Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly - February 2015 by Fishing Monthly

24-PAGE TOURNAMENT ANGLER GUIDE INSIDE

Features

King of the ocean • Lake Tyers: a fishing treasure • Tournament Angler Guide • Toolondo ticks the boxes •

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Black Magic 12lb Fluorocarbon tippet and Black Magic 4kg+ Rainbow Braid were used by Lee Rayner to catch this estimated 12lb trout while fishing in Tasmania.

Mick Ryan used a Black Magic KL 4/0 hook to land this seven-gill shark at Batemans Bay, NSW. Mick released his fish after a quick photo.

Michael Norton caught and released this impressive 91cm snapper on a Black Magic KL 8/0 hook while fishing at Port Welshpool, VIC.

This excellent 7.1kg snapper was landed by Dave Parratt on a Black Magic KS 4/0 hook while fishing in Port Philip Bay, VIC.

Black Magic 100lb Tough Trace and the Black Magic Equalizer gimbal and harness were used by Adam Epifanis to catch this excellent kingfish while fishing from Forster, NSW.

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Black Magic or Wasabi products were used. Send a high resolution image to: photos@blackmagic.co.nz

February 2015, Vol. 12, No.2

Contents 6

From the Editor’s Desk... management arrangements for the lake. Coupled with scientific monitoring, all looks good for this fishery in the long term. VR Fish, the peak body representing recreational fishers in Victoria, has welcomed the move by the government to ‘summer proof’ the recreational fishery at the lake. VR Fish General Manager, Dallas DeSilva said, “We congratulate the Government for taking swift action to secure the short-term future of the lake and protect the interests of recreational fishers at Lake Toolondo. It’s great to see the new Government moving forward with implementing its election policy for recreational fishing. “On behalf of Victoria’s 721,000 recreational fishers, VRFish is pleased to have played a key role in negotiating and holding the 5,000mL water entitlement for release into the lake. We commend the Government for ensuring

the interests of recreational fishing are at the forefront of all considerations on water usage as it affects Lake Toolondo,” he continued. And I’m sure that we’re all looking forward to the new Government delivering on some of its ‘big ticket’ recreational fishing election promises. PASSING OF LEGENDS It’s with great sadness that we relay the news of the passing of two industry legends in January. Shimano Australia’s godfather John Dunphy and pioneering angler and author Vic McCristal both left us. John was a visionary tackle importer, designer and advocate based in Sydney who took Shimano from zero to hero in Australia as a tackle brand. We have an in-depth interview inside that Steve Starling completed upon his retirement that puts some of his life’s work into perspective. Cardwell-based McCristal

46 VICTORIA FISHING MONTHLY

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EAST COAST Welshpool 31 Ninety-Mile Beach 32 Inverloch 32 Gippsland Lakes 34 Lakes Entrance 34 McLoughlins Beach 35 Bemm River 36 Marlo 36

NSW SOUTH COAST Mallacoota 38 Eden 38 Bermagui 40 Merimbula 40 Narooma 41

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 78 Robinvale 80 Mildura 81 Eucha 81 Shepparton 82 Yarrawonga 82 Kiewa Valley 83 Wangaratta 84 Eildon 84 Bonnie Doon 85 Central Gippsland 86 Yarra Valley 86 West/South Gippsland 86 Bendigo 87 Melbourne Metro 87 Ballarat 88 Crater Lakes 89 Jindabyne 89

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hadn’t been well since Cyclone Yasi and older readers will most likely remember his insightful prose. He not only pioneered many modern techniques, but was able to communicate them to the masses. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your recreation is the better for both of these gentleman’s efforts. ABT TOURNAMENT GUIDE We think you’ll enjoy the bonus 24-page ABT Tournament Angler Guide we’ve included in this issue. If you’re a budding competitive lure angler, it’ll definitely help you with the information you need. But if you’re not, there’s a lot to learn from the anglers who have proven themselves to be at the top of their field. Take the time to read about their favourite lures and techniques and their success can help make you a better angler. Enjoy!

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Great news on the freshwater front this month, with the Daniels Labor Government securing 5000mL of water for Lake Tooloondo to maintain it as a premier trout water – fulfilling an election promise to not let the fishery be affected by potentially low water levels. By the time this hits the shelves, the water allocation will have already been delivered and the levels will increase by at least 10%. The allocation is part of a threepoint plan. Traded from Iluka Resources in January, the allocation will maintain a depth of at least 1.5m and falls under the Victorian Government’s ‘Target One Million’ plan to boost fish stocks and facilities. The Victorian Government will also establish the Lake Toolondo Recreational Fishing Advisory Group to guide future

WEST COAST

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King of the ocean We remember John Dunphy Lake Tyers: a fishing treasure Tournament Angler Guide Toolondo ticks the boxes The Bimini Twist Ensure waterproof wiring

6 37 42 47 74 106 107 FEBRUARY 2015

Pursuing the king of the ocean WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

Summer is kingfish time here in South West Victoria and more and more anglers seem keen to take their chance to tackle this tough fighting and spectacular angling adversary.

minimal swell and wind. As many of you who are aware, a Victorian summer these days can be rather infrequent and sometimes difficult to predict. You can go days, even weeks without these conditions occurring. Coinciding your available fishing time with good conditions can be a very difficult proposition for many.

18-20°C is a more reliable starting point. Combining water temperatures of above 20°C with the right meteorological conditions will put you in with a chance. FINDING KINGIES Our king fishing usually involves working our way through a series of marks on our GPS and actively trying to spot fish.

Being stealthy is the key to sneaking up on big kingfish like this bruiser. GETTING STARTED The first step in the process is having access to a boat. The odd, usually smaller, kingfish is taken land-based but for serious success you need a boat. It’s not simply a matter of having a boat though, as choice of boat is also an issue. Some kingfish locations require a large seaworthy boat to be able to make the journey across the treacherous southern ocean to the required location (and of course to be able to return safely home again). Other locations demand a small manoeuvrable boat that can dart amongst the reefs and washes where the kings like to hang out. The ability to be able to beach launch such a boat is also often necessary. WHEN? The next step is to wait for the right conditions to make pursuing yellowtail kingfish a viable option. Like no other fish species, if conditions aren’t good there is a minimal chance of being successful. Peak season for targeting kingfish in Victoria is from late December through to late March. Ideal conditions are warm to hot days with flat glassy seas and 6

FEBRUARY 2015

Another problem is that the sort of weather conducive for king fishing is also great for other forms of angling, snorkelling and diving, barbeques with mates and days at the beach with the family! Once you’ve missed out on a few of these opportunities because of unsuccessful kingfish excursions, it can be hard to maintain the faith. Making good use of all the available electronic forms of weather and sea forecasting can at least give you a head start in predicting suitable conditions. Often one or two of the above indicators may be in place but a heavy swell, howling northerly or strong southeasterly sea breeze may put paid to all your best made plans. Water temperature and clarity is also a major issue in determining kingfish success. The previously mentioned weather conditions may be in place but if a current of cold water, or previous days of poor weather, has dropped the water temperature considerably, any kingfish present may develop severe lock jaw. The coldest water temp I’ve had success in is 16.6°C but

oblivious to the surface school cruising past them. Searching for kings can sometimes be a long and frustrating affair but by knowing you are in a productive area, or heading towards a productive area, can keep sprits and confidence high, rather than just driving around aimlessly. These marks have been accumulated over many seasons and it is amazing how the fish can show up in similar spots. If fish can’t be seen, trolling a spread of lures that make some sort of surface disturbance can help bring a school to the surface. In shallow areas the electric motor is perhaps the key to consistently being in with a chance of catching good kings. The stealth ability of cruising around under electric power helps to spot schools on the surface and sneak up on them. In shallow water these schools quickly disperse should any petrol powered outboard come near, but sneaking up on the electric and then tossing a lure in usually results in mayhem. Once hooked up the electric motor is also important so you can quickly give chase and keep close to the fish, eliminating the distance and angles that would see you cut off on the reef if

Glassy summer days are the ideal time to get out and chase kingfish in the South West. the hook up area, as you have done your best to keep the fish close to the boat. Big kings don’t tend to

A quality Vic kingfish, the sort that will really stretch your arms! Surface schooled fish are usually either feeding or will react if a lure is put into them. We often laugh at anglers glued to their sounder jigging away while

you were unable to give chase. After the conclusion of the battle a quick check of GPS track can often find you have travelled a considerable distance from

follow each other like rats, but if you use the track or mark to return to the hook up area, they may still be there or show themselves there later on. That is if

someone in a big boat hasn’t driven straight over the top of them and put them down. GETTING THE BITE Sometimes the fish go down from being visible on the surface, but stay in the same area. By using the spot lock feature on the i-Pilot you can stay on the fish you have sounded or the spot you last saw them on the surface. You can then drift live baits down, watch to see if they come back up or keep throwing lures to try and draw them back up. If you are in deeper water this might be the time to drop a jig if you can see the fish on the sounder below the boat. Kings hooked on jigs seem to go even harder, if that is possible for kingfish, once hooked. It seems like the metal jig whacking them in the side of the head angers them somewhat. So you’ve got the weather right, found some fish, now what do you do? If the first two parts of the equation weren’t hard enough, kings, particularly big ones, can be quite temperamental. Kingies do love a live bait. A live squid or wriggling salmon is usually irresistible if you manage to put it in front of a king… usually! There are times when the fish will not touch a livey, but will eat a lure. Other times the fish might

Larger kingfish are a fantastic eating fish and a fish this size will feed a lot of people. swim past a live bait and eat a fresh squid strip or even worse, swim past all of the above on the heavy gear and eat a fresh piece of squid on a whiting rod! It is this unpredictability, which while at times driving you mad, only adds to the mystique of pursuing kingfish. Like many lure caught species, kingfish

often succumb to a reaction bite. While they might not be in a feeding mood the commotion made by a surface lure can goad them into action, even if they have refused a juicy live offering. At other times they will follow a lure but not take it. The quick thinking or prepared angler who can

quickly present a live bait into the mix before the fish departs the scene, can often be rewarded. I suppose the main point here is to be open to options rather than blinkered into one technique in case the fish are being fussy on that particular day. Large soft plastics and stickbaits are perhaps the best lures to throw at them. Sometimes they like it cranked back at warp speed, other days they like a pause, some days they’ll only eat it on the drop. Observe the fish’s reaction to your first offering and hope they give you a second chance to do something different next time. The South West does have a fairly consistent population of kingfish over the summer months. The best locations vary from season to season, so keep your eyes out when on the water; you never know where you will come across them. It can be terribly difficult to get the right conditions, find the fish and get them to bite. However when it all comes together, and you feel yourself hooked up to a rampaging king, you will soon see that all the effort was well and truly worth it. STARTING POINTS Portland, Portland Harbour Suitable for large and small boats. Kingfish can even be found within the harbour area or just outside on the ‘Town Reef’ area. Most boats, however, head east across Portland Bay to the region known as the North Shore. Kingfish can be encountered virtually anywhere along this shallow reefy section of the coast from waters as To page 8

King fishing can be fast and furious! FEBRUARY 2015

This ‘rat’ king, caught by the author, took a liking to a Daiwa Overthere Skipping. Sometimes they like lures worked fast, sometimes they like them paused, you just need to experiment to find what’s working on the day. From page 7

shallow as 3m to the deeper water around 10m on the edge of the shallow reefy section. Alternatively, heading west brings you to Lawrance Rock, which is an area that can also hold populations of kingfish. Narrawong/North Shore Turning left at the boat ramp sign off the Princess Highway brings you to a

small beach launch ramp known as Wallys Ramp. This ramp is good for small boats. A 4WD is needed for all but the smallest boats, although it is an easier beach launch than Killarney. This ramp allows small boats to launch directly at the productive North Shore area negating the long journey from the Portland ramp.

Port Fairy Suitable for large and small boats. This is a small town ramp that enters into the Moyne River, no bar crossing involved. Smaller boats can head across Port Fairy Bay until you come to reefy areas that link up to the Killarney area. Larger boats can head west as there are also other reef areas worth

exploring between here and Yambuck. You can use the closest ramp if you intend on fishing Lady Julia Percy Island. This is an adventure only for large seaworthy craft, any wind from the southeast quarter (extremely common over summer) can make for an arduous return journey. Killarney Killarney, west of Warrnambool can be reached by traveling along the main highway west until you reach the pub at Killarney. Turn left and follow the road to the beach. A 4WD is preferred as a 2WD can get easily bogged in soft sand. Once outside the sheltered bay kings can be found anywhere along the reef areas to the left or right. Look for deeper water on outside edge of rocks with weed and presence of bait or salmon schools. Be very careful as reefs can break in all but the calmest seas. Warrnambool This is a town ramp near the break wall and can facilitate large and small boats. Heading west past the marine park area at Thunder Point, look for reef areas in 8-12m of water as you head towards the Basin/Killarney area. Exercise extreme caution in all but the calmest seas.

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Glenelg River glee for more munching mulloway WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

February is a fantastic month to fish the Glenelg River, with the heat of late summer still keeping water temps up but a distinct decrease in boat traffic at the end of the holiday period. The Glenelg is an extremely popular place for

camping and fishing over the summer months with grounds like Pritchards camp site being full to capacity. As we move into late January and early February the boat traffic starts to decrease on the river and this certainly helps in terms of finding clean water to fish. At this time of year lure fishing really comes into its peak period with

fish well spread through the system and keen to eat. Bream can be found throughout the river from the highest reaches right to the mouth/estuary section. The warmer water temps mean early mornings and late afternoons are often the best times to fish with bream moving up onto the edges to feed. Early mornings present the opportunity to throw

There have been some legal size mulloway turning up in the Glenelg of late. surface lures into shallow water as well as heavy snags. Unweighted soft plastics rigged on worm hooks are a very effective tactic. Rigging minnow style plastics and throwing them right up into the shallows

the bream move back down off the edges to escape the brightness and heat of the day. Estuary perch will be higher in the river system with some great fish being caught of late around the

snags but can also be slow rolled in the deeper water later in the day making them a very versatile lure. Small mulloway are still abundant in all reaches of the river but recently there has been a decent run of

Michael Linke and a cracking pair of estuary perch.

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The author with an early morning surface-caught perch.

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will always produce some nice fish. The rock walls through Taylors Strait are a favoured area for this technique and often you can see bream flanking in the shallows as you slowly creep along edges. As the sun gets up, a change to slightly deeper diving hardbodied lures or more heavily weighted soft plastics is the way to go as

dry creek area and higher. The same rules apply for perch with early morning surface bites being the order of the day and slightly deeper diving lures as the sun rises. In recent times spinnerbaits have been very successful. These lures are very snag-resistant and lend themselves to being thrown right up into the rocky shallows and heavy timber

fish up to 80cm with the odd bigger fish caught. Live baiting in the estuary has produced some good fish with mullet being the prime bait. Nelson boat and canoe hire can provide live mullet for bait but it’s important to call ahead of time and order your bait. They also have a great range of other fresh baits and are well stocked with lures.

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Bream and estuary perch are often found on the same snags.

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ey are as important to th e us ca be es ss la n, ality polarised sung critical eye protectio g in id ov pr as I wear Mako high qu l el w . As my rod, reel and lure sing fish. These ui cr ot sp ly al tu ac d my fishing results as e an y fish-holding structur tif en id to e m w lo al y can’t fault them. pl m si I s. my sunglasses ed ne r ea for all my fishing eyew days, I rely on Mako glass lens, copper (wears G3SX lens er. shing writer/present Fi ) ic m ho oc ot ition in ph base, standard defin

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Big Portland pay day PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

If you are looking for a great place to fish, come on down to Portland and check out what we have on offer. At the moment, we have seen a good run on the mighty kingfish ranging from rats to some getting around the 10kg mark. Let’s hope this is a good sign for the season to come. Most of the kings have showed up with the salmon, which have also been a lot of fun. Lures and trolling baits have been the best for the kings and the salmon at this stage but later the kingfish certainly like fresh squid and live baits under floats. The Lee Breakwater has also produced some great kingfish and still the odd large snapper. The large snapper have been a little disappointing this season in numbers but some have still touched the 10kg mark, which make these fish so ecxiting to catch every year. Salmon, squid, whiting, pinkies and sharks are also the breakwater favourites. The Bay Area to Lawrences Rock and North Shore area has so much on offer when fishing. Whiting, flathead, snapper, squid,

sharks and mulloway are just some of the fish in these areas. The fishing beyond the Rock has also seen some great fish. Good size flathead and gummies and schoolies around Bridgewater Bay and there has been some nice makos getting around Cape Bridgewater. Some great blue eye, trumpeter, blue grenadier and sharks in the deep water. Beach fishing in the north is starting to fire up with some nice school sharks and the odd good size mulloway with some good size salmon in the surf too. FEBRUARY FISHING Let’s hope the kingfish are in good numbers and sizes as they are just so great to catch when they fire, especially when in the shallow waters as they go like steam trains. An other thing to watch for in February is the odd bluefin in the shallows; this time last year they were seen and caught. We should see good numbers of squid, pinkies and sharks around the North Shore and generally get good feeds, especially when they hit the berley trails. Whiting and flathead are great to catch around the bay; some guys anchor up and others drift with good results. The deep water fishing is generally on fire too with big fish coming onto

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the cleaning tables. Breakwater should still be fishing well for pinkies, sharks, squid, salmon, couta, whiting and the odd kingfish. The beach fishing is a great option at this time of year, especially on those nice warm summer nights. • For all your fishing and weather information you can call the team at Portland Compleat Angler on 5521 1844 or call in at 61 Bentinck Street next to the Gordon Hotel. We also have all your bait, tackle and fishing licences in store.

The boys caught this great carpet shark from the North shore. These alien-looking things are actually really tasty!

Mulloway still a Hoppies highlight WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

It’s always a good sign to have had some kings being caught before Christmas and that’s what happened this year. Hopefully, come February we will be still catching these fantastic sports fish. Bottom fishing tends to take a back seat to more prestigious sporting targets like makos and kingfish, however there is still good fishing to be had at this time of the year. Quality gummy and school sharks were still being taken locally in late December and should still be available during February. If you’re out fishing for makos, it’s well worth your while to have a bait on the bottom. February is often a good time to get around the inshore reefs and chase a

feed of whiting on a warm summer’s evening. Getting in the water and trying for a feed of crays or abalone is also appealing at this time of year as water temperatures are at their highest. Mulloway continue to be a highlight in the Hopkins. Most fish are still just under or slightly over the legal size limit but there have been some better fish like the 5kg fish taken by Barry Johnston on a vibe lure. I even managed a 5.7kg fish from the upper reaches of the river. By February the river mouth is often closed and some excellent fishing could be had if the mulloway school up near the mouth waiting for a fresh surge of seawater. Bream have also been biting well recently in the Hopkins, bait and lure anglers have been having success on fish to around 40cm. Breaming can be a bit hit and

The first kings of the season arrived late December, so hopefully there’s plenty around in February.

Not all the mulloway in the Hopkins are small. The author took this 5.7kg from the upper reaches of the river.

miss in February depending on the river conditions, however the days where there is no way you’d be going to sea are often the best to be up the river as a bit of breeze can oxygenate the water and stir them up a bit. If you are thinking of coming down to experience some late summer season South West action, keep in mind the annual Shipwreck Coast fishing competition. The 2015 event will be run from 7-15 March and has categories in a wide variety of species to suit all anglers’ tastes. Last year saw profits donated to Peters Project, a local community project to raise $5 million toward the building of a desperately needed Integrated Cancer Care Centre in Warrnambool. The 2015 event will be donating profits to the Warrnambool Coastguard in support of the wonderful work they do in our region.

FEBRUARY 2015

Open estuaries open options APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

The local river estuaries have been producing plenty of bream on prawn and scrub worm baits with small hardbodied lures being the pick for lure fishers. The Aire and Barham river estuaries tend to fish best when the mouth of the river is opened to the sea. At this time of year, with minimal flows coming out of the ranges, this occurs only for a few days each month. Once the river is open to the ocean and the river level drops with the out going tide the shrimp and small baitfish get flushed out of the grass and reeds and back into the main river. This gives the bream an ideal place to chase an easy feed, making the

edges of the river the best place to concentrate your angling efforts. February has always been very reliable for bream fishing in this region so I’m expecting some red-hot sessions in the coming weeks. The upper estuaries of these two rivers are also worth prospecting for brown trout at this time of year too. Wait for a hot evening and fish the last two hours of daylight as this should see the fish actively feeding on the surface. Large numbers of flathead have been taken out from Skenes Creek, Marengo and Blanket Bay in 30-40m of water. Squid and fresh strips have been the most reliable baits as they stay on the hook well, allowing several fish to be caught on the one bait. The best results come from drifting until you hit a patch of fish, and then

using the GPS to retrace your drift over the same area several times until you have caught enough flathead for a feed. Snapper have been biting on most of the offshore reefs between Cape Patton and Cape Otway with the same baits that are used for flathead taking the majority fish. The snapper have not been big fish but they are good eating size with an average fish being between 1-1.5kg. Again, drifting over the reef is a good way to locate the schools of snapper so make sure your GPS is ready to mark the spot once you start catching some fish. Mako and blue sharks are also around in numbers out in around 70m of water. A constant berley trail is the key to attracting the sharks to your boat. The inshore grounds around Apollo Bay have

been firing for King George whiting with plenty of boats getting in on the action. Look for sandy holes or channels in the reef systems in water depths of 5-10m. Pipis are the most successful and easy to use bait but recently I have been having a ball casting soft plastic lures. Marukyu Crabs have been a real winner when fished like bait on a running sinker rig. The key is to keep them moving by slowly retrieving your line along the bottom. Give them a go and you will be surprised at how well they work. Calamari squid can be caught from the local pier using 2.5 sized squid jigs with early morning being the best time to target them. The squid have not only been in larger numbers this year but in bigger sizes too, so I expect the exciting fishing to continue right up until Easter.

The King George whiting season is in full force and this large specimen took a soft plastic crab slowly retrieved along the bottom in 7m of water.

The tourists are gone and tranquillity is restored The summer holidays saw camping grounds along the South West coast packed to capacity with happy campers

COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

and a fair amount of these holiday-makers also brought their boats. Activity in and around our waterways increased

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Local bream are responding to soft plastics, especially in shrimp patterns. dramatically and it is just something us locals have to endure. Let the tourists enjoy a sleep in and get out on the water as early as possible I say. Plenty of boats launching from Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Boat Bay near Peterborough have been working the reefs that lie offshore in depths averaging around 40m. Plenty of school shark to 19kg have been boated. The gummies seem to be a tad quieter for some unknown reason. There’s plenty of pinkie snapper about with the odd fish to 4kg thrown in for good measure. Blue morwong, nannygai, calamari and flathead make up the numbers. Closer inshore, smaller snapper have become a nuisance as many fish are barely size but that is a

yearly occurrence down here, especially from January onwards. King George whiting are about but not in huge numbers or sizes, so don’t expect to bag out in a session on huge whiting because it’s just not happening at present. Mako shark are coming on the scene with fish to 80kg taking surface baits ballooned out the back of a boat. As the season progresses, the mako scene should improve with an increase in numbers and size taking place. The odd seven gill and thresher shark are also being caught. Schools of Australian salmon and silver trevally are still about (they never really disappear) and are great fun on light gear, but the numbers aren’t as great as they are in the cooler months. Plenty of drop netters as

well as divers are getting stuck into the crayfish as there seems to be plenty about just like last year so this is good news to those who love a feed of cray. The size of some of these crustaceans almost has to be seen to be believed and this all points to a well managed southern rock lobster fishery. Bream fishing in the Curdies estuary is steady with fish to 41cm responding to local live baits such as shrimp and greyback minnow, which have been very scarce for the past two years. Schools of these whitebait have finally entered the system from the ocean in an effort to complete their lifecycle. These are a top bait either used live (pinned through the jaw) or dead, and not many bream pass up on greyback bait. Soft plastics in shrimp patterns as well as medium diving minnow lures fished up close to the bank in the river have also proved effective. The bream are scattered right throughout the system with smaller fish tending to school while larger specimens are more territorial and tend to take up residence along a particular stretch of bank. Some school mulloway have entered the system when the mouth was open and several captures have occurred in the past two months, so keep this in mind when rigging up the terminal end of things for bream.

FEBRUARY 2015

Did someone say gummies? GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

There has been a few ‘rumours’ hitting the grapevine that the kingfish have been biting in the region. This is great news for those who need the kinks pulled from their fishing line and enjoy sore forearms. They fight like no other and are always angry at every other fish near them so they make for good lure targets. They love a live salmon, fresh squid and jigged metal lures over deep reef. Top possies in the region include Point Henry in Corio Bay, The Rip, Collendina, Barwon Heads and the Surf

Coast. Recent rumours out of Apollo Bay have had a couple of people excited down that way. These include a legal length fish caught land-based and some massive fish sighted whilst diving. Yeah, I know - exciting! Wayne Diffey from Apollo Bay Surf ‘n Fish says there has been a few good sized flathead, snapper and gummy sharks caught by anglers drifting out deep plus some quality King George whiting caught not far from Point Bumbry. Daniel Kent fished with a few mates out off Cape Otway in around 40m of water a few weeks ago. The lads ended up with a few flatties and a trio of quality gummy sharks. They headed in early, as Dan had to work. The other lads were

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BLUE WATER Mako recommends a grey lens base with a blue mirror with a high definition filter. This lens colour is very relaxing for the eye and is the most common for offshore fishing. When blue water fishing, there is rarely a lack of light and the grey lens cuts down the most light and gives a very natural colour balance. The high definition filter is added to the lens to filter our yellow and orange wavelengths increasing contrast and clarity. keen to continue so dropped him off and went back out on the whiting where they had six in six casts. Nice! Speaking of King George, Torquay anglers are welcoming a few of these tasty critters to local waters just in time for tourist season. They have been caught in and around shallow reef areas on first and last light and then out a bit deeper once the sun is high. The biggest I’ve heard of recently was 50cm, which is an absolute cracker! You’d need a run up to eat just one of those fillets! Fishermans Beach is a great spot to target whiting in small boats, kayaks or land-based but it does get a hiding from jet skis, which will frighten off any whiting. Give it a go first or last light when water sport activity

is low and you could be in for a few. Queenscliff Boat Harbour continues to produce quality silver trevally right on the high tide ‘slack water’. Try raw chicken, pilchard fillets or pipis for bait or small singletailed grub soft plastic lures and fish deep for them. The Barwon River is fishing well for redfin from 300-800g. Live gudgeon are their ‘party pies’ (i.e. even when you’re full, you can fit one more in) but lures are always great fun. Cast your offering parallel to the bankside weed as they hang near here in search of food. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for snakes this time of year as Brad Cox posted a pic recently of a small tiger snake

The boys picked this trio of gummies up in 40m of water off Cape Otway. he saw while fishing for redfin in the Barwon. FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few recently? Send in a report to slaterbunch@ optusnet.com.au with “Echo” in the subject field or give me

a call on 0408 997348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught it. You can also reach me via Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/NeilSlater.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Yabby fishing rules will be enforced Recreational anglers are reminded that catch limits and equipment restrictions need to be heeded when fishing for freshwater yabbies in Victorian waterways. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director Ross McGowan said daily catch limits applied to all Victorian waterways. The daily catch limit for recreational anglers in, on or next to Victorian waters is 20L of whole yabbies, 150 individual yabbies, or five litres of yabby meat not exceeding 150 tails. “These catch limits, and

a requirement to return all berried females to the water, help share the catch between anglers and ensure the yabby fishery remains sustainable,” Mr McGowan said. “Additionally anglers must not possess more than 60L of whole yabbies, more than 400 individual yabbies, or more than 10 litres of yabby meat not exceeding 400 tails anywhere in Victoria. Recreational anglers are reminded that equipment restrictions also apply to the harvest of yabbies, including limits on how many nets may be used in certain waters. “Yabby pots, which

include opera house nets, can’t be used in public waters, but can be used in private waters, such as farm dams.” “Anglers can use or possess a total of 10 nets, whether recreational hoop nets or open-top lift nets in inland waters.” No more than five recreational hoop nets can be used in the Goulburn, Ovens, Glenelg, Latrobe, Tarra, Mitta Mitta and Kiewa river systems. The same limit applies to Wodonga Creek, Ryans Creek, Waranga Basin, Carrol’s Creek or in any tributary of those waters or any of their impounded waters.

“However Lake Eildon, Rocklands Reservoir or Lake Dartmouth have a limit of ten hoop nets.” Mr McGowan said nets, including bait nets, must be tagged with the user’s full name and address, and must remain on or above the water’s surface at all times. For more information, including yabby net dimension rules, anglers should check the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide or download the free ‘Vic Fishing’ app for smartphones. For more information visit www.depi.vic.gov.au/ fishing – DEPI

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Korr Lighting always seem to be coming up with an exciting new product to make every day life just that bit easier. In a masterstroke of market research, product design and application, Korr are now offering a brilliant

recharged from any motor vehicle 12 volt cigarette lead or from any USB socket, which gives great flexibility when used in the boat, or maybe when camping. Made of aircraft aluminium

Included in the torch kit is a carry pouch for the belt, a charging kit, plus a convenient reloadable AAA battery cartridge so you can make alternative use of conventional batteries should a power source to recharge the Lithium battery be unavailable. The complete torch kit can be obtained from Korr lighting for a mere $69.00.

Korrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new hand torch package: value for money and very versatile. new hand torch that will tick a lot of the boxes for the end consumer seeking top shelf portable lighting. Using the latest USA T6 Cree Chip backed up with a high power rechargeable Lithium battery this torch pumps out some very

serious light. In fact, with a design seeing some handy flexibility in beam adjustment from spread to spot the user will have an ability to see objects perhaps as far as 200m away. As a rechargeable unit the new torch is able to be

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Melbourne’s metro madness PORT PHILLIP WEST

Brenton Hodges blhodgey@hotmail.com

The snapper run has wound down significantly over the past month, but fortunately February is the time when the western flank fires for many other species. INNER REEFS With most holidaymakers returning to work this month, traffic across the inner reefs is reduced and already King George whiting have been on the go over the shallow patches of sand and weed at Point Cook, Werribee South, Point Wilson and Avalon. By far the best bait options include fresh mussel, pipi and small pieces of tenderised squid or cuttlefish. Whiting are also partial to small worm pattern scented soft plastics.

Bream are expected to fire in Melbourne’s metropolitan rivers this month. This one fell to a small vibration style lipless crankbait presented hard up against a floating pontoon.

There’s been plenty of squid on offer from Point Cook right through to Corio Bay and along the Bellarine Peninsula and this should continue well into February.

While prospecting the shallows in less than 6m of water, you can also expect to encounter some decent size flathead, with fish up to and beyond 50cm on the prowl either side of Werribee South in recent weeks. There’s been plenty of squid on offer from Point Cook right through to Corio Bay and along the Bellarine Peninsula and this should continue well into February. Drifting over weed beds in 2-6m of water has been highly productive with small 2.5-3.5 size jigs in various natural colour patterns accounting for most. Corio Bay has been housing some big schools of Australian salmon, with some also popping up at Point Cook, Altona and Williamstown when conditions suit. While the best of the snapper season may have passed, smaller pinkies to about a 1kg have arrived on the

inshore reefs. Those pitching worm and baitfish profile soft plastics from a drifting boat should be amongst the action this month, particularly in low light conditions at dawn and dusk. METROPOLITAN RIVERS Bream are expected to fire in Melbourne’s metropolitan rivers this month with early morning sessions casting small diving lures and even surface presentations along the rocky edges likely to produce. Likewise, small crab imitations have been working well, especially around the bridge pylons and floating pontoons. As is often the case, live tubeworm and fresh mussel meat cast close to structure is generally a sure bet. School mulloway have been in far greater numbers throughout Victoria over the past few years. In fact, since the drought breaking rains back in late 2010, most estuary systems west of Melbourne have seen an influx of juveniles ranging in size from just under the 60cm legal limit up to about 80-90cm, and sometimes beyond. Those larger 1m+ specimens are most certainly available, but you’ll need some local knowledge, skill, patience and perhaps an ounce of luck to trigger a response and then land them. Mulloway tend to feed in short, sharp bursts as the current slows during a change in tide, especially around the full or new moon phase. Bridges pylons, sweeping bends and deeper holes are good places to start searching. In most instances, they will be shadowing large concentrations of yellow-eye mullet, juvenile salmon or whitebait, or perhaps lurking around the outskirts of schooling bream. YARRA RIVER Sebastian Widjaja has

The coming months should see increasing numbers of school mulloway return to the metropolitan rivers. been putting in the hours at Docklands of late. Fishing with both a heavier outfit baited with whole pilchard in the hope of tempting a mulloway and a lighter setup for bream, the introduction of some berley soon attracted plenty of baitfish. Shortly afterwards, the lighter outfit comprising a paternoster rig baited with peeled prawn and raw chicken received an enquiry. A slow deliberate take resulted in the reel screeching to the tune of something much larger than a bream! As a sizeable mulloway momentarily revealed itself, a powerful run through the barnacleencrusted pylons won the beast its freedom. If only it took the pilchard on the heavier outfit! While obviously disappointed by the loss, Sebastian went on to land

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Sebastian Widjaja has been putting in the hours at Docklands of late with bream to 35cm and odd mulloway encounters keeping him entertained.

several bream to 35cm on prawn. More recently, he’s also managed a few on metal blades, especially after any rain when the water becomes more discoloured from the run-off. Never one to miss an opportunity to cast a line, Aaron Hassett filled in a few hours in the city searching for bream, pitching a small vibe at the nearby floating pontoons. It soon put him amongst the action. MARIBYRNONG RIVER Keen kayak enthusiast, Joel Bramble, has been doing well on the Maribyrnong River over the summer months with plenty of quality bream taken on various lure-fishing techniques. According to Joel, either side of high tide is prime time to snare a few bream along the rock walls on small shallow diving minnows worked in a twitchy stop-start fashion parallel to the bank. Other areas such as bridge pylons and floating pontoons can be productive on both the incoming and outgoing tides. Here the technique generally involves drifting a micro vibe or crab imitation through the water column and into the shade of the structure. VIC BREAM CLASSIC Unfortunately, the opening round of the VIC Bream Classic series will not be held in Melbourne this year. Tournament Director, Bill Hartshorne, has advised the event has been relocated to Marlo, which is expected to attract a larger field. BEEN FISHING? Reports and images are most welcome and may be submitted via email to blhodgey@hotmail.com.

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Hot on the rocks for February fishing fever PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

The warm summer weather has also brought with it plenty of hot fishing over the past weeks with anglers finding good numbers of fish and a wide variety of species on offer in the local area stretching from Mordialloc to the city, and it is generally the case that February and March can and usually provide some excellent fishing opportunities.

MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK Mordialloc Pier has seen some good fishing over the past weeks with everything from pinkies and squid to garfish and even whiting being caught, so it pays to take a range of gear with you as you need to adapt to what ever species are on the chew when you are there. As an added bonus, the past weeks has also seen some solid schools of salmon running along the coastline in this area so it always pays to have a small metal lure ready to be able

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to cast at the fish. I also had some anglers call into Fishing Fever for advice, where I suggested they try getting a berley pot and load it with mashed pilchards and a fine bran and oil berley, hang it in the water then use unweighted baits of whitebait and pilchard fillet. Cast out and allowed it to sink down naturally. They caught a load of pinkies, salmon and trevally, along with a few big mullet. Best of all, this technique allows you to fish the whole water column as your bait drift down to the bottom. Recent weeks have seen a lot of anglers put a fair focus on the whiting in the area and the past weeks have been better than in previous seasons with not only good numbers but a wide spread of fish on offer, from locations such as the Horse Paddock Reef up to the Parkdale Pinnacles, then on the smaller structures such as the lump off Beaumaris boat ramp known as Brickies.

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If your looking for the little bit of info that can really help you find consistent success on the whiting then I suggest you get hold of mussels as bait. I just find they are very consistent producers on the whiting in this part of the bay. Adding to the whiting during late December and through January, we heard a few sneaky reports of anglers seeing and hooking some yellowtail kingfish on the reef edges around Ricketts Point, down to Black Rock. This month will hopefully see plenty more starting to kick around, especially if we can get some warm calm weather to really heat up the shallows. Best of all you can effectively fish for the kings while you are chasing the whiting, simply put a live garfish or whiting out under a small float while you fish and as the kings come in to see what’s going you should get a screaming run. Out wider there was still a few decent snapper reports filtering in during January and although for most people the snapper season is over this year, for the anglers who are still keen to get there fix on the reds the snapper bite through summer has been exceptional. There’s still great numbers of fish in the 1-4kg range to be found out on the wider areas such as the Gasso and along the edge of the channel.

SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA It’s much of the same in this area as it is up in the Mordialloc to Black Rock Stretch, however the whiting reports in this part of the world have definitely been consistent with some sensational catches of King George coming from the Yorkies reef and even out at the Anonyma Shoal. While the numbers have been good, the size of the whiting has also been up there, with a lot of anglers saying they are finding plenty of fish in the 40cm size. Futher north, Green Point has been holding a few garfish for anglers who have been berleying across the shallow reef. Up off Brighton and towards St Kilda the shallow reef areas have been holding scattered schools of whiting, some decent pinkies and red mullet and some excellent flathead in the shallow water between the reef. Interestingly, some of the better flatties have been taken by kayak and landbased anglers as they work the really shallow water with soft plastics, of which the 3” ZMan minnow in a colour called ‘mood ring’ has been producing more than the odd good flatty. Out wider, fishing around the edge of the shipping lane up near the Fawkner Beacon, the anglers who seem to be targeting the snapper are having a ball. The trick is

definitely sound until you mark just a few fish in the area, then anchor up and berley hard to get the school feeding, and while most of the fish are in the 1-3kg size the numbers are there for a good session. ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE It’s a funny time of year in this part of the bay with its often dead flat conditions and thousands of people enjoying its warm shallow waters, either swimming or in boats and jet skis, it’s a wonder there are any fish to be found. However, once the sun gets lower in the sky, there are some great fishing options to be had with the past weeks producing a range of species. For the most part the target species have been garfish and salmon during the daylight hours and of a night the focus changes to some whiting on the shallow reef and weed areas just off St Kilda marina or pinkie snapper on the cunjevoi beds that lie in 8-12m of water off Kerford Rd through to station pier. Over the past month I have also been hearing that some keen lure fishers have been finding some big bream holding up in the shadows of the moored boats in behind the Breakwall and also up at Princess Pier, with small hardbodies and both all taking fish.

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Jason Reilly nailed his first golden perch trolling a pink Micro Mullet along the Tuggeranong Dam wall from a kayak he borrowed from a friend. What a fantastic introduction to golden perch fishing!

FEBRUARY 2015

A perfect time to bag a feed PORT PHILLIP EAST

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

A predominantly mild summer weather pattern has continued for the past month on the bay. As a result, water temperatures have remained lower than normal for this time of the year, and some of the more expected arrivals and fish behaviour are yet to take place. Consistent rain has kept the inshore food chain well and truly alive, which has provided various fishing opportunities for both boat and land-based anglers on the east of the bay. Snapper fishing continues to be the primary interest for many of the bays anglers, however

the quality of the whiting fishing on offer both in Western Port and right throughout PPB has kept the usual numbers of anglers at this time of year a little lower. Although late summer is not known as the ‘peak’ time of year to tangle with a red or two, now is a great time to get amongst the action while angler traffic is less than normal, and fish numbers are still strong. Even though numbers of bigger snapper are not as prevalent as earlier in the season, big groups of school snapper are keeping anglers busy on the deeper marks. Out wide from Carrum, Seaford, Frankston and Mornington in 19-21m have all been producing some lovely reds in the 1.5-3kg

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size range. These smaller snapper will respond well to a variety of baits, and also a well deployed trail of berley to keep them near your boat and on the chew. Pilchards, squid, silver whiting and fresh fillet baits have all been doing well. It’s worth noting that the use of smaller circle hooks (3/04/0) normally provide a much easier release on these smaller fish. Another benefit of the large numbers of school snapper around is that novice and inexperienced anglers can get amongst the action as well. The smaller snapper are great for families and kids to all get in on the action. Alternatively, larger more solitary fish can be targeted in the shallower marks and also by landbased anglers during the right conditions. As I mentioned earlier, the whiting fishing in PPB has gone from strength to strength this summer, and

Some solid whiting have been taken on the shallow reefs at night by both boat and land-based anglers. This method often produces a solid by-catch of flathead and other species as well, and is a great method to

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in our bay as well. Times of low light, and through the night are best, especially in the shallower protected bays along the eastern shoreline. The best part of PPB’s whiting fishing is that land-based anglers can get amongst the action just as well as those with a boat, so the options are there for all of the bays anglers. Canadian B a y, Sunnyside, Fishermans Beach, Seaford and Woolleys Reef have all been producing some lovely whiting. While schools of fish can be located with your sounder right throughout the day, they are often harder to get on the chew until later or earlier in the day when they move into the shallower areas to feed. Fresh pipis, mussels and squid strips seem to be the most productive baits, and soft fillet baits like pilchards are effective as well, especially on the larger fish. Worm style soft plastics are well worth

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Good numbers of small kingfish have been reported, especially around Mornington Pier. while Western Port certainly gets more attention from many anglers, there’s still plenty of fish to be caught

a try a well, especially slow winding them along the inshore gutters on a paternoster or drop shot rig.

employ in conjunction with a set bait rod. Even more promising has been the number of

reports of smaller ‘rat’ kingfish in and around Mornington Harbour and the reef systems close by. Anglers fishing around schools of smaller salmon have taken most kingies, and some by anglers fishing smaller live baits under floats from the pier. Even though most fish are 50-60cm in length, there have been sightings of larger fish as well. Large schools of salmon have kept the lure and kayak anglers busy, and also the hope of an elusive kingfish. Squid fishing on the inshore reefs continues to impress, and both these target species have kept anglers busy chasing a feed, and looking for some quality fresh bait for their snapper and whiting assault. Finally, I have also received a few reports of some solid bream being taken around the piers at Frankston and Mornington as they move in and out of the nearby creek systems to feed.

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Offshore species at their best ROSEBUD

Dan Lee info@peninsulatotaltackle.com.au

February may signal the end of the major tourist season but the peninsula is still a busy place to be during weekends and periods of hot weather. While the tents

are being dismantled, caravans are trundling back up the freeway; it is still a fantastic period of the year for fishing. We are likely to still see the best of the kingfish and there is a range of other offshore species, such as makos, that will be targeted through the next couple of months.

Tim Dornbruch with a lovely snapper. There are still good-sized fish to be caught. SNAPPER Snapper have not finished for us down south with good fish still being taken behind Hovell Pile and up on the fairway. After a bit of a lull through January, February can often produce quality fish bigger than 6kg fairly commonly. One of my good customers Ben Broomfield had a ripper this week taking 20 fish including one, which his mate Matt Jacobi landed,that went 8.5kg.

LAND-BASED For the land-based angler, there’s plenty of squid to be had from Blairgowrie, Sorrento and Portsea piers and there has been a good number of fish caught under floats including gars, tommy rough and slimy mackerel in the evenings. Maggots are the best baits for this style of float fishing but silverfish are running a pretty close second.

Jack Auld with a big, fat summer gummy!

The boys at RIP Fishing Charters nailed these crays for customers. A popular target at this time of year, just make sure you obey the laws catching them – fisheries are out checking! FLATHEAD Back out in the boat we have seen some good flathead caught on the shallow weed beds on what most people would consider whiting ground. The trick has been to get that pilchard berley flowing. Alternatively, some nice flatties are coming from the northern banks of mud island. This area is a also a good place to hone your plastics skills, so take a packet of grub tails the next time you head out and you might surprise yourself. WHITING We have had a better season on the King George this year, with some particularly good bites

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Karl Nichols with a lovely Mornington Peninsula flathead.

at the Rosebud Reef and off Tootgarook. However, there have also been mixed reports from Portsea and out at the Pinnace Grounds. In the tidal water down on the peninsula, remember to run long leaders for your whiting – it can make all the difference. GUMMY SHARK Over the last few weeks, the best gummy shark fishing has been at night where there is some reprieve from the crowds and boat traffic. We have seen a range of sizes but the average has been in the 8-12kg mark. Fish have been taken from South and Symmonds channels and out on the mud by those still targeting snapper. Best baits have been salmon or fresh slimy mackerel and yellowtail scad caught by bait jig on the day. OTHER SPECIES There’s been more sightings and reports of kingfish this month, which will no doubt please the king hunters! And just before I go I have it on very good authority that there are some 8-10lb trout in Devilbend reservoir at the moment. And I put it out there to get up there and catch one… It is certainly a good option if we have ordinary weather for saltwater fishing. • For more information feel free to drop in and see the boys at Peninsula Compleat Angler, 11 Boneo Road in Rosebud or phone (03) 5981 1994.

