but overall from the reports I would have to say it was the best snapper season for some time. We saw four snapper over 10kg and plenty around the 6kg+ range. This proves that you need to look around and not just stick to the old faithful spots.

The normal pattern for snapper in our part of the bay is early season deep off Corinella or Rhyll early, then as the season goes on start fishing deep in the mornings and shallow in the evenings.

This season we lost count of the amount of reports from

One of the best catches of the season so far was caught around 7am one morning in the shallows, 4m end of The Corals, Coronet Bay side, when a reel started screaming and line peeling off. Because of where they were in the muddy area, after about 20 minutes it was called as a ray, so the decision was keep fighting or just cut it off and continue looking for what they came for, snapper. They kept fighting. It would be fair to say there was probably a fair bit of panic when they did get a look at what turned out

to be a 1.6m, 37kg Western Port mulloway. For so many people that’s the appeal of Western Port Bay, you just don’t know what will show up and as I keep saying to all my customers, always expect the unexpected.

Calamari reports have been good this season, although it started off slowly despite the good weather that we started the season off with.

Calamari sizes have been better this year, with several of the big Flinders’ calamari showing up in Cleeland Bight and the best over 4kg. If you are going to be chasing calamari through January, the best advice I can give is no matter where you are fishing, go early. Traditionally the best of the calamari reports come from very early morning and the odd evening, but during the day is tough, which can be the case anytime of the year. We always find when the crowds come the calamari disappear.

Cleeland Bight just on daybreak will be one of the best areas and the quieter parts of the bay around Reef Island into the evening. If you are stuck fishing from the land then it will depend on the day, if it’s been a good day for swimming then I would give the evening a miss and get out of bed early the next morning after things quieten down.

The water should remain relatively clean now and the better quality of the artificial jigs will account for majority of the catches.

The most asked question we get regarding jigs for calamari is which colour is the best? And when you think you have worked it out, I can guarantee the next time it will change. The only colour that seems to be a constant through the year is white, but even that won’t catch you one at times, so build up a variety of colours and sizes.

Attention will now turn

to offshore with one of the main focuses being makos for some and flathead for most.

There are plenty of species that you will find offshore this time of year, like makos, flathead, gummies, snapper, ‘couta, salmon, kingfish, mackerel, silver whiting, King George whiting, sweep, arrow squid, gurnard, morwong and that’s just some of them.

Although there are plenty of boats that fish offshore, there is so much of offshore that isn’t fished. While chasing makos isn’t as important as chasing everything else, it pays to put time into learning how to read your sounder, especially being able to read the bottom to identify sand, weed and rocks. Once you spend time reading your sounder you will be surprised how many different areas offshore are worth checking out. Most drive to an area and just drift around all day, which is fine if you are chasing makos, but if you want other fish you need to be prepared to work an area.

Sound it up and set your trace on your GPS so you drift the same area. Once you move off the bottom you want to fish, go back to the start of it again and keep drifting over it. There are also times when you will

Just because you are targeting one species doesn’t mean something else won’t come along. need to anchor, generally on the close in reefs, but pick your days and have plenty of rope out for the odd larger swell that comes through.

Any offshore fishing can

take a bit of practice and experience, so the best thing you can do is call into the local tackle shop where you want to fish and ask for advice.

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JANUARY 2019

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Victorian fishers MAKE YOUR DREA motorMAKE into golden YOURera DREA

A REALITY A REALITY

Most fishers are probably more concerned with going fishing than politics, but you can’t escape the reality that the two collide. When state and federal elections come around, they are an opportune time for the recreational fishing sector, through peak bodies like VRFish, to ask for reforms and investment that will take the sector forward in leaps and an bounds.

The Daniel Andrews led Victorian Labor Party was re-elected for a second term in resounding fashion. So, what does this mean for Victorian fishers? As I discuss below, it’s all good news and we are pleased to report that many of the priorities we have advocated for on behalf of all of Victorian fishers have been agreed to in full.

We have entered a golden era for fishing, as this state government seems to ‘get’ recreational fishing. Not only do they want to grow participation and provide better fishing opportunities, but have also committed to tackle big issues we have asked for, like boating infrastructure and access. These issues have given us fishos splitting headaches for many, many years. They’re also serious about getting on with the job with the appointment of Jaala Pulford, who has been overseeing the successful delivery of the Target One Million policy since 2014, as Victoria’s first Minister for Fishing and Boating.

Victorians will be seeing fish stocking on a scale that has never been seen before. A commitment of 10 million fish will be stocked per annum as of 2022, eclipsing the record 6 million fish stocked in 2017/18.

A new $7 million new purposebuilt native fish hatchery will be built in Shepparton to meet the demand and put an end to our reliance of sourcing fish from commercial fish hatcheries in NSW. Victoria’s only publicly owned fish hatchery is now 71 years old and was established to culture cool water salmonids and is struggling to keep up with demand Our boating infrastructure has fallen into a state of disrepair through poor governance and funding. The situation has come to a head particularly around Port Phillip Bay and Westernport, with our fishers forced to launch their boats from sub-standard facilities and put up with long frustrating queues. A strong grassroots ‘Ramp Rage’ campaign demonstrated that only around $3 million annually was being reinvested into boat ramp infrastructure, yet $27 million was collected from recreational boaters via our licenses and registration. This government

has committed to allocating the full amount collected to improving facilities and safety through a Better Boating Fund.

Over 40 different organisations were supposedly tasked with providing recreational fishers with essential pieces of community infrastructure. The government will finally establish a dedicated boating authority and put an end to this chaotic disorganisation. Launching fees will be also abolished.

In some areas, fishers are being slugged over $300 for an annual boat-launching pass.

There is also a commitment for a ‘blitz’ of new fish cleaning stations across Port Phillip Bay. Our once great Gippsland Lakes Fishery has drastically declined and flat lined since the halcyon days of 1970s and 1980s. Regrettably, the environmental conditions no longer provide the fish for both a quality recreational fishery and a viable commercial fishery. This government has responded to a united call by recreational fishers to end commercial netting in the Gippsland Lakes through a compulsory buy-out of the last remaining 10 licences. This will again make Gippsland Lakes a fishing destination and will boost local tourism and jobs. A larger stewardship role for our fishers is also well accepted, with our fishers keen to discuss the review of recreational catch limits and kick start long-term fish habitat improvement programs.

There are still areas we can’t access. The convoluted access arrangements for Crown Land along river frontages with grazing licences will be resolved through new legislation that will guarantee access to fishing and camping.

This has the potential to

revolutionise inland fishing and signifies that our rivers and streams are a community asset that all should have access to.

We have many reservoirs that are stocked, yet we are not permitted to put a vessel in them. This government has committed to guarantee access for canoes and kayaks and small craft with electric motors to more waters, including Tullaroop, Lauriston, Hepburn, Barkers Creek, Upper Coliban and Malmsbury reservoirs.

Other initiatives will see the development of a Fishing for All Program to promote fishing among groups with low participation, a continuation of the VicKids program, specially designed recreational fishing number plates for our cars and trailers and a Recreational Fishing Tourism Plan to optimise the economic and social benefits of improved fishing opportunities. We are extremely pleased to see $2.5 million will be invested into improving fish habitat in Port Phillip Bay including support projects like the expansion of living shellfish reefs, which has been led by members from the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club.

This second term of Andrew’s Labor Government promises to take fishing and boating to new heights. As the peak body for recreational fishing, VRFish is excited this state government has embraced the economic and social values recreational fishing brings all Victorians.

We look forward to working with them in the delivery and implementation of these initiatives, as they will make a positive impact to fishing for all Victorians. -Michael Burgess, Executive Officer, Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body.

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Shallow success this summer LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

With the summer holidays here, Lakes Entrance has become extremely busy, with queues at the boat ramps, fast food places venders, and everything in between. Summer holidays are truly invaluable for tourist towns such as Lakes Entrance, and unfortunately the local fishery has become tougher with the majority of anglers venturing further up the coast in search of quality fishing, therefore reducing the business in the Gippsland Lakes.

The surf and offshore fishery so far has been the most productive, with anglers having consistent results fishing for gummy shark off the back of the surf drop-off or scattered rubble beds located further offshore.

The beaches have been the most talked about lately, with areas such as Pettmans, Gibbs and Golden beaches all having had their share of quality gummy sharks. When it comes to consistency, fresh salmon fillets or squid have been the pick for baits. These offerings can either be rigged up on a paternoster with a set of snelled 4/0 to 6/0 size octopus or circles hooks. I prefer the snelled hook as it

Small jerkbaits have been highly productive, especially when worked near fallen trees.

has good hook exposure to help get a solid hook up.

Small patches of yellowfin have still been on the move, and these highly-migratory fish have been hard to pin. Areas such as Barrier Landing and Cunningham Arm are two of the most common places that anglers come across schools of yellowfin bream.

The combination of boat hauls, wharfs and rock walls provide heaps of cover for these fish and ample food sources. I’ve found these yellowfin bream so hard to locate that I believe that these large schools of fish act more predatory and chase bait schools, consistently moving and not staying in the same areas for more than a few days.

The Lake Tyers system has begun to fire up. The shallow muddy bays and lay down snags scattered throughout the system have all started to produce, with areas such as Blackfellows Arm and Nowa Nowa Arm have been hotspots recently with mix of shallow flats with consistent snag and other cover making for a perfect hunting ground for bream and flathead.

With a lack of freshwater

throughout the year anglers have found fish pushing up further and further upstream into hard to reach areas.

The shallow mud flats have been full of life especially early or late in the day. Bream have been frequently seen breaking the surface as they push up in the ultra-skinny water in the search of food sources.

These hunting fish are easily spooked due to the shallow water, but a combination of low light and long casts with small surface lures will get some attention, especially on your first cast when fish are unaware of you.

Small topwater lures such as Bassday Sugapens in the 58mm size have been deadly due to their small size and brilliant casting distance.

Non-weighted soft plastics worked along the surface are highly productive – the non-weighted plastic allows you to work the lure along the top to attract attention then by stopping your retrieve the lure will slowly slide under the surface and get smashed.

With summer here flathead are on the move. with anglers finding consistent fishing throughout the higher

A solid Lake Tyers bream taken off a mud flat in the top of the Nowa Nowa Arm. margins of the Nowa Nowa Arm and Blackfellows Arm. Minnows in the 3-4” size or paddle-tail style soft plastics are the most productive with natural colours matching the mullet and garfish working best. These plastic can be matched to a combination of jighead weights depending

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A real fishy challenge for the New Year GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

I’m looking forward to this year and the many challenges coming for those of us chasing fish in the Gippy Lakes. All anglers share staunch optimism and surely good fishing is just around the corner! The last few months have certainly been frustrating and it confirms what most anglers now agree on.

Late spring and early summer can be seriously tough times for those of us chasing bream, perch, mullet and flathead. So first up, I’ll update you on some recent success and then more importantly share some tips for the holiday weeks ahead.

BREAM It’s nice to see the black bream are coming back on the chew and it has been so frustrating to see big schools of fish with permanent lockjaw.

The good news, however, is that some bigger bream are starting to feed, especially on the edges of the lower Tambo.

Peter Nord and Tony Pettie landed some terrific bream, all around the 1kg mark using soft plastic Sub Grubs in spawn worm colour. ‘Nordy’ also released a pile of bream in the upper reaches of the Tambo and said he had to cast soft plastics just centimetres from the edge to get a bite. Owen Pierce pulled some ripper bream to 43cm in the same area also on soft plastics. This river edge bite should continue for another month or two yet, and we need to start looking out in the lakes over the shallow sand banks.

Mitchell Flats will continue to produce bream around 40cm and as usual that area is always at its best during 20-30km/h winds. Always remember, the bigger the chop, or even rolling waves on the water, the better. Therefore those dreaded easterly winds that run nearly all summer can actually be your friend.

They always get up around lunchtime and we even look forward to them because quite often the bream will shut down during calm conditions.

Other bream haunts to

Another Tambo bream finds the net. Owen Pierce tricked this fish with a soft plastic lure. visit over the next month include the lake around the mouth of the Nicholson River, Point Turner and Wattle Point. On another recent trip Owen was joined by his mate Max and other comp anglers, Stevie Wheeler and Declan Betts.

They explored heaps of

water in preparation for the last bream comp. Although they all netted a few bream each day, they also said the fish were super cranky. The important news for the month ahead is that they sight fished a lot of big bream and so those same fish will surely start biting now. Did I mention something about staunch optimism?

METUNG As usual for this time of year, I always mention Metung as a summer hotspot for the holidays.

In fact, this area gets better with every passing year.

The last three years have seen a regular appearance of big kingfish and even gummy sharks to 4ft long.

You can base yourself at Metung and head east to Lakes Entrance or in the other direction towards the Tambo, Mitchell or Nicho river mouths. Better still, search the area right

in Metung itself, including the long boardwalk or the shallow sand flats opposite.

I spent two days there recently with a mate in our kayaks fishing the jetties below the holiday units overlooking the water.

We spent a few hours or so each day flicking soft plastics and blades around the pylons and we lifted in a few salmon, heaps of trevally, a couple of nice flathead and plenty of small bream. I will return again shortly and explore the deeper waters for a few pinkie snapper, whiting or luderick and then stalk the shallows for big dusky flathead. Last year at this time the pinkies were a lot bigger and there were scores of good fish between 35-50cm.

The best thing about Metung is you can always find a spot to get out of the wind without having to travel far. Another species

sometimes overlooked here, especially for bait fishing, is mullet, and you can find any number of them in shallow water using sandworm.

Be sure to support the locals here and spend up a little more than usual.

A fire ripped through the local bakery, restaurant, fish and chip shop and real estate business. The small but tight community will benefit from you spending time there as they rebuild their broken village.

HOLLANDS AND LAKE WELLINGTON The Straits down at Hollands Landing is slowly coming good and will improve with every week ahead. This area should always be on your radar at this time of year and history tells me it can go from months of being quiet and then turn into a real hotspot over night. As always, it pays to simply soak baits off the main wharf because land-based anglers score some real trophies there at this time of year.

I have to also tell you about Lake Wellington, because I’ve already caught a few nice bream to 38cm and that’s very early for this time of year. Usually around March right through to July is prime time for the western reaches of the Gippy Lakes and this early start to the season could mean a ripper few months ahead.

I keep banging on about Lake Wellington and still hardly anyone explores its vast expanse. One day I’ll just give up praising this untapped fishery and keep the place all to myself! The lake is enormous and full of fish including black and yellowfin bream, flathead, luderick, huge carp, lots of brown trout to 1kg, the odd salmon or tailor and plenty of eels.

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JANUARY 2019

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39

New year, new fresh, new fish BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

We have recently had some much-welcomed 100mL of rain. The entire area has had a major freshen up. The waterways are in excellent condition with the lake level rising.

The channel has been producing flathead and luderick, with preferred bait being frozen prawn and sandworm. The summer holidays are a great time for young enthusiastic anglers to get out into the warmer waters and hook some

The channels are holding some excellent luderick.

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quality fish. This time of year is ideal for catching flathead, as it appears it is their most active period. Flatties love to chase lures as well as bait.

During the past month, we have seen a huge influx of big luderick, tailor, bream and flathead coming in good quantities.

All areas of the system are producing fish. Anglers who have been getting out on the water early and back

MARLO

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

before the wind picks up have been rewarded with good catches. Also late afternoons have been good once the wind subsides. This year has been particularly windy. The river continues to produce good bream and the odd estuary perch. The surf, when weather permits, has been producing great salmon, the odd tailor, bream and sand flatties.

As the nights have warmed up the shark fishing has now started to take off with some big hook ups reported.

After a season of exceptional rainfall, we look forward to seeing another cracker fishing season right

The rivers are producing good numbers of bream at the moment.

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There has been a huge influx of luderick this season.

Mixed bag in Marlo MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

www.marlocamping.com.au

DEEP 7 3 FAT a Sonic Mould Ultr

This summer has started off strong with a variety of fish being caught in this area. No matter your flavour, you can find it here in Marlo this January.

In last month’s edition I mentioned a big bream that was caught by a local.

I have discovered more information and the lucky lady was Carly Martin, who caught the 50cm bream using sandworm fishing out of a boat near Bream Point, a well known fishing spot that juts out neat Lake Coringle.

On another notable catch and release outing, local angler Darren Newlyn and his two boys were fishing out of canoes on a family fishing expedition

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FISH LOVE TO

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JANUARY 2019

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through until winter. Please be aware of regulation fish sizes and quantities.

Over our summer period please be vigilant about fire safety procedures. Our local CFA station has a 24-hour screen advising of updates.

• 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.

Bronze whaler sharks are a staple in this area.

Catching them is great sport for all anglers.

well up into the fresh water and had an amazing afternoon catching bass.

The trio caught and released 17 bass, with the biggest measuring 56cm and caught by their dad.

The good news is that bream are still on the chew. There have been lots of reports of anglers getting their bag of good size bream measuring up to 50cm, with best results coming when using sandworm, frozen prawn, black crab, pipis and local shell bait.

For the anglers that like to target luderick, big schools have entered the estuary and can be found on the rock groins that surround the islands and riverbanks, and the best results are coming from using sandworm or small pieces of prawn.

Anglers have also reported many captures of estuary perch; although most are undersize it is a good sign for the future as at least we know the numbers are there. Mullet are also scattered throughout the whole estuary system with most being caught on sandworm. Salmon and tailor are also being caught down towards the To page 41

Jigging for snapper CORNER INLET

Will Thompson

CREATE YOUR ADVENTURES

allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Summer is in full swing and one of Victoria’s favourite sportfish, the snapper, are on the chew big time.

The water temperature at Port Welshpool has warmed up to a perfect 18°C, which has bought the snapper on the chew and their numbers are high this year. Great numbers are being found throughout the whole inlet, from the entrance and all the way into the channels, such as the Franklin Channel.

There are all sizes available this time of year.

The inlet is loaded with pinky snapper, now to 40cm, and there have been some absolute monsters over 10kg caught recently, with the average snapper being 4-7kg.

The latest craze has been to use micro jigs or slow pitch jigs. These things have been working an absolute treat and are very versatile, as you can use them drifting or at anchor.

They seem to be catching fish when the bite on bait has slowed down, or during those non-peak bite times.

Stu Tennant with a cracking 80cm snapper caught on a micro jig.

The weights we have been using are 40-100g, depending on the depth you are fishing and the intensity of the current.

They are absolutely awesome for getting a feed of pinkies, but have been producing some massive snapper to nearly 8kg as well.

They are also very good at getting a bit of by-catch and you will catch plenty of big flathead on them and believe it or not, I have seen two gummy sharks caught on the jigs now, which I honestly didn’t think would happen.

It’s another killer technique to add to the collection.

A whopping 66cm snapper caught on a Storm Koika Jig at Port Welshpool.

From page 40

entrance on the incoming tide, best results have come from either trolling or casting lures.

The surf beaches are still firing, with plenty of salmon, tailor, flathead and gummy shark. Yet again the big bronze whaler sharks have arrived in big numbers and are being caught all the way along our coastline, and yet again the local young anglers are having plenty of fun capturing and releasing them for sport.

They are catching them by paddling big baits well out from the surf beach and anchoring the baits to a mores boy using a breakaway, then they return to the beach and wait with gamefishing gear for them to take the bait and then the battle begins.

They often manage to get the sharks onto the

beach where they quickly de-hook them and turn them back into the ocean to fight another day.

Fishing offshore from Cape Conran is very good, with lots of flathead,

I constantly get asked, when are the kingies showing up? Well, guess what, they are here. They showed up a couple of weeks ago, so they should now be in full swing. So far I have seen kings to about 80cm caught and it won’t be long until we see those monsters that we had last year.

For you bread and butter guys, whiting have shown up in big numbers finally. I don’t know if you remember, but last year was the worst whiting season in ages. However, this year is already producing heaps of whiting on pipis and there are some good fish amongst them, with some up to 40cm in amongst a lot of small ones still.

So basically, Corner Inlet is on fire on the fishing front, there’s every species you can imagine there at the moment, from whiting to big sharks and everything in between. We can look forward to this for the next 4-5 months, as it’s only just the beginning!

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544.

You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. gurnard, barracouta, pinkie snapper and gummy shark.

With the water temperature on the rise it won’t be long before the kingfish arrive to give the local anglers plenty of action.

438 STRYKER For more information visit

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Darren Newlyn’s son enjoying a day out on the canoes with his latest catch.

JANUARY 2019

41

Big splashes in the shallows during summer MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson

Finally, Merimbula and its surrounds have received some much-needed rainfall.

It’s definitely not enough, but at least it’s a start. The wettish weather has kept most anglers indoors over

yellowfin being caught, most of these fish were north of us off Tathra and Bermagui, but if the currents are right they will certainly push further south. The size of the tuna were smaller, with 25-30kg the norm, not like a few weeks back when 70kg fish were caught and bigger fish up to 85kg lost.

Closer to shore the kingfish action seems to be better if you’re on land rather than in a boat. They are getting a few 8-10kg further south of Eden, but there is certainly no consistency to them. The fish that have been caught are in patches and only chewing for very short periods of time, the key is to be there when they decide to have a go. This can be frustrating as well as time consuming waiting for the bite period, but if you concentrate around the tide changes that may just help a bit.

For those after a feed on the bottom then flathead are the go. They’re loaded at present with the 34-38m line straight off Bournda Island

Whiting + summer + topwater = fun! Especially with these little speedsters in great numbers on the flats.

There have been some big tailor in the shallows, but you have to be lucky to get them with their razor sharp teeth. They are a stack of fun if you stay connected. the last few days, but the upcoming weeks look dry with little wind, so ideal for fishing, especially for those going offshore.

With this I expect to see more anglers venturing wide to target yellowfin tuna and sharks. Before the blow there were still a few reports of

There have been sightings of three marlin in the last few days, which is very promising.

These fish all came up in a lure spread, but didn’t go on with it. Even though there were no hook ups, all looks great for the coming weeks and with the weather looking good, expect some great captures.

A quick ‘thanks mate’ before release! Bream are common on the draining tide.

being an excellent place to start. Off Long Point snapper are patchy, but if you get out early you will get a few.

Concentrate on the gravel areas on the edge of the hard rocky bottom.

The main wharf in Merimbula Bay has been an exciting place to fish the last few weeks. Kingfish is the word, with numerous fish being hooked and only a few being landed. This is due to the size of the fish – the average size is 7-8kg, though many bigger greenbacks

upwards of 18-20kg have won their freedom. These brutes are almost impossible to stop, you need to have a lot of luck on your side, the proper gear and a mate or two to get to the waterline to help you nail the fish. These big kings have mostly been hooked on live yakkas, though a few have followed big poppers and sub-surface walkbaits, but to my knowledge none have been caught on hardware, all on bait. I suspect these fish to hang around for quite some To page 43

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JANUARY 2019

NSW South Coast

Narooma’s monsters are coming out to play NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson

It’s all systems go in the Narooma region with the holiday crowd amongst us, but all looks promising on the fishing front with plenty of action happening across the board.

Offshore boaties are getting excited with the gamefishing season well and truly upon us. The last week or so has seen quite a few billfish sighted and raised in lure spreads, but nothing captured to date.

That will change any day with the water around 21°C and plenty of bait on the 70-fathom line. Trolling a mixture of skirts in the 8-12” range will be the go,

with the chance of a few yellowfin and some decent albacore upwards of 10kg over recent days.

Those fishing wide seem to be seeing more action, with the shelf a minimum to put out the lures. Yes, this can change from day to day, so looking for the tell tale points should see the rod bend. Having a look at the water temp charts everything looks promising for this upcoming month, so good luck when you get out there.

At Montague Island the kings have been pretty good, with some days better than others, but the seals have been a nuisance. Unfortunately, you have to put up with them and hopefully get a few fish into the boat.

Kings are averaging

3-4kg, not big but still fun and tasty in the pan with the southern end of the island in the rip being a good place to start. I’d expect when the current picks up pushing further south that the NW corner and Fowl House Reef will start to produce bigger fish. Closer to shore flatties have been excellent with the 35m line straight off Dalmeny the go. There’s been a mixture of sand and tigers caught, when you locate a patch it won’t take long to get your bag.

Anglers fishing the rock platforms are in for some fun as the pelagic action hits full swing. There’s been some thumping bonito from Mystery Bay to the south of Narooma, with fish to 5kg common. I’d expect to see

Not a monster, but still fun on the right tackle.

Salmon on fly are great fun, as Hendo and Chris recently found out.

From page 42

time as the spear fishers are seeing schools of 15-20 fish at a time with 25-28kg fish in every pack. All we need is for them to feed properly and it will be a Mecca for those who are luck enough to be amongst it.

In the estuaries this latest rain will help a little, but in saying that it’s been pretty darn good anyway. All the local estuaries are firing nicely with Merimbula and Pambula the pick. Pambula especially has been good, with the main basin in 4-5m over the gravel excellent for bream and flathead.

The outer margins of the channels in the shallows have seen plenty of whiting and bream on nippers.

Whiting are just starting to show up, with lure enthusiasts fishing topwater getting amongst them. In the channels, towards the lower sections east of Shark Hole, has been a goldmine for flatties, trevally and bream on the draining tide. Fishing

a mixture of bait and lures will get you results. I expect this to only get better as the water warms further, but remember to fish light in the crystal clear water for best results.

On the beaches it’s business as usual, with bream and especially whiting starting to hit their straps. The main beach at Merimbula has been good with pipi and beachworms the better baits to use.

Try and fish the flooding tide in the late afternoons, as this seems when the fish are biting better. If you’re after salmon they have been a little quiet of late. There have been a few down at Haycock Beach and Tura Main, but you do have to work for them. If you’re after bigger prey there have been a few schools sharks on North Tura after dark on fresh salmon fillets.

Look for the deeper sections and you should have plenty of fun.

some sizeable kings come from this same ledge, with live-baits like yellowtail being ideal. You can catch

all the livies you want from this spot with a rock pool towards the northern end perfect for storing them.

Don’t be afraid to cast big poppers from this same ledge, many a good fish has fallen to this technique from here. If the kings aren’t playing the game salmon will still be plentiful with chromed slices and ganged pilchards bringing the desired results. Those after a feed of drummer may find it a little tougher, but if there’s enough wash you’ll still get a feed. Better baits include cunjevoi and fresh prawns.

On the beaches the pelagic species like salmon and tailor are still about with Narooma Main, 1080 and Tilba beaches to the south being the best. If fishing north of Narooma, Brou and Jamisons beaches are

certainly the go, the latter being quite good over recent weeks. All methods are working, with anglers casting chrome lures having a ball on fish to 2kg. Expect some good whiting and bream to turn up this month too, with live beachworms, pipi and mussels working best.

Fishing the flooding tide in the late afternoon is best.

The summer period usually sees some good mulloway and gummy sharks from the sand; fishing after dark with fresh baits like salmon fillets, squid and bunches of beachworms should all work.

In the estuaries it will be busy with the increased boat traffic, but there’s still plenty of fish to be caught.

The main basin in Wagonga is a hotspot at present, with a few mega flatties being captured. I’ve heard of three

There are still some very big tailor in the main basin deep under the whitebait schools.

fish over the 93cm mark in the past week, with one of them going to 98cm – nearly the magic metre!

All these big girls fell to larger fish style soft plastics fished slow in 7-8m of water around the ribbon weed edges on the southern side of the main basin.

Look for the points that jut out here and concentrate your efforts along the weed edges. You will still get plenty of eatingsized models, but who’s complaining if trophy-sized fish like that are about and playing the game.

In the channels you can expect trevally, yellowfin bream, flathead and some good blackfish on the draining tide using smaller softies fished across the current. It takes a little to get used to, but persist and you will be rewarded.

If you’re bait fishing try anchoring up along the rock wall near the main bridge. There’s a deep hole that runs along for 20m and I know a few locals have done excellent here, with bream and whiting on nippers. Again the draining tide seems best, and berley has been key, but use sparingly.

Further upstream with the water warming nicely I’d expect the bream to be chewing amongst the oyster racks and along the rocky shoreline. Casting a mixture of surface presentations like stickbaits and poppers should bring interest, if not try a deeper running smaller crankbait around 38-40mm. I know there’s been plenty up there, but with the crowds getting up early should pay handsome dividends.

JANUARY 2019

43

Those summer haunts MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Eden on the Far South Coast has had some muchneeded rain over the past month and that rain also made it across the border into Mallacoota. It all helps to liven up the fishing and get the rivers flowing, so fingers crossed for more rain.

The summer weather has livened up the area with plenty of visitors and the busy period should last right through until Easter.

Out wide there have been reports of yellowfin tuna being caught. The fish have been caught to the north of Eden, with the fish around the 30kg mark. These fish are out on the shelf and beyond, as the warm water pushes its way down the

coast the fish will be with it.

The kingfish action has been good with some big fish caught down around Mowarry Point. Once again these fish are making their way south and how long they hang around for is anyone’s guess. Some years they can be in the area for the entire season, others they keep moving only to return as they are making their way north ahead of the cold water. Live bait has been getting the best results. As with all fishing, being there at the right time when the fish decide to eat is important.

Flathead fishing off Eden and Mallacoota has fired up with good catches of tiger flathead coming from out wide and closer to shore in around 35m sand flathead have been on the bite.

Recently 27 pilot whales and one humpback whale were washed ashore on a

beach near Wingan Inlet.

Unfortunately they didn’t make it. The word is there are plenty of bronze whaler sharks in the area and no doubt a few great whites.

The beach fishing has seen salmon being caught along all the local beaches and as the water warms you can expect more variety, with yellowfin bream and sand whiting on the bite. Those fishing into the night chasing gummy shark should be prepared for anything, as you never know what could turn up.

Fishing the lakes and estuaries in the area has been good with the dusky flathead on the go taking a variety of lures. Soft plastic prawn imitations have really been working well.

The fishing for black bream in Mallacoota has been good with fish being caught on the edges in the

This trevally was caught on a blade in Harrisons Channel. top and bottom lakes. A variety of hardbodied lures have worked well with bait fishers doing well using local prawn for bait.

The estuaries in the Eden area have been fishing well

with trevally, yellowfin bream and sand whiting all being caught. As the water warms and the prawns start to move the surface fishing for bream and whiting will only improve.

The fishing for bass in the upper reaches has come alive with the warm water.

More rain is needed to get the rivers moving, allowing the fish to move to their summer haunts.

A variety of ways to catch a variety of fish BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

If you are in the area then Brogo Dam is definitely worth a visit. Due to the stocking efforts of the Far South Coast Bass Stocking Association there are plenty of Australian bass on the chew, although they are on the smaller side at this stage. The recently

stocked estuary perch should also be making an appearance this month.

Offshore gamefish are on the improve while the reef, beaches and rocks are all fishing well. The best news, however, is in the estuaries, where the fish have moved all throughout the systems, providing some fantastic fishing whether you wade, boat, prawn or just sit and admire the pristine estuaries that surround Bermagui.

January is definitely the time

You can expect plenty of billfish at this time of year.

44

JANUARY 2019

to enjoy them. A variety of activities are on offer along this part of the coast.

