Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly May 2019

MAYHEM IN MAY • WINTER IS COMING

Features

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Bream luring techniques • Learning about leaders NEW FIND THE LOGO COMPETITION SEE INSIDE

Boating & Kayaking Sea Jay Ranger 4.6m with 70hp Yamaha • New Polycraft 300 Tuffy • Flats bream from the yak • More bar crossing tips •

The Australian

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MAY 2019, Vol. 14 No. 7

Contents WEST COAST West Coast

10

16

16

20

27

Warrnambool 18 Cobden 19 Apollo Bay

18

CENTRAL Geelong 20 Port Phillip West

22

Port Phillip North East

24

Mornington Peninsula

26

Victorian gamefishing

27

Port Phillip Bay Offshore

28

Western Port North

30

Western Port South

32

Phillip Island

33

EAST COAST Lakes Entrance

37

Marlo 38 Gippsland Lakes

36

Corner Inlet

39

Bemm River

38

NSW SOUTH COAST Bermagui 42 Mallacoota/Eden 42 Narooma 40 Merimbula 41

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Robinvale 55 Snowy Mountains

55

Wagga Wagga

54

From the Editor’s Desk...

Christmas in June – it’s Lure Show time.

I know that it’s a long way away, but even Victorian anglers should be excited about the Lure Show – held in South East Queensland on the 1-2 June.

With the core of Australia’s lure designing talent pushing each other every year, you’ll find that trends and designs that come out of the show end up on your local tackle store shelves. It influences your lure fishing more than you realise.

For me, one of the great things about our sport is the quality time you get to spend researching, tinkering with and preparing your tackle.

It’s nearly as good as the time you spend in the late afternoon, after a long session on the water, standing around someone’s boat re-living the day’s action and bouncing theories around about how you can improve your catch

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors

EXPO the following session.

Of course, that feeling when you’ve rigged a new lure – one that you reckon that the fish haven’t seen before – is pretty special as well. Our sport revolves around being eternally optimistic. You don’t find too many pessimists in fishing – no matter how they try to cloak it.

We love being part of that process at Fishing Monthly.

We love delivering you the ideas that may inspire you to try a new technique or a new area. We want to plant those seeds in your head that grow into ideas and that catch you more fish.

The Lure Show is one of them. You need to visit it before you die. And when

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

you do, I challenge you to leave saying that you didn’t get any ideas from it. You won’t be able to.

Slightly easier is trying to limit your spend.

I try to keep mine under $500 each year. And I struggle.

From ultra realistic handcarved swimbaits to artwork for the wall or the lure box, there’s always something new and exciting for me and I’ve been fishing for nearly 40 years and been in this industry for over 30.

The other side of the show that I find really interesting is the Social Media Hub. The show sets aside space for popular fishing social media stars to interact with the public and their fans.

It’s great watching kids meet their YouTube and Instagram heroes.

It’s also interesting that some of them don’t want a bar of interacting with the public. Not that there’s anything wrong with not wanting to be involved, but some personalities only want to be a curated presence to their fans. I suppose that’s the world we live in now…

And, as always, we will have a super Fishing Monthly deal there for new or renewing subscribers. This year, it’s a limited edition StumpJumper. If you’re super keen for one and can’t make it to the show, give the office a call the following week and we will be able to hook you up. It’s a free call on 1800 228 244.

We’ll see you at the show or make sure that you Like Fishing Monthly Magazines on Facebook to see all of our show coverage.

Albury/Wodonga 56 Yarrawonga 56 Mildura 61 Horsham 63 Wangaratta 57 Shepparton 58 Ngambie 58 Eildon 59

61

TASMANIA WRAP

44

BOATING AND KAYAK

85

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics

14

Black Magic Masterclass

51

Chappy’s Hotspot

43

Cooking 52 Dam Levels

54

Flyfishing Scene

64

Fun Page

84

Science meets fishing

12

Tasmanian Lake Levels

46

Tournament News

74

Track My Fish

80

Trade and Services Guide

82

Victorian Tide Times

94

What’s new boating

87

What’s new fishing

48

Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold, Annie March Field Editor: Kelly Hunt Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall Advertising: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Copy and materials should be sent direct to: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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TO SUBSCRIBE SEE PAGE 47 FIND THE DAIWA LOGO COMPETITION PAGE 73 Victorian and Tasmanian Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the last week of each preceding month (latest sale date 31st of the month).

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David Glennie displays a beautiful mako, destined to become a gourmet meal.

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Luring techniques for bream

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Bream

Luring techniques for bream WESTERN PORT

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Would you believe it if I said that Victoria has more than 100 estuaries spanning from South Australia to the New South Wales border? It’s true, and over 90% of them are fish rich, with

On any given day of the week there isn’t an estuary around the state that doesn’t have someone sitting back in their chair or perched upon a fishing platform flicking a lure or soaking a bait in hope of catching a bream. But it isn’t until you catch your first bream using a lure that you’ll become infatuated with the species.

A big oyster cruncher that decided a soft plastic was a tastier meal than the baitfish it was chasing in the shallows.

Vibe type lures draw fish in due to the commotion they make when being retrieved. the most popular species being the black bream.

Anglers seeking bream are familiar with the most popular estuaries from the West Coast to the East Coast, the Hopkins River, Werribee River, Maribyrnong River, Yarra River, Patterson River and of course the entire Gippsland system. Still there are plenty of other smaller creeks and rivers all worth exploring right along the coastline.

For their size, bream certainly are a lot of fun to catch and while they will seek out a soaked bait, they are also willing lure takers making them an avid sportfish for anglers looking to lock horns using light tackle.

STRUCTURE Bream are like that inquisitive little kid in school when you were young. One minute they are all nice and playful and within the blink of an eye, turn into a nasty little devil that you just can’t get within reach to teach a lesson.

They say that fish have a three second memory, but I think bream have somehow evolved and know every angler’s weakness. They also know every single piece of timber, rock, weed and boat hull in an estuary to bust you off on.

Bream love structure and they certainly use this

For their size, bream are one tough competitor.

Catching bream is one thing, releasing them is more rewarding. to their advantage. Whether it’s a submerged log, jetty pylon, rock wall or boat hull, bream use these structures for somewhere to hide. Structure also provides bream with a food source, be that a cultivation of mussels or a school of baitfish also seeking shelter. Either way, if you want to catch bream, you must fish around structure.

In saying that, there are exceptions to this rule, which tends to be more focused in the winter months or after heavy rain. During these periods, bream will move away from the structure and school up in the main bodies of water. This is particularly noticeable just before spawning (August-January)

when they congregate before making their way up the estuaries to spawn.

LURE SELECTION Due to the nature of bream and their wary characteristics, you really do have to play their game and to do this it is imperative you find out what they want. Of course, there are always your typical ‘go-to’ lures, but if they don’t work at a certain time of the year, you need a backup. It pays to be versatile and carry a wide array of lures for any situation and if you are just starting out on the bream scene, it may take a while to build your collection.

Bream can be targeted using a variety of lures and each is used depending

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8

MAY 2019

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You should work every snag you see. There will always be bream holding on them somewhere.

Bream on where and how the fish are feeding.

If you’re cruising along the flats of an estuary and see them feeding on the sand, then you’ll want to be flicking a shallow diving hardbody or surface lure.

Then again, they might be grinding mussels off the pylons where a slow sinking soft plastic would be what they want.

A typical bream tackle kit might consist of a half dozen surface lures, shallow cranks, deep cranks, deep minnows, various soft plastics and

some sinking stickbaits.

TECHNIQUES Breaming is all about the technique and the stealth approach to be able to get within casting range without spooking the fish.

In this instance, it pays to have an electric motor or be fishing in a kayak where the boat’s noise level is kept to an absolute minimum.

If you’re land-based, then you’re in a better position, but in saying that, getting access to some locations can be extremely difficult.

Once on the water, drifting and holding

roughed-up water as cover and hunt along a bank’s edge looking for food.

Chunkier lures such as the Yakamito Side Shift 70 can displace water with the slighted movement, creating sound to excite the bream and urge them to attack.

Should the bream be holding deep, you have

Bream are wary, so you really need the lure to sink with a natural presentation.

This means with no resistance, meaning you need to fish light but stay in contact with the falling lure the entire time. Never take your eye off the braid while the lure is falling because if you miss seeing the ‘flick’ in the braid, you’ll be taken

When searching for bream, always keep a close eye on your sounder.

Bream are easily spooked with the slightest noise. Staying well away from the bank edge and making long casts will secure a fish to the lure.

position to cast at specific structures is paramount to entice a bream to the lure, but you want to be on point with your casting every time.

Early morning and late evening is the perfect time to be flicking surface lures.

When the morning is still and there is barely a ripple on the water surface, deploy a small surface walker or popper to the edge of the bank and twitch it back toward you. Even adding in a split-second pause can be enough to encourage them to strike.

Surface luring is also productive in the afternoon, especially in open water on the edge of shallow banks. Bream can use the

After heavy rain, bream can and will congregate in the main body of rivers. Once you find them schooled up, vibing is a successful technique. two options: soft plastics or sinking stickbaits.

Unfortunately, it’s dangerous flicking for bream in the snags with sinking lures, as the sharp barnacles, timber or rocks can sever leaders in seconds.

under a snag before you can blink.

After making the cast, let the lure sink while watching the line. If you notice the line ‘tick’ or ‘flick’, strike and wind as fast as you can to rip To page 10

MAY 2019

9

Bream From page 9

the fish away from the structure. If there is no movement in the line after five seconds, then crank it in and repeat the process.

The same technique is used when flicking soft plastics, and it is much cheaper to lose a plastic than a hard stickbait.

If on the flats or fishing

either a slow wind all the way back to the boat, a pause after winding the reels handle a few turns, or if you really want to fire them up, a vigorous wind while twitching the rods tip, which will cause the lure to erratically twitch while winding it back.

These three techniques can be used a cast apart

Working surface lures on the edge of weed beds certainly gets the bream fired up.

When bream are schooled up, metal vibes are downright deadly. a bank with shallow or deep diving lures, the technique is quite different. Bream on the flats can be quite aggressive, but you still need to get the technique right to entice a strike.

Long casts work well in these situations, as it allows you to cover more water.

The retrieve can be

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MAY 2019

to find what the fish will respond to and once you get a hook-up, repeat the same retrieve.

Of all the techniques used for bream, vibing is the easiest of all. If you’re a heavy-handed angler and just can’t grasp the finesse approach or precision accuracy of the cast, then

vibing is a great option.

Vibes are highly successful due to the commotion they make in the water on the retrieve. Should you locate a patch of fish on your sounder, a metal, hard or soft plastic vibe can be deployed.

The cast can be made ahead of the school and while the vibe free-falls, the second it hits the bottom, the line will go slack on the water’s surface.

In that instance, you simply wind in the line a few turns until tight then gently lift the rods tip to about a 45° angle. This will have the vibe lift off the bottom approximately a metre and while doing so, you’ll feel the

vibrating action of the lure through the rod

Once you reach that angle, drop the rod’s tip to the water’s surface, allowing the vibe to freefall once again.

Now, this is the important part. Once the vibe has hit the bottom, and you notice the line go slack, count to three.

This is the point in which the strike occurs, as inquisitive bream will follow a vibe and once it is resting, suck it up and by the count of three, once you begin to wind before

lifting the rods tip, you’ll feel the weight of the fish and can give a slight strike to set the hook.

This is just a few techniques for the various lures you can use for bream, there is still much more that can be said to tempt these wary fish to the hook.

If you’re thinking about heading to your local estuary to give it a try, be versatile and cover all your bases with a good selection of lures.

That way, you’ll be covered no matter how and where the fish are feeding.

Bream love lurking around structure and pylons are no exception.

Science meets fishing

Port Phillip Bay shellfish reef recovery progress GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

Shellfish reefs featuring oysters and mussels were once the dominant habitat of Port Phillip Bay, covering up to 50% of the seabed.

Over a period of 150 years, over-exploitation and harmful shellfish dredging practices destroyed the underlying reef structure as well as exhausting the shellfish populations.

Today, the Port Phillip Bay shellfish reef recovery project is well on the way to achieving the current goal of restoring 20ha of living self-sustaining shellfish reefs.

This is part of a longer-term goal of restoring the lost shellfish reefs in the Bay. VIDEO

BRUV footage from Margarets Reef in Hobsons Bay.

Limestone on the way to the Point Wilson Spit site. experience and resources, and now coordinates the project that formally began in 2015. VRFish, the University of Melbourne, the VFA’s Queenscliff researchers, commercial shellfish growers and Geelong businesses are just some of the partners who have joined the project since its inception.

After trialling potential reef materials and layouts, the basic concept has been quite simple: mussels and hatcheryproduced oysters need to be placed on a bed of rock or cleaned shells to raise them above the bottom to avoid smothering by sediments and to provide some protection from predators.

And, effective shellfish reefs don’t have to be continuous ‘blankets’: interspersed reef

Shellfish Hatchery in Queenscliff and mussels supplied by Bay shellfish growers. Scallop, mussel and oyster shells collected from Geelong processors and restaurants have been added to the limestone, adding to the complexity of the reefs.

The origins and early stages of the project were described in detail in the October 2017 issue of VFM. PROGRESS TO DATE Between the two sites, 230 tonnes of limestone and

between, so that they occupy a larger overall ‘footprint’.

Divers’ observations and underwater camera vision are showing increasing numbers and diversity of fish and invertebrates on the reefs – another of the project aims. At times, hundreds of small pinky snapper, some only months old, along with flathead, red mullet, rays and sea horses, have frequented Margarets Reef in

Bags of cleaned scallop and oyster shells, ready to form part of the expanded reefs.

Clumps of oysters and mussels give some idea of what the shellfish reefs are about.

Attached to a scallop shell and only months old, these hatchery-produced oysters are growing well.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PROJECT The project was initiated in 2012 by members of the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, with encouragement and support from the Victorian Fisheries Authority.

Worldwide conservation organisation, The Nature Conservancy, quickly joined in, contributing

and sand patches offer greater advantages to fish and other associated life.

During 2017, limestone rubble was placed at two experimental sites: Margarets Reef in Hobsons Bay and Point Wilson Spit in the Geelong Arm. These reefs were seeded with native flat oysters (Ostrea angasi) produced at the Victorian

With the barge anchored, rocks are placed carefully on the reef site.

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MAY 2019

43 tonnes of recycled shells have established a total of 1575m2 of reef. Scallop, oyster and mussel shells have been deposited within 15x15m ‘walls’ of limestone and seeded with about 1 million oysters (on scallop shells) at both trial sites.

In June this year, a total of 12 tonnes of mussels from a local grower were used to seed 500m2 of new reefs on the Wilson Spit site and one reef on the Hobsons Bay site. Divers’ observations show that these mussels quickly attached to each other, forming solid beds and quickly attracted other marine growth.

From the 1.9 million oysters seeded during 2017, survival and growth has reached the point where these oysters have in turn reproduced, setting in motion one of the project aims – self-sustaining shellfish populations. One restoration target is to achieve a density of at least 50 oysters per square metre.

As part of their habitat enhancement design, the reefs are placed in large patches with clear bottom

interest groups. To date, more than 190 volunteers have provided vital help to the restoration project. Their efforts have been particularly valuable in labour-intensive tasks of preparing oyster spatcollection material, counting and measuring oysters sampled from the reefs, and preparing oyster plates for placement in the Bay to discover natural oyster spatsettlement hotspots.

Hobsons Bay. As well as providing the foundation for healthy sea-floor communities, oysters act as powerful filters in a bay charged with excess levels of nutrients and sediments. Marine Manager of The Nature Conservancy Australia, Chris Gillies explained, “Oysters are highly effective at filtering water – up to 5L per oyster per hour. This makes them excellent at improving water quality. Over time, they also create a complex habitat for other shellfish and marine creatures, which increases biodiversity, creates jobs, protects coastlines from storm surges and boosts fish stocks for recreational fishers.”

As well as its environmental benefits, the project is generating social and economic benefits in the Melbourne and Geelong regions through the associated job and volunteering opportunities.

From its beginning with the Albert Park club, the project has relied heavily on the efforts of volunteers, including anglers, students and members of other

THE NEXT STEPS For as far ahead as the program can look at the moment, the goal is to establish 20ha of fullyfunctioning restored shellfish reefs in the Geelong Arm and Hobsons Bay over the next three to four years. As new reefs are added, they will be seeded with mussels and hatchery-produced oysters.

A third trial site off Carrum is yet to be developed and several additional prospects are being considered. The Nine Foot Bank in the Corio Bay Outer Harbour already contains scattered clumps of oysters over a wide area.

It may only require the

dive inspections are planned for prospective sites off St Leonards and in 5-15m on the eastern side of the Bay. The existing reefs are becoming established to the point where angler participation as project volunteers now extends to the placement of Baited Remote Underwater Video cameras (BRUVs) to record fish’s associated with the Hobsons Bay and Point Wilson reefs. Volunteers continue to be needed for oyster spat collection, measuring and settlement monitoring activities.

VRFish and The Nature Conservancy are working with newly-formed OzFish Unlimited to encourage community-based groups to take up voluntary roles in monitoring the existing reefs and, possibly, to conduct small-scale reef development projects of their own. They recently received a grant from the Port Phillip Bay Fund to encourage fishing clubs and other organisations to take up active environmental stewardship roles focused on fish habitat improvements in the Bay and other Victorian waters.

OzFish Unlimited (https://ozfish.org.au/) is a newly-formed organisation whose mission is, “to protect and restore fish habitat throughout Australia and support recreational fishers in these actions.”

Operating at a national level, OzFish Unlimited works in partnerships and by providing advice and assistance to fishing clubs and other community groups

Now more than 2yo, hatchery-produced oysters are reproducing and adding to the reef populations. addition of patches of cleaned shell substrate for natural reproduction to do the rest.

Information from previous VFA scallop surveys and other studies of bottom communities are being examined to identify other potential shellfish reef sites.

Underwater cameras and

keen to protect and restore fish habitats.

For more information about the Port Phillip Bay shellfish reef recovery project and to lend a hand in restoring new shellfish reefs, contact Simon Branigan from TNC at simon.branigan@ tnc.org and (03) 8346 8600.

Your fishing licence fees at work Little Murray fish habitat Thanks to $99,000 of your fishing licence fees, 20 wooden structures have been installed between the Little Murray Weir and Swan Hill to provide breeding havens and habitat for Murray cod and golden perch. Learn more at vfa.vic.gov.au/ littlemurrayriverproject

New jetty at Lake Marma

Citizen science helping mulloway

A new jetty worth $31,520 has been built on Lake Marma to give families and anglers of all abilities safe access to fish for the numerous golden perch and rainbow trout we’ve stocked there.

Over 150 anglers have submitted hundreds of samples to help complete a four-year research project worth $78,545 that provides valuable insights into how we sustainably manage the Victorian mulloway fishery. Learn more at vfa.vic.gov.au/victorianmullowayproject

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

Knot knowledge 101 NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Good knot tying is one of fishing’s most basic and vitally important skills.

Sadly, knot failure is and will likely remain the single greatest cause of lost fish and gear. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the two most important keys to fishing success are a sharp hook and a strong knot. Everything else is secondary!

These days we have no excuse for not using sharp hooks every time we wet a line. Today’s hooks are lighter, finer, stronger and sharper straight from the pack than they used to be. But for better or worse, you still can’t buy a packet of strong knots!

Various clever folks have done their best to come up with nifty gizmos intended to alleviate the need for knots by allowing the attachment of a clip or snap directly to the end of your line or leader via a series of wraps and twists.

These things work, to varying degrees, but have never really taken off. Many are a tad bulky, and there’s also that nagging doubt in the back of the user’s mind about their

re-building our rigs – we might end up tying a dozen knots or even more in just a few hours of fishing. Every one of these connections needs to be as strong as we can possibly make it. Those same knots may also need to be tied as quickly as practical, in poor light, on a pitching boat, in the wind, rain or cold, and often with hands still trembling uncontrollably after our latest adrenalin-charged bust-off. It’s a big ask!

Knots fail for two main

failure is a little curly pig’s tail or corkscrew at the end of your line or leader where the hook, swivel or lure once was. Come on… be honest.

You’ve seen that accusing little bedspring in the end of your own line, haven’t you?

We all have. It makes you feel sick to your stomach and so it should!

The second, but equally insidious, form of slip failure is where one or more turns of the knot suddenly slide together, snug down or tighten

Not a huge mackerel this time, by any means, but strong connections are still vital for consistent success. the little melt spot and a partial curlicue shaped like a question mark at the bitter end of the broken line.

Interestingly, braided or fused gel-spun polyethylene (GSP) lines are much less prone to friction melting than monofilaments, but even more susceptible to total slippage.

If they begin to slip, knots tied in slick-skinned braid will often keep right on slip sliding away until they come undone, especially when lubricated

It’s at this stage of the encounter that a poorly tied knot is most likely to let you down. reasons; firstly, because they slip under load, and secondly, because they’re poorly constructed or designed in the first place – resulting in one strand effectively cutting another.

string on a Christmas present, but not much use for anything else. It’s worth noting, however, that the single overhand knot or ‘granny’ does form the starting point of many fine loop knots.

An overhand or granny knot will effectively halve the breaking strain of any material it’s tied in. In other words, form a granny knot in an undamaged length of 10kg breaking strain line and you’ve just turned it into 5kg line under a steady load. It may break even more easily – perhaps with as little as 2-3kg of force – if subjected to sudden, intense shock.

The weakness of a knot like the single overhand hitch lies in its internal structure, and the fact that, within the knot, one strand crosses over another strand at right angles.

Under load, one of these strands becomes the knife and the other the butter. The result is as inevitable as it is predictable… Ping!

In the next issue we’ll continue our examination of what makes a good knot and look at some basic rules of knot tying that will stand you in good stead, no matter where you fish, what gear you use or which species you chase.

Don’t miss it!

No room here for knot failure! A big black jewfish or northern mulloway fights all the way to the boat.

We’ve all seen it… that accusatory pig’s tail or bedspring coil at the end of our leader that screams ‘slipped knot’! actual strength and reliability under practical fishing conditions. So, for most of us, the need to tie knots remains… sometimes, lots of knots.

During a big session – when we’re losing tackle to fish and snags hand over fist, or constantly modifying and

Knot slippage takes two catastrophic forms. At its most extreme, the knot simply slips completely undone, with the tag end or tail sliding all the way back through the various turns and twists under pressure until the whole thing lets go.

The tell-tale sign of total slip

up fast enough under load to momentarily create an intense friction hotspot. In nylon and fluorocarbon lines, this friction can literally melt the outer skin of the mono.

Causing an immediate knot failure or – perhaps even more gut-wrenchingly – a serious weak spot that will let go later in the fight, most likely as you strain to bring that catch of a lifetime the final few metres to net or bank.

It’s harder to identify the forensic evidence left by a friction slip failure, but if you look really closely (perhaps using a magnifying glass) you may actually be able to see

with water. So, a braid connection capable of resisting dry testing can sometimes let go underwater when subjected to severe loading. This is a trap for newcomers to these lines, and helps explain some of the myths that have emerged about all sorts of ‘special’ knots being required when using braided lines. In truth, you don’t need to tie ‘special’ knots in braid… just really good ones!

Knots that cut themselves under load are also bad knots.

The classic example is the single overhand or so-called ‘granny knot’. This is a passable hitch for tying the

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MAY 2019

Muck around with mulloway WEST COAST

Brett Carson

As autumn winds to a close our system continues to fire.

The mulloway have gone hard all season with no sign of letting up. Once the mouth of the river was let go it took a while for the fishing to come good. It doesn’t take long, only about a week or so, but it does take time for the fish to reset and get used to the tidal flow they’ve been craving.

Big seas have seen saltwater push way up the river so the salt is still high in the system. With the seasonal rains starting to add to the flow, the

mouth should be open for the rest of the year. Only time will tell.

Mulloway are on most peoples’ bucket lists, and the truth is you won’t find a better place to target them than the mighty Glenelg. Even those people with limited mulloway experience have been able to boat a feed when coming for a weekend fishing trip.

If you’re not a lure fisher, targeting an area where fish are on the sounder is a great option. Don’t get wrapped up on the fish in the deep water, it’s the fish that hunt the shallows that are most likely to be feeding. Anchor the boat and fish that mid depth water using live mullet if you can get

them, while introducing berley to entice them to feed.

It pays to mix it up and have some live mullet on the bottom as well as under a float.

I once went to a talk held by the authorities reporting back on years of study on tagged mulloway and the glaring theme was that they chase food. Where the food goes they go. So find the bait, find

as a result got their prize.

Bream and perch have been consistent right through the system, with masses of smaller bream from last year’s spawn now spread way up.

Crab becomes the obvious choice to keep the little attackers at bay. You won’t get as much action but the fish you get will be better. Be ready, as big fish have a habit of doing Joe Price holding a 15lb mulloway that was taken on live mullet. Matching the hatch was the trick here.

A ripper bream that was caught on one of Gordon Jeffrey’s shrimp flies.

A great mixed bag of bream and perch that will be quite common this month.

the predator.

Joe and Tracy Price caught a ripper on live mullet from their shack at Donovans amongst good perch and bream. They noted that at night other mullet were huddled under the shack as the mulloway raided the massive schools of baitfish. They simply matched the hatch and

you and your tackle in before you turn the reel.

The estuary fishes well this time of year on the flats.

An hour each side of the tide is ideal, so mix it up between shallow and the deep, as at times they will love smashing the podworms on the barely covered sandbanks. Look for the tell-tale hollows where

the bream have been rooting around for worms in the sand.

I’ve actually watched them doing it. It’s much like Tonto sucking the poison out of the Lone Ranger’s snake bite, they suck a mouthful in then spit it to the side.

Perch are coming thick and fast from high in the system to within sight of the ocean. Gordon, the local fly fisher, does well with the perch on his shrimp pattern.

Most people chasing bream on hardbodies or plastics will encounter perch in a fishing trip to our area, so if you haven’t ticked the perch box yet come and have a crack.

The surf is producing, but as winter comes closer so does the regularity of bigger swells. Those that dodge the

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The salmon will increase in number and size in the coming months and smoked salmon makes a great bar snack, so don’t pack the surf gear away just because the weather cools off.

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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.

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Trout set to fire in May WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

As we head into the cooler months it’s not all doom and gloom here on the South West Coast, as there are plenty of things to get excited about, like the continuation of good tuna and mulloway fishing, the impending trout season and hopefully a few barrel size tuna showing up.

The Hopkins River has been not only producing some quality mulloway, but providing some very interesting research information as well.

Tim Vincent managed a magnificent 102cm mulloway recently on a swimbait near the bottom of the river. The interesting thing was that the fish had been tagged. This fish was caught a year ago in the same area by Luke Gercovich and only measured 81cm. That’s

Trout should begin to fire in May.

impressive growth and great information for research into the species.

The Hopkins River mouth was only open for a short time before closing over. Mulloway have still been taken since, which shows that they seem to remain in the river much more than originally thought.

Calm mornings and evenings have been producing some excellent surface fishing for bream and perch. It’s a really entertaining way to fish as, the fish climb all over your lure as it works its way back to you. This technique has been working well on these species from the river flats in the lower reaches right up into the freshwater sections just above Tooram Stones.

In May these fish will begin moving towards the deeper sections of the river where blade and weighted plastic techniques will come into their own.

These days the southern

Tim Vincent with an impressive 102cm mulloway. This mulloway had been caught a year ago and had grown 21cm in that time. bluefin tuna season offshore of the South West Coast is almost a year round attraction. However, if you were going to pick only one month to try to tangle with a SBT then May should be it. You can encounter these fish in good numbers in the traditional deeper shelf areas, but they have also been found in 40-60m of water, bringing

them into contact with smaller boat operators. When sea/weather conditions suit, cruising around in an open style boat throwing lures at tuna bust-ups is an awesome sportfishing experience. At 98kg the first barrel of the season was taken off Portland recently, so hopefully it is a sign of things to come.

As the water cools

during May the trout in the local rivers will begin to fire up. It can be a great time to wander the local rivers, flicking minnow style lures around, with the chance of either a hook jawed brown or a solid freshwater EP nailing your next cast. We have had very little rain recently, so hopefully that turns around and the trout begin to fire.

Fresh is best for bites APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

The weather has changed and has slowed the fishing a little bit. Early season rain has given the local rivers and streams an early flush with some nice freshwater, so now would be a good time to fish all our streams.

There have been some good reports coming out of the Aire River, with some nice bream up to the 38cm mark and a quality 4lb brown landed. The best baits have been unweighted scrubworms.

In the blue water we

are still getting some good gummies and other decent sized fish. Fresh salmon are the best bait by a mile, so if you are looking at catching some gummies, I would spend some time trying to find some salmon, and there are plenty about at the moment, with some quality fish around the 3kg mark.

Whiting have been a bit patchy, but some of the locals have been doing well around the Kennett River to Lorne area, with fish up to 43cm and in good numbers. The best bait for this fish has been pipis. It always pays to get some fresh pipis, as if they have been frozen a few times they go a bit yellow and don’t fish as well.

Like always, fresh is best and the change of tide is a must.

There has been plenty of snapper about, with lots of small fish in close. Don’t forget to measure your fish, as there are a lot of undersize fish, which is great for our future, and they seem to be right along the coast.

You can find good flathead around the 43-50m mark.

Squid have been good for bait and there are a few starting to be caught in our local harbour, so it’s worth throwing in the jig as well.

Tuna have started to show up, with Neil Hinze from Apollo Bay hooking a solid 30kg fish recently. There are plenty of fish west of us,

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Neil Hinze with a solid 30kg southern bluefin tuna caught off Apollo Bay.

so we hope to see bigger numbers soon. There is also an abundance of bait in the water, so when the fish arrive, hopefully the bait will hold them here for a while.

School tuna recover well after capture, so only take what you will eat and release the other fish. They are a great sportfish, so the better we look after it the better we will have it in the future.

It is the time of year to check all your gear and do all maintenance on reels – you don’t want to get the fish of a lifetime and have your gear fail. Our new gantry for weighing fish has phone numbers on a sign above it, so if you need a fish weighed ring one of the team and they will happily come and weigh it for you.

I am one of them, so I might get to meet you and your fish could end up in one of my articles!

High water levels resulting in decent catches then it’s open slather.

Unweighted live baits hurriedly cast out should be engulfed in seconds!

This is also the time to cast a variety of lures, including surface poppers retrieved erratically but

COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Our estuaries have certainly been firing up this autumn – the Curdies in particular. The mouth is closed but the water levels are high and the water clear. The fish can be found all over the system, including the lake. I have been finding fish in and around the river mouth where it joins the lake, but others have found them well upstream of Curdievale.

Bait anglers have been doing well with local shrimp, spider crab and filleted salmon. Packet baits, such as prawn and whitebait, are also catching fish. Most of the fish aren’t trophy size, but range from just legal through to the mid 30s, which isn’t too bad.

There is an influx of juvenile estuary perch in the system and they are around 3yo. There are plenty of EPs in the system, however, they are known to be extremely hard to catch.

They seem to be schooling up, and when you do manage to find them they are very responsive to

allows, so non-existent or small bibbed minnow lures have been the pick. Some anglers are also using knife jigs cast out then retrieved at a great speed, this works them horizontally as opposed to vertically.

Bruce Roberts with an average Curdies bream taken on pipi meat. surface plastics and it’s not uncommon to catch a fish a cast. Give them a few more years to reach size before targeting them in earnest.

It’s all tuna, tuna and more tuna for those venturing offshore this May. Schools were seen and targeted as close as 1km off the break wall at Warrnambool. Other reports state that just a few kilometres offshore, around the 50m mark, schools of surface feeding southern bluefin are easily spotted

due to the sheer amount of seabirds swarming around diving for scraps of whitebait, yakkas and slimy mackerel.

Live baiting with any of the above baits mentioned has been successful. First and foremost you’ll need to locate the surface school of tuna. Once you’ve done that, sneaking the boat in close enough without spooking the school is vital.

Suspending live baits under a float is necessary until the fish switch on,

The author with another reasonable Curdies bream that took a prawn imitation soft plastic. fast, as this will stir up and break the water’s surface tension. Another successful method has been using shallow and medium diving minnow lures retrieved as quickly as the lure’s bib

If knife jigs are involved, once the tuna bite has finished, it might pay to vertically drop and then retrieve the knife jig a few times as there might be a school of yellowtail

kingfish underneath picking up the fish scraps.

For those who might luck out on the tuna, apparently there are schools of Australian salmon to 60cm out there feeding on the same schools of whitebait. They’re not quite in the same league as the tuna and kingfish, but better than nothing.

If that’s not enough action for you, you can try floating a large live or fresh bait out the back under a balloon with some berley thrown in, as there appears to be plenty of mako sharks cruising around. Throw a few thresher and seven-gill shark into the mix and there you have it.

There is always plenty of bottom bouncing baits at 50m, especially over reef or broken, rubbly ground. This area has been producing a wide variety of species including gummy and school shark, pinkie snapper, blue morwong, nannygai and leatherjacket to name a few.

Don’t forget the squid jigs, as squid are everywhere. Use a handline resting in a bucket and once the handline starts to spin, you know a squid has taken the bait.

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More good catches offshore GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

May should see the water cool dramatically and summer species such as kingfish disappear.

May can be a low wind month, so offshore options present themselves a little more regularly. Gummy and school sharks will be high on the list for those heading offshore while land-based fishos should consider the local beaches for Australian salmon.

Trout are an option at Wurdee Buloc Reservoir near Moriac. A light easterly here

will be over your shoulder, which is great for mudeye and bubble float fishing. Lures that cast a fair way, such as metal spoons and winged lures, do well here too.

Anglers fishing inside Corio Bay right on dusk have been catching pinkie snapper to 55cm. They have been caught at St Helens rock wall, Geelong waterfront and Point Henry. Because they are a little spread out, you may need to work for a fish.

I am expecting the snapper fishing to taper off over May. Paul Mayer and John Didge have caught some cracking pinkies to 50cm and bream over 40cm using Munroe’s soft plastic lures

and jigman jig heads, in 2/0.

Nathan Wright booted his kayak in off Alcoa with his mates John Rao and Hayden Kouts in search for snapper recently. They found a few healthy marks showing on the sounder around the spoil grounds and the lads

impressive pinkie snapper, flathead and the odd whiting.

Ross fished with Marc Ainsworth and picked out a promising shallow area, hoping for whiting. Instead, they caught some of the best pinkies Ross has seen in a 1.5-2 hour session. Ross

Local charters have done particularly well on gummy sharks out in Bass Strait lately.

Radio host John Didge fished with Paul Mayer inside Corio Bay where they caught plenty of bream and pinkie snapper.

Nathan says the bream gear got a real workout with this cracking snapper he caught on a soft plastic lure.

ended up getting a triple hook-up resulting in some fine snapper that ranged from 2-5kg! Nathan said, “They sure gave the bream gear a workout!”

Ross Winstanley has also been getting stuck into Corio Bay and catching some

says it has been going nuts from at least one hour before first light to about 8:00am.

Ross has been fishing in this general area over the past four months. On four occasions Ross decided to stop when he had his three pinkies over 40cm. It’s the

first time Ross has had such good pinky fishing in the 23 years he has been fishing from Geelong.

Alan Greig and Kelvin Baldwin made an early start in Alan’s 4m tinny at Limeburners boat ramp recently hoping to find a few pinkie snapper. The lads trolled lures in 2-3m of water right on the edge of a rocky shoreline. Kelvin ran a Daiwa double clutch 75 and Al ran a shad style lure. The lads didn’t land any pinkies but consistently hooked up plenty of rock flathead. The shads dived to about 2m while the double clutches

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The jetty extension improves anglers’ ability to cast into deeper water for popular table fish such as flathead, snapper, King George whiting and calamari.

The original 35m jetty was built in 2017 following a local campaign to replace the previous wooden structure that had fallen into disrepair.

The City of Greater Geelong has been managing the jetty’s initial construction and recent extension, with substantial funding from Labor’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing.

Kelsi Gull fished out off Clifton Springs in her kayak last month. Kelsi managed two flathead around 40cm plus a few other tiddlers and by-catch all on soft plastic lures before they went off the bite just before low tide.

Kelsi says she could not get a bite on bait, which is very unusual. Kelsi then moved in closer to the weed beds hoping for a squid and they did not disappoint! Five casts for four squid!

Melbourne Renegades wicket keeper, Tim Ludeman is also a dead keen fisherman.

Tim caught a fair gummy shark in South Channel on

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Melbourne Renegades keeper Tim Ludeman has been catching a few quality gummies in the south channel. a few gummy sharks come in with clients lately with fresh squid the best bait and the Prince George area has been the best.

Gone Fishing Charters have also been catching plenty of gummy sharks in Bass Strait out around the 40m mark using slimy mackerel for bait.

Dave Reynolds managed to get out off Barwon Heads with his mate recently. The lads trolled a few lures around Charlemont Reef hoping for a late season

Kelsi does very well fishing out of her kayak off Clifton Springs. squid head with the tide pushing in. Tim used a 4000 Shimano Stradic reel with Zodias rod and says it was great fun on this set-up.

Rod Ludlow from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head says there are plenty of King George whiting around if you can keep away from the little snapper that are in plague proportions. This may mean you just have to keep moving away from them. Inner Governors Reef right around to Grassy Point have been producing good fish in the high 30s and even a few 40cm fish, so you don’t need many for a feed. Rod says pipis and mussels are the best baits with fish coming in as long as the tide is moving.

Rod has also had quite

kingfish or salmon without any luck. They then anchored up off Black Rock and sent some baits down. First drop had the lads hauling in pinkie snapper left, right and centre. Sometimes you land right on the school and this was the day. There were plenty of small fish, which they returned to the water, while the best pinkies were around 40cm.