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Mixed bag madness WST PORT NTH

Adam Ring

This would have to be one of my favourite times of the year to be fishing in Western Port as there are so many species on offer at the moment. The snapper continue to show up with some big fish still amongst them, the King George whiting are going completely bananas with the shallow water generally being the go-to and the gummy shark

kidney slappers mixed in pushing 42cm. Up on the shallow banks has been the most productive with water as shallow as 2m taking great bags of fish. Pipi and mussels have been by far the best baits. Just outside of the Tooradin Channel is where a lot of the bigger fish have been. A great report of a massive 13.5kg gummy came through that was taken on the last of the run-out tide on a fresh yakka chunk. The yakkas have been in great numbers around the port

of water just out of the channel and onto the Tyabb Bank. Most fish are of a great average size ranging between 36-41cm with the odd bigger fish pushing 45cm. Pipi and whiting worm have been the best baits. Where there is whiting, there is most definitely calamari and the Tyabb Bank is a calamari hot spot. Although the size of the squid has decreased a little bit there is still the odd one pushing 1kg. It is not uncommon at this time of the year to see calamari shooting out from under the boat trying

Darkness is the key for these big gummies. Shaun Furtiere has also been smacking the whiting in the shallow water along the middle spit. At times he has been in as little as 1.5m of water and still getting some nice fish. In general though, it’s that 4-6m line along the

spit that has been the most productive water for Shaun. Pipi and whiting worm and a run-out tide are a deadly combo. One of the better reports came from a local master who had a huge session on the spit

There are still a few decent snapper around for those who are keen. fishing is the best we have seen in years. THE TOP END I will begin this report over at Tooradin where the action has been red hot of late. There are a stack of whiting in the channel and although the majority of the fish have been between 32-35cm there have still been some traditional

lately and fresh is always best when it comes to big gummies, so it is well worth setting a fine berley trail in the calm water around Joes Island to try and get a tank full of fresh yakkas. Yaringa has to be the take out spot of the month with some outrageous reports coming out of the Yaringa Channel. The whiting are thick as thieves with heaps of fish taken in 4m

to attack your whiting as you bring them up so make sure you have a squid jig handy at all times. Apart from the whiting and calamari there has also been some great snapper still coming in to the Yaringa boat ramp. We recently received a cracker report of a great fish that tipped the scales at 7.2kg, which was taken on a pilchard. THE NORTH ARM The local charter boat operators have been having a ball right throughout the north arm and have been putting their customers onto some fantastic fish. The bigger charter boats have been working the channel edges along the middle spit and have been getting some great 80 fish sessions on the whiting. Steve Johnston has found some great patches of fish ranging from 35-43cm with pipi and mussel being the standout baits.

A sample of the beautiful whiting on the middle spit.

with a great mixed bag to take home for a feed. In one session he managed whiting to 42cm, flathead, calamari and salmon. Shaun also played around in the deeper water along the top end of the north arm where the gummy fishing has been outstanding. The cover of darkness has seen the best results with fish up to 15kg being a common capture. Fresh silver trevally and squid are a couple of Shaun’s favourites in the bait department so please take the time to gather a bit of bait before the sun goes down. There has still been a few snapper schooled up outside of Hastings if you are still interested in getting a few on the board. They are a great table size at the moment with most fish around the 2kg mark. Don Newman fished in 9m of water recently and got a couple of cracker ‘pannies’ in a short session. Tide change is still the best time to get them fired up. There was also a nice 5kg fish taken in 14m just outside the channel too; so still some big fish around if you haven’t got your snapper fix yet! As you can see it’s another jam-packed report so there is no excuses to not be out there and getting a cracker feed of some of the best table fish on the planet! Good luck and keep the reports coming!

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Prime time for Port’s plenty WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

It’s February already, which means only one thing – gummy sharks! Oh, and whiting and elephants and kingfish and calamari and salmon and silver trevally and garfish and…well, I guess everything the Port has to offer. February is the beginning of the water temperature decline in the Port and by the end of the month it should be around 20ºC. Into March, it is all downhill at a rapid pace but that doesn’t stop the fish from biting. During Feb, there is plenty on offer and the best part is the days are still warm and balmy and the strong northerly winds have dropped off allowing some very enjoyable evening sessions to be had. Although the majority of snapper decided to switch off early in December, anglers quickly made the switch to whiting and they haven’t disappointed anyone! Although the fishing in the top end of the Port has been exceptional, the southern section has been

equally as productive in recent weeks. Don Carmichael had a blinder of trip while fishing on the Tortoise Head bank. Fishing with his mate Phillip, the boys managed their bag of whiting to 43cm. Pipis were the top bait with most of the fish biting during the run-in

tide. Along here the bank drops very quickly into deep water but, providing you get onto the edge in 3-5m, you’ll do well. Coronet Bay has also been producing some magnificent fish, especially by those fishing from a kayak. I managed to get

You can have all the bait and berley you desire when whiting fishing but if you want a good bag of fish, just take your wife, they’ll out fish you every time.

out for a quick flick early one morning and managed a good dozen fish in 3m of water; berley did help bring them on. While at the Coronet Bay ramp, I was chatting to another fellow yakker on his way back in. He had just been flicking lures (soft plastics and squid jigs) around the rocky terrain at Reef Island. In his quarry, a great catch of leatherjacket, flathead and calamari. Another popular whiting haunt in recent weeks has been around Balnarring. One particular location between Point Leo and Merricks Beach has been exceptional during the rising tide. Reports received have been quite exciting with fish measuring 46cm common in a bag of 20 fish. One thing for sure in this area though, if there was a 1kg whiting to be caught, this is the place you’ll find it. Keep that in mind when you’re fishing the 2015 Western Port whiting challenge this year that from Flinders to Somers is where the big boys are found. Another regular producer of XOS whiting is down around McHaffies Reef, although this location doesn’t always allow access

The Port is teeming with calamari year round yet few anglers take the opportunity to catch them. due to the fast current and weather conditions, when it is calm, the fishing can be exceptional. Not that you’d fish directly on the reef itself, either side of it there are some large patches of reef

and weed beds. It is in these sand patches that you will find whiting but you do need the weather to be in your favour. Berley is a must to bring the fish on, with pellets or mashed pilchards placed

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there are some big gummy sharks about. During February and March, the Western Entrance comes alive with gummies but not everyone can fish here. The current is strong and the water is deep and it is no place for inexperienced anglers. If you are going to

give the Western Entrance a go, make sure that you have the right anchor and amount of chain. The last thing you need is to find a spot to anchor and find yourself drifting off the mark. Past history shows that providing you find yourself a location where the bottom

You can take all the different baits you want when targeting whiting but pipis are by far number one!

A funny old season PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

It’s been a funny old year for snapper in Port Phillip Bay. In lots of spots where the fishing should have been hot as previous years, it was not. There were lots of small undersize pinkies all over the place but the bigger fish were about in fewer numbers and much harder to find. The better catches coming in deep off Mornington and Mt

SURF BEACHES Not too many reports coming in from the surf beaches, as most fishos are either chasing snapper or whiting. Most beaches are fishing reasonably well with salmon to 1kg being the norm. The odd good size flathead and pinkies are starting to show up in the deeper gutters. Fishing early morning or late evening on a rising tide is getting the best results. SAN REMO AREA Below the Bridge Outside the entrance, tiger and sand flathead are about

into the bay, which should make for good fishing in all your favourite spots. Whiting are showing up in good numbers with some quality fish about. The smaller school whiting are being caught in good numbers in 2-6m of water whereas the bigger fish are in the deeper water where you normally fish for snapper. However they are not about in big numbers. While they lack the numbers they make up for it in size, from 40-50cm. Calamari are still about in reasonable numbers and gummies are starting to show

contours create a highwaylike channel, you will find a gummy. For those without boats, not all is lost as land-based fishing has been extremely productive. As long as you’re willing to walk to locations not often fished by other anglers, which can often be a challenge in itself. With the arrival of elephants in the coming weeks, locations such as Stockyard Point, Tenby Point, Settlement Point, Corinella Pier and Cowes Pier will be alive with keen land-based anglers. While the elephants will arrive in droves, catching them from the shore is a lot of fun. These suggested locations allow anglers to access deep water within a shore cast and, while some might screw up their noses at elephants, the influx of thousands of fish can also catch the attention of other fish as a by-catch. These include gummy sharks, school sharks, bronze whalers, snapper and seven-gill sharks. Of course, most are often met with a bite off due to their razor sharp teeth but providing you are willing to set up a few outfits, one with a wire leader and one with a mono leader, you should end up with a good result. If there was a crossover between two months

If you’re in search of gummy sharks, the time is now. throughout the year then the February/March period is the pick of them. With plenty of fish on offer from every

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in reasonable numbers off the Glasshouse. Couta and arrow squid have started to make an appearance and the makos should be out there as well, although I haven’t had any reports just yet. Above the Bridge There’s good reports of new schools of pinkies coming

up in bigger sizes. FLINDERS AREA There’s still some good calamari about, although the whiting scene is a little patchy. There are some good fish around but it’s hard to find any quantity. Snook are around in reasonable numbers over the reefy areas.

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Ash with a beautifully coloured 6.1kg snapper. Martha. The Snapper Point Tea Tree Competition highlighted this with twice as many fish weighed in from Western Port as from Port Phillip. In all previous comps the ratio has been the other way around. Why so many small fish and not so many big ones? I honestly don’t know.

channel and shallow mud bank, the next few weeks are sure to produce some classic catches. QXFMTR001

into a pot the ideal mix. Aside from whiting, February it is the month for anglers to be out seeking gummy sharks. There is something special about this time of year; maybe it is the warm air temperature that makes it so enjoyable to be out, oh yes, and the fact that

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Fight the fishing fluctuation for the kingies WELSHPOOL

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

The fishing has been up and down at Port Welshpool, especially as far as snapper have been concerned. There have been times when the reds have gone crazy and taking baits such as pilchards, squid and fish fillets, and then for no reason die right down to the extent that lucky boaters are flat out bagging a single fish. Even so the fish that have been caught have been to the 9kg mark and better. Places such as the Franklin Channel and Singapore Deep are productive. Gummy sharks have also been in good numbers, which is further good news, as well as quality flathead are making the effort well worthwhile. For quite a while there were virtually no reports of whiting but that could have been that most boats were looking for the bigger fish. With the emphasis now more spread out there have been very good reports of the royals being caught in the Lewis Channel to the 39cm

mark, where pipis, squid and Bass yabbies being the best of the presentations. Mixed in with the whiting there have been a sprinkling of silvers, salmon and flathead which is further good news with best results being on the run-out tide. The jetties have been well worth a try where squid are in good numbers and should stick around a while where they are being caught on a variety of jigs. Mullet, flathead and silvers are making up worthwhile bags where the best results always seem to be on the eastern end of the structure. Darren Whelan, better known as ‘Wheelo’ is a local legend in Port Albert and has been fishing the area for many years and knows these waters backwards. He says he has found that the best results have been on a rising barometer. There has been a very good run of snapper outside the entrance around the Blue Hole to the area known as 9 Mile. He says that Whale Bay has also been very productive where gummies and snapper as well as quality flathead have been caught on a variety of baits. Darren says that whiting are being bagged around the

grass beds and in the process there have been quite good numbers of calamari making a welcome appearance. The areas around the Basket Beacon and Budery Light have also been producing. Another local legend Phillip Forest, likes to chase the whiting and just before this report he decided to go out not far from the jetty looking for a whiting or whatever might come along. He had a bit of a wait and something did suddenly turn up and took off. Forrest knew that this was too big for a whiting and his light gear was being tested. After a long battle he landed his quarry that was a 4kg kingfish, which is the first one that Forrest has ever caught. Naturally he took to the General Store where Rob Killury weighed it and of course Forrest has bragging rights for some time to come. Since this session, there have been reports of kingfish sightings inside the entrance but none where they have been landed. Rob says that over the Easter weekend the conditions were ideal and as a result he had numerous boaters weighing in a variety of fish on his facilities he has

Phillip Forrest with his very nice 4kg kingfish caught just off the Port Albert jetty in his tinny. installed for that purpose. Rob says that there are very good numbers of big flathead and gummies being caught inside and outside the entrance, which makes the long wait worthwhile over the colder months when there was a battle at times to catch a fish. That has been forgotten now that the warm weather is with us and should be for some time to

come. There have been other reports of huge whiting that have been said to be in the 50cm range being caught on a variety of baits. There have been numerous reports of big squid being caught off the jetty on jigs where the best results have been on the run-in tide. Flathead, silvers, mullet and unusually good numbers of whiting

have been bagged on the run-in tide. For the benefit of visitors there are numerous jetties in the area but many are privately owned and permission must be obtained before fishing. This is usually not a problem and most time permission will be granted but it is only good manners to ask first and avoid embarrassment.

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Onto a whiting winner the tide cycle and there are very good quality perch that will take a variety of baits, including Bass yabbies, squid and sand worms with a pipi teaser. Whiting are also in good numbers as well as salmon and flathead that have been making up very impressive bags. Outside the entrance at Stevies Gutter there are reasonable numbers of whiting to the 34cm mark being caught, but there always seems to be those mini flathead that are way undersize and never seem to grow. The area in front of the ‘A’ frame house just before

INVERLOCH

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

The great fishing in this part of the world continues with pleasing varieties of fish being caught by boaters and land-based anglers. Whiting are in very good numbers and taking a variety of baits that include Bass yabbies, pipis, squid and small pieces of pilchards. John Bird and I decided to try our luck on the whiting on a fine and sunny day with virtually no wind. We fished the last half of the run-out tide and first of the run-in flow and landed up with 19 very nice whiting that were all just below the 40cm mark as well as half a dozen good size leatherjackets. The area known as the bathing boxes has been very productive where good size mullet to the 38cm mark have been caught on a variety of small baits that include pipis, Bass yabbies and sand worms. Quality silvers are also making up bags in the same area as well as flathead and the occasional gummy shark. Anderson Inlet is one of those places that is constantly changing especially from the snags area to the entrance. The sand bars are often on the move, especially after a big blow, which can render the marker buoys useless in some locations. If you are not confident then it would be a good idea to have a look at the low water level. Stevies Gutter is one of those places that can be accessed by boaters and land-based anglers and is best fished at low water on both tides when the fish have to come off the nearby sand bars. This is when they are exposed for a fair bit of

Mahers Landing is always popular with boaters, where silvers, gummies, flathead and a sprinkling of gummies have been taken. Dennis Harrington often makes the trek from Morwell and on his last trip just before Christmas had a great day out on some GPS marks. He finished with a mixed bag of silvers, whiting and good size flathead that were

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Warragul angler Paul Murphy with a very nice whiting, which are being caught at Inverloch on a variety of natural baits.

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all taken on pipis and says that his marks rarely let him down. Mahers Landing seldom seems to fail and so far land-based anglers had been catching quite reasonable bags of mullet, flathead and silvers on the run-in tide. There has also been some good sized gummies being bagged. Frank Edwards was one of the lucky anglers who was just about to call it a day after catching a fairly good bag of flathead and silvers. How many times does it happen when an angler will have just one last cast for luck? Of course, there can be only two results, good

luck or no luck at all and head for home. On this occasion Frank was in luck with his last cast, which was nearing the top of the tide just around dusk. He had a pipi bait on a size 6 hook when suddenly it took off and the battle began. He only had light gear and knew that there was something big at the other end! He managed to land a very nice gummy shark and he went home very happy with his work. Further upstream there have been some very worthwhile bags of fish being caught on both tides and quality flathead are being caught. Good results have been obtained when

the tide is running out and baits or lures, which include soft plastics, are dropped at the edge of channels. This is where flathead and other predators are lying in wait for smaller fish to come off the sand bars as they are exposed. For the benefit of those not familiar with Mahers Landing, it is best used at high water. There is not a great deal of tide flow but as the water recedes a very long shallow grade is exposed, which means that a vehicle will be in contact with salt water. Make sure you wash the vehicle with plenty of freshwater to avoid damage that can be severe as we all know.

Big sharks on the Ninety-Mile NINETY MILE BEACH

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Last year was definitely the hardest year on the surf I can remember, and it was mainly due to the presence of that slimy weed that made fishing for the most part impossible. Lately, the weed has eased slightly and there has been more fishable days than we had last year. At times the weed has been there, but the run-off tide seemed to be the time to fish and the weed tended to settle. On these occasions, we saw good numbers of flathead caught down around Reeves, Woodside and McGaurans beaches. Blue bait and surf poppers were producing the most flatties. The gummies have been tough, however there have been a few 3ft specimens caught scattered along the whole NinetyMile by anglers fishing of an evening. The interesting reports

Tom Cromie caught and released this massive bronze whaler estimated at over 150kg at Loch Sport on a whole tailor bait paddled out a few hundred metres. Top effort!

we have been getting are the reports of anglers getting spooled or taken to the cleaners by either large fish or sharks that have been unstoppable. This has got the land-based anglers out in force paddling lines out with whole fish baits to target big sharks and some real thumpers have been caught. We have seen multiple bronze whaler sharks caught to 9ft in length by anglers using whole fish such as salmon, trevally, tailor and bonito. Most of the sharks of late have been caught closer to evening and plenty have been landed in the dark, so be prepared for a long wait, you won’t necessarily hook a big shark as soon as you drop the bait. • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s “Off the Hook” on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!

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Wes Frost Marine 3 Satu Way, Mornington Phone: (03) 5976 4622 | Fax: (03) 5976 4633 Email: sales@wesfrostmarine.com

FEBRUARY 2015

Bumper bream on top GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Hard core bream anglers have the right to be excited, for this month is the start of lure fishing madness. It’s when bream have well and truly got breeding off their minds and they want to eat again. Flathead are also showing up in very good numbers and quite a few whiting have also filled bags nicely over the last few weeks. Throw in chunky salmon to 1.5kg, luderick or the odd tailor and you can say that the Gippy Lakes are providing a rewarding mixed bag. ALGAE SITUATION Just a quick report on the algae situation from the area. With my weekly updates from the Department of Environment and Primary Industries the news on any outbreaks is all good. Their monitoring has given the Gippy Lakes a clean bill of

health so far this summer. Let’s hope it stays that way because the last big algae outbreak was a few years back now. BREAM TIME AGAIN Lure anglers are now finally getting decent numbers of bream as they come down from the rivers and start feeding out in the lakes almost full time. I hear that surface lures are starting to trick a few bream at first light, particularly down at Metung and the Silt jetties. As usual the Hurricane Switch 66 bent minnow lures are working just fine and to get the best action out of these lures you need to work them just right. You should keep your rod tip pointed down as close to the surface as possible and with two or three sharp sideways pulls, work the lure about 15cm at a time with the odd 4-5 second pause. You will see the lure dart all over the place and even bob its head up out of the water at times. This action drives the bream nuts. You can also try a faster or slower retrieve depending

on what they want. The bream will let you know how fast to work this deadly surface lure by their response. Slowly worked suspending hardbodies along the very edge of the lakes are also proving successful. BREAM HOTSPOTS The best places to find this shallow water bream action are well known. The Mitchell Flats, out around both sides at the mouth of the Tambo River, Duck Arm, Raymond Island and the edges of the Silt Jetties are all known producers of bream. Lesser-explored country includes the lower Nicholson River downstream from the ramp and the vast sand flats around Metung and Bancroft Bay. All these areas will also obviously work well for bait anglers but no matter your technique, always plan to be on the water as early as possible. Even in the dark of morning will be deadly and it means you also avoid those nasty easterly winds that rise around lunchtime.

The 2.5” Z-Man Grubs are scoring plenty of bream in the Gippy Lakes. METUNG I want to make my annual push for Metung now, because it’s where some big tallies of bream and flathead should be caught during this and next month. Every time in early summer some amazing fish turn up around this area and you should be sure to fully search the jetty pylons right through to Nungurner and I’m quite sure some impressive flathead will be found on the

shallow sand banks, but once again be sure to get fishing at first light. A good mate even caught a lone 40cm estuary perch recently out in the lake while chasing bream. It’s weird where those elusive EP can turn up… PRAWNS The prime prawning season is still ahead of us, so be patient and look forward to March and April when the run

of really big prawns grow in number. Although we’re not in prime season just yet, it’s always worth a look at this time of year so choose the darkest of nights around the new moon. Holiday-makers have been out in force chasing the early run of prawns with mixed success. They are certainly there and smaller bait-sized prawns have been caught since way back in late November.

Bigger specimens on offer LAKES ENTRANCE

FMG

The last of the public holidays is now behind us and life in Lakes Entrance will settle down to a quiet roar. Fishing wise that is. OFFSHORE The fishing has been a little slower than expected. Not in quantities of fish, but the size of the fish being caught. Generally as we head further into the year, the quality of the fish being caught improves. So far this year that has not been the case. There was a great run of big fish in late November and early December, but they have now been replaced by fish that are smaller than usual for this time of the year. Sarn Eckhardt from

Lakes Entrance Offshore Charters told me that it has been difficult to get out to the fishing grounds due to the recent weather but when they have the signs have been great. There’s been plenty of bait shows on the sounder and good quantities of fish around them, but unfortunately they are not the big fish they like to put their clients onto. His prediction is that the big fish aren’t too far away and he is looking forward to getting out amongst them in February. February is considered one of the peak times to chase sharks in the area, with the numbers and size of the gummies increasing, giving anglers a great opportunity to catch a feed of flake. Flathead have been the stable species through the period, with good numbers

available off the back of the beaches and the deeper grounds. Kingfish will also begin to show up in better numbers, with the reefs all the way to Marlo holding fish. Find the bait schools and these fish wont be too far away. ESTUARIES With the recent weather there is plenty of fresh water in the system and this has made for tough fishing in the estuaries. The positive side of this is that after a flush the system generally flourishes and anglers will reap the benefits. Bread and butter species like whiting, bream and flathead take full advantage of the food that moves to the mouths of the system and this makes them an ideal target as the system sorts itself out. Fresh local baits, either gathered yourself or purchased

AUSTRALIA WIDE

from any of the local tackle stores are the key. You will be surprised what a difference this can make. Add in a little bit of berley and you have a deadly cocktail to a nice feed of fish. Prawns will continue to be in the system and they are at their biggest at this time of the year. If you haven’t given this a try, it is great fun and a great thing to do with the whole family (check out Jarrod Day’s feature in the December V&TFM for some handy tips if you haven’t tried this before). Thank you to Sarn Eckhart from Lakes Entrance Offshore Charters and Helen MacCubbin from Lazy Acre Log Cabins for their assistance in putting this report together. If you are looking for someone to take you fishing or somewhere to stay in the area why not give them a call. – FMG

Macca with a quality snapper. Hopefully February will see good numbers of these on the local reefs. Photo courtesy of Lake Entrance Offshore Charters.

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Head offshore for a big feed Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Summer is well and truly here now, the water temperatures have warmed up inside quieting down the snapper inside, but offshore the pinkies and flathead have been going very well and it hasn’t been too tough to get a feed. OFFHSORE Straight out the front of Mcloughlins between 18-21m has been producing lots of pinkies between 35-60cm and there are also plenty of flathead on the drift as well. To find the pinkies, most anglers are drifting until they get one and then anchoring on the spot after that. Pilchards have been the best bait. Further west toward the islands, anglers are really doing well bagging out on perfect eating size pinkies up to 44cm in length and are getting their bag of good-sized flathead to 50cm mixed in as well. Again, paternoster rigs and pilchards are working the best out here. Anglers are also fishing deeper at around the 30m mark.

There have been some good sized gummies caught out the front of Mcloughlins to 20kg, while Whale Bay and Bentley Harbour outside Port Albert and Welshpool

berley bomb, you should get plenty of slimy mackerel under the boat and over the past month they have been up to 40cm making them great dead baits for sharks,

Mick Gned with this cracker whiting measuring 43cm caught at Port Albert. have been producing gummies sharks between 10-15kg on the tide changes. There are plenty of schools of salmon around on the run in tide, so if you can catch as few for fresh bait. You can’t go wrong. Offshore if you drop a

but would also be worth using as live bait for any kingies that should be around outside at the moment. We have already had schools of rat kings inside Port Albert and Welshpool so the kings are definitely around and worth chasing.

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INSIDE The whiting have been hit and miss, some anglers are catching their bag one day and are then catching none the next. When anglers are finding them, they have been a good size, around 40cm. They are being caught on Bass yabbies and pipis. The big blue spot flathead are inside now so it’s worth getting out the soft plastics and targeting the big 65cm+ models that are around at the moment. Remember with the flatties, if you want big ones, use big lures. Small 3” plastics will get you numbers, but 4-5” plastics will get you trophies. Some anglers have been getting over half a dozen big 3kg models in a single session of late, not to mention the numbers of smaller models as well. Get out there with the plastics now, you can’t beat 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. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s “Off the Hook” on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!

You can’t beat this for a feed, caught offshore by Stu Tennant and Joe Keenan.

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Baitfish arrival signals the start of the pelagics MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The summer is here in full force and with the hot weather the water temperature has begun to

warm up and the first good size kingfish have started to show their colour. It wont be long before they are here

Sometimes the fish don’t cooperate as quickly as we would like.

There are lots of fishing options for the kids at Marlo.

Scotty Chapman’s sort-of happy with this bream comp by-catch. A flathead of this size is a real trophy, but clearly Scotty would prefer a big fat bream!

in huge numbers, schooling from Cape Conran all the way down to Marlo Reef. With the first sign of the kings, the huge schools of baitfish will arrive signalling the beginning of all the pelagic fish that follow, and then hopefully the marlin will appear making it an angler’s paradise again. While we look forward to the good times, the fishing offshore is very good at the moment. Anglers have reported getting plenty of flathead, pinkie snapper, morwong, squid, barracouta, salmon, gurnard and gummy shark, with a few kingfish as well. The surf beaches are also fishing great with plenty of salmon, tailor, flathead and gummy shark. Best results have been during the day fishing for salmon, tailor, and such like, using blue bait, pilchards, and pipis always accompanied with a popper. Other anglers have reported getting good results using light tackle and spinning with metal lures. The rivers and estuary are also fishing well with plenty of bream, luderick, mullet, estuary perch, trevally, salmon and tailor on the chew. One of

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the reasons the fishing is so good is this time of year the prawns are running, and are throughout the whole system in some form or other, ranging from tiny immature prawns to mature prawns that move down to the sand flats awaiting the right tide to run to the ocean. With the huge number of prawns gathered in one area it is ideal for flathead to gather in big numbers waiting in ambush for a feast.

The Marlo jetty all the way down to Frenchs Narrows is an ideal area for the anglers who like to fish with lures as there are plenty of flathead around. Bream are throughout the whole system all the way up the Brodribb River to Lake Curlip and up the Snowy all the way to the highway bridge at Orbost, making the fishing platforms along the Snowy prime fishing spots. Big schools of luderick can be

found schooling along the rock groins that surround the islands and river banks, and schools of mullet everywhere. Estuary perch can be found on most structures and snags up both rivers, best results for the EP is using live prawn or lures. For those who like a bit of action there are plenty of salmon and tailor down towards the entrance. The best results have come from either casting or trawling lures.

Bemm’s bumper summer BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

There has been flathead, flathead and more flathead! This is the result of good weather, tantalising lures and tempting bait, in addition to four entrance openings during last year. The health of the system has increased twofold. The quality of bream has been outstanding with many bags comprising of fish exceeding 40cm. All these fish are in excellent condition, clean and healthy. There is also a mixture of tailor, trevally, luderick and perch thrown into the mix. The water temperature has now risen and it is easy pickings for salmon on the surf early morning and late afternoons. The surf has also produced good catches of gummies on the full moon with plenty of other species thrown in. This year will be an absolute bumper fishing season. There are fish in the upper reaches of the river, right around and into Sibiera in the deep and shallow water in Bobs Bay and the Mahogoneys. For night activity, bring your dip nets because there is any amount of prawns, and it’s not only the fish that like them! The most popular

baits over the summer period have been soft plastic Daimiki lures in various colours, from nearly black through to bright vibrant pinks and yellows. Hardbodied lures are also a winner

and these appear to be a better temptation than any of the fresh baits. As we have seen, firsttime anglers with lures arriving back in, eyes bulging with excitement, with their results.

Kobi Jennings, 13yo, of Melbourne caught a lovely 50cm flathead near the Mahogoneys on a lure.

John Dunphy passes: a fishing tackle legend It is with great sadness we advise the passing in January of Shimano Australia’s founder, John Dunphy. John had been fighting a long battle with liver cancer throughout 2014. John passed away in Osaka, Japan where he had been undergoing treatment and was accompanied by his family.   John founded Dunphy Sports/ Fishing Imports in 1981 and a short time later secured the distribution rights for Shimano in Australia and New Zealand. We thought it the right time to run this interview piece that Shimano stalwart Steve Starling penned for the ATFR trade magazine a couple of years ago. Steve Starling snapshots the man known to many simply as ‘Dunph’ or ‘JD’ as he talked about his life, his times and his amazing achievements in our industry. SS: So John, paint me a brief picture of your childhood. Where were you born, and what it was like growing up there? JD: Well, I was born in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, and at that time my family lived in nearby Allawah. I have one brother, Terry, who’s two years younger than me, and two sisters, Dianne and Trudy. Dad worked for himself back in those days, selling horse manure! When Mum finally got us kids off to school, she also went off to work, in a coffee shop in the city. Those early days growing up in Allawah and later in Jannali were lots of fun, and I remember them being really good times for us kids. However, when I was about six, we moved into some housing commission huts at Herne Bay (the area known today as Riverwood). That period was a real learning experience for us kids. There was almost a fight a day in the crowded Housing Commission settlement, which had a really bad reputation in those days. That period lasted for about three years before we were lucky enough to get a housing commission house (a brick one!) in the suburb of Narwee. In those days, Narwee was a great place for kids to grow up, because there was bush everywhere. That gave us plenty of places to play and explore after school and on the weekends. Terry and I loved parrots and finches, and we used to trap them in the bush, right near home. Life was pretty good, and we really enjoyed growing up there. We made some great friends along the way, too. In fact, I still have yearly reunions with my old mates from Narwee, although the area has changed quite a bit since then. There’s certainly not as much bush as there was back in the days when Terry and I were out trapping birds!

With John Dunphy at the helm, Shimano Australia won countless awards over the years. SS: What are your earliest fishing or fishing-related memories, John? JD: My earliest fishing experiences were always connected to my uncles from Allawah. They were incredibly keen fishos! I’ll never forget the many times we’d go down to the banks of the Cooks River in Tempe to dig bloodworms. Then we’d either head to Tom Uglys Bridge over the Georges River with our wooden handline spools, or we’d get up really early and drive all the way north to the Hawkesbury River road bridge. The Hawkesbury was a bit of a dream destination for us, and its Holy Grail was the mighty jewfish. But of course, we made a lot more trips to Tom Uglys, because it was so much closer to home. We’d usually fish off Tom Uglys Bridge in the night, often from midnight until 3.30 or so in the morning… right through the middle of winter, too! You can imagine how cold it was. Some nights we’d catch up to 30 big bream and maybe half a dozen jewfish, including a few big ones. Some of the jewies we hooked were simply too big to haul up onto the bridge, even with our heavy handlines, and we lost them. Another reason we tended to fish more at Tom Uglys in those days, rather than making the long haul up to the Hawkesbury, was the number of catfish you’d sometimes encounter up there. When the catfish were on the bite, you’d catch heaps of the bloody things! It’d be frowned upon these days, but the way we’d get them off the hook was to swing them around and around in the air on our handlines until we built up enough momentum to belt them down onto the concrete of the bridge. They’d soon spit out the bait and hook then! Anyway, that system worked well until my Uncle Dicky miscalculated his swing one night… The fish came straight down and embedded itself into the top of his head! Yep… all aboard for a quick dash to Hawkesbury hospital. That was the end of

our fishing for that night. SS: Sounds painful! What was your first real job after finishing school, John? JD: My father got me my very first job. He had a mate in what was then called the PMG or Post Master General’s Department [nowadays Australia Post]. I became a junior postal officer. I clearly remember that my starting salary was one pound and ten shillings per week. The weekly train fare into the city and back worked out to 10 shillings, and my board was also 10 bob a week… That left the princely sum of 10 shillings each week to live on. SS: So, how and when did you

applied for the position and got the job… The day I started, one of the first people I saw was Fred Glover, who I knew through family connections. Along with Gus Veness, Fred Glover was one of the true legends in the sporting goods and fishing tackle business in those days, and he’d always wanted me to go into that business with his son, John. When he saw me at Jones and Joseph that morning he was really surprised. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” he asked. Little did I know that he’d recently sold his own sporting goods business to Jones and Joseph. Anyway, I replied that I’d seen the ad’ for the job in the paper, applied and got it. He smiled and said: “ This is so bloody ironic! It suits my plans perfectly.” At that stage, I had no idea of exactly what he meant, and I never had the chance to ask as him. Tragically, Fred had a massive heart attack that same night and died. So I started with Jones and Joseph and the rest, as they say, is history. SS: And it’s been quite a history! Give me a run-down of your career in this business... JD: After a while I was head-hunted from Jones and Joseph to become a cadet in the Dunlop sporting goods’ division. I really liked that job and probably would’ve

SS: I clearly remember the arrival of Shimano Fishing Tackle in Australia, Dunph’. I’d just become editor of Fishing World magazine, working under Ron Calcutt. The brand made a huge impact here. I’ll never forget going to a little coffee shop at Central Station with Ron to meet you for the first time. Your enthusiasm was infectious! What are some of your proudest achievements with Shimano Australia? I’d imagine the creation of the Baitrunner concept must be right up there? JD: Yes, Baitrunner was certainly ground-breaking stuff, and went on to be big around the world. But in those early days it was just such an exciting spirit that existed in the Shimano development team. We were very much the new kids on the block. We were all 10 feet tall and bulletproof and thought we could do just about anything… and we did! The great thing is that some of us are still alive to look back on it all although, unfortunately, some are no longer with us. The guys involved from the USA were Big Bad Fred, Russell, Kendall and others. From Japan there was Noda, Mitsuo, Junior and Shinji. In Australia we had my brother Terry, Mikko [Mark Mikkelsen] and yours truly.

John’s passion for fishing took him all over Australia and around the world. get involved in the sporting goods and fishing tackle industries? JD: My involvement in the industry started in 1964. By that time I was in the state public service, working as a “fair rent inspector”. My territory included Kings Cross. You can probably imagine some of the premises I had to inspect and measure up in the Cross! Anyway, it wasn’t something I felt cut out to do, and I wasn’t really enjoying it much, so one day I simply left. I didn’t have another job to go to, but I knew I didn’t want to pursue that type of career. I was recovering after breaking my ankle while playing footy when I spotted an ad’ for a storeman and packer at a sporting goods company in Redfern called Jones and Joseph. Well, I

stayed on there, but Dunlop and Slazenger merged and I lost the motor car that had been a part of my package. It was about this time that the management of Jones and Joseph lured me back for a further three years with them. At the end of that period, I left them to go into business with John Glover, so I guess old Fred’s dream had finally come true! That partnership in the sporting and fishing tackle game lasted 14 years, and it taught me so much, as well as giving me valuable contacts. At the end of that period, we sold out to Protector Safety Industries. I wasn’t all that happy under the new management, so the offer from Shimano in 1981 to set up their Australian business was very timely.

For me, the real excitement was the fact that, thanks to 14 years of developing product in Asia and elsewhere, I had all of these ideas about exactly what we needed to build. But I didn’t have the serious money needed to develop major projects such as new reels and so on. Suddenly, when I hooked up with Shimano, I had an open chequebook to create true high-quality gear. Before they knew it, we threw out all the old existing moulds and concepts and all these wonderful new products began to happen every year. We wanted Aussie fishos to experience and share the same sense of excitement we were feeling about doing things differently and creating new concepts… and it worked! Most importantly, we copied no one, and we still

don’t. Can you believe how many amazing products came from that wonderful period? Low-profile baitcaster reels with tolerances fine enough to fish with 3lb line are a great example. I remember the bad old days of taking the torch and screwdriver to old-fashioned baitcasters to pick out backlashes in the dark. Then there were the TLD, TTS, TSM, BTR and Beastmaster series, to name just a few highlights. SS: And then later you guys did the same thing with rods, and also had the foresight to back Bushy and myself with the Squidgies. But going back again, who were your heroes when you were growing up and in later life, and what people do you most admire in the business world? JD: Certainly, my biggest hero when I was growing up was [rugby league legend] Reg Gasnier. In later life the term ‘hero’ doesn’t apply so much, but there are many people I respect and admire, and my success with Shimano has allowed me to get to know a lot of them personally. In rugby league there are so many top players who really love their fishing, like Bozo [Bob Fulton] and ET [Andrew Ettingshausen]. In the first grade cricket world, I think they just about all fish, especially my good mate Heydos [Matthew Hayden]. In the fishing industry, Rex Hunt has done an amazing job, especially in the early days when we really needed wider public recognition for our sport. The contributions made by you, Bushy, Tim Simpson and Barra [Ian Miller] shouldn’t be ignored, either. Other people such as Julian Pepperell, John Diplock and John and Jenny Mondora are also very dear friends from the fishing world. In the business world, I have great respect for my good friend John Conomos, who was the chairman of Toyota throughout their most successful growth period in this country. John’s a very astute businessman and I’ve learnt a great deal from him over the years. SS: How has Shimano Australia managed to remain so successful and continue to grow each year, despite tough economic times and global downturns? JD: A key element is to come up with significant innovations and improvements every year, without fail. Also, you need to protect and build your customers’ profits and always market your brand professionally. Finally, it’s essential to protect the image of your brand and its products at all times. A strong brand and great product are all that separate you from the also-rans. FEBRUARY 2015

The new ramp opens up the offshore options MALLACOOTA

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

What a mixed bag of weather we have had this summer; heavy rain, and then hot one day

and freezing the next. We should settle into some proper summer weather soon though —

The ocean access ramp at Bastion Point was completed just in time for the summer influx of holiday visitors. fingers crossed! The ocean is the same, with the water temperatures varying daily. It could be 20ºC today and 15ºC tomorrow, which really changes the fishing. The ocean boat ramp is now completed and looks good. When the weather is suitable, plenty of boats are getting out there and wetting a line. Some good fishing has been had from the new breakwall itself, with blackfish and trevally being landed and plenty of baitfish hanging around it. I won’t be surprised if a kingie is caught there, with the amount of bait present. The kingfish have been going well, with plenty of good-sized fish been caught, and the best spot has been out around the aerials, which is nice and close to the boat ramp. Hopefully these fish a hang here for a while, as last year they passed by around the A good place to fish — a bait school same time and weren’t and bigger predators. seen again until later in R E V A L LY . S N A P P E R . E S G.T TU A PE R RY

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the year. Good catches of both sand and tiger flathead have been made out around Gabo Island. For those keeping a feed of fish, be aware of the size and bag limits, as there are plenty of Fisheries inspectors around at this time of year. Salmon and tailor are about on all the local beaches, with plenty of good gutters anywhere from the lake entrance down Betka Beach, which is great to see as it allows anglers to find a gutter to

fish on their own. Some good size yellowfin bream are also been caught, with the top of the tide the best time to chase these fish. There’s been some good action with sand whiting, and the Bottom Lake, particularly around the entrance area, is the spot to wet a line. Dusky flathead are really on the go, with fish caught throughout the system. They cop a real hammering at this time of year, so remember to stick to the bag limit and also let a few go.

Bream, both black and yellowfin, have been caught, with the fish constantly on the move, so you need to do the same to find them. With the increased boat traffic, it pays to fish of an early morning or into the evening, with the bream not biting as well through the day. Some great bass fishing has been experienced in the area over the past month, but just remember these fish are one of the best sport fish we have and are best released to fight another day.

With summer upon us, the flathead have really come on the bite.

Rains stir the fish up EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The recent rain that hit the south coast did not miss Eden either, with the whole area copping a good soaking. The local rivers and creeks are flowing well, and the water in the estuaries has cleared after being the colour of chocolate. Solid rain at this time of year is always good for fishing in the weeks to follow. This even benefits the offshore fishing, and as the saying goes “a drought on the land is a drought in the ocean”. Boats heading offshore have been coming home with a good feed, with the flathead grounds fishing well for tiger and sand

flathead. The usual reefies like snapper, morwong and of course leatheries have all been caught and some good kingies are present, but getting them on the bite hasn’t been easy with fish caught one day and not the next. Boats heading out wide chasing game fish have caught small yellowfin tuna, along with striped tuna. Striped marlin are about and the fishing will only improve in the coming months. The water temperature at the moment is up and down like a yo-yo, with water as cold as 16ºC one day, then back up to 20ºC the next. Heading offshore means an early start, as the wind has been up most days by 9.00am. If you get going early enough, you can be back with a feed

before the wind blows you off the water. Dusky flathead are on the go in all the local estuaries, with soft plastic lures working well. Tailor, trevally, bream and whiting have been caught, with fresh baits of worms and nippers the go for the whiting. The months ahead should see the prawns start moving. They are the prime bait if they are about, and lures that imitate a prawn will get you amongst the fish. With all the rivers flowing well, the bass fishing in the area has been excellent. The fish have been able to move well upstream to their summer haunts and surface fishing has been good, with early mornings and fishing into the evening the best option.

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Spoilt for choice at Merimbula MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The Merimbula township is still in full-swing holiday mode, with boats and people everywhere. Despite the increased boat traffic, the fishing has been good — especially in the estuaries. The top lake at Merimbula is only a puddle compared to other local systems, but gee it’s been on fire. Ever since we had 200mm of rain late last year, the fish have responded well to a variety of techniques. Soft plastics and blades have worked a treat on all species, with flathead, bream, whiting and trevally on the chew. The fish have been in great numbers along the weed, with the 4-7m line the perfect depth. Casting lures towards the edges and working them back to the boat has been successful. Some of the flatties are pushing 90cm, so big girls, but with plenty of eaters available too. Larger softies are the go for the bigger

ones, with smaller stickstyle plastics ideal for the other species. Both bream and whiting are responding well to walk

while and really look forward to the coming weeks. Offshore has been hectic, with 100-plus boats venturing out when the weather

A pair of cracking black bream from the flats. These fish fell to skipping plastics in very shallow water — a deadly technique at times. baits and poppers, with the shallower flats around the mangroves towards the back of the basin the go-to spot. We have had some great sessions here of late, with 15-20 fish the norm on most occasions. I’d expect this action to continue for quite a

looks good. It makes for an especially busy ramp if the wind gets up and everybody comes home at the same time. Even with this, the fishing has been awesome, with snapper, morwong and flathead making up the majority of fishos’ bags.

There’s been the odd kingfish caught too, with a few models around the 8kg mark. Anglers using fresh squid and live bait have fared best with the hoodlums. The fish are moving around quite a bit, with Long and Horseshoe reefs being the pick. Further offshore, the pelagic action is also in full swing, with marlin the main target species. A few crews are getting upwards of 5 shots, which is pretty good going in my books. The majority are stripes with the odd black, and the average size is around 80-90kg so nice fish. With the water a warm 23ºC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few blue marlin hooked over coming weeks. Trolling larger skirted pushers around 14-16” long is the go for the blues. With such good water along the shelf, mahimahi, wahoo, shortbill spearfish, yellowfin tuna and a host of shark species are all possibilities. This action will continue for months yet, and l know the local lads are getting a little excited about

The boys with some nice bream from the flats. Both surface walkers and smaller deep running hardbodies will work this month. what to expect. The rocks have been awesome for bonito and smaller kingfish, with Tura Head, Long Point and the main wharf producing. When the nor’ easters blow, Long Point is the go, as you get a lot of shelter there from the wind, and the warmer current wraps around the corner. Casting poppers, metal shiners, and whole ganged pilchards will work, with poppers a fun way to target kingfish. Their explosive nature when smacking a lure

off the surface is something to behold, and I for one don’t get bored of seeing it. On the beaches, whiting and bream continue to do the right thing, with North Tura and Tura Main Beach being prime spots. There are some solid gutters close in, so a short cast is all that’s required. A running sinker rig with fresh or live worms will ensure a solid feed for the pan. The salmon action has been slow of late, but there’s been plenty of tailor about to keep the beachgoers happy.

Just get out there! BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

This is the best time of year to fish around Bermagui, with all forms of fishing on offer, so do whatever it takes to get out there!

