Victoria and Tasmania Fishing Monthly - November 2014 by Fishing Monthly

SNAPPER RAMPAGE CONTINUES

How To

Choosing the right brakes for your trailer • Understanding different sounder frequencies •

Tried and Tested Whittley’s Clearwater 1750 with 90hp Yamaha • Bluefin’s Tournament Drifter Pro 455 • Maverick Hammock Swag • Savage revamps for 2015 •

Features

Christmas wish list • Shining the light on Gippsland • Six most common trout fishing mistakes • What is happening to Victorian trout streams? • Carl makes the Elites •

November, 2014 Fishing Monthly G R O U P

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Allan McKenzie caught these 8.8kg and 9.4kg snapper fishing from the Portland Breakwater using a Black Magic Bleeding Pilchard 4/0.

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NOVEMBER 2014

November 2014, Vol. 11, No.12

Contents 13

From the Editor’s Desk... it all over the planet we love it! REGULATION CHANGES Next month we will be detailing the changes in VIC Fisheries Regulations that will come into play from 1 December. One major win for common sense is that NSW and Victoria Fisheries have got together and both modified their proposed regulations for Murray cod. Initially, Victoria touted a 50-70cm slot limit for the species while NSW went the 60-80cm path. After a fair bit of flack from both ends, the relevant departments have shown some remarkable common sense to standardise these rules. It’ll now be a 55-75cm slot limit in both states – this was announced hours before this issue hit the presses. Imagine the nightmare for anglers and compliance officers alike when you

launch in the Murray River on the NSW side and return to the ramp with a fish which was legal on the side of the river where you caught it, but illegal where you retrieve your boat? Thankfully, that won’t happen and we hope that it’s a trend that will continue in the future. We’re sure that there won’t be too many anglers who would disagree with the improved angling outcomes of the slot limit itself. As this change came through so late, keep this in mind when reading some of the border reports. Some of the problems have been fixed. Hats off to those involved in the adoption of common sense. FIND-THECOMPETITION You’ll notice that there’s no Find-The Competition in this issue. We’re giving it a break for this issue and it’ll be starting again in December. We know that you all love

50 VICTORIA FISHING MONTHLY

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finding hidden things over the summer months. Entries for this over the last six months have been exceptional, as always, so thank you to all of the effort you put into the exercise! CHRISTMAS MADE EASY We’ve also taken the liberty this month of compiling plenty of products that you may need for Christmas presents. We know that you’re all tackle junkies at heart and that there’s ALWAYS room in the shed for more cool stuff, so between the Christmas Product Feature (complete with tick-boxes), our popular What’s New section and the new FM blog www. tacklejunkie.fish with daily updates, you’re on your own if you can’t find something to place in front of the Minister for Finances. After all, we’ve all been good this year.

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There’s plenty to get your teeth stuck into in this month’s issue – the summer editions of VFM are the biggest of the year. From rules and regulation changes through to tournament and technique pieces, there’ll be something inside to keep you occupied. Even if you’re not a tournament angler, I’m sure you support Aussie teams. If you do, you’ll love the ridiculous success of the Australian kayak anglers in the 2014 China competition. Winning $71,000 of the $80,000USD on offer is enough to turn any head – read about it inside. We also have coverage of the 4th Hobie World titles and a story about Aussie bass angler Carl Jocumsen making it to the top level of bass tournament fishing in the USA. Aussie anglers smashing

WEST COAST

ING TRADE

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Shining the light on Gippsland Six most common trout fishing mistakes Christmas wish list The Albright Knot: step-by-step Carl makes the Elites Understanding different sounder frequencies Choosing the right brakes for your trailer NOVEMBER 2014

6 50 66 73 82 88 90

Shining the light on Gippsland WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Gippsland may not be listed as one of the seven wonders of the word, but it is not too far from being on the same page.

When people think or talk about Gippsland they immediately think of Lakes Entrance and although it is a magnificent location in itself, there is a whole lot more to Gippsland than that. Situated in the east of the state, Gippsland can offer anglers an extremely

large variety of fishing and whether you’re in a boat, kayak, fishing from the shore or walking the edge of a river bank, everyone can catch a fish or two. Year round the fishing is great but throughout the summer months, the fishing really hots up as

From December to the end of January kingfish are a possible catch. If you’re in tune with their movements you can catch them inside Port Welshpool.

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holidaymakers descend on this magnificent place. SURF FISHING Gippsland as a whole has roughly 200km of fishable beaches. Some locations are inaccessible while others can be fished with the whole family. The well-known NinetyMile Surf Beach attracts plenty of anglers throughout the year and delivers some amazing fishing for

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

salmon throughout the winter period. Anglers fishing from the beach can arm themselves with a selection of baits and cast into the gutters where salmon are abundant. Gummy sharks are also a popular catch throughout this period but it is during the summer months when the larger models tend to be caught. Along with gummies, bronze whaler sharks and sevengill sharks are a common catch for those in the know. Specialised techniques are required in order to catch them and many locals have refined their art over years of regularly fishing for them. The Ninety-Mile surf Beach begins roughly at McLoughlins and runs right up to Lakes Entrance. The entire beach is fishable where you can gain access, but in order to catch fish you do need to be fishing in a deep gutter. For the weekend angler, settling for a handful of solid salmon and a nice gummy shark makes hitting the surf worthwhile. Fishing from the beach does require the use of a surf rod at least 12ft in length with a substantial reel capable of holding at least 300m of 25lb line or 30lb braid. Heavy sinkers will be required if there is a side drift and may have to be up to 6oz in weight. OFFSHORE Scattered reefs line the offshore waters off Gippsland

Working the edges of the banks with hardbodied lures is a great way to pick up some nice bream. find potential grounds, your best to either sound around and find some rubble on the bottom before fishing or just drive out to the 40m line and begin to drift. Drifting allows you to cover ground where you’ll pick up a host of species including gummy sharks, snapper, nannygai, flathead, sweep and plenty of other species. Drifting is best when the winds are low and most anglers prefer to use a paternoster rig as is suspends two baits off the bottom. If you’re in tune with your sounder, you can always drive around searching out the isolated reefs where you can then concentrate on them

Port Albert and McLoughlins Beach ramps are good for boats up to 5m but you have to launch on a high tide or face being grounded. Both locations have bar crossings to get out into the ocean so if you’re inexperienced at bar crossings, I suggest you go with someone who is. ESTUARY Gippsland is without doubt the home to bream fishing and with its many estuaries and rivers, bream thrive throughout the area. Fishing for bream from a boat requires anglers to work the shallow banks and snags, which are found along the edges. These can be thick

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providing anglers with a large variety of species to catch, including snapper, flathead, nannygai, gummy sharks and of course mako and blue sharks. Weather conditions will dictate whether or not you can get out as the bar can be dangerous to cross in rough seas. Once through the bar, there is a lot of water to work and if you’re new to the area, finding good fishing grounds can be a challenge in itself. To

and might pick up a better array of fish. Those fishing for larger sharks also need to drift and set a very solid berley trail. There are some big toothies offshore so make sure you’re up to speed on the gear, baits and how to handle one if caught. Launching ramps throughout Gippsland are found at Port Welshpool, Port Albert, McLoughlins Beach and Lakes Entrance. The

with weed growth; submerged trees, which have fallen into the waterway and even any of the small jetties that are scattered right throughout the Lakes Entrance waterway. At different times of the year, bream will be found in different areas but throughout the summer months, most will be found along the rivers and lake edges. Anglers fishing for bream can use a variety of techniques with the more common being

INFORMATION LOCAL FISHING CHARTER OPERATORS: • East Gippsland Charters, Frank Milito, ph: 0400 564 032. Specialising in lure fishing the estuaries for flathead, bream and trevally. • Lakes Entrance Offshore Charters, Sarn Eckhardt, ph: 0434 778 275. Specialising in offshore fishing for snapper and sharks PLACES TO STAY • Lake Tyers Camp and Caravan Park, http://www. laketyerscaravanpark.com.au, ph: (03) 5156 5530 • Lakes Entrance Tourist Park, http://www. lakesentrancetouristpark.com.au, ph: (03) 5155 1159 • Long Jetty Caravan Park, www.longjettycaravanpark. com.au, ph: 1800 630 704 FISHING GEAR REQUIREMENTS Surf: 11-12ft surf rod, 6000-8000 series reel with at least 25lb mono or 30lb braid and 15-20lb leader Offshore: 7ft 8-12kg rod, 6000-8000 series reel with 50lb braid and 60-80lb leader Estuary: 7ft 2-4kg light graphite rod with 2500 series reel with 6lb braid and 5-6lb leader. Rivers: 7ft 2-4kg light graphite rod with 2500 series reel with 6lb braid and 5-6lb leader.

lure fishing. Bream take a variety of lures and while small soft plastics work well, twitching hardbodied lures around the snags is unbelievable fun. Yo-zuri Eba Shads, Duel Hardcore Minnows and Zerek Live Shrimp are deadly on bream. Flathead are also in abundance throughout summer and there are some big models to be caught. Gippsland is the home of big

flathead and if you’re going to catch one over the magical 1m mark, this is the place to do it. Soft plastics are the most effective lure for flathead with the Keitech 3” swing impact proving to be the lure of choice for many anglers. Plastics should be worked along the bottom and around rocky outcrops where flathead will lie in ambush awaiting an easy meal to pass.