Of course fishing is number one and at present you can choose how, where and when you wish too, as there are no bad options. The large tides at this time of year allow anglers access to flats fishing.

Whether you wade or boat fish over them a host of species are on offer and the way you target them is just as varied.

Personally, I like to bait fish them using a couple of different tactics. Firstly, find areas where fish have been active. To do this you may need to visit the flats at low ride to read the signs.

Obvious signs include: imprints of flathead in the sand or mud (fish the adjacent deep water at low tide for flathead where they wait to move onto the flats with the rising tide), small cylindrical imprints that are formed by whiting or bream feeding on worms or crustaceans, and also look for ribbon grass being grazed on by blackfish.

If you’re in a boat cruise the flats at high tide using a good pair of polaroids to sight fish, also look for white flashes occurring over weed beds as this will be blackfish feeding on seagrass. Once you have located fish, anchor your boat to work an area over. I like using nippers or worms here with ultra-light mono and long casts are a must. Remember, if you can see them, they can see you in the clear water, that’s why long casts are necessary. Fish will graze over these flats much like a flock of sheep, so once the cast is made just let the bait sit there for the

This 42cm whiting looked huge for young six-year-old Lucas. fish to find.

You can also use berley in conjunction with the above-described method to cover more options. Striped tuna is the best for this, both for bait and berley, but you will need reasonable flow in the tide for it to be successful.

Other methods, including lure fishing, will also work well not only over the flats but throughout the whole of the estuary – it is that good at present. Don’t forget it’s also prawning time and the dark in January Wallaga Lake is the hot spot to do so.

Out on the ocean gamefish are there in numbers with the marlin fishing getting better by the day. Lure fishing is the way to go, so you can cover more water to find where beakies are concentrated. Once found you may wish to revert to bait, however, by staying

on lures you will have a better chance of mixing the catch with some of the nice yellowfin tuna that are still in the area.

January is also notorious for large blue marlin that patrol the canyon areas in search of their pray, and a well-presented lure pattern may prove irresistible.

Smaller game species like albacore, striped tuna and mahimahi are providing some light tackle action, while around Montague Island kingfish are in good numbers.

Reef and bottom fishing out to sea is good just about everywhere. Out from Tilba The Step is producing plenty of sand flathead with the odd tiger and gummy shark being taken. On the edges of the Four, Six and Twelve Mile reefs tiger flathead are prolific with snapper,

mowies and nannygai close to the reefs.

Goalen Head south is the pick of the areas for bottom fishing, you can fish in close or venture out wider, it’s a complex reef system that runs far to sea and is not only good reef fishing but will attract plenty of gamefish too.

Visiting anglers love beach fishing at this time of year and at present they’re fishing pretty dang good. Lots of salmon are being taken on most beaches that have a half decent gutter, while tailor and the odd gummy shark have been caught of a night. Using beachworm for bait is producing some excellent bags of bream, whiting and mullet in the shallower gutters of the beaches, especially on the rising tides.

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Family fishing fun in the sun TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

After a few stops and starts it looks like it’s here for good. Summer. Couldn’t come fast enough and won’t last long enough.

We all love it for different reasons, but for me it’s the increase in fishing time. It’s a time when all species seem to really fire up and be caught in good numbers. This can also have a lot to do with our collective time on the water and how many more people get out and wet a line. It is always a great deal easier to ready the gear and get out and have a crack when the sun is shining. The weather warms up and so too does the action on social media. Facebook and Instagram light up with fabulous pictures of peoples catches – holding prized fish with big smiles.

Daylight savings is a huge bonus as well, with more daylight hours to play with. The weekend feels longer in summer and bed times get later. Weeknights also become viable, as a fish after work is always on the

cards. So, it is no secret that I love summer. There has been a heap of great fish caught so far and we are only just starting to fire up.

Some of the species that have a bit of a cult following are snapper and yellowtail kingfish and they are here early and in good numbers.

I love chasing both these species as they fight very well for their size and are great eating.

TAKING KIDS FISHING We all love our kids, but taking them out on the water and trying to fish can be a huge frustration. In the colder climes it is a real pain; they will get wet and miserable and then your fun trip is pretty much over.

The whinges come out, and it makes whatever you are trying to do a misery.

The key here is to start out slow and simple and target a simple species first.

Then you can keep taking little steps and including the kids along the way.

Otherwise there is the chance they will hate fishing.

What you are trying to do is instil in them the love of the activity, the outdoors and doing something with

their parents.

Make sure you pack plenty of food and a few snacks. Water and some fruit juice is always a good idea, and you can also hide away a treat if things start to go downhill and you need to arrest the situation.

Also remember that at this time of year, sunscreen and a big hat is a must.

Nothing spreads misery like a sunburnt kid in summer.

Pick some low hanging fruit, like squid or Australian salmon, and make sure you can hit your target. The enemy of the child’s mind is boredom, but get them onto a squid in a few minutes and you will have a fan.

A squid to a child is like a sea monster.

In all sports there will be a reason for participation and a reason for persisting and you don’t want these to be forced, but rather forged out of fun. So the key here is to be relaxed and include the kids in everything, even if it is not exactly how you would do it. Let them choose the colour of the squid jig, even if it isn’t what you would run at the time. Let them cast it no matter their

for many years. In recent times we have seen them caught on the northwest coast of Devonport and Wynyard, and also much further down south in and around the Derwent.

Now, I can only talk of my own experience off the northwest coast and in particular across my

in an area where you are catching blue chin wrasse and pike, you are in close proximity to what I call snapper ground. The wrasse and the pike tell me that I’m on a healthy part of the reef with a few holes and ups and downs. If you use your sounder and find some healthy reef with a 2-3m depth difference, and then that reef flattens out onto

SNAPPER WARS These fish are a bit of an enigma. The mystery for me is why we have not caught these fish before.

Is it part of the changing cycles of weather and current, or is it that we have not targeted them correctly in the past? I am not complaining though, as they are turning up

skill level, and if you are in a boat the jig will find the squid zone eventually. I have got to the stage of letting my kids take ownership of the weather call. They love computers, and letting them shop between Willy Weather and BOM for a favourable window to head out is gold.

The weather sites are very visual, with graphs and tables that can really hold the kids’ attention.

Here is one of the true keys to what you are trying to do here: you are not just taking the kids for a fish, you are including them in the whole adventure and experience from start to finish. Give them some responsibility and they will thrive.

Kids get excited when you ask them to do the simplest of tasks and involve yourself in showing them.

Before you set out, put your 4-year-old in charge of carrying the little tackle box with five of their own jigs in it. Have the 7-year-old know where the bungs are and get involved in screwing them in. The 10-year-old will love being asked to turn the sounder on and plot

According to Ella not every fish has to be a 1000lb marlin. a course to where you are going to start. It’s all simple stuff to us, but it is like going to Disneyland for the young child.

On the first few trips out with kids, it is all about getting them a fish.

Put them on some ground where you kow they will catch something, and watch the fun unfold. You don’t have to catch any special fish either. Any fish that they catch will be a special occasion, and catching one to eat will just be a bonus. You

will never see excitement or amazement greater than when a kid catches a puffer fish or toady all blown up and round as a ball. Chuck the fish in the live well or a bucket and you have guaranteed entertainment.

So get them out there and catch some simple things first and before you know it, that tiny child you taught how to catch squid will be a young adult beaming about the tuna trip you just had or the weekend up the lakes catching trout.

Catching Tasmanian snapper on bait is one thing, but getting them on soft plastics is even better.

Brad Parker nailed his first ever snapper on a soft plastic and he was chuffed. everywhere and are being caught by more and more people.

Snapper have been caught in the northnortheast, the Tamar and on the north-northwest 46

JANUARY 2019

home stretch off the Forth River and down towards Don Heads, but I have formulated some pretty strong views.

Snapper are everywhere. If you are

some shale or sand, you have a great place to start.

When I say start, I mean start the process because repeated success on snapper means a process.

Working out your

position to anchor is the first thing to get sorted, and this may be something new to you as a lot of our fishing is done on the drift or underway. You must drop anchor and pay out line so that you are sitting just off the reef edge around 10m or so (too close and you will be harassed by wrasse and draught board sharks). Once sitting pretty on anchor get your berley in the water. I like to use a stainless steel cage and drop it to the bottom with a few shakes. Then get your pilchard cubes going; cut To page 47

Colin Perry had never caught a snapper until the author took him out for a trip.

Go Behind the Scenery From page 46

a pilchard into roughly seven equal pieces, throw two to the left, two to the right and two at the back of the boat. With the last piece throw it as far as you can behind the outboard.

Then get your rigs baited. You can have two kinds: a snapper flasher rig out each side of the boat at 90°, or a couple of stray line rigs lightly weighted so they drift down with the berley.

When they look to have hit the bottom you can leave them for a few minutes and then wind them in and re-cast. After you have re-cast one you can redo a pilchard. After

you have re-cast the second rod, bring up your berley pot with your fine berley in it and give it a couple of tea bag jigs at midway and the top. Then repeat.

As you can see, it’s quite a process when you are setting the trap. You will have to wear a bit of by-catch from time to time, but re-bait, reset and wait.

You are waiting for snapper on the reef and in the shale channels to come past and see your beautifully prepared trap. When they do they can take two or three rods at a time, and it will get busy. In a session they might come through once or twice, maybe three times if you are lucky.

Get into a tackle store

and ask for info on what gear to use. They are well educated on what’s been working and what’s a good fit for what you are doing, be it shore-based or in a boat. I fish from a boat so I have been falling in love with the Abu Garcia Veritas rods, and use a 6’8” in 3-7kg matched with the new Elite Max reels.

There is a lot of chat around hooks, but I use Owner circles in 5/0 or 6/0 and I love them. They provide perfect hook sets and they’re super strong in case a big one comes along.

Finally, time on the water is also key. Practice your craft so you have the perfect trap set when the fish come roaring past.

Tasmania

Jarvis Wall with another nice soft plastic Tassie snapper.

YELLOW FEVER Yellowtail kings are another fish that gets anglers excited. These hoodlums, as they are also known, are also showing up more and more and in places one would not expect. The traditional haunts of Montagu and Waterhouse islands have coughed some fish up already along the northwest coast. I have also heard of reports in the Derwent of fish being seen, but none caught as yet.

Over the last couple of seasons the fish have been found all around Tasmania.

This leads me to believe that you just have to get out there and have a crack.

Gear up and make sure you have the right gear to cover enough water to find them.

Bigger, longer rods set up to cast bigger lures a mile is what you need, matched to reels in the 4000-5000 size bracket filled with quality braid. On a recent trip I used a 9’ rod with some of Berkley’s X9 braid in 30lb, and the casting distance was ridiculous.

Find a point with a bit

of depth or a drop-off and just start casting. What have you got to lose – at the very least you may find some big Australian salmon. Any point and headland is worth a go, particularly if the area has some rocks and reef that leads into some sand. There are a heap of places to try, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not worth it. Find a rocky point and thrash it until the cows come home.

Cast long and hard and then rip it back at a furious pace. That’s the thing with kings, not all the time but more often than not they like a fast, erratic retrieve.

Spread out your casts in a big fan shape, and scour that water with your lure.

Change to a different style and do it again.

There are different opinions on tides, but I would be trying the last third of the run-in tide. That is when the baitfish are active and anxious, high in the green water that has come in with the tide and looking nervously for a feed for themselves. Spend the time

BIG BREAM Tasmania has long been regarded for having the most prolific numbers of black bream over the 40cm mark, and you can often find them over the hallowed 45cm mark. If you are talking trophy and personal bests on bream, then we are the destination for you.

The northeastern rivers hold some very good size fish and do not have the angling pressure of others down the east coast.

You can try the Pipers River at Weymouth, as it holds some monsters and has very little fishing pressure. You can access the river via a small boat from either Weymouth or Bellingham. The launching facilities are

better on the Bellingham side, and ramp access becomes tricky on anything below half tide going out.

The best bet is to fish the incoming tide once there is enough water to launch, and fish the flats and channels of the upper reaches of the system. Be mindful that when the water starts to come out of the upper part of the water, things get shallow in a hurry. I would recommend spending some time studying Google maps, or if you are there for a few days, make sure you go and have a look from the shore on a dead low tide.

Not very far from here is another big bream water: in and around Ansons Bay. The road in can be a bit lumpy but the trophy bream

Jarvis Wall with an early season yellowtail kingfish. there and cast your arm off.

Good things don’t come easy, and this is certainly the case with breaking new ground for kingies. If you don’t do any good, come back again another day and have a second crack. If you that can be found can make the trip well worth the corrugated road in. You can find the little shack village at Ansons from the south via St Helens, or from the north via Gladstone. The bay itself is not very big and has a stretch of productive channel as well as about 6km of magic river. The area has a bit of everything, with extensive sea grass beds, open mud flats and open sand flats. These are all the prerequisites for shellfish and crustaceans settling in and feeding a great number of species.

All of the usual suspects are present here, and are found in good numbers.

And because they are well fed they are big.

Bream are found all over the bay, but it’s always To page 48

don’t do any good then you can move your attack to another rocky headland.

A backpack and sturdy shoes will be your friend.

There are some good areas to try out around the front of the rock cliffs of Stanley and

Wynyard, but you will need to walk in. Preservation Bay and the areas in and around the Three Sisters in Ulverstone are worth a look as well. Get the walking shoes on and try the rock areas from the mouth of the

Don River towards Lillico Straight. You should come across Paradise Cove and cast your arm off in that area. Make sure you take a landing net and shoes that will handle a bit of saltwater, as hooking a king is only the first bit. Landing it is going to be super tricky in some of these areas.

Summer and January are also about time off and a family holiday. We have some terrific holiday destinations in Tassie, and we are also lucky that they are brimming with fish.

Whether you are a local or an interstate traveller, it doesn’t matter – the fish are here for all. There is something for everyone as well. Shore-based or out in a boat, there are rivers to fish, estuaries, and kilometres and kilometres of coastline to explore. Some of our fish species can be the biggest you will find anywhere in Australia, so whether you fish for food or want a trophy to photograph and release, you are well catered for.

Let’s have a look at what you can expect from January around the state.

Summer can still mean rain, but the fun is never dampened when you find the fish.

JANUARY 2019

47

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 47

tricky to find where they are each trip. Up the river you will find many and varied conditions, all capable of holding a monster southern black bream. The bottom conditions vary from sand to weed to rock, and the water depth ranges from a little under 1m to 12m in a few deeper holes.

All the seasoned old bait fishos will tell you that an early start is almost essential, and the first couple of hours after daylight are the most productive, as is the case toward evening. This is because these fish are very wary and timid. The lower light levels make them a little more active and brazen.

While most bream anglers have chosen the

Bream fishing on the flats in summer always makes for a great day.

path of the hardbody lure or the soft plastic and jighead, there are still anglers interested in bait fishing.

Bream will have a crack at any bait you can think of, but make sure it is fresh and wellpresented. If you do need to run a sinker, make sure it is rig running. You need to use the smallest sinker necessary to hold bottom.

If you are a keen lure fisho for bream, make sure you leave your 4lb leader at home. Even a 6lb leader will be a bit light for these fish.

They fight down and dirty, and have plenty of cover and barnacles to bust you off.

The river is often quite sheltered and can be fished even when it is quite windy, and to be fair the tide has minimal effect on your success rate. If you find that the fishing is slow in the river,

then you have the whole bay to try and find a fish.

The bay is full of life, and a feed of salmon and trevally is always on the cards. The sand patches interspersed with weed are also just the right areas to trip up some good King George whiting.

The best way to catch these whiting is to anchor up near the weed patches and cast your baits close to the weed edges but on the sand flats. A little bit of light berley will help, but too much and you will have all sorts of by-catch.

Light paternoster rigs with a bead and a little bit of coloured tube work well. I prefer tiny circle hooks, and put my rods in rod holders.

Bait is always a topic for considerable discussion, but I believe that squid and prawns are king here.

MAKO SHARKS The sun brings out the bait and the bait brings out the mako sharks, and they are here off Tasmania in good numbers in January.

Jonah Yick took out a mate recently and had a cracker of a trip.

Jonah and Rob Keeley went out to the mighty Eaglehawk Neck for a day of fishing on Mustang Sally over the shelf. Their plan was to have a sniff on the bottom with an electric reel, get some berley out and a deep drop if the conditions allowed.

This kept them busy, as there was plenty to do with a crew of two. They had a great run out to the shelf, and they soon had a few ooglies

off the bottom and over the side. Then a solid chuck of mako came screaming up the trail after only 45 minutes of smashing the pot. This was a little surprising as the water was still only 14-14.2°C in most of the areas covered out wide. There also seemed to be a lot of green water getting pushed up from the south.

Then they encountered trouble. The mako was very aggressive, and by this point they were in 900m depth, and with 650m of line out on the deep drop bait, the race was on to clear this outfit before they could throw a bait to the mako.

Makos are always on Jonah Yick’s list. Keep your eyes peeled for a free swimmer.

Rob Keeley and his first mako, destined for the freezer.

TUNA TIME Summer is offshore boating time, and time to start looking for tuna. Not just the southern bluefin tuna that we normally hunt here in Tasmania, all tuna.

There will be schools of striped tuna coming down the coast in the East Australian Current. These schools will be big and 48

JANUARY 2019

they are great fun to catch when located.

There are a heap of reasons these fish can not only be targeted, but used in a value-adding manner for the future. They actually make very good filler for all sorts of tasty treats. Thai fish cakes is just one that comes to mind. All you

have to do is be set up and organised to process them quickly. Have a knife handy to bleed them straight away.

The next thing to do is to get them chilled down and not let them roll around the deck in the sun all day. You can be super organised and have an ice slurry in a big icebox or just wash the fish in a saltwater well and drop them into a normal icebox.

If space is an issue, then you can always fillet them and chill the flesh down.

These fish also make very good berley and bait, so keeping a few for these purposes is an awesome idea and can lead you to upgrading to a mako shark or snapper. No need to bleed them for this job, as you want all the blood to be inside the fish for

After 10 minutes of winding up the deep bait, the shark began to lose interest, and the decision was made to throw it a bait before it disappeared.

The baited squid head had barely sunk out of sight when it the mako shark eagerly took it. This was Rob’s first fight with a mako. The fish made some solid runs and wild headshakes while Rob kept plenty of heavy pressure and a constant load on the rod. It wasn’t long before the shark was pulled alongside a few minutes later, assisted by the 200lb J.EM. Tackle Windon.

This mako measured in at 1.86m and 70-80kg.

The deep dropping and mako sharks are accessible

from all ports around Tasmania in January and the fishing is always good, but dependent on the weather. Learning to read a weather forecast and the detail on a barometric chart is crucial. Seeing a highpressure system coming that looks likely to camp over Tasmania at this time of year gets everyone excited.

Calm seas and no wind for a few days is what we are all looking for. Some of my favourite destinations are St Helens, Bicheno and Swansea. These towns have great launching facilities and good access to the open ocean. The fishing grounds and the shelf are quite close and the fishing is excellent.

when you mince them. They have good oil content and when not bled the flesh is awesome for this purpose.

These tuna also fight very well for their size.

They are great fun to practice your angling techniques on, and are superb for getting kids into the sport. The lures you can use vary a little from the normal gear you might use

for bigger tuna species.

You can downsize them a little and use the metal jet heads that are very common. Feather lures are also good fish takers for these guys, and you won’t be as angry when for some reason you lose one, as they are normally less expensive. These fish are great fun also To page 49

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

From page 47

on lighter spinning gear, and you can break up a pretty boring day on the water by catching some at this time of year.

The interesting news is that other bigger predators are also interested in these schools for food, so keep your eyes out for free swimmers. A free swimmer is a big fish that is either trailing a school or has come to the surface to look for the tell-tale signs of a school of striped tuna.

When you are out on the shelf or in deep water offshore you need to have your eyes peeled at all times. You are looking for a dark shape or a fin breaking the surface. They will even jump and get well clear of the surface, so watch out for that.

Makos and striped marlin will all free swim on the surface, and so too will a big broadbill swordfish, so you have to be prepared. Have the big lure with the bigger leader material ready for the billfish.

Make sure the hooks are razor sharp and that everyone knows what rod and reel the lure is to go on should you see something of interest. If you see a mako slowly finning along the surface like a frog-feeding trout, you will need to have a trace handy and a nice fresh bait to entice the shark to bite.

The best places for this early action offshore in Tasmania are St Helens and Bicheno.

Jonah found a solid fish offshore. You could too in the holiday period.

These are the coastal ports that the early current and action see first. So, if you

have some plans to head out and find some tuna, make sure you get your

accommodation sorted early, as these towns are busy at this time of year.

These two areas will also be the hotspots where the first albacore tuna show up. These fish are well sought after and are regarded as the best eating tuna in the ocean.

Now, here we go again with me harping on about keeping a keen set of eyes out while you are hunting tuna, tuna of any sort. They are travelling in big schools and all they are looking to do is feed and swim, feed and swim.

They are chasing bait and use their numbers to force the fish to the surface.

They do this to take one angle of escape out of the equation: swimming up.

If the baitfish are pushed hard on the surface, unless they grow a set of wings they have nowhere to go.

This is when the birds who are soaring high in the sky are our best friends.

When they get excited I get excited.

The birds can see the dark shape of a bait ball high in the water well before the bait is on the surface. They will give the game away from their body language. A keen-eyed observer will see a group of gannets getting antsy well before the feed really goes off. If you haven’t got your bird feed radar quite that honed as yet, the first thing you will see will be the birds diving in the water repeatedly. This is the birds feeding on the bait right on the surface, or the pieces of bait left from the tuna feeding.

Sometimes you can be

the first on the scene and have bait bust out of the water desperately trying to escape. This is the bait wishing that it did have wings and trying to make a last ditch effort to escape the feeding tuna. This can happen at any time and from any angle, so you can see why you need to concentrate and keep your eyes peeled. Take turns if you have to, as it is very important to success on the open water. There is a lot of water to cover, so it makes sense to try to use your vision to your advantage.

Big bluefin are not to be discounted at this time of year. Places like Pedra Branca hold fish all year round, and with the summer weather they can be an adventure for January.

Jonah Yick has had a good month of fishing, lucking out with mako and bluefin.

For a recent trip Jonah headed to the notorious Pedra Branca down south.

They headed out nice and early at 5:30am. There were plenty of birds about as always, but none feeding hard. The lures were in by 6:45am and then they waited expectantly. There was a light to moderate southeast wind blowing and this, combined with overcast skies, made the conditions look quite fishy.

The bird activity continued with plenty of scattered bird action around the reefs.

The signs were all promising, but all was quiet for the first four hours of the day. At 10:30 their luck turned when a close pass along the northeastern edge of the big rock had the little 6” brown Prowler run

straight through the foam wash coming off the reef. It streaked through there not looking for any trouble, but in an instant it found some.

A massive explosion erupted and the lure was taken violently. This fish ended up being one of the toughest fish any of the crew had encountered, with a mixture of explosive surface runs to deep slugging circles, despite constant direction changes and heavy drag settings. A long 3.5 hours later on 37kg tackle, the fish was finally landed. A very humbling experience to fight a fish with so much power and stamina.

J.E.M. 200lb wind-ons once again finished the job perfectly, with the gaff shots able to be taken without anyone having to touch the leader. The fish pulled the scales down to 122kg.

This particular fish marks the final instalment in an ongoing quest, to catch a bluefin in every month of the year in Tassie, in Jonah’s trusty vessel Mustang Sally.

What an achievement.

So there you have it – a brief round-up of some of the action we can expect in January here in Tasmania. It is a time where thankfully we don’t need to remember to pack the warm raincoat, just the wide brimmed hat and the sunscreen.

Good luck in your ventures and make sure you do remember that sunscreen, as I love summer but I hate getting roasted.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 5th December 2018 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Trevallyn Pond..................................0.74...................................................................

Lake Mackenzie................................5.81...................................................................

Lake Rowallan..................................4.71...................................................................

Lake Parangana................................2.40...................................................................

Lake Cethana....................................0.78...................................................................

Lake Barrington................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Gairdner...................................1.84...................................................................

Lake Paloona....................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Augusta....................................3.60...................................................................

Arthurs Lake.....................................1.29...................................................................

Great Lake........................................13.20.................................................................

Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.49...................................................................

Shannon Lagoon...............................0.08...................................................................

Penstock Lagoon..............................0.07...................................................................

Woods Lake......................................0.67...................................................................

Lake St Clair.....................................1.37...................................................................

Lake King William.............................1.75...................................................................

Lake Echo.........................................4.97...................................................................

Dee Lagoon.......................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Pine Tier Lagoon...............................0.99...................................................................

Bronte Lagoon..................................0.84...................................................................

Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............0.83...................................................................

Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................1.84...................................................................

Lake Liapootah.................................1.07...................................................................

Wayatinah Lagoon............................0.91...................................................................

Lake Catagunya................................1.06...................................................................

Lake Repulse....................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Cluny Lagoon....................................2.09...................................................................

Meadowbank Lake...........................0.01...................................................................

Lake Burbury....................................5.32...................................................................

Lake Margaret..................................4.12...................................................................

Whitespur Pond................................6.37...................................................................

Lake Newton.....................................2.50...................................................................

Lake Plimsoll....................................0.86...................................................................

Lake Murchison................................7.66...................................................................

Lake Mackintosh..............................0.49...................................................................

Lake Rosebery..................................0.75...................................................................

Lake Pieman.....................................1.84...................................................................

Lake Pedder......................................1.20...................................................................

Lake Gordon.....................................23.57.................................................................

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 https://www.hydro.com.au/water/lake-levels JANUARY 2019

49

Hot Spot

No place greater than The Straits CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

Often overshadowed by its bigger surrounding waterways, McLennan Straits or ‘The Straits’ as it’s better known as, is a Mecca for big bream and has been for many years.

A lot of bream tournaments have been won fishing this area. It’s big fish country.

PRIME TIME The Straits can be fished with great success all year round.

The three main targeted species are bream, estuary perch and flathead. Bream fishing is especially great in the winter months when the fish start to school up pre-spawn, making for some exceptional fishing.

It’s not easy fishing here, but it can be very rewarding.

THE GEAR Like most estuary fishing, a light 2-4kg graphite spin rod with 2000 and 2500 sized reels is best when chasing bream and perch.

A reel spooled up with 6lb braid and fluorocarbon leader anywhere from 8-20lb is a must. The snags are that gnarly that typical light leaders won’t last long at all.

BAIT AND LURES Softies for bream work well. Squidgy bloodworm

Gez from Gotcha Bait is no stranger to big bream in The Straits. You catch bream all year round at this spot!

wrigglers in 80-100mm are almost always the first plastic I tie on and cast out. Fishing blades in the open water and out from the banks in deeper water is very effective and one of the easiest ways to catch bream along with most other species that lurk underneath.

BEST METHOD When targeting bream in the winter months a quality sounder is essential. Locating schooled up bream in open water and casting small blades to the fish is by far one of the best methods, and one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time on the water.

MOTHER NATURE After lots of rain, The Straits really does dirty up and needs time to settle with all the fresh that flows out of the lakes.

So, if planning a trip remember to check the weather and recent rainfall before heading off.

HOT TIP Drag and leader. They are the only two words that you need to know.

Lock that drag and beef up your leaders. As mentioned before, it’s not uncommon to use 20lb leaders when pitching plastics deep into the timber.

Max Niblock was stoked with his biggest calamari ever, and he attributes his success to the advice he received from a local tackle store.

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Conquering inshore marlin run Australia is lucky enough to have the best black marlin fishery anywhere in the world, both for quality and quantity. The legendary giant black marlin fishery off Cairns produces more granders (fish over a 1000lbs) than anywhere else in world.

It is mainly experienced though through larger

How many fish show up varies considerably each year, depending on the previous years recruitment.

In 1997 the NSW interclub tournament tagged 852 black marlin in just four days and while this was an exceptional year there have been plenty of good ones since. When they’re really hot, switched on crews can

The two fundamental things to look for are good water and food sources.

This is where sea surface sites and apps really pay off. Some like the one on BOM website are free and will give some idea, but if you want up to date accurate detailed maps then you need to open your wallet and invest in something like Rip

You know the blacks are on when even the big boats opt for the inshore option. live-aboard style charter boats set up for heavy tackle fishing, which puts it out of reach for most anglers.

On the flipside the annual inshore run of juvenile black marlin is something that even small inshore boats can get in

rack up double figures.

Only a couple of years back Scotty Thorrington, who operates Freedom Fishing Charters, caught 20 in one day out of Port Stephens.

The fact that this kind of action is accessible to small boats makes it very special and just about the

Pre-rigging your leaders will save you time spent out of the water resulting in more fish caught. on the action for, and in areas like Jervis Bay blacks can even be caught from the rocks.

These fish start showing up in Townsville around winter then move down when the East Australian Current starts to run south. Progressively from November to March concentrations of small blacks will show up from Fraser Island through to the Gold Coast down to South West Rocks, Port Stephens, Sydney and Jervis Bay.

most fun you can have out of a trailer boat.

As red hot as these fish can be, everyday is completely different and they can go off the boil very quickly, so waiting until there’s a hot bite and everyone else is catching them won’t often pay off.

There are also a lot of things you can do wrong and common mistakes that virtually write off any chances of success, so it’s important to weed these out of your game before you start.

Charts or Fish Track. These will allow you to really hone in on those high potential areas or to stay at home because the waters turned over and gone cold. The ideal water is a nice blue colour and 21-25°C. Once you find a patch of good water the next thing to look for is the food source.

For inshore black marlin the most common of these are schools of slimy mackerel, yellowtail and pilchards.

Check your Navionics charts for any reefs or pinnacles in 30-80m of water, as these create upwelling and there is plenty of food for slimy and yellowtail schools to hold on and in-turn attract predators such as black marlin. They will also be feeding on pilchard schools, holding on to the edges of temperature breaks and current lines.

Good quality electronics play a big role in modern day marlin fishing. Not just for finding bait, but also marking marlin. With the right sounder it’s possible to mark multiple marlin feeding on a bait school, which you can then spend the time on to try and get a bite out of.

While trolling skirted lures for marlin is a proven technique, live baiting for inshore fish is far more productive. The biggest advantage is the conversion rate of strikes as small blacks, especially the toothpicksized models, can be woeful on trolled lures. An effective technique is slow trolling a bridled live slimy mackerel

through bait schools with one up high and the other with a sinker attached via elastic band to the leader so as to get down deeper. This way you can really focus on balled up bait or marked fish and work all depths of the water column to give yourself the maximum chance of a bite. Done right and using circle hooks and the right angle the success rate is very high for hooking and landing that fish. Reels need to be fished in freespool to a release clip and when the line pops out and drag screams it is just a matter of pointing the rod at the fish and slowly engaging the drag and lifting up on the rod.

The other benefit of circles is they are almost always hooked in the corner of the jaw, virtually eliminating gut hooked fish and ensuring a far better survival rate for released fish.

While there is a big range of circle hooks available out there, Black Magic Tackle has released their new KLT circles, which are highly productive. They are an inline hook and this makes them tournament legal with a Teflon coating that greatly improves hook penetration. The Teflon coating also aids in rust and corrosion resistance.