Estuary fishing couldn’t be better, with warm water throughout the systems making for good fishing. On the tidal flats, using squirtworms or nippers with the rising tide will produce whiting, bream, blackfish and a host of other species. Small lures and flies work too, and if you haven’t got a

Flatties bring a smile to your face, no matter what your age. 40

FEBRUARY 2015

boat, the weather should be warm enough to wade as the tide recedes. Places that are fishing the best in the Bermagui River are around any form of structure, whether it be at high or low tide. These areas give fish cover and a safety zone, and may come in the form of weed beds, rock and oyster bars, dropoffs or artificial features like bridge pylons and boat jetties. Unlike what you see on television, you don’t have to be throwing baits and lures right into the structured areas. Try holding out from them and bring the fish to you, where they can be played out in clear water, reducing the chance of breakoffs. To do this, consider using berley. It’s surprising how far fish (especially bream), will travel from their safety zone when enticed by a scent. Other lakes and estuaries surrounding Bermagui that are closed to the ocean may require a different approach. In these systems, fish have to travel regularly to feed, and this is good news for those wishing to use lures or flies. Polaroid fish in shallow areas to see what patterns are forming. If fish are moving with a stop-start routine and pausing often, this generally means they are looking to feed and can be targeted. When grouped and holding in snags (bream especially), they tend to be

Luderick don’t just eat weed — note the bait pump in the background. resting, although they might still be enticed by a wellplaced lure. Offshore game fishing is presently at its best, with large numbers of marlin, tuna, sharks, and mahimahi patrolling the vast baitfish schools that come with the warm summer water. The edge of the continental shelf, the 12, 6 and even in close as the 4 Mile Reef will all hold their share of baitfish, and along with them come the predators. Every marlin season is different, where tides, moon phases and current dictate where the fish are holding. A well-set lure pattern trolled behind boats will undoubtedly produce fish; not only marlin, but other pelagic species as well. If water temperatures are up,

start trolling close to shore and work your way out to find where the fish are located. Once found, work the areas over, whether it be with baits or sticking with lures. Sharks are best targeted with berley, and for best results include plenty of tuna in it. Out over the shelf will be the better area, with makos, blues, hammerheads and tigers all prowling the warm water. Berleying the 12 Mile will also produce sharks, but with the added bonus of being able to bottom fish as well. Speaking of bottom fishing, it’s also tops at present, with most species being encountered. Montague Island has good numbers of kingfish surrounding it, along with other reef

dwellers. From there, the step out from Tilba back towards Bermagui has sand flathead, red gurnard and the odd gummy shark. Closer to shore out from Camel Rock, plenty of small to mid-range sand flathead are being caught. South of Bermagui, the reefs through to Goalen Head and as far out as the 12 Mile are producing large amounts of quality bottom dwellers. Snapper, mowies, tiger flathead, kingies and a host of others are all likely to be encountered in surprisingly increasing numbers. This may be a result of the reduction of commercial fishing activities within the area due to the government buyback scheme. Bermagui To page 41

NSW South Coast

Narooma shows its versatility NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Well the holiday crowd has dwindled slightly over recent times, making it a little easier at the local boat ramps, but for those that have been getting out early the results have certainly been worthwhile. The estuaries continue to produce after recent heavy rains, with the water quality improving each day. Both Wagonga Inlet and Tuross have been the pick, with the latter excellent for flathead. The Tuross entrance is the deepest I’ve seen it for a very long time — 6-8’ on a high tide, with tidal height differences of a metre or so. I can’t ever recall seeing this height variation, so all looks promising for this quality south coast estuary. With continual fresh water entering the system, it has really fired up. There have been plenty of crocs (85cm plus) captured, with the lower, deeper sections around 6-10m being ideal. These larger female models have responded well to larger soft plastics, vibes and live poddy mullet. Anglers fishing the runout tide are faring best, with the slightly warmer water from the river stirring the big girls up. There’s plenty of eating sized models available also, so getting a feed shouldn’t be too hard.

went 94cm, so a solid fish, and was taken on a vibe in 3m of water. The various sandflats in the river and main basin have seen some solid bream and whiting caught by anglers fishing walkers and poppers. This type of visual fishing is great fun and l expect it to only get better as the water warms further. Less boat traffic certainly helps. At Narooma, Wagonga Inlet has been great for bream upstream from the 4-knot sign. The various

From page 40

no longer has a permanent longline fleet and is reduced to 2 trawlers and a few bait and dropline boats. This is good news for the recreational fishos. With warm water pushing right into the shoreline, this is allowing beach and especially rock anglers a chance of some good pelagic action. The deeper rock platforms around Bermagui Headland, Mystery Bay to the north, and Bunga

line, with the Kink and Tuross canyons a good starting point. The second dropoff has seen action with the blues. Mixed in with the marlin are mahimahi, the odd wahoo, and shortbill spearfish, so the water is pretty good in quality. There’s been the odd smaller school sized yellowfin to 30kg caught, plus some sizeable sharks if that’s what you like to target. The next 3 months will be red hot further offshore, so now’s the

A striped marlin held by Benn Boulton and Nick Cowley from local charter boat Playstation just prior to release. oyster racks and flats that this part of the system is loaded with is the place to fish. Again, walkers fished with a stop-start-pause retrieve have been excellent. You can expect a few whiting and

Some big crocs are still about. Those fishos after sport are finding a few mulloway too. The best I’ve heard of

temperature and quality of water excellent. Marlin is the word, with some crews getting a handful of shots daily. Most boats are trolling skirted pushers and/or switch baiting with live slimy mackerel. This is a dynamite way to target them and a whole stack of fun. Most of the marlin are stripes, with the odd fish pushing 120kg, though there has been reports of a few bigger blue marlin winning their freedom. The action is happening along the shelf

the occasional flathead also. The main basin has seen a few mulloway caught, with to the south, are seeing a host of different surface feeders coming within range of the land-based angler. Those wishing to target these species from the stones (which might include kingfish, tuna, sharks, the occasional marlin, and on a lesser scale salmon and bonito), may do so using a variety of techniques. Lure fishing has grown in popularity with the introduction of large soft plastics to the scene. The old high speed retrieves

the occasional flathead and snapper. This place will really fire up when the boat traffic slows and I for one can’t wait. Offshore at Montague Island, it’s been a little sporadic to say the least. A lot depends on prevailing conditions like water temperature and tidal flow as to when the kingfish will bite. The last few weeks has seen cold, dirty water in close, which has made the pelagic fishing tough. This will change though, and when it does it will be all systems go. Even with the dirty water there’s still the odd king being caught, but you do have to work for them. The fish that have been biting have responded best to live baits and jigs. Further offshore, the game fishing fraternity are having a field day, with the water with large metal lures hasn’t been forgotten either, and is producing a variety of different speedsters. Live baiting is still the favoured way of producing larger fish from the rocks, and some of the baits used are pretty exciting too. Salmon in the 1-2kg bracket often find themselves under a balloon with a hook in their backs, as do frigate mackerel, slimies, tailor, bonito, yellowtail and squid. When one of these gets eaten, you better be prepared to hang on!

It doesn’t get much better than this; releasing a super conditioned 13kg mulloway. time to get out there. Those after a feed of bottom fish should do okay, with flatties, snapper, pigfish and morwong all there for the taking. I’d be looking up towards Potato Point or Tuross for the reds, with the 30-35m line the go for the flatties. You’re a chance at a gummy shark too, if fishing the sand/gravel areas. On the beaches the whiting have really fired up, with some anglers getting their bags inside a few hours. They are solid fish, with the majority around 35cm, which are nice specimens for here. There’s a few bream mixed in, with the odd salmon also. I’ve heard a few reports of mulloway coming from both Coila and

Blackfellows beaches, with 10kg-plus models mainly caught on fresh tailor fillets and bunches of live beach worms. The beach action will continue for a while yet. Those fishing the rocks are doing well on salmon, tailor and bonito. Casting metal shiners and whole ganged pilchards will work, with kings a real possibility too. I had a mate of mine who got dusted up several times on a local platform using poppers. He said they were solid kings around 8kg, but had no chance of landing them. You should be able to snare a feed of drummer, blackfish and bream in the washes, with fresh prawns and cabbage the gun baits to use.

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Lake Tyers: a fishing treasure WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Nestled just ten minutes east from Lakes Entrance lays a fishing treasure, the small town of Lake Tyers. Lake Tyers for the most part of the year is a land-locked estuary, except in winter when the clouds open up over the mountains and flood the rivers. Excess rain run-off from the mountains, filter down through the two main arms, the Nowa Nowa Arm and the Toorloo Arm. Blocked off from the ocean by a huge sandbar, flooding waters into the lake in conjunction with a high tide, calve a channel through the sandbar and give the estuary a big flush out. For a while, this annual occurrence never eventuated and the outbreak of blue green algae caused many fish to perish. Over the last five or so years, this annual event has once again been occurring which in turn has seen an abundance of fish leave through the channel and an abundance of new fish enter. This gives the estuary a new burst of life and once the lake is closed off again from natural occurrences, fish caught inside Lake Tyers quickly find themselves a home and grow up big and fat. For the annual holidaymaker, Lake Tyers is quite popular in the summer months and is visited by many avid anglers throughout the winter months. Although the fishing can be exceptional, what is most appealing is that you don’t have to have a boat to fish the area. Surrounding most of the lake is miles of dense bushland mainly in the north and northeast of the area. 4WD access tracks allow

fishing from kayaks can all fish the lake relatively easy. Lake Tyers is home to many fish species with the more highly prized being black bream, flathead and silver trevally; tailor, garfish and mullet are also caught on occasion. FLATHEAD Flathead are abundant in the lake, but are considered a summer species as throughout the winter months they go dormant and it is rare to hear of one being caught. After the water temperatures increase, they become more active and are often caught along the edges of the shallow banks. September is the time to be out on the hunt but they will still be few and far between. It really isn’t until late October and into November when they begin to move around looking for prey to devour. Flathead can be found right throughout the system, but to hone right in on potential locations stick to concentrating on channel drop-offs, weedy banks and broken ground where they can

When working the flats, wait until the afternoon when the seabreeze gets up. This will provide cover for the fish and not spook them as much as if it were calm.

You don’t always need big baits to catch big fish. Flathead are more than happy to devour anything that is within their grasp.

There are some very big flathead in Lake Tyers and they can easily be taken on 7ft 2-4kg rods matched with 2500 series reels. A 6lb braid is preferred but it is mandatory that you upsize your leader to a minimum strength of 15lb. A flathead’s gums can sever lighter leader during the battle and you wouldn’t want to risk losing a metre monster. Remember, you may catch your trophy fish, but it has to be released. Flathead will take a variety of lures but soft plastics are still the hot favourite. While there is a large choice available, soft plastics in the 3” and 4” sizes are recommended. I like the

Left: When fishing rivers, it is best to concentrate on the edges where the fish will be feeding. Right: The occasional silver trevally will take a lure and what a fight they put up.

Above: Technology today makes finding fish a lot easier. Here, a school of bream holds on the bottom in the Nowa Nowa arm. Right: Providing you can apply a slow finesse approach when working soft plastics, flathead will be upon your lures without hesitation. anglers plenty of areas to be explored so anglers can find secluded locations that might not receive the pressure that spots closer to the town do. Best of all, land-based anglers, boat anglers and those 42

FEBRUARY 2015

ambush themselves for when prey comes within reach. While flathead now have a slot measurement, fish between 30-55cm meaning anything under or above these sizes are to be released.

CHARTER Frank Milito from East Gippsland Charters offers specialised fishing trips in Lake Tyers for those wishing to learn the art of lure fishing. Frank spends his year guiding at Lake Tyers and can teach avid lure enthusiasts the right techniques required to catch some of the lake’s most highly prized species. Give him a call on 0400 564 032.

Zerek Live Shrimp, which has been very productive of late, along with the Squidgy Fish in the grasshopper colour. BREAM The bream world is a big one and when it comes to Lake Tyers, bream certainly rule the roost. During the summer months there are two main techniques to use on bream. The first is to work the shallow flats with shallow diving hard bodies while the second is to fish the snags and edges with deep diving hard bodies and soft plastics. On the flats you have the advantage as you have a less chance at being busted off on any structure although the odd log could still catch you out. The best flat’s fishing is late in the afternoon when the sea breeze kicks in. This provides you some cover and fish won’t be as shy. Although you can polariod the flats and cast to where you see fish, often the fishing can be more effective when blind casting. Surface luring is also very good with small poppers and walkers. When fishing the snags and edges, be prepared to get dusted! Bream always like to run you around a barnacleencrusted log when they are hooked and you will lose lures. Although this is part and parcel of fishing this territory, you might want to opt for small Wriggler style soft plastics to reduce costs. If you are going flick hardbodies, concentrate to the left and right of the snag but if you’re not landing the lure right next to it, your chances at coaxing a bream to the lure will be fewer. In saying that, you can also work the bank edges and around weed beds or rocky points. In this case you will require a range of diving lures including deep, shallow and suspending models. When working lures you don’t have to be too vigorous in the retrieve. Cast the lure and once it lands twitch the lure so it dives below the surface, wait a few seconds and give it another twitch. If noting, give another twitch and slowly wind it back towards the boat as you will have it out of the strike zone. Remember though, the fish will still follow it so don’t crank it in at top speed. Most of the time a bream will eat the lure when it is stationary, hence why suspending lures are the top choice.

Different rods have different actions depending on how they have been built and each can make different types of lures work in different ways. Without getting to technical, a light outfit such as a 7ft 1-3kg or 7ft 2-4kg rod with 1000 or 2500 series reel suits the bill. Fishing with braid is recommended so you can manipulate the lure to do what you want it to do. Using mono, you’ll find there is too much stretch in the line and you won’t have full control let alone being able to set the hook into a fish solid enough for it not to fall out. Ideally,

can shy from heavier leader quite easily. TREVALLY, TAILOR, GARFISH AND MULLET Even though it might seem that Lake Tyers is all about flathead and bream, other species such as silver trevally, tailor, garfish and mullet are also caught. While not highly prized, these species are also willing lure takers and are mostly caught when anglers are flicking for flathead and bream. There are some very big trevally and tailor in the system but they are not targeted specifically. Trevally are always caught

The author with a nice flathead taken on a soft plastic along the northern arm of the main lake. PLACES TO STAY During the cooler months, metal vibes are deadly on bream when they are schooled up in the main channels. 6lb braid will suffice but if you want to go lighter you can always step down to 4lb. Leader material should be kept to around 5lb as bream

as a by-catch but if you want to catch tailor, you can simply troll a hardbody lure along the edges of the northern bank in To page 44

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the main arm. If you keep your lures ranging 70-90mm in length with a shallow diving bib, tailor will be all over it very quickly. PRAWNING They say that any month with the letter R in it is good for prawning, which is a good thing for Lake Tyers because that means that from September through to April

torch or prawning light and net and catch a few kilos. One thing with prawns is that they grow an inch in size with each moon. So if you want the bigger models, I suggest you go prawning from February to April. Lake Tyers certainly has a lot to offer and if you are heading up that way without a boat you can always jump on board a local charter.

Left: When working vibes, work them gently and allow them to rest on the bottom for a few seconds before retrieving. Right: Light tackle and flathead go hand-in-hand. is the prime time. Prawning is best around the new moon and it is mostly done during the night when they come out of the sand and look for ways to head offshore. Because Lake Tyers is land-locked during the summer months, anglers can walk the banks with a head

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That aside, Lake Tyers is a magnificent place whether you are there for a week or a weekend. Regardless, there are many fishing opportunities that everyone can enjoy. All it takes is a handful of lures, a rod and reel and your enthusiasm to get casting.

Top: Steep banks and deep drop-offs are good locations to find flathead and bream in Lake Tyers. Above: Small blades in the 30mm to 40mm size work a treat on bream.

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Maynes Marine 6 Effingham St, Moonah 03 6214 9999 www.maynesmarine.com.au sales@maynesmarine.com.au

© 2015 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). ®, TM and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. *Terms and conditions apply, excludes commercial purchases. Offer valid on evinrude E-TEC engines 25 HP and above newly purchased and registered from participating authorised dealers. Valid until 28th February 2015 ** For normal recreational use. # Extended warranty covers Evinrude E-TEC engines 40HP and above, newly purchased and registered from participating authorised dealers. Terms and conditions apply. For full terms and conditions please contact your local participating Evinrude dealership. BRP reserves the right at any time to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Products are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by BRP Australia Pty Ltd. 1

EVINRUDE:

E X P E R I E N C E M O R E AT E V I N R U D E . C O M

Source: 2013/14 Competitive Owner’s Manuals FEBRUARY 2015

Hot Spot

Hot strikes at Ovens River CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

The mighty Ovens River is located in the northeast part of Victoria and runs through a number of main towns, including Bright, Myrtleford and Wangaratta just to name a few, and is an easy drive from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. From the skinny clear water down to the bigger dirty water, holds excellent populations of Murray cod, which is one of the main species targeted by anglers of all experiences. PRIME TIME The warmer months are definitely the go if you are after consistency for natives. December through to February is prime, and will see cod and other natives more willing to hit your lures. Fishing the winter period can be a little slower, but the chance of a big one is always on the cards and is a favourite time to fish for anglers chasing the dream fish. GEAR A 6-10kg baitcast gear with 30lb braid is ideal when casting lures for natives in the rivers.

If you prefer to use spin gear then a 3000 or 4000 reel with 15-30lb braid is better. Just remember to have that drag locked because the hit from an 80cm+ cod will have you back into the timber in no time. RIG A 30lb braid attached to

a 30-40lb leader is pretty standard when casting lures at cod in the rivers. As the fish range from undersize to over 1m it is a good happy medium to use for all sizes. For bait fishers, a running sinker rig with

a ball sinker running all the way down to hook is the best and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t snag as much if the sinker is running down to a swivel then your leader. BAIT AND LURES Lure fishers have success on the cod with

It almost looks like trout water; you would be surprised at the quality of fish that you can pull in sections like this.

Spinnerbaits are a must-have for any serious cod angler in the Ovens.

a variety of methods and lures. Using surface lures at dawn and dusk is really effective and also exciting, then change it up and fish spinnerbaits during the day. BEST METHOD Casting lures at any type of structure is the best method. They love to hang out in snags and fallen timber as well as along rock bars and weed beds. Casting lures as tight and as close to these and working your lures back out is by far the best method to catch a cod. MOTHER NATURE Just remember that Murray cod have a closed season. This is from the 1

September through to the 30 November. If you catch a cod during this time in the rivers while targeting other species, please do the right thing and let them go as soon as possible. HOT TIP The use of 2 cars is a must and makes it easier to cover ground. Checkout a map of the river, sort out a launch and a retrieve point and drop one car at each area. This will save you traveling downstream then having to paddle all the way back upstream again in the current. Also you can just pull out, load up and go get the other car and do it all again at your next spot.

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abt

Tournament

FREE GUIDEBOOK

Guide

Australian Bass Tournaments

Contents

abt.org.au

Calendar

Statistics

Beginners

Bass Pro

Membership

Bass Electric

Bream AOY

Bass Kayak

Bream Kayak

Barra

68 FEBRUARY 2015

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

2015abt BREAM SERIES

Berkley headlines Australia’s number one boater/non-boater bream series in the country in 2015. Five qualify rounds

throughout the year lead a path to the biggest bream event on the bream calendar, the Berkley BREAM Grand Final slated

for the iconic Clarence River in November. Don’t miss your chance to go to battle with Australia’s biggest bream names or

abt.org.au

calendar begin your tournament career in Australia’s ultimate tournament bream series, the Berkley BREAM Series.

Berkley BREAM Qualifiers • Boater $250 • Non Boater $125 DATE

STATE

LOCATION

EVENT

SPONSOR

28 Feb-1 Mar 25-26 Apr 6-7 Jun 9-10 Jun 15-16 Aug 6-8 Nov 6-7 Mar

NSW NSW VIC VIC NSW NSW QLD

Tweed River Clarence River Gippsland Lakes Mallacoota Hawkesbury River Clarence River Moreton Bay

BREAM Qualifier #1 BREAM Qualifier #2 BREAM Qualifier #3 BREAM Qualifier #4 BREAM Qualifier #5 BREAM Grand Final QLD BREAM Open

Berkley JML Alliance Mercury Hobie Abu Garcia Berkley

Bluefin Boats power into another bass season to deliver anglers bass fishing that is truly electric. Featuring nine qualifying rounds, two Haswing BASS Electric Majors, and the pinnacle event of the year the Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Convention, this is grass roots bassing at its best. The series will hit QLD and NSW’s best bass lakes with a combination of single and two day events, all of which lead to the Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Convention at Lake Cressbrook in September. Check out the calendar to find out where and when you can get your Bluefin Boats BASS Electric fix.

BASS ELECTRIC SERIES

KAYAK SERIES It’s bass kayak action aplenty in 2015 with five qualifying rounds and Australian Championship (aka Grand Final) offering bass kayak fans their biggest and best season ever. QLD, NSW and VIC play host to rounds throughout the year, while the bass mecca of Hinze Dam in southeast Queensland will be the scene of the season ending Australian Championship in October. Hobie B.A.S.S. Australian Nation Kayak Series $50 (pre-event entry) or $90 (on the day entry) DATE

ARENA

1 Feb 1 Mar 29 Mar 31 May 19 July 31 Oct

Lake MacDonald, QLD Blue Rock Lake, VIC (kayak only) Tallowa Dam, NSW (kayak only) Mary River, QLD Lake Wivenhoe, QLD Hinze Dam, QLD Australian Championship

DATE

LOCATION

EVENT

CONTACT

Feb-22 Mar-29 Apr 25-26 May 3 May 16-17 May 24 Jun 14 Jul 12 Aug 1-2 Sep 6 Sep 6 Sep 19-20

Clarrie Hall Dam Hinze Dam Cania Dam Isis Balancing Storage Toonumbar Dam Lostock Dam Wivenhoe Dam Lenthalls Dam Moogerah Dam Lake McDonald St Clair Lake Cressbrook

BASS Electric #1 Haswing BASS Electric Major BASS Electric #2 BASS Electric #3 BASS Electric #4 BASS Electric #5 BASS Electric #6 BASS Electric #7 Haswing BASS Electric Major BASS Electric #8 BASS Electric #9 BASS Electric Convention

Joey Urqhart ABT Les Barber Tim Steenhuis Adrian Melchior Mal Draper Trevor Stead Les Barber ABT Steve Noble ABT ABT

EVENT R1 R2 R3 R4 R5

EVENT TIMES 0439 764 369 (07) 3387 0888 0428 726 857 0432 770 894 0415 587 900 0418 402 803 0429 967 451 0428 726 857 (07) 3387 0888 0409 239 065 (07) 3387 0888 (07) 3387 0888

6am-12pm 7am-1pm 12pm-6pm, 6am-12pm 7am-1pm 1pm-6pm, 6am-11am 7am-1pm TBC 7am-1pm 7am-1pm 7am-1pm 7am-1pm 7am-1pm

BASS Electric Entries • $30 (BASS Electric Qualifier) • $100 (BASS Electric Major), with an optional $20 ‘Pro’ option on the day.

BASS PRO SERIES Toray headlines the full schedule to deliver rounds, BASS Megabucks 2015 BASS Pro Series, anglers and sponsors more and a Grand Final, this is with Australia’s longest opportunities, rewards and the only pathway when it running bass tournament bass action than ever before. comes to making it onto circuit returning to its Featuring four qualifying AFC Outdoors. Toray BASS Pro Qualifiers • Boater $250 • Non Boater $125

DATE

STATE LOCATION

EVENT

SPONSOR

14-15 Mar 9-10 May 4-5 July 29-30 Aug 21-22 Oct 24-25 Oct

NSW QLD NSW QLD NSW NSW

BASS Pro Qualifier #1 BASS Pro Qualifier #2 BASS Pro Qualifier #3 BASS Pro Qualifier #4 BASS Megabucks BASS Grand Final

Imakatsu Spotters OSP Toray Edge Rods Toray

Lake St Clair Lake Somerset Lake Glenbawn Bjelke Petersen Dam Lake St Clair Lake Glenbawn

KAYAK BREAM SERIES PRESENTED BY The Hobie Kayak BREAM Series, presented by Daiwa, hits the water nationwide to offer anglers the ultimate kayak bream fix. Featuring events in WA, SA, VIC, NSW and QLD anglers are spoilt in the 14 round bream tour. Qualifier, State Title and Worlds events make up the calendar, and all lead to the showcase event of the series, the Australian Championship. The Big Show will see anglers fish from identical factory supplied Hobie kayaks in a bid to be crowned Australian Champion for 2015. N.B, For non-ABT run rounds see individual organisers for entry details

DATE

ROUND

STATE

7-8 Feb 21-22 Feb 14-15 Mar 22 Mar 29 Mar 18-19 Apr 16-17 May 20-21 Jun 28 Jun 25-26 July 9 Aug 22-23 Aug 30 Aug 17-18 Oct 14-15 Nov

R1 VIC R2 VIC R3 VIC R4 NSW R5 WA R6 VIC R7 NSW R8 SA R9 NSW R10 QLD R11 NSW R12 QLD R13 WA R14 NSW Australian Championship

EVENT Bemm River: Vic State Titles Marlo: National Qualifier Mallacoota: Hobie Fishing Worlds 2015 Qualifier #1. Clyde River: NSW State Title. Run by Southern Bream Series Mandurah: WA State Title Run by WA Bream Classics Paynesville: National Qualifier Forster: Hobie Fishing Worlds 2015 Qualifier #2 Nelson: Run by Vic Bream Sydney Harbour: Run by Southern Bream Series Gold Coast: Qld State Title St Georges Basin: Run by Southern Bream Series Redcliffe: Hobie Fishing Worlds 2015 Qualifier #3 Perth: National Qualifier Run by WA Bream Classics Georges River: National Qualifier TBA TBA

Hobie Kayak BREAM Series presented by Daiwa (Hobie rounds) $100 (pre-event entry) or $140 (on the day entry) for two-day events. 48

FEBRUARY 2015

go to abt.org.au for more information

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FEBRUARY 2015

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

A beginner’s guide to ABT events For fifteen years now, Australian Bass Tournaments (ABT) has been providing cutting edge tournament fishing to keen freshwater and estuary anglers. Initially focused on Australian bass, the events quickly expanded to bream in the saltwater and barramundi in the north to provide a testing ground for new tackle and techniques and a competitive outlet. Although the ABT events provide a pathway to the televised Australian Fishing Championships (AFC) events, the tournaments are not just for elite recreational anglers. They’re for everybody, and there are various ways to become involved. And you don’t even need a boat! The cornerstone of a top level ABT event is the ‘draw’ format. Attend an event as a ‘boater’ (and bring your boat) and you’ll be drawn with two random anglers for the two tournament days. Enter as a ‘non-boater’ and ABT will place you, each day, with an angler in a boat. It’s a great way to meet new people and get to fish with some highly skilled anglers in their fields.

FEBRUARY 2015

ABT’S motto is ‘Who Shares Wins’, and this pairing system both eliminates cheating (allowing cash prize payouts) and encourages the flow of techniques. After all, it’s basically impossible to hide what you’re doing and how you’re doing it from your co-angler in the boat! WHICH EVENT FOR ME? But let’s take it back a few steps: what tournaments are available and what do you need to become involved? There’s a Factbox hereby that provides a basic summary of all of the options, but here’s the basic version. Draw Events If you want to turn up and jump on a boat and fish with a ‘boater’ each day, you need to enter a BREAM Pro or BASS Pro series event. Check the calendar hereby or on www. abt.org.au and you can enter as a solo ‘non-boater’. Entries to these events are taken on a ‘first come first served’ basis, which means if you get your entry in early, then you’re virtually assured of a spot in the event. Obviously, the number of non-boater spots are limited to the number of boats entered in the events, which is why ABT can’t guarantee

every entry a spot, but in reality, over 98% of entrants get a seat. If ABT can’t find you a ride, your entry fee is refunded in full (or kept as a credit for future events if requested). The only other way to ‘guarantee’ an entry is to send in an entry with a boater – on the same form or in the same envelope. Why does ABT do this? It’s to let travelling partners plan their trips. For instance, a boater and non-boater want to drive 12 hours to a Qualifier event and book accommodation. If the two, travelling anglers enter together, they’ll form a “guaranteed” pair and they will be assured a place in the event. They will not, however, get to fish together at all. The way the draws happen, that’s in fact, the only guarantee. You won’t fish with the angler you enter with. Teams Events Teams events allow mates, parents/children, partners the ability to fish together. Typically, teams events feature lower cash paybacks and a greater proportion of product prizes. You can fish as a team at the BASS Electric Series, BASS

Megabucks and the BARRA Tour events. There’s also plenty of options to fish as a team in non-ABT affiliated events – keep an eye on the Tournament Calendar in Fishing Monthly magazines. Teams events are a great way to get used to tournament fishing – especially if you’re a little nervous about stepping up and fishing as a non-boater in a draw event straight away. Although once you’ve done a draw event, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. Individual Events And if you’re most comfortable fishing by yourself, you can do a soloentry in the BASS Electric series. Using electric motors only on the freshwater bass lakes and an entry fee of only $30 makes the solofishable BASS Electric series one of the most laid back on the calendar. ABT MEMBERSHIP Becoming an ABT financial member is all you need to do to be eligible to fish any ABT event. It costs $40 per year to be financial, and that gets you a copy of the latest AFC DVD, a membership card, and if you’re a new member, a couple of ABT Tournament Angler badges to sew on your tournament fishing shirt. All memberships expire at the 1st of February each year (coinciding with the start of the tournament season), so most anglers send their membership renewal in with their first entry of the year. GETTING STARTED By far the most common question asked to ABT is ‘how do I get started as a non-boater?’. Well, let us take you through the process of what you need to do and what you can expect during the event. First, you need to choose your event/s and enter. This means downloading the appropriate entry form from www.abt.org.au (follow the menu tabs to the correct series), printing them out and sending them in – usually via Fax or standard mail. When you sign the entry form, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the rules for the series you’re fishing. Download these as well from the same section on www.abt.org.au. You need to read and understand these. Most are common-sense and safety-related. After you’ve sent your entry in, you can track the processing of your entry on www.abt.org.au - click the “Entry List” tab on the events table. Usually weekly, these entries are processed and uploaded and you can see the status of the lists. If there’s more boaters than non-boaters, you’re in – and if there’s still boaters to enter to

Even champions like Kris Hickson started as non-boaters. fill up the gaps, don’t stress if it’s early days. Lots of boaters enter one event at a time and will enter within a couple of weeks of the event. ABT will get in touch with anglers who may miss out to alert them of the situation. At that stage you may have the choice of opting for a refund, finding a boater to enter with as a ‘Guaranteed’ entry or becoming a boater yourself. But if you’ve got your entry in early, that won’t be you. The BREAM and BASS draw events consists of an official ‘practice day’ on the Friday, a briefing on the Friday night and the tournament days on the Saturday and Sunday. Some non-boaters like to head out for a fish on the practice day. Some bring their boat to do this, but many of them will hook-up with a boater in the event to get out on the water. The boaters usually like a second rod on board to help sort out the patterns on the arena. If you have trouble finding a ride (usually Facebook and Discussion Boards are a great place to ask), turn up to the ramp on the morning of practice and ask! You’ll be surprised who you’ll meet and there’s normally plenty of boaters heading out solo. Etiquette suggests that any gun spots you find on the practice day aren’t shared with your boaters in the tournament days. Techniques, though, are free for you to use on the tournament days! You’ll meet your two boaters at the Event Briefing on the Friday night. This is where ABT does a check-off of all anglers for the event (and checks you licences/ permits) and runs through any of the local area logistics and regulations. Make sure you take a notebook and pen, so that

you can record all of the pertinent details of BOTH your boaters for the two days – mobile phone numbers at the very least and usually where they’re staying are useful notes to make. You meet your Saturday and Sunday rides at once, so you’ll need the information to catch up with your Sunday ride on the Saturday evening to make plans. And then make your plans! Discuss about what you should bring and rig for the next day, where you’re going to meet and how all of the logistics will work. TOURNAMENT DAY If you’re as excited as the rest of the anglers, you’ll probably wake up before your alarm goes off on the tournament day. Make your lunch and do a final check of your kit. • rods • tackle • licences • food and drink • hat/sunscreen and rain gear • your own PFD Your boater will let you know if there’s any limitations with space, etc at the briefing but the usual etiquette is a tackle bag and a handful of rods. Usually a quiver of 4 outfits will cover most situations. Help your boater launch the boat and tell them if you’re uncomfortable doing anything they ask you to do. Not all of us are familiar with expensive boat driving and launching! But don’t stress, your boater will educate you. When you’re both on board, have the discussion about what goes where. Most boaters will have an area set aside for your rods and gear and they’ll tell you where the rest of the safety gear is. You’ll have your own PFD, which you’ll need to bring. You’ll then go through the Boat Check. ABT will check

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au that your livewells are empty, your boater’s safety lanyard works and you both have your PFDs. If it’s a pre-sunrise start, you’ll also have your navigation lights checked. You’ll then be given a key-tag that ABT uses to make sure that you’ve made it back for the day. Often the non-boater is in charge of the key-tag, so stash it securely! Then you wait until the start. Boats idle out in order of (boater) entry until they hit the zone where you can take off for the day. THE FISHING You’ll be super excited

you’re fishing as a non-boater. Generally, boats are set-up to fish a boater on the front deck and the non-boater on the back deck, and this is usually how it plays out. Non-boaters usually don’t get first cast at each piece of structure, but don’t stress, other non-boaters are in the same boat. You need to work out where you can cast to target the fish that the boater isn’t fishing for. This may be as simple as using a different lure or fishing the entire opposite side of the boat. All of the most successful

throwing Gulp! Shrimps on light leaders, then do that. If you’re a deep-spinnerbait gun, then throw that. Remember that you’re only chasing 2-bass or 5-bream for the session. Casting across your boater’s line is a no-no. You wouldn’t do it socially, so don’t do it at a tournament. Most anglers net each other’s fish, although some boaters prefer to net their own. Just talk about this while you’re waiting for the first legal fish to come on board. Otherwise, have fun!

minded angler. And you might win some stuff if you catch a fish. Enjoy it. When you get back to the finish line, you’ll usually be assigned the job of returning the key-tag to the tag-board before the designated finish time. And probably to line-up for a weigh-in bag after that. The bag line is a great place to share experiences with your fellow non-boaters. After helping your boater retrieve the rig and the weigh-in’s done, it’s time to get ready for the next day. Call your Sunday boater and start the process all over

even with your boater for the second day. RESULTS ABT is pretty quick at letting you know how you’ve done for the day. There’s a scoreboard on-site at the weigh-in, where you should check that your results are accurate. This scoreboard is separated into two sections – boaters and non-boaters. You’re only competing against the other anglers in your division. If it’s a BREAM event, there’s usually cell-phone coverage for the live on-line scoreboard. You can access

updates after each angler weighs and gives you a live scoreboard in your pocket. Usually the top 10 anglers in each division will be rewarded at the end of each event – hang around and congratulate your peers and you’ll usually get a detailed description on what worked and where. Learn from it and use it to help you become a better angler. NOW IS THE TIME Every year, we hear the stories from new non-boaters that say “I’d been waiting for a few years to jump in, and I should have done it sooner!”.

Event

Duration

Format

Entry (boater)

Entry (non-boater)

Payout

Events

BREAM Tour

2-day qualifier (weekends)

Draw

$250

$125

70% cash (boater), prizes (non-boater)

5 Qualifiers nationally + a Grand Final.

Hobie Kayak BREAM Tour

Mix of one and two-day events on weekends

Individual

$50 (1-day) or $100 (2-day)

n/a

50% cash + prizes

11 Qualification events nationally + Aus Championship

Hobie Kayak BASS Tour

One day events on weekends

Individual

$50

n/a

50% cash + prizes

5 Qualification events + Aus Championship

BASS Pro Tour

2-day qualifier (weekends)

Draw

$250

$125

70% cash (boater), prizes (non-boater)

4 Qualifiers QLD/NSW + a Grand Final.

BASS Electric Tour

Mostly Sunday events with a few 2-day events

Individual or Team

$30 ($100 major)

n/a

Prizes plus an optional cash side-pool

11 events plus a Convention

BARRA Tour

Mostly 2-session events with an all-night BARRA Marathon in the mix

Team

$100 per team per day

n/a

50% payout plus prizes

about getting a line in the water, but there are a few etiquette points to take note of while

non-boaters that compete know their strengths and fish to them. If you’re good at

You’re in a boat, fishing away from the pressures of everyday life with a like-

again – just don’t share the spots you caught ‘em on Day 1 until the event is over –

this on your smartphone via the “LIVESTREAM” tab on the www.abt.org.au site. This

Do it. Jump in. You’ll love it.

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abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

Sign on to win in 2015 Since its inception in 1999, ABT has had nearly 10,000 financial members. Historically, Memberships simply allowed ABT to keep a record of anglers, mailing addresses and linked tournament results. 2015 sees more value added to an ABT membership, so that even if you’re not fishing in the 2015 season, you’ll still want to be a part. An ABT membership costs $40 per annum and all memberships expire on the 31st January each year, just in time for renewal for the upcoming tournament season. New members get a couple of ABT sew-on badges, as well as the latest AFC DVD. Starting in February 2015, however, there’ll be monthly Member Draws for product prizes from ABT’s stable of sponsors. Reels, lures, line, merchandise will all be up for grabs. Best thing is that you don’t need to do anything to be in the running – just be a current financial member of ABT.

ABT on Facebook Like: Australian Bass Tournaments

FEBRUARY 2015

ABT Members have had a positive impact on recreational fishing over the years – from their contributions to

freshwater fish stocking (over $150,000 in cash since inception) to the positive influence that a tour of catch

ABT Membership also allows you to fish any of the events on the ABT circuit.

ABT on the Internet Visit: www.abt.org.au

Becoming an ABT Member now allows you to win prizes outside of the sphere of events.

and release tournaments have had on saltwater and freshwater venues and fisheries. ABT and its membership are proud that their events have a strong foundation in ESD principles. Economic via spending money in regional Australia, social via the random pairing of anglers and environmental via the compulsory live-release of fish. There are no points

allocated for dead fish in any ABT events. And we think that it’s not too long a bow to draw to claim that ABT members and their events have been the catalyst for much of the adoption of modern tackle and techniques in the last fifteen years. GSP line, soft plastic baits, spinnerbaiting, bio-baits and the early adoption of boating and marine electronic technology has been the hallmark of ABT Members over the years. With a motto of “Who Shares Wins”, ABT members not only develop new and innovative techniques, they

take pride in sharing them throughout the angling fraternity. Partnerships with media such as Fishing Monthly Magazines ensure that the tournament-winning tackle and techniques make the pages of the most widely read fishing magazines in the country. Each month, you’ll see the latest ABT tournament reports along with the winning baits published in the pages of the relevant state issues. As a thanks to ABT members, there’s a discount subscription voucher included in membership packs – these are worth the cost of ABT membership alone.

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abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

Butler serves up stellar season Simon Goldsmith

There’s no greater attribute to have as a tournament angler than consistency. The ability to deliver fish to the scales regardless of time, tide, and year, it’s what sets the great anglers apart from the truly great. As a measure of this consistency there’s nothing greater than the Angler of Year crown. The ultimate reward and gauge of angler consistency it’s a title that’s coveted by many but won by only a select few. For 2014 Power-Pole BREAM Angler of Year Scott Butler, bream season 2014 was one punctuated by podium finishes, event victories and ultimate consistency that saw him hold the AOY trophy aloft at the end of the four event qualifying round season. TIME FOR A CHANGE The 2014 champ’s ascendancy to the top of the pile didn’t come through luck or chance though, but was the result of hard work and developments both on and off the water, as Scott Butler explains.

“In 2014 I really worked on the non-fishing side of my fishing such as my preparation and fitness. I cleaned up my diet and started to really watch what I ate, and in the process lost around 30 kilos”. Trimmed down, fishing fit and ready for the start of the tournament season Butler also went to work on his preparation, meticulously organized his tackle, his

boat, and researching and planning thoroughly before hitting the water. “I didn’t want to leave a stone unturned, so I tried to control and improve every element of my fishing regardless of how big or small it was,” added Butler. PLAY TO YOU STRENGTHS Lean and mean and game ready for the start of the season, Butler kicked

off his year at round one on Sydney Harbour in March armed with a new game plan. A plan that would see him do what he did best and fish to his strengths. “I’ve made the mistake in the past were I did what I thought I needed to win rather than do what I do best. So in 2014 I decided to fished to my strengths and not follow patterns and techniques that are

Cashing in was the name of the game for Scott in 2014.

Scott’s win in the final round on the Gold Coast cemented his AOY title win for 2014.

TOURNAMENT RODS FOR ALL ANGLERS

considered the norm for each venue. Rather than battle with a pack of guys all doing the same thing I did what I enjoy, threw the lures that I like, and used the techniques that I’m good at and enjoy the most. For most part this saw me twitching and pausing my beloved crankbaits,” explained Butler. Butler’s plan paid off, with his clear and streamline approach to the season delivering him a result no worse than a 5th (R3

Clarence River 26-27 July), and at its best a 1st (R4 Gold Coast 27-28 September). IT TAKES TIME While 2014 was in many ways a breakthrough year for Butler, a season that saw him claim his biggest title to date, it was year that was predated by a steady, and ever increasing number of podium finishes. “My results have improved with each successive year. From being outside the top ten, to breaking into the top ten, then the top three, followed by an event win, and now the AOY title,” explained Butler. A text book case of angler evolution and the pursuit of success, it’s an evolution that didn’t come easy and didn’t come over night. “I’ve been fishing bream events for over seven years and I learnt early on to learn from your mistakes. If something didn’t work or I failed at something I tried to draw a positive out of it

and in-turn identify what I could have done correctly instead,” explained Butler. Putting this thinking into process and into time on the water Butler tries to fish as much as he can. “Time on the water is very important, and every time you head out on the water, whether it be social or in a tournament I try and learn something, no matter how small it may be. It could be an important thing to have up your sleeve down the track. Never stop learning and never dismiss anything that happens on the water,” explained Butler. BACK YOURSELF A trademark of all elite anglers is confidence and Scott Butler is no different. Armed with an expansive repository of bream knowledge Scott taps into this confidence and backs his knowledge and his experience, and uses it to go out and do his own thing without fear of, failure, or what others are doing. To page 56

m + 61 (0)411 037 418 e steve@duffrods.com.au w kustomﬁshingtools.com.au Butler heads off on a gloomy tournament morning focused and ready for battle. 54

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abt From page 54

“One thing I learnt over the years is to fish what you enjoy fishing and don’t just do what the others are doing. A lot of anglers, including myself, get caught up in a certain technique or style, and one of the hardest things is breaking the pattern of following others. This is foremost in my mind when I’m fishing and I always try and go out and do my own thing, and back my decisions and choices,” said Butler. FISH AND FISH For anglers that aspire to hold the AOY crown aloft like Scott and achieve ultimate success on the bream tournament trail Scott has a few tips to help you

Tournament Angler Guide not getting disheartened is also high on Scott’s tips list. “I see a lot of anglers these days do well in a couple of events, then follow it up with a couple of bad events where they don’t do so well, and then they disappear giving up in disgust and disappointment. Consistency takes times to achieve, and as a tournament angler you need to realise you’ll have good tournaments and bad tournaments, just don’t let the bad ones shatter your reality. Keep fishing, and keep improving, it takes time but success and consistency will come,” adds Butler. With a motto of fishing smarter not harder driving him in 2015 and a red-hot

defence starts on the banks of the Tweed River in late summer (Berkley Tweed River BREAM Qualifier, 28 Feb/1 March). “It’s going to be a challenging season. There’s a lot of talented anglers on the tour and I’m going to have to bring my A-game to be in with a shot,” concluded Butler.

BUTLER’S 2014 REPORT CARD Butler received an A+ on his report card in 2014. Here are some of the standout comments from his year on tour. • Scott stuck to his strengths in 2014 throwing a Zipbaits Khamsin Tiny DR for most of it. A lure that he fell in love with three years ago it’s transformed his fishing and by his own admission has made him the angler he is today. • Scott’s favourite Zipbaits colours are #510 Silver Shad, #509 Blue Gill, #325A Mellow Shad and #021A Holo Clear Ebi. • Scott’s sponsors were crucial to his success in 2014, they were Nitro Marine/ Triton Boats , Simrad, Elite Tournament Tackle Australia, Zipbaits and Lox Rods.

THE MONEY BOX Butler gets in touch with his hard and soft side when loading up his tackle box with his prize money winning lures. • Zipbaits Khamsin Tiny DR • Zipbaits Skinny Pop JNR • Zipbaits Khamsin JR DR • Berkley Gulp Crabby • Berkley Gulp Shrimp get there. “Fishing is the best sport in world so get out there and do it as much as you can. The more you do it, the better you will get at. So go fishing as much as you can”. Staying in the game and

2014 fueling his desire for more success Butler is definitely one of the favourites to look out for in the hunt for the Power-Pole BREAM AOY crown. The hunt for the crown and the beginning of Butler’s title

Meticulous pre-event preparation had Scott ready to go once he hit the start line.

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Burbidge wins it all in 2014: Grand Final and AOY SYDNEY

Carl ‘Cid’ Dubois

At the start of any tournament year, there are always two distant goals on every angler’s mind. One of these is to win the Grand Final and the other is to rise to the top of the pack and take out the AOY (Angler of the Year). To have success in either of these coveted titles takes skill, determination, dedication and resourcefulness. To be able to claim both titles in the same year lifts the angler onto another level entirely and Chris Burbidge did exactly that in 2014. To add even more kudos to his achievements, Chris is also ended the year as the number one ranked kayak angler in Australia. I spoke to Chris recently to get the low-down on his remarkable year and to gain some insights into why he was so successful. The amount of information he shared with me shows his worth as a true champion and following the ABT motto of ‘Who Shares Wins’, you’d better watch out for Chris next year, too. Chris works as a Car Service Dealer Adviser and

resides in Fern Tree Gully, Victoria. Every Saturday he is out on the water somewhere, usually travelling many kilometres to reach quality fishing locations such as Lake Tyers three hours to the east or the Curdies River or Hopkins River, two hours and forty-five minutes to the west, the places Chris call his local waterways! And if he’s not chasing big black bream, he’ll be stalking

He first fell in love with fishing when as a six year old he’d fish with his father, drifting worms down rapids into deep pools for trout. His first experience with lures though came many years later when he was twenty-two. While out trout fishing, he found an old Rapala lure. The fishing with bait had been unproductive so to try something different

You do plenty of this on the way to multiple event wins. Upgrading.