Alan Falzon has also been getting stuck into the gummies along the Surf Coast. Fishing in 40m of water out off Mount Defiance near Lorne Alan hooked and landed a 9kg gummy using fresh sergeant baker as bait.

Radio Point at Wye River is a good bet for salmon around May. Lob a fresh pilchard out almost due north and you’ll be clear of weed and rock. Try a pipi and you could nab a later season XXL whiting. They can nudge 50cm from these rocks in May. 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).

CAMO VERSION FEATURES

hobie.com.au Alan and Kelvin trolled lures about Corio Bay and nabbed some tasty flatties.

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21

Melbourne mayhem this May PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

Easter break and school holidays are behind us now. Daylight savings has come and gone and

we begin that time of year where the days are beginning to get colder and shorter, but fear not, as there is still great fishing on offer and bread and butter fishing around Melbourne currently couldn’t be better.

Kurtis Campbell recently had a great fishing session in Port Phillip Bay catching his first ever bronze whaler shark.

Launching in the evening and fishing throughout the night is something a little different for Kurtis. Armed

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with 6-8kg snapper rods and full pilchards as bait, Kurtis cruised around watching the sounder keenly until he finally spotted a decent mark. He threw baits over the side and that’s when a memorable night on the water began.

Kurtis’s reel started screaming, line peeling quickly and before he knew it all lines were tangled, causing chaos on deck.

With some quick thinking, the guys worked together and managed to get things back under control. Kurtis continued to battle the shark and after some effort and time managed to get it close to the boat, only to once again get his line tangled, this time on the berley pot attached to the boat. After a few tense moments, the guys acted quickly, eventually landing a beautiful bronzey.

This past month in Port Phillip Bay the fishing for bread and butter species such as squid, flathead, and whiting has been quite remarkable. I have hit the water most weekends in my runabout boat with some good mates and bagged out on most occasions.

The mornings have generally consisted of finding shallow weedy areas between 3-5m deep in search of squid, then flicking a range of squid jigs for an hour or two.

The best performer has been 3.0 squid jigs in reds and orange, followed by white and blacks with UV reflective cloth and rattles.

I’m still amazed that when things go a little quiet a subtle colour change can make all the difference.

A drop in size and a colour change saw Nahid catch his PB squid.

My good friend Nahid was struggling to catch any squid using a 3.5 squid jig in blue and black stipes.

He changed to a 2.5 jig in UV black and the first cast landed his personal best squid. The moral of the story is don’t be afraid to experiment and to mix up the colours and sizes.

Once we have caught our fair share of squid, we drift around flicking soft plastics and droppings baits for flathead. Paternoster rigs and running sinker rigs with small circle hooks

and fresh squid tentacles as bait has been working a treat. I have managed to land a handful of flathead between 60-70cm, which are impressive sizes for Port Phillip Bay. When flicking soft plastics, small whip baits, paddle-tails and curltails have been the most successful. My go-to in recent months has been the Savage Gear 6cm fat curl-tail in UV motor oil and UV bloodworm. This lure has accounted for many flathead around

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MAY 2019

Kurtis tried fishing at night and was rewarded with a PPB bronze whaler.

50cm, lots of pinkies between 40-50cm and some seriously big snook up to 75cm in size. Be careful with the big snook, as they have a habit of shredding your leader.

I’m sure you already know that I’m a huge advocate for taking your kids fishing around Melbourne. Last month I took my 12yo old daughter out fishing on her first ever trip on a boat and she was determined to catch her first ever squid and beat her personal best flathead. The conditions were amazing, resembling a lake rather than the bay.

In three hours on the water she caught six squid all by herself and landed several flathead, including one that measured 55cm. It was great to just sit back and watch her battle the flathead with an ultra-light 1-4kg fishing rod while continually encouraging and guiding her.

Don’t forget, if you plan to take your young kids out in the boat, check the conditions and only take them out on days with low winds and swell.

Also make sure you have a suitable size life jacket, fishing rod and keep the sessions nice and short, otherwise they’ll associate fishing with boredom.

Feel free to send me fishing stories of you taking your kids fishing around Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay, we would love to share those with other readers.

I’m amazed at how in recent years new forms of the sport are evolving and growing in popularity.

One such method growing in popularity around Melbourne is fishing from a jet ski. I had the pleasure this past month to co-host an event with Melbourne Seadoo about the fishing jet ski, the Fish Pro 155 (see Peter Jung’s review

in last month’s Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly.)

I was really surprised at just how much fun this form of fishing can be – they are high-powered machines that can reach insane speeds quickly.

Custom fitted for fishing with rod holders, icebox

were caught on bait and soft plastics. Next time you’re looking at purchasing a kayak or boat maybe consider a fishing jet ski as a fun alternative option.

That’s all from me this month. Don’t forget to contact me directly if you would like to share your recent fishing experiences

Taya with a PB flathead that measured 55cm. and fish finders and they’re designed for stability and can handle as well as most runabout boats.

It adds a whole new dynamic to fishing, the ability to zip around with pure adrenaline one minute and then stop to fish the next.

I can see why it’s growing in popularity and why it would attract anglers with young families. Many pinkies, flathead and squid

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

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The author has been getting into some big flathead.

MAY 2019

23

Time for some snap, snap, snap, snapper!

PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Recent weather and seasonal patterns have continued the trend of

the summer months, and warmer and more settled weather was the feature over the early part of the Easter holidays. This provided some great fishing and boating conditions for families and hard-

Bill managed to catch this awesome collection of snapper out wide from Mornington. Photo courtesy of Brendan and the team at iFish.

core anglers alike on the bay, and this lead to some great captures.

This warm trend is looking to continue into May, although the cold starts to the days have certainly arrived. As a result, we are still experiencing species activity that is more normal for the late summer months than late autumn. Although water temperatures are certainly beginning to cool down, I would expect this good fishing to continue for some time.

The real feature of the last month has been the size and quality of snapper on offer out from the wider marks. Last year at this time of year, smaller schoolsized snapper were keeping anglers busy out from the normal summer wider marks from Carrum, Chelsea and Seaford. These fish were

Mount Martha has had an exceptional snapper bite, especially on the change of tide. Photo courtesy of Brendan and the team at iFish. been smaller bite windows, especially around the change of outgoing tide, and around the change of light. While this is nothing unusual, the size and quality of the fish has been exceptional, with plenty of reports coming in of snapper around 6-8kg being landed, which is

month, and I would expect this to continue, and even get better over the next few months as well. Gummies are suckers for a well-presented fresh bait, especially salmon, trevally, yakkas and squid.

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Out wide from Mornington has produced the majority of the snapper catches recently. Photo courtesy of Brendan and the team at iFish. typically 1-3kg in size, were about in big numbers, and continued to bite for long periods during the tide.

Conversely, the trend this year on the snapper has

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great news for the bay’s anglers. The anglers that I have spoken to expect this great fishing to continue all through May and into June.

Unfortunately, there’s always a ‘but’, and with the late season snapper the ‘but’ is their unwillingness to bite (even though you can see them on the sounder) and the relatively short bite windows. It’s always worth trying a variety of baits, and even moving on to a different patch of fish or water depth if things aren’t going your way.

Stay and focus your efforts on the change of tide, and remember not to anchor within the Shipping Channel. The bulk of the action of late has been happening about 19-22m out from Mornington and Mount Martha, and I would expect over the next month that the mud banks out from Safety Beach will be fishing well too, as the snapper look to put on condition before the winter months.

The great by-catch of gummy sharks for the snapper anglers has been a real feature of the past

your chances of success.

It always pays to have one bigger bait out in your spread of rods.

The calamari fishing took a while to get going this season, just like last year, but the good old cephalopods have certainly made up for it over the past few months, with ridiculous numbers

right along the eastern seaboard. Land-based and boating anglers have really been cashing in at present, anywhere from Frankston to Safety Beach. The real honey holes at the moment for the boating anglers seem to be the inshore reefs around Mount Eliza and Frankston, and Mount Martha. For the landbased anglers, Mornington Pier has been a Mecca of late, and it is practically black with squid ink.

It’s worth noting that even though the squid have been in big numbers, planning your missions during times of low light early and late in the day will always provide the best fishing. This is also when you are more likely to catch the bigger, more predatory models. Although the water remains clear on the inshore reefs, using natural coloured jigs in green, brown and red will produce the best results.

I’ve seen a few of the local switched on lure anglers, especially those fishing from small boats and kayaks, getting amongst the flatties of late, casting lures on the drift. There is still plenty of salmon and pinkies about as well on the inshore reefs, so enough to keep the light line lure anglers happy.

The local whiting have been a little patchy over the past month, but I expect them to be a little more regular during May.

About 19-22m out from Mornington has been the hotspot lately, especially for cracking snapper.

Photo courtesy of Brendan and the team at iFish.

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Cracking weather makes for cracking catches MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Julian Frank

We have had a reasonable autumn, even though we have seen some pretty extreme weather conditions leading up to now. For this month anglers can expect to see some cracking days

before we officially hit winter, and the array of fish about at the moment is endless.

BACK BEACHES As we move closer to winter our local back beaches are a great place to throw a line in. May has always been a fantastic time of year to get stuck into some of the

best salmon fishing on the Peninsula, with good schools of fish about and usually fairly calm weather, allowing you to actively track the fish along the shores.

Locally, anglers have found casting metal lures to be the best method, with more fish being caught due to a quicker response time casting

Sophie was very excited when she landed her first squid.

Trevally are a great target species on soft plastics.

and retrieving lures. Soft plastics and hardbody lures work extremely well with their life-like action around all the piers.

Bait fishing is also still popular, but casting allows you to keep on top of the fish as they move up and down the beaches. Some great baits include salted pilchards and squid, which tend to stay on the hook better, while some fishos prefer to use chicken and blue bait. All of these baits work well.

ROSEBUD TO RYE The numbers of squid have drastically increased around all the piers, with plenty of bags being caught night and day. There have been some good mullet around in the early mornings, and they are taking a liking to tiny pieces of chicken on a saki rig.

Along Rosebud Reef heading towards Tootgarook is good for pinkies at this

time of year, while the fish are still a lot smaller, up to 1kg or so. Fishing Rye deep around the 20m mark will find you bigger snapper and also the odd gummy shark.

Whiting are about and can be caught around most of the 3-6m grounds. Reports of some very good garfish have been circulating too, with anglers primarily targeting the piers.

BLAIRGOWRIE The pier is a little quiet at the moment, but it should pick up again. If you do decide to fish here, try flicking soft plastics during the morning and around midday for a chance at catching big salmon.

They usually show up but generally don’t stay on the bite for long.

The squid fishing has been great around the Sisters. If you’re fishing out of a boat we have seen a few whiting getting caught

and some larger flathead, which isn’t common for this time of year.

Trolling out the front of the marina wall you can pick up salmon and barracouta.

SORRENTO AND PORTSEA Portsea is the place to head to if you’re looking for big squid, and from this month onwards will start bringing about some bigger breeders for those anglers wanting to catch a trophy size calamari.

Both piers are particularly good at the moment for garfish, mullet and tommy ruff.

While plenty of anglers are squid jigging and catching the odd whiting, other fish to target now are leatherjackets, which are always a welcomed catch, and the silver trevally that are often schooling around the pylons.

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This salmon fell victim to a well cast stickbait.

26

MAY 2019

Take your marks, get set, go!

PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

If someone had said 20 years ago that you would be able to do a totally Victorian bluewater report in this magazine, you would surely tell them that they were taking crazy pills.

Oh, how times have changed, with Victoria producing not only offshore options for nearly twelve months of the year, but also being right up there with some of the best fisheries in the world. Here you can tumble with big swordfish in Gippsland, the jumbo bluefin tuna off the West Coast, and in recent years more local metro areas of the state have also produced. Not to mention, the tons and tons of school fish that call these waters home for a good part of the year.

We cannot forget the kingfish that come with the warm water. I have always said that when I can catch marlin in Victoria, that’s when it will be a good place to live.

Well, over recent years I have caught many Victorian marlin, and cannot wait for them to turn up each summer at Lakes Entrance and Mallacoota.

WEST COAST Summer saw lots of school tuna and kingfish on offer from Portland to Port Fairy, offering anglers some awesome action, either casting stickbaits and poppers or trolling with small skirts. That all changed in early April, and overnight the jumbo tuna made their presence felt in a big way when a whole pile of big fish rocked up off Portland in 70-120m of water between Lawrence Rock and Cape Bridgewater.

Mark Scholte was quick to get on the bite, landing five jumbos in two days, then from there it was daily reports of big tuna being hooked, lost and landed.

What contributed to such good fishing was that the tuna were feeding heavily on redbait, so lures in the 7-9” size were being eaten in a big way by the fish, as they matched the bait size perfectly.

When it comes to colours and styles of lures pink, blue, silver and gold tones such as Paris, mia, big dog, spotted and striped evil in lures such as the JB Dingo and Little Dingo, Zacatak Sprockets and Pakula Sprockets.

Bullet patterns have been getting a lot of bites, especially on the really calm and really rough days. For those of you that haven’t run a bullet, they are deadly effective, which is strange, as they do very little in the water. Their heavy heads mean they spend a lot of time under the water, which makes them easy for the tuna to eat. As for lure positions, the bullets always

Charlie Agius with his first Portland jumbo. are a favourite on the long rigger or shotgun position.

My own personal favourites are the Aloha Ninjas in mia and big dog patterns, or another lure that always seems to get bites is a colour called black rainbow. It doesn’t look like anything special, but it gets eaten time and time again.

While the Ninjas are great, the Bonze Exocet bullet has also been a real winner on school and jumbo tuna, and works in any position.

It gained a lot of popularity last year, when anglers Dan and Mark began running the Bonze spreader bars in their lure spreads and off the back they ran the Exocet bullet, which accounted for a lot of the bigger school tuna for Dan and a bunch of jumbos for both the boys.

Either way, spreader bars and teasers are tools that more anglers should be using for tuna and I’m sure they will gain popularity in coming seasons.

While it’s lovely fishing in the calm weather, it also makes it a lot harder to get a tuna bite, as they can see your leaders much better. This was proven in the bite over the past weeks, with some of the best fishing happening on the really ugly days.

Over the coming weeks, the tuna fishing will only get better. Although it’s the big tuna that get a lot of anglers excited, there are a lot of fishers who really enjoy and prefer to chase the school fish, which will stack up in big numbers out along the shelf and in locations such as the Horseshoe.

Out here the fishing is often crazy on fish ranging from 10-25kg, and in this part of the world a great pattern to run is two X-Rap lures in short then three or four skirts further out the back, with lures in the 6-8” size proving deadly. Some hot favourites are the Zacatak Small Sprocket and Vamp, JB Micro and Little Dingo, Black Bart Pelagic Breakfast and Canyon Prowler.

Locally during May, the tuna bite should really start to fire up closer to Melbourne, with locations such as Apollo Bay, Barwon Heads, The Rip, Cape Schanck and Phillip Island all worth a look, especially if we get bait pushing into these areas. Even better is when you see whales pushing along these parts of the coast, as the tuna love to follow them.

Further to the east, early April saw Tony Kemner land

a cracker of a sword. This caused a bit of frustrated hair pulling from several anglers, as they had to decide whether to head west for a jumbo or go east in search of a giant swordfish.

As May rolls by we should really see the sword season fire up, with a large influx of food pushing into the canyons running from Lakes Entrance and up to Mallacoota. The real factor that dictates the fishing is the weather. So, calm seas and light winds are what anglers hope for.

The swordfish are a prized target, but the great deep water bottom fish on offer get people excited with big blue-eye trevalla, Hapuka and ling all on the cards for a bait dropped to the bottom.

If you’re heading to the canyons in search of these species, make sure you also pack a few extra game rods and some berley, as it’s also mako time in this part of the world. Anyone who has fished out here would agree that some days they are there in huge numbers, chewing up your sword baits and eating

This is where it all started for the author, with his first Victorian sword. May is the prefect time to catch them. your bottom fish as you wind them up. I’m not complaining, mind you, as I love catching a few big makos.

While it’s not done often, it is also worth trolling lures or cubing as there are some very good tuna to be found during April, May and June, with

the past seasons producing albacore, big bluefin and even big-eye tuna.

It’s a very exciting time of year to be heading to our offshore waters and hopefully this report will help get you out there in search of the big fish that call our waters home.

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Time to get some gummy in your tummy PPB OFFSHORE

Gerry Morsman

Gummy shark season is upon us and I couldn’t be any more excited! I, along with a bunch of other anglers, love the

colder months, as the boat traffic is basically non-existent. As soon as the footy starts the boats go away and leave all that open water out there for the handful of fishers that know just how good the fishing is during these

colder months.

There is one species in particular that thrives through these times and that’s the almighty gummy shark. The photos this month are proof of that and all reports are indicating the sensational catch rates.

It’s no secret Chris Cassar knows how to catch a fish or two, and now he has turned his attention to the offshore gummies.

Unfortunately, kingfish reports are very low, but that is expected at this time of year. The cooler water temperature generally sees them moving up the coast along with the warmer water and currents.

Having said that, it was an exceptional season for kingfish and it only looks to get better with each year, as we’re seeing higher numbers and much bigger fish being caught.

It wouldn’t surprise me if next season we see kingfish up to 25kg!

The squid fishing has been as good as ever and is another species, along with flathead, that like to hang around all year, which is great because we all love a feed of flattie tails and calamari. The great thing about these two species is that they are a consistent capture and it doesn’t cost a lot of money for the gear and tackle to target them.

SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA If travelling to Portland is too far, don’t stress, because we have gained ourselves a fairly healthy little southern bluefin tuna fishery here in Melbourne! Reports

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MAY 2019

A perfect eating size gummy shark.

of tuna have stretched all along our coastline here in Melbourne, with schools the size of football fields and fish around the 20kg mark.

It’s hard to pin point an area that has been a standout, as like all other places currents and bait schools are constantly on the move. Searching for bird activity is the first thing, as they are our eyes when it comes to spotting the bait schools and the bait schools are what lures in these hungry predatory fish.

One of the most effective ways to capture these fish has been casting lures into the schools. You want your lure to imitate the surrounding baitfish (otherwise known as ‘matching the hatch’) as this gives the best chance of getting a hook-up. Other methods have also been trolling skirts, which is a well-proven tactic all over the world.

When you spot a boiled up bait school, do not drive straight through it, as this will cause the tuna to disperse and the bait school to scatter, and you could even find yourself with a few unhappy surrounding boats. Instead, get wide of the bait school, turn and only allow your trolling lure to go through the feeding frenzy.

GUMMY SHARKS I have made it pretty clear just how good the gummy shark fishery is while fishing offshore around here in Melbourne, and the iFish crew got a good taste of that, recently landing and releasing a number of solid specimens over numerous sessions.

Producer Tom Hughes ended up kicking Paul Worsteling off the boat and good mate Chris Cassar took over the vessel True Blue to film just how they get it done. The team got fish up to 25kg anchoring up in around 25m of water over the reef between

Selecting the right gear is crucial to successfully landing big gummy sharks.

Flinders and Cape Schanck and using fresh baits they caught in the same location, such as parrotfish and barbers perch.

When fishing offshore, it’s not as vital to only use oily baits such as mullet or salmon, as the water is much clearer and easier for gummy sharks to identify their prey. Using those baits also causes a lot of the other reef fish or ‘pickers’ to constantly disturb your bait, whereas parrotfish and barbers perch tend to get left alone. There are reefs all along the coastline in water ranging from 30-50m, which makes it quite easy to sound up on your depth sounder and I can guarantee that all of these reefs will produce quality gummy sharks.

FLATHEAD There is a number of different species of flathead that kick around the offshore waters and in my opinion, every single one tastes absolutely amazing. Getting on the drift over reefs will see you catching predominantly rock or blue-spot flathead and Julian Rennie did just this, getting himself a lovely feed.

Keeping your baits just off the bottom is key when drifting over reef, as this will stop you from getting constant snags. Flathead won’t hesitate to come off the bottom to prey, as they are a very aggressive and seemingly hungry fish all hours of the day.

SQUID Along with gummy sharks and flathead, calamari is another species that isn’t turned off by the colder water and will hang around all year. There are massive schools of them all along the coast here in Melbourne and you rarely catch the smaller ones while fishing offshore.

Getting in close to the inshore reefs around Flinders is a huge hotspot.

The best methods have been using either silver whiting on a baited jig or even just throwing the typical squid jig you can buy in any store.

Another method that is still working a treat is to set your squid jig up on a paternoster style rig with a sinker and get them down over the reefs in depths up to 40m. It may seem too deep, but you will be surprised by just how effective it is, and the squid are quite large.

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MAY 2019

29

Plenty of variety in the Port WESTERN PORT NTH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

It really didn’t take long for the cold snap to hit the state and it is sad to think that it’s only going to get colder from now on. I don’t want to put a dampener on the fishing, but May can be a challenging time in the top end of the Port.

Despite the last few months producing ‘hero’ numbers of whiting and calamari, things have begun to slow with the cooler water temperatures. Still, for those who are keen to brave the conditions, there are plenty of fish to target, you just have to put in the effort.

I love fishing though the cooler months, purely because the weather can be cool but glorious, with a lot less boat traffic, allowing you to work areas that won’t be over crowded with anglers.

Throughout the top end, gummy sharks are a common catch from May onwards and they are in greater numbers than during the summer months. In saying that, the top end channels tend to produce a lot of gummies ranging around 50cm-10kg.

With the increase of their numbers, they really aren’t that hard to catch. A simple running sinker rig coupled with fresh bait such as silver trevally, squid or chunks of yakka or salmon is ideal.

It pays to be fishing on the edge of a channel or one of the many channel mouths during the run-out tide. With the water running off the shallow banks, gummies swim off to find deeper water, they’ll smell your

baits within no time.

There are also plenty of elephant fish about too.

These tend to sniff out your offerings before a gummy makes it to the bait, but on light tackle they can be fun to catch. Justin Blythe has been having a ball catching gummies and elephants throughout Western Port in the last few weeks.

Whiting are still a possibility, but they are fewer in numbers and finding

Elephants are a common catch at the moment, as Justin found out. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

them takes a lot of work.

Throughout this time of the year, I like to focus on the deeper areas rather than the shallow banks.

Some of those big whiting you’d normally catch in summer have become resident fish and are still on offer. Fishing locations such as around Joes Island, Crawfish and Eagle Rock is where you’ll tend to find them. Berleying is a must, with pilchards mashed up in a berley pot proving best.

When using berley, you’ll also attract flathead, salmon, silver trevally and pinkies of various sizes, however, there can be fish up to 50cm, so ensure your rigs are strong enough to handle them. This is the main reason for tying whiting rigs from 16lb fluorocarbon leader.

Of course, if you’re struggling on those species, you always have the fall back option to catch calamari along the edges of the weedy banks.

Although their size might not be near those caught in September/October, there are still plenty of calamari and they are in plague proportions.

If you get a nice day, drifting the weed beds down the Tooradin Channel is very productive along with the Warneet Channel. Tyabb and Quail banks are very shallow and of course you will lose a few jigs. Due to the strength of the current you still need to use 2.5 and 3.0 jigs, but you will have to work them quite quickly to avoid being snagged.

Working the deep water can lead to some solid whiting being caught. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

Not that I see it getting fished much, but another excellent calamari producing location is along the weed beds that run down the eastern channel on the French Island side. If you fish the run-out tide you can drift a good 10m out from the edge of the channel and work your way right down its length. This area is full of calamari and as mentioned, there is plenty.

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30

MAY 2019

This is the same scenario for along both sides of the Middle Spit, yet these areas often see a number of anglers working them until the eastern entrance.

Another effective method is to use a baited jig under a float. For larger calamari, this is particularly productive.

Another tasty fish that is about in fair numbers at the moment is garfish. These little fellas are great fun to catch and if you’re taking your kids out fishing, they’ll love them too.

In the same places you’ll normally catch whiting and calamari, you can anchor up, set a berley trail from the water’s surface in a floating berley pot and fish silverfish baits under a float into the berley trail.

Any garfish that are in the area will move into the trail rather quickly and from there, you can experience some epic sessions.

If you’re looking for something a little more sizeable to pull some string, there are hoards of salmon in the Port, with schools spanning the Western Entrance right up to Joes Island. If it’s a calm day, just keep an eye out for birds working around Crawfish and Eagle Rock. Sure enough, if you get close enough and launch some 20-30g metal lures into the bubbling mass, you’ll be tight in no time.

Salmon are great fun to catch and they will be around until the end of winter, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch them.

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31

Winter looms but fishing is hot WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

The southern end of Western Port is always full of surprises, and with winter approaching it’s time to switch tactics.

The end of April saw the last few kingfish caught offshore, with Justin Blythe getting into a few decent models himself. These fish were caught along the coast from Flinders to Cape Shank and they certainly put up a good fight.

Inside the Port, the gummy shark fishing has been exceptional from all reports, with the Western Entrance producing some quality fish. Most of the gummy action has come when fishing the run-out tides with the prime time being the first two hours of the run-out.

Of course, we all know the variety of baits to use for gummies and from now through winter, cured eel is one of the best baits to use. The main reason being – aside from being oily – that it is hard to tear off the hooks. With an influx of seven-gill sharks in the Port during the cooler months, eel is a top bait to use for all shark species.

The Western Entrance is also jam-packed with salmon and traditionally they move into the Port before making

Another species that is worth targeting in May is snapper. That’s right, snapper. Go back though any May fishing report for this area and I bet you find reports of anglers catching snapper from the Western Entrance and up the North Arm. Every

flow hard so you’ll need enough sinker weight to hold bottom, but it is worth a try, as the winter whiting can be quite solid.

If you’re looking for a relaxing day on the water with high profit, then targeting calamari is a good

something sizeable.

For those who don’t like long walks, there is still some good land-based whiting to be had from Balnarring to Flinders. Personally, Balnarring rocks is exceptional, as you can cast into the sand holds, which

Nothing better than a few tasty whiting from the rocks.

Justin Blythe with one of the last kings caught for the season. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe. year these resident fish come on the bite for a few weeks and they are often big models. So, if the weather is nice, then get out and get targeting them, as there are quite a few that are caught each year.

I always refer to May as being in winter and that is just pure habit because of the temperatures, but

10lb braid is all that you’ll need. A handful of metal lures ranging 20-50g, some leader and a wading bag to

store your catch if you’re going to keep them and you can easily cover a stretch of beach in no time.

option. Winter calamari fishing is some of the most rewarding fishing an angler can do. Hanns Inlet, Tankerton, Tortoise Head, Coronet Bay, Reef Island, Balnarring, Flinders and Cat Bay all support massive numbers of calamari yearround. Their size might not be huge, but there are plenty about.

There are many rock platforms around Western Port that you can target whiting, flathead, salmon and gummy sharks from.

The onset of the cooler weather has seen many anglers head to the beaches in search of salmon. their way along the surf beaches. Hoards of salmon have been seen busting up bait down the entrance and right up to Buoy 15.

Just look out for the diving birds and then either cast metal lures into the school or troll the outskirts of the school with 70-90mm diving hardbody lures. Doing this will also see catches of silver trevally, barracouta, pike and snook, which make top baits for gummies.

32

MAY 2019

when it comes to May and the following few months, targeting winter whiting is always an option, as there are plenty to be caught.

Locations such as Cat Bay, Flinders, Balnarring and Somers are always worth a look, but the sandy coastline from Cowes to McHaffies Reef is also very productive.

Berleying and fishing in around 5m is a must of water so you’re on the edge of the weed beds. The current can

LAND-BASED Due to the unsettled weather at this time of year, it is a good time to be fishing from the land.

Gummy sharks and elephant fish are a common catch from Stockyard Point, Lang Lang, Grantville Jetty and Settlement Point. Of course, you will require surf rods to be able to cast out into deeper water, but if you’re using good quality baits, you’ll no doubt hook into

are in around 3m of water, and the whiting are quite abundant. Similar fishing can be had at Point Leo, where you’ll also encounter some sizeable flathead.

Another option is to tangle with the salmon that will begin appearing along the Surf Beaches. Cape Woolamai, Kitty Miller Bay and Berry Beach are all salmon hotspots. These beaches all fish best on a high tide and when it is at its roughest. Just be mindful of the side wash and take sinkers up to 6oz to hold bottom.

Salmon will become more abundant over the next few weeks and while they are great fun to catch on bait, they fight a lot better when caught on a lure.

Spinning these beaches is a lot of fun and allows you to cover more area. A simple 9ft casting rod, 4000 reel and

Justin Blythe with a full bait board of quality whiting. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe.

Blues are booming offshore PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

For the last few weeks every fishing report I made would lead with catches of bluefin tuna, which is not the usual lead for my reports. Generally, if I were to mention tuna it would be from further down the coast towards Portland, with the odd one in Port Phillip Heads.

While this season has been unusually good for bluefin, it’s not the first time that they have been caught here and if you go back through history to the days of the commercial ‘couta fishers, they were reasonably

bluefin around the 20kg mark.

Once people worked out the best ways to target them and news spread of their catches, more started to target them and more reports came in. I am expecting next month will see a lot more action offshore from boats actively chasing bluefin tuna.

Although more limited because of the weather, the offshore fishing here can be very rewarding and productive. Last winter with the strong constant northerly wind patterns, fishing in the bay was difficult and those wanting to drop the boat in had no other option than to head offshore. To their surprise – and against what many said – there were fish

Barry with just a sample of the many bluefin caught offshore this season. common. The fishery we have here is very unique, as many have discovered while chasing kingfish, which now feature regularly in reports because anglers have changed how they chase them. A similar thing has happened with the tuna, and anglers now realise they are here and start actively chasing them.

Anglers are now heading out with an extra set of lures that they would normally save for those offshore trips.

Sounders are better and when coming across a school of baitfish or even birds sitting on the water, anglers are spending time sounding for them and bigger arches aren’t being dismissed as bigger salmon, but treated as potential bluefin.

Many of the bluefin reported this season all had a similar story: anglers came across a football field of mutton birds and could see they were sitting on krill.

Instead of just moving on they spent some time sounding around the birds only to find bigger fish under the birds.

They’d put some thought into a set of lures and a few runs past produced some quality

out there, there was good snapper on the reefs off Kilcunda, flathead off the sand and several other species including big gummies for those who know where to find them. So, if your team isn’t playing and the weather is good, don’t forget to head offshore for a fish through the winter months.

Calamari have been added to the most frustrating fish to catch list, with plenty around but not always where you would expect to find them. The Newhaven Jetty has been one of the best spots land-based and there is even a handful from the jetty at Rhyll, neither one a good first choice.

Even the more popular spots like San Remo Jetty and Cowes Jetty have been very patchy and inconsistent. San Remo Jetty has been fishing better through the night long after most have gone home, and the reports have been coming from the very keen fishers.

The very best reports are still coming from those in boats or kayaks, with kayaks probably winning. The best spot has been in Cleeland Bight during that last bit of light in the evening. Reports are coming from those able to drop the yak in after work for a quick fish.

The surf fishers are starting to wake up from hibernation and make their way to the beaches looking for the bigger salmon that make their way along the beaches at this time of the year. Most of the reports so far have been of smaller fish, but reasonable numbers on the Island’s beaches, with those fishing Kilcunda telling me they are struggling, not necessarily to find the fish but to get past the weed. The weed has been a problem all season at Kilcunda and many are saying it’s worse than it has ever been, even when we have had settled conditions. Those who have been more successful have been reporting salmon from the Kilcunda beaches, using lures and not bait, because it is easier to avoid the weed and pick your spot in the gaps.

Whiting, the other fish on the most frustrating list, are living up to their reputation and although some very good reports have come in

they are matched with some very ordinary ones. The promising thing all season with the whiting has been the numbers of very small fish.

While at times the small ones just make it more frustrating, you need to keep reminding yourself that they are your next spring/summer stock, so return them carefully to the water to continue growing for the next time you catch them.

Almost every whiting report has come from a not so popular area or time. The fish are there, you just need to be a little smarter targeting them and don’t assume they will be there every time you go looking for them. Also, don’t get stuck thinking you must have pipis to catch them, The majority of my better reports come from those using pilchard.

Gummies of any reasonable size in the bay over the last few months have been almost non-existent, except for the few days either side of the moon phases. Offshore, when you find them, they are always good, and you just don’t seem to catch the little ones out there. You will always catch the pups in the bay, but those 6kg+ have only been reported from a few days either side of either moon.

While the whiting might not be that big, anytime you get a double header you need to get a photo.

The channel from Tortoise Head to Elizabeth Island has been productive after dark and generally the most sheltered this time of year. Fresh baits are always

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Taking your rig into deep or rapidly moving water is risky. Here are some tips to keep you safe.

First, before traversing that flooded river, check out how deep it is, how fast it is flowing, what’s underneath, what the best route is, and how you will need to prepare your rig.

Walk through and mark big drops and potholes with a stick, assess the ground conditions and the flow. If it’s a raging flood, don’t walk or drive in, but if the water seems reasonable and you know what you are dealing with, prepare for the crossing.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY Preparation is everything. Be sure to hook up your recovery gear before you hit the water, uncoil your winch cable and sticky it to your bonnet. Should you get stuck, you don’t want to deep-dive under to latch on your straps or unwind the winch cable.

Pick out some suitable tackle points on the other side when you walk the creek in case you get stuck in the middle. Be sure there is good air for your rig.

You should have a snorkel or RAI (Raised Air Intake) fitted; if not, keep out of deep water.

Know the recommended submersion level of your model vehicle. Not all snorkels are watertight.

Most 4WDs have air tubes fitted to the diff and drive gear to allow for expansion and contraction as the temperatures shift.

The valves on these sometimes sit rather low.

They need to be up as high as possible because when you hit the water everything cools down and will suck in air. If the valve is submerged you could be drawing water into your diff.

Electrics don’t love water either, so ensure they

are safe. Many of them are fully sealed, if not, dowsing them in WD40 may help, but for really deep water, fit a water bra (a waterproof shield you fit over the front of your rig). Or strapping a tarp over your grill and front end with an occy-strap or three will help push water around your vehicle instead of it gushing straight into your engine bay. It will also help with not letting the water hit the fan, which can bend it and hack into the radiator.

GOING FOR IT Don’t hit the creek full blast. For auto vehicles use low range and if possible, choose second gear. For manual 4WDs, low range and second gear all the way through. Don’t change gears in the creek as this can open seals and let in water.

Go about the pace of a fast walk – fast enough to push forward against the current and water mass, yet slow enough to be able to react to anything unexpected.

IF YOU GET STUCK If you get stuck, stay calm. If you get caught on a big rock or sink in soft mud, first decide if everyone is safe and how to keep it that way.

With touch downs, ease your rig back gently without gushing water up your exhaust pipe until you are free, and then have your offsider guide you around the rock. If you dig in and water starts filling your vehicle, turn it off and get the winch cable off the bonnet. Hook up to that anchor point you identified beforehand and winch yourself out.

Precaution, preparation, common sense and a clear head will get you out of most sticky situations.

Early preparation is the key.

Most drivers get all buzzed up at the opportunity of putting their driving skills

and rig to the test, but showing off as you thrash through deep water is not a sign of 4WDing finesse.

When you get to water higher than your hub caps, be cautious and check the crossing on foot. Water above the top of the wheels means any large pothole could submerge your engine and electrics, which will be a tad risky.

Before you hit the water consider whether it’s the safest spot to cross, if there’s a better spot somewhere else to cross, if there’s a good exit with suitable anchor points, if crossing can be avoided altogether, and whether you feel confident to get rig and crew safely through.

If there’s any doubt, don’t do it.

AFTER YOUR CROSSING Emerging from the creek will often be on steep ground that is muddy, slippery, rutted or worn.

It’s a challenge to drag your waterlogged vehicle out of the water. Once you are on solid ground, stop if it’s safe and let the excess water drain out. Check for any sticks and debris that may be caught on your undercarriage.

Next, dab your brakes hard a few times or drive with them dragging for a bit to help them dry off quicker. Otherwise, if a tree is across your track on the next corner, nothing may happen when you slam the brakes on.

Ultimately, you’re responsible for getting your crew and your pride and joy back in one piece, so don’t take unnecessary risks. Sure, in my TV show we do some way-out stuff, but this is not what you can do with your average 4WD, nor when you are alone out the back of Bourke.

Have fun out in the bush and crossing those creeks – safely! - Jase Andrews, All 4 Adventure MAY 2019

35

Big bream during autumn bliss GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

The great bream fishing just rolls on and this month’s report is almost a carbon copy of my last.

Finally we’ve had rain and at least the paddocks now

look a bit greener, but the slow drizzle over three days made no impact on reviving the rivers. In fact, the streams tipping into the Gippy Lakes are in a very poor state.

The one good thing is that estuary fishers benefit from it all and clean salty water continues its march

Tony Pettie had his first serious look at Lake Wellington recently and released a nice 36cm bream caught on a blade lure.

up the rivers with bream, perch, garfish, mullet and flathead all on the go right now. We are heading into the calmest time of year, when the autumn and early winter weather can be perfect for days on end. It’s time to get really busy!

YELLOW EYE MULLET The one big change from last month is the arrival of mullet and this will please a lot of local anglers. I’m seeing big schools in the Mitchell River and upper Tambo, with even bigger mobs pushing into the Avon and Latrobe rivers.

Mixed in with them are some garfish. A few duck hunters out in Lake Wellington landed over 40 garfish recently and I notice a lot of anglers using bread to keep both species on the chew while targeting them.

Right behind these river baitfish are a few small pods of dolphins and it’s quite a sight to see them heading towards the Swing Bridge at Sale. There is also the chance of some seals around this area.

Last year we watched a seal in the Latrobe River throwing around a big carp that I presume he ate in the end. This year even more saltwater has pushed jellyfish and even prawns into the area.