This a big benefit as one of the biggest problems with some other high end popular circle hooks is the point of the hooks corrodes away after one use.

They are available in size 6/0, 7/0 and 8,0 and while all will be adequate I think the 7/0 will hit the sweet spot for all sized inshore blacks, from 10kg to those 100kg inshore granders that sometimes pop up.

In marlin fishing it’s nice to have everything rigged up and prepared, especially your leaders. I always use fluorocarbon for leaders

The author hooked up and fighting a marlin only 1km from shore. and I would recommend Black Magic Tough FC. For inshore fish 80lb is perfect and should hang in there if a 100kg model does come along, but if fishing is tough try dropping down to a 60lb leader. It could help you get that bite.

I run about 12ft of leader with hook crimped on one end and a loop crimped on the other that clips to a small ball bearing snap swivel tied to a short double on the end of my mainline.

Light mono is by far the best for marlin, as braided line has no stretch for a brutal fight, often resulting in pulled hooks and busted leaders.

For inshore fish 10kg is ideal and Black Magic IGFA line is what I use and it has never let me down. The hi-viz yellow is the way to go as it makes it much easier for the skipper to see where the

line is in relation to the fish when fighting.

Smaller leaver drag overheads in a 16-20 size are most popular for this type of fishing, however, spin set ups with baitrunner style reels such as Shimano Thunnus 8000 are gaining popularity. The one big advantage the overhead still has over the spin gear is if you get that 80kg stubborn fish on, you can clip yourself into a Black Magic Equalizer gimbal and harness. These are high performing and for long hard fights they can be a lifesaver, even on inshore fish. They can be set up and fitted prior to using and then you slip off the gimbal but keep the belt on and when the time comes, it’s a quick simple procedure to slip the gimbal back onto the belt.

A beautiful black boatside in the closing stages of a fight.

JANUARY 2019

51

BASS

Victorian bass are set to go off with a boom VFM

Colby Lesko

With Victoria’s cooler climate the Aussie bass have often taken a back seat to the trout and redfin, however, they are still here to be caught. Victoria has some great bass fishing if you know how and where to look. Fisheries Victoria is now stocking bass into a vast number of rivers and impoundments in the state’s east and they are starting to thrive. Combine this with

some older populations that are found around the state and there are now plenty of bass options for us Victorians.

The general seasonal trends for bass have the fish slightly more active and closer to the surface over the warmer months. They then look to spawn over the cooler months of the year. This means in the rivers they will move down to the estuary to spawn. While in lakes they will form big schools out deeper in the main basin of the lake as they think about spawning.

Bass love cover and snags in lakes and rivers. Targeting areas that have submerged timber, big rocks and weed beds are your best chance of finding fish. Bass are a super aggressive fish and will take most live baits and lures. Soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and diving minnows are the best options when the fish are out deep, while surface lures and small spinnerbaits are great options when the fish are active around the surface.

Your standard trout/bream combo will suit bass fishing perfectly, so a 2500 size spin

The author with a cracking Victorian bass. Thanks to annual stocking these fish are becoming more prominent. reel on a 2-5kg rod is ideal.

Spool the reel with 10lb braid and 10lb leader and this will be perfect for casting small lures or live baits. A selection of lures in the 3-7cm range is great, while a 1/0 hook and light sinker or floater will be the best for bait fishing.

Bass will bite right

throughout the day and night, however, the best times to target them are the first couple hours of light and the last couple hours of light. Bass activity picks up around first and last light and they can quite often be seen eating bugs off the surface on warm evenings – these nights make

for the best fishing.

If you’re unable to fish these periods of the day target the areas that are in the shade, particularly during the heat of the day. Days of high barometer and the lead up to a storm also produce some great bass fishing, however, I have caught fish on some

The Victorian river bass are in great condition and are growing well.

Bass bite extremely well on first and last light.

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JANUARY 2019

BASS pretty ordinary days too, so you’re always in with a shot.

Blue Rock Dam is by far the most talked about Victoria bass fishery and the lake’s bass population is coming along in leaps and bounds. The majority of bass caught at the dam are still smaller fish in the 25-35cm range, yet there are also a number of bass in the lake up over 40cm now.

Bass in Blue Rock can be caught a variety of ways, with the warmer summer months being the best. They come to the surface during this period and can be readily caught

casting soft plastics, diving minnows and surface lures.

The top end of the lake has plenty of sunken timber and rock walls to fish around and is the area where I have the most success.

Blue Rock Dam has some great bank access for landbased fishers, while it also has a boat ramp for boaties and kayakers. The lake’s water is very clear and perfectly suits the lure fishers.

Lake Glenmaggie is also one to watch, as this dam has received a number of bass stockings over the years and is

set to produce some good bass fishing. However, the water is slightly dirtier than Blue Rock.

Aussie bass are now also being stocked into a large number of Gippsland Rivers, many of which have now reached catchable size.

The Tyers, Avon, Macalister, Mitchell and Tambo rivers all receive stockings of bass on a yearly basis and provide some great fishing for those willing to get out in the kayaks or walk the banks. The best results are coming from casting small 3-7cm lures around structure and deeper pools of the rivers.

Blue Rock Dam bass are still growing, but there are plenty of them!

These rivers will start to fish really well over the next couple of years as the bass grow and mature, with some of the rivers already holding 40cm+ fish. These rivers are fairly close to Melbourne and have a number of access points where anglers can get to the water for a fish.

In the far east of the state, a little further from Melbourne, you have the Brodribb and Snowy rivers that also hold small populations of Aussie bass. These rivers are a little harder to access as they weave through some fairly thick bush in remote country. These areas better suit the keener, more hardcore anglers who really want to search for their fish, however, the rewards are certainly there.

Lake Bullen Merri remains the only notable bass fishery in Victoria’s west, as there is still some cracking bass caught here every winter. Bass are hard to catch in the lake due to the fact that the lake did not receive any bass stockings for a number of years. The fish are now all mature fish around 40-45cm in length that hang around out deep in 10-20m of water and are most commonly caught down rigging or on soft plastics. This year is the first in many that bass have again been stocked into the crater lakes, so hopefully this will fire the bass fishery back up over the coming years.

James Dainton with a Vic river bass caught on a Balista trigger.

There’s a lot to love about bass angling; they fight hard, willingly smash lures and can be plentiful when you work them out. I believe bass fishing in Victoria is set to take off as all these new fisheries develop into great

big bass locations and us Victorians start to target them more regularly. We are now coming up to a great time to be out exploring for bass and as the water heats up so should the fishing. I hope to see you out and about on the water.

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Murky start to the Murray cod madness the Murray River at Swan Hill is quickly becoming a noted spot for catching large fish. Catches of several goodsized Murray over the past few weeks has only helped to make the Swan Hill area a prime cod fishing destination.

Other places that should fish well for Murray cod include the Murray River upstream of Boundary Bend, where plenty of good-sized cod to a metre in length have been caught and released this past month. The Murray River

ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Thank ‘cod’ the season has opened and the Murray cod madness can now get some serious attention. An army of dedicated green fish anglers have pitched camp along the Murray and the surrounding rivers in the hopes of that monster strike.

Off the back of last year’s memorable season,

below lock 8 should also fish well as will the lower Darling River. With water clarity a little on the dirty side at most locations due to higher than normal flows, the preferred method will be bait fishing.

When targeting Murray cod on bait look for areas in the flow that hold numerous snags. Positioning your

baits on the upstream side of the snags will allow the water flow to carry the fresh scent of an easy meal down through the fish’s hideout. If there is a hungry cod in close proximity it will not take long to find its way onto the end of your line. Murray cod will eat a variety of things including grubs, yabbies, shrimps and

scrubworms. Also on the edible list are a range of kitchen baits that include cheese, chicken, dim sims and some processed meats.

In truth they will eat almost anything when they are in the mood, and on the flip side nothing when they are not.

While bait fishing is a very effective way to target

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Murray cod, many anglers prefer to use lures. Even though the current water clarity is not great Murray cod have an uncanny knack of locking onto a moving target in dirty water. You can improve your chances by presenting rattling lures or those that exhibit wide strong body actions that create enough sound and water displacement to alert fish to their presence. This will provide any hungry Murray cod the chance to intercept the oncoming lure just before it arrives. As for lure colour I have found in my experiences fluorescent colours generally produce the best results when water clarity is poor. Bright orange with high contrasting stripes as well as pink and green would be my choice.

Remember before you head out on the water this cod season make sure you have a current fishing license and be aware of all regulations pertaining to bag and size limits. The NSW fishing guide booklets hold all this information and are available in tackle stores free of charge. Tight lines.

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Bright lures in dirty water, a rule of thumb that helped Jamie Stewart land this solid Murray cod on a StumpJumper lure.

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Golden perch and Murray cod chewing well MILDURA

Rob Oswin

What a great start to the year! Over the course of the last month, reports of anglers catching quality fish have been flooding in.

From reports of monster perch to some great-sized cod as well.

The Mildura area has seen some fantastic fishing recently, no doubt because of the great weather and also due to the many people out on the river during the holidays. From the recent reports, bait has been the

preferred method of fishing for many anglers, with small to medium-sized yabbies and shrimp being the most effective bait.

Lures such as vibes and some smaller hardbodied lures have also been catching numbers of fish.

This steady flow of fish being caught can be expected to continue as the month progresses, as more and more people are out and enjoying the river and what it has to offer.

In the upcoming month it can be expected that the number of larger cod will slowly start to decline,

A small Murray cod taken from the Mildura area.

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are expected to keep on getting even better with this weather, and the amount of bait like shrimp and yabbies

with colours such as the black market, purple ghost and peacock being the more favourable colours. Smaller hardbody lures trolled along the deeper sections of the river will continue to be great choices to catch numbers of fish.

Recent reports from many anglers have said that the area around loch 11 and loch 9 are hot spots for perch, with many being caught casting lures back towards the bank and trolling along deeper parts of the river. Many fish are being caught on bait and have been holding tight to structure, so getting as close as possible to snags and rocks is the most effective way to target fish using bait.

As always, it’s all about getting out and finding the time to catch fish, so get out there and enjoy the great weather we are having!

The fishing has been fairly ordinary in recent weeks. However, although it’s been tough out there, the fish are starting to look up which is good. There are bugs starting to hatch, and we’re just starting to get into a bit of dry flyfishing.

In Jindabyne and Eucumbene lakes the water levels are rising, so there’s new water over fresh ground. This encourages the browns to come in close looking for food.

Good flies on the lakes include Hamill’s Killers, Woolly Buggers and caddis pupae. The best baits are scrub worms and mudeyes, or you can use Powerbait in

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FISHING IN JANUARY Provided we have some more rainfall, the fishing in January should be good, as there are lots of bugs around at the moment. We’re seeing some Christmas beetles and grasshoppers starting to make an appearance, which is a good sign.

The river fishing will start picking up soon.

The Monaro streams are starting to fish well, and the Thredbo and Mowamba rivers are also starting to pick up and should fish well right through the summer.

If you’re fishing the streams, you need to brush up on your ninja skills.

Tread lightly, and try not to cast any shadows on the

water, or glare from shiny surfaces like sunglasses.

It doesn’t take much to spook the fish.

The best times are early in the morning or late in the afternoon/evening. You can also fish the middle of the day in overcast conditions, when you won’t cast a shadow.

In the rivers you have to keep moving until you find the fish. Prospecting with nymphs is a good method.

Make sure you’re searching all the pocket water and margins of the river.

If you’re fishing the lakes this month, you can catch fish by Polaroiding around the edges and sight casting to them.

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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.

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Although the local rivers have been tough to fish lately, they should improve in January.

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JANUARY 2019

57

2019 is starting off strong HORSHAM

Liam Lannen

Those early morning and late arvo sessions are becoming quite popular as we try to avoid the hot weather while still managing to get out for a fish. If you want to put the time in you have a good chance of being rewarded.

Big Murray cod, yellowbelly, and some nice trout are the main species on offer. We expect this to carry on for the month coming. Lure, bait, boat and bank anglers have all been managing to find fish.

If it’s Murray cod you’re after it’s hard to go past Taylors Lake just out of Horsham.

Good numbers of smaller cod have been landed and the odd big one. Trolling mid to large hardbody lures such as OarGee Plows, AC Invaders and StumpJumpers has been

greatly effective, as well as casting large spinnerbaits and lipless crankbait style lures at the standing timber. Bait fishing is producing when you target deeper water during daylight, and sand bars during the night where the fish will be herding bait.

Always be prepared for a large fish. You don’t want the fish of a lifetime to get away.

Upgrading leader braid to 50lb is worth it if you get a chance at one of these good fish.

The Wimmera River is staying true to its usual January form, with some

caught, and some redfin too.

Anglers have been finding trout in the shallower water while targeting them on shallow hardbodies, either trolling or casting to the rocky banks and trees. This same technique has been bringing up some redfin too. The

Robyn Gellet worked the edges for this beautiful Lake Bellfield brown.

Gage Wright landed this corker of a yella at 50cm.

Mitch McMaster managed this lovely golden perch while casting at fallen timber.

beautiful golden perch on offer. Bait fishing in the evenings has been very effective, and the best bait has been small yabbies. If you’re open to catching more than yellowbelly, fishing worms is a good option, with silver perch, catfish and carp coming out to play. The lure fishers have been very successful targeting shady banks and snags in the morning and evening, this is one of my favourite fishing styles, as every now and then fish chase the lure up and smash it at your feet. It’s a very exciting way to fish.

Spinnerbaits have been the stand out this year with heaps of fish being landed on the Spinwright spinnerbaits in a few colours and sizes.

The beautiful Lake Bellfield up in the Grampians, just a five minute drive from Halls Gap, is being very kind to the anglers willing to fish it.

Some lovely trout have been Gage Wright landed this donkey redfin, which came in at 48cm fishing deep at Rocklands.

majority are small, but there are definitely some cracker reddies in there to be caught.

This lake is quite pretty, so make sure you have a good look around and soak it all in.

Toolondo has been on and off again, with the odd bag of redfin and trout coming out.

The most exciting news is the recent removal of three tonnes of carp thanks to the Victorian Fisheries, which will strongly help the population decrease.

The re-election of the Labour government makes for some exciting times for us freshwater anglers, with a new proposed fish hatchery for the Shepparton area that will nearly double the fish production from 6 million to 10 million, which can only be a good thing! More fish means more opportunity to catch them.

With the heat sticking around for a while I think the native fishing will do the same.

Always be careful for the usual hazards: snakes, heatstroke and bush fires. Wish you all a happy New Year of fishing.

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JANUARY 2019

The author with a pig of a yella landed locally, proving there are great fish out there to be caught.

Get ready for those tempting summer delights BONNIE DOON

Daniel Brady

This time of year brings out the exciting times at Eildon. Beautiful sunny blue skies, warm nights and the chance of catching a cracking bag of fish.

The water has warmed right up and so has the fishing! The northern end of the lake is now sitting around the 18°C mark and is expected to stay steady as the days stay warm. The talk on the water is all about the yella and cod bite. So let’s get into it.

As most of you are aware, Eildon is quickly becoming known as one of the best cod fisheries in Victoria. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to start to focus your attention on these pre-historic fish.

As we are now in the peak of summer, the water is at its warmest and the cod will be moving around and actively feeding. For best results start looking and focusing your attention on the steep rock walls of the lake. The cod in Eildon use these rocky boulders as shelter, but they also make perfect sport for the cod to sit and ambush their prey.

Slowly throwing hardbodies and spinnerbaits along these rock walls will produce some nice fish. This time of year can produce a number of smaller fish, but with persistence you will manage to crack a big one. The more you put in the more you will get back, punters.

DELITITE ARM With the lake currently sitting at about 63% the word on the water is all about the Delatite, with trout and Murray cod the primary focus for many.

Word has spread that a few very nice yellowbelly have been caught around the traps. These whispers should increase with the warmer weather. The steep rock walls around the entrance of the arm have been producing some cracking results.

Reports are coming through from many anglers that the best method for yellowbelly had been trolling smaller hardbodies lures around the entrance of the arm. Lures such as the Megabass X-Dad and Lucky Craft Chinu have yielded the best results for myself.

FORD INLET I have reported this a couple of times, but I’m

perfect time to prepare for the next trip.

I found heaps of bait in a couple of bays and I daresay as the water traffic slows up, the fish will move up in the bays and start to feed.

FAMILY FISHING With the lake in its primetime for fishing, now is the perfect time to take the family up and try your

luck at catching a fish or two. With plenty of spots around the lake to pull up for a lunch or have a camp for the night it’s a fishers delight. The boat traffic on the lake can get crazy at peak times, so its best to be on the water early to avoid the rush.

Don’t be afraid to drive a little further around the lake to get away from the traffic.

WATERFRONT HOLIDAY PARK CLOSE TO THE TOWNSHIP OF EILDON

NESTLED ALONG THE EDGE OF THE PICTURESQUE EILDON PONDAGE WATERWAY • Mini golf • Quality cabins • Giant chess • Caravan sites • Tennis court • Close to town • Volleyball net • Internet access • Basketball hoop • Camp kitchen • Fish from park • BBQ & Pizza oven • Kiosk • Laundry facilities

Eildon Road, Eildon, Victoria 3713

A beautiful Eildon cod. This fishery is one of the best for cod fishing. still getting feedback from a couple of anglers fishing right up the back of the inlet and getting some fantastic results. The fish have been loving the sudden water temperature rise. Using light spin outfits fishers have caught numerous redfin on small grubs and even a few small yellowbelly mixed in. For bait fishers, best results have been on the humble worm! Fished lightly weighted and being left to slowly drift down – the redfin have loved this presentation.

MAIN ARM I fished the main arm for a full two days last week, and I landed five nice cod. It was more of an exploratory session than anything. Using my hummingbird sounder, I slowly worked my way around all the points and bays marking fish, logs, holes and rocky points. I find when the fishing is real tough it’s a

Sunny Martins with a nice yellowbelly. These fish have been responding well to hardbodied lures.

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59

Wanting those summer rains to hurry up SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Unfortunately we had another dry spring that limited the river rise excitement we normally

working best.

The Goulburn River in Shepparton fished well in early December trolling Codgers and Old Mates, with the best stretch being from the boat ramp to the junction.

Bait fishing in the

or shrimp.

Coming into the heat of summer, fishing during the day can be hard work at Kialla.

Be safe when fishing around storms, but before and after they hit is prime time at Kialla and this has

A 64cm Murray cod caught by Kyle Morrison on a orange and black Bassman spinnerbait.

One of six double hook ups on Murray cod for Shane Bergamin and Max Shannon. They managed a total of 17 Murray cod and two yellowbelly during an intense session on the Broken River. get. But, summer is settling in and there are some great options available.

The cod opening weekend was windy, but other than that conditions were perfect, with plenty of reports of fish being caught all over our region.

If you went out to Broken River at night in early December it would have seemed like the main street of town, with dozens of head torches lighting up the banks as surface fishing was on everyone’s to do list.

Throughout the next three months there will be plenty of topwater action in the Broken and Goulburn rivers, with the Jackall Pompadours, Codgers and Balista surface lures

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been the same for years and years.

CRAIGMUIR LAKE Redfin are on the bite and again the reports keep coming in from landbased and kayak fishers.

They have been of a decent size, up to 35cm. The best method has been trolling hardbody shallow diving lures or casting soft plastics

bait fishing will have luck chasing trout and silver perch and the grass hill using worms or floating PowerBaits.

Targeting yellowbelly on small spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits in around the weed edges will work best in this lake.

With the temperatures getting up, fishing

Goulburn has seen plenty of smaller fish caught almost anywhere along the local stretch with bardi grubs and cheese working best.

If we get some decent rain in the summer months I can see the fishing going ballistic in the local rivers.

We are crying out for a natural flush and fingers crossed it’s not a flush like the black water years ago.

KIALLA LAKES Fishing in Kialla has been okay, but I suspect a lot more people have fished other areas chasing cod meaning less reports.

Redfin and yellowbelly have been caught around the willows and sand banks on spinnerbaits and jackals, with those bait fishing having some luck around the willow trees on worms

A Murray cod measuring 60cm caught by Shane Bergamin on a Kingfisher Mantis in the early morning.

Max looks pleased with this smaller model Murray cod caught on a gold and black 4D spinnerbait.

rigged with a beetle spin blade around the edges.

Bait fishers are having a lot of luck around the bridge area with shrimp and scrubworms working best.

There have been a few reports of cod and yellowbelly being caught on lipless crankbaits in the late afternoon, which is very consistent for this time of year.

SHEPPARTON LAKE Shepparton Lake is well stocked with all types of fish species and it’s primed for a big summer with so many fishing options now available.

There is early morning trout on the rise or even surface fishing for cod over the weed beds. Those

morning and afternoons is the best option at the Shepparton Lake.

WARANGA BASIN Redfin have been getting bigger and bigger as each month goes by, with the bigger fish going from around 28cm in early spring to now up around the 35cm mark, and anglers landing 4-5 of these larger models in a session amongst some smaller redfin.

Those land-based fishing at the basin should jump onto Robbie Alexander ’s YouTube channel. He has a ripping video on catching redfin from the bank at the basin.

Casting small spinners off the bank will see you catching plenty of small

fish. They might not be huge, but it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.

Those out in a boat trolling Codgers in around 16ft has worked well, with pink or green colours working best around the Yacht Club and Caravan Park.

Bait fishing can be done either anchored up in one spot waiting for fish to come to you or just drifting in the wind with baits over the edge. There are limited snags so you won’t get many snags on the drift and can cover plenty of water until you find a school. Silver or gold beads above your hook can work as an extra attractant while bait fishing.

LOCAL CHANNELS One of the area’s go-to spots these days, with so many locals fishing the rivers is the channels. As soon as the weather warmed up around late spring and early summer, redfin numbers dropped right off, with cod numbers growing.

There are plenty of cod around the 40-60cm mark in the system, but I expect to see bigger fish being caught now that people are going to the channels targeting cod on smaller lures.

Surface fishing around the banks and bridges is something new and exciting, with wide-open water areas worked over with big long casts horizontally along the banks or just cast from one side of a bridge to another producing fish.

There are always a lot of bird nests on the bridges, and I would expect the cod would be feeding on anything that dropped out of the nest. So, surface lures should be productive for these fish.

There is still plenty of legal-sized yellowbelly being caught on lures and scrubworms around the drop bars anywhere from Lemnos to Nagambie.

Pay attention to the temperature WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Hot. Hot. Very hot! Too hot. January is the hottest month of the year in the

events the Murray cod can slow right down, but when the weather is average the cod fishing is usually okay.

Strong cold fronts sending the thermometer and barometer plummeting

over the line.

Look for flowing water.

When the rivers are at their lowest, the Murray cod will often be drawn towards areas of flowing water, particularly if there is a small break in the

The author’s season opening Murray cod caught at 5am on a Deps Buzzjet surface lure.

Wangaratta region with February following closely behind. January is so hot, that last year I saw a fire hydrant chasing a dog!

When it comes to fishing, January can be a hot and cold month, no pun intended.

Unlike December when the fishing is red hot, January can take a bit more planning for most species, based around the weather forecast.

MURRAY COD The Murray cod fishing is typically consistent throughout January.

I

can also send the cod off the bite. There is often little that you can do about that other than wait a few days for the weather to settle and warm back up before heading out and trying again.

Likewise extreme heat can slow the cod right down as well. On those stinking hot 40°C+ days, with low water flow the water in the Ovens and King rivers can become uncomfortably warm to stand in. At these times you will notice shrimp walking all over your feet

Another place to try is down deep. During periods of extreme heat Murray cod will often move right down deep in the deepest holes where the water is often much cooler.

Try using spinnerbaits or large soft plastics that can sink to the depths and be worked down deep.

Early morning can also be particularly effective during the heat of January when the water has had all night to cool a little, and the fish may move closer to the surface. Surface lures work great on Murray cod early in the morning in the heat of January.

REDFIN January can be a great time to target redfin in the Ovens River catchment with the two main lakes usually starting to fish well. Lakes William Hovell and Buffalo usually start producing redfin on a regular basis in January as lake levels begin to fall.

Both lakes are still 100%

January is a great time of year to target redfin right across North East Victoria.

Freshwater shrimp are one of the best baits in the rivers in North East Victoria. Murray cod, redfin and golden perch all love them. full, so this January there will be plenty of water around.

Small soft plastics and bladed spinners work great from the bank with small deep-diving minnows working particularly well from a boat or kayak.

Bait such as live yabbies and shrimp are also very effective for catching redfin.

During January, smaller fish are much more common with the larger fish turning up more consistently towards April, but there is nothing wrong with catching small redfin in the hope that a monster might come along.

TROUT January is one of the worst months to catch trout in the Ovens River catchment, as low water flows and warmer water temperatures usually sees trout sitting in the bottoms of the deep holes, sulking as they wait for things to cool down.

If you are looking to go trout fishing during January, try the high country. Lake

Catani at Mt Buffalo has heaps of brown trout, mostly small. Rocky Valley Dam and Pretty Valley Dam, both at Falls Creek, offer fantastic summer fishing for brown trout as well.

In sub-alpine rivers and creeks, early morning will be your best options as the water might just be that little bit cooler before the sun comes out and bakes everything.

Another really good tip to catching trout in streams during January is to fish immediately after a heavy shower or storm. A summer thunderstorm can deliver a flush of cooler freshwater down the streams, switching the trout on, even if it is only for one day or so before everything settles back down.

One last thing, if you are trout fishing in January, and you are wanting to release your trout, it is critical that you do not hold it out of the water for any more than a few seconds. Trout die very quickly when held out of the water in hot weather.

Trout can be hard to catch during January. Early mornings are the best times and look for creeks with decent water flow and lots of shade. consider January to be the second best month of the year to target Murray cod, after December.

During extreme weather

as you stand in the river.

At these times Murray cod can often slow right down, however, there are a couple of tricks that might help you

water assisting the water to pick up oxygen. Something like a little riffle, or a small drop over a fallen tree etc. are great places to start.

Brett Corker with a lovely Murray cod caught on a spinnerbait on the opening day of the Murray cod season.

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61

Yellas are the talk of the town NAGAMBIE

Daniel Brady

The 2019 cod season is well and truly in full swing. The season so far has been spectacular, with great captures of cod coming from all over the river and lake, the fishing should only get better as the water keeps warming up!

It’s not just cod that has people excited, yellowbelly and redfin have been the target for some anglers.

Bait and lures have had their fair share of results.

MITCHELLSTOWN I have been fishing the Mitchellstown area a lot lately. Morning and afternoons have been giving me a few reasonable Murray cod. Throwing smaller Jackall TN vibes in fluoro colours, such as lumo and orange, have seen the best results.

I have been fishing either side of the bridge and they both seen to be fishing as good as each other. I find at this time of year the river fishes very steady up until the water starts to cool.

Yellowbelly have been a bit hit and miss, but when the barometer is right they have been going crazy. I find at this stage the trees on the edges are holding more fish than the deeper snags.

Once you manage to find a yellowbelly, don’t move! I have been finding the fish have been schooling up and usually one fish will turn into at least four or five from the same snag.

It really can change over night for these fish, but I

know I have caught yellas off a tree previously. I will now always stop to fish it!

KIRWINS BRIDGE The bridge has been a little slow of late. Reports came through again from a good mate and gun bait fisherman Benny Lee who spent two days of the water for six small yellowbelly and 16 redfin. Ben reported the best redfin have been caught on shrimp and the yellas all came on small yabbies. Depth varied

The Flumen Fishing boys with a solid couple of yellowbelly. These fish are schooling up, so once you locate one, don’t move.

between 12-18ft and the morning bite was most productive.

He also reported the yellas were all caught in the afternoon. All the fish took him straight to the snags before eventually tiring and coming straight back to the boat.

Mitch King recently had a good session, landing three cod downstream of the bridge. Mitch was slow rolling Lucky Craft crankbaits in 12ft of water.

A couple of bait anglers noted quite a few redfin in the reedy shallows around the bridge. One bait anger had a stonker at 54cm!

All fish were caught on PowerBait in yellow.

LAKE NAGAMBIE The lake is still the pick of the area. Its versatility is second to none. Its abundance of cod, redfin and yellowbelly make for a memorable fishing experience. No area has been better than others.

Lures and bait have been yielding great numbers.

The local kids have been getting the odd yellowbelly off the boardwalk. Throwing small hardbodies and vibes have resulted in many captures.

A beautiful Nagambie cod. The cod season so far has been truly spectacular.

A few reports have come through form the caravan park with a number of yellowbelly and smaller cod being captured. Bait has been the key here and locations are all around the caravan park. Yabbies and scrubworms have been the key.

The lads from Flumen Fishing have been having some cracking results and have reported that yellas are on the bite. Lipless

crankbaits such as Jackall TN60 have been the most successful, and colours didn’t make a difference, they were smashing any colour.

The smaller natives will start to get more and more active as the water heats up. The more time you put into this waterway the more chance you have of catching some great fish.

So don’t ponder, get out there and fish.

Even fish try to avoid heat ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

I’m super excited about cod season being open, and being into summer generally. January is always a productive time of year for Murray cod, and also golden perch.

Water has reached peak temperature, depending on where you are fishing, but in most areas the water has warmed right up. This means that the fish’s metabolisms have risen, and their feeding patterns are a lot more consistent. This results in the fish being a lot easier to catch compared to the cooler months of the year.

Based on my personal

experience, in particular with cod fishing, January is looking promising. As this month in previous years has always been very productive for me, in particular with numbers of cod.

Past years during January I have found that the late afternoon is by far the most productive time to be fishing, and most cod fishos would likely agree with that.

The water is shaded, and the day is starting to cool off.

Generally I like to head out at about 4:30pm and stay until it’s past dark.

I like to start fishing with either a hardbody lure or spinnerbait, something that gets down a bit deeper because the ‘prime time’ still hasn’t begun. As it gets later, I like to either put a

swimbait or a shallow diving hardbody on and swim it roughly 1m or so below the surface. I believe this is effective because the fish are

surface lures for catching numbers of cod during the surface bite time

That’s how I like to break up my afternoon in

A cracking Murray cod. These fish become more active with the wamrer weather, so expect consistent bites.

Hardbody lures are a great option when chasing Murray cod. Summer brings more consistent catches, but smaller models.

The weather will dictate what lures will produce the best bite when it comes to Murray cod.

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starting to get confidence as the day gets older, and they will feed more aggressively.

As it gets darker, say roughly 7:30-8:00pm, then I tie a surface lure on, which is where the excitement begins. In January the surface fishing for smaller fish is very productive and you can potentially catch a lot of numbers of smaller fish.

Jackall Pompadours and Kuttafurra Joe the Rat lures are definitely my favourite

terms of lure choices and what times to put different lure styles on, but lure choice and style is definitely a very personal preference, and time frames don’t always match up with theories. For example, I’ve caught cod during the middle of the day on surface lures. It comes down to confidence, and if you believe your lure will catch you a fish, then persist with it. But as a general key, that’s usually how I go about

fishing for cod in January.