Chris spends a lot of time on the water, which contributes to his success. EP’s, reeling in bass or luring for yellowbelly and cod. My first two questions for Chris were how did he evolve as an angler and when did he start fishing tournaments?

he tied it on and proceeded to catch his first fish on a lure. Immediately the penny dropped and luring became his favourite way to fish. Chris started to scour

fishing magazines, absorbing every little tit-bit of valuable information. He experimented with various lures and techniques, learning what worked and sometimes more importantly, what didn’t work and hypothesising afterwards why it didn’t. By 1988 he was regularly targeting estuary perch with lures and racking up impressive numbers of black bream captures, even though he’d been told by many older anglers you couldn’t catch them on lures. His first foray into the world of tournament fishing was in 1994 at Lake Windamere where the target species was yellowbelly. Although he wasn’t too successful, he was keen to try again and in 1995 Chris returned and finished as the Champion Angler. In 1999, Chris turned his hand to capturing the mighty Murray cod in his first tournament at Lake Mulwala. More lessons were learnt and Chris kept returning to catch these iconic fish until in 2005 he was the runner-up Champion Angler. In 2006, he battled it out in another cod tournament and this time he clinched the Champion Angler trophy. His first BREAM tournaments were in 2008, when Chris partnered with Graeme Taylor to fish the team’s event competition, the Vic Bream Classics. With a wealth of experience on their side, Chris and Graeme

September 2009 fishing the waters of Glenelg. Just to show he is human, Chris recorded a donut for that event, proving that it can happen to the best of us. His next ABT tournament was in January 2010 at the mighty Bemm but this time he was standing on the top of the podium after the final day’s bags had been tallied. From then on, Chris became a regular on the kayak tournament circuit and he always plans to fish in at least five rounds per year to give him the maximum amount of rounds that count towards AOY. Usually he ends up competing in one or two more though which allows him the advantage of dropping the events he hasn’t finished as well in. My next question was why did he think he was so successful in 2014?

on your objectives and not get distracted. Also I spend a lot of time on the water fishing socially and this lets me hone my fishing skills that I apply to my tournaments, too. I guess that means practice makes perfect,” Chris said. “Another important part to my year is getting to know the waterways and preparing a game plan for the tournament. I’ll look at old reports, check the tides and weather forecasts, scope out the area with Google Earth. I’ll look at anything that may help me get an angle on the place. “Plus having good fishing gear is essential if you want results. I’m lucky enough to have some great sponsors and the Duff rods I use are superb. Steve is an expert craftsman and the custom rods I’ve asked him to build for me are perfect for my style of fishing.

Another day at the office for the Grand Final Champ, Current AOY and #1 ranked BREAM kayak angler in the country.

CHRIS’ TOP SIX TOURNAMENT LURES • Nories Laydown Minnow (BR-74 Gold Rush). • Gladiator Shiver Vibe 40mm (SV4010 - purple and black) and Cranka Vibe 2012 (original Ayu) • Ecogear VX-35 (439 and 426) • Jackall Chubby 35 shallow (Ghost Wagasaki or Brown Suji Shrimp) • Pontoon 21 Crackajack 48 deep and medium (A03 Bleeding Tiger Prawn) • O.S.P Bent Minnow (P-74 Pink Head) excelled in this tournament and won the Team of the Year award. From here it was a short step to the world of kayak fishing and Chris entered his first ABT tournament in 58

FEBRUARY 2015

“There are a few reasons I suppose. My main aim while I’m in a competition is to just relax and enjoy the day on the water and have fun. But even though I’m having fun, it’s essential to stay focused

“A really good pair of sunglasses is also critical to my success. I wear Tonics because I love my flats fishing and they let me see fish that I’m sure I would have missed with my old sunnies. The

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Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au glare reduction is amazing and they are easily my standout preference for sunglasses. “Oh, and I guess I had luck on my side, too. You can have the best game plan in the world, have the best gear and know the place like the back of your hand but if the fish aren’t where you are, you’re going to struggle. ” Those of us who know and have fished with Chris realised very quickly he has a wealth of knowledge regarding many various fishing styles. Seeing as this year’s tournaments were completed, I was hoping

Chris would pass on a few gems of wisdom for aspiring anglers hoping to emulate his success. Chuckling he replied, “Yeah, I suppose I can. First, don’t worry about who you’re fishing against. You can’t control what they do, so just make it a competition against yourself and do the best you can.” “Next, ensure you make a plan for the tournament and stick to it. It’s no using chopping and changing every thirty minutes and racing all over the place. Plus you

also, and this may sound contradictory to what I just said, you also have to be prepared to change your plan if the circumstances warrant it. You might have planned to fish surface all day because the fish were biting their heads off

the last time you were there but if you haven’t had a touch after thirty or forty minutes, you may need to re-think your strategy. Or you may notice on your sounder fish holding deep while you’re heading to your chosen spot. I’ll always

2014 ROUNDS AND RESULTS Round 1 .................. Glenelg, VIC ...................... 1st Round 2 ................... Bemm, VIC ...................... 3rd Round 3 .................... Marlo, VIC ....................... 9th Round 7 ................ Lake Tyers, VIC .................... 1st Round 9 ............ Georges River, NSW.............. 18th Round 14 .............. Paynesville, VIC .................... 1st Grand Final ........... Mandurah , WA .................... 1st GF RESULTS 2010 ...................... 9th 2011 .................... 36th 2012 .................... 12th 2013 ...................... 7th 2014 ...................... 1st throw a blade or vibe for five or ten minutes to see if they’ll bite or not. “Learn to fish with different techniques too, because this can sometimes be a game changer. Take fishing with vibes as an example. Many people fish them quite aggressively with quick, double hops. Sometimes this technique works but usually I employ a ‘finesse’ style of fishing while using these. I’ll work them with small, gentle lifts and hops. And if I’m fishing a rocky area, I’ll try to

Winning the 2014 Daiwa/Hobie Grand Final at Mandurah capped a stellar year for Burbidge.

walk the lure over the rocks. I call it a ‘soft hands’ approach. You know how lots of the vibes have little bearings in them? Well I try to not make them rattle. “And upgrade your hooks. They’ve got to be good. Just do it.” This was all great information so I fired off three more questions: who do you look up to amongst all the other anglers, where are your favourite locations and what were 2014’s stand-out highlights apart from the Grand Final win and AOY? “Without a doubt the angler I admire and respect the most is Greg Lewis. I’ve never met anybody with the instinct and ability to find fish like he does. He’s a top bloke too and I only wish he had the opportunities to fish in a few more tournaments nowadays. “Amongst my top locations is Mandurah but not just because I won there. It has everything you could want in a bream fishery. There’s sheds and pontoons, snags, undercuts and flats, just everything! It’s such a fishy-looking location. “Next on my list would be Glenelg for the same set of reasons I suppose. My other selections would be Lake Tyers and Bemm. These places are open to you using a range of various techniques, which gives all anglers the chance to fish to their

2015 RND DATE

EVENT LOCATION

R01 FEB 07 - 08

VIC | Bemm River VIC | Marlo

HOBIE® KAYAK BREAM SERIES PRESENTED BY

RND DATE

EVENT LOCATION

Two

R09 JUN 28

NSW | Sydney Harbour

One

Two

R10 JUL 25 - 26

QLD | Gold Coast

Two

R03 MAR 14 - 15 VIC | Mallacoota

Two

R11 AUG 09

NSW | St Georges Basin

One

R04 MAR 22

NSW | Clyde River

One

R12 AUG 22 - 23

QLD | Redcliffe

Two

WA | Mandurah

One

R13 AUG 30

WA | Perth

One

VIC | Paynesville

Two

R14 OCT 17 - 18

NSW | Georges River

Two

NSW | Forster

Two

TBA NOV 14 - 15

Hobie Kayak Bream National Championship

Two

SA | Nelson

Two

R02 FEB 21 - 22

VIC State Title

National Qualifier Hobie Fishing Worlds Qualifier 1

R05 MAR 29 R06 APR 18 - 19 R07 MAY 16 - 17 R08 JUN 20 - 21

NSW State Title - Run by Southern Bream Series WA State Title - Run by WA Bream Classics National Qualifier

Hobie Fishing Worlds Qualifier 2 Run by Vic Bream

DAYS

strengths. Plus there are some mighty awesome fish in these systems, too. “As for highlights, there are two that stand out for me. My win in Paynesville and also winning it by a large margin (the nearest competitor was 1.34kgs behind Chris) really boosted my confidence. “My selection to be part of the Australian Hobie Kayak Team fishing in the National Open Kayak Tournament in China was a dream come true for me. To represent your country is the pinnacle for our sport and to travel and fish with ten other like-minded and talented Aussie anglers was a truly unique experience. I’ll never forget it.” To wrap it up, I asked Chris what his goals for 2015 are. “Obviously I’d like to back up my performances from last year and win the AOY and Grand Final again, as well as staying number one in the rankings. Apart from those, I’d really like to take out the top spot at Marlo. That’s one place I haven’t conquered yet so to achieve that would be pretty special.” With the incredible knowledge and skills that Chris has at his disposal, as well as an infectious drive and determination to keep increasing his abilities as an angler, I can almost see Chris on the top of that podium at Marlo now.

DAYS

Run by Southern Bream Series QLD State Title

Run by Southern Bream Series National Qualifier

Run by WA Bream Classics National Qualifier To Be Announced

All dates and venues subject to final council approvals, water permits and weather forecast prior to the event and are subject to change. Organisers & Hobie Cat Australasia cannot be held responsible for events outside our control should a change of date / venue be required.

FEBRUARY 2015

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Tournament Angler Guide

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2014 ABT Rankings and Angler of the Year Anglers shared in the spoils and rewards in 2014 with plenty of bream, bass, barra anglers making hay as the sun shone on the ABT tournament trail. Warren Carter (1st ranked boater) and Scott Butler (2nd

ranked boater and boater AOY champion) shone on the bream side of the ledger, while Dean Silvester (1st ranked boater) and Mark Lennox (champion AOY boater) stood up to be counted in the BASS Pro Series.

Shaun Falkenhagen had a dream year in 2014 claiming the BASS Electric AOY crown to accompany his BASS Pro Grand Final non-boater win, while bass young gun Jordan Renz claimed the BASS Electric number one ranking.

Victoria’s Chris Burbidge was untouchable in a kayak claiming the Grand Final, AOY and number one BREAM Kayak ranking in the Hobie Kayak BREAM Series while Glen Hayter had an equally impressive year to

claim the BASS kayak AOY and number one ranking crowns. Fresh from a red-hot Rapala BARRA Tour Ben Durkin and Matt McArthur finished the year as the Team of the Year, while William

Reichard and Ken Elliot grabbed the number one ranking courtesy of a red-hot 2014 tour. For full rankings, records, and earnings of each species and series visit www. abt.org.au.

BREAM BREAM PRO RANKINGS 2014 Boater 1 Warren Carter .............................................. 238 2 Scott Butler ................................................. 231 3 Kris Hickson .................................................219 4 Russell Babekuhl ........................................ 203 5 Ross Cannizzaro ..........................................198 6 Cameron Whittam ........................................180 7 Chris Wright .................................................173 8 Steve Morgan ...............................................142 9 Jamie McKeown ..........................................136 10 Brad Hodges ................................................136 Non Boater 1 Brad Roberts ...............................................160 2 Tanya Konsul ................................................157 3 Rebecca Fazio .............................................155 4 Mark Cribbes ...............................................135 5 Chris Findlay ................................................130 6 Simon Johnson ............................................126 7 Grayson Fong............................................... 117 8 Callum Dowell .............................................. 115 9 John Galea ................................................... 115 10 Andrew Williams ........................................... 114

BREAM PRO AOY 2014 Boater 1 Scott Butler ................................................. 294 2 Warren Carter .............................................. 281 3 Cameron Whittam ....................................... 281 4 Russell Babekuhl ........................................ 280 5 Anthony Thorpe ........................................... 271 6 Tom Slater ................................................... 263 7 Heath Blaikie ............................................... 260 8 Daniel Brown ............................................... 257 9 Chris Seeto ................................................. 253 10 Mark Healey ................................................ 253 Non Boater 1 John Galea ................................................. 288 2 Simon Johnson ........................................... 277 3 Grayson Fong.............................................. 275 4 Jonathan Thompson ....................................274 5 Brad Roberts .............................................. 258 6 Bernard Kong .............................................. 253 7 Clint Voss ..................................................... 253 8 Zac O’Sullivan ............................................. 252 9 Trevor Harris ................................................ 247 10 John Thorley ................................................ 245

BREAM KAYAK RANKINGS 2014 1 Chris Burbidge ............................................ 355 2 Stephen Maas ............................................. 304 3 Stewart Dunn .............................................. 303 4 Michael Maas .............................................. 293 5 Jason Meech............................................... 290 6 Patrick McQuarrie ....................................... 281 7 Shane Owens .............................................. 262 8 Andrew Death ............................................. 253 9 Simon Morley .............................................. 253 10 Josh Carpenter ........................................... 249 BREAM KAYAK AOY 2014 1 Chris Burbidge ............................................ 490 2 Stephen Maas ............................................. 487 3 Stewart Dunn .............................................. 483 4 Mat Cameron ...............................................476 5 Michael Maas .............................................. 475 6 Jason Meech............................................... 472 7 Jon Clisby ................................................... 465 8 Patrick McQuarrie ....................................... 463 9 Kane Terry .................................................... 461 10 Scott Sandilands ......................................... 458

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BASS BASS KAYAK RANKINGS 2014 1 Glen Hayter ......................... 258 2 Dave Mann .......................... 240 3 Mick Skinner ....................... 189 4 Alan Britcliffe ....................... 180 5 Richard Somerton ............... 147 6 Peter Bostock ..................... 136 7 Duane Macey ...................... 128 8 Ben Davidson ...................... 124 9 Jonathan Chen .................... 121 10 Anthony Correnti ................... 98

BASS ELECTRIC RANKINGS 2014 1 Jordan Renz ........................ 379 2 Mitchell Renz ...................... 323 3 Joseph Urquhart ................ 308 4 Adrian Wilson ..................... 306 5 Tom Reynolds ..................... 296 6 Adrian Manolea ................... 282 7 Christian Manolea ............... 278 8 Dave Mann .......................... 275 8 Tim Steenhuis ..................... 275 10 Brett Kleinschmidt ............. 273

BASS KAYAK AOY 2014 1 Glenn Hayter ....................... 296 2 Richard Somerton ............... 295 3 Dave Mann .......................... 289 4 Alan Britcliffe ....................... 285 5 Mick Skinner ....................... 277 6 Ben Davidson ...................... 251 7 Denis Metzdorf ................... 191 8 Chesney Fung ..................... 191 9 Jordan Garnsworthy ........... 187 10 Jason Garner ...................... 184

BASS ELECTRIC AOY 2014 1 Shaun Falkenhagen............. 486 2 Peter Bostock ..................... 475 3 Adrian Wilson ...................... 461 4 Christian Manolea ............... 459 5 Adrian Manolea ................... 443 6 Jonathon Bale ..................... 422 7 Tom Reynolds ..................... 382 8 Callum Tewes ....................... 372 9 Nathan Swanson ................. 360 10 Ian Galloway ........................ 356

Warren Carter and Shaun Falkenhagen had a redhot 2014 on the BREAM and BASS Tours. BASS BASS PRO RANKINGS 2014 Boater 1 Dean Silvester ................221 2 Stephen Kanowski .........213 3 David Young ....................193 4 Mark Lennox ..................181 5 Barry Reynolds ..............164 6 Adrian Melchior ..............163 7 Steven Otto ....................149 8 Peter Phelps ...................145 9 Matthew Mott .................143 10 Matt Johnson .................137

BASS PRO AOY 2014 Boater 1 Mark Lennox ..................282 2 David Young ....................281 3 Craig Simmons ..............274 4 Barry Reynolds ..............274 5 Glyn Barkhuizen .............271 6 Joe Allan ........................266 7 Mark Reinbott ................263 8 David Lane .....................261 9 Karen Fontaine ...............261 10 Stephen Kanowski .........258

Non Boater 1 Ben Scotman .................173 2 Shaun Falkenhagen........168 3 Terry Alwood ..................155 4 Dane Radosevic .............154 5 Duane Macey .................152 6 Ray Holmes ....................146 7 Dave Hedges..................143 8 Warren Howe .................141 9 Peter Holmes .................138 10 Stephen Mclean .............121

Non Boater 1 Ben Biggs ......................273 2 Ben Lockwood ...............265 3 David Williamson ............265 4 Liam Fitzpatrick .............264 5 Ray Holmes ....................262 6 Duane Macey .................259 7 Tom Deer ........................258 8 Allan Price ......................258 9 Mike Connolly ................256 10 Peter Holmes .................252

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Chris Burbidge was untouchable in a kayak in 2014, while Steve Kanowski and Mark Lennox dominated the Toray BASS Pro Series. BARRA BARRA RANKINGS 2014 1 Willem Reichard .......................................................................................192 1 Ken Elliot ..................................................................................................192 3 Matt McArthur .........................................................................................187 3 Ben Durkin ...............................................................................................187 5 Craig Griffiths ...........................................................................................173 6 Trent Power ..............................................................................................161 6 Donovan Power ........................................................................................161 8 Jon Millard ..............................................................................................156 9 Neil Wilson ...............................................................................................148 9 Geoff Newby ............................................................................................148 BARRA TOY 2014 1 Ben Durkin .....................Matt McArthur ................................................. 298 2 Ken Elliot ........................Willem Reichard ............................................... 295 3 Geoff Newby ..................Neil Wilson ....................................................... 291 4 Jon Millard .....................Ethan Farrell ..................................................... 289 5 Justin Welsh ...................Cameron Johnson ........................................... 285 6 Craig Griffiths .................Karim Deridder ................................................ 282 7 Trent Power ....................Donovan Power ............................................... 278 8 Patrick Morgan ...............Jarrod Dalton ................................................... 272 9 Ben Willcox ....................Matt Zahl ......................................................... 271 10 Peter Price .....................Aaron Dial ........................................................ 269

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Rising to the top of the pack Dean Silvester

In tournament angling there’s no bigger prize than an Angler of Year title. The ultimate reward for the best performing angler across the tournament season, it’s an accolade that all tournament pros aspire to win. In 2014 NSW’s Mark Lennox added the AOY shield to his trophy case, a trophy case that also holds his 2012 Grand Final trophy. LET’S GET STARTED Mark’s first tournament was in 2003 where he competed as a non-boater, and by his own admission was a late starter, beginning his tournament career at the ripe old age of 45. The tournament that kick started his career was a Lake Glenbawn BASS Pro event and he was fortunate enough to be partnered with 2000 ABT BASS Pro Grand Final winner John Schofield, and from that very first event he was hooked. While Mark’s first experience in tournament angling was positive he didn’t rush head on into it, and opted instead to take things steady as he learnt the ropes. “I fished one event in my

first year, then spent a few years as a non-boater before stepping up to mix it with the big boys as a boater”, explains Lennox. Mark’s progression and evolution as an angler was seamless and in 2012 he had his first major break through

winning the BASS Pro Grand Final on a challenging Lake St Clair. This coming of age win announced him as serious contender on the BASS Pro scene. With aspirations to win the AOY title, Mark knew consistency was the key to achieving such a lofty title.

“You can afford to have one bad event a year, but you can’t afford to have any more than that. You need to be consistent and firing on all guns to be in with a chance of winning”, explains Mark. Any that’s exactly what transpired in 2014, with Lennox discovering the consistency he was looking for in only his 6th year as an ABT tournament angler. His consistent year kicked off at round one at Lake Glenbawn with Lennox nailing down a 4th place. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in fishing, so to start the year with a top five was very satisfying. With a 4th to my name I began to set my sights on the AOY, and started to focus on what I needed to

Steve Kanowski holds the Grand Final shield aloft while Mark Lennox proudly displays his Angler of the Year shield.

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Hopping a Yamba Prawn Blade is one of Lennox’s favourite and most effective bassing techniques.

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like trying to make the top ten or top five at each round of the year”, explained Lennox. Researching results and write-ups from past events Lennox armed himself with as much knowledge and information as he could. He combined this with his own on water notes, both good and bad, and formulated a knowledge base that he would then apply on water and in the heat of battle. Lennox’s goal setting and system paid off with him racking up three top

Each event result and goal achieved helped Lennox grow in confidence and evolve as an angler, and when it comes to setting the goals that helped him achieve this Mark has a few tips for those driven to achieve and improve when it comes to their fishing. “Goals do not have to be long winded or complicated. The goals for each event are pretty simple, catch a limit each session, and make the top ten”. Preparation is another key ingredient to success for Lennox and it starts with making sure he has everything he needs to fish at his best. “I don’t want to be distracted by not having something that I need, and for me it starts with lures and leaders. I make sure I have enough of the lures that I’m going to need, to run out of a must-have lure is an angler’s worse nightmare. Once I have my lures sorted I’ll make sure my leaders are perfect and flawless. To lose

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Mark heads back to the scales to weigh another limit of bass.

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“I’m a big one for setting goals, so I set up small ones, like catching two fish in the next session that I’m about to fish, through to bigger goals

ten finishes for the year. A long time practioner of goal setting, it was in 2014 that his planning and preparation really came home to roost.

a fish through a failed knot or a broken leader that was preventable is unacceptable”, explained Mark. Researching tournament

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au venues is another high priority for Mark. “When I have to fish a new lake I start by looking at a map so I can understand the area”, states Lennox. He will also run through past editions of Fishing Monthly magazines, as most tournament venues have a monthly update on areas that are fishing well and prospective lures for that time of year. With this information Mark will then hit the tournament venue to prefish. “I like to do the prefish two weeks prior to an event. This enables him me to put all my research into play and then formulate a plan for the prefish the day before the event”, explains Mark.

STAYING CALM Anglers compete in tournaments for different reasons and for Lennox it is the feeling of satisfaction that from comes from everything coming together when he’s on the water. The cooker pressure of tournament angling can bring a heavy weight of stress through, a weight that many anglers struggle with, Mark however has found a way to deal with it. “The stress that you feel during a tournament is to be expected, and being successful is about managing this stress and not letting it override your clear decision making and onwater performance”, explained Mark. Accepting of what’s required of him mentally

Lennox strives to stay calm and relaxed off the water then switched into focused

tournament mode once the tournament starts. “Once I am on the water

A top ten at round one at Glenbawn was the beginning of Mark’s red-hot year that included his AOY win and a top ten at every event. THE RESULTS THAT MATTER

Mark used both soft plastics and hard bodies to catch his bass in 2014.

• R1 Lake Glenbawn: 4th place • R2 Lake Boondooma: 10th place • Grand Final: 7th place • AOY: 282/300 points

I focus entirely on my plan for the session and what I need to do to put fish in the boat”, explains Mark. When it comes to the techniques that he uses, especially during the prefish, Mark rarely relies on just one technique for any given location, believing instead to be adept at a host of different techniques to maximise on water success. Once Mark identifies the best technique or techniques, and has his game plan set he’ll stick to it, even if the fishing is slow he will stick with the technique only changing it with a lighter line or smaller presentation. This set game plan allows Mark to keep a clear head, “having too many options messes with my head, so I try and keep it as simple as I can”, explains Mark. Lennox rarely has a fall back plan, and in the case when everything falls apart he simply reinvents himself and changes what he’s doing on the run. THE HOME FRONT Tournaments are a rocky road filled with highs and lows. Lennox draws much of his strength and support from his highly supportive wife Julie. While Mark’s wife and his support network of family and friends provide an invaluable, and essential support foundation for his tournament angling it’s his inner drive that fuels his angling appetite.

“No one drives me to succeed, it’s my own personal challenge”. When it comes to achieving and succeeding in his angling challenge Mark follows a few important rules: • Be confident in your decisions • Have the ability to forget past fishing experiences and start fresh every time. • Keep focused on why you are tournament fishing. • Fish the last hour of a session harder than the first hour • Have a personal commitment to make it happen. • Be persistent • Be respectful to other anglers If there is one thing Lennox has learnt in his 6 years competing it is that success is more about the decisions you make before you hit the water, rather than on it. “The level of skill and competition is only getting stronger in tournament angling. Access to information has never been easier, the fishing gear and technology has never been better or more advanced, and the challenge to consistently place high in a field of talented anglers has never been greater, and I can’t see it getting any easier. To get your name on the AOY trophy takes only the very best performance, and that’s what I’ll be striving for again in 2015”, concluded Lennox.

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The year of the Falken ABT

Charles West

As the BASS Electric rounds started at Lake Danjeera and took us to Bundaberg’s Isis Balancing Storage, the qualifying rounds distilled the next Angler of the Year for 2014 in Shaun Falkenhagen. With a smaller roster of events for the 2014 season, it was going to be important to make every event count for points. Shaun’s late-season Lake Macdonald round was the

most important event for him, as it was where he gained crucial points that put him in the lead in the AOY race. With the last event at Isis (which he didn’t attend), you can only imagine Shaun’s anticipation on waiting to hear the results from that event. It turned out that his anxiety was unfounded as he held on to the top spot and the 2015 title. As an Angler of the Year winner you need to be consistent with every tournament you attend. Shaun showed that it is important to bring bass to the weigh-in at

Shaun lists pre-fishing as a vital element to his success.

every event you fish. Shaun fished 6 out of the 12 events and in each event he fished, he delivered bass to the scales. Tallying 4 out of 6 events placed in the top 5, Shaun ended up with 486 points¸ only 11 points in front of his next competitor. I got the chance to talk to Shaun about his success and about the fundamentals that made his year fall into place. There is a pile of information that he was willing to share with us; his outlook, tools of his trade and some points of interest on which dams he fished and placed. Here a few questions we put to Shaun to help us see how he achieved AOY for 2014. Why where you so successful in 2014? The success for Shaun in 2014 came down to knowing the dam or lake he was fishing, by practice. “I try to pre-fish most dams leading up to the event I’m about to compete in,” Shaun said. However given work and family commitments this is not always the case. “Over the last few years I have started to get an understanding of most of the SEQ dams we fish and what the fish might be eating and the locations they could be in”.

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We’re sure to see Shaun on the winner’s podium many more times in both Electric and BASS Pro events. Shaun noted a few things he asks himself when going for a pre-fish before a tournament. • Is it an edge bite? • Are the bass schooled in deep water, making it a deep bite? • What depth of water should I concentrate in? • What structure (if any) should I look for? This is particularly import for dams with weed growth. “Having thought about the above I start to narrow down the areas to look for and the techniques I should be concentrating on before I hit the dam,” he continued. LAKE MACDONALD BREAKDOWN Here is a little breakdown on Shaun’s tournament day at Lake Macdonald, to see how he fishes and puts bass to the scales. “Given my poor finish at Lake Moogerah, I needed a good result at Macdonald to keep me in AOY calculations”. The following is Shaun’s approach to the pre-fish and tournament day and how he tried to adapt with the changing conditions. The pre-fish Shaun pre-fished the dam once, a few weeks leading up to the event. The day started really slowly for him. He fished the edges with lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits trying to find a pattern. After several hours without a bite he decided to look deeper closer to the creek bed. Shaun quickly caught several small, but legal fish on a blade. “I left this area knowing I had at least one plan,” he said. With Shaun knowing that in most years, the tournament’s Big Bass come off the edges, he decided to try the edges again, using a suspending jerkbait to try and tempt any fish sitting in the weed. Shaun quickly caught 8 good fish in several locations. One thing that stood out for Shaun was that all these fish came off shallow, healthy weed. Edges with little weed produced nothing for Shaun.

6 MUST-HAVE BAITS Here are Shaun’s 6 must have baits and outfits to match. “These depend on what dam I will be fishing, however to narrow it down to 6 lures and outfits, these are my go to techniques”. CRANKBAITING: OSP High Cut colour #T-53 Barrabass XP902 7’3 Spin Shimano CI4 1000 Toray 10lb Radius PE 8lb LEX 8lb Leader SOFT LIPLESS CRANKBAIT: Jackall Mask (Gold fleck black head) Barrabass XSB842 7ft Spin Shimano CI4 2500 Toray 15lb SeaBass PowerGame 12lb SuperHard Toray Leader LIPLESS CRANKBAIT Imakatsu Piranha lipless crankbait BarraBass Crankbait 6’10 Baitcast Daiwa Alphas Finesse Toray 10lb Radius Toray 10lb Superhard Leader ROLLING PLASTIC Keitech Swing Impact Fat 2.8inch Ayu on a 3/8 Impact Tackle painted jig head BarraBass IP841 7ft Spin Daiwa Certate 1003 Toray 6.5lb Sea Bass Shallow Finesse Toray LEX 8lb Leader BLADE Dressed 3/8 NexGen blade Barrabass XSB822 6’10 Spin Daiwa sol 1500 Toray 10lb Radius Toray 10lb Superhard Leader TOPWATER OSP Bent Minnow 76 colour H22 Barrabass XO 7’3 Spin Shimano CI4 1000 Toray 10lb Radius PE LEX 11lb Leader Going into the event, Shaun had plan A (jerkbaits to the shallow, weedy edges) and plan B, (blades deep near the creek bed). Tournament day Tournament day arrived and the first thing Shaun noticed when he arrived at the dam that morning was the lower water level when compared to the prefish several weeks earlier. The tournament started and he headed straight to his first area, however, the lower

water levels meant the fish had moved from his shallow weedy edges that he had previously found and caught good bass on in the pre-fish. After 3 to 4 hours passed with no results, Shaun made the decision to try Plan B, a deeper presentation, hoping that he could at least fill his bag of 2 bass. Shaun went on to catch his bag limit (2/2) with a kicker fish of 1.6kg. Shaun managed 5th place.

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Winning the BASS Electric AOY is all about consistently finishing in the Top 5 for multiple events. “Given the poor start I had, I was happy to come away with a top 5,” he said. Shaun’s a great example on how it’s vital to have more than one plan of attack and to catch other bass in different locations in your practise, in case the arena changes. As our dams are for water usage in many forms, water level can be an issue whether rising or falling. These weather events change the behaviour of bass and where they will hold and feed. “I believe luck plays some part in fishing the bass tournaments, however, you also need to make your own

luck by putting yourself in the right area at the right time,” Shaun said. How did you evolve to become so successful? “I think time on the water has a big part to play,” Shaun answered. “Spending time on a dam is helpful with knowing where the bass

are holding and feeding in different weather and seasons of the year.” Shaun has fished quite a few non-boating BASS Pro events, which have helped him enhance his understanding on how other anglers go about their day on the water and picking up on little techniques

SHAUN’S 2014 RESULTS Clarrie Hall Dam .................................................2nd Hinze Dam ...........................................................6th Maroon Dam ........................................................4th Wivenhoe Dam ...................................................2nd Lake Moogerah .................................................23rd Lake Macdonald ..................................................5th

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Non-boating in some of the BASS Pro powerboat events has added an extra dimension to Shaun’s understanding of SEQ bass and the techniques needed to catch them. that they use. “I try and take this knowledge and then apply it to my tournament fishing,” Shaun said. Shaun also has the flexibility to try and to adapt his techniques, lure selection and locations to suit the mood

of the fish and the conditions of the day. It’s important to keep an open mind when bass fishing, as one day a certain lure may work and the next it doesn’t. Shaun has shown over the years of tournament fishing that he is definitely evolving

and I’m sure he will continue to do this – he is a consistent and determined angler. What are your tips for an angler who aspires to achieve to your level? • Learn from others around you. • Ask questions of your fellow anglers. • Try to non-boat some BASS pro events • Spend time on the water trying different techniques. “We all have bad days on the water, try and learn from these bad days,” is Shaun’s advice. I’ve had the chance to fish with Shaun in a bass event and we had a good chat about some of the techniques he uses and I would have to say he does have a good knowledge and understanding of our SEQ dams and lakes and how to fish them in those tough days of tournament fishing. Shaun is a well-developed bass angler who we will see for years to come and surely will see on the podium many more times. With the 2015 BASS Electric session about to start, we will see how Shaun goes and see if he can do it again. It won’t be easy to do. With a lot of great anglers and new up and coming anglers it is a tough field to compete in. Anyone can win it. So let the season begin….

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Hayter hauls to the top ABT

Josh Carpenter

For any competitive angler in Australia these days there are two benchmarks for success, winning the Grand Final and winning the Angler of the Year title. Grand Final wins are certainly an accomplishment but to win an AOY takes a season of dedication. Through ups and downs it takes true grit to make it to the top of that table. Those sound like inspiring ideals but as with all three BASS tours there is more to it than just hard work and the studious pursuit of success. The BASS tours have become known as much for their camaraderie and mateship around the campfire as well as the “who shares wins” motto being put into practice. For current Hobie Kayak BASS AOY champion Glenn Hayter success in 2014 centred on having fun and enjoying the moment, as he fished his way to a near perfect AOY point score (296/300 points). Four unique fisheries, in three different states provided a challenging landscape for anglers in 2014, a landscape that Hayter would ultimately

dominate on his way to AOY glory. A FALSE START TO A GOOD YEAR Tallowa Dam in southern NSW Shoalhaven area played host to the opening round. Tallowa is probably

the lake. I wasn’t able to get on the water on the prefish the day before the tournament but I was confident of getting a bag. Unfortunately the dam water level had dropped leaving the weed beds high and dry. I had heaps of fun

Hayter’s win in the final round at Lake Toonumbar secured. him the 2014 Hobie Kayak BASS AOY title.

Quality bass in the heat of battle was the hallmark of Hayter’s 2014 season. the greatest bass fishery no one has ever heard of due to it being closed to both combustion engines and electrics. By far the most expansive arena and Glenn’s local round. “I prefished before the ban came into effect and found plenty of fish around the weed beds of my favourite arm of

catching carp on plastics and topwaters but struggled to catch a bass until the last hour when I started to throw a Jackall TN60 and managed two legals”. An 18th place was not what Glenn was looking for on his home water, but as a longtime tournament angler with a ten plus year history

fishing the BASS Electric and BASS Pro circuits, he knew that one result does not determine a season. GETTING BACK ON THE HORSE Blue Rock Dam in Victoria has come online in the last few years as a tournament arena for all iterations of bass fishing, from powerboats through to electric events as well as kayak events, and for Glenn it was where he shrugged off a slow start and mounted his campaign for the AOY title. “During the prefish I found fish on the edges holding in the shade and during the comp worked that pattern with a Jackall TN60 rigged with a beetle spin. I caught half a dozen legal fish including my biggest at about 11.30am in the last bit of shade I could find”. A third place finish and a boost to his confidence was all Glenn needed to get him back on track.

the day before had largely vanished. I put together a bag by 8am nonetheless, and then headed into the timber in search of upgrades. It paid off and I picked up a quality fish on a Jackall Ice Jig. It was good enough for another third place and set the scene for the final round”. FINISHING IT OFF The final round at Toonumbar beckoned and provided Glenn with his ultimate challenge and in the end his ultimate reward in this best three-from-four points race. “After having a bad start at Tallowa earlier in the year I knew I needed a second place or higher finish to rundown Richard Somerton for angler of the year. Past sessions on Toonumbar, included the 2013 BASS Kayak Grand Final and past BASS Electric events showed me that a bag of fish over 38cm each was definitely do-able. I went out for a prefish and found them

smelt colour on a 1/20oz TT jighead. In the end I got an upgrade 50m from the start line at 12.30 to give me two 39’s and a 40 for my bag and giving me first place by 1cm”. Victories can often come down to mere centimetres and one single seemingly insignificant bite, and Hayter’s victory at Toonumbar, and in turn his Angler of the Year title, was exactly that. Being in position to claim event wins and tour titles however don’t come from single fortuitous moments but instead comes from consistent performance, diversity in ability and highly evolved angler skills. All three feature in Glen’s angler arsenal, and are attributes that will see him as the man to watch, and catch on the 2015 Hobie Fishing Kayak BASS tour. IT’S TOURNAMENT TIME When bassing socially Glen finds it hard to go past throwing a topwater

Hayter caught his fishing throughout the year on a variety of techniques and lures.

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CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN AT MOOGERAH After a little advice from local Charles West on where the fish might be Glenn went out for the prefish day and found good schools of fish but found them hard to tempt. “I went out on comp day and the schooled fish from

in both the same spots as the last two times I had been there. “In the tournament I couldn’t have had a better start getting a 36cm and a 40cm fish in the first three casts and I had a 38, 39 and 40cm bag by 8.30 fishing the shaded weed beds. I probably caught 25-30 fish for the day all on Gulp! 3” minnows in

in the shade or running and gunning for active fish with finesse plastics. When on the tournament clock though his thoughts change and a much broader selection of bass baits come out to play. “I love a buzzbait for prefishing because it is a great tool for searching the edges. They don’t have a great

abt.org.au THE ROAD TO VICTORY R1 ........Tallowa Dam, NSW: ......................18th place R2 ........Blue Rock Dam, VIC .....................3rd place R3 ........Moogerah Dam, QLD: ..................3rd place R4 ........Toonumbar Dam, QLD..................1st place hookup rate which means I don’t burn fish on the prefish day and at least have some chance of catching them during the comp. This also means I don’t fish it in the comp itself because of that poor hookup rate”. When riverine styled lakes are on the menu Hayter ties on a lure that has become legendary on the bream scene, but not as well know on the bass trail.

“In the more “river like” dams I like to fish weedbeds with 3” minnow plastics on light jigheads. I’ll also upsize my bait in such locations and throw a Jackall TN60, rigged with, and without, a beetle spin”. As Glen moves out from the edge and starts to take things a little deeper he’ll flip open his tackle box and reach for a blade. “I prefer an Impact

Tackle Bladez on big open flats with 10-20ft, and will try and cover as much water as possible but when fishing schooled fish”. On specific deepwater structure such as standing timber Glen likes using ice jigs in conjunction with his sounder. A combination that enables him to pin point fish and take his lure directly to them. Finally, a 3 inch curl tail grub rigged on a 1/4oz jighead rounds out his deep water arsenal and his must-have bass baits, a collection that Glen has refined and defined over many years, and many hours on the water for ultimate tournament success.

Hayter’s win in the final round at Lake Toonumbar secured. him the 2014 Hobie Kayak BASS AOY title. PICK A BOX Glen’s must-haves in his tackle box when packing for the tournament trail. Impact Tackle Bladez Jackall TN60, rigged with and without a beetle spin blade 3” minnow rigged on a lightweight jighead 3” Curl Tail Grub rigged on a 1/4oz jighead Jackall Ice Jig FEBRUARY 2015

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Points decision for BARRA Team of the Year Chris Byrnes

The 2014 Rapala BARRA Tour witnessed red hot fishing across all three North QLD barra venues. The battle for the Team of the Year (TOY) title was tightly fought, with multiple teams still in the reckoning at the start of the final session at Peter Faust Dam. In the end Team BTD Lures, comprised of Ben Durkin and Matt McArthur, were the worthy recipients of the TOY title. BTD Lures put themselves in the box seat from the start of the tour with victories in the first two events at Teemburra and Kinchant Dams. However a tougher bite at Peter Faust Dam saw the team fall down the standings after the first session, potentially resulting in the team being PLACE

TEAM

overtaken by competitors sitting a mere four points behind. However, the team quickly regathered and caught the fish to rocket them into overall third place at the event, and securing the team their first Team of the Year title. ABT asks the team the hard questions in an effort to uncover the secrets of their 2014 success, the key factors in their development, tips to assist anglers looking to compete in tournaments and the must have lures that delivered their maiden Team of the Year title. Q: Why were you so successful in 2014? The team’s success in 2014 can be attributed to a number of factors. Both team members, in their own right, have extensive experience on the water fishing socially and in tournament conditions. But it was their time and experience fishing

together that solidified their tournament success. Whether it was working together with a particular lure or trying different approaches both anglers understood that an effective team can entice bites when the fishing is tough, or extend a bite window for longer than normal. The team readily admitted that they had made mistakes in the past, but importantly had learnt from them. Further to this the team highlighted the importance of making a plan and then sticking to it. “In past events we made decisions that came back to haunt us, however we learnt from our mistakes rather than dwell on them. Instinct and gut feel aren’t tangible elements, however they play an important role when you are on the water. One of the keys for us as a team is to remain focussed; it is a tournament after all!

ANGLER 1

ANGLER 2

Team BTD Lures dominated at Kinchant, catching a 112cm average to claim their second win on the tour. A CLOSE CALL It came down to the last session in the last event, with Team BTD Lures rallying when they needed to win a tightly fought Team of the Year title. R1

TOTAL

1.............. BTD Lures ......................................Ben Durkin .......Matt McArthur ...............100 ............... 100 ............... 98 .................... 298 2.............. Nomad Tackle/Hydrowave.............Ken Elliot ..........Willem Reichard ............98 ................. 98 ................. 99 .................... 295 3.............. Toray ..............................................Geoff Newby ....Neil Wilson ....................97 ................. 99 ................. 95 .................... 291 4.............. Bass Mafia Outdoors/Rapala ........Jon Millard........Ethan Farrell ..................93 ................. 96 ................. 100 .................. 289 5.............. Minnkota-Toray ..............................Justin Welsh .....Cameron Johnson .........95 ................. 93 ................. 97 .................... 285

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But equally important is enjoying the time fishing together and not stressing when things don’t go your way. If either of us loses a fish you can expect to get a polite mouthful from your partner. In the end we keep having fun regardless,” explained McArthur. Q: How did you evolve to become so successful? The team members met fishing ABT barramundi tournaments, albeit fishing with different partners. Striking up a friendship both anglers fished socially in the off season and shared information and techniques. The team members were

equally passionate, however factors for both anglers changed which impacted on their ability to fish tournaments. After a two year hiatus they found themselves ready to compete again and sought each other out to form a team. “After having two years off with family and financial difficulties we were both looking forward to the challenge. I believe that a steadfast dedication to barra fishing over the years has given us the ability and resolve needed to compete at this level of competition.” “We both feel the same

way about tournament fishing in that if we don’t have the time to fully dedicate ourselves then we’d rather not do it. In this case though the timing was right to get together and fish the BARRA Tour. I realise it is a major commitment, both financial and personally, to get away and fish these tournaments. As we always say we don’t do anything by half, but having fun and enjoying the time spent on the water barra fishing both social and tournament is always a highlight of the year and remains a key focus,” explained Durkin. Q: What are your tips for an angler who aspires to achieve to your level? The first point highlighted was experience, with both anglers recognising that there is no substitute for time on the water. A high level of dedication, especially in regards to tackle maintenance, was instrumental to performance. “Every box needs to be ticked in regards to tackle, knots, hooks, rings, there can’t be any weak links in

IN AUSTRALIA

www.bassmafiaaustralia.com Two wins and a 3rd place secured the TOY title for Team BTD Lures. 68

FEBRUARY 2015

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au your setup. Anglers should also enjoy the buzz of tournament fishing rather than feel overwhelmed by the occasion. Tournament buzz can’t be replicated, it is unlike recreational fishing and is something to be embraced rather than feared,” explained McArthur. Tournaments are the benchmarks for angling with no mistakes going unpunished. There can be negative experiences; however anglers need to overcome these in order to progress. “Tournaments can be a hard learning curve. I have seen them break an angler’s spirit. However that is the nature of all competition.” Also to contend with are

the fact that you are often competing against a field of like-minded anglers. “The reality is that you won’t always have a spot to yourself and you can’t spit the dummy when things don’t go to plan,” explained McArthur. Finally the decision to move locations in a tournament situation, whilst difficult, should be based on information rather than chance. “When you move location in a tournament it should be a decision based on facts and experience. This is also where instinct plays a crucial role. A team will often live or die by their decisions during a tournament,”

The BTD General, in shallow and deep, was a go-to lure for Durkin and McArthur. explained McArthur. Q: What are your six must-have tournament baits to have your box? Squidgy Slick Rig – Black/Gold “This lure has the runs on the boards. It is a go to baitfish profile and is a confidence lure for many anglers. The black/gold colour stands out in all conditions. A safe bet in all situations.” Samaki Vibelicious “A vibration style lure. A great go to lure with a smaller profile. This lure is adaptable to different

It was barra action aplenty on the BARRA Tour for Team BTD.

weather situations and varying conditions.” BTD General – Standard and deep bib “This is a versatile lure that has a good vibration and fantastic water displacement. With these two lures an angler can effectively target different many depths, with 15-20 feet deep being ideal for these lures.” BTD Jack Attack “This is smaller lure with a compact profile. It is a very good lure for the barramundi, especially at Teemburra Dam. This lure was a point

of difference for our team and tempted many a fussy eater to respond.” Reidys Big B52 – Black/Silver “This is a good reliable jerkbait. This lure has much history and has proved its consistency for many years. It also has the added benefit of being able to be upgraded or downgraded with hooks without affecting the lures action.” Key Point “Ultimately the key with this lure selection is versatility. The ability to use the same lure in multiple situations is one of the determining factors when it comes to selecting our top lures.”