From the bank, anglers can also cast lures and work them back towards the bank. It is funny to think that boat anglers cast from the water to the bank and catch plenty of fish, which are usually held up on the edges. For a land-based angler, working the edges is easy enough as your standing along them when fishing. Once again, small hardbodied lures, soft plastics and metal vibe lures work a treat. Bait anglers also do quite well with live sandworm, crab and local prawns are downright deadly. These can be caught locally at Lakes Entrance and certainly work a treat. A running sinker rig is recommended when using live baits. When the prawns start to run in the summer months, it is a family affair walking the banks and scooping them. They are best on the new moon and during a run-out tide when they swim out of the estuaries and out into the ocean. Anglers wading the banks on a balmy night can catch quite a few kilos easily. Prawning is a lot of fun and if you’re heading to Gippsland in summer, take some waders and a net and get out prawning, you’ll be glad you did. Top places to catch prawns are around the edges of Lake Tyers and around Bullock Island

at Lakes Entrance. For best results you’ll have to wait until the new moons and work the shallow flats from the top of the high tide until the low tide. RIVERS Those anglers who are looking for a little more of a challenge can head inland to one of the many rivers in search of trout. Though you will do the miles, rivers such as the Snowy and the Brodribb produce some amazing trout fishing in the summer months. Even then, back towards Port Welshpool,

the Agnes River above the waterfalls is equally productive. Those fishing for trout are either on foot or in a kayak. Walking the banks and wading the rivers is the most successful as kayaking can be very difficult in places. The best technique is to flick small trout imitation lures about, concentrating on the snags, deep pools and fast runs for both brown and rainbow trout. Small 6-7ft rods with 1000 size reels and 4lb braid are more than enough but keep in mind, some of this terrain is difficult to muster

though. If you’re a bit of a mountain goat, you will stumble across some pretty productive territory. COME VISIT There is certainly more to Gippsland than meets the eye and for the weekend escapist or annual holidaymaker there is miles of potential fishing locations that see very little fishing pressure. Finding them can lead to many dead ends but when you do find access to somewhere special, you might notice that the only footprints around are your own.

The elusive estuary perch are quite hard to come by unless you know where to look. Working the edges with shallow and deep diving hardbodied lures is your best chance at hooking one.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Fish go shallow as temp rises WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

November is a fantastic month for fishing the Glenelg River with warm weather and even hotter fishing.

the river clarity hasn’t been quite as good as expected in the lead up to summer but there certainly has been a huge improvement through September and October. Through the preceding months we saw plenty of fish

fishing with pilchard and cut crab. Lure fishing was most successful with vibes and blades. The fish were a little finicky at times and short sharp hops along the bottom without moving the lure too far was the best technique. Despite this,

November will see a change in the predominant patterns of the last few months. With the rise in water temperature and a real improvement in water clarity, the fish will begin to spend more time up on the shallow edges feeding. Often we find the bream in very close to the edge, in fact, at times casting a lure within centimetres of the edges into very shallow water results in a hook up. Early morning seems to

Clint Northcott with a nice Glenelg River estuary perch taken up in the shallows.

The author with a pair of average Glenelg bream for this time of year. Both fish were released. Being the last month of spring, November heralds the crossover point into summer and we get the best of both worlds. With the ongoing inflows of water from Rocklands Reservoir,

sitting well out from the banks in the slightly deeper water in around 3-5m. Estuary perch, bream and plenty of small mulloway were easily found by sounding in this depth line. Bait fishermen did well

there were still reasonably good numbers of fish up on the edges on occasion. Shallow diving hardbodies and lightly weighted plastics certainly accounted for many bream and decent sized perch.

Small mulloway are prevalent in the river this year and Russell Anderson was very pleased with this specimen. be the best time to fish shallow with the fish moving back out to the second drop-off around

mid morning and then back up again later in the day. The best baits at this time

tend to be podworm, peeled prawn and live baits such as minnow or glasses suspended under a float. Shallow to mid-diving hardbodied lures are the standout lures and you shouldn’t be afraid to get them down to where you can feel them bumping across the bottom and the snags. The fish will be well spread through the system so it’s important to keep moving until you find the areas that seem to be holding the most fish. The best parts of the river to target in November will be Taylors Strait and Dry and Sapling creeks, but as previously stated the fish can be well spread through the river and moving often until you find them is the key.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Portland fishing starting to fire PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

It’s that time of year again when the weather is improving and the water starts to warm up, which brings some great fishing into Portland. We have certainly had our fair share of rough and wet weather in the last month but when it started to improve so did the fishing. At the moment the breakwater has been up and down, with some early snapper around 5-6kg. It certainly stirred the locals up, but then it went quiet again. Just lately they have slowly come back with catches of 3-5kg. There’s a few gummy sharks and seven-gillers mixed up with the snapper. Flathead, squid and the odd salmon have also been caught off the breakwater.

When the weather has been kind the boat fishing has been pretty good, especially in the deep water. Blue-eye, ling and knife jaw have been prize targets. Around 140m has seen some very nice trumpeter, snapper, school sharks, morwong and gummy sharks in very good sizes. Some of the guys have been doing very well from Cape Nelson to Bridgewater Bay in the 50-80m depth range with great feeds of flathead, school sharks and gummy sharks. The bay has been a bit quieter this year but some good feeds of flathead and the odd big whiting are starting to show up. Beach fishing has been OK in areas around the north shore with salmon, sharks, the odd mulloway and pinkies. Bridgewater and Discovery Bay are also fishing OK at times.

Fishing around the jetties and canals has seen mullet, salmon, trevally, whiting and squid caught. NOVEMBER Generally the good old November winds are here in Portland but when the weather gods are good to us so is the fishing. We should definitely see the breakwater on fire with great snapper getting up to 10kg, which are amazing fish for the breakwater. We should also see some good gummy sharks and school sharks mixed in with the snapper. Squid, flathead and whiting are in better numbers off the wall at this time of year as well. Again, catches of big fish in the deep water are generally on the go with blue-eye, ling, knife jaw, trumpeter, snapper, morwong and sharks being great prized catches. Cape Nelson to Bridgewater Bay is very

much on fire this time of year with school, gummy and mako sharks, flathead, snapper, flying gurnards and other species thrown in. The bay and north shore should also start firing up with flathead, whiting, pinkies, squid and sharks. Some parts of the bay are better for some species than other parts of the bay but not hard to find. Beach fishing around the area is improving this time of year and with daylight savings and some warmer nights makes fishing off the beaches a dream. • For all your fishing needs, weather reports and fishing spots contact us at Compleat Angler on (03) 5521 1844 or call in at 61 Bentinck St, Portland. We are open 7 days a week from 8am-6pm and fishing licences are available in store.

The snapper are heating up with 3-5kg fish on offer at Portland breakwater.

Big bluefin bonus back around WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

It was late March, 2006 when Ken Hinze and Cameron Order caught a 70kg tuna, which is recognised as signalling the rebirth of the south west SBT fishery. Ken’s at it again, this time capturing a barrel-sized SBT well out of what would be considered traditional tuna season. Ken and John Aquilina captured a magnificent 100kg fish on 21 September in around 80m of water. It just goes to show if you intend to cover any distance offshore these

days it pays to check out any bust ups you see and have some tuna gear on board. These days many more anglers are spending time covering distances offshore, not just for tuna, but for deep water bottom species. Many local anglers have recently been successful in capturing tasty deep sea targets such as gemfish, blue-eye and Tasmanian trumpeter in the past months on those odd days when sea conditions allow for such an excursion to the depths required. Despite the distances involved and the speciality gear required, it definitely is a style of angling that is growing in popularity.

Saturday 15 November sees the opening of the southern rock lobster (crayfish) season, a muchanticipated event by all. Hoop netters and divers alike will be hoping for suitable conditions to get among the crays come opening weekend. Remember that the bag limit is 2 per person and the minimum sizes are 11cm carapace length for the male and 10.5cm for the female. All rock lobsters taken by recreational fishers are to be tail-clipped or tail-punched with a hole not less than 10mm in diameter. This must be done within 5 minutes of bringing rock lobsters onto a boat or, if taken

from the shore, within 5 minutes of landing and within 50m of the place of landing. Speaking of openings, the opening of trout season was a little slow this year with rivers already dropping and clearing fast. A few hardy souls managed some good fish mostly around 1.3kg. Bream have remained schooled up and hard to tempt recently in the Hopkins but come November they will be back on the bank edges and providing some good sport for lure casters. November was always a time when you might expect to see a run of mulloway in the local rivers so hopefully we’ll see some encountered.

