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October 2017, Vol. 12 No. 12

Contents WEST COAST West Coast

Portland 18 Warrnambool 19 Cobden 19 Apollo Bay

CENTRAL Geelong 22 Port Phillip West

Port Phillip North East

Port Phillip North

Mornington Peninsula

Western Port North

Western Port South

Phillip Island

EAST COAST Gippsland Lakes

Marlo 41 Lakes Entrance

McLoughlins Beach

Bemm River

NSW SOUTH COAST Eden 44 Mallacoota 44 Bermagui 45 Narooma 46 Merimbula 47

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 54 Ballarat 56

From the Editor’s Desk... Yes – we know that you all would like it to be October every month of the year! We would, too. Magazine sales go up, advertising sales go up and there are more of you out on the water than in any of those nasty winter months. Of course, the snapper run in PPB is in full swing and the fishing in this fishery on Melbourne-ites’ doorstep will only get better with the reduction in commercial effort. Good luck getting a park at the boat ramp if you sleep in. Over east, Gippsland’s estuaries will be on fire as the weather warms and, of course, you can now fish for Murray cod in Eildon during the closed season. After a successful introduction last year, I’m itching to see what this lake yields this spring. A ‘Copeton of the South’ would be a great title for an article in coming years.

I know that I’ve said it before but the further north you go, the more envious anglers are of the Victorian government’s (and Victorian Fisheries in particular’s) recognition of fishing as part of the social fabric that makes it great to be an Australian. It seems that every month, decisions are made and actions are taken to help set the course towards the ambitious target of 1,000,000 anglers in the state. Only recently I filled out a survey that was sent to me (I assume as a Victorian Fishing Licence owner) via email that went into great depth about what I thought was important about the fisheries I love experiencing. Trust me, by the time you get up to Queensland, there’s no funding to do much (because there’s no saltwater licence) and no political appetite to put in a system to do anything because both sides of politics are afraid that if they impose

any new charges then they’ll get kicked out of office. NEW TROUT RULES You’ll see some material in this issue advertising some new trout rules for Victoria. And although there may be some initial pushback to these (I’ve heard arguments that they make it too complicated), they are there for sound reasons. With Tooloondo’s assured water allocations, the lifted size and reduced bag limits will help to ensure that this trophy trout fishery keeps on spitting out XOS browns indefinitely. Likewise for Hepburn. Removing the closed season from the Hopkins and Merri rivers, which show minimal natural recruitment, is also a no-brainer while other fish-rich streams are getting a 25cm limit and reduced bag limits. See the full details inside. GONE FISHING DAY 2016’s inaugural Gone Fishing Day was a great success at so many levels. At

one end of the spectrum, it was mentioned in Parliament by Federal Fisheries Minister, Anne Ruston and at the user end, it saw thousands of anglers out on the water, going fishing, enjoying the great Australian outdoors and sharing time with mates and loved ones. Plenty of you also shared the experience on social media with the hashtag #gonefishingday. We encourage you to do this again in 2017 on the 15th October, because it is on again. Make sure you like the Gone Fishing Day page on Facebook and share the heck out of it. The more of us get on the water and show others that we love what we do, the more powerful our voice is when it comes to making sure that anglers are included in decisions about fisheries, areas and environments that effect our passion.

Robinvale 59 Yarrawonga 59 Wangaratta 60 Shepparton 61 Jindabyne 62 Eildon 63

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TASMANIA WRAP UP

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Fishing Diary Angler: Lee Rayner Date: October 16th 2016

Location: Port Welshpool Conditions: 16 WNW 3-5 kts

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Shallow water fun – fishing the flats in Marlo FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Throughout East Gippsland many of the systems have large shallow expanses of water that people disregard to search for deeper water to go fishing. The Snowy River system at Marlo is a perfect example of this. Huge areas of sand are exposed at low tide and are only knee deep at the top of the tide. Although there are many signs that fish inhabit these areas, most anglers ignore them and head to the main channels of the system, leaving some great fishing areas unexplored. I would like to give you an insight into the fishing options available to those willing to get out and explore. SHALLOW WATER The main areas I wish to discuss in this article revolve around water that is 2-3ft deep and peters off to very shallow margins. The best part about all of these areas is that they are best accessed on foot, which means that anybody can give it a go. There are a few things to remember when you are looking to fish shallow flats. It is quite possible that at low tide the majority of the area you want to fish will be

totally exposed and therefore the peak times to fish will be from the start of the run-out tide. In the case of waters where the bar is closed (recently the Marlo Bar was no longer passable by boat) first light or last light are great options. Even choose an area where the wind is blowing towards the bank you’re

fishing from. Keeping these things in mind when planning your outing will maximise the chances of catching a fish. GEAR The key to walking the flats is keeping it simple. A small backpack or bum bag for your gear and a drink, plus a 2-4kg spin outfit spooled with 4-6lb main line, is all you’ll need.

Is there a nicer way to spend a few hours than exploring the flats with a fishing rod in hand?

Deeper edges are highways for big bream and are well worth working slowly with a crab imitation.

It pays to have a mixture of lures from 2-4” soft plastics matched with 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigheads, to a variety of hardbody lures that cover the 2-6ft diving depth range. The other lure option that is a must is a crab imitation, whether it’s a soft plastic style or a Cranka Crab. They can be deadly when other lures don’t seem to work. Footwear is the other thing to keep in mind. The flats in Marlo are predominantly sand and are quite firm, so I tend to go barefoot. However, Crocs or thigh waders (in the cooler months) can offer a bit more protection and peace of mind. PLANNING There are three parts to the planning process when it comes to fishing the flats. Firstly, in the tidal areas you’ll need to know what the tides are and how much tidal movement there will be. Secondly, scope out the area from above. Marlo has

a number of vantage points along the Marlo Conron Road that you can look out over the water, so you can get a feel for where the shallow and deep water areas are. This will help you decide where you want to try. Google Maps is another avenue to find likely areas. Lastly, walk likely areas

This would be a prime location for ambush predators as the tide starts to run out.

It’s always worth checking out the system from a vantage point. It can narrow down where to start.

MARLO

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at low tide. Walking the flats when no water is present is fascinating. You are looking for likely food sources (yabby holes, soldier crabs running around, soft shell and worm beds). Where there is food, the fish won’t be too far away. You’ll also find evidence of fish and their movements.

The author has loved fishing the flats of Marlo since his first visit six years ago.

Flathead lies are fantastic sources of information. They not only let you know that the fish have been there, but they also show you their movement as the tide has dropped. Take note, as they are creatures of habit and are likely to be in the same areas during the next high tide. You’ll also see where bream, whiting and even trevally have been digging to get themselves a feed. Find concentrations of these spots to narrow down your areas to try when you return to fish. MARLO’S FLATS OPTIONS There are lots of options and very good access to the shallow water fishing in Marlo. The foreshore that extends from the Marlo Boat Ramp all the way around to where the Snowy River splits can be accessed from Beach Road at the boat ramp and via a number of walking paths that descend down from opposite the Marlo Ocean Views Caravan Park. You then have another path

Access Points: 1 Beach Road 2 Marlo Ocean Views Caravan Park 3 Mots Beach Car Park 4 French Narrows

Marlo

Marlo Racecourse & Recreation Reserve

Ward St

C107

The Marlo Hotel

Jorgensen St Marlo Ocean Views Caravan Park 2 C107

rlo

C107

nra

1 Beach Rd Marlo Coastal Reserve

Snowy River

that goes down from the Mots Beach Car Park and another walking trail descending down from French Narrows. These are all part of the Snowy River Coastal Walk, well-maintained and make getting to the water easy. TARGET SPECIES AND METHODS The main species you are likely to catch are bream, flathead, whiting, silver trevally and tailor. The beauty of fishing for all of these species is that many of the methods to target them will work on multiple species. I find that it is still best to focus on a species and if you

get another, happy days. Flathead I love catching flathead in shallow water. There have been times on the flats that I have hooked fish and they have leapt from the water before heading across the flats looking for deeper water. There are a few keys with the flathead. Fish a heavier leader; 10lb minimum is required, as their raspy teeth will wear through light leaders. Flathead are an ambush feeder and love to take advantage of depth changes, channels and bottom changes (they will hang around single

4 Coastal Reserve

Snowy River

rocks or next to weed beds in the middle of sand). Don’t think that some water is too shallow. Always put a cast in front of where you intend to fish; there is nothing worse than spooking a fish while you rush to get to your next casting spot. If you look at

1 km

French Narrows Coastal Walk

C107

Mots Beach 3

Not to scale

where some of the flathead lies are, you will understand how shallow these fish will sit and wait for food to swim past. Lightly-weighted 2-4” soft plastics and small shallow running hardbody lures cast into the depth changes or around structure

will soon have you hooked up to a flathead. Bream Along with flathead, bream are the primary target species of the flats. They are found in very similar areas, but require your presentations to be a little more finesse-based. Don’t

LURES Soft Plastics: 90mm and 110mm Zerek Flash Minnows, 3” Strike Pro Enticers Finesse grubs, ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ. Crabs: Cranka Crabs, Strike Pro Enticers Crab, Hurricane Spider Crabs Hardbody lures: Geecrack Suguri 60, Cranka Deep Crank, Zerek Tango Shad, Jackall Chubby.

get me wrong, I have had plenty of bream eat a lure intended for a flathead, but if it’s bream you want to catch, drop your leader size back to 4lb and keep your plastics on the smaller size, slow your retrieve and you will get better results. Crab imitations also come into their own with bream. Bream love eating crabs and any slightly deeper water along the margins is a prime place to fish them. Crab presentations are best done using a very, very slow retrieve, almost to the point of not moving it at all. To page 10

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The bream tend to cruise along the margins picking up little morsels as they go. A small tick on your line indicates a fish has picked up your crab, set the hook and the fun begins. Bream have an uncanny knack of knowing where every little bit of structure is and will try and get there. Slow rolling hardbodies is my favourite method to target bream. It allows you to cover large expanses of water pretty quickly until you find fish in numbers. Adding a

pause to your retrieve every now and again can also turn followers into hooked fish. Tailor These fish can be in plague proportions at times and unfortunately not necessarily in the sizes we would like. I call these fish the terminal tackle takers of the estuary. You can quickly have plenty of plastics destroyed and lures pinched by these toothy critters. Whiting Casting surface lures for yellowfin whiting is some of

the flats, especially French Narrows and Mots Beach. It has never disappointed and my exploring has extended further and further each time. It will be interesting to see how the fishery is affected when the

bar closes. I suspect the flats fishing will go nuts. Next time you are in Marlo and you feel like exploring, grab a backpack and your fishing rod and hit the shallows.

Flathead are masters of camouflage, so it pays to fish all the water in front of you before continuing forward or you could spook more fish than you catch.

Slow rolling suspending hardbody lures in the shallows is a great way to cover water and catch your fair share of fish. This bream liked the look of this Geecrack Suguri 60.

OCTOBER 2017

the best fun you can have while fishing the flats. The hook-up can be spectacular and these speedsters definitely give a good account of themselves in the fighting stakes. Silver Trevally I have generally only caught trevally as by-catch. They love a 2-3â&#x20AC;? curly-tail soft plastic fished with a hopping retrieve. These guys

fight well above their size and if you can find a concentration of them, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re well worth stopping and focusing on. GO AND GET AMONGST THEM I have visited Marlo for the last six years and each time I leave I have had a new a fishing experience. The one constant has been how much I have enjoyed fishing

Walking the flats at low tides can be fascinating. Here you can see all the yabby holes as well as the staging points where a flathead has settled.

OCTOBER 2017

Science meets fishing

Port Phillip Bay Shellfish Reef Recovery Project GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

Five years since the initial concept was floated, the Port Phillip Bay Shellfish Reef Recovery Project has captured the interest and investments of a broad-ranging bayside community and is steadily gaining momentum. The project has grown into a partnership between anglers, shellfish growers, businesses, researchers, conservation groups and government agencies. The investments made by these groups include

placed on limestone rubble. Several tonnes of mussels will also be placed on beds of recycled shells at each site. A third reef-recovery site is planned for waters off Carrum. RECAP ON THE PROJECT The August 2014 issue of V&TFM described how 150 years of commercial harvesting had effectively eliminated the extensive oyster and mussel reefs that had characterised Port Phillip Bay prior to European settlement. Oyster and mussel reefs once covered around 25% of the bay’s sand/muddy seafloor. A day’s work by volunteers – 40x15m ropes each carrying 40 pairs of round scallop shells.

Bob Pearce (right) hands over the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club’s $22,000 cheque to Queenscliff Shellfish Hatchery manager, Michael Shipley. significant financial contributions, research and development, in-kind industry collaborations and – most importantly – time and effort by a band of volunteer workers. The project began in 2012 with a scoping study to assess feasibility of restoring oyster (native flat oyster, Ostrea angasi) and mussel reefs in Port Phillip Bay, and has now reached an important milestone. Initial restoration field trials during 2015 and 2016 were conducted at two sites: Margarets Reef in Hobsons Bay and Wilson Spit in the Geelong Arm. That early work was conducted at the scale of 160 experimental 1m2 plots for comparison of growth and survival of juvenile oysters and mussels on different substrates. Building on those first trials, the project is now expanding to the creation of larger reefs approximately 30x10m in size with oysters 12

OCTOBER 2017

Historically, these shellfish reefs provided structurally complex habitat important for many species of fish and invertebrates such

as shrimp and crabs. These reefs also filtered seawater, stabilised sediments and transferred nutrients from the water column to the surrounding reef community. Today however, shellfish harvesting and other environmental changes have reduced these reefs to a few isolated pockets of individual oysters and large expanses of dead shells on or beneath the seabed. Over 95% of the historic living reefs have been lost. To read an interesting recent article on the history of Victorian shellfish reefs, go to www.publish.csiro.au/ RS/RS16008. The 2014 V&TFM article described how Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club (APYAC) members, supported by Fisheries Victoria, had initiated the project in 2012 with the aim of restoring native shellfish reefs on a broad scale, contributing to improvements to the bay environment and fish stocks. The Club’s early work led to the development of a staged program based on a detailed fishing licence

fee-funded report titled ‘Towards reconstruction of the lost shellfish reefs of Port Phillip Bay.’ SHELLFISH REEFS – A SHARED VISION Right from the start, the prospect of improving the health of the bay’s environment and fish stocks has brought various groups together by sharing

a common goal. It began with the APYAC, Fisheries Victoria, anglers, University of Melbourne researchers, commercial fishers and mussel growers. Since then, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has come on board as a key partner. A major international conservation and habitat restoration group, The

beds made of limestone rubble at both sites. At the Wilson Spit site the oysters survived but with little growth, while in Hobsons Bay they did not survive as a result of smothering by sediments and predation by eleven-arm sea stars, Coscinasterias muricata. The young oysters survived and grew better when they were placed onto the rubble beds. The impact of southwesterly winds and rough sea conditions on sediment disturbance were particularly notable at the Hobsons Bay site where it was obvious that establishing rubble beds would be critical to successful reef creation. Better results were also obtained by ongrowing the juvenile oysters to larger sizes by first suspending the scallop shells with juvenile oysters attached in mid-water on an aquaculture site for several months before transferring them to the trial sites. The second experiment tested the optimal density of placing mussels onto the seabed. The project used surplus native blue mussels sourced from local mussel

A remnant shellfish-covered rock in Hobsons Bay – a sign of things to come? Photo courtesy of Paul Hamer.

Volunteers at Geelong holding one of the cleaned-up oyster growing ropes.

Nature Conservancy, has a strong track record in facilitating large-scale oyster reef-building projects around the world. As well as being a major investment partner in the PPB project, TNC brings a wealth of technical advice and experience in successful overseas marine and coastal habitat restoration and helps to link Victoria’s project with similar shellfish reef initiatives now starting up in WA, SA, NSW, QLD and Tasmania (see below). EARLY LEARNINGS The initial small-scale trials have established some important lessons. In the first trials, juvenile native flat oysters, settled in the hatchery onto recycled scallop shells and were placed directly onto natural sand substrates and on

growers and placed on 3x3m plots at different densities, directly onto the sea floor. In the majority of plots mussels suffered mass mortalities as those underneath were smothered while the rest were affected by sedimentation and predation. Establishing larger self-sustaining mussel beds is likely to be challenging, and further trials are currently underway at the Tedesco recreational fishing reef off Carrum where The Nature Conservancy recently deployed 6t of mussels. The key message from this early work was the need to use substrates such as limestone rubble or recycled shells as a base for oysters and mussels to attach to. This type of foundation will help stabilise sediments and raise oysters and mussels off

Science meets fishing the seafloor, reducing the impact of sedimentation and predation. The main value of mussels in future may be to provide supplementary material to the rubble-oyster reefs by spreading them more widely at lower densities. KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A SHELLFISH REEF While there is a long way to go before fully functional and self-sustaining shellfish reefs become a reality again, the project team has learnt that success at the ‘reef scale’ relies on a number of important components: hatchery-raised oyster spat, excess farmed mussels, limestone rubble, clean recycled scallop and other shells, road and sea transport, volunteers and scientific oversight. The long-term goal is to rebuild the population base of native flat oysters in the bay to restore natural recruitment – this will be a key to

The Nature Conservancy and successive Victorian governments, along with Victorian recreational fishers’ investments of recreational fishing licence fees. In 2014, the former Coalition Government announced its joint investment with The Nature Conservancy, totalling $270,000 over three years. This included $150,000 from TNC and $120,000 from the thenGovernment’s Recreational Fishing Initiative. Beginning in 2015, the APYAC has fundraised an additional $35,000, which has contributed towards the purchase of juvenile oysters for Stage 2 of the project. Coordination The Nature Conservancy provides essential links between the various business, research and community partners. Together with University of Melbourne PhD student, Ben Cleveland,

Phillip CMA; and anglers, divers and board riders. Importantly, TNC, with support from Fisheries Victoria, mobilises and equips teams of volunteers who conduct the crucial labour-intensive tasks associated with production and ongrowing of young oysters for the project. Oysters Situated at Fisheries Victoria’s Queenscliff laboratories, the Victorian Shellfish Hatchery is operated by commercial shellfish growers to ensure a reliable annual source of juvenile mussels and oysters. For the reef recovery project, millions of oyster larvae are circulated through large tanks where many settle on recycled scallop shells, which are threaded onto 5m ropes. These ropes are then suspended in the water column in an aquaculture zone off Kirks Point for

Tonnes of scallop, oyster and mussel shells are being cleaned for recycling on shellfish reefs instead of going to landfill. Photo courtesy of Simon Branigan. restoring self-sustaining reefs on a bay-wide scale. The potential for real environmental benefits, coupled with the technical simplicity of the approach has generated a wide level of support and spawned a number of separate sub-projects coordinated by project partners. Funding This project would not have gone past Stage 1 without the belief and the combined financial contributions by the APYAC,

TNC acts as convenor of the ‘Restore The Bay Network’ which connects interested groups from various sectors and helps with the delivery of various elements of the project. Network members include the City of Greater Geelong; Fishcare; Fisheries Victoria, Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning; Victorian National Parks Association; Port Phillip Bay Keeper; Marine Care Rickets Point, Central Coastal Board; Port

After eight months suspended in the water, it’s hard enough to see the scallop shells let alone the young oysters.

several months, allowing the oysters to grow to 30-60mm. Largely paid for by the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, this year’s oyster production level has been particularly successful. An estimated 350,000 juvenile oysters are now being ongrown for deployment to the larger scale reefs over the coming months. Mussels In most years, Port Phillip Bay mussel growers thin out the juvenile mussels on their growing ropes and discard up to 20t of surplus mussels. Thanks to the generosity of mussel growers, these can now be collected and added to the two trial sites, so 6t of mussels each have been placed at both the Carrum Tedesco Reef site and the Wilson Spit site. Shell recycling An interesting extension of the Restore the Bay Network is the ‘Shuck Don’t Chuck’ Shell Recycling Project currently operating in the Geelong region. The project recycles scallop, mussel and oyster shells from local restaurants, mussel growers, seafood wholesalers and scallop processors. The shells are cleaned, weathered and cured in the open air for at least six months for use as part of the substrate for the new shellfish reefs. Large quantities of shells

that were once destined for landfill are now being returned to the bay to help create healthier habitat. This project is being led by TNC with the support of corporate partners, Fisheries Victoria, City of Greater Geelong and GDP (Geelong Disabled People’s) Industries – a local assisted employment business that’s providing the transport link for the recycled shells. Design, monitoring and research From the start, Fisheries Victoria scientist, Paul Hamer, has worked with the University of Melbourne led by John Ford, and TNC scientists to develop experimental design and monitoring details and to assist with the installation of reef material. PhD student Ben Cleveland is also pivotal to the experimental work with his studies focussed on the best substrate types and heights (above the sea floor) for oyster growth and survival. Part of Ben’s work involves the placement of up to 90kg of rock in numerous gabions – wire mesh baskets – to examine oyster survival at different heights above the bottom. Volunteers Crucial to the whole project are the volunteers who assist with preparation of the oyster-grow-out ropes used in the hatchery. These volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds including anglers, marine conservation groups, industry, students and Fishcare. During the oyster spawning season in early summer, teams of volunteers spend days at the Queenscliff Shellfish Hatchery threading pairs of scallop shells, connected by 10cm spacers, onto 5m ropes on which the oysters settle as larvae. During winter, after being suspended mid-water in the aquaculture zone, some ropes are brought ashore where volunteer groups remove sponges, sea squirts and other marine growths from the scallop shells, freeing up the juvenile oysters from competition in preparation for placement on the trial sites. During the 2016 summer, volunteers prepared 360 collection ropes carrying 28,800 scallop shells. This resulted in the settlement of an estimated 350,000 juvenile oysters. REALITY CHECK! If successful on a large scale, rebuilding the bay’s shellfish reefs can improve water quality and fish life but it can’t undo the ravages of the past 200 years of human activity. Harbour and channel dredging and spoil disposal plus decades of shellfish harvesting using large steel dredges (until 1996), nutrient and pollutant inflows have vastly altered the physical and chemical

Clean scallop shells openly spaced are ideal for oyster larvae settlement. environment. These changes have created an ideal opportunity for hundreds of exotic species to invade and thrive, competing with remnant native shellfish and their related communities. What’s encouraging is the bay’s resilience; with the exception of sand flathead, many of the bay’s fish stocks remain productive and the waters throughout most of the bay are generally healthy. Thus we have a great opportunity to continue to protect and improve the bay environment and its fisheries through projects like this. The focus of the shellfish reef recovery program is, therefore, forward-looking to a healthier environment rather than turning back the clock. VICTORIA LEADING THE WAY The APYAC’s 2012 dream of healthy selfsustaining shellfish reefs in Port Phillip Bay looks likely to become a reality. At a national level, the club’s vision was out in front, but other states have quickly grasped the opportunity to improve bay environments and recreational fisheries by restoring lost shellfish reefs. In Gulf St Vincent, SA, a $3.7 million 20ha shellfish reef of limestone, oyster shells and live oysters is being established south of the township of Ardrossan to improve recreational fishing opportunities. During 2016,

hatchery-produced native oysters have been placed on a rock rubble reef created in Oyster Harbour, Albany WA, in a program aimed at restoring the shellfish beds after which the harbour was named. Similar programs have started in Pumicestone Passage and Noosa, QLD and Sydney Harbour, NSW. Oceanwatch Australia’s ‘Sydney Living Shoreline’ program aims to use some of the 3000t of waste oyster shells currently being dumped annually by the oyster industry, to restore lost natural reefs and to stabilise shorelines in the Georges River. All of these state-based programs are linked at a national level through the Shellfish Reef Restoration Network, with recreational fishers playing prominent roles in the planning and evaluation stages as well as performing vital hands-on roles. Interested readers can see a three minute video featuring the Port Phillip Bay Reef Recovery Project and find out more about the National Shellfish Reef Restoration Network and other restoration projects at www. shellfishrestoration.org.au/. To continue to track the progress of the bay project and find out how to get involved, visit www. natureaustralia.org.au or email the project coordinator on simon.branigan@tnc.org.

OCTOBER 2017

Specialising to succeed NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Concentrating your fishing efforts on specific target species, places or techniques can dramatically improve your overall angling results. In my book,

Those smart anglers who select a species, a type of tackle, an environment type or a geographic location and then focus intently on it until they’ve mastered at least the basics always tend to catch a lot more fish than what I like to call the ‘generalists’ or ‘opportunists.’ What’s a ‘generalist’ or ‘opportunist’ angler, you

them, I’ll often enquire what they’re fishing for. Almost without fail their answer runs along the lines of ‘Ah, mate, I don’t really care. Whatever comes along!’ Almost without exception, those same anglers will head home later that day with an empty fish bucket. Those are what I call the generalists or opportunists.

Mulloway are one species that definitely rewards the specialist angler. a target species or a short list of species in mind, and tailor your gear and techniques to match that list, you’ll invariably do better. Funnily enough, you may well end up catching something that

a scattergun approach. These fish typically exhibit very specific habits, feeding times and food preferences. Miss the mark in any one of those areas and you simply won’t catch many (if

this is a rather extreme example, but it illustrates the underlying value of specialisation. Of course, specialisation doesn’t mean you need to chase one fish on one type of

Casual, generalist anglers do catch a few trout, but the specialists tend to fare much better on these popular imports. specialisation is one of the absolutely fundamental keys to consistent success in recreational fishing, no matter where in the world you choose to wet a line.

ask? When I’m walking along a jetty or a riverbank and I spot someone reclining lazily in a comfortable camp chair, drink in hand, with a rod propped up in front of

They choose a scattergun over a sniper’s rifle… and they don’t hit very much as a result! By contrast, if you head out on every fishing trip with

Some anglers spend their entire lives fishing in tidal systems with healthy estuary perch populations, yet never catch one! The answer is to focus and target.

You won’t catch many luderick unless you specifically target them, using the right gear, rigs and baits.

isn’t even on your original list, but simply having that list in the first place seems to make a positive difference to overall outcomes. Of course, certain species of fish tend to reward the specialist angler even more than others. Luderick (blackfish), mulloway (jewfish), estuary perch and trout are four popular varieties that spring to my mind as species that will only rarely be caught by the opportunist fisho using

any) of these fish. As if to hammer home this point, I’ve met anglers who’ve spent many, many years fishing in estuary systems that are home to excellent numbers of both estuary perch and mulloway without ever catching a single specimen of either. Some are unaware that those fish even live there! By contrast, specialists working on those same waterways are regularly scoring great catches of perch or mulloway. Admittedly,

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gear and in just one location for your entire angling life… that’d be rather boring! But it does point to the value of narrowing your focus, at least in the short term. The very best anglers I’ve ever met have all tended to be serial specialists: they focus on one aspect of their fishing until they feel comfortable with that species or method, then they move on to the next challenge… It’s not a bad way to go!

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Bream and perch are making their comeback WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

October brings welcome relief from the cold of winter and the early spring mornings of September as we start to see some much more settled weather patterns, less flow in the rivers and improved water clarity. After a dry start to winter, we finally saw some pretty good rainfall through late August and September in the South West, and all the rivers got another much-needed flush

out after the minor floods we saw back in early May. The fishing remained pretty good with both estuary perch and bream moving low in all the South West rivers to recruit and spawn. The earlier high level flows in May were ideally suited to estuary perch, with research showing they prefer these far more robust inflows, whereas the increased flows of late August and early September were far more sedate and suited to the conditions bream prefer for spawning. Fingers crossed that these two variations

in flow have seen a very successful spawning season for both species. October will most likely see an improvement in water clarity and temperature, which should mean the large schools of bream and perch that have been in spawning mode break up and start to disperse widely through the river. The key at this time of year will to be stay on the move until you find the fish in numbers. Both bream and estuary perch will be more inclined to be up in the shallows or

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holding tight to the edge on heavy snags and rock walls, and aren’t as easily found via a sounder. Moving along the river and alternating the terrain you are targeting will eventually expose a pattern. Whether lure fishing or bait fishing, the key is to try all possible areas like weed banks, mud flats, rock walls and heavy timber snags. Once you’ve established what kind of terrain is holding the fish, it’s simply a matter of sticking to similar types of areas. With clearer water small shallow to mid-diving hardbodies will be the go-to lures. Lures thrown hard up to the edges, are almost impossible for a hungry bream or estuary perch to refuse. Lightly-weighted soft plastics in minnow profiles are also deadly. When edge fishing with soft plastics jighead weight is important. ‘Fish light to get the bite’, as the saying goes, so light jigheads from 1/16oz right down to 1/50oz, or even unweighted, are the best choice depending on depth

Boni ‘Snagger’ Brown caught this nice Hopkins River bream. and wind. The lighter the jighead, the more slowly it will waft down through the water column and stay in the strike zone longer. Light fluorocarbon

leaders are also the way to go in the clearer water. I tend to fish 4-6lb in the heavy snag areas and 3-4lb in the more open mud flat and weed banks.

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On Monday 11 September the Australian Senate voted to approve the Product Emissions Standards Bill. The rules (Regulations) are being drafted and Industry has a further meeting with the Environment Department. The rules are planned to commence next year, with the final imports of high emission outboards and mowers on 30 June 2018. Wholesalers and dealers will then have a year to sell off old stock. All of this was announced in January – giving Industry 30 months clear notice – although regulations in general were in process since 2015.

With a two-stroke lawn mower pushing out 40 times the emissions of a car, and a brush cutter as much as 10 cars, standards were overdue. The USA started small engine emissions laws 20 years ago. The EU, Canada, Japan and many

emissions than fourstrokes or Direct Injection two-strokes. On average the dirty engine has 11 times the emissions, but some of the cheap, cheerful, copy engines have been measured at 39 times the emissions of a clean engine.

be left in the hands of the Department of Environment. The ‘pink batts’ Royal Commission and two Auditor General

Reports make it hard to see how the Department has what it takes to manage the 1.3m small engines imported each year.

Industry has recommended a Co-Regulation arrangement to fill the enforcement gap. – Gary Fooks

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The Product Emissions Standards Bill does not include E-Tec’s Direct Injection 2-strokes, which are cleaner than most 4-stroke engines. other countries followed. C h i n a ’s standards commenced in 2011. Non-complaint outboards (carby and EFI two-strokes) don’t just have 10% or 20% more

Hopefully the new bill will see the end to the old smoke generators at the boat ramp and cleaner air for everyone.

In practice this means that a tiny 8hp carby two-stroke pushes out 59% more emissions per hour that a large 150hp four-stroke outboard. Both ‘quality’ products of the market leading manufacturer. What follows next is the rules – The devil is always in the details. Sadly the Complimentary Bill will be a nightmare for industry. The Bill amends the Customs Act, so Australia Border Force is exempted from their usual role of seizing any illegal imports. They seize drugs, weapons, counterfeit handbags and even US-made boat trailers. But not illegal engines. Enforcement will

Jesse Rotin caught this fantastic gummy shark.

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Barrelling into October PORTLAND

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With the onset of spring, things are improving. The Lee Breakwater has had snapper to 8kg, school and gummy shark, and other large toothy visitors too. With the warmer weather comes the chance for a kingfish, and anglers have reported that some schools have been sighted from the cliffs and along the North Shore. Whiting numbers are starting to pick up and some good bags have been reported. The best spots for these have been from Point Danger to the back of Pivot Beach, the Lee Breakwater and the area down to Marameo Gates and along the North Shore. These are a great fighting and eating fish and are best targeted with a paternoster rig and pipis or squid for bait. Remember to berley lightly, as too much berley attracts unwanted species such as wrasse. Sweep are a good option from the washes, and a great area to target these is around Lawrence Rocks or just inside the harbour at the Corkscrew. The best baits include prawns, pipis and squid, and I would use a float to keep the bait off the bottom, as this

Billy Olver took this 153cm conger eel while fishing off the Lee Breakwater. should reduce by-catch. Remember that caution is paramount and conditions must be suitable when fishing the rocks. The run of large barrel tuna continues, and fish over 100kg are being landed on skirted lures and large hardbodies. Further offshore blue-eye travella, pink ling, gemfish and blue grenadier continue to dominate bags of those anglers willing to

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Duncan Foster caught this 99.5kg tuna fishing aboard a local charter. 18

OCTOBER 2017

head out that far. Using electric reels is the best way to target these species. Not too far away in the 140m water, good catches of Tassie trumpeter, school and gummy shark, snapper and flathead have been coming in, with trumpeter to 10kg and school and gummy sharks to 25kg. Looking to the future should see the kingfish start to fire up with the warmer weather, and the best ways to target kingfish is either trolling harbodies or skirted lures, strips of squid on a hook, or drifting a live squid under a balloon, which is often the best tactic for catching these fish. Casting a surface lure at them if you see them can also produce some results. Everyone will be keeping a close eye on where the ships anchor up and the back of Julia Reef to see if the summer run of bluefin tuna will show up this year. • Portland Bait and Tackle is family-owned and operated stocking fishing tackle, bait and marine accessories. They are open 7 days a week from 7 to 7. Portland’s one stop fishing tackle shop, we cover everything from chasing redfin and trout in fresh water to blue eye and other deep sea fish over the continental shelf. The new owner John Johnstone has extensive fishing experience for both fresh and saltwater. He has fished most areas of Australia, from chasing trout in the high country to the jumbo tuna down the West Coast – the chances are John has done it. To get the latest advice on what’s been caught call Portland Bait and Tackle on (03) 5523 5213 or drop in and see them at 111 Bentinck Street, Portland.

Hoping for a wet spring WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

After the good bite earlier in the season, trout fishing in the local rivers has dropped off a little, however, some good rains in the late winter and early spring seemed to get the fish moving again. Good fish to 2kg were

taken on cast lures in the shallow runs and margins. October is still often a productive month to give the trout a try, particularly if we get a wet spring. The flow of dirty water also seemed to assist with the consistency of the bream and EP bite in the Hopkins River. When the water was clear and cold, things seemed to be completely shut down at times, even when fish

had been located on the sounder. With the cover of a meter or so of dirty water, the fish seemed keener to bite, particularly through the middle of the day. Most of the fish have come from the lower reaches, with heavily-weighted soft plastics and vibes doing the damage on some cracking fish to 1.4kg. Come October these fish should be moving back upstream and spread

Solid bream have been encountered by many fishing the Hopkins River recently.

Trout will be a good October option if we get a wet spring.

more throughout the system. The wind has been an annoying constant over the past few months, but not only just for offshore anglers, as even river and lake anglers have been frustrated by the frequency of the prevalent strong winds. In the very few windows of opportunity though, some good fish have been taken. Dan Hoey from Salty Dog Charters has been putting his clients onto some good-sized snapper, as well as gummy and school sharks. Scott Gray from The Tackle Shack has continued to use micro jigging techniques to

great effect on a wide range of offshore bottom species. Hopefully we get some good offshore conditions, as October is a good month to target a better class of snapper before the summer pinkies move in. The salmon off the beaches have been a good constant throughout the winter, as even with a strong offshore wind some beaches remain fishable. The Warrnambool breakwater has also continued to produce some salmon captures. October often throws up some warm flat days that are ideal for getting

out and targeting various shark species off the local beaches and piers. Gummies and schoolies are the main target with plenty of seven gillers, Port Jacksons and skates providing annoying by-catch. The inshore reefs should also see a few squid around for you to stock up on for bait for the summer ahead, if you can resist the temptation of eating them. The shallow reefs around Port Fairy and Lady Bay as well as the Warrnambool breakwater and Port Campbell jetty are good areas to target the squid.

River mouths are open, giving anglers options COBDEN

kilogram are still being caught by those who know where to find them. In the Hopkins River, the mud flats just downstream of the Mahoneys Road boat ramp and further down and around the corner under those houses on the cliff have been but two hot spots to cast soft plastics, metal vibes or bait fish a crab or brown shell. These areas are out of the current and provide an excellent habitat for bait. A similar situation is also occurring in the Curdies River. Either side of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aquariumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (where the river runs into the lake) in the shallows out of the current, where the bream are schooling up in readiness

Rod Shepherd

August saw below average temperatures and above average rainfall. In our estuaries, the bream have schooled up in preparation for their spawning run upstream, however, heavy freshwater flows pushing downstream are currently putting paid to that concept. The upside is that all of our river mouths are open and our estuaries are receiving a good flush out. The river mouths are currently providing some great sport in the form of Australian salmon to 2kg, as well as the odd gummy shark and mulloway. Sturdy surf rods armed with beefed up leaders are necessary just in case a big one shows up, plus the dirty water milling around the river mouths negates the need for finer leaders. The best bait by far is whole baby squid and pieces of freshly caught eel (skin left on). These are tough baits that will withstand the onslaught of pickers. The shallow bays that can be found in and around the town of Peterborough have been firing on a given day for winter whiting. The

for spawning. The bream are waiting for the fresh to slow down so they can enter the river in earnest. Soft plastics in shrimp or prawn patterns are working well; so too are worm and grub patterns. Those fishing inside the river mouth hard up against the banks are doing well hopping metal vibes along the bottom. Some (including myself) are working medium to deep diving hardbodies right up close to bankside vegetation. Bait fishing out in the lake has seen a few fish caught with heavily-scented baits such as pilchard fillet and packet prawns.