Cod catches seem to be more consistent with small fish during this time of year, and the cooler months tend to bring out bigger fish more consistently. However, that’s not to say you won’t catch a big one during January. You never know what can happen, all you can do is get out on the water and have a crack. Try

different lures, baits, fishing styles, and techniques to see what works. Murray cod can be extremely stubborn and hard to catch some days, and other days you can catch them on just about anything if they’re active.

So give it a crack, fish hard and you will see results, even if it takes some working out!

Murray cod are best targeted from late afternoon into the night when the weather is cooling.

Trout are mad for some mudeye BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers around the Ballarat district have certainly been rewarded for hitting the local lakes over the past month. Trout have played the game and are definitely

warmer weather brings us to the height of our mudeye hatches, who can be referred to as ‘trout candy’ as they are a true delicacy to trout and redfin. For those anglers that do not know much about the life cycle of the mudeye, they are the larvae stage of the dragonflies that you see

this first hand at a few different locations around Australia. Our lakes here in the Ballarat district are no different, when the mudeyes are on the move the trout and redfin are certainly quick to jump onto a quick feed. It’s common to see a trout or a reddie with a stomach rock

A lovely brown trout caught by Bill Reddick from Moorabool Reservoir on a Craig’s Nighttime fly pattern.

Photo courtesy of Bill Reddick.

on the bite, hopefully this trend continues over the coming months.

Anglers will need to start thinking about targeting trout and redfin at different times of the day to gain the best results. The shallow nature of our lakes in the region means the trout and redfin tend to sulk on the bottom and hide in the weeds during the sunnier days. There is an exception when the weather does become overcast in the warmer weather the fish will once again come out to feed during the day.

Early mornings and evenings are the best times to fish during the warmer months; the fish start to feed on evenings and this normally coincides with some insect hatches. The old saying is ‘food up fish up’, and I am a true believer in that. The

buzzing around above the water and sometimes you see the trout jumping out of the water trying to eat them mid flight. Certainly exciting to watch, but frustrating to catch.

The dragonflies lay their eggs on the water, the eggs then drift through the water column and hatch into mudeyes. Mudeye live in the weed and mud until they are ready to start their migration to hatch into the dragonfly, so the cycle starts again. The migrations normally happen throughout the warmer months and at night, they swim through the water and crawl onto sticks, reeds, trees or whatever they can to start to hatch into a dragonfly.

When mudeyes are on the move it can be in the thousands. I have witnessed

Jakey Young and fishing partner Meg catching a lovely Wendouree brown trout on a Nories Laydown Minnow lure.

Photo courtesy of Ben Young.

a newcomer to the flyfishing scene and has had a ball catching some lovely well conditioned brown and rainbow trout up to 50cm, Will even caught his first fish on a dry fly on a recent trip. It was amazing to watch this lovely brown just come up and eat his fly right in front of us.

The fishing in Wendouree will only get better as I have explained with the mudeye hatches hitting their peak over the next couple of months.

Moorabool Reservoir is certainly on the radar for quite a few anglers in the know. Bill Reddick is one such flyfisher who has been hitting up Moorabool.

Bill has been rewarded for his efforts with some lovely brown trout catches on Craig’s Nighttime fly

Jo Howes landed a magnificently conditioned Wendouree brown trout land-based on a mudeye suspended under a float.

Photo courtesy of Jo Howes.

the best chance of catching a fish. Once again, food up fish up.

Tullaroop Reservoir has certainly fallen off the radar.

I know the fish are there as fisheries have heavily stocked the reservoir over the past couple of years. I still believe it is worth a look at first light or evening with a mudeye suspended under a bubble float or a Mudeye fly pattern on or after dark.

Newlyn Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon, both

situated about two minutes drive from Ballarat, fish very well over the warmer months. At this time of year the water levels will start to recede due to irrigation usage and some areas will become harder to fish. It’s a matter of finding those pockets of water clear of weed and fish them. Both waters have very prolific mudeye hatches and the fish gorge themselves on them.

So, make the most of this opportunity.

The author caught and released another feisty Wendouree brown trout caught on a brown nymph fly pattern. hard full of mudeye.

The mudeyes, as I mentioned, hatch all night and if you are up to it you can fish all night and catch the mudeye feeders on flies. Some of the popular fly patterns that are used are Craig’s Nighttime, Mrs Simpson, Hammils Killer, Tiapi Tickler, Cubits Mudeye and a Muddler Minnow. Anglers who like to fish bait can still catch mudeye feeders, try fishing a mudeye suspended under a bubble float.

Lake Wendouree’s trout and reddies are on the chew. You can drive around Wendouree at anytime during the day and you will see someone fishing from the shore or out of a boat. It’s great to see a true testament to the lake and fisheries management systems in place.

I have been fishing Wendouree myself with a few different partners over the past month with all recording excellent catches. We have been Loch Style flyfishing out a drifting boat. Stripping wet flies has been successful as has fishing a brown nymph under a Shaving Brush or an Indicator over the midday period. My son Will is only

pattern just on evening and after dark when the fish are moving into the shallow to start feeding throughout the night. I have fished Moorabool myself over the past month catching some lovely browns on lures. The overcast days are the best ones, as earlier suggested.

On one of my recent trips to Moorabool on an overcast day the fish were jumping all over the reservoir feeding on dragonflies, Damsel Flies and spinners. These are the days when the anglers have

Will Stevens landed his first ever fish on a dry fly from Lake Wendouree.

Mudeye fly patterns work all over Australia, and the world, when the fish are feeding on mudeyes.

L-R Craig’s Nighttime, Tiapi Tickler, Alexander, Cubits Mudeye, Mrs Simpson, Hammils Killer and Muddler Minnow.

JANUARY 2019

63

No place fishes greater than Crater Lakes CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

At this stage the summer weather has been on average, average, which is quite similar to last year. If you don’t like hot weather, like trout, this is good news.

I’m hoping we don’t have an exact repeat of last season where we experienced a long, hot Indian summer with little rain topped off by severe bushfires on Saint Patrick’s Day. Time will certainly tell.

On the plus side, it’s not cold, just not exactly beachgoing weather.

It seems the redfin at Lake Purrumbete are in the process of schooling up in the depths. Around 15m depth is the ideal spot to sound and look for schools.

Bottom fishing with locally caught live minnow pinned with a hook through the upper jaw is the number one bait to employ here.

Otherwise, jigging minnow style soft plastics or metal vibes just off the bottom also works.

Speaking of redfin, out at Lake Elingamite the warmer weather has switched on the local population with larger specimens compared to Purrumbete being caught, mostly by trolling or casting minnow style hardbodies up to and parallel to the weed growth that surrounds the lake. Reddies to 1.3kg and occasionally heavier have been caught along with some rainbow and brown trout averaging around 800g.

Larger trout around 4lb are also being caught, but not in great quantities as they have in the past. The browns here can be quite cunning and usually it’s 3-5 rainbows to 1 brown caught here. Newly released yearling fish are proving to be a nuisance for some. Just remember to handle these fish carefully prior to release.

Lake Bullen Merri has

plenty of Chinook salmon, rainbow trout with a few small browns thrown in for good measure. Chinook are available in several sizes and weights including new release fish. The rainbows are either pan-size or nudging a kilo. The browns are mostly small and taken after dark or at first and last light.

Chinook salmon and some rainbows can be taken throughout the day, however, working depths beyond 5m during the middle of the day would make sense.

Most boaters are trolling a wide variety of lures in depths around 5-10m. Those fishing from the bank are using minnow, worm and PowerBait either fished lightly weighted on the bottom or suspended under a float. Some are casting soft plastics from the shoreline with reasonable success. The bottom is very snaggy here especially along the north shore, so it pays not to allow

the plastic to fully sink to the bottom prior to working.

Those who prefer to anchor up at depth and berley are also catching Chinook.

Pilchard fillets or whitebait lowered over the side and suspended just off the bottom is certainly favoured by most. It appears boaters

are presently working depths around 10m, but that depth may increase depending on what the weather dishes up for us.

This 1.7kg Elingamite redfin snaffled a Damiki Saemi medium diver while on the troll.

Plenty of options for this holiday season BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The Bendigo region will again be a popular destination for many anglers during the holiday season. The good news is that there is currently some good fishing in a number of locations in the area.

While the holiday period is not my favourite time of year to go fishing, there are too many people on the water for my liking, for a large number of anglers the

end of December and start of January is when they have their holidays.

The good news is that with a bit of knowledge and some hard work there are some quality fish in the region just waiting to be caught.

LAKE EPPALOCK Water clarity is still very good in the majority of Lake Eppalock, but it is currently reduced in the Derrinal Pool section of the Lake. Water levels are continuing to slowly drop.

Lake Eppalock is currently at 51% capacity. Boating anglers should be aware that with the receding water

levels an increasing amount of timber is starting to break the surface. Boating around the Lake should be done with caution to avoid any damage.

The fishing has been good at this location in recent weeks. Anglers are currently catching good numbers of golden perch. Bait fishing off the shore at night has been a productive method for the golden perch. The best baits have been worms, yabbies and shrimp. Other techniques that have been working well are casting lipless crankbaits around the timbered sections of

This quality 45cm redfin was caught at Lake Eppalock on a Magbite soft plastic rigged on a Bassman 10g jighead.

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the Lake. Also trolling hardbody lures in depth ranges between 6-10m has been productive.

The good news is that there continues to be small numbers of Murray cod that are being caught by anglers who have been targeting golden perch. The majority of the Murray cod have been between 55-75cm.

For the majority of anglers the redfin fishing has been slow. The best concentrations of redfin can be found in deep water.

The depth range between 7-10m of water has been holding the best numbers of redfin. On my last trip to Lake Eppalock I targeted the redfin and managed to boat over 40 redfin for the day with the best redfin measuring 45cm. I did have to try lots of different areas before I found a good school of fish.

CAMPASPE RIVER Water clarity continues to be good in the Campaspe River. At this stage golden perch have been making up the majority of anglers captures.

The most productive method for the golden perch has been casting lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The average size of the golden perch being caught has been around 40cm. Now the Murray cod season is open again we will see an increasing amount of anglers heading out to target a Murray cod in the Campaspe River. Favourite lures choices for the Murray cod will be spinnerbaits,

lipless crankbaits, hard body lures and surface lures. If you don’t like fishing with crowds it is a good idea for the next few weeks not to fish the sections of the Campaspe River at Burnewang as this section is always very popular with people during the holiday period.

CAIRN CURRAN Water clarity is still poor at this location.

However, the productivity in the fishing has picked up over the last month.

The numbers of golden perch being caught at this location over the last few weeks has been good. The most productive technique has been casting lipless crankbaits around the timbered sections of the lake and around the rocky shorelines.

With the poor water clarity the most productive colours have been bright colour combinations of pink, orange, and chartreuse, with dark colours like black and purple also being good options.

Those anglers bait fishing off the shoreline are also catching small numbers of golden perch.

Late afternoon and through the night have been the most productive when bait fishing for golden perch. At this stage only the occasional Murray cod has been caught at this location.

Redfin fishing has been slow for the majority of anglers. Reports have

stated that the best concentrations of redfin are currently holding in 4-6m of water.

LODDON RIVER Water clarity is currently improving in the Loddon River. The water clarity, however, is patchy and inconsistent.

Unfortunately, the changing water clarity is something that we are often experiencing in the Loddon River these days. With the poor water clarity in Cairn Curran (and to a lesser extent in Laanecoorie) every time increased flows are let down the Loddon River water clarity deteriorates.

When the flows are reduced water clarity slowly improves again.

The fishing has been good in the Loddon River below Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie weirs. Golden perch have been the main species caught, small numbers of Murray cod and redfin have also been landed in these sections of the Loddon River.

Further downstream at Bridgewater and Serpentine the fishing has slowly been improving.

Good numbers of golden perch are now being caught.

The most productive lure options for golden perch has been lipless crankbaits and suspending hardbody lures. The most productive lure options for Murray cod have been surface lures, swimbaits and spinnerbaits.

Time to kick back and have a leisurely fish WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

The school holidays provide an ideal opportunity to get out with the family in the great outdoors. The west Gippsland region is a great starting point and not too far out of Melbourne and its outer suburbs.

West Gippsland in summer features tall damp forests, dry Australian bushland and open farmland.

To escape the summer heat, Noojee is a great place set in a valley shaded by tall

forests with the Latrobe, Loch and Toorongo rivers flowing through. These trout streams offer great fishing for small wild trout and they are terribly inviting and refreshing on a summer’s day. Blue Rock Lake is also a welcoming place throughout the warmer months. Swimming is a must for any angler chasing bass, redfin and carp through the heat of the day. Blue Rock has open shorelines, with good land-based access or lots of water to escape with in the small boat or kayak.

The Tarago River is a bit closer to Melbourne and has some great fishing,

Ian Sykes caught and released this fat and feisty bass casting lures at the shoreline, not far from the lake’s walking track.

picnicking and swimming holes positioned nicely in Longwarry North and Drouin West, Picnic Point and Fisher Road Reserve respectively.

The Tarago below the reservoir flows from Neerim South down to Labertouche entering the Bunyip River.

It holds some good trout and even through the busy times trout can be caught near active swimming holes.

Picnic Point has everything you need for a family day out including barbecues, picnic tables, rotunda, toilets and playground. Fisher Road Reserve is a little smaller with only a rotunda and parking, but does have a nice swimming hole and offers good fishing below and above the weir and fish ladder.

Heading a bit further away from Melbourne, Rokeby Reserve is a little known access point to the Tarago River that has some picnic tables set on a nice lawn area besides the river.

In Noojee you have a choice of three rivers to fish from, but the most familyfriendly spots are dotted along the Latrobe River in town. There is a large playground (good back-up if the fish aren’t biting), toilets, undercover rotunda

with free BBQs and picnic tables. Upstream from the main picnic area are plenty of smaller picnic tables and car parks close to the water.

Access to the Latrobe River is ideal for children wanting to wet a line. For the big kids at heart, the river presents ideal wading conditions to cover fishing ground.

Baiting up a worm on a hook and casting out in a slow moving pool is the most relaxing form of stream trout fishing. For those keen to burn a bit of energy, hardbody minnow lures with small bibs, soft plastic wrigglers or small spinner blade lures work best cast into slow moving water.

Dry flies to match the hatch are best fished in the evening when the trout are rising to feed. During the day beaded nymphs with dry indicators are the most productive.

Blue Rock Lake fishes well with some big bass now being caught thanks to the successful stocking program.

The race is on for someone to catch the magic 50cm bass!

Recently a few anglers have come close, catching and releasing bass up to 48cm.

Blue Rock is a very popular destination now that boat and engine size restrictions have lifted. The

Blue Rock has it all for land-based, kayak and boat anglers! water temperature is spot on for hungry bass feeding up on the surface. Late afternoon into the evening is the best time with most fish caught in the shade. Worms and other live baits such as yabbies have been received well by bass, too. Redfin are also very active at the moment and some decent-sized fish are being landed. Trout will go quiet as the water warms up and will likely be caught in the evenings as they feed off the surface. While carp might

have a bad name, they are very active this time of year too and can be a lot of fun for the family and on light gear.

The native river blackfish’s season has reopened for the year and offers an alternative target species to trout in the rivers of west and south Gippsland.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories over the school holidays. Please email me any questions, too.

Happy fishing!

Aussie summer gold and green MELBOURNE METRO

Dylan Brennan

When the colours green and gold are mentioned over the summer holidays in Melbourne, most people will assume you’re talking about the cricket! Savvy anglers know that Melbourne’s fishing version of ‘green and gold’ is our Murray cod and golden perch.

These species can be caught within a short drive from the CBD and its outer suburbs. The best two locations to go out and try and catch these guys are the Yarra River and Sugarloaf Reservoir.

The Murray cod suitable sections of the Yarra River wind themselves from Dights Falls in Collingwood right through to around Healesville, but within this long stretch there are some more suitable sections. Concentrating your efforts between Bridge Street in Bulleen and the main township of Warrandyte will narrow things down, but still give you over 10km of water access.

If you’re more interested in taking a

bait fishing approach in search of cod, try and find yourself a deeper looking pool with some form of structure and a bit of flowing water nearby. If you can find one of these deeper ‘plunge pools’ below a rock bar or rapid you have a perfect spot to stake out for cod. Fishing these sections using large yabbies or a good size bunch of scrubworms during the night or during low light conditions will give you the best chance.

Just remember to check your baits, as large eels can sometimes pick the hooks clean, especially when using worms.

For the lure anglers, the most productive method is to work through all likely looking water thoroughly and then move to the next spot. Be sure to cast multiple lure types around, as the fish may only be interested or aggravated towards one style. Spinnerbaits, deep diving crankbaits, surface walkers, wakebaits and floating swimbaits are all styles worth packing; a mixture of colour contrast is important as well. The darker coloured lures will provide a good silhouette in the murk of the Yarra.

Sugarloaf Reservoir

has been fishing well for the last couple of months, and if last January was anything to go by we should be in for good fishing for a while yet.

Golden perch and redfin have been fairly active.

Land-based anglers fishing the standing timber just along the lake edges have been picking up small numbers of goldens averaging around 40cm, along with a few smaller redfin.

The most productive bite time has been late in the afternoon, with goldens really switched on around last light.

The most successful lures of late have been weedless rigged soft plastics slowly crawled back around the timber and rocks, with a subtle ‘tap tap’ coming from the redfin and a solid ‘thud’ being how most of the goldens have been eating the lures.

There is plenty of variety in these styles of lures for smaller natives now, with micro weedless chatterbaits and chinweight additions very accessible. Just remember if you are going to fish Sugarloaf that bait fishing is not permitted here, only artificial lure fishing.

• For any of the latest metro reports and information, pop into Compleat Angler Dandenong at 241-243 Princes Highway, Dandenong, give us a call on 03 9794 9397 or jump on to the ‘Melbourne Metro Freshwater Fishing’ page on Facebook.

A typical sunset golden from Sugarloaf, taken on a weedless plastic.

DAM LEVELS Dam............................... % Full

Dam............................... % Full

LAKE/DAM

Mulwala

Cairn Curran

Oct 51

Nov

Dec

46 45

(Yarrawonga) 92 95 95

Dartmouth 84 79 74

Newlyn

Eildon

64 59 57

Nillahcootie 60 58 55

Eppalock

55 53 51

Rocklands 35 34 33

Eucumbene 14 25 27

Tantangara 42 38 44

Fyans

81 79 77

Taylors

58 59 57

Hepburn

73 74 68

Tullaroop

51 48 46

Hume

50 46 41

Waranga

44 29 34

Jindabyne 47 75 81

Wartook

68 59 59

Lauriston

William Hovell 101 100 00

96 97 87

87 86 83

(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.)

JANUARY 2019

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Product Profile

IMAGES COURTESY OF: Myles Bennell

Fishing for sanity “You’re on Rossy, you’re on!”

Those were the words I heard right before my 10-minute battle with one of the biggest fish I’d ever caught. There’s nothing like that feeling you get when you see the line tweak and you hear the excitement from everyone around you.

That was the feeling I experienced on a North Qld trip with Bommi Adventures. On that trip there was plenty of banter and laughs going back and forth between the boys, mixed with the excitement of catching fish.

Well, not a care other than the battle I had on my hands to boat this slippery bugger. I spotted a glimmer of colour, like a piece of gold appearing from the depths.

“Don’t lose it now!” I thought to myself.

Luckily, Mitch knew what to do. He latched onto the tail of this bad boy, and pulled it calmly on to the deck – an 8kg green jobfish. Awesome!

So how was it that TradeMutt, a social enterprise workwear company, came to be on the same boat as Ed, Bill and Mitch from Bommi Adventures?

Well, Dan and I started TradeMutt after working together as carpenters for three years.

We were always talking about different ideas and plans that we had for our lives, and one of our ideas was to create our own workwear label. We didn’t know why nobody had made workwear fun.

Could it be done? We didn’t know. Should we give it a crack? Definitely.

In late 2016, Dan got one of the worst phone calls of his life: one of his best mates had taken his life. I’ll never forget arriving at Dan’s place to see him and all his friends, huddled around together, crying and trying 66

JANUARY 2019

to console each other.

The months that followed were hard for Dan. I saw the confusion and the grief that came and went at unexpected times, and I knew it was my job to support him in any way I could. For the most part it was just being there for him, going for a beer or a feed and talking about things.

This period opened both mine and Dan’s eyes to just how big an issue poor mental health is. Six Australian men die from suicide every day. That is six different families and six different groups of mates that will go through the same grief.

In 2017 someone introduced us to the idea of social enterprise – using a profitable business to tackle social issues, or in other words, using profit for purpose.

We immediately knew that our mission was to create a bold and vibrant line of workwear that would be so eye-catching, they would be a conversation starter. The conversation would be about mental health. If we could create a product that blokes everywhere needed, but make it interesting and fun, perhaps we could allow guys to be able to talk about issues around mental health – not only for themselves but also for their mates, colleagues and strangers.

Not long after launching TradeMutt, Dan and I were contacted by a couple of early 20-something lads who wanted to discuss an idea they had. Brothers Ed and Bill Ovenden have spent their lives exploring North Queensland, and everything that this part of the world has to offer. While the lads are currently based in Brisbane and have regular 9-5 jobs, their passion is driven by one thing – catching fish. They also wanted to share their experiences with others, so they started their

Main: Casting off the Cay with Bommi Adventures and Ed from Trademutt.

Bottom inset left: Bill Ovenden, Ed Ovenden, Ed Ross and Mitch Macrae - lads on the Job. Bottom inset middle: Ed Ross with a nice jobfish.

Top: Ed and Bill Ovenden with crayfish and coral trout.

Above: Bommi Adventures bagging out: coral trout, sweetlip and crayfish.

Product Profile

“

After a short stop for a creek swim, crocfree, we made it to Bloomfield Escape where we were greeted by owners John and Debbie and their deckhand, Shane. I was shown to my accommodation and put my feet up while the Bommi boys got everything ready for the next day.

These guys operate with impressive professionalism and expertise. The transport

We all agreed that time out for yourself doesn’t have to be a 3-day trip to North Queensland; you just need to switch off for a moment and enjoy life.

that only an experienced guide can reveal.

Bommi provide all-inclusive fishing and outdoor expeditions in North Queensland – everything from flights and accommodation to transport, boats, food and drinks.

Ed and Bill Ovenden invited TradeMutt to join them on an expedition to Bloomfields Escape. This was the official coming together of two entities that want to lead a generation of Australian men who are comfortable with mental health, and to create a safe environment where blokes are encouraged to talk about

“

own fishing and outdoor adventure company, Bommi Adventures.

So what did Bommi Adventures want with TradeMutt?

First of all, we shared a passion for helping to address mental health. The boys’ goal was to take people out of their daily grind and struggles, and give them an awesome experience exploring North Queensland and all the secrets

was easy, there was plenty of good food, rods always rigged up ready to go, GPS coordinates set, and straight onto the fish. We couldn’t help but be on cloud nine, and the only thing we had to worry about was which beer tin belonged to who. All the while, everyone on the trip was looking fantastic in their TradeMutt shirts.

We climbed into stinger suits and dived down around the reef for crayfish, and used a mixture of soft plastics, jigs and bait to catch coral trout, nannygai and sweetlip – plus my whopper green jobfish.

Mates on an adventure with Bloomfield Escape. anything. It’s about being able to talk about your feelings and emotions while participating in classic blokey activities. Getting out of your daily routine and just unwinding, relaxing and enjoying yourself is one of the most powerful things you can do for your wellbeing.

We arrived in Cairns on the Friday and headed to the famous Daintree Rainforest, which combines tropical rainforest and white sandy beaches with fringing reefs just offshore.

We drove to the cable barge that crosses into the Daintree Track and stopped for a chat, fielding questions about our funky work shirts.

We always get an interested response when we tell people that the shirts are a conversation starter about mental health. Everyone has been affected by mental health struggles at some point, either directly or indirectly.

We were taken across to Sand Cay in the inflatable dingy where we took I some of the sights, and spent the rest of the afternoon snorkelling and free diving around Pickersgill Reef. At one point we found ourselves swimming in the eye of a fish vortex, consisting of large spangled emperor, tea leaf, big eye and golden trevally, and even a school of bonefish.

Dinner that night at Bloomfield Escape was fit for a king. Our day’s catch of jobfish, coral trout, crayfish and sweetlip definitely gave the BBQ a workout.

After dinner we headed down to the river to wet a line and get a fire going. Being able to kick back and chill out gave us the chance to just stop and be in the moment. The importance of taking time out for yourself and

A beautifully coloured red emperor and a large-mouth nannygai.

Ed with Shane flicking back a small sweetlip to fight another day.

A Daintree Rainforest crossing with the lads. getting away from it all really hit home. We talked about how easy it is to get caught up in our day-to-day lives. We forget what is truly important because we get swept up in meeting deadlines and financial obligations. Is it our material possessions that bring us happiness, or do these things contribute to the growing issue of depression and anxiety? We discussed how much better people’s lives could be if they took a moment to re-evaluate what’s truly important to them.

Just consider: are you the priority in your own life? Do you give yourself the opportunity to be the best version of yourself? Could we all do with a bit of de-cluttering and just focus more on the simpler things that really bring us happiness?

We all agreed that time out for yourself

doesn’t have to be a 3-day trip to North Queensland; you just need to switch off for a moment and enjoy life.

At that point, two of our rods went off within five minutes of each other, and Ed and I both landed a mangrove jack.

But all good things must come to an end, and before we knew it, it was Sunday. New friendships were forged and the experiences that we had were unforgettable. And the real winner was the fact that a group of lads could come together and appreciate the importance of good mental health practices.

Bommi Adventures did an phenomenal job, delivering a truly awesome weekend.

If you like the sound of our trip, give these blokes a shout and leave everything to them. - TradeMutt

Halco Laser Pros were the tools of the trade.

JANUARY 2019

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING OKUMA PRESSURE POINT RODS

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their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ blackmagictackle. www.blackmagictackle.com

Okuma brings affordability to high end heavy plastics, popping and stickbait rods, without sacrificing quality, with the release of the Pressure Point rod range. Features includeToray graphite blanks, Fuji K-Series Tangle Free Guides, Fuji reel seats and most importantly actions and builds designed in conjunction with guides from Australia’s premier sportfishing charters.

The range consists of five rods, a one-piece general purpose 701M 7’ PE 2.0-4.0, 20-80g Heavy Plastics rod and four two-piece, butt joint rods, for easier transport and storage. The two Popping rods are a 792MH 7’9” PE 4.0-6.0, 50-150g and a 792H 7’9” PE 6.0-8.0, 80-200g, while the Stickbait models consist of a 762M 7’6” PE 2.0-4.0, 20-80g and a 832M 8’3” PE 4.0-6.0, 40-120g.

These five models will have you covered for light jigging and heavy plastics applications, through to the bulk of anglers’ stickbait and popping requirements, without breaking the bank. Team them up with an Okuma Azores Blue spinning reel and you have a genuine big fish stopping combo for around $500, or put the money you have saved on the rod toward arguably the strongest reel in the world, the Okuma Makaira, including the soon to be released 10000 size.

Price: SRP $279.90-$299.00 www.okuma.com.au

Long-sleeved collared shirts make ideal fishing wear, as they shield the neck and forearms from sun exposure. The new Sublimated Fishing Shirts from Shimano go one step further though, as the fabric has a UPF 50+ rating for maximum protection.

The 100% poly microfibre material used is also moisture wicking, so it draws moisture away from the body. Consequently, the shirts keep the wearer cool, and dry fast should they get wet. Additionally, they contain an antimicrobial treatment, meaning bacteria can’t get a foothold in the fabric.

The fish designs of Bream, Tuna and Kingfish represent a collaboration between Shimano Australia and noted fishing writer/ underwater photographer, Al McGlashan.

There is also a Squid design in the range for those anglers who love their egi fishing. The sublimated printing process means they will retain their vibrant colours for many years to come.

Shimano Sublimated Fishing Shirts are available in sizes S-XXXL. www.shimanofish.com.au

SAMAKI VIBELICIOUS 2 YAKKA

MAPSO VLASON SPINNER

Samaki Vibelicious brings a new colour to the lure market: yakka.

Yakka is all about the detail, with its patterned back featuring yakka stripes, and hits of yellow on the tail and fins adding to the lifelike appearance of the lure. The colour has proven itself time and time again as it is fished in multiple locations around the country, attracting barra, jew, bream and flathead to name a few. The traditional features of the Vibelicious Fork tail and Thumper tail are only enhanced by such an attractant as the yakka colour.

The Vibelicious Fork Tail and Thumper tail come in three sizes – 70mm, 100mm and 125mm. The 100mm and 125mm sizes have now been upgraded with the new YS81 Decoy Hooks and the all new Decoy EX Strong Split Rings. Hardware like this encourages longevity in your fishing experiences and better hookups, as the hook penetration is on point.

As always, the Vibelicious contains premium Japanese stainless wire and is made of the toughest 10X super stretch material. www.samaki.com.au

BLACK MAGIC MEASURES UP

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With the growing emphasis on measuring fish rather than weighing them, particularly in tournaments, Black Magic has introduced a ‘brag’ mat into its range of quality fishing accessories.

The Black Magic brag mat is manufactured from a durable UV-resistant PVC material, so it won’t warp and deteriorate in the sun like cheap mats will. It also has a sturdy acrylic header board to butt the fish up against.

This brag mat is designed to measure fish up to 1300mm, so it’s better equipped to measure big specimens than some smaller truth mats are. It has well-defined numbers and centimetre markings that show up clearly in photos.

This mat is 250mm in width and rolls up tightly for easy stowage, and comes complete with a handy mesh bag. For more information on this and other Black Magic releases, visit the Black Magic Tackle website. You can also see all the latest news and catch photos on

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JANUARY 2019

SHIMANO FISHING SHIRTS

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The new Mapso Vlason spinners are sure to be a hit with Australian anglers chasing freshwater species.

The Vlason is a bell-shaped spinner that features an internal cog which creates a vibration as it spins through the water. This vibration helps to attract fish from longer distances, as they pick up the lures vibration on their lateral line. As you can imagine, this lure is particularly effective in murky water.

The Vlason, like the rest of the Mapso range, is made to the highest quality standards, and has a 100% perfect spinning action every time. The Vlason weighs 4g and is 50mm long. It is available in six proven colours and has two pieces per packet.

The Vlason will also be very effective on redfin, bass, sooty grunter and jungle perch.

To find out more visit the Juro website. www.jurofishing.com

DAIWA TD BLACK LT

PRODUCT GUIDE

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It’s time to get back in black with the release of the new TD Black LT spin reel range. Bearing the famous Black name that has been featuring so strongly in the Daiwa line-up over the last few years, the TD Black LT features the LT’s Light Tough Concept to deliver anglers a reel that impresses in looks and wows in performance.

Lighter, stronger, tougher and more advanced in design and performance than its predecessor, Generation Black, the new TD Black features Daiwa’s new Tough Digigear gears for enhanced gear smoothness, strength and power.

New gears is just the tip of the iceberg, with an ultra-light Long Cast ABS aluminium spool, Zaion body, ATD drag, Air Bail, MagSeal, Perfect Line Stopper, aluminium Air Handle, and Air Rotor combining to make the TD Black LT one of the standout reels in the Daiwa range.