Ken Hinze with his magnificent 100kg southern bluefin tuna.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Jump in and go cray-zy APOLLO BAY

Daniel Kent apollobaysurfshop@bigpond.com

Snapper season is well underway with many boat anglers reporting quality fish from Cape Patton and Otway. Try to use your sounder to locate the schools, which tend to be in the largest concentrations in 35-60m of water and holding over

will move in and catching a feed of these tasty fish should be no hassles at all. These flathead will be around right throughout the summer months and can reach respectable sizes with 65cm being common. Other species that patrol around these deep water reefs include gummy shark, several morwong species, nannygai and to a lesser extent yellowtail kingfish. All of these

Cray season opens in mid-November and is a popular time for divers in the Apollo Bay area. reef systems. Drifting with fresh baits of squid, salmon or barracouta fished on a 2/0 hook paternoster rig could see you landing fish of 6kg or more, although the average size is usually around 2kg. If you drift off the reef system, then the flathead

fish can be caught while targeting snapper so if all goes well, expect a mixed bag by the end of the day. The inshore reefs around Apollo Bay should be holding schools of King George whiting, which are just starting to flood back into this region for

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the warmer months ahead. Some quality whiting are available each season with fish of 50cm on hand and an average size well into the 40cm bracket. Pipis are my preferred bait and work well when fished on a light running sinker rig and slowly retrieved along the bottom. Make sure you are fishing close to but not on top of reefy structure. Any narrow sandy channels that run amongst the reef systems are likely places to find King George whiting. Mid November sees the crayfish season kick into action and diving up a feed of crays is a favourite pastime of mine. Hoop nets can also be used but please check the rules and regulations before heading out. I’m often asked where my secret spots for Cray diving are and the answer is that there aren’t any. Any reef system in this region can hold crayfish and it’s just a matter of getting out there and having a look around. Some monsters of 3kg or more are taken each season but specimens of 1kg are a common fare and considered better eating at this size. The rivers along the Great Ocean Road have been fishing well for brown trout but are starting to dry up quickly. Unless we get some much-needed rain in the coming weeks they will start to clog with weed and the fishing will taper off very quickly. If it does rain, then expect the trout to continue feeding and the fun fishing to skip into summer months.

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bream down near the mouth over the sand flats with after dark being the prime time. September and October has seen plenty of big bream action in the Hopkins River. Plenty of bream approaching and sometimes breaching the 40cm mark have been caught on lure and bait. This is the first time a distinct concentration of blue-nosed bream have been on offer for anglers since the big floods affected this river well over 2 years ago. Baits such as locally sourced brown shell, shrimp and crab have worked well. So too has soft plastics and minnow lures that dive to over 1m. The heavy winter rains that kept the Curdies River running hard and dirty have long since dissipated and

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Spring would have to be my favourite time of year. The cold winter is long behind us and gentle, warm weather and spring rains have replaced those cold, often violent storms. The heat of summer has yet to rear its head so our waters still run cool. As far as fishing goes, winter species are beginning to make way for the summer run snapper. Anglers who frequent the jetty at Port Campbell are reaping rewards that are coming in the form of some solid calamari squid. Snapper to 7kg are following the squid inshore in search of an easy feed. As a rule

not far offshore over weedy and rubble bottom. So too have sand flathead to 900g and nannygai to 1.4kg. Recently off Port Fairy, two intrepid boaters caught a 100kg tuna in less than 200m. The boys were out chasing shark when the tuna showed up and took the bait. Initially, the fish was thought to be a southern bluefin that failed to move on with its brethren on their never-ending pelagic journey around the Southern Ocean. However it was later identified as a Pacific bluefin, which is still a scarce catch in our waters. Finally some good reports are beginning to filter in from the Gellibrand River at Princetown. Some reasonable bream and estuary perch to 33cm have been caught in the

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Trout fishing in the coastal streams has been excellent but relies on some much-needed rainfall to continue into the warmer months ahead.

of thumb, the biggest snapper are generally caught prior to the New Year. Afterwards, smaller pinkie snapper replace them, especially in depths up to 20m. The big snapper are still about but reefs out in depths of 40m+ are where to concentrate efforts. School and gummy shark to 19kg are being picked up

lower reaches. This is great news considering the massive fish kill that took place over a year ago. The fish are responding to baits such as scrub worm either fished unweighted on the bottom or suspended under a float and fished close to the bankside reed beds. Frozen packet prawn is also picking up a few

the river has slowly settled down and finally some consistent reports of bream to 41cm have been taken in the lower reaches of the river. Hardbodied minnow lures or soft plastics in shrimp and minnow patterns fished hard up against the bank have also accounted for plenty of fish.

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Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

With the weather really starting to warm up down here and there’s options available to those fishing in fresh and saltwater, using lures and bait. GEELONG FRESHWATER Wurdi Buloc Reservoir near Moriac continues to produce fish that cannot be ignored. Rest assured, they are not being plucked like apples. Those catching the big fish have put in plenty of fishless hours. Redfin from tiddlers to some real whoppers around 45cm are being encountered. Michael Evans is still harassing those Wurdi reddies and sent in a picture of another ripper that was 45cm and 1.7kg. Michael caught his redfin using fish arrow soft plastics bounced slowly along the bottom. Michael notes that a few trout are moving about in the reservoir but have been hard to catch so far. The Barwon River in Geelong also has a few redfin kicking about but

they are not as big as the Wurdi reddies averaging around 200-600g. Almost any lure resembling a baitfish cast parallel to the bankside weed beds is in with a chance. Some big European carp have also come on the bite with a bit of warmth in the springtime air. Carp to 4.5kg have been caught on worms, bread, corn kernels and other lightly weighted baits fished on the bottom. CORIO BAY Quality snapper to 4.5kg have been caught in Corio Bay inner harbour. Early morning has seen good sport for soft plastic anglers along the Geelong waterfront with bream, silver trevally and small snapper. Anglers fishing from Limeburners Boat Ramp Breakwall have caught pinkie snapper from legal length to 35cm using pilchards for bait. Once the sun hits the water, there can be stacks of bait-stealing undersized pinkies so pack plenty of bait. The outer harbour has similar sized snapper around the 5kg mark in shallow around 4m of

water early in the morning while during the day, they are gathering along the edges and to the north of the of the main shipping channel out off Clifton Springs and Curlewis. Calamari have also been caught from the Leopold Hill to Clifton Springs by anglers drifting over the weed beds in depths from 3-5m. The northern side of Corio Bay has seen an upsize to snapper around the 6kg mark being caught by anglers fishing after dark out off the Mountain View Quarries using squid for bait. Those seeking flathead will be fist pumping as there has been plenty on the bite in the region. Most are less than 40cm in length but they can be caught in numbers by drifting with fish baits in about 6-10m of water out off Clifton Springs. BELLARINE PENINSULA TO QUEENSCLIFF Portarlington has been busy with anglers seeking snapper and there has been some quality fish taken over the last few weeks. The odd big

snapper nudging 8kg has been taken north of the shipping channel in 10m of water over broken ground. Portarlington and St Leonards piers are worth a look after dark for those keen on a landbased snapper this time of year. Try using a running sinker rig and fresh pilchards or squid on a run-out tide after dark. This can be particularly effective after a strong northerly blow. Rod Ludlow from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head says there has been a couple of cracking snapper caught from the St Leonards Pier that have given the 5kg mark a real fright. Rod says there have been other anglers catching quality snapper and gummy sharks in the region of late. Rod notes that there has been plenty of quality calamari being caught by anglers drifting with squid jigs over the shallow reef areas. Best spots have been Grassy Point at Portarlington and the Prince George Bank depending on tides and time of day. There has also been

There’s plenty of these ‘suckers’ kicking about the Bellarine at the moment.

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plenty of calamari action around Queenscliff. The calamari have been around the Pilot Jetty, just off Cottage by the Sea, Bell Reef and the Lonsdale Bight. They have been around 1-2kg and biting best at first light. Swan Bay has been fishing a little better for squid but they have not been as big, maxing out around 1k. After dark in Swan Bay has been a real mixed bag with big gummy sharks to 6kg and pinkie snapper around 40cm. Inside the Queenscliff Boat Harbour has seen calamari and silver trevally caught around the boats. The trevally have been all over Gulp Turtle Back Worms in pumpkinseed colour as cast by soft plastic enthusiasts and pilchard fillets for those using bait. BARWON HEADS AND SURF COAST Snapper fever has also kicked into gear along the Surf Coast with some ripper fish coming from the local reef areas and over the deeper rubble. Most fish have been from 4-6kg and there has been a few ripper gummy sharks taken as a by-catch! Tiger flathead have also made an appearance.

BEEN FISHING? Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterbunch@ optusnet.com.au with â&#x20AC;&#x153;VFMâ&#x20AC;? in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997 348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb (file size).

The redfin bite should extend into and beyond November with fat reddies like this expected.