This average fish took a Pontoon 21 minnow worked right up close to the bank in the lower reaches. fish are biting on dusk, and although not present in huge numbers, their size more than makes up for it. Again beef up the terminal end of things, as bigger fish such as gummies come out to play in the shallows after dark. Forget the standard whiting hooks. Upgrade to a larger baitholder hook just in case. Squid stripped up into worm

like lengths has been the gun bait to employ. For those who have been able to get out on the briny in recent times, they have done OK in depths around 50m. Fishing rubbly or reefy bottom has seen pinkie snapper, sea perch, morwong, nannygai and leatherjackets to name but a few species. Some excellent school

sharks in excess of 20kg and makos exceeding 35kg have also been caught. Over in the far west of the state and into the south east of South Australia, some barrel southern bluefin tuna in excess of 120kg have been boated. Even though our rivers are currently experiencing high flows, estuary species such as bream weighing in at over a

This Curdies bream fell to a Damiki Saemi in yamame pattern fished along the bankside weed growth close to the mouth. OCTOBER 2017

Plenty of flow to keep baitfishers happy APOLLO BAY

Wayne Diffey

Salmon have been patchy off the beaches with Wild Dog Creek Beach and the back beach at Marengo the best of the local spots. When they have been on, there have been some good fish caught, with reports of salmon up to 4kg on more than a few occasions. Blue bait on a double paternoster rig with a surf popper on the top dropper seems to be the best setup if you’re bait fishing.

Out wide there have been some good catches of gummies, schoolies and some decent-sized flatties. Cape Patton and the Blanket Bay reefs have been very productive for the gummies and schoolies in 40-50m of water. Fish the change of the tides using fresh cut bait like salmon and calamari. There have also been some good catches of snapper up to 3kg in the same areas, as well as Bald Hill Reef. There are still plenty of King George whiting about just off the Bumbry Reef and Marengo and pipis

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we will also see more and more calamari start to appear in the Apollo Bay Boat Harbour. Early mornings and late evenings are the best times. Use 2.0 or 2.5 sized squid jigs, or bigger depending on the tide. Always have a few different colour patterns handy as well,

of year. You could also try some minnow-style soft plastics like the Berkley PowerBait minnow. Casting an unweighted scrubworm and letting it drift downstream can also give you good results. With the water temperature starting to rise

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Action before snapper invasion GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

October is snapper month around Geelong and the Bellarine. The Surf Coast and in particular Torquay to Barwon Heads are often first to see quality snapper coming on the bite during October. The reports often fire up along the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay first, then slowly they show up inside Corio Bay.

Hotspots are Portarlington and Clifton Springs, but they can be caught anywhere in Port Phillip Bay once they really get going. If you’re land-based on the Bellarine, give the North Shore rocks, the rocks at St Helens or Portarlington pier a go after a stiff northerly at night. If you’re down the Surf Coast and land-based, try the many rock platforms along the Great Ocean Road for pinkie snapper just on dusk. Pilchards are great bait for snapper, but squid, silver whiting, blue

bait and octopus are all fish catchers. Boat-based anglers should try for a run-out tide on dusk or after dark and head out off Clifton Springs, Portarlington or St Leonards. Anglers fishing along the Geelong waterfront when the weather has allowed have caught garfish. The best bet has been to get them in the mood with some berley first, and then lob out a small hook baited with pilchard pieces or bread on a float. Aussie salmon have been patrolling from Clifton Springs

That’s 37 kegs of Bass Strait flake heaved up for the camera by Aaron.

to the Geelong waterfront in schools attacking baitfish here and there as they go. Most of these fish have been around the 40cm mark and make for fantastic fun on light gear. The salmon have also been hot along the Surf Coast beaches and rock platforms, with good numbers of fish either side of a kilogram in weight and a few up to 2kg here and there. Hugh Hanson fished with his brother-in-law down at Bancoora Beach last month casting and retrieving lures from the beach, and the pair caught stacks of salmon from 30-40cm. Sea Iron Pelacus, Super Sprat and Braid Mauler lures were the stand out lures. Hugh said the salmon were so thick that there was almost a fish every cast and even if one fish got off the lure, another would jump on! Mick Allardyce has fished the rocks near Lorne with Brendan Morgan and Jesse Allardyce a few times recently. The lads got stuck into a school of Australian salmon around a kilogram and said there were plenty on the bite, with patches of whitebait keeping them nearby. Mick said they caught fish up to 2kg and they left them biting! A few gummy and school sharks have been caught

Salmon have been hot along the Surf Coast as Brendan can attest.

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by anglers fishing deep off Barwon Heads, with squid and Australian salmon being the top bait. Expect their numbers to increase as well as those bait-stealing draughtboard sharks. Aaron Habgood from Red’s Fishing Adventures fished out off Barwon Heads in 30m of water searching for a gummy or snapper when the rod buckled and the reel let out a huge scream as line peeled from it. After several minutes and a stubborn fight, there was a very large school shark beside the boat. Aaron grabbed its tail and swung it into the boat, where it was

hook the fish in the corner of the mouth to assist hook removal if the fish is to be released. Here’s another great story for the ‘Fishing License Fees at Work’ by the Victorian Fishing Authority. Around 100 years ago, a weir was installed in the Barwon River downstream of Geelong to hold back the saltwater so farmers could use the water for their stock. This weir also halted fish migration, and some species require freshwater as part of their breeding patterns. A fish ladder was installed in 2013 by the Corangamite CMA and

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).

Jesse had a ball catching salmon with Mick and Brendan near Lorne.

Hugh and his bro-in-law’s haul of salmon from Bancoora. weighed in at a staggering 37kg! Aaron was using a size 7/0 Gamakatsu circle hook and a salmon chunk as bait. Circle hooks are designed to

several electro fishing surveys have yielded some interesting results. An impressive 18 species of fish have been found to successfully negotiate

the fish ladder including the threatened Australian grayling. It is estimated that up to a million fish per year gain access to the upstream habitats via this fish ladder. Michael Evans has been casting lures around Wurdee Boluc Reservoir and grassed a few fat redfin from 35-45cm using Nories metal Wasaby lures in chrome gold. Michael says that they seem to be hanging around the weed beds. His tip is if they go off the bite, keep moving spots, as you should find another

patch of them. Michael also caught a cracking brown trout that went 61cm and weighed in at exactly 3kg. Stoney Creek Reservoir is producing a few brown trout to 45cm for anglers casting lures. Heavy spoons and winged lures have been effective due to the distance they can be cast and ease of depth regulation. FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to

Michael nabbed this 3kg brownie from Wurdee Boluc Resevoir recently.

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The big reds are back in town PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

For local anglers, October declares the end of footy season and the opening of the annual snapper season. It’s a time of year that many anglers like myself eagerly anticipate. The cold months waiting for snapper season are over, the warmer weather is approaching and the time spent preparing your boat and stocking up on snapper tackle throughout winter will now pay dividends. Snapper are an iconic fish of Victoria, and Port Phillip Bay is a prime destination. The big reds are moving inshore, because the water temperature is warming up making the conditions suitable for them to spawn. This migration starts around October and finishes in the early

months of the following year. Traditional snapper fishing means anchoring up in a known location or trusty GPS mark, spreading out some rods, berleying up, and then waiting in anticipation for one of the rods to buckle over with the sound of line peeling from the reel. Another method

growing in popularity is to use your sounder to search for snapper. Sounders on the market are more advanced and affordable than ever before and anglers are taking advantage of this improved technology to locate schools of fish and fish-holding structure. Once the fish are under the boat, just drop your baits or

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work your plastics right on top of them. In Port Phillip Bay, you’re likely to find snapper in depths between 8-20m with the occasional fish caught in shallower water. Schools will move around, but often you’ll find them near reefs, structure, and scallop beds. Dawn and dusk are the best times to be out on the water; if you’re fishing the morning then it pays to start early and have your baits out before sunrise. Often, you’ll get a short window of frantic chaos then nothing for hours, which is often the frustrating nature of snapper fishing. Known and proven destinations in PPB include the ‘Spoil Grounds,’ P2, Ricketts Point, Fawkner Beacon, Williamstown footy ground, Black Rock, Corio Bay and Altona Reef, just to name a few. When it comes to bait, good choices include pilchards, silver whiting, squid, garfish, and scad. Take a variety of baits out with you then load up with whatever is getting hit that day. My go-to rig is two snelled suicide hooks; this allows me to present a full pilchard or silver whiting. I use 1m of quality fluorocarbon leader separated by a swivel and a small sinker above the swivel. A fishing rod around 7.6ft length with a 4-8kg capacity is a great starting point coupled with a quality 4000-6000 size reel. Mark Moseley has reported some very productive sessions around the popular P2 buoy area.

Mark Moseley enjoying the start of snapper season. Using half pilchards and a pea-size running sinker, he has seen many snapper coming on deck. He has also reported several gummy sharks and flathead as very welcome by-catch. James Papas has also been fishing these areas with great success, landing several big reds up to 8kg. The silly season will see boat ramps more like car parks with long queues of boats eager to launch. Out on the water, popular locations are crowded with many boats in one area. Remember to show patience

and common courtesy to other anglers; many are still new to boating. Always take the necessary safety precautions and remember, a good fishing experience is when you return to your loved ones. The Coast Guard has noted recent incidents of boats and kayakers going out to sea and not returning. All cases were avoidable. Often inexperienced anglers aren’t taking the basic safety precautions and choosing to launch in unsuitable conditions. I commend our local Coast

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Graeme Findlay with a Wurdiboluc reddy caught on a Daiwa TD Minnow 95SP.

Guard volunteers for the thankless work they do for the angling community. Pinkies will once again come into shallower areas, which is great news for land-based anglers and kayakers. St Kilda all the way through to Geelong will be producing hungry pinkies in good numbers that are keen to take pilchards, prawns, raw chicken or a tempting soft

plastic. Expect to see an increase of people targeting these fish at the local piers and jetties as the weather gets warmer and warmer. They’re great fun on light gear and a fun species to target when fishing with kids. In the metropolitan river systems, this is the time of year when many big bream are being caught. We should be seeing the

Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers providing top fishing in the coming months. As always, I have spent a lot of time around suburban Melbourne fishing these local river systems, catching several bream around the magical 40cm mark by slow rolling and hopping some of my trusted soft plastics. Lure fishing for bream on light gear truly is one of my

The author with a healthy 40cm bream. favourite pastimes. While walking along the banks, I have spoken to several local anglers eagerly reporting estuary perch being caught in both these systems. This news is surprising, but very welcome indeed. They have been caught using a range of shallow diving hardbody lures and soft plastics. The freshwater fishing is still going very strong in areas near Melbourne.

James Pappas with a pair of PPB snapper.

We’re starting to see more catches of redfin, golden perch and the occasional catch of a prized size trout. Graeme Findlay has been fishing several areas around Geelong with great success; he caught a beautiful 41cm redfin off the rock wall near Wurdee Boluc. Don’t forget, Sunday 15 October is Gone Fishing Day for 2017. It encourages the growth of recreational fishing and is a great day

to take the family fishing. Make sure you follow the events on my FishingMad website as my team and I will likely host another local fishing clinic for families on this day. I’d love to hear about your recent fishing experiences and catches around inner Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay, so please send your reports, pictures and enquiries to alan@fishingmad.com.au.

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Good signs for the snapper run PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

After a slow and very mild start to winter this year, the cold, wet and windy days stayed well into the start of spring. While the rain is welcomed by many anglers, especially for the long term benefit to the bay’s food chain, the persistent onshore winds that we have been experiencing aren’t. There doesn’t seem to be an end to this pattern anytime soon. While these conditions

are providing limited opportunities for many boating anglers, the landbased crew have been cashing in during the more inclement weather. Spring seems to switch on overnight these days, and this month it will be well underway. Many of the bays’ anglers have been eagerly awaiting the snapper season this year, as many believe this will be our best season for some time. While there are hard facts and research to back up these claims, part of the intrigue is just the season approaching. For us Victorians, the end of the

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footy finals is the beginning of the fishing season on the bay, and the main target is the mighty snapper. You can’t help but get caught up in this build-up as we move towards summer on the bay. Early signs further north in the bay are very promising with some ripper fish up to and beyond 6kg being taken lately, especially by anglers fishing landbased. Most of these fish are being taken early and late in the day, and during the night as well. Persistent onshore winds have helped this fishing as well, giving the snapper cover to move into the shallower inshore waters to feed. Many anglers fish fresh baits of squid and fish fillets land-based, preferring to present a more attractive offering to the grazing fish. Mornington and Mordialloc piers have also been producing some nice snapper on baits too, mostly around the 2-3kg mark. Some of these have even been taken by anglers fishing lures and plastics as well. Reports from boating anglers have been a lot less frequent, but this will all change next month when snapper fever takes

hold. Expect the snapper to stay close to structure and reef during October and November, and don’t be too shy to target them in the shallows as well, especially around the many scallop beds that are littered along the eastern seaboard of PPB. During the last good snapper season that I can remember, Frankston and Seaford were key areas, especially during the morning; this should be the same again this year, if the season turns out the way many expect it to. No doubt there will be more to report next month. While many of the bay’s anglers have been waiting for the snapper to show up, some of the more dedicated have been putting in the hours on the bread and butter species, especially from the piers and rocks, and in the bay’s rivers and creeks as well. Good numbers of salmon have been around for the past couple of months, but the bigger models seemed to have shown up recently, especially at Mornington and Frankston, and also in and around Martha Cove. Salmon will take almost anything when they’re in the mood, but casting metal

Therese Lambert with a 2.1kg (54cm) snapper caught off Mornington Pier using light spinning tackle. Solid numbers of quality snapper are already being caught in the north of the bay, and a few more down south as well, which is a great sign for the coming summer season. lures and soft plastics is preferred by most. It’s no shock that there’s plenty of bait species around as well. With the numbers

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and size of garfish around the moment, nobody is complaining. I can’t remember them being so strong at this time of year, and plenty of anglers are cashing in one some firstclass baits, and some pretty good tucker too. Squid numbers are still strong, and the inshore fishing will get better in our local waters as temperatures rise and the water clears. Expect the local whiting fishing to come in strong over the coming months as well; hopefully the numbers will be as good as last year. The Patterson River has been producing some lovely bream for the bait and lure anglers and this steady fishing will continue with the regular flushes of fresh water that are occurring at the moment. A few EPs have also been reported by persistent lure anglers fishing at night; once again, I expect this fishing to get better as we move closer towards and into the summer months.

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A Fisheries Notice released recently proposed a range of reforms to the way recreational fishers catch iconic rays, skates and guitarfish. The notice proposes prohibiting the take or possession of large, iconic rays with a wingspan wider than 1.5m. It is proposed that the catch (bag) limit be reduced from five to one per day for rays less than 1.5m wide,

skates or guitarfish. Fishers will not be permitted to take any of these species within 400m of any artificial fixed structure including any pier, jetty, wharf or breakwater. Fisheries regulations already require fishers to return any unwanted catch to the water with the least possible injury or damage. Over the past few months, Project Banjo

has echoed community concerns about socially unacceptable treatment of rays, particularly those taken from piers and jetties in and around Port Phillip Bay. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the proposed reforms have been developed to address those concerns. “We are working constructively with Project Banjo and recreational

fishing groups to increase awareness and protection of rays and banjo sharks,” Mr Dowling said. “We are improving signage on piers to remind fishers they need to be responsible in the way they fish for, handle and release these species.” For more information, go to www.vic. gov.au/fisheries. – Fisheries Victoria

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All about early mornings and PB snapper PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

Just when we thought winter was over, the first month of spring really dished up some cold winds and wet days. If you look at the diary, you’ll see that September is often the wettest and windiest month, but on the upside, these conditions seem to bring the on the snapper in a big way as they filter into the bay for the annual spawn run. While over the past month saw some good snapper caught, especially in the past two weeks, it’s now time to get serious. This October looks like it’s shaping up to be a really good one on the snapper front, with some great fish being taken already by both land-based and boat anglers.

As a bonus, while the snapper are the key focus for the next few months, the squid fishing has also been great over the shallow reefs. Out wider anglers are also reporting that if you get a surface berley trail going while fishing for snapper, there have been good numbers of garfish to be found. MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK This month sees the Mordi Pier come into its own with a daily procession of anglers fishing the pier and a daily load of big snapper getting caught. Unlike most fishing locations, the rougher and windier the conditions, the busier the pier is, with anglers jostling for position to get a bait out in search of a big shallow water snapper. It also highlights that during this month if the conditions are rough, you don’t need to fish

in deep water to catch fish. In fact, it seems that often times fishing in water deeper than 8m when it’s blowing can see you out past where all the feeding snapper are. If you’re in the boat, the prime areas to look at over the coming weeks are places like the Parkdale Pinnacles and up around Ricketts Point with big fish moving in to feed with the pinkies. While the mornings seem to be the prime time in most areas of the bay, the afternoon and evening bites off these areas are often better as the snapper move into the shallows to feed on dark. For land-based anglers, as mentioned, the pier is a prime location in the rough conditions. Other places to look are the beach area between Parkdale and Mentone with some small reef patches within casting distance in rough conditions

producing good snapper. Up from Beaumaris Pier there are also good snapper to be found. In the calmer conditions it’s still a prime area to find the calamari in numbers. Between Ricketts Point and Black Rock is a great place to be fishing this month, with a whole mix of pinkies and snapper on offer as they move along the reef areas to feed. Best of all it provides exciting fishing as one fish could be a tiny pinkie and the next a 6kg screamer. If you’re fishing any of these areas over the coming weeks, it’s well worth fishing a few bigger baits such as silver whiting, squid heads and whole pilchards – this will give the bigger fish a chance to get to the bait before the pinkies eat it. If lures are your choice then now is the time to try paddletail plastics in the 4-6” size or jerkbaits in the 6-7” size, as the smaller fish can’t eat them as easily – once again giving the bigger fish a better chance to find the lure. While the shallows are good, it’s also well worth looking at locations like the rubble ground that runs through the 14m area off Mordialloc and then the 14-16m area between Rickets Point and Black Rock; this area especially is a great place to spend time sounding. There are some very nice little bits of reef and structure that hold good numbers of fish at this time of the year. They are also prime areas to be looking

The author with a beaut snapper. at in the afternoon or later in the morning. SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA Land-based anglers love this part of the bay during this month with good numbers of snapper already being taken off the Sandringham breakwall, Hampton Rock Groynes and Brighton breakwall areas. Best of all in these locations there is plenty of room for anglers to spread out. Even along the beach between the Hampton Rock Groynes and the end of South Road is great – deeper water right up to the shoreline and several patches of reef bottom close by attracts plenty of big snapper. Out wider, fishing out the back of the Anonyma Shoal and north from there produces really good snapper during

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October, especially around dawn. Further north from Green Point up to Brighton the shallow reef that is abundant in 4-8m of water holds plenty of pinkies and big snapper at dusk and into the night. Over the past weeks there have also been good reports of garfish through this part of the world, so it’s well worth getting the berley going and using a small bait suspended under a float to get yourself into a bunch of great fresh bait. From North Road to St Kilda I haven’t heard a lot of reports, but anglers fishing out wide from here along the edge of the shipping channel and up towards the Fawkner Beacon over the coming weeks will surely find some solid schools of snapper. ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE This is definitely a good part of the bay over the coming weeks with big snapper on offer for land-based anglers fishing at night off the end of the St Kilda breakwall and local piers running along to Station Pier. It’s also prime ground to fish in the boats in the 6-10m areas off here with loads of cunjevoi to attract the big fish. This month can also be a great area between Station Pier and the old Princess Pier, because often large schools of big snapper will move into here, for whatever reason. Now is definitely time to get the snapper rods out. Just like every year at this time, it’s all about getting up early in search of the prized fish of Port Phillip Bay.

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Fishing in wild weather MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Julian Frank

Three quarters of the way through the year we are still seeing wild weather, with very little break for the avid angler wanting to get the boat out to enjoy the spring. That definitely hasn’t stopped everyone, but it’s no surprise the piers and rocks have been the favourable areas again for most. Despite this, the fishing on the Southern Peninsula has been pretty good considering, with great catches of salmon around the piers. There have been plenty of pinkies around again and also the bigger spawning squid have been in abundance. Rosebud has had its fair share of salmon getting around and there’s no wonder why; when the weather gets ugly these fish just love to hang in the shallow water along our foreshore, making them very easy targets. Blairgowrie has been another hotspot again lately for them with the odd silver trevally starting to appear amongst the schools. The mornings have been the best times for the bigger fish ranging from 1.5-3kg, however there have been plenty of fish up to the 1kg mark during midday and into the afternoons. The best method for catching them is bluebait or pilchards on a Paternoster hook rig. You can’t go astray with a soft plastic or a smaller metal wobbler even – salmon are suckers for anything flashy. The big breeding squid found at this time of year have not disappointed. We have seen and spoken to plenty of anglers all getting stuck into these giants lately. The piers at Portsea and Sorrento have been crazy with people fishing all times of the day. A lot of fishers have also

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Ben Broomfield and Dad Wayne Broomfield with a couple of ripper squid taken from the Sisters. been catching a decent number of squid from the boat around the moorings, but the middle grounds out from the Sisters at Sorrento have been a prime spot for these big squid. Popular fishing techniques have included casting jigs around and using a dead bait under a float around Portsea, which seems to be the go-to method for them this year. Out in the boat or kayak, have one jig dragging behind you while you drift and work another jig vigorously at the same time to increase your odds of a potential double hook-up, if your jig is followed up by one or more squid. The best baits have been silver whiting and pilchards while the most popular squid jig colours have included red, gold and natural colours. There have been some decent snapper caught around Mt Martha over the last couple of weeks with plenty of 3kg fish caught in 8-16m of water. A good area to have a look at is directly out the front of Bradford Road. The grounds in front of the Pillars are a great start for those who want

to have a crack at a fish or two on lures and fishing back toward Mornington out to 18m will have some bigger fish, particularly around Mornington Pier. Fish the tides for the best results and use fresh pilchards for bait. As far as rigging goes, try a double hook snooded rig tied with twin 4/0 circle hooks for the best results. For the next few weeks we can expect the snapper season to really start firing up with more catches coming from a wider area along the peninsula. Mt Martha should be a more popular target area as the water starts to warm up. We should also start to see significant catches of whiting around Blairgowrie and Rye, and the bigger bluespot flathead will start appearing more on these grounds as by-catch. I usually find earlier mornings at this time of year to be the best for the whiting in these areas. Use either fresh squid strips or a cocktail bait of squid and mussel. Don’t forget to berley like mad to keep the fish around once you’ve found them.

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A great salmon caught spinning lures on light tackle off the beach. OCTOBER 2017

Everyone is preparing for spring’s red October reside here, so don’t be afraid to put down a nice big bait! Charles Drackoulas was another local angler who headed to Joes with great success. Charles launched his boat from Hastings to collect a couple of fresh squid on the way and then turned those squid into a 4.9kg snapper. You gotta love it when a plan comes together! Well

WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

We have finally hit that point of the year where we can put the cold behind us and the snapper have come out to play! We have taken a heap of snapper reports over the last month, which (fingerscrossed), means that we are in for a spectacular snapper season. THE TOP END – SNAPPER! It’s all about the snapper in the top end of the port this month and hopefully it’s the sign of a great season. The reports coming out of the top end are nothing unusual for this time of year, as it seems to be part of the annual snapper migration that they enter the port and immediately make their way north then settle into the food-rich flats of the top end. Anglers have been hitting various spots around the top end from Joes Island all the way through to the top of the Middle Spit, and stops wherever the sounder tells them to. The biggest key to success is fresh bait options and calamari. Joes Island would have

is nothing at all wrong with the humble pilchard, but have you noticed that every snapper report so far has been on fresh squid? THE REST… Believe it or not, it’s not just about the snapper! With some horrible winds and weather conditions, Warneet Pier has been pretty good for those that just have to get

get hit pretty hard over the next couple of months as the snapper fishos go on bait collecting duty. Places like Quail Bank and even across the shallows of the Middle Spit will hold really good numbers if Tyabb gets crowded. Hux Fysh been chucking the new Sephia jigs around and had some really nice success on one of the

Hux Fysh with a stonker of a Tyabb calamari. to be snapper mark number one and this year has been no different. If I was to choose one spot to start, it would be here. Daniel Curmi and his brother Adam

have had the same ideas and were rewarded nicely with a cracker 7kg red – a very serious snapper. These won’t be uncommon through October. Big fish

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Now is the time for a solid snapper like this beaut. done, Charles. Eagle Rock is another place in the top end that just continues to produce early big fish. Pat Ellaby knows a thing or two about fishing the port and Eagle Rock has been good to him over the years. This year has been no different. Fresh squid was again the downfall of his lovely snapper, which came from 18m of water. I just can’t emphasis enough how important fresh bait is in Western Port. Don’t get me wrong, there

outside and wet a line. With a little bit of berley in the water, great numbers of mullet and silver trevally have been camping around the pier. Though most of the fish are quite small, they are great fun on light line and especially awesome for the kids to get stuck into. A small 10 or 12 long shank hook and little piece of pilchard fillet is a great way to get started. The Tyabb Bank is where most of the big calamari have been. The bank will

brown and gold offerings. The biggest of his catches measured 45cm hood length. Well played, Hux. Enjoy those calamari rings! Next month, the reports will all be about snapper and I really hope that they are, as that will mean that Western Port is firing and we are back into it for another full-on snapper season! Thank you to everyone who sent in a report and good luck on those big red machines!

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OCTOBER 2017

Cracking the big red pattern on squid baits WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Already a good month into snapper season and it seems they are the only thing on every angler’s mind. I guess with the few previous months of no reds being available it’s fair enough.

While we may not be right in the thick of the season just yet, good numbers of fish are coming in from right around the port. Corinella has been one of the most prolific locations with fish caught as high as Jam Jerrup. The channels up here narrow somewhat, so you have to take your time and navigate slowly during the high tide,

otherwise you may find yourself sitting on the sand until high tide again. This does happen each season; taking your time can prevent these unfortunate accidents. Fishing the channels up this far is very productive, especially on the run-out tide when the fish are coming off the banks and slipping back into the channels. The

Alan Jones with a very nice red taken on a fresh squid bait. Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

THE FUTURE

Lang Lang channel, Tenby Point Channel and Corinella Channel have also been producing some nice fish. There has also been a solid school of fish moving with the tides in the channel that runs from Snapper Rock/Pelican Island down to Elizabeth Island. This channel is quite deep and is a main thoroughfare for fish to head up towards the Lang Lang area. Setting anchor on the edge of the channel and fishing the drop-off has been very productive with some fish upwards of 5kg. While the fish don’t seem to have moved into ‘the Corals’ area yet, it won’t be long before they do. For now I’d suggest concentrating on the deeper channels. Don’t discount the Western Entrance either, especially between buoys 14 and 12. While this is predominantly gummy water, plenty of snapper are also caught in this location throughout the season. Anglers have had no trouble finding reds using fresh squid baits. As the month wears on, it might pay to work the shallow banks at night during a high tide. This way you can escape the crowds of other anglers and hopefully tempt a big snapper

Chris Cassar and mate James had a day out fishing. It’s fair to say the calamari were easy to find. Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

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to your hook. CALAMARI While snapper are the talk of the town, don’t forget about the widely available calamari that make for a delicious meal on the table and are also undoubtedly the number one fresh bait for snapper in the port. Calamari are still in vast numbers and are readily available year-round. Throughout October they are more commonly found along the banks of the Middle Spit, Stony Point, Tankerton, Tortoise Head Bank, Reef Island and McHaffies Reef. These make for the best bait you can offer any snapper and, providing you have the time, scheduling an extra hour in the beginning of the day to seek out some of these tasty critters can turn a slow day into a very profitable one. Red foil belly coloured jigs and those with a white cloth have been working exceptionally well. For a quick session on the calamari, setting a berley trail and suspending a silver whiting under a float can bring them on the bite very quickly. The prime time for catching calamari is as the high tide begins to abate. During this time, working along the edges of the banks is where you’ll find them as they swim with the tide back into the deeper water.

Calamari have been a great bait for snapper. Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere. WHITING Although whiting are the least thought-about species at this time of the year, they are still about in fairly good-sized schools if you’re willing to go searching for them. While you don’t have to put in much effort, fishing locations such as Balnarring, Somers, Flinders

and Cat Bay can lead to some very nice fish being caught. These areas are still quite tidal and a simple berley trail of mashed pilchards in a berley pot is sure to get them on the search for a heartier meal. Pipis and mussel are a very popular bait to use and won’t let you down. Of course,

tenderised strips of calamari are equally good. Depending on how the fish are biting, it pays to have one rod rigged with an extended paternoster rig and another with a paternoster rig. If you find the fish are aggressive, switch both rods to the paternoster and if they’re timid, switch both rods to the extended paternoster rig. This will also have an effect on hook styles; the circle hook is good if they are aggressively feeding, and you may want to switch to a #6 long shank if they’re not. As each week passes the water temperature rises, bringing the reds into optimum feeding temperature. Towards the end of the month it will be going gang busters, but there will still be times when they are just frustrating. This will mainly be caused by two factors: the tide (more so around the last hour and first hour of the flow) and if the barometric pressure is dropping. While it’s nice to just head out onto the port, it’s even nicer if you go home with a feed of fish. Before embarking on any snapper fishing session, it always pays to keep an eye on the barometer the night before. If a cold front is approaching, the fish will shut down. If you can get the barometer rising, you’ll be sure to have an epic session.

When you work the shallow banks, you’re sure to be rewarded this month. Photo courtesy of Shaun Furtiere.

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OCTOBER 2017

U Snapper reports trickling in after footy season PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

The football is all over, signalling the start of the fishing season for many, with nothing much else to do other than that long list of maintenance around the house. The spring winds are always a problem, as it is the most unsettled time of the year, but the main difference is the days and nights are a bit warmer and it’s easier to put up with a bit of a breeze. On the calmer of the nights we are starting to see the line of lights from Rhyll to Corinella, with many heading out after work for a quick fish, which always means more reports with extra people out fishing. It’s difficult enough to work out where the fish are when you head out, but this season I think it could

be a little more difficult. We have come off a winter with the winds doing the opposite of what it usually does. The bay hasn’t been this cold in 12 years, and we had times where we thought we would have to stock ice fishing gear! This fishing season could be the best we have ever had or the worst on record, and we won’t know which until the end of it. My suggestion is to forget the books and the experts, just head out and try different things. Chase fish in areas that you might not normally and you could be pleasantly surprised. We have several customers throw out the book and do some things most would tell them won’t work, but it’s difficult to argue with the pictures, and while they might not catch the quantity, the quality is always some of the best for the week.

Those who did venture out in the boats were confined on many days to fishing offshore, as it was the most sheltered, which is unusual for this time of the year, and to their surprise there was some quality fish out there. They found plenty of snapper of all sizes, good gummies, flathead and the usual winter couta and salmon. One species that has shown up again this winter, around the same time as last year is southern bluefin tuna. Again because of the offshore breezes, which at times were strong and a bit uncomfortable for bottom bashing, trolling was possible. While nothing like further down the coast, it is something people with the right gear and a bit of knowledge can give a try. While all this sounds good, don’t be fooled by the odd photo you see –

Already snapper to 8kg have been reported from the anglers fishing out of boats.

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A coat to keep warm and be out there at peak bite times in the early season is the trick to success, and fresh bait also increases your chances. these successful people put hours and hours into chasing and finding these fish and it isn’t always as easy as it seems. Most of the reports we have had are coming from inside the 40m line and outside the western entrance. This was the case with the latest report where they hooked up in 25m and spent 2 hours chasing the fish around not getting it close enough for a gaff shot, only to have a seal swim over the line, cutting off the fish. Already we are seeing a few differences from last season, with only a handful of reports of snapper from the jetties, where last year we had already had several reports. Newhaven and Cowes jetties are the two to

target if you’re looking for an early snapper, but take a coat and be prepared to spend the night. The landbased snapper we have had reported are different than normal, because they are normally of a good size, but this year the sizes have been mixed, with undersized fish to monsters over 5kg. Newhaven jetty has fished better on the last of the run-out tide to the start of the run-in, where Cowes was better on the turn of the high tide, both after dark. Boating snapper reports have been a bit slow, and although we are starting to see lights out at night, most people haven’t even wet the boat yet, choosing to wait for the water to warm up a bit. Like the jetties the sizes we have had reported are

mixed already, something we normally see towards the end of the season. Most of the reports of snapper we have seen are coming from the top end around the Spit Point area and *Base typically the channel beside Elizabeth Island as the fish are swimming past. We have seen some quality already, with a couple tipping the scales at just over 8kg with the majority closer to 4kg. Night time hasn’t been to only time fish have been caught, but the daytime reports have been only from a very small window at the end of the tide. Baits are probably one thing that doesn’t change, with squid and pilchards accounting for almost 90% of the snapper reports we get.

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Bream

Deep breaming with vibes MELBOURNE

Daniel Griffin

With the warm weather not quite yet kicked into gear, there’s still time to target those deeper schooling bream. GEARING UP Starting with the rod, when fishing with vibes I tend to go for a stiffer rod in the 6-10lb range or thereabouts. I’ve found with the heavier rod, you can cast blades a lot better, while having much more feel for what the vibe’s doing, so you’re able to feel any ticks or subtle bites. As far as reel sizes go, anything in the 10002500 range is perfect when equipped with braid for the added sensitivity. With so many different options for braided lines now, it’s really down to how much you want to spend. I use Yamatoyo Resin Sheller in 9lb, which is in the mid price range and I’ve found it to be an all-round great line. With braids these days getting thinner and stronger, it’s not really worth going much lighter than 8lb or 0.6PE. With leader, I don’t mind going down to 3lb fluorocarbon for targeting the deeper schooled fish, as there isn’t as much structure to worry about, though anything in the 3-6lb range will be fine. I use about 2-3 rod lengths of leader tied to my braid with an FG knot or a back-to-back uni knot. GETTING STARTED First thing you need to do is try to identify the deeper areas in the system

covered some ground and marked some fish, there are a few other things to try and look for. You may sound up heavily-schooled fish. It’s always good to leave a mark on those and keep moving around looking for fish on the outsides of the schools that have good separation and are in smaller packs of five or less; also mark those fish with a different mark to help pinpoint them. They seem to be the more active fish and they’re a perfect

OCTOBER 2017

one that’s enticing the bite. When fishing vibes you’re fishing the bottom, so expect to pick up weed. You’ll know once you have picked anything, because you won’t feel the lure ‘vibing’ anymore. I’ve found if I pick up any weed, with some lures I can give the rod a sharp erratic lift and a lot of the time the weed will come off then I can just continue my retrieve. VIBE LURES These days there are many different vibes in many

For the author it’s hard to go past a black ZX35; it’s his go-to vibe.