Available in six different sizes, ranging from the 2000D through to the 6000D, the TD Black LT heralds a new age for the famous name, and makes the perfect partner for the equally restyled and relaunched TD Black rod series. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING B&S Q6500 QUIETPOWER

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The new Q6500 QuietPower Series Inverter Generator from Briggs & Stratton is designed to deliver consistent power for essential appliances and sensitive electronics. The all-steel frame, encased in a protective shell, increases the lifespan and reduces repair costs. Inverter technology produces power that is 60% quieter than standard generators.

The Q6500 features an efficient integrated engine/alternator to provide up to 14 hours of run time and 6500 starting watts of reliable back-up power. With its telescopic handle, integrated wheels and a design that’s 45% more compact and 30% lighter than standard generators, moving and storing the Q6500 is easy.

Another feature is the Bluetooth functionality available through the InfoHub app. The app monitors total power being used, run time (hours until empty), total unit hours and maintenance reminders.

With the added option of the new Manual Transfer Switch, the Q6500 can also be easily connected to provide power at home in the event of a power outage.

Price: SRP $2999 www.briggsandstratton.com

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RHINO-RACK WIND FAIRING

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Engineered with an innovative sawtooth pattern to disrupt and redirect airflow of oncoming wind, the Rhino-Rack Pioneer Wind Fairing reduces wind noise and resonance for a quieter drive. Not only will it effectively deflect the air surrounding your load, the Pioneer Wind Fairing doesn’t take up any of the usable space.

The Wind Fairing has a stylish black design to give your vehicle and roof racks a sleeker look. Offering both adjustable angular and longitudinal movements, it will conform to most vehicles’ roof lines and allow a more desirable fit for your car.

With 4mm thick ABS construction and glass-filled nylon, the new Pioneer Wind Fairing is solidly built. The UV resistance will prevent any colour fading, so that sleek black won’t be turning grey. The addition of soft Santoprene rubber feet and 3M clear plastic patches protect your vehicle’s paintwork to keep your roof scratch free.

Compatible with existing Pioneer Systems for easy installation and removal, the Pioneer Wind Fairing is backed by a 5-year warranty.

Price: SRP $179 www.rhinorack.com.au

UGLY STIK GOLD SERIES

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The Ugly Stik Gold series incorporates new technology that further improves dependability and performance.

The new Ugly Stik Howald process features Triple Built construction around an internal fiberglass core. Parallel fibers infused with pigmented polyester resin creates a strong yet sensitive rod with better balance that is virtually indestructible.

The latest inter-core laminate is an innovative design process that surrounds the graphite shaft fibers in the outer walls with a rigid-wrap structure.

The new process provides greater stiffness and superior strength through the blank shaft.

This creates a better taper from the backbone of the blank to the tip providing extra sensitivity and casting performance.

Ugly Stik Gold series are equipped with a full Fuji New Concept Guide for tangle free fishing. Fuji reel DPS graphite and Fuji TCS trigger reel seats are incorporated throughout

the Gold range.

Finished with comfortable tapered grips with Ugly Stik etched into the EVA and a slick new matt finish. www.uglystik.com.au

NEW DAIWA RELEASES

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SAMAKI SUNGLASSES

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GILLIES SHRIMP AND VIBE

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First you became a fighter, now you must become a leader. Backing up from the success of J-Braid, J-Thread FC is a brand-new 100% fluorocarbon leader material that boasts increased abrasion resistance and super-low memory.

Made in Japan from the finest raw materials, J-Thread FC features a low-memory core, improving handling characteristics and improving knot performance. The outer layer is treated to increase hardness and resilience to abrasion. It’s available in 4-80lb breaking strains in 100 or 50m spools.

Another new release from Daiwa is the updated Double Clutch colour range. A jerkbait with few peers, the Double Clutch continues to set the standard as the ultimate suspending twitchbait. Available in three sizes (60mm, 75mm, and 95mm), the colour range has been enhanced and standardised across the range, with the 20 available colours now available in every size.

The 75mm and 95mm Double Clutches have also been upgraded with Owner ST36BC trebles, which are razor sharp and ultra strong. www.daiwafishing.com.au

Meet Slick, Dodge and Duke – the front rowers of the new Samaki Sunglass range.

These three frames have been tried and tested by the team to ensure there’s a model to suit everyone, from the square-shaped Slick to the wrap-around Duke and Dodge.

Each one designed to hug the face, give great coverage from the elements and provide you with the polarised lenses you need when you’re out on the water. The Samaki team say these sunnies are so comfortable you won’t want to take them off.

All the lenses are a polarised grey tint with the option of a reflective external in either green or blue mirror. With matt black or gloss frames, the superior frame material is comfortable for the extended wear. Additionally, the Dodge is a floating model, so if you drop it into the drink you can just grab the net and get it back.

Price: RRP $49.95 www.samaki.com.au

JM Gillies has released two new realistic lures: the Gillies Shrimp and the Gillies Vibe.

The new Shrimp have a natural shape with realistic legs, antennae and also feature bright three-dimensional eyes. The body is ultra soft for a natural feel and look. The 68mm and 100mm version come rigged with premium extra sharp hooks.

The new Gillies Vibe combines the realistic soft X-Flex body and the vibration of a hard vibe bait into one. It features meticulous attention to detail, and its uniquely designed forked tail allows additional vibrations upon retrieval with a seductive, tight wiggling action that mimics a live fish. Gillies Vibes are the perfect bait for barramundi, snapper and many other species, and are fitted with extra strong VMC Spark Point hooks that allow you to target your favourite species with ease.

Gillies Vibes are definitely a great all-round lure for both freshwater and saltwater predators. www.jmgillies.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au JANUARY 2019

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING MUSTAD FLASHER RIGS

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Mustad has released two new Flasher Rigs onto the market – the UltraPoint Octopus Flasher Rig and the UltraPoint Circle Flasher Rig. These 2-hook rigs rigs are user friendly, and can be used to target snapper or any other reef species. Suitable for jigging while drifting and also for bottom fishing, UltraPoint Octopus and UltraPoint Circle Flasher rigs are built using high quality Mustad UltraPoint hooks and 60lb leaders to maximise the flasher’s action while still being suitable for serious fish.

These rigs are also suitable for tipping with bait to enhance their appeal to a wider variety of fish, which includes the likes of pearl perch, flathead, kingfish and more.

The Octopus Flasher Rig uses the famous Mustad Octopus hook and has blue and red flashing with a generous pearlescent Fish Skin across the back of the hook.

The Circle Flasher Rig uses the Mustad 39953 circle hook and is finished with chartreuse/green flashing.

Fishing deep or shallow, with or without bait, the new Mustad Flasher Rigs will provide great options for anglers across the country. www.wilsonfishing.com

BLACKWOLF SKYRUNNER PACK

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The BlackWolf Skyrunner Transit Rolling Travel Pack is tough, durable and versatile.

It has a multitude of compartments to keep you organised, including the easily accessible main zippered compartment.

Coupled with lockable No.10 zips to prevent theft and a state-of-the-art side compression system to help keep your gear in place, it anticipates travel needs at every turn.

Choosing what to leave behind when travelling is time-consuming. Pack more gear and make use of the Skyrunner’s dynamic expansion gusset, which allows you to increase the capacity of your pack—for more room and fewer hassles. There’s an ergoharness that can be packed away when not in use and a two-stage handle for total command over the unit.

Unlike many rolling travel packs, the Skyrunner isn’t just made for airports. With durable, all-terrain 4WD wheels, BlackWolf’s Skyrunner can successfully tackle rocky, rough and uneven surfaces alike.

With a limited lifetime warranty, the Skyrunner is a testament to thoughtful travel design.

Price: SRP $299.99 (60L), $319.99 (80L) www.blackwolf.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

happens, the Swiss Champ Wood is the essential fix-it solution that should always be with you.

Price: $239 www.victorinox.com

WILSON PLATINUM 16 BACKPACK Designed specifically for fishing, the Wilson Platinum Series Backpack allows anglers to carry just about everything they need on their backs.

At the heart of the new system is the side access to the internal cargo area. The lets you easily keep the backpack over one shoulder while accessing the internal cargo area, so you don’t have to remove the backpack while you’re fishing.

Other features include three tackle trays inside the main cargo area that are sealed to provide waterproof boxes that will let you bring a mountain of tackle. An external sunglass holder and a retractable tool lanyard are also included. There are also four external zippered pockets for accessories such as leader, fishing gloves and more, as well as two Velcro secured tool holders and a massive front flap with even more storage for items such as plastics, spare hooks and more.

The top pocket also features an elastic webbing for securing jumpers or rain jackets, and the adjustable shoulder straps are padded for comfort and feature a chest strap for a more secure and ergonomic carry of the load.

Heavy cord with sturdy plastic sleeves are used on all zippers to ensure that even cold hands can easily open the zippers. www.wilsonfishing.com

RAPALA SPLIT RING PLIERS

13 14 15

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The new Rapala RCD 4” Mag Spring Split Ring Pliers offer easy to use, singlehanded operation.

Unlike conventional split ring pliers, the new Rapala RCD series are built with two internally opposing magnets to hold the pliers open.

The patent pending Mag Spring mechanism cannot fail, even in the harshest of conditions.

The split ring nose opens rings up to size 0, while the built-in cutter cuts all lines or tag ends with ease. Other features include stainless steel jaws with a gun metal finish, and ergonomic co-moulded Soft Grip handles for a comfortable hold.

In a nutshell, the RCD Split Ring Pliers are one of the easiest, quickest and toughest built split rings pliers on the market. Keep an eye out for them at your local tackle store. www.rapala.com.au

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STORM COASTAL SWISS CHAMP WOOD 18 15 TRICK TAIL KNIFE Anglers will love how the new Storm 360

Victorinox is now giving some of its most iconic knife models a revamp with walnut wood sourced sustainably from European forests. Each knife boasts a unique casing due to the natural wood grain.

One of the new models is the Swiss Champ Wood pocket knife, which is a modern day upgrade of the original Swiss Army Knife – the legendary Officer’s Knife.

With more than 29 functions and countless possibilities within it, including a ruler, pliers and a screwdriver, it is the perfect tool for almost any situation. There is a bottle opener and a corkscrew to kick off any celebration, a fish scaler and a wood saw for camping, a nail file, sewing awl, as well as some classic features such as a blade, screwdrivers and scissors. So wherever you are and whatever 70

JANUARY 2019

GT Coastal Trick Tail works the water.

This soft jerkbait has a fleeing baitfish action, and its ability to change direction is extraordinary.

If you stop the retrieve, and rather than slacking off, the Trick Tail will rock back and forth like a stressed baitfish. Its webbed tail continues to pump on the fall, or alternatively you can simply pinch out the webbing to switch to a more traditional wiggle effect.

The Storm 360 GT Coastal Trick Tail has a slotted back and belly for easy and balanced rigging. It is 5” long and is currently available in eight fish-catching colours, and we’re sure to see many species fall victim to its enticing action. Keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. www.stormfishing.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

Black Magic Snapper Snacks and KLT hooks Recently we received a package from Black Magic, and in it were a handful of the premade Snapper Snacks flasher rigs, and some of their new rust resistant KLT circle hooks. We sent them out to some of our valued contributors, and this is what they came back with.

TESTED

coated KLT circle hook. This KLT circle hook is designed so that fish will hook themselves. They are most effective on fish if the angler resists the temptation to strike at the bite. The PTFE coating also makes the hook super slick, to assist penetration.

I gave them a run on the Murray River cod opening weekend. We spent some

Hungry snapper just can’t resist the Black Magic Snapper Snack flasher rigs.

NEIL SLATER Black Magic have released Snapper Snacks, which incorporate a variety of tantalising, UV fish-attracting material and a glow skirt. The glow skirt works best in deeper water, where light does not penetrate as well, or after dark. If you want to use the glow skirt after dark, use a torch, phone light or camera flash and check it after an hour or so and reapply if necessary.

These are designed to be used on a paternoster rig so the Snack sits as a visual attractant above the sea floor.

They incorporate a rust resistant, PTFE

time in banana lounges and nobody was getting up to attempt to set any hooks.

The KLT hooks did an excellent job where the rods were left alone to allow the hook to do its work, as any good circle hook should do.

ALLAN BEVAN I had the very good fortune to have Black Magic send me two of the new offerings: the Black Magic Snapper Snack flasher rig and the KLT chemically sharpened hooks. The KLT chemically sharpened hooks are the bomb – they are strong yet fine gauge, and are like a cross between a wide gape and circle hook with the recurve ‘self hooking’ design, pinning fish in the corner of the mouth.

With sizes through the range up to a 7/0, these hooks are for all styles of fishing from sweetwater to offshore bait

fishing. My own favourite has been the 1/0 for King George whiting, and it has done wonders for the hook up rate and they are easy to unhook, with all the fish hooked in the corner of the mouth.

The Snapper Snack flasher rig is a two hook paternoster rig with the KLT hooks, lumo bead and flasher material that normally catches the fish in the

corner of their mouth. They are great to use in deep water or at night. By adding a small amount of bait you end up with the benefits of both lure and bait. The very first one that I dropped down in 50m was monstered as soon as it hit the bottom, with a double header of breaksea cod and snapper!

Neil Slater found the KLT hooks to be great for bait fishing on the Murray for cod and carp.

JANUARY 2019

71

Hobie polarized Kinchant thriller The Zerek BARRA Tour seems to be going from strength to strength. With 10 more teams competing on 2018 compared with 2017 and the ability for the tour to be run on the Track My Fish-powered app, the coverage and friendly mood in which the Tour events are contested are second to none.

The 2018 Tour featured events in Kinchant, Teemburra and Peter Faust dams and events run consecutively to compress the Tour into a timeframe that’s just over a week in length. It makes the travel and expense of the Tour manageable to most.

event that let fans, friends and family at home follow catches and official scores - live. With event times running from 4pm until midnight, there were plenty of people with one eye on Netflix and the other on the Hobie Polarized scoreboard!

And as if designed to add drama, there were plenty of lead changes and it came down to final upgrades to decide the winner - Team Triton/Edge Rods (Rick Napier and Dustin Sippel) by less than 500g over Team Wilsons (Troy Dixon and Shane Compain).

At the presentation the team, long supporters of the

STORM

Dustin Sippel shows off their first barra landed in the Kinchant round of the Zerek BARRA Tour.

But the real star for the team was a Madness vibration bait in white, fished off a 705 Edge rod.

Rick Napier explained the technique.

“Anchoring away from the weed bank, we would cast in to the weeds and rip the bait out. Each time, the bait would fall back into the weed or fall to the bottom. We’d pop the bait after that and that’s when the bites would come,” Rick said.

feeling for bites. The gun bait was the 110mm in Fat Betty colour and a more subtle lift and drop along the weed edge would trigger the bites.

When asked about how the impoundment Barra compared to the wild fish Shane targets back in the Territory, Shane said, “these fish are mad, they jump high and have these crazy direction changes. They’re awesome.”

Full results on www. abt.org.au

Dustin’s partner, Rick Napier was on the board soon afterwards and perfected the Madness vibe technique that they rode to success.

With the southern dams coming back on line, expect the BARRA events to expand again in 2019.

The first event of the 2018 tour was held on the popular Kinchant Dam, west of Mackay. A small lake with plenty of Barra and, importantly, mobile phone coverage for all of the teams.

This allowed ABT to run live scoreboards from the

BARRA Tour, cherished their first event win. And most competitors agreed that it’s the first of many.

“The first fish of the event came before dark and it ate a 7” Castaic paddle tailed plastic in baby bass colour,” Said Dustin. He threw that bait on an Edge BCR 666 rod spooled with Toray P4 braided line and a Toray Jigging Leader.

Matthew Mott: “Go barra fishing in the rain they said.

It’d be fun, they said.” $700 says that they still had fun.

Winners are grinners. Here’s Team Triton/Edge Rods’ first win. And popular winners they were.

The guys would also bend their vibes slightly (tail downwards) to accentuate their action.

For the win, the team took home $1,400 and a lead in the Team of the Year points table.

Second placed Team Wilson features Brisbane gun Troy Dixon and Territory import Shane Compain.

Anchoring on a weed edge, the pair worked out that by popping their Zerek Fish Traps off the bottom and

Scan the QR code to see Kinchant winners.

RESULTS

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

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JANUARY 2019

Place Team

Anglers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Napier/Sippel 5/5 Dixon/Compain 5/5 Mott/Mott 5/5 Griffiths/DeRidder 5/5 Edmonds/Maddick 4/5 Newby/Lyons 5/5 Price/Thomas 3/5 Sims/Curry 5/5 Lennox/Wratten 5/5 Maclean/Brett 4/5 Big Barra: Tree Huggers, 101cm

Triton Boats/Edge Rods Wilson Garmin Edge Rods/EJ Todd Fish With Me Likely Lads Lowrance Jackall Barambah Lures/Duffrods Dobyns Rods/Lethal Lures

Fish Weight Payout 53.50kg 53.02kg 39.00kg 37.76kg 37.45kg 36.16kg 36.02kg 35.95kg 34.53kg 33.12kg

$1,400 $800 $700 $600 $500 Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

Wilsons Teemburra Round 2 very tough While missing a cheque by a single place in the first event, Team Likely Lads were about to start a run of wins that will be hard to match in the future. AT this point, we’ll pass over to Geoff Newby, who’s diligently recorded their trials and tribulation for here on in.

Take it away, Geoff!

“Phil and I went into the Barra tour not very confident, we had a tough ABT tour in 2017 and the pre-fish experience in 2018 had been terrible. We had spent over 90 hours of fishing for 3 fish, over 40 hours on Peter Faust for one barra, around 30 hours on Teemburra for 2 Barra and 20 hours on Kinchant for a donut a couple of weeks before the ABT tour started. During that period,

we consoled ourselves with the fact we were fishing at night on the wrong moon and it was very cold.

“We were more confident at Teemburra than Kinchant as it is what we call our home ground and the Tuesday before we had boated five barra and lost a couple. On the October full moon Phill and I, along with another mate had boated 35 barra off our first-choice spot.

“We decided not to fish the dam any more before the comp but we were hearing that it was very tough from the visitors during pre-fish. The water level was dropping fast around 3cm/day. The water temp was around 28 degrees but on arrival the colour had changed to a green algae colour and this was

BARRA T our 201 8

suspected to be putting the fish off eating.

“There was a good easterly wind blowing that was perfect for our spot choice. We had decided on 3 spots in priority, #1 being Pinnacle Point and #2 being the spot below it on the little bushes. We had again studied our spots in pre-fish utilising the Teemburra Dam social map from the Lowrance C-Map Genesis web site.

“We had drawn a decent start position off at #7 so as we went through the start gate, three boats in front of us headed in the direction of Pinnacle Point but then went to the left down Middle Creek, so in we went straight on to our #1 choice mark and dropped the 15kg lead plonker.

“It was a slow start but These unlikely lads, the Likely Lads (Phill Lyons and Geoff Newby) were amazed when they won the Wilsons Teemburra event with just two fish. we did expect that as we consider it a better night spot than in daylight. Phill got a follow at the boat after

7.50pm I was onto a small 60cm barra that consumed a Berkley 160mm Fire Tiger Giant Ripple Shad that got

but the 83cm barra was the biggest landed.”

Newby used an ACM custom built Revelation

Go on Mick Weick, make fun of this little guy - he helped you to an $800 payout. about an hour but it did not eat the lure, but it made us feel better that there was barra around.

“We were seeing the odd fish but no numbers, then at

This barra from Team Venom may not have been huge, but it took them into 3rd place and a $700 payday.

RESULTS Place Team

Anglers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Newby/Lyons 2/5 Weick/Barnett 2/5 Detenon/Eves 1/5 Griffiths/DeRidder 2/5 Slade/McIntyre 1/5 Napier/Sippel 2/5 Maclean/Brett 1/5 Sims/Curry 2/10 Mott/Mott 1/5 Edmonds/Maddick 1/5 Big Barra: 83cm, Likely Lads.

Likely Lads Tree Huggers Venom Edge Rods/EJ Todd Slimy Decks Triton Boats/Edge Rods Dobyns Rods/Lethal Lures Jackall Garmin Fish With Me

Fish Weight Payout 9.03kg 6.37kg 6.14kg 5.57kg 5.47kg 5.10kg 5.07kg 3.85kg 3.60kg 1.89kg

$1,400 $800 $700 $600 $500 Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

us off the donut - our first objective complete.

“Another one followed at 8.20pm and Phill was on with an 83cm barra that had consumed the 13cm Molix swimbait. It had it in its mouth like a dog with a bone and all three hooks were set.

“Phil had one more hit that hit the Molix as it hit the water. The barra jumped out of the water but did not hook up and that was the end of the comp as far as bites were concerned. I had said to Phill with around an hour to go if we could get one more fish, I think it will get us a top ten place.

“We never expected to find the result. We heard back at the boat ramp that we had not only won it

swim bait rod 15 to 30lb with a Daiwa Certate HD 4000, 30lb Sufix 832, and 70lb Schneider leader.

Phill used a Millerods Toad rod with a Shimano Stella FE 4000 reel and Suffix 832 30lb braid and 28kg wire leader.

Scan the QR code to see Teemburra winners.

JANUARY 2019

73

Westin Faust All Nighter

STORM

With the Likely Lads on a roll - winning the Westin Night Championships at Peter Faust, we thought we should let them loose with the report again.

“Here we are at the premier barra dam on the east coast of Australia to fish the all-night Barra Championship - 4pm to 8am - best 5 barra.

“We had had a tough pre-fish - over 40 hours between us at Peter Faust for 1 solitary fish. We pre-fished 4 or 5 days after the full moon and when the sun went it was very cold and windy so we knew it would be hard fishing, but we moved around looking for the barra and we found them on numerous spots but could not get them to bite.

“Our last stop was a point in the basin as we had caught fish many times there in the past and there was enough to see on the side scan to get us interested. We boated our only barra and jumped one off. There was also plenty of fish in the basin after we saw

Their win in the Westin Peter Faust Night Championships with 5/5 for 80.83kg made it two-in-a-row for the Likely Lads.

“It’s a very shallow point with a weed edge coming out from the bank about 2 to 3 metres then another 2 metre of weed towers under the surface then 4 feet deep out to 11 foot where we were anchored. We have fished the all-night comps before and for and it is very tiring so we made a plan that if or when we had caught five, one metre barra we would pack up for the night and go to bed.

The Night Championships is the only BARRA Tour opportunity to enjoy a morning bite window. a guy on the boat ramp land two fish over a metre as we were pulling the boat in.

“So, we had our three spots with the spot in the Basin being our #1 and two other spots towards the river.

We had a good draw off at #3 and with not far to go we thought we would get on our #1 choice and we did.

“The Lowrance C-Map Genesis social map again proved an invaluable tool during pre-fish enabling us to find the best spots in the prevailing conditions and the best anchor points.

The Peter Faust Social map is over 90% complete and can be set up with customised colours for

more accurate viewing. The social map of all the dams is available to anyone with a Lowrance sounder.

“We started as usual both with different lures swapping every 15 mins or so casting to the solid weed edge and burning it off before slowing the retrieve in the clear water.

After 90mins at 5.30pm Phill was on to a good fish on a Squidgy Mongrel that measured 109cm and was a great start.

“After that we got quite busy, boating four barra, roughly every 20mins or so, biggest being 88cm.

That gave us a small 5-fish bag, but a bag all the same, with the lure doing the damage being the Berkley Giant Ripple Shad in Fire Tiger colour.

“Then at 8pm we boated our biggest barra of the night - a cracking 112cm. So we were then starting to get the upgrades we needed. We had also had a lure swap and started to get the better fish on the 13cm Molix in Black and Gold colour.

“The next 30mins saw two more fish - a 69cm and an 81cm that gave us a small upgrade. It went quiet for the next hour until we boated a 110cm fish at 9.30pm and then a 102cm at 10.45pm.

The small barra seemed to disappear but we never had them going off any way just picking them up steadily as the bigger barra moved in.

Another upgrade of 90cm followed at 11.10pm then the one we were looking for the 5th metre fish was in the boat at 11.30 at 103cm.

“It seemed a bit early to leave before midnight so we stayed boating an 98cm and a 72cm before 1am. It went very quiet from 1am with no barra showing on the sounder so at 2am we decided to call it a night. A couple of beers when we got back to Camp Kanga in bed at 3am and up at 7.30am as the other anglers started to arrive back at camp Kanga.

We obviously did not know how the night had gone for the other teams but the feed back from the teams coming in was very positive we had 5.36m that converted to a weight of 80.83kg and was enough for the No1 spot 5kg in front of 2nd place.

“The wind had been very strong in our face so there were issues with backlash on baitcaster reels so the main gear was spin rods.

Geoff again used the ACM custom built Revelation swim bait rod 15 to 30lb with a Daiwa Certate HD 4000 30lb Suffix 832, and 70lb Schneider leader with the Mustad quick change clip. A custom built Geoff Busbridge spin rod on a Rain Shadow blank 12 to 20lb with 20lb suffix 832 braid and 55lb Schneider leader with the Mustad quick change clip with Transam vibes that picked some of the early barra.

Phill used an Millerods Toad rod with a Shimano Stella FE 4000 reel with suffix 832 30lb Braid and 28kg wire leader.

The guys added another $1,500 to their winnings from the event and took a narrow lead into the Team of the Year standings with an event to go.

Scan the QR code to see Faust all nighter interviews.

RESULTS

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

74

JANUARY 2019

Place Team

Anglers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Newby/Lyons 5/5 Mott/Mott 5/5 Griffiths/DeRidder 5/5 Weick/Barnett 5/5 Lennox/Wratten 5/5 Brier-Mills/Tunstead 5/5 Detenon/Eves 5/5 Laine/Hassett 5/5 Dixon/Compain 5/5 Morgan/Smith 4/5 Big Barra: Garmin, 118cm

Likely Lads Garmin Edge Rods/EJ Todd Tree Huggers Barambah Lures/Duffrods EJ Todd/Tinaroo Venom LuckyCraft/Sunline Wilson Fishing Monthly

Fish Weight Payout 80.83kg 75.36kg 69.79kg 64.95kg 64.82kg 63.67kg 55.01kg 55.29kg 55.21kg 51.93kg

$1,500 $800 $700 $600 $500 Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

BARRA T our 201 8

Lucky Craft Faust 2-Day Why not stop when you’re on a roll. The Likely Lads emphatically won the Team of the Year title after a third win in a row at the Lucky Craft Faust 2-Day Championship. Here’s the story … continued.

“The start of two massive sessions for Phil and I, the 4th and final round had the nerves jangling the stomach turning summer salts. What a position to be in leading the Team of the Year table by 3 points from what has been the best barra team anglers in the last 4 years, Craig Griffiths and Karim De Ridder.

Championship.

“With 1st fish donut gone and on the board. The next 2 hours were a nightmare jump offs and pulled hooks - fish after fish. Finally, we got one to the boat then disaster strikes - it winds the braid around the anchor rope but all was not lost we untangled it and boated a small 76cm barra - what a relief.

“After we had processed it, we sat and talked for a few minutes and that we needed to settle down and get back in to the groove and that we did. The bite changed from the night comp. We had been concentrating

Ash Sims didn’t take long to boat this 106cm fish at the start of the 2-day event.

“The talk between Phil and I was if we can get the spot we fished on the Night Championship as our start is down the field at No16.

If we do, will the fish still be there can we get our bag? the spot in the past as been tough on the 2nd session but we had the benefit of a rest day Thursday night that we thought may rest and refresh the spot. We got reassured by a few of our mates before the start - just do your thing and don’t panic.

“Away we went and no one took the spot we had fished on the Night Championship, so we settled in dropped the anchor and started to thrash the water to foam.

“We had a great start as Phill smacked a 100cm fish at 4.30pm on the Squidgy Mongrel, just like the Night

hitting the weed edge, a short burn, drop and then a steady retrieve, this wasn’t working.

We changed to a 45 degree angle cast towards the bank but falling short of the weed fringe concentrating on a longer cast keeping the lure in the deeper water.

“Our favourite lure, the Squidgy Slick Rig had not worked all tournament and at this stage nothing was working. We lined up 5 different colour slick rigs and on the 3rd change to the 130mm Lorikeet colour, two quick Barra followed.

A 97cm came at 8.30pm and they came at a steady pace every 20 to 30mins until our last two Barra - a 106cm at 10.50pm and a 104cm at 11.10pm fell to a Slick rig in the Green Grunter colour after a tip off from our neighbour Steve Morgan.

“This gave us 10 barra for the session, our best five being 106, 104, 100, 98, and 97cm for a total length of 5.05m and a weight of 63.7kg. We decided to head to the boat ramp at 11.30pm to try and avoid the rush from the 12pm finish.

SESSION 2 “The first session was a good result, we were in third place just behind the Tree Huggers - Michael and Brendan and in second place Team Lowrance (Peter Price and Greg Thomas). Our biggest threat for the Team of the Year Team - Edge Rods/ EJ Todd, Craig and Karim had had a tough session and were down the field in 12th place, 27kg behind us. If there was a team who could pull a rabbit out of the hat and make up the deficit it was Craig and Karim.

“The thought of winning Round 4 had gone. All we could think about was catching a bag that would keep us in front for the Team of The Year, we could only lose it.

“We thought this session would be a bit harder for all the teams due to the pressure from the night before our goals stayed the same - get off the donut ASAP and catch a 5 fish bag regardless of size then look for upgrades.

“We had a good start position off at No 3 and back to the same spot this time all set up correctly, no panic we are going to bore them to death into the boat. We concentrated on the angle cast with the main lure being the Green Grunter slick rig and at 5.30 our first barra hit the deck - a modest 70cm fish but the donut gone. We picked up another couple of small barra before our first metre fish 102cm was on the deck.

“We went another 90mins before the next fish at 9pm was on board at only 67cm but it made up our 5 fish bag and time for a little celebration. Three more barra came to the net but they were of a smaller stamp than the previous two sessions.

We had anticipated a very late bite of bigger fish due to what happened the night

Team Likely Lads milked a string of Barra off a small point in the main basin, with Barra like this coming over the side regularly. before and at 11.30 we were into a good fish. Before we boated this fish we thought we would be safe with the team of the Year title but it would be tight for a 4th round victory.

“So here’s what happened at 11.30pm as Phill started to pack up - a massive 113cm. You beauty!

“After we stopped shaking and processing the fish a high five and Phill finishes off packing up. I had a few more casts and Phill says, “Its 12 minutes to midnight you need to pack up.”

“It’s OK - I will pack up while you are getting the car,” and called last cast. Two turns of the reel and bang, I’m on again and out of the water comes another big metre barra, but unfortunately the hooks pulled and it was time to go.

“We boated 9 barra and put two back that we did not process as they were 2 small and we did not want to waste time during a hot bite. The best 5 were 113, 102, 98, 94 and 80 cm for 4.87m and 59.69kg. I talked to Craig at the boat ramp and yes, they had given it a good go with 72 kg of Barra but thankfully not enough to deny us the accolade of “ABT Barra Team of The Year 2018”.