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Rampaging reds caught by persistent anglers PORT PHILLIP WEST

Brenton Hodges blhodgey@hotmail.com

Snapper are undoubtedly the major draw card at this time of year and already there have been some impressive catches recorded across the western flank of Port Phillip. Whether you’re a soft plastic enthusiast, a more traditional bait angler, or perhaps someone who dabbles in both, west of the Yarra River is a key target area for spring reds.

SNAPPER TACTICS Fishing at anchor with various baits presented un-weighted or via a light running sinker rig is a tried and trusted technique. The humble pilchard is by far the most successful bait, followed by silver whiting and freshly caught squid. Over the past few seasons, some very large snapper have also been taken on small, but legal size, Australian salmon, which tend to school around the mouth of the Yarra River. Regardless of your choice of hook bait, a steady stream of berley is essential to keep the fish

Persistence will pay off for dedicated anglers. Adam van der Lugt’s Gulp Turtle Back Worm was slammed by this Corio Bay red that pulled the scales down to 6.2kg!

Having mostly completed their spawning activity, the resident bream are more likely to be on the lookout for a feed this month.

interested and schooled up behind the boat. In fact, it’s not unusual for some crews to go through a couple of kilos of cubed pilchards during a sustained hot bite. Chasing snapper on the drift with lightweight spin tackle and soft plastics continues to increase in popularity. The modern school of thought requires the use of a bow-mounted electric

motor, or at least a drogue and sometimes both, in place of an anchor, rod rack and berley pot. Basically, the technique involves using a tailing breeze to make a full length cast into undisturbed water ahead of the boat to avoid spooking fish in the shallows. Interestingly, some anglers opt to cast and retrieve a soft plastic while soaking a few baits at the same time. Indeed it is possible to

weather, and more specifically, wind direction and barometric pressure. Northerly winds generally coincide with a fast-falling barometer and an impending low-pressure system, which tends to put snapper off the bite. Conversely, once the wind swings around to the south, signalling an approaching high-pressure system and stirring up the bay at the same

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Flathead will be on the move throughout the month and plenty have been taken as by-catch by snapper fishers using both sott plastics and bait. combine both methods, and quite a few locals do well by berleying up at anchor, setting the bait rods and then flicking a plastic to pass the time. One of the many benefits to having a softie rigged up while bait fishing is that you can often trigger a reaction bite from snapper that are not necessarily dialled into feeding mode. Irrespective of your preferred method, it is important to consider the

time, some sizzling action can be expected. Moving into a period of stable high pressure, the bite should continue, but the intensity and duration gradually tapers off as the days pass. In terms of the tides, high water is preferable when fishing the shallows, but out wider, the low tide change can be equally productive. First and last light is most definitely the prime time to snare a few

reds. Overcast or cloudy skies, combined with a steady surface chop, also help prolong this short bite window. Of course, snapper can still be caught outside of these periods. For those with time constraints, my final word of advice is to simply get out there whenever opportunities arise! WILLIAMSTOWN TO ALTONA The inner reef areas in 3-5m of water from the mouth of the Yarra River through to Altona have been a happy early season hunting ground for Darren Ryan and many of his fellow kayakers. Casting worm pattern soft plastics on the drift has seen numerous pinkie snapper averaging 30-40cm taken both early in the morning and late in the evening, particularly on a rising tide. The odd larger red to 3kg has also been reported out a little wider in 6-8m of water. This month all the usual marks should be firing on all cylinders. POINT COOK TO POINT WILSON Squid are continuing to show up in good numbers in the shallows at Point Cook and with so much bait in the area, it will only be a matter of time before the reds follow suit. A few snapper to 3kg have been taken on soft plastics in less the 5m of water just out from the RAAF base in recent weeks and the action is expected to continue through November. Further west, persistence paid off for Adam van der Lugt recently when his Gulp Turtle Back Worm was slammed by a 6.2kg Corio Bay red! Flathead should also start to fire this month and they’re often taken as by-catch while chasing snapper on soft plastics and various baits. METROPOLITAN RIVERS Having mostly completed their spawning activity, the resident bream are more likely to be on the lookout for a feed. The Maribyrnong River has been producing fish to 35cm+, particularly up around Edgewater Estate through to the Anglers Tavern area. Over at Docklands, once again Sebastian Widjaja has seen 30cm bream that are plentiful amongst the jetty pylons. Baits of peeled prawn are getting the job done. The odd tailor and silver trevally have also been sighted throughout Victoria Harbour. BEEN FISHING? If you would like to see your name or photograph published, please forward reports and images to blhodgey@hotmail.com. You’re certainly not obliged to give away your secret spot, but a please include a general description of when, where, the technique and bait used, and who caught the fish.

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Christmas has come early for red anglers PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

November is like Christmas to a snapper angler! This month sees the reds generally go a bit silly as the water hits that perfect temperature that will have them biting, in many cases, all day long. Either way, if you want to get on the water and a catch snapper, now is the time. MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK The pier continues to fish well with some seriously good sessions being had by the land-based crew. In fact on some nights you really have to wonder

if it’s worth having a boat at all when almost every angler on the pier gets one or several shots at catching a big snapper in a night. The past month has been just like this and doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon. Best of all it’s a fairly simple formula of getting onto the pier when there is a good southwest blow happening, then fish with baits of pilchard or squid and hang on. In the boats, the reports are starting to flow in from out wide with some better fish being taken in shallower 6-9m areas off Mordialloc and up to Mentone. These areas have been good at night and when it has been rough. A few anglers mentioned that it’s best to fish with

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It’s all about snapper this month and jigging is a deadly method for these tasty reds. unweighted baits as some of the ground through this area is fairly heavy. Out slightly deeper, places like the Hump and up off Ricketts Point the fishing has been very consistent for snapper in the 2-4kg size, which has also made them the prime target for anglers to cast plastics, troll or even jig them up with small metal jigs. Up in Beaumaris Bay there has still been the

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odd snapper caught landbased but for the most part the squid and garfish are keeping most land-based anglers busy. Out off Ricketts Point the deep area known as the Gasso is once again a top place to be fishing for snapper, and while it has been producing a few over the past weeks, it’s this month that will see it go crazy as big schools of reds move over this food rich mud bottom to feed. Back in a bit closer the 16m line up towards Black Rock has been fishing very well over the past weeks. A lot of anglers have been reporting that they are doing well here on baits of garfish and couta, both of which are around in decent numbers. If you have been getting stuck into the snapper or are looking for something different to do this month, get hold of some micro jigs and a light outfit, then head out and chase the reds on small metal jigs – it’s deadly effective and a whole load of fun. I got into it myself last season and had a ball catching numbers of good snapper on them, in fact it became fairly standard practise that the bigger fish of the trip were on the metal jigs. If you want to give it a go call into Fishing Fever and the boys can help you get started. SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA Off sandy breakwall and up at Brighton there has still been the odd snapper being taken in the rough weather. However, it’s the boat anglers who have been fishing here in the 6-8m area that have had some great fishing at dawn for some very good snapper in the 4-5.5kg sizes. As an added bonus, the flathead have been quite spectacular in the area with heaps of anglers reporting numbers of flatties caught in

the 40-50cm size. Out on the edge of the shipping lane the snapper fishing has been very good for those anglers who are willing to find the patches of fish as they seem to be moving up and down the channel between Ti and T2 and the Fawkner Beacon. Out in the 14-16m line there has been lots of bait showing up in the sounder, in fact at times it has been so thick it has been hard to mark a snapper. If you find this sort of thing happening try fishing in the area as usually the snapper are in close proximity waiting for

a winner further north up towards St Kilda. Even more big snapper are pushing into the shallow areas in front of St Kilda marina through to the breakwall and along in front of all the piers. The best bit about this however is that it offers great fishing opportunities for both landbased anglers, kayakers and of course the boaters. Other areas that need attention this month are the cungevoi beds that run along the front of the Elwood area and back towards North Road. While these shallow areas fish best under the cover of darkness, during the daylight hours the deeper areas off St Kilda and the Fawkner Beacon have been holding huge numbers of reds. It really is just a case of sounding around until you mark a bunch of fish that are feeding on the mud bottom. ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE Some heavy rain in October put a serious stain of freshwater into this part of the bay. After the fresh had settled a bit it kept the snapper chewing with good reports of some very big fish taken off all the piers in the area. Out in the boats, the same areas that fish so well through winter are now producing numbers of quality snapper in the 3-8kg range. What could be better

Peter Alevizoloplous with a cracker of a fish on a Blu Blu jig. an easy feed. The other thing I love about the snapper that are holding on the bait is that they are actively hitting baitfish, so they will naturally love to eat a lure, especially a soft plastic. It’s also well worth checking out the new Samaki 20g Vibelicious lure, it’s a soft plastic vibe that is deadly on snapper. If the past weeks are anything to go by then the next few weeks should be

than fishing under the lights of the city, especially on a calm night? The real surprise packet for snapper anglers in this part of the bay however has been the continued run of fish to be found around Princess Pier. There are also a few other species of fish around at present but for the most part it’s snapper season in Melbourne so let’s get into it.