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Explore red and yellow options TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

January was a cracker month, and the weather and water temps really started to lift. This had the fishing really start to hot up. The snapper turned up and where they were being found was sensational. Ashley Hallam and Isaac Harris got right into the current snapper frenzy on the island and casually just slammed a nice specimen out of Coles Bay on Tasmania’s East Coast. There has been a couple of incidental encounters and sightings of broadbill swordfish to pick up from where we left off from last season. This new fishery has sparked significant interest from Tasmanian and mainland anglers and will be exciting to see season 2015 unfold. Yellowtail kingfish have also arrived early and, on the back of some success last year, anglers are trying their hand everywhere for surprising results. They are not just turning up in the traditional spots, but in areas that have all anglers around Tasmania thinking – one angler down south managed to find a very nice kingy in Pipe Clay Lagoon, Cremorne. Moral of the story is to do some reading, talk to tackle store staff and get out and

have a crack. February is shaping up to be a very good month for anglers across all areas around and across Tasmania. Fly fishers to offshore deep droppers they are all looking to capitalise on a great start to 2015. SNAPPER I remember many, many years ago (I think I was on a bike) as a young angler walking into a tackle store and seeing two old grizzled looking gentlemen talking in hushed tones with their faces’ hidden. It could well have been a scene out of a cloak and dagger spy movie. This was how anglers who had caught snapper in Tasmanian

used to communicate, in hushed tones to the chosen few. If you did happen to corner them for some tips and some advice it was more often half-truths and complete red herrings. Today we live in a whole new world and if you do something that you are proud off then it’s up on Facebook for all to see. This has lead to a great deal of interest in Tasmania’s snapper fishery over the last 3 years. Snapper in Tasmania is nothing new and they have been an incidental capture to a number of anglers for years. Nevertheless, those anglers that have put the time in and been prepared to

Isaac with the sort of grin finding a big snapper in a new area will bring on!

try new things have reaped the rewards. The captures of snapper are very wide spread around the north-northwest, east and south coasts of Tasmania. Traditionally the areas around Montague and the islands close by and the Tamar River have been the ‘snapper spots’ of Tasmania. However, tradition is what holds us back as anglers if we are not prepared to try different things, explore the boundaries and have some patience. Lets pull this apart. Tradition: The definition of tradition is, “The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.” It is here we see the problem – there are no actual mention of facts, science or methodolodgy. We are always going to be beating our heads up against a wall as anglers if we solely rely on information handed down from people’s beliefs. By all means accept advice and opinion, but find out with a few questions just how sound that advice is We have found some snapper grounds just 10 minutes from the Forth River, in a depth of water and area that ‘traditionally’ we have ignored and drove over a 100 times. It has only been a methodical approach on the back of an incidental catch where we now have our very

Patience and persistence had Clinton Howe find a spot worth trying again for snapper. own snapper mark. On the North West Coast of Tasmania the snapper seem to be in and around the sort of bottom that the blue chin wrasse inhabit. Now there is some good and bad news there. The good news is that type of ground is everywhere along Tasmania’s popular

coastlines; the bad news is there is going to be some frustrating by-catch. The way to negate the by-catch is by using new techniques. If you were to drift over this ground with the customary paternoster rig you will catch enough parrotfish To page 72

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

Lake Sorell chosen as site for national eDNA trials IFS

Tim Farrell

Last week, scientists from the University of Canberra collaborated with the Inland Fisheries Service in developing a framework for estimating the sensitivity of environmental DNA detection to inform sampling regimes. Dr. Elise Furlan, the project leader/Postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Ecology was accompanied by her supervisors Professor Richard Duncan and Dr. Dianne Gleeson on a visit to Lake Sorell. Water samples were taken daily at various sites around Lake Sorell, which were then filtered to trap DNA on the filter paper. Her work will investigate how many water samples must be taken before a conclusion is made that carp are present/absent in a waterway, particularly when carp are at low densities in comparatively large water bodies. Lake Sorell is considered an ideal location due to its large size and

Dr. Elise Furlan overseeing the filtration of water samples for collection of carp DNA. isolated situation. The trials are supported by the extensive data and knowledge that is held by the widely recognised Tasmanian Carp Management Program. The Carp Team were able to provide an ideal testing regime by leading the visiting scientist to known carp locations, allowing samples to be collected at varying distances from these sites. If successful, this technique would be useful for confirming the presence of carp and other species in suspected waters while populations are small, as well as being a complementary technique for confirming the eradication of species from

particular waters. AAT ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR SOUTH ESK ANGLERS ACCESS PROJECT Anglers Alliance Tasmania (AAT) Chairman Gary France announced that the Tasmanian Community Fund has confirmed a $60,000 grant towards an Anglers Access project on the South Esk River. This project will be the 10th major river in Tasmania to benefit from the Anglers Access programme. AAT will work closely with the Inland Fisheries Service to implement the project during 2015/16. The Tasmanian

Community Fund is an independent Fund that supports and strengthens Tasmanian communities by distributing funds to those communities. AAT would like to thank the Tasmanian Community Fund for supporting Tasmanian anglers and recognising the value of the freshwater fishery. Maintaining good water quality in Lake Crescent Carp Team members recently made some adjustments to outflow screens at Lake Sorell to enable an increase in the transfer of water into Lake Crescent. With the increase in angler activity and catches in Lake Crescent this season, IFS has been endeavouring to keep Lake Crescent as high as possible for anglers as well as managing releases for downstream needs. With lake levels declining as a result of evaporative loss and releases from the system, it is expected that periodic adjustments will need to be made to the Lake Sorell outlet screens. Also of interest to anglers will be the news that water quality (turbidity) is continuing to improve with

recent sampling showing the best results since the late 1990’s. BUY A LICENCE – DON’T GET CAUGHT It was a busy six months for compliance at the IFS for the first half of the financial year with 1,418 angling licences and 188 whitebait licences checked from 1 July to 12 December 2014. A total of 38 people have been caught fishing without a licence. A total of 32 Fisheries Infringement Notices issued for 42 offences, 31 Infringement Notices endorsed as conditional cautions issued for 34 offences, $9,520 in infringement notice fines, $4,620 Infringement Notice fines (included in above) related to whitebait offences in the northwest of the state, 29kg of whitebait seized, one all-terrain vehicle seized, nine whitebait nets seized, two search warrants executed in relation to residential premises at Smithton and eight vehicles searched. Further to the above there have been a couple of significant disqualifications with two offenders convicted of multiple whitebait

related offences were each disqualified from holding a recreational whitebait licence for a period of five years each commencing season 2014. Since 2009 16 Notices of Disqualification have been issued totalling 66 years of disqualification. The prosecution of offenders has also occurred with some convictions recorded and others pending. Stephen John BAKES of Burnie was convicted on 7/8/14 in the Burnie Magistrates Court of two counts of take protected fish and two counts of possess freshwater crayfish. The defendant was fined $1,510 consisting of fines and special penalties and court costs of $78.44. Reginald Clemeth REEVE of Burnie was convicted on 7/8/14 in the Burnie Magistrates Court of one count of take protected fish and one count of possess freshwater crayfish. The defendant was fined $560 consisting of fine and special penalty and court costs of $78.44. These results show that those breaking the law in inland waters will be caught! FEBRUARY 2015

From page 71

and wrasse to sink a large battleship, but no snapper! Berley Maximising your probability of catching fish and an extension of that is the target species. Berley is a great tool at the anglers’ disposal and snapper gravitate

to it well. It is crucial to use berley when prospecting for these fish. Get hold of some pilchards and cut them up into 10c sized cubes and combine these in a 10L bucket with some pellet berley. The tide will carry your berley flow out and

hopefully attract some reds to your area. Speaking of tides, don’t get too knotted up on low or high, but one thing to be aware of is snapper love a bit of water movement like a number of species. If you go out and plan to fish both sides of either tide you will increase

your chances. Sounder Use your sounder to find some bottom to make a start. Some undulation is desirable, but don’t be disappointed if you have a featureless bottom. Try and find a difference in bottom surfaces and look for an edge where the rock meets sand. The harder the bottom the thicker and more solid the reading will appear. Sand and shale will appear softer and thinner as it appears on the screen. I know we never have

When you are anchored you can fish out of either side of the boat; the 2 rear corners and down the middle. We have had a bit of success with three baits at the rear and two flasher rigs out each side. These snapper flasher rigs are available from all good tackle stores as is the berley and whole baits. Make sure you get into a tackle store and let them know what you are up to as their help and advice will be invaluable. Good luck While not a concise or

will be having a much more detailed look at the fishery and all it entails. TUNA Early indication of water temps has a number of experienced anglers expecting big things this year on the yellowfin tuna front. Tasmania has experienced a couple of lean years in regard to these athletes of the sea. They are highly regarded with game fishers for their fighting capabilities and also eating qualities. Anglers that work

Higgo had to reinforce the table used for this Christmas crayfish!

Top: Zuker Feather lures are dynamite on albacore. Bottom: Jamie Harris with a very nice Tassie kingfish from the Montague area.

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enough time to do these things but the next time there is excellent visibility in your local area go out and have a play and really concentrate on what you know and what you are seeing represented on your sounder. In 10m you can find some bottom that is all flat sandy bottom and slowly head into a reef section at 90º. This will help you understand not only how your sounder reflects the different bottom, but also how fast the system reacts. When looking for your area to start anywhere between 10-30m is prime. DROP ANCHOR This will again maximise the chances of locating snapper as it will allow you to fish more rods out of the boat in the right conditions. This is handy when looking and searching for fish. Set the anchor and get your berley going over the side. A few handfuls to start and then a handful regularly, you don’t have to go overboard on quantity just maintain the flow. Rigging and baits This is an area where mindsets need to be changed if the target species is to be acquired. Snapper for their size and mouth shape really gravitate to a big bait. Whole pilchards and silver whiting are an excellent first choice with a simple strayline rig. While you have been setting the boat up and readying your gear the berley should be starting to work.

exhausting account of how to find a snapper by any accounts this info will have you better than half a chance to find a patch of snapper on grounds you have probably roared over the top of for years and years. Be mindful that it will take more than one trip; it may take 5 or 6 prospecting about and learning your craft. Patience is the key and a methodical approach. BROADBILL We look set to pick up from where we have left off in 2014 with broadbill swordfish. There have been some incidental sightings already and a monster fish hooked on an electric while bottom fishing. This fish was lost when the weather became rough and the anglers decided to up the ante to land the fish breaking the line. This exciting new fishery has anglers chaffing at the bit to try their hand at landing a swordy. There seems to be a considerable population off the East Coast of Tasmania and initial success suggests they are big fish. The excitement has managed to grab the attention of mainstream media and within that seems to be some potential for a revenue stream for coastal villages. There has been some early interest in mainland anglers to come to Tasmania and try their hand at catching a broadbill. This is fantastic news for these communities. Next issue we

temperature breaks and current lines with their lures will be on the money. Dolphins and yellows are often seen feeding in the same areas, so keep this in mind. If you see a big feed on and there are dolphins involved, work the edges of that feed and let the shotgun lure and long rigger out a bit further so you can pull your lures right through the middle as you turn around the feed. Letting the lures out a bit allows you to keep off the feed with the boat. You don’t want to disturb them, you want it to build and have anything that is not involved be part of the action and come to the party. Don’t be too keen to leave a feed that has started if after 2 or 3 attempts you fail to hook anything. Persist and try different approaches and angles. If you have pulled your long lures through for nil result, the next time pull the boat out of gear and hover. Let the lures flutter and sink down deeper into the feed. Accelerate out again and settle back to troll speed. Try this a couple of times leaving them to settle deeper each time. Seeing a big feed on and getting no result is very frustrating, but so is doing the same thing over and over. Mix it up and try different things to get a hook up. ALBACORE The albacore have turned up early and have thickened up as we went through

January. They are great eating, good fun to get the kids to catch and great sport on light gear. The St Helens area is the place to be for these little speed demons. Get in and see Jamie at St Helens Bait and Tackle for some info on where to start. Generally speaking if you get out to the 100m line and make a start with some skirts and feathers you will be in great form. Original Zuker Feather lures are dynamite, as are the Halco Max range of shallow divers. Albacore are a quality eating fish when handled well after capture. Bleed the fish well once you have boated it and get it on ice as soon as you can. The night before you head out, freeze down some 1.25L drink bottles full of water and take with you. You can now use these to chill down whatever you have on board that will fit the albacore in – big esky or if your boat has a kill tank. If you only have an open tub fill that with some water and use the ice bottles to pull the temperature of the water down and get the fish in that. Once the action has slowed or you have caught enough for a feed, field dress those fish and get the fillets in a clean bag and on ice. If you like to do some mako fishing the frames of albacore are a great ingredient for your berley mix. It is often a good idea to whip off the fins and the tail at this stage as even the most powerful berley muncher struggles with these and they have next to no value as berley. SALMON AND KINGIES Australian salmon are the bread and butter for a number of saltwater anglers. A good black-back will give you some real curry and are great sport. When they get to 4kg or better on light gear they are sensational fun – I like to call them Tassie barra

at this stage. They pull hard and jump, sometimes tailing and shaking their head hard. Seagull feeds will be a dead giveaway in open water and river mouths are always a great place to start. They are often a fish you can spook easily so a considered approach is often warranted. You will not win any cobbers by steaming over to 3 boats working a school, only to drive right over them. If you encounter a school of particularly large salmon get on a big jig style lure or heavy Halco slice. Try and cast well over the feeding school of surface feeding salmon and bring the bigger slice underneath them by roughly 5m. Bigger schools of large salmon often travel with yellowtail kingfish. If you get the depth right and then slow the slice down and get a nice waddle going with it you may find you hook up to a fish with an extra turn of pace – the kingy! These fish pull hard and will keep you on your toes. There are a band of anglers who are really starting to target these fish in Tasmania with techniques they have seen and read about around Australia and New Zealand. We will see some good kings this summer and not just from the usual kingy haunts on the tips of the north-northwest and east-northeast. The St Helen’s area is also a popular place to try for a yellowtail and the fish have already been on the march down the coast to Swansea, so expect them to turn up in the Derwent River very soon. CRAYFISH This season has seen many people very happy when they pull their pots to the surface. The number of people that sat down to Christmas crayfish looked to be on the rise and this continues right into February.

It does not seem to matter what technique you decide to use, crayfish are in good healthy numbers. The crayfish seasons and catch limits are always a hotly contested issue, but it’s hats off to the regulators and people involved in making the hard decisions as proof is in the pudding. Better-sized fish in good numbers have been the norm so far and it’s a real privilege in Tasmania to have such a fishery so well looked after. If we continue to do the right thing then I am sure we will have a great legacy to hand onto our children. It’s not just about the end result for me, but the skills and abilities used in harvesting crayfish recreationally are invaluable. Boat handling, weather prediction and working with ropes are all skills I look forward to passing on to my children. A weekend away camping with other fellow cray fishers is always a top few days filled with laughs and a great deal of good fun. Get online for all the information to get involved - http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/ sea-fishing-aquaculture/ recreational-fishing/ recreational-fishing-seasons MAKO FISHING COMP The Game Fishing Club of Northern Tasmania held its annual mako fishing competition last month. It was a very well run event and again proved popular. Fifty boats headed out of the river to try their hand in the waters of Bass Strait. The talk before the event safety briefing was where to head, pull up and start a berley trail. There was considerable discussion about the amount of bait in and around the 40m mark, which would that be a good place to start. Others thought the deeper water would maximise their chances of landing the big fish that may take out the event.

A new initiative from the club was a traffic management plan for both on and off the water. This made the launching of boats a real breeze. The real improvement was the pick up of anglers after the mandatory safety briefing. This has traditionally been a bit of a tricky situation with the current that can run past the yacht club. It all went like clockwork and those committee members responsible can take a well earned bow. It is refreshing to see some new concepts and thought processes being applied. The event had a first prize of $1,000 kindly put forward from Civilscape Engineering. The tag and release is also supported very well by long time sponsors Heather and Bob Duncombe from Blue Peaks VDL. This is an event that the Devonport community looks forward to each year and hundreds of people come out to have a look at the boats and the fish weighed. The Mersey Yacht Club allows the GFCNT take over their area and has been a fabulous partner in delivering this event year after year.

Father and son team, Damien and Graham Purton, took out heaviest fish at the Game Fishing Club of Northern Tasmania Mako Fishing Competition with a mako of 107kg.

Team Penn took out tag and release at the tournament.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 14th January 2015 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta ...................................2.59 .......................................................Steady Arthurs Lake ....................................1.53 .......................................................Steady Great Lake .......................................15.32 .....................................................Steady Trevallyn Pond .................................0.89 .......................................................Steady Shannon Lagoon ..............................0.16 .......................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon .............................Null ................................................ Unavailable Lake Echo ........................................7.49 .......................................................Steady Dee Lagoon .....................................0.31 .......................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah .............1.67 .......................................................Steady Bronte Lagoon .................................0.93 .......................................................Steady Pine Tier Lagoon ..............................2.1 .........................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon ............................0.52 .......................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon ....................1.87 .......................................................Steady Lake St Clair ....................................1.66 .......................................................Steady Lake King William ............................4.64 .......................................................Steady Lake Liapootah ................................0.33 .......................................................Steady Wayatinah Lagoon ...........................0.64 ....................................................... Falling Lake Catagunya ...............................0.41 .......................................................Steady

Lake Repulse ...................................0.17 .......................................................Steady Cluny Lagoon ...................................0.23 ....................................................... Falling Meadowbank Lake ..........................n/a.........................................................Spilling Lake Pedder ....................................1.4 .........................................................Steady Lake Gordon ....................................34.06 .....................................................Steady Lake Burbury ...................................0.83 .......................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll ...................................1.97 ....................................................... Falling Lake Murchison ...............................11.54 .....................................................Steady Lake Mackintosh .............................0.72 .......................................................Steady Lake Rosebery .................................0.43 .......................................................Steady Lake Pieman ....................................1.15 ....................................................... Falling Lake Mackenzie ...............................7.55 ........................................................Rising Lake Rowallan .................................20.64 ......................................................Rising Lake Parangana ...............................1.31 ........................................................Rising Lake Cethana ...................................1.54 .......................................................Steady Lake Barrington ...............................0.81 .......................................................Steady Lake Gairdner ..................................1.98 ....................................................... Falling Lake Paloona ...................................0.72 .......................................................Steady Woods Lake .....................................1.18 .......................................................Steady Whitespur Pond ...............................7.94 .......................................................Steady Lake Newton ...................................4.72 .......................................................Steady Lake Margaret .................................3.38 .......................................................Steady

These levels are provided for an indication of lake level only and can vary from day to day. For more up-to-date lake level information please visit www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Lake+Levels.htm FEBRUARY 2015

Toolondo ticks the boxes HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

In its former glory days Toolondo attracted anglers from far and wide who had either heard of the trophy brown trout or had managed to see the video featuring a young and sprightly Steve Starling. Not only is it known for the big browns but some thumping rainbows and redfin of sizes never before seen in Australia. Situated only a half hour drive from the Wimmera Hub of Horsham and an even distance of 4 1/2 hours from both Melbourne and Adelaide it’s easy to see why Toolondo is the prime trout lake of mainland Australia.

smaller towns, the viability of the store forced its closure and facilities have deteriorated, camping on the foreshore is illegal now and ramps are a long way above the current waterline. Toolondo was the hub of the area and local farming families flocked there to cool off in summer and socialise. RESURGENCE After a long and crippling drought, like most other water storages, Toolondo suffered the ultimate fate of drying up and remained barren for almost 7 years. Until in 2010 the water flowed once again springing the lake and surrounds back to life. With sufficient water levels for stocking DEPI commenced stocking in November 2011 with

a small inflow in 2011 ensured the lake would flourish for several years. This has been the case and to date some of the catches recorded have been breathtaking. Browns of 4kg+, rainbows of similar size and the ever reliable redfin, although regarded as a pest, have also made a comeback. Redfin will always be in Wimmera water systems and are a very handy by-catch when the trout are a little reluctant. These tasty morsels are much sought-after throughout the region and in particular the older generation pursue them vigorously. Many families survived on redfin back in the pre trout days and in the tougher times when living off the land meant just that.

A typical Toolondo summer sunset – just breathtaking!

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Where to stay: Wash Tomorrow Caravan Park is located on the eastern side of the lake and has cabins, caravans, camping and a fishing lodge available for hire. Ph: 03 5388 2231. Boating service, repairs, accessories and fishing tackle: Webbcon Marine, 72 Hamilton Rd, Horsham. Ph: 03 5381 0600. Charter service: Victorian Inland Charters ph: 03 5388 1338 or 0438 132 130. Facebook: Victorian Inland Charters. Hire boats on Toolondo, available 7 days a week. As a youngster spending most of my holidays and the odd weekend in the area we were often rewarded with a trip to Toolondo chasing redfin. In those glory days, water was abundant and the lake had a magnificent foreshore, sandy beach, launching ramp was stateof-the-art and the tiny township even had a shop/ general store. Gone are those days, as with many 74

FEBRUARY 2015

20,000 browns and 5,000 rainbow trout. With rather generous stocking in between, to date the lake has received just over 77,000 trout, although due to low water levels the 30,000 allocated for 2014 were not liberated. Within 12 months of the initial stocking, stories started to filter through the fishing grapevine of a revival of the Wimmera icon. Follow up rains and

Top Right: Looking south from Toolondo main ramp. Top Left: Jarrod Biles caught and released this ripper buck rainbow on a Norries laydown minnow trolling. Above: Toolondo essentials! Part of the writer’s preferred lures, including a couple of old faithfuls.

BEST METHODS Bait Fishing While this varies greatly depending on water levels, weed growth or fish habits, the ever reliable and most productive bait is by far a mudeye suspended under a bubble float. Tree lines and weed bed edges are the prime areas for mudeye fishing. The key ingredients here are: light line that is greased so it floats on the water preventing fouling around weed stems, attached to a bubble float to give extra casting weight/distance and a small mudeye hook between size 8 to 14. Just above the hook a split shot is lightly crimped to the line to keep the mudeye weighed in the fish zone. Quill or pencil floats also suffice but for ease of casting and the extra distance I prefer the bubble. Other good baits here

SUGGESTED TACKLE Bait fishing: A 2-4kg weight, 7-9’ fast taper rods matched to 2000 or 2500 spinning reels spooled with quality mono line of around 3kg. As these fish grow, upgrade in line size will be essential. Bubble or quill floats, size 8 to 14 hooks, BB split shot. Trolling: A 7-8’, 2-4kg rod matched to 2500 sized spinning reels, 10lb braid and 8 or 10lb fluorocarbon leader. Set drags very light when trolling as these fish hit hard and often tear their mouths and escape after an aggressive take. Best baits: Mudeyes either couta or spider, Powerbait, yabbytail peeled, gudgeon and minnows. Best lures: Tassie Devils, Gan Craft Flit and Foxy Fry, Diawa Double Clutches and Presso Minnows, StumpJumper finesse, Strike Pro Bob N Spoons, Flatz Minnow or Bass X, Ecogear hardbodies, Rapala hardbodies. Plastics: Fish Arrow J Huddles and J Shads, Squidgys, Ecogear spoon tail shads. Best Fly: Bead Head nymphs, Woolly Buggers, Craig’s Nighttime, glow bugs, Royal Wulff and caddis moth imitations. have been Powerbait for the rainbows, locally caught minnow and gudgeon, which can be trapped in the lake itself, peeled yabbytail, live yabbies, some seasoned locals fish and raw chicken strips either on the bottom or suspended. With the mudeye I prefer the larger couta variety but the spider or bug mudeye, which are in masses in the lake, also produce many fish. Trolling Throughout the colder months when lake water

levels permit, trolling is an exciting prospect and way of covering more ground and increasing your hook up chances. As with the bait theory, work the tree lines and weed beds for best returns. Speed is critical to get full enhancement of your lure, so swim it beside the boat prior to casting and tune your speed for maximum lure action. Various types of lures will succeed here but my personal favourite is the Tassie Devil.

Early mornings and late afternoons leading to dusk will see you hooked up but any time throughout the day will produce too. Hardbody lures, either shallow running or those that dive a bit deeper, will work well too if you can steer clear of the weed. Trolling soft plastics has also proven its worth here and matching the local minnow or gudgeon is paramount. These trout are super aggressive feeders so

make sure you use good quality rod holders or have a tight grip on your rod as I’ve seen and heard of several rods ripped into the water never to be seen again! Fly Fishing I don’t profess to know a lot about fly fishing, but I hold great interest in the artists who display their skill and ability, often marvelling at their stealth approach and stalking process on shallow feeding

fish. The preferred method here seems to be loch style and those matching the hatch and working the prime areas do very well. Although spring/ summer is the main hatch period, the fly fellas also produce some cracking fish through the colder months when their way of thinking goes from a replica bug, insect or mudeye pattern to the minnow patterns. This is when the bigger trout are hungry, aggressive

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and chasing that opportune feed of higher protein in the small redfin, gudgeon and minnows. Certainly a craft all of its own and many fish are taken in the shallows chasing and herding baitfish. I have on occasions witnessed anything up to 20-30 marauding trout smelting on lower reaches and sand bars, under and around logs and back waters where a sudden onslaught turns into a feeding frenzy as nervous bait schools are smashed and decimated in the blink of an eye. Cast and Retrieve Without doubt, drifting is a very successful way of hooking up and covering a lot of ground. It is often regulated by the use of a sea anchor or drogue trailed behind the boat to maximise the forward casting platform and slow the drift. Some anglers are aided by an electric motor to navigate into desired areas but I prefer the quiet drift, casting into all the nooks and crannies and catching unsuspecting trout in their own comfort zone. Flicking a soft plastic or hardbody past their lair will most times get a hungry trout to either chase or strike. With a massive

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range of soft plastics now available, and I’ve seen most offerings taken at Toolondo. I prefer to stick to matching the natural baits, such as the gudgeon and minnows. Colder months when the weed dies back, casting hardbodies is a prospect throughout the whole lake but becomes very limited in summer. Tassie Devils will work well and the holographic and white clown pattern have by far

been the Toolondo slayers. Strike Pro Bob N Spoons with their cast weight also provide good distance, a great action, plenty of rattles in the water; trout and redfin find them hard to keep away from. REDFIN Pre-drought we saw some massive reddies come from here and to date the numbers are regenerating well. Sneaking in either through the existing channel system or through the Mount Talbot Creek

that runs in on the south east corner of the lake originating off the Black Range and Grampians, fish better than 3.5kg were a common catch in the early years. My first experience of Toolondo reddies as a lad were using the old Baltic Bobber under big red gum trees. It was as simple as tying up to a tree, dropping the jig to the bottom and lifting it rapidly and letting it drop again. Repeating the process

Jarrod Day with a lovely Toolondo buck brown.

Looking southeast towards the Black Range in the foreground and the Grampians further back on the left.

if no fish were landed within a few minutes, you moved tree to tree until a school was located. Strike Pro Bob N Spoons, soft plastics, Hogbacks, Celtas, bladed spinners work well regardless, and as the old timers always said a bit of red will get their attention! RECOMMENDED ESSENTIALS There are several items that will make a day on

the water so much more enjoyable at Toolondo: 1. Polarised sunglasses are a must to spot trout in the shallows and to provide maximum eye protection from not only the sun but a wayward plastic, lure or fly. 2. As temps often exceed 40ºC in summer, sunscreen is a must. 3. Toolondo provides some stunning sunrise/sunsets

as well as a wide variety of wildlife, flora and fauna so don’t forget your camera. 4. A fishing licence is a must-have so please ensure you purchase a Victorian licence prior to fishing as regular checks are carried out here by fisheries officers. 5. Keeping in mind there is no fuel/food/ provisions available at Toolondo, it is wise to prepare properly.

NEWS

Constant action on Lake Toolondo VRFish, the peak body representing recreational fishers in Victoria has welcomed moves by the Andrews’ Government to ‘summer proof’ the recreational fishery at Lake Toolondo. VRFish General Manager, Dallas D’Silva

short term future of the lake and protect the interests of recreational fishers at Lake Toolondo. It is great to see the new Government moving forward with implementing its election policy for recreational fishing.” Lake Toolondo is recognised by many as

The fishery provides an important source of income to local economies and is a tourism draw card for anglers from South Australia to New South Wales. The lake is a unique ecosystem and is home to a diverse population of fauna and flora. Historically, the fishery is

The last water release in 2011 created excellent survival and growth rates of resident trout. Photo courtesy of Trevor Holmes.

The lake is a unique ecosystem and is home to a diverse population of fauna and flora. Photo courtesy of Trevor Holmes. said, “We congratulate the Government on taking swift action to secure the 76

FEBRUARY 2015

Victoria’s premier trout fishery and trout numbers in the lake are significant.

known to be boom and bust, with previous stocking of the lake back in 2000.

Due to excess water becoming available, sufficient water was transferred into the lake in 2011. Advice provided by VRFish at this time lead the then Minister for Agriculture instructing Fisheries Victoria to stock almost 100,000 brown and rainbow trout. The high productivity of the lake following a drying phase has resulted in excellent survival and growth rates evidenced by the abundance of trout above 1.5 kg.

VRFish worked closely with Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water, recreational fishers and DEPI during 2013/14 to explore all actions that could be taken to safeguard the fishery and prolong the boom for as long as possible. Dallas D’Silva added, “On behalf of Victoria’s 721,000 recreational fishers, VRFish is pleased to have played a key role in negotiating and holding the 5,000ML water entitlement for its release into the

Lake. We commend the Government for ensuring the interests of recreational fishing are at the forefront of all considerations on water usage as it affects Lake Toolondo.” VRFish looks forward to providing further input on a special advisory committee that will provide advice regarding future management of this iconic recreational fishery. For more information on VRFish visit our Facebook page. – VRFish

HAWK FISHING • FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION

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The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Hawk Fishing cap, Hawk Fishing line, Hawk HB Lure, assorted Panther Martin lures and 3 packets of Youvella chemically sharpened hooks. SEND ENTRIES TO:

VIC Hawk Tournament Competition PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129 VIC FEBRUARY 2015

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for December was C Gios of Myrtleford, who won a Tide Apparel pack. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

FIND THE VMC LOGO WINNERS

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

The Find the VMC logo prize winners for December were: T King of Sunbury, G Easterbrook of Rosebud West, W Henley of Heathmont, R Evans of Mt Stuart, P Pezos of Clarinda, T Ryan of Wagga Wagga, G Bonner of Coragulac, G Smith of Stawell, B Cunningham of Mildura, R Waters of Temora , S Davies of Craigieburn, J Williams of Neerim South, D Hill of Cranbourne North, B Pontt of Loxton , J Wild of St Arnaud, A Thomson of Horsham, A Hurring of Inverleigh, M Harvie of Rye, Z Stivala of Rosebud Plaza, R Barns of Euroa, N Chalmers of Ararat, B Meaney of Tungamah, S Ryan of Huntly , F Oleszko of Braybrook, R Dunn of Stawell, H Stuchbree of Yapeen, R Batty of Brighton, F Hutchins of Sunbury, B Craig of Colac, T Dron of Alfredton, N Warry of Maffra, D Dunn of Warrnambool, C Gios of Myrtleford, D Hedley of Hamilton, B Sebire of Traralgon, C Smith of Traralgon, D Haslam of Watsonia, R White of Bannockburn, G Parfett of Horsham, G Bannister of Lorne. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

FIND THE VMC LOGO DECEMBER LOCATIONS GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The answers to Find the VMC Hook for December were: 6, 11, 14, 21, 27, 36, 42, 51, 57, 63, 70, 80, 85, 91, 97. – VTFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to Dale Baulch of Colac, who was last month’s winner of the Hawk Tournament Finda-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive Hawk Tournament Tested Bayer Perlon IGFA line, assorted Panther Martin lures, Youvella hooks and a keyring. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – VTFM 1

• DECEMBER 2010

FEBRUARY 2015

Natives fire in summer heat HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

With many good reports of cod, yellas and silvers throughout the region it typifies the onslaught of a long drawn out summer in the Wimmera that could see many waterways dry up. While water levels aren’t great in some lakes the returns have been good for bank anglers fishing fringes where natives tend to gather until the sun gets high, the water brightens and the fish seek refuge. Trout and redfin are still being taken in some lakes but

mainly early morning and on dusk. With a recent change in government we are in the process of lobbying the new Labor Water Minister, Lisa Neville. With talks progressing very well I am expecting that soon we will have a life saving inflow into Lake Toolondo. Saving the icon from certain ruin once again, I think the change of government statewide will bring a breath of fresh air into a revamped fisheries/DEPI and some sensibility restored to decision making with new bodies formed and adjusted. ROCKLANDS RESERVOIR Rocklands always

Young Zane Hohaus, 5 years old, landed this 2.9kg brown at Toolondo on a mudeye fished under a bubble float.

produces a lot of smaller redfin but has delighted a few anglers with some rather respectable catches and sizes. A lot of new stocking of trout are prevalent so due care needs to be exercised in releasing these future trophies back to the wild. Some very nice browns have been landed early morning trolling Tassie Devils, with the yellow winged seem to be the standout. Hardbodied lures also have done well with those running around the 2-3m mark striking fish, both trout and redfin. Bait anglers have been targeting reddies around trees with worms or yabbies on a paternoster rig. On occasions they have been plagued by pesky carp but sounding up bigger schools in trees has been the best method. LAKE WARTOOK With an expected holiday rush from nearby campers, I expect some very handy fish to come out of Wartook in the warmer months. Being set in a valley that isn’t greatly affected by wind, it is a relatively easy lake to fish. Sticking to structure and weed beds is the keys for the redfin but don’t be surprised to find some larger ones in the middle of nowhere! Trout from this waterway

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some have of the finest colours, markings and hook jaws you will find in the Wimmera. Mudeye under a bubble float fished at around 1m below early for surface feeders will produce, but remember as the sun gets higher the fish go deeper. I’ve taken many fish here in past years fishing the mudeye up to 5m under the float. With plenty of hatches, I expect the fly fishos to do very well in the shallows early morning and late afternoon. LAKE TOOLONDO Weed has made Toolondo a very tough lake to fish over the past few weeks with open areas very limited. Rising surface temperatures of up to 24°C have also made the fish very reluctant to feed. Combined with massive hatches of insects the food bowl is never empty for these monsters. Spider mudeye are hatching now and trees are again lined with many husks. A few nice redfin have been taken up to 1.6kg but many school size reddies have plagued the lure and plastic flickers. Fishing mudeye under bubble floats in the clearer areas continues to produce nice fish as always. Currently, I’m fishing no deeper than 600mm under the bubble float and clear floats are the best option here as the water shallows and fish become spooked easily. Launching is difficult and access between the 2 main lakes is now impossible. LAKE FYANS With an influx of campers and visitors to the beautiful Grampians in the Christmas-New Year period, fish do become reluctant and easily spooked in Fyans but those who rise early or stay out until dark often reap the rewards. Home to some monster trout and redfin, live bait is a very good option. Once again, the ever-reliable mudeye is the go for the trout and gudgeon or minnows for the reddies. Flat line trolling with Tassie Devils but mixing it up with a deeper running hardbodied lure or two would be my preferred method early and late in the day. As the sun hits the water and conditions brighten up, swing over to the bait for best results. WIMMERA RIVER Cod, yellas, redfin, carp and catfish are plentiful in the river system at this time of year and the occasional large cod is landed. Bardi grubs, live yabby or scrub worms should produce a nice fish but the pesky carp will soon deplete softer bait stocks. Spinnerbaits fished carefully around snags and drop-offs will most times bypass the carp and hopefully put you within reach of a table fish. Lower Norton is a good starting point on the natives and head further out of Horsham

Shooting a show pre-Christmas on Victorian Inland Charters for his new fishing show, Merv Hughes Fishing, the Aussie Ashes hero enjoyed some great action on both browns and rainbows. towards Dimboola for good returns. LAKE CHAREGRAK This small lake is about an hour and a half out of Horsham but a very realistic chance of snaring a Murray cod. With it being heavily populated by water skiers over the summer, bank angling is a great option here. Live yabbies fished on the bottom or bardi grubs are prime baits. Lately, raw chicken soaked in soy sauce has been a great option too. Although these fish are mainly under the new slot limit for cod (55-75cm) there is the occasional bigger fish to be landed. Recently, a 76cm model was caught and released by a local. Redfin are also in the lake and noisy spinners and rattling lures along with the usual baits will get you a feed. Tagged fish are present and not recommended for human consumption. TAYLORS LAKE This lake has some great bank option for those without boats and produces some smaller cod, yellas, silvers and redfin. Carp are the main catch and quickly raid bait stocks intended for table fish. Trolling in the turbid water rarely produces fish as the abundance of food in the waterway makes the natives lazy and unwilling to feed. Opportune feeding is best for them and a bait left out will often be snapped up by a passing fish. With water still flowing in and out of the lake it will be some time before clarity is restored and fishing stabilises. Hopefully, in the future we will see Taylors restored to the great cod fishery it was know for in days gone by. LAKE BELLFIELD Just south of Halls Gap township Bellfield produces some nice trout, both browns and rainbows as well as the great eating redfin the Wimmera is well known for. Although the reddies are mainly of a smaller variety some larger fish school up deep and can be bait or jig fished on locating a school. Trout will take Tassie Devils cast and retrieved as well as hardbodied lures. Chinook salmon are growing fast now with their usual spring/summer growth

spurts beefing them up. Some are up to 1.3kg and these ferocious little feeders and fighters will soon become much sought after. Blades worked up ledges and banks in ‘bass style’ fishing will tempt them most times. GREEN LAKE Located a short drive out of Horsham, some great reddies have been landed of late but it is an early morning prospect as the lake attracts many ski boats throughout summer. Whilst it is getting very shallow, persistent anglers either trolling shallow running lures or bait fishing the very few snags and weed beds have done well with the odd reddy hitting the 1.7kg mark. Carp are also good bank sport here and for kids it’s a great learning curve as they put up a great fight on light gear. Worms, peeled yabby tail, glassies and minnow or gudgeon are my preferred baits. WATER POLICE Last month, Victoria Police had announced a Wimmera blitz and this is great to see as on several occasions I have witnessed blatant breaches of regulations throughout the region. If checked this summer, don’t expect a warning! Do your checks before you head out. Make sure you have your lifejackets and vests, fire extinguisher, torch, flares, baling bucket etc. Familiarise yourself with local regulations and observe speed limits and zoned areas. Random breath testing does happen on the water so play safe and be responsible. • Victorian Inland Charters are proud to announce we have just purchased 3 Polycraft 4.1m hire/drive boats that are now available at Fyans, Bellfield, Wartook, Toolondo and Rocklands. We also have a 4.5m Polycraft in survey for hire drive or charter work based at Halls Gap. These vessels being powered by 8hp Tohatsu motors require no boat licence to operate and are available in daylight hours only. Full equipped with safety gear they are ready for you to enjoy a day or weekend, be it fishing or sightseeing on these magnificent lakes. Enquiries to Trevor on 0438 132 130 or 03 5388 1338. Catch us on Facebook: Victorian Inland Charters or check our web site: www.victorianinland charters.com.au

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A holiday cod bonanza ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

As cod seasons go, this one is starting off as good as any I can remember. It seems that every section of the Murray is producing fish, as are the anabranches and even the channels in between. In Swan Hill, local tackle proprietor Jim Credlin is ecstatic with the bite, and says it’s as good as he has seen. Credlin reports that although a lot of the cod are smaller, it’s great to have such numbers back in all the local waters. With the holiday period seeing an influx of campers and fishers to our local areas, it’s great to see the fish are up and biting, according to Credlin. The Murray River upstream to Pental Island has good numbers of cod on bait and lures. Perch too, are finding their way onto the hook, with river shrimp and scrubworms proving the best baits. Even the local channels are producing fish, with several reports of both redfin and golden perch

Mildura angler Gareth Lynch with a typical example of the size of the Murray cod that are biting well in most of the local rivers.

Gareth Lynch with a nice cod caught casting a Bassman DT spinnerbait. both bait and lures. Merrin Creek has cod to 70cm on spinnerbaits, and the Edward has anglers catching some good-sized cod on surface lures. It’s about this time

Rod Mackenzie has been smashing some very good cod on the new StumpJumper colours. caught using bait. Sometimes the best fishing is right under our very noses and we don’t even know it’s there. In the Wakool, Murray cod up to and over the metre mark have been landed on

of year that surface fishing really begins to fire. Best practiced during periods of low light, dawn and dusk are prime times, as are the many hours of darkness in between. Another bonus of

surface fishing is that you avoid the heat of the day, but be warned, mozzies are a constant companion. The Murray River at Robinvale has cod to 80cm on bait and good numbers of golden perch and the odd catfish. Below the lock at Euston, anglers trolling lures have landed some very nice cod, the biggest over the metre mark. Perch too, have been a frequent catch in this area. If your holiday travels bring you to sunny Mildura, then as a fisho you are in luck. Good numbers of medium to large Murray cod have been landed in this area, both above and below the lock this past month. Trolling large diving lures has produced several honking cod over a metre. All these fish were returned unharmed, in accordance with the new maximum 75cm slot limit. Perch have also been hitting the lures, with several anglers claiming their bag in

Dean Norbiato nailed this Darling River cod while casting a Legohead lure.

a session. Bait is turning up some good perch and a few cod. The Darling River at Pooncarie has continued to fish well, with sizeable cod landed on both bait and lures. For the visiting angler, it’s sometimes hard to get a handle on where and how to start fishing unfamiliar waters. A good reference point and place of anglingrelated info is as close as the local tackle store. Here you can also get bait, tackle, fishing licences, and a rundown on rules and regulations that often differ from state to state, or even certain rivers for that matter. Once you have the good oil on where the fish are biting and all the gear that’s required to catch them, remember it is the holiday season and there will be plenty of boat traffic on the water. Safety first, fish second, and while that might sound strange, believe me there is an element of water users that care little for common sense. With that said, enjoy your fishing over the holiday period, as we continue into what looks set to be a very good season.

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Cod fishing picks up this month ECHUCA

Ian Page

Summer in our region has produced some of the best fishing we have seen for quite a few years. After a slow start to cod season, the pace has steadily picked up, and with water temperatures at their peak and a relatively stable level, the mighty Murray is the place to be. Find a section of river free of ski and wakeboard boats, and spend some time trolling the banks with the likes of Oar-Gee, StumpJumper, Custom Crafted or any large lure

that will tap along the bottom and around the snags. Be prepared to work an area several times, with a lure change every couple of passes. Many anglers prefer to flick lures at structure along the river, and the same applies — be patient and have multiple casts at an area you think may house a cod, as you are most likely correct with one waiting to ambush an injured fish. Sometimes they just need to be woken up! For the many that like to bait fish, the river is also seeing good catches on bardi grubs and scrubworms, and my favourite bait, shrimps,

of which there are plenty about at present. My preference with shrimp is to put multiples on the hook to entice the fish into biting. Other waterways in our area like the Goulburn and Campaspe have been fishing similarly well, with great fish being caught, especially in the evening. Surface lures retrieved slowly across the top are always a good option and when struck by a fish is extremely exciting. The irrigation channels are still producing redfin in good numbers, with most taking small yabbies and worms. Gunbower Creek, while not as good

as most seasons, is still a worthwhile option, with some nice yellows and cod available. The new slot limits put in place this year seem to be working well, and with the fish population growing stronger, we will see the benefits of this in future seasons. So with great weather and plenty of fish, it’s a great time to visit the region with your fishing tackle and get amongst them • For the latest fishing and boating information in the Echuca/Moama region, drop into Boats and More’s Echuca store at 76 Northern Hwy or give them a call on (03) 5482 1992..

This beautiful cod was caught, photographed and released by Zeb Boslem on a recent trip trolling the Murray.

Trolling time in Mildura MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

River levels are steady and conditions have been perfect for all things native fishing. Flows have subsided after a flush just before Christmas and water clarity is good enough to catch some nice fish. Some very nice yellowbelly have been caught all around Mildura during the warm conditions lately, especially around Merbein. Some creeks and billabongs have also been firing, which has been great to see. These fish have been caught on lures mostly, but bait fishos are having a great time bobbing shrimps and small yabbies. Downsized lures intended for yellowbelly have been working well around snags

and clay banks on both cod and yellowbelly, but recently the fish have been smashing much larger lures like the Koolabung Codzilla and Bassman series of lures. Large sized catfish are also being caught on bait around Fort Courage and as far upstream as Euston. Reports from local anglers indicate that this iconic species are still around in good numbers. Remember these fish are still protected and must be returned to the water immediately if caught. Murray cod have been on the chew also, with numerous larger models being caught on trolled lures in multiple locations around Mildura. The Darling River has also been producing some healthy cod for most anglers. This season should be a ripper for catching big Murray cod due to the appropriate water levels and clarity amongst other factors. Try trolling big lures like the 150mm

AC Invader or the range of Muldoon lures and Koolabung Codzillas in various sizes for a decent chance of landing a meter + cod. Popular smaller lures for targeting Murray cod and yellowbelly include the Koolabung 90mm range and Bassman spinnerbaits in 3/8 and 1/2oz sizes. These lures are particularly dangerous in skinny waters and creeks. Running a combination of 50lb braid and 50-60lb leader seems to be optimum for targeting big fish. Lighter gear will also see you land the big one, but with so much cover in the river, like snags and rocks to contend with, the chances of line breakage are high and no angler wants that. Upsizing your treble hooks and split rings is also a good idea, because you don’t want to be left wondering what could have been. Releasing Murray cod is a good practise, so it is important you have all the

DAM LEVELS Lake/Dam % Full

Dam % Full

LAKE/DAM Nov Dec Jan Cairn Curran 55 83 50 Dartmouth 90 86 82 Eildon 82 79 75 Eppalock 73 58 55 Fyans 83 73 74 Greens 64 64 61 Hepburn 94 87 80 Hume 70 64 54 Lauriston 73 74 78 Malmsbury 34 34 35 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 93 96 99

Newlyn 90 86 74 Nillahcootie 97 93 86 Rocklands 23 24 24 Taylors 25 19 20 Tullaroop 50 48 45 Upper Coliban 97 92 81 Waranga 51 41 24 Wartook 45 78 78 William Hovell 99 100 93 All levels correct at time of going to press. Damlevels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.