BUMPER BREAM REPORTS I have been getting some quality reports that are showcasing the great bream that are being caught across the whole Gippy Lakes from Metung and way up into the far reaches of Loch Sport and Lake Wellington.

I’m talking to so many bait anglers on the water and most are pulling in plenty of bream using frozen prawn.

The Tambo and Mitchell are again standout areas, along with Lake Victoria, Lake Wellington, Wattle Point and Duck Arm. Neville Styles and his partner Jenny Eldred went out fishing recently, and the session had Jenny scoring her new PB bream. They were fishing 1km from the ramp towards the mouth at Tambo. There were plenty of fish on the sounder and they had a great afternoon of fishing. Jen’s PB bream went 45cm and was a fat fish, but they unfortunately didn’t get a chance to weigh it. I would guess from the sound of it that it would be around the 1.5kg, or even better.

Over the next month or so as the cooler days arrive, the Tambo will be a magnet for bream anglers and it really is the home of stud bream at this time of year.

DISCOVERING BREAM ON LURE The lure fishing continues to be the real standout, with plenty of happy anglers from every corner of the Gippy Lakes.

It’s so nice to finally have bream chasing lures consistently now. It’s almost a relief to actually watch bream eat lures when you cast to them. It’s not like the warmer months when you can present a tiny soft plastic to dozens of big bream in

A 45cm PB bream put a big smile on Jen’s face.

The Tambo River always delivers big bream, and the next few months should see more arrive. shallow water, twitch it ever so slow only to watch them spook like a seal just turned up. It’s almost comforting to at least predict that when you do find bream they will attack lures and not spook like it’s the end of the world.

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Rod Tatterson of Sale lands his first bream caught in a kayak using a Hurricane Vibz 37 lure. At 36cm it won’t be the last bream he pulls onboard a pedal craft!

fishing for bream at this time of year. Rod Tatterson is a keen offshore angler and living in Sale he decided it was time to have his first try at kayak fishing for bream, flathead and perch.

He said with endless estuary options just minutes from home and a chance to get extra exercise, he was way overdue to get into this lure sport. I set him up in my spare kayak and took him out for his first local sortie.

I will say, it was the perfect time to try local lure fishing because the bream and flathead have been biting pretty well in Lake Wellington, but it’s always a challenge to show something new to even a very keen angler. Not everyone gets the sort of finesse techniques sometimes required when using blades on bream. It can be difficult as the teacher to convey the method in words and even in practice when side-by-side on the water.

Rod was not expecting to hook fish, but the pressure was on! I had no worries in the end because Rod proved to be a natural and within 30 minutes his first bream went 36cm and before long he had four more. We ended up with 19 bream for the session to 40cm! We both dropped a lot of bream and had countless knocks and bumps and with more luck could have nearly doubled our tally. I probably had more fun watching Rod discover the joys of bream on lure.

Mix of species on offer LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

With Easter and the holidays over, we are just starting to settle down again and recover from that holiday fishing pressure. This month is when the lake begins to cool, so all manner of cold and warm water species are available.

LAKES ENTRANCE The town wharfs have begun to show form, with Ferryman’s Café wharf

is all you need to see you in for good success with the local gars.

LAKE TYERS The lake has become highly popular, and every summer more anglers are making their way to the lake, usually in search of the large dusky flathead that call the lake home. With a lack of rainfall the lake is extremely low, so boat ramps such as the one at Nowa Nowa are nearly unusable.

The mud flats of the Nowa Nowa Arm and Toorloo Arm in the high

soft plastics.

The barnacle encrusted snags of the Nowa Nowa Arm make happy feed areas for large black bream. These large bream have been hard work to extract from these snags due to the razor sharp barnacles. Small shad style hardbodies have been the most consistent producer with the Atomic Shiner or Ecogear SX40 twitched slowly through the timber producing quality bites.

This is one of my favourite styles of fishing. You get to see everything from first

CREATE YOUR ADVENTURES

485 SUNRUNNER Large yellowfin bream have really settled into the lake system over recent years – this one going 46cm. producing trevally and sand whiting. These fish have been taken on peeled prawn and sandworm fished on a paternoster rig fished tight to the wharf, making it truly interesting when a better than average fish is hooked.

The scattered weed beds of Nungurner and Fraser Island have been reasonably productive for King George whiting. The time proven paternoster rig baited with either fresh prawn or mussel has been one of the best options when it comes to targeting these great table fish. Anglers have simply cast these offerings as close as they dare to the edge of the weed beds and if the whiting are in the area the bite comes thick and fast.

Other by-catch, such as small snapper and flathead, are always common, especially when fishing the slightly deeper margins of the lake.

It’s that time of year, and the garfish have begun to make their run in the North Arm, with areas such as Capes Point and the winery holding good numbers of gars. Local live sandworm is the most important thing when it comes to garfish.

Locally, it’s their number one food source in the system. The old pencil float with a small split shot and a size 10-12 long shank hook

reaches have been rich with fish, with a recent session seeing the boat parting large schools of bream as they cruise the flats. The free cruising fish have made for great sight fishing, with anglers able to pick a patch of bream out and make long cast with small surface lures or lightly-weighted

spotting a fish to landing it.

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Two solid Nowa Nowa bream taken on a shallow mud flat.

MAY 2019

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Bemm is bringing the bream is always available in the town, has seemed to be a favourite too.

The entrance to the river and alongside to the Swan Lake and Mud Lake entrances seems to be a popular location most of the time. Anglers have also reported fishing off the bank in the channel has been successful. Most areas are easily accessible, this means your boat won’t be at risk of running aground and causing damage.

The windy afternoons have seen anglers heading to more sheltered water. The surf is still producing plenty of salmon, tailor and trevally.

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BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

The past month has seen extremely high water levels due to the entrance still being closed. I believe that this is the month it will open up again.

Even though the water level is high the fishing has been very productive, whether it be from a boat or land-based. Anglers bringing sandworm and spider crab with them have found this has definitely helped. The anglers using soft plastics and hardbodied lures have also been content with their catches. Frozen prawn, which

Sandworm and spider crab have been the most productive baits this month.

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The drought still carries on MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The drought has finally caught up with the mighty Snowy River.

The small amount they release from the Snowy Hydro System from Lake Eucumbene just isn’t reaching the

lower estuary system and the flow to the ocean has ceased and was replaced with a sand bar on 18 March for the first time in many years.

So now the rivers are drying up, let’s hope for a wet winter season to replenish the estuary system. In the meantime, fishing goes on and some

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good always comes out of a situation. With the Snowy entrance closed, the prawns that haven’t run to sea are also trapped and every new moon they will grow bigger, making for some good pawning season.

Flathead are still being taken along the sand flats that run from the Marlo jetty all the way down to French Narrows with the best results coming from lures.

Bream are being taken throughout the whole system, but with no flow anglers have to shift around to find them. The best results have come using sandworm, prawn, local shell, live prawn and black crab.

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mullet have been coming from sandworm.

Some good size estuary perch have been caught from the snags and structures in the Brodribb River. Anglers have been getting good results using live prawn and lures.

The surf beaches that run from Corringle all the way down to Cape Conran are all fishing fantastic, with plenty of salmon and tailor taking bait and lures.

The surf beaches are also producing plenty of action, with anglers fishing for bronze whaler sharks using gamefishing gear from the beach. The anglers either paddle their bait out or send the bait out with a drone and wait for the big bronze whalers to take the bait.

Most captures are too large for eating and are released.

Fishing offshore from Cape Conran is also very good with plenty of flathead, gurnard, squid, barracouta, salmon and gummy shark being taken. For the anglers that like some action, kingfish are still about with a few being caught, but for some reason anglers are having plenty of trouble making them bite. Divers have reported seeing big schools of kingfish while diving for crayfish, so we know they are still in good numbers.

Occasionally, some of the locals are getting odd marlin fishing off the continental shelf.

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MAY 2019

Vic favourites are back CORNER INLET

Will Thompson

- LIFETIME WARRANTY-

allwaysangling@bigpond.com

The expected slight temperature drop as we roll towards the end of autumn has bought our favourite Victorian species back on the chew, snapper! And with every other warmer species still around, there’s no better time to hit Corner Inlet than now.

INSIDE A recent water temperature drop to around 17°C has bought some big snapper on the chew once again, with some good specimens of up to 8kg being caught in the entrance and up the Franklin Channel. Anglers fishing with fresh salmon fillet, squid or pilchards are doing all the damage, either at anchor or on the drift. In the entrance, fish between 18-30m and in the Franklin, try fishing between 15-18m.

The other fish that has really come on the chew over the past couple of weeks is the King George

- MOJO -

Ben Barnes with two big gummies caught offshore in 22m of water.

Kingies are still getting smashed offshore. There has been a good topwater bite in the early morning, and they are still taking jigs and trolled skirted lures. whiting. It’s been a tough year on these things, but they are going good now and are being caught in good numbers in the Lewis and Bennison channels.

Pipis, fresh calamari and Bass yabbies have been working well, but anglers are telling me that berley has been a must, as they haven’t been easy to catch.

They are good sizes, with plenty around the 35-40cm mark. In amongst these good size ones has been some small fish that will be our stock for next season.

OFFSHORE Kingies are around in great numbers still, which is normal for April and May. There has been plenty of topwater action and now is the time to get out your poppers and stickbaits and go have some fun sight fishing for kingies. Early mornings is the best time

and the kingies seem to be shutting down by 10am, however, we have been getting a second decent bite time in the afternoon as well. Jigs are still working a treat in the 145-200g sizes of an early morning as well.

If you want a feed of gummies, now is the

time. There are stacks of gummies to 15kg being caught out wide between 21-30m of water. East of the islands has produced really well, especially during the last hour of the run-in tide.

In close, out the front of Port Albert entrance and east towards Kearney and Manns beaches, there has been plenty of big gummies in around 12-18m of water and a few pinkies to 50cm mixed in as well.

All in all, there’s been amazing fishing to be had over the past few weeks and this will continue all the way into June and most likely won’t slow down until July. So, there is plenty of time left to get out there and stretch some lines.

•For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on all fishing bait and tackle.

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39

Great flush leads to great fish NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson

Over the last month the Narooma region has seen some decent rainfall, which is great to see. It was enough to get a bit of a flush through the local estuaries, but getting another 200mm would be very beneficial in the long run.

While the fishing was a little tougher for a few days after the rain, it’s all back to normal now, with most

systems around the region firing up nicely. Wallaga Lake to the south of Narooma has been fishing exceptionally, with big flathead, bream, whiting, snapper, blackfish and tailor all chewing.

All the usual methods are producing results, with fresh strip baits, local prawns, live poddy mullet and the everreliable soft plastics doing the most damage.

The water is a little dirty, but don’t let this deter you, it is still fishing very well. I had a session

with a couple of mates a few days after the wet. It was an excellent day, and it produced 40 odd flathead, some cracking black bream and a few legal snapper.

All fish fell to softies and a slow presentation was the key to success in the dirtier water. I expect this action to continue. It’s one system that is underrated and it doesn’t matter how windy it gets, there’s always somewhere to fish with some cover.

At Wagonga Inlet things are back to normal after the

Catching bream and whiting on surface lures is great fun.

It’s even better when you out-fish your dad!

recent weather events. It got a little dirty, but with the huge volume of water each tide cycle provides, those crystal clear waters are now back.

Bream, flathead, snapper, whiting and blackfish have all played the game, and some respectable bags have been captured. The lower reaches of the estuary are fishing better, with Barlows, Ringland and Fosters bays all producing fish. The main channel has also picked up with bream, whiting and flathead available on the eastern side of the bridge on the run-out tide.

Fresh prawns, nippers and lures are working best.

Outside Montague Island has really fired up, with kingfish numbers on the improve. Anglers targeting these fine sportfish have not been disappointed, with bag limits reached inside a few hours on some occasions.

The fish are averaging 3-4kg with the odd bigger specimen up to 8kg. Most methods are working, with live slimy mackerel fished close to the bottom a standout for the larger fish. Jigs, squid and lead-lining have also produced the goods, although the size of the fish caught is generally on the smaller side.

On the reefs, snapper and

The sort of bream that can be found in Tuross and Wallaga lakes. Bobby’s 43cm fish was one of 11 he caught on softies, and all were released. morwong to 2kg have been prolific, with the sand and gravel patches between the reefs holding some oversized sand and tiger flathead.

Anglers throwing soft plastics have been catching some quality snapper around the washes at the southern end of Montague Island.

Tweaking the plastics back from the shallows into deeper water has seen some quality action and is also great fun.

The gamefishing scene is in full swing, with numerous catches of striped and black marlin being encountered.

Some switched on boat crews are having three to four shots a day at these majestic fish and usually tagging two to

three fish per day. That’s not bad fishing, with a lot of the fish coming off bait balls when you can find them.

That seems to be the key, if you find the bait the action won’t be far behind.

It seems the Kink area has been solid, with a few fish off the Tuross Canyons.

With the water temperature hovering around the 22-23°C mark, this beaky action should continue but I expect it to slow down over the coming weeks if the diaries are anything to go by. That should then mean tuna and some hopefully big yellowfin will make their appearance when the marlin bite slows. May is To page 41

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NSW South Coast

Many options in Merimbula this magnificent May MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson

Anglers heading to the Merimbula region this month will be happy.

Almost all methods are working for different species, you just need to find the right time. It really depends on what you want to target and where as to what action you will see.

The last week or so offshore has been a little hit and miss for the game crews, with some boats seeing plenty of action and other boats that are only kilometres away very quiet.

It totally depends if you’re on the bait or not as to how much action you are seeing.

Marlin that have been caught are mostly stripes,

22.5-24.5°C depending on the day. Water temperature is changing quickly with the currents, so having a good look at the SST charts before going out will be advantageous and hopefully get you better results.

Majority of fish are coming off bait balls, but a few crews are still getting the odd one on skirts.

There is still plenty of mahimahi at the FAD and there have been reports of a few school yellowfin as well. We should start to see an increase in bigger yellowfin and albacore over the coming weeks, with May a prime time for both species.

Closer to shore, kingfish have been okay but not red-hot. There has been the odd better fish come from Hunter Reef

just near Haycock Point, with the best I’ve heard of going 9kg, so not a bad king. The majority of fish being caught are falling to

live baits fished close to the bottom in that 17-24m range. They are moving around a bit, so having a decent sounder can be very helpful when the fish hold up on the bottom like they are at present.

Inshore snapper and morwong populations have kept anglers busy with most reefs holding fish, although the leatherjackets are a nuisance at the moment.

These line-breakers are frustrating to say the least, but if you persist with them a good feed on snapper should result.

Gummy sharks and flathead have been quite productive lately. There are plenty of both around in shallower water of 22-28m and it seems the jackets are not as thick in close.

Try straight off Long Point, but a little more SW on the gravel for these fine eating species.

Off the stones it’s all systems go and there are certainly some exciting times ahead. At Tura Head reports of NBT (northern bluefin tuna) being hooked and seen is getting anglers pretty pumped up. I know of one visiting angler who hooked two 20kg+ models in a morning session and saw plenty more.

Unfortunately, he lost both but at least they are there. It’s probably got to do with the water being a warm 22-24°C with plenty of current and bait.

Hopefully someone will stay connected to one of these torpedos, and I for one will certainly be giving it a go.

Off the main wharf in Merimbula Bay is firing nicely. There are plenty of kings there, but they are only taking fresh squid strips and it needs to be fresh. These fish are smaller models, around the 60-70cm size, although

fish are Mystery Bay and the golf course rocks.

Salmon have been around in numbers most of the time too, but have been more prolific when the water temperature is slightly colder.

In the washes good blackfish and drummer are possible, with cabbage, cunjevoi and lightly-weighted nippers getting good results. Berley has been a key ingredient for better catch rates, it’s a little more work but the end result makes it all worthwhile.

Dalmeny Headland to the north of Narooma has been the pick of the spots to fish for the bread and butter species.

If the beaches are for you then you’re in luck.

Narooma Main has seen bream numbers on the increase with the southern

end a standout. A few locals have been getting six to eight bream a session down there, with the afternoon flooding tides best. There has been the odd big whiting amongst them, with pipi the preferred bait at the moment.

If the pelagics are for you, then Brou Beach just north of Dalmeny is the go. This expansive piece of sand is some 7km long and has numerous gutters along its length. You can expect salmon, tailor along with the possibility of mulloway. I know there’s a great looking gutter at the mouth of Brou Lake, which is about half way along the beach. You can get access there by dirt track near the Brou tip entrance, it’s a bit more work getting there but the end reward will justify that!

Not all mulloway have to be monsters to be fun, as Tom found out. He landed quite a few of these pups in a morning session on plastics. though a few blacks over 100kg have been captured as well. The shelf is still the place to fish, with the water anywhere between From page 40

prime time for these brutes, I know their numbers are not like they used to be but just having the chance at a 90kg+ torp is enough to keep you going.

The rock hopping brigade have had mixed results lately, mainly due to the water temperature fluctuations. Some days it’s a warm 22°C and the next back to 16°C, so it can be a lottery at times.

When the temperature has been warm, school-sized kingfish and bonito have been patrolling the outside wash zones. Smaller chromed lures and whole pilchards have accounted for the majority of fish, with live baits like yellowtail and slimy mackerel also working. The best ledges to

An awesome way to start your fishing journey, with a solid 73cm flatty that was released. larger fish have been seen down deeper. The main problem here is landing them as soon as they are hooked, and the pylons become the king’s friend once again and cut most anglers off. If you’re lucky enough, one will go the wrong way and you could be in business. It does help having the ladder to get to water level if someone is there to help you.

In the estuaries, the local systems have been firing. The lower sections of Merimbula towards Mitchies Jetty are excellent for whiting. A few have been caught on pipi and worms, and one visiting angler caught a dozen crackers on strips of filleted salted pilchards. Probably not your standard offering for whiting, but this angler swore by it and the results speak for themselves.

Other species, including flathead, bream and trevally, are also being caught with bream numbers definitely on the increase over the past few days.

A few switched on locals have been having a ball on the bream with legal bag numbers being caught in short periods of time.

Fishing the freshest baits, like prawn, has been the key. Anchoring up and using the slightest amount of berley has been helping things along. Thankfully, anglers are only keeping a few fish and letting the rest go, which is great to see.

Over at Pambula, the lower sections towards the mouth have been excellent for flathead on the draining tide. Fishing the deeper edges around Severs Beach has been good with mid-sized soft plastics in the 70-80mm range doing a

lot of the damage. Casting into the shallows and working your lure over the drop-off is the go, with a few flatties nudging 80cm.

Off the sand, the beach goers might find it a little tougher with the calmer conditions we have at the moment. This will get better when the swell increase, but I would look at fishing the afternoons into the evenings when the conditions are like this. You will still get salmon and tailor with the odd gummy shark after dark. Look at either Tura or North Tura beaches if targeting the above, with pilchards definitely the go-to bait.

If you’re after whiting, then Merimbula Main is the go. The area opposite the airport entrance has been solid, with pipi and beachworms fished on light outfits doing the trick.

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41

South Coast finally gets a flush MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Finally this area has had a good drop of rain, enough to get the rivers flowing and green things up.

The entrance at Mallacoota has been opened up prematurely, revealing a massive amount of sand inside the entrance.

The long term future of the lake system is not looking good, as it is no longer able to build up enough water to clean the system. It’s easy to open the system and let the water trickle out over a number of days, but the challenge is to blast the sand out to sea so you are left with a tidal system that is once again rejuvenated.

This benefits the system for years to come, and this hasn’t happened for a while.

The beach fishing in this corner of Australia has been good, with salmon and tailor being caught on both bait and lures, and the rising tide has been the best time to wet a line. Fishing the beaches in the Eden area has also seen anglers catching some good bags of sand whiting and yellowfin bream, with fresh baits like beachworms working well.

Those chasing gamefish out around the shelf had a ball, with good numbers of striped marlin out chasing the balls of baitfish that were scattered along the shelf. The main action took place east of Mallacoota.

Grant Shorland, a Mallacoota local, raised

an amazing number of fish and landed nearly as many. A great effort by a skilled crew.

There’s not too much to report on the kingfish scene, but in the next month there’s always a possibility for some good fishing.

Good numbers of sand and tiger flathead are still being caught, and as usual, you need to keep on the move until fish are found, then once found, just keep drifting the same area and you should end up with a bag of fish.

A few good catches of snapper have also been reported, and the fishing for this species should only get better over the coming months.

The estuary fishing is still going good, with

flathead really on the bite, and soft plastic lures in a variety of colours and brands getting anglers amongst the fish.

Good numbers of black bream are also being caught, and this species is feeding up, with the water temperature around 23°C. It won’t be long before the temperature drops, which will slow the fishing down over the winter months.

Good size silver trevally are about, and what a great fight they put up when one decides to grab your lure.

A few good size mulloway have been caught, and they can turn up anywhere in the lake, so as with all fishing, you need to be lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time.

The recent rain has really fired up the fishing on species like flathead.

Marlin are lingering out wide BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

This season has once again proven to be a very good marlin season, where

42

MAY 2019

these fish are still lingering on well into what is normally the start of yellowfin season.

Have in mind that trolling lures may be the best way to find where these fish are still lingering, and once you encounter one there may be

more in the area. You can then look at trolling live baits or try some switch baiting. The Twelve Mile Reef, along the continental shelf or up north towards Tuross Canyons are the main areas where anglers should concentrate

their efforts.

It is also that time of year again were anglers converge on Bermagui in pursuit of the mighty yellowfin tuna. These fish have been gradually starting to show and by the end of May they should be around in large numbers. Out along the continental shelf and beyond is the most likely area to encounter this species, with either trolling or berley trails being the most efficient way to locate fish.

Various lures will work, while berleying cut baits of mackerel, striped tuna or pilchard drifted in the trail will also produce the goods, and a well-positioned live bait may attract that shyer fish to take.

While berleying, expect other species to be encountered in the form of a late season marlin that may take a liking to a live bait through to albacore, mahimahi, and always have some wire handy for any cruising makos that are around at this time of year.

Up at Montague Island, things have been hot on the kingfish scene all season and this will continue. These fish are responding to most methods, with live baits producing the larger fish.

Mixed in are some very large bonito, and it has been one of the best runs of this species in years, where they are falling to baits or lures.

Reef and bottom fishing is improving as the cooler months set in, all the way from close to shore to beyond the continental shelf. A trend that has been developing since the introduction of electronic reels is to fish the deep out wide. This has seen a mix of different species in the form of hapuka, blue eye cod, ghost cod, gemfish and many more odd ball species.

Around the rest of the reefs, snapper are showing in

Cal Schuback with just one of the many marlin taken this season from trailer boats, and it is not finished yet. reasonable numbers and are increasing all the time. It is a good time of year to anchor and berley for them, where other species will also be encountered. Your usual other species are there on the bottom and include ocean perch, morwong, and of course, both species of flathead. One fish that does seem to be increasing in anglers’ bags of late is gummy sharks, which are being taken regularly out from most beaches in shallower depths.

Along the beaches salmon are the mainstay, with nearly all beaches holding reasonable stocks. With the salmon there are plenty of tailor, bream, whiting and mullet, and using berley will enhance your chances of reasonable bags.

Night time fishing the beaches can be interesting, with sharks high on the list. Gummy sharks and whalers will be the most common captures, and using

strips of salmon will usually do the job as far as baits will go, where you may find some mulloway also taking a liking to these baits.

If you like your drummer fishing from the rocks, then you would not get a better time than now. There are some very large fish around that are responding to cabbage weed and cunjevoi, and mixed in with them are some exceptional luderick.

In the estuaries it is definitely the month of the bream. I find at this time of year in the clear water you can polaroid these fish, which in turn makes finding them easy. They may take lures, however for best results use bait. Strips of tuna in conjunction with berley will produce best, where baits like nippers and worm will produce in shallower water, and most other species will fall to these methods.

Hot Spot

Success off Port Fairy CRANBOURNE

580

Mitch Chapman

It seems like the western part of Victoria gets better each year. It has always been known for having some of the best estuaries in the country like the Hopkins and Curdies.

You can find trophy trout fisheries in the two crater lakes and in the rivers, but the offshore fishing for tuna in the summer months has really turned it on in the last few years. Mass schools of tuna can be found within 10 minutes of the ramp, and they are averaging around 20kg.

They are especially fun to target on light gear, watching them crash tackle stickbaits and poppers. The sportfishing action doesn’t get much better than that.

PRIME TIME Kingfish and tuna are the two main targets in the summer months. Kingfish start to fire up with the heat and on the right days they can be seen sunning on top. The tuna fishery used to only turn up in winter, but over the last couple of years it has really become an all year round fishery.

The summer months see less school fish, with most being around that 20-40kg mark, and they are in big numbers rippling on the surface feeding on baitfish.

THE GEAR Medium tackle spin gear during the warmer months is more than enough for your sportfishing needs for kings and tuna. I’ve found 30lb casting gear is perfect for this, with 40-60lb leaders.

A light stickbaiting outfit is the best style of rod for this type of fishing.

THE RIG For casting lures, a 40-60lb leader tied to 30-50lb braid is perfect, depending on the size of the reel you are using.

Trolling skirts with a wind-on leader with a snap at the end is the preferred

FUNSEEKER

Ben Cunnington with the daily double of kingfish and tuna caught in the South West. method. All that’s left is to attach your lure and trace and start trolling.

BAIT AND LURES My preferred lure for kings is 130mm poppers. They have proven deadly, bringing many fish to the boat in the warmer months.

If the fish don’t commit to lures on top, then sinking stickbaits have been quite productive. On my last trip there, we belted fish on smaller 120mm stickbaits, as the fish were tuned into smaller bait.

We ended up landing 12-15 fish, all on this style of lure.

BEST METHOD Trolling lures and baits has allowed anglers to cover a lot of ground and has been really working, especially when you use your sounder to your advantage. Casting to fish that you can see is still one of the best methods, but have a variety of techniques ready because the fish can be really picky and will occasionally only zone in on one particular method of fishing. Always

mix it up.

MOTHER NATURE If you’re launching at Warrnambool boat ramp, be careful, as the surge of water can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or you’re unfamiliar with the area. Take a couple of minutes looking at the ramp and water before launching. You’ll figure out the water pattern quickly and it will make launching a lot safer.

HOT TIP Find the bait and generally the fish aren’t too far away.

There are a couple of ways to do this. Always keep your eyes open for birds working the area. It could be one bird or a group, but they are always worth investigating if they look a little flustered or they are chasing things.

A quality sounded is your best friend when out and about in this area. When you find bait, mark them so you can come back and search the area. Don’t forget that bait means fish.

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43

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Tuna time in Tassie TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

The sun has gone and the hour of light we have each day is receding hard. Winter is on the way and we have to look for something that is going to keep the spark lit in our fishing hearts. In May, jumbo tuna is what keeps my spark alive. I’m talking southern bluefin over 100kg.

There are a few other things that are worth having a go at in May, but many are consumed by bluefin fever.

The cold weather has well and truly arrived, with the mercury in the thermometer really taking a plunge. The unusually warm weather we have been experiencing was always going to fall away

boat sizes and shapes. Let me precursor this statement by saying that you must watch and understand the weather and forecasts before attempting to go catch a tuna in a small boat.

That being said, Fortescue Bay provides a safe launching spot in a southwesterly swell and breeze and is an awesome spot for the smaller boats to try their luck at a massive tuna.

This fishing does not always have to belong to the big 7m+ twin-engine vessels. I do stress though, if you have a pocket game boat you must check, double check and re-check the forecast.

When I am going to sea in a small boat I watch the weather like a hawk and make a plan around the forecast.

There is no joy in fishing all day and having to punch home

you caught your tuna. You can say, “underneath the Tasman lighthouse,” which could be just about anywhere in a 100 acre area.

Tasman Island and the gap between the mainland and the island itself are not to be taken lightly. In good sea condition it can be as friendly and welcoming a place as you will ever see. A big southerly swell and 15 knots of wind, on top of some tide and it is a vastly different story.

On the Port Arthur side of the Island is the area known as the ‘Tumble Downs’ and then further south to the Monkeys.

When you are passing the end of the island to the south, look up and you will see why they call it the Monkeys. These two areas are sensational fish holding spots and also

Robert Keeley with a solid, hard fighting cold water bluefin. and when it did, it came with a rude shock. We cannot let this phase us, and with the right clothing and technical gear we can get out and enjoy all Tasmania has to offer in comfort this month.

TUNA TIME School-sized bluefin have been in good numbers and the occasional big fish has been boated. The old timers would always say that the jumbos wouldn’t be in until we’d had a couple of dumps of snow on Mt Wellington.

Just after we have two good snowfalls on Hobart’s Mt Wellington is when the big tuna migrate in and around the bait that holds off Eaglehawk Neck.

The big fish haunt the areas around Mewstone and Pedra in the far south for much of the year, some say all year round. It is in May that we see them steaming north with the cooler currents, looking for all the juicy bait that hangs off the coast around the Tasman Peninsular and Fortescue Bay. In regards to these two spots, it is worth mentioning that the access to these fish is the best it can be in the entire world, for a great many 44

MAY 2019

with sea and wind on the bow. Make a plan around the weather in smaller vessels and always get a weather check if you are about to lose phone signal. You will have no phone reception deep in Munro Bight and it is often beautiful in there, when everywhere else is raging around you at the Pillar and back up to the Lanterns.

The corner you have to turn around the Lanterns and back into Fortescue Bay can be like a big washing machine in the wrong conditions.

Tasman Island is a wild bit of water when the weather gets angry. It is a small table-top island, it is an oval shape with a surface area of 1.2 square kilometres. It lies very close to the southeastern coast of Tasmania. The island is surrounded by steep cliffs, and has a highest point of 300m. It is these cliffs and rock ledges that continue underwater and form the shapes that the bait love and then the tuna come to feed.

The height above water and its southern most aspect made it a good location for a lighthouse. Now days it is a good reference point for letting people know where

get fairly nasty when the southwester comes up. This is also when the fish go mad and come on the chew big time. So, always keep your wits about you and have a look down the seaward side under the lighthouse before coming right through the gap. You will

Jonah Yick caught this quality bluefin from around Mewstone in Tasmania’s far south. be able to judge sea condition much better as you sneak around and have a look. There are always good numbers of fish on the edges of these lumpy areas in any case.

The good news is that when the tuna come in during May, you can catch them pretty much wherever you like. Launch the boat at Pirates Bay and you can drop the lures in as you clear Waterfall Bay. Troll down towards the Thumbs on the northern side of the mouth of Fortescue Bay. You can troll over and around the opening to the bay at Fortescue and head out to Little Hippo.

Should the weather be a little ordinary, you can then venture back to the landfall at the Lanterns. If the weather is okay you can get a few laps in around Little Hippo and the big Hippolyte Rock. The rock formations climbing out of the water also hold heaps of bait and you can troll in tight, but also get out off the pair of them looking for some tuna to bite.

If you have not found any fish around the Hippos and off the Lanterns, head down into the sheltered waters of Munro Bight. This is a good time to have a coffee out of the thermos or to pull some pies out of the 12V pie warmer. The sea state is often

a lot calmer in here on the prevailing southerly weather.

Do not be fooled into thinking this means there will be no tuna in here. The area called ‘Red Dirt’ holds fish and gives up more than its fair share of school-size and jumbo tuna.

WATCH THE SURFACE Keep your eyes peeled for any surface disturbance, as fish will be slashing the surface feeding on bait. Also keep an eye in the sky to watch for birds feeding. Seeing a good bird feed is always exciting. If a feed is well in progress, you will have all birds involved and often dolphins and seals.

Do not let this daunt you. A lot of people drive off on a feed because seals are on the scene. Seals and getting sealed is a gamble, but it is not a given. We have often pulled good fish out from under a big feed with plenty of seals about. My theory is it’s best to hook the tuna and worry about everything else from that point on. There’s no point worrying too much until the hook-up happens and then it is just part of the battle.

I see a lot of people get a little excited and rig lures with 200lb and 300lb leader. That is going to spook a lot of tuna.

They have big eyes and pick up on pretty much everything.

If they are not in that suicidal feeding frenzy mood, a bit

A backdrop like this makes fishing a lot more enjoyable.

of leader flash or bubble trail from a big leader is enough to prevent a hook-up. Fish lighter leaders of good quality fluorocarbon to get the bite.

RELAX Once you get the big bite and the reel screams off, this is the time to be calm and collected. The fish is hooked and if the hook falls out of it, there is not a great deal you could have done. Once the initial runs are out of the way and the gear is stowed, you can get down to business.

Make sure the boat is always downwind and sea from the fish. You do not want to be on the weather side of the fish and continually being blown over your target. Let the weather and swell keep the line off the boat and away from all sharp edges. Keep the angler in whatever corner they are comfortable and work the fish over.

Fighting a big fish is not a sprint event, it is a marathon and you are trying to use all the tools at your disposal to tire that fish. If you bring a fish to the boat full of energy that fish is going to cause you a lot of grief and probably win its freedom. Keep the bend in the rod and get short winds on the reel if bogged down.

Always have pressure on the fish and you don’t have to get a metre or more of line back with every rod raise. Raise the rod to no more that 45° at the reel seat and wind with quick hands. You may only get half or a quarter wind, but the bend will still be in the rod.

What that bend is doing – to use the running analogy – is putting a big hill in front of your fish. If you are in a marathon and have been running for 10km, you don’t want to then have to start running up Mt Wellington and that is what you are doing when you maintain a good rod bend and put pressure on the fish.

NEARLY THERE Now that you have that giant fish circling at the corner of the boat, you don’t want to do anything silly. Anglers will be tired and frustrated they are still fighting the fish.

The first time you gently grab the leader, the fish is more than likely going to bolt

Go Behind the Scenery and peel lots of line off the reel. This is heartbreaking to the angler and the tables are turned. The angler and crew must come together to start again. It is going to be a battle of determination and will power, as this may happen many times. Remain calm, work methodically and you will soon have a beaten fish at the side of the boat. Hit your gaffs shots, haul the fish in and you can start celebrating a job well done.

Don’t be that crew that wastes this big beautiful creature. Take some time to post on social media postcapture care of these amazing fish. Bleed them and have some towels to wet and keep over the fish. If you have some ice packs to keep the fish cool, that is even better.

They are fabulous eating and don’t let those that think they are cat food and berly shape your thinking. They just have no idea on how to care for the fish correctly and don’t have any interest in learning how to prepare them for the table.

bigger one to 20kg. If you’re planning to keep one of these fish for the table, make sure you bleed it ASAP and get it on ice for best results.

Jonah and his crew also managed to head out wide to do a few drops, but all they got were a few shredded baits for their efforts. Around midday the northeaster began to pick up and with it, the bite. They had plenty of ooglies smashing the baits within seconds of dropping.

When afternoon hit, so did the blue-eye. They are an amazing table fish, and this session saw some solid models over 10kg coming onboard.

BLUEFIN DOWN SOUTH After studying the weather maps finding an one day marginal weather window forecast for the South Coast on Saturday, Jonah Yick and Robert Keeley decided it was go time. They made the mad dash down to Catamaran to prepare for an early start. As day broke, the conditions were sloppy and overcast and with small

big tuna with a two person crew much easier.

BROADBILL CHAMPIONSHIP What another great event and it is only in its second year. Teams took to the water over three days to battle it out for the prizes and glory on offer. They had made plans and prepared in the weeks prior for whatever may be thrown at them.

The weather report was not optimal for dropping for swords, but those crews that did their preparation and read the competition rules and categories were well rewarded.

On day one the super keen teams hit the water knowing that they had the best window for deep dropping.

The morning session saw all teams heading for the shelf and soaking baits as the competition kicked off.

The weather held off in areas and stiffened in some on the grid maps. The skilled crews trolled lures when they had to and cleared them to drop baits when a window opened to them. This

Bluefin migrate here with the cold water, and there are some decent models about. north again chasing the better weather, but not as far as they did day one. Most crews made a couple of presentations down deep before the weather turned to match the forecast and had teams change plans once again.

All teams were very skilled in stowing deep drop gear, with the building sea condition they had to swap out to trolling spreads. The wind really kicked again and put to rest any hopes of a morning broadbill hook-up.

Deep drops can result in some odd catches, like this frost fish.

DEEP DROPS The weather in May, while getting noticeably colder, can still allow for some sensational days on the water if you have a good handle on the forecast. There are deep drop opportunities as well as trips to the far south of our great island. Jonah Yick recently got out and spent some time on the water.

Jonah and the crew of Mustang Sally decided to shoot down to the Neck for the first proper broadbill sword trip of the season. When they came about they were met with a swag of jellybean albacore. They were southeast of the rock just on the inside of the shelf edge. The small 5” purple Eaglehawk Peckers accounted for majority of these fish.

May will result in some great captures of the albacore, as they have been everywhere along the shelf and just inside.

In amongst these smaller ones you can also find the odd

rain squalls passing through it wasn’t great for anglers, but some might say perfect tuna weather.

They had heard reports that the prehistoric rocks were producing good fish numbers, so they headed far south. This proved true, and the fish were on the chew big time. Bluefin were practically jumping on their lures, and catches were ranging between 12-60kg. Most of these fish were tagged and released, with the exception of a few that did not survive the fight.

The majority of the action was around Mewstone Rock and the Flat and Round Top islets. These areas hold bait and that in turn attracts the bluefin.

The most productive lures were brown and emerald green Prowlers, however, the bigger models took the lumo Prowler.

The purple Prowler accounted for some great-sized schoolies.

This trip also made use of the 200lb J.E.M. Tackle wind-ons, which made controlling these

continued throughout the day.

Leo Miller and his crew on Choonachasa used all their experience and ability to continue to drop baits deep and hold over them for most of the day in less that favourable deep drop conditions.