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Port Phillip Bay is preparing for code red PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Warmer and longer days always give the bay’s anglers a little bit of extra motivation to get out on the water, and the last month has provided some real glamour days for fishing on the bay. To the delight of many anglers, many of the best conditions have prevailed on the weekend and not during the working week. These perfect days have created some minor levels of chaos at some of the bay’s ramps and piers, but have also produced some great catches as well. During the warmer months, it’s all about snapper in PPB, and if

you live and breathe your fishing in Victoria it’s almost impossible not to get caught up in snapper fever at this time of year. If you are obsessed with snapper, like many PPB anglers are, then you basically become a lunatic for the next 6 months or so, as I am sure that the children, partners and significant others of all snapper anglers will agree. And why not get excited? With the early reports and exceptional snapper captures that have already reached my email and phone over the last month or so. Some monumental snapper up to 8kg have been taken in fairly consistent numbers. This month their annual migration into the bay is in full swing! Speaking of snapper reports, it’s hard to go past the absolute snorker that was

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landed by Jeremy Slade from Mornington Pier recently. Jeremy’s mammoth red pulled the scales down to 7.6kg and was taken from the harbour side of Mornington Pier during a strong westerly blow on fresh squid. While there are many quality snapper taken from the pier each year, this is the best that I can recall for some time, and just goes to show that you don’t need a big boat to get into the action. Fresh bait and the right conditions will produce the results from land-based locations as well. Other recent reports have been consistently coming in from out wide from Mornington, in particular around the yachting markers and further south toward Mount Martha. Expect the wide grazing areas around Frankston and Seaford to become more prolific over the coming months as the migrating snapper go on the hunt for scallops and other shellfish in these areas. Also remember that early in the season, schooling snapper will tend to hold close to reef and other structure, so these marks are the best places to concentrate on with your sounder. Don’t be afraid to troll a few lures while you’re looking at the sounder to

Port Phillip Bay anglers go crazy at this time of year with big snapper on their minds and, with models like this available, who can blame them! maximise your chances of success. As the water temperatures change in the bay, many of the other species become more active as well. Numbers of bait in the inshore areas increases greatly, bringing salmon and other predators in closer as well. At

present there have been a couple of massive schools working the areas close to Sunnyside, Canadian Bay and Olivers Hill. Trolling can be a very effective method when the sambos are moving fast, but be careful to not drive over the school or you will put them down. The best method

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Good numbers of small mulloway are still being taken by landbased anglers lure fishing in the bay’s creeks and marinas.

is to cast to the school from a downwind position and let them come to you. I challenge anyone to not have fun catching salmon on surface lures or any other form of sight fishing in this situation, they really are a great sportfish. They are also perfect for kids and inexperienced anglers. Expect the squid to become more active over the next month or so, as they move into the shallower waters to cash in on the food after spawning. Dawn and dusk are the best times. Some good numbers of mulloway are still being taken as well, in particular by lure and bait anglers fishing land-based in the bay, creeks and rivers. Kayak anglers seem to have an edge with the mulloway, perhaps this is an element of stealth that they provide. Try using 3-5” soft plastics and long profile hardbodied lures, as they have been the most productive for the lure anglers. Bait fishers have been doing best on squid strips and small live baits.

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Dan Lee info@peninsulatotaltackle.com.au

Spring has got off to a belter this year with a good range of fish coming from right along the peninsula, inside the bay and outside in Bass Strait. We’ve seen quality snapper, big gummies and a host of bread and butter table species on offer. Better yet the weather has, for the most part, playing the game. We’ve been seeing good windows of opportunity each week, often coinciding with weekends, which has been great! OFFSHORE The early bird snapper fishers headed offshore early in the month seeking out schools of snapper to the west as they gathered and made their way toward our bay. Drifting in 50-60m of water on the rubble beds saw anglers coming away with good pinkies as well as some genuine trophy fish. The best we heard of went about 8kg – pretty good for up and down bottom fishing. Having said that, anglers fishing deep off the Barwon Bluff were

John Cahill with a lovely red taken at Mt Martha.

Jules Frank with some lovely table fare taken while drifting outside the heads in 50m of water.

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also happy to come home with by-catch including perch, nannygai, gurnard, sergeant baker, flathead, leatherjacket and more. It’s pretty simple fishing consisting of paternoster rigs, Californian squid baits and a few hours drifting around on the big blue! SNAPPER The season already seems to be different this year with a better spread of fish coming from around the bay where last year so much of the action was in the north of Port Phillip. As has often been the case in these last few years there has been a good class of fish being caught for this first part of the season. Pleasingly, some of this action has been found around Ansetts at Mornington and off the deep water at Mt Martha. We had reports of a couple of fish over 8kg as well as good numbers between 4.5-6kg. Soundings in these areas have been showing up good signs of a good November, so here’s hoping for the month ahead. SOUTHERN CALAMARI For the first time this year, the start of the month saw a quiet patch, which some were attributing to the moon phase, but since then it’s been good to see some big squid come back on. Flinders has been producing, as has Portsea Pier if you want to target genuine breeders from the boat. At times there has also been some quality squid taken from Mt Martha rocks for those land-based. Although we all love our egi rods, reels and Japanese gear it can also be a great time to run a basic float rig with a live or

frozen fish bait. Sometimes the big squid are partial to a nice silver whiting and it is certainly not ‘squid fishing blasphemy’ to get back to the way people did it in the old days and float a bait out the back while you work your Japanese jigs. November is a great time to fish for squid and you want to catch them any way you can! LOOK AHEAD I cannot believe it but we’re almost ready to turn the calendar again! Between now and Christmas is a great time to target big gummy shark. The holiday crowds are still some way from hitting the peninsula

and it’s a great time to get out and find yourself a nice quiet patch of water to target gummies. With the water temperatures increasing, a lot of big gummies seem to re-enter our bay and I have had some of my most successful trips fishing this period of the year. On the other side of the coin, it can also be the best snapper fishing time for the southern part of the bay. There’s plenty of options – enjoy! • 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.

Peter Todorovski with a lovely spring calamari caught on the Tyabb Bank.

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The red sea returns to Western Port this season WST PORT NTH

Adam Ring

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, snapper season is in full swing and what a season it continues to be. Although the snapper are dominating our reports it’s not the only thing going on right now. The calamari continue

to eat jigs like they are going out of fashion, the gummies continue to poke around on the shallow mud banks and the whiting numbers continue to rise as we head further into the season. It’s a great time to be a mad keen fisho! THE TOP END If it’s the variety you’re after then the top end is where you need to be.

I have been talking to a few kayak fanatics recently and they have been cleaning up on the banks around Lang Lang and Grantville. There are some really nice gummies that take residence up here where the food is abundant and is relatively sheltered from boat traffic. There is a keen local that spends a lot of time up here and swears by fresh Coles tiger prawns for bait and more often then not leaves with a feed of fresh gummy. At least if the fishing is slow

of attention when it comes to snapper but it has been offering some well above average fish of late. A lot of fish in the 3.5-4.5kg mark have been a regular capture with the odd 5kg+ fish not being too rare. Fresh squid has been the pick of the baits, which is pretty handy for those who like to catch their squid on the day as the nearby Quail Bank is still producing some really nice calamari that can be stripped and ringed into the perfect snapper bait.

An example of the massive calamari being taken off the Tyabb Bank.

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Tommy Scott with his cracker 5.5kg big red from Boultons Channel. you can always eat the bait! There has also been the odd capture of elephant fish, which is highly unusual for this time of year, just more proof of how good the fishing is! As we move further around the northern end of the port we start to hit snapper city. Countless numbers of reports are flooding in from Bouchiers and Boultons channels through to Joes Island, and this is not going to slow down any time soon. One of the better reports records a 5.5kg red coming out of 7m of water, so depth isn’t always the main factor. Warneet is a place that doesn’t really get a lot

I have been hearing of a few whiting starting to move around in the channels around Warneet too. Gentle Annie and the Warneet Channel itself have produced a few small fish but it can and has been a little bit hit and miss. It’s worth keeping in the back of your mind for those sessions where you bag on snapper quickly and you really want to bring home a proper seafood basket! THE NORTH ARM The north arm of Western Port - there is no place you

would rather be in November! Here is where the magic is really happening. The calamari up on the Tyabb Bank have reached silly sizes. Most recent reports have been of squid to 1.5kg! The bigger jigs are definitely the key to the bigger squid and don’t be afraid to experiment with colours. The reds and whites are always going to be a favourite but they don’t work all the time. Orange is one that has gained a little bit of a following over the last month and I have also noticed sales of green jigs start to increase as heaps of yakkas are being caught at the moment. The bait grounds are stacked with bait for those that like to collect the fresh stuff. The Submarine and in

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Another cracker calm water snapper! The snapper will continue to fire at Western Port for some time to come.

close around Lysaughts Jetty is just exploding with the best and freshest bait. The yakkas are oversized, there is silver trevally mixed in with the odd slimey and there is even a few couta still hanging around, all of which are brilliant snapper and gummy bait. Lysaughts has really lit up with snapper and though this is an area renowned for lots of school fish hovering around that 1.5-3.5kg range there has also been some really nice, fat healthy fish mixed in with them. I recently had a chat to a keen fisho through the shop and he showed me a photo of a whopping 7.5kg red that was taken just before the slack tide. He was anchored in 18m of water and this fish was the result of converting a fresh squid caught off the Tyabb Bank into a lovely fresh squid ring. Hastings is another area that is lighting up sounders like no tomorrow. Unlike Lysaughts, the snapper here seem to be schooling up in that next size class. The areas around Buoy 13 and 14 have been producing some massive fish to 6.8kg but the average weight has been around the 4.5kg mark, which makes for an exciting day’s fishing any day of the week! Bigger slab baits have been working well with a nice fresh yakka chunk being the downfall of the previously mentioned 6.8kg fish. There are no real secrets to getting fish at this stage of the year. It’s as simple as getting out there amongst it and having a crack. The rewards are there and I look forward to hearing all about them in your future reports. Good luck!