“We did not know what had transpired with the rest of the teams until we got back to camp Kanga and were not sure until the official result was released

by Stefan Sawynok as the results had been configured all the way through on the Track My Fish app which

RESULTS Place Team

Anglers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Newby/Lyons 10/10 Price/Thomas 10/10 Griffiths/DeRidder 10/10 Detenon/Eves 10/10 Slade/McIntyre 10/10 Weick/Barnett 8/10 Brier-Mills/Tunstead 10/10 Sims/Curry 8/10 Maclean/Brett 8/10 Laine/Hassett 6/10 Big Barra: JWC, 114cm

Likely Lads Lowrance Edge Rods/EJ Todd Venom Slimy Decks Tree Huggers EJ Todd/Tinaroo Jackall Dobyns Rods/Lethal Lures LuckyCraft/Sunline

Fish Weight Payout 123.38kg 114.98kg 106.39kg 103.84kg 101.53kg 98.58kg 94.45kg 78.01kg 63.08kg 55.28kg

$1,500 $800 $700 $600 $500 Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

is a great innovation and it will change the face of tournament angling.

“We had almost completed a clean sweep - 3 wins in the rounds and team of the year. $4,400 better off with two beautiful Ian Miller rods and a pile of trophies.

“We never really got to thank anyone as

for some great rods - we can’t do it without you.

“To Camp Kanga the days there make it extra special and to all the anglers thinking about joining the Tour get in there, it’s a great experience.

“Personally a big thank you to my team mate Phill Lyons we have had our

Faust Point is definitely louder once Matthew Mott and Team Garmin turns up. The father/son team alternate between harmony and anarchy, depending on how many fish have been boated. non-sponsored anglers but they say behind a good man is a very good woman and we both have great wives and thank you to them for putting up with everything that goes with Tournament angling.

“To ABT, Steve Morgan, James Reid, Nicholle and Stefan Sawynok and Tracy from Infofish for a well organised tour as usual and it has been improving each year. Who Shares Wins.

“Most of all to all the other teams without them there is no tour and the numbers are growing each year it’s a a great week catching up with some great characters and meeting new people. To the sponsors: Zerek, Hobie Polarized, Wilson Fishing, Westin, Lucky Craft and Millerods

moments but we keep turning up for each other. Here’s to next year see you all then.

And that’s it. The BARRA Tour will roll into 2019 with some new champs and plenty wanting to take the title in the future.

Keep an eye out on www. abt.org.au for future dates.

Scan the QR code to see Faust 2-Day interviews.

JANUARY 2019

75

Mayberry Wins BREAM Grand Final

STORM

Long time ABT angler, Jason Mayberry from the South Coast of NSW, thought he was only making up numbers when it came to the biggest event of the year in the Australian bream fishing calendar.

His predictions could not have been further from reality, as he dropped a 5.33kg bag on the scales from Gippsland Lakes on day one and never looked back. For his efforts, he took home a Bass Cat Margay boat powered by a 150HP Mercury 4-stroke engine and fitted with Garmin sounders and a MotorGuide electric motor – the package valued at over $60,000.

Amazingly, Mayberry had only fished one of the three venues used for the event, which visited Gippsland Lakes (out of Metung), Bemm River and Marlo over the three tournament days. He scored bags of 5.33kg, 4.44kg and 3.92kg on days 1, 2 and 3 repectively.

of fish. The only 5kg+ bag presented for the day.

Day two moved to the Bemm River, with the compact location yielding plenty of great bags for anglers, despite increasingly windy conditions in the afternoon. Mayberry got to work early, securing his limit in the first hour of fishing. His 5/5, 4.44kg may not have been the biggest limit of the day (the honour went to Declan Betts’ 4.87kg bag), but it was enough to give him a kilo-plus margin over the ACT’s Alan Lister going into the final day of competition.

As can happen in Victoria, the weather turned on the final day, with Marlo smashed by rain and strong winds an hour after the start.

With the winds making the popular Lake Corringle turbid and difficult and Marlo’s potential of spitting out 6kg+ bags, there was every chance that Mayberry’s lead could evaporate.

Adding to the joy of the win was a $60,000+ Bass Cat Boat, powered by a 150hp Mercury outboard and fitted with Garmin and MotorGuide electronics.

As always, the BREAM Grand Final was a sharedweight event, with boaters and non-boaters fishing together for a combined best-five bag of bream. In this event, it pays to work together as a team.

Mayberry couldn’t have hoped for a better draw landing non-boater Angler of the Year, Canberra’s Stuart Walker, on day one. With Stuart’s prowess with a ZMan GrubZ and Jason armed with the latest Squidgy Bio Tough baits, the pair fished the Tambo River to accumulate and upgrade to a 5.33kg limit

Jason, however, had other ideas. Paired again with Stuart Walker (final day pairings are allocated on place), the couple went to work and ground out 5/5 for 3.92kg, giving Jason a 1.83kg margin of victory over a fastfinishing Brad Hodges.

A popular and humble winner, Jason explained his winning tackle and technique.

“Fishing 2lb straight through fluorocarbon is just what I do,” explained Jason, “it gives me better feel and is

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

76

JANUARY 2019

JASON’S TOP LURE

Squidgy Bio Tough Fish on a TT 1/20oz jighead. more forgiving when I hook a big bream.”

Jason used an unspecified 2lb fluorocarbon line on a Millerods Crank Freak rod paired with a Shimano TwinPower reel. His baits of choice included the Squidgy Bio Tough Fish in pumpkinseed and bloodworm colours in addition to the ubiquitous ZMan GrubZ in motor-oil colour. He fished both on 1/20oz TT jighead.

Amazingly, Mayberry had only ever fished Gippsland Lakes before – he was new to both the Bemm River and Marlo.

“It was after I boxed a decent limit in the first 30 minutes on day 2 that I thought that I had a chance to win the Grand Final,” Mayberry explained, “and after that it was just a matter of hanging on at Marlo in those trying conditions.”

Jason had the foundations of a good day 3 limit before the change came through at Marlo – he was only one fish short of a limit – and managed to drop nearly 4kg on the scales at the conclusion of the day to emphatically take the title.

There’s obviously something in the water on

the South Coast of NSW, with three of the past four Grand Final champions coming from the area. The NSW South Coast will have a chance to make it 4/5 when the BREAM Grand Final visits the Gold Coast in Queensland in late 2019.

Scan the QR code to see the day 1 highlights.

Scan the QR code to see the day 2 highlights.

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Scan the QR code to see Jason Mayberry’s interview.

Jason Mayberry and Stuart Walker were paired together on the first day of the Grand Final. The pair put together a 5/5, 5.33 bag to take a lead that neither of them lost throughout the event.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Weight(kg) Payout

Jason Mayberry 15 13.69kg Bass Cat Boat package Brad Hodges 15 11.86kg Miller Rods pack Cameron Whittam 15 11.68kg Rod + Costa sunnies Daniel Mackrell 15 11.28kg Costa sunnies Kristoffer Hickson 15 11.09kg Costa sunnies Braddley Young 14 10.73kg Scott Wilson 14 10.71kg Wally Fahey 15 10.61kg Mario Vukic 13 10.13kg Andrew Moore 14 9.66kg For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Hodges lifts game too late

Coming in to the event, Victorian Brad Hodges would have been at the top of the ‘hot tips’ list of anyone in the know, however a slow start at Gippsland Lakes left the Melbourne breamer with too much to do on the last day.

“I checked my spots in the North Arm and the tides were wrong and the fish absent,” Hodges said, “so I fell back to my backup

spots and only managed a below average bag.”

At Bemm, he fared a little better, boxing 3.47kg of bream to hold down a mid-field position.

It wasn’t until his final day of fishing that he upped his game, dropping a day-best 5.24kg onto the scales and remaining in the hot seat until Mayberry kicked him out with the last bag of the day.

“I’ve come second

BREAM SERIES

twice now and it’s a disappointing feeling,” Hodges said, “but it was great to be paired with my dad on the final day of competition and to catch such a good limit from that skinny water.”

All of his fish came on a Berkley hardbodied jerkbait and he did take home a pair of Millerods production bream rods and some Costa sunglasses to ease the pain.

Although he weighed the biggest bag of the final day, Victorian Brad Hodges had to settle for second place, a long way behind the winner. Some Millerods and Costas helped ease the pain.

There’s no bigger prize in Australian breaming than the BREAM Grand Final.

Walker wins it all Just three days after collecting his 2018 Non-Boater BREAM Angler of the Year title, Canberra’s Stuart Walker added the 2018 BREAM Grand Final Non-Boater Champion trophy to his mantelpiece, completing a clean sweep of titles this tournament year.

The unassuming backof-the-boat gun revelled in the early-summer conditions and fished his trademark ZMan GrubZ to great effect, helping his and his boaters’ chances immensely.

He fished with Jason Mayberry on day one, Steve Duff on day 2 and Mayberry again on the final day.

When interviewed after the win, Stuart was typically quietly spoken, but ran through some of the keys to his success.

Powering over 70% of the Grand Final field, Mercury is the outboard of choice for bream tournament anglers.

In addition to the Grand Final trophy, Stuart Walker won an ‘Ultimate Costa Pack’ with five pairs of glasses and a pile of accessories.

“I like to keep it simple.

I don’t know why the bream eat it – it doesn’t look like a fish – but they do. I also like to experiment with colours. I sometimes mix colours in the packets and they bleed into each other,” Stuart said.

Walker fishes his grubs on top end Daiwa gear – a Silverwolf rod and reel spooled with 8-carrier braid and 4lb leader.

“Better quality braid definitely lets me untangle wind knots better,” says

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Weight(kg) Payout

Stuart Walker 15 13.29kg Costa Mega Pack Wayne Hamilton 15 11.79kg Costa Mega Pack Mick Hodges 14 11.69kg Rod/Reel combo + Prize Pack Ben Shuey 15 11.36kg Rod/Reel combo + Prize Pack Neil Kelly 15 11.01kg Rod + Prize Pack Brendan Pieschel 15 10.95kg Rod + Prize Pack Michael Thompson 15 10.75kg Prize Pack Colin Wilson 15 10.61kg Prize Pack Dallas Blatchford 14 10.06kg Prize Pack Daniel McNeice 14 9.4kg Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Stewie, “and I’ve found that better quality gear lasts better and helps me catch more fish.”

But it’s more than gear that Walker uses to achieve his success. It’s the experience of travelling all around the country to fish.

“I’ve fished with great anglers all over the place and you never stop learning. My advice to anyone wanting to try this sport is to stop thinking about it and start doing it. You’ll have a great time and will never look back. I haven’t,” he concluded.

Rewards for his efforts included an Ultimate Costa Pack with five pairs of the quality eyewear and a mountain of accessories.

Scan the QR code to see Stuart Walker’s interview.

Mercury Cup Taree’s Kris Hickson’s top-10 performance vaulted him ahead of Queenslander, Steve Morgan to clinch the 2018 Mercury Cup, with the perennial Cup and $1000 cash going to his base at

Manning River Marine for the next year.

The Mercury Cup is awarded to Mercury owners with the highest rankings points total for the year. This includes the Grand Final.

Taree’s Kris Hickson took home the Mercury Cup and the $1000 payday that comes with it. It’s awarded to the highest ranked Mercury Owner at the end of the tournament year.

JANUARY 2019

77

Gammie goes gangbusters on Lake Macquarie On 3 and 4 November, a strong field of 58 anglers from New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Victoria (VIC) travelled to Lake Macquarie in the Hunter region of NSW to compete in Pro Lure Round 10 of Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10.

After an encouraging pre-fish day on Friday the tournament kicked off on Saturday morning in 12-18 knot northwesterly winds, with the temperature reaching 39°C towards the middle of the day.

Fortunately for the anglers a cooling southerly breeze blew in at around 1:20pm. But while conditions for most of the day were extreme, the bite was strong across a widespread section of the lake, with anglers producing 93 bream RESULTS Place Angler 1 Jack Gammie 2 Kris Hickson 3 Paul Dunlop 4 Tyson Hayes 5 Glenn Allen 6 Simon Morley 7 Andrew Death 8 Brett Crowe 9 Guy Struthers 10 Jon Clisby

at the scales, which came to a total weight of 49.78kg.

On Sunday a 180° wind shift saw a cooler 6-12 knot breeze blow in from the southeast throughout the session. A whopping 92 fish for 54.09kg were caught on the day, reaching a tournament total of 185 fish, which brings the total weight to 103.87kg.

The average fish weight over the two days was 560g.

Australia representative and 6th place getter at the Hobie Fishing World Championship in Sweden earlier this year, Jack Gammie from Berowra Waters in NSW, fished the Swansea Bridge for around 30 minutes on day one.

He picked up three average sized bream before the tide started running too hard to maintain his position in the channel. He headed back to State NSW NSW NSW QLD NSW NSW NSW NSW QLD VIC

Total Fish 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 6 6

the Swansea Flats where most other anglers were fishing and upgraded there once to bring a 1.93kg bag back to the scales.

On day two Gammie chose to do the long haul of 9.3km once again and pedalled his new Hobie Outback for

After finally reaching his destination, and with the tide still running really hard, he fished for just over two hours, throwing Cranka Crabs with running ball sinkers just to get the crabs to the bottom in the extreme

WINNER’S GEAR Rod Reel Line Leader Lure

7’ Daiwa Black Label 2-4kg and 1-3kg Daiwa Caldia and a Certate 10lb Sunline PE 6lb Cranka Crab with a running ball sinker

1-hour and 40-minutes just to get to his preferred location, the Swansea Bridge. The current was running so hard in the channel that it took Gammie almost 45-minutes to travel the last kilometre to the bridge pylons and throw his first cast.

Total Weight (kg) 4.98 4.42 3.93 3.87 2.65 3.64 3.40 3.36 3.30 3.19

Prize $1690 $880 $570 $260 $220 $200 $180 $150 $130 $110

current. Gammie added 3.05kg to his day one bag, giving him a 560g lead (equivalent to one average sized bream for this tournament) over 2nd place getter Kris Hickson.

Gammie caught ten fish, and eight of those were 800g or larger. In his day two bag he had a big slapper of a fish, a 1.18kg atomic big bream that added an extra $100 to his winning purse of $1690.

KRIS HICKSON HOOKS A SECOND The current Series 10 leader for Angler of the Year (AOY), Kris Hickson from Camden Haven on the NSW Mid-North Coast, headed the tournament after day one, with a slender 330g lead over the eventual winner, Jack Gammie, who was sitting in 4th place.

Even though he is usually an angler who covers a lot of water in these events, Hickson kept his travelling time down on the weekend, spending more time with a line in the water. While most anglers hung around Swansea Flats on the east side of the lake and to the north of the event site, Hickson travelled a much shorter distance to the westsouthwest across to Taylors Bay, opposite the Rafferty’s Resort launch area.

Hickson was using a shallow spool reel, finesse fishing, throwing chubbies on 3-4lb straight through at just about everything that he came across. He pulled a full three fish bag on day one and sat in the lead with 2.26kg.

Round 10 winner Jack Gammie with two of his impressive bream.

Hickson likes to fish alone, but everywhere he went on day two he found other anglers and that slightly threw him off his game plan. Nevertheless, he followed a similar pattern and managed to get a few small legal bream into his livewell early in the day. After pulling hooks on a few big fish at the back of the same bay that he had worked on both days, he decided to do a lap or two of Pulbah Island before heading back to the weigh-in.

His two-day aggregate bag of 4.42kg finished just short of the eventual winner, but was enough to give him second place and $880 in prize money for the tournament.

Paul Dunlop from NSW took home $570 for his 3rd place finish with a 1.69kg and a 2.24kg bag to finish with six fish for 3.93kg and his best finish for the season.

The Mortgage Corp Moster Mover powerpack prize, for the biggest move up the leader

Kris Hickson managed to score 2nd place with fish like this making up his bag. He is also one of the top competitors set to win Angler of the Year.

78

JANUARY 2019

board from day one to day two, went to Paul Hardiman from ACT. Hardiman followed up his zero fish on Saturday, to bag out, with three fish, on day two, which weighed in at 1.87kg. The bag moved Hardiman up from the bottom of the field and into 25th place at the close of the tournament.

In the divisions Cullen Di Mattina (NSW) won the Youth prize pack, Lex Court (NSW) the Masters and Luke Kay and Lynden Briggs (NSW) the Pro Angler 17T Teams prize.

While Kris Hickson looks set to secure the 2018 AOY title and a place in the Hobie Fishing World Championship in 2019, any number of other anglers have a huge chance to make the top ten and possibly a place on the Australian team for the 8th Hobie Fishing World Championship.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP AND SERIES 11 CALENDAR At the Lake Macquarie event the tournament director, Steve Fields, released the calendar for Hobie Kayak Bream Series 11 (see hobie. com.au) and announced the venue and dates for the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 Australian Championship, which will be held at Forster in NSW from 13-17 February, 2019.

Thanks to our sponsors Daiwa, Lowrance, Atomic, Gerber, Tackle Tactics, Powerpole, Mortgage Corp, Strike Pro, Pro Lure, Cranka Lures, JML, Lurefans and Hobie Polarized.

Rafferty’s Resort was the event site venue and on both days the resort team put on a delicious spread of mini burgers and wraps for anglers after long days on the water. – Hobie

JANUARY 2019

79

Stunning snapper success The 2018 Peninsula Snapper Challenge was a stunning success as over 200 entrants enjoyed Melbourne’s premier snapper fishing event.

With a nine day competition window, eliminating any fickle Melbourne spring weather, anglers fished Port Phillip Bay and Westernport in

search of the big red that would earn them the title of Challenge Champion in the Open, Kayak or Junior divisions. Entrants were thankful for the nine day format early as the first

as prizes like a $2500 Tackleworld shopping spree, BLA anchor winch, Humminbird GPS/sounder, Spotters sunglasses, Salty Crew clothing, Hookem nets and Rapala lure packs

PENINSULA SNAPPER CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS Place 1st 2nd 3rd Place 1st 2nd 3rd Place 1st 2nd 3rd The Kayak winners Ben Pinniger, Chris Dick and Marlon Blackford for the competition.

Junior Competitor Jack Anderson Jamie Adams Josh Adams Kayak Competitor Ben Pinniger Chris Dick Marlon Blackford Open Competitor Deon Adams Daniel Condon Andrew Koscielecki

competition day blew 25 knots, which eliminated safe fishing, however, the rest of the weather was superb.

Challengers were judged on the length of their largest snapper, with the fish entered using a mobile phone photo of the captured fish placed on a measuring device. This simple method allows anglers to release the fish immediately if

Snapper size (cm) 82cm 79cm 78cm Snapper size (cm) 80cm 73cm 72cm Snapper size (cm) 90cm 84cm 83.3cm

Peninsula Snapper Challenge Open Champion Deon Adams with his 90cm snapper, caught in the top end of Western Port snapper will be nervous every time Peter is near!

Thanks to the Peninsula Snapper Challenge 95 entrants won prizes, every Junior won a Wilson rod

Tony Blackford on the cover and other goodies.

Check out the photos and prizes at www. peninsulasnapperchallenge. com and follow us on

were given away.

Excitement grew as $6000 of top shelf Shimano rod and reels, specially chosen for local waters, finished in the hands of grateful winners. The biggest smile came from Peter Jarni who now is the proud owner of the Shimano Ultimate Snapper Outfit, consisting of a Stella 5000 matched to a Grappler spin rod, the

November VFM cover model Tony with Challenge organiser Chris.

2019 SUPER SERIES DATES

Round l 1 Feb 23 Lake Eppalock (Lake Eppalock Holiday Park) Round l 2 April 6 Mulwala (DC on the Lake) Round l 3 May 4 Mitchellstown (Majors Creek Camping Area) Round l 4 July 6 Mulwala (Bundalong Tavern) Round l 5 August 24 Mildura (Ford Courage) Round l 6 November 16 Eildon (Jerusalem Creek) “Champion of Champions” November 17, 2019 Top 3 place holders and 1 random drawn competitor from each round to compete for the “Champion of Champions.”

“SHANE’S SPLASH THE CASH”

New

held the day following each event.

To download the free app.

Go to ifishcomps in the app store or

Check out our Facebook page:

• Central VIC Lure Casters Super Series For more information contact

Shane Melrose 0406 141 967 80

JANUARY 2019

Ben Pinniger with the winning snapper in the Challenge Kayak Division. they choose and easily upsize any entry later in the tournament by sending a new shot of the longer snapper. The Peninsula Snapper Challenge hopes that this sustainable fishing philosophy will educate anglers to ensure the continued health of Melbourne’s snapper fishing stocks.

With the fishing done it was off to the Frankston Bombers Football and Netball Club for the presentation, where the champions were applauded and every entrant had a chance to win from the $20,000 lucky draw prize pool. Entrants drooled over the prize display and crossed their fingers

and reel and 100 enjoyed Club Marine gift bags containing copies of Victorian Fishing Monthly, featuring

Facebook for up to date fishing reports and competition updates. David Glennie Peninsula Snapper Challenge

The top three Junior winners: Jack Anderson, Jamie Adams and Josh Adams.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

Brought to you by

2019

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

12-13 Jan

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 1

Bemm River

2-3 Feb

Tasmania Bream Classic Series Round 1

Georges Bay, St Helens

2-3 Feb

Victoria Bream Classic Round 1

Glenelg River

20-21 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 1

Marlo/Bemm River

23-24 Feb

ABT BREAM Round 2

Gippsland Lakes

2-3 March

ABT BASS Round 1

Clarence River

2-3 March

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 2

Mallacoota

9 March

ABT BASS Electric Round 1

Richmond River

9-10 March

Tasmania Bream Classic Series Round 2

Swan River, Swansea

16-17 March

Victoria Bream Classic Round 2

Mallacoota

19-21 March

ABT BREAM Australian Open

Sydney

23-24 March

ABT BREAM Round 3

Botany Bay

30-31 March

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 3

Sydney

6-7 April

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 4

Blackwood River

6-7 April

Tasmania Bream Classic Series Round 3

Derwent River, Hobart

13-14 April

ABT BASS Electric Round 2

Toonumbar Dam

27-28 April

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 5

Nelson

30 April-1 May

ABT BREAM Round 4

Albany

4-5 May

Victoria Bream Classic Round 3

Metung

4-5 May

ABT BREAM Round 5

Blackwood

18-19 May

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 6

Woy Woy

25-26 May

ABT BASS Round 2

Glenbawn Dam

hobiefishing.com.au

tasmanianbreamclassics@gmail.com

billhartshorne@hotmail.com

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

hobiefishing.com.au

abt.org.au

tasmanianbreamclassics@gmail.com

billhartshorne@hotmail.com

abt.org.au

abt.org.au

hobiefishing.com.au

hobiefishing.com.au

tasmanianbreamclassics@gmail.com

abt.org.au

hobiefishing.com.au

abt.org.au

billhartshorne@hotmail.com

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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.

JANUARY 2019

81

Lessons from the ABT Barra Tour I was blessed to be on ABT Barra tour for the second year in a row.

The nights were long, the fishers were elite, all had skills, and with five days of competition, there were so many stats to collect. As

comparing different groups of fishers. I am happy with anyone taking me fishing in any style, and will enjoy the experience whether I catch fish or not.

2018 proved to be even better than 2017, as I witnessed that oft-whispered about phenomenon of ‘The

Figure 1 – Tracy with Phil (left) and Geoff (right) from Likely Lads. someone who is obsessive about understanding human performance, fishing the Barra Tour was the perfect place to be. What attracts me most is the mix of exhaustion, skill and decision making under pressure.

This year I had help in the form of Tracy Chelepy who has joined the TMF team. She has fished her share of barra comps for years, including the Rocky Barra Bounty, and is an organiser for the Women That Fish Barra event.

When it came to the ABT Barra tour, she was in her element. I think the competitors appreciated having someone around who was as into the technical side of fishing as them, as Tracy would regularly go missing only to be found talking fishing with one of the teams.

I am not as into the technical side of fishing, as that tends to bias my thinking when it comes to

Smokey’. To be fair to the winners on tour, they have some serious skills, but I don’t think anyone would have pencilled them in to do what they did. The odds would be so long as to attract only the punters

This tour won’t be repeated ever again because the stars needed to line up.

The creation of a legend demands that the universe plays its part.

Geoff and Phil (Likely Lads) are the oldest pairing on tour, and it’s fair to say that by the end they were held together by determination, the knowledge this was probably their only shot and sticky tape. Lots of sticky tape. Phil, in particular, overcame arthritis, a fall, and a dodgy shoulder on the way to victory.

It has to be said that they are a pair of old poms, bought up on the carp events of middle England.

Chasing barra in the impoundments of Mackay is a world away both in distance and experience.

These guys have been around the tour for a long time, but I seriously doubt that 10-year-old Geoff had dreams of holding up a meter-long slab of barramundi glory. Geoff and Phil had never won a round before, although they had come close. They knew their game in and out and kept it simple, sticking to the one or two things that worked. To make things extra challenging, they were up against the most professional team in the country: Craig Griffiths and Karim De Ridder.

Even as they crossed the finish line, Phil was disconsolate, certain that they hadn’t done enough to hold them off.

Figure 2 – Score Worm for the Top Teams at Round 1 - Lake Kinchant. that had a few too many, or too much cash to care.

Bottom line, they were rank outsiders and, despite anything they might say, they knew it.

ROUND 1 – LAKE KINCHANT Round one at Kinchant went pretty much to script, with some solid bags of 90cm+, and a couple of

ROUND 1 TOP 10 Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 82

Fisher Triton Boats / Edge Rods Wilson Team Garmin Edge Rods / EJ Todd Fish With Me Likely Lads Lowrance Jackall Barambah Lures/Duffrods Dobyns Rods / Lethal Lures

JANUARY 2019

Figure 3 – All catches by hour Round 1 – Lake Kinchant. teams exceeding the 1m mark. Triton Boats/Edge Rods and Wilson duked it out, going fish for fish all night. They ended up with only a 480g difference – 53.5kg to 53.02. I wish that Telstra would get its act together because that live event – going fish for fish throughout the night – is so much more entertaining.

It was even better at Kinchant. Shane Compain was providing a hilariously enthusiastic blow for blow via his Instagram, which in some ways is even better than live streaming. There is no way most of the audience spread throughout Queensland or beyond can make it to a weigh-in, so this is the perfect event to go entirely online. Griffo and Karim (Edge Rods/ EJ Todd) came in fourth, ensuring they were well in the mix for a team of the year, and with Matt Mott and his son Dylan in third, there were a good half dozen teams in the mix after round 1.

The results table, however, doesn’t tell the real story of the night. Final scores flatten out the action, and this is one of the things that happens with weigh-ins too. Sure, you get a sense of who won but you never really see how they got there. Over the past year, I have become good friends with the stats language ‘R’, which provided me with much better tools to assess fishing performances, which I will cover in parts throughout this year. For this article though, I had put together a score worm for each round for the top 6 places as well as a time sequence of when catches occurred to provide a greater context of the action.

Figure 2 shows just how close the night was between Wilson and Triton Boats/Edge Rods. Wilson got off to a great start

also shows how one fish out of the bite period can swing things, with team Fish With Me well out of the top five until one late fish turned things their way.

Figure 3 shows that the field collectively experienced a clear bite period with less fish either side.

ROUND 2 – LAKE TEEMBURRA The real story of the tour happened in round 2 at the heartbreaking Lake Teemburra. Just weeks before the Barra Tour the talk was of a change in format with the traditional opening event at Lake Kinchant to be dropped in favour of two rounds at Teemburra. A number of

Figure 4 – Score Worm for the top teams at Round 2 - Lake Teemburra. but as the night wore on, Triton pegged them back, and in the last three hours the fish dried up leaving Wilson just short of victory.

Both teams were fishing

the teams spent time at Teemburra, winding up with some big sessions, leading to pressure to take advantage. That, however, would mean dropping

Figure 5 – All catches by hour Round 2 – Lake Teemburra. in close proximity, so this was a genuine race. The second cohort of teams in 3rd to 6th had their run with the fish coming in later.

This chart highlights the importance of cashing in when the bite period is on in competitions. This chart

the only event that had full internet and thus live scoreboards and in the end, practicality won out over desire. Just as well too, because the gods had other plans, and chances are if we did end up doing two days at Teemburra, you

ROUND 2 TOP 10 Fish/5 5 5 5 5 4 5 3 5 5 4

Total Bag (kg) 53.50 53.02 39.00 37.76 37.45 36.16 36.02 35.95 34.53 33.12

Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fisher Likely Lads Tree Huggers Venom Edge Rods / EJ Todd Slimy Decks Triton Boats / Edge Rods Dobyns Rods / Lethal Lures Jackall Team Garmin Fish With Me

Fish/5 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1

Total Bag (kg) 9.03 6.37 6.14 5.57 5.47 5.10 5.07 3.85 3.60 1.89

would have seen grown men driven to tears.

In the week before the Teemburra event, there was a large drawdown of water, dropping the levels by around a metre over a week. At the same time, there were algal blooms in the shallows reducing the dissolved oxygen levels – this had two effects. First, the barra headed away from the edges in search of good water and in their more stressed state they weren’t

to think about more than one victory.

ROUND 3 – ALL NIGHTER AT LAKE PROSERPINE The third round was the endurance tester. Hot on the heels of two late nights, a double or nothing 16-hour marathon that would sort the good from the great.

As figure 6 shows, for a marathon, it was something of a sprint once the sun went down with the lead changing many times

Figure 6 – Score Worm for the top teams at Round 3 - Lake Proserpine. interested in feeding at all.

Fantastic catches turned to donuts in an instant as the total catch for the round was a measly 18 fish, none bigger than 830mm. It’s not often a 600 and 830mm combination will take out an event by a solid 3kg.

Only 11 teams caught a fish, and only five teams managed two fish.

Figure 4 pretty much tells the story of the night.

Three of the top 6 only squeaked in during the last 90 mins, and Edge Rods/ EJ Todd came within a whisker of bombing out altogether. Of the teams in the round, probably only Edge Rods/EJ Todd and Likely Lads were equipped to deal with the conditions, given they had collectively spent the most time on the water during the good and bad times.

For Likely Lads, all that time on the water paid off with two fish enough to lift them to their first victory on tour. A win in these circumstances may not seem like a game changer – but it was. I talked to Geoff just shy of 2am confirming their victory, and it was clear that they were on cloud nine. Possibility is a strange thing that can get the mind moving. The next conversation we had at the next day briefing it was clear the boys were starting

before midnight. Post midnight, only one team benefitted from the extra hours, and it’s no surprise that the men who don’t need sleep, Griffo and Karim, took advantage to catch up another two places for their third top four finish.

Round 3 was where we learned just how serious the Likely Lads were about winning. Having managed a

managed the second win of their career – two in a row, this time by the healthier margin of 5kg.

REST DAY With three long nights under the belt, the next day was a rest day to allow the competitors to recover, the rest day being as instructive as competition days. During rest day the competitors split out into three groups. The first group – those in contention, rested, well Griffo didn’t, but that is just because he doesn’t sleep. The second group – those that were there for the experience took time out for beers and tall stories. This group had the best time. The third group – those frustrated by not achieving what they hoped in rounds 1, 2 and 3, headed back out to fish.