Macey Evans with a very nice Murray cod caught around Mildura on the troll using a 120mm Koolabung Codzilla. Fish like these are very common during the summer months in the Sunraysia area. right landing gear to make the release smooth and trouble free. A large net, lip grips, pliers for hook removal and gloves are just some of the important equipment anglers should possess. Where

possible, keep large Murray cod in the water for release but sometimes this is not possible. Summer is a great time to fish for our special native species. But February can be a very hot month so don’t forget

to slip-slop-slap. Maritime are also going to be out in force during February, so pleased make sure you have adapted to the new Murray cod slot limits for Vic and NSW.

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FEBRUARY 2015

Cod action continues SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Both the weather and the fishing has been hot in our area over the past months. The Goulburn was at a steady level during the Christmas break and early January. This saw the water clarity clear right up and it gave the lure fishos a chance to land plenty of legal sized fish. Many

lures. Kuttafurras, Old Mates, Codgers and Custom Crafted all seemed to produce fish. Bait also was a great way to catch fish and there seemed to be more fish caught late afternoon on the sunny side of the river. This may be a hard way to fish with temperatures averaging mid to late 30s, but I guess the reports don’t lie. Shrimp and worm cocktails seem to be a good way to land both cod and yellowbelly in the Goulburn, there has also been plenty of reports of

Christian van Tarling, 12, with a nice cod from the Broken River. It’s great to see young kids fishing. locals seemed to spend January casting 100mm+ hardbodies deep into the timber. Normally spinnerbaits fish the best in Shepparton but the reports all leant towards hardbody

massive carp being landed on worms as well. BROKEN RIVER The Broken has been fishing good but not great this summer. Broken fishing

regulars seem to be leaning towards fishing the Goulburn, which is a sign that it’s not what it used to be. The surface action has been the best form of fishing in the Broken and some fish are still being caught on spinnerbaits mostly in the 2 hours leading into dark. The Broken towards Benalla and Dookie has fished slow of late but in town within 1-2km of the junction has fished best. The areas in town don’t get too overfished so if you find a safe access point you will be in with a shot of landing a nice fish. Mooroopna Local David Savage landed a nice 80cm+ cod earlier in the season only a stone throw away from the walking tracks so you don’t have to go too far for a fish. KIALLA LAKES I don’t normally start my lake reports with Kialla but finally it has had a good month of consistent fishing. There has always been the report here and there but the past month I am consistently getting emails or texts plus also landing a few fish myself. The secret has been either a hook full of fresh shrimp or slow rolling spinnerbaits, Jackalls or soft plastics loaded up with scent. I have been watching a lot of results of local and interstate tournaments prior to Christmas and I was always a bit unsure about the scents but after using the brand Dizzy Scent I am now hooked. There are others on the market but I stick to what I like and after using the scents over Christmas I

Daren Martin with his 90cm+ cod from Waranga Basin. feel it can revamp the fishing in Kialla. The fish are there, it’s dirty water and that’s perfect for scented lures or even bait. Hopefully I will have a few photos in coming editions of magazine worthy fish, at this stage the average yellowbelly is 25-35cm, so no trophy fish yet. CRAIGMUIR LAKE The redfin are on the bite and again the reports keep coming in from Mooroopna resident David Savage. Redfin up to 45cm have been caught recently trolling small diving lures or casting lipless crankbaits in and around the willows. Kayak fishing has taken off out there with sometimes dozens of kayakers out there at one time. I am not to sure how bait has been fishing out there but like always I would suggest fresh bait and even float a shrimp or yabby under

the willows for something different. SHEPPARTON LAKE With all the holiday traffic on the lake lately I thought I would have had plenty of reports and photos, but it seems the fish are all spooked by all the boats, kayaks and sailboats. The other reason could be the fish will head deep in the weed now with the temperatures hitting late 30s daily. The lake is only a shallow water depth so I think that’s where you will find the fish. If you see a break in weed, run your lure or float your bait in these areas, the fish will hopefully will be sitting on the weed edges looking for a cheap feed. The other option is running your soft plastics weedless, if you get into one of the local tackle shops, I am sure the staff can show you how to rig your plastics to cast deep into the weed beds.

WARANGA BASIN One local Harrimans Road resident got the surprise of his life in early January landing a fish well over 90cm. The monster cod was caught while resident Daren Martin was chasing redfin. This came as a big shock to me, as I always knew there were cod in the Basin but didn’t think there would be many monsters after past droughts. It shows the old big cod are a very smart creature in times of drought. This catch may see more people fishing with big monster lures and trying to target big cod out there. Another surprise over the Christmas period was the amount of yellowbelly being caught at the Basin, and they are huge! I have seen photos of yellowbelly well over 50cm and round as a footy. It’s a great sign that the Basin is no longer a redfin only fishery.

Top water equals top fishing YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

With the Christmas hangover gone and the guilt from eating too much a distant memory, it’s time to snap into action and hit the water in search of some rod bending action. The hum and buzz of jet skis and the doof doof rubbish from ridiculously over-sized ski boats, has been replaced with the magic sounds of boof and bang from the mighty Murray cod. There is no better place to be at this time of year in search of a green fix than magnificent Lake Mulwala. If the trend continues, it seems that every cod fisho is loading up on surface lures looking for exciting topwater action. We are in the midst of some great surface activity at present, so get yourself set-up with the right gear and see what this craze is all about. Once you get that first boof you will be hooked. 82

FEBRUARY 2015

The other productive methods at present are both casting and trolling artificials in the timbered areas of the lake. With boat traffic easing, cod are starting to poke their heads up again after being shy about the traffic. Locally, the festive season was hectic on-water, with numerous boats enjoying their time throughout our region. The fishermen that managed to find some quieter waters, especially on the northern side of the lake, found success with both lure and bait fishing for cod. During the Christmas period, we received many great reports about quality fish. With all the chatter being about surface action, it’s hard to go past Chris Crabb’s magnificent 113cm model. This cod came late in the year and is just reward for a fanatical fisho who now has claims to the Fish of the Year title! Jamie Stewart and Beau Foster had an outstanding run on the surface, landing 4 beauties measuring 60, 75, 83 and 95cm respectively. According to Jamie, Beau’s

95 was the unluckiest fish in the lake, after being missed a couple of times, bird nests and tangles, but just like golf, you don’t draw pictures, you write numbers! Their lures of choice were Jackall Pompadours and Koolabungs. Jamie also had his son Nathan out over the Christmas period, with the latter landing a new PB of 90cm. A great fish for a young fella and something many grown men would be happy to see. A couple of quick happy snaps and it went straight back in the drink. The happiest ‘tourist’ in store over the break came in the form of one Mark Ratten, telling of the success of his mate, Dave Brennan from Arthurs Creek. Dave had a great afternoon below the weir, landing 67 and 75cm cod, and then topping it off with a monster that stretched the tape out to 115cm. It was a great afternoon for Dave and Mark that will stay in their memory bank for a long time. The boys’ choice of bait was yabbies. Just as happy as these boys was one of the most

passionate and switched-on young anglers I have come across — 12 year-old Charlie Mertadana from Benalla. Charlie spent a solid few days casting spinnerbaits below the weir and was up to around a dozen cod the last time we spoke. It’s great to see young kids with such enthusiasm, and Charlie’s sure to have a great future with his fishing. I had the pleasure of accompanying the lovely Natalie Hunter from Totally Wild television for a day of filming downstream in the river. Joining us were the stars of the show, young Archer Lowe and Cooper Bennett. Natalie managed to land a couple of smaller cod that got her very excited, while Cooper landed a nice 56cm fish that provided some good footage. As for Archer, I’ll say nothing apart from stay tuned very soon to see what went on! With the competition season upon us, there are a few events coming up over the next couple of months. The first is the ever-popular Lowrance Da$h 4 Ca$h on February 14 and 15.

Dave Brennan at Arthurs Creek with a 115cm Murray River monster. Following this is the His & Hers Partners’ Classic on February 28; a great day for couples to share time together in the boat. To round out the comp season is the Cod Nationals, 5 days of serious tournament fishing for the dedicated green fish angler. • If you are visiting town, I urge you to call into Lake

Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala and say G’day. We are your largest Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/Mulwala and specialise in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports, give us a hoy on (03) 5744 3133.

Allans Flat a relief for tough trout KEIWA VALLEY

Robbie Alexander

To be quite honest, I am not going to be the bearer of good news this month with regards to fishing in and around the Kiewa Valley. The main attraction of that area, the Kiewa River, has been fishing very slowly for trout as dwindling trout numbers across northern Victorian waters continue to frustrate licensed anglers. A few trout have been caught in the Kiewa River, with the area between Tawonga and Mt Beauty providing the best results, however those anglers that have had success have been working very hard for their fish and many anglers are going totally fishless. The further down stream you head the less trout seem to be in the river, as with the last two or three seasons. I guess all we can do is sit back and hope for an improved fishery next season. Late last season I had a couple of amazing trout fishing sessions on the Kiewa River, and was excited about the prospect of this season being better than last season, but sadly it hasn’t panned out that way. Away from the Kiewa River itself there has been some pretty good trout fishing for anglers that have been willing to do the hard yards, use a little anglers nous and find trout in the cooler headwaters of some of the tributaries. I know Rocky Valley Creek upstream of Bogong Dam has seen quite a few smaller trout caught out of it this year, and I have had reasonable reports from the West Kiewa River high up in the hills. I have had reports of trout being caught in the Mitta Mitta River below Lake Dartmouth, but once again not in great numbers. Unfortunately the great trout fishing that so many of us

The trout numbers have really dropped off in recent years. Try heading further upstream into the mountainous areas looking for cooler water.

The redfin in Allans Flat Waterhole are usually only small. That’s OK though, the kids don’t care as long as it wiggles! There are a few larger redfin in there that get caught from time to time. love in these bigger rivers seems to be a thing of the past. The heat of the last few summers has taken a heavy toll, and at the same time some kind of trout stocking into these areas would benefit the whole area greatly and be embraced by literally thousands of keen trout anglers across the region. Upstream of Lake Dartmouth, around the Blue Duck area it has been a similar story with the odd trout being picked up, but still nothing flash. As we head into February these waterways will most likely be at their warmest temperatures and lowest levels for the year, and the trout fishing will probably only be tougher than it already has been. We could get some reprieve later in February as longer nights lend themselves to a gradual cooling of the water, and some kind of early autumn break in the weather could really help improve things. Sadly, I don’t think that we are likely to see fantastic trout fishing anywhere around the mountainous

North East Victoria any time soon, but towards late February what trout there are in the system may be likely to get a bit more active.

your normal fishing haunts are not producing trout, then try heading upstream into the mountains further in search of cooler, fresher water, because

the other hand have been biting very well in the lower reaches of the Kiewa River around Kergunyah. It has been a very good season for cod fishing in the Kiewa River so far this season. By late February, the cod fishing may become a little bit more hot and cold than what it normally is, as changes in weather conditions can either turn the fish on or really shut them down. Coupled with this is the usual water level fluctuations which can switch

Allans Flat Waterhole is an ideal place to take the family fishing and swimming during the heat of February. It has an undercover area, picnic tables and toilet facilities, as well as redfin, yellowbelly and tench to be caught. Remember, there are trout in the system; you just need to think outside the square. If

that’s where the trout are at the moment. The Murray cod on

the cod on and off at any time as well. The Kiewa River is a great river to go cod fishing,

but just be prepared to either catch heaps or catch none! The Mitta Mitta River is similar. I have had a couple of Murray cod reports from the Mitta MItta River this season, but that’s about it. I don’t usually hear a lot from up that way, as most of my contacts tend to fish the Kiewa, Ovens and Broken river catchments. I do get the odd report handed to me though. One of my work mates got the shock of his life when he was bait fishing with light line and worms at Pigs Point recently, expecting to catch a trout, when he landed a 60cm Murray cod right beside his camp at sunset. The Mitta Mitta River is stocked heavily with Murray cod, so it’s certainly worth heading to if you want to try something a little different. Allans Flat Waterhole is a little gem of a dam worth fishing during February as the redfin and yellowbelly are both still quite active. Both bait and lure fishing is successful in Allans Flat and the waterway is very popular with families and small groups. It has a great swimming spot at the northern end of the waterhole and has great vehicle access on both sides. I highly recommend this waterway between Wodonga and Yackandandah to anybody wanting to take the kids fishing and swimming during February.

Left: Brenton Richardson with a lovely Murray cod caught in the lower reaches of the Kiewa River. Right: Brenton releasing one of his lovely Kiewa River Murray cod. FEBRUARY 2015

Wangaratta starts to cool WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

By February we are usually all starting to look forward to some cooling in the weather. It often arrives later in February as the days start getting shorter, and the nights just start to cool down. As this slow cooling begins, so too does a slow cooling of the water, and the whole dynamics of fishing here in North East Victoria begins to change. The changes begin more so in March, but by late February we are usually just starting to see the season transitional begin. The Ovens and King rivers should all fish well for Murray cod in February. They won’t fish as well as they have in January or December, but the fishing usually still ticks over nicely. At the start of the month when things are still really hot the Murray cod fishing can be quite good. I find during the hottest part of the year that the early mornings tend to fish the best as the water has had all night to cool down a little bit. February is the time of year where we usually see the lowest water levels in most creeks and rivers. During these periods of low, warm water the oxygen levels can become quite depleted, which can make the fish slow down quite a bit. At this time, I like to look for sections of

water can pick up oxygen and deliver it to nearby areas. These small areas of increased oxygen can be worth fishing, as the fish tend to find them, a bit like we would if we were trapped in a room with just one tiny air vent in the wall! The warmer water holds less oxygen, but at the same time it also speeds up the fishes’ metabolism, making them hungry and wanting to eat more. So if you can find areas of water that are likely to have a higher oxygen content, when the fish are hungry you will be fishing in the right spot. Anywhere from Myrtleford downstream to Bundalong in the Ovens River will be worth fishing for Murray cod

and higher frequency of broken water. February can be a fantastic time of the year to fish Lake William Hovel for redfin. Not only is there some great redfin in the lake, there is also some of the clearest water in the region. I remember one day, whilst fishing with my mate Adam Bosley, Adam got his lure (a 7gm blade) snagged in 5m of water. While yanking vigorously on the line to try and free his snagged lure, we could actually see it flashing in the sun as it moved on the snag. In 5m of water, we could see his snagged lure! That is how clear the water is in Lake William Hovell, and as you can no doubt imagine, if the fishing is slow, Lake William Hovell is

A typical sized Murray cod from the King River caught casting a large No. 1 StumpJumper from the bank. February and redfin are usually quite easily caught. There are plenty of small

chances are that you will find them! Try angling with really small yabbies. My mate Sandy Hector and I love using yabbies up there. We will use tiny yabbies to try and find the redfin, and once we locate a school we like to bait up a second rod each with quite large yabbies. We usually just dangle this second rod over the side of the boat and refer to it as the ‘night watchman’. This large yabbie will usually sort the men from the boys in the redfin world. We don’t get as many bites on that night watchman, but when we do it is usually a decent fish! Don’t overlook soft plastics up in Lake William Hovell either, or trolling small to medium sized deep diving lures that can get down very deep. The region’s trout are

to conserve energy all summer. During February, this pattern will continue, but will also often break. A heavy downpour or decent thunderstorm that sends plenty of fresh water downstream can cause the pattern to break, and see the trout become quite active. So too can a decent cool change bringing night time temperatures down, particularly in the later parts of February. As soon as that water starts to cool, the trout can start to get active. In such times, it doesn’t really matter what lures or techniques you are using. Bait fishing, lures and flies will all work well as the trout are usually quite hungry having sat there sulking for so long. I have always found small minnows

Top: Bobbing brightly coloured soft plastics such as this Damiki Air-Craw directly underneath the boat or kayak is a great way to catch redfin at Lake William Hovell. Above Left: A Rose River brown trout caught recently on a Metalhead soft plastic. The Rose has been pretty quiet for a couple of years now. Expect to see the odd fish there this autumn, but don’t expect too much. Above Right: Trout fishing in the Ovens River catchment can pick up suddenly if we get some good rainfall during February, but the trout are usually quite thin at this time of the year having sat there sulking throughout the warmer months. the river that have broken water flows, such as rapids, spillways or some kind of small drop where the 84

FEBRUARY 2015

during February, with the upper reaches probably having higher oxygen content due to the rapids

an absolute cracker of a place to swim. The fishing usually isn’t slow up there in

redfin in there, and if you are prepared to keep moving around and looking for some bigger redfin,

usually starting to get a bit hungry by February having sat at the bottoms of the deepest holes they can find

work particularly well when the trout become suddenly active at the end of summer.

Have fun with reddies when yellas won’t play EILDON

Andy McCarthy

From start to finish January was not even as close to last year’s season on the yellas. Last year was a very good January and I think with the weather patterns throughout spring, things have changed up up in the deeper reaches of the lake and things seem to be way behind, so who knows, February might deliver us some quality goldens, fingers crossed any way. One place that I can recommend if you want to get away from the masses of PWC lovers terrorising anglers in close to shore is the Goulburn Arm up around the top, past Goughs Bay. There are some great spots up there, except without the headaches. Throughout February we will finally see the reddies fire up down the southern end, reports have been coming in that Taylor and Bolte bays have been producing good numbers of fish to 800g, which is a great eating size. Some bigger models have been showing their faces as well. I highly recommend scrubbies and yabbies at the base of trees in around 40-60ft of water. Just use a drop shot rig with your bait about 20cm off the bottom, but make sure you use a reasonable breaking strain in your line, as you might just get smashed

Eildon yellas are very photogenic, and sport a magnificent golden colouration.

This very hungry reddy decided to try its luck at scoffing down a big yabby!

up by a native (this always seems to happen when you’re running light gear). Another option is to rig up a lipless crankbait with fine light hooks so you can get them off the snags easily and not throw away your hard earned bucks on reddies. The cod have been

really sporadic in the deeper sections, with very odd short windows of opportunity. They have been generally

feeding on a daily basis but trying to work out when is anyone’s guess, and this comes back to time on the water. Loads of little bangers around the 40-50cm range have been super aggressive and go quite hard for little fish. The Goulburn River has produced some great trout lately, with some good-sized browns and ‘bows taken by good friends Alex and Molesy recently. The Pondage has been going quite strong, and while the water level is going up and down at a great rate of knots, some solid fish are being taken near the cemetery.

Daniel Rees nailed this great 75cm cod and took this cool photo on release.

Crowds gone – game on! BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

Well thank goodness the crowds have started to diminish because January was one of the busiest and annoying times for fishos in a long time, with massive numbers of holidaymakers churning up the lake and making it very hard to find clean water. This is normal for this time of year, however still makes things a little bit frustrating, as the crowds seemed to really slow down the yellowbelly throughout January with nowhere near as many getting caught in comparison to November and December. The quality of them certainly didn’t disappoint, as anglers who managed to find some quality water in amongst the crowds got into some seriously chunky yellas.

The lads from Indepthangler.com.au took this great Bonnie Doon cod. There were also some nice green fish being enticed, mainly on spinnerbaits – there’s no surprise there. One of the things that has been a common theme in January was the very small windows of opportunity when the fish would turn on and it was very interesting how those patterns were really random with early mornings not as productive

as usual and bright days between 10am-2pm would turn on the fishing. Not what is normally considered prime, but that is native fishing and lake Eildon in a nut shell, you never know what you’re gonna get! Onto another species, the reddies have finally started to show themselves in good numbers again after virtually vanishing over the

last 10-12 months and I must touch what I’ve seen on social media. People have been showing catches of 30-50 redfin and people have been going off their heads about it. I don’t understand why taking out lots of reddies isn’t a great thing for this fishery, there is literally millions of them in massive schools and if we don’t take loads out it will stunt the growth. If there are huge amounts of them swimming around we will be back to the old days when they were all 150mm long, so take as many as you want and don’t feel bad about it! There are a few rumors floating around that it may be legalised to bow fish for carp in Victoria. I for one would love nothing more than to go on a carp hunt and try to put a dint in these pests. I will do some research on this and keep you posted.

Wazza Gale with a beautiful Goulburn River trout.

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Hot weather bring on the bass CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

The hot weather is normally a bit harsh for the old brown trout to bite, but luckily enough for us Gippslanders, Fisheries continuance of the stocking of Australian bass locally has been the best thing for us freshwater anglers in years. The good thing about the bass is they love the hot weather. The hotter the

better! Our local streams and impoundments have all now had 5 years of annual bass stockings, so the little guys are absolutely everywhere. Now is the time to get out your lures as this time of year is when the bass get ultra-aggressive and will hit nearly any 3-7cm minnowstyle lure thrown at them, not to mention the awesome fun you can have with surface lures in the mornings and evenings as well. Don’t worry about the sizes of these little guys, there are a few bigger

models getting caught now, and we are seeing a lot more 28cm models in our rivers, but our impoundments and lakes such as Glenmaggie and Blue Rock are producing some real thumpers in the high 30s these days and even a couple cracking 40cm. The key to catching the bass has been to fish either early or late, but not in between. The bass seem to shut down when the sun is high and only resume biting as the sun is going down. Target logs, rocks and deeper drop-offs as those are

where the bass will school. For some real sport and the most fun you can have on lures, break out the surface lures, such as cicadas, popper and stick baits and use them late in the day! • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s “Off the Hook” on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!

Nasty natives test anglers’ skills YARRA VALLEY

Ian Loft ringwood@compleatangler.com.au

The dryness has ascended and the river is now feeling the pinch. Even still, the mid section (Kew to Yarra

Nic Day landed this quality Yarra River bass, which he coaxed from a bank side snag.

Glenn) continues to hold up its end of the bargain for lure casters and bait fishers alike! Both land-based and kayak anglers have been targeting the native fish in the snag rich environment for the last month or so with some quite exciting results. Australian bass have been making quite a strong case for the title of ‘nastiest fish in the river’ by smashing lures cast by anglers up in the sticks! This is true to form for the species as they are a snag dweller and there’s nothing like watching one come out of the snag at breakneck speed, grab your lure and head back home, leaving the angler with an open mouth and busted line. Other nasty natives that will produce a similar scenario are golden perch and Murray

cod. Both of which reside in the middle section of the Yarra River. Be prepared to lose some lures and don’t go down with just one – spinnerbaits and hardbodies are the way forward. The upper reaches are still traveling well and the water is still cool and low. The trout fishing has been good with numbers of small brown trout coming in from all forms for fishing. Spinners have been a worthy lure to cast as they are lightweight and will swim in the shallow waters of a run or riffle. Drifting a bunch of worms will also get you into the action as will a grasshopper, which are starting to come about as we speak. As the summer heats up the grasshoppers will grow and then start to fly instead of hop. This is when they become

Ben Black had a dynamite session on one of the hot evenings lately landing over 10 bass to 28cm on small hardbodied lures. trout food as the wind (and their bad flying skills) see them landing in the water for the trout to eat. Two grasshopper on a no. 8 hook with a very, very small split shot, around no. 4, will enable your ‘hopper sandwich’ to be drifted downstream into the waiting mouths of the hungry trout. Very good fun indeed! Carp are on the menu as per usual and make a

great testing subject for the beginner. They fight hard and make great fertiliser. You can catch these critters with a bunch of worms or some Powerbait dough. For information on how to go about fishing the Yarra River and surrounding areas, drop into Compleat Angler Ringwood or give them a call on (03) 9870 77922.

Feb hoppers on the menu WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

It’s been a dry Christmas and New Year holiday period, but often with stinking hot days come evening storms and cool changes creating ideal conditions for insect hatchings which excite stream and lake fish, and anglers alike. The Latrobe River in Noojee was very popular over the holiday season attracting anglers of all ages and technique. Blue

Rock Lake was also a very popular destination with many new Christmas kayaks hitting the water for their maiden voyages. The other streams throughout West and South Gippsland have been fishing very well too. It’s encouraging to see many anglers enjoying the thrill of the chase and releasing their fish after a few happy snaps. For those who don’t fish this region regularly, the streams are not stocked with trout therefore rely heavily on naturalised populations of trout to spawn each year.

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FEBRUARY 2015

Catch and release ensures we can keep on enjoying stream trout fishing for many years to come. Blue Rock Lake on the other hand is stocked with Australian bass, rainbow and brown trout. Many anglers are catching and releasing the bass as they are a premium sport fish, but there is definitely nothing wrong with taking home a couple of trout and redfin for a feed. The popular Latrobe River in Noojee offers a fantastic and picturesque stretch of river with plenty of trout feeding zones suitable for fly and lure casting, bait drifting and fishing bait either off the bottom or under a float. So if you’re up for a lazy day sitting by a river to escape the heat or keen on stretching the legs and wading or walking the banks, then the Latrobe River is the perfect spot to kick start a stream trout fishing adventure. Noojee offers BBQ facilities, rotunda, picnic tables and amenities so it’s perfect for the family too. The Latrobe River is

Adam Neville with a lovely West Gippsland stream trout and terrific photo to match. This brown was caught and released on a Nories Laydown minnow. These fish are a lot of fun on light gear! also the heart of stream trout fishing in Noojee. The Loch River flows into the Latrobe River at McCarthy Spur Road only metres from the main picnic area in town. This is a terrific small stream offering kilometres of fishable water, which in parts is surrounded by farmland as well as thick bush and when explored offers

some exciting fishing. Many sections can be waded and a typical brown or rainbow trout is around 150-300g. The other main tributary feeding the Latrobe River in this region is the Toorongo River, which enters near the timber mill just out of town on the Mt Baw Baw Tourist Rd. The Toorongo is a spectacular

trout stream meandering through farmland and offers both wading and bank fishing. Renowned as a fly fishing river, it is too ideal for many other techniques and certainly worth adding to your next fishing trip to Noojee. Fish typically grow a bit bigger, averaging 200-400g. To page 87

Cod on despite traffic BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The Bendigo region is hugely popular with many holidaymakers. Many anglers not local to the region come to the area and test their skills trying to land some of the resident fish. We are currently lucky that the productivity of the fishing is good at most destinations in our local waterways. One of the downsides with the influx of people onto the waterways is the increased amount of boat traffic. This can often have a negative impact on catch rates. The old saying “The early bird gets the worm” is very true at this time of the year. Earlier starts or late finishes when boat traffic is minimal are when anglers are rewarded with the most productive fishing. The fishing in Lake Eppalock continues to be good. The number of redfin being caught has increased in recent weeks. Unfortunately the majority of redfin being caught are small in size, but some anglers have been lucky enough to locate a school of quality redfin with specimens up to 45cm being landed. The most productive

depth range for the redfin has been between 8-12m of water. Trolling deep-diving hardbodied lures has been productive and if a good school is located trolling, then casting soft plastics has also produced reasonable results. Bait fishing with small yabbies and worms has been working as usual. Good numbers of golden perch are being caught in Lake Eppalock too. Casting lipless crankbaits is currently my preferred method, but casting suspending hardbodied lures has also been working. Trolling hardbodies has produced small numbers of golden perch. The average size of the golden perch is ranging between 40-48cm and the golden perch fishing should continue to be productive for the next few months. It is great to see the productivity in the golden perch being at the level it currently is, with the recent years of stocking of golden perch we are going to see this productivity continue to improve. Fisheries Victoria needs to be congratulated on the golden perch stockings. Unfortunately at this stage, the Murray cod stockings have been significantly lower than the golden perch stockings, but even with these low stocking

rates, the returns to anglers have been good and the condition on the Murray cod being caught has been excellent. If we want to develop a serious Murray cod fishery at Lake Eppalock then the Murray cod stocking need to be increased. There are small numbers of Murray cod being caught and the average size of these is ranging between 55-65cm. There has been the occasional larger Murray cod being caught trolling hardbodies or casting spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. The productivity in the fishing in the Campaspe River has improved in recent weeks despite large volumes of cold water being released from Lake Eppalock earlier in the season. This had a negative impact on water clarity and the feeding activity in the fish. Currently the flows have reduced, water clarity has improved and the productivity in the fishing is on the increase. Golden perch are currently the main species being caught, with reasonable numbers of Murray cod also being landed. Some quality cod have been landed in recent weeks by anglers fishing at night with surface lures. During the warmest months of the year this method can be very

This solid Murray cod was caught casting a lipless crankbait at Lake Eppalock. Hopefully we may see increased stockings of Murray cod into the lake in the 2015 season. productive on the Murray cod and there are currently good amounts of surface food available for the Murray cod, moths and cicadas are some of the Murray cods’ favourite offerings. The fishing in Cairn Curran has been patchy. For the majority of anglers, the redfin fishing has been slow. The most productive redfin fishing has been by those anglers who have been bait fishing around the edges of standing timber. The golden perch fishing continues to be good, but anglers need to work hard in order to locate them. Trolling in shallower depths around the edges of the lake has been

productive as has casting to the rocky shorelines with lipless crankbaits and casting to the standing timber has produced small numbers of golden perch at certain times. The occasional Murray cod has also been caught by the same methods, but the overall numbers of Murray cod being caught has been minimal. The fishing in the Loddon River has been very good this season so far. The Loddon River is a popular destination over the holiday period. Those serious anglers will try and avoid the crowds and fish the areas that receive the least amount of fishing pressure. Walking the shallower sections of the river where the

least amount of fishing pressure occurs is recommended at this time of the year and casting spinnerbaits and hardbodied lures are good options. If fishing the deeper pools, then lipless crankbaits can be productive. At the present time water clarity is very good, so the fishing has been most productive during period of low light. The fishing has typically been very slow during the middle of the day on most days. If you are fishing the boatable sections of the river, then start very early before the boat traffic gets to busy or be prepared to fish until late after the majority have finished their fishing.

Good weather fires up local lakes MELBOURNE METRO

Ian Debar iand@gottabite.com.au

The Yarra River has produced a few different species for anglers fishing the mid reaches of the river recently. Murray cod, redfin, Macquarie perch and eels have been on the bite for bait anglers. The humble scrubworm has been the go for general fishing in the river, with all species taking one from time to time. The different fish have been active during different stages of the day; with the redfin being caught throughout most of the day, Maccas biting aggressively before dark, and cod and eels being a more actively once darkness has set in. Also be aware that there are new Murray cod regulations for Victoria; From page 88

The Tarago River, which is in the Drouin West region has also been doing alright too over the last few months. Entry to the river is best via a number of small reserves (Picnic Park and Fisher Road Reserve to name a few) but these spots can be popular on hot days as they’re great swimming holes for the

with a minimum size of 55cm and maximum size of 75cm, and a one fish bag limit in Victorian rivers. Devilsbend Reservoir has been hot and cold lately, with most nice fish being caught during the low light hours of the day. A few reasonable fish have been caught on ‘chunky cheese’ Powerbait fished a long cast out during the middle of the day but for the most part early mornings or late afternoons have been the most productive. Mudeyes suspended under a small float along with small floating hardbodies have been the main fish takers. Emerald Lake is another hidden gem stocked with trout not too far from the outer southeastern suburbs. Situated just below the picturesque township of Emerald, Emerald Lake is frequently stocked with

rainbow trout designated to be caught by angling families over the school holidays. The lake itself isn’t a huge body of water, but it does have plenty of fish habitat; from dense weed growth to scattered rock piles. Recently the lake has been producing fish for youngsters having a shot at fishing, with fish from 300g through to almost 1kg being caught. All the usual urban lake fishing methods work here with Powerbait, maggots and worms some of the best baits to try. Lure and fly anglers catch a few fish here as well, as there are plenty of natural prey items for the trout to chase down including yabbies, shrimp and small baitfish species. Recently young angler George tried his luck down at the lake and after a few hours rotating through different baits and

lures he tried a small piece of fish fillet intended for an eel or two. After a short wait he tussled a lovely trout of 800g into the landing net that Dad was holding. Good stuff George! If you have had some success in these areas lately send me a photo and go into the draw for your chance to win $100 Tackle voucher. Email it to: admin@ fishingcamping.com.au. Include angler’s name, species and the area you were fishing. • For up to date fishing information, contact the guys at Compleat Angler in Dandenong on 9794 9397 or drop in and see us at 241 – 243 Princes Hwy, Dandenong, we are open 7 days a week. For our other latest fishing reports and to download information sheets, go to www fishingcamping.com.au.

locals and consequently will spook the fish. The Tarago holds some big brown trout but typical fish are between 200-400g. The river meanders through open farmland with outbreaks of thick willow lining the bank, which does make fishing difficult at times but with dense snags comes big fish. I’ve encountered some big dark

coloured stream trout hiding in these pools. February is a big month for stream trout fishing in West and South Gippsland. Not only are the insect hatchings more frequent with the humid weather, but grasshoppers emerge providing a steady feed for stream trout. Fly anglers won’t have any problems matching their flies

to the hoppers but bait anglers on the other hand could have a bit of fun; catching a few grasshoppers can be a sport within itself. Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories over the summer holidays with the family and please email me any questions. Happy fishing!

Young George tried his luck down at Emerald Lake recently and came up trumps, with this 800g trout he caught on a small piece of fish fillet.

TARGET

Australia’s largest freshwater fish “The Mighty Murray Cod”

Join Roger on a guided fishing tour and learn how to catch our premier freshwater fish.

FISHING LOCATIONS: • The Loddon River System • Lake Eildon • Campaspe River System • Murray River (Lake Mulwala) • Many More!

P:Roger: 0427 483 286

E:codhuntertours@bigpond.com

www.codhunter.com.au FEBRUARY 2015

Night time prime time BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Ballarat and district anglers haven’t been left in the dark; they are out in the darkness of the night chasing trout in many of our local waters and reaping the rewards with some excellent catches.

released trout himself up to 6.5lb as well. The fly fishers have been obviously using mudeye imitation fly patterns like Craig’s Night Times, Mrs Simpsons, Hammils Killers, Taipei Tickers as wet flies with a very slow retrieve as the mudeyes move very slowly. They can use a favourite method of mine

A cracking 8lb brown trout caught from Lake Wendouree on fly by Scott Xanthoulakis. Photo courtesy of Scott Xanthoulakis.

We are now in the middle of our summer with some stinking hot days, which is not conducive for fishing for a lot of our shallow lakes in the district and us as anglers need to change tactics and time of day we choose to go and wet a line and give us the best chance of catching a fish. LAKE WENDOUREE Lake Wendouree has seen angler numbers increase on evenings and after dark. The fly fishers and baitos are targeting these times as Lake Wendouree’s trout target the mudeyes that move around after dark hatching into the dragonflies we see skimming over the surface of our lakes and rivers. The trout know when they are on the move and they target and feed on them. The mudeyes migrate from out of the weed and mud in our lakes and make their way through the water and climb up on reeds, sticks, trees, fence posts and whatever they can to hatch into the dragonflies and that is when it is game on for the trout. Us as anglers need to be able to adapt our fishing times and flies to match the hatch. Trevor Crawford and Scott Xanthoulakis are two of the many fly fishers hwo have been lining the shores of Lake Wendouree after dark and reaping the rewards. Trevor had one cracking evening catching and releasing 3 brown trout up to 6.5lb on a new killer fly pattern called ‘The After Burner’. Scott, not to be out done, has caught and 88

FEBRUARY 2015

after dark, dry fly fishing, with Muddler Minnows or Cubits Mudeye. Once again,

a very slow retrieve is needed for the best results. Fly fishing is not the only way to fish for the mudeye feeders after dark, you can fish with a mudeye suspended under a bubble float and the trout will cruise around and pick them up. Ben Young has been successful using this method with the same set up as during the daylight hours with fish up to the 3kg mark. Lake Wendouree’s fishing is not just after dark though; fish have been caught during the early morning and on over cast days. Ben Young and Matt Greagan continue to catch plenty of fish casting lures or soft plastics from a drifting boat. Ben’s most successful session was 15 redfin up to 30cm casting SX40 hardbodied lures. Once Ben found a school of these fish, he kept drifting over the same area and continued to catch them. HEPBURN LAGOON Hepburn Lagoon has been fishing very well over the last month and should continue over the coming month with some excellent catches of brown and rainbow trout. Garry Jude, an excellent bait and lure fisher, has had some excellent days out fishing recently with his best catch an impressive 17

Scott Xanthoulakis has also been getting into the night time action with fish like this Lake Wendouree brown caught fly fishing. Photo courtesy of Scott Xanthoulakis.

Trevor Crawford nailed this Lake Wendouree brown trout fly fishing in the evening. Photo courtesy of Trevor Crawford.

trout for the day ranging in size from 33-8cm on Power Bait, the local bug/ spider mudeye and Garry’s homemade wobblers style lure. Garry mentioned that Hepburn is getting harder to fish due to the weed growth but if you find clear patches with not much weed, which is all around the lagoon, target these areas and you will be rewarded. Garry’s best fish over the last month was a magnificent brown trout of 68cm and 7lb caught on a mudeye suspended under a bubble float. Overcast days are the days to target Hepburn Lagoon as well as on evening and early mornings, the same as lake Wendouree using the same flies and bait. MOORABOOL RESEVOIR In Moorabool Reservoir, the redfin are still on the

Tom Kulczynski has been taking some nice redfin at Moorabool Reservior using a Gold Wobbler. Photo courtesy of Tom Kulczynski.

Top Left : A Muddler Minnow fly pattern, one of my favourite mudeye imitations. Top Right: A bug/spider mudeye, the sort that the trout are targeting after dark in many of our local waters. Right: A bug/spider mudeye hatching into a dragonfly. chew. Tom Kulczynski has still been catching his fair share of these magnificent table fish and large soft plastics and wobbler lures have been the go. John Nadge has been out to Moorabool trying to catch some of these big redfin on many trips with no luck but on his last trip hit the jackpot fishing with small yabbies on a running sinker rig on one of the deeper shorelines. The fishing should over the next few months be very good as the redfin usually like the warmer weather and early mornings and evenings would be the best times to target the redfin. LAKE BURRUMBEET Lake Burrumbeet, only 10 minutes from Ballarat’s CBD, used to be one of Victorias premier redfin fisheries until the drought a few years ago when the lake

dried up. The lake has had water back in it for a few years now and the redfin are starting to bite, not in numbers as seen in previous years, but it’s an encouraging sign they are on the bite and averaging around the 1.5-2lb mark. They have been caught from the shore using the local whitebait from the lake. The lake is infested with European carp unfortunately, so if you don’t use whitebait for chasing the redfin and use the humble old garden worms, be prepared to catch plenty of carp and some massive ones at that, which is good fun but please dispose of them in a practical manner. The best times to target the redfin are once again like all of our lakes and reservoirs over the summer months are early mornings and evenings.

Head to the lakes for some high country fun JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

Due to the late season and cooler conditions in early summer, fly fishers are only now experiencing the best fly action in years. With lots of bugs about, the trout are leaping for joy! The water level on the streams is low and clear, and also much more fishable after the regular summer storms. The fish are mainly taking hopper and beetle patterns. The Thredbo continues to fish okay, and after the heavy

rain is always the first river to clear up. Perisher Creek is well worth a try if you like dry fly fishing, and it’s not too cold and windy up there. Spencers Creek is another option. Some of the best lake fly-fishing occurs during the coming months, and this year with the steady lake level we should see big fish caught. Try any of the streamer patterns such as Mrs Simpson or Williamson’s Snowy Mountains Gold Fish. Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try. The South Arm, Creel Bay and Kangaroo Bay are all great.

Sep Beheshti with a brown trout caught on a Tasmanian Devil Willy’s Special.

The boat trolling has been very good and we are still catching trout on the surface, as the water temperature is not as warm as in previous years. We have been downrigging on the really hot and bright days though. Downrigger depth has not been as deep as in other years either, with 25-35’ about perfect. I would expect to see this formula continue over the next month or so. Start off early in the day with surface lines, and the trick is to have at least 60m and even up to 100m out to get best results when trolling the edges of the shoreline. After about an hour, add a lead core line to the equation. With lead lines you should start with 2 colours (20m) early and 3 colours (30m) later in the morning. The Tasmanian Devil number 111 Willy’s Special is still about the best Devil colour at the moment, followed by the Brown Bomber. My new black/gold Tasmanian Devil or the Holographic has been the best for darker conditions, and have also been good for downrigging. I have been doing well with 9cm Rapalas off the downrigger and lead lines. Best colours are Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout. Gaden Trout Hatchery released baby rainbow trout fingerlings into Jindabyne last month, so all natural rainbow trout patterns are working well. With water levels still high, some of the better trolling areas this month

Sasan Beheshti with a brown trout caught trolling on a Tasmanian Devil holographic lure. will be Hatchery Bay and Hayshed Bay, and Sid’s Bay through to Rushes Bay. Watch out for the rocks as the East Jindabyne Islands start to reappear as the water levels drop. Best lure spinning on the lake has been in the shallow bays early and late in the day, and you can start by working the edges with Celtas or flicking floating Spotted Dog Rapalas about. Best spinning late in the day is where there are steep dropoffs with plenty of rocks. Bays like Creel, Hatchery and the Snowy Arm all fish well. On brighter days, change to a Tassie Devil and cast further out over dropoffs, letting the lure sink before

slowly retrieving. Best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park. Fish are still being caught in the Thredbo River on small floating Rapalas, with the best colours being Rainbow Trout and Perch. You can also try some Vibrax Glow spinners very early and late in the day, or soft plastics like the Strike Tiger in Olive Pepper. On the smaller streams like the Moonbah or upper Snowy, a variety of lures will work, but the best will be small bladed spinners like the Gillies Spina or Celtas in numbers 1 or 2 sizes. For deeper water, try the Rapala CD5 Spotted Dog or Gillies Tailbender.

Bait fishing on Lake Jindabyne has been good over recent months due to the higher water levels. Try mudeyes or even worms under a float, and either let the waves move it about, or if there’s no wind try and wind it in very slowly with a pause after every turn of the handle. Some good results have come from using the new Ecogear Bream Prawn 40s under a float. These look very much like a real mudeye. Another bait worth suspending is the old faithful grasshopper, which you don’t see used much these days. They work a treat and there are plenty about at the moment. You might need the kids and a butterfly net to help you collect the bait though. Best bait fishing areas are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay, and Curiosity Rocks. Another great area is the bottom of Discovery Holiday Park near Widows Creek Inlet. If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly-fishing tuition and lake trolling trips. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours’ duration, and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day. • If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, just give me a call on (0264) 561 551 or check out my website at www. s w t ro u t f i s h i n g . c o m . a u . You can also see our daily Facebook updates at https://www.facebook. com/LJTFA.

The heat is affecting trout lakes CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

The summer heat has finally arrived in the South West and as predicted, is having an effect on our local trout lakes. Lake Elingamite’s water level has dropped to the point where it is basically impossible for all types of boats except kayaks to access the lake from the boat ramp. Up to that point, trout fishing here has been below par but redfin to well over 1kg have been active with a 1.8kg specimen coming out of the lake not long ago caught by an avid local kayaker. Thermocline layers are forming or have formed in both Lakes Purrumbete and Bullen Merri, so during the

day down rigging lures to depths over 10m is now the norm in order to catch a brown or rainbow. In saying that, fish can still be taken in the shallows around both lakes’ verges from first light until sun up. Once the sun hits the water, the trout go deep to find cooler water but at this stage there is a window of opportunity for at least an hour and a half first thing in the morning. One fish that is still actively feeding in Bullen Merri and in reach of even bank anglers is the Chinook salmon. Specimens exceeding 2kg have been taken from the shore on pilchard and blue baits lightly weighted and cast from the shoreline. Late last year a blue-green algal outbreak formed on the water and affected the fishing somewhat. By December this bloom dissipated and

the fish came back with a vengeance. The general consensus amongst anglers was that while the bloom was in full swing the fish stopped eating. Some cool, late spring weather combined with rain destroyed the algae and the fish resumed feeding but with one almighty appetite. Plenty of anglers including novices ended up catching some solid Chinooks along with the odd rainbow. Unfortunately with this summer heat now bearing down on us the algae will no doubt return as it always does. So break out the downriggers I say. Lake Purrumbete has been up and down with the odd brown trout easily exceeding 2kg being taken down deep on the troll. Again, getting lures down to at least 10m in depth will see boaters in with a chance to nail a fish or two.

The redfin are plentiful and have a habit of stealing precious baits such as mudeye. If the fish were of a reasonable size this would be bearable but many reddies are simply too small to keep for the table. The Merri River at Warrnambool has been fairly active with brown trout to 1kg taking lures and flies trolled or cast. The area immediately below the highway bridge has been the prime spot to target. The first two hours of daylight as well as dusk have been the prime times to target the trout. The odd bream has also fallen to trout anglers in this region. The bream in the Merri are scattered and some schools have been found right upstream. When he weather eventually cools by March and some decent rainfalls happen, we could see things

A typical redfin from Lake Elingamite, which is now becoming difficult to access. quickly move back to the norm, but at this stage that is pure speculation. Mid to late summer can be a hard

time for trout aficionados down here but most anglers realise this and generally accept it. FEBRUARY 2015

FEBRUARY 2015

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VR Fish Update

Getting on with business VR FISH

Dallas D’Silva

The festive season is barely finished but that hasn’t stopped us having a big month of planning out the year ahead. The calendar of VRFish meeting events is now locked in. The first big meeting for the year will be the Regional State Council in Ballarat on the 14-15 March. It will be attended by the new Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford. Issues to be covered include a proposal from Scott Gray aimed at improving trout fishing opportunities in the South West. Scott attended the last VRFish meeting in October and made a great presentation on the South West coastal rivers that are stocked annually with brown trout given there is no natural recruitment. He asked the question ‘why are these same rivers subject to the 3 month closed season?’ Scott also asked why stocked fish designed to create angling opportunities and then limit access to them. Closed season regulations are usually implemented to protect vulnerable spawning fish. Our State Council delegates are now consulting their

members on this proposal. VRFish appreciates there may be differing views on the merits of the proposal. The most important thing is that there is a structured process for these sort of proposals to be assessed and considered in an open and transparent way. That is one of the core roles of VRFish and we take this responsibility seriously. Other issues to be covered will be growing future leaders in recreational fishing advocacy, succession planning and what drives recruitment in the snapper fishery. LAKE TOOLONDO GETS A LIFE LINE! We have been busy during the last month meeting with fishery and water managers on how to best secure the short-term future of Lake Toolondo. Check out our media release in this edition for more details (page 76) on this great outcome for recreational fishing. This issue was a key part of the VRFish Election Wish List and it is great to see the recognition that is been given to this iconic fishery. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved, especially Lisa Neville, Minister for Water and Jaala Pulford, Minister for Agriculture. This wouldn’t have been possible without a sustained team approach,

with great energy from local advocates Trevor Holmes, not to mention VRFish Board member Rob Loats for the countless hours he has spent meeting with relevant officials and exploring all avenues to find a workable solution. VRFish is pleased to have played an important role throughout the process and see tangible benefits delivered for recreational fishers in Victoria and interstate. We look forward to being an active member of the new advisory committee that will soon be established. VRFISH MURRAY COD SURVEY VRFish is currently conducting a survey to assess fish handling practices and angler understanding of current size and catch limits. The information provided will help improve fish handling practices and the survival rate of released Murray cod. The response to our survey has been great with more than 300 cod fishers responding so far. The survey is open until 24 February so it is not too late to provide your feedback. A random prize of $300 worth of cod fishing gear is on offer. You can access the survey via our website www. vrfish.com.au

NEWS

Bass stockings for Gippsland Recreational fishing licence fees have helped stock a record number of Australian bass fingerlings into Gippsland lakes and rivers to improve freshwater fishing opportunities for anglers. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Ross McGowan, said 120,000 Australian bass fingerlings had been stocked this season, an increase of 41,000 on last year’s total. “Since 2002, we have been working hard with a New South Wales bass breeder to develop new fisheries for Australian bass, which are an iconic native sportfish found in coastal catchments along the eastern seaboard,” Mr McGowan said. “Our stocking efforts have paid off for anglers with several lakes, particularly Blue Rock, providing excellent inland fishing opportunities over the last 18 months. “The Blue Rock Lake bass fishery is young and still developing, but was deemed good enough to host a kayak-based fishing tournament last season, which attracted competitors

from interstate where more mature bass fisheries exist and are very popular.” Mr McGowan said several new waters were on the stocking list this season including the Wonnangatta and Tyers rivers, Traralgon Creek and Guthridge Lake in Sale. “We want to provide a variety of bass fishing opportunities ranging from boat-based experiences

for keen anglers, remote wilderness rivers for adventurous fishers and convenient urban lakes, like Guthridge, for families and beginners.” Since 2002, Fisheries Victoria has stocked more than 570,000 Australian bass fingerlings into Gippsland’s lakes and rivers. Learn more at w w w. d e p i . v i c . g o v. a u / bassstocking – DEPI

BASS RELEASED This season’s 120,000 fingerlings were released into:

Australian

bass

• Blue Rock Lake ...................................... 25,000 • Lake Glenmaggie . ...................................10,000 • Narracan Lake .........................................10,000 • Mitchell River ...........................................10,000 • Tambo River .............................................10,000 • Nicholson River .......................................10,000 • Macalister River ........................................ 9,000 • Wonnangatta River ................................... 8,000 • Thomson River .......................................... 5,000 • Avon River . ............................................... 5,000 • Tyers River . ............................................... 5,000 • Valencia Creek .......................................... 4,000 • Traralgon Creek ......................................... 3,000 • Cowwarr Weir ........................................... 2,000 • Rainbow Creek ......................................... 2,000 • Freestone Creek ....................................... 1,000 • Guthridge Lake ......................................... 1,000 FEBRUARY 2015

What’s New FISHING

KUTTAFURRA MUDHONEY 75 AND 100MM

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

PRAWNSTAR GOLD

Kuttafurra Lures are hand-crafted by Aaron Young in Victoria. He is recognised as one of the best of our new age Australian lure makers. Recognised for the quality of his workmanship and paintwork, his lures are a must have for any native fish angler, with the Mudhoney 75 and 100 being no exception. The hardware on these lures is designed to stand up to heavily built native fish and won’t let you down in this department. They Dive to 12 and 15 feet respectively and are available in a range of angler and fish catching colours. They cast well and have a very seductive action, ideal to entice your favourite native species out of its hideyhole and provoke an aggressive response. Kuttafurra Lures are available at selected quality tackle outlets. For enquiries, Aaron can be contacted via email at kuttafurralures@outlook.com. Price: RRP $19.95 75mm, $25.95 100mm www.facebook.com/pages/KuttafurraSwagman-lures/1504913619770778

Innovation is still alive with Primal Fishing proudly announcing the release of the new improved Prawnstar GOLD that boasts a swag of fish catching enhancements sure to please. With a super tough spliced dacron leader and stainless steel solid ring on the nose, Prawnstar cops is even easier to flick, rig and fish. Better still, we’ve made Prawnstar GOLD 10% softer for a better flicking action, attracting more fish. Prawnstar GOLD’s new glow-in-the-dark eyes gleam like a live prawn under a spotlight and are sure to standout in the crowd. We’ve added some great new colours including fish catching tiger patterns to complement the proven fish catching colours retained from the existing range. And on the original size, we’ve upgraded the hooks to size 1 VMC’s, ensuring you keep the big girls connected. Prawnstar GOLD is a proven catcher of thumping big fish such as barramundi, mangrove jack, flathead, salmon, bream and more. Price: Too new www.primalfishing.com

JROC DYNAMETER

Have you ever wondered if your fishing line is really rated to what it claims to be? If the sun, age and usage has decreased the integrity of your fishing line? If your fishing line purchase is really the strength of what you paid for? Now you can test your own fishing line up to 25kg/55lb with our new digital scale and line force dynamometer. The 25kg Digital Scale with line force dynamometer is designed to weigh fish up to 25kg/55lb and test the pull force up to 25kg/55lb and also has a temperature function. It’s light weight and takes 1x CR 2032 battery, which is included and ready to use. Precision manufacturing ensures that the Digital Scale with Line force Dynamometer accurately displays weights or pull force up to 25kg (also displays imperial weight measurements), there is also an inbuilt temperature function. The device will turn itself off automatically after several minutes of nonuse, a great power saving feature. Price: $39.95 www.jroctackle.com.au

ECOODA RANGER

The new reel in the Ecooda line up is The Ranger! A fresh looking reel with superb colour cosmetics designed with a metallic silver finished graphite body and high gloss black double anodised aluminium spool, it sports a one-piece metal handle with a soft touch rubber knob for comfort. With over 30 years of reel development and manufacturing, the Ecooda team believes that the internal structure of the Ranger reel offers exceptional value with a long list of fantastic components including smooth gear operation running on a 5.1:1 ratio, 5+1 stainless steel ball bearings and smooth oil felt drag. A new design of precision internal oscillating gears offers a friction free drive train enhancing increased casting distance with braid and monofilament while preventing wind knots in braided line. The Ecooda Ranger is available in 4 sizes, 2500, 3000, 3500 and 4000. Price: RRP $79.95 www.bluefishimports.com.au

MEGABASS MAGDRAFT

The new Megabass Magdraft is a soft plastic lure that features the usual soft plastic body equipped with the revolutionary mag-hold system, which secures the treble hook alongside the belly via an internal magnet. This new system increases hook-up ratios by holding the hook up closer to the lure and not having the hook swinging free. The Megabass Magdraft also features two side fins designed to prevent an unnatural rolling action, and act as miniature weedguards to protect the treble hook when it is in its magnetized position. It also features robust wire-through construction, which will make the overall construction more robust and battle ready for tough Australian species. At 1 1/4oz and 6”, this lure is a fantastic size and weight for Australian species from across the board and comes in a variety of colours to suit a range of angling conditions. Price: RRP $27.90 www.frogleysoffshore.com

OKUMA CERROS

Designed to deliver unprecedented levels of performance, the Okuma Cerros steps out with a 9BB + 1RB bearing system, a multi-disc drag system that produces 7kg of drag and a lightweight aluminium frame. The low-profile design of the reel and soft touch handle grips make the Cerros extremely ergonomic as it sits comfortably in your hand. This gives you the ability to cast accurately and control the lure when fishing in tight terrain. The lightweight and comfortable EVA handle knobs help to cut down on weight, making this a great lightweight reel that won’t tire you out. The micro-click drag star allows you to adjust your drag to very precise tension and the adjustable external magnetic cast control system will ensure that when adjusted correctly, any angler can cast it with confidence. Available now in a 200, the Cerros represents great value and comes complete with an Okuma Lifetime Guarantee, and that’s our confidence that it will last you a lifetime of great fishing memories. Price: RRP $199.95 www.rapala.com.au

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What’s New FISHING

DAIWA WIDE BRIM HAT

Due to the demands of the hot Australian sun and interest from Daiwa customers, there is a new addition to the Daiwa hats and caps range. Sun protection is a serious issue in Australia and Daiwa now offer a wide brim hat to protect your whole head and face from the sun’s rays. It’s a top quality wide brim hat made from lightweight, breathable, easy-care fabric to provide maximum UVA and UVB protection. The extended brim provides extra shade to the face and neck. It comes with a pull string and toggle that adjusts the sizing to fit most adults and prevent the hat from blowing off. This new hat is easily washed using freshwater or mild detergents. You can order your new hat now at the Daiwa online on the Daiwa website or pick one up at any good tackle store. Price: RRP $19.95 www.daiwafishing.com.au

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SAMAKI ZING TRAVEL

Searching for that new reef, river or estuary to target those long thought about species that have seemed so untouchable? Samaki Zing Travel encourages all anglers to get fishing around the globe! Zing Travel has been smartly designed to suit a variety of fishing experiences and caters perfectly for all your travel requirements. This 3-piece blank has Fuji concept guides for casting accuracy, deluxe reel seats and ultra hard EVA camouflaged grips PLUS Zing Travel comes with a custom-made PVC hard tube to chuck in the boot of your car or behind the seat in your ute aiding you in a quick fish wherever you are. With a range to suit all your needs we start with two 7’ spin models being a light 4-8lb and a heavy 12-20lb, a 6’4” spin medium 1017lb, a 9’ spin heavy 10-25lb and 2 baitcast models of 6’ medium 6-12lb and 6’ medium heavy 10-17lb. Price: RRP from $169.95 www.bluefishimports.com.au

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

OKUMA AZORES

The all-new Okuma Azores is a specialist heavy-duty spinning reel that advances the saltwater spinning reel category to new levels of strength and stability. Featuring 6+1 stainless steel HPB bearings, machine cut pinion gears, and the Okuma Dual Force Drag system that produces up to 20kg of drag pressure. A die-cast aluminium body, side plate and rotor have been combined to form an outer shell that is extremely rigid, tough and lightweight. The machined aluminium, 2-tone anodised spool provides ample line capacity, making it ideal for a range of heavy tackle situations. In order enhance saltwater durability, Okuma’s Mechanical Stabilization System and Corrosion Resistant Coating process prevents the flow of electrolysis between the aluminium body and stainless internal parts. Finished in stunning silver and black cosmetics, the Okuma Azores is an intelligently designed, tough and rugged performer that you will be proud to own and use. Price: RRP $219.99 www.rapala.com.au

CUDA TOOLS

Cuda brand launches in Australia just in time for Christmas 2014. Cuda offers Australian anglers a full assortment of knives, tools and pliers built strong for the tough Australian conditions. Cuda brand tools use patented Titanium Bonded Passivation technology and German 4116 steel for unsurpassed corrosion resistance. This intelligent innovation sets the assortment apart from all other tools available today. Cuda uses only the best in materials including Titanium Alloy, Aluminum Alloy, German Stainless Steel and Tungsten Carbide, guaranteeing the ultimate in performance time and time again. In fact, Cuda guarantees all of its tools with a lifetime warranty! Cuda brand knives, pliers and tools will be available via independent retailers and BCF stores nationwide. For more information on Cuda tools you can contact Nomad Tackle via their website. Price: RRP from approx. $12 www.nomadtackle.com

MIMIX GRASSHOPPER

The Mimix Grasspopper is certainly not like any ordinary popper lure that you’ve ever seen before. Realistically designed and hand-painted after the grasshopper, it has best of both worlds, a great look and a great action! To add to the attraction of the great action, the Grasspopper has a special ‘antennae’ attached that makes it look even more real! With special body shape and cup design, the Mimix Grasspopper can be use with short and fast twitches. With a slight line slack and pause in between the twitches, the Gasspopper produces deep and loud pop sounds. You certainly need to consider Mimix Grasspopper when you are looking out for small popper bait with a big action! The Grasspopper currently comes in one size at 60mm length and a weight of 9g. Fitted to the Grasshopper are size 6 hooks. Price: RRP $23.95 www.jml.net.au

POWERBAIT 4” NEMESIS

Combine the fish catching profile of a jerkshad and the enticing tail action of a grub and you get the Berkley Nemesis. Designed in Australia, the Nemesis shape is now available in Powerbait formula. This new minnow design features a tail with an action that is irresistible to bass, bream and other estuarine and dam dwelling predators. The tail design enhances jigging and dropshotting, but lends itself to all manor of fishing techniques. The tail action of this shape has to be seen to be believed. The Nemisis tail can be worked at the slowest of speeds but will also swim on the drop, delivering continuous life-like action. Each Powerbait Nemesis is also loaded with Berkley’s exclusive Powerbait scent and flavour formula, which causes fish to hold on 18x longer, so you can feel more bites and set more hooks. Price: RRP $8.95 www.purefishing.com.au

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What’s New FISHING

CONCEPT KP

The 13 Fishing Concept family of reels was released early 2014. Recently, the company released a new flagship to the line, the Concept KP. The original Concept A, C and E models were known for their incredibly comfortable design and the KP continues that tradition while bringing some incredible upgrades to the table. A special Alumite Hex13 spool offers a drastic weight saving from the spool found in the other 3 models, allowing anglers to cast lures down to an incredible 4g with ease. Hybrid ceramic ball bearings coupled with the patented arrowhead line guide design further increases cast distance and the super light magnesium frame, carbon handle and Hex13 features combine to bring this reel in at a featherweight 153g. The ultimate in finesse bass or yellowbelly baitcast reels, the KP boasts a butter smooth 6kg drag to stop hardfighting freshwater fish in the tracks. Price: RRP $649 www.nomadtackle.com.au

DRAGON MAGGOT

The Dragon Maggot is the perfect worm imitation with an extremely long, waving tail. We recommend two very effective ways of fishing with Dragon Maggot. The first is the classic, aggressive jigging tachnique on heavy jighead. The lure should be started from the bottom with high speed and then allowed fall down on the straight, tight line. In the second method, we retrieve the lure quite slowly, it should almost not lose contact with the bottom. Sand and silt particles will attract predators’ attention. Bites are often quite delicate, so it’s recommended to watch the rod tip at all times. The weight of jighead for this method of fishing should not be too big, all you need is to feel contact with the bottom. The Dragon Maggot comes in sizes 2, 2.5, 3, and 4” in packs of 20, 15, 8 and respectively. Price: RRP from $6.95 www.jml.net.au

SEEKERZ EWG MONSTER

Atomic, makers of a range of soft and hardbodied lures, soft plastics and jigheads have just release a new weighted worm hook, perfect for weedless presentations of all your favourite soft plastics. Called the Weighted EWG Monster, it is available in 5/0 and 6/0 hook sizes and is built on a high quality chemically sharpened Gamakatsu EWG Monster hook. Suitable for just about any soft plastic lure, the hook is mid-weighted in 1/4, 1/6 and 1/8oz weights, meaning it will sink horizontally and can be used anywhere you are looking to present a horizontally slow sinking weedless plastic. They will be perfect in shallower water offshore but also for impoundment barramundi among weed beds. The innovative spiral (worm keeper) affixed to the eye acts to hold the front end of your soft plastic and stop it from spinning. It has been designed so you can twist the plastic on creating a secure hold, which is not going to tear when casting. Price: RRP $8.40 www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

KVD BRAID SHEARS

Braided line is a great tool for many fishing situations due to its low stretch, its thin diameter allowing us to cast further, and its overall strength. However, that strength makes it difficult to cut. KVD Braid Cutting Shears solve this problem and make quick work of the new generation of super lines due to their ultra-sharp, factory-honed blades that are designed specifically for cutting braid. There is even a line notch that holds your line in place and the non-slip, ergonomic rubberized grips mean you are always in control, whether you are left-or right-handed. High grade stainless steel construction and a locking sheath and lanyard to keep your shears safe mean the Mustad KVD Braid Cutting Shears are a must-have tool for any angler. Don’t settle for inferior quality. Rely on Mustad and Kevin Van Dam to bring you the best braid shears on the market. Price: Too new www.wilsonfishing.com.au

VALKEIN LURES

One of Japan’s best kept secrets, Valkein, is ready to erupt on to the Australian market. Establishing a reputation of lethal efficiency in a ultra-competitive Japanese area of trout fishing, Valkein brand is ready to expand its mirco-spoon offering to hardbodied lures, which will surely cause an excitement among the finesse fishing enthusiasts. These hard baits are manufactured at the world-renown production facility of DUO, and you can immediately notice Valkein’s attention to details and commitment to the highest of quality. The initial testing in Australia proved extremely successful with the lures producing several trophy fish with the new Limitless Area range, consisting of the Horizard-Wi, Li-Worm and Schwan. All hardbodied lures from Valkein Limitless Area come rigged with super sharp barbless singles, which will also be sold separately. The Valkein brand is now available, so make sure to request this ultimate finesse ‘ammo’ from your local dealer. Price: Too new www.swldistributions.com.au

PFLUEGER SUPREME XT

The Supreme XT beats the competition in overall reel weight, design, construction, performance and price. It has a wealth of best-in-class features that include a sealed carbon-fibre drag, carbon-fibre handle, carbon-inlay drag adjustment, braid-ready spool and nine stainless-steel bearings plus an anti-reverse bearing. The 179g Supreme XT is the lightest reel in its class. Other features include a magnesium body, rotor and sideplate with a machined, ported and double-anodized braid-ready aluminium spool. The solid aluminium bail wire is complemented with an anti-twist titanium line roller. The 187g Supreme outdistances itself from the competition by being the lightest reel in its class. Four sizes are offered for each reel including size 25, 30, 35 and 40. The gear ratio on the size 25 is 5.2:1, all others are 6.2:1. Price: RRP $249.95 Supreme XT, $199.95 Supreme www.purefishing.com.au

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

TESTED: QUALITY BRAID – ALWAYS A PLUS!

The first trip using the braid was slow, but this threadfin saved what would have otherwise been a fishless night. I’ve never been too adventurous with my choice of braid, always spooling up with the same brand because it works, so when I was given a 300yd spool of the new Platinum + braid from Platypus, I thought I may as well replace the old stuff I was running. I always thought untying wind knots and suffering occasional random breakages was just part of running braided line, that was until I spooled up my Daiwa Alphas with 20lb Platinum +. It’s not a big reel, and I only managed to squeeze about half the spool on, so I gave the other half to my brother to put onto his 20 year-old Abu Ambassadeur.

Maiden Voyage It was now time to put the Alphas new string to the test. I decided to trudge on down to what I believed to be a good testing ground for some mid-week threadfin salmon and possibly a mulloway. Not being blessed with time these days, fishing at night during the week allows me to scratch the fishing itch and keep up with work (but it does cost me a few hours sleep!) I chose my ever-faithful Maria MJ Twitch, which I soon discovered cast like a bullet with this new braid! Castability is very important with this style of fishing, and long casting is often required to tempt these spooky fish. I believe the stiffness and thin diameter of this braid makes it ideal for running on baitcaster reels. It was a fairly quiet night on the river, with only a few taps and follows to break the monotony of repetitive casting and twitching. One saving grace was the fact that I had no troubles with knotting or the line catching on the guides – always a plus! My boredom was soon alleviated with a ‘boof’ right at my feet as the MJ Twich was engulfed by a gold-flanked thready. Game on! Some frantic thumbing of the spool followed the characteristic opening run as I felt the hapless thready dive for a rock bar. With my thumb-on-spool ploy and ‘gentle persuasion’ successful, the 80-something thready was soon lying quietly in the net. I was stoked! Despite some contact with the submerged rock bar during the fight,

there were no considerable burrs on the braid and that rig has caught me a few hefty fish since. Jack attack Being a long-time lover of mangrove jack fishing, I knew my brother Doug would make a good test subject for this braid. Fishing in the type of country he does, there was no doubt that this would give a better indication of what this braid is capable of. Taking a trip up to the Sunshine Coast with his kayak, he met with two friends and they all headed up a small creek on a stinking hot afternoon in pursuit of some jacks. Doug was using a deep-diving Rapala

This high 40s jack tested all facets of the braid, casting, knot tying, pulling power and durability. Doug was stoked with this thumping red-devil!

X-rap around a fallen tree when the first fish struck. “I put in about 30 casts over a log, I knew there had to be one in there. The fish hit like a freight train only a few metres from the kayak and about 4m from the log, but ran straight back for it immediately,” Doug explained. “I put my thumb on the spool and but it was too late, he was buried in the snag complex and I didn’t think I’d ever get him out!” “Luckily, with steady pressure and rod tip work, I managed to untangle the jack and netted him before he could dive for cover again.” The mangrove jack, measuring just under 50cm, most likely would not have been landed if not for the durability of the Platinum +, that’s at least what Doug believes. One of Doug’s mates hooked a decent jack on a surface lure that afternoon but was broken off with the braid he was using – this isn’t the domain of light tackle! Always a plus Having braided line that doesn’t knot around your guides and casts light lures long distances is always a plus! Having that same braid stand up to some of our toughest angling adversaries is a bonus, and being available at an affordable starting RRP of $39.95 it really is a brilliant alternative for some of the more expensive braid out there. Without doubt, I’ll be spooling up some of my other reals with Platypus Platinum + and putting them through some pain! – Bob Thornton

TESTED: 13 FISHING BAITCASTER IMPRESSES Despite what you might think, at Fishing Monthly we don’t spend each and every day on the water fishing. In fact, at times, I reckon that our readers get to do more fishing than we do – after all, we produce over 300 pages of content a month between the three Fishing Monthly titles. But I do get to do a lot of fishing after hours. The last couple of years, I’ve focussed a lot on fishing near home (in Brisbane) and lots of that nearhome fishing involves chasing whatever predators the Brisbane River yields. Looking at the river, she appears turbid and lifeless, but if you put in the hours, there’s plenty of predators to be had. So I can confidently say that while testing this baitcast reel from 13 Fishing, I’ve done at least 50 trips and caught everything from Brisbane River barramundi through to mulloway and threadfin salmon on it. Mainly from the bank and mainly casting lures. Spooled with 40lb braid and usually terminated with a 60lb leader, I matched this reel to a couple of different doublehanded baitcasters over the trial period. One was a Daiwa Steez Harrier and the other a Nories Voice. Immediately when you get the outfits into your hand, you feel that this reel is smaller and a lower profile than your mainstream brand low profile reels. That’s a little weird for the first, but you quickly get used to the shape and I found that I held the reel in my hand as I was retrieving the

making long casts mainly by the sound of the reel in the darkness rather than sighting the bait through its casting trajectory. That setting let me let rip with the bait as hard as I could, get great distance, but have overruns as a rarity. The third thing I noticed was the drag. The first fish I hooked on the test reel was a mid-eighties mulloway in

Loaded with 40lb braid, the Concept A baitcaster made short work of plenty of river predators. lure and imparting action – everything from everything from topwater to 30g vibes in 50 feet of water. The handles look a little chunky, but you get used to their profile in about 5 minutes. The second thing you notice is the castability. I struggled and quickly dug into the casting brake system (which is easily accessed in the left side of the reel with a small lever to open the side plate). I found that the #2 setting suited my casting style perfectly – that was

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tight quarters and it was screwed up pretty tight. The drag was smooth – even under the heavy pressure – and it’s remained so after more than 30 fish. I told Tom Slater from 13 Fishing’s marketing department that I was going to do minimal maintenance on this reel. Screw up the drag, wash it under the hose for a bit and then put it in the corner until the next trip. To date and after nearly 6 months of fishing, this system is working fine. Like technology, tackle gets better and cheaper each year, it seems. With a RRP of $269, this is a quality bit of gear that would have cost you double for the same features only a few years ago. I love it. They’re not getting it back, although I may be tempted into an upgrade to the higher spec C or E model. – Steve Morgan

SPECIFICATIONS Weight.............................................190g Max Drag .........................................10kg Bearing Count......................................6+1 Gear Ratio .........................................6.6:1 Retrieve .............................................Right Capacity 150m/PE#1.5 Braid .............(25lb) MSRP ................................................$269

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Top of the pops for whiting NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

One of the hottest and most reliable summertime fisheries available in our temperate estuaries is surface poppering for whiting! A decade ago, if you’d told most Aussie anglers that it was possible to consistently and successfully target yellowfin, sand or silver whiting on surface lures, they’d have raised an eyebrow, snickered, or openly scoffed at the suggestion. However, even back in those days, a few of us had noticed that just occasionally, these supposed bottom-grubbers would streak to the surface and smack a small popper intended for bream. Most of us wrote this off as abnormal behaviour — perhaps a rush of piscine blood, or a moment of out-of-character

into a regular, predictable occurrence. Foremost amongst them were Kevin Gleed and Kaj ‘Bushy’

WHERE Basically, surface luring can and does work anywhere that yellowfin, sand, silver

You know you’ve just landed a big whiting when you can’t close your hand around the fish’s muscular body! Busch, but many others played their part, too. Fast forward 10 years and ‘poppering for whiting’ is now an established part of the estuary fishing scene wherever these great little fish are encountered. However, lots of anglers are

or summer whiting occur in decent numbers within our estuaries, and I’ve even heard of the technique working from surf beaches on calmer days! However, results improve dramatically in clear, tidal estuarine water shallower than about 2m in

beyond 23°C. That can mean as early as mid-September and as late as the end of April in parts of Queensland, while throughout most of NSW and Victoria, best results are typically confined to the November through March period. I believe whiting take topwater lures because they regularly target skipping prawns on the surface, so results are often best when prawns are most active, which is usually from about 4 days after the full moon through the ‘dark’ phase of the lunar cycle. Tides can play a part, too, but optimum tides vary from place to place. HOW Cast your smallish (50-80mm) popper or surface stick bait as far as you possibly can over likely water, ideally with the help of a breeze at your back. Work the lure with a reasonably quick and continuous action. Pauses or stops are rarely productive. With poppers, look to maintain a constant spurt of water ahead of the lure and a ‘bloop-bloop-bloop’ action. With stickbaits, attempt to produce a continuous ‘walk the dog’ zig-zagging motion. If a whiting follows either lure style, keep the retrieve going! Only try a pause if you’re running out of water. Pauses work well on bream, but usually result in following whiting turning away… However, there can be exceptions to this pattern!

Small cup-faced poppers are where it all started, and they remain the surface lure of choice for many whiting specialists. WHAT Light spinning tackle and fine main lines are required for casting these lures the lengthy distances necessary for consistent success, and longer than standard rods are ideal. However, long, ultrafine leaders are not essential, so feel free to add a short length of 4-8kg mono in case a big flathead gets in on the act. There are a plethora

of smallish (50-80mm) cup-faced poppers and surface stick baits on the market that will all catch whiting. Choose subtle, neutral, semi-transparent and generally ‘prawn-like’ colours and make sure your hooks are small and extra sharp! NEXT MONTH Some new twists and hot tips for better results when chasing whiting on top.

Your columnist’s best-ever 5-fish bag of yellowfin whiting on poppers weighed 2.75kg… an average of 550g apiece. confusion on the part of these typically shy and retiring fish… Certainly not something we could build an entire fishery on. How very wrong we were! As is usually the case, it took a couple of innovative anglers capable of thinking outside the box to convert an occasional ‘accident’

yet to try it, or have had a go but failed to crack the code. A few even remain sceptical about the whole deal, and wonder if it’s all a con job. My aim in this two-part feature is to offer all those fishers — the starters and the sceptics — a leg-up on the ladder to surface whiting enlightenment.

depth, and some of the best action I’ve ever experienced has taken place in very skinny water indeed: from crutch to ankle deep, and even less! WHEN This is very much a summertime technique, with results improving dramatically as waters warm

‘Walk-the-dog’ style surface stickbaits are becoming increasingly popular amongst anglers chasing whiting.

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Crossover season for spearos is one of the reasons February is such a great month with the crossover of warm and cool water species. It’s very possible to be able to hunt both kingfish and tuna in the same month. The early part of the southern rock lobster season started a little slowly this year with plenty of average-sized crays about but the bigger specimens not moving in closer onto the inshore reefs until mid to late January. However, this is sure to pick up in Feb and it’s one of my favourite months for targeting those big inshore crays. Reef species on the other hand started brilliantly. The water warmed up quite quickly this season and temperatures of

WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

February is a special month for spearfishing, being the peak of our bluewater season as well as a great time to hunt reef species. Late December and through January saw an exceptionally good start to the yellowtail kingfish run with big fish being in abundance and many of the better local divers having no trouble bagging a few of these hard-fighting fish. The usual locations are holding fish and areas such as Wilsons Prom, Cape Liptrap and Pyramid Rock have all produced some great fish. Further west Apollo Bay has also delivered some nice fish with Murray Peterson finding some great specimens on a recent trip down that way. The same is true for the far South West of the state around Portland and Port Fairy. Killarney, Crags and the North Shore at Portland are all holding some great fish for those that want to get out there and hunt these sought after species. Mid February sees the running of the Kingfish Cup, which is a state-wide comp run by the Southern Freedivers,

A South West Coast mixed bag of reef species; whiting, salmon, golden trumpeter and abalone. 18°C+ here in the South West have been common. King George whiting, sea sweep, trevally and golden trumpeter

Left: Brett Illingworth of Esclapez Australia with a great kingie from the Prom. Right: Murray Petersen holding two hard-fighting West Coast kings. and is sure to be a cracking event this year with no shortage of kingies. Late February is also an exciting part of the month as we start to see the arrival of the tuna in the far South West of the state. Early indications have been very

promising with reports of both albacore and southern bluefin tuna across the border in SA around Kangaroo Island and Victor Harbour. Once we start hearing these reports, it’s only a matter of time until theier arrival around Portland and Port fairy. In my opinion, this

Dave Standing with some nice southern rock lobster.

have all been quite plentiful and this will continue through February and into march. With the holiday season and warm weather, there is a marked increase in boat traffic. Always remain aware of your surroundings and any boats in the vicinity. Make sure you fly your blue and white ‘diver below’ flag on a clearly visible float. Boaters should drop their speed to 5 knots when they spot a diver’s float and make sure they spot the diver in the water before accelerating again. Likewise, divers need to be responsible and do their best to stay visible and stay out of main transit areas and high boat traffic areas.

OU T L AW 7 great models to choose from 429 Tiller steer 449 Centre Console/ Side Console 469 Side Console 489 Side Console 529 Centre Console/ Side Console

Contact your local dealer for more information. VICTORIAN DEALERS

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6 Effingham St, MOONAH

sales@maynesmarine.com.au www.maynesmarine.com.au FEBRUARY 2015

Yaks on top for bream BRISBANE

Justin Willmer

A recent fishing adventure reinforced to me a couple of the advantages of fishing from a kayak. Firstly, I reached out of the car window and patted my trusty vessel as we drove past a crowded boat ramp, selecting a deserted section of white sand to launch from. Standing on

the sand prior to launching, I noted the big summer tide, a flotilla of vessels criss-crossing each other’s wakes and the jet skis enjoying the increased boat traffic that Christmas brings, launching their machines as they cut a path from boat wake to boat wake. It doesn’t sound like a perfect picture for a quiet day on the water, but this is where the second

The chemically sharpened hook on the HeadlockZ Finesse jighead ensured this subtle tap became a hook set.

advantage of my compact plastic craft came into play. All of this action was taking place in the main channels, as if fenced in by the navigation markers, while my eyes turned to the shallow sand, weed and rubble flats, devoid of boat traffic and with enough water to camouflage the feeding fish that cruised across them. The kayak’s low profile casts minimal shadow and when combined with the almost silent ‘stealth factor’ and its ability to travel in very little water it meant that I could hunt these flats, away from the crowds that holidays and weekends can often attract. ‘Plan A’ was a large yabby bank, lined by mangroves on the shoreline and fringed by a deep channel on its outside edge. This sand flat had produced quality flathead, bream and whiting in the past, as they emerged from the depths on a flooding tide to search the flat for small baitfish and crustaceans. I generally prospect these flats with small 1/12oz and 1/8oz blades, and lightly weighted 2-3” soft plastics. Today, the importance

A handful of flats bream were taken on a Z-Man soft plastic paddle-tail. of having a ‘Plan B’ was reinforced to me as I found the flat covered in seaweed that had been lifted from its resting place, along the banks and amongst the mangroves, by the big tides. A quick search of my basic tackle kit revealed that I hadn’t packed any weedless jigheads, a good backup plan when you find yourself confronted with the dreaded weed, and so I pointed the yak toward a rubble flat where the current flow was faster

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and where I had previously had good success on both bream and flathead. The search for stronger current flow was based on past observations that the weed doesn’t tend to settle as much due to the tidal push, clearing off the flat quickly as the tide begins to recede. My ‘Plan B’ turned out to be a good one. As the tide changed and began to drop I was surrounded by a mass of weed, but it was quickly swept away with the current, leaving

it relatively clear for me to prospect. Watching the sounder as I pedalled toward the shallowest section of the flat, I noted the rise in the bottom to less than 1m of water, stopped about a cast distance from the main rubble patch, flicked over the bail arm on the light spin outfit and fired the 2.5” soft plastic paddle-tail to the far side of the rubble. The current was racing, the breeze blowing with the tide and I was drifting fast, so I had a 1/4oz jighead

tied on. Many would consider this too heavy, but for the bream it allowed me to punch a long cast and I could lift the rod tip and slowly roll the plastic for 3 winds, before giving it a few small twitches during the next 3 winds, then back to the roll for 3 and repeat. This kept the plastic up off the bottom and moving across the flat for the bream, while still having enough weight in the jighead if I chose to allow it to hit the bottom on a few occasions in search of a flathead. As the water depth decreases and if the breezes are lighter, the jighead weight can be dropped to 1/8oz or 1/12oz to create more ‘hang time’ for the plastic and a more natural sink rate and presentation. A subtle tap greeted the first cast, as the fish was attracted by the paddle-tail and twitches produced by the rod tip. Once they were on the lure I switched to a slow roll and let them continue to tap at the plastic until they found the point of the chemically sharpened hook and the rod loaded up. It soon became apparent that the subtle taps were the bites of a solid bream and

attracted the attention of another solid bream. Within an hour I had landed 10 solid bream and dropped a

I have since returned to this flat a couple more times, targeting the run out tide as the fish hunt for

A solid bream in the net. Thank you ‘Plan B’.

An elbow slapper bream from on top of the flats. it screamed across the flat on the light braid and 8lb fluorocarbon leader. With the tide dropping I noted a couple of dozen boats anchored on the channel edges, while I was up on top of the flat with the rod bent, drag screaming and a big cheesy grin on my face. I slid the net under the fish, took a few snaps and then re-organised the yak for another assault on the

rubble patch. I could have probably anchored on the spot, but an advantage of a pedal yak is the ability to quickly move back into position, while also having the flexibility to alter your position to effectively fish the whole flat if one section isn’t firing or stops firing. It’s also handy to make note of any points of reference when you hook a fish as it

makes it quicker and easier to get right back on the spot. A sounder with GPS

few. The most memorable was a fish that tapped the plastic right beside the yak as I lifted it from the water. I lowered the plastic back in, a few inches below the surface, gave it a shake and a solid fish nailed it! The rod

a last feed before being forced back into the deeper water, landing bream on both occasions in under half a metre of water. I have also had that same smile on my face as I have observed the number of boats on the

Justin with a solid bream from the rubble patch on a Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ in motor oil colour.

Half a dozen dugong milling on the flat made this session even more enjoyable.

is handy for this, but a tree on a bank, channel marker, building or in this case a crab pot float, can also be an effective landmark. Once back in position I fired another cast and within half a dozen winds and a few twitches it had

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buckled, drag screamed and after a few laps around the kayak (another advantage of not anchoring), the largest fish of the day measured over 40cm to the tip on the Swivel’s Fish Measure. If only they bit this aggressively every day!

water, kept at a distance from me by the navigation markers that often dictate their direction of travel and areas they can fish on a dropping tide. Why not take advantage of your yak, get out on the water and get up on top of the flats?

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Riverina Fishing Classic The Riverina Classic catch and release fishing competition is held on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Darlington Point in the Riverina NSW, located 30km south of Griffith and 150km west of Wagga Wagga.

Darlington Point/ Coleambally APEX club and their partners. It’s a community event with proceeds provided to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. The competition area spans 24kms of the Murrumbidgee with Marshalls

with plenty of fish caught over the summer period by keen anglers using bait, spinnerbaits and hard body lures. The boundaries of the fishing competition line four state national parks making it an ideal location with plenty of river access from the bank to camp and fish. The river is also easily accessible by boat and it is not an odd sight to see 5m fishing boats getting around the river system. This year will be our second running of the Riverina Classic off the back of last year’s successful competition with over 2000 visitors attending the weekend and 400

Included in the prize pool are one Stacer 399 Proline Angler and one Stacer 429 Proline Angler both running 30hp Mercs and complete with trailers. entrants into the competition. The committee were able to release 3000 golden perch and Murray cod fingerlings into the

The committee were able to release 3000 golden perch and Murray cod fingerlings into the river after last year’s competition. The Riverina Classic is a not-for-profit organisation who concentrate their efforts on re-stocking the waterways of the Murrumbidgee River with fingerlings of Murray cod and golden perch in order to help secure a sustainable fishing future. The Riverina Classic is run by the members of the

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FEBRUARY 2015

located every 2km for ease of fish measurement and to minimise any negative impacts on fish welfare. Only fish ranging between 55cm -75cm are measured and included in the competition in line with legal requirements to preserve breeding stocks. The Murrumbidgee River itself is a thriving water system

The Riverina Classic offers a family fun weekend filled with markets, entertainment for kids, helicopter joy flights, river train rides, merchandise and food stalls.

river and raise $15,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and this year we’re hoping to be bigger and better. The Riverina Classic is not your average fishing competition. We offer a family fun weekend filled with markets, entertainment for kids, helicopter joy flights, river train rides, merchandise and food stalls. An array of fishing tackle will be also be on offer by some of the leading suppliers for the fishing enthusiast. There’s a $60,000 prize pool making it one of the largest prize pools offered for inland fishing competitions in NSW. Included in the prize pool are one Stacer 399 Proline Angler and one Stacer 429 Proline Angler

both running 30hp Mercs and complete with trailers. The competition will again be held over two days this year commencing on Saturday 28th February with judging and prizes drawn Sunday 1st March. Entry fees are $50 for adults and $20 for kids so bring along the family and enjoy a great weekend out in Darlington Point. To register online visit: www.riverinaclassic.com or you can sign up on the day. For more information check out our Facebook page: Riverina Classic Fishing Competition. Or call Shaun Roche: 0447 727 697 or Chris Sutton: 0427 516 197. – Riverina Fishing Classic.

In support of ovarian cancer Over 130 keen anglers registered for the Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic held on 14-15 November. A charity auction held on the Friday night realised $4,900 for the Border Ovarian Cancer Awareness Group. Our anglers were asked to dress up as warriors and crusaders for the night, in acknowledgement of the courage of women who have suffered from ovarian cancer. There were some great outfits; from Knights of the Round Table to Cardboard Warriors all had a wonderful night out in support of this great cause. Tom Paton was once again our auctioneer, ably assisted by BUR representative and Club Secretary, Ebony Glass. With all frivolities over, it was time for some serious fishing on both

just

to +enter postage

SUNDAY 22nd MARCH 2015

RIGHT ACROSS AUSTRALIA Approximately 190 brown trout and 23 rainbow trout were caught over the weekend of the Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic. CHAMPION INDIVIDUAL ANGLER (CATCH AND RELEASE) PLACE ANGLER TOTAL LENGTH PRIZE 1............ Amy O’Keefe.........188.5cm....... Prize pack 2............ Susan Hogan........184.5cm....... Prize pack

On the Saturday, the girls got to dress up as warriors in support of the brave women who suffer from ovarian cancer. CHAMPION INDIVIDUAL ANGLER (WEIGH IN) PLACE ANGLER WEIGHT PRIZE 1............ Marika Newey.......3.8kg............ Prize pack 2............ Ebony Art..............3.3kg............ Prize pack days of the competition. The number of fish caught included 190 brown trout and 23 rainbow trout. Thank you to our great platinum sponsors included Border

Australia’s BIGGEST fishing competition!

Marine Centre and Yamaha, Ray White Wodonga, Edge FM, Mason’s the Compleat Angler, Elks Hunting and Fishing, Cappers Pro Tackle, Peter Marks and the

Dartmouth Motel and Pub. Once again, our local tradesmen, Mick Smyth, Lee Chapman, Jay Broman, Lance Graeber and Peter Sonnenrein sponsored the stubby holders, while Murray Golbourn Eskdale provided lots of skipper prizes. Ron and Laima Paine, recent house purchasers in Dartmouth, generously donated a hamper of goodies fom the Taradale area and a weekend stay in their bed and breakfast “The Olive Branch”. Lenz lawns, Donna Cardwell, Ave Kendall and Brian Urthank Rural all provided prized throughout the night. The Hook and alias Stan donated a generator for the Early Entry prize won by Jenny Savige, who also won a weekend at Lazy Acre Holiday Resort Lakes Entrance. - Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic

Over

169,000

in cash and prizes

Stacer 449 Outlaw Tiller Steer powered by Evinrude E-tec 60hp plus trailer valued at $25000

$2000 Lowrance Electronics Pack

$1800 BCF

Spending Spree!

$2000 Berkley Fishing Pack

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

MARCH

FEBRUARY

2015 DATE DETAILS

CONTACTS

7-8 Feb

Hobie Fishing hobiefishing.com.au

R1 BREAM Kayak Vic State Titles Bemm River

21-22 Feb R2 BREAM Kayak National Qualifier Marlo

Hobie Fishing hobiefishing.com.au

Mar 7-15 Shipwreck Coast Fishing Classic WOLGFC Warrnambool www.facebook.com/shipwreckcoastfishingclassic Mar 7-8

Austackle Flathead Fishing Classic Lakes Entrance

To enter, log onto

pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au

All proceeds to Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and Peter Duncan Neurosciences Research Unit of St Vincent’s Hospital.

www.gippslfc.blogspot 0455 022 965

APR

14-15 Mar R3 Hobie Fishing Worlds 2015 Qualifier #1 Hobie Fishing Mallacoota hobiefishing.com.au 18-19 Apr R6 BREAM Kayak National Qualifier Paynesville

Hobie Fishing hobiefishing.com.au

For listings please email jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au

For full terms, conditions and licensing log on to pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au. Permit Nos: ACT Permit Nos TP 14/04455; NSW Permit No LTPS/14/10073; SA Permit No T14/2381; VIC Permit No 14/6070.