Some teams headed inshore to chase tuna around the Hippo and Tasman Island. The crew on board Mighty Bilz found a decent bluefin on the shelf and Doug Clarke managed to land it on 8kg – it went 24.7kg, but unfortunately the leader length was too long.

The teams that continued to work the shelf were looking for a big albacore on light line or a run of school-sized southern bluefin to tag. It was not to be and the pocket-size albacore being boated were too small to even tag (min 600mm).

Day two and we had all teams on the water. The weather was better than forecast and once again most teams headed wide to soak broadbill baits. Fathom Odyssey went

Tasmania

There were two crews who went as far north as the competition grid map would allow that were managing to deep drop comfortably. This was an excellent read of the weather forecast as they came under the protection of Maria Island. This showcases what competition fishing is all about: you prepare for whatever is thrown up and you apply yourself and your crew to the job at hand.

The weather forecast was bad for deep dropping and these teams studied the weather apps and then applied this against the competition grid map. Tactics and a plan are crucial if you want to have any sort of chance at success.

The crew on Infinity were one such team. They headed way north and after the weather really hampered their deep dropping they put lures in.

They were running lures up the shelf when they encountered some good water and managed to boat a good size albacore and tag it, they also managed to land a kingfish.

While watching the spread for weed, Bryce also saw a jumbo bluefin take a swipe at a lure with a full body breach, but failed to stay hooked-up.

The team also had a mako in their spread.

The afternoon saw a slight wind change from NW

to NE and this gave a small window to have a few drops out wide and Nautibouys took full advantage. They had a solid hook-up on one drop, hooking a possible broadbill at the Horseshoe with Mark Watson on the wand. After a 30 minute tussle it was reported on the radio that they had pulled the hook.

Day three had the sun break with 13 boats on the water and the southerly buster had come in hard. Fathom Odyssey was first on the water with the intention of getting out wide for a look. Once they were clear of the Hippolytes it was obvious that the day was going to be all about tuna. The wind was just too strong from the south. That was okay, as overnight it had turned around 25 knots out of the southwest, and as anyone who fished the Peninsula before knows, that’s bluefin weather.

The teams gathered at the normal haunts of Yellow Bluff, the Lanterns, the Hippo, the Dirt, the Pillar and Tasman Island. First to fire was the Lanterns, and the crews of RL Welding and Common Occurrence with reported 130-140kg fish breaching and teams having 100s of meters of line gone in seconds, but no fish landed.

Infinity and Thirsty Work To page 46

This is a good month to get a team together and go chase some awesome bluefin.

MAY 2019

45

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 45

chose to head wide and hunt for a line class fish, and this saw them heavily plagued by pocket-size albacore. Infinity boated some 15 fish and Mark Hateley’s Thirsty Work did slightly better, managing some 20kg bluefin and a ripper 17kg albacore that went on later to take top point score for the day and boated 29 fish for the day.

The teams inshore had a fairly lean run until the tide change at 12:30pm sent the bluefin into a feeding frenzy.

gamefish, with Kate Daley as the skipper. Brad Townsend on Thirsty Work, skippered

by Mark Hately, took out top point score for a 17kg albacore on 10kg. A great effort for the sea conditions that they battled in on the shelf.

In a good show of experience and skill, the Tuna Club Stalwarts on Nautibouys Phil Dance, John Edwards and Mark Watson took out the Tag and Release Team Award. They managed to pin six bluefin in around two hours

us. This past month I had the opportunity to head up to Port Stephens in NSW to go fishing. I went fishing on a local charter manned by Tim Dean, Steve Haygarth and George Trinkler.

There was a big game fishing tournament on with a bunch of categories, but we had our heart set on a pacific blue marlin over 258kg. In choosing to target these fish, we were limiting our chance of landing any other billfish, as we would be pushing out

The only thing better than one blue-eye trevalla is a brace of them.

The crew could not have been happier with this result. that went into laying the trap for a big aggressive fish like the blue marlin. Lures were rigged with precision, rigging was checked and you could see that everything was done for a reason. Port Stephens is a fabulous getaway with a great many fishing options at this

time of year. There you have a brief wind up of what fishing looks like in Tasmania in May. Unashamedly about the tuna again this month, as we have one of the best fisheries in the world. Quality fish close to the harbour in some of the best scenery around. Don’t take my

word for it, come down and get involved with your own boat or get a charter together.

It truly is a magical day on the water and catching fish is just a fabulous bonus. So we hope to see you on the water soon, enjoying what this great island state has to offer.

A solid blue-eye trevalla. Good sizes will be common this month.

This saw a number of crews hooking into some ripper schoolies of around 30kg.

All the way from the back of Tasman to the Lanterns, boats were hooking up and fighting on numerous line classes and applying their skills. This frenzy of activity made the toil of the past two days and all the preparation worth it.

At the close of fishing at 3:00pm, it was the crew on Fathom Odyssey who had boated a pigeon pair of 28.4kg bluefin for angler Derrek Finlay. They found a patch of good fish and worked them over for two tagged bluefin as well. This was good enough for them to take out heaviest

in very trying conditions at the back of Tasman Island.

The great news is the Tasmanian Broadbill Champion will be carried over to the Sports Fishing Club of Tasmania’s annual Active Marine/Garmin Peninsula Challenge on 18 May. So, if you are keen get your entries in as that competition with its gamefish classes has the added bonus of the coveted Tasmania Broadbill Champion up for grabs.

A TRIP TO PORT STEPHENS, NSW In Tasmania, we have many fishing treasures to keep our attention. But, sometimes warmer climates can entice

wide past the black marlin fishery, and even past the edge of the striped marlin that are on the shelf.

We wanted blue, and we could not be convinced to chase anything else.

We ran big lures wide for both days of the competition.

By wide, I mean north and wide. We didn’t have a single hook-up, but we did see some action that had that adrenaline flowing. We managed three lure strikes – one of these was a solid fish and it was exciting watching it come out of the deep and hit out shotgun lure from the fly bridge.

I was super impressed with the finer detail and finesse

Jonah with a solid blue-eye and an alfonsino.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 10th April 2019 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Trevallyn Pond..................................0.30........................................................Steady Lake Mackenzie................................5.16........................................................Steady Lake Rowallan..................................6.66........................................................Steady Lake Parangana................................1.40........................................................Steady Lake Cethana....................................3.76........................................................Steady Lake Barrington................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Lake Gairdner...................................3.94........................................................Steady Lake Paloona....................................0.59........................................................Steady Lake Augusta....................................2.70........................................................Steady Arthurs Lake.....................................2.29........................................................Steady Great Lake........................................15.05......................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.86........................................................Steady Shannon Lagoon...............................0.10........................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon..............................0.30........................................................Steady Woods Lake......................................1.42........................................................Steady Lake St Clair.....................................1.53........................................................Steady Lake King William.............................8.83........................................................Steady Lake Echo.........................................9.24........................................................Steady

Dee Lagoon.......................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Pine Tier Lagoon...............................1.90........................................................Steady Bronte Lagoon..................................0.68........................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............2.11........................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................6.98........................................................Steady Lake Liapootah.................................1.72........................................................Steady Wayatinah Lagoon............................0.47........................................................Steady Lake Catagunya................................0.99........................................................Steady Lake Repulse....................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Cluny Lagoon....................................0.63........................................................Steady Meadowbank Lake...........................0.33........................................................Steady Lake Burbury....................................7.82........................................................Steady Lake Margaret..................................7.85........................................................Steady Whitespur Pond................................5.94........................................................Steady Lake Newton.....................................3.63........................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll....................................1.33........................................................Steady Lake Murchison................................13.23......................................................Steady Lake Mackintosh..............................6.60........................................................Steady Lake Rosebery..................................0.35........................................................Steady Lake Pieman.....................................0.83........................................................Steady Lake Pedder......................................1.35........................................................Steady Lake Gordon.....................................27.67......................................................Steady

These levels are provided for an indication of lake level only and can vary from day to day. For more up-to-date lake level information please visit www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Lake+Levels.htm

46

MAY 2019

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING RAPALA MAX RAP WALK’N ROLL

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The ‘do-all’ topwater bait, Max Rap Walk’N Roll spits, bobs, skitters, and slides across the surface in all conditions. The Walk’N Roll lure is weighted for maximum casting distance and ultimate stability in bad weather and rough conditions.

Under a steady retrieve the Max Rap Walk’N Roll spits and rolls from side-to-side, and twitching and pausing creates a walking action. Cranking it in fast imitates a fleeing baitfish, while twitching it in place gives a head down bobbing motion.

Fitted with VMC 7554 2X-Strong Ti coated inline treble hooks, the Walk’N Roll has a total length of 120mm, weighs 29g and is available in eight amazing high-quality finished colours that Rapala is world renowned for.

Ask for them at your local tackle store today. www.rapala.com.au

MOLIX RT SHAD & SV CRAW

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Italian lure company Molix has expanded its range of soft baits with the addition of the RT Shad and Molix SV Craw.

The RT Shad’s profile shape and bulky paddle tail give it a realistic movement, and also provide great stability. It has a soft, high density construction, and is effective on both freshwater and saltwater species.

The RT Shad is available in a range of fish-catching colours, and it has a special insert with a high concentration of glitter to maximise flash during the retrieve. There are two sizes, 11.4cm (4.5”), 9cm (3.5”).

The Molix SV Craw’s has very realistic claws that have been engineered to catch water, resulting in an enticing flapping action. A perfect trailer, it’s loaded with Molix’s exclusive crawfish scent for added attraction. This sinking craw measures 6.9cm (2.75”). www.ejtodd.com.au

SHIMANO SLX XT

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The new Shimano SLX XT has been released, and features the new SVS Infinity breaking system. This provides a much wider brake adjustment range than the 2018 SLX, so you have much greater control using the external dial to adjust the braking system with ease.

This allows you to cast a wider range of lure styles and weights in varying fishing conditions.

The aluminium Hagane body also helps to ensure that the reel is extremely rigid and durable, which is an upgrade on the composite body of the Casitas.

Inside the XT’s Hagane Body, durable brass gearing delivers reliable cranking power and now 4+1 bearings to ensure the reel is smoother than before. Developed to replace the Casitas 150, the XT has a more versatile and compact size that is comparable to a 70 sized reel, however the XT offers the line capacity of a standard 150 size.

A 48mm Throw Handle across three right hand model options, featuring gear ratios of 6.3:1, 7.2:1 (HG) and 8.2:1 (XG), and the max drag setting is now 4.5kg.

Price: RRP $229.95 www.shimanofish.com.au 48

MAY 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BLACK MAGIC KLT 10/0 AND VALUE PACKS 4 Black Magic’s premium non-offset recurve hook, the KLT, has become so popular that they have expanded the range to include a 10/0 size as well as a value pack option for their 8/0 and new 10/0 size. The value packs offer a bulk buy price for KLT fans.

The new 10/0 size will be ideal for a range of applications from live baiting through to skip baiting, deep sea fishing and targeting big fish with big baits.

The KLT hook boasts some seriously good features including: light gauge/extreme strength; non-offset recurve; ‘Super Slip’ non-stick PTFE coating for advanced rust resistance and superb penetration; and IGFA legal and NZSFC approved for tournament use. These hooks are made in Japan with premium grade high carbon steel.

For more information on Black Magic’s range of hooks visit the Black Magic Tackle website. You can also see the latest news and catch photos on their Facebook page and Instagram. www.blackmagictackle.com

OKUMA SLV FLY REELS

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The Okuma SLV Series of fly reels are stylish, lightweight, quality and featurepacked, while still offering excellent value for money.

Features include ALC: Alumilite diecast aluminium frame, precision machined stainless steel spool shaft and brass bushing drive system, one-way roller bearing with the ability to quickly and easily switch from right to left hand retrieve and a multi-disc cork and stainless steel drag system for smooth drag control. These reels have a Diecast Super Large arbor spool design for rapid line retrieval when dealing with fast running species, and have non-slip, positive grip rubberized handle knobs.

Okuma SLV fly reels are available in five sizes to cover a range of applications, from trout in the fresh to pelagics offshore. Suggested retail prices are $119.90 (4/5 and 5/6), $129.90 (7/8 and 8/9) and $139.90 (10/11).

For more information on the Okuma range visit the Okuma Australia website, or check them out on Facebook at www.facebook. com/okuma.australia for catch photos and competitions. www.okuma.com.au

ZEREK PYRA

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3

4

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Designed for shallow water applications, the Zerek Pyra has a unique action and is one of the latest additions to the Professional Craft stable of lures.

Built with tough ABS plastics for durability, the 95mm Pyra is equipped with a weight transfer system to enable long and accurate casts. A tight roll gives this lure a seductive action that will prove irresistible to many species of fish.

Available in 10 high quality colour finishes to suit varying conditions, the Pyra weighs 11.8g and will make a mark wherever a shallow water crankbait is needed to excite predators.

For more information on this and other lures in the Zerek range, visit the Wilson Fishing website. You can also see all the latest news and catch photos on Facebook page (www. facebook.com/ZerekAustralia), Instagram (@ wilson_fishing) or YouTube (www.youtube. com/user/Wilsonfishing). www.wilsonfishing.com

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

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

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WILDFISH FLY SELECTION PACKS

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The Wildfish fly selection packs from JM Gillies are sure-fire winners for those new to fly fishing, or for fly fishers who want to target new species or locations that they haven’t fished before.

There are nine packs (10 Felty’s flies in each) in the range, and each pack is tailored to individual species and locations.

However, there is plenty of overlap between them. For example, the Trout Streamer Pack would easily be at home in the kit of a bass fisher, while the Bass Pack contains flies that are just as at home in many tropical freshwater systems right across the north. And in the Billabong Pack, there are flies that would light up the eyes of a bass angler.

All in all, it’s a very versatile selection that has been put together by Peter Morse. The newest additions in the Wildfish Fly Pack range are the Inshore Pack, Flats Pack and Barra Pack, and they are sure to please many fly fishers. www.jmgillies.com.au

Rhino-Rack’s Batwing Compact Awning is packed with all the same features of the original Batwing Awning but redesigned to fit small to medium vehicles.

With 270° of shade and 6.4m² of coverage, the Batwing Compact is made from ultradurable, water and mould resistant lightweight material that has been tested in the most extreme environments. It has UPF 50+ sun protection.

The Batwing Compact comes with integrated lightweight aluminium black powder-coated legs that simply unclip from the storage position and drop into place, making installation a breeze – even with only one person. The legs also feature moulded fittings to accommodate two pegs directly through the base, to offer further stability in gusty conditions.

The whole bundle is stored in a heavy-duty UV-resistant bag with an integrated pocket for the pegs and rope. The kit includes 2 x multi-fit bracket + hardware, 10 x pegs, peg bag, 8 x guy ropes (4 with hooks), 2 x spare hinge knuckles.

Price: SRP $769 www.rhinorack.com.au

NEW RAPALA KNIFE 8 AND SCISSORS

QUANTUM SMOKE S3

11

DAIWA SWIMBAITS

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Two of the latest releases from Rapala are the RCD 5” Folding Knife and the RCD Retractable Line Scissors.

The RCD 5” folding knife conveniently folds in half to safely secure and protect the handground stainless steel blade when not in use.

The easy release lock-back design fixes the blades safely in place when being used, while the non slip soft grip handle with built in safety guard provides maximum blade control.

16cm in length when unfolded with a Blade size of 12.5cm.

Safety takes priority when it comes to the Rapala RCD Retractable Line Scissors. Two super-sharp stainless steel blades retract into the surrounding casing when the triggers are released, exposing the blades only when in use. A built-in carabiner allows you to keep these scissors close by at all times.

The RCD 5” Folding Knife and RCD Retractable Line Scissors are available now at all good tackle stores. www.rapala.com.au

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SHIMANO GRAPPLER 19

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COMPACT BATWING 10 AWNING

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The new Shimano Grappler 2019 series are the next generation offshore JDM rods, equipped to battle with the largest offshore predators. This upgraded series now features both Spiral X and Hi-Power X blank technology to enhance power, strength and durability. With 19 dedicated Type J (Jigging) and Type C (Casting) models that are PE rated from PE 2.5 to PE 8, there is a wide range of options to suit Australian anglers.

The patented high-strength Spiral X enhances torsional and compression rigidity under load without adding extra weight to the blank, providing instant power transmission for precise casting and control over fish.

The Hi-Power technology enhances the torsional resistance even further, and creates the optimum balance between light weight, strength and control. These rods also feature Fuji reel seats and Fuji K Guides with SiC tips, and specially tapered grip designs.

Whether it be heavy kingfish jigging or topwater GT casting, the rods have been tested in the harshest of offshore environments around the world, resulting in a line-up that is capable of grappling with the strongest of ocean predators.

Price: SRP $429.95-$499.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

Barra, bass, and cod anglers will salivate at the sight of the new Quantum Smoke S3 Baitcaster reel.

The Smoke S3 packs a larger 35.5mm spool into a compact aluminium X-Frame to provide a large line capacity, longer casts, and greater line pick-up with every crank of the power handle.

To complement the larger spool, an advanced and lightweight ACS 4.0TM cast control system has been engineered to minimise the amount of energy it takes to get the spool spinning during a cast. This remarkable system also features additional control brakes that disengage at around 5,000 RPMs to maximise casting distance.

The Quantum Smoke S3 Baitcaster includes 10 PT Bearings (10+1) and a Zero Friction Design for incredible smoothness. The reel is coated with Saltguard Protection for added durability in the most testing environments and also includes the remarkable Quantum CSC Ceramic-Carbon Drag System with a huge 25lbs of drag pressure. www.quantumfishing.com.au

The Daiwa Duckfin Live Shad, Hybrid Swimbait, and LiveTrout Swimbait have you covered for this year’s swimbait season.

The Duckfin Live Shad features a 3D designed, ultra realistic baitfish profile and swimming action, and is available in two sizes, 15cm and 20cm. This soft plastic shad is suited to slow and fast retrieves and presentations, and can be rigged in a host of different ways, including weedless for barra and as a trailer for large spinnerbaits/chatterbaits when targeting Murray cod.

The Hybrid Swimbait delivers the best of both worlds and combines diving lure design with soft plastic technologies. Rigged and ready to fish, the Hybrid Swimbait features a solid head, bib and heavy wire internal construction in the head, 5X strong trebles and a quick release stinger hook. It’s available in two sizes, 18cm and 25cm.

For those looking for the ultimate imitation, the Live Trout has few peers. Using 3D printing and design to achieve the perfect trout imitation, the Live Trout features a solid silicone body, 3D eyes, pectoral and anal fins for added realism and stability, internal wire construction, quick release stinger hook, and 5X hooks. It’s available in two sizes, 18cm and 25cm. www.daiwafishing.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au MAY 2019

49

WHAT’S NEW FISHING SAMAKI RIBCAGE

ZMAN TRD 13 SPINZ

Samaki has designed you the ultimate weapon when it comes to jigging up a storm. The new Samaki Ribcage flutters, darts and spirals, with an action that is enhanced by the ribcage design on the rear side.The deconstructed ribs aid in the portrayal of an injured baitfish, erupting with bubbles as it drops.

With eight fish-catching colours and seven different weights ranging from 20g to 200g, the Ribcage offers the highest UV properties, enticing the most elusive fish to attack.

This centre balanced jig comes pre-rigged with premium assist hooks and Japanese Kevlar. It’s ideal for targeting kingfish, amberjack, samsonfish, tuna, coral trout and all other reef species.

For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website, or to see the latest releases and catch photos you can like them on Facebook and Instagram.

Price: from SRP $7.95 www.samaki.com.au

BONE BLACK RIVER XH RODS

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Over 50 years old and still going strong, the Spinfisher VI is built to take on any fish, anywhere!

The new PENN Spinfisher VI features IPX5 sealing, so whether it gets hit with a wave, or you let it ride in the spray all the way home, you don’t have to worry about saltwater getting into the gearbox or drag system.

The HT-100 drag washers are housed in a fully sealed spool to give the stopping power needed for big saltwater fish.

A full metal body and sideplate keep the CNC Gear System in precise alignment under heavy loads. Durability, smoothness, and Precision is what CNCGear technology delivers. By using state-of-the-art software and CNC machinery brass drive, pinion and oscillation gears are cut to exact tolerances.

The new PENN Spinfisher VI reels are available in standard, Live Liner and Long Cast models.

Price: RRP from $199.99 www.pennfishing.com.au 50

MAY 2019

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Combining cutting-edge blank design with great value, the TD Hyper and TD Sol series from Daiwa set a standard in performance.

The new TD Sol and TD Hyper feature HVF Nanoplus blanks for heightened sensitivity and lightness, while Daiwa’s X45 blank technology eliminates blank twist and distortion to increase rod strength, function, and sensitivity.

The combination of Fuji guide technology with Daiwa’s RR (reduced resistance) guide design system sees the TD Sol and TD Hyper series leading the way in their class when it comes to casting efficiency and performance.

The 762ULFS joins the Sol family, and is tailor-made for the finesse angler looking to make longcast presentations, while the Hyper family welcomes three new models with the 661LFS, 742ULFS, and 763LXS, adding great diversity and finesse options to the range.

To see the complete TD Sol and TD Hyper range, with a full list of specs, visit the Daiwa website. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BLACK MAGIC BMAX 50

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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Add flash and vibration to your soft plastic presentation in seconds with ZMan TRD SpinZ! TRD SpinZ feature a stainless steel centring wire that makes it quick and easy to insert them into your ZMan ElaZtech plastic, or other soft bait. Once inserted they are secured in place by a moulded plastic, dual prong keeper, that locks into the ElaZtech material.

Available in silver and gold colours in both Colorado and willow blades, TRD SpinZ have a multitude of applications, from pimping surface frogs, to switching on snapper when fishing jerk shads, or adding flash and vibration to the belly of your paddle tail swimbaits.

ZMan TRD SpinZ are available in silver or gold colour, in both willow and Colorado blades, with three per pack.

Price: SRP $15.95 www.z-man.com.au

DAIWA TD 14 SOL/HYPER RODS

Bone Rods has released two 7’ extra heavy rods in the Black River range.

The two rods comprise of a spin and baitcast rod with the same specs to give anglers the choice of using their preferred fishing style.

Each rod combines the power and the finesse needed to tangle with complex situations and dynamic, fast-paced fishing. The length ensure ease of use in tight areas where casting accuracy is a must. Couple this with a soft tip that allows anglers to downsize their lures to match-the-hatch for finicky fish and the new Black River rods look like very impressive sticks.

From deep cranking in rock pools to throwing swimbaits into timber and weed, the new Black River rods excel at reaching out and touching the beasts hiding in their element.

The two models are the 368BRC701XH (7’, Medium Fast Extra Heavy Baitcast, 15-30lb, 8-50g) and the 368BRS701XH (7’ Medium Fast Extra Heavy Spin, 15-30lb, 8-50g). www.wilsonfishing.com

PENN SPINFISHER VI REELS

PRODUCT GUIDE

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The new Black Magic BMax 50s are an expansion to the popular BMax range, with subtle but important differences.

These bibbed lures sink slowly and typically dive down to around 1m when being retrieved.

They are 50mm in length and weigh 4.0g – an ideal size and weight for casting and spinning into Australian rivers and estuaries, but they’re also great for being slowly trolled.

MBax lures come rigged with strong, sharp treble hooks – one on the belly and one on the tail, and are available in a range of eight attractive colours.

The BMax range of lures sit at a great price point, and are available at your local Black Magic stockist. To find out more, visit the Black Magic Tackle website. You can also find more information, news and catch photos on their Facebook page (www.facebook. com/blackmagictackle) or check them out on Instagram (@blackmagictackle) or YouTube. www.blackmagictackle.com

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

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BLACK MAGIC

MASTER CLASS

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

Learning about leaders Last month we talked about hook choice and how it’s one of the little things that often gets over looked by anglers but greatly increases your chance of success.

This time I want to go into another critical but often over looked element, and that’s selecting what leader you should be using.

Depending on what species you are targeting, what size they are and where you’re fishing as well as leader length should all greatly impact your leader choice, in regards to size and material.

The two types of leader material to choose from are

Fluorocarbon sinks faster and also absorbs light, making it virtually invisible in the water.

The attributes for each type of leader will benefit certain types of fishing but are not so great for others, so it’s important to choose the right one.

FLUOROCARBON The greater abrasion resistance fluorocarbon often makes it a great choice for any kind of fishing where you’re likely to encounter structure. It’s ideal for fishing for bream off break walls, for drummer near oyster racks, and for groper off the rocks, but also for locking up on big kings or snapper heading for nasty terrain.

in the estuary, to tailor on the beaches, through to marlin.

My favourite choice of fluorocarbon to use is the black magic Tough FL. This stuff is available from 4lb through to 120lb and is quite stiff, even by fluorocarbon standards. This stiffness gives it a decent abrasive resistance.

Many standard knots that work with mono don’t work great in fluorocarbon.

For braid to leader connection knots in heaver fluorocarbon, Albright and uni knots become quite bulky and it is difficult to get the knot tight. A slim beauty knot is a better alternative, or even better is the PR or FG knot.

When tying the PR and FG in

Leader choice will play a big role in your fishing success. lure easier to work and it will swim better too.

Knots like the PR and FG are better with mono, and mono also behaves better when casting longer heavier leaders through rod guides.

Black Magic Tackle has two ranges of mono leaders, tough and supple, so they cover all bases. They also make a pink coloured version, which although relatively new is proving to be a real hit.

Pink is considered to be the first colour to disappear in water, especially in low light or murky water situations.

I noticed a difference when

using pink leader for the first time against the clear while live baiting for mulloway in deep estuary holes. The pink noticeably out-fished the clear on several occasions, and for this type of fishing this is all I use now.

Another handy leader device Black Magic do to make life easier is a leader dispenser that holds and organizes five spools of line. This keeps everything in order with only a small tag end of each line poking through that can be pulled out and cut to the desired length when required.

Learning the FG knot will greatly increase your success. Not only is it far stronger, but it is about a third of the size of your typical Albright knot (above) making it perfect for casting longer leaders through rod guides. mono and fluorocarbon.

Mono is supple and soft with more stretch, while fluorocarbon is a stiffer material giving it greater abrasion resistance.

It’s also perfect for those fish with raspy mouths that can wear through softer leaders of the same poundage during long fights. This can be anything from big flathead

fluorocarbon, you’ll need to take extra care to make sure the knot is tight as it’s much harder for the braid to bite into the tougher material.

When it comes to terminal

There is nothing worse than tangled leaders. It pays to have all your leaders ready to go, as you never know which one is going to produce the fish.

connection knots, try doing a few less turns then you would normally do for mono especially in sizes above 60lb.

A simple blood knot with out being locked like you would with mono will tie heavier fluorocarbon nicely and never slip.

MONO LEADERS

While on paper fluorocarbon has many advantages over mono, there is still plenty of fishing where mono is the preferred choice.

The suppleness of a mono leader will make lures swim more naturally, especially in heavier sizes where the stiffness of fluorocarbon becomes more evident. It’s also the better option when running more than a rod length of leader, which is often the case for finesse style fishing situations, like targeting spooky trout in a lake system or bream over the flats with ultra light leaders.

Mono leaders are also best for surface luring, whether you’re targeting bream, whiting, bass or stickbaiting for tuna. Mono leaders have a slower sink rate than fluorocarbon, which makes the

Black Magic leader storage systems are the best way to keep your leaders in order and ready to go at all times.

MAY 2019

51

Cooking

Tuna tartare with avocado and lavosh crispbread SYDNEY

Andrew Humphries

If you want to try a refreshing new way to eat tuna, this recipe is for you. It blends the fresh flavours of lime, shallots and coriander into an irresistable combination.

To start with, zest and juice the lime, while keeping aside the zest for later. Finely chop the shallot and place it in the pot along with sugar and

52

lime juice, then cook for 2-3 minutes until shallot turns pink.

Place aside and let cool.

Finely chop the coriander and place aside with the lime zest.

Blitz the avocado in a food processor with a squeeze of lime juice and salt, then set aside to serve.

Dice tuna into 1cm pieces and place in a bowl. Toss and coat with the oil, and then add in ½ the lime zest and half the coriander. Mix through then add

1

Finely diced shallot, sugar and lime.

Remember to zest the lime before juicing

in ½ the cooled shallot mix.

Add the kecap manis and the siracha and stir through.

If you don’t like too much spice, add less sriracha. Season with a touch of salt; serve with the avocado puree and some crispbread or crackers on the side.

Adding fresh lime juice to the tuna will cook the tuna and change the texture and colour of the flesh, which is why the lime juice is cooked with shallot and sugar.

INGREDIENTS 200g sashimi grade tuna ½ bunch coriander 1 lime zested and juiced 1 tbsp castor sugar 1eshallot finely chopped 2 tbsp kecap manis 2 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce.

2 tbsp grape seed oil or vegetable oil 1 avocado

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The shallot, sugar and lime juice in the pan on the stove.

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4

½ bunch coriander washed and ready to be chopped.

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Lime zest, coriander and the shallot mix ready to be added to the tuna.

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The 1cm tuna pieces ready to be added to the mix.

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The tuna tartare with everything mixed in and ready to plate.

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MAY 2019

The ready to use shallot, lime and sugar mix.

Here you can see the tuna’s nice deep red colour. The fresher you can get, the better.

The tuna tartare with avocado and lavosh crispbread. The avocado balances the spice from the sriracha and is a nice combination.

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MAY 2019

53

Changing tactics to target even bigger cod WAGGA WAGGA

Rhys Creed

The weather has well and truly changed with the cold setting right in, but this doesn’t mean it’s time to hang up the rods – quite the opposite. Although we will start to see a decline in active fishing and smaller-

year, with the smaller fish beginning to slow down for the winter. This will mean longer waits between bites.

It is worth it though, because you’ll have a better chance of hooking into those giants that hide very well throughout the rest of the year.

The river will be low and shallow, so if you’re casting lures be sure to keep your

fish, you’ll have a better chance of making those hits stick.

You can still bait fish, but lures will out-fish bait at this time of year. When it comes to the colour choice of your lures, darker and natural green colours are best.

TUMUT RIVER The Tumut River will start to slow down from

As the weather cools, more casts are needed to tempt natives.

The Murrumbidgee River is a great option at this time of year, especially for casting lures. sized fish in our region, we can expect bigger fish!

MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER The river is running low and clear. The temperature is cool, between 12-15°C, but this means it’s the perfect time to upsize your lures and target the biggest log on the river bend. If you want the best opportunity to land a big fish, May is the month!

In saying this, you shouldn’t expect a fish every cast. The fishing will be much slower at this time of

distance from the structure to ensure you don’t spook any fish. Casts will also need to be spot on, especially in high sun. With clear water you’ll want to target the shadows as much as you can, and ensure you allow your lure to sink.

Spinnerbaits are by far the go-to lure as they can reach deeper areas tight in against logs (in comparison to a hardbody lure). Upsizing the plastic on your spinnerbait and adding a stinger hook is a good idea. Not only will the larger profile attract bigger

the previous month, as the bug activity has all but disappeared. With the low water levels, it still allows for some excellent fishing, especially when it comes to casting.

Wading the river is easy, allowing you to cross the river and walk upstream all day long. Be sure to fish the deep sections, fish tight to cover and also the broken water below the rapids.

This is where the hungry fish will be.

Small hardbody lures,

spinners, soft plastics and even Tassie Devils will work well. Anywhere through the township of Tumut up to the wall is the best option.

Fly fishing is still worth a crack, with indicator nymphing being your best option. Work the deeper pools with heavy nymphs that will work the very bottom, as this is the best way to catch the bigger fish in the river.

BLOWERING DAM I love this place… and

even more so at this time of year! This is when we start to get serious about chasing giant cod. In the middle of this month is when you want to start planning some trips up to the lake.

At this time of year the big fish start to become more active, and have to move and chase down their prey. This is when they become easier to fool compared to the last few months. If the lake is slowly rising this will be

even better, and fishing up on the shallow flats at first light is the best technique.

Casting large surface lures, either paddlers or wakebaits, at first light before switching to swimbaits or plastics is the technique we will be using. The big fish will move from shallow water to deeper water as the sun rises, and you want to try to cross paths with them.

Another technique is to fish the rocky banks

DAM LEVELS Dam............................... % Full

Dam............................... % Full

Feb Mar April

Cairn Curran

39

Lauriston 83 74 71 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 98 91 93 Newlyn 57 40 33 Nillahcootie 43 35 29 Rocklands 30 27 25 Tantangara 46 39 32 Taylors 51 42 36 Tullaroop 39 36 34 Waranga 21 21 11 Wartook 51 39 32 William Hovell 84 63 48

36 34

Dartmouth 70 63 63 Eildon

47 41 37

Eppalock

45 52 39

Eucumbene 26 25 26 Fyans

69 60 71

Hepburn

46 35 25

Hume

32 25 18

Jindabyne 83 81 80

(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.)

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MAY 2019

The rivers are low and cool, which means the bigger fish will start to show themselves.

Tallis fished two nymphs in the deep pool behind him to land this solid rainbow trout.

during the middle of the day, and also on last light, in about 3-6m. Plastics and chatterbaits are perfect for this, and you should always keep in contact with the bottom. If you happen to find a bank with heavy timber, work it over with spinnerbaits in the 1-1.5oz range as they will ride the timber better than any other lure.

As you can see, the way we approach fishing in the region is starting to change.

And as it gets colder, the fish get bigger!

Cool mornings kick start cod bite ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Late autumn’s fresh cool mornings and bright still days herald the start of some truly first class cod fishing. The drop in

cod begin to bite. These furry grubs can be seen crossing the road in the morning.

Other signs are more obvious, like clear fresh mornings that are conducive with periods of high barometric pressure. On the water at first light the river is now starting to drape

Stirred water has been the key to catching a few yabbies this past month. temperature sparks a bite, especially where big fish are concerned and the action has already started, with some very good cod landed these past few weeks.

This seasonal bite happens around the same time every year and is in tune to some of nature’s more subtle signs. Endless lines of fury caterpillars might seem as far removed from fishing as you might get, but for the past 30 years or so I have noticed they appear on mass at the exact same time the big

in morning fog that rises through the maze of twisted snags. Cold hands fumble at the reel as cast after cast is sent towards the fishiest looking hides.

It was exactly so on our last trip, where we fished the early morning light on the Murray River hoping to tempt a surface strike or two. It didn’t take long as the surface paddler was torn from the top in an explosion of lip clad water. The lure had just paddled past an old stump jutting clear of the

current rich water that was obviously home to the cod that was now hooked to the end of the line. Landed and released, it was one of two fish we managed for the early morning session.

In the Murray River, around Swan Hill, anglers are still catching goodsized Murray cod, with several metre+ fish landed this past month. Tackle proprietor Jim Credlin says the fishing locally in Swan Hill seems to be getting better every week. Credlin said the biggest cod he has heard of caught locally stretched the truth mat out to 115cm.

Good-sized cod to a metre or more have also been caught downstream in the Murray River at Wood Wood, Tooleybuc and Boundary Bend. Most areas are fishing well on bait and lures. Golden perch have been a little slower, but most areas are producing a few on bait and lures.

The fishing in the Mildura area has been a little quieter, but as the water temperature continues to drop anglers can expect to see the fish come on the chew. Below the weir at Mildura, anglers continue to catch good numbers of golden perch on small Tubby Minnow lures. A few cod to 70cm have also been landed at this location.

Further down the Murray River at lock 9, good numbers of golden perch and

a few Murray cod to 85cm have been landed on bait.

One group managed more than 30 good-sized perch over their visit, mostly on baits of shrimp and worms.

Some anglers have been lucky enough to find a few yabbies on the move. If you come across water that is stirred and dirty when it is normally clean, that is a good sign you’ll find these yummy crustaceans. I had this on a recent trip and it was not the first time I had seen normally clear water turned to mud without inflow or rain. Based on past experience, yabbies are usually responsible, be it a seasonal cleaning of underwater tunnels or some other event it is well worth testing the water with a few yabby nets to chance a feed.

Good numbers of golden perch and the odd Murray cod have been caught on Tubby Native Minnow lures below the weir at Mildura.

Jamie Stewart with a solid Murray cod taken on a surface lure in the Murray River.

We returned to our location a short time later, this time with six new environmentally friendly yabby nets in hand freshly baited with fish offal.

After 15 minutes the first net was pulled, and sure enough a dozen fat yabbies were caught chewing at the bait. Each net had a similar amount and it did not take long to fill the bucket.

All up the fishing has been quite good this past month and as the weather continues to cool we can expect to see some really nice cod landed in our local waters.

Some fun in the spawn run for alpine anglers Anthony Bentley

The days are getting shorter and the overnight temperatures are getting into the single digits.

Thankfully, summer is now behind us and we can get back into some better fishing over the last couple of months of the river season.

The Thredbo River has cooled to a reasonable temperature and we are seeing a few fish start to move back into the flowing water after seeking refuge in the deeper parts of Lake Jindabyne. The upper parts of the river are still producing some very good fish on dry flies.

Hoppers are still around, although their numbers are starting to wane, with a few frosts appearing in the mornings their days will be short-lived.

Mayflies, Caddis, and beetles are the go-to patterns. With the cooler weather, trout will focus their attention to feeding

more below the surface – a double nymph indicator rig will get you into the action. A heavy weighted nymph with an unweighted nymph or Glo-Bug trailing around 45-90cm behind will give the flies a more natural looking drift, always making sure that the flies are getting down to the bottom amongst the aggregate. Hare and copper, Black Flashback nymphs, and pheasant tail nymphs are perfect for the task.

Sometimes mixing up some more brightly-coloured patterns can attract their attention. Bigger Celta and hardbody lures in the brighter colours are a must for the lure fisher.