There is nothing wrong with any of those options, but it does provide some useful insights into mindsets. In many ways the third group gives me the most hope, those that can still go fishing even when things haven’t gone right are showing the kind of mindset that leads to future success.

It has to be said that as the event went on the leaders tended to cluster together at times, and it was fascinating to watch the body language. Barra fishing is a community you have to earn your way into, and there are no shortcuts.

Figure 7 – All catches by hour Round 3 – Lake Proserpine. full bag of metre+ fish, they got off the water sacrificing 6-7 hours fishing time for sleep. The reduced fishing time would also reduce pressure on their chosen fishing location, and this decision would prove crucial in the days ahead.

Even though the sacrifice was a gamble, fortune favours the brave, and the Likely Lads

ROUND 4 – TWO NIGHTS AT LAKE PROSERPINE With two wins under their belt, it was clear the Likely Lads had thoughts of winning the tour, but all that depended on repeating the previous night twice.

They had a three-point lead over Edge Rods/EJ Todd and the only other team still in the hunt at this point

ROUND 3 TOP 10 Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fisher Likely Lads Team Garmin Edge Rods / EJ Todd Tree Huggers Barambah Lures / Duff Rods EJTODD / Tinaroo Venom Luckycraft/Sunline Wilson Fishing Monthly

Fish/5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4

Total Bag (kg) 80.83 75.36 69.79 64.95 64.82 63.67 55.01 52.29 52.21 51.93

was Team Garmin. At this point Likely Lads had a 3-point lead going into the final round, so a win was not going to be enough for Edge Rods/EJ Todd, they needed Likely Lads to fall over as well.

Then the unthinkable happened.

An off night by Griffo and Karim left them 25kg

into camp, the boys were holding court like ancient kings, a band of fishers crowding around, paying their dues and lapping up the tales in equal measure.

COMPETITION FISHING IS NOT FISHING The thing I most enjoy about my involvement with competition fishing is

Figure 8 – Score Worm for the top teams at Round 4 - Lake Proserpine. and ten odd places adrift.

Lucky Lads completed a five bag and ended the night in 3rd, and with Team Garmin having a shocker.

This year’s tour was Likely Lads event to lose. All the same, pressure does funny things, and leading can make people do strange things. Edge Rods/EJ Todd went off script for once, changing tactics knowing that nothing less than their best was enough, going all out for a big bag and coming in with five metre plus fish. If there is a quality I admire most about Craig Griffiths, it’s that he will never die wondering if he gave it his best shot. He gives his all to preparation, execution and in competing.

I respect and appreciate the single-minded dedication to excellence that he has.

Nobody earns his wins more than Griffo.

Every now and again through, the fishing gods decide to get the script right, and as the official scorer, I left the very last fish from Likely Lads until last. Until that fish was processed, Likely Lads were 3rd just behind Edge Rods/EJ Todd, so they had the Tour Championship in the bag. Just to put things beyond any dispute, that last fish, a 113cm beast caught in the dying minutes of the tournament rocketed them into their third first place in a row. I texted ahead the results, and by the time we made it FINAL Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

getting to see the sports craft. I sat down with Lochie Reed on the last day. Lochie is an excellent fisher in his own right, he was one of the fastest to tag 1000 fish in Suntag. Lochie was feeling the strain of not catching fish, something he was not used to, especially

matters, and the ability to fish ugly matters.

In normal fishing conditions, the fisher controls all the variables, like choice of location, time, technique, length of fishing, when you have had enough. Competition offers none of these luxuries.

Pre-fishing to find fish is only partially useful as on the day everything can change – Teemburra was the perfect lesson.

Sure, the fishing was nearly impossible, but the fact is if you are in that circumstance, only you can affect the outcome.

Practicing only for the best of circumstances is to set yourself up for disappointment and once negative thoughts set in, turning things around is really hard.

Geoff and Phil, Griffo and Karim have three key attributes in common that make the difference.

• They have fished enough variations that no matter what happens, they will get in front of fish.

• They know how to convert – that is, technically they know what works most often and they know how to make sure fish end up in the net.

Figure 9 – All catches by hour Round 4 – Lake Proserpine. when there were big bags to be had. Lochie had done some serious pre-fishing, which had come to naught in the results. There is a big lesson to be learned: fishing skill and pre-fishing are not enough.

Geoff and Phil won ugly when they needed to, took risks to conserve energy when they needed to, and just went for it when the chance arrived. Griffo and Karim set themselves for the win and went off script when under pressure, but not in a crazy way – in a calculated move that on another day would have seen them home. Strategy

TOP 10 Fisher Likely Lads Lowrance Edge Rods / EJ Todd Venom Slimy Decks Tree Huggers EJTODD / Tinaroo Jackall Dobyns Rods / Lethal Lures Luckycraft/Sunline

Fish/10 10 10 10 10 10 8 10 8 8 6

• They have fished enough competitions now that everything is a process.

No matter how much time is left on the clock, they repeat what they know, trusting that their method will deliver.

Developing those skills is an investment. Geoff and Phil have been fishing a ridiculous number of competitions in Mackay to crack it for three rounds in a row – an achievement that only happens once a decade or so.

All power to them, they have worked hard to earn once in a lifetime bragging rights.

Total Bag (kg) 123.38 114.98 106.39 103.84 101.53 98.58 94.45 78.01 63.08 55.28 JANUARY 2019

83

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CUSTOMISED MAINTENANCE & SERVICE to meet your individual boating needs

Vic Marine & Trailer Warehouse 0412 264 450

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Lake Eildon Houseboats (03) 9397 6977 Boab Boat Hire Shepparton (03) 5822 2108 Boab Boat Hire Echuca (03) 5482 1992

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION WEST COAST Warrnambool Holiday Park (03) 5562 5031

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

JANUARY 2019

EAST COAST

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SHALLOW INLET CARAVAN PARK

Able Fishing & Charters, Williamstown (03) 9502 3777

FRESH BAIT | HIRE BOATS | ICE

Adamas Fishing Charters, Barwon Heads (03) 5254 3320

On the Waters Edge

• Easy access for boats • 10 cabins (3 with ensuites) • LPG gas refills • Kiosk

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Lester Rd Yanakie WILSONS PROM E sicp@sicp.com.au

03 5687 1385

Shallow Inlet Caravan Park (03) 5687 1385

Big Red Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 1800 805 587 Blue Magic Fishing Charters, Rowville (03) 9759 5301 Geelong Charters & Fishing Trips, Geelong (03) 5275 7107 Katrina Louise Charters, Cheltenham 0402 828 140 Kestrel Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 1783 Queenscliff Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 0458 504 058 Pro Red Fishing Charters 0421 442 775 Rip Charters Fishing Trips, Sorrento (03) 5984 3664 Saltwater Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 4888

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

Off The Hook Fishing Charters 0419 554 916 St Kilda Fishing Charters, St Kilda (03) 9770 2200 Western Port Fishing Charters, Hastings (03) 9769 5544

EAST GIPPSLAND

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03 5154 8268

• Deluxe cabins HOSTS: Les & Kathy HEYNE • Cabins with ensuite • Budget cabins • Premium ensuite vans • Powered & Unpowered sites • Pet friendly • Undercover BBQ areas in Marlo • Large oval • Kitchen Largest park • Camp fires • Kiosk the beach Short walk to • Coffee shops

www.marlocamping.com.au Marlo Ocean Views Caravan and Camping Park, Marlo (03) 5154 8268

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1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM SPACIOUS COTTAGES ♦ Solar Pool ♦ Free Wi-Fi ♦ Air-Con/Heating ♦ Fishing Advice ♦ Boat Parking

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$

East Gippsland Charters 0400 564 032

FRESHWATER Angling Expeditions Victoria, Tawonga (03) 5754 1466 Highland Trout Lakes, Ballarat (03) 5368 9574 Millbrook Lakes Lodge, Ballarat (03) 5334 0404

TASMANIA & FLINDERS ISLAND Ausprey Tours, Launceston (03) 6630 2612

Double Wire Stainless 25mm Rail Mount Rod Holder

Gone Fishing Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 1553 Fish Wild Tasmania, Hobart 0418 348 223 Trout Territory, Northern Midlands (03) 6397 5001

NSW SOUTH COAST Quiet central location Ideal for all the family Close to 90 mile beach 5min drive to boat ramps

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Narooma Charters, Narooma 0407 909 111

$

O’Brien Charter Service, Bermagui 0407 214 124

FISHING GUIDES

WEST COAST Portland Fishing Charters, Portland (03) 5523 3020

NSW SOUTH COAST Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures (02) 6495 9902 or 0400 062 504

CHANDLERY & ACCESSORIES Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014

Timeout Fishing Charters

Salt-away 1800 091 172 or www.salt-away.com.au Techni Ice (03) 9783 1922 X Factor Signs 0413 113 828

Deluxe 150N Manual Inflatable PFD

•Auto Inflatable $89

$

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0400 440 705

Timeout Fishing Charters 0400 440 705 South-West Fishing Charters, Portland 0418 306 714 Gone Fishing Charters 0409 007 068

Boat Wrap Specialist www.xfactorsigns.com

39

SUPERIOR COMFORT & FIT!

Wilderness Fishing Tours, Mallacoota 0424 625 160

CENTRAL

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•22mm Rail Mount $22.99 •32mm Rail Mount $22.99

Fishermans Fold Down Seat

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

CHARTER BOATS

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Headland Fishing Adventures, Merimbula (02) 6495 1134 K9 Fishing Charters, Merimbula (02) 6495 1681

Lazy Acre Log Cabins, Lakes Entrance (03) 5155 1323

$

Freedom Charters, Eden (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446 Island Charters, Narooma (02) 4476 1047 or 0408 428 857

(03) 5155 1323 ♦ 0418 516 555 ♦ 35 Roadknight Street, LAKES ENTRANCE

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Flinders Island Adventures, Flinders Island (03) 6359 4507

Bemm River Holiday Accommodation & Boat Hire, Bemm River

Lazy Acre Log Cabins

Far Out Charters, Lakes Entrance 0428 401 819

25

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Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au JANUARY 2019

85

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS PLACES TO FISH AROUND THE WORLD

UMBA RIVER EGUUR RIVER AMAZON BASIN CONGO RIVER BRAINERD HALONG BAY PIAS BAY ABACO ISLAND BELIZE CAPE COD

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

BOULDER CREEK RIO GRANDE LOUGH CURRANE CHALK STREAMS CAPLES LAKE FLORIDA KEYS RIO COLORADO CHOLLAS LAKE ARAMIA RIVER

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 JANUARY 2019

Phone (day):

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

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.

COLOURS - 7 different designs representing popular fish species.

ADDITIONAL - Luminous body, fish parasite, great balance, sound effect, quality stainless steel hooks SIZES - 5 Sizes available www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to, Tyler Woolley 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 November is J Demasi of Malvern East, who won a Korr Lighting Pack valued at $398.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

R Chester of Newlands Arm, J Robin of Millgrove, S Alessandri of Rosebud, T Crawford of Wy Yung, C Kelly of Cranbourne, B Shelton of Romsey, A DeBresser of Croydon, W Johnson of Morwell, W Clapham of Alexandra, K Tripp of Glenroy, F Hutchins of Sunbury, R Dreldel of Mt Helen, M Wilcox of Swan Hill, R Pool of Invergordon, J Peeters of Colac, B Sharp of Wendouree,

G Richmond of Torquay, C Smith of Taralgon, S Ward of Curlewis, R Camba of South Morang, J Morrison of Clunes, R Carson of Wheelers Hill, J Ellis of Reservoir, W Henley of Park Orchards, H Kirk of Hadspen, N Sanders of Irymple , F Wilson of Hoppers Crossing, K Scott of Gawler.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks.

– V&TFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO

© A Cordelia Adams original artwork.

The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for November were: 9, 20, 26, 30, 34, 39, 42, 45, 50, 60, 63, 65, 70, 85, 86. – V&TFM

86

JANUARY 2019

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Trumpeter

The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for November were: G Bell of Mernda, K Carter of Shepparton, D Searle of Whittlesea, J McNamara of Goornong, B Walpole of Warrnambool, D Robinson of Carisbrook, B Whyte of Myers Flat, J Fleming of Yarrawonga, J Aquilina of Keilor Downs, R Meaney of St James, B Rafferty of Maryborough, J Knipe of Bacchus Marsh,

GUESS THE FISH?

Answer:

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat

Inside story...

Sportsman Boats builds the fastest growing line of family-friendly centre console boats in-class. They are built with the latest designs, procedures and materials to give you and your family unparalleled performance with a dry, safe and comfortable ride.

Made for...

Designed to be budget-friendly, the Island Series offers the essentials for any boating family that likes to fish. These are perfect boats to earn your captain’s hat!

This month...

Steve Morgan will be checking out the striking 232 Centre Console, powered by a Yamaha F250 Four Stroke. Check it out on page 96!

90 Beating the holiday crowds in the kayak

Justin Willmer looks at some ways to beat the crowds and get stuck into some great summer fishing!

92 Tow, tow, tow your boat!

Wayne Kampe discusses the ins and outs of towing boats – a big consideration for boat buyers!

94 Hobie Mirage Outback 2019

Resident kayak fishing junkie Corey Gallaghar jumps into this fishing machine for a test run!

JANUARY 2019

87

WHAT’S NEW BOATING MERCURY FINANCE 1 OFFER EXTENDED

RAYMARINE NEXT-GEN VHF

Great news for boat owners considering a repower this summer – Mercury Finance has extended its 3.99%* finance offer until 31 January 2019.

That means a brand new 40-150hp Mercury FourStroke can be yours for the very competitive loan rate of just 3.99% (comparison rate) through Mercury Finance*.

Mercury has been perfecting its FourStroke technology for decades, making its outboards lighter, stronger, fuel-efficient and more reliable, yet still able to produce the power and performance Mercury is famous for.

For additional information, visit the Mercury Marine website. *Fees, terms, conditions and credit criteria apply. Offer is available from participating Mercury Finance Dealers. www.mercurymarine.com.au

The compact Raymarine Ray53, full-sized Ray63 and the multifunction Ray73 with AIS are all full-function VHF marine radios with Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC).

Each model is equipped with a built-in GPS receiver and connection point for an optional GPS/GNSS antenna, which improves the GPS reception when the radio is mounted below deck or in an enclosed pilothouse.

Additionally, Ray63 and Ray73 can connect to Raymarine’s new wireless VHF hub and can support up to two wireless handset stations for wireless communication anywhere onboard.

For more information on the features of each model, visit the Raymarine website.

Price: SRP $699-$1199 www.raymarine.com.au

SIMRAD ACTIVE IMAGING

2

Simrad Active Imaging Sonar features advanced new scanning-sonar technology that provides incredibly detailed, highresolution imaging without sacrificing range. It replaces TotalScan transducers.

Active Imaging Sonar (AI) provides incredibly clear views of structure and cover with refined detail at a range unmatched by any other structure imaging technology.

It’s available in two models — 3-in-1 and standalone. AI 3-in-1 combines scanning sonar with a traditional medium/high CHIRP sonar element for easy single-transducer installation, while the standalone transducer is designed for install alongside a separate CHIRP sonar transducer.

Operating at 800kHz or 455kHz, AI provides clear and precise views of structure, fish and bottom composition up to 300ft from either side of a boat. There’s no need to change frequencies while fishing; you can see where you should be fishing instead of just the immediate area at a set frequency.

The Simrad Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer will be bundled with Simrad GO series displays.

Price: SRP $275-$350 www.simrad-yachting.com

NAVICO NEW DISPLAY CATEGORY 3 Navico has announced the 2019 launch of a new category of marine technology — the information display (ID). Marking the first significant evolution of the multifunctional display (MFD), IDs have a configurable interface that simplifies monitoring and control of onboard systems, and is customised to each vessel.

The experience-based software features pre-defined modes that display all relevant data for the current situation. Pre-defined modes include System Checks, Cruising, Anchoring and Water Sports. Custom modes can also be easily configured to builder specifications to best accentuate the utility of an individual vessel or to complement any boater’s passions (e.g. offshore sportfishing).

Consisting of a bonded-glass display and a powerful integration hub, IDs will be available in Lowrance, Simrad or B&G electronics. Each solution consists of one or multiple displays bridged together to function as one integrated system. The centralized hub uses ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth along with sonar, USB, CAN and NMEA 2000 ports to connect to all onboard systems. An easy-to-upgrade hub installation simplifies the change-out process for upgrades. www.navico.com 88

JANUARY 2019

YANMAR 4LV STERNDRIVES

PRODUCT GUIDE

4

1

2

5

Yanmar is launching a full line-up of 4LV sterndrives to complete its 4LV series of common rail (CR) engines. The new 150250 mhp five-engine range combines with the Yanmar ZT370 sterndrive to offer exceptional acceleration, fuel efficiency, remarkably quiet operation, and low vibration to suit a wide variety of vessels.

The corresponding 150Z/170Z/195Z/230Z/250Z mhp sterndrives feature the latest in electronically-managed CR fuel injection systems. The system delivers more complete combustion, adding efficiency in fuel consumption, torque and lowered emissions (all models are virtually smoke free).

Features include smooth and quiet gear engagement, exceptional corrosion protection, precision-forged gears with extralong service life, the choice of electrical or mechanical shift models, and an integrated exhaust system. The ZT370 sterndrive is available in various gear ratios, All Yanmar 4LV engines with ZT370 sterndrive offer a selection of control systems, and are also available with the JC10 joystick system. An NMEA connection ensures engine data is available for all NMEA 2000 compatible MFDs. www.yanmar.com

FUSION APOLLO SERIES

3

4

6

The Fusion Apollo RA770 is the world’s first purpose-built marine entertainment system. It features a one-piece glass touchscreen display, built-in Wi-Fi streaming, Digital Signal Processing Technology (DSP) and PartyBus capabilities.

The touchscreen makes trying to locate the correct button a thing of the past. To pause and play you just tap the screen, or swipe through a playlist to find your favourite song.

The Apollo Series harnesses the power of Fusion DSP, providing premium audio delivery to all speakers in any environment. Every step of the audio chain is optimized to deliver a technically superior listening experience – without the need for boaters to have a technical understanding.

The RA770 lets you play music via Bluetooth, Optical Audio, DAB+ ready, AM/FM radio, AUX and USB. Users can also stream music from a mobile device via Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). The Apollo series can also connect multiple Apollo stereos with Wi-Fi. www.fusionentertainment.com

5

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89

Beating the holiday crowds BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

Here’s hoping you had a cracker Christmas and scored something kayak or fishing related!

For many of us this time of year means a forced break

almost to yourself.

The other great thing about this time of the morning is that the low light often means a better bite, especially if you are fishing shallower flats, mangrove edges or other shallow water structure. Late afternoon and night time can also be a great time to be on the water, with

A handful of grunter on a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ. as workplaces close and the school kids take their longest holiday for the school year.

This can be both a positive and a negative for anglers, especially kayak anglers.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a break and score some extra fishing hours, but the holidays can mean busier waterways and tougher bites. Here are a few tips that have put fish in the net for me in these busier periods, along with a quick wrap up of a recent session where I put these strategies to work.

THE EARLY BIRD There’s an old saying that the early bird gets the worm, and the same often applies to the bite. I find that even though there’s more people on holidays, it doesn’t always translate to busy waterways early in the morning. I’m not sure why; maybe it’s because the sun rises so early, or there’s too much partying going on, or people are in a holiday mindset and don’t feel the need to get up with the sparrows. Whatever the reason, you can often have those first few hours of light

boat ramps, carparks and launch points, but we kayak anglers have the advantage of being able to launch almost anywhere. Go for a drive and check out some alternate launch points to access good water, or jump on the computer and check out Google Earth for some alternate access options.

Roads, bridges, parks, 4WD tracks and more can lead you to less crowded and less pressured waters.

Living near the water I often load my kayak onto the C-Tug trolley and will walk a kilometre one way or the other to launch where it best suits the tides and wind conditions that I am fishing. Once you get your kayak balanced well on the trolley it rolls relatively easy and you’re not having to lift any weight, just walk along holding the front

be fishing. For example, there are many lakes and impoundments that are kayak and electric motor only, or that have speed restrictions. No PWCs and boats zipping around or towing skiers – just paddle, pedal and electric craft… and often fewer crowds.

You are likely to meet other kayak anglers and exchange stories, tips and info, as well as the possibility of targeting a new fish species, all while enjoying the serenity of these environments.

SLOW AND STEADY Many of the systems that I fish have go slow zones, such as 6 knot speed restricted zones, and there are a few positives for the kayak angler when it comes to these areas. First of all there is the safety element that comes from fewer craft buzzing around at speed.

The first grunter in the net. the crowds thinning and the bite firing up.

When fishing low light conditions, it is essential to ensure that you are highly visible. Lighting, a flag, hi-vis clothing and bright coloured kayaks are all good options.

GO YOUR OWN WAY Holidays can mean busy

A nice table-size flathead destined for the author’s parent’s place for dinner. though it often says ‘6 knots, no wash’. The larger and longer these go-slow areas are, the more likely it seems that boats will avoid them, so keep an eye out for lengthy go-slow areas in the systems you fish as they may keep the boat traffic down.

Another reason that these go-slow zones are worth investigation for the kayak angler is the reason behind them being there in the first place, which is often structure. Speed restrictions could be in place because of man-made structure such as jetties, pontoons and rock walls, or natural structure such as rock bars and reef.

All of this structure is worth fishing and has produced plenty of different species from the kayak.

SKINNY AND SHALLOW These are two words that boat operators aren’t often

anglers fishing from boats include ‘watch out, it gets pretty skinny up that creek’ or ‘I normally steer clear of that area because it gets pretty shallow’. You have just found some new water to investigate in the kayak, and if the boat traffic isn’t there, the fish will often be less pressured and keener to bite.

We have pulled some cracker bass, bream, cod, jacks and a variety of other species from sections of creeks that you can’t even turn around in. Likewise, some quality bream, flathead, trevally, grunter and more have come from a foot or two of water. In the creeks it can often be all about stealth, and it’s a similar story on the flats, along with long casts, long light leaders and at times downsizing your lures. As was reinforced to me again recently by Nick

handle of the kayak. One important thing to remember is comfortable footwear, especially in summer when the roads and paths can get pretty hot.

LIKE-MINDED LOCATIONS Another option is to seek out locations where like-minded anglers will

The same lures and techniques will land you bream, flathead, trevally and more.

Lip grips make handling flathead simpler and safer.

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However, remember that you may have to deal with larger washes at times from slow moving craft, even

keen on, and ones which kayak anglers can embrace.

Phrases that often prick my ears up when chatting to

Whyte from Tech Fishing, ‘big lures catch big fish and small lures catch all fish’.

Those are a few

strategies that I employ during the busy holiday periods to get the most out of my time on the water kayak and SUP fishing.

Hopefully this will inspire you to try something new or investigate a new location over the break and fingers

only 2ft of water, the 1/6oz jighead would allow long casts away from the kayak so as not to spook the fish in the shallow water. With the rod tip up and a fairly quick retrieve, I could swim the plastic just above the bottom to mid-water. With

new travel rod I was testing to take overseas in a few months. If you do purchase travel rods for an adventure, it’s a good idea to fish them and get a feel for them before you go. This will allow you to ensure that they suit the adventure and target species, while also allowing you to get a feel for the lure weights they cast effectively, and how they handle a few different species.

After a couple of small taps that didn’t find the hook, another grunter found the lure and it was game on before making the call to catch the last of the run-in tide and hitch a ride up the creek. The fishing up the creek was a little quiet at the start as I waited for the tide to turn and

No need for a ramp when it comes to kayak fishing. two before being returned to the water.

It was time to call it a day, and by day, I mean a few hours. I was back at home about three hours after I had left, having utilised the last of the run-in and first of the run-out to land three grunter, a flathead and a bream, along with a few missed opportunities. I had dodged the boat ramp and made the most of an early morning

Bream are just one of the species that can be encountered in shallow and skinny water. crossed bend a few rods.

What follows is a quick wrap-up of a session where I applied a few of these strategies and in the process found a few fish.

ON THE WATER Avoiding the local ramp, I rolled my kayak down to a nice sandy section of beach, slid it off the trolley and geared up for a short

the low light and flooding flats I assumed that the fish were actively hunting, so I fished fast and covered plenty of water.

The smaller paddle tail meant I was likely to encounter the flathead that I often target with a 3” plastic, while also opening up the bream and grunter that often feed in this area. On the

start, fished the shallows and a go-slow area, and kept the plastic small to open up more species. Although I hadn’t broken any records I had scratched the itch, given one of the new rods a test drive and caught enough to make me happy, including one keeper for my folks. A great start to the day and home in plenty of time to earn a few more brownie points.

See you on the water.

Fish on! outgoing tide back out of the creek and head for home.

About halfway through my 10 casts, I noticed a disturbance in the shallows as something was harassing bait. My first thought was bream, so I made a quick cast to the area, lifted the rod tip and rolled the plastic through the shallows where the disturbance had been. As is often the case the bream were all over the plastic, the rod loaded and the battle was on. It wasn’t a record breaker, but it was great fun on light gear and a stocky bream posed for a photo or

A sandy pocket in the weed produced this flathead.

Grunter number three in quick time fishing 2ft of water on the flats. session on the water. My plan was to fish a section of shallow flats on the last of the early morning run-in, before catching the last of the tide up a creek to fish an area that had 6 knot speed restrictions. Once in this section of creek I planned to target sand edges and drop-offs, mangrove edges, jetties and pontoons and weed beds.

I had two rods rigged, and I picked up the one with a 1/6oz jighead and 2.5” paddle-tail plastic.

Even though I was fishing

second cast the rod loaded up as a fish raced across the flat toward deeper water. At first I called it for a trevally as it had some go, however as I gained line and readied the net, a nice grunter surfaced beside the kayak. Grunter often school on the flats, so it was a couple of quick photos and a release, then on with the drift.

Half a dozen casts later another grunter rattled the lure and then it was fish on again. Another solid fight and another grunter in the net. I was impressed with the

create some water movement and eddies, focussing the bait and in turn the fish.

A cast to a sandy pocket in the weed resulted in a solid take and some good head shakes, before the hook pulled on what I was sure was a solid flathead. Shake it off and work the area targeting similar structure was the plan, and it wasn’t long until I was rewarded with a nice eating-size flathead that I kept for my folks. With a few things on the job list at home I decided to give myself 10 more casts and then catch the

Flathead will eat larger plastics but the smaller plastic also appealed to the grunter and bream.

JANUARY 2019

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Tow, tow, tow your boat A U S T R A L I A

PART I BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Margay 2017

$52,990 • 17’7” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

Pantera II 2017

$74,990

• 19’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 200 hp Mercury Optimax • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

Pantera Classic 2018

$65,990

• 19’6” • Single Axel Bass Cat Trailer • 150 hp Mercury Pro-XS • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

Sabre FTD 2017

Buying a boat? Before you take the plunge, one of the things to consider is the business of actually towing the boat from point A to point B. Will the family car be up to the job, or do you need to invest in a more suitable tow vehicle as well?

Towing is a very physical business, in that laws of physics apply! When a tow vehicle and trailer are impacted by external forces, it’s usually the heavier of the two vehicles that will dictate what will happen next, so the tow vehicle should be at least as heavy as the towed object. If the tow vehicle heavier, that’s even better, as it will allow for some margin for safety.

Trailers come with rigid specifications regarding weights to be carried, to remove guesswork. It’s the same story with vehicles; manufacturers stipulate rear axle load, and the capacity of tyres (after consideration of the affect a laden trailer will have on the vehicle’s stability and attitude).

The vehicle’s overall ability to withstand wear and tear from towing is also thoroughly assessed in conjunction with these specifications.

Looking at the tow vehicle first, the handbook (as well as a compliance plate or sticker) sets out the maximum weight of an unbraked and braked trailer that may be towed. It also states a maximum tow ball load plus any additional conditions regarding speed when towing – which, surprise, surprise, some makers do stipulate.

REDUCED SPEED WHEN TOWING? You should check the car’s handbook or compliance plate if you are planning to tow with a front wheel drive SUV, because speed limits for some popular cars (when towing) can be stipulated as 80km/h

on the open road (instead of 100km/h). Alternatively, they will need to be modified in accordance with the weight of the item being towed as per those specs.

A boat trailer’s loaded weight might well be under the car’s tow ratings, but having to travel at a maximum of 80km/h is worth thinking about, especially if you’ll be travelling long distances.

And of course, if you have an accident, any proof that you have exceeded the manufacturer’s tow speed will

The information on the Dunbier’s drawbar could not be more clear.

This image conveys a lot of information. Firstly, the park brake is in use.

Secondly, the tow hitch has a 2000kg rating. Thirdly, the small collar between the main body of the brake system and the tow ball hitch is down, deactivating the brakes to reverse the trailer. This collar should be lifted out of the way when towing so that the interior shaft within the brake activation assembly can slide forward under inertia to bring the brakes into play during deceleration. void your insurance claim.

Each state has slightly different regulations regarding towing, but they all have the same goal – road safety. The Qld MVSA of 1989 states that data for maximum loads and weights should be set out on fire walls of cars as well as on the tow bars of trailers. On a boat trailer these figures are set out as kilograms, and will show things such as Tare Mass (or simply ‘Tare’), which is the weight of the trailer ex factory.

Next on the list might

be GTM, which is the total weight of the load that can be imposed on the axle of that trailer when coupled to a tow vehicle. And then there’s ATM, which is the total weight of the trailer plus maximum load when not coupled to a tow vehicle.

Naturally, GTM will always be less than the ATM, as some of the weight is transferred to the tow vehicle upon connection, which is where tow ball ratings come to the fore. Tow ball ratings are something to consider if the boat is a very large

$61,990

• 18’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

We Build Dreams...

It’s a Family Tradition

A U S T R A L I A

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JANUARY 2019

Phone: 0410 173 060 www.basscataustralia.com

Even an old stager like this trailer will need brakes fitted if it has a GTM in excess of 750kg.

one. If towing involves flags, paperwork, lights and other restrictions, tow ball ratings are going to be worth consideration.

The Motor Vehicle Standards Act calls for rigid guidance with regards to these specified loadings of car and cargo (including passengers), plus the overall tow rating, which sets out a manufacturer’s capacity for that vehicle to tow anything from horse floats to boat trailers or caravans. This information is not a rough guide, it’s the law. If you exceed it, your insurance will be voided. It’s the driver’s job to be aware of these ratings and abide by them.

TRAILERS: BRAKED AND UNBRAKED There’s a standard rule in Australia when it comes to brake systems for trailers.

Trailers with a GTM of less than 750kg do not require brakes to be fitted, but if the combined weight of trailer and load is over 750kg, brakes must be fitted to the trailer.

This rule can cause some angst. Transport enforcement officers are often seen near boat ramps these days, using portable scales to weigh trailers, and all too often an unbraked trailer carrying a

for any fishing trip. These things can tip the scales, and that’s not including items that you might want to add later, such as an electric motor, which might be installed along with a big deep cycle battery up front to feed it.

Or maybe you’ll replace the outboard engine with a more powerful, heavier one.

Suddenly, although the boat is probably still towing as well as ever behind the turbo

4x4, you’re over the legal weight limit.