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Tickle me pink, it’s snapper season again WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Western Port been a standout the past few months. Never would I have thought that September would deliver a 10.8kg monster, but it did! The story goes something

fought it to the end where he laid it on the deck of his boat and hurried back to the boat ramp. On weighing the fish, it pulled the scales down to 10.8kg! Talk about excitement early in the season, this monster set the precedence for anglers to flood the Port in droves. Rhyll has certainly kicked off the season well and is

The new range of Yakamito jigs have been very productive during its testing program. This new range of elite jig warfare will dominate the local squid scene. like this. A solo angler headed out in the morning and ventured up to Joes Island. Having no fish finder or depth sounder he set anchor and began a berley trail. Shortly after, he hooked a fish and

fishing the best it has ever since I can remember. It is funny when compiling fishing reports from the past few months to the day you’re typing it all down. It often brings back memories from

past years and I remember that for the past 10 odd years, there has always been a different location in the Port that has been the standout. Some years it might be Long Reef, some Corinella, Rhyll or the Top End channels and although you can never pin point exactly where and when the fish will fire, it is interesting to report on the current season and have years of memories flood back through your mind. This season however, Rhyll and Corinella have certainly been the pick of locations. With a combination of shallow water and sunshine, the water temperatures are a few degrees warmer in these areas, which is probably why the fish are more actively feeding in these areas. Still, anglers fishing during the night and on first light in the mornings when boat traffic is at a minimum are seeing good results. Although there is a lot of water to cover around these two locations, fishing around Rhyll at the well known Corals GPS mark has been productive during the flooding tides while some larger snapper to 5kg have been caught in the deep along the drop-off out from Elizabeth Island.

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Snapper of all sizes have been caught lately, most have been around 3-4kg mark, like this model. Closer in towards Rhyll, anglers fishing between Observation Point and the entrance to the Rhyll Channel have been pulling snapper to 7.2kg regularly. Local angler Gerry has been working the area and has been catching some magnificent fish during each session. So far, his biggest red from the area has been 6kg with plenty of 5kg models in the mix. Pilchards have been the standout baits. Another local, 8 year old Jai Mure fished off Rhyll and managed to pull in an 86cm snapper all by himself. The fish weighed 7.2kg on the scales. Daniel Mure caught another cracking fish of 82cm on the same day. In the Corinella area the fishing has been just as productive providing you sound fish, anchor and wait until they come on the bite. Muzz and Ray did just that out from Corinella and set anchor near Elizabeth Island to target gummies. The gummies eluded them for the day but they caught some ripper snapper. Ray got a PB, which weighed 4.5kg. Muzz also caught a smaller fish of about

Reel Time Fishing Charters have been catching great snapper in Western Port. This happy customer couldn’t be prouder. 2kg. All fish were caught on the run-out tide. There have been plenty more fish caught in that area too. Gerry, his brother and his brother’s girlfriend Karen went out early one morning, and it only took 2 minutes for Karen to catch her biggest fish ever, a 6kg gummy. It was caught on a pilchard bait. A few hours later Gerry caught another gummy at 6.5kg, which was caught on a yakka

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NOVEMBER 2014

The author with a nice calamari caught while drifting the Tyabb Bank.

fillet. Along with the gummies the guys caught a mixed bag of salmon, couta and flathead. Local angler Max also caught a cracking fish from the same area. Fishing the slack tide near buoy 13, Max managed an 8kg snapper that he released after a couple of quick photos. Though these have been just a few reports of what has been caught recently, there has been many more with fish of 6kg a regular catch surrounding a tide change. While we are now into November, the water temperature is prime for the reds to go into a feeding frenzy. The next 4 weeks will be epic on the Port and all it takes is some good fresh baits, a little berley and a tide change and it will be on for young and old. Aside from snapper, the calamari are still going strong for those wanting to catch something a little different. Land-based anglers should really concentrate on fishing from the Flinders Pier as it is going off to say the least. Anglers fishing from the pier on a high tide at night have been catching some very respectable models. Some of which have been weighed in at 1.2 kg. Size 3.0 size To page 27

November’s red hot fever PHILLIP ISLAND

John Dalla-Rosa

Well it’s the crazy time of year again when nearly everyone who owns a boat gets on the water in search of a ‘big red’ and the tackle shop owners rub their hands with delight as bait and tackle sales go through the roof. Last month a few fish had started showing up to their usual hangouts between Mornington and St Kilda in Port Phillip and in Western Port around Lysharts right up to the Boulton Channel and on the other side of the bay around The Corals and up past Corinella. It’s still early days yet but all From page 26

jigs have been the most effective. From the boat, working the inshore reefs in Cat Bay has also been producing some nice models; most have come from Hen and Chickens Reef during the flood tide. Another good calamari spot is on the eastern side of Mchaffies Reef on the high tide. Not many anglers

indications are for another good season. I took the grandkids up to South Gippsland for trout opening expecting to find the stream running high and dirty, instead it was running low and clear, which made it a lot harder to catch a fish. As soon as the sun was on the water it was all over but they still managed to catch a couple of nice browns and a big eel or two. Watching a platypus backstroking around in the water was a bonus for them. SURF BEACHES The surf beaches have been a bit patchy of late, one day you can pick up a good bag of fish, and another you have to work hard just to get a couple.

As the weather improves so will the fishing, as bigger schools of fish will start moving down the coast. Most of the fish have been in the 0.5-1kg range, which is the best size for the table. A lot of fishers regard salmon as being only good for snapper or shark bait but if the fish are bled when caught and then filleted, skinned and the dark bits of meat taken off you get rid of the fishy taste and they make the best tasting fish cakes or fish pie. SAN REMO AREA Below the Bridge Some reasonable calamari are being caught in the Cleeland Bight. There have been some pinkies and a few good-sized whiting starting to show up.

Above the Bridge As mentioned earlier the snapper are starting to show up in their usual haunts. The northern end of the bay has been producing some good fish for the past couple of months but you have to put the time and effort in to get them. The new season’s run is just starting, so places like The Corals, Silverleaves, Lysharts and Hastings should start to fire up. There are a lot of snook in the bay at present. These fish are best caught trolling diving lures or on lead lines. Squid are still around in reasonable numbers and this should be the peak time to target them, especially for the big ones in the Flinders area.

fish in here and it can produce some decent size calamari. Whiting are also still about and with snapper on most anglers’ minds at present, they are feeling very little fishing pressure. Angler Don English has been fishing on the Tortoise Head Bank over the past few weeks and has come home with a nice bag of whiting each time. Don said that the whiting have really come on the bite

2 hours before the top of the high tide. Berley has been essential with pipi and mussel baits doing the job. I have also had reports of whiting caught in Dickies Bay recently and in the Rhyll Channel on the bottom of the low tide. All it takes is a few anglers to switch their focus from snapper to something else. Heading into December, anglers will start to switch

their focus quite quickly. This will coincide with snapper going into spawning mode, as they will slow down in their active feeding patterns. Anglers with boats large enough will begin to head offshore as it will be time to venture out in search of mako sharks. December and into January is the prime time for these apex predators and I can’t wait to see the results when reports begin to flood in.

Chloe and Ben Cornford with a couple of nice brown trout caught on the opening of trout season.