The higher streams and creeks are still my go-to destinations for some productive fishing, with Perisher, Spencers and Diggers creeks, the upper Snowy and Gungarlin rivers all fishing quite well. Dry fly fishing should be good until the close of the season on these waters, although lures and nymphs will also be productive. Smaller flies and lures should be used.

The smaller creeks and streams at the lower elevations are still fishing quite poorly and might need to be rested until the next river season, although some cooler weather and a bit more rain could give them one last hurrah, I personally think leaving them alone would be better for the future of these fisheries.

Lake Jindabyne is fishing reasonably well in the deeper sections, with a few fish getting caught around the edges. Lakes Eucumbene and Jindabyne should start fishing well from the edges in the coming months.

Brown trout are almost ready for their annual pilgrimage up the spawning rivers and streams, a much-anticipated time for the trout angler. After the tough season we just had I’m sure there will be many anglers taking advantage of this year’s run. The Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers can have some of the best ‘spawn run’ fishing anywhere! You can often see and catch fish in the

6-10lb range.

The spawn run can be a very exciting time to fish for some very large fish, but you should always be mindful to watch where you walk (avoid stepping on redds) and photographs of these fish are more prized than taking them to eat! The more fish that can naturally spawn, the more fish we will have to catch in future years.

• High Country Outfitters has the largest range of fly fishing gear in the Snowy Mountains, with something for every skill level and budget. Brands include Sage, Rio, Redington, Scott, Simms, Patagonia, Loop, TFO, Vision, Hardy, Riverworks, Scientific Anglers, Airflo and McLean nets. There’s also a big range of flies from Manic, Stu Tripney, Mick Hall and

Pisces, as well as waders, boots, vests and outdoor apparel. For all the latest information on what’s biting and where, drop into the store at Nuggets Crossing Shopping Centre, Jindabyne. You can also call them on (02) 6456 2989, like them on Facebook or check out their website at highfly. com.au.

n Trout Hatchery e d a G

Gaden Trout Hatchery

Gaden Trout Hatchery See how premier sport fish are bred and raised!

Open 10 am–4 pm daily.

Closed Anzac, Christmas, Boxing day.

Guided tours 10 am and 2 pm.

Self-guided tours on selected days.

Small admission fee.

leaping fish * 4 species * aquaria, ponds, AV show * beautifulbreeding picnic–BBQ area * smoked trout sale * find out about for kids fishing workshops. *

12934

SNOWY MOUNTAINS

Gaden Rd (off Kosciuszko Rd) Jindabyne. 02 6451 3400 www.dpi.nsw.gov.au MAY 2019

55

Shorter and darker days, bigger and fatter cod!

ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

Autumn has come upon us quickly, and we’re already into May! The days are getting shorter and darker, but it doesn’t mean the fish are turning off just yet!

May and April are my favourite months of the cod season. While it can be a little bit more work to catch them compared to the warmer months, it’s around this time of year that targeting bigger fish specifically becomes the focus.

Many cod anglers talk about how the cooler

months bring on the bigger fish, but it usually requires a bit more patience, time and effort. You can get lucky and just go out and crack a good one, but generally speaking it really does just

bring out the bigger lures.

Fish can be quite particular about what they’ll feed on, so a bigger-sized lure usually provokes a fish to strike. Diving hardbodies, swimbaits and surface lures

Yellowbelly will be less active than their green friends.

Persistence is the key to finding cod during May.

Bigger lures will be a great tool for finding hungry fish as it cools down.

take time and the will to not give up.

May is still relatively comfortable weather to fish in, as the days are usually still in the mid 20s-30s, and the fish are still active. Depending on your area, flow rates, water temperature and other factors can influence our natives’ activity.

May is the time I like to

are my three go-to lure styles for this time of year.

I haven’t caught a lot of mega-sized cod, however as cod fishers we must all remember that big fish are smart, and they definitely take more than one cast at a snag most of the time. I love to really work an area or snag over for at least 20 casts or more, to really annoy the fish into striking.

Trying different angles of casts can also help, as sometimes they are that stubborn that they won’t attack your lure unless it’s right in front of their nose.

Work structure and areas slowly, rather than just rushing through.

Really take your time and pause your lures every so often, just in case that’s what they want.

A few of my favourite lures are the 100mm Kuttafurra Mudhoneys, Kuttafurra Joe the Rat, Jackall Gigantarel and Gantarel, no. 1 StumpJumper and JD Eddy Python. Just remember

that cod are unforgiving on tackle, so always use good quality, strong lures, and upgrade split rings and hooks if you need to.

Overall, May is still a great time of year to be cod fishing. Have confidence in what you’re using, and as I always say, just persist and keep going. It only takes one fish to make it all worthwhile! As it’s getting cooler, my tip is to never forget to take some warm gloves, as nothing is worse than having such cold fingers that you can’t move them! Get out and have some fun, and catch some fish along the way!

May in Lake Mulwala equals big Murray cod YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

How will Mulwala be affected by a drawdown?

If the first four months of the new season are anything to go by, it can only be a good thing.

Predictions had anglers guessing that Mulwala wouldn’t fish as well as the past two seasons, but how wrong they were! Mulwala is in the middle of Murray cod madness, and I can’t see why this wouldn’t continue until winter.

Anglers casting any style of lure in the 1-3m range have been getting consistent returns, with surface and sub surface continuing to produce.

The bait jiggers and happy trollers have seen great returns as well.

Looking back, March could been called ‘Metery March’, because at least 30 metre-plus fish were reported over the month – and that’s just the ones we know of! Plenty of other anglers were tight 56

MAY 2019

Kyle Dalrymple with his 110.4cm monster from the Cod Nationals. lipped, and prying info out them was pretty much impossible.

The ever popular His & Hers Partners Classic was a great way to get the month started, with 60 likeminded couples coming together for a bit of fishing fun. The

cod decided to cooperate, with some monster fish caught. At the top of the tree were Steve and Tanya Cannon off the back of Steve’s 119cm giant caught on a cast 4D spinnerbait.

Second place went to Leigh & Shavaun Roberts,

who had a wonderful day landing five legals, while Paul and Chelsea Kline took third with Paul landing a beautiful 113cm beast.

Helen Pyle was another to tangle with a Mulwala monster, landing a 118cm beauty, but couldn’t follow

it up with others to get her into the money.

The 9th Great Northern Cod Nationals was hotly contested between 36 teams in mid March. Wonderful numbers of cod were caught over the three and a half days of serious tournament fishing. In total, 592 cod were captured, with 182 of them being above 55cm.

Kyle Dalrymple landed a monster measuring in at 110.4cm, helping him take out the longest cod for the event. Mick Miller had a consistent tournament, taking the Champion Angler title, with Kyle finishing the equivalent of only one legal cod behind him.

In the prestigious teams section, Team K-D Fishing’s father and son pairing of Derek and Kade Blow came in a very creditable third.

They have finished either second or third over the past three years, and I’m sure it won’t be long until they crack a win.

Team Kuttafurra’s Kyle Dalrymple and Mick Caulfield were in front going into the last day, but failed to capitalise.

Nevertheless, their

consistent fishing helped them claim second place and over $5K cash for the event.

Team Miller Lures, Mick Miller and Ben Scullin had to produce the goods on the last day and hope other results went their way also and they did. Ben’s two legals during the Dash 4 Cash session helped them earn maximum points and ultimately take the title of 2019 Cod Nationals Champion Team. Over the course of the four days they pocketed in excess of $10K cash and prizes.

All in all it was another magnificent event that all serious cod fishos should put on their ‘to do’ list.

All in all, if you’re planning a trip away to target the mighty Murray cod there is no reason to be driving past Lake Mulwala. Sure, there are other locations out there that promise the goods like Eildon, Copeton or Blowering, but nothing delivers on the consistency of Mulwala. That’s why it is known as the ‘Home of the Murray cod’!

A frustrating month ahead WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

With the extreme heat now behind us most of us are breathing a sigh of relief.

The never-ending summer just gone was truly horrific, with temperatures soaring into the mid 40s on numerous occasions.

Now it is May, and the player comfort level is much better. But now we have another problem, the fishing is slow. It is not nearly as easy to catch fish during the comfortable weather in May as it is during the extreme heat of January.

MURRAY COD In the wild flowing rivers of North East Victoria, the Murray cod fishing can be very slow during May. Some fish do get caught, but never in great numbers and

Trout cod are a protected species and targeting them is illegal, however, they take the exact same lures and baits as Murray cod and golden perch and are often a by-catch.

During May, you can target Murray cod. You may catch one if you are lucky, but if you do hook up it is more likely to be a trout cod.

The Murray cod fishing can be pretty good in Lake Mulwala during May. Lake Mulwala usually slows down much later than the Ovens River, making it a popular Murray cod fishing destination during the autumn months.

By May, the fishing has usually slowed down a bit, however, this can be a popular time to target the big Murray cod. Each year around this time there are

far between. In May, that unpredictability gets even worse. Yet, I have had some of my best redfin fishing session in May. It will be a frustrating time to fish, but worth it when you get that cracking session.

The two major lakes in the Ovens River catchment, Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell, hold very good numbers of redfin, some of which grow to be quite large. Both lakes can also produce excellent redfin fishing in May. Last May

easier for boat anglers than it is for shore-based fishers.

If heading to Lake William Hovell, try similar techniques. Tiny yabbies fished just off the bottom with a paternoster rig, or casting small soft plastics and bouncing them around the bottom.

Do not overlook trolling in either lake. A small hardbody lure that gets down deep is ideal. Trolling can be a great way to locate the schools of fish. Troll until you catch one, and then drop

Lake Buffalo can produce some really good redfin fishing during May. How good the fishing is tends to vary from season to season.

While a few Murray cod can be caught in the Wangaratta region during May, nearby Lake Mulwala is your best bet for consistency.

A small Lake Buffalo redfin caught on a Strike Tiger soft plastic recently. Hopefully May sees a few larger redfin show up. the anglers catching them usually have to do a lot of work for their fish.

One thing that we are lucky with here in Wangaratta is the abundance of trout cod in the Ovens River, which tend to feed better into the cooling autumn waters than the Murray cod do.

some very large Murray cod caught in Lake Mulwala.

REDFIN Redfin are possibly the hardest fish of the lot to predict at the best of times.

They are a truly fascinating fish species. Some years there are heaps, and other years they are few and

usually use. Long skinny minnows around the 8-9cm mark can work a treat, even in the tiniest of streams.

Recently I got my hands on a Pontoon 21 Pacer, a 7cm jointed minnow.

Something like that is ideal when trout fishing this month.

Also, fluorescent coloured bladed spinners can work very well. I like the bright orange Super Vibrax in number 1 size.

This is a fantastic autumn trout spinner.

The trout fishing can be red hot during May, and it can also be super slow, depending on the day. So, if you’re heading out you need to be prepared for whatever the fishing gods throw at you.

my father and I had some great redfin fishing at Lake Buffalo. Small yabbies were the best bait with white soft plastics being the standout lure. The redfin were patchy and we had to move around searching for schools of fish, but once we found a decent school we had some amazing fishing. Meanwhile, other boats fishing at the same time caught nothing.

The moral to this story is to keep on the move.

Obviously, this is much

Trout cod tend to bite better than Murray cod heading into the cooler months. These fish are totally protected and must be released.

A small Murray cod caught on a Predator lure near Wangaratta.

the anchor over that spot and bait fish.

TROUT May can be an interesting time of year to target trout.

The fishing can be very hot and cold as the brown trout prepare to start spawning.

The streams are all dangerously low, and fish migration may not be great, which could result in a poor trout spawning season.

Hopefully we get plenty of rain, and very soon.

As the trout are usually starting to pair up they can become quite aggressive during May. Do not be scared to use larger hardbody minnows than you would

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Some stable fishing this May NAGAMBIE

Paul Thomas

Now that the weather has started to cool off it has been much more pleasant spending an afternoon on the Nagambie Lakes chasing a few Murray cod and golden perch.

Warm, stable weather patterns make this an ideal time of year to get

can keep up.

MAJORS CREEK The Majors Creek area has been a hive of activity during March and April, with many anglers using the new launching facilities that have been installed at the reserve. The creek is still producing yellowbelly on small hardbody lures, lipless crankbaits and small spinnerbaits.

Campers in the area have been landing

The result of getting on the water early. The author and Bailey Thomas with a couple of quality golden perch. out and wet a line, with all forms of angling proving successful in the region.

Wa t e r flows, unfortunately, have remained high, which has made it difficult for those wanting to fish the river sections above Nagambie towards Seymour. With Lake Eildon down to around 40% at the end of April, one wonders how much longer this

yellowbelly as well as the odd small Murray cod off the bank using baits such as worms, yabbies and local shrimp.

For kayak and canoe enthusiasts, the creek is an ideal place to go for a paddle while flicking around some lures for a golden perch or two – you may even be lucky enough to get a tasty feed of redfin. Two local

lads in their kayaks had a good afternoon casting Jackall TN60s in a variety of colours, landing five yellowbelly to 43cm between them.

MITCHELLSTOWN Reports from this area of the river have been slow, probably due to the continued high flows coming from Lake Eildon, with anglers preferring the slower easier waters to fish further downstream. I did have a midweek day trip to this section of the river recently, and I was surprised to have the whole river to myself for the entire day.

Casting to the timberlined banks, I managed one small 48cm cod on a Bassman spinnerbait and a small 41cm yellowbelly on a Jackall Doozer. I also managed to hook a good cod in the 85-90cm range on a 1oz red and black Bassman spinnerbait, but unfortunately lost it as it made its way back to the safety of its log pulling the hook in the process.

A good technique in this area is to troll deep diving hardbodies upstream against the current and then drift back downstream casting lures to the edges.

NAGAMBIE LAKE Murray cod, golden perch, redfin and carp have all been successfully angled from the lake area over the last month. Bait fishing from the boardwalk around sunrise and sunset with

worms, shrimp, yabbies and corn has produced a variety of fish including yellowbelly up to 44 cm, some nice pan-sized redfin and one lucky angler landed a quality 68cm Murray cod on a piece of chicken.

Fishing the shallow edges with corn on small hooks and light gear has provided some fun for anglers targeting carp while doing the waterway a favour at the same time. Casting large spinnerbaits in dark colours around Teddy Bear Island is producing Murray cod up to 65cm, while trolling the river near the caravan park with deep divers is still producing some Murray cod as well.

Bait fishing around the willow trees with worm and shrimp cocktails has been consistently producing yellowbelly up to 44cm.

Surface lures around the timbered edges on warm, calm evenings has seen Murray cod willing to leave their lair and attack a surface presentation.

KIRWANS BRIDGE This area continues to be heavily fished, with anglers employing all methods in an attempt to land a quality native fish.

The key to success has been to get out early before the boat traffic becomes too busy and the more speedy vessels start stirring up the edges, making lure casting more difficult. Surface lures used early morning and up until an hour after

Adam Mizzi was very pleased with this spinnerbait caught Murray cod. sunset has seen Murray cod up to 60cm landed, with plenty of smaller models providing lots of entertainment.

Hardbody lures in orange, white and yellow retrieved slowly past standing timber from every angle possible has coaxed a few small Murray cod to bite, as well as the occasional yellowbelly.

Spinnerbaits continue to be the most popular lure choice in the area with red/ black and purple the most used colour combinations.

The best fish coming from this area recently was an 84cm Murray cod caught casting a dark coloured Jackall Doozer in the shallows.

Pushing through the hard times SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

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WRAP UP The activity in the Nagambie Lakes area should slow right down by the end of April and this will make May a great time to hit the water in search of a native fish. Current flows generally ease and water clarity can be very good, making it perfect for lure fishing. Slow moving high pressure systems with high barometer readings can produce some excellent days of fishing. The drop-offs along the river edges will be the prime place to target the resident Murray cod with big spinnerbaits, hardbodies and surface lures during low light. Please remember to limit your catch, not catch your limit.

We have had it tough in regards to water levels in the Goulburn River for months now, but hopefully there is an end to the higher environmental flows.

The Goulburn will look pristine for three to four days a month and when the water cleans up the fish have always come on the bite for the lure fishers.

It’s always short lived, with another burst of water stirring up the river and turning it brown again. Bait fishing has been pretty consistent through autumn – in good and bad water conditions.

Bait fishing behind Princess Park football oval, which is about 500m downstream of the boat ramp, has been very productive, with reports of cod up to 65cm being caught on chicken strips.

The change in bait tactics is seeing locals catching fish on

Mark and his son Ashton with a Main Eastern Channel cod. These fish can be found all through the channels at the moment. chicken breast strips, dim sims, hard-boiled eggs and also the standard baits, such as cheese,

worms and bardi grubs.

With the colder months upon us, it will be interesting

how many people land crayfish using those types of baits. It is frustrating when you’re using expensive bardi grubs only to have crayfish feasting on them.

Those using lures have had some luck out towards Raftery Road trolling large StumpJumpers and Old Mate lures in the fluoro green colour.

Casting spinnerbaits around the sand bars has also worked well in the evenings, which will continue to be a good area to target during the coming months.

Surface luring out the Broken has been good, but not great. Just like all areas around Shepparton, the fishing drops off in the Broken, so the standard seven to ten boofs with three hook-ups may turn into one boof and one hookup. So, make sure you have your wits about you in the colder months because the hits won’t be as regular, but they become even more important.

To page 59

Rains will ramp up cod and trout action best action will be around the Big River and Goulburn River inlets.

Hopefully the running rivers will coincide with our Annual Lake Eildon Fishing Challenge, which will run from 2pm on Friday 17 May through to Sunday 19 May. You can find more information at w w w. l a k e e i l d o n f i s h i n g challenge.com.

It’s been a great month for our Jerusalem Creek Junior Blake Lewindon,

who again took out the Murray Darling Pirtek Junior Challenge with a 102cm Murray cod caught in his favourite fishing spot along the Goulburn Arm of Lake Eildon.

The Pirtek Challenge continues to help fund vital medical research. More than 8200 anglers from all over Australia – mums, dads, kids and grandparents – competed this year, making the event a one-day fishing challenge unlike

Blake Lewindon has won the Murray Darling Pirtek Junior Challenge two years in a row.

any other competition.

During March and early April, local angler Steve Ward has been doing well with dark coloured hardbodies trolled down around the 10m mark. The highlights of Steve’s fishing included the landing of a 104cm Murray cod at the Alliance Boat Ramp and a 106cm specimen landed at Beatie Bay. Victorian Fisheries Authority Staff from Snob’s Creek Hatchery also got into some nice fishing action. One of their hatchery crew decided to have a flick off the wall at Lake Eildon after work, and landed a ripper Murray cod. It was a beautiful clear water fish, and he followed the Care for Cod techniques as he landed it. He used soft gloves, only gripped the lower jaw, and kept the cod in the water. You can find out more about these techniques at vfa.vic.gov. au/education/codhandling.

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the last month you can land yellowbelly in the lake; the colder water shuts the fish down and makes fishing very tough.

If we have a warm April like last year the fish will bite well into May, but if it cools right off I would start looking elsewhere to fish.

Casting spinners and vibes when the sun is out around the edges will be your best bet and will give you a chance of landing a redfin as well as a yellowbelly.

If bait fishing, I would float my baits around the edges and ideally keep moving the baits around to cover more water, as the fish won’t be as active to hunt your bait down.

The odd lift of the rod can sometimes cause a fish to strike your bait, so don’t just cast it in and sit and wait – get busy!

SHEPPARTON LAKE The council has yet again commissioned the weed dredging machinery to clear out the weed in the lake.

With this we should get a bit more clear water to target fish in the winter months, especially as the weed does not grow as fast in the

actively feeding.

With your lure selection, drop the weight and size of your lure, due to the shallow water you don’t want to be dragging your lures through the weed and mud all day.

Sometimes it’s better to just slowly raise your rod tip on your retrieve to make sure the lure keeps just off the bottom.

Be careful not to raise your tip too high, in case you get slammed and your high sticked rod goes bang.

TOOLAMBA FISHING CLUB’S 13TH EASTER CLASSIC The Toolamba Fishing Club yet again ran their very popular competition over the Easter Break.

The event has a big focus on family and it’s a credit to all those involved in the event that everyone who attends leaves very happy.

Junior entrants are the future of fishing and events like these keep the kids keen.

So, there has to be a huge congratulation to all the sponsors and volunteers involved that supported the Toolamba Fishing Club.

EILDON

Peter Burtchell

With the colder weather upon us, flatlining for trout using pink Tassie Devils has proven very successful over the last two weeks in the Jerusalem Creek and Main Arm. We will see some great fishing action for large Murray cod and trout as soon as the rains begin, and from our experience the

From page 58

WARANGA BASIN Blue green algae has really made this month’s article hard to write, as the warnings were in place for up to a month before I wrote this article.

Some people are still fishing in the lake with great success around the shallow points with soft plastics or drifted baits.

I personally have steered clear of the Basin due to the blue green algae, but once the warnings lift I will be straight out there as the colder water can produce great results.

Just like every month of the year at Waranga, if you can find the fish you will catch the fish if you work hard enough.

Casting soft plastics in the shallows or jigging vibes or ice jigs in 15ft on top of a school can be deadly.

Hopefully this is the month that the warnings lift and redfin come on the chew.

KIALLA LAKES May is normally

cooler months.

There is normally a lot of trout released around the school holidays, so hopefully this was the case around Easter as the fish are normally around 20cm.

Casting small spinners or floating baits around the grass hill is the go to technique in the Shepparton Lake. Redfin and silver perch will still be on the bite during the winter months, so it’s not just trout on the target list.

The months leading into this article the yellowbelly and cod dropped off. With the cooler temps setting in, I can see it being very tough to catch those species in the Shepparton Lake.

LOCAL CHANNELS Prior to the channels being dropped, the Main Eastern was still producing good-sized cod in all areas up and down the system.

Baits in open water and lures around structures all worked well at the start of April.

If the water has dropped, don’t get turned off fishing the channels, as the areas holding water will hold good numbers of fish that are still

This cod is being handled with the Care for Cod technique. Image courtesy of VFA.

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Last of the autumn bite around Ballarat Wendouree has seen quite a few mayfly still hatching, which brings a smile to all those who fly fish, me especially. As the cooler weather comes in they will disappear and we will have to change tactics and start stripping larger Woolly Bugger and Smelt patterns to temp the trout.

At Moorabool Reservoir the trout are still biting.They are being caught on fly, bait and lures. The trout have been getting caught mainly early morning and evenings.

With the cooler nights and overcast days they will start

BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Autumn is my favourite time of year to go fishing – bright blue skies, little wind, cold nights, cooler water temperatures and the fish start to feed up in readiness for the winter breeding season.

Last month I mentioned that our summer had decided to hang around for a little longer than it should. We have still had glimpses of that, then a cold front comes through and reminds us that winter is indeed coming. It won’t be long and we will be whingeing about how cold the weather is.

The autumn fishing has really picked up, with some excellent reports filtering through. There is a lot of anticipation as some of the waters that were quiet over the summer months are now showing signs of firing up.

Lake Wendouree is the number one water for the Ballarat district. There

Takumi, an exchange student from Tokyo, landed his first ever trout from Lake Wendouree on a live mudeye suspended under a float. Photo courtesy of Shane Jeffrey.

The author nailed a lovely Wendouree brown trout casting an OSP Bent Minnow lure. has been plenty of anglers hitting the lake land-based and out of boats, catching some quality trout and redfin. Anglers casting flies, lure and bait have all been successful, which shows the diversity of the water and why anglers travel from all over to fish these waters.

A pat on the back for the Victorian Fisheries Authority management plans that they have in place for Wendouree.

Shane Jeffrey has been fishing Wendouree over the past month, fishing with mudeye suspended under a bubble float at depths

Brian Rivett with another quality Lake Wendouree brown trout that he caught using a Bent Minnow.

of around 3-4ft deep. The cruising trout seem to find the mudeye (trout candy) irresistible wherever you go.

On a recent trip Shane took an exchange student, Takumi from Tokyo, fishing on Wendouree. Takumi landed his first ever rainbow trout on a mudeye and you could not wipe the smile of his face after landing that one. Mudeyes will become a little harder to find as we move into the cooler months, but this does not stop the trout from eating them all year round.

Brian Rivett and I have

hit Wendouree on numerous occasions, casting lures with excellent results. The Bent Minnow surface lure has been our lure of choice, landing some magnificently conditioned brown trout over 50cm, with plenty of other trout hitting these lures.

I am looking forward to the coming months, as the trout on Wendouree become even more aggressive and hopefully will eat our lures instead of just following them.

Jason Mackley is a Wendouree redfin specialist, and has once again been nailing some quality reddies on lures. Jason fishes Wendouree out of a boat and knows how to find and catch them. I mentioned in a previous article how Jason targets them by finding clear pockets of water in the weed beds then targets those areas with plastics or hardbodied lures with excellent results.

On Jason’s most recent trip he nailed another cracker of a redfin measuring in at 48cm in amongst a few other smaller models on the OSP Live Craw soft plastic.

The Live Craw is a yabby imitation, and redfin love to eat yabbies.

Jason Mackley bagged a quality 48cm Lake Wendouree redfin. An OSP DoLive Craw soft plastic brought this one undone. Photo courtesy of Jason Mackley. to chase the local baitfish around. This is exciting but frustrating fishing, watching the trout smash through schools of smelt right in front of you – sometimes the trout will nearly beach themselves during this feeding frenzy.

Anglers need to cast their lures, plastics or flies right in front of these feeding fish. Andrew Borg, who goes fly fishing regularly at Moorabool, has still been nailing some lovely brown trout on evenings. He has been casting beetle or stick caddis patterns before dark, then changing over to lager wet flies like a Craig’s Nighttime with success.

I certainly look forward to heading out to Moorabool over the coming month and

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chasing the smelt feeders.

Tullaroop Reservoir has been very quiet over the warmer months; I’m hoping that the fishing fires up like it did last year. This time last year we were walking the expansive shorelines

Andrew Borg landed this lovely brown trout one evening using a stick caddis fly pattern.

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MAY 2019

of Tullaroop chasing rainbow trout casting lures with excellent results. The rainbows last year ranged in size from 2-4lb. They should have grown over the past year and we should see some crackers in excess of 6lb being caught – they will really test your gear out. Last year we targeted the deeper shorelines with wobblers, Tassie Devils in various colours and the Bent Minnow surface lures. The rougher the weather the better the trout seemed to chew.

Tullaroop doesn’t just have rainbow trout; it was one of the district’s premier brown trout waters for years.

The Fisheries department used to release only rainbow trout into the reservoir, which was successful.

Now the reservoir has been reclassified to a mixed fishery, which appeals to anglers all year round with the release of yellowbelly and Murray cod. These fish will take time to grow, but we should see some cod and yellas turning up in a few years, which will be exciting for all and certainly a win for anglers.

Long dry spell continues on CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Autumn rain has been sparse to say the least.

Once a fortnight, we are receiving on average around 6mm, which is fine for a day or two but not for the remaining 12 days until we see rain again.

Rivers have stopped flowing and river mouths have closed to the sea.

Lake levels are still falling, however, at least the nights are cool, even if the days are very warm. The South West is experiencing an Indian summer, like we did last year. Frankly, the sooner winter arrives, the better it will be for all our waterways.

Big browns have started to become active in Lake Purrumbete with a few captures of fish not only approaching, but some are exceeding 10lb on the old scale. It seems that winged lures such as Tassie Devils and Lofty’s Cobras flatline trolled are doing

some damage to the local fish population. It’s just a matter of putting in the hours circumnavigating the lake in the hope that a half decent fish takes the bait.

Redfin are taking their time to properly school up and become easy targets.

Late March and into April still saw the lake’s water

surface temperature sitting around 19°C. That’s warm for this time of year.

The temperature itself won’t worry the reddies, however, many think that a distinct drop in water temperature is a trigger for the fish to congregate in large numbers. In the meantime, many boaters are

A tad on the small side, but better than nothing.

Small fish eventually lead to big fish.

struggling to catch a dozen or so redfin in a session and these fish are on the small side. Hopefully by my next report this scenario has changed for the better.

Bullen Merri still has some excellent Chinook salmon available, with boaters flatline trolling lures in depths around 6-10m not far out from the shoreline at all. Subdued light is still favoured, but these fish can and do come on the chew at any time. Bank anglers are also getting a few either by soaking baits under a float or some are casting soft plastics and working them back into the shallows.

Believe it or not, the best method has been allowing the plastic to sink to just off the often snaggy bottom then initiating a slow, steady retrieve. If follows but no hook-ups occur, then twitching the plastic can make a difference.

I recently received two unconfirmed reports of redfin being caught in Lake Tooliorook near Lismore.

The water level is low and

A surprise bottom dwelling rainbow when jigging for reddies. These minnow style plastics really work. Just use a heavier than normal jighead. the clarity is affected by blue-green algae, however, anglers (mostly fishing from the bank or jetty) are picking up plenty of reddies by presenting baits on the bottom. I don’t know the size of the fish but at a guess, I’d say probably a bit on the small side. I have no recent reports of any trout being taken from the lake.

Lake Bolac is low and

the fishing is quiet to put it mildly. The odd rainbow has been caught on bait suspended under a float, but otherwise there’s not much else to report on at this stage.

Some solid rainfall along with falling temperatures will remedy this in time, but at this stage I’d be looking further afield in a southerly direction towards the deeper, crater lakes.

The dry period continues in our western rivers BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The dry conditions have continued in the Bendigo region. Water levels are still dropping and the region will need several good rain events before we see this trend reversed. The positive from the lack of rainfall is that water clarity is currently very good at most locations in the area.

Water temperatures are still good but we will see the water temperatures starting to drop shortly.

This often will have a positive effect; typically at this time of year we will see an increase in the numbers of larger fish being caught. The larger fish start to feed more often so they can put condition on before the cold temperatures of winter set in.

LAKE EPPALOCK The water clarity is currently very good. Water levels continue to drop and shortly the capacity will be below 40%.

The productivity in the fishing was only average last month. The majority of anglers are finding it difficult to locate a good concentration of redfin.

The majority of redfin being caught have been small in size. Bait fishing

with worms and small yabbies has been producing fish. Trolling deep diving hardbody lures and casting soft plastics has also been a good tactic.

The numbers of golden perch being caught was also disappointing last month.

The majority of golden perch have been caught by anglers bait fishing around the edges of standing timber. Trolling the edges of the standing timbers has also been producing small numbers of golden perch.

Slow rolling soft plastics and vertically jigging lipless crankbaits around the standing timbers has been another productive technique.

We should see an increase in the number of golden perch being caught in May. The productivity in the golden perch fishing will then decrease in June as water temperatures decrease significantly.

This will be a good time to change your target species.

Lake Eppalock has had some good trout stocking

by Victorian Fisheries over the last few years. Some of the trout will now be of very good size, so it is worthwhile spending some time targeting them.

CAMPASPE RIVER Water clarity remains good in the Campaspe River.

Golden perch continue to make up the majority of anglers’ catch rates. The golden perch fishing has

remained pretty consistent.

Productive techniques have been casting and retrieving lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and medium sized hardbody lures.

For those anglers fishing the boat accessible sections of the Campaspe River, trolling spinnerbaits and hardbody lures has been working well.

The productivity in the Murray cod fishing went down last month. This month is prime time. While the number of Murray cod being caught will not always be high, this is a great time of year to catch and release a large Murray cod. Again, targeting the Murray cod during periods of low light is your best option. Surface lures and swimbaits are good lure choices. Also, if you are targeting a large Murray cod, casting and retrieving large lipless crankbaits – such as Jackall Doozer and Mazzy Forte – is a great option at this time of year.

CAIRN CURRAN Redfin continue to make up the majority of anglers’ captures. The majority of the redfin being caught lately have been small in size. Bait fishing with worms and yabbies have been good options. Other productive techniques for targeting redfin have been casting and retrieving soft plastics.

The productivity in the golden perch fishing

This Murray cod was caught on a Jackall Doozer. A burn and kill retrieve technique was successful in enticing a strike. has slowed compared to earlier in the year. Small numbers of golden perch are still being caught by anglers bait fishing around the edges of standing timber. Anglers trolling the rocky shorelines are catching small numbers of golden perch. Casting lipless crankbaits around the standing timber has also been producing small numbers of golden perch.

LODDON RIVER Water clarity is currently very good in most sections of the Loddon River. The productivity in

the fishing did decrease last month. This is mainly due to the amount of fishing pressure this system has been receiving. Golden perch continue to make up the majority of catches.

The most productive lure options for targeting golden perch has been lipless crankbaits. Dark colours and transparent colour schemes have been the best colour options.

Small numbers of Murray cod continue to be caught. The most productive times for targeting Murray cod have

been periods of low light and during the night.

Surface lures and swimbaits have been good lure options for the Murray cod.

If you are fishing with spinnerbaits, those spinnerbaits with dark blades have been working the best. This month we will see the number of native fish being caught in the system reduce.

However, if you put the time in there will still be some large golden perch and quality Murray cod caught.

MAY 2019

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Stream trout catch and release WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

May is our last full month of stream trout fishing before the trout season comes to an end in early June. The 2019 trout and salmonid closed season on rivers and streams is from 12:01am on Tuesday

11 June until 11:59pm on Friday 6 September.

This is a good chance to remind anglers to catch and release stream trout, particularly this time of the year. The streams and rivers of the west and south Gippsland region are not stocked with trout and rely solely on natural spawning.

With such a dry summer and early autumn, rivers are

flowing much lower than in previous years. The past few years have seen trout moving as early as April, with good rainfall otherwise known as our autumn break.

Trout may start moving this month or even later for spawning. The migration run is usually triggered by the first decent rainfall topping up the catchments – it’s a signal for trout to make

Sunny Brislin Martins caught this metre Murray cod at Lake Mulwala out of his kayak. It took a black and orange Bassman DT spinnerbait in less than 2ft of water.

their journey upstream.

As the month ends, stream trout will become more difficult to entice with lures as their focus shifts from feeding to making the spawning run. Many catches late in the season tend to be trout aggressively protecting their territory rather than the need for a feed. Well-presented live baits and natural fly patterns or nymphs will out fish your traditional spinner blade or hardbody lures. As an angler who appreciates trout not just for the sport of catching, stumbling across a spawning ground is exciting as you get to see these fish in action.

There are other options for stream fishing, too.

Eel and blackfish are still good targets in the streams around west and south Gippsland. They provide a lot of fun for anglers of all ages using light gear, similar to what you would use trout fishing.

Blackfish are an exciting winter target species in streams and can be caught using the same techniques for targeting eel. Target slow moving or still ponds and use a rig that presents the bait at the bottom of the stream bed. Eel and blackfish live in in-stream structure – like fallen timber, large rocks and bank cut-outs – therefore ensure your bait is presented within their feed zone.

Eel in these streams commonly grow up to 70cm.

Blackfish vary in size greatly,

Local keen angler Billy Auldist, proudly showing off another decent stream trout for the season, before releasing it to fight another day. and don’t be surprised if you pull a big one out of a small stream or a small area. Both species are best targeted late afternoon into the evening. The best bait by far for both species is the trusty gardenworm.

Blue Rock Lake turns on the trout action in May. The lake levels are still down from this time last year, but will rise slowly with winter rainfall. Stream trout may start shutting up shop as they shift their attention from feeding to spawning, but the lake fish are still on the prowl. Trolling by

boat or yak is by far the most popular method on the lake. Fly fishing from the shoreline or out in the boat is a great way to get amongst the lake trout action. Bass are still active this time of the year and are generally found schooling out in the lake on the points and are best targeted with ice jigs and soft plastics.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories over the holidays with the family. Please email me any questions.

Happy fishing!

Stable weather makes for stable fishing MELBOURNE METRO

Dylan Brennan

May presents plenty of local options for the freshwater angler, and coupled with usually stable weather it can be the perfect time of the year to be out fishing. Depending on how far you are willing to drive, there is a list of different fish you can target and different ways in which you can do so.

One of the more popular options at this time of year is the Yarra River.

The Yarra has been fishing well for trout, as it usually does at this time of year, with the more productive section above Warburton.

The discoloured water in the lower regions towards Woori Yallock means anglers can use bright, flashy lures and baits with plenty of scent. Drifting a couple of ‘naturally’ weighted scrubworms downstream 62

MAY 2019

While still small, the Murray cod stocked into Karkarook Park have been starting to pop up and take lures like small surface paddlers. Image courtesy of Jon Liapis. can be an effective method to catch a trout and possibly redfin. If targeting redfin, look for any snag piles and deeper pools in this section of river, as the redfin tend to occupy these

sorts of areas.

Down the Peninsula at Devilbend Reservoir, the fishing has been good over the last month or so with some decent trout starting to show

up. Trout have become more active as the water temperature has cooled off over the last month, with fish seen cruising the weed edges and shallow bays and coves.

Early mornings have been the most productive time, as this is when the fish are actively feeding and more aggressive towards baits and lures. Many anglers are reporting that small ‘nymph’ style soft plastics have been excellent on these margin feeding fish, as they represent the available food source very well. The odd rainbow trout has also been caught using PowerBait fished under a float out over the deeper edge of the weed beds from the main pontoon during the day.

Karkarook Park Lake has been producing a few rainbow trout for anglers fishing around the ‘inlet’ using coarse angling methods. Having an one-two approach with bait styles or even colours is the best way of determining what the fish are after. Even fishing PowerBait nuggets in two opposing colours can be enough to work out a bite pattern.

The odd trout angler has mentioned seeing large swirls and boofs on the surface around schools of trout, which could indicate hunting Murray cod.

Victorian Fisheries released a small amount of cod into the lake back in March, some of which have already been caught. The cod have been caught mainly by anglers lure fishing the lake, using surface paddlers and hardbodies. If you are catching a few trout and have a school hanging around it could be worth throwing a larger bait or lure around the outskirts as it may result in a Murray cod!