BRAKED TRAILERS MAKE SENSE My advice is to tread carefully when assessing trailer requirements. If your rig is within 50kg or so of that 750kg limit (and even if that electric motor is on the boat already), just bite the bullet and purchase a braked trailer.

Trying to avoid an accident by slamming on the brakes

can put you on the wrong side of the laws of physics, so the outlay for the braked set-up is well spent to avoid a nasty incident.

As a last caution, if your boat and trailer are found to be overweight in respect to ATM or GTM, the authorities might ban movement of the rig from where it’s assessed, in the interest of public safety. Not a great situation to find yourself in.

Here we see that the tow hitch has a capacity of 2000kg but the trailer and boat being carried is limited to no more than 750kg, because there is no braking system. boat will tip the scales at over 750kg. Paying a fine would not be a good way to start a day on the water, although it would still be better than having an accident and not being covered by insurance.

So you do you end up with an overweight unbraked trailer? Well, some buyers fudge a little and do some dodgy maths when assessing a trailer for a new boat, hoping to avoid buying a braked

trailer. Unbraked trailers are cheaper, and are also far easier to look after because there are no discs, cables, callipers, and other bits and pieces requiring a really thorough wash-down after a dunk in saltwater. Also, when it’s time to replace wheel bearings, unbraked trailers are far easier to work on.

ADD-ONS ADD WEIGHT So you’re doing the maths to see how heavy

your rig will be. You add up the hull, motor, cranking battery, full fuel tank and find that the rig is a bit under 750kg. Beauty!

Don’t get too excited though. You still have to consider safety equipment, water for the trip, maybe a fire extinguisher, a big sounder, tackle boxes and fishing gear, an ice box with ice, the fish well and other bits and pieces

A good selection of trailer boats. The trailer requirements will likely vary with each of these vessels.

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93

Hobie Mirage Outback 2019 designed for fishers

MELBOURNE

Corey Gallagher

Hobie have a long tradition of quality and innovation.

Their products have dominated kayak angling markets worldwide since the introduction of the first purpose designed, pedal propelled fishing kayak, the Mirage Outback in 2001.

In the 18 years since its introduction, the Outback has undergone several key upgrades, transforming it into one of the best kayak angling platforms available. The 2019 model sees the biggest upgrade in the model’s history with a complete redesign of the hull, ensuring the Outback continues to sit atop of an ever-growing list of purpose built fishing kayaks.

Like its bigger brother, the Mirage Pro Angler, the Mirage Outback was designed purely as a fishing kayak. Its new hull design and deck layout have been carefully considered and the result is an exceptional kayak that appeals to both tournament and social anglers alike.

As a regular participant in the Hobie Kayak Bream Series, I have witnessed the growing popularity of the Mirage Outback amongst kayak tournament anglers in recent years. The Outback offers many advantages over rival kayaks and its lightweight hull design is a major contributor to its success. The Mirage Outback can be easily

Main: The 2019 Hobie Mirage Outback kayak is a favourite in the kayak angling community.

Above: The 2019 Hobie Outback has undergone the biggest redesign in the model’s 18 year history. transported to and from your favourite fishing spot on roof racks – its manageable size and weight makes launching that much easier when fishing solo and very little room is required when storing the kayak at home.

A major upgrade to the 2019 Mirage Outback is its redesigned hull, featuring a sharper bow that cuts effortlessly through the water,

SPECIFICATIONS Length Overall..........................................3.86m Beam.........................................................0.86m Crew..............................................1 (single seat) Capacity.............................................. 192.78kg Fitted Hull Weight................................. 38.56kg Fully Rigged Weight.............................. 46.72kg Hull Construction.....Rotomolded Polyethylene RRP..................................................From $4190 94

JANUARY 2019

wind, wake and chop while also greatly reducing any hull slap. The kayak is very fast off the line and gets up to speed within just a few kicks of the mirage drive 180, thanks largely to this redesigned bow. The 2019 Outback also features a completely redesigned rear deck and stern.

The old twist and stow style rudder has been replaced with Hobie’s kick up rudder, the rudder is spring loaded and will bump up out of the way when it hits rocks or snags underwater.

The new Outback features dual steering controls, meaning that left and right handed anglers will find manoeuvring the kayak a breeze, capable of turning in a tight circle with full rudder lock. The rear end

also features a large H-Rail carry handle that not only assists while transporting, but also allows kayak anglers a convenient place to mount Hobie H-Rail accessories, such as a Go-Pro mount.

Another new addition to the stern of the 2019 Outback is it comes power pole ready with pre-drilled inserts. The large rear deck is massive in comparison to the old model and allows plenty of room for a livewell, icebox, rod holders or storage crates.

The rear deck also features two recessed areas.

It has a H-Track deluxe with bungee tackle retainer that allow anglers to store two 3700 size tackle trays and secure it in place using built in bungee straps. The cockpit area also features two similar recessed areas, only these come equipped with a H-Rail, giving the angler even more storage and accessory mounting options.

The four H-Track Deluxe recessed storage areas not only greatly increases the tackle storage capacity of the 2019 Outback, but also includes handy storage for your fishing pliers, braid scissors, lip grips and other fishing related tools, with bungee tie downs to keep everything secure and safe from an accidental swim overboard.

Together, these features combine to make the 2019 Outback an incredibly organised kayak, everything has its place and for a tournament angler who needs quick access to their equipment, the Outback ticks all the boxes. Hobie have introduced a rectangular centre hatch into the new model as standard, an upgrade many owners of the old Outbacks retro fitted. The larger centre hatch comes standard with a tackle bucket, the perfect place to store smaller tackle trays,

leader and other frequently used items. The hatch also has a built in bottle opener for those who are keen to partake in a cold beverage while on the water. The mesh pocket on the inside of the hatch is a great place to store keys or a mobile phone.

Another key upgrade to the 2019 model is the seat has been widened by 1.5”. The Vantage CTW Seat features 4-way, adjustment making it comfortable for any angler no matter your size or shape.

Hobie have also introduced the Guardian retractable transducer shield to the 2019 Outback. The system protects the transducer on impact and retracts into the hull for transport.

The 2019 Outback is powered by the V2 Mirage Drive 180, Hobie’s reverse capable pedal drive system featuring ARC shafts, which allow kayakers to adjust the cranks at the push of a button.

The 2019 Outback is available in a large range of colours: slate blue, papaya orange, red hibiscus, ivory dune, seagrass green and camo package, which also features camo deck pads and pedal pads.

I recently competed in a Hobie Kayak Series

Event out of a 2019 Outback in Mallacoota, where we experienced strong breezes for the duration of the tournament.

To say I was impressed with the performance of the new hull under these testing conditions would be a huge understatement. True to Hobie’s claims, the hull slices effortlessly through the water, wind and chop and does it without losing forward momentum. Hull slap has been greatly reduced, even in the choppy conditions.

Please note that the kayak featured in this article featured several aftermarket accessories including the Hobie V2 Livewell, Hobie Vantage Seat Bag and Lowrance Elite 9 Ti Sounder.

The Hobie Mirage Outback is an extremely versatile kayak that appeals to a broad range of anglers. It is feature packed in a lightweight package, adding further to its appeal. The Outback has long been a favourite among the kayak angling community and the 2019 model, with its upgraded storage options and improved hull design, will ensure that this kayak continues as one of the best options for kayak anglers looking to purchase a new yak.

The lightweight hull makes the 2019 Outback perfect for those looking for a feature packed kayak that is still easily transported on a roof rack.

Pre-drilled inserts allow a Power Pole Micro to be mounted directly onto the hull.

The rear cargo area has been significantly increased and features two H-Track Deluxe with bungee tackle retainer systems.

New for 2019, the Vantage Seat CTW features an extra 1.5” width.

Hobie’s innovative H-Track Deluxe with H-Rail integrated track is a multipurpose addition to the 2019 Outback, excellent for mounting all manner of accessories and storing tackle trays up to 3700 size.

The new Outback is powered by the reverse capable V2 Hobie Mirage Drive 180.

A vertically mounted rectangular hatch now comes as standard.

A ‘reclined’ seating position in the new Outback.

The Hobie Guardian retractable transducer shield has been introduced into the new model.

The twist and stow rudder has been replaced by a kick up rudder mounted under the stern of the kayak.

The cockpit of the 2019 Outback has been carefully designed and now features plenty of storage and accessory mounting options.

The new design features a sharper bow that effortlessly cuts through water, wind, wake and chop and allows the kayak to get up to speed quickly.

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Sportsman 232 CC with Yamaha F250 Four Stroke

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enough comforts to keep the family happy for a day-trip.

The ability to turn the bow of the boat into a comfortable seating area – the fact that it is complete with seat backs and as an added bonus, there is a toilet concealed inside the console, ticks a lot of boxes. The lack of shade

SPECIFICATIONS Length......................................................6.93m Beam........................................................2.59m Transom deadrise ........................... 18 degrees Hull weight ............................................ 1250kg Weight on trailer (dry)...........................2500kg Maximum HP...........................................250hp Fuel ............................................................390L Water............................................................56L Capacity .......................................... 10 persons the 232 being eminently fishable. Rod holders in all the right places, ample fuel, provision for outrigger bases and a console that can handle flush mounting of big, multifunction screens.

Thirdly, the 232 has

up front is partially offset by the fact that the T-Top is fitted with freshwater ‘misting’ nozzles.

Admittedly, this is the first boat I’ve tested with these built in. It does seem rather luxurious.

Although the test rig went 84km/h with the throttles down, the most economical cruising was at 3,500 rpm with an economy of 1.5km/L. 96

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DE FOR EX

Sportsman boats have been a wonderful match to Brisbane’s Northside Marine. Northside have a reputation for selling quality rigs and looking after their customers like they are family, and they choose brands that allow them to maximise that boating experience.

Northside’s Bill Hull is a veteran salesman with over 30 years experience. You know when he is excited by a boat that it’s worth looking at in further detail. At the time of testing, they had 16 Sportsman boats on order and anglers were loving them.

WHY THE SUCCESS? Firstly, it is a good looking boat. With an upswept Carolina bow and purpose-built fittings combined with a pleasant matching of gelcoat and

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

seat colours, this is a boat that demands investigation, whether in the yard or on the water.

Secondly, they are purpose built. Although a young company (6 years at the time of the test), they have obviously been designed by anglers, with the layout of

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Steve Morgan

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Main: Is there a saltwater angler you know that doesn’t want a boat like this? The Sportsman 232 falls squarely into the category of ‘dream boat’ for most readers. I’m one of them.

Above: The smooth lines of the Sportsman and the upswept Carolina bow will turn heads at any ramp in the country and offers a fantastic fishing platform for serious anglers.

Powered by Yamaha’s F250 4-stroke outboard, the boat delivers surprising economy – yielding 1.5km/L at 3,500 rpm. Drop the hammers and the boat goes 84km/h at 6,000rpm, but with the economy dropping sharply.

Supplied on a twin-axled aluminium framed trailer, the rig weighs in at around 2,500, loaded with half a tank of fuel and fishing gear.

This is well within the range of most dual-cab 4WDs. The elephant in the room, however, is the 2.65m beam and the fact that the rig is wider than the 2.5m maximum towing width.

Northside deal with this head-on. They supply all of the paperwork, flags and signage you need to trail an ‘overwidth’ trailer. Since the overwidth regulations were

recently modified to reflect common sense, it’s much less of an issue to own an overwidth boat nowadays in Australia.

Of course, keep it on your back pontoon or in dry storage and this isn’t a problem.

At the helm, of course, I felt like I should have my own fishing show, be called ‘Captain Morgan’ and that I should start calling Spaniards ‘King Mackerel’. But then I remembered that I was in Australia and should set my sights to big snapper, small black marlin and some longtail tuna on the way home. This rig would do all of this with ease, and style.

At the end of the day, it’s

the small things that make the Sportsman experience what it is, like the anchoring system. Concealed anchor winch and cleats and rope/ chain storage makes this the neatest I’ve seen.

If you enjoyed the test video on our Fishing Monthly YouTube channel, give Cameron Bow a call on 0413 119 051 (I think you wouldn’t need to twist his arm to take you on a test ride) or visit www.sportsmanboats.com. au for more information and package pricing.

As tested, with all of the options, this rig came out at just under $150,000. Smaller Sportsman boats come in at around half that.

PERFORMANCE • Top Speed: 84km/h @ 6,000 rpm • Most Economical: 3,500rpm @ 1.5km/L

Now that’s a serious console packing some serious glass. Matching Simrads offer superlative navigation and sounding options.

Above the console is a technical T-Top. It includes rod holders, speakers for the sound system, outrigger base attachments, storage, lighting and even water misters for those mid-summer days.

Although firmly in the ‘fishing’ rather than ‘family’ category, there are some luxuries that’ll keep passengers happy. Comfortable cushions and removable seat backs are quality made and colour matched.

There’s room for a couple of people at the helm and the port side transom door allows for easy boarding while the rig is on the trailer.

Even if you cast a large shadow, there’s plenty of room to walk around the console. Note rod storage along the gunwales in lieu of side pockets.

Americans are great at neat anchoring solutions.

Check out the concealed windlass and cleats.

Left: It’s not the prettiest toilet location we’ve ever seen, but if having one is a game-changer, then this toilet fitted inside the console will do the trick.

Right: Fitted with the maximum 250HP, the 232 had an impressive top speed (84km/h) and surprising economy. Its theoretical range is well over 500km with full tanks.

Collapsible seating means you get to choose between extra space or additional seating.

The Sportsman has an abundance of rod holders. This boat was definitely designed to be a fishing vessel with a holder equipped for you and each of your mates fishing onboard. Plus, a ladder for easy access to and from the boat.

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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

JANUARY Time Time m JANUARY 0113 0801 TU 1359 2109 TU

1 1 2 0205 0853 2

Time 0.54 0113 1.48 0801 0.35 1359 1.37 2109 0.65 0205 1.41 0853 0.36 1455 1.38 2215 0.75 0304 1.35 0948 0.36 1557 1.41 2318 0.81 0414 1.30 1046 0.35 1700

m

18’ S of High LONG 144° 37’ E TimesLAT and38° Heights and Low Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY MARCH FEBRUARY m Time Time m Time m Time m

Time m Time m 0032 0.58 0230 0.73 0032 0.58 0230 0.73 0712 1.43 0907 1.32 09070.36 1.32 13050712 0.411.43 FR 1515 15151.35 0.36 1956 1.310.41 2245 WE 1305 FR 1956 1.31 2245 1.35 0116 0.67 0330 0.80 03301.26 0.80 07520116 1.380.67 1004 10040.39 1.26 13460752 0.391.38 SA 1617 16171.35 0.39 TH 1346 SA 2058 1.310.39 2345 2058 1.31 2345 1.35 0207 0.75 0444 0.84 04441.22 0.84 08400207 1.330.75 1106 11060.40 1.22 14350840 0.361.33 SU 1724 FR 1435 SU 1724 0.40 2205 1.340.36 2205 1.34 0307 0.83 0045 1.38 00450.82 1.38 09360307 1.290.83 0559 05591.21 0.82 15330936 0.331.29 MO 1208 12080.38 1.21 SA 1533 MO 2317 1.390.33 1825 1825 0.38 2317 1.39 0420 0.86 0138 1.43 01380.76 1.43 10420420 1.280.86 0704 07041.24 0.76 16441042 0.291.28 TU 1305 13050.36 1.24 SU 1644 0.29 TU 1918 1918 0.36 0026 1.47 0222 1.47 0026 1.47 0222 1.47 0538 0.84 0757 0.69 0538 0.84 0757 0.69 11561156 1.301.30 WE 1356 1.28 1356 1.28 MO WE 1757 0.24 2005 1757 0.24 20050.34 0.34

16 16

0.54 1.48 WE 0.35 1.37

11

Time 0140 0140 0802 0802 SA 1400 1400 SA2128 2128 0233 0233 0859 0859 SU 1457 1457 SU2241 2241 0341 0341 1008 1008 MO 1608 1608 MO2356 2356 0501 0501 1132 1132 TU 1730 TU 1730

16 16

m 0.72 0.72 1.34 1.34 0.30 0.30 1.36 1.36 0.79 0.79 1.30 1.30 0.30 0.30 1.36 1.36 0.83 0.83 1.27 1.27 0.31 0.31 1.41 1.41 0.81 0.81 1.29 1.29 0.30 0.30

17 17

22

17 17

18 18

33

18 18

19 19

44

19 19

1.45 0018 20 5 0018 0529 0.82 1.45 5 0529 0.82 20

55

0101 1.48 0101 0.72 1.48 20 200621 0621 0.72 WE 1251 1.36

6 6

66

WE 1455 WE 2215

3 0304 0948 3

TH 1557 TH 2318

4 0414 1046 4

FR 1700 FR

1.28 SA 1145 1145 SA 0.33 1800 1800 0115 1.50 0115 0635 0.79 0635 1.29 SU 1240 SU 1240 1852 0.30 1852

0.65 1.41 TH 0.36 1.38

0.75 1.35 FR 0.36 1.41 0.81 1.30 SA 0.35

SU 1.28 0.33

21 21

1.50 0.79 MO 1.29 0.30

1251 WE1848 1848 0159 0159 0730 0730 1358 TH 1358 TH1953 1953

21 21

1.36 0.26 0.26 1.56 1.56 0.59 0.59 1.45 1.45 0.24 0.24

1.55 1.55 01280128 1.551.55 0300 0203 03001.51 1.5122 0250 0250 1.62 1.62 7 0203 22 22 0730 0.73 0.73 06480648 0.760.76 7 7 0841 7 0730 08410.62 0.62 220828 0828 0.45 0.45 1330 1.30 1307 1.36 1441 1.32 1458 1.55 MO TU TH FR 1.30 MO 1330 1939 0.28 0.28 1939 0246 0246 1.58 1.58 0816 0816 0.68 0.68 TU 1415 WE 1415 TU 1.33 1.33 2022 2022 0.27 0.27

8 8

1.36 1441 1.32 FR 1458 TU 1307 TH 1903 0.180.18 2046 2048 1903 20460.33 0.33 2048 02230223 1.631.63 0331 1.54 0337 0331 1.54 0337 07480748 0.660.66 0920 0921 09200.55 0.55 0921 1409 1.431.43 FR FR 1522 15221.37 1.37 SA 1553 WE 1409 SA1553 20032003 0.150.15 2123 2139 21230.34 0.34 2139

23 23

88

23 23

1.55 0.24 0.24 1.66 1.66 0.33 0.33 1.61 1.61 0.26 0.26

1.60 1.60 03140314 1.691.69 0401 0420 0323 04011.56 1.56 0420 1.67 1.67 9 0323 24 24 0859 0.63 0.63 08440844 0.540.54 9 9 0956 1010 9 24 0859 09560.49 0.4924 1010 0.23 0.23 WE 1458 1.35 TH 1505 1.50 SA 1601 1.40 SU 1646 1.64 WE 1458 1.35 TH 1505 1.50 2102 2102 0.28 0.28 20582058 0.150.15

SA 1601 1.40 2157 21570.37 0.37

SU 1646 1.64 2225 2225 0.31 0.31

Time 0113 0113 0741 1345 FR 0741 2105 FR 1345 2105 0158 0158 0829 1431 SA 0829 SA 1431 2201 2201 0250 0250 0924 1528 SU 0924 SU 1528 2301 2301 0359 0359 1030 1639 MO 1030 MO 1639

11

m 0.63 0.63 1.38 1.38 0.32 0.32 1.37 1.37 0.71 0.71 1.29 1.29 0.39 0.39 1.32 1.32 0.78 0.78 1.22 1.22 0.46 0.46 1.29 1.29 0.82 0.82 1.18 1.18 0.50 0.50

Local Time APRIL APRIL Time Time m

m Time m Time m 0036 0.65 0215 0.77 0036 0.65 02150846 0.77 1.22 0652 1.39 0652 08461439 1.22 0.54 12481.39 0.28 SA MO 0.54 1.29 19580.28 1.44 MO 14392210 SA 1248 TU 1958 1.44 2210 1.29 0118 0.71 0316 0.81 0118 03160955 0.81 1.18 07380.71 1.35 0738 0955 1.18 0.61 13331.35 0.30 SU TU 1543 0.61 1.28 SU 1333 WE 20590.30 1.39 TU 15432310 2059 1.39 2310 1.28 0209 0.76 0438 0.80 0209 04381110 0.80 1.18 08370.76 1.30 0837 11101705 1.18 0.64 14301.30 0.35 MO WE MO 1430 22100.35 1.37 WE 1705 0.64 TH 2210 1.37 0315 0.78 0008 1.30 0315 00080601 1.30 0.74 09530.78 1.28 0953 0601 0.74 1.23 15431.28 0.40 TU TH 1220 1.23 0.64 TU 1543 FR 23250.40 1.38 TH 12201822 2325 1.38 1822 0.64 0437 0.74 0058 1.34 0437 00580659 1.34 0.65 11230.74 1.31 1123 06591318 0.65 1.32 17101.31 0.42 WE FR 1.32 0.62 WE 1710 0.42 SA FR 13181919 1919 0.62 0031 1.44 0140 1.39 0031 1.44 0140 1.39 0600 0.64 0742 0.56 0600 0.64 0742 0.56 12431.40 1.40 1407 1.42 TH SA 1243 1407 1.42 SU TH 1833 0.41 SA 1833 0.41 20022002 0.60 0.60 01301.51 1.51 0130 02170217 1.44 1.44 07110.50 0.50 0711 07180718 0.47 0.47 13501.52 1.52 1349 FR SU 1350 1349 1.52 1.52 FR 1940 0.40 SU MO 1940 1940 0.40 1940 0.58 0.58

16 16

11

Time

0055 16 16 0730 TU 1313 2043

m 0055 0.73 0730 1.33 1313 0.46 2043 1.41 0200 0.72 0852 1.32 1425 0.55 2153 1.41 0322 0.67 1021 1.38 1552 0.60 2258 1.44 0443 0.56 1136 1.49 1715 0.60 2356 1.49 0548 0.43 1241 1.61 1822 0.59

17 17

22

0200 17 17 0852

18 18

33

0322 18 18 1021

19 19

44

0443 19 19 1136

0003 1.30 0003 5 0520 1.30 0.82 20 5 0520 0.82 20 TU 1138 1.17

55

0548 20 20 1241

66

21 21

66

0048 0048 1.54 21 21 0643 0643 0.32

0146 1.38 1.38 22 7 0146 0733 0.67 0.6722 7 0733 TH 1339 1.27

77

0136 1.57 22 22 0731 0731 0.24 MO 1430

22 33 44

TU 1138 1753 1753 0100 0100 0636 0636 1243 WE 1243 WE 1855 1855

1.17 0.50 0.50 1.33 1.33 0.76 0.76 1.21 1.21 0.48 0.48

1.27 TH 1339 1945 0.45 0.45 1945

WE 1425 2153

TH 1552 2258

FR 1715 2356

SA 1822

SU 1339 1915

1430 2002

02211.57 1.57 0225 1.43 1.43 01530153 1.48 1.48 0219 8 0225 230221 8 0752 08080.36 0.36 8 0752 0817 0.58 0.5823 23 23 8 0816 0817 0808 0.39 0.39 TU MO 1429 1.60 FR 1426 1.35 SA 1450 1.63

FR 1426 1.35 SA 1450 1.63 MO 1429 1.60 TU 1516 20340.39 0.39 2028 0.44 0.44 2028 2034 20152015 0.58 0.58 2045

1339 1.72 1915 0.58

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 1.54 0.32 1.72 0.58

0136 1.57 0.24 1.79 1.79 2002 0.58 0.58 0219 1.58 1.58 0816 0.21 0.21 1516 1.80 1.80 2045 0.58 0.58

0259 1.48 1.48 03081.61 1.61 02290229 1.51 1.51 0300 0300 1.57 24 240308 9 0826 9 0259 0855 0.50 0.5024 08590.25 0.25 9 0826 24 9 0859 0.34 0.34 0900 0900 0.22 0855 SA 1508 1.42 SU 1545 1.71 TU 1507 1.65 WE 1559

1.57 0.22 1.77 1545 1.71 1507 1.65 1559 1.77 1508 1.42 SU TU WE SA 2104 0.44 0.44 21230.41 0.41 2123 20512051 0.58 0.58 2125 2125 0.60 0.60 2104

1.61 1.61 04000400 1.711.71 0431 0501 0330 1.51 1.51 03511.63 1.63 1.54 0356 04311.56 1.56 0501 1.65 1.65 03040304 1.51 1.51 0338 0338 10 0356 25 25 250351 25 10 0330 0937 0.58 0.58 09360936 0.430.4310 1029 1057 0929 0.43 0.4325 09450.18 0.181010 25 10 10 25 0941 0941 0.26 0937 10290.44 0.4425 1057 0.18 0.18 10 0945 09000900 0.30 0.30 0929 1639 1537 1.36 1600 1.54 1639 1.42 1738 1.63 1546 1.48 1634 1.73 1545 1.67 TH

FR FR 1600 1.54 SUSU 1639 1.42 MO TH 1537 1.36 MO 1738 1.63 2139 2139 0.30 0.30 21492149 0.180.18 2230 2309 22300.40 0.40 2309 0.38 0.38

1.54 0.26 1634 1.73 1545 1.67 TH 1639 TH 1.71 1.71 SU 1546 1.48 MO MO WE WE SU 2139 0.45 0.45 22070.44 0.44 0.62 0.62 2207 21272127 0.59 0.59 2204 2204 2139

1.60 1.60 04450445 1.711.71 04311.61 1.61 0401 1.53 1.53 05021.55 1.55 03390339 1.50 1.50 0416 0416 1.49 0540 1.61 1.61 11 0427 26 26 11 0401 260431 26 26 11 0427 110502 260540 1015 0.54 0.54 10271027 0.340.3411 1100 10300.16 0.161111 1000 0.37 0.3726 1140 1015 11000.39 0.3926 1030 09340934 0.28 0.28 1019 1019 0.32 1000 1140 0.17 0.17 11 1717 1616 1.37 1652 1.55 1717 1.43 1721 1.71 1623 1.67 1624 1.53 1829 1.58 FR

SA SA 1652 1.55 MOMO 1717 1.43 TU FR 1616 1.37 TU 1829 1.58 2214 2214 0.33 0.33 22382238 0.240.24 2303 2350 23030.45 0.45 2350 0.46 0.46

1.49 0.32 1721 1.71 1.67 FR 1717 FR 1.64 1.64 TH MO 1624 1.53 TUTU TH 1623 MO 22480.48 0.48 2212 0.47 0.47 2248 22032203 0.61 0.61 2243 2243 0.65 0.65 2212

05331.53 1.53 0510 04150415 1.48 1.48 0455 0455 0433 0619 1.54 1.54 1.43 1.59 1.59 05270527 1.681.68 05101.57 1.57 0433 1.53 1.53 12 0458 27 120533 270619 27 27 12 0458 27 12 27 1050 11310.36 0.3627 1112 10101010 0.28 0.28 1032 1222 0.19 0.19 12 1058 1058 0.39 1050 0.51 0.51 11151115 0.280.2812 1131 11120.18 0.181212 1032 0.33 0.3327 1222 1654 1.36 1747 1.54 1757 1.43 1806 1.66 1704 1.63 1701 1.55 1920 1.51 1756 1.56

1.54 1757 1.43 WE SA 1.36 SU 1747 SU WE1920 1.51 SA 1654 TU TU 23380.50 0.50 2246 2246 0.38 0.38 23252325 0.330.33 2338

1.43 0.39 TU SA SA 1756 1.56 WE 1806 1.66 FR FR 1704 1.63 TU 1701 1.55 WE 2328 22412241 0.64 0.64 2321 2321 2246 0.69 0.69 23280.53 0.53 2246 0.50 0.50

0506 0031 0.54 0.54 1.37 06061.49 1.49 0547 04520452 1.45 1.45 0535 0535 1.56 1.56 06070607 0506 1.51 1.51 1.631.63 05471.51 1.51 13 0529 280031 28 130606 28 28 13 0529 13 28 28 1124 1103 0659 1.47 1.47 13 1134 1134 0.46 12030.33 0.3328 1151 10471047 0.29 0.29 1124 0.48 0.48 1103 0.30 0.3028 0659 12021202 0.240.2413 1203 11510.23 0.231313 1733 1.35 1739 1.55 1303 0.25 1837 1.48 1845 1.50 1840 1.42 1850 1.58 1748 1.58

1.50 SU 1.35 MO 1845 MO SU 1733 2319 2319 0.44 0.44

1840 1.42 WEWE

00150.57 0.57 1.53 1.53 00100010 0.430.43 14 0600 29 140015 1157 06411.44 1.44 14 0600 29 1157 0.46 0.46 06480648 1.561.5614 0641 MO 1815 1.33 TU 1248 0.24 TH 1236 0.31

MO 1815 1.33 TU 1248 0.24 TH 1236 0.31 19291.40 1.40 2354 2354 0.50 0.50 19451945 1.451.45 1929 0635 1.48

0054 0.53

0055 0.64

1.48 0054 0.53 0.64 15 1230 30 150055 07181.39 1.39 15 0635 30 1230 0.43 0.43 07300730 1.481.4815 0718 TU 1902 1.32 WE 1333 0.27 FR 1315 0.30 TU 1902 1.32

WE 1333 0.27 FR 1315 0.30 20241.37 1.37 20452045 1.401.40 2024 01400140 0.640.64 08160816 1.401.40 1421 TH 1421 0.310.31 TH 2144 2144 1.371.37

31 31

TH1303 0.25 TH 2012 1.44 1.44 2012

WE SU WE 1739 1.55 THTH 1850 1.58 SA SA 1748 1.58 2322 23202320 0.68 0.68 2322 0.54 0.54

1.37 0.46 SU 1837 1.48

0.73 0539 0007 05340534 1.41 1.41 0001 0001 0539 1.48 1.48 00070.58 0.58 14 29 29 0620 0620 1.30 1136 0627 11291129 0.33 0.33 14 29 1136 0.28 0.2829 06271.44 1.441414 TH 1820 1.53 FR 1230 0.30 SU 1837 1.51 MO 1214 0.55

TH 1820 1.53 2359 2359 0.59 0.59

FR 1230 0.30 1934 19341.49 1.49

0.73 1.30 SU 1837 1.51 MO 1214 0.55 1922 1922 1.41 1.41

0614 0046 00030003 0.71 0.71 0045 0045 0.76 0614 1.44 1.44 00460.64 0.64 30 30 15 1210 0707 06250625 1.36 1.36 0715 0715 1.24 15 30 1210 0.27 0.2730 07071.36 1.361515 FR 1905 1.49 SA 1309 0.38 MO 1215 0.39 TU 1257 0.63

FR 1905 1.49

SA 1309 0.38 2021 20211.41 1.41 0128 01280.71 0.71 0752 07521.29 1.29 1350 0.46 SU 1350 0.46 SU 2113 21131.34 1.34

0.76 1.24 TU 1257 0.63 MO 1215 0.39 19351935 1.45 1.45 2012 2012 1.36 1.36

31 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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