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All news is good news this season at Welshpool WELSHPOOL

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

The only news that comes from this part of the world in November is good news as far as fishing is concerned. We have gone through what has been a fairly severe winter but that is now behind us and the better conditions will now be with us for some time, which is the good news. Among the positive news, there seems to be very big squid everywhere both inside and outside the entrance. Last month, information from the boat storage was that there had been surprisingly few boats out on the water but this was probably due to the fact that there were other activities that are now behind us. The whiting numbers have been on the increase where the Lewis Channel has been the most productive place to wet a line. The fish are up to the 38cm mark, which is acceptable and they are in very good condition and that’s further encouraging news. Mixed in with the whiting has been plenty of silver trevally and quite reasonable sized flathead. The skunk sharks have been making a nuisance of

themselves, but there is not much that can be done. The jetties have begun to really pick up. There has been very good numbers of squid being taken and specimens to the 2kg mark are fairly common. They have been caught mainly on lures under a float and as visiting angler Bill Hanneborough found out when he bagged out on very big specimens. However, there is a way they should he handled. Bill learnt quite a bit the first time he caught squid - firstly is to point them away from yourself when you handle them! They have a very large supply of black ink that can and will make a very big mess when they let it all go at once. Not knowing what to do, he kept making the same mistake until it was just about time to go when a local came along to lend a hand. To say Bill was amused would be a great understatement but he had a great laugh at the unfortunate angler who was by now covered with black ink. There have been early snapper caught in the Franklin Channel to the 3kg mark but there are probably better size fish there such as gummies and big flathead making an appearance. The big toothies will not be too far away. It is true that we have gone through a long cold

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winter where only the truly dedicated boaters and landbased fishers will venture out on the water. Many will return with not a great deal to show for their efforts but there are those who know where they are going and know what they’re doing. They are the ones have been returning with very good numbers of gummies, flathead and silvers. There have been favourite places such as GPS marks around the 20m mark, which is about 10km out from shore and it always seems to produce. Geoff Lipscure will always return with quality flathead, whiting and gummies that would put a smile on the face of the most fussy boaters. On the western side of the inlet is Yanakie where the caravan park is run by Lachie Roberts, who loves to get out whenever he can. Last month I contacted him and he said that there were quite good size gummies, snapper and flathead being caught on a variety of baits and this was making the efforts worthwhile. This is further good news for this area and he is a good person to keep in touch with. There have been other positive reports from the surf where there have been quality gummies and flathead being caught mainly on the run-in tide late in the evenings. The best baits have been squid, pilchards and a variety of fresh fillets. There is always the local General Store that is run by Ulla and Rob Killury, which is in the main drag of Port Albert. Like most general store owners in the country Ulla and Rob are always friendly and will have the latest on the fishing situation.

We all know that the local hotel that had been famous in the area for well over 100 years was sadly burnt to the ground. Jan and Chris Cato hold the licence to the premises and have built a new hotel in its place. Although very

DAN LEE

NINETY MILE BEACH

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Spring is here and anglers are flocking to the NinetyMile Beach for the annual run of gummy sharks. The gummies seem to have read the instruction manual, because there have already been plenty caught and the season has just started. We normally start seeing the odd gummy shark getting caught in late August and by September, your chances of getting a gummy are very good. However, October and November are my favourite months to chase the gummies on the surf. So far I haven’t seen any whoppers, however there have been plenty of 1m long gummy sharks caught and most of them have been caught in late evening between 7-10pm. Golden Beach has fished well of late, however, this is partially due to Woodside having bit of the slimy weed stuck in the deep gutter. We get the weed immediately after strong constant

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NOVEMBER 2014

anglers (assuming that they have had a successful day) can be driven home in a stretch limousine that will be made available and parked outside the hotel. This is something that will quickly become a landmark, which is a great innovation.

It is gummy time!

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young, it’s quickly making a very good impression on locals and visitors alike. Their hotel is known as ‘Custom House’, which is an appropriate name being located right on the foreshore. As well as providing accommodation,

Clint Jones caught this gummy recently at Delray Beach.

Shannon Musgrove caught this early season gummy shark off the Ninety-Mile Beach. Gummy shark numbers will increase dramatically over the next few months. easterly winds, so it pays to go after a westerly wind to be sure it has gone. The water around Woodside and McLoughlins looks great, so it will be good down that way this season. The seven-gill sharks will turn up any day now and they are usually a common occurrence when night fishing in October and November. On the snapper front, I have heard of one landbased snapper caught down at Golden Beach, but the snapper catches will increase over the next few weeks. Best baits have been squid legs but there have been some thumping big salmon caught around McGaurans Beach and Seaspray so if you happen to catch one, put on a fillet as you can’t beat it for bait. The land-based game fishing anglers have already started chasing the sharks and I have seen one decent bronzy caught so far. Over the next month, the gummy sharks and snapper are really going to come on strong, so be sure to fish the nights where you have a late tide change for the best

chance of getting a landbased gummy or snapper. Also, always have one rod with a surf popper rigged up, as poppers are a great way to always have a bait out, plus with the addition of a bit of bait, you will have a bait floating off the bottom away from the crabs. Black Magic have brought out these great new surf rigs for long distance casting and some have a bigger popper style float to hold the bait off the bottom. They should be dynamite for the Ninety-Mile when the crabs are bad. The land-based shark guys will also start catching good numbers of bronzies as they turn up in big numbers once the water warms up in November. • 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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Whopping whiting reward local knowledge INVERLOCH

Alan McFayden amcsayte@bigpond.net.au

With the winter activates done and dusted there has been a very noticeable number of anglers, both in a boat and land-based getting out for a fish. This is great to see and the efforts have in most cases made the effort well worthwhile. There is a wide-held belief by many anglers that whiting do not bite through the cold winter months and as a result they will target other fish to take up the slack. On the other hand, there are those who know the local waters and know where to go and these are the people who rarely miss out on getting into very good numbers of the royals that are often up to the 50cm mark. This may seem to be exaggerated, but Dino Tiziani is a boater who keeps his finger on the pulse. He reasons that often the cold winter months are more predictable and although a bit uncomfortable he very seldom fails to catch quality fish. One of the reasons for success is local knowledge, he knows exactly where to go and leaves noting to chance

John Cutriss and Steve Waldron at Mahers Landing after a good day out on the salmon and whiting. by having fresh quality bait, which is always a must. It is also a good idea to have a variety to choose from as the fish can change diet without any notice. Outside the entrance at Inverloch is very popular with boaters where there is a very good variety of fish. In addition to the whiting there

are very good size silvers and big garfish mixed in with them. These fish will take a variety of baits that include Bass yabbies, which can be pumped locally, pipis and fresh small strips of pilchards. Although great bait, pilchards should not be allowed to thaw out and be refrozen, as they will go mushy and won’t be

of any value. The idea is to just thaw out a few for your immediate needs and keep the rest frozen. Out wider in the deeper water there have been quite good numbers of gummies being bagged through the winter and they continue to put smiles on the faces of anglers. The males are smaller than the females and grow to around the 160cm mark while the female will get to around the 175cm. Just inside the entrance there have been quite good numbers of big mullet being caught. They have been up to the 40cm mark and are a very much underrated fish on the table. The truth is that they taste good but must be eaten fresh and definitely not frozen. If they are filleted, skinned and have the black stomach lining removed they are quite tasty. There have been quite good size whiting being bagged. Among them are flathead and the occasional gurnard being caught at Pensioners Corner. The best time has been on the last half of the run-out tide when the tide is not running too fast. The newly constructed jetty at Inverloch has had plenty of land-based anglers

wetting a line with mixed success. Every so often a school of mullet pay a visit to the area and when this happens, the action will be fast and furious. This is when there will be huge amounts of berley thrown into the water. Further up towards Mahers Landing there have been numerous boaters and land-based anglers trying their luck at Inverloch jetty. They have been having mixed results. Steve Waldron is a Wonthaggi legend and can often be seen out on the water with son-in-law John

Cutriss. Just before this report I came across them cleaning a bag of good size whiting that they had caught just upstream from the ramp on the run-out tide. Steve said that there was plenty of big salmon that provided great entertainment but like most other experienced fishers he knows that big salmon are not much value on the table, but good for shark bait. Steve will be out again as the opportunities present. He is expecting a ripper season and he should know as he spends plenty of time on the water looking for fish.

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Bream biting in a big way GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

I can’t believe the huge turnaround from the last few months when hooking a bream was almost impossible, to the astonishing tallies of now, which are beyond belief. Since way back in 2001, I have never seen such a hot bite at this time of the year and it comes off the back of an awfully quiet winter, my worst on record when it comes to bream lure angling. Early spring has been very

hit and miss. That is all behind us now and this current mad bite has caught all of us totally off guard,. However, we have all made up for lost time and have been very busy hooking great scores of bream while being blessed with the odd day of kind weather. BIG TALLIES OUT OF SEASON Often I write and talk about the amazing number of bream that lure anglers can amass during a hot bite. Most people think I’m talking ‘cow pats’ and that it’s impossible to land 50-60 bream a day or even over 100! For those that see it or

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take part in it, the reality is that at certain times of the year it is not hard to hook a bream with almost every cast. That situation arrived a few weeks back and nobody can work out why! It’s almost like the bream forgot to take part in their usual winter bite and waited another 3 months to start feeding up big time. However, I think it may have more to do with the very cold winter water temperatures that we had this season that for whatever reason, delayed or prevented the usual great winter bream fishing. Right now some of the best bream fishing can be had in the lower Mitchell River, middle sections of the Nicholson, especially the Tambo from the boat ramp to the entrance, and a few lake locations like Swan Bay, Duck Arm, around Raymond Island and Paynesville. Bait anglers in the Tambo have said sandworm have caught them their best bags of bream in years, with most of them 1kg and around that 40cm mark. I’ve also watched a few cagey anglers dropping unweighted shrimp down beside jetty pylons and saw their rods bent down hard with nearly every cast. LURE MADNESS Check these tallies out with all the following anglers fishing most of the locations mentioned above. Stevie Wheeler and Owen

You can always find sheltered water in the Gippy Lakes and a perfect launching place for easy kayak fishing. Nick French and Dylan Henness got into the action and they stopped counting at about 60-70 bream each! I sent Neil Morrison and Ray Clissold out with strict instructions to keep hooking until they stacked enough bream to lose count. They had no trouble lifting in a cricket score as well as dozens of tailor that were busting up on huge schools of baitfish. Fellow kayaker Jason Deenan joined me and we fished side by side and kept very careful count and had a great day together laughing at just how hungry the bream were, by eating nearly any lure we bounced near their nose. At one stage Jason cast a tiny black Strike Pro Micro Vibe at the same jetty pylon and in 25 casts he pulled 23

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the lower Tambo just below the ramp. Josh Smith who is a regular in the Hobie bream comps also fished the same areas and he reckons that counting so many fish gets too hard but said he landed well over 75 bream for his efforts, also caught on a Micro Vibe.

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Stevie Wheeler with another nice bream caught during perfect spring weather. Pierce were the first to find them with a modest two-day tally of about 60 bream to 38cm, but in all fairness they didn’t sit on big schools, they went searching far and wide with soft plastics and hardbodies. Then, Justin Dingwall and Josh Morgan went out and totally smashed the bream scoring a monster tally of about 180 fish with most of them 26-34cm and a couple of them to 38cm. Not bad for an 8am start and a 3pm finish!

bream off it! After a long day we left the bream biting and I updated my fishing diary that night and recorded our 216 bream for the day. There were some great memories and it was a joy to share the fun with Jason, who for the first time caught a new PB, exactly 100 bream for the day. He was not going home until he cracked the ton. Thanks to Justin Dingwall for putting me right onto the fish and to Owen Pierce who found bigger bream to 1kg in

TECHNIQUES AND LURES I received 2 emails from readers recently and I was asked to spend a little time in discussing how to get these hungry Gippy Lakes bream when they are so willing to eat lures. First of all, use a small blade no bigger than 40mm and don’t worry about colour or brand, they all work. If there was only one deadly colour or type of lure it would have totally and utterly

dominated the market by now, so it’s important to get this out of your head before you even start. Cheap lures work the same as dear ones, sometimes even better. Expensive blades should at least have much better hooks and split rings to make them worthwhile. It’s all about technique and bream respond best to small, tiny hops of the lure. Start off with constant but very small lifts of your rod tip every 2 seconds or so, but always leave the lure on the bottom completely motionless in between hops. This is the important part, because that’s when the bream attack. You should feel the lure vibrate for less than a second on each lift before you let it settle again. Short, sharp, very small but constant hops of the lure, almost leaving it in the same spot by ‘tea-bagging’ if you can. In fact to vertically tea-bag a blade is the most deadly thing around. I call it the ‘Lipton lift’ or the ‘Tetley tweak’. The only change around this method should be about how long you leave the blade on the bottom. Some guys can leave it there for 10-20 seconds and catch fish! I can’t do this and it probably costs me fish but I suggest you try to at least experiment. Do not lift the rod up with long sweeping draws of your arm that makes the lure rise 1m or more up from the bottom. I see this often with people trying everything possible to get their first bream on a blade. Last thing, don’t give up! Yes, I have rare times of a bream a cast but plenty more days of a couple of bream for 5 hours casting!

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Calamari are everywhere MCLOUGHLINS

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

We don’t talk about calamari all that much in this report as it focuses on McLoughlins Beach, but I think we need to talk about Port Albert a bit as the squid fishing has been nothing short of amazing. Fisheries are saying the sea grasses have grown back in a big way in South Gippsland. Whatever the reason, there is more calamari in the system than I have ever seen before. Nearly every angler you speak to is bagging out and whether you have a boat or can only fish the jetties, there is plenty of squid fishing to be had. Size 2.5 and 3.0 squid jigs are both working well and at Port Albert the Basket Beacon area is the place to fish. They are in the channels and in the weed beds, so just drift until you find them and then anchor up if you want to bag a couple. The key to catching calamari is to get your jig as close to the bottom without catching the weed, this is the trial and error part. Once you work out how long to let

the jig sink, cast, jig, wind and repeat. That’s all there is to it. The whiting have been caught but only in small numbers so far, but that

should change any week now as that water temperature was hovering around the 15°C mark last month but is closer to 18°C at present. The snapper have

Kobi Caldwell caught 2 nice gummies and a bunch of calamari with his Dad in South Gippy recently.

already made an appearance and there have been some good fish caught to 5kg and most are being caught within an hour of the tide changes, so those are the times to fish. Snapper numbers increase dramatically once the water temperature gets over 16°C. The gummy sharks are going well inside around the Snake Channel and anglers are bagging out on gummies to 4ft in length quite often now. Angler have been catching good numbers of flathead to 45cm. The bigger flatties are in the shallows and I have heard of a few around the 60cm mark so far caught on 3-4” soft plastics. Offshore, plenty of anglers are bagging out on flathead to 45cm in 30m of water, there’s also some excellent gummies being caught in close around Whale Bay and Bentley Harbour. • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on (03) 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

There are some excellent squid being caught in South Gippsland by boaties and land-based anglers alike. This is a cracker for our area caught by Wayne Brown.

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Bruisers from the beach LAKES ENTRANCE

Lucas Smith squidgy_man1@hotmail.com

It’s that time of year that you need to dust off the surf gear and get down to the beach as the fishing is red hot! Huge schools of salmon have raided the local beach gutters and will hang around until February. As always, spinning with Lazer Lures on light gear is the best option, but bait fishing with bluebait or pilchard tails on a paternoster with a surf popper is a deadly option. There have been some thumping salmon around up to 11lb with some huge tailor in the mix too. For those chasing the bigger critters, it’s time to start paddling baits out on the game gear, as the bronze whalers should be starting to arrive. Whole tuna are a proven performer but fresh salmon are also hard to beat. Twin 12/0 hooks on 300lb wire are standard tackle for these big critters. Popular beaches to paddle are Pettemans, Ricardo, Eastern and Tyers second car park, just keep clear of the swimmers. At night the gummies have been firing, especially

further east towards Marlo. Fresh squid, eel and bluebait are perfect gummy baits and the tougher baits are best, especially if the crabs are bad. Fish the run-in tide, especially a week either side of the full moon. Offshore has been fishing well with schools of pinkie snapper on the shallow reefs like the 4 and 6 Mile, while The Bluff has also been fishing well in 10-15m of water on soft plastics. On the deeper reefs, the couta have been thick, as have the squid, so always have a jig at the ready. Fresh couta and squid are dynamite on the pinkies and gummies too, so it always pays to hang onto a few as cut baits. Some huge reds have been caught out at The Tower and the pipeline in 40m of water on live slimies. Persistence is the key and while the numbers haven’t been big, the size of the fish has certainly made up for it. Keep an eye on the sounder and watch for marks as the snapper follow the bait schools. In close, the gummies and flatties have been firing in 15-22m of water west of the entrance. Fresh bait is the best option and couta or slimies are awesome. Anchoring and berleying puts you in with the

best chance of the gummies but drifting will see you catch both gummies and a good bag of flatties. Gurnard have been thick in patches. If they are too much of a pest, try moving out a few hundred metres into slightly deeper water. Early reports of the occasional mako being raised have come in from the 8 Mile Reef, so keep a big rod ready. A good berley trail puts you in with a good chance and a tuna fillet under a balloon should see some action. Lake Tyers has been patchy but good schools of bream have been on the shallow flats in the lower reaches of the lake and are best targeted in the first and last few hours of daylight on live prawn or pilchard fillets. Flatties have been thick and are easily caught on soft plastics bounced around the drop-offs and weed beds. Tailor have been caught trolling metal lures around the power lines and the lower reaches of the Toorloo Arm. Some have been up to 70cm so they are thumping choppers and awesome fun on light gear! Fly-fishing the flats has seen some great bream and flatties caught on green and pink no. 4 Clousers and Polar

Big flatties love a well-presented Clouser and this chunky lizard snaffled one on a shallow flat. Flash Minnows. Another great fly is the Merkins Crab, as a large part of flats feeder’s diets

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Big post-spawn bream are hungry MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The fishing in our area is great, the estuaries are producing some of the best fishing imaginable. Big schools of bream are on their spawning run and are heading up the rivers and small streams to spawn and some have already done so and are eager to eat any bait

available. An old school mate of mine did well on a recent outing where he bagged 8 bream all over 1.5kg on local black crab up in the Lake Corringle area on the run-in tide. There have been other reports of good size bream being caught in the Brodribb River all the way up to Lake Curlip using sandworm and frozen prawn. Luderick can be found in big numbers schooling