•For any of the latest metro reports and information, pop into Compleat Angler Dandenong at 241243 Princes Highway, Dandenong, give us a call on 03 9794 9397 or jump on to the ‘Melbourne Metro Freshwater Fishing’ page on Facebook.

Know the cycle, know the fish HORSHAM

Liam Lannen

The water temp has dropped, days are shorter, and fish feeding cycles have changed as we enter the cool months of the year.

Despite the weather, this is a great time of year to fish in the Horsham area, with redfin schooling and acting very aggressive and trout being very active.

They are looking to feed on more high protein foods such as smelt, gudgeon and worms. This is ideal for lure fishos, making matching the hatch a bit easier. Lures such as Daiwa Double Clutches in the more natural colours like ghost wakasagi and ghost gudgeon, OSP Bent Minnows, and soft plastics in minnow style

A U S T R A L I A

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Pantera II 2017 A Wimmera River golden perch that was caught on a Spinwright chatterbait! days fish can feed all day, but morning still seem to be the best time to chase them, especially if you want to chase them on surface with lures like OSP Bent Minnows, which makes for a very exciting method of fishing!

Trolling is still worth it – find trolling runs that suit your lures and the depth they dive, and always keep an eye on your sounder for schools of bait or redfin.

It never hurts to run a few different types of lures ranging in depth and profile to cover more water.

Lake Fyans is fishing really well at the moment for trout and redfin. Anglers have been successful all around the lake in a range of depths, trolling and casting lures. Fyans holds trophy

fish, so if you put the time in it may happen for you!

Lake Wartook has been pretty quiet over the last nine months. Hopefully this year it will fire up.

Wartook fishes best during cooler months as the trout become active.

Lake Bellfield is another beautiful Grampians Lake that has just recently been stocked with golden perch. Once they grow a bit they will provide plenty of excitement. We are expecting them to thrive in this waterway!

This fishing will continue for a few months. If you are after any local advice, the team at Webbcon Marine are always willing to share advice and which lures are working at the time.

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Al Vanstan found a lovely school of redfin.

These fish are quite aggressive this month and will provide plenty of entertainment. ranging from 70-100mm in the natural colours like bloodworm, pumkinseed, and olive have been effective.

Trout are very aggressive towards other fish this time of year. Trout and redfin coloured lures are ideal. Do not be afraid to upsize your lures, trout will quite happily smash an 11-13cm lure, and the redfin won’t be shy either.

The best areas to target are around weed beds edges and trees – baitfish will be hiding and the trout or redfin will be hunting, waiting for their

opportunity. Hopefully we get some rain the lakes will rise and there will be come newly-flooded ground. If we do, the fish will move up and feed in there on worms.

Drifting and casting is one of the better techniques.

Pick a nice line with weed beds and or tree shrubs, and simply drift and cast around, making sure you cover as much area as you can. Don’t just cast a line directly in front of you, as you will cover next to no water, it’s all about covering as much water as you can.

With the shorter, cooler

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Some typical trout lures that should work for the cooler months.

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Phone: 0410 173 060 www.basscataustralia.com MAY 2019

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It’s time to get jiggy with your fly fishing!

CANBERRA

Richard Barnsley

Pomohaka River, New Zealand 2008. It had been a hard slog working our way up the turquoise-coloured river since daybreak. Most of the wading was in deep, fast-flowing water, and it was getting tiring. Danny had taken a couple of sizeable rainbows, Andy had dropped one and I managed to spook a couple.

While the boys took turns spotting, I clambered out of the river and forced my way through a thick beech covered bluff. When I finally dropped back down onto the river, I found myself overlooking a deep pool with a dozen hefty sea-run brown trout finning the sandy bottom.

Over the next half an hour I tried everything to get a fly deep enough to draw a fish, but the flow and excessive depth made it virtually impossible. In desperation I scoured my fly

Jigs are extremely effective for chasing trout holding in deeper pocket water. flathead circles on the NSW Mid Coast. The rubber tails were a simple modification to traditional bucktail jigs that had been widely popular across North America.

Australian estuary anglers

These tiny plastic bubbles don’t need floatant and will hold the jig just clear of the bottom. Tie a 60cm length of 15lb mono, such as Maxima, from the end of your fly line to the strike indicator, then tie a 120-180cm length of 8lb fluorocarbon around the Maxima so that it butts up against the indicator and attach your jig to the free end.

This creates a swivelling, right angle connection that causes the indicator to react with even slight taps on the fly. It’s a classic rig for steelhead and salmon and just as deadly on deep water trout down under. You can lengthen these sections, depending on the depth of the run you are targeting.

However, in excessively deep water I avoid the

faster reaction time, which is critical to overcome the limits of a strike transmitting from the deep holding fish all the way to the surface.

Around lake margins, jig patterns are equally effective wherever dropoffs such as stream inflows occur. Similarly, down on the coast there is nothing better suited for flathead or rack bream than a simple white buck tail jig.

In the salt, I often fish a run-out tide and let the jig puff sand along the bottom in time with the current. Use the tip of your fly line as an indicator, as coast species, even picky bream, generally register a strong hit.

Like with the entire pursuit of fly fishing, you can make your jigs as simple

foul on vegetation.

Thirdly, the upturned eye and weight tends to increase the fly’s action. Frontmounted weights cause the pattern to dip and rise on the retrieve. Centre-mounted

Port Macquarie’s Bill Hoadley working a prime late season trout run with jig patterns.

A basic Bugger style pattern with rubber legs will draw bottom-hugging trout in most instances. boxes for extra split shot and discovered in a rear zippered compartment a battle scarred Clouser Minnow with lead dumbbell eyes.

Finally, a loopy cast rolled the fly well above the pod and I watched the imitation spiral down into the clear depths. On first pass the school split and allowed the fly to drift through. On the second cast I animated the offering and to my relief, a fish rolled away from the pod and hammered the white fly.

Jig style flies are now a constant accompaniment in all my fly boxes. Like any pattern, I carry a variety of sizes (and weights) but more and more I find myself tying one on whether at the stream or down in the salt.

The first time I ever saw a jig rig was many moons ago when Mister Twisters started appearing in the 64

MAY 2019

adopted them quickly and the rest is history.

Essentially, jig patterns offer three distinct advantages. Firstly, they are designed to sink quickly.

Admittedly bead head or lead-weighted patterns are designed to get down in the water column as well, but jigs tend to be weighted much heavier. This is especially advantageous in fast water, where runs are often short.

The development of Czechstyle nymphing, particularly in competition fly fishing, saw huge advancements in how to fish short and deep.

Secondly, jig patterns are typically tied on ‘jig’ style hooks with upturned eyes. This means the hook point essentially rides up and reduces snagging on the bed of the stream. Also, when stripping across weed beds you are less likely to

weights (usually lead wire, but sometimes a small split shot) cause the fly to track straight but at depth.

Rear-mounted weights can enhance an erratic drift and with some smaller nymph jigs they will drift ‘head up’ just like the natural.

Most traditional nymph and baitfish fly patterns are now regularly tied on jig style hooks. As I mentioned, weights can be added as simply as clamping a split shot onto the shank, or you can purchase pre-moulded offerings. The soft plastic explosion really fired hook manufacturers up and there are a wealth of hook styles and weights to experiment with.

One of the most used patterns for trout in lakes and streams is a rubber legged Bugger style pattern. For fast pocket water fishing during the spawn run, I paint the

jigheads hot orange and tie the rough pattern aft. Rattled across the stones these are deadly on the late season fish and it can get down quickly.

A weighted fly is much easier to cast than droppers with split shot.

I prefer the single fly for this type of fishing, as I maintain direct contact with the fly and don’t worry about the bottom. In moderate depth and fast water I will use a Thingamabobber.

indicator, as I find longer lengths of terminal tackle make the leader unbalanced and difficult to cast. In these situations use the thinnest diameter mono to cut quickly through the water column.

Use the tip of your fly line as an indicator and strike at every pause.

When fishing any fly deep in the water column, use a strip strike rather than raising the rod tip.

This results in a much

or intricate as you want.

Successful patterns can be no more than a clump of buck tail lashed to a jig hook. Given the deep, snaggy and often unfriendly water I throw them in, I generally don’t waste time tying as I would with a tiny, delicate dry fly.

Get some fly jigs and start throwing them at your favourite fish! I’ll bet you end up with a smile as big as the bend in your rod!

A simple white bucktail jig is terrific for coastal flats. You can add a bit of sparkle flash to doll them up.

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

The Australian

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Photo courtesy of Ed Nicholas from NoBoundaries Oman, GT caught on a Bommie Knocka Lure Show Guide Brought to you by

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The Australian

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1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

Lure Show moves to Beenleigh Showgrounds The popular Lure Show (as Garry Fitzgerald’s Australian Lure, Fly and Outdoor Expo is affectionately known) isn’t a stranger to moving location. From its birthplace in Fernvale in the Brisbane River Valley, it first migrated downstream to Ipswich

after a couple of years of seam-bursting crowds.

From there, Ipswich seemed to be a great fit for the show, which attracts around 2000 keen anglers and lure collectors each year.

The trouble is, a multimillion dollar renovation was granted to the Ipswich venue, and the show needed

to move again.

There are a few things that the show needs to work.

First of all, camping for exhibitors is a highlight for the tight-knit community of creators. Free parking ticks the boxes for attendees who want to maximise their spend at the show, and a fair gate price (around half the cost of a national boat show ticket) of $10 keeps the gig accessible to nearly everyone – especially kids, who are free.

After several months of searching, the show landed midway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It will be held at the Beenleigh Showgrounds on 1-2 June 2019. The good news is

You can be guaranteed that there’ll be some deals flying around that space for the show duration.

Want to bring in your old Australian timber lures and have them valued? No problems – there will be people there who can let you know exactly how much that old gem you have in your tackle box is really worth.

LURE TEST TANK • • • •••••••••••••••

Always popular is the lure test tank. Available there’s plenty of free parking, camping is available and it still costs the same as it did back when it started – $10 bucks for adults and kids under 16 get in for free.

Lazy Mullet 160

VARIED DISPLAY AREAS

Bony Shad 120

Baby Mullet 120

New Swimbaits Coming Soon!

266 LURE MAYEXPO 2019

2019

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Beenleigh arena is a little different from Ipswich; there’s less indoor space, but better outdoor space. As of the time of printing, all of the indoor stands were sold and

the outdoor sites were filling up fast. Being a little more open than Ipswich, there’s now room for a fly casting demonstration and trial area, some outdoor carving and sanding demos, and even room for some boats at the Social Media Hub and Presenter area.

One of the highlights of the show is the extensive collector displays and collector trading area. This year, that’s the whole of the upstairs mezzanine floor.

to all exhibitors so that they can show you how their creations swim, it adds that extra dimension to your purchase. I mean, how many times do you get to see how the lure behaves in real life before you part with your hardearned cash?

Just quietly, getting instruction from the person who created it is probably worth as much as the lure.

There’s nobody who knows how a lure behaves better than the person who made it.

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS SOCIAL MEDIA HUB

LOTS OF PARKING

•• • • • • ••••••••••••

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Want to catch up with some of the guys and girls that you usually only get to see on social media? The Social Media Hub will again feature presenters like Rod Harrison, John Costello, Jake Newmarch, Liam Fitzpatrick and Steve Morgan. You can take this opportunity to ask questions, get a selfie and hit them up about all things fishing.

The Beenleigh Showgrounds is surrounded by plenty of free street

EXPO

parking, but on the Saturday of the show, the markets area (just to the west of the show) is available to park and is an easy walking distance from the gate.

On the Sunday, the

LURE OF THE YEAR AWARDS •• • • • • ••••••••••••

Each year, the standards

Beenleigh Markets will be in full swing, so parking will be limited to the street. But there’s still plenty of it.

If you’re getting there via public transport, then the Beenleigh train station is an 11-minute walk away.

SNEAKY EARLY-ENTRY TICKETS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Last year, the Lure Show trialled an early-

entry ticket for collectors and visitors who wanted to spend up big in a less crowded environment.

The 100 tickets sold out pretty quickly.

There’s a version of the early-entry ticket on offer again this year – $25 to get you in an hour early.

These tickets are only available online and are limited in quantity.

For these tickets and all of your online ticket sales, visit www.lureshow. com.au with your credit card. Print out the tickets

after you purchase and bring them with you to the gate.

We look forward to seeing you all at Beenleigh!

– Lure Show team

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• S E E U S AT S T A N D 2 4 •

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You don’t need to go off-site to eat and drink, with Gabby and her team dishing you up all the food and drink you need. With some outdoor and indoor seating options, you’ll be able to rest and recharge before getting back into the action.

Note that there will be a couple of ATMs onsite as well. The Lure Show team definitely encourages spending beyond your means!

ive a ...and rece ition Limited Ed r Lure e p m u J p Stum

*Includes GST. All images for illustration purposes only. Can be subject to change. While stocks last.

• GREA

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seem to rise for the Lure of the Year awards. Voted on by fellow exhibitors, the awards reward clever design and amazing execution of concepts, with a trophy and the accolades of your peers.

You’ll be able to see a full collection of nominated lures in the display cases inside the main entry to the show building.

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BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS 1st & 2nd JUNE 2019 2019 MAY LURE2019 EXPO 67 3

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62

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46

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78

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CASTIN

75

2.4x2.4

G TAN

STAIRS TO LURE COLLECTORS - L2 2.4x2.4

K

2.4x2.4

Pakula Tackle

2.4x2.4

Million Stars

20

2.4x2.4

Halfcast Customs

19

Site..........................................................Exhibitor 45............................................................ AC Lures 78.................................... AFN Fishing & Outdoors 58....................................................Allfly Outfitters 71.................................................Bait Tackle Store 76...................................................... Balista Lures 60.................................................Barambah Lures 30..............................................................Basslyfe 53.......................................Bassman Spinnerbaits 43......................................................... Big T Lures 34......................................................... Bills Boxes 21.................................................Bommie Knocka 1..................Brisbane Yamaha / Brisbane Quintrex 42..............................................C&S Horsey Lures 36...................................................Crossfire Lures 67.................................................. Daiwa Australia 23.......................................................Dave’s Lures 26...............................................Farm Creek Lures 38................................................... Feralcatt Lures 55................................................................FFSAQ 70......................................................FILF Clothing

2.4x2.4 Wax’s Lures/ Levo’s Lures

18

2.4x2.4

Muggos Lures

17

Grumpy Lures / Solo Lures / Pav Art

16

INDOOR SPACE OUTDOOR SPACE

37............................................................ Fish King 35............................................... Fishing Unlimited 39................................................... Frequent Flash 77............................................Gobsmacked Lures 16.................................................... Grumpy Lures 19.............................................Half Cast Customs 24..................................... Hillies Spinners & Lures 51........................................................... HM Lures 22.............................................. Honey Hole Lures 59...................................................... Illusion Lures 54............................................................... Infofish 48.........................................................Jollip Lures 15.......................................................Jungle Lures 41...................................................... Kneller Lures 18....................................................... Levo’s Lures 50........................................................ Lively Lures 27..................................................... Lobbys Lures Lvl.2...............................................Lure Collectors 31.................................................... Mencho Lures 20....................................................... Million Stars 52...................................... Morry Kneebone Lures

17.................................................... Muggos Lures 40...........................................................Ninja Bibs 40......................................................... Ninja Lures 50...................................................... OG Reelbots 75.......................................................Pakula Lures 16............................................................... Pav Art 68.....................................................Pimp My Lure 69................................................... Predator Lures 13............................. Queensland Fishing Monthly 28........................................... Sandfly Lures Dalby 61......................................... SEQ Fly Fishing Club 32....................................................... Shads Lures 14 ............................................. Smak / Freshwater 25........................................ Soft Plastics Australia 16.......................................................... Solo Lures 57......... Southern Brisbane Sportfishing Club Inc. 57........................................ Southern Cross Lures 30.................................................... Tricky’s Lur es 18........................................................Wax’s Lures 46.................................................... Whiptail Lures 31...................................................... Zoomy Lures

CLOTHING

468 LURE MAYEXPO 2019

2019

Million Stars

• • • • • • • •••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

How you look out fishing is just as important as what is on the end of your line. Million Stars (stand 20) are a Sunshine Coast based business who have great range of hooded fishing shirts for adults and kids, face wraps and gloves, as well as fully customised fishing shirts. They can design and supply a shirt that is perfect for your fishing club, competition or annual mates’ fishing trip away. Their shirts are SPF 50 rated, and they have what is probably the largest size range in Australia – from kids 00 all the way through to adults 12XL.

2019 LURE SHOW EXHIBITOR LIST

Marleigh and Kip at Fish King (stand 37) are a fishing mad family business based on the Fraser Coast. They have turned the amazing experiences they had, and lessons learnt while travelling around Australia for a year into creating their ultimate fishing and sun protective shirt. Specially designed high zip collars, large zippered pockets and built-in thumb holes for maximum hand protection are just some of the features built into the Fish King range.

They will also have their brand new women’s brand – MALi Designs – on display at the Expo.

Available for adults and kids, be sure to check them out at the show.

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors

•• • • • • • ••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

For that unique gift for the angler in your life, be sure to check out the OG Reelbots range which will be available on the Lively Lure stand (50). Using reels and reel components, these quirky handmade sculptures each have a personality of their own, and will be a definite talking piece sitting in anyone’s pool room or office desk.

Hillies Spinners and Lures

Jollip Lures

According to Jim at Jungle Lures (stand 15), for him there are only two types of fish: barra and by-catch… unless it’s jungle perch (his other passion). His struggle to access quality barra lures led him to create Jungle Lures. After much time spent in research and development, and twice as much time out testing, Jim is proud to bring his range of handcrafted wooden lures to the Expo. They have been very successful on a range of freshwater species, as well as his beloved barra. Stop by the stand and be sure to check out the Jungle Water Snake. There will be some great deals going on these lures to celebrate the Expo’s move to the Beenleigh Showgrounds.

Jollip Lures (stand 48) is a family owned and operated business based in NSW’s Northern Rivers.

Joey has over 20 years’ fishing experience and has put everything he’s learnt into crafting his lures.

The Jollip hand crafted timber lure range has been proven to catch most fresh and saltwater species. Be sure to check them out at the Expo, where they will be releasing six new models to their range.

Muggos Lures (stand 17) are back for their third Lure Expo. Paul brings with him 13 different models of tried and proven lures. In 2019 Muggos are proud to be launching three new models, including the PeeWee, a small diving lure for bass and golden perch, the Midnight Menace and The Marshall.

Check them out for some very successful and wellpriced handmade lures.

Muggos Lures

Ninja Lures

One of the very few female-run lure companies in Australia, Ninja Lures (stand 40) have been around since 2013. The Ninja crew have a range to suit nearly every angler’s needs, from cod to barra to collectables. At this year’s Expo you’ll have to be quick to score yourself one of their limited Ninja Turtle Sets, and while you’re there you can also check out the new release Kermit sub surface lure and Prawn lure. They will also have aluminium lure bibs and DIY lure kits for those inspired to give it a go themselves.

OG Reelbots

Grumpy Lures

Cod anglers rejoice! Chris Anderson is bringing Grumpy Lures (stand 16) to the Expo. Alongside his more traditional lures, Anderson will also have some of the more unusual designs he has become well known for. He has developed an extensive timber and hand-moulded range of lures which can be used to fish both fresh and salt water. Each style of lure has been thoroughly tested by experienced anglers to ensure a premium product. Chris’ motto is: ‘Lures should be fished – not collecting dust on a shelf!’

Stop by Hillies Spinners and Lures (stand 24) to stock up on quality spinners and other lures in a range of styles and colours. Neil uses top quality components from the US, including Eagle Claw Hooks. Custom lures and trade enquiries are welcome. For something different, you’ll also find a range of sun catchers, key fobs and Hillies inspired jewellery on display – something for everyone.

Lively Lures

LURES, LURES AND MORE LURES

EXPO

Jungle Lures

Fish King

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

For more than 30 years Lively Lures (stand 50) have been one of Australia’s leading hard-bodied fishing lure manufacturers. At this year’s Lure Expo they will be bringing with them their best-selling flathead lure, super effective surface lures, top rated mackerel lures and their award-winning GT lure.

Bringing his full range to the Expo this year is Don Lobwein – the man behind Lobby Lures (stand 27). Don started his lure making career in the early 1990s with his son David when they worked out they were losing too many lures at Glenlyon Dam and needed to replace them all! The lure making bug well and truly bit upon Don’s retirement in 2005, and he has dedicated a lot of time to perfecting their design. All Lobby Lures are hand carved from aged white beech and red cedar.

Bass, yellowbelly and cod are all prime targets for Lobby Lures.

2019 LURE EXPO MAY 2019

5 69

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors

EXPO

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

One of the many Lure Expo success stories, Crossfire Lures (stand 36) began when Simon had a goal of developing a surface lure to target flathead. He took himself along to the Lure Expo and found a lure maker willing to help him with his vision, and a few months later Crossfire was born. Since the first 110mm lure was developed, the range has expanded and has become a series that is fast gaining a reputation as a big fish taker and a favourite amongst keen anglers.

MAYEXPO 2019 2019 670LURE

Balista Lures (stand 76) are an Australian owned lure company most known for their LED technology, which features in every lure in the range. Since developing this technology in 2008, the team at Balista have spent thousands of hours refining their product range, constantly looking to create innovative new designs that would be highly effective even without the LED technology. Visit

Crossfire Lures

Kneller Lures

Trickys Lures

Lure Expo Hall of Fame inductee Paul Kneller has been making lures since 1992. Kneller Lures (stand 41) has become well known for producing small runs of often highly detailed timber lures. This means they are able to do something different with every batch and rarely make the same lure twice. They make everything except for hooks and split rings in house, which gives Paul the flexibility to work on anything from a tiny 45mm bream surface lure one week to a 250mm cod wakebait the next. Kneller lures are built to be fished hard.

Trickys Lures (stand 30) are based on the Fraser Coast. Mick has been making his own wooden hardbody lures for decades and over the last couple of years has been experimenting with soft plastics. They’ll be bringing their selection of handmade soft plastic lures, hand painted hardbodies, powder coated coloured jigheads and a range of fishing gear to this year’s Expo.

The crew from Basslyfe will joining Trickys Lures on their stand. Basslyfe was created by bass fishermen who live the #basslyfe. They care strongly about our waterways and the homes of our native fish. They offer tips and techniques for targeting specific freshwater species, stories to inspire your next fishing adventure and information on all the gear to help you get out there. Be sure to stop by for a chat about all things fishing!

Whiptail Lures

The team from Whiptail Lures (stand 46) have been busy getting their range of handcrafted timber and moulded lures ready for the Expo.

Their lures are suitable for a wide range of salt and freshwater species. They’re looking forward to debuting their new JB95, which is available in a wide range of colours for both salt and fresh.

AC Lures

Brisbane’s HM Lures (stand 51) specialise in handmade and custom painted lures. Their motto is “if you can dream it -we can make it”. They will have a range of their stock lures and products on display at the Expo but are more than happy to chat with you about your custom requirements, which they can make to order.

HM Lures

Balista Lures

the team at the Expo and find out how matching the right Balista lure for the situation can generate strikes when nothing else is working.

Lobby Lures

Anthony Curtis started making handcrafted lures in 1993. AC Lures (stand 45) timber lures were pioneering in design, with a unique shape that allowed the lure to fly straight through the air, giving precise casts without sacrificing the action of the lure in the water. With the exception of the Minnows and the 40 and 60mm Invaders, AC lures are constructed from injected plastic, which enhances durability, and all ranges use the highest quality fittings, laser-cut Lexan bibs and VMC hooks. AC offer 10 lure designs from 40-150mm, and depth ranges from 3-40ft+ to cater for the popular angling species such as Murray cod, golden perch, trout, redfin, bass, bream, flathead and barramundi.

The Australian

Lure Fly & Outdoors

1-2 JUNE 2019 • BEENLEIGH SHOWGROUNDS

Frequent Flash

Bommie Knocka (stand 21) offer premium handcrafted timber poppers that are genuinely built for giants. These lures feature Australian red cedar timber, single piece stainless steel wiring harnesses and many, many coats of rock hard epoxy to both seal and finish the lure. Their on-water performance is characterised by a huge forward spray pattern, straight tracking and the ability to carry very large trebles. This will be Bommie Knocka’s first appearance at the Expo, and they will be showcasing a limited number of custom poppers in sizes from 80-160g. Bommie

Illusion Lures

Bommie Knocka

Illusion Lures (stand 59) are based in Cooktown in Far North Queensland. Wal has been making lures for over 30 years, perfecting his handcrafted timber lures for a wide range of applications. All his designs are the result of years of rigorous field testing and are all built to catch fish. He uses plantation grown and recycled Australian timbers, and every lure has a full through wire construction.

Illusion Lures will be unveiling some new designs at this year’s Expo.

Barambah Lures (stand 60) will be showcasing a limited number of handmade timber lures, including the Manic Budgies, Barambah Dragons and Divers. In 2019, Matt has expanded his range of production lures significantly. There are seven new models due to land in July and samples will be available for the public to see for the first time at the Expo. You’ll also be able to watch Matt at work as he will be doing wood carving demos on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, focusing on Dremel tools and intricate lure carving techniques.

Barambah Lures

Teaming up this year are Zoomy Lures and Mencho Lures (stand 31). This father/son duo will have their wide lure range on display, covering everything for fresh and saltwater fishing, from the creeks all the way out to the bluewater.

Zoomy Lures

For super realistic designs, visit Frequent Flash (stand 39). They are a small family run business specialising in Japanese style realistic presentations.

Terry Baker at Farm Creek Lures (stand 26) has been making lures for approximately 10 years. His handcrafted timber lures are specifically designed for freshwater fishing. Each lure is made from locally sourced Australian timber (favouring red cedar) and every lure is individually tested. Terry makes his own aluminium bibs for larger lures.

Check out the new designs at the show.

Farm Creek Lures

Southern Cross Lures

If you’re curious about the lure design process and what is involved in production, a visit to Southern Cross Lures (stand 57) needs to be on your list.

The team will be running demonstrations across the weekend, explaining the whats, hows and whys of lure making. They will also have their range of lures available, handcrafted out of red cedar.

EXPO

CLUBS AND MEDIA • • • • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Southern Brisbane Sportfishing Club (stand 57) will be welcoming new members across the Expo weekend. They will be running a raffle for 50 classic handcrafted lures that will be drawn on Tuesday 4 June – make sure you get your tickets! The club will be representing Queensland Sportfishing and associated clubs in South East Queensland. Funds raised by the club go towards supporting the stocking of Wyaralong Dam (Beaudesert).

Since the very first Australian Lure Expo, Fishing Monthly (stand 13) has always collaborated with an Australian lure producer to create a limited edition collectable Fishing Monthly lure. This year’s lure is a limited edition No.1 StumpJumper. Dan Stead from Pimp My Lure has assisted by creating the colour using the Fishing Monthly logo colours. JM Gillies then produced a limited run of the colour for the Fishing Monthly team to give away as part of a special subscription offer at this year’s show.

If you subscribe for 12 months to any one of the four magazines for $65, you will receive a Fishing Monthly StumpJumper free with your subscription.

There is a limited number of lures so get in quick!

Knockas have proven themselves all over the world by comfortably handling GTs in excess of 40kg. If your scene is the pinnacle of topwater fishing, and you like the idea of a lure that won’t just land you one trophy fish, but a dozen or more, then a Bommie Knocka is the lure for you.

2019 LURE EXPO MAY 2019

7 71

COMING SOON

View the range on the Daiwa Stand at the 2019 Lure and Fly show.

72

MAY 2019

FIND FIND THE THE

LOGO COMPETITION

There are 15 Logos hidden throughout the There are 15 Logos hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly. pages of Fishing Monthly.

The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of each month The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of each month will win a Neck Scarf will win a Neck Scarf

Fill in the entry form below with the page number of each Fill in the entry form below with the page number of each logo location and go in the draw to win! logo location and go in the draw to win!

entries will Prize draw All entries will then thengo go into the Major Prize draw to win 1 of All entries will then go into the Major Prize draw to win 1 of to be bedrawn drawnon on31st [DATE].

3 prize packs to October, 2019.

3 prize packs to be drawn on [DATE].

MAJOR $$ $ $ $200 $ 1000 500 PRIZES 1st 1st PLACE PLACE

2nd 2nd PLACE PLACE

3rd 3rd PLACE PLACE

RRP worth of DAIWA Products RRP worth of DAIWA Products

RRP worth of DAIWA products RRP worth of DAIWA products

RRP worth of DAIWA products RRP worth of DAIWA products

PAGE NO: 1 PAGE NO: 1

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NAME NAME

MAIL MAILENTRIES ENTRIESTO: TO: MAIL ENTRIES TO: NSWFM V&TFMFind Findthe theDAIWA DAIWALogo LogoCompetition, Competition, NSWFM Find the DAIWA Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD PO BOX BOX 3172, LoganholmeQLD QLD 4129 4129 PO 3172, Loganholme 4129 Entries must bebe received by 30TH DATE 2019 Entries must received by 31st MAY, 2019 Entries must be received by 30TH DATE 2019 Original entriesonly. only.No Nophotocopies. photocopies.

Original entries Original entries only. No photocopies.

SUBURB SUBURB

P/CODE P/CODE

PHONE PHONE

V&TFM MAY2019

ADDRESS ADDRESS

EMAIL EMAIL

I want to receive updates from Daiwa Australia on news & special offers I want totick) receive updates from Daiwa Australia on news & special offers (please (please tick) MAY 2019

73

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2019

MAY

JUNE

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

4-5 May

ABT BREAM Round 5 Blackwood

abt.org.au

4-5 May

Victoria Bream Classic Round 3 Metung

billhartshorne@hotmail.com

18-19 May

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 6 Woy Woy

hobiefishing.com.au

25-26 May

ABT BASS Round 2 Glenbawn Dam

abt.org.au

22-23 June

ABT BASS Round 3 Lake St Clair

abt.org.au

22-23 June

Hobie Kayak Bream Series Round 7 Gold Coast

hobiefishing.com.au

22-23 June

Victoria Bream Classic Round 4 Hopkins River

billhartshorne@hotmail.com

30 June

ABT BASS Electric Round 3 Maroon Dam

abt.org.au

6-7 July

ABT BREAM Round 6 Bribie Island

abt.org.au

13-14 July

ABT BASS Round 4 Cania Dam

abt.org.au

28 July

ABT BASS Electric Round 4 Lake Gregory

abt.org.au

10-11 Aug

ABT BASS Round 5 Somerset Dam

abt.org.au

7-8 Sep

ABT BREAM Round 7 Gladstone

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.

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74

MAY 2019

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Team Berkley just too strong at Mallacoota Round 2 of the 2019 NS Rods Sunline Vic Bream Classic Series held on 16-17 March, saw 50 teams head to mighty Mallacoota for the Bayford Volkswagen East Gippsland Bream Classic. The anglers were met with super high water levels and a system filled with fish ready to bite, resulting in some quality fish for the weekend.

I was lucky enough to secure another win alongside my Team Berkley team member, Mike Hodges.

hitting no less than eight different spots ranging from 16ft deep right up to some super shallow flooded banks. This area was not a viable option for game day.

So, we headed off to inspect the top lake. Just as we were about to enter the Narrows, we stopped to have a quick cast at one of the jetties. Usually the jetties are not an option, but as the water levels were up we thought they just might come into play. After two bites off the first two jetties,

Brad Hodges from Team Berkley displays the 1.36kg bream that secured him the JML Anglers Alliance Big Bream.

Over the years, we have had a range of conditions to deal with while fishing in bream tournaments, strong winds, torrential rain, extreme heat and the list goes on. At Mallacoota we were faced with an exceptionally high water level and a system that had not flowed for a very long time.

We expected the fishing to be similar to recent years, with a smallish bag of 3.5kg being more than acceptable.

Our pre-fish started in the bottom lake. We searched Goodwin Sands for only one legal bream and then we covered the majority of the bottom lake,

we now had a backup plan.

We headed into the top lake and after crossing off another handful of past productive spots, we finally found an area that seemed to be holding feeding fish.

We caught a couple and left to give Goodwin Sands one last look before we headed to the briefing. On our final drift of the day, Dad hooked two solid yellowfin bream.

The wind was up and the fish were feeding, but we had doubts about them feeding in calm conditions the next morning.

DAY ONE We headed straight to Goodwin Sands at the start of the competition. It

Swiping 1st place was Team Berkley’s Brad and Mike Hodges with 10/10 bream for 8.53kg. In 2nd place was Team Chemically Sharp’s Damien McGlynn and Adam Arbuthnot with 10/10 bream for 7.96kg and rounding out 3rd place was Team Blackfin’s Owen Pierce and Max Mackney with 10/10 bream for 6.96kg. was calm and after a quiet 20mins I was almost ready to leave when Dad hooked a 34cm bream. The fish were still up shallow, so we slowed right down and begun thoroughly working every inch of water in front of us. The Berkley Puppy Dog in 12 gauge was once again the lure of choice and I believe it was the silent presentation that produced the bites.

By 8am we had four fish, all of which were between 700g and 1kg. It was an incredible start and as the 5th fish was boated (a 29cm yellowfin bream) we thought we might have cracked 4kg.

The shallow bite had stopped and we moved to the edge of the Sands and worked the drop-off. After about 20mins we got the big bite we were looking for, we upgraded the 29 tipper with a cracking 1.36kg bream that also took out the JML Anglers Alliance Big Bream prize.

We spent the rest of the day searching for another upgrade but despite catching

a few more fish they didn’t make the grade. We weighed in a healthy 5.12kg, which

a move to the jetties and were quickly rewarded with a fish off the first. We fished every jetty we could find and despite dropping a few fish we filled our limit and upgraded a couple of times. The lure choice was a Berkley 2.5” Crabby in camo rigged on a Nitro 1/24 jighead. We weighed in 3.40kg, which was enough to claim victory.

With a final total of 10/10 bream weighing 8.53kg our team, Team Berkley, secured another fantastic victory. We won a combination of Abu Garcia Salty Stage 6’8” 1.5-5kg or Abu Garcia Salty Stage 7’2” 1-3kg rods, matched with Roxani 2000 reels spooled with 6lb Berkley Ultra 8 Fireline and a Vanish 4lb leader.

Finishing in 2nd place after making a charge on day two, was Team Chemically Sharp’s Damien McGlynn and Adam Arbuthnot, who weighed in 10/10 bream for 7.96kg. Also charging 16 positions up the leaderboard on day two and finishing in 6th place and taking out the Hurricane Monster Movers prize, was Team Humminbird’s Shaun Clancy and Jarrod Healey.

The next stop on the 2019 NS Rods Sunline Vic Bream Classic Series Calendar will be at Warrnambool on the Hopkins River for the 2019 Glenelg Hopkins CMA BCF Bream Classic on 22-23 June. To get all the info and entry forms visit www. vicbreamclassics.com.au or call Bill Hartshorne on 0409 823 070. –Brad Hodges

RESULTS Place Team Name

1 Berkley 2 Chemically Sharp 3 Blackfin 4 Here Fishy Fishy 5 Just Winging It 6 Humminbird 7 Fishin.com.au 8 Don the Sash 9 Samurai Rods 10 Lowrance

Angler One

Brad Hodges Damien McGlynn Owen Pierce Geoffry Borg Chris Allwood Shaun Clancy Mike Reber Mario Vukic Don Mackrell Alex Franchuk

would give us the Sunline Best Bag Prize for the weekend and had us sitting in pole position going into day two. With the jetties still up our sleeves for day two, we were confident we could put a good bag together.

DAY TWO Once again, we headed straight to Goodwin Sands and once again it was calm.

We landed two fish in the first 20mins, including a solid 1kg fish, but after that it seemed that the bite was shut down. We made

Angler Two

Michael Hodges Adam Arbuthnot Max Mackney John Galae Jack Allwood Jarrod Healy Stuart Carruthers Michael Vukic Declan Betts Alex Beh

Total Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

Total Weight (kg) 8.53 7.96 6.96 6.70 6.56 6.53 6.47 6.46 6.39 6.31

Brad and Mike Hodges display some of the quality fish that made up their 5.12kg Sunline Best Bag.

MAY 2019

75

Langley takes maiden boater win with $5 fuel bill Paul Langley has been fishing ABT BREAM tournaments for quite a few years now, competing in the non-boater ranks.

He was the quiet achiever, never one to be seen at the tubs boasting about his catch or worrying about what anyone else had caught. Langley just fished each comp as it came and enjoyed tournament BREAM fishing for its own sake. But recently, after buying a bass boat, he has stepped it up to join the boaters.

While his first boating comp at South West Rocks turned out to be a dreaded double doughnut, coming into his second event as a boater in the ABT Costa BREAM series, he was pretty calm, considering his last outing. He had fished Botany Bay only a few weeks before, and having found the fish on the edges, that’s what he based his pre-fish on. Through the pre-fish day he wasn’t happy with the size or number of fish he was catching, but looking on Google Maps he found a deep reef that looked pretty good and ended up producing a nice fish from it.

BOATER’S WINNING GEAR Rod Reel Line Lure

Pflueger Trion 1-3 kg UL Shimano 2500 9lb Yamatoyo braid and 6lb leader Cranka Crab Heavy in olive

the bottom. Fishing was a little slow, with him only picking up two fish early.

He was worried if his little 100m stretch of reef would handle two days fishing, but he stuck it out, knowing that if they bit like the day

before, it would be worth it.

It wasn’t until around 11am that things picked up and Langley was able to fill his limit of five fish, giving him a 3.40kg bag and a total of 7kg to take the win at the Botany Bay round!

Paul Langley with his winner’s haul from the ABT BREAM Botany Bay round.