FEBRUARY 2015

101

Quintrex launch F-Series Explorers FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

At an embargoed Media Day at Sanctuary Cove in late 2014, a handful of Australia’s boating media were invited to have a sneak peek at a new shape for Quintrex’s biggest selling hull, which has been unchanged since the 1990s – the humble Explorer. Changing such an established model is a big call for a boat company – especially since the formula currently works for the Explorer and Explorer Trophy models, but the success of the fork-bow in the Hornet models encouraged them to make the upgrades, which have now been launched through their national dealer network. Immediately, the new models look different. Characterised by the ‘picklefork’ (as the Quintrex employees call it) bow, the changes are more than cosmetic. Wider chines at the bow give more stability at rest and a deeper entry point gives the new hull shapes a softer ride with the added bonus of improved spray deflection. In raw area, there’s 11% more space on the casting deck in the Trophy models and 11% more cockpit space in the standard Explorers. You can see this easily in the side-by-side diagrams hereby. These boats carry their beam a lot further forward than the older models. Not many may notice a new pattern of side-pressings – they look more modern and are 50% stronger than the older clinkering on the side of the previous models. Finally, there’s a new design of lockable rod-locker available on the Trophy models as an option. Upwardopening, it’s definitely out there a little in design. The true test of these will be when they start getting out on the water. I’ll be interested if anglers give it the thumbs-up. TESTING So, after all of the theory in the classroom, there was no better way to experience the new models than to get out on QR CODE

Scan the QR Code above on your mobile to watch the full interview with Stuart Morgan. 102

FEBRUARY 2015

the water with Quintrex staff and fellow media to do some good old-fashioned tinnie wrangling (read: racing).

the official release date. OUTCOMES Indeed these craft are stable (both fore and aft) and

beamy. And yes, the bow does look like a pickle-fork, but there are advantages and disadvantages with the design.

The F-Series bow configuration is now available in various iterations across all Quintrex Explorer models.

You can see here the steeper entry and improved spray deflection. Quintrex R&D man, Stuart Morgan, says that the design allows for easy mounting of bow-mount electric motors. We had to take his word for that, since none of the display models had one mounted.

The new F-Series Explorer Trophies carry their beam a lot further forward. Admittedly, it was an impressive sight to see a two full sets of the new models – powered by E-Tec and Quintrex’s in-house Vortex branded outboards. All boats wrapped with designs celebrating Quintrex proudly being in business for 70 years as an Australian company. It was especially impressive to have all of these boats manufactured, wrapped and used on the media day without any of the dealers finding out that there was a new model in the pipeline. I suppose that there’s an endless supply of tarps at the Telwater factory and enough sneaky corners to hide them in until

He also, however, explained that with the extra beam came some extra weight, meaning that it you’re car-topping an Explorer currently, upgrading to a new model may not be an applesto-apples swap. We took the opportunity to interview Stuart and you can watch the full discussion by scanning the QR code hereby. THE FINAL WORD “A lot of time and work went into updating the Explorer Trophy Range. Being such a popular model, we wanted to make sure that

we came back with something our customers would love even more than before,” said Cameron Wood, Quintrex National Account Manager. “The 420 Explorer Trophy can be found all over Australia,” he continued, “It is a very important model in the Quintrex range and we look forward to showing our customers how we have made it even better for them.” For more information on the new F-Series Trophies, see your nearest Quintrex dealer or visit www. quintrex.com.au.

Greater stability is a hallmark of the 2015 hull shape.

You can see the increased beam in this photo that compares shapes of the older and newer Explorer models.

What’s New BOATING

STACER’S 519 ASSAULT PRO

A summer of fun on the water awaits, so now is certainly the time for boat lovers to upgrade their old outboards – and Mercury Finance is making it oh-so-easy. Stacer’s brand new serious fishing range packs a punch with its new streamlined design and fishing features. With a new hull shape featuring a sharper chine, sleek gunnels and extra freeboard the 519 Assault Pro offers unbeatable stability at rest and cuts through swell with ease for a comfortable ride. The redesigned 519 has a rear-casting platform including a live bait tank and front casting platform with a dual battery set up for running an electric motor. Stacer National Account Manager Drew Jackson said the 519 was a game changer for Stacer’s fishing range. You can option up the 519 Assault Pro to include a deluxe rod locker which can fit 4 rods up to 7ft in length and you can even go one step further and upgrade to the electric rod locker,” Drew said. The 519 Assault Pro is available as a Stacer Ready 2 Go package complete with boat, motor, trailer and 3 year limited warranty. – Telwater

THE BEST JUST GOT BETTER

Haines Signature Boats, regarded as building some of Australia’s best boats through 55 years of innovation, has taken the next step by incorporating Carbon Kevlar into their manufacturing process. John Haines, CEO of Haines Signature Boats said, “We’ve tactically incorporated Carbon Kevlar into our manufacturing process to provide a hull that has greater strength and has increased impact, tear and penetration resistance. By laying Carbon Kevlar fibres in specific directions and in specific locations we have been able to produce a hull that has a dramatic improvement in structural integrity without additional weight. “Simply put, this technology has allowed us to build a stronger boat without sacrificing performance in any way,” said John. The introduction of the new materials will be seen in 2015 model Haines Signature boats, and while the showroom finish on the boats will not change, buyers will be rewarded with a more robust boat that is designed to take the punishment of everyday use. – Haines Signature

ALL-NEW HDS GEN3

The HDS Gen3 combines advanced fishfinding technologies with a fast processor and easy-to-use menu system. The Lowrance HDS Gen3 series delivers an improved user interface with multi-touch and full keypad for fingertip access to all features, and an enhanced processor for more responsive performance than ever. Each model comes standard with today’s most advanced fishfinding technologies including StructureScan® HD, DownScan Imaging™ and CHIRP Sonar. Built-in wireless connectivity allows convenient map and software downloads direct to your display, plus remote viewing and control from smartphones and tablets. The HDS Gen3 also offers plug-and-play compatibility with Lowrance performance modules such as broadband radar, marine audio, AIS and VHF; NMEA 2000® connectivity; and support for a wide range of cartography options. The HDS Gen3 series is available from your local Lowrance dealer or distributor at an RRP of $2,199 for the 7”, $3,299 for the 9” and $4,499 for the 12”. – Lowrance Electronics

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

NEW F130A FOUR-STROKE

Yamaha Motor Australia is extremely pleased to announce the release of the new F130A. This model was unveiled in December at the Paris Boat Show. The new F130A fills the only remaining gap in Yamaha’s four-stroke engine range and is especially exciting for Australian customers who have been requesting a Yamaha fourstroke engine in this horsepower category for many years. While the new motor is based around the F115B, the F130A also inherits technology from Yamaha’s larger horsepower engines. Yamaha engineers have employed the use of a single electronic throttle intake valve on the F130. The electronic throttle valve is controlled by a microprocessor that interprets the operator’s instructions from the mechanical control at the helm to make precise throttle movements according to engine temperature and atmospheric conditions. This system works in tune with new fuel injection and ignition technology within the F130A, to deliver incredible response, awesome power and exceptional fuel economy. – Yamaha Motor Australia

DIAMOND DECK NON-SLIP

Diamond Deck is a no nonsense nonslip product that will add safety and protection when applied to the deck, seats or gunwhales of your boat. It can also keep bare feet (and posteriors) cool on hot summer days and keep you on the water longer. The quality and durable EVA closed cell foam is non-slip in wet and dry conditions. Diamond Deck comes ready to apply with a peel and stick marine grade adhesive bond that will not come unstuck when exposed to the harshest outdoor elements. It is available in two convenient sheet sizes, which are 340mm x 1500mm and 500mm x 1500mm. DIY customising your Diamond Deck isn’t a problem and cutting the sheets to size is easily done using a sharp pair of scissors or cutting knife. Diamond Deck is also great for use on caravans, camper trailers, paddleboards, jet skis, kayaks and bathrooms with endless applications and possibilities. Ask for Diamond Deck at all leading boating stores, chandleries and tackle stores and check out diamonddeck.com.au for more information. – Diamond Deck

4 3

455 SCORPION TILLER OPTION

Savage’s new release, the 455 Scorpion TS, is a brand new feature packed fishing rig perfect for dams, creeks and rivers. The 455 Scorpion is available as a centre and side console and for the first time is also available as a tiller steer model. Built with tough 3mm smooth side sheets and a soft riding, reliable hull, the 455 Scorpion is packed with all the fishing essentials to get you out on the water quick. Savage Director of Sales and Marketing Damien Duncan said with the new Scorpion range replacing the previous Piranha model line-up it was important to include the tiller steer option as it was in clear demand from their customer base. ‘The 435 and 455 Scorpion are the first models in this range of boats that have been available as a tiller steer and we are expecting it to be very popular with our dealers and customers,’ Damien said. For more information on the 455 Scorpion or the entire Savage range head to www. savageboats.com.au. - Telwater

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

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

SCAN THE

QR CODE! FEBRUARY 2015 103

2.1L Mercury 115CT 4-stroke vs 125 OptiMax FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

It’s not often that we get the opportunity to test outboards head-to-head. And as a consumer, we know that it’s hard to decipher all of the marketing that’s published by outboard companies. Typically, we have loyalties to a particular outboard brand or another based on an original purchase – maybe made decades ago.

But things change. Technology changes and what was once the latest and greatest becomes old technology. Twenty years ago, if you thought that 4-stroke outboards were just car motors tipped on their side, were heavy, unresponsive and had too many expensiveto-service parts, then you’d probably be right. None of the old 4-strokes could match the torque curves of the old carburetted 2-strokes. But back then, fuel was

much cheaper and emissions ratings were unheard of. Over the years, 4-strokes have become lighter, more responsive and cheaper to service, and they’re taking a greater share of the outboard market. And when it comes down to it, there’s some great products on both sides of the tracks: direct injection 2-strokes and 4-strokes. In the last couple of years (and in reality, since the release of the first large-capacity 4-stroke motors) the pendulum seems to be swinging more

the same noise output. And although we didn’t measure emissions, the 4-S was a

more pleasant motor to operate. No smoke or smell noticeable in the cabin.

and more towards the 4-stroke technology. These products boast bigger cylinders than their DI cousins, light weight and diminishing service costs. Mercury, in fact, is so confident of their new mid-range 4-stroke product that they invited us down to take part in a head-to-head comparison – one of their new (mid range) 4-stroke models (the 115hp Command Thrust) up against a greater horsepower OptiMax (the 125 that’s just recently been phased out of the product range).

Rigged on identical Streaker Navigator 5700s and with Streaker’s Sean Savage in attendance, it was a great opportunity to get a feel plus some hard data on actual performance between these two technologies. If you don’t want to read any further, we can summarise as a takehome message for you: there’s basically no reason to buy an OptiMax in this horsepower class for a hull like the Streaker. But don’t take my word

for it, let’s break down the raw data and you can make your own mind up.

Scan this QR code to see the full interview with the staff from Mercury and Streaker Boats.

NOISE Word on the street is that 4-strokes are quieter than 2-strokes, especially at idle, but what does the data from the test day show us? The difference is less at each end of the rev range, but in every instance the 4-S was quieter than the Opti. In practise, the 4-S would 1000rpm higher for RESULTS We measured noise levels (dB) at the edge of the motor splash well at all RPM ranges and recorded the following data: dB.............. 115 4-S...............125 Opti Idle......................70......................... 74 1000...................73.........................79 2000...................79.........................86

3000...................88.........................94 4000...................92.........................98 5000...................97....................... 100 WOT.................. 103....................... 105

There’s nothing wrong with the OptiMax – it just happens to be trumped by the 4-stroke at every test.

FUEL USAGE

A matching pair of Streaker Navigators were an impressive sight at the National Aquatic Centre on a windy Melbourne day. 104

FEBRUARY 2015

Again, theory has it that the 4-S should be more frugal on the juice than its OptiMax cousin, so we measured the fuel usage through the SmartCraft gauges installed on each of the boats at the prescribed rev ranges. At idle speeds, the Opti is actually a bit better on the gas, and also at WOT, there’s no difference between them (apart from the fact that the 115 was going faster), but in the crucial cruising ranges – 3000 to 5000rpm, the 4-S used less fuel.

RESULTS Litres/hour............. 115 4-S...................... 125 Opti Idle.............................. 2.4....................................0.8 1000........................... 2.8....................................1.3 2000........................... 6.3....................................5.2 3000.......................... 12.3.................................14.2 4000.......................... 19.4.................................20.8 5000.......................... 30.2....................................33 WOT.............................40......................................40

SPEED AND HOLESHOT

RESULTS Km/h....................... 115 4-S...................... 125 Opti Idle.............................. 5.7....................................3.7 1000........................... 7.2....................................5.7 2000.......................... 11.5.................................10.9 3000.......................... 19.5....................................14 4000............................39...................................41.3 5000............................55......................................55 WOT.............................69......................................61

Top: Here’s the winner – the 115 CT 4-S. Faster, lighter, quieter and cheaper to run. Bottom: The lines of the new Mercury mid-range 4-strokes (right) are distinctive when compared with the older OptiMax (left).

IN SUMMARY Summing up, we wouldn’t be surprised if Mercury reduces their OptiMax line up in the near future as this big bore 4-stroke technology expands throughout the range. Mercury has phased out the 125, 75 and 90hp OptiMax models, with the

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115 ProXS remaining. Around $1,000 dearer at the point of purchase, we believe that the overall cost of ownership will be less than an OptiMax over the life of the motor. Less fuel, no oil burning, fewer parts and no timing belt services – ever – all add up, especially that DI oil – it’s not cheap.

Let me pre-empt the responses we’ll get from this. Yes, the Command Thrust gearbox and the standard box on the Opti are different ratios and consequently, they need to be propped a little differently to achieve optimum rpm on the Navigators. There’s a 1” difference in the propeller pitches (the 4-S is 1” greater), which explains the top-end speed difference, but makes the holeshot tests even more impressive. Holeshot tests were pretty easy – with Scott Brown and Sean Savage – two highly competitive racing enthusiasts at the helms, we dropped the flag and let them drag race off a standing start. The 4-S won every time and displayed impressive low-end torque. We were impressed. For more information on the new Mercury mid-range 4-stroke line up, go to www. mercurymarine.com.au or grab a catalogue from your local Mercury dealer. You can also watch a video of the test day and interviews with key staff from Mercury and Streaker by scanning the QR code hereby.

Not all tinnies are created equal. At Quintrex we are driven to build the perfect boat for any and all conditions. Our range is unequalled for choice and versatility. And each ‘Quinnie Tinnie’ comes with something no other boats can offer…our high level of workmanship, our great no-worries warranty and a dealer network unrivalled in Australia. No matter where you are, or what you need, a qualified Quintrex dealer is nearby to help you out. After all, only someone who really knows boats can give you the best advice on boats! Visit our website and see the amazing range of tinnies that maintain an incredible resale value.

STREAKER BOATS 461 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC P 03·9729 8288 SUNRAYSIA MARINE 13 Seventh St, Mildura VIC P 03·5022 1155 BENDIGO MARINE WORLD Midland Hwy, Epson VIC P 03·5448 3988

There’s only one Quinnie Tinnie (actually there are 23!) To see the full new Quintrex range visit quintrex.com.au

FEBRUARY 2015

105

The Bimini Twist BRISBANE

Kim Bain

The bimini twist creates a ‘double line’ at the end of the angler’s main line. It is generally accepted that the bimini will provide a knot with 90-95% of the

original line strength of the main line. One of the most popular applications of double line is to create a stronger knot connection to a leader where you might tie a knot like an Albright. The bimini is good for both braid and mono-type mainlines.

spin down over the original twists

twelve twists

Knees can be inserted for extra torsion

half hitch around one leg

Double the line over about an arm span in length and do 12 twists.

Put both feet and both knees inside the double’s loop – and hold the 12 twists above your knees; now move the knees apart and force each leg of the loop apart and hold the tag end angled downwards so that you spin the tag end down spiralling downwards over the first 12 twists as you widen your legs.

half hitch around the other leg half hitch around both legs

Once you get the tag end spiralled all the way down to the end of the ‘knot’ thus far, place your finger tip(s) on the bottom of the twists to hold\clamp the twists in place. Then ‘throw’ a half hitch around one leg of the double line.

triple inner loop hitch

Next do a half hitch around the other leg of the double.

snug tight and trim

106

Finally do a triple inside loop hitch.

FEBRUARY 2015

Pull the knot snug and trim the tag end.

Now half hitch both legs together.

QR CODE

We know that the bimini twist isn’t the easiest knot to learn from scratch - or maybe even from these wonderful diagrams. It’s actually very easy to tie once you see how it’s done. So we’ve trolled YouTube for a good video that shows you how to do it and you can watch it by scanning this QR code with your smartphone. Watch it, try it and integrate the Bimini into your rigging - you will be happy that you did. If you don’t have a smartphone, just search ‘bimini twist” in YouTube. There’s a heap of videos in there.

Tech Tricks

Ensuring a waterproof wiring connection BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

While wiring is essential in your boat to transmit power to electronics, navigation lights, bilge pumps and numerous other 12V powered devices, it can also provide a lot of headaches when it fails. Being out on the water a long way from port and having the sounder shut

down just as you are honing in on your favourite patch of ground for the early morning snapper bite is extremely frustrating. Going out without navigation lights working is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A bilge pump will not work without power, and this could be extremely hazardous if you copped a wave when crossing a bar. While all these can be fixed in the long term, the immediate inconvenience or danger is best avoided.

Wiring is essential to provide power from the 12V battery to many devices on your boat. There are often numerous connections required to join all this together throughout the length of the boat and the switch panels. When the wiring is initially installed, either by boat shop mechanics or home handymen, it will be completed to a standard to work at the time it is done. However, it can lack

the durability to withstand bouncing and jarring, or the effects of saltwater, therefore connections will often fail down the track, usually at the most inconvenient time. Either the connection will come loose and break the electrical circuit, or water corrodes the join. There are pre-made waterproof connectors available at chandlery shops in a couple of sizes and these are great for the task. At a couple of dollars each

though, it can get a little expensive when doing a larger job like completely rewiring a boat. When fitting out my last boat over a decade ago, I ran out of these connectors and made up my own version to finish a wiring job late one night before a trip. A few weeks ago I had to replace a smashed navigational light and noticed my handiwork, which was still as good as the day I did it, so I’ve decided

For this project you require some hot melt glue sticks, aluminium monofilament crimps (probably 1.3mm-1.5mm) and some 5mm heat shrink (black and red if you want to match it to your negative and positive wires). Tools that will make the task easier are a wire stripper, swaging tool, cigarette lighter (or other flame), wire cutters and a paint stripper gun. You can do it without these tools, but they make it a lot easier and quicker.

A wire stripper gun is around $10 from Bunnings and makes removing the plastic coating off an array of wire sizes a lot easier. It you don’t have one, then you could use a boxcutter blade, knife, scissors, or sidecutters to remove the coating.

to share it with you. I have used this system several times over the last decade when fitting new sounders and bilge pumps, and none of these have ever failed due to bad connections. Each connection is waterproof, strong and fairly low profile, ideal for tucking away into tight spaces. Many serious anglers will already have most of the tools and pieces to make these connectors on hand, especially if you are into game fishing.

Position the wire in the appropriate slot in the wire stripper, with around 5mm protruding past the blades. Squeeze the handle and it will remove the plastic outer coating. Do the same with the other section of wiring that you want to join.

Cut a section of heat shrink around 2cm long and slide this over 1 wire and up out of the way. Your 2 pieces of wire will go inside the oval crimp, 1 from each side.

Put the wire inside the crimp with 1 on each side as shown. It doesn’t matter if the wires are of different types or sizes — this connection will still work well without the need for soldering.

Place a crimp in the appropriate slot in the swaging tool as shown, so the pressure will be applied from the wide side of the oval crimp and the 2 wires are crushed together. You may need to move the crimp into the next smallest slot and give it another squeeze to make it totally secure. You could use a good electrical wire crimper or even try crushing the crimp with a pair of pliers if you don’t have a swaging tool.

Crimp the entire length of the aluminium crimp to provide the best connection between the 2 wires. If your new light, sounder, bilge pump or other device is now hard wired to the battery, you can test your connection before going further, however, I have never had one that wasn’t working once secured with my swaging tool.

Using a cigarette lighter or other flame, soften the end of the hot melt glue stick. These glue sticks are only a couple of dollars for 10 or more from a craft or hardware shop and you can do a heap of connections with one stick.

Coat the entire connection with the hot melt glue. If need be, wet your fingers to avoid the molten glue sticking and shape the glue around the connection.

Slide the heat shrink back down the wire so it covers the entire connection. Use the paint stripper gun or a good hair dryer to make the heat shrink contract. You could also use a naked flame (such as the lighter), but don’t hold the flame directly on the heat shrink. Just pass the heat shrink through the flame quickly so that you get the heat without burning it.

When completed, the heat shrink will constrict tightly around the wire and crimped connection, and a little glue will have been squeezed out each end to create a totally waterproof wiring connection which will last an extremely long time. FEBRUARY 2015

107

Whittley’s Sea Legend 22 SD delivers quality BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Few Australian fibreglass boats are as easily identified as those with the Whittley name. The styling, appointments, smiles on owner’s faces – all are part of Whittley ownership. Sea Legends, in particular, have earned a name for great sea keeping ability, one of the best rides in the business and terrific standards of finish. And as owners have experienced, great resale value. The reviewed SL 22 SD was driven in Victoria’s Port Philip Bay, not by any means my usual stamping ground, but it was an excellent opportunity to meet the Whittley team and be impressed with the potential of the Sea Legend 22 Stern Drive with it’s powerful diesel engine. For the record, the Sea Legend (SL) has been around for a while but in their quiet and innovative way, Whittley continue to improve on a good product, difficult as it must be. Originally powered by outboards, the SL models were, over the last few years, set up with inboards as a viable alternative. First came the petrol Volvo Penta V6 4.3L 200hp inboard and now there’s a diesel; the dual prop equipped D3-170 2.4L 170hp as fitted to the reviewed craft. GENERAL LAYOUT The Whittley Sea Legend 22 is a cuddy cab craft with stylish elliptical

The well-designed Sea Legend shows off her lines.

Looks good and goes good. The SL22 launching at Pattersons Lakes, Melbourne.

Back-to-back forward seating keeps all the team in easy contact plus allows monitoring of tackle from a comfortable, shaded, position. 108

FEBRUARY 2015

windows highlighting the sleek cuddy cabin. The reviewed rig came with a well made heavy-duty targa top complete with rod racks on the rear lip. Note that the targa with its front and side clears atop the Whittley’s wiper equipped windscreen came with an extendable rear peak for just that bit more weather protection. Whittley don’t do things by halves so a full storm cover was also part of the package. Naturally, a drum winch was also incorporated to make anchoring as easy as possible. Within the cabin I noted a deep floor well, very well padded bunks with storage under them, wide back rest style side

shelving, soft head liner plus a Porta Potti and an infill to convert bunks into a full bed. A clip-on vinyl privacy door was fitted to the cabin’s entrance as well. Aft of the SL 22’s grab rail equipped windscreen, a lip equipped flat panel extended across from the first mate’s seating area with its storage shelf and foot rest across to the skipper’s helm seat. At the helm area, a well laid out dash panel saw a handy array of instruments and gauges from a compass through to winch and trim tab controls, rocker switches and other items highlighted by the Volvo Garmin 8” Sounder GPS plotter with its integrated engine management system controlling every thing from fuel use to fault finding. I liked the stylish Volvo Penta wheel, plus the fact that switches and other small controls had images on them to indicate their function. STORAGE UNDER HELM SEATING Forward seating for skipper and mate consisted of back-to-back wrap around buckets, mounted on large storage boxes in the usual Sea Legend manner with storage below aft-facing seats easily accessed by tilting the chosen seat forward to access the space below. This seating was an excellent arrangement as it meant that all passengers up front could easily converse and while fishing or trolling someone could keep and eye on tackle while seated in the shade.

The Whittley Sea Legend’s well-designed bow makes easy work of small chop.

COCKPIT WELL EQUIPPED Cockpit features included plenty of internal freeboard, a carpeted floor, soft coaming on sides, rod racks incorporated into each of the large side pockets with holes at the pocket’s extremities to protect rod tips. There were 4 upright rod holder stands were situated in each aft quarter, a plumbed live bait well was set atop the engine box while a large under floor fish box for the catch was

INBOARD ENGINE IMPRESSIVE PERFORMER With a certified engine rating of up to 225hp, it’s fairly obvious that the 170hp Volvo Penta diesel is a fair way off maximum power. That aside, I found the 2.4L common rail diesel turning a counter rotating duo prop to be lacking absolutely nothing in the way of hole shot power or for that matter, overall performance. While a little chattery, at idle the 5-cylinder diesel

TECHNICAL INFORMATION. Length..............................................................6.59m Beam................................................................2.26m Length on trailer............................................... 7.9m Height on trailer..............................................3.06m Deadrise.............................................................. 23° Weight of hull................................................1200kg Engine ratings......................................... 150-225hp Engine fitted....................Volvco Penta 170hp diesel Persons...................................................................7 Towing... Medium 4x4, family 6 wagon or large SUV really shone. At 3000rpm – a cruising speed well suited to the diesel engine – and at 43.4km/h the frugal oil

the craft about just to note how readily it turned and how rapidly it recovered to a level attitude after a

1200kg hull’s weight, plus the 363kg mass of the inboard engine mounted low within the craft. FISHING ATTRIBUTES AND SUMMING UP While a lot of Whittley SL22’s find favour with family boaters due to their reputation as well performing turned out craft, keen anglers will find just as much to like as well. With an internal cockpit depth of some 790mm, external depth of 890mm offshore anglers

system, Fusion RA205 sound system with USB interface and speakers, rear freshwater shower, cockpit and cabin lighting. In all, Whittley appear to have done their homework in offering a diesel alternative to a petrol inboard or outboard set up. The diesel was punchy, smooth and will always be frugal. On a tandem wheel Mackay trailer with electric brakes, spare wheel and cover, the rig as reviewed (with its very many extras) would

Top Left: Upright rod holders in each stern quarter of the SL22, plus horizontal racks within side pockets, are useful features for the angler. Top Right: Aft cockpit features included paired rod holders each side, plus a live well. Above Left: Easily managed, with everything clearly labelled; the Whittley’s dash layout reflected the thought put into these craft. Above Right: The performance enhancing DuoProp mated to the 170hp Volvo Penta inboard booted the Whittley onto the plane in a little over its own length. central. Paired rod holders on each gunwale were also standard. In all an excellent fishing set up not at all compromised by the engine box, which also served as a handy seat. A bait board was standard although removed for test runs. Both a hot water system (courtesy of the inboard engine) plus a raw water deck wash were fitted as well. Aft of the transom a boarding ladder and platform to starboard would assist a diver or swimmer to re-board the craft.

settled into a much reduced resonance and impressively smooth delivery of power once throttle was increased. The craft planed smoothly (3 aboard and with trim tabs assisting) at a speed of 24.2km/h at 2420rpm while 3000rpm saw a speed of 43.4km/h recorded on the Garmin unit. At 4000rpm the solid Whittley was running at 64.3km/h and a final push to 4080rpm saw 66.8km/h on the GPS. Speeds are one thing, fuel use another, and this is where the D3 Volvo Penta

burner was sipping 18L per hour which saw a total range of some 25nm from the 210L tank. The Volvo Penta was freshwater cooled for longevity and all important engine components such as filters and dip stick were instantly recognisable once the cover was elevated. In all, a unit designed for ease of ownership. FUN TO DRIVE Sweet handling was also a strong point of the 6.59m SL 22’s hull with its 23° deep vee. In fact, it was a lot of fun to throw

sharp turn. While Port Phillip Bay was fairly subdued, there was ample opportunity to run up over some solid wash from other larger rigs and the Whittley’s ride certainly impressed me, as did the way in the craft responded to throttle and general driver input. There is no doubt that the inboard powered Sea Legend with its powerful yet frugal diesel inboard is going to be an excellent offshore craft, especially when the rig’s immense stability, courtesy of the

will feel very comfortable while fishing, and the soft ride will make long travel to a favourite fishing area a breeze. The fishing orientated features are there throughout the cockpit’s work area where 3, maybe 4, could fish in comfort. The finish is impeccable with everything of the highest standard throughout and the list of appointments (to name just some) includes the hot water supply via the engine’s heat exchanger, Nutra salt engine flush

leave a sales yard for $118,385. Whittley Marine Group can be contacted on (03) 8339 1800 or on the net at www. whittleymarinegroup.com. au to find the nearest dealer. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications. FEBRUARY 2015

109

Bonito’s 5.6m tiller offers a whole lot of space FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Around a year ago we took a look at a great little inshore/offshore hull in make by the guys at Bonito Boats. At the time Roger and Martin’s little operation out of an old shed at Cabbage Tree Point in Queensland was capable of kicking out a boat every few weeks. Ever since, the guys – due to the nature of this versatile hull and the quality of the build – have had to ramp up the speed of production to keep up with orders. Bonitos are

And there’s a decent casting deck up front to get your lure casting done. Kirk does a bit of this, so the bow-mounted electric motor is important.

While travelling, the driver and the passenger both sit down adjacent to the transom. Kirk’s a right-handed tiller-driver, which doesn’t feel as weird as it sounds sitting in the driver’s seat.

THE 5.6M HULL Before we delve into Kirk’s reasons and preferences, we asked Roger Barnes about this concept of big tiller drives on his hulls. He said that commercial users commonly run up to 150HP tillers “no worries at all”, so the question of whether the hull has what it takes to handle the 115 was moot. Bonito builds these hulls tough. Roger says that commercial users put up to 1500 hours on their craft per year. Recreationally, then, it’d be near impossible to wear one out. CAPTAIN KIRK’S PATHWAY Kirk was a tiller-drive tinnie owner – his last aluminium hull had a 60HP tiller on it. The day before he was about to order a new tinnie, he went for a test drive in a Bonito in a 15 to 20 knot breeze on the Bay and was sold instantly. The smooth ride in the nasty

conditions outweighed any of the uneasiness about running a glass boat in the rocky shallows of the southern Bay. Kirk fitted up ‘The Enterprise’ himself, as he had the skills to do so. He bought the hull and trailer from Bonito and the outboard separately. All of the internal fitup and wiring of the trolling motor and sounder he did himself. As such, his finished cost for the rig was around $30,000 – very comparable to a tinnie of the same magnitude. “I love the boat because it’s so versatile. We go camping 6 or 7 times a year with the kids, I cast net from it and I do a lot of fishing in the rocky shallows of Moreton Bay and I can’t fault the boat – it does everything I want it to do,” Kirk said. HULL IMPROVEMENTS Roger Barnes took us through some of the

now operating in diverse locations up and down the coast. There have been cosmetic improvements (like moulded, recessed deck lids) and practical progressions (like recessed niches for marine electronics). Recently, we heard of an interesting iteration of the hull – a 5.6 metre hull that’s been made into a sports fishing layout tiller-steer with a 115HP Mercury 4-Stroke. So we just had to take a look, and caught up with the owner of the boat (well known Moreton Bayside mechanic, Kirk Brinckman) for a run on southern Moreton Bay to get his take on why he set the rig up like he did. Like a lot of boat tests we do nowadays, there’s a video of the test day complete with interviews with the owner and the builder, which you can access by scanning the QR code on this page. 110

The proven Bonito hull makes short work of Moreton Bay chop. Here it makes short work of a 5cm wind ripple.

improvements to the decks that have been implemented since we last tested a Bonito. “This new Sportsfishing Deck includes the first of our fully moulded cast deck and hatches with recessed hinges,” Roger said, “ so they are a vast improvement on the aftermarket deck hatches we had been using to this point,” Roger said. You’ll also notice a lot of small improvements – like the stowaway sounder recess. Kirk’s fish finder swings out on a stainless steel arm to be in the correct position while driving and fishing. It neatly swings away to

FEBRUARY 2015

On old-style Mercury 115 4-stroke tiller outboard powers Kirk’s rig. It’s surprisingly easy to drive – even at wide open throttle where it reached a top speed of 69km/h on the test day.

protect the unit and create more space as required. The joy of working with a small manufacturer like Bonito is that they are usually quite willing to discuss requirements in details with a customer and can give you exactly the configuration you want, rather than having to choose a set configuration from the catalogue. PERFORMANCE ‘Captain’ Kirk’s a little unorthodox in that he likes driving his tiller steer right handed from his seat on the port side. That sounds weird until you try it for yourself and it’s not too bad. Kirk has his swingsway sounder also mounted on the port side to be close enough to read and operate while underway. Although there was no tachometer mounted in this boat, we took some speed readings at various RPM ranges – idle,

cruising (at around 4000 RPM estimated) and wide open throttle. The rig idled at 6km/h and cruised at around 40km/h and maxed out at 69km/h. With some whitecaps forming east of Coochiemudlo Island, we took the opportunity to run the boat at WOT through the rough stuff and it handled it all with ease. It was ‘choppy’, but definitely not nasty or scary. You can see the result in the video. And as Kirk said, it

Now THAT’S some cockpit space. Need a mountain of camping gear and some 44s of fuel? No worries.

wasn’t scary changing hands for the tiller, however, a gunwale mounted trim switch would make it easier for trim adjustments on the fly. Is this the boat for everyone? Probably not. Is it a great solution for anglers wanting a no-fuss, low maintenance platform to do their thing anywhere between the freshwater and offshore? Most definitely. If you’re interested in this type of hull, give

Roger a call on 0438 886 813 or Martin on 0416 099 108 for more details. You can also try www. bonitoboats.com.au, but as website authors, these guys make a great boat! • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

QR CODE

Scan the QR Code to see the fill interview and test footage with Roger Barnes and Kirk Brinckman.

It’s no problem launching and retrieving the Bonito single-handed. You’d think we’d help Kirk put it in, but no – we were taking photos.

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Other parameters of which you need to take note: Portrait format (turn camera on its side). Leave enough room for a magazine masthead at the top of the image. Shoot in the highest resolution your camera can take. Use fill-in flash to help remove any shadows under caps or biminis. Live fish look way better than dead ones. Any fish must be legally captured (within season/size limits). iPhone pics aren’t going to cut it!

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Sharkmen Charters, Carrum 0418 107 071 St Kilda Fishing Charters, St Kilda (03) 9770 2200

Dartmouth Motor Inn (02) 6072 4233

Western Port Fishing Charters, Hastings (03) 9769 5544

Queensland

DVD’S -

East Coast

Cairns Bed and Boat 0418 772 751

Series 2 through 8

Capella III Fishing Adventures, Port Welshpool (03) 5688 1585 Far Out Charters, McLoughlins Beach 0428 401 819

Chandlery & Accessories

Prom Adventurer, Port Welshpool (03) 5682 2633 or 0428 594 767

Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014

Prom Coastal Charters, Yanakie (03) 5687 1248 or 0429 935 583

Techni Ice (03) 9783 1922

Razorback Bluewater Charters, Port Albert (03) 5183 2691

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Freshwater Boat Trailers

Angling Expeditions Victoria, Tawonga (03) 5754 1466 Highland Trout Lakes, Ballarat (03) 5368 9574

Central

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BMS Marine (03) 9731 7269

Tasmania & Flinders Island Ausprey Tours, Launceston (03) 6630 2612

Charter Boats

Gone Fishing Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 1553

East Gippsland

Fish Wild Tasmania, Hobart 0418 348 223

East Gippsland Charters 0400 564 032

Flinders Island Adventures, Flinders Island (03) 6359 4507 Professional Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 3083

West Coast

Trout Adventure Tasmania, Bronte Park 0418 139 048

Sharkmen Fishing Charters 0418 107 071

Trout Territory, Northern Midlands (03) 6397 5001

Portland Fishing Charters, Portland (03) 5523 3020

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear. You will have approximately 30 words within a 5x2 ad size. Email : pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Shipwreck Coast Diving & Charters, Warrnambool (03) 5561 6108

Central South-West Fishing Charters, Portland 0418 306 714

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Charter Boat Picture

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113

Victorian Tide Times

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA JANUARY Time 0138 0818 TH 1424 2144

m 0.60 1.43 0.30 1.38

Time

0142 0818 SU 1419 2144

0.77 1.25 TU 1542 0.34 2325 1.34

2 0234 0917

17 0145 0819

3 0342 1026

18 0245 0929

4 0503 1136

19 0359 1053

5 0043 0619

20 0519 1215

6 0131 0718

21 0058 0634

7 0212 0804

22 0152 0736

8 0246 0843

23 0242 0830

9 0317 0917

24 0328 0921

0.73 1.32 SA 1423 0.36 2146 1.29

2 0418 1053

17 0313 0947

3 0023 0537

18 0429 1108

4 0119 0648

19 0032 0547

5 0207 0745

20 0130 0700

6 0247 0830

21 0223 0800

7 0320 0911

22 0311 0854

8 0351 0946

23 0355 0945

9 0420 1020

24 0437 1032

Local Time APRIL

0.73 1.29 0.32 1.31

0306 0946 SU 1556 2321

0.74 1.28 0.36 1.34

0211 0842 MO 1436 2213

0.65 1.37 0.37 1.29

0107 0738 FR 1338 2043

2015

LAT 38° 18’ LONG 144° 37’ Times and Heights of High and Low Waters FEBRUARY MARCH

0.64 1.32 0.36 1.32

0100 0725 MO 1315 2030

Time

0.64 1.34 0.31 1.37

0308 1000 WE 1535 2256

0.68 1.30 TU 1406 0.35 2135 1.34

2 0426 1113

17 0239 0947

3 0543 1219

18 0357 1105

4 0043 0642

19 0510 1213

5 0126 0628

20 0019 0611

6 0104 0707

21 0112 0705

7 0140 0743

22 0200 0755

8 0215 0817

23 0245 0842

9 0251 0852

24 0327 0927

0.73 1.19 0.60 1.27

0127 0820 TH 1350 2112

2 0234 0915

17 0153 0824

3 0340 1018

18 0247 0918

4 0457 1122

19 0355 1022

5 0050 0610

20 0003 0511

6 0145 0713

21 0104 0624

7 0231 0804

22 0200 0727

8 0313 0849

23 0249 0822

9 0347 0930

24 0335 0914

10 0419 1008

25 0418 1003

10 0450 1054

25 0518 1118

10 0349 0951

25 0411 1008

10 0328 0925

25 0410 1010

11 0448 1044

26 0500 1052

11 0521 1126

26 0600 1203

11 0421 1024

26 0453 1054

11 0404 0958

26 0452 1050

12 0518 1118

27 0541 1139

12 0555 1157

27 0013 0642

12 0454 1056

27 0535 1137

12 0442 1032

27 0537 1130

13 0549 1152

28 0622 1225

13 0005 0629

28 0056 0728

13 0528 1127

28 0617 1219

13 0522 1110

28 0627 1210

14 0623 1226

29 0031 0705

14 0042 0706

14 0603 1159

29 0034 0702

14 0609 1153

29 0042 0725

15 0028 0659

30 0117 0753

15 0122 0749

15 0020 0641

30 0118 0752

15 0030 0707

30 0135 0832

0.69 1.37 FR 1524 0.31 2247 1.39 0.76 1.32 SA 1630 0.32 2350 1.43 0.79 1.30 SU 1735 0.31 1.47 0.76 MO 1224 1.30 1834 0.29 1.52 0.70 TU 1320 1.32 1926 0.27 1.56 0.64 WE 1410 1.34 2012 0.27 1.59 0.58 TH 1455 1.36 2054 0.28 1.59 0.52 FR 1536 1.37 2132 0.30 1.59 0.48 SA 1615 1.38 2208 0.34

1.57 0.44 SU 1653 1.37 2243 0.38

1.55 0.42 MO 1730 1.36 2316 0.44 1.52 0.40 TU 1811 1.34 2351 0.50

1.48 0.38 WE 1855 1.32 0.57 1.43 TH 1300 0.38 1945 1.30

0.79 1.27 SU 1517 0.35 2256 1.32

0.83 1.25 MO 1623 0.33 1.39 0.82 TU 1135 1.26 1734 0.29

1.47 0.74 WE 1248 1.31 1841 0.24 1.56 0.63 TH 1351 1.39 1941 0.20 1.63 0.51 FR 1448 1.47 2035 0.18

1.67 0.39 SA 1541 1.53 2126 0.20

1.69 0.29 SU 1633 1.56 2215 0.24

1.68 0.22 MO 1725 1.56 2301 0.30 1.64 0.18 TU 1819 1.52 2346 0.39

1.59 0.18 WE 1917 1.47 0.48 1.52 TH 1312 0.20 2017 1.42 0.57 1.44 FR 1400 0.26 2117 1.37

31 0207 0845

0.67 1.35 SA 1453 0.31 2219 1.34

0.78 1.24 MO 1704 0.38 1.36 0.77 TU 1159 1.23 1809 0.38 1.40 0.71 WE 1300 1.25 1905 0.36 1.45 0.64 TH 1353 1.29 1955 0.35 1.49 0.56 FR 1439 1.34 2037 0.34 1.52 0.49 SA 1521 1.38 2115 0.35 1.53 0.43 SU 1559 1.41 2149 0.37 1.54 0.38 MO 1634 1.43 2223 0.40 1.54 0.35 TU 1711 1.43 2256 0.44

1.52 0.32 WE 1748 1.42 2330 0.48 1.48 0.31 TH 1829 1.40

0.54 1.44 FR 1229 0.30 1914 1.37

0.60 1.39 SA 1303 0.30 2005 1.34

0.67 1.33 SU 1345 0.31 2104 1.31

0.76 1.26 WE 1659 0.34 1.41 0.68 TH 1229 1.32 1816 0.31

1.49 0.56 FR 1337 1.42 1924 0.28

1.57 0.42 SA 1437 1.53 2022 0.26

1.63 0.29 SU 1532 1.61 2114 0.27

1.66 0.19 MO 1625 1.65 2201 0.30 1.65 0.13 TU 1716 1.64 2246 0.34

1.63 0.11 WE 1807 1.60 2330 0.41 1.57 0.14 TH 1859 1.53

0.48 1.50 FR 1247 0.20 1952 1.45

0.56 1.41 SA 1331 0.27 2046 1.38

0.71 1.25 MO 1515 0.43 2244 1.28 0.75 1.20 TU 1624 0.49 2345 1.28 0.75 1.19 WE 1737 0.50 1.31 0.70 TH 1241 1.22 1842 0.49 1.36 0.61 FR 1336 1.29 1934 0.47 1.40 0.53 SA 1424 1.36 2017 0.45 1.45 0.45 SU 1504 1.42 2055 0.44 1.48 0.38 MO 1541 1.48 2130 0.44 1.50 0.33 TU 1616 1.51 2202 0.45

1.51 0.30 WE 1651 1.53 2236 0.47 1.50 0.28 TH 1728 1.52 2310 0.51 1.47 0.28 FR 1806 1.50 2345 0.55

1.43 0.28 SA 1848 1.46

0.59 1.39 SU 1233 0.29 1936 1.41

0.70 1.27 WE 1511 0.41 2247 1.34 0.68 1.29 TH 1630 0.44 2357 1.38 0.60 1.37 FR 1753 0.45

1.45 0.47 SA 1326 1.49 1907 0.42

1.52 0.33 SU 1427 1.61 2006 0.40

1.58 0.22 MO 1521 1.69 2058 0.40 1.62 0.14 TU 1613 1.73 2144 0.40

1.62 0.12 WE 1701 1.72 2229 0.43 1.59 0.13 TH 1748 1.67 2311 0.46 1.54 0.18 FR 1835 1.59 2353 0.51

1.47 0.25 SA 1922 1.51

0.57 1.39 SU 1300 0.34 2011 1.42

0.63 1.31 MO 1344 0.44 2103 1.35

0.72 1.20 TH 1653 0.65 2352 1.28 0.67 1.25 FR 1808 0.65 1.31 0.60 SA 1315 1.33 1906 0.63 1.35 0.51 SU 1303 1.42 1852 0.60 1.40 0.43 MO 1343 1.50 1930 0.58 1.44 0.37 TU 1420 1.57 2005 0.56 1.48 0.32 WE 1456 1.61 2040 0.55 1.49 0.30 TH 1531 1.63 2115 0.55 1.48 0.29 FR 1609 1.62 2150 0.57

1.46 0.29 SA 1647 1.60 2226 0.59

1.43 0.30 SU 1728 1.55 2302 0.61

1.40 0.33 MO 1813 1.50 2343 0.63 1.36 0.38 TU 1904 1.45

0.64 1.33 WE 1245 0.45 2004 1.41

m 0.64 1.32 0.53 1.39

0.60 1.36 FR 1507 0.59 2219 1.41

0.51 1.46 SA 1631 0.62 2322 1.45

0.40 1.58 SU 1746 0.60

1.51 0.29 MO 1313 1.69 1846 0.57 1.55 0.21 TU 1407 1.76 1938 0.55

1.58 0.17 WE 1457 1.79 2025 0.54 1.58 0.17 TH 1543 1.77 2109 0.54 1.56 0.21 FR 1627 1.72 2151 0.55

1.51 0.27 SA 1709 1.65 2232 0.57

1.45 0.35 SU 1750 1.57 2314 0.61

1.38 0.44 MO 1832 1.49 2356 0.64 1.31 0.53 TU 1916 1.42

0.68 1.26 WE 1254 0.63 2004 1.36 0.70 1.23 TH 1346 0.71 2056 1.32

31 0207 0851

0.69 1.23 TU 1433 0.53 2159 1.29

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astonomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter

Last Quarter

Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions. 114

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