When looking to catch a bream on vibes, start by keeping a close eye on your sounder for any drop-offs and significant bottom changes. that you are fishing. Start by keeping a close eye on your sounder for any dropoffs and significant bottom changes. Once you have

Look for fish on the outsides of the schools that have good separation and are in smaller packs of five or less – they seem to be the more active fish and they’re a perfect starting point. 36

starting point – keep the large stacked school as a plan B. I’ll continue driving past them at least 50m+ before deploying my electric motor and making my way back within casting distance of my waypoint. TECHNIQUES I start by making a long cast past my mark and let the lure sink to the bottom, keeping a close eye on my line for any unusual ticks or twitches; if you see any of those, it’s a good indication that it’s a fish hitting it on the

drop, which isn’t unlikely. Always keep a close eye on your braid. This is where a highly visible braid is great. You will know that your lure has hit the bottom once your braid bellies out or goes completely slack. With the lure sitting on the bottom, wind in any slack line and give the rod tip a long lift before letting the lure sink to the bottom again – always keep a close eye on that line. I like to leave a few seconds’ pause with the lure sitting on the bottom, as a lot of the time you go for that lift and you’ll find a bream holding onto your vibe. Repeat the process until the lure is back to the boat. Another way to fish vibes is similar in that you make that long cast and make sure your lure hits the bottom. Once on the bottom, give the rod two or more shorter, sharper lifts, then let it sink the bottom again. Keep a close eye on your braid, again, and let the lure have those short pauses on the bottom. I like to cover as much ground around my marks as I can by casting the vibe in the same vicinity, making each cast 5-10m either side of the last one as well as mixing up the retrieves until I find the

different colours to cover many different species. For bream the all-round bestsuited sizes are 30-45mm. Use the smaller ones in shallower water with less flow and go to the bigger ones as the depth and flow increase. Colour selection really comes down to personal preference, because there’s nothing better than throwing

a lure in a colour that you have a lot of confidence in. With lipless crank-style vibes such as Duo Bivis, Strike Pro Hummers and Micro Vibes and so on, they have a much more subtle vibing action, which is great for when you’re really struggling to entice that bite. You can also fish the lipless crank vibes with the same techniques as blades. For fishing schooled bream, blade-style vibes such as Ecogear’s ZX and VX series have worked great. The ZX and VX series come in three different sizes and many different colours suited for fishing different depths and areas.

Vibes are a very versatile lure, which can be fished with many different styles and are proven to be great around many different types of structure. They work just as well fishing rock walls, timber structure, weed patches, pontoons and boat hulls, so don’t just think that they’re only useful to use out deeper in the open. Winter is no doubt the standout time of the year for vibes, with a lot of the fish moving out to the deeper water during this time, although they are very effective year-round. I know I always have one rod rigged with one at all times.

Another great bream caught on a vibe.

Watch conditions and stay safe on the water WEST COAST

Brett Illingworth

Never turn your back on the sea. Never take her for granted. She is all-powerful and should never be underestimated. If she accepts you in, accept her cool embrace. If she is in a bad mood then it is best not to push your luck. Her emotions are fluid. Take heed of the signs and never ignore her mood swings. Complacency may come with a cost. A week prior to the commencement of this reporting period I was involved in an incident, which still has me bed-ridden. I plead guilty to negligence due to perceived familiarity. Not wishing to be taken for granted, she tried to chew me up and spit me out – a not so subtle reminder of who is the boss.

available to us. I managed to hit the wave at a point as it was about to break. I hit this point at speed, and not at the most desirable angle. Shortly after, I was about 8m in the air, the sea approaching rapidly. The ski and I parted company in the air momentarily. We reconnected soon thereafter as I landed upon it with a thud and in an odd position.

Odie has his hands full with these crays.

Squid have been arriving in good numbers.

The weather seems calm, but rogue waves can pop up out of nowhere. Always be on the lookout. To cut a long story short, three of us left Sorrento Boat Ramp on our jet skis for a late season tilt at securing some crayfish. Conditions outside the heads were not as predicted, but we still thought we had a chance in one of the big lagoons near Cheviot Beach. The entry to the lagoons looked navigable, and once inside we should have had enough protection to conduct a desperation dive. Two of us waited outside while the third member negotiated the turbid entrance. Our focus was toward the shore, monitoring the progress of our friend. A roar was heard. We turned to see the first of two very large waves looming ominously. Instantly reacting, I had no choice other than trying to get to a portion of wave that had yet to crest. My mate did not have this option and elected to try and make the gap at the entrance to the lagoon. These decisions were the only options

The next wave approached, but had the decency to break inshore of me. It took a couple of minutes to swim to the ski and try to climb on. I thought my mate was dead. They thought I was dead. The 25km ride to the ramp in choppy seas was painful. Having my mates remove my wetsuit at the car park was painful. The drive to the hospital was painful.

The past five weeks lying on the couch has been boring, and bloody painful. I have a fracture and a depression in my left tibial plateau. I can’t recommend it to anyone. All of this could have been avoided if only I had heeded the same advice that I had been giving others for decades. Never turn your back on the sea. Do not overestimate your own capabilities. If the conditions appear marginal, go somewhere else. This may be the attitude adjustment that I need to

put my place in the grand scheme of things back into perspective. I am not invincible, and neither are any of you. Be careful. The diving conditions in the meantime have been little better than my leg. The big news, in fact the only news, has been the arrival of some goodsize schools of breeding

calamari squid. Actually, once they had got me back to the boat ramp after my accident, Andrew and Odie went back to Portsea and bagged out on squid. At least someone had fun. Some of the cephalopods are approaching 3kg in weight. A squid this size will feed a small army. Small children can use the rings

as hula-hoops. It’s a great time of year to be diving, as squid season tends to herald a return to muchneeded warmer weather. Large whiting schools will also be on the move, along with reliable salmon congregations. I feel that the worst is behind us and things will now have a rosier tinge. Be safe.

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Port Phillip Bay, especially the area of Frankston is a well-known hotspot for snapper anglers come silly season. Once the snapper have moved in, it is home to all things with a shade of red and a knobby head for about four months of the year. Anglers from all over the country make their way down to this end of the bay, in search of big red. PRIME TIME Prime time for snapper in Port Phillip Bay is when the footy season is over. September through to December is when the snapper are at their thickest, schooling up in the thousands. Fishing tide changes at dawn and dusk is crucial outside of these months, but during these months any session could have rods buckling all day. THE GEAR A 4-8kg rod matched with a 4000-sized reel with 6-8kg mono is the ideal outfit for snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay. Anglers no longer need to fish heavy with bait runner reels and 10kg rods, and these have been replaced with light sportfishing tackle. If you target snapper on artificials, a graphite rod with a 3000 sized reel and 10lb braid is more than ample in tangling with a few knobbyheaded reds. THE RIG A lightly weighted running sinker rig is the most used and popular method for targeting snapper, and 40lb leader of 1m long with two 5/0 octopus hooks on one end and a rolling swivel tied to the other end is the go. Now it comes down to preference on where you

Snapper Snatchers are a useful item and certainly catch their fair share of fish. want to put the sinker – above the swivel or below it running down to the hooks. I prefer below the swivel running down to the hook, because it’s easier to cast and you will get maximum distance with your cast, as it doesn’t want to slide all the way back up your line while in the air. BAIT AND LURES In season, silver whiting and pilchards are the two most popular baits by far. Other baits such as scad, gars and squid all work well. The 110mm Squidgy Flick Bait in pilly is a standout, as well as Gulp Jerk Shads. These two are good starting points if you haven’t used them before. With the plastics it all comes down to what anglers feel confident using. BEST METHOD While snapper fishing, whether it be early in the season or during it, the best method is to sound around until you find a couple of solid marks, the drop the anchor. This may take five minutes or it could take 50 minutes, but you don’t want to be fishing where the fish aren’t. Once you’re happy with

the soundings, anchor ahead of them and get some berley in the water before the rods go in. This will get the fish feeding, and hopefully once the first rod goes down it’ll be singing with the sound of the drag in no time. MOTHER NATURE I’m sure I’ve said this before, but always check the weather report just before you venture out in the bay. As well as checking the weather, let someone know where you’re going and a rough time you will return home, because if you don’t come back or something goes wrong, at least the person waiting at home will know something is wrong and send help. HOT TIP As mentioned above, the use of a sounder is a musthave item when targeting snapper. Look for feeding fish, which may be scattered along the bottom, rather than a group of fish holding tight together. You should look for this because the scattered fish are cruising or grazing, in a feeding mode, and these fish are usually easier to tempt than a group of fish tight together, which maybe shutdown.

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Matt Witherden with a typical snapper caught in 13m off Frankston. OCTOBER 2017

Rivers run and perch fire up GIPPSLAND LAKES

A U S T R A L I A

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Hardly drought-breaking, but recent rain along with a bit of snowmelt has been enough to reinvigorate most of the local rivers. Cold, dirty water can quickly shut fish down for now, but in the long run it’s the lifeblood of the lakes. The bream fishing across most of the area has really slowed down, but other species like perch, tailor, mullet and trevally are turning up in big numbers. ESTUARY PERCH The one fish that responds well to a bit of freshwater are those shadowy and secretive EP. What a surprise it has been to find an early spring run of big fish in the rivers! There’s been just enough flow in the Tambo, Latrobe, Nicho and Mitchell rivers to fire up those elusive estuary perch. The Straits have also been firing, and although very challenging its worth the effort if you can cope with the fast flowing water and barnacle encrusted snags. You’ll need 5-8kg leader material if you are serious about getting fish to the net and not losing all of your lures. A couple of good mates in Justin Dingwall and Jason Deenan have joined me over the last few weeks and we have been dealing with some cracker estuary perch and surprisingly, a few large bream! Dinga was up to his usual tricks of pulling big fish from under my nose, and it was great to catch up with him for a day on the water. On one occasion we got 33 fish between us all, 16 bream to 44cm and 17 perch to 45cm. Most of our fish had tiny little pinheads for their size. They are such fast-growing,

Another striking estuary perch hauled in by Justin Dingwall. The Gippy Lakes EPs are impressive fat fish! hard-fighting, fat and powerfully-built fish. We were almost shocked with the incredible condition of our perch and bream, being some of the fattest fish we have caught in years. It tells me the Gippy lakes must be in fine order. Soft plastics were our best lures and the fish were deep and hard up close to the edge. It made for frustrating battles, but you just have to get down into where the fish are hiding. Z-Man lures in amber and the new Hurricane Sub Grubs in pink or sump oil were the weapons of choice. TREVALLY With so much sea water filling the Gippy Lakes over the last six months, the silver trevally have moved in big time. They are being caught in Newlands Arm, Paynesville and Duck Arm and lure anglers are scoring plenty while searching for bream. They are a sucker for attacking soft plastics,

and most of these trevs are between 28-40cm, so they are providing some really good fun. Not to mention, they make the best sushi in town as well! They are mainly hanging around in schools among the jetty pylons, and when you find one you will generally trick a few of its mates as well. Two anglers sent me a ripper report recently while using sandworm on the jetties near the Raymond Island ferry and said they caught heaps of trevally until they ran out of worms. I imagine the jetties down at Metung will hold even bigger trevs for those willing to search. TAILOR Another fish growing in numbers right across the Gippy Lakes are those ravenous and predatory tailor. A real scourge for most anglers who would rather hook big bream, tailor can sadly deplete your tackle box of expensive lures. None the

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Cracking EPs to 45cm showed up briefly after rain encouraged the rivers to finally flow after months of drought.

less, they also provide good sport, and most of them right now are coming in between 35-40cm. So they are not just fun to catch but excellent plate size. I hear a lot of people say they are average fodder for the fang, but to get the best out of tailor, I think you need to cook them very simply. Obviously fresh is best, but my top tip for you is to pan fry, BBQ or grill the fish as a whole. Don’t fillet them, use a lot of heat, and cook them quickly, and this will keep the flesh moist with very little ‘fishy’ flavour. Tailor are the thickest in those same areas where the trevally are being caught, but are lurking around in deeper areas and not so much close to the jetties. They like to work open water, and when you target them, be sure to work lures quite quickly and erratically, as this really fires them up. They will be stalking schools of baitfish, and if you see small mullet jumping out of the water, you can bet tailor will be very close by. MULLET Another pleasing return this winter and spring has been the huge schools of yellow eye mullet. Once again, they are being caught right next to all the trevs and tailor, so look for them in those areas mentioned above. I have seen massive schools swimming close to the surface and I was impressed with their size too. Sadly they would not eat my soft plastics, and plenty would follow and nip at the tail, but alas, no hook ups. I just know they would smash a sandworm bait, so I’m going back to Paynesville ASAP to get me a score of the best eating fish the Gippy Lakes provide! I reckon you should do the same.

Plenty of schooling fish in the warmer water LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

The cold has finally started to give in and the Lakes systems and connecting river are warming up. Anglers have found a great variety of fish on offer with our local town wharves being surrounded by schools of luderick, silver trevally, bream and tailor. Anglers have taken full

advantage of this. Recently the Gippsland Lakes received some rain, making the fishery slightly more predictable than earlier on in the season. Anglers have had great sessions with nearly any presentation being smashed. Lure fishing has been extremely productive and anglers have mostly used curl-tail patterns. These offerings have been fished on lightly-weighted

jigheads, usually around 1/20-1/60oz. This allows the plastic to slowly free fall through the schooling fish and it’s usually taken before reaching the bottom. In recent weeks anglers have made the most of the luderick schooling around our local wharves with some anglers having great success with flies that imitate the weed. This greatly successful technique seems to produce better quality fish.

The local wharves around Lakes Entrance have had a great variety of fish like this silver trevally.

There have been plenty of schooling bream around.

Spring is in full swing MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The wattles in full bloom are a sign that spring is truly here and has started a renewal. We began another cycle of nature with the rebirth on land and in the water. This time of year lots of fish species come into the estuary and move up the rivers and creeks on their spawning run. Right on cue anglers are reporting big schools of bream moving up the rivers and into the tributaries looking for spawning areas. Schools of golden eye mullet are also moving throughout the whole system along with plenty of luderick schooling along the rock groins that surround the islands and river banks. The next to arrive in big numbers will be the estuary perch, which should appear very soon. Recently the fishing was still very good with anglers getting good-size bream near Lake Corringle and up the Brodribb River close to Lake Curlip. The best results came on sandworms and shells. Good captures of luderick

and decent mullet have come on sandworms. Reports are also in of good catches of salmon and tailor being taken fishing from the Marlo Jetty by anglers using baits or metal lures. The surf beaches are

fishing well for the same species for anglers using surf gear and fishing with blue bait, white bait, pilchards and squid accompanied with a popper, or using light spinning gear and fishing with a metal lure.

Grant Heyne with a solid flathead caught fishing the flats below Marlo Ocean Shores Caravan Park. As the water warms, more of these fish will be around.

Most anglers have used these flies either with a traditional luderick float rig or tied directly to the line with a small split shot about 10cm up from the fly. LAKE TYERS The lake has started to fire up, with the local flathead population waking up. Anglers can find great results throughout the higher reaches of the Nowa Nowa Arm and Toorloo Arm. The fish have mostly been targeted along the deeper margins of lakes in areas such as Trident Arm and Camerons Arm. The main lake is beginning to produce consistent results with anglers still finding good numbers of schooling bream in the deeper margins of the Glasshouse and the channel markers. These school fish have begun to push up into the shallower margins chasing prawns and other food sources. Anglers have mostly targeted these fish with hardbodies. Fish your lure with a slow roll across the flats, bumping the bottom to grab the fish’s attention. Lately the bream along the edges and flats haven’t 100% committed to eating lures, so sharp hooks have made a huge difference converting those small touches into hook-ups. HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for a fish lately and have a great pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@ gmail.com with a short description and you could be in the next edition of Victoria & Tasmania Fishing Monthly.

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Cold water fishing in spring MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Just when we thought the weather was on the improve, this cold blast hits us like a tonne of bricks. It’s good for the trout, but it’s hard to get motivated to hit the salt. So over the past month we’ve had squid, squid and more squid. Unsurprisingly, the calamari fishing has been amazing, as we would expect for the start of spring. The sizes are mixed with lots of small to moderate 20-30cm hoods and a few 35cm beauties mixed in, with reports of the odd 40cm+ model as well. Sunday Island around the numerous weedy patches has been very good. The whiting were slow this winter and have only just showed up in the past couple of weeks. They’re taking pipis and fresh squid baits. There has been the odd report of anglers bagging out, but most anglers are only catching a handful at a time. The whiting are a good size at around 40cm. The gummy shark fishing has been amazing over the past four weeks, with some awesome catches being taken out wide

in 20m of water out the front of the entrance towards the islands. Some big specimens are amongst them as well, and the average seems to be around 1.2mm in length. Both drifting and anchoring up have worked, but they seem to be pretty tidally influenced and are being caught within an hour of the tide changes, especially

the last of the run-in and start of the run-out. What’s happening with the snapper? With a quick sound around the usual snapper haunts, it doesn’t take long to see there are stacks of snapper inside already. The water is still very cold at around 11°C, so you could catch one, but your work is

Mark Ramsey with a big salmon measuring over 50cm. Mark has been catching some beauties with some in excess of 70cm caught on large soft plastics and surface lures.

cut out for you getting one to bite. We just need another couple of degrees and it should be on. After a few good days of weather you’ll get a bite for sure. Further down the inlet towards McLoughlins, you will see the biggest salmon we have had for about five years with fish well over 70cm and weighing between 6-8lb. There’s also a stack of 45cm models, if you’re after some bait for the gummies. If you want sport, McLoughlins is the place to go. Take some large soft plastics in the 4-5” range and some decent size jigheads around 1/4-3/8oz as well to combat the fast current. For the ultimate sport, search for the salmon in the shallows. They have been taking surface lures such as poppers and stickbaits, or you can high stick retrieve a soft plastic on the surface for a similar effect. There are also some massive trevally mixed in with fish over 50cm that are going to take half an hour to land on bream tackle. Vibes and small plastics do the trick nicely on them. • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle.

There are stacks of calamari being caught at Port Albert at the moment with size 3 and 3.5 jigs doing the trick. Shane Wedrowicz caught a couple of early season thumpers.

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Hopes up for spring BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

The entrance remained closed last month with the water level extremely high. It is likely to have opened by now. This will replenish the system with a good amount of salt for the pending prawn season. We now have our new launching facility, which boasts easier launching and retrieving with the

dual ramp and two floating pontoons. The last few months made anglers work hard for their catch, but Siberia, Pelican Point and the mouth of the river appeared to be good locations to pick up a quality bream. There have been reports of whiting around the mouth of the channel being caught on lures. Surf fishing has continued to produce good amounts of salmon

and tailor. For anglers who are familiar with the river, fishing the snags has produced good bream. • For on the spot and up-todate fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation. com.au or like them on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation. Phone: (03) 5158 4233 or 0427 584 233. Email: bemmaccomm@bigpond. com.

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OCTOBER 2017

Bring on warm months as we head to summer! MALLACOOTA

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The cold temperatures are still with us and the past month has seen enough rain. The good news weather wise is the coming months will see the weather warming as we once again head towards summer. The town is always quiet at this time of year, with the visitors not showing up until around Christmas. The locals and the few visiting anglers in Mallacoota have been catching a variety of fish over the past month. Fishing the beaches when it’s cooler means salmon and

Winter flathead are about, and this one took a soft plastic lure. there has been no shortage of them. Tip Beach down to the Betka River has seen plenty of salmon caught at all stages of the tide, with a few tailor thrown in.

Fish are also being caught in good numbers by anglers tossing metal lures off the breakwall. The odd bream and sand whiting are also showing up from the gutters

around Bastion Point. There has been some big seas and strong winds keeping anglers from heading offshore, but when the weather has allowed anglers to get out there a few fish available. There has been little to report on the game fishing out wide, but closer to shore some school sharks have been caught along with some good catches of tiger flathead. The sand flathead have been scarce with the cold water temperatures, but things will pick up once the

water warms. The lake fishing over the cooler months means bream, and the cold water makes the flathead fishing hard. Fish can be caught, but it will improve as the weather warms. The salmon are in the lake along with tailor, and good numbers of fish are being taken around Harrisons Channel out to John Bull market. Anglers are catching blackfish around the jetties using weed fished under a float. We’ve also seen good

numbers of silver trevally in the lake and they are a great fish to catch, as they pull hard and taste great. Many anglers love a feed of trevally sushi style. The bream are being caught from their usual winter haunts, with the deeper water fishing a reliable way of catching a fish, but they will move shallower as the weather warms. Fish are being caught from both the top and bottom lake and upstream towards Gypsy Point.

Winter flathead are about, and this one took a soft plastic lure.

Victor with a black bream caught in the top lake.

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Cold weather lingering EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The cold winter weather has not missed the Eden area, but with spring in full flight, everyone is loving the warmer weather. Before the big blow there were reports of albacore tuna out on the shelf, and a lot further out (50km) southern bluefin tuna. The professional fishers got amongst the fish, with little to report for the recreational anglers. Now that the weather has improved, boats will be heading offshore and hoping to find the fish. The offshore water temperature is around 17°C and getting down to as low as 15°C, and the average water temperature will remain the same for at least another month.

Closer to shore on the inshore reefs, the winter snapper fishing has been good, with good schools of fish been reported. Morwong are also being caught in the same areas. Anchoring up and drifting unweighted baits in a berley trail has worked well, with the early morning the best time for this style of fishing. As the sun comes up, move out wider and fish down deeper. Fish have also been caught on soft plastic lures, and the trick is to locate the fish using the sounder and then drop the plastic through the school, jigging it as it drops. If you don’t get any bites, change lures to find what they will have a go at. Anglers chasing a feed of flathead have been doing well, with tiger flathead turning up out wider, and sandies coming from the

flathead grounds closer to shore. The best way to catch a feed is by using a two-hook rig and a heavy sinker to keep the baits on the bottom. All the local beaches and headlands have schools of salmon moving by regularly, and tossing metal lures is the way to catch fish as they move up and down the beaches and around the headlands. The cold water in the estuaries has really slowed the fishing down, with the flathead bite shut down and the variety of fish available will be limited until the water really warms up. The usual cold water species are still about, with silver trevally, blackfish and the black bream the main offenders. The black bream should be further upstream, as they will be spawning over the next few months.

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Another shallow water flathead falls victim to a well-placed bait. Tigers like the fringes of reefs, and this is good for us anglers. If you start up on the reef when drifting, it will bring other species into play like snapper that are around in reasonable numbers, as are blue or rubber lip morwong. As you start to drift on to the gravel or mud, jackass morwong start to appear and so do the tigers. It will be a regular occurrence to catch a double header of these two species. The most popular reefs are the Four and Six Mile, almost due east of Bermagui, or south down off Goalen Head. With a slight north or northeast breeze you can start up around the Four or Six Mile Reefs, travelling south all the way to Goalen Head. As you do this you will pass over

In the spring flathead feed furiously on prawns. This one swallowed a soft plastic prawn imitation.

many smaller reef complexes, resulting in a smorgasbord of table fish for your esky. October usually heralds the start of some game fish appearing back in our waters. Tuna are the mainstay, while you can also expect mako sharks, as they like to feast on the tuna. Most of these tuna are likely to be small, with stripies and albacore making up the bulk. The odd yellowfin may show, and hopefully some of those massive bluefin that were caught here in June and July may return to spice up the action. There may also be some kingfish up around Montague Island, but don’t expect much. The beaches are firing up as the many salmon schools patrol them regularly. These fish are relatively easy to catch using a variety of rigs. Try just walking these beaches with a handful of metal plugs, casting to the deeper gutters, it is great fun and very rewarding. Bream and whiting are also starting to move along the coast where they can be sought after in the shallower channels. Those deeper gutters should start to produce gummy sharks and mulloway around the full moon, and now with things starting to warm, it is a lot more comfortable for anglers of a night. The Far South Coast Bass Stocking Association will still be holding their bass comp on 1-3 December at Brogo Dam. Anyone can come and fish this great weekend, which is used as a fundraiser for the ongoing stocking program where an average of 20,000 fish are released annually. For more information on this comp contact me on 0427 934 688 or email djsxstreamfishing@ bigpond.com.

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Now we are well into spring, it is flathead time! Whether you are shore-based, in a boat, lazing around an estuary, or out on the vast blue ocean, flathead are coming on the chew, and for us anglers there is nothing better to chew than crispy beer-battered flathead! Estuaries are now really starting to come into their own, with flathead on the move, especially in the upper reaches. Now the land temperatures have increased, so too have the waters of the estuaries. The Bermagui River is fishing well because of this, with most of the usual species being encountered. Already some very large flathead have been hooked, lost and landed, and this looks very good for the season ahead. Luderick are hanging around the weed beds, making for some interesting bait fishing. Nippers or squirt worms are the best in shallow water, while the more conventional weed baits are working in the deeper sections. There are also plenty of bream in the systems, along with whiting, mullet, trevally and occasional flounder. These species love feeding on prawns that flow out with the tide. Fishing around the bridge lights of a night is a sure fire way of encountering these fish feeding on prawns. Offshore around 40-60m is a good place to start looking for flathead, while the real big ones will often be out deeper. The advantage in the shallow water is it is more user-friendly for anglers, although with the introduction of electronic reels, those wide grounds now become easier to target.

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Estuaries are starting to wake up after the cold MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Both the Merimbula and Pambula lakes have been fishing well despite the coolish 14°C water that this time of year brings. This will change shortly as spring gets into gear, with most estuarine species waking up and really starting to play the game. Flathead numbers are on the increase, with a few fish nudging the 90cm mark. We caught a superb fish of 92cm recently that would have weighed around the 5.8kg mark, which is a cracking fish that we released in super condition. This fish fell to a bream soft plastic in shallow water on light line, so we certainly had some fun. Most of the flathead are in the 40-50cm bracket, but October is renowned for big girls, especially in the channels and towards the estuary entrances. Anglers using soft plastics will have better success, with lures in the 80-100mm range being best. There will still be the odd flathead for the bait anglers, with fresh

mullet strips, smaller live baits, or live prawns the best options. Expect a few bream, trevally and blackfish in the channels too, with tailor numbers on the increase in the top lake of Merimbula. As we head further into the month, whiting numbers will only improve and fishing live worms on the sand flats is a great way to target them. Lately we have had great success with metal blades on the whiting, with some big fish over 40cm caught. I know it sounds mad, but you can actually go and target them with this technique – it’s great fun, and it works! Anglers fishing the beaches have done it a little tough of late with the very flat seas from the constant westerly winds, but that will change as soon as the swell picks up. There’s still salmon to 2kg being caught, but a lot of the schools are further offshore than normal, making casting to them difficult. Those who are throwing chrome lures have done best, as more fishing ground is being covered when walking the beach. This month should see an

Another classic Far South Coast winter bream. You could never get tired of catching these fish. increase in bream, whiting and mullet as they head into the estuaries. Fishing flooding tides early or late in the day is prime, with

live beach-worms, pipi and fresh prawns the preferred baits. Better beaches to try are Tura Main, North Tura, Gillards and Pambula

River mouth. The rock-hopping brigade has had a field day with the cold water, with blackfish, drummer, bream

and groper all chewing. A few locals have done particularly well on the drummer using cunjevoi and cooked prawns for bait. Casting lightlyweighted offerings into the suds using a sand, weed and cunjevoi berley mixture has been a key to consistent results, though the unwanted pickers have played havoc as well. As the water warms further this month the pelagic species should arrive, with bonito and smaller kingfish on the cards. Deeper headlands like Tura Head and North Head are the places to fish and whole ganged pilchards or chrome lures will do the trick. As with most pelagics, water temperatures is a vital element to their presence, so let’s cross the fingers for some warm water in close. Over the last few seasons, October has seen an early influx of both albacore and yellowfin tuna on the shelf. I think this year may be the same, as the water temperature charts show some nice water just north of us and in trailer boat distance. This is great news to the game fishers, To page 47

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It’s all about offshore catches this October NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Anglers fishing offshore are having great success, especially those fishing the close in reefs. ‘Snapper’ is the word amongst fishos with some crews getting their bag limits inside a few hours. The Narooma/Tuross region has received a lot of wind and some decent swells of late; this in turn creates ideal conditions for snapper to chew. I’d expect the snapper fishing to remain fairly consistent right through October and beyond if conditions remain the same. The reds can be found on

times with the wind, so put a drogue out to slow your drift down. With the reds you can expect morwong, pigfish, trevally and the odd kingfish. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the kings really turn on this month – it’s traditionally the start of jig season and if the current, bait and water temperatures are right, we could be in for a great start to the season. I know Montague Island has been a little hit and miss, but some of the kings that have been caught are dead-set hooters, so it’s definitely worth a look when conditions suit. Further out wide the game crews have been having fun on the bluefin. They are thinning out now

you get to cover a lot of ground and you always have the chance to revert to cubes after finding them. This is a great way to keep fish with the boat and get multiple hook-ups at times. In the estuaries it’s all systems go with the Tuross Lake and Tuross River in full swing. The river is fishing well for flathead with some sizable models upwards of 75cm coming from Borang upstream right through to the highway bridge. Most of these flatties are falling to soft plastics. As the water warms further, anglers using larger live baits like mullet will catch plenty. It’s great to see the closed season on estuary perch is over, because these little fish are active. This

Renowned skipper Benn Bolton with a cracking 15kg kingfish – the type of king that can be caught at Montague Island.

and going extremely wide – sometimes 80-100km. There have been sporadic, smaller yellowfin tuna caught, too. When they have played the game, fish to 60kg are on the cards. Again, trolling is the go;

will see keen sportfishers after some serious fun out in force, as this enigmatic species is a viable proposition once again. The snags and deeper rock walls will hold plenty of EPs if that’s what you’re

after. You can expect the odd bream, but the bream fishing has been tough over recent weeks in both the lake and river. Hopefully it will pick up soon. The next couple of months are prime time for mulloway. With the entrance well and truly open, this spring will be a cracker. Anglers using larger soft plastics and live-bait will do best and the run-out tide is best to target these bronzed brutes. Casting bigger soft vibes will also work and is becoming a go-to method for switched-on mulloway anglers.

area and great on the plate. Other areas to try are Lennards Island, Horseshoe and White Cliffs reefs. The better baits would be

fresh squid, pilchards and slimy mackerel fillets with a paternoster rig. Drifting seems to be the best method at the moment. Drifting

the gravel beds with soft plastics fished hard on the bottom might entice a few reds if you’re looking to use lures.

Big EPs in tight structure – you gotta love ‘em. most reefs with the 50-60m line straight off Potato Point a good starting point. There have been plenty of solid fish to 4kg in this area and anglers drifting with fresh baits are getting the best results. This can be hard at From page 46

as they have barley had an off-season with the bluefin run earlier on. Trolling both deep diving minnows and smaller pusher style lures is the go, with the shelf the place to fish. The long liners have also reported good captures of bluefin once again, so when the weather shows some stability it may be worth a look too. It’s been some of the windiest conditions that I can recall along the coast, but surely it’s got to let up soon. Closer inshore the snapper have slowed a little in the numbers department, but the average size has certainly increased. I’ve heard of a few fish to 4kg coming from Long Reef, which is a good reds for that

There have been quite a few mulloway caught over recent weeks, so all indications look like a bumper season is ahead. I’ve heard of a couple 1m+ fish around the 10kg mark – I don’t think any angler would pass one of them up. Anglers fishing the beaches have had mixed success with some sessions awesome and others plain ordinary. A lot has had to do with the conditions lately. We have had large swells along the beaches making it difficult at times to fish. When the fish have done the right thing, good salmon,

tailor and a few bream and whiting have been caught. The pelagics have been caught while spinning the gutters with chrome lures up to 40g an ideal size. Fishos using paternoster rigs with a bait/popper combination have also done well with the better baits being bluebait and cut pilchards. The bream and whiting are best targeted with live beach worms or pipis. Look for deeper water close to the shore dump and use light outfits only. Fishing the estuary entrances will also help, as both of these species will be entering the systems after spawning. This month will see mulloway and gummy sharks caught. Fresh salmon fillets are a good bait. The better beaches right now include Brou, Blackfellows and Coila. The mouth of the Tuross Lake system just south of One Tree Point is also worth a look, especially on a flooding tide, as is the mouth to Brou Lake about 4km up the beach from Dalmeny. On the rocks the usual suspects like bream, luderick, drummer and groper will all succumb to fresh baits like cunjevoi, fresh prawns, crab and bread at times. The rocks near Blackfellows have been good when the conditions are favourable; this is one spot you need to keep a close eye on the sea at all times. There’s the chance of snapper after rough conditions too. Jamieson Headland near Potato Point, at Narooma both High Rock at Mystery Bay and the golf course rocks in town are worth a look and have been producing over recent weeks.

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Ensure you make the most of daylight savings TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

It’s October and daylight savings has come around once again. By now you

will have set your clocks forward and found a whole extra hour after work to play with. More daylight hours mean more time to fish, but also more opportunity to fit a

NORTH WEST COAST SMITHTON AND STANLEY AREA The wharf at Stanley gets all the press in this part of the woods, and the area holds a lot more for anglers to explore. Stanley itself is a wonderful place to fish around in a boat. There are some very good grounds out and around the front for bread and butter species like flathead, snapper and good gummy sharks. As always, a good slow drift is the way to find a good feed of flathead. Should your drift really slow and nearly stop, you will be in with a chance for a gummy shark. These fish must be quite lazy as they are often caught while on a very, very slow drift or anchored up. Truth be told, they rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food and move very slowly over the bottom looking for it. Once again, it’s this use of their sense of smell that makes berley a great idea when targeting gummies. This is also crucial when chasing some red and gold in the way of Tasmanian snapper! If you are new to the area then make sure you check it out a little or ask any mates who have been there about hazards. Google Earth is your friend here. It’s a fab tool I use all the time. Set it to satellite view and you will have a

good head start. You’ll see what the ground is like in and around the boat ramp and any dangers on the route you wish to take. It’s not the be-all and end-all of marine safety practice, so please use your eyes and chart plotter as well. What it can do is give you a good little heads up for the area you are looking to fish and can quite often show a few places worth a try. Further west is an area that is well worth a look. It’s one of those places that when you arrive you think ‘wow!’ The place is known as Montagu and it is the gateway to some amazing fishing. There is a campground there, too. This area demands two things: time to explore and a healthy respect. I say this as the tides in this area are quite broad and when they move between high and low there is some significant current. A sand flat that you have worked out onto in your boat, from a deeper channel, can very quickly become high and dry. There have been quite a few anglers caught out over the years who had to endure the ‘wait of shame.’ Be careful, and take food, water, sunscreen and a good book. You’ll see on the map that there is a channel that goes out to the west. This looks like a really good short

Jonah Yick found some squid holding on the bottom and pulled them with a natural jig colour. 48

OCTOBER 2017

session in. Get up early to work a tide and do those jobs around the home after work. This frees up a heap of time on the weekend to cut to access the sheltered waters in and around Robbins, Walker and Hunter Island. The fishing in here is awesome, but if it’s your first or second trip to Montague, don’t even think about it. It’s tricky to navigate and the tidal current is crazy. Do yourself a favour and just head out and around the front of Robbins Island. While the area is a little treacherous, the fishing is superb. The way to the ocean from the campground boat ramp is to the east and you can bear northwest as you clear the river mouth. To be exact, the body of water you will be traversing is actually a channel, as the land to your port side will be Robbins Island. The shoreline of the island runs nearly due northwest and has some of the best squid fishing you will ever find. There are a number of commercial squid fishers that do very well there and try to put a dent in them year after year, but there’s always some for everyone. Squid jigs in the 3.0 and 3.5 sizes are the best bet. Work the bottom over at first and get the squid’s attention. Once you have pulled them up out of the hidey holes you can work two rods each and put the second jig over the back of the squid you have caught. You should be able to quickly have the first one in as another gets on your second jig. Jig colours to start with should be of natural colour and mimic the bait or resident wrasse population. Once you get them worked up, the brighter colours and white and red jigs will be fine. The squid grounds are intersected by sandy stretches on the edge of the sea grass that the squid enjoy. On the edges and out into the sand patches are some sensational King George whiting. We are not talking about your normal everyday whiting here either. We are talking about some fish that are so big they’re like another species all together. Long shanked hooks are the go, as with all whiting fishing, but go up a size or two. Some coloured beads seem to work well, as do baits that have a bit of a tail that moves in the current. Squid strips are good, as are some strips of fish flesh with a string of skin dangling off. You will find anchoring up and fishing over some superfine berley will improve your results.

fit in more fishing. The daylight is there, so use it! Use it to take the kids to the park after tea, go for a walk with the significant other and find some more things to do around

the home. The first month of spring is September, but we all know that October is where we really shake off the shackles. The water is slowly

warming up and fish of all species are moving more and feeding that much harder. It’s time to get out and start to enjoy all that Tasmanian fishing has to offer.

• Robbins Island • Stanley

Montagu •

• Smithton • Sisters Beach • Wynyard • Burnie • Ulverstone • Devonport • St Helens •Georges Bay • Launceston

Tasmania • Bicheno • Queenstown • Strahan

• Swansea • Little Swanport

• Hobart

Anglers who like to fish from the shore are not forgotten in the area in and around Smithton. Peggs Beach and all the shoreline towards Tallows Beach can be fished by keen beach fishos. In the west and eastern inlets you can find a number of species to keep you entertained and well fed. Walking and casting lures and plastics at low tide accounts for some good flathead and even the odd nice tailor. The Australian salmon fishing here is a year-round proposition with the size being up this month. They provide some good sport and if you have a good Thai fish cake recipe, they’re awesome. The evening fishing on a rising tide is seeing good gummy sharks taken and the occasional elephant fish. The winds here are predominantly westerly and you can position yourself with the wind to your back. This allows the keen angler to float a bait out under a balloon to find a snapper, if you can get through the horse Australian salmon. This is good fun and gives you something to do while your traditional beach rig sits in the PVC rod holder. SISTERS BEACH This area is a favourite of

mine and it has an interesting boat ramp. It’s tricky to launch at low tide for bigger boats, but no problems after two hours of incoming. It’s actually an area that is good to have a look at online before attempting to launch. Once you have the ramp and surrounding areas mastered, you can move on and enjoy the fishing wealth. Riches are in every direction and with a little time up your sleeve, you can find flathead, squid, couta and solid Australian salmon. On a still day in some of the little rocky bays towards Boat Harbour, you can also target some nice-sized garfish. October is about flathead and squid, so let’s concentrate on those for this month at Sisters Beach. Right in front of you to the port side will be a point called Wet Cave Point. It should be called ‘Loaded With Squid Point.’ To the seaward side right back into the shallows is a fantastic spot to load up on squid. Take some to eat and bank some flesh early in the trip. Squid hoods are always nice to have fresh, but looked after well they can be frozen and are good to eat. You will also have some great fresh bait for the rest of the day’s flathead fishing. When squidding in this

• Eaglehawk Neck

area around the point, you can work both sides of a drifting boat. The landside is shallower, so use the cheaper lighter jigs and really work the bottom over. The squid will be around the ledges and broken ground waiting to pounce. On the other side of the boat, away from land, it drops away into deeper water and a sandy edge. The water quality is often sensational down in this part of the world, and you can see the transition from reef to sand with your own eyes. This side of the boat is for your more expensive jigs that you don’t want to lose. They should be a bit heavier, so they can get down to the bottom and you can work them as you drift along. There are some other sensational areas of squid ground around the small island off the other end of the beach. Look for it online and get a feel for where it is. Fish the east side of the island first, as this is more often than not the more sheltered side of the rocky outcrop. WYNYARD Speaking of treacherous waters at low tide, the Inglis River To page 49

Go Behind the Scenery From page 48

flowing through Wynyard is just that. It’s not for the feint-hearted at low tide, but it’s easy to navigate at any point after that. The fishing grounds are very good and once you get clear of the river there are many options. The flathead that you can find off Wynyard are some of the best you will find on the coast. It doesn’t seem to matter if you go west off Table Cape or east from Somerset. If you can find them, they are good fish. If you have had luck in a certain spot before, by all means head straight out and see if they are there again. If you’re unsure of where to start, have some structure to your search mission. Plan your attack with the forecast in mind and try to have your return leg with a following sea. I tend to favour a plan that has us go deepest first and then work our way in. That way if you find nothing, you are in close and can try to plunder a few squid across the broken ground. The Wynyard area also holds good squid at this time of the year, so make sure you have a few suited rods and a handful of squid jigs. When searching for

a good drift for flathead, make sure in the heat of the action you put down some waypoints when you pick up a flathead. This info that you plot on your sounder will combine with depth contours and sea bottom characteristics to help plan your next drift. Once you build up a bit of data, you can use this to find other spots just as likely to hold fish. ULVERSTONE The River Leven saw some reasonable water flows during September, as did most northwestern river systems, but it has settled down now. The freshwater and the discoloration of that water had the squid fishing start off rather slowly, but it looks likely to fire up in October. Squid are not huge fans of dirty and discoloured water. I once spoke to Paul Carter who is a wealth of researched knowledge on squid and this very subject. He mentioned two things. The first thing is that squid have massive eyes and use them as a weapon and as defence. If they can’t see through the water very well, they become wary and less active. They also have a different way of pulling oxygen out of the water to other marine life; they do so through two sets of filaments.

Maltilda loves fishing from the shore and catching salmon.

Tasmania Dirty, unclear water is a deterrent to them as these filaments are not as good as a set of gills. I suppose it is a little like us trying to breathe in thick smoke. Don’t worry – October will have the river flows slow and the water really clean up. We will start to have that really green-blue water quality come through and the squid will love it. When they come in hard they are easy to find out of Ulverstone’s many rocky shores. The area off the three Sisters is as popular with land-based fishos as it is for the boaters. You can use a slightly lighter squid jig when casting from the shore, as you are not as deep and don’t need the weight to work the bottom. If you use 10lb braid and 8lb flourocarbon leader, you should get your jigs back when snagged on weed. Use as light a leader as you can; this is crucial when the squid are a little timid. The eyes on a squid work very well. Any time they see something that is not quite right, they will approach with caution. When they are in this mood they will reach out with one of their longer tentacles called candles and hit your jig. What you want them to do is hit the jig with gusto and hook them in the beak area. You can achieve this

by using good quality light fluorocarbon leader. Another trick to try when they are a bit slow is to use squid jigs that closer replicate the bait they’re feeding on in the area you’re fishing. There are some wild and wacky colours out there for squid jigs and when they are thick and aggressive they will come up and hit just about anything. Off the northwest coast when they are a little more hesitant I have better success using a cloth jig that closely resembles what they may be eating naturally. A reddish wrasse pattern or silver whiting pattern works well, as will patterns that represent small pike or mackerel. Flathead fishing took off in the latter half of September and this will continue to improve this month. The ability to head out after work for a quick flatty fish is precisely why I love daylight savings. Make sure you have the gear packed and ready to go the night before so all you have to do is grab your gear or hook the boat up and go. If you are going with family or mates, make sure that they know you are keen and not to be tardy – quarter past 5 at the boat To page 50

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania From page 49

ramp means just that. This will maximize your time on the water and mean you don’t have to be out past dark to get a feed. The flathead have been found in the deeper water lately, but don’t think you have to go wide to have success. Just remember there are no fences in the ocean and they have tails to swim. What you are looking for with flathead is a reason for them to be there and that is food! If you venture out to 30m or so, you are looking for a gutter or a slight bank that will have the wily flathead looking to ambush something. In a little closer you might notice a sandy section on the sounder that changes to hard and working this edge can prove fruitful. In close you can find some sea grass and work the edges of this with some bigger soft plastics like the Berkley 4” Swimming Mullet or Nemesis profiles. Flathead find these next to irresistible.

Jonah with another awesome squid.

DOWN SOUTH EAGLEHAWK NECK There were plenty of school-sized fish caught in September anywhere you cared to mention. Tuna didn’t fire in winter

when they would turn up and leave. This has all gone out the window over the last few seasons, so it’s anyone’s guess. This month will be no exception, with

Pirates Bay have been holding good bait and in good numbers of southern bluefin tuna. If you watch the weather and make sure you have good preparation, you can get out and be part of the hunt for jumbos. The fish will be about at this

I went out recently and took the kids for a fish. We were in deeper water and used bait with a few slow drifts. We found enough flathead to stay amused and a fair few gurnard. Gurnard must be treated with the utmost care, so you don’t get spiked by them. Seriously, they are not to be messed with when you have kids on board. A swift de-hooking with the fish held over the gunnel is the best way to deal with them. If you get spiked by a gurnard, the only respite from the serious pain is hot water. We use a combination of baits and rigs to ensure success. The Jig-em rigs are great for kids. They work very well when combined with some bait as well as a soft plastic. The other rigs we used with great success were the Hookem Fishing Snapper catchers. These come pre-rigged and have a sinker clip included. I use these for the kids that are only half interested, as they have a good circle hook and the fish will hook themselves when they turn to run. speed back accordingly will make a huge difference. This allows for the boat and lures to speed up and settle a touch in the wave trough. Subsurface lures are also a great option. The trick is finding the bait, sounding the tuna and working the area over. Should you get a fish strike, nail a waypoint down straight away. Then when you have boated the fish get back over the area again quickly. There’s no need to get your full four or five rod spread back out again, running perfect. Once you are back over the area, have the lure that caught out and circle the area, tracking back over the waypoint as you get the other lures back in the water.

Tristan Cocker found a nice flathead for the table. To find the bait, ‘bird’ is the word. The species of bird, how they are reacting and height in the sky will give you a really good indication of what is going on underneath them. When fishing with a good crew, one person needs to be designated bird spotter and take the role seriously. On a slow day when the fish are hard to come across, the feathered brigade are your best friends, and none more so than the Australian gannet. If you spot three or four of them gaining height off into the distance, this is excuse enough to give them better attention. As soon as they start to stall in the air and try and maintain position, you know they

are very interested. It’s amazing how the other birds in the area can spot this activity and before long a ‘feed’ will start. It may have been a quiet day and things have been slow, but now is not the time to charge in ripping and tearing. If you have been on the ball and got to a feed as it is starting to form, the worst thing you can do is motor straight over the top of them. Ideally, work out which way you are going to roll around them and aim to drag your spread down one side. As you make a hard turn around the feed you will pull your longer lures right through the middle of it and have them exit out the other side.

Jonah was quick to check the stomach contents of the schoolies and found small squid. like they have in the past few seasons, so we are all expecting big things. October could be the month that has some great catches. The jumbo-sized tuna have been a little quiet. There is some good news to be had, however, the better weather will bring out the boats and with more boats there is more chance to come across some bigguns! We used to think we had a fair handle on what the tuna would do and 50

OCTOBER 2017

the added hope that big jumbos will come in with a new season. We need more boats to get out and search for the big tuna. You don’t need a massive boat to do this either. We are exceptionally spoilt in regards to the distance we travel to find fish in Tasmania. You will drive over a lot of fish if you think you have to beeline to the Hippolyte Rocks or Tasman Island to get fish. Areas just outside

time of year and it’s just a matter of finding where. When the fish are on, all lures will work well and it’s important to get the trolling speed right for the sea conditions. Keep a good eye on the spread while traveling into the conditions and get the skirts to pull a smoke trail and look active. This speed will differ when you are travelling down sea and with the wind. Throttling the engine

Eaglehawk Neck has been fishing well. October may be the month for jumbos to turn up.

Go Behind the Scenery EAST COAST ST HELENS St Helens is one of the most exciting places to fish in the whole of Tasmania and really starts to fire up in October. The area has so much to offer and if the weather isn’t as good as you hope, there is always other options. The St Helens and Georges Bay area offers so much to both the land-based and boat-going anglers. Beach fishers are spoilt for choice and don’t need to just go to the wellrespected Swimcart Beach for their long rod fix. The beaches at Binnalong Bay,

be 12-16ft range with reels in the 6000-10,000 size being well suited. Set the reel up with some 20lb braid and make sure it’s good quality. Rigs for beach fishing are simple and that’s the way I like it. The good old and proven paternoster is boss in this area and you can purchase any amount of premade ones in many sizes and styles. A running sinker rig can also be made easy by using the easy rig clips. These are available from most good tackle stores. If you have multiple hook clips you can use a

Andrew Hately found some bream on the east coast recently. This place fires in October. Akaroa and Beaumaris all fish well at this time of year. Flathead and gummy sharks are always an option with elephant sharks popping up on occasion. Australian salmon will keep you amused as well. Beach fishing is a great way to enjoy a day out and catch some fish as well. The gear you will need, like all fishing gear, can cost as much or as little as you like. Rods will need to

few different size hooks to see what is about. The higher hooks on the rig could be no. 1 hooks to trip up some Australian Salmon and the lower hooks could be 1/0-3/0s for flathead and gummy sharks. Carry a range of sinkers with you in all styles and a range of weights. You never know what the conditions are like and what you may need. The same can be said for baits – a varied selection

is always best. Pilchards are possibly the most popular, but can be hard to keep on the hooks. There is nothing more frustrating than spending precious time baiting up only to see it fly in all directions when casting. GEORGES BAY Whether you’re in a boat, kayak or fishing from the shore, Georges Bay has something to offer everyone. It’s a species treasure trove. You can find trevally, salmon, garfish, bream, flathead, whiting and elephant sharks, as well as the prized yellowtail kingfish, tailor, couta and jack mackerel. With a 6’6-7ft rod, a 2500 reel spooled with 8lb braid and a leader of 8lb fluorocarbon, you’re in the game. Light bait rigs or soft plastics are the go or you can use a favourite bibbed lure. There are sand flats, mud flats, weed beds, deep channels and jetties to fish off. You can head out in a small boat and fish the channels and deep water or find the sea grass areas and concentrate on those. Success across a number of species will mean a slightly different rig for each species. The best thing to do before hitting up an area that has varied species is to make a plan. Work out from online what you need as far as rigs go and what baits are best for each species. We touch on a few here each month, but there are many more. The upcoming (new) Fishing Monthly website will have a tonne of information for you and you can simply look up a species and area in the search bar. Once you have a plan for your target species you can gear up for success. I see a lot of people just throwing one of everything in the car or the boat and they drive around looking like an echidna. While it’s important

to cover a few bases and be ready for the unexpected, there is a limit. There is a saying that goes, ‘jack of all trades and a master of none.’ What this means for me in fishing terms is a day spent on the water second-guessing yourself and driving about trying to target everything will catch you nothing. If you have taken the time to do some research and have a plan, stick to it. Have some patience and back yourself. You might pull up and deploy the baits or lures and not have a bite in 20 minutes. This is not a time to throw all your efforts out the window and move on to something else. Stick it out and increase your endeavour. Make sure your baits are well-presented and your lures are swimming well or soft plastics are moving through the water properly. All soft plastics will present best when put on straight and not bunched up. Stay the course and put in the time. All you may need is that slight tide change or time for baits to start to draw the fish in. The worst thing you can do is roar off and start a half-cocked attempt at trying to catch something else in a huff. LITTLE SWANPORT I have been talking to some kayak fishos last couple of weeks and the excitement they have for the fishing in Little Swanport is infectious. I may have to give it a whirl myself real soon. October will see the outflows in this system start to slow and this is important for kayak anglers. The river here has some solid tide at certain points of the tide change and that’s without the extra push of upriver outflow. This can be tricky with the traditional paddle style kayak, but the superfancy peddle power models

Tasmania

Leo Cocker, 4yo, loves his fishing and caught this nice fish to feed the family. allow you to hold position and cast at will. While some current can bring issues it can often bring on the bites. Fish become quite brazen in some current and often throw caution to the wind in the excitement to feed. On an outgoing tide the water comes off the flats up further and spills into some deeper channels and holes. Find these areas and the fishing is fantastic. Casting a soft plastic or vibe upstream toward the shallows and working it back into the deep water will often get an enquiry. The area has a wide range of species to play

with. Silver trevally, black bream Australian salmon and flathead are plentiful. The river is a great option for kayaks, as there isn’t a massive amount of boat traffic and it isn’t far from shore to shore. This allows you to fish a different part of the river or try a different style of fishing without having to travel any great distance. If you are in the area and would like to fish from a kayak, give the area some consideration. October has the weather improving and if you catch nothing, you’ve had some great physical activity.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 13th September 2017 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta....................................3.07................................................................... Arthurs Lake.....................................0.94................................................................... Great Lake........................................13.12................................................................. Trevallyn Pond..................................0.54................................................................... Shannon Lagoon.............................................................................................Spilling Penstock Lagoon..............................0.05................................................................... Lake Echo.........................................6.39................................................................... Dee Lagoon.......................................0.17................................................................... Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............0.21................................................................... Bronte Lagoon..................................0.44................................................................... Pine Tier Lagoon.............................................................................................Spilling Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.03................................................................... Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................2.84................................................................... Lake St Clair.....................................1.16................................................................... Lake King William.............................3.41................................................................... Lake Liapootah.................................0.02................................................................... Wayatinah Lagoon..........................................................................................Spilling Lake Catagunya..............................................................................................Spilling

Lake Repulse..................................................................................................Spilling Cluny Lagoon..................................................................................................Spilling Meadowbank Lake...........................0.07................................................................... Lake Pedder......................................0.70................................................................... Lake Gordon.....................................24.94................................................................. Lake Burbury....................................1.70................................................................... Lake Plimsoll....................................1.93................................................................... Lake Murchison................................4.07................................................................... Lake Mackintosh..............................2.26................................................................... Lake Rosebery..................................0.96................................................................... Lake Pieman.....................................2.85................................................................... Lake Mackenzie................................1.63................................................................... Lake Rowallan..................................2.66................................................................... Lake Parangana................................1.55................................................................... Lake Cethana....................................1.15................................................................... Lake Barrington................................1.40................................................................... Lake Gairdner...................................1.69................................................................... Lake Paloona....................................0.35................................................................... Woods Lake......................................1.01................................................................... Whitespur Pond................................6.60................................................................... Lake Newton.....................................5.07................................................................... Lake Margaret..................................1.89...................................................................

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 OCTOBER 2017

Trout

Trout hooks: trebles vs singles WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Whether you’re trolling a lure in a lake or flicking in a mountain stream, fishing for trout doesn’t come without its challenges. For the most part, trout are quite an easy adversary to tackle, apart from the odd brutal battle running down a river rapid, or a solid buck that’s heading into a thick snag. Trout will often jump when hooked, and while rainbow trout do this more often, browns will also try this in an attempt to rid the hooks from their jaw. This causes big problems when battling fish, as hooks can twist and pull out of their mouth, especially when a trout has two sets of trebles embedded into each corner of the jaw hinge. In this situation, they’ll flex open their mouth causing the hooks to bend and tear out due to the pressure put on them, or they can become lose and fall out due to tearing a hole in the fishes lips. If there is one thing that makes you re-think your tackle, it is when you lose your prized catch. When this happens, anglers tend to focus on what has just happened and begin to look for other methods to prevent

TREBLES Over 90% of lures sold on tackle store walls these days come fitted with treble hooks, and with so many brands of trebles available, various lure manufactures fit out their lures with what is going to fit within the retail price they want the lure to sell for. VMC hooks are without doubt the most common

treble from Norway. I guess at the end of the day, irrespective of the treble brand, trout can still toss a treble during the fight. Many factors come into play when battling fish that need to be taken into consideration. Fishing with treble hooks certainly has its advantages, but also few disadvantages. Trout that are extremely

aggressive during the spawning months have a tendency to swipe at a lure, thinking it is a rival male trout coming to sneak in on the action before he manages to do so. Although some trout will attempt to eat the challenging male, a swipe at a lure containing treble hooks will still prick the fish, but whether or not that it stays connected that is another matter. The same goes for small stream trout. Quite often they will chase down a lure attempting to grab it, but not always do they get their mouth around it. Treble hooks in this situation will once again connect with the fish, but could pull if there is too much pressure, or if the

More fish tend to get lost fishing trebles than with singles.

Higgs displaying a solid brown that couldn’t escape a single inline hook on a hardbody.

Even with six exposed hooks, only one pinned this fish. hooks are imbedded in the corner of each jaw hinge. Of course, combating these scenarios can be just

a matter of re-rigging the lure to single hooks to ensure the hook set is right from the start.

SINGLES Inline single hooks are increasing in popularity these days, especially

Another solid brown landed, but it was pure luck that this one stuck with trebles. this from re-occurring. Hook failures are a common issue when battling trout mainly because hooks are what keep you connected to the fish and if there is a problem at this end, then it is time that you re-think the entire setup. 52

OCTOBER 2017

hooks used today, and while they are up there with the quality you’d expect to find on a quality lure, some others may be a cheaper option from the Chinese market, or then to the other end of the scale and could be fitted with a Mustad

amongst lure anglers. Inline single hooks are a sure way of getting a clear and secure hook set, but they also present challenges. When a trout grabs a lure with two sets of singles, both hooks will imbed securely, providing

Despite lures coming stock standard with treble hooks, this may not necessarily be the best way to have them rigged.

Trout the fish is given enough time to totally grab the lure in the first swipe. This means, slowing down the retrieve as much as possible and allowing the fish to really have a crack is a good idea. Anglers who troll in lakes using the everproductive Tasmanian Devil lure often retro-fit by discarding the standard treble hooks they come with and replacing them with two inline singles. Rigging a Tassie in this way, allows the fish to grab hold of the hooks, having them both imbed in the mouth securing a solid hook set, without the disadvantage of having potentially three barbs from a fine gauge treble hook that could buckle.

the lure hits the water, you’re maximising your chance of success. DAMAGE PREVENTION Another advantage of using single hooks over trebles is the limited amount of damage to a fishes’ mouth. Trebles that do stick in the corner of the jaw can

Obviously, if the fish is going to be kept for the table it probably isn’t of much concern, but if you’re going to be catching and releasing, then taking care of the fish is paramount. No doubt, you’d want to be releasing them with as limited damage as possible. So I guess no matter

Tasmanian Devil lures are commonly rigged with singles rather than trebles to ensure a solid hook set. again, any fish grabbing it from behind will have the rear hook pin in the roof of the fish’s mouth, or at least the single will set in the jaw hinge while the rear single will potentially catch around the gill plate. Fishing for trout, regardless of where and when you’re targeting

Given the strength of the jaw hinge on trout, single hooks always manage to set better than trebles.

Note the strength of the jaw hinge; this is why a single inline hook has a higher rate of secure penetration than a treble.

Even with treble hooks, sometimes only one point will embed.

Hardbody lures also fall into this mix, and even more so when it comes to river fishing. Hardbodies require a slightly different rigging method when using singles. In order to get the hooks positioned correctly, rig the first single on the belly of the lure so the barb is facing in a forward in a kind of reverse direction. This will have the hooks shank run along the belly of the lure. This will enable the hook to sit under the belly so when a fish grabs it, the hook will set instantly. The rear single should face the opposite direction, with the hooks point still facing the lure’s head, but in an upward direction. Once

Retro-fitting your lures allows you to maximise your chances out on the water. The only question is which lure will you choose? them, always poses a challenge, and you might only get one shot at them. By re-assessing your hook setup and ensuring that you’ve made the right choice from the moment

cause complications when attempting to remove them. A single hook on the other hand is just one hook that is imbedded and can easily be removed without causing too much harm to the fish.

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how you look at it, both hook styles each have their issues, but there are more errors using trebles when it comes to fishing for trout than there are when using inline singles.

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OCTOBER 2017

Fresh flows look good for Toolondo fishery HORSHAM

James Perry

Spring is well and truly here, the sun is out with a hint of what’s to come and the region’s waterways are in the best condition they have been in years due to late winter and early spring rains. Toolondo is looking the best it has in years due to inflows from Rocklands Reservoir. A huge thankyou goes out to all involved in making the water transfer happen

to secure a solid future for Toolondo. With recent stocking, this golden pond has a great chance to become the legend that it once was. With this great news comes a little bit of unwanted news. Some large carp have been caught in Toolondo in recent times. We can only hope that they are dealt with rapidly. Due to the increased water level linking all three ponds together there are a lot of hidden dangers for your boat motor, so navigate cautiously if you’re not

familiar with the lake. If you’re targeting brown trout, the newly flooded shallows are a prime area to target. The ever-popular Bent Minnow is a great subsurface option, as is the Jackall Colt Minnow. Natural colours seem to be best at the moment. If it’s overcast, add a bit of pearl white to your lure choice. Fly anglers have been doing well targeting rainbow trout in the heavy timbered areas of the lake twitching wets like the Woolly Buggers, along with olive or purple variants. Redfin are starting to fire back up again. More lures are now an option due to the depth of clean water above the weed beds. I still stand by weedless rigged plastics as the best option. The Wimmera River has had some good natural flows and reports of yellowbelly catches are starting to come in. Most reports have come from Dimboola and Japarit.

Matthew Grinham boats yet another whale of a redfin at Lake Fyans.

w w w. b a r g a i n b o a t b i t s. c o m . a u

Dam............................... % Full

LAKE/DAM

Mulwala

Cairn Curran

75 82

(Yarrawonga) 95 92 95

Dartmouth 78 78 82

Newlyn

Eildon

61 61 70

Nillahcootie 77 81 90

Eppalock

89 90 92

Rocklands 36 37 40

Fyans

74 77 87

Taylors

57 59 74

Greens

65 65 66

Tullaroop

70 70 74

Hepburn

n/a 75 100

Upper Coliban 94

Hume

71 77 89

Waranga

34 56 84

Lauriston

87 81 97

Wartook

71 79 96

Malmsbury 12 13 67

66 79 94

William Hovell 98

98 101

102 101

(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.) 54

OCTOBER 2017

Whole yabbies have been the go-to bait options, while small vibes and spinnerbaits have been accounting for a few too. Stick with darker

rocky points. Normally at this time of the year the 3m mark is the magic number. Hopping blades and vibes

Cam White removed this carp from Toolondo using a curltail ZMan plastic rigged on a beetle spin blade.

DAM LEVELS brought to you by

July August Sept

Jake Marshall proving again he knows how to fool a big ‘bow.

shades and gold spinner blades in the dirty water, as this casts a better silhouette. Lake Fyans has continued its good form with some solid catches of redfin and trout. For the bait fishers, yabbies bobbed along the wall are always a good option closely followed by some scrubworms bunched on a hook. If you’re fishing with a friend, have one angler fish with lead on the bottom and the other with a float from the top. This will help speed up the process of cracking the code. Small minnow style lures that dive to 2m are a great option to troll around to locate redfin. The Berkley Flicker Shad is a favourite along with the ever-popular pink Finesse Stumpjumper. Rocklands Reservoir has been a bit quieter than normal. Things are picking up and I think people have been a bit tight-lipped about their catches, as opposed to there being slow fishing. As the weather warms, look to the shallower sections and

or twitching small plastics is the way to land a feed of redfin. Keeping in contact with the bottom is key to success. Motor oil coloured plastics are always a winner at Rocklands, closely followed by reds, oranges and purples. I would expect a few bass to be caught over the next month, so it could be well worth flicking some chubby style hardbodies and small spinnerbaits around in the timber. A soft plastic rigged with a beetle spin blade is a great alternative to a spinnerbait, too. Due to the typically clearer water here, I would be inclined to use silver blades over gold ones on sunny days. If you’re after a trout, try flat lining your favourite winged lure or celta up around the wall end of the lake.

The author released this trout to become another angler’s trophy.

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The spring season has opened with a bang BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

The trout season has opened up with a bang for anglers around the Central Highlands Region of Victoria, with excellent fish reports coming from nearly every fishery in the region. This fishing season, even though it has only just begun, anglers are full of optimism with a cracker season ahead. Our lakes and reservoirs

Mudeyes – the larvae stage of the dragonfly – start to hatch. These are like candy to the trout; they just can’t resist them, which is good for us anglers. Newlyn Reservoir is one of the many waters in the district that have been fishing extremely well over the past month. I have fished there on numerous occasions catching some lovely trout on every trip. The water level has risen slowly and was recently overflowing. The trout will be

days have produced the best results. Hepburn Lagoon is just starting to fire up with the water overflowing recently. The fish have proved to be hard to catch, but I’m sure that will change with a bit of insect activity when mudeyes start to move around. Darryl Luttrell loves to fish Hepburn and on a recent trip snagged five lovely trout – a mixture of browns and rainbows around the 2.5lb mark – casting a small pink Tassie Devil lure in rough overcast conditions. I fished with my nephew Nathan Ward on another occasion with Nathan catching and releasing a lovely brown trout around the 2.5lb mark. Hepburn will be one of the best waters in the district for all forms of angling; Hepburn should hold some really big fish, so the chance to catch a trophy fish is there. Deep Lake hasn’t been on the radar for a long time.

Hepburn Lagoon produced the goods for Nathan Ward with this lovely brown trout of 2.5lb that ate a white bent minnow style lure. have been released. This particular brown trout had five massive minnows inside its stomach, so no wonder they are as fat as they are. Anglers who fish Deep Lake

walking the shorelines of the lake. Fisheries Victoria has once again stocked the lake heavily and anglers will reap the rewards in the

Will Stevens caught this magnificently conditioned brown trout from Deep Lake while trolling a Nories deep diving lure. are still on the rise with some late winter and early spring rains with hopefully more to come. With waters rising the trout will be out foraging around the shallows looking for food, flooded-out grubs, worms and more. This is the time of the year when anglers who have been rugged up during the winter slumber come out to play, and start catching magnificently conditioned trout. Spring time also sees insect activity increase as the weather warms up a bit.

mooching around the edges on first light, so stealth mode will be required to catch them in the shallows. Newlyn caters for every form of angling method with plenty of shoreline to fish, whichever way the wind blows. The brown trout are around the 1.5-2lb mark with some bigger fish mixed in. I have been casting bent minnow style lures in a variety of colours. The Newlyn browns seem to love them. Overcast windy

Geoff Cramer landed this lovely 3lb brown trout while trolling deep diving lures at Deep Lake. 56

OCTOBER 2017

A magnificent Lake Wendouree brown trout prior to release caught by the author casting Ecogear Powershad soft plastics. It’s located at Derrinallum about an hour from Ballarat. A very underrated fishery, the lake isn’t huge in size and contrary to its name it’s not real deep (approximately 10-12ft in depth). The lake can be fished from the shore or by boat with an excellent boat ramp and jetty available. Most of the shoreline is very rocky except the northern end, which has nice grassy flats. Deep Lake has been stocked a little by Fisheries over the past couple of years. The water is discoloured, but don’t let this put you off. The fish are in magnificent condition with brown trout up to 3lb being caught on bait and lures, both from the shore and boats. I have had a couple of trips down there recently with my kids and also with one of my fishing mates, Geoff Cramer. Trolling deep diving lures has proved to be best, and we have also caught some on Tassie Devil as well. The fish really pull hard and are in awesome condition due to them feasting on minnows. I have only kept one from our trips – the rest

need to be mindful that the lake is not stocked heavily like other waters have been recently. Limit your catch so you can return to catch them when they are bigger. At Lake Wendouree the fishing has been a bit slow over the past couple of months, mainly due to the cold weather and anglers not wanting to brave the elements. This has all started to turn around with anglers now out on the lake and

months and years to come from these stockings. I have been fishing Wendouree from the shore casting soft plastics with excellent results catching and releasing some magnificent brown trout to 3.5lb on Ecogear Powershads. Early mornings with rough and windy weather have produced the best results and the trout have come out to play. The Wendouree guru Ben Young has been out

catching some cracking big redfin. He caught his PB 2.1kg reddy on a soft plastic cast from a drifting boat. Lake Wendouree will go from strength to strength over the coming months and I predict it will be the number one water in the district once again. It’s an excellent fishery for boat or land-based angling and all angling methods work on Wendouree, which I believe is one of its best features. It produces quality fish, day or night. Fishing in the district is going to be fantastic if past reports are anything to go on. Unfortunately I have not been able to include a couple of waters that will really fish well moving forward, as they have done for the past few months. Moorabool and Tullaroop reservoirs are certainly two places that I will be fishing during October. A couple of other waters that I would suggest are worth a look are Lake Burrumbeet and also Lake Bolac, which fished extremely well a couple of months ago. Don’t forget the trophy rainbow trout that Bolac produced a couple of years ago – could it do that again? Keep it in mind.

Ben Young with his PB 2.1kg Lake Wendouree redfin caught casting a Nories Spoon Tail Shad soft plastic. Photo courtesy of Ben Young.

Better trout fishing rules On 2 September 2017, the following changes to trout fishing rules were introduced. The new rules make trout fishing even better in Victoria!

Introduction of a 25 cm minimum size for trout and reduced bag limit from 5 to 3 trout for the following waters:

At Lake Toolondo, a new 45cm minimum size for brown trout and 30cm minimum size for rainbow trout, with a reduced bag limit from 5 to 3 trout per day.

At Hepburn Lagoon, a new 45 cm minimum size for trout, with a reduced bag limit from 5 to 3 trout per day.

• Nariel Creek (upstream of Colac Colac Bridge), • Mitta Mitta River (upstream of Lake Dartmouth), • Ovens River (upstream of Porepunkah Bridge), • Rubicon River. Existing regulations that no more than 2 trout may exceed 35 cm will continue to apply in these waters.

Removal of the trout closed season for the Hopkins and Merri rivers.

These changes deliver on a commitment in the State Government’s Target One Million plan, which is investing a record $46 million into recreational fishing. More people fishing, more often, is the aim!

vfa.vic.gov.au/bettertrout OCTOBER 2017

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The subscriber prize winner for August is J Sparkes of Rosebud, who won a TT Lures and ZMan prize pack valued at $300. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

Aberglasslyn, D Harvey of Ocean Shores, J Grace of Shoalhaven Heads, K Burge of Salamanda Bay, B Mayger of Warren, M Collins of Engadine, B Birch of Oran Park, D Collister of Tamworth, R Chown of Glendenning, T Polley of Burrell Creek, J Paul of Inverell, C Engelbrecht of Wagga Wagga, L Jeffs of Gateshead, T Hodges of Ballina, T Kennedy of Karuah, P Lyneham of Fern Bay, M Clerke of Attunga , B

Hall of Balgownie, K Hester of Beverly Hills, D Turner of Kincumber, B Bailey of Ulladulla, B Jordan of Botany, R Todd of Wahroonga, M Baker of Gorokan, G Wade of Empire Bay, B Stokes of Morwell, S Cook of Seven Hills, A Sinclair of Lalor Park, I Dando of Tuggeranong, W Cumming of Bass Hill. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

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FIND THE COASTAL BLACK LOGO

The answers to Find the Coastal Black Logo for August were: 9, 12, 16, 23, 26, 34, 37, 39, 41, 46, 59, 63, 78, 80, 85. – V&TFM

OCTOBER 2017

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Snapper

The Find the Coastal Black prize winners for August were: I Errey of Leeton, N Bryant of North Albury, P Herbert of Clarenza, M Sutton of Bonny Hills, M Horgosi of Ngunnawal, M MacMurray of Eglinton, M Dunford of Young, D Kell of Avoca Beach, R Cooper of Forster, R Waters of Temora, M Ryan of

GUESS THE FISH?

Answer:

Yella fever still to pick up after the cod season YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Unfortunately, this report is always the hardest to put together, and is about exciting as watching the grass grow. Cod season is now but a distant memory. Still, those who fancy their hand at chasing goldens know that it’s about to get better. Traditionally the top end of lake and backwaters around the Bundalong area are more productive than the open waters of the lake itself. When they do fire, the old faithful lipless crankbait is your best bet. Hardbodied lures up to 70mm and smaller profiled spinnerbaits will also account for their fair share. For anyone that does encounter a cod over the next couple of months, it should be released unharmed as quickly as possible. Looking back, August started off great and slowly petered out towards the end of the season. The major factor that slowed the action

was the large amount of dirty water that found its way down from the Ovens River. Towards the end of the month, those who measure din cod in excess of the ‘ton’ included Juz Wright, with a 108cm model, Shannon Mobbs with a 114cm truck, Jack Weymouth Smith with his 116 beast, and as the final siren sounded, Dave Adams and Jessie Barassi both cracked the metre with 101 and 102cm models respectively. Overall the 2016/17 season for big cod was the best on record bar none. The incredible amount of meteries fuelled anglers dreams and created a monster that continued all season. I believe there were three main contributing factors to this and they were the black water events further downstream that concentrated anglers at Mulwala, social media, allowing all to share their captures instantly and continuing Lake Mulwala’s reputation as Australia’s premier cod fishery, and the hottest trend in cod fishing

– swimbaits and wakebaits. The last six months has seen a massive demand for swimbaits and wakebaits. These lures are something new for the cod, and until they wise up to them, great returns will continue. Coming up on 21 October is the popular Golden Do$$ars fishing competition, an event designed to specifically target yellas. Entry forms are now available. Organisation for the 18th annual Cod Classic is well under way, with the event looking as good as ever. An incredible seven boating packages, a chance to spend 30 seconds in a cash grab machine, along with $150K of prizes makes this one event not to be missed. Entry forms are available online at www.codclassic.com.au. For more information on the Cod Classic, the upcoming Golden Dollar$ or anything else relating to fishing Mulwala, feel free to give us a call at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski. • If you are visiting town,

Shannon Mobbs with a magnificent 114cm late season Murray cod. I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala and say

G’day. We are your largest Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/Mulwala and specialise in all things

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Carp numbers too thick to search for perch ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the warmth of a pre-spring breeze thawing the bones, it felt time to pop up to the mighty Murray River and chance my hand at a feed of perch. With a tub of freshly dug worms, the short track to the Murray near Wemen was a pleasant drive. Several large shingle back lizards

crossed the road, enjoying the early warmth after their long winter slumber. When fishing for perch I like to look for pockets of backwater close to snags. I will cast a lightly-weighted bait and if the perch are on, it usually doesn’t take long to get a bite. Sure enough, the hook-laden ball of worms had only been in the water a few moments before the end of the rod tapped down and loaded. With the hook set the fight was very strong, with several line sizzling runs that

firstly tore upstream only to change direction and power off downstream with the current. This was no perch, and within a few short minutes the large orange tail of a 10kg plus carp was once again beating a hasty retreat along the bank. With the solid carp landed and dispatched of humanely, the bait was once again sent towards the snags. No sooner had it hit the bottom and another bite had the small reel screaming as another solid carp tore off along the bank with the

half hour this pattern was replayed with every bait I delivered into the river. Talk about full on fishing and some serious arm stretching fights! These carp were on steroids, with some of the biggest I have ever seen in our local waters. Unfortunately, before I had chance to procure a feed of perch the ravenous carp had cleaned out my worm supply. As we continue to head into spring I can only ponder at the amount of giant carp in our local waters. With so many mouths to feed it will be interesting to see the impact they have on native fishes and the areas they hold. For the moment

hook pinned in its top lip. This fish was even bigger, and to say it was going off would be an angling understatement. Pound for pound carp are the best fighting fish in the river, and once they reach weights of 10kg plus they will test angler and gear alike. With the fight nearing its end, the hook pulled free of this second fish and it powered back into the depths. With a fresh bunch of worms on the hook I had hardly set the rod in the holder before it was on again and the same powerful run and fight had it three for three and the carp were now coming thick and fast. For the next

though to, it seems we might need wade our way through a mountain of carp in order catch a more glamorous fish for the plate. Amongst the carp anglers are landing a few golden perch. From Boundary Bend through Robinvale and downstream to Wemen and beyond, the perch are starting to bite as the water warms. With poor water clarity, bait has been the best method, with worms, shrimps and small yabbies all working well. Over the coming month, we can expect the perch to bite well and if the carp leave your bait alone for long enough you should manage to land a few.

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Trout fishing in full flight WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

October is the gateway month to the best fishing in North East Victoria. During October the weather starts to really climb, and both main species of perch the golden perch and English perch (redfin) start to become quite active, and the trout are usually still biting really well in the creeks and rivers as the water is still cool enough to see them remain active.

so wade carefully to prevent being washed off your feet. Try using shiny a metallic bladed spinner such as a Super Vibrax or Celta. The Buffalo River upstream of Lake Buffalo is also worth a try early in the season. There are miles of public access and plenty of public camping grounds up there. It is quite a drive in from Myrtleford, but it’s worth it just to see the countryside. The fishing in the upper Buffalo seems to vary a lot from season to season, with wet winters usually

fished exceptionally well for trout all last season. They’re all well worth a visit. Catherine River is also a fantastic trout fishery, however access is limited. The King River is well worth fishing for trout upstream of Lake William Hovell, however downstream can be very hit and miss, with many people last year reporting catching nothing at all. At the same time, I did hear a couple of decent reports. REDFIN October is when the redfin just start to become active in North East Victorian waterways as the water begins to warm up. My favourite spot to fish for them is Lake Kerford near Beechworth. The average size of the redfin in Lake Kerford is very small, and catching a big enough redfin to fillet is something of a challenge, however the small fish are plentiful, and the environment up there is very relaxing. Try using

Andrew Schulz quietly approaches a nice run before making a cast towards a feeding brown trout. October is a great time of the year to target trout in the small streams. Lake Buffalo could be worth a look for anglers targeting redfin during October, with a by-catch golden perch being a real possibility thanks to several years of fish stocking. Lake William Hovell is also worth a try for redfin

400m above sea level means it can be a little slow to start as a redfin fishery each spring. GOLDEN PERCH The Ovens River catchment is not known for its golden perch fishing, however there are a few

Adam Couch with a nice small stream brown trout caught on a bladed spinner. Bladed spinners will be well worth a try in the streams during October. Murray cod are totally off limits throughout October, however there is still plenty of bait fishing options available across North East Victoria, which I will go into in more detail about further down. TROUT As stated, October can be a great month to target trout in North East Victoria. The water in the lakes is still cold enough for the trout to be feeding actively, and the water in the streams is usually still flowing and cool. As we have just had minor flooding in the Ovens River catchment last month, I cannot see this October being any different. Lake William Hovell will be worth fishing for wild brown and rainbow trout during October. Make sure you concentrate your efforts on the low light periods of the day at sunrise and sunset, as this is when the trout are most likely to be actively feeding closer to the surface. Stanley Ditch Dam in Stanley near Beechworth will also be worth fishing for stocked rainbow trout, which were stocked into this little dam in time for the September school holidays. No doubt, there will still be quite a few of these trout left throughout October. In the streams, the Ovens River will be worth fishing upstream of Bright. During October the Ovens River can still carry quite a lot of water, 60

OCTOBER 2017

leading to improved trout seasons. The area around Abbeyard is a great place to start. Try using a metallic bladed spinner or a lightlyweighted bunch of garden worms during October. A small soft plastic could also be a worthwhile option, particularly in the deeper, slower pools. Other waterways in the ovens River catchment worth mentioning are the Rose River, which can be patchy, the Dandongadale River which offers OK trout fishing at times, and the Buckland River, which is a fantastic waterway and

Andrew Schulz with a small brown trout from a tributary of the Ovens River. small bright coloured soft plastics. The Strike Tiger nymph in either ‘orange spawn’ or ‘whitebait pearl’ is dynamite on small redfin.

during October, however having a large cold river flowing into a small lake, and being set back in the hills at an altitude of over

Redfin start to become active across North East Victoria during October and can be a welcome by-catch to any trout angler.

to be found in patches. As mentioned above, there has been quite a few golden perch stocked into Lake Buffalo over the last few years. Large catches of the species are not common, however a few do get caught from time to time and October is a great time to target them. Lake Sambell in Beechworth can be a great golden perch fishery during the spring months with regular stocking ensuring a viable golden perch fishery. Lastly, the Victorian Fisheries Authority website informs me that Stanley Dam and the Harrietville dredge hole have also both been stocked with golden perch. With zero reports coming my way from either of those locations, I am unsure how successful the stocking has been. GENERAL ANGLING Anybody wanting to sit on the bank and drown some bait should be able to

do so anywhere along the Ovens River, as long as we do not get flooding rain in September. Due to the closed cod season, it is suggested that you avoid known Murray cod baits such as cheese, bardi grubs and large yabbies. I usually bait fish with worms in the hope that I may catch a carp, and in the event that I do catch a Murray cod out of season, it is usually too small to be actively spawning. Earlier this year the Victorian Fisheries Authority released thousands of golden perch into the Ovens River from Wangaratta downstream. I am unsure whether any of them will be large enough to catch yet, but there’s only one way to find out… MURRAY COD The Murray cod season in closed through all of spring. It is illegal to target Murray cod during this time in all Victorian public waterways, with the only exception being Lake Eildon, which remains open all year round. Fisheries compliance officers have the power to fine anybody who they deem to be targeting Murray cod during the closed season. It is for this reason that I highly recommend you avoid using large lures, and large known Murray cod bait and just sticking to the smaller bread and butter type baits such as worms, corn, small shrimps or even bread if you are targeting carp. Also, once a spawning Murray cod gets caught, it can either absorb its eggs and abort the spawning operation, or abandon the nest leaving the eggs unprotected and destined for certain death from predation. So even if you catch and release a lovely large Murray cod during the spawning season, you are potentially killing tens of thousands of undersize fish in the process.

Yellas depend on spring rains SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

October is normally a hard month to predict fishing conditions in our local area. If we get big spring rains and the rivers go on the rise, you can almost guarantee the yellowbelly will come on the bite. Another possibility is no spring rains, which will see the rivers clean up and produce good fishing conditions for us all. In early spring we had the worst possible conditions for yellowbelly fishing – a little bit of rain that didn’t raise the rivers enough to fire them up and dirty water conditions. Those who had luck in early spring were using bait around the backwaters in both the Goulburn and Broken rivers. Shrimp and yabbies are now easily accessible and a shrimp worm cocktail has been the best bait. Lure anglers have downsized their lures casting smaller chatterbaits and small lipless crankbaits. The Goulburn around Rafterys Road always produces good numbers of yellowbelly and will likely do so again. If the Sevens Creek is flowing, target

the waters around it or on either side of the big sandbars. If the rivers go on a rise, head to the Broken River as it always out-fishes the Goulburn on a rise. The best areas along the Broken are where you can find some backwater pools or some type of jam in the river – for example, large logs, rock walls, sharp bends or weirs. Caseys and Gowangardie weirs usually produce good numbers of yellowbelly in the spring and this season will be no different. KIALLA LAKES The lakes were looking really good last month with steady water clarity due to less late winter rains. There are more and more anglers fishing the lakes as I drive past and there are now constant reports of yellowbelly being caught around the 25-35cm mark. The hotspot seems to be near the crossover from Lake 1 to 2; there are people fishing it every day, mostly with bait. Those using lures try to fish around the willows, small sandbars and rocks. I try to fish the edges of these areas and have had the most success doing so. If you have a kayak or canoe, target the island – it holds some big fish. If you can’t land fish on the cast,

trolling in circles around the island will work. Change your lures up and try in close and shallow, as well as trolling wider and deeper. LOCAL CHANNELS The channel system is becoming a go-to fishing location for locals looking to change up their fishing. With plenty of artificial structures and tight fishing conditions it makes for a rewarding day’s fishing. There have been so many more reports of native fish being caught in our channel systems with reports of redfin dwindling as each month rolls on. I have targeted redfin recently with extra small lures, but all I seem to catch is native fish. The size of the fish isn’t huge, but they are still plenty of fun and a yellowbelly around a bridge pylon on 4-6lb braid at 35cm can be a heartpumping experience. For anglers using bait, use unweighted worms or shrimp around the structure. This will make the baits more lifelike and it gives your bait a chance to drift to new areas that a weighted bait can’t get to. There have been plenty of cod being caught while targeting redfin and yellowbelly; make sure you release them as soon as you

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can, as it is still out of season. SHEPPARTON LAKE Shepparton Lake is again very difficult to fish due to the thick coverage of weed. This is frustrating, because there are so many good fish in the lake. There are now hundreds of stocked trout, yellowbelly and silver perch in the lake and some yellowbelly have been measured in at over 45cm. Ideally the lake would be a family fishing paradise, but kids don’t like catching weeds. They want to see fish. If you can find some open water, float your baits around 30-40cm under the float. I have also heard reports of an angler attaching 2-3cm of silver beads above the baits so that the sun reflects off them, bringing attention to his baits. With conditions being so tough, thinking outside the box is important. Different ideas and techniques need to be explored, because the fish are too good to not target. CRAIGMUIR LAKE Water temperatures are now rising in Craigmuir and the fishing is heating up. There were good signs that the lake would fish well this spring with fresh reports most weekends in late August and early September of redfin up to 40cm and yellowbelly

Greg Ford caught this nice yellowbelly on a 4D chatterbait in the Goulburn River. around the 35-40cm mark being caught. Lure fishers have been having plenty of success casting or trolling small spinnerbaits and hardbodies. If you’re bait fishing, try get your hands on some small yabbies and live shrimp. Both are dynamite on the fish in Craigmuir. There are plenty of carp in Craigmuir Lake. Make sure you don’t just throw them on the bank, as the lake is still a residential lake and if fishers upset locals, they will make it hard for us in the future. WARANGA BASIN There haven’t been a heap of reports from the basin this season, which is no real surprise with the windy

conditions. The anglers who have had luck chasing redfin and yellowbelly have been fishing early morning or right on dark when the wind drops away. Trolling small Codgers around the 10ft mark has been very successful for smaller fish with the bigger redfin being caught deeper around the 20ft mark, mostly bottom bashing baits or ice jigs. Those who have caught yellowbelly have been targeting the points on the Tatura side of the basin casting both plastics and TN60s. Both the inlet and channels have produced fish so far this spring and can be a much easier option when it’s windy.

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Open up a can of fresh trout JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson steve@swtroutfishing.com.au

We are all getting excited with the opening of the river fishing season here! Winter has been late again this year with plenty of snow still on the mountains and plenty of melt yet to come, meaning water to feed the rivers and streams for quite a while yet. We are yet to see how the opening will fish, but when the level of the Thredbo River is up the lure anglers always do well. When the water is lower the fly anglers usually do a little better. River lure anglers are

going to do best using minnow style lures and big lures will often catch more trout at this time of year than small lures. It all depends on how fast and high the water level is in the Thredbo River. Natural brown trout and rainbow trout patterns are most popular, but I also like gold or gold and black colours as well. For fly anglers on the rivers, the best flies to use have still been weighted nymphs and a few fish will even be caught on glow bugs. Meanwhile on the lake the fishing has been fantastic and most anglers will agree that we have had the best winter fishing we have seen in many years and that should continue given the lake’s

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about the Snowy’s most important trout hatchery. • Learn • See how four species of trout and salmon are bred. • Find out where and how Gaden’s juvenile fish are released. Learn how trout stocking benefits recreational fishing and • local economies. • Find out about kids fishing workshops. • Enjoy the beautiful picnic-BBQ area.

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OCTOBER 2017

water level is rising. For fly anglers, the polaroiding season has been a little late. It’s now in full swing with the lake level rising quite quickly over new ground. I find casting small green nymphs to be best in the shallow water. Lure anglers can also spot the fish before casting and you will do best with smaller lures (unlike the river fishing) and floating minnow lures that dive to 1-2m deep will be best. Another reason to keep the lures small is that they create less splash and splashing can spook the trout in the shallow clear water. As the lake continues to rise this month the boat trolling will be best near the edges early and late in the day, but you may have problems spooking the fish over shallow water, so make sure your line is out further than normal with 80m being the minimum you will need out. The usual techniques of fishing on the surface in shallow water at first light and then moving out into

Devils, like 111 Willies Special that was named after some trout fishing guide in the area and is by far the most successful lure over summer last season. As the sun gets higher, it’s time to get the lure lower into the water and lead core lines or downriggers are the way to go. Minnow lures in brown trout, rainbow trout and spotted dog patterns are also good and there are many good brands of lures on the market that will do the job, if you know what speed to troll to get the best action. It’s not a good idea to try and mix and match different brands, as no two brands of lures will work best at the same speed. The best lures to try and catch those trophy brown trout will be small minnows and you need to troll these over the weed beds using longer drop backs and lighter line or braid to keep the lures at the deepest depth possible. You need to do this well before the sun comes up to get the bigger fish. Lake bait fishing has

Alberto Galmarini and his son all the way from Italy (here for ski race training in August) took time out and had a fantastic time catching plenty of trout and this massive 10lb Atlantic salmon. trout then the best baits are still going to be bardy grubs or scrubworms. These are best fished with a greased line to stop them from sinking into

access, as many of our normal tracks are under water. Those who have a boat will have the advantage of being able to get to spots where others can’t.

BEST METHODS FOR OCTOBER Best method: Lake trolling Best depth: Surface lures early and late in the day Best lake lure: Tasmanian Devils with yellow wings or holographic Best lake area: East Jindabyne Islands and Creel Bay Best fly method lake: Hamills Killers and green weighted nymph Best river for fly: Thredbo River with olive or black nymphs and glow bugs Best river for spinners: Thredbo River using deep diving minnow lures in brown trout patterns. deeper water using lead core with 20-30m of line out will extend the better fishing well into the late morning. Boat trollers this month will do best using minnow lures early before sunrise and then switching to hardbody lures later in the morning. The best colours to use when it’s early will be darker lures. Try the Yellow Wing Tasmanian

been nothing but excellent for months now. At some times of the day the fish are coming on the bite and you just need a line in the water to catch them. Local scrubworms are best for brown trout while artificial baits of various colours are proving themselves on rainbow trout and salmon. If you want to catch yourself a big brown

the weed and getting caught up. Don’t forget meal worms fished like maggots under a float either. There’s no spot fishing better than the others at the moment. With the trout cruising the margins of the lake they can be in one place one day and another the next. The biggest problem with the lake so high is finding easy

Let’s hope the season is a good one with regular rain to freshen up the streams and cooling the water. • For booking for trout fishing tours please call my shop on 02 6456 1551 or email me at sales@ swtroutfishing.com.au and more information can be found on my website www. swtroutfishing.com.au.

Eildon still open for cod fishing BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

Cod season has closed everywhere but Eildon. The numbers of anglers coming here was very steady throughout September and will only increase as the water temperature and weather get better deeper into spring. The fishing for cod has been outstanding with truckloads of cod being caught. Nathan McDonald picked up an awesome 109cm beast off the top and John Costa caught a nice 70cm model. Paul Thomas changed things up and nailed a couple of trout for a change. The yellas should also really start to fire now and To page 63

Paul Thomas with what he calls a couple of ‘spotted cod lollies.’

Hoping the fish are more active this October EILDON

Daniel Piazza

In past years October has been a bit of a lazy fishing month on Lake Eildon. With a few months of steady rain and good snow falls, I’m guessing that that this year it will all change. If you’re targeting trout, I would still be flat line trolling up until we see the daytime temperatures reach that 20-25°C mark and this is because the melting snow and the cloudy days keeping the

main part of the lake’s surface temperatures around 8-10°C. Use a solid pink colour to contrast the low light that is penetrating the water’s surface. If you’re not catching, move to more silver or black colours, as a little more contrast can entice trout to come out and play. The main area that has been a standout for numbers of fish is the Big River Arm. I like to fish about 60m from the edges and will look for food lanes and wind lanes that come off the points of the lakes edge. I also like hanging off the

The author with a great 70cm cod.

points and casting plastics and spend about half an hour on each side of the point ranging from 6-14m of water and fish the whole water column. Hardbodies and soft plastics work a treat. Murray cod can be anywhere with the rising water and most of the fish are on the move to either spawn or just to find new grounds for the warmer months ahead. In October cod are sitting in about 3m of water ready to ambush their next tasty meal. Big plastics such as the new Zerek Flat Shad Pro Range in the 7” or 9” are all the craze for chasing cod. Don’t be fooled by the no action feeling through the rod tip, as some lures allow the predatory fish time to get in position for the attack. Sometimes big hardbodies and spinnerbaits can just be too intimidating to the beast, unless you really irritate it. Surface lures have been around for quite some time now and have been really effective for the rivers and lakes. In the past year, the basic timber surface lures have been taking the cod community by storm. I haven’t done a lot of this style fishing as I stay true

Simon from Kinglake with a fit-looking cod. to the humble spinnerbait, but I’ve been working on some homemade gems that should do the trick this summer. Remember that the lake is open all year round to target cod, so get out and try your luck. The main arm is still producing trout in the middle and cod closer into to the shoreline. It’s still a little early for yellas; hopefully by the next issue I will have some good stories.

The redfin populations are still moving around the lake and some anglers have caught their fair share. We have seen good numbers of cod being caught in around 2-3m of water. If you’re going to target cod, try going up before a big storm or about three days after the storm before the

weather turns pear-shaped. The fish are very active and will try to get a full belly before the barometer drops and they have to go deep to balance out their air bladders. This affects the fish just as much as the feeling we get when we have to get up for work on a Monday morning.

From page 62

deliver the excitement in spring as always, so let’s hope they turn up in a big way. It’s onwards and upwards heading into the warmer months. I would just like to say a big congratulations to all involved in the Trout Opening Festival held in Eildon on opening weekend. Having been involved for the past five years or so I wasn’t able to be there because of an injury, but I called in to say a quick hello to some great people I hadn’t seen in a while. I was surprised that there were hundreds of people lined up waiting to get in and with rod and reel combos given to the first 200 kids through the door,

See Test on Pages 91

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John Costa with a nice Eildon cod. the atmosphere was electric. The one and only Rex Hunt was doing the rounds chatting and taking selfies with all the kids (old and young) just in awe of the great man. You

could also see the joy on Rex’s face. It was tremendous and with well over 1,000 people and more than 700 registered, it truly spoke of the hard work

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OCTOBER 2017

Anglers enjoying the start of trout season CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

The long-awaited trout opening arrived and with a few months off the trout, anglers have been itching to get out a chase one of our favourite freshwater fish. With a dry winter, we were unsure how the trout fishing was going to be for opening. We did get some last minute rain before opening – which we needed – and with a cold snap bringing snow and rain in the hills,

the flows of our mountain streams increased during the end of August and the start of September. Our humble little Strzelecki streams fished well with some better-thanaverage sized brown trout being caught in the Traralgon Creek and Morwell River. We saw quite a few trout in the 30cm range, which is good to see. The fly anglers found it tough as the water was still very clear in most streams, making the fish spooky, but spin fishers did extremely well with trout spinners such as Mapsos

Jase Buttler caught this nice mountain brown trout on a bead head nymph fly.

and Vibraxes. On the other side of the valley, the upper Thomson and its feeder streams fished well with most anglers having no trouble catching a dozen small brown trout to 30cm on spinners. The Macalister and the Wellington also fished well as they always do on trout opening, with some quality brown trout to 40cm being caught on Tassie Devils, spinners and Rapalas. These rivers should fish well until around December when the water warms up. Across to the east, we

had some good reports in from anglers fishing around the Dargo area on the Wonnangatta where some awesome catches of brown trout were had. Fish up to 2.5lb were caught on garden worms fished on a running rig. Lures didn’t seem to work as well in the area, but the bait fishing was second to none. • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle.

Good flows lead to good fishing BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The coldest months of the year are now behind us and a lot of anglers are dusting off their fishing gear. The good news is that the conditions in the Bendigo area are very encouraging for the upcoming season. Water levels in our local impoundments continued to rise recently and reached high levels. We only need a couple more rainfall events and the majority of impoundments will reach maximum capacity. LAKE EPPALOCK Recently Lake Eppalock was at 92%. The Coliban catchment, which comprises of the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury reservoirs, was holding a combined capacity of 93%. This means the catchment only needs to receive one

more significant rainfall event and the upper catchments will be at maximum capacity. If this happens there will be good flows down the Coliban River into Lake Eppalock – this is when the lake can fill very quickly. Given the already healthy water levels in Lake Eppalock, there is a high chance we will see Lake Eppalock reach capacity. If Lake Eppalock reaches capacity, two weeks after the spillway starts running we should start to see some very good fishing in this area. The redfin fishing had slowed down a little over the last month. The majority of redfin that have been caught by anglers have been in deep water and depths of 10m or deeper are the most productive. Casting and jigging soft plastics has been the most productive method on the redfin. Small numbers of redfin have also been caught by anglers fishing with worms and small yabbies.

We should start to see an improvement again at the end of the month. As water temperatures increase, so will the number of hungry redfin being caught by anglers. We have just started to see a small increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught. The majority of the golden perch are currently being caught by anglers bait fishing off the banks. The productivity in the lure fishing should improve by the end of this month when water temperatures reach above 18°C. CAMPASPE RIVER As mentioned earlier in this report, there is a very good chance we will see the spillway start running over shortly. If this occurs, there will be some productive fishing in this area a few weeks after the spillway starts running. When the spillway has been running for a while this area can be productive for golden perch and redfin. At this stage the

productivity in the fishing has only been average with small numbers of redfin and the occasional golden perch being caught. Most of the golden perch have been caught by anglers fishing with lipless crankbaits and suspending hardbody lures. Water clarity has been good below Lake Eppalock, but as you head further downstream the water clarity deteriorates. CAIRN CURRAN Water levels were recently 78% of capacity at Cairn Curran and steadily rising. The catchments were saturated recently and only need a couple of significant rainfall events to reach capacity. Water clarity has been poor and is probably only going to get worse in the short term. Recently redfin are making up most of anglers’ captures. These have been caught by anglers fishing with worms or soft plastics. At the present time the numbers of golden perch being caught has been low.

This golden perch was caught on a Jackall lure. The fish was enticed to strike with a burn and kill retrieve. We should start to see an increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught at this location over the next few weeks. The rise in water levels and water temperatures will see the golden perch start to concentrate in the shallow margins around the edges of the lake. LODDON RIVER Water clarity continues to be poor in this river system. In the short term I would suggest it is likely to get worst due to increased flows over the next few weeks. The poor water clarity has been putting many anglers off and this river

system has been receiving less fishing pressure than usual. This is a good thing, as when the water clarity does settle we should again see productive fishing. If you plan to fish the Loddon River while the river is still dirty then I suggest using lures with dark silhouettes such as black or purple. I also like to use bright coloured lures in dirty water – colours such as pink, orange and chartreuse can be good options. Remember, we are currently in the closed season for Murray cod.

Golden options for anglers MELBOURNE METRO

Dylan Brennan

While we are still a while away from summer here in Melbourne, the best part of the spring weather is here now. Before the heat sets in we’ve got some nice mild days and cool afternoons to make the most of, which can be very pleasant. The main species to focus on in the suburbs during October will be yellowbelly and trout. There are a handful of places you can catch both from the same waterway, but generally the trout will be caught on one method and the yellas on another. If you’re one of the many anglers who fish the Yarra River and it’s tributaries for trout then October can be very good. After a fairly dry winter with some good snowmelt, the 64

OCTOBER 2017

rivers are running fast, cold and a bit cleaner than normal. This advantage of the trout being able to see your lures easier is a bonus, as they won’t be relying on subtle vibration and scent as much. Remember, in some shallower areas they’ll potentially be able to see you a lot sooner than you’ll ever see them! Dull clothing can make this learning curve a touch less harsh, as you won’t spook runs and send the fish back to their holes before getting a chance to hook them. Excellent lure choices for the Yarra normally fall into a couple categories: hardbodied minnows, bladed spinners and soft plastics, and way too many more to mention. If you carry a mixture of the abovementioned categories, you should have a lure to cover all of the river effectively, putting you in with a greater

chance of hooking a fish. Having different diving depths, sinking speeds and colour combinations will help even more so. For those out to chase an urban yellowbelly, it’s best to target some of the lakes in the region. Albert Park and Sugarloaf are the best starting points. As far as lure choices and terrain go they are very different from each other. Albert Park is a very shallow, open lake and most of its entirety has a thick weed growth, which can be frustrating at first glance. Lure choices for here reflect directly on the terrain you have to fish amongst. Spinnerbaits are a very good option, as their ‘coat hanger’ shape deflects a bit of the weed, which keeps you fishing more and untangling your lure less. Soft plastics work well here, and must be

rigged weedless to keep them in the strike zone for longer without getting covered in slimy weed and grass. Sugarloaf Reservoir is a very different place to target yellowbelly in comparison to Albert Park. Sugarloaf is much deeper, with virtually all of the fishable structure hugging the shoreline. The lake’s edge slopes away quite steeply in some areas, and these ledges provide a natural ambush point for the fish. Dotted along the drop-off are clumps of standing timber, which will snaffle up your lures if you cast willy nilly without proper lure selection. Heavier weight spinnerbaits are good options here, as they won’t snag up as quick as other lure choices. Weedless soft plastics are also effective when fished on heavier weights to get them down deep. The other

A rather chunky urban yellowbelly caught on a lure. Photo courtesy of Ryan Cohn. preferred option here are small lipless crankbaits or vibes. When choosing a vibe for Sugarloaf try and avoid metal versions, as these will sink into the structure and hang up faster than you can say ‘thanks for coming.’ Plastic versions retrofitted with ‘W’ style double hooks will keep you in the zone here and minimise your de-snagging time while

maximising your fishing (and potentially catching) time, and that’s exactly what it’s about! • For any of the latest metro reports and information, pop into Compleat Angler Dandenong at 241-243 Princes Highway, Dandenong, give us a call on 03 9794 9397 or jump on to the ‘Melbourne Metro Freshwater Fishing’ page on Facebook.

Lake lovin’ for this spring CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Even though we now sit on the cusp of spring, we continue to experience a magnificent trout and freshwater fishery down here in the South West.

and looks to continue right through to the start of summer at the very least. The latest news is that Lake Elingamite near Cobden is now open to most water craft up to 4m in length. I own a 4m bass boat and by using my bow-mounted electric, I can

Young local angler Ryleigh with two of his four fish taken on lure from Elingamite. Ryleigh uses a duck punt powered by a 5hp outboard. Thanks to an over average winter rainfall and cooler than normal weather, the trout fishery is still going ahead in leaps and bounds

easily move to and from the lake proper from the boat ramp where the water’s depth is at its shallowest. Similar craft should experience

no problems. My first trip out for the season in mid August proved very fruitful indeed, landing both brown and rainbow trout along with some excellent, plump redfin. The most popular method employed on the lake is to flat line troll a wide variety of minnow lures, followed by static casting of the said lures, including soft plastics. Trolling only allows the boater to access a little over a third of the lake’s surface, due to its shallowness and weed growth. Static casting of shallow to medium diving lures and plastics allows the boater to explore more of the lake. The majority of the nooks, crannies and gutters right around and into the extensive weed growth that grows in the lake up to a depth of 2m can be targeted. Deeper water sees an almost complete absence of weed, but not fish. Besides trout, the redfin here like to hug the edges of the weed growth in depths of only 2-2.5m and appear to be less mobile than the trout, which constantly move in and out of this natural cover in search of food. The redfin will school up in deeper waters around autumn when they are in spawning mode, but at this time of year anglers should concentrate their efforts closer to the weed growth. Lake Bullen Merri continues to produce fish for both bank and boat anglers. Most fish caught are either Chinook salmon or rainbow

trout and they come in a variety of weights and sizes from new release to ones pushing 2kg. The odd brown has been caught, and some of these fish have exceeded 3kg, but these fish are the exception to the general rule. Bait anglers are using mudeye, locally caught live minnow gudgeon and PowerBait, either suspended under a float or lightlyweighted and fished on the bottom. The most productive areas to target are from the shoreline drop offs out to a depth of 10m, which is not that far from the shoreline. Casting soft plastics in minnow patterns such as the Fish Arrow 3” Huddle and Shad patterns has proved highly successful for many,

A brace of plump, keeper Elingamite redfin taken on the troll. including local angler Ken Carmen from Camperdown, who regularly works the shoreline in search of fish. For those wanting a trophy brown, the lake to

The Elingamite reddies are certainly pigs. This one totally engulfed a Saemi lure.

target is Purrumbete. They are a crafty fish. Huge numbers are out there, but getting them to take your offering is another matter. The water clarity here is excellent, so it’s not uncommon to see boaters working depths of up to 20m trolling deep diving lures. Big Chinook salmon and rainbow trout are also on the menu here. In more recent times, brook trout to 1kg have also been taken; mainly by anglers static casting to the shoreline weed beds. Redfin, that are about 36cm on average, are still being caught just off the bottom in depths of 13-16m. Jigging minnow style soft plastics has proven very successful, but many bait anglers choose to use live minnow with great success on a given day. The freshwater scene is certainly ticking along nicely at present, and I personally cannot see it slowing down for some months yet.

Blue Rock action heating up WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

Spring is in the air and the warmer and longer daylight hours are exciting freshwater anglers across the region. The good news is that we can start sneaking that after-work fish in as daylight savings have now kicked in. By now the streams are at their prime, with good flows and plenty of insect action, and Blue Rock has been topped up by the snowmelt from Mt Baw Baw – it’s all systems go. The rivers of the West and South Gippsland regions are flowing relatively well, even though we had a very dry winter. Over the next few months the stream trout action will intensify as the warmer weather brings with it more insect hatching, exciting trout and fly anglers alike. Closer to Melbourne the

Lang Lang, Bunyip and Tarago Rivers will all be worth a try over the coming months with nice size trout getting about. Heading out a bit further in to the Noojee Valley is the Latrobe, Loch and Toorongo Rivers. All are picturesque stream trout locations, which will suit those wetting a fly, lure or bait. Waders are not essential, but can be handy to have as it does allow stealthier access to some great trout feeding zones. Brown trout are more common, but don’t be surprised to catch the odd rainbow trout or even a redfin, as these have been making their way into the system over the last couple of years with more and more being sighted or caught. Snakes will also be out and about and soaking up the sun, so just remember to have your wits about you. Blue Rock Lake bass will also fire up as the water temperature starts to warm up and insect hatchings bring the fish to the surface. Trout on the other hand

will become more difficult to catch as they begin to seek cooler waters as we approach summer. Success will come to those fishing early morning or late evening when the trout come to the surface to feed and make their descent to the depths during the day. There’ll be plenty of redfin on offer as they are a typical by-catch for anglers chasing bass and trout. There’s also no shortage of carp and this time of the year they become much more active, so there are plenty of options to keep the family entertained. This is a good time to remind you that that if you haven’t been to Blue Rock Lake for a while, it’s worth a visit to see some of the changes in recent years. Blue Rock and the township of Willow Grove is very much evolving with the success of the bass stocking program. Speed limits have been put in to place and boat restrictions have lifted on boat and engine size, so it is now open to all vessels. Both boat ramps at

either end of the lake are well set up with a floating jetty, toilets, picnic tables, heaps of parking and well-kept lawns for laying out the picnic rug or running around on. The Old Tanjil Road boat ramp now has a scenic 1.5km walking track which follows the perimeter of the lake up to Blue Rock Road. This gravel track provides great access for land-based anglers to a number of coves along the western shores. All up, the access available for land-based anglers from the Old Tanjil Road boat ramp is approximately 2km of shoreline. The dam wall boat ramp has good access to the lake too, and has about 500m of shoreline. Please remember the river blackfish season is closed until the 31 December. Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories from the opening of the trout season or out in the lake. Please email me any questions too.

The author often gets asked whether there are a lot of trout caught from the banks of Blue Rock. Matthew Moore answered this question recently with a ripper shoreline-caught brown trout. All up, him and his dad Dan got two nice browns for the session and dropped another well over a 1kg. Both fish were caught casting out the trusty Tassie Devils. OCTOBER 2017

DIY Lure Making

Doc’s Stickbait Surface Lure BRISBANE

Greg Vinall support@makewoodenlures.com

Last month we made Doc’s Minnow, a cool little shallow running crankbait designed to catch many of Australia’s bread and butter species. Hopefully by the time this edition goes to print, a whole bunch of Fishing Monthly readers will already have experienced their first fish on a homemade lure. If that’s you, congratulations! You’re now officially a custom lure maker! But if you missed last month’s project, you can always watch the video tutorial and download the lure template on my website at MakeWoodenLures.

com/Fishing-Monthly. This month I’m going to widen our fishing options with Doc’s Stickbait, a simple, walkthe-dog style surface lure. If you’ve never fished with small stickbaits, you’re in for a real treat! Being tailweighted, these lures cast better than most other wooden lure styles. Worked properly, they slide across the water surface with an enticing zig-zag action that just begs for a splashy surface strike. In the estuaries and bays Doc’s Stickbait is perfect for bream, small trevally and even whiting. And in freshwater they’re especially deadly on bass and saratoga. Don’t let the small size of this lure fool you. The next generously proportioned tailor, barra,

Template: 1 Square = 1cm

Murray cod, jack or estuary perch to swallow one of these little lures won’t be the first or the last. They’re meant for smaller fish, but surprises are not uncommon! FISHING WITH DOC’S STICKBAIT Small tail-weighted lures like Doc’s Stickbait can take a little practice to use. If you simply cast them out and then crank them back, they’ll have virtually no action and you probably won’t turn a scale. Light lines and leaders give the best results. Make sure you attach the lure with a good, non-slip loop knot so it has plenty of freedom to move. If you need a little help, you’ll find a bunch of great tutorials for fishing stickbaits on Youtube, or zip down to

100% Scale

the local tackle store and ask one of the staff to give you a quick demo! Over spring and summer there are numerous places to throw small stickbaits. The shallow margins of lakes are a good place to look for bass during the afternoons as fish move up looking for warm water and food. Wading or yakking the yabby flats for bream and whiting is another productive option. Working lures along fallen timber in shallow water is also productive at times, as snags are less of a problem when your lure is on the surface. MAKING DOC’S STICKBAIT Once you have a design that works, turning out a few stickbaits is about as simple

TOOLS AND MATERIALS Tools Utility knife, battery drill and bits, hacksaw, pliers. Materials • 12.5mm x 75mm balsa plank • 1-1.2mm stainless steel wire • 120 and 240 grit sand paper • 240 grit wet sanding paper • Epoxy adhesive (with syringes and mixing sticks) • Ball sinkers (size 00) • Methylated spirits as wooden lure making gets! We’ll be using the same techniques as last month, but we’ll be weighting the lure differently it won’t have the characteristic diving lip of a crankbait. Painting and clear coating Once again I’ll be using an airbrush to paint this lure. But there is nothing wrong with using brushes or aerosol cans to give your lure some colour. After all, a pretty paint job is more for anglers than

fish, so don’t be put off if your early painting attempts aren’t spectacular. That said, if you’d like to take your lure painting to the next level, you could sign up for my free airbrushing course at http://crazylureart.com/freelure-painting-lessons-register/. Or my ebook Getting Started In Custom Painted Crankbaits is available on my website at https://makewoodenlures. com/product/custom-lurepainting-ebook

Cut out the template, place it on your balsa and then trace the side profile of the lure onto the wood. Use your utility knife to slice between the outlines and separate the blanks. 2

Pare away the bulk of the waste with a utility knife, chisel, carving gouge or other sharp blade. Cut close to your guidelines, but not all the way – and try to keep the wood as square in cross section as you can. If you’re a little out of square we’ll fix that in Step 3.

I’m using both our square and curved sanding blocks from last month to clean up the blanks. Hold the block firmly on a flat surface and rub the blank against it until you’ve shaped down to your outline. At this point, your blanks should be nice and square, which helps in getting the hardware properly aligned.

Next I’m marking a centre line. Then I’ll lay the template on the lure blank to mark the location of the tow point, hook hangers and weight. Notice the weight is towards the tail on stickbaits, not up front like it was for our crankbait project. Balsa is soft, so you can use the tip of a nail or other pointy item to make a tiny dent for the drill bit to centre on.

With a battery drill and a 1.5mm drill bit, I’m making the holes that the eyelets will be glued into. Then with a brad point bit I’m making a 4mm hole for the tail weight. Be careful not to go too deep with the weight hole, the weight needs to be just beneath the surface of the wood. Removing too much wood will only weaken the lure body. 66

OCTOBER 2017

Centre the top template on the blank and trace around it. Then slice away the bulk of the waste with a utility knife. Then once again use a sanding block to refine the shape while keeping the balsa square in cross section. When you’re done with this step the lure body should be symmetrical when viewed from above and should be square in cross section.

Now mark centre lines on all the long sides of your blank, then carving guidelines. The guidelines are basically half way between the edge of the wood and the centre line you just drew. Remove the waste between the guidelines using your knife. It’s easier to get this right if you take lots of light cuts and work with the grain. If you find the blade ‘digging in’, it’s time to turn the blank around and carve in the opposite direction.

DIY Lure Making 8

Refine the shape with 120 grit sandpaper. The trick is to not to press too hard on the sandpaper and to do a few strokes on one side, then switch and do a few strokes on the opposite side. That way you’ll maintain the shape and not get flat spots. Keep checking the lure from in front, behind and above to make sure it’s symmetrical. 10

Twist up some small pieces of stainless steel wire to make eyelets. Then use a flat stick to work as much good quality, 24hr cure time epoxy as possible into the holes. Smear some epoxy onto the shaft of the twist eye and gently twist it into the hole in the opposite direction to the thread. When it’s fully into the lure, wipe away any excess adhesive. I’m using a half of a size 00 ball sinker to weight my stickbaits. I split them in two using my utility knife, fill the hole with epoxy, push in the weight and fill over the top with a little more epoxy. Now put the lure aside for at least 24 hours to cure. I’m using twist eyes to keep these lures simple for beginners. That’s fine for small, light duty lures like the ones we’ll make in this series. If you’re making lures that will be fished on lines greater than 6kg breaking strain, you’d be better to use a through-wire or harder timber. Or both! FINISHED LURE

This is a very important step. You’ll want to make your lures hard and waterproof so they last longer. And you’ll want to fill the grain and seal the wood for a better looking paint job. Go ahead and mix up a small batch of epoxy, then thin with a little metho. Warm each lure body using a hair dryer and brush with thinned epoxy while the wood is still warm. Let your lures cure for at least a day, preferably more. Finally, wet sand them with 240 grit paper until they’re smooth and all the gloss has been taken off the epoxy.

• For extra information and video tutorials please go to Greg’s website MakeWoodenLures.com/Fishing-Monthly/ and complete the free registration. To check out Greg’s other work visit crazylureart. com and his Facebook page Wooden Lure Making.

DROP IN TO YOUR LOCAL QUINTREX DEALER! TASMANIA Lewis Marine

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BAYSWATER Streaker Marine

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING ZEST RUDDERTAIL JIGS

The outstanding new Zest Ruddertail Jig has some fabulous new features that give this jig an impressive action. The key feature on the Ruddertail Jig is its metal rear wings, which impart an enticing action and make these jigs dance and slide through the water column. The Ruddertail Jigs come in a 200g size, are 170mm in length and come in four superb colours. The Ruddertail Jig is a centre-balanced jig that comes pre-rigged with a quality Mustad assist hook that features 200lb Kevlar that is heat shrunk with quality split rings and solid rings. These lures are dynamite on species such as kingfish, amberjack, samsonfish and dhufish. For more information visit the Juro Fishing website, or look them up on Facebook. www.jurofishing.com

OBSESSION CHATTERBAIT

One of the latest releases in the Australian-made Obsession Spinnerbaits range is their Chatterbait. A must-have lure if you like to target larger native species like Murray cod and golden perch, chatterbaits will get you down to where the fish are and get them to bite. Obsession Chatterbaits are currently available in three sizes, 3/4oz, 1oz and 2oz. They also come in the full range of head colours and all the hot tip and turboflared skirts colours that Obsession has. You also have the option top customise your bait with a curl-tail grub to match your head colour choice. Like the rest of the Obsession Spinnerbait range, these Chatterbaits will become a must-have the next time you go fishing for Murray cod and golden perch. For more information on these and other lures in the Obsession line-up, head to their website or like them on Facebook. www.obsessionspinnerbaits.com

SUNLINE SIGLON PE

Sunline’s newest braid, Siglon PE, offers superior performance at an affordable price. Made from EX-PE fibres, Siglon PE is a tightly woven braid that provides superior abrasion resistance, a very thin diameter for its breaking strain, and minimal stretch. It is very easy to manage, with a stiff yet ultra-smooth and round profile, and is available in striking colour options. Siglon PE is available in 8 carrier PE (PEx8) and 4 carrier PE (PEx4). Both the PEx8 and PEx4 are Japanese-made, featuring great lineal and knot strength. The PE fibre provides high sensitivity and low colour bleed. Siglon PEx8 is available in light green, orange and multicolour. It comes in breaking strains of PE0.3 (5lb) to PE3 (50lb) in 150m spools, and PE0.6 (10lb) to PE10 (130lb) in 300m spools Siglon PEx4 is available in light green. It comes in breaking strains of PE0.2 (3lb) to PE3 (50lb) in 150m spools, and PE1 (16lb) to PE3 (50lb) in 300m spools. www.ejtodd.com.au 68

OCTOBER 2017

SHADOW RAP 3X

The Rapala Shadow Rap is getting an Australian upgrade. No other fishery demands more of its equipment, and anglers fishing for iconic species like barra demand a lure that can be fished straight out of the packet with no upgrades needed. The new Rapala Shadow Rap 3X and Shadow Rap Shad 3X feature upgraded VMC Coastal Black 3X strong 7556 Spark Point trebles and upgraded split rings. Comprising the 110mm Shadow Rap 3X in both deep and shallow bibs, and the smaller 90mm Shadow Rap Shad 3X in both depth varieties, the new range reinforces Rapala’s reputation of building some of the best barra lures available. Available in eight colours, these new lures feature the same unmistakeable Shadow Rap finish and action. Tuned to suspend in freshwater, the Shadow Rap 3X will turn back on itself with each twitch of the rod tip, bringing the biggest fish out of the shadows for a look. www.rapala.com.au

SENSHI EGI PRO JIGS

Senshi have released seven new colours in their ever popular Egi Pro Series Squid Jig range that will certainly land plenty of squid this season. Each jig is perfectly weight balanced for a precise, lifelike swimming action with a high quality lead keel. Senshi Egi Pro Series Jigs feature high quality cloth materials, oversized eyes, and super sharp nickel prongs. These effective jigs also boast UV finishes that attract squid, and can be recharged with any light source such as a torch, sunlight or camera flash. The Egi Pro Series Jigs come in two sizes. The first is a 2.5 size that sinks at five seconds per metre, and the second is a 3.5 size that sinks at three seconds per metre. These jigs are exceptionally priced, and you can find more information and photos on the Juro Fishing website. www.jurofishing.com

LUCKY CRAFT SAMMY BUG 100

PRODUCT GUIDE

Following on from the success of the Sammy Bug 75 wakebait, Lucky Craft has released a larger version: the Sammy Bug 100. Sammy Bugs feature a unique adaptation that generates attentiongrabbing topwater action. At the front, the Lucky Craft Sammy Bug features a large-cupped mouth that slaps against the surface, creating a prominent splash and an attention-grabbing acoustic. The large cupped mouth also rests loosely against the bait, clacking and knocking against the body, generating additional strike-inducing sound. At the rear, the Sammy Bug 100 is fitted with a super-bright prop, which adds even more splash and creates a bubble trail. It measures 4” and weighs 1 1/8oz and, as you’d expect from a Lucky Craft lure, it has a premium finish with a detailed scaling pattern. www.ejtodd.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING ATOMIC HARDZ VIB 70

Super tuned and super sized, the new 70mm Atomic Vib now sees the Atomic Hardz Vib range as the complete series, with three sizes (50, 60, and 70mm) making up this impressive range. Designed and tuned to swim straight and true all the time every time, the new 70mm model is a lure that can handle a host of different retrieve speeds and deliver the angler a range of different presentation options. The largest of the series is the 70mm version. Quarry such as Murray cod and barramundi will find it hard to resist this rattling intruder. Freshwater species of course aren’t the only ones that will fall in love with these two new lures; flathead, mangrove jack, mulloway, trevally, snapper and of course a host of offshore species are destined to fall in love with this new lure. The Atomic Hardz Vib 70 is available in all of Atomic Hardz 18 popular colours. To find out more visit the Atomic Lures website or like them on Facebook at facebook. com/atomiclures www.atomiclures.com.au

DEPS SILENT KILLER

Like its DEPS Slide Swimmer cousin, the Japanese-made DEPS Silent Killer oozes quality, durability, and sophistication. With big swimbaits all the rage, the Silent Killer is one of the best you will find in the Australian market, and has proven to be a magnet for Murray cod and big bass. The Silent Killer is a large profile wakingstyle bait that makes no mechanical noise, which is great for a more finesse approach around fish that are highly pressured. To make the lure silent, a tough but soft ABS plastic material is moulded around the hard inner body. The exterior material is translucent and the inner body has a metallic scale pattern. This combination gives an awesome look in the water, especially under bright conditions, and also keeps the lure well protected. Predators additionally get a different feel when they strike the lure; it feels soft and sticky, which ensures the lure stays gripped within the mouth after that first hit. The Silent Killer floats at rest, and with the short square bill it does not dive more than a few feet. The natural action is slow and steady on the surface. It comes in an array of attractive and realistic colour combinations, and in 250mm and 175mm sizes. www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

CHASEBAITS WIGGLE 9 BOMB

This unique and versatile soft plastic lure has been designed to give an incredible wiggly tail action on the drop, a nice leg kicking action on the retrieve and a bonus weedless set-up for those anglers who want to fish deep into the weeds and snags. The Wiggle Bomb has an ultra life-like creature swimming action, is extremely durable and can be fished in many different ways. You can keep the rod tip high and use it like a wakebait, let it fill with water and fish deep, or just slow roll it through snags and drop it down ledges. Present something different and turn the fish on. The Chasebaits Wiggle Bomb is available now in leading tackle stores around Australia. For more information, photos, videos and competitions, look up Chasebaits on Facebook. www.river2sea.com.au

SHIMANO CURADO K

The next generation of Curado baitcast reels sets the benchmark in everyday performance and saltwater durability with the new K series. The Curado K series features the latest in Shimano’s innovative MicroModule gearing and X-Ship for smooth rotation, combined with the new SVS Infinity braking system for enhanced casting performance. To withstand the toughest saltwater environments, Shimano has incorporated a specially plated pinion gear, combined with a breakwater wall and drainage port to provide superior protection against corrosion. Featuring Shimano’s new compact body design, the Curado K is 10% smaller in both length and width when compared to the previous model. This is further enhanced by the metal Hagane Body to provide the reel with added durability and rigidity. These sleek, matte black reels are available in a 200 size in both right-and-left -hand models in multiple gear ratios up to 8.5:1, and are fitted with 6+1 Shielded A-RB bearings. www.shimanofish.com.au

ZMAN 3.5” AND 4.2” 11 TRICK SHOTZ A new release that created plenty of interest at the AFTA trade show was the unique profile and action of ZMan’s 3.5” and 4.2” Trick ShotZ. These new soft baits feature a realistic baitfish profile, with a heavily ribbed underside for creating water movement and holding scent. They also have a unique, heavily textured, spade-shaped tail that creates glide, flick and a seductive action, even with minimal movement. Combine this with the buoyancy of ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech material, and this bulkier tail stands up in the face of the fish, creating a strike attractant that is close to the hook point. The heavily ribbed and textured body adds to the flexibility of the lure, creating a plastic that rigs easily and fishes well with almost any retrieve. The Trick ShotZ smaller 3.5” model will appeal to everything from bream, flathead and bass to inshore snapper, while the larger 4.2” version is targeted at snapper, mulloway and barra. Trick ShotZ are available in six colours, with the 3.5” coming in a pack of six, and the 4.2” in a pack of five. Price: SRP $10.95 www.z-man.com.au

HALCO TREMBLER 70XS

Halco has expanded its popular range of Trembler lures with the addition of the Trembler 70XS. The Trembler 70XS is a virtually indestructible bibless minnow that can be cast, jigged or trolled for outstanding results on a wide variety of sportfish. This lightweight, rapid sinking lure weighs a total of 16g and is 70mm in length. It can be trolled at speeds of up to 6 knots, and has a swimming depth of 2.5m. Other lures in the Trembler range are the Trembler 110, the Giant Trembler and the GT Jig. For more information visit the Halco Tackle website. For all the latest news and photos, check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HalcoTackle. www.halcotackle.com

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au OCTOBER 2017

WHAT’S NEW FISHING DAIWA HOOKING NOISY RATTLE

BLACK MAGIC 13 SUPPLE TRACE

The new Daiwa Hooking Noisy Rattle is a topwater with many differences. The Noisy Rattle is the first Daiwa lure to feature ultra-sharp barbless hooks, perfectly suited for catch and release fishing. The rear hook features the Nigasazu system, attaching to the body via a flexible, stretchy material that can take upwards of 50kg in pressure! This flexible ‘eyelet’ allows for extra movement of the hook, reducing the chances of fish pulling the hooks. Internally, the rattle system is designed to work instantly when the lure lands on the water. The rattles are located in the belly of the lure so to help send the sounds deep into the water for added appeal. On top of the lure is a small groove designed to take a 2.8mm diameter cyalume stick – ideal for tracking the lure in darkness and adding an attractant to topwater feeders. www.daiwafishing.com.au

SUFIX ADVANCE MONOFILAMENT

Made from 8X tough Flexitech, the new Hurricane 2 1/4” SubGrub has an amazing tail action. At the slowest of movements or the lightest of jigheads, the SubGrub’s tail still maintains a sensational action – so there’s no need to jerk the SubGrub around. Just cast it out and wait until hit hits the bottom (it may get hit on the drop so be ready). Once it has hit the bottom, pause it before making small lifts. You can also try a soft jiggle or slow roll; mix it up on the day until you discover what the fish want. Just remember that slow and subtle is the key to maximising your catch rates. The SubGrub is a great choice in a lot of situations and is also perfect for beginners. This new lure is already producing great results, and creator Peter Nord says it won’t be long before it claims a tournament victory. Report: SRP $9.95 (pack of 8) www.hurricanelures.com.au 70

OCTOBER 2017

Black Magic Tackle has added two new line weights to their range of Supple Trace: 30lb (13kg) and 50lb (23kg). The premium leader is recognised in many countries around the world and manufactured from Japanese copolymers, extruded to the specifications of Black Magic Tackle. This ultraclear product features high abrasion resistance, good knot strength and low diameter. And true to its name, it is supple and sensitive. With these two additional sizes, Supple Trace sizes now align with those of its running mate, Tough Trace: 20lb (100m), 40lb (100m), 60lb (100m), 80lb (80m), 100lb (60m), 120lb (55m) and 200lb (30m). It is packaged into a compact dispenser pack and can be re-used as a lure holder. Black Magic Supple Trace is available from Black Magic dealers nationwide. For more information head to the Black Magic website, or look them up on Facebook at www.facebook. com/blackmagictackle. www.blackmagictackle.com

13 14

AQUAYAK 17 14 DIVE FLOAT The new Australian-made Dive Float by

When it comes to monofilament line, Sufix has raised the bar with its introduction of Sufix Advance at the 2017 AFTA trade show. Sufix Advance is the first and only mono to utilise HMPE raw material into a brand new magnetic extrusion process. HMPE is the raw material used to make all your favourite braided lines, and by incorporating HMPE with the Hyper Copolymer materials, Sufix Advance shatters all previously held records for mono. Sufix Advance boasts statistics like 96% knot strength, 50% less stretch than standard monofilament lines, and superior abrasion resistance thanks to a tough outer layer of HMPE molecules. Additionally, Sufix Advance absorbs less than half of the damaging UV light of a traditional mono, so it will last longer on your spool and won’t degrade over time. Soft and supple, Sufix Advance also has decreased memory, making it the most supple monofilament line ever created. www.sufixadvance.com

HURRICANE SUBGRUB

PRODUCT GUIDE

Aquayak is here, and this high quality float is gaining a lot of interest from divers. The 10L Aquayak Dive Float measures 600mm long, weighs 1.8kg, and has a diameter of 160mm . Its features include : international dive flag, 75mm shark clip, forward and rear tow point, 500g lead keel, LDPE (lowdensity polyethylene) UV11 roto-moulded tough construction and 4mm wall thickness, and of course it’s fully sealed. You can get the Aquayak Dive Float in almost any colour you like, and it’s priced at $89 including postage Australia-wide. For more information or to place an order, head to the Aquayak website. While you’re there, you can also browse their range of kayaks, canoes, kayaking accessories, roof racks and 4WD accessories and more. To see the latest products, videos and special deals, you can like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ AquayakKayaks. Price: SRP $89 www.aquayak.com

ZEREK GIANT RUBY

The Zerek 75mm Giant Ruby crankbait is a beefed up cousin of the Ruby Crank. Armed with a bigger bib, this formidable addition to the Zerek family is set to stir up the underwater currents with its wide wobbling action, as it meanders through the underwater obstacles in depths of 4-5m. The Giant Ruby’s robust form further enhances its castability, while the heavy-duty construction, using quality ABS material, helps withstand the crushing jaws of voracious predators. In addition, the superior buoyancy of this crankbait’s design permits the use of heavyduty reinforced trebles, specifically designed to subdue dirty fighters. A casting weight transfers to the rear of the lure during casting before being rolled and locked near the front of the lure during retrieve, and the Giant Ruby can cast the extra yards and dive just that little steeper when required. Weighing 28g and available in 10 colours, the Giant Ruby will appeal to anglers chasing large predators such as barra, Murray cod, golden perch, flathead and bass. www.wilsonfishing.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

XP Baits Butterfly Jigs – XPerience the difference 2016 saw the release of XP Baits Butterfly jigs into Australia. Designed in Russia, they are an ice jig with a difference and Australian wholesaler Juro OzPro Tackle jumped at the opportunity to be the Aussie distributer. They were confident that fish like golden perch, bass, estuary perch, redfin and trout would find the unique fluttering action that the lures have, irresistible. Most people agreed after seeing them in a tank at the 2016 AFTA trade show.

TESTED

What’s different? Before opening the packet there is no obvious difference between a XP Baits Butterfly Jig and a standard ice jig. All is revealed however when you open the packet. The body of the jig has wings. They open once the jig is in the water and begins to descend. It slows the sink rate of the jig and creates an enticing fluttering action. It takes very little for wings to flick out, and not only do they provide a different action, but plenty of flash and a clicking sound as they drop.

The XP Baits Butterfly Jig in colour 32 (violet orange speck) held its own against the current gun method at Somerset Dam

Steve Morgan with a beautiful Somerset 50cm+ bass. Late winter and early spring is prime time for big bass in some of our SE Queensland impoundments and a key lure to have in your arsenal is an ice jig. A quick call to Rick Massie from Juro saw some Butterfly jigs arrive at the office and plans made to get out on the water to use them. We decided to head to Somerset Dam, where the bass

Butterfly Jigs vs traditional methods and lures There are many ways to target the schooled fish of Somerset Dam, from rolling plastics through them to flyfishing, but the most successful method in recent years during this spring period has been using metal slugs, which more traditionally would be used to cast for tailor or salmon. The technique is simple – find the fish, cast your slug as far from the boat as possible, let it sink to the bottom, burn the lure back 10 winds or so, stop, feed the lure back and repeat. Steve used this method while I was using the XP Butterfly Jigs. I used a 60mm jig (weighs 10g) in the violet orange speck colour. Although similar, the method I was using was also at the opposite end of the spectrum to what Steve was doing. We described it as finesse at the time, because the bites were heavily reliant on the action of the jig. I made long casts from the boat and then let the lure flutter down to the fish. I did add the odd twitch of the rod tip in case a bass was watching the jig as it dropped (a number of fish smashed it after the twitch). Once on the bottom, it was a matter

of working the jig back to under the boat with a series of jigs and lifts. It definitely paid to work the jig directly under the boat for a while before winding in. The fish could only resist the fluttering jig for so long. I was having one retrieve to four of Steve’s. Between these two methods we caught 23 fish. The XP Jigs well and truly held their own, bagging 11 of those fish. Size wise, Steve did pip me and it was great to see a genuine 50cm bass in the net. What impressed me was the hook up rate of the jig. I missed one bite on the day, with the majority of the fish caught in the corner of the jaw on the treble hook. I don’t think you can ask for too much more than that. Try them for yourself XP Baits Butterfly Jigs are readily available through most good tackle stores. They come in two sizes, 60mm weighing 10g and 50mm weighing 5.5g. There are 10 colours in each size and retail price from $19.95. To find out more about XP Baits Butterfly Jigs and the other products that Juro OzPro Tackle do, you can go to www.jurofishing.com - Peter Jung

The author’s biggest fish for the day. The Somerset fish loved the XP Jigs.

The hook up rate was excellent on the XP Jigs. Most fish were hooked in the corner of the jaw. school up in large numbers throughout the lake. Schools can be easy to find, but getting them to bite can be one of those truly frustrating things in fishing. Fishing schooled up bass in deep water doesn’t fall into my wheelhouse of fishing experience, so I recruited the boss man himself Steve Morgan to show me how it’s done.

Can it be fished like a traditional jig? Once at your desired depth the Butterfly Jig certainly fishes like any other ice jig I have fished. A flick of the rod tip see’s the jig dart and weave as you would expect from an ice jig, it is just the fluttering motion as it drops that is completely different. Getting it to the desired depth without the fluttering slow decent would certainly be the key at times and XP Baits has a solution for this too. A line clip is in place at the tail of the jig. You clip your line into it. The jig then hangs weight down, place it in the water and drop it to your desired depth. To release the line give the rod tip a quick flick and you’re fishing.

The mood on the boat was playful to say the least as we put in the hard yards testing for the magazines.

OCTOBER 2017

Inland Fisheries Service

South Esk Angler Access Project completed IFS

Tim Farrell

To coincide with the start of the brown trout season, the Minister for Inland Fisheries, Jeremy Rockliff officially launched the South Esk River Anglers Access Project on the riverbank at Hadspen. This is the 10th river access project completed by Anglers Alliance Tasmania (AAT) and Inland Fisheries Service (IFS). Since 2007, over 300km of rivers reaches across Tasmania have benefitted from Anglers Access projects. The South Esk River Anglers Access Project would not have been possible without a grant of $66,000 from the Tasmanian Community Fund to AAT with matching funding provided by the IFS. Crucial to the success of the project is the participation of 18 private landowners who agreed to allow access to the river adjacent to their properties. The Anglers Access Program

provides landowners with appropriate infrastructure, increased surveillance and improved risk management. The South Esk is a highly regarded brown trout fishery and is the third most popular river fishery in Tasmania with over 2,000 anglers fishing it during the 2016-17 season. The project has provided improved access to approximately 40km of river frontage on both private and public land. This involved the construction of parking areas, gates, steps and paths to facilitate access to the river. The project has involved the installation of 30 fence stiles and fence crossings, insulation and signing of dozens of electric fences, and over 50 warning and information signs. A number of canoe launch sites, identified provide a fantastic new opportunity for anglers. These sites will also be available to the guiding industry enhancing the guided fishing experience and tourism. The completion of the Angler Access project

South Esk Rivier AAp Launch with Gary France (AAT) Neil Morrow (IFS) and Minister Rockliff. will further increase the popularity of the river with local, intrastate and interstate anglers. It will aid the dispersal of anglers throughout the catchment and improve the fishing experience. The combination of the South Esk River, the Meander River, Brumbys Creek and the Macquarie River creates a significant angling attraction in the

central north of Tasmania. This will benefit regional economies and communities. A full colour brochure containing angling regulations, access rules, fishing information and high quality maps of the access area is now available through tackle shops, Visitor Information centres at Deloraine, Evandale and Longford and via the IFS and Anglers Alliance

Tasmania websites. OPENING OF THE 2017/18 TROUT SEASON The opening weekend of the brown trout season for 2017/2018, saw thousands of anglers out trying to tempt a trout. Despite some rain and wind in the north, there were some outstanding catches to report. Going on the fishing seen on the opening weekend of the season, it looks like this trout season is going to be one to remember! Inland Fisheries Officers patrolled waters around the state. In all 561 anglers and 53 boats were inspected with catches of 556 brown trout, 278 rainbow trout and one Atlantic salmon reported. At the popular waters a large percentage of the fish caught were either recently stocked rainbows or wild browns transferred from the highlands over the winter. Some of the brown trout were recovering from spawning so were not in prime condition. Anglers should remember that there are only a limited number of fish available to be stocked and if they are all taken early in the season

the fishing will get tougher. Some of these waters have the potential to grow trophy trout but from the catch rate seen none will get through to reach these proportions. So as much as it is nice to take a trout home for dinner please consider releasing any you do not need. If you are wondering where to go for your next trip why not try somewhere a bit different. Reports were that Lake Mackintosh fished well and Lake Burbury is always worth a look. Talbots Lagoon, with its improved access, will produce some good fish. The lakes in the Derwent system, Meadowbank, Cluny, Repulse and Catagunya are always worth a look. Lake Echo is a good lake to try as the level is beginning to rise and this should encourage fish to come in close. The 2017/2018 fishing season is finally here! With so many of our waters firing why not get out and amongst it? Take a friend, your kids, grandkids trout fishing and pass on the tradition and create lifetime memories.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2017

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

7-8 Oct

Round 4 Central Vic Pro Series

David Nelson 0418 378 944

Lake Hume

14-15 Oct

BASS Pro Grand Final Richmond River

www.abt.org.au

21 Oct

Golden Dollars Tournament

Tony Bennett

Lake Mulwala

0439 441 667

21-22 Oct

ANSA State Championship

www.ansavic.com.au

Lake Purrumbete

30 Oct

BARRA Tour Round #1 (Evening Event)

Teemburra

31 Oct

BARRA Tour Round #2 (Evening Event)

Kinchant Dam

3-4 Nov

BARRA Tour Round #3 (Evening Event)

Peter Faust

4-5 Nov

Peninsula Snapper Fishing Challenge

Westernport and Port Phillip Bay

6-7 Nov

BARRA Tour Round #4 (Night Championship)

Peter Faust

16-19 Nov

Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Championship

Western Australia

25 Nov

Rnd 6 Central Vic Lure Casters Super Series

David Nelson 0418 378 944

Lake Eppalock

roundy@cvlcss.com

25-26 Nov

ANSA State Championships

www.ansavic.com.au

Port Phillip Bay

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.peninsulasnapperchallenge.com www.abt.org.au hobiefishing.com.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. 72

OCTOBER 2017

New comp for snapper The cancellation of the Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition left a void in the calendar of many keen anglers. Now, two local sporting clubs, the Frankston Bombers Football and Netball Club and the Baxter Cricket Club, have stepped up to the plate with the recent launch of

the Peninsula Snapper Challenge to be held on 4 and 5 November. As the weather improves during spring, members of the angling community and largest recreational sport in Australia start to think about snapper fishing in Western Port and Port Phillip Bay. Every responsible fisho is concerned

The Peninsula Snapper Challenge will be a chance for the area to show off its massive snapper.

about the long-term survival of our snapper stocks and so the Peninsula Snapper Challenge will be judged on captured fish length recorded on the entrant’s smart phone. Competitors then have the option to release their capture to help ensure the snapper population stays healthy for future generations. “The Peninsula Snapper Challenge will be run as the prototype of 21st Century fishing competitions. Anglers can enjoy participating in a great tournament, have the opportunity to win awesome prizes and – using technology – leave a minimal footprint on the bay’s snapper stocks,” Competition spokesman David Glennie said. In addition to prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd longest snapper landed for both the Junior and Senior section, there will be an exciting pool of prizes given to entrants just for being a part of the Challenge and attending the presentation. Challenge organizers are working with sponsors to ensure the best and largest prizes to entrant ratio of any fishing competition in Melbourne. “The Peninsula Snapper Challenge is unbelievably fortunate to have the support of Shimano, the go-to manufacturer for the best

Every responsible fisho is concerned about the long-term survival of our snapper stocks and so the Peninsula Snapper Challenge will be judged on captured fish length recorded on the entrant’s smart phone. fishing equipment in the world,” David said. “Many of our entrants will win top-end Shimano fishing rods and reels just for being part of the Peninsula Snapper Challenge.” In addition to winning balanced Shimano packages to tangle with our local snapper, calamari, whiting, gummy sharks and tuna, one lucky angler will win a $2,500 Tackleworld voucher.

After fishing Western Port and Port Phillip Bay for the weekend, Challenge entrants will gather at ‘Snapper HQ’ for the weekend at the Baxter Cricket Club for the presentation and prizes. The club is an ideal location, being only 15 minutes from the Frankston, Mornington, Hastings and Patterson River boat ramps with plenty of secure parking for cars and boats.

If you think that you are up to the Challenge, start following the Peninsula Snapper Challenge on Facebook where competition updates and entry details will be posted and visit our website at www. peninsulasnapperchallenge. com. Challenge entrants will be capped for both Junior and Senior sections, so be careful not to miss out. Entries close on Sunday 29 October. David Glennie

Saturday 4th November – Sunday 5th November 2017 Melbourne’s most sustainable snapper fishing competiton

Biggest & best prizes 1 in 10 entrants y will win a luck draw prize

Top quality Shimano oufits

$2500

Tackleworld shopping spree

Enter now at

www.peninsulasnapperchallenge.com.au Win a mates fishing trip with AFL legend Dermott Brereton

Restricted to 500 entrants

Full details and conditions on website

Presentation at Frankston Bombers Footy Club – only 15 mins from Frankston, Hastings, Mornington & Patterson River ramps.

www.peninsulasnapperchallenge.com

OCTOBER 2017

The 2017 ANSA Eildon Convention kicks off The weekend of 26-27 August saw the first of the ANSA Conventions for the 2017-2018 season at Eildon run by the Southern Boat Fishing Club. The event overall was a huge success with a record 104 competitors including a number of juniors.

RESULTS

Clubs from as far away as Portland made the long trip to compete in the event. Friday night saw a great many anglers from various clubs gathered around two roaring open fires, no doubt sharing fishing stories and bragging. On the Saturday morning the competitors

CATEGORY

PLACE

CLUB

POINTS

Senior Club

1st 2nd 3rd

Southern Boat Fishing Club – Team 2 Portland Sport & Game FC – Team 1 Bellarine Light Game & SFC – Team 4

294.90 274.50 199.55

Junior Club

1st 2nd 3rd

Bellarine Light Game & SFC – Team 1 Williamstown Sport FC – Team 1 Southern Boat Fishing Club – Team 1

185.20 119.30 102.35

Senior Male

1st 2nd 3rd

Wayne Gibson – Bellarine LG&SFC Graeme Astbury – Portland SFC Nick Falson – Williamstown SFC

108.00 107.60 100.00

Senior Female

1st 2nd 3rd

Celeste Chapman – Southern Boat SFC Elly Polonowita – Southern Boat SFC Kara Piscitelli – Williamstown SFC

65.65 64.10 27.75

Junior Male

1st 2nd 3rd

Scott Gusman – Williamstown SFC Liam Russell – Bellarine LG&SFC Harry Martin - Drysdale SFC

103.70 72.55 20.90

Junior Female

1st 2nd 3rd

Teresa Di Santo – Southern Boat FC Ellie Gibson – Bellarine LG&SFC Emily Whitford – Bellarine LG&SFC

94.75 73.05 20.15

Sub Junior Male

1st

Anthony Di Santo – Southern Boat FC

Sub Junior Female 1st

Wayne Gibson with a trophy trout and a winning smile.

Chloe Ahmer – Southern Boat FC

7.60 15.60

were up bright and early and headed off to catch that prize-winning fish. At night after a hard day of fishing everyone was treated to a succulent mouth-watering spit roast. For the awards presentation at lunchtime on Sunday there was an endless supply of sausages and hamburgers, so no one went hungry. The fishing was tough over the weekend due to the high water level in the pondage, however there were some great fish weighed in over the weekend, with brown trout to 1.48kg, rainbow trout to 2.16kg and carp to 1.76kg. A great weekend was had by all, with many of the competitors already booking accommodation for next year’s event. The next convention will be Purrumbete Convention on 21-22 October. – ANSA

ANSA Victoria

ANSA Victoria is the peak body for Sportfishing in Victoria and encompasses all the needs of the beginner as well as the experienced angler. It represents recreational sportfishers through various affiliated clubs across Victoria. BENEFITS OF CLUB AFFILIATION: Able to claim IGFA records Able to claim ANSA Australian records Able to claim Victorian records Participate in ANSA State Championships - with Club awards, team awards and individual awards We offer - Line class awards, length only/catch and release

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS: Lake Purrumbete - October 21/22 Port Phillip Bay - November 25/26 Portland - February 3/4 Genelg River - March 3/4 Port Phillip Heads - April 7/8 Apollo Bay - May 5/6

www.ansavic.com.au ansavic For more information email ansavic@bigpond.com

Above: Southern Boat Fishing Club members. Below: The junior anglers who participated with their goody bags. 74

OCTOBER 2017

The Cod Classic is back again Excitement is building in the lead up to Lake Mulwala’s annual Yamaha Cod Classic fishing competition. In its 18th

year competitors will be the ones getting all the presents! The Cod Classic celebrates the opening to cod season and is now an iconic event on the Australian fishing calendar not to be missed. An estimated 3,000 anglers will be looking to share in the staggering prize pool that totals in excess of

$150k. With seven boating packages, a chance to spend 30 seconds in a cash grab machine, a list of major goods too long to mention

on offer, whether fishing from boat or bank, using bait or lures. Most of the prizes are randomly drawn, so you don’t have to catch a fish to be a winner! Those lucky enough to register either a legal-size Murray cod or golden perch go into additional draws to win extra great prizes. You get four meals, a souvenir stubby holder, a free ticket in major boat raffle, a Wilson Slickback lure and Bassman Spinnerbait (for the kids), and entry into the lucky door prize draws with the promise of a great weekend.

Running in conjunction with the Cod Classic is the Native Watercraft Australian Canoe and Kayak Cod Fishing Championships. Entering its seventh year, this event caters for the new breed of fishers who choose to fish from either a canoe or kayak, choosing paddle and peddle over petrol and power. The Fishing and Outdoors Expo will be a main feature of the weekend with the chance to grab a bargain not to be missed. Other popular parts of the competition include iconic entertainer Flathead Fred for

the juniors, Cod Talk with Rod ‘Codmac’ Mackenzie and the Samurai Rods Australian Pro Casting Championships. You would be crazy to miss this iconic event held at the home of the Murray cod – Lake Mulwala. Sharpen your hooks, pack the boat, grab your swag and baton down the hatches as the 2017 Yamaha Cod Classic is going to be huge! For more information check out www.codclassic. com.au, or call into the

and 1,000+ minor lucky door prizes, competitors will be going home with a smile on their face. Amazingly, this year will see the event give away its 100th boat! Your name could be on this one! Designed for the family with all levels of fishing skills catered for, everybody has a chance of winning one of the many great prizes

2017

ENTRY FEE Adults Prepaid On the day

$95 $100

Juniors

$50

official Cod Classic stores – Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski now at two locations: 74 Melbourne Street, Mulwala (Opposite Post Office) and 61 Belmore Street Yarrawonga (Between Rivers and One Zac). - Tony Bennett

+ COD CLASSIC

JUNIOR COD CLASSIC

DECEMBER 1ST, 2ND & 3RD ~ LAKE MULWALA & THE MURRAY RIVER

CHANCE TO WIN LEASE TOTAL CATCH & REDEN PERCH FOR ALL MURRAY COD & GOL

150,0IZ0E0S!

IN PR

ENQUIRIES: TONY BENNETT 0439 441 667

www.codclassic.com.au

1BO7ATING of

PACKAGES OCTOBER 2017

McKeown masters the Gold Coast Jamie McKeown has been a perennial top-ten finisher in recent years of the Costa BREAM Series. The seventh stop of the 2017 Costa BREAM Series would see him etch his name onto the champions list, as he came from behind presenting a 4kg bag to the scales on Sunday afternoon to jump into the number one position. McKeown, a Gold Coast local, used every bit of his local knowledge to put together his 10/10 6.49kg limit, more than 600g in front of his next nearest competitor. “I fished the same run both days, but it was definitely the change in wind direction from southwest on Saturday to southeast on the Sunday that made all the difference for me,” explained McKeown. With blustery conditions

THE FUTURE IS HERE Self-contained Electric Outboards

Jamie McKeown with a pair of his Gold Coast winning bream. of people and lures, so they don’t like venturing far out of their comfort zone to eat something. That little change made all the difference.” Starting Sunday’s final

STORM

of the most remarkable Gold Coast bags. McKeown fished a bait that has made plenty of appearances on ABT’s new livestream coverage this year – an Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn 50, in the salt n pepper colour. McKeown rigged the bait on a 1/50oz hidden weight jighead and fished his offering on a Samaki K2 rod and Ecooda reel. “The technique for most

of the bites happen,” explained Mckeown. With every passing year of the ABT BREAM Series it’s always interesting to look back at the stats of years gone past. Looking back to the record books, it’s easy to assume either the fish are getting bigger quick, or anglers are getting better at targeting the kicker fish that are so important to win tournaments. McKeown’s

WINNING TACKLE Rod: Samaki K2 rod Reel: Samaki Ecooda reel Line: 4lb Extreme PE Leader: 4lb Yamatoyo flurocarbon Lure: Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn 50 (salt n pepper colour) rigged on a 1/50oz hidden weight jighead.

Jamie’s 4.19kg Duffrods Big bag on day two was anchored by the event’s Big Bream.

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 76

OCTOBER 2017

greeting anglers on Saturday morning, the extended arena of Moreton Bay was closed to fishing, forcing anglers to rethink strategies and place more pressure on the waterways of the Gold Coast proper. For McKeown, it wasn’t the speed of the wind that worried him, but the direction. One of his go-to locations was the swimming pool at Southport. A popular tourist attraction, the mesh netting and accompanying floats also attract plenty of bream. “I was fishing very lightly weighted plastics – 1/50oz. On Saturday the wind would pick up a belly in my line and would pull my bait away from the net. On Sunday I could fish with the breeze to my back, allowing my bait to sink straight down underneath the net, which bellies with the tide. Those fish are wary and see plenty

day in 10th place, McKeown was simply hoping for enough weight to move up and possibly get high enough to lay his hands on a cheque. As fate would have it though, McKeown put together one

of the locations I was fishing was very similar. You want the bait to fall naturally and slowly. The water on the Gold Coast is clear and these fish see a lot of boats and fishing pressure. There’s really not much you need to do when fishing an Aqua – simply let it fall down the face or underneath your target and hop it a few times once it hits the bottom. If you haven’t got a bite after a few hops, reel it out and throw it in again; that initial fall is when the majority

4kg Gold Coast bag is perfect testament to the increasingly effective techniques that tournament anglers perfect and adapt to different fisheries throughout the country. McKeown now ensures his qualification for the Costa BREAM Grand Final, which will be held on Lake Macquarie in December where both the champion boater and champion non-boater will be walking away with boat/motor/trailer packages courtesy of Bluefin and Mercury!

RESULTS – BOATERS Place

Angler

TW (kg)

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Jamie McKeown Darren Borg Tristan Taylor Alex Roy Steve Eldred Kristoffer Hickson Todd Riches Ben Richards Denis Metzdorf Aaron Sharp

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

6.49 5.86 5.67 5.53 5.41 5.20 5.19 5.07 4.74 4.73

$2200, Big Bream, 1st Mercury Bonus and Duffrods Big Bag prizes $1200, 2nd Mercury Bonus $1000, 1st Pro $750, 3rd Mercury Bonus $550 $500 $400

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

BREAM S PRESEN ERIES TED BY

Darren Borg can still catch them! Darren ‘Dizzy’ Borg was a name that was synonymous with tournament bream fishing for so many years through the start of this decade. As it turns out, the guy can still catch them just as well as back then. Finishing second at the Ecogear Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier, Borg finished with 10/10 for 5.86kg – good enough for runner-up and the $1,350 prize that went with it. Borg’s two bags were carbon copies of each

other, both full limits and both weighing 2.93kg. Borg was on a consistent bite all throughout the tournament, and didn’t have to go far to get them. “I caught almost all of my fish off the Sundale Bridge pylons,” said Borg. “I believe the fish I was catching were post-spawn fish that were making their way up the system after spawning near the seaway or channel markers further out. It’s rare to catch this many numbers on the Sundale

bridge, but myself and other anglers found them schooled here thick on pre-fish day. We committed to the bite here and it paid off.” Fishing a Hurricane Sub Grub soft plastic, Borg would cast tight to the pylons and allow his bait to sink to the bottom. “The fish were holding really tight to the structure, so you had to get your bait close and make sure your line management was on point. You didn’t want your loose line getting caught in

the current outside of the eddy, because that would pull your lure away as it’s sinking.” Once his lure had made contact with the bottom, Borg would fish the bait slowly, letting the curl-tail of his chosen soft plastic do most of the work for him, as it wafted in the current. Borg’s consistency held off a fast-finishing Tristan Taylor, as the extended boundary of Moreton Bay was open to competitors on the Sunday.

Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn

Darren Borg was super consistent each day and finished 2nd in the boater division.

Current

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Jamie McKeown secured the Duffrods Big Bag delivering the only 4kg bag to the scales – a 4.19kg day two limit – to jump from 10th to 1st to claim the event win.

BIG BREAM Jamie McKeown valued added his event win claiming the Big Bream on the Gold Coast for his day two kicker fish caught on an Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn.

Maas-terclass! Another Gold Coast local, Michael Maas took out the non-boating division of the Ecogear presented Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier. Normally a boater, Maas had come prepared to fish the tournament as a boater. With only days to go before the event, his boat sold through tournamentboats. com and he was left to switch his entry to a non-boater.

“It’s funny because my boat had been for sale for a while; I was all set to fish the event as a boater and I’d been pre-fishing and knew where they were. It just worked out that my boat sold and I switched. Luckily, I drew two boaters that fish very similar areas and techniques to what I like to, so that played into my hands nicely,” said Maas. Fishing the natural banks of the Tiger Mullet Channel

in Jumpinpin, Maas and his boaters would cast soft plastics tight to the bank, where they’d pick up plenty of fish, but the size was not what they were after. “We’d find the shallows had plenty of just legal fish. After a while, we worked out that there were actually large schools of bream still spawning out wide in the deeper water. That’s where we were able to

RESULTS – NON-BOATERS Place

Angler

TW (kg)

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Michael Maas 10/10 4.33 Costa Sunglasses and Prize Pack Rodney O’Sullivan 10/10 4.19 Costa Sunglasses and Prize Pack Shaun Egan 10/10 3.95 JML Alliance Rod and Prize Pack Stuart Walker 8/10 3.25 Prize Pack, 1st Hobie Bonus Justin Reeves 8/10 3.14 Prize Pack Sam Bateman 8/10 3.06 Prize Pack, 2nd Hobie Bonus Russell Winters 8/10 2.97 Prize Pack, 3rd Hobie Bonus Paul Mazaroli 6/10 2.62 Prize Pack Stuart Robinson 7/10 2.62 Prize Pack Glen Sturrock 5/10 2.42 1st Pro For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Michael Maas loaded up on bream and prizes to claim the non-boater title. target the better-size fish,” explained Maas. Actively targeting the schools they could see on the side-imaging sonar, Maas caught limits easily during both sessions. Starting Sunday’s final session in 4th place, Maas knew he’d only have to improve on his day one bag to be in with a shot to win. “The day two bags often get smaller for the

Gold Coast. If you remove Jamie McKeown’s monster day two bag and take into account the bay being open, quite often a mid 2kg bag is very good for the Gold Coast, especially from the back of the boat. Once I had upgraded a couple of times and knew I had more weight in the well than I had on Saturday, I knew I was in with a pretty good chance of a top-two finish,”

said Maas. As overnight leader Paul Mazarolli stumbled on Sunday, it was left to Maas to hoist the trophy and collect his prizes. Maas now punches his ticket to the Costa BREAM Grand Final in December where he is a front-runner to win the Bluefin and Mercury boat package, which would be perfect timing considering his recent sale! OCTOBER 2017

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This section in V&TFM Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching. 78

OCTOBER 2017

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION EAST GIPPSLAND (Continued)

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FROM CURRUM AN

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If you have any other trades or services that you would like to see in this section please don’t hesitate to give us a call Email: pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au OCTOBER 2017

FIND THE

LOGO COMPETITION 1ST PLACE

MAJOR PRIZES

2ND PLACE 3RD PLACE

1000 500 200

Value of Rapala VMC prizes

There are 15 pages of Fishing Monthly.

Value of Rapala VMC prizes

MONTHLY PRIZES

Logos hidden throughout the

Find the Logo and page number, fill in the entry form and go in the draw to win! The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of the month will win a PACKET OF PREMIUM VMC HOOKS. All entries will go into the major prize draw (NOVEMBER 30, 2017). *Prize may vary month to month depending on availability

www.vmcpeche.com/coastal-black

PAGE NO: 1

NAME ............................................................................................................

MAIL ENTRIES TO:

V&TFM Find the Coastal Black Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by 31ST OCTOBER 2017 Original entries only. No photocopies. Images for illustration purposes only. 80

OCTOBER 2017

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boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat 82 Surf Coast by yak Inside story...

Combine a fishing kayak, a stand up paddleboard, and a power boat and what do you get? You get the Solo Skiff. Manufactured by Crescent Kayaks in Carollton, Georgia, the Solo Skiff is now available in Australia! It’s a watercraft that gives you the ability to go anywhere, go any distance in minutes, comfortably stand, and rig any way you like.

Made for...

From its ability to float in 3 inches of water to its ability to punch through a wave, it is simply the most versatile fishing kayak anywhere. Take it bass fishing or launch it off the beach. The opportunities are truly endless.

This month...

Wayne Kampe takes a look at this curious design on page 91!

Corey Gallaghar explores the endless fishing opportunities in this truly beautiful stretch of coastline.

84 C-Map Genesis

Peter Jenkins has an in-depth look at Navico’s latest mapping technology, C-Map Genesis!

86 Paddle for flatties

Flathead fishing is heating up, and we can’t leave our kayak anglers out of the action! Take some pointers from Justin Willmer.

88 Kampey’s new rig

Having two boats was impractical, so Wayne Kampe bought a 4.5m Galey to do everything his last two rigs could, and more!

92 Quintrex 590 Frontier Steve Morgan takes a ride in this great boat that has been built with Quintrex’s new Apex Hull design.

OCTOBER 2017

KAYAK HOT SPOT

Kayak fishing the Surf Coast MELBOURNE

Corey Gallagher

Victoria’s Surf Coast is well known for its immaculate surf breaks and amazing coastal drives. It’s a truly remarkable region in our great state that draws in many travellers from far and wide. Most who holiday in the area love spending a day at one of the many pristine beaches or hiking in the nearby Otway Ranges and

are non-existent. Anglers launching their kayaks in the area will need to resort to launching from the bank. A quick pre-launch scan using Google Maps will soon reveal potential launch locations. Some of the systems along the Surf Coast can be described as kayakonly due to restrictions on the waterways banning motorised vessels. These rivers and creeks provide anglers with a number of kayak launch ramps and jetties that make access

cooler months. TARGET SPECIES All the systems along the Surf Coast hold varying numbers of bream and are a common catch to those fishing with lure and fly. Bream can be caught throughout the year and are the most consistent species on offer. Estuary perch are a much sought-after species and while not a common catch along the Surf Coast, they are on offer for those prepared to put in the time to target them specifically. Mulloway are another

Surf Coast are extensive reed edges. Working these edges can be highly productive, particularly when targeting bream during the warmer months. Grub pattern soft plastics are my go-to when fishing this type of terrain. They’re less likely to snag up on the reeds and can be cast right to the edges and allowed to drop vertically. Position your kayak close to the reed edges and cast your grub upstream, landing it tight up against the reeds. Working your grub back with the flow assists greatly in increasing your strike rate by presenting a more natural offering that moves with the flow. Work your grub back to the kayak using a hop and pause retrieve. Try to keep your plastic as close

Casting shallow diving hardbody lures over flats during the warmer months can be a very productive technique. to edge as possible. Always be on the look out for reeds growing out over the water. Skip cast your grub in under the overhang, as often bigger bream will use these shaded areas as cover. It pays to be fully attentive from the moment your grub

The silver ghost is a rare catch in this region, but one well worth the effort. few remember to pack the yak to explore one of the many small estuaries littered all along the coast between Barwon Heads and Lorne. Options are plentiful in the area, particularly for those fishing from a kayak who are able to access waters that are restricted to non-motorised craft or simply too small for boats to access. Estuaries in the area include the Barwon River at Barwon Heads, Spring Creek in Torquay and St Georges River in Lorne, along with several others. Bream, trevally, salmon, estuary perch and mulloway are all available to those prepared to explore the creeks and rivers in the region. ACCESS Most of the rivers and creeks along the Surf Coast are inaccessible to boats and therefore boat ramps

Aquayak r recommends fsot Surf Coa

to the water a breeze. Painkalac Creek at Aireys Inlet and the Anglesea River at Anglesea are both excellent kayak-only waterways. Other smaller systems will require a little more effort to get your kayak on the water, so a decent set of boots or waders is necessary, especially during the

fish high on many anglers’ hit lists that can also be caught along the coast, however they are a rare catch. Trevally are a great sportfish and can be targeted specifically in the Barwon estuary. TECHNIQUES / METHODS Common amongst many systems along the

A solid perch taken from a reed edge. These hardhitting fish are high on many anglers’ hit lists. breaks the surface tension; bream regularly take grubs as they fall vertically down through the water column. As the water cools the edges become less productive, so move your casts out away from the edges and work the deeper water and drop-offs. Here a good quality sounder can be invaluable in locating the bream. Another benefit if casting into the deeper water with a grub is the chance of hooking a mulloway. The reeds can also hold good numbers of estuary perch. When chasing perch along the Surf Coast, I

The humble motor oil grub is a great lure to try on the Surf Coast.

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OCTOBER 2017

like to switch to a narrow profile 2.5-3” paddle-tail plastic. Rigged on a light jighead and cast in tight against the reeds, I like to allow the plastic to sink for a few seconds before twitching a few times and retrieving it with a constant slow roll mixed up with a few small twitches. Perch regularly feed on baits moving above them so keeping the plastic high in the water column is crucial when targeting perch. Retrieving hardbody lures in close to the edges is also a productive way of coming up tight on a hardhitting perch, particularly if working snaggy areas. SAFETY The Surf Coast creeks and rivers are generally very safe places to fish. They are well protected from the prevailing winds and are generally small and located in populated areas with good phone coverage. Always remember to wear your PFD and carry a bailer on board as required by law. CONCLUSION Holidaying along Victoria’s Surf Coast has long been a tradition for many Victorian families. Enjoying the sun, sand and surf is the main priority. For those of us who enjoy wetting a line, opportunities to snag a big bream or hardhitting perch are plentiful. Next time you’re heading to the area, be sure to throw the kayak on the roof racks and pop a rod or two in to enjoy some time on the water in one of the many estuary hotspots littered along the Surf Coast.

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Make sure you are a part of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest fishing event. Check the website for events in your area and make sure that you like the facebook page and use the hashtag on the day to show off your catches. #gonefishingday

F: Gone Fishing Day

OCTOBER 2017

Advertorial

Ahead of the game For a long time prior to the introduction of the Insight Genesis digital mapping system I was in search of topographical information for a number of the inland impoundments that I regularly fished and competed on. Mapping detail for the coastal waterways was readily available via a number of means like Navionics cards, however the inland freshwater dams and rivers of Australia had limited detail. I had tracked down old printed topographical maps, often produced prior to the dam wall construction for some of these impoundments, however it wasn’t until the introduction of Insight Genesis that contour details for the inland dams could be accessed and displayed on our electronics. While the name might have changed, the new rebranded C-Map Genesis has opened up a whole new range of information and offers plenty of assistance in displaying and interpreting bottom contours and continues to deliver huge advantages to the recreational and tournament angler. In a nutshell, the product allows you to record sonar data

This sort of mapping technology is essential if you want to be competitive in tournament angling these days. with a compatible Lowrance/Simrad/B&G unit while on the water and, after submitting this data, a custom map will be made available that displays contours down to 1ft intervals. Uploading of data can be done either remotely, while on the water, or alternatively via your PC using the C-Map Dashboard. Once the new digital high-definition map is generated and downloaded, it can then be displayed again on a compatible unit. The maps contain additional detail displayed in a variety of colour palettes, and also allows the display of bottom hardness and underwater vegetation so you can position yourself and target those areas that are holding fish. Bottom hardness will display in varying shades to highlight hard through to soft. Similarly, vegetation is displayed in various colours to show weedlines or submerged weedbeds. With all these features combined, the angler can target specific contours, bottom hardness, vegetation or combinations of all types to hone in on the most likely habitat to hold fish.

Social and tournament anglers alike will enjoy the features of C-Map Genesis digital mapping. 84 84

OCTOBER OCTOBER 2017 2017

C-Map Genesis is very user-friendly and easy to get your head around.

As an additional bonus, the free version of C-Map Genesis offers access to social maps, allowing you to tap into the mapping efforts of others and display contour maps for bodies of water you might have never visited previously. The list of social maps and the coverage of the respective impoundments is ever increasing. Most of the more popular dams in the eastern states, through the efforts of the Lowrance community, have now been fully mapped and the corresponding social maps offer complete coverage for most of these dams. As either a recreational or tournament angler, there are

Check out the detail of this map!

many advantages of this product. I use C-Map extensively when researching new impoundments or seeking out new areas on dams that I am already familiar with. From the comfort of my own home, I can scan the map of a dam and look for the sorts of features that I know will hold fish, depending on the time of year. From the map, I am able to create a waypoint that I then transfer to my sounder, so it is ready for me to visit when I get on the water. Once at the dam I’m able to track straight to those areas, already knowing the bottom contours and have the contour detail available when I arrive there. My passion is Australian bass, however the principles are the same for all fish. At particular times of the year I choose to target bass in areas that display different characteristics. When fish are holding on points, I target these areas. Once I hone in on where the bass are located, I can seek out similar contour details on the C-Map and maximise my time in productive areas. Using the contours I can identify steep points from flatter points, determine if fish are holding on one particular side of a point and look for similar features elsewhere. Once I find the optimum depth, I’m able to follow this contour on the C-Map around the point and keep the boat positioned in the most productive depth. At other times of the year the fish congregate on the flats adjacent to the main river bed and again, the C-Map helps to quickly identify these areas. At various times of the year the depth they hold at can vary, however, once the fish are located, the map can be used to identify similar areas. All the while the map is showing the underwater features that aren’t necessarily apparent when scanning the above

water landscape and can therefore be identified solely by reading the sounder. One of the coolest features and the most eye opening moment for me was when I first started displaying the C-Map contour maps on my unit. Over the years I had compiled a large number of waypoints that were resulting in clusters on my chart. Up to that point I had largely fished ‘blind’, and while I was always targeting certain depths, I did not necessarily have a ‘spatial’ view of the bottom to identify flats, gullies, points, saddles etc. When the contour details were overlayed on my existing waypoints, it immediately became apparent the sort

The maps have additional detail displayed in a variety of colour palettes, and allow the display of bottom hardness and underwater vegetation.

Knowing the topography of an impoundment before you even go out will inevitably put you onto more fish. of structure the fish were congregating on. I could see that often the clusters of waypoints I had saved over the years corresponded to a flat, hump, gully or other notable feature. Once I understood the bottom structure the fish liked, I was able to scan the map and seek out other areas that displayed similar features. This has opened up numerous other areas of the dams that I had previously never visited and increased opportunities. The display of the C-Map Genesis map on my sounder is now one of the most valuable tools I use and, with the coverage of the social maps on the increase, is continually improving. The ability to view charts prior to arriving at a new location allows me to prepare beforehand and I already have a plan of the areas I wish to cover before I get there. – Peter Jenkins

NE W

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OCTOBER 2017

Flathead tricks for spring kayak anglers BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

It’s the season to be kayak fishing, with spring bringing longer daylight hours, warmer weather and a stack of new species onto the kayak angler’s radar. Whether it’s bass in the creeks, snapper in the bays, mangrove jack in the snags or big flathead up in the shallows, spring offers kayak

plastics, I thought I’d give you a few tips for targeting one of my favourite spring species. Flathead are available all year round, but spring sees them fire up in many systems and you can catch good numbers. Big breeders also become more active and often move into the shallows. I love catching these big girls from the kayak, especially in shallow water, however I always handle them with care and release them quickly after

Early morning is both spectacular and a peak bite time. Sunset and sunrise are magic times to be on the water.

Crab pots can be an indicator of slightly deeper water, drains and channel edges, all of which hold fish. anglers ideal conditions and some exciting fishing opportunities. Spring also fires up the kayak retailers and you will find plenty of new product releases in both kayaks and accessories, along with package deals and specials,

a couple of photos, so they can get on with producing more flathead. TIPS FOR KAYAK FISHING FLATHEAD Time your tides Use the tide to your advantage and catch a drift while you cast and cover

tide for flathead is the last of the run-out, targeting the channel edges, sandy patches and especially drains. Run and gun If the fish are there and active, it won’t take many casts to find out, so I like to ‘run and gun’ covering plenty of water and throwing plenty of casts. Even in the shallows I will throw a 1/4oz jighead, switching up to 3/8oz if fishing a deeper edge over 1.5m deep. Once I catch a fish or two, I will make note of the area and drift that section of bank again or anchor up, as flathead often school at this time of year with several smaller males around a larger female. Anchoring You will be happy you packed an anchoring device once you come across a

a brick on a rope, a stake out pole that you drive into the bottom and attach to your kayak, or more complex like the versatile powered

luck catching flathead I always reinforce the fact that your lure needs to be on the bottom. Whether you use a heavier jighead

Jeff with a pan-size flathead that was released to fight another day. Paddle-tails are a favourite for flathead, with plenty of action on the sink and retrieve. option – the Power Pole Micro Anchor. Knock them on the head When I’m speaking to anglers that have had no

when you first start to make it easier to see your lure touch down and your line go slack, or a slightly deeper diving hardbody for casting

or trolling, just smack the bottom. As you become more experienced you can lighten up the presentation and flutter it down over weed to attract some of those pickier, larger fish. Flick the switch If you’re fishing for an hour for no fish and you haven’t changed lures, you’re probably missing out. A colour change can make a difference; I often run a lighter more natural colour in clear water and on bright days, or a darker silhouette colour in dirty water and overcast days. I use a fluoro colour if the others aren’t working. A change of profile size can also make a difference and I will switch from a bulky 3” paddle-tail to a slimmer 2.5” paddletail or vice versa, sometimes with surprising results. Keep an eye out for baitfish in the area and ‘match the hatch.’ Weedless wonders If you fish weedy areas, a weedless jighead for your plastics can allow you to bounce over or swim a plastic through weed and structure with less chance of snagging or fouling. The hook-up rates are still good with flathead striking the plastic aggressively and the hook-ups are often solidly set in the jaw hinge where there is less chance of thrown hooks or biteoffs. You will find plenty of guides on how to weedless rig online. It makes scents After numerous occasions when scent has switched on the bite, or made the bite more aggressive, I am a massive believer. I use them for masking foreign scents, attracting fish, triggering strikes and making fish hold on longer, so I have more time to set the hook. If you’re not catching, scent up and see if it makes a difference for you. My favourite scents

Changing to a fluoro colour like sexy penny can sometimes entice a bite. so it’s a great time to grab your first kayak or upgrade to a new model. I was lucky enough to travel to the ICAST International Tackle Show in Orlando and can guarantee that there are some awesome new craft and plenty of new accessories on their way to Australia. After catching about 50 flathead over a recent weekend of throwing soft 86

OCTOBER 2017

ground. Then catch the turning tide back home again. When fishing the last of the run-in I target mangrove edges, drains, holes and eddies in the current caused by structure. A favourite spot to find a flathead when the flats are covered by the tide is broken weed flats where flathead can be pulled from sand patches no larger than your kayak. My preferred

patch of fish or the perfect drain or snag. An anchor running rig that allows you to move the anchor from the front to the rear of the kayak is handy and I like to anchor so that the nose of the kayak faces into the current, allowing me to make casts up current and bounce the lure back naturally with the current. Other anchoring options can be as simple as

Sheri was stoked with her first cod; a new species is worth celebrating.

for flathead include mullet, pilchard and bloody tuna, and I prefer gel scent as it stays on much longer. I generally smear on some scent every 30 or so casts and after landing a fish.

a few, so make sure they’re rigged up with suitable gear for the area, and getting the lure into the strike zone and working it effectively. I gave Jeff the lead drift and first crack at the fish, just

his kayak to a quality brand in a larger model that tracked straighter, and paddled faster and easier over longer distances. It didn’t blow around as easily in the wind and he wasn’t

back and work that section again, taking note of what was holding the fish in the area, including rubble, sand patches and drains. As the tide slowed the bite dropped off. The saying goes, ‘no run, no fun,’ so I dropped my jighead weight to 1/8oz and slowed my retrieve right down in the hope of encouraging a fish to bite. With less run the flathead can just lay around and there’s no urgency to trigger a strike, such as a baitfish speeding past with the current. I managed to land a few during the tide

Sliding the kayak in to chase a sand crab, the author ran into this bloke who was familiar with his ramblings.

Upgrading to a larger yak with more payload has made paddling and fishing more comfortable and enjoyable for Jeff. Safety First Remember, flathead have a few nasty spikes around their head and they often thrash around when landed, so a landing net is a great idea, along with a pair of lip grips for handling, photos and releasing the fish, or transferring it into the icebox. I leash both my net and lip grips onto the kayak using T-Reign retractable gear tethers… as the saying goes, ‘leash it or lose it.’ Spring a trip on your mate Spring is a great time to introduce new anglers to the sport, line up a few friends for an adventure or grab that mate from work who doesn’t catch as many as he should and take him for a fish. My mate from work Jeff had been on a few paddles recently where the bite was a bit slow, so I thought I would invite him up my way, as there had been a few flathead on the chew. I was looking forward to

taking my time and enjoying the glassy morning. Once we had him the right distance from the bank, landing that

A low tide flat with this much life is sure to hold fish at high tide.

This drain just screams ‘flathead’ as it funnels bait off the flat with the dropping tide. lure right on the edge of the weed and hopping it down the channel edge it was fish on! Don’t get me wrong –

Pink is a favourite for flatties and ZMan’s new twilight colour is a winner. the paddle, drift, banter and hopefully getting him onto a few fish. Remember. you’re trying to get your mate onto

sitting in a puddle of water. Like many anglers, he had initially purchased a cheap, small kayak that came with a

Jeff can fish. Once he had me four to one, it was every man for himself. Jeff recently upgraded

paddle, seat and trolley, only to realise that it wasn’t really suitable for larger paddlers or those wanting to carry plenty of fishing gear. These are great for the kids and recreational paddling, but you need to ensure the kayak is suitable for the application and has an adequate payload before you make your purchase. Jeff’s new yak is set up to use the electric motor that it came with for longer adventures, however he will be soon upgrading his seat after a few hours on the water and a numb butt. We continued our drift, alternating between 2.5” and 3” paddle-tail plastics and changing colour occasionally if the bite slowed. Jeff threw 1/6oz and 1/4oz jigheads, while I threw 1/4oz and 3/8oz jigheads and we both landed fish. The fish were in patches, so if we landed a couple, we would paddle

change, targeting a slightly deeper section that I call ‘the basin.’ We pulled our yaks up on a sandy patch to stretch the legs and eat our morning tea while the tide turned and then commenced our drift back with the incoming tide. With the tide picking up pace it was a real run and gun as we drifted quickly back to the ramp. To control the plastic more effectively we cast slightly ahead of the drift and then bounced it down the channel edge and back towards the kayak. If the soft plastic falls back behind the drift, it’s difficult to stay in touch

with and control the plastic, and also to keep in contact with the bottom. It was a great morning on the water and we landed about 20 flathead. We kept one each for a feed and Jeff had held his own during a magic morning on the water. We had dinner sorted and a few yarns to tell at a later date. Don’t forget the camera I was grateful recently that I always ensure the waterproof camera is charged and in my pocket, when my wife Sheri landed her first cod. We were drifting close together when I heard the excitement of the hook-up, the stubborn first run and then the squeal when Sheri realised it was a new species for her. I paddled over, slid the net under the fish and it was high fives as we admired the colours and markings before a quick photo and release. New species are worth enjoying and celebrating, regardless of species or size… who knows when the opportunity will come again to tick off another first? That’s a wrap for me. I hope you have a chance to get out on the water. Maybe it’s time to take a mate, plan an adventure or target a new species.

A landing net and lip grips makes handling flathead and other species safer and simpler. OCTOBER 2017

Galeforce 4.5m Centre Console with 75 E-Tec BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

In a previous issue I outlined my plans to have a 4.5m Galeforce built as the right boat for the job, which was a topic I discussed at length in previous articles. My view was that the justright boat should always be purchased after a thorough assessment of proposed fishing plans along with the

work – into a smaller rig that would be used in both barra dams and the bay, and in a package that is easier to deal with in everyday usage. At the ramp, at home, at the barra or bass camp – there are things that require manual effort. I’m not saying I’m getting old or feeble (grey hair must be a big fad these days as so many people have it), it’s just that a lot of things are heavier than they used to be, and the hills I hunt with the bow in autumn are

hull design still retained all proven features such as the 21° Vee with planing plank aft, big reversed outer chines for stability under way (and at rest) plus the above water bow flare along with 800mm high sides to keep occupants as dry as possible at all times. It was a novel concept, given that a 4.5 Galeforce had never graced a mould at its Maryborough factory, but as Galeforce are custom boat builders, it was a project that Kev and Meth Youngberry undertook with ease. The new 4.5 is available in both tiller steer and console format, and I selected the double centre console layout to suit our requirements. Anglers who are keen on a different layout will find it’s only a matter

The 4.5’s hull in profile; it goes as good as it looks. compartment’s hatches. WATERPROOF HATCHES Storage within the 4.5 Galeforce started up front via hatches below the fullsized non-skid casting deck, which is the same size as larger models. An anchor well up front (lidded to keep the rope in the boat) sat ahead of two storage hatches that were 800mm long, almost as wide and 320mm deep. A drained fish box

Twin transom compartments are part of the 4.5 Galeforce’s storage solutions. water conditions likely to be encountered. Considering my own needs saw me deciding on a smaller glass craft for all-round work, as I wanted comfort while I travelled, as much fishing room as possible, given the dimensions of the craft and stability while I fished. As the owner of three previous Galeforce rigs, I was very familiar with the great ride and handling they offered along with the

definitely becoming steeper each year. Hence the need for a more compact Galeforce craft, which would be lighter and have less weight behind the car. The very effective Dunbier SR4-SB multi roller trailer under the craft was also substantially lighter in weight than that under the previous 5.5m craft, so there was – along with the powerful 75hp E-Tec on the transom – a further weight reduction bonus there as well.

Main features are easily noted here. From the bow there’s the anchor well, paired under deck lockers, the Xi5 Minn Kota electric, the double console with grab rail and tinted screen, and wide decks. compromises, right? Well there’s one we made; trading off some space for slipstream protection. Another involved deleting the usual seat ahead of the centre console, which needed to come forward for best overall balance. This was no issue, and if we planned to take along an extra passenger, they could sit on one of the rear storage

that the combination of cast deck drains, plus decent hatch seals, completely carried all water away without any finding it’s way into the storage compartments to annoy me – a very good start to ownership in my view! LOWRANCE 12 CARBON DOMINATED THE DASH I kept the Galey’s dash layout as minimal as possible. A Lowrance Carbon 12 sounder/GPS was

SPECIFICATIONS Length of hull.......................................... 4.5m Length on trailer................................... 5.95m Beam......................................................2010m Interior freeboard............................... 700mm Exterior Freeboard............................. 800mm Deadrise hull.............................................. 21° Fuel............................................................ 80L Recommended engine hp................. 70-75hp Engine fitted................... 75hp Evinrude E-Tec Towing....................... Family six sedan/wagon some 900mm long, 30mm wide and just as deep was set up at the rear of the cast deck and designed to take care of plenty of ice and the day’s catch. One of the really great things I was to first discover about the baby Galey was when I gave it it’s first wash down at home. I was to find

flush mounted to port with a pair of Evinrude I-Command gauges, providing real-time data on exact fuel use, fuel remaining, engine revs and other important information set to starboard. A radio aerial base fitting and a Uniden radio were also part of the dash layout, which saw the wheel linked

Ample above water bow flare ensures water is pushed well away from the Galey’s hull underway. Running at speed the 4.5 Galeforce shows the freeboard that keeps occupants dry. excellent sea keeping ability and overall build quality. Most importantly, I know they also maintained a high resale value. LIGHTER WEIGHT IS IMPORTANT The concept was therefore simple: combine some of the best characteristics of my previous 5.5m Galey – which was brilliant for Moreton Bay 88

OCTOBER 2017

TOTALLY NEW HULL Most importantly the new rig would still need to provide my wife and I sufficient room to enjoy our fly ishing as well as lure and plastic work, but I figured that with only two aboard we’d do it easy. To be fair this particular 4.5 Galeforce was an entirely new concept, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the craft’s

of having a discussion with Galeforce Boats to consider alternatives. We really enjoy sitting high and tucked behind a console while travelling, so we happily exchanged some interior space for the extra comfort under way. One morning we launched at Cania Dam and it was 3°C. We love that console! Boats involve

The author opted for easily removable pedestal seats to provide flexibility in the fishing area aft. Note the deck mounted rod holders and pop up cleats as well.

to hydraulic steering right in front of the starboard seat. The double console came equipped with a very useful hand rail atop the tinted screen and within the console’s upper compartment the craft’s isolator switch, the I-Command and NMEA 2000 network wiring for engine gauges, sounder and Sonic Hub 2 were all neatly installed out of harm’s way, so that I could effectively use the storage to advantage. The lower console area was set up with the engine battery and offered another very large storage space. Further storage came via the twin compartments in each transom corner. The box to port was drained and could be used as a live bait well.

BOATS FOR SALE on

PHOENIX 920 Location: NSW

The personal touch – rod racks under the deck return.

Wide decks are handy for a well-earned coffee; that bass fishing’s hard work. FLEXIBLE WORK AREA AFT Aft of the double console with twin section lockable storage compartments, the rear fishing area was 900mm in depth and a full 1800mm in width. Pedestal swivel seats were purpose-designed to be removed on the day to provide extra fishing work room if required. There was nothing new in this, and I often did the same with my larger Galeforce craft when heading out for a quick daylight mackerel or tuna trip. The idea being that fish spotting was so much easier standing and, besides, it just gave us extra work area aft to handle large fish that like to struggle, carry on and make a big mess in the progress. The full non-skid deck up front was dressed up with a lean post, which – being so handy – is pretty much a fixture. TOP SHELF STABILITY Fishing at Somerset Dam on the craft’s maiden outing saw Denise flyfishing aft (she scored a decent bass first cast!) while this old boy worked up front with the long rod for the experience. Bass were hard to find that

day, and even harder to hook up. I had one hit and missed him! One thing immediately noticeable to both of us when fishing was the remarkable stability of this smaller Galeforce. It seemed to be every bit as stable as the other three I had owned, which I must confess, was as surprising as it was

pleasing. The 21° Vee hull’s excellent design, although smaller, still did its job of maintaining a firm grip on the water at rest thanks to those large outer reversed chines in combination with the mass of an 80L fuel tank and the 75 E-Tec astern. NOUGHT LOST IN THE RIDE A chance to run the

Galey in some solid chop at Somerset Dam came during the afternoon session when a cold southeasterly had blown in and it was exciting to see that the ride I was accustomed to had not changed one bit. Powering into the chop we stayed dry as all wash and spray was pushed well away from the hull, as per usual. SUMMING UP While the 4.5m Galeforce is a definite head turner, it goes as good as it looks thanks to the willingness of the 75hp on the transom. Already I’ve found the craft has proven very easy to launch, retrieve, and to push back into its space at home. You might be able to back your boat into its storage area, but I can’t, so the planned weight reduction of the overall package has paid off handsomely. The stability, ride and performance look good and soon I will have had a much broader use of the craft around the ‘Pin and bay areas for a more exact assessment. The Carbon 12 sounder is even easier to use than the HDS Gen 3 predecessor and I cannot wait to get some impoundment maps into the system and head back for more time at Somerset and other dams.

$85,000 CUSTOM QUINTREX HORNET 440 Location: QLD

$28,500 ATTACK 470 Location: NSW

$15,500 HAINES HUNTER 445/146R Location: VIC

$15,900 SKEETER ZX190 Location: NSW

$30,000 The Galeforce hull features a 21° Vee aft, planing plank and reversed outer chines.

Like us on facebook for automatic updates OCTOBER 2017

WHAT’S NEW BOATING WHITTLEY INNOVATION 1

SIMRAD SOFTWARE 4 UPDATE

Whittley has joined forces with Garmin and Volvo Penta to release a new engine and power management system, which will be standard on all models. It will display Volvo Penta engine diagnostics through a Garmin 7” multi function screen (12” or 16” upgrades are available). At the push of a button, users can see accurate engine data including fuel flow levels, distance to empty, battery performance and more. There’s no need for mechanical gauges to be cut into the dash. The system also integrates to Volvo’s Battery Control Module, which manages the charging and distribution of power between batteries from the motor, as well as power usage throughout the boat. In addition, sterndrive boats will come standard with a built-in waterproof battery charger. Owners can also easily upgrade to the exclusive Whittley Pulse system. It features digital switching via the Garmin screen, a separate 2.5” screen for battery diagnostics and an E-key remote that controls engine startup, along with battery ‘on’ and ‘off’ functions. www.whittley.com.au

Navionics functionality and general software improvements. The update includes significant improvements to TVG (Time Variable Gain) and Auto Gain, Navionics SonarChart Live, Navionics Dock-to-Dock Autorouting and Navionics Plotter Sync, in addition to NMEA 2000 entertainment enhancements. TVG (Time Variable Gain) functionality has been significantly enhanced to remove clutter at the top of the screen without affecting fish targets near the surface. The update also simplifies the TVG scale, and Auto Gain calculations now yield better performance across a wider range of transducer installs and vessel speeds. Other improved features include SonarChart Live (lets you create 0.5m HD bathymetric maps in real time), Dock-to-Dock Autorouting (creates intelligent, detailed routes), and Navionics Plotter Sync. Software enhancements to these displays enable them to work directly with all third-party NMEA 2000 compatible audio equipment. For more info visit the Simrad website. www.simrad-yachting.com

RAYMARINE AXIOM PRO

FLIR Maritime Asia Pty Ltd has launched the expansion of its Raymarine Axiom Multifunction Display (MFD) line to the Australian market with the introduction of the Axiom Pro. Designed for serious offshore enthusiasts and professional captains, Axiom Pro features Raymarine’s HybridTouch user experience, combining multi-touchscreen controls with an ergonomic keypad for additional confidence in rough seas. For the serious offshore angler, Axiom Pro is available with a 1 kW, high-powered CHIRP sonar and Raymarine’s built-in, advanced, RealVision 3D sonar. The new Axiom Pro line is available in 9, 12 and 16-inch display sizes, and each model is available with Raymarine exclusive RealVision 3D sonar. Axiom Pro’s fish-finding capability is upgraded with an optional, internal 1kW CHIRP sonar. This powerful offshore sonar employs a wide spectrum of CHIRP sonar frequencies and enables anglers to see through dense schools of baitfish, identify thermoclines and simultaneously target gamefish in deep water. Price: RRP $3,699 www.raymarine.com.au

OCEAN CRAFT DEEP VEE

The new Ocean Craft Walkaround Cabin Ultra Deep Vee is the deepest vee planing monohull in its class, with a 30° deadrise and outstanding fuel efficiency. It also has an excellent power-to-weight ration, with the redesigned 6000 Caloundra Class Walkaround Cabin weighing only 750kg. The new monohull is a trimaran at rest and an outrigger when turning. With sponsons coming to bear off the plane, the boat’s draught remains shallower at rest and is a lot softer when planing. Combined with inflatable pneumatic properties with less vibration and wear on landing (wave jumping), the ride is a lot smoother and outperforms other hull types. It tackles wind and waves head-on and delivers superior all-weather performance using less fuel. The Walkaround Cabin Ultra Deep Vee also features phenomenal buoyancy and stability, with a low friction, smooth riding Posi Lift hull backed by a Lifetime Unsinkable Warranty. The UltraDeep Vee is now standard on all models, from 2.6-7.6m. www.oceancraft.com.au

OCTOBER 2017

PRODUCT GUIDE 1

TWO NEW LIVEVÜ MODELS 5 Designed for trolling motor installation, the PS22-TR is the latest addition to the Garmin Panoptix product line, which now includes six transducers with varying installation options for freshwater, estuary, inshore and offshore applications. Incorporating LiveVü Forward and LiveVü Down all-seeing sonar technology, the PS22TR offers a narrow 20° beam angle for crisp, improved resolution and clear images of what’s all around and below the boat – in real time, while moving or stationary. Paired with a compatible Garmin GPSMAP or echoMAP CHIRP head unit, Panoptix delivers a whole new perspective to fishing, allowing anglers to watch the movement of fish and the reactions to their lures/baits up to 30m away. The PS22-TR is ideal for freshwater, estuary and inshore anglers targeting bass, barra and bream in the snags, and species such as jewfish, snapper and kingfish on relatively shallow reefs. Price: RRP $1,499 www.garmin.com/en-AU

HAINES SIGNATURE 6 FLAGSHIP 788SF

One of the largest legally trailerable boats in Australia is here with the release of the Haines Signature 788SF! The flagship 788SF sets a new benchmark in the fibreglass fishing boat market – a formidable bluewater fishing machine that’s an impressive addition to the iconic Australian-built Haines Signature range. Designed with the adventurous offshore sport fisher in mind, the boat is perfectly suited to tackle the open waters head on with its superior build, standout performance and seafaring capability. With its all-black hull, 500L fuel tank, stainless steel finishes, big screen electronics and a transom rating up to 400hp (single), the 788SF is a stylish, well-equipped, serious fishing boat capable of taking on the bays and seas with confidence, whether for a day trip or weekend charter. The prototype model on show features a centre console configuration with full composite (Thermalite) construction and is powered by two of Suzuki’s mammoth 350hp outboards. Price: from $149,000 for a boat, motor, trailer package www.signatureboats.com

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

Ditch the paddles for a Solo Skiff this spring BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

I thought I’d seen all or most of what modern portable boating has to offer, then the Solo Skiff blew my socks off! Like other portable craft, the skiff is injection moulded, which means it’s tough as old boots, not too heavy for it’s 4.39m

the Porta-Bote, old Trusty can keep us moving at a modest speed. It’s not quite on the plane, but far, far better than rowing! However, set up on the transom of the nifty little Solo Skiff, the engine had the craft planing in a boat length, whizzing around at about 15km/h. A VERY STABLE CRAFT That easy performance was not all that impressed

The skiff underway with Jake at the helm. The split tail area has the mounting of the engine well inboard. length (at 68kg) and could be transported on car-top roof racks or carried on a lightweight custom trailer. This was exactly how Jake from Redcliffe Marine presented the fascinating rig for a snappy review. For the record, Jake advised me I would be impressed with the skiff and I was pretty keen to see it in action, but there was a small problem: Jake’s usual engine – the Solo Skiff is rated for engines up to 5hp – had been stolen recently. To keep things moving I volunteered the use of my own 3hp Yamaha

me about the Solo Skiff. I could not believe how incredibly stable it was! Before starting the motor, Jake clambered aboard from the side by heaving himself up onto the craft, backwards, and promptly stood up and jumped about to demonstrate it’s immense stability. I was amazed to see the 1.34m wide craft hardly rock, thanks to its virtually flat bottom. It didn’t look like it would even tip over. The roto-moulded construction makes the craft immensely rigid and the huge stability was

hybrid. It’s not a kayak or a canoe, yet the hull has a low profile similar to several modern kayaks. It’s not a conventional boat either, as you can’t sit in it. The Solo Skiff combines many of the best features of small, highly portable craft and combines them very usefully. A fine bow, ample beam and a shallow-formed recess within the hull leading back to a run-off deck aft, which allowed any water coming onto the craft to exit at the stern area, were the main links to a conventional kayak. With the craft’s low profile, you can expect that some water is going to be coming across the bow at times. While a user might get wet, there’s no issue with the Solo Skiff capsizing. The Solo Skiff has interesting design features that really separate it from the mainstream run of kayaks and canoes that are so popular today. One person – and this is basically a one-person craft – sits or stands on the skiff, not in it. There is a raised seat section on top of a watertight compartment with a large hatch, which can also double as a drained ice box or a storage

On its Ruhl trailer, the skiff presents as a highly portable craft. engine, you can store the battery for an electric within the seating compartment, because it’s quite large enough to carry a battery along with tackle boxes. ENGINE POWER The American manufacturers of the Solo Skiff point out that while the craft can easily be poled or paddled, it’s really designed to take a motor, which is great – an angler could use the engine to sneak fairly close to a shallow water fishing area then pole or

2-stroke, which I use on our Porta-Bote. The little engine (named ‘Trusty’) has always started third pull when cold, first pull when hot and is mighty handy for fishing. When on the back of

complemented by the fact that it drew a measly 3-4cm with someone on board. How’s that for a shallow draft craft? THE NITTY GRITTY The Solo Skiff might best be described as a

to get to the chosen spot and then pole or paddle, either seated or standing, to fish. With the big storage area amidships, more up front there was room for a tackle box or two to make things

The Solo Skiff just wouldn’t tip over, no matter how much Jake jumped around. There’s a recessed deck within the rig, which allows water to run aft and away.

Jake holds the skiff to show off the clean bow, spin out hatch up front, elasticised webbing over the front storage space and the large, raised storage compartment that serves as a seat.

A closer look of the forward storage area, which is drained, shows it can be used as a live well or ice box.

amazed at just how responsive the hull was to power application. I must say that while I would not like to be sitting on the unpadded storage box for long stints, this sort of smooth or calm water craft

compartment for the skipper to sit on and control the outboard. Up front there’s a storage compartment with a spin-out hatch while a lattice work of elastic tie downs sits atop another storage area, up front, which could also serve as a cooler compartment as well. This compartment, just aft of the spin out hatch, is drained for ease of use. Rod tubes are worked into the front section of the recessed deck and extend forward towards the bow so that even a quite long rod can be stored safely. If you prefer electric power over a combustion

paddle right up to the action. How good would this be in some of our barra dams or tidal flats along the coast? The engine placement was interesting. Where most powered yaks or canoes have the engine fitted at the stern, the Solo’s transom is set some distance inboard of a split tail astern. With the engine mounted inboard of the split tail area, the setup provided the best balance and ease of driving for the skipper. It’s different and it works well, as I found out when I finally dislodged Jake from the skiff to enjoy a drive myself. The tiller handle of the small outboard fell readily within my reach and I was

is primarily designed for short stints of travel between cracks at the fish. As such, it works well. AMPLE FISHABILITY As a smooth or calm water fishing rig that offers high mobility with minimum effort this one is going to be very hard to beat. The concept is simple. An angler would use the power engine

easy to change rigs or tactics. About the only problem I saw, if I was fishing from a Solo Skiff, was just how or where I would store a fly-caught barra! Probably under the elasticized straps up front. For more infomation, get in touch with Andy McCarthy at Southern Solo Skiff on 0404 848 083.

Paired rod tubes are a very anglerfriendly feature of the Solo Skiff. OCTOBER 2017

Quintrex 590 Frontier with Evinrude 150hp - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

Main: A year ago, the only part of this package that existed was the Lowrance sounder. The new Apex hull Frontier combined with an Evinrude G2 E-Tec 150 HO outboard is exactly what your Quintrex dealer would serve up if you asked for an all-round boat with the lot. Above: Boasting the pickle fork bow design and a totally redesigned hull, the 590 Frontier rode brilliantly in a Broadwater that featured solid wind versus solid tide. Quintrex’s Nathan Shaw explained the advantages of the Apex. “The Apex hull has been developed over a two-year period. It’s super soft, there’s much more room inside, there’s more freeboard and it corners beautifully,” Nathan said as we dropped the test boat into the Gold Coast Broadwater.

PERFORMANCE RPM......Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) Idle..............................4............................. 5 1000............................8.......................... 3.7 2000..........................12.......................... 1.7 3000..........................32.......................... 2.4 4000..........................47.......................... 2.2 5000..........................60.......................... 1.8 6000..........................72.......................... 1.5 6200..........................74.......................... 1.5 92

OCTOBER 2017

The Frontier is designed with the same ‘pickle fork’ bow that was initially released with their F-Series Hornets, however it’s below the waterline where the new design really makes a difference. Quintrex is now able to form the aluminium for the entire length of the hull sheets and the difference in ride is noticeable over its predecessor, the Blade hull. For me, the true test was while we were filming running shots for the video review (that you can watch by scanning the QR code on the top of this page with your smartphone). Rarely can I shoot running shots boat-to-boat. We usually have to stop one

craft and run the other boat past at speed to capture the movement smoothly. Even on a windy bay on the Broadwater, the Frontier

DE FOR EX

Quintrex boats have a long history of innovative design and huge sales. Originally, their stretchformed hulls and the shapes that they could make in sheet aluminium gave a look and ride that couldn’t be equalled in an aluminium boat. Over the years, Quintrex tinnies have evolved. From the original flared bow to the Hornet, to the curvier Millennium hulls, all represented steps forward in ride, looks and durability. Enter the Apex hull in 2017. It mightn’t look it, but the Frontier (with the new Apex Hull) is the new Top Ender – one of the most popular Quintrex models. The test model was a 590 fitted with the ballsy 150hp G2 Evinrude E-Tec and represented a full boat-motortrailer package delivered from the Queensland factory. You see, as well as making the hull and trailer in-house, Quintrex’s parent company – Telwater – is the Australian distributor for Evinrude outboards.

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Steve Morgan

CON

AN THE

provided a stable, on-plane platform to shoot boat-to-boat while we were running. It was impressive. Like its predecessor, the Frontier will be expected to perform everywhere from freshwater lakes to the open ocean and at first glance,

FMG

work well, without getting in each other’s way when they are needed. There’s a mountain of storage space underfloor and if you manage to fill it all with lure boxes, you’ll have as much money’s worth of tackle as you do boat.

SPECIFICATIONS Length.................................................... 5.99m Beam...................................................... 2.35m Depth...................................................... 1.30m Length on trailer...................................... 7.67m Height on trailer...................................... 2.09m Bottom...................................................... 4mm Sides......................................................... 3mm Hull weight...............................................708kg Rec hp.......................................................... 90 Max hp........................................................150 Capacity............................................7 persons you’ll be able to tick all of the boxes. The layout cleverly combines ways to make this boat eminently suitable for anchored-bait or movinglure fishing. For once, an anchor well and bow mounted electric motor

Indicative pricing? Sitting on a Telwater-built aluminium trailer, the package as tested comes in at $58,999. For more information, visit JV Marine website www. jvmarine.com.au or head to one of their branches at Braeside or Laverton.

Don’t be fooled – this is the same boat. Quintrex wrap their demo and press boats on one side and have the factory paint job on the other to show customers and dealers the options available.

The G2 Evinrudes have amazing low and midrange torque. The 150 HO (which means ‘high output’ or ‘hold on’ depending on your technical knowledge) is the maximum horsepower allowed and is a perfect fit for the craft.

Move the pedestal seats around to accommodate a variety of seating or cargo options. They fold over for trailering.

The test boat had a 9” Lowrance at the helm, however the dash holds a 12” display, flush mounted – a big tick.

All of the front hatches have a sub-floor that keeps your gear out of the bilge water.

The cavernous front main hatch eats a lot of tackle, but it’s still not a truly waterproof space, meaning you still need to be careful where you store your expensive lures.

Check out the beam of the front casting deck. The Frontier combines castability, trollability and the ability to anchor and to use an electric motor. It’s the true crossover boat.

Quintrex have been rotomolding their own livewells for decades. They can be plumbed or drain straight to the bilge.

Keep your livies in here and you can check on their condition with a quick glance.

A couple of years ago we were all sitting on the sidelines wondering whether the ‘pickle fork’ design would be accepted. It was.

Massive cockpit? Check. Tons of freeboard? Check. Multiple seat bases? Check.

The true test of the Apex hull was on a windy day on the Broadwater and the results were impressive. It’s definitely the softest riding Quintrex in this size range the author has ever been in.

With a reinforced pad for mounting a trolling motor on the port side, there’s a conventional anchor well in the middle of the pickle-fork. A lid on the anchor well keeps it neat and tidy when you’re casting lures. OCTOBER 2017

Victorian Tide Times

2017 2017 Local Time

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINT – 144° VICTORIA LAT LONSDALE 38° 18’ LONG 37’

JANUARY SEPTEMBER Time Time m

Time 0305 0016 0850 0717 SU 1452 1229 FR2050 1850 0343 0058 0928 0811 MO 1534 1315 SA2125 1940 0419 0146 1004 0910 TU 1615 1413 SU2200 2041 0455 0247 1042 1012 WE 1657 1524 MO2237 2149 0530 0401 1118 1111 TH 1740 1645 TU2317 2258 0607 0511 1157 1202 1827 FR WE 1748

11 22

33 44 55 66

m 1.61 0.44 0.63 1.36 1.37 0.75 0.27 1.34 1.64 0.48 0.57 1.32 1.39 0.82 0.27 1.28 1.65 0.52 0.52 1.30 1.40 0.87 0.29 1.24 1.63 0.54 0.47 1.31 1.41 0.87 0.32 1.24 1.61 0.54 0.43 1.35 1.40 0.83 0.38 1.27 1.57 0.52 0.39 1.42 1.39 0.74

Time 0344 0010 0920 0722 MO 1537 1233 SA2130 1903 0427 0104 1009 0831 TU 1627 1333 SU2215 2015 0506 0212 1054 0942 WE 1715 1450 MO2257 2138 0543 0335 1135 1046 TH 1801 1615 TU2335 2254 0616 0452 1214 1146 FR 1849 WE 1728

16 16 17 17

18 18 19 19 20 20

m 1.70 0.31 0.47 1.44 1.49 0.69 0.20 1.38 1.69 0.37 0.41 1.40 1.48 0.74 0.26 1.33 1.66 0.43 0.37 1.39 1.46 0.75 0.33 1.33 1.61 0.46 0.35 1.41 1.42 0.69 0.41 1.37 1.54 0.46 0.35 1.46 1.37 0.59

Time 0359 0013 0945 0814 WE 1603 1338 SU 2147 2002 0435 0156 1023 0912 TH 1646 1429 MO 2229 2104 0511 0249 1102 1015 FR 1730 1531 TU 2310 2217 0546 0357 1143 1118 SA 1817 1647 WE 2353 2332 0625 0515 1224 1215 SU 1909 TH 1800

22 33

m 1.62 0.46 0.44 1.33 1.46 0.74 0.30 1.24 1.62 0.52 0.37 1.29 1.48 0.78 0.33 1.20 1.61 0.57 0.31 1.28 1.49 0.78 0.38 1.20 1.58 0.60 0.26 1.30 1.48 0.74 0.44 1.25 1.53 0.60 0.23 1.35 1.45 0.64

Time 0437 0148 1031 0910 TH 1658 1424 MO 2236 2117 0510 0256 1108 1015 FR 1738 1542 TU 2312 2239 0540 0415 1143 1117 SA 1816 1703 WE 2347 2351 0611 0534 1216 1215 SU 1854 TH 1810

m 1.60 0.42 0.32 1.39 1.50 0.65 0.37 1.29 1.56 0.51 0.30 1.36 1.47 0.64 0.43 1.31 1.52 0.57 0.30 1.36 1.44 0.58 0.49 1.37 1.47 0.58 0.31 1.39 1.39 0.49

0023 0054 20 0644 20 0640 MO 1251

0.56 1.46 1.41 0.57 0.33 1.42 1.35 0.40 0.63 1.55 1.35 0.54 0.37 1.45 1.31 0.32

16 16

17 17 18 18

19 19

1307 FR 1936 1902 0101 0150 0719 0732 1328 TU 1353 SA 2024 1947

0014 0.50 0038 0.52 0000 1.45 0038 1.35 21 6 21 0649 1.48 1.48 21 6 0706 0557 0.44 0628 0.57 21 SA 1251 0.36 MO 1308 0.23 1240 TH1938 1826 0052 0100 0724 0649 1329 SU 1326 FR2030 1914

0000 0.45 1.34 22 770000 0645 0604 1.52 0.48 22 1238 0.35 SA 1248 1.48 TH1921 1835 1.37 0.63

18’ of High LONG 144° TimesLAT and38° Heights and Low37’ Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY OCTOBER NOVEMBER Time m m Time Time m Time m

1.52 1.32 0.48 0.58 1.53 1.41 0.42 0.38 1.55 1.29 0.39 0.67 1.59 1.34 0.42 0.41 1.57 1.26 0.33

1307 FR 2009 1853 0126 0134 0754 0721 1358 TU 1353 SA 2116 1937

0142 0237 22 0800 22 0815 1408 WE 1432 SU 2119 2027

0447 0013 4 4 1042 1722 SA 0542

1.60 1.40 0.20 0.68 1.61 1.36 0.41 0.40 1.57 1.53 0.17 0.64 1.58 1.42 0.46 0.28 1.53 1.66 0.17 0.59 1.53 1.47 0.18 0.53 1.74 1.48 0.55 0.21 1.51 1.47 0.12

WE WE

TH TH

33 FR

SA 1220 2259 1806 0525 0113 1125 0648 SU 1808 SU 1313 2342 1900 0605 0206 1207 0741 1858 MO 1402 MO 1948 0026 0255 0647 0829 1252 TU 1448 TU 1954 2036

55 66

Time 0330 0345 0923 1600 TH 1042 2138 TH 1638 2339 0403 0501 1000 1637 FR 1138 FR 1741 2214

16 16

17 17

m m 1.54 0.67 0.34 1.34 1.56 0.49 0.43 1.38 1.54 0.71 0.30 1.34 1.57 0.43 0.46

Time 0343 0226 0932 1625 SA0928 2200 FR 1509 2233 0323 0337 0918 1611 SU1029 SA 1615 2144 2345 0404 0456 1004 1658 MO1131 SU 1723 2228

11 22

0434 1.52 0040 18 1035 1.46 0.29 33 18 1711 0.70 1.56 SA 0612 SA 1230 2247 1832 0504 0132 1108 1744 SU 0707 SU 1316 2322 1917 0536 0217 1142 0752 MO 1817 MO 1358 2357 1958 0610 0256 1215 0830 1855 TU 1435 TU 2035 0032 0330 0646 0907 1248 WE 1511 WE 1938 2112

19 19

20 20 21 21

22 22

1.35 0.49 0.36 1.49 1.54 0.29 0.67 1.53 1.36 0.53 0.31 1.46 1.60 0.31 0.64 1.49 1.38 0.57 0.27 1.41 1.64 0.34 0.61 1.45 1.40 0.25 0.62 1.66 1.36 0.58 0.38 1.41 1.39 0.25

0447 0048 4 1049 4TU0611 1746

MO 1233 2313 1825 0533 0145 1135 0714 WE 1840 TU 1330 1922 0000 0238 0627 0806 1224 TH 1424 WE 1940 2015

55 66

0052 0732 7FR70328 0857 1318

TH 1515 2044 2107

m Time m m 0259 1.49 1.59 0415 0.68 0900 0.79 0.32 0.19 1.33 1543 1.29 1.64 1.73 SU1052 0.49 2123 0.41 0.58 0.47 SA 1701 1.32 0331 1.48 1.59 0015 0.75 0935 1.41 0.33 0.15 1.32 1615 0.80 1.62 1.72 MO0528 0.42 2158 1.28 0.60 0.48 SU 1145 1757 0.37 1.43 0405 1.46 1.57 0.77 0108 1008 1.48 0.35 0.15 1.34 1647 0.77 1.59 1.68 TU0631 0.32 2231 1.29 0.63 0.51 MO 1236 1845 0.33 1.53 0441 1.42 0153 1.55 0.19 1040 1.54 0.38 0.74 1.61 WE0723 1724 0.73 1.55 1.38 0.56 TU 1322 2306 1.31 0.66 1930 0.30 0.21 1.48 0518 1.38 1.67 0232 0.26 1112 1.58 0.43 0.68 0806 1.53 1804 0.68 1.50 TH 1.43 WE 1404 1.33 2342 0.69 0.13 2011 0.27 0.61 0600 1.33 0307 1.61 1.75 1.41 1145 0.47 0845 0.64 0.62 0.35 1850 1.36 1.44 FR 1445 1.48 1.46 TH 2049 0.27 0.08 0.66 0020 1.63 0.72 0340 1.79 1.34 0649 0.60 1.28 0923 0.56 0.46 1226 1.37 0.53 SA 1524 1.51 FR 1942 1.40 1.40 0.08 2125 0.28 0.69 0107 1.63 0.73 0413 1.79 1.30 0750 0.57 1.26 1000 0.50 0.55 SA 1317 1.38 0.60 SU1602 1.52 1.38 2041 0.30 1.37 2158 0.12

16 16 17 17

18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21

22 22

0157 0110 1.66 0.68 80415 23 0401 0850 0727 0.57 1.30 8 0944 0945 SA 1426 TH 1324 0.42

0203 9 0429 0836 1000 TH 1436

0316 1.75 0.68 0205 1.62 0.72 0151 1.64 0.74 90502 24 0433 240445 1008 0.46 1.31 24 0904 0.54 1.27 0815 0.56 1.25 9 1018 1035 1034 SU 1545 0.60 MO 1422 0.66 FR 1405 0.48

0445 0441 0316 0228 0.72 1.58 0319 0.82 1.62 0358 0.76 1.72 0427 10 1119 0915 0939 100240 25 10 0810 1.37 0.42 25 0853 1.23 0.47 10 0933 1.31 0.47 25 1105 1005 1728 0.31 1708 1517 0.28 1558 0.44

0307 10 0515 0951 1045 1547

0434 1.69 0.62 0313 1.59 0.66 0242 1.61 0.78 100548 250520 25 0506 1118 0.44 1.36 25 1024 0.52 1.35 0916 0.56 1.21 10 1054 1110 1124 1701 0.62 1538 0.70 1459 0.53

0029 0356 0.86 1.60 0442 1.46 1.72 0459 0312 0.77 1.62 11 110350 260426 11 0045 1023 1041 0607 0930 1.20 0.50 11 1016 0.71 0.48 26 0600 1040 0851 1.35 0.44 26 1630 0.26 1705 0.43 1217 1233 1.34

0430 11 0601 1112 1132

0346 1.57 0.78 0538 1.61 0.54 0423 1.56 0.56 110635 260555 26 0541 1030 0.57 1.21 11 1221 0.43 1.44 26 1135 0.50 1.46 1129 1215 1144

0355 1.48 1.63 0430 1.34 1.56 0530 0527 1.52 1.68 0122 120001 270021 12 0144 12 0933 0.78 0.47 27 1005 0.84 0.54 12 1115 1100 0.61 0.50 27 0705 0545 0510 0717 1600 1.58 1620 1.46 1724 1719 1.51

0019 12 0651 1221 0553

0500 1.52 0.73 0034 0.40 1.44 0527 1.51 0.43 27 0618 120024 270631 1203 0723 1218 1150 0.58 1.26 12 0629 1.53 0.46 27 1236 0.48 1.60

0614 1.58 1.61 0439 1.56 1.61 0504 1.40 1.51 0606 0209 130105 280113 13 0236 13 1145 0.51 0.54 28 0754 1015 0.72 0.52 28 1041 0.78 0.58 13 1151 0816 0626 0651 1804 1.46 1639 1.54 1655 1.42 1802

0118 13 0039 0745 0701 1315

0113 0017 0039 0.51 1.51 0038 1.46 1.38 0116 0.52 1.47 28 0658 13 28 1240 0813 0710 0623 1.46 0.32 0614 0.58 0.63 13 0712 1.46 0.40 28 1909 1.25 1400 0.44 1257 0.44

1.45 0.63 1.28

0209 14 0132 0845 0757 TU 1415

0205 0103 0129 0.59 1.56 0130 0.52 1.45 0153 0.63 1.48 29 0038 0742 0904 0753 14 29 0715 1.41 0.23 0712 1.41 0.50 14 0750 1.39 0.35 29 WE 1321 0.57 TH 1459 0.44 FR 1341 0.41

0.46 1.39 0.66 1933 1.23

0253 15 0233 0944 0843 WE 1527

0305 0158 0215 0.68 1.59 0217 0.60 1.51 0227 0.73 1.49 30 0127 0958 0844 0832 15 30 0805 1.36 0.17 0800 1.36 0.37 15 0826 1.33 0.33 30 FR 1600 0.44 SA 1433 0.37 TH 1410 0.54

FR 1330 1.54 2025 1915 1.37 0.52

SA 1407 2125 1957

SU 1436 2229 2020

0318 23 0229 0851 0854 TH 1455

0.70 1.61 1.29 0.53 0.41 1.47 1.27 0.28 0.77 1.65 1.23 0.52 0.45 1.47 1.26 0.26

m 1.54 0.59 0.45 1.30 1.49 0.67 0.35 1.21 1.58 0.65 0.35 1.30 1.56 0.62 0.35 1.28 1.60 0.69 0.26 1.32 1.60 0.53 0.37

0112 8 0343 0737 0915 WE 1340

0133 0053 0.53 1.42 0152 880048 0801 0729 23 0648 1.47 0.45 23 0735 SU 1324 0.32 MO 1411

0225 88 0219 0850 0807 WE 1455

1.41 1.41 0.51 0.61 1.47 1.42 0.53 0.25 1.47 1.39 0.39 0.69 1.59 1.36 0.49 0.28 1.52 1.38 0.28

Time 0252 0201 0837 0920 1505 1446 2050 2147 0331 0305 0918 1022 1552 1553 2133 2304 0410 0421 1000 1123 1637 1703 2215

Local Time APRIL DECEMBER Time Time m

MO 1508 2222 2104

0328 0220 0142 0.63 1.51 0238 0.75 1.62 0312 0.75 1.67 0355 99 0325 990140 1000 0817 0845 24 0729 1.42 0.43 24 0815 1.28 0.44 0850 1.32 0.47 24 0953 0930 TH 1607 0.31 FR 1555 MO 1416 0.30 TU 1459 0.43 SA 1409 1.58 2138 1954 1.38 0.43

SU 1444 1.56 2223 2036 1.26 0.30

TU SU 1446 1.60 WE MO 1516 1.54 2251 2323 2033 1.42 0.34 2114 1.29 0.29

WE TU 1548 1.51 MO 1524 1.60 TH 2149 0.30 2114 0.28

TU1137 1.35 WE1146 1.21 FR TH 2155 0.22 0.25 2224 0.40 0.33 1810 1745

WE1246 1.38 TH1248 1.24 FR SA 2238 0.19 0.24 2300 0.36 0.36 1851 1903

MO 1517 1.55 2339 2103 1.41 0.20

FR TU 1558 1.56 2147 0.16

SA WE 1637 1.54 1839 2232 0.29 0.15

TH 1338 1.39 SU 2317 0.27 0.18 1939

FR 1435 1.45 MO 2031 0.27

0.82 1.66 1.19 0.52 1.47 TU 1542 0.48 2328 2140 1.28 0.26

0.83 1.64 1.18 0.53 1.45 SA 1615 0.48 WE 2215 0.27 1.33 1.61 0.78 0.54 1.42 SU TH 1648 1.22 1822 2249 0.45 0.31

1.57 1.40 0.57 0.68 1.38 FR 1321 1.30 MO 2323 0.41 0.35 1919 1.51 1.48 0.60 0.57 1.33 SA 1415 1.40 TU 2357 0.37 0.40 2007

0004 1.61 0.24 0527 1.63 1.56 0542 1.47 1.45 0646 14 0321 140202 290159 0705 0.43 1.53 29 1228 1059 0.64 0.57 29 1117 0.70 0.63 14 14 0906 0730 0743 SA 1231 0.58 SU 1844 TH 1720 1.50 FR 1731 1.36

SA 1348 1.43 SU 1343 1.30 2322 0.17 0.26 2335 0.32 0.41 1950 1949

TU 1528 1.49 1855 0.29 1.40 2117

0620 1.68 1.50 0624 1.54 1.39 0053 1.62 0.33 0031 15 0401 150256 300241 1145 0.55 0.63 30 1156 0.62 0.69 15 0804 0.36 1.45 30 0730 15 0951 0828 0826 FR 1807 1.44 SA 1814 1.30 SU 1322 0.62 MO 1306

SU 1445 1.47 2043 0.17

MO 1432 1.36 2030 0.30

31 0320 0906

1.59 0.53 TU 1519 1.42 2108 0.29

WE 1615 1.51 1958 0.33 1.33 2159

31 0112 0822

0.52 1.34 TU 1351 0.68 2033 1.20

0.60 1.78 1.41 0.52 0.27 1533 1.53 WE 2058 0.10 1.41 2124 0.67 1.78 1.34 0.50 0.34 1618 1.53 TH 2207 0.12 1.37 2213 0.72 1.73 1.29 0.49 0.41 FR 1704 1.50 2315 0.18 1.37 2300

0.72 1.66 1.28 0.50 1710 1.45 0.44 SA 1753 2349 0.26

1.57 1.40 0.51 0.66 1225 1.38 1.32 SU 1848 1824 0.44

0.37 1.45 1.49 0.57 1.40 MO 1330 0.53 1958 1926 1.32 0.42 0.49 1.50 1.42 0.47 1.47 TU 1428 0.54 2118 2016 1.30 0.41

0.59 1.53 1.37 0.39 1.53 WE 1516 0.53 2232 2100 1.32 0.42

TH 1546 1.41 2028 0.27 1.34 2146

FR 1623 1.39 2127 0.30 1.30 2220

SA 1700 1.37 SA 2232 0.34 1.30 2253

1606 1.33 0.56 SU 1739 SU 2338 0.39 1.32 2324

1724 1.29 0.57 MO MO 1820 2358 0.45

TU TU 1259 1.36 1840 0.54

WE 1358 1.49 2007 1939 1.24 0.50

TH 1450 1.61 2117 2029 1.25 0.48

FR 1604 2146 2158

23 23

SA 1654 1.50 SU 1641 1.37 2248 0.19 1.38 2145 0.34 1.37 2230 2247

MO1745 1.45 MO TU1720 1.35 SU 2345 0.29 1.41 2248 0.38 1.40 2301 2336

1804 1.39 0.60 TU1845 MO

1659 1.33 0.69 WE1801 TU 2346 0.44 1.45 2337

1315 0.43 1.52 WE 1807 1.31 0.66 TU WE1306 TH1848 1955 1855 1.34 0.59

WE TH 1400 1.59 2106 1937 1.32 0.58

FR 1438 1.63 2213 2014 1.32 0.57

SA 1512 1.64 2315 2048 1.36 0.57

31 0300 0847

1.56 0.27 FR 1538 1.69 2115 0.46

CopyrightCommonwealth Commonwealth of of Australia Australia 2015, 2015, Bureau Bureau of of Meteorology Meteorology Copyright Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Timesare areininlocal localstandard standardtime time (UTC (UTC +10:00) +10:00) or or daylight daylight savings savings time Times time (UTC (UTC +11:00) +11:00) when whenin ineffect effect New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon

TH FR 1331 1.72 1944 1903 1.30 0.63

SA 1422 1.80 2048 1953 1.31 0.60

SU 1511 1.83 2200 2040 1.35 0.58 0302 0.76 0941 1.33 SU 1535 0.32 2314 1.42

Last LastQuarter Quarter

Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions. 94

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