Going into day one of the ABT Daiwa Botany round, Langley made the choice to go back to his reef. Only 400m away from the start line, it didn’t take him long to get a line in the water.

Fishing this reef in around 4-5m, his lure of choice was the old faithful Cranka Crab

Heavy in olive. Langley was drifting backwards and forwards on one patch of reef all day. Casting his crab out, sinking it to the bottom and dragging it slowly along the reef saw him picking fish up consistently, and even upgrading a few times. He filled his limit of bream on

day one with a bag weighing 3.60kg. Day one’s efforts had him sitting in first place for day two.

On day two, Langley made the same 400m run from the start line.

Langley started on his deep crab pattern in 5m of water, dragging it along

Paul showing off some of the fish that helped him win.

BOATER RESULTS

Scan the QR code to see Boater winner, Paul Langley interview.

Place Name 1 Paul Langley 2 Grant Kime 3 Peter Cook 4 Todd Riches 5 Mark Crompton 6 Daniel Bonaccorso 7 Richard Potter 8 Ross Cannizzaro 9 Christian Wardini 10 Jamie McKeown

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 76

MAY 2019

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 10/10 7.00 $3000 + $500 Mercury Bonus 10/10 6.43 $1750 + $300 Mercury Bonus 10/10 6.04 $1200 8/10 5.80 $900 10/10 5.77 $800 10/10 5.65 $700 10/10 5.59 $600 10/10 5.50 $500 10/10 5.41 9/10 5.38 $200 Mercury Bonus

Scan the QR code to see Botany Bay day one highlights.

BREAM Series presented by

Kimey slides into second Grant Kime, the 2016 ABT Costa BREAM Grand Final winner, is

no stranger to the bream tournaments. Coming from the St Georges Basin area,

NON-BOATER FIRST PLACE GEAR Rod Reel Line Lures

Daiwa Silver Wolf Daiwa Silver Wolf 2004 Daiwa Evo 8 and Sunline 8lb leader Jackall Chubby, ZMan GrubZ and Slim SwimZ in motor oil rigged on 1/12oz TTs HeadlockZ

Scan the QR code to see Botany Bay day two highlights.

he doesn’t mind a bit of flats fishing or blading in the deep, so the 2019 ABT Daiwa Botany round played nearly into his hands.

On day one Kime fished an area called the Towra flats early, with this area being fairly shallow. The area only produced three bites, but one of those bites ended up being a nice fish over the 1kg mark, which he unfortunately dropped boatside. He says he hung around too long hoping to

get more bites like that, a decision that cost him.

After spending another half an hour for nothing, he moved on. Kime hit another area that he caught some fish in on the practise day, and found this is where he should have been all along, filling his bag in less than an hour. Kime was using an Ecogear VX40 blade in 439 pattern in 20ft of water, fishing it with short hops along the bottom. He said that 439 was exactly the same colour as some cockle shells a bream had spewed on the deck. His day one bag tipping the scales at 2.73kg.

Day two saw Grant head straight back to his spot, not wasting time anywhere else. This area was wide of the Towra flats in 20ft of water. He got into them straight away, catching almost a fish a cast for half an hour. He ended up filling an impressive bag quite quickly, but had a lightbulb

BREAM SERIES

Second place boater Grant Kime fished hard, but unfortunately fell just short of a win. moment and noticed a tug in the distance stirring the bottom up. His first cast into the area saw him hooked up, and the next hour was spent upgrading his whole bag.

Bringing the biggest bag to the scales for the whole comp at 3.70kg, it may have been that kilo fish he lost at the boat that cost him first place!

Scan the QR code to see Non-Boater winner, Stuart Walker interview.

Walker wins again Stuart Walker is one Kiwi we’ll happily take as our own, winning multiple events and taking out Angler of the Year four years in a row, and it’s no surprise to see him take a win in the ABT Costa BREAM series once again.

Walker definitely had a slow day fishing on day one with Russell Babekull, who fished oyster racks all day. He only caught two fish for the session, but one of them was a cracking bream

weighing 1.2kg, which ate a Jackall Chubby, and the other, smaller fish took a ZMan Slim SwimZ in motor oil. His day one bag only weighed 1.72kg, but if anyone can come back from a day like that, it is Stuart Walker. Going into day two, fishing with day one boating leader Paul Langley, Walker definitely made the most of it.

On day two Walker made that 400m with Paul Langley, fishing Langley’s little 5m deep reef. Walker landed

two fish pretty quickly and thought to himself that it was going to be a good day, however it went quiet soon after. With the watch tightening, he was a little worried. Come 11am, the fish were on again. He filled his limit by 12pm.

Fishing a mix of ZMan Slim SwimZ and GrubZ, he ended up with a limit of five fish weighing 3.39kg, with a total weight of 5.11kg. Stuart Walker had won it again!

Paul Langley came out on top in his second competition as a boater, having not weighed a single fish in his first comp last year.

Rocket takes Big Bream Rodney O’Sullivan ended up winning the Daiwa J Braid Big Bream prize, taking home $500 plus a Daiwa

J Braid prize pack. Rodney said it wasn’t rocket science to catch this 1.4kg bruiser.

He just calmly waited for his

boater Chris Seeto to finish crankbaiting a boat hull, and then cast his Cranka Crab Heavy in olive into the back of the boat. The giant fish ate the crab on the drop!

Stuart Walker claims another non-boater win in the BREAM series.

NON-BOATER RESULTS

Rodney O’Sullivan’s 1.4kg bruiser Botany bream.

Place Name 1 Stuart Walker 2 Peter Breukel 3 Rodney O’Sullivan 4 Adam Costa 5 William Lee 6 Louie Wardini 7 Neil Kelly 8 Tani Konsul 9 Josh Carpenter 10 Dallas Blatchford

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 7/10 5.11 Daiwa Prize Pack + $200 Hobie Bonus 8/10 4.00 Fish-Tec Prize Pack + $100 Hobie Bonus 6/10 3.78 Cranka Lures Prize Pack + $500 (Big Bream) 7/10 3.68 TTs Prize Pack + $75 Hobie Bonus 6/10 3.64 Sufix Prize Pack 6/10 3.64 Ecogear Prize Pack 4/10 3.32 Shimano Prize Pack 7/10 3.11 Lucky Craft Prize Pack 6/10 2.80 Keitech Prize Pack 5/10 2.62 Sunline Prize Pack MAY 2019

77

McKeown breaks weight record at BREAM Open Jamie McKeown is a local Gold Coast angler who most fishers fear on his home waterway, but living nearly 1000km away from Sydney, he went into the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open a bit of an underdog, with so many Sydney locals fishing this comp.

Jamie went into this comp just wanting to catch his five fish limit every day. The Daiwa BREAM Australian Open is a marathon of a competition, requiring anglers to compete for three days with sevenhour sessions. The comp was held at two venues, Sydney Harbour for day one and three, and the Hawkesbury River day two. With this in mind, McKeown went and fished what he knows best: Cranka Crabs.

Day one at Sydney Harbour saw McKeown fishing two areas called the Wedding Cakes, and Sow and Pigs. He made a quick pass of the Wedding Cakes and got nothing. So he strapped everything down and headed to Sow and Pigs.

It wasn’t long before he knew he had made the right move, catching his limit fairly quickly, but was wise

Those who finished on the podium, Jamie McKeown, Ross Cannizzaro and Mark Crompton, fought a fierce battle in Sydney’s premier bream fisheries. enough not to fish it too hard, tactically moving along 50m or so every 5-10 minutes and not fishing. On day one he weighed a great bag of five bream for a weight of 4.43kg, which had him in second place for the start of day two.

Day two on the Hawkesbury River saw a completely different set of circumtances. Going into day two, McKeown had some time to kill, as he was waiting for the top of the tide for his key areas to fire. He had a look around Cowan and America Bay, catching three small fish on bent minnow style lures. By

then, the tide had filled and he headed upriver between Bar Point and Spencer. He wanted to concentrate on throwing Cranka Crabs on rock walls in anywhere from 3-6m deep with the falling tide run. Once again, he made the right move at the right time, catching two nice fish back-to-back, before upgrading the three rats he had caught earlier. Although his bag wasn’t as big as day one’s, his five fish for 4.08kg was enough to keep him in second place going into day three.

It was back to Sydney Harbour for day three, and Jamie went into it knowing he

had a shot at winning, being only 800g from the leader and last year’s winner Mark Crompton. He headed to Sow and Pigs that had been so kind to him on day one, hoping that it had replenished from

his first day there. It had, and he bagged out around 8:30am, but not long after that a seal showed up and shut everything down. McKeown went and had a look at the Wedding Cakes and Spit Bridge once again for nothing, so headed back to his honey hole and luckily the seal had left. He sat there for the rest of the day upgrading nearly his whole bag, except for a 36 forker he caught there earlier in the day. Once again, all fish were caught on 65mm Cranka Crab Custom Heavys in olive and spotted. He headed in a little early, as his electric motor had run out, which left him wondering whether he had enough weight with his bag of five bream.

It was a nail bitting weigh-in, with lots of good bags coming in, but he knew it would come down to the final three to weigh-in, Mark Crompton, himself and Ross Cannizzaro.

Cannizzaro was in the hot seat, taking the lead with a

Scan the QR code to see the Australian Open day one highlights.

4.98kg bag. Jamie needed 4.90kg to take the lead, and when the button was pushed Jamie’s bag dragged the scale down to 4.98kg! He had caught the same weight as Cannizzaro and taken the lead by 80g. Day two leader and champ for 2018 Mark Crompton ended up weighing a limit, but only had a 2.95kg sack, which gave Jamie McKeown the win for the 2019 Daiwa BREAM Australian Open!

BOATER’S WINNING GEAR

Scan the QR code to see Aus Open winner Jamie McKeown interview.

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Samaki Archer 691 Ecooda Black Hawk Sufix 10lb Coastal Braid and 8lb Sufix leader Cranka Crab 65mm custom Cranka Crab Custom Heavy in olive and spotted

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 78

MAY 2019

The picture that paints a thousand words: maybe next year, Ross.

Cannizzaro bridesmaid once again Ross Cannizzaro is a Sydney local and always a favourite in the Harbour and Hawkesbury River, and some say the bream in these systems are his pets.

They just don’t seem to do what he wants come Bream Open time! This is one comp Cannizzaro has never won, and unfortunately this year wasn’t his year either, coming second to Jamie McKeown by only 80g.

For day one on the Harbour, Cannizzaro started his day fishing from Goat Island to Manly, skip casting a 2.5” Gulp Crabby in camo colour under boat hulls.

Cannizzaro says by skipping the lure deep under hulls and getting his bait in the shade, the fish would eat it

on the drop. If he didn’t get a hit on the first two casts, he would go on to the next boat and repeat the process.

This technique filled his bag, but he knew they weren’t big enough to win. So he went to the edges, fishing vertical structure such as rock walls, poles and jetties. Here Cannizzaro fished something new to him, a Cranka Crab, and as Cranka Crabs tend to do, they got him the bigger bites that he needed to upgrade a few times and saw him bringing a 3.54kg bag to the scales.

Day two on the Hawkesbury had Cannizzaro heading upriver past Spencer to fish the rock walls and edges using a Berkley Gulp Pulse Craw Ross Cannizzaro landed some impressive fish to earn him second place.

Jamie McKeown came from below to claim victory in the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open.

on a 1/8oz jighead and Berkley Bigeye Blades.

Cannizzaro was casting his Bigeye Blade tight to the edge and hopping it down to around 15ft. The fish would either take the blade on the drop after a little hop, or while it was just sitting on the bottom doing nothing, where he would go for the next hop and there would be weight on the line. The Pulse Craw he fished was much the same way, but it got most bites while dead sticked on the bottom, with the 1/8oz jighead keeping it on the bottom, even in a strong current. Day two saw him with five fish for a total 4.87kg.

The finish line showed an impressive cross section of boats and anglers.

On returning to Sydney Harbour, Cannizzaro knew he needed big fish on this final day to win, so he did his milk run, quickly filling his bag like he had on day one with a lure that has been so good to him over the years, the Berkley Gulp Crabby. He felt he was going to need something else to take the win this year, so he went to the dark side and tied on a Cranka Crab, and yes, that crab worked its magic. Cannizzaro pitched it into poles, jetties and rock walls, quickly upgrading his whole bag. Cannizzaro ended up weighing 4.98kg, earning him second place by only 80g.

Scan the QR code to see Aus Open runner up Ross Cannizzaro interview.

Last year’s winner Mark Crompton scored himself a third in this year’s Open.

The top five anglers show off their respective share of the winnings.

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN RESULTS

Scan the QR code to see the Australian Open day two highlights.

Place Name 1 Jamie McKeown 2 Ross Cannizzaro 3 Mark Crompton 4 Liam Carruthers 5 Daniel Bonaccorso 6 Michael Colotouros 7 Mark Healey 8 Kristoffer Hickson 9 Tom Slater 10 Steve Morgan

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 15/15 13.47 $5000 15/15 13.39 $3500 15/15 12.34 $2500 15/15 12.03 $2000 15/15 11.93 $1000 15/15 11.39 Daiwa Prize Pack 15/15 11.24 Daiwa Prize Pack 15/15 11.02 Daiwa Prize Pack 15/15 10.86 Daiwa Prize Pack 15/15 10.39 Daiwa Prize Pack

Scan the QR code to see the Australian Open day three highlights.

MAY 2019

79

Tournament weigh-ins aren’t dead yet SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

Evolve or die. Those are the only two choices in response to significant change.

I am not talking climate change here, though the effect is the same – the march of time, the gentle shifting year on year, the introduction of new predators, the introduction of new competitors. I am of course talking an institution that is almost certainly as old as fishing itself – the weigh-in. It takes no imagination to know that the invention of the first hook 25,000 years led to the comparison of the size of the catch. Humans have throughout their evolution valued skill in hunting with good reason.

It’s the key attribute that got us going as a species.

Weigh-ins for sport have been part of the fishing scene as long as fishing has been competitive. As with our ancient ancestors – the best hunters catch the biggest fish.

Going back in time though, the weigh-in was the only real option available for comparing catches as it was the most effective measure when you are bring fish in. The rise of catch and release has seen the rise of a plethora of alternatives. I have firsthand experience, at last count we have over 30 different scoring processes embedded in Track My Fish – as the scoring coder making them happen is my job. I don’t want anyone else getting the blame if we get it wrong.

Right now, given that we have an app, you might think our sole focus is on catch and release but instead we are investing an equal amount of resources in weigh-ins. Far from dead, we believe that weigh-ins are going to be a part of fishing for a long time to come. I have been around to a lot of different events in different parts of the country in the past 12 months and it’s clear that the traditional format is facing some serious challenges. For one, there are challenges in maintain volunteers and equipment, for another community attitudes have hardened to killing fish needlessly and then the plethora of alternatives have split the fishing base.

There is no magic bullet to these challenges.

Instead, we are working with individual events to 80

MAY 2019

The ABT Australian Open Award presentation livestream. help them to find their own magic. Sure we bring a toolkit, but every event has its own unique characteristics. We don’t want to lose the things that work in an event in the process of introducing new technology and automation.

There are two key things we aim for – first to save time, both in preparation and in the event itself.

This is critical to free up resources within an event to implement new ideas.

Second we aim to provide new options to make the weigh-in more engaging for an audience. The more the wider community has access to fishing events and what happens, the less other groups that have an interest in attacking weigh-ins can provide misleading ‘evidence’ on what happens. This also has benefits for sponsors – the wider we celebrate fishing, the more chances they have to capture new converts.

Everyone wins when we take a positive approach to our sport and act responsibly along the way.

WEIGH-INS UNDER ANSA IN THE 1980S While Infofish has had a long connection with Catch and Release and Tag and Release, through Suntag, the Release Fish Survival education program in the 2000s and numerous competitions my personal background comes more from weigh-ins.

I grew up in Bundaberg fishing ANSA line class competitions where weight was everything. Winning was a matter of balancing the equation of line class, fighting factor and weight which made things fun – you had a lot of combinations to make up the points. Add in seasonality and weather conditions and each comp required some thought on tactics.

That I think was the magic of the line class system, fishers with polar opposite strategies – for

example game vs light gear could compete head to head. The fighting factor became the great equaliser and many long nights invested in getting the system right.

In the modern era of braid lines and fluorocarbon, line class has largely gone the way of the dodo. There are still groups that work to line class but it has fallen away as the dominant system.

None the less, the vast majority of my fishing competition time has been in weigh-ins and I remember them fondly.

I don’t want to see them go away, they were an important part of my development personally and as a fisher. Weigh-ins are a huge part of the tradition of fishing, one that shouldn’t be discarded needlessly.

ABT AUSTRALIAN OPEN My first weigh-in in my adult era was an ABT event at the Cleveland

Showgrounds. As with all ABT BREAM events, this was a live weigh in, bag weight affair. I have spent many late nights analysing results of ABT events and the two most important numbers in this fishing format are the five bags and 0 bags. The ratio of these two numbers tells you a lot about the state of the fishery/fishing conditions.

That however is a post event clinical analysis. It doesn’t incorporate the spectacle of the fish being weighed in.

First up, while zero bags stand out when analysing the results, it’s amazing how fishers manage to ninja their way out of view when they have nothing to weigh-in. On the flip side though I realised how much you miss when you look at the stats alone. As a sports scientist, data is important and not knowing anything about the competitors is a good thing. Not knowing removes bias or the temptation to put a positive

interpretation on results that may be from someone you know. On the other hand, missing the stories from competitors about their day/what worked/ what didn’t made it clear that there is good reason to think fishing can be more engaging.

THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IS PROOF The ABT has had an online scoreboard for a while, but we helped them move it to the cloud last year, which increased the flexibility no end. The end of the use of virtual machines to run the events meant that any member of the team at any time can access the database.

Not only that but with a modern platform, we could generate as many variants on the scoring process as required, this would be a big step in development of the product.

This year, the event ran with app based reporting of the catches to update the on the water scoreboard.

Over the three days, 1200 people checked out the scoreboards and it was the most viewed scoreboard we have had to date, indicating that people are interested in knowing how the fishers are tracking. I think this works well in the bigger ABT events and I am looking forward to the Gladstone round in September, which will be the first full app-based bream round.

The big innovation though comes in the weigh-in. Nicholle Smith has done a brilliant job with high quality overlays for the livestream and we developed a plug in scoreboard that shows

the top 10. Add in some new technology to handle multiple cameras and the production aesthetics have gone up several notches this year. The results were the biggest year with live audiences giving the sponsors top value for money in terms of coverage.

Seeing as I have some inside knowledge on the backend of the video production I can safely predict that the ABT will be setting the standards for livestreaming for some time to come. I think that is the right place to be investing.

As a total content package the early on the water fishing and weigh-ins are the two big live content aces and the ABT is getting that part right.

I will do a separate article on livestreaming at some point as we have spent a lot of time on the technical backend. There are a lot of things you can do to make a livestream look sexy, the challenge it to make the production engaging. This requires a mindset that focuses on audience and if you are thinking of adding livestreaming to your event – you could do a lot worse than putting a few hard days watching the ABT streams, as I think Steve Morgan has the best eye for content creation in the industry.

BERKLEY SUPER SERIES Last year, Chris Gates of the Berkley Super Series invited me to help out with the Berkly Superseries Grand Final down in Sydney and to honest, I was spoiled. With the event integrated into the

The Berkley Super Series live scoreboard is a huge step forward for the competition.

Sydney boat show, they had the big tank out to show off the catches to the public and kids constantly milled around them. I was on hand to run the live scoreboards and help out with livestreaming cameras and it was fantastic to see a large crowd including many families with young kids gather on the final day for the big weigh-in.

Hopefully some of them will go on to be the next generation of competitors.

This year we setup a live scoring process for Chris, similar to the scoreboard setup for ABT, which is understandable given they are both live weigh-in bream events.

One innovation that we added for Chris does stand out though and that is the addition of the prize money to the live scoreboard, which auto-calculates as you go. What this means is if you are the first to weigh in, you get to feel the elation of being top of the prize money – if only for an instant. A tip for the anglers – if you get in early make it with a big bag, otherwise prepare for a game of snakes and ladders as you slide out of the money. I think this is a great addition, as it provides context to the audience for what’s at stake. The competitors will know what the payout looks like but not those at home.

There is no ‘assumed’ knowledge in the audience, you have to proceed as if they know nothing. The less work they have to do to catch up, the more chance they will hang around and get involved.

As the year progresses we hope to add more innovations for Chris.

The Berkley Superseries already has a livestream and I think there is a more that we can do to add an appeal.

BARRABASSTASSTIC Maybe the term ‘weigh-in’ is a loose interpretation of the Barrabasstasstic process, but it doesn’t matter how you get there. We became involved with the Barrabasstasstic series through a bit of a side event at Lake Awoonga. We have

developed an app for the local water board to monitor catches and they require events on the impoundment to use the app. In this case it was a photo based catch and release event for barramundi, which is a pretty standard format in barra circles. It’s fair to say Barrabasstasstic needed some convincing but we worked hard and Tracy Chelepy, our events co-ordinator, was on hand throughout the event to make sure any issues were handled promptly.

The Barrabasstasstic series is unique in that it combines the attributes of a live weigh-in with the more modern length based standard. Each competitor brings in their two bag live, the fish are measured by scrutineers, then are released to fight another day. Scoring wise, there are three sessions, best two fish from each session.

Tracy went out to the first singles round to help out, from all reports the hot weather made the fishing hard work and there were

Tracy Chelepy joining in on the fun at round one of the Barrabasstasstic Singles Series at Lake Borumba. among competitors in the live scoring and in areas where reception is better we expect they will follow along on their phones.

with quite different rules.

Additionally they have a series of scoreboards for annual scoring for Angler of the Year and ranking

The Marmion Aquatic and Angling Club Scoreboard in the downstairs weigh-in area. a lot of zeros recorded each session. That said all the competitors had a great time and as always a beer or three at the end of the day helps knock the edge off a bad session.

There was a lot of interest

We are also looking at a portable TV display unit as well.

Russell Nowland certainly bought some new challenges our way with the need to support team and single events

points to earn a place in the Grand Final. Of course, there were a few tricky elements to calculating the points – it wouldn’t be a fishing comp if things were straightforward. In the end we developed a process

similar to that we used for the Berkley series, only with a lot more scoreboards and calculations.

Another innovation came in the form of adding in a photo only section for the event where fishers could submit happy snaps and action shots via a Basstasstasstic custom version of the Track My Fish app.

This removed the need to be chasing around for SD cards at the end of an event.

All up the combination saves a bunch of time and less stress for Russ means he can focus on providing the best possible experience for the competitors.

MAAC Marmion Aquatic and Angling Club is a long standing club with decades of history and rules for their events. Accordingly they have the most complex event we have ever looked at automating – and that is just the design phase.

Few events I have seen have as much paperwork.

There are slips to register for the event, multiple books for recording scores, receipts for catches, the main whiteboard for tracking scores and at the end everything has to be transferred to spreadsheets where a complex set of

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lookups tally the results into annual scores.

Volunteers have to spend pretty much the whole day just recording information, something that takes its toll on everyone involved. The challenge is to take that process and automate it without loosing any of the elements that have made the club successful for so long.

While we are still in the design stage, this is a challenge that excites me as while it will be a lot of work to make it happen, seeing the event running smoothly with a lot less wheels to turn will be one of the most satisfying experiences I have had since starting my Track My Fish journey.

I hope that Marmion is around for decades to come and running their monthly competitions, that will be a great sign of the health of the industry.

THE FUTURE IS LOOKING BRIGHT. They say it’s the journey not the destination that matters, for me it’s a bit of both.

I love the challenge of helping events to save time and improve their services.

At the same time I get the most reward from seeing the end results.

As I said at the start of the article, there is no one size fits all approach to taking a weigh-in to the next level. The right combination of tools depends on the format and the personalities of the people involved.

For some events, just getting the scoring process automated will be a big leap forward, for others engagement on social media is the go. There are three things that I think are key – saving time, engaging audience and doing so on a budget.

In the long run content and engagement is critical to improving events in terms of sponsorship and participation.

Looking even wider, the more we as an industry invest in improving the product and educating the community that fishing is fun and brings a lot of benefits, the better off we will be.

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FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS LAGOON LAKE RIVER STREAM OCEAN SOUND STRAIT CHANNEL GULF SEA ESTUARY

BODIES OF WATER

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

RESERVOIR BAY INLET SHOAL COVE CANAL ARM BAYOU CREEK DELTA GULF

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 MAY 2019

Phone (day):

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

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

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to, A Melis 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 March is T Van Emmerik of Strathfieldsaye, who won an E.J. Todd Prize Pack to the value of $300.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

Strange of Cardigan, A Bonner of Coragulac, R Wilde of Maryborough, J Drummond of Moe, R Newton of Wangaratta, M Loussert of Jan Juc, D Dunn of Warrnambool, F Wilson of Hoppers Crossing, D Robinson of Carisbrook, N Knights of Bayswater North, J Darch of Altona, R Sanders of Koo Wee Rup, R Crossman of Echuca, J Ellis of Reservior, F Hutchins of Sunbury, D Fitzgerald of Coldstream, T Sampson

of Howrah, I Christensen of Rosebud, P Berner of Box Hill, K Morrison of Moama, E Howarth of Cowra, D Voros of Korumburra, T Mathieson of Patterson Lakes, T Berryman of Belgrave South, B Metherell of Narre Warren South, F Oleszko of Braybrook, B Delphine of Emerald.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO

84

MAY 2019

GUESS THE FISH?

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Whiting

The answers to Find the Gamakatsu Logo for March were: 8, 12, 19, 26, 30, 32, 33, 36, 38, 45, 48, 54, 60, 70, 86. – V&TFM The Find the Gamakatsu Logo prize winners for March were: S Ward of Curlewis, T Crawford of Wy Yung, C Torney of Brassall, D Hill of Cranbourne North, P Dickinson of Langwarrin, J Steenhuis Young of Warrnambool, K Tripp of Glenroy, D Hedley of Hamilton, W Johnson of Morwell, T Tippet of Nurrabiel, T Edwards of Castlemaine, C Kelly of Cranbourne, T Darker of Daylesford, A

© A Cordelia Adams original artwork. Instagram: clausdoesart

Answer:

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat

Inside story...

Sea Jay Aluminium Boats has been family owned and operated for over 25 years, and the name has become renowned for strength, quality workmanship and customization with the angler in mind.

Whether you’re fishing in fresh or salt, inshore or offshore, Sea Jay will provide you with a model to suit your boating and fishing needs.

Made for...

Sea Jay specialises in boats for sports anglers, offering a stable fishing platform and plenty of storage.

This month...

86 New 300 Tuffy

Bob Thornton checks out Polycraft’s updated Tuff Tender, now called the 300 Tuffy!

88 Flat out breaming

Justin Willmer provides a few pointers for one of his favourite techniques in the kayak.

90 More about bars

Wayne Kampe follows on from last month with some more tips for crossing coastal bars safely.

Editor Steve Morgan takes a ride in the Sea Jay Ranger 4.6m with Yamaha 70hp 4 stroke. Check it out on page 92!

MAY 2019

85

Smallest Polycraft family member gets a facelift patch up some holes, we can send a repair kit and it can easily be fixed – you wouldn’t even know it there was a hole there!”

Overall, the new hull weight is heavier than the

BRISBANE

Bob Thornton

Polycraft have some news that will interest sportfishers on a budget, and this is bound to generate a lot of excitement in the fishing and boating community!

The smallest member of the much-loved Polycraft family, the 300 Tuff Tender, has just been given a facelift, making it perfect as a small sportfishing boat. The name has also received a facelift, with this updated version being affectionately named the 300 Tuffy.

Steve Cooper from Polycraft says that the update was a logical step, and one that has already been well-received.

“Originally this boat was designed as a tender, but over time it started to develop a following as a fishing boat,” he said.

With many anglers choosing to add their own modifications, usually hatches in the rear and extended deck on the front, it got to the point where Polycraft felt the need to sell the Tuff Tender with these features – and that’s exactly what they’ve done.

“We added the extended casting deck up the front with

for the motor, and $2,000 for the Oceanic trailer, so this would only set you back about $7,500, and most people will then choose to add an electric,” he said.

If you’re after an

The new 300 Tuffy looks sporty when underway, and is the perfect outfit for an angler who wants to take the hassle out of owning a fishing boat.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Mckinstray.

storage hatch, rear seating and storage bins, we’ve also added some starboard finish on the decks, and everywhere else there’s a non-skid finish, as people like to stand up and fish in these boats,” Steve said.

“The steps on the back are now bigger, making it a lot more comfortable when stepping into the boat.”

Another small but fantastic feature of these boats

F F U T 0 0 3 E S A E L E NEW R

is in the storage, with all the hinges being made entirely out of the same poly material as the hull, yet keeping everything perfectly dry.

Despite all these changes to make it more of a fishing boat, the team at Polycraft haven’t left the Tuffy’s roots as a tender for big boats.

“This boat will still make a great tender for a Riviera, and we noticed with the last

version it had an exposed sprit at the front, and on that sprit was a bow shackle,” Steve said. “Being made of steel, some people were finding that the shackle would rub on the gel-coat overnight and cause some damage, so we’ve taken this into consideration and we’ve recessed this bolt, meaning it can’t come into contact with gel-coat surfaces anymore.”

There’s plenty of room to stand up on the non-slip starboard finished decks to fish. old version, with the old Tuff Tender coming in at 87kg, and the new Tuffy at 105kg, but the reason for that is surface area.

The Tuffy is 50mm longer, and 50mm wider. The storage bins add some weight, and the lids to the bins are also double skinned.

The boat tested on the day was fitted with a 15hp

inexpensive, trouble-free fishing boat to hit inshore water and lakes, make sure you check out Polycraft’s new 300 Tuffy. For more information you can visit www.polycraft.com.au.

• Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of

Y

DU RA BI LI T Y Y ST AB IL IT Y & SA M E LE GE ND AR

All Polycraft boats come with superior stability, and the 300 Tuffy is no exception!

st deck • Now with ca ll design • Improved hu ut aces througho • Non slip surf rage • More dry sto MILDURA LUCKNOW WARRNAMBOOL BENDIGO SHEPPARTON TRARALGON WILLIAMSTOWN WODONGA -

Baldwin Boats Bairnsdale Boats Richardson’s Marine Salem Boats Boats & More Gippsland Boat Supplies Aussie Boat Sales Leigh Martin Marine

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Check out the full range of Polycraft Boats at

www.polycraft.com.au

or contact us on 1800 336 603

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MAY 2019

Storage is a major factor of the Tuffy, and being of a waterproof design with absolutely no metal, the hatches won’t give any maintenance troubles at all!

Another great aspect of this boat the ease with which an owner can make his or her own modifications.

“You don’t ever make the perfect boat that suits every angler, so with Polycraft boats, if you want to attach a bracket, add more decking, or drill any holes in the cockpit area, you’re only screwing into the inside of the boat, and not penetrating the outside of the hull at all,” Steve said.

“If you sell the boat to someone and they want to

4-stroke Yamaha and a Minn Kota electric motor, and had no trouble getting up and out of the hole, and even took on South East Queensland’s Pumicestone Passage very easily in 10-15 knots of breeze.

The 80lb bow-mounted electric moved the hull effortlessly through the moored boats, and the deck provided ample space to operate it while making casts.

“For the rig like this, we’re looking at $1,999 for the hull, approximately $3,500

SPECIFICATIONS Length.............3070mm Beam...............560mm Height…..........550mm Weight.............108kg Floatation........Basic Max hp.............15hp individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

WHAT’S NEW BOATING BOAT RAMP FINDER AUS

1

The Australian Boat Ramp Finder has been redeveloped and relaunched on the Apple App store.

Australian Boat Ramp Finder has more than 1500 boat ramp locations around Australia, and users can search ‘Nearby’ and get the nearest locations of ramps by distance. You can also search ‘By Location’, and get the result from a specific area, which is particularly useful when you’re planning a trip or are browsing from the couch.

There’s the option to view a list of locations or you can map your results. If you select a location you will get the nearest address and a suggested route to that ramp location.

The developers are planning to add more info including photos, number of lanes, ramp surface (concrete, dirt etc) and the current state of repair.

The app is available for free on iPhone and iPad only, with an Android version in development. Be sure to seek local advice before using any ramp. www.facebook.com/AustralianBoat RampFinder

GARMIN ECHOMAP ULTRA

2

The Garmin echoMAP Ultra series is a new line of keyed-assist 10” and 12” touchscreen chartplotters that bring professional performance to inland and nearshore anglers.

The Ultra series has built-in support for Garmin’s Ultra HD scanning sonar as well as the Panoptix LiveScope series, which delivers live scanning sonar images of structure, bait and fish below and around the boat in real time.

The Ultra 106sv and Ultra 126sv are available bundled with the new Ultra HD GT54UHD-TM all-in-one transducer that provides the highest ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonar images and CHIRP traditional sonar. The GT54UHDTM’s SideVü operates at 455kHz. Ultra chartplotters are also compatible with the full line of Panoptix all-seeing sonar transducers, so anglers can see real-time sonar imagery at video-like speed. The 105sv and 125sv are also available without a bundled transducer.

These new chartplotters are preloaded with Australia BlueChart g2 vision HD cartography, and are expected to be available in Q2 2019.

For the full list of features visit the Garmin website.

Price: SRP $2999-$3999 www.garmin.com

LIGHTARMOR NAV LIGHTS

3

LightArmor fast action navigation lights are a new line of bi-colour and all-round lights.

LightArmor’s unique composite pole has superior flexibility, impact resistance and durability. It will bend, but won’t break – so anglers can manoeuvre through low-hanging obstacles with confidence.

Boaters will also appreciate the pole’s subtle, glare-free black matte finish.

These lights feature premium LED light engine technology that meets today’s global regulatory requirements, and which lasts for 50,000 hours. They are built with top-quality materials for lasting durability, appearance, and performance, and have a range of complementary plug-in bases.

The All-Round Lights feature an articulating head that adjusts 15° fore to 15° aft, and the Bi-Colour Lights feature tell-tale indicator lights to show when lights are on. One model is available with a task light option. Other features include an impact-resistant polycarbonate lens,

PRODUCT GUIDE

water-resistant (IP67 certified); corrosion/ UV resistant; and a 10-year warranty.

Price: from RRP $88 www.bla.com.au

NEW MERCURY MAX5 PROPS

4

Mercury Racing has expanded the MAX5 propeller family with a larger 15.25” diameter version as well as the all-new MAX5 ST. The MAX5 lab-finished prop delivers impressive results in both single and multipleengine applications, including Mercury Racing’s 400R outboard and 600 SCi sterndrive, with a reduction in propeller slip of up to 12%.

The 15.25” diameter models offer an additional 3-4% reduction in slip (compared to the 15” models) on selected outboard and sterndrive applications that benefit from elevated transom heights. Half-inch pitch offerings enable engines to be dialled-in to their max rpm operating range for enhanced throttle response, optimised cruise fuel efficiency and optimal top speed.

The new MAX5 ST prop is designed for the 4.6L V8 300R FourStroke outboard with Sport Master gearcase. The shortened exhaust barrel enhances the performance of single-engine and twin-engine boats. In testing, a 300R spinning a 31” pitch MAX5 ST prop powered a loaded Bullet 21 XRS bass boat to 157km/h with a mere 7% slip. www.mercuryracing.com

RAILBLAZA CAPTAIN’S HOOK

2 3

5

The Railblaza Captain’s Hook is an expandable low-profile solution for hanging your rods, spear guns, ropes, hoses, power cords, paddles and more.

If you’ve ever walked into a hook sticking out from the side of a boat or wall, or tried to fit something onto a hook that’s not big enough, you’ll love this product. Simply screw it to the surface and tie a knot at each end of the cord. Simple!

Supplied with stainless steel screws, the 1m length of cord can be cut shorter if needed. When not in use it is low profile to avoid catching people or clothes.

The Captain’s Hook does not require a Railblaza for mounting, and it comes with the required screws.

The maximum weight is 10kg per hook, and you need to choose a robust surface for installation as some surfaces may not support maximum load. www.railblaza.com

MERCURY FOURSTROKE SALE

1

54

6

Mercury is offering savings of up to $1500 on a selected range of 75-150hp FourStroke outboards.

Following the positive reaction to the summer 40-60hp FourStroke sale, Mercury has now decided to go further, offering higher horsepower and higher savings. That means customers who already own a boat, or are shopping for a new one, now have the opportunity to secure a special deal on a new Mercury 75-150hp FourStroke outboard. This offer is open to both recreational and SeaPro commercial customers.

To further assist boaties in securing this opportunity, Mercury Finance is offering deals at just 4.99%, with easy weekly repayments for customers upgrading an existing 40-15hp FourStroke engine.

To take advantage of either offer you have to act before 31 May, 2019. Terms and conditions apply. Visit the Mercury Marine website to learn more or to find your nearest Mercury dealer. www.mercurymarine.com.au

5

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

MAY 2019

87

Catching flats bream – shake, rattle and roll BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

The cooler mornings are a signal to me that it’s time to get up on the flats and chase a few bream on plastics. In many systems the winter months see an influx of bait and big

It’s hard to beat the kayak for this type of fishing, with its ability to navigate the shallows, its lower profile creating less shadow and ‘presence’ on the water, and the overall stealth factor.

I often have bream hitting at the lure all the way to the kayak, even eating the plastic right at the rod tip in plain sight. These bream are

tide, however, my favourite flats to fish are those that are exposed at low tide, as I believe if there is no water at low it gives the fish motivation to go there when they are covered in water to feed.

When fishing the flats, I prefer to fish the last of the run-in and first of the run-out tide. Although, they can be

Another one of the author’s go-to lures is the ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ paddle-tail.

A net is handy, especially when the bigger bream are around. bream into the system, with many anglers chasing these schooling fish in the deeper water, where they congregate at the mouths of rivers and seaways to spawn.

This deep water bite can be productive, producing cricket score catches of

actively feeding on the flats, they’re aggressive, often in large numbers, competitive and when you hook them in a few feet of water, it’s game on!

What are the ‘flats’? They are the large, predominantly flat expanses that are found in many systems. The water

productive at any stage of the tide as long as there is at least a couple of feet of water for the fish to hunt in.

The magic depth for me has been anywhere from around 0.9-1.5m of water, and schools will often hold in depressions in the flats where the water is slightly deeper.

repeating. This will allow you to work the entire flat to find the most productive areas and if you do find fish, it’s worth repetitive drifts of this area or even anchoring to work the area more effectively.

Where possible I cast ahead of the drift or ahead and across the drift, fanning casts to cover as much area as possible. You can bring your lure back with the drift, if the drift is not too fast, ensuring that the lure is running at the desired depth.

If you are fishing in windy conditions then you are better off throwing a long cast with the wind and covering plenty of water, rather than getting frustrated with short casts, line management issues and so forth.

There are three go-to plastics that I fish when on the flats and I generally retrieve each of these plastics in a different way, to suit the area being fished and the mood of the fish. My larger kayak is set-up with a Railblaza TracPort Dash 500, fitted with four Railblaza

rod holders, allowing me to quickly and easily access four rods that are rigged and ready

in case I drift into deeper water and wish to specifically target a snapper or mulloway.

Having two different lures ready allows you to switch things up if they turn off one presentation. to go. This allows me to have these three go-to plastics at my disposal, along with a larger soft plastic presentation

When thinking about the way I fish these three plastics, I ended up with a different description for each and

An average flats bream on the 2.5” paddle-tail. bream. However, I love nothing more than chasing these bruisers on light gear, in a few feet of water, especially when they move up onto the flats in close proximity to deep water to harass bait and smash my small soft plastics.

88

MAY 2019

depth is similar throughout and they are often made up of a combination of sand, weed and rubble, with some systems also offering mussel beds, rocks, oysters and other structure. Some of these flats will have water over them at all stages of the

To ensure I am working the area effectively I will generally set-up a wind or tidal drift that carries me the length of the flat: starting on one edge, drifting the flat, heading back to the start of the drift and then across the flat a little further and

Shake – curl-tail; Rattle – TRD CrawZ; and Roll – paddle-tail. The author’s go-to selection when targeting bream on the flats.

that’s how I ended up with ‘shake, rattle and roll’, so here’s a breakdown of each.

SHAKE – 2.5” CURL-TAIL The 2.5” curl-tail is a proven performer on the bream and a bream tournament winning favourite presentation. You

fish will hit on the wind, other times on the pause, and this varied retrieve also produces a wide variety of other species.

RATTLE – 2.5” CRAW PATTERN The craw imitation is a great representation of creatures such as prawns

a shaking retrieve, however, it really excels when fished slow and rattled through structure.

ROLL – 2.5” PADDLE-TAIL My go-to paddle-tail has been a game changer, with its under hooked tail design and super soft material creating

GEARING UP In terms of jigheads I will fish these 2.5” plastics on a no.1 or 1/0 jighead and opt for a fine gauge, and chemically sharpened hook for maximum hook penetration. In terms of jighead weights, I most frequently fish a 1/4oz jighead, which many will believe is too heavy. The reason that I fish heavier and faster is based on a point that I made earlier, I’m fishing flats that are completely dry at low tide, so the fish are there for a reason when there is water and I believe that reason is to feed. Rather than fish slow and finesse, I aim

head, such as 1/6oz, 1/8oz, or even lighter. These are the basics that work for me on the flats, so it’s just a matter of giving them a crack in your area if you wish and customising them to suit your area and fish.

In terms of rods and reels, I fish a selection of 7’ 1-3kg and 2-4kg rods, with 20-30 size spinning reels, loaded with braid of around 6-8lb. Leader wise, I most commonly fish 8lb fluorocarbon, which is handy when you come across other species, such as tailor and flathead. Again, you may need to lighten your leader if the bite is tough.

that I love seeing on a flat and it’s amazing how many times to a cast this activity will be met with an instant angry strike and a bent rod.

Finally, if the flat feels lifeless and you’re not getting any bumps or follows, it may be worth moving on to another flat or at least a different section of the flat.

Even though we’re not into the prime time of the cooler months that bring the big bream onto the flats in my area, I still snuck out and found a few on my most recent session. A morning session, based around an hour of run-in tide and two hours of the run-out that produced

A good early season bream. These fish can only get better as the weather gets colder. can fish the curl-tail fast, slow, hopped, paused or even just let it drag on the bottom… fish just eat it.

I fish the curl-tail with a shaking retrieve, using two main retrieve techniques, both of which start with a long cast, a couple of seconds to let the plastic sink and then a few sharp hops to alert the fish to the presence of the lure.

and crabs that are frequently found among the weed and rubble on the flats. It has proven to be a winner when there are big bream foraging on the flats and when there is a mix of patchy weed and rocky, shelly rubble that attracts prawns and crabs. I would describe the retrieve technique as ‘rattle’ as the plastic is generally fished slower, on or near

a tail action that is difficult to achieve in such a small plastic. It has become a bream tournament winner and for me it is one of the easiest plastics to use effectively on the flats. Simply make a long cast, allow it to sink for a couple of seconds, give it a few shakes to wake the fish up and then slow roll (slow wind) it back. The tail action does all the work, just vary

This session started off with an awesome by-catch, a fringefin trevally. to cover as much water as possible and find those fish that are actively feeding.

I fish with the rod tip up at about a 45° angle and I fish fast enough that the plastic is above the bottom when fishing a slow roll. If I hit the weed, then I speed up, so you may be surprised how fast I am fishing when you give it a run. If you are fishing systems where the fish are less aggressive, such as southern black bream, then you may want to slow it down and in turn select a lighter

ADDITIONAL TIPS If I had to come up with a few more tips to maximise your chances of success I would firstly say, add some scent to your plastic. I add a small amount of gel scent every 30-50 casts, and also after catching a fish, with sardine/pilchard, mullet and inshore saltwater flavours a few favourites.

Secondly, I would say look and listen. Be aware of what is going on around you on the flat. Fish feeding actively and bait flicking are two things

over twenty bream, a grunter and a trevally. I would swap all the fish landed during this session for one of those big winter blue nose bruisers, however, it was a great warm up session and awesome fun on light gear.

The shake, rattle and roll all produced fish during this session, and it was the roll that was the standout for the morning, producing both the numbers and larger fish. Check out your local flats and get ready to shake, rattle and roll.

The 2.5” paddle-tails were bringing all the fish undone on a recent morning session in the yak.

For the first retrieve I will then just commence a slow wind (slow roll) while shaking the rod tip to add more life and erratic action to the curl-tail. Instead of just a slow wind, the second retrieve consists of about three slow winds of the reel, while shaking the plastic, followed by a pause, then repeating this wind and shake, pause, wind and shake, pause. At times

the bottom and rattled through the structure, bumping through and off rock and rattling through the patchy weed.

This plastic can also weed out the smaller fish as they pick at the claws, while the legal-size bream will generally eat the body and hook, or even inhale the whole plastic. This plastic can also be fished mid-water on these shallow flats with

the speed of the retrieve until you find what the fish want on the day.

When rolling the plastic, if a fish bites just keep it moving. You will often feel a tap, tap, tap and then the fish will find the hook and it’s game on! If you attempt to set the hook you will just pull the lure away from the fish in an unnatural manner and they will generally not return to bite again.

The flats produce plenty of by-catch, and a grunter nailed the plastic on this occasion.

MAY 2019

89

Bar crossing – the gateway to gamefish PART 2 BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

In the previous issue I outlined some of the main factors associated with crossing our coastal bars.

I discussed how conditions

when you get back to port.

You should approach a bar with full visibility if you’re new to the game, and spend a bit of time working things out, unless it’s obvious that things are entirely calm and there can be no problems. In less than perfect conditions it’s a good plan to take

the boat and skipper need to be up to the task. All safety equipment should be up to date, the EPIRB should be accessible, and all gear should be stored where it can’t move if jarring occurs. The engine has to be able to perform to optimum levels, and steering, bilge pumps,

Keeping the bow lifted allows the rig to ride over an incoming wave, rather than having it break over the bow.

A decent half cabin will keep occupants dry when working a bar. In this image there might be a little too much speed for the conditions. on a bar can change on an hourly basis, and looked at the importance of boaters remaining entirely flexible in planning a trip.

That last parameter is a vital one. Your planning should involve a really good estimate of conditions on the bar before you commit to crossing, and that means a real time assessment, not a forecast from a previous day or what a mate said about his offshore trip a few days ago. You have to remember that while conditions on the ocean side of the bar might be quite acceptable, getting across that bar may well be dangerous. The fact is that crossing any bar can be dangerous, especially for inexperienced skippers in adverse conditions, and you have to respect it and take a lot of care at the helm.

First of all, it’s crucial to understand the topography of the bar as far as beacons or channels are concerned, and expected areas of shallow water and the like. There is immense value in undertaking a crossing with someone who does it regularly, or you can even take a bar crossing course. If VMR or other marine authority know the characteristics of the bar, it’s a good idea to contact them and gain some background knowledge. Of course, you should always log on with marine rescue before you head out, let them know where you’re going and when you expect to return, and then log off 90

MAY 2019

and be able to shed water coming aboard as rapidly as possible. When the decision is made to head out, the skipper should maintain a speed that keeps the craft properly on course, but not so fast as to be hitting waves at undue speed. Keeping the bow lifted allows the rig to ride over an incoming wave

A look at the bar at Caloundra. This is no place for the inexperienced skipper on an ebb tide. Note that waves are extending a fair way out to sea behind the boat. note of where other boats are exiting the area, with emphasis paid to areas of darker (deeper) water, and places where fewer waves are breaking, as these will always offer calmest passage.

It’s not unusual for larger waves to come in sets of three. Stopping to take stock of things, close to but not in the bar proper, will usually reveal this to be the case. A word of warning: if another boat heads out during a lull in sets you should carefully watch that craft’s track instead of setting out to follow it blindly, as the next set of larger waves may not be far off and things could change rapidly.

HEADING OUT IN THE BOAT Understandably, both

safety gear access should also be beyond any doubt or concern. If the cockpit is self-draining, all scuppers must be clear. Anchors and warp should be placed securely within the anchor hatch and prevented from moving. Passengers should trim the craft as level as possible, and secure themselves with at least a handhold prior to the crossing. Lifejackets are mandatory in boats less than 4.8m long, but even in a larger boat you should wear a lifejacket as a precaution if waves are going to be encountered.

The engine needs to be warmed up and fully trimmed down to provide as much thrust as possible.

Wave impact is par for the course, so the craft must be able to handle impact,

rather than having it break over the bow. If it does break, however, the craft must be able to wear it.

If looks like a wave has developed above the anticipated height, you need to take it head on, or on a very slight angle to lessen impact. The goal is to slide down and across the far side rather than getting airborne and coming down with a wallop. Coastal bars often have a series of waves to traverse, and the idea is to just keep heading into the lowest part of each wave until the white water is safely behind. If you move smartly towards each wave, you should reach them before they become too high, with the run-out becoming easier with each wave covered.

Under no circumstances should you try to turn around to outrun an approaching wave that looks nasty. Only if it’s obvious that you’ve taken the wrong course and there’s definitely room to about turn should you attempt it. A wave catching the boat side-on will

turn it over.

To lessen the chances of mistakes on a first outing, it’s a lot easier to cross a bar on a flooding tide with waves and current in harmony, than an ebb where pressure waves can form rapidly.

RETURNING HOME Coming back in through a bar is very different. For a start, the course might not be so easily identified as there can be waves seemingly breaking in every direction. Again, there will be an area of lesser activity – the deeper water – and keeping just out of the froth should allow you to identify this area. A marked channel is good for a guideline, but it’s worth remembering that channels can sometimes move over time, so it’s worth approaching them with caution.

One you’ve found the right area and started the run back in, keep an eye on what’s going on behind the boat. You should always pick a smaller set of waves and maintain enough power

When tackling a bar crossing, the boat might have to wear a wave. If it happens, the craft, skipper, and crew must be up to scratch.

to keep the boat right on the back of a selected swell, while at the same time able to keep ahead of waves breaking behind you. Avoid overrunning a wave, as this can lead to the boat broaching badly, or worse.

You want to keep just

enough power on to lift the bow for a re-entry to calmer water. At times it will be unavoidable to escape from a wave breaking ahead of the bow, but keeping the engine trimmed down and applying enough power to maintain easy steerage way

should see the boat free of the froth fairly quickly.

Much the same as when heading offshore, it’s always going to be easier to return while the tide is still flooding. However, if the fishing was so good that the ebb has started, and there

If you want to see one of these beside your boat, a run out through one of the coastal bars may be required.

In the hands of a competent skipper, a smaller runabout might go offshore on the right day, especially if it’s high sided and has a full-height transom.

are pressure waves forming up, you should look for the least white water and head up to and over each of these waves until you’re through the melee.

BEST BOAT FOR THE JOB? Sorry, I can’t make a choice here! I’ve seen everything from 4m tinnies to 7m dedicated offshore craft out on the marlin grounds, and that’s when I’ve been out there in my 5.5m centre console! Every

bar is different, and every day is different. I’m based in Brisbane, and I’ve found the Gold Coast Seaway to be a brilliant place on the right day, and so too is the outlet at Mooloolaba. However, between the Wide Bay bar to the north and the mighty Clarence River south at Yamba, there are some very nasty bits of work.

Cabin craft are very popular for offshore work, because they provide a lot of shelter in sloppy

conditions. Smaller craft can still provide protection though, in the form of a canopy, windscreen, and a full-height transom coupled to decent depth of sides to keep water at bay.

Either way, the decision to cross comes down to the conditions. On the right day a bar can be a non-event, while on a bad one it can be a nightmare of mega proportions. It’s the skipper’s call to make the right choice of action.

DROP IN TO YOUR LOCAL QUINTREX DEALER! TASMANIA Lewis Marine

273 Kennedy Drive, Cambridge TAS p 03.6248 3222 www.lewismarine.com.au

BENDIGO

Bendigo Marine & Outdoors 160 Midland Highway, Epsom VIC p 03.5448 3988 www.bendigomarine.com.au

GEELONG

Geelong Boating Centre 88 Barwon Heads Rd, Belmont VIC p 03·5241 6966 www.geelongboatingcentre.com.au

BRAESIDE

JV Marine World 878 Springvale Rd, Braeside VIC p 03·9798 8883 www.jvmarine.com.au

LAVERTON NORTH JV Marine World

15 Fitzgerald Rd, Laverton North VIC p 03·9368 7100 www.jvmarine.com.au

BAYSWATER Streaker Marine

461 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC p 03·9729 8288 www.streakermarine.com.au MAY 2019

91

Sea Jay Ranger 4.6m with Yamaha 70hp 4 stroke

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RE ONLINE MO

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3.25m beam the similarly bulletproof Yamaha F70 (tiller) strapped to the back.

Incidentally, Mackerel Pete’s boat was powered by the same engine and recently closed over 2500 hours!

When we released the video for this test, it really hit the mark with anglers

SPECIFICATIONS Length........................................................4.6m Beam........................................................2.35m Depth .......................................................1.26m Hull .............................................................4mm Sides ..........................................................3mm Floor ribs ....................................................... 10 Capacity .................................................. 5 max Hull weight .............................................. 505kg Max motor weight................................... 155kg Fuel ..............................................................90L Total length.............................................. 6.15m

Main: The Sea Jay 460 Ranger is about as bulletproof as you’ll find in a commercially available boat in today’s marketplace. A full self-draining floor and massive beam will make this rig an instant favourite of the tough-as-nails fishing crew.

Above: Apparently when you Google ‘What boat does Chuck Norris have?’ the Ranger 460 comes up.

92

MAY 2019

DE FOR EX

The last time I launched at the Elliott River in Bundaberg, I was headed offshore for the day with Spanish mackerel pro-line fisher, Peter Stevens. And on that day we made Fishing Monthly’s most popular YouTube video yet (about how to troll dead baits for Spaniards).

Pete’s boat is a no-nonsense plate aluminium workhorse that delivers day-in and day-out. Sea Jay’s new 4.6m Ranger is built with the same user in mind – maybe not commercial anglers, but anglers that use their boat hard every

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

weekend and never expect any reliability issues, ever.

The new Ranger replaces the 4.4 and 4.7m models in the range and is built on Sea Jay’s Samurai hull. Featuring 4mm bottom sheets and 3mm sides, the test model had a fully self-draining checker plate deck, a massive

R

Steve Morgan

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AN THE

FMG

There are plenty of boating anglers out there who want to do all of their maintenance with a garden hose (or a Gerni if they are upmarket). The Ranger allows this.

Australia-wide and the softlaunch of the model created a demand for the hull that Sea Jay worked hard to fill.

What I learned from the experience is that sometimes it isn’t the creature comforts of a hull that gets anglers excited; it’s about having a boat that does its job well.

And that’s exactly what the Ranger does.

If you use your boat hard in estuary and inshore environments, you want the clean-up from a crabbing or prawning trip to be easy and to be achievable with a garden hose. The Ranger ticks all of the boxes here, with no carpet to clean or paint to damage.

Similarly, the built-in livewell drains straight to the outside through holes in the transom, reducing the need

for electronic intervention to keep your baits alive.

The high front casting deck conceals massive underfloor storage. The Ranger holds a fibreglass EvaKool under the deck.

Up for’ard, the ability to mount a trolling motor next to the anchor well is great for those who like bait fishing as well as lure casting.

The small side console is one of the pro concessions to luxury in this rig and will probably be frowned upon by the tough TNQ anglers as being a bit ‘soft’, but it’s a great place to mount a sounder and keep your valuables out of the way of spray.

The other concession is some comfortable seats which slide into a baseless floor mount.

Twist the throttle on the Yamaha and the Ranger jumps onto the plane and it sounds just like an F-series Yamaha at full throttle.

Without fuel flow metering available, the Ranger delivered 51km/h against the tide and 56km/h with it. With standard F70 fuel consumption, that gives a range of well over 200km with the on-board 90L fuel tank.

Overall, this rig is as Queensland as XXXX Gold and winning State of Origin footy games. Check out www. seajayboats.com.au for more details and make sure you like Sea Jay on Facebook.

As tested, the Ranger came in at $31,530. Make sure you scan the QR code hereby to see the Ranger in action!

Ain’t got time for dance seat bases?

Sea Jay has you covered.

Sea Jay’s livewells are simple and self-drain through an array of holes on the transom.

Above: The front casting deck is actually pretty high, which makes the storage underneath cavernous. A little paint on the inside could take the edge off the sun, in case you live in North Queensland. Inset: There aren’t too many boats where you can fit an EvaKool this size under the floor!

2.35m of beam makes the Sea Jay Ranger a real workhorse. We challenge you to fill it with camping gear for a long weekend away, because it’ll hold it all – easily.

The Ranger holds its beam a long way forward and the Sea Jay steps bow is distinctive from the outside, but barely noticeable inside.

This is clever – capability for a proper anchor well and an electric motor. It’s good to see a boat manufacturer that understands how most of us like both lure and bait fishing.

Small side pockets hold a bit of gear, but don’t run full length to the front casting deck.

The small side console is super practical without chewing up cockpit space. You can see some of FM’s tools of the trade in this shot – the Nikon KeyMission 170 is on all of our boat tests.

There’s plenty of room under the transom for water to escape through the scuppers.

Yamaha’s F70 is a perfect complement to this hull. The tiller is eminently userfriendly and economy is off the charts.

MAY 2019

93

Victorian Tide Times

2019 2019 Local Time

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINT – 144° VICTORIA LAT 38°LONSDALE 18’ S LONG 37’ E

JANUARY MAY Time Time m 0113 0801 TU 1359 2109 WE

1 1 2 0205 0853 2

WE 1455 TH 2215

3 0304 0948 3

TH 1557 FR 2318

4 0414 1046 4

FR 1700 SA

5 0018 0529 5

Time 0.54 0139 1.48 0822 0.35 1350 1.37 2107 0.65 0248 1.41 0939 0.36 1459 1.38 2203 0.75 0410 1.35 1050 0.36 1626 1.41 2258 0.81 0512 1.30 1150 0.35 1737 2346 1.45 0556 0.82 1241 1.28 1827 0.33

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 JUNE m Time Time m Time JULY m Time m

Time m Time m 0032 0.58 0230 0.73 0154 0.65 0300 0.68 0712 1.43 0907 1.32 10100.36 1.36 13050859 0.411.39 FR 1515 15151.35 0.93 1956 1.310.70 2245 TH 1412 SA 2121 1.46 2153 1.37 0116 0.67 0330 0.80 04021.26 0.61 07520310 1.380.58 1004 11130.39 1.45 13461017 0.391.46 SA 1617 16341.35 0.94 FR 1530 SU 2058 1.310.76 2345 2222 1.47 2249 1.39 0207 0.75 0444 0.84 04581.22 0.52 08400422 1.330.49 1106 12070.40 1.56 14351126 0.361.57 SU 1724 SA 1651 MO 1740 0.92 2205 1.340.78 2344 1.42 2320 1.49 0307 0.83 0045 1.38 05460.82 0.44 09360523 1.290.40 0559 12571.21 1.67 15331228 0.331.68 MO 1208 18300.38 0.88 TU SU 1758 2317 1.390.77 1825

Time 0140 0357 0802 1110 SA 1400 1621 SU2128 2245 0233 0457 0859 1209 SU 1457 1729 MO2241 2341 0341 0550 1008 1302 MO 1608 1826 TU2356

16 16

17 17

22

17 17

18 18

33

18 18

19 19

44

0501 0.81 0032 1.29 1.48 19 191132 0638 0.30 0.35 TU 1730

0.78 1.23 TH 0.78 1.32

0.72 1.29 FR 0.81 1.34 0.64 1.39 SA 0.80 1.38

22

33

TH 1320 1844 0003 0057 0520 0648 TU 1138 FR 1409 1753 1933 0100 0150 0636 0740 1243 WE 1456 SA 1855 2022

01280147 1.551.54 0300 02101.51 1.5222 0250 0243 1.62 1.48 22 22 06480748 0.760.28 7 7 0841 08000.62 0.30 220828 0845 0.45 0.40 1307 1.36 1441 1.32 1458 1.55 TH FR

0146 7 0241 0733 7 0830 TH 1339

1.50 0031 21 6 0115 0635 0.79 21 6 0635 SU 1240 1.29

66

21 21

8 8

11

1.75 0.81 1.48 1.49 0.72 0.35 1.36 1.76 0.26 0.78 1.56 1.49 0.59 0.37 1.45 1.74 0.24 0.75

0420 0.86 0138 1.43 00350.76 1.46 0.54 10420015 1.281.51 0704 06301.24 0.37 1.51 16440616 0.290.33 TU 1305 SU 13440.36 1.75 0.77 MO 1322 1.76 WE 1918 1852 0.75 1915 0.83 0026 1.47 0222 1.47 0124 1.49 1.43 0103 1.53 0538 0.84 0757 0.69 0715 0.32 0.45 0703 0.29 1156 1.30 1356 1.28 MO WE 1429 1.79 1.62 TU 1411 1.81 TH 1757 0.24 2005 19590.34 0.79 0.75 1939 0.72

WE 1350 1914 0101 0119 0621 0723 WE 1251 1433 TH1848 1958 0159 0202 0730 0805 1358 TH 1511 FR1953 2040

20 20

7 7

0359 0000 4 4 1030 1639 MO 0556

11

55

MO 1325 1852 0.30 1908 0203 0114 1.55 0730 0712 0.73 1.30 MO 1330 1407 TU 0.28 1939 1947 0246 0155 1.58 0816 0749 0.68 TU 1415 1447 WE 1.33 2022 2026 0.27

Time 0113 0259 0741 1345 FR 1030 2105 MO 1534 2155 0158 0400 0829 1431 SA 1130 TU 1647 2201 2257 0250 0500 0924 1528 SU 1228 WE 1750 2301

16 16

0.78 1.21 WE 0.72 1.33

20 20

SA 1145 SU 1800

m 0.72 0.45 1.34 1.59 0.30 0.90 1.36 1.47 0.79 0.40 1.30 1.66 0.30 0.88 1.36 1.47 0.83 0.37 1.27 1.72 0.31 0.85 1.41

1.47 0.38 TU 1.70 0.72

1513 1.81 SA 1545 1.81 FR WE 1455 1903 0.180.71 2046 2048 2021 20430.33 0.75 2119 02230229 1.631.53 0331 1.54 0337 0255 1.53 0323 07480830 0.660.30 0920 0921 08450.55 0.30 0924 1409 1.431.78 FR SA 1522 15561.37 1.79 SA 1618 SU1553 TH 1535 20032101 0.150.70 2123 2139 21270.34 0.71 2159

23 23

1.50 0.33 WE 1.75 0.70

88

23 23

1.71 0.24 0.73 1.66 1.46 0.33 0.45 1.61 1.68 0.26 0.71

1.60 1.51 03140309 1.691.51 0401 0420 0402 1.67 1.43 03411.56 1.53 0235 9 0323 24 24 0859 0.63 0.30 08440911 0.540.35 9 9 0956 1010 24 9 1000 0.23 0.51 09320.49 0.3424 0827 WE 1458 1.35 TH 1505 1.50 SA 1601 1.40 SU 1646 1.64 TH 1528 1.77 FR 1612 1.73 2102 2105 0.28 0.69 20582141 0.150.70

SU 1639 1.75 2157 22120.37 0.67

MO 1650 1.64 2225 2236 0.31 0.70

55 66

SU 1541 1945 2112

Local Time APRIL AUGUST Time Time m

m Time m m Time m 0036 0.65 0215 0.77 0.63 0430 0.43 04230846 0.38 1.22 0.54 0652 1.39 1.38 1146 11591439 1.57 0.54 1.47 12481.58 0.28 0.32 SA MO 0.91 1.29 0.99 19580.92 1.44 TH 17132210 1.37 TU 1658 FR 2311 1.40 2332 1.41 1.39 0118 0.71 0316 0.81 0.71 05300955 0.33 1.18 0526 0.48 07380.41 1.35 1.29 1256 1.64 0.61 1241 1.56 13331.61 0.30 0.39 SU TU 1543 0.81 1.28 0.98 SA 20590.88 1.39 FR 18152310 1.32 WE 1800 1.40 0209 0.76 0438 0.80 0.78 0005 00381110 1.47 1.18 0.41 08371.40 1.30 1.22 0616 06301705 0.29 0.64 1.64 14300.40 0.35 0.46 MO WE 0.93 22101.65 1.37 SA 1346 1.70 SU 1.29 TH 1330 1852 0.83 1912 0.70 0315 0.78 0008 1.30 0.82 0056 01360601 1.54 0.74 1.44 09531.42 1.28 1.18 0702 0726 0.28 1.23 0.34 15430.39 0.40 0.50 TU TH 1220 1.74 0.64 1.72 FR 1411 MO 23251.66 1.38 SU 14341822 1939 0.77 2004 0.59 0.87 0437 0.74 1.30 0058 1.34 02310659 1.60 0.65 0141 1.48 11231.43 1.31 0.82 08191318 0.30 1.32 0745 0.30 17100.40 0.42 1.17 WE FR 1.75 0.62 1.77 MO 15191919 TU 0.50 SA 1446 1.67 2057 0.48 2021 0.73 0.79 1.33 0031 1.44 0140 1.39 0223 1.44 0325 1.62 1.53 0.76 0600 0.64 0742 0.56 0825 0.42 0910 0.35 0.28 1.21 1243 1.40 1407 1.42 SA 1519 1.66 1600 1.74 WE 1.79 SUTH 0.48 18330.68 0.41 TU 21472002 2100 0.40 0.60 0.71 01301.44 1.51 1.38 04190217 1.62 1.44 1.56 0302 07110.46 0.50 0.67 09590718 0.42 0.47 0.30 0901 13501.65 1.52 1349 1.27 FR SU 1642 1.70 1.52 1.79 1549 TH MO 1940 0.40 WE 1940 0.45 2236 0.35 0.58 0.64 2138 0.65

Time

m 0055 0557 0730 0.44 1303 1.52 TU 1313 1832 2043 0.78

16 16

11

16 16

17 17

22

0200 17 0037 0852 17 0645 1.36 0.42

18 18

33

18 18

19 19

44

19 19

20 20

55

20 20

21 21

66

21 21

22 22

77

0400 1.48 22 22 0949 0731 0.54 MO 1430

m 0.73 1.33 0.46 1.41

0.72 1.32 WE 1425 0.55 1344 2153 1.55 1.41 1920 0.70 0322 0.67 0125 1021 1.39 1.38 0729 0.42 0.60 TH 1552 1417 2258 1.58 1.44 2000 0.64 0443 0.56 0207 1136 1.43 1.49 0807 0.44 0.60 FR 1715 1447 2356 1.59 1.49 2038 0.58 0548 0.43 0246 1241 1.46 1.61 0842 1822 0.46 0.59 SA 1516 1.59 2112 0.53 0048 1.54 0324 1.48 0643 0.32 0915 0.50 1.72 SU 1339 1545 1.58 2145 1915 0.49 0.58

1616 2216

02211.44 1.57 0225 1.57 1.43 05160153 1.59 1.48 0440 8 0331 230342 8 0752 08080.51 0.36 8 1045 0817 0.35 0.5823 23 23 8 1024 0921 0936 0.51 0.39 TU MO 1429 1.60 FR 1426 1.35 SA 1450 1.63

MO 1624 1.76 TU 1618 1.62 TH 1723 1.65 FR 1648 20340.61 0.39 2028 0.57 0.44 2201 2213 23232015 0.33 0.58 2248

0136 1.57 0.24 1.56 1.79 2002 0.46 0.58 0219 1.48 1.58 0816 0.59 0.21 1516 1.53 1.80 2045 0.43 0.58

0259 1.56 1.48 03081.43 1.61 06170229 1.55 1.51 0521 0300 1.47 24 240421 9 0826 9 0424 0855 0.42 0.5024 08590.56 0.25 9 1130 9 24 1010 1011 0.61 0.34 1100 0900 0.65 SA 1508 1.42 SU 1545 1.71 TU 1507 1.65 WE 1559

1.57 0.22 1.77 1649 1.60 1706 1.72 1805 1.58 1722 1.49 WE TU FR SA 2104 0.51 0.44 21230.58 0.41 2051 0.58 2320 2125 2247 2252 0.42 0.60

1.61 1.51 04000347 1.711.47 0431 0501 0330 1.53 1.51 03511.41 1.63 0315 00100304 0.34 1.51 0608 0338 04291.56 1.51 0443 1.65 1.40 1.44 10 0356 25 25 250502 25 10 0521 0937 0.58 0.29 09360949 0.430.4010 1029 1057 0929 0.51 0.4325 09450.63 0.181010 10 25 10 25 0907 07180900 1.51 0.30 10190.44 0.4025 1034 0.18 0.57 10 1100 1045 1138 0941 0.72 1639 1537 1.36 1600 1.54 1639 1.42 1738 1.63 1546 1.48 1634 1.73 1545 1.67 TH

FR SA 1647 1.68 SUMO 1723 1.70 MO FR 1609 1.75 TU 1723 1.59 2139 2145 0.30 0.69 21492219 0.180.71 2230 2309 23000.40 0.64 2313 0.38 0.69

1.54 0.26 1217 0.71 SU 1759 1722 1.56 TH 1.44 1.71 SU 1749 1.67 TH MO SA WE WE 2139 0.47 0.45 22070.56 0.44 18512127 1.51 0.59 2356 2204 2342 2320 0.41 0.62

1.60 1.50 04450427 1.711.43 04311.40 1.61 0401 1.51 1.53 00590339 0.37 1.50 0701 0416 1.42 05211.55 1.48 0526 1.61 1.37 11 0427 26 26 11 0627 260547 11 0355 26 26 110502 260540 1015 0.54 0.31 10271027 0.340.4711 1100 10300.70 0.161111 1000 0.62 0.3726 1140 0947 1148 08180934 1.47 0.28 1220 1019 0.79 11080.39 0.4826 1111 0.17 0.64 11 1123 1717 1616 1.37 1652 1.55 1717 1.43 1721 1.71 1623 1.67 1624 1.53 1829 1.58 FR

SA SU 1722 1.61 MO TU 1808 1.64 TU SA 1650 1.71 WE 1758 1.55 2214 2225 0.33 0.69 22382258 0.240.72 2303 2350 23500.45 0.61 2351 0.46 0.67

1.49 0.32 0.79 MO 1841 1757 1.52 FR 1.39 1.64 TH MO TH 1833 1.61 FRTU SU 1306 2243 0.65 22480.54 0.48 2212 0.47 19432203 1.43 0.61 2356

06241.53 1.45 0615 1.54 1.34 0032 0639 01520415 0.42 1.48 0039 0455 0.40 1.59 1.47 05270507 1.681.38 05101.39 1.57 0433 0.45 1.53 120533 270619 27 27 12 0437 27 12 0458 27 12 27 11590.36 0.5927 1149 0.19 0.72 12 0737 1203 09181010 1.44 0.28 0802 1058 1.40 1030 1050 0.51 0.35 11151103 0.280.5412 1131 11120.77 0.181212 1032 1.49 0.3327 1222 1858 1.59 1835 1.50 1238 0.73 1835 1.47 1403 0.87 1309 0.86 1735 1.65 1758 1.55

1.54 1757 1.43 SU 1.36 SU 1747 MO SA 1654 TUWE 2246 2307 0.38 0.69 23252337 0.330.73 2338 0.50

TH1920 1.51 WE

1.43 0.39 FR TU SA 1756 1.56 WE 1806 1.66 MO FR 1704 1.63 TU 1701 1.55 SA 1922 20402241 1.37 0.64 1933 2321 1.35 0.69 2328 0.53 2246 1.55 0.50

00451.49 0.58 0030 0.54 0.65 0126 0033 02530452 0.46 1.45 0131 0535 0.40 1.56 1.44 06070552 0506 0.45 1.51 1.631.33 05470.51 1.51 130606 280031 28 28 13 0525 28 13 0529 13 28 28 07410.33 1.4428 0714 1.47 1.34 13 0843 0737 10191047 1.44 0.29 0911 1134 1.39 1115 1124 0.48 0.41 1103 1.49 0.3028 0659 12021140 0.240.6113 1203 11511.39 0.231313 1254 0.70 1233 0.81 1332 0.82 1249 0.85 1512 0.90 1410 0.90 1823 1.58 1836 1.50

1.50 MO 1.35 MO 1845 TU SU 1733 2319 2354 0.44 0.69

1840 1.42 TH FR1303 0.25 WE TH 1951 1.54 1916 1.44 1.46 2012 0.63 1.35 0.89 2004 1.42

04000534 0.47 1.41 0237 0001 0225 0116 0.40 0539 0.45 1.48 00070.49 0.58 14 29 29 11191129 1.45 0.33 0945 0840 1023 0620 1.42 14 29 1136 1.51 0.2829 06271.41 1.441414 WE 1628 0.90 TH 1525 0.89 SU 1435 0.90 MO 1343 0.92

0202 0.59 1.40 0.96 2057 1.39

0328 0210 05010003 0.46 0.71 0354 0045 0.39 0614 0.44 1.44 00460.46 0.64 15 30 30 1047 0947 12150625 1.48 1.36 1130 0715 1.48 15 30 1210 1.54 0.2730 07071.44 1.361515 MO 1547 0.93 TU 1447 0.97 TH 1736 0.85 FR 1644 0.81

01450.57 0.55 0114 1.53 1.40 00100018 0.430.74 140015 14 0621 29 08571.44 1.46 29 0817 1205 14 0600 29 1157 0.46 0.50 06480645 1.561.2914 0641 FR 1355 0.80 SA 1324 TU 1917 1.52 WE 1220 0.70

MO 1815 1.33 2354 0.50

TU 1248 0.24 TH 1236 0.31 20481.40 1.50 19451919 1.451.44 1929

0048 0.68

0104 0.74

0251 0.50

1.48 0054 0.53 0.64 150055 15 0732 30 10061.39 1.52 30 0924 15 0635 30 1230 0.43 1.37 07300748 1.481.2715 0718 SA 1505 0.87 SU 1424 WE 1303 0.60 TH 1308 0.79 TU 1902 1.32 WE 1333 0.27 FR 1315 0.30 21461.37 1.47 2017 1.48 20452007 1.401.41 2024 01400158 0.640.72 08160900 1.401.29 1405 FR 1421 0.310.87 TH 2059 2144 1.371.38

31 31

1.37 0.46 SA 1739 1.55 SUTH 1850 1.58 TU SA 1748 1.58 WE SU 1837 1.48 WE 2015 1918 1.42 21432320 1.33 0.68 2038 1.32 2322 1.49 0.54

TH 1820 1.53 2113 2359 1.44 0.59

FR 1905 1.49 2212 1.41

FR 1230 0.30 2010 19341.38 1.49

SA 1309 0.38 2109 20211.36 1.41 0313 01280.43 0.71 1056 07521.50 1.29 1601 0.97 WE 1350 0.46 SU 2219 21131.37 1.34

31 31

0.73 1.30 SU 1837 1.51 MO 1214 0.55 2245 1.31 2156 1922 1.33 1.41

0.76 1.24 TU 1257 0.63 MO 1215 0.39 23451935 1.32 1.45 2316 2012 1.39 1.36 0511 0.35 1229 1.56 SA 1752 0.68

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.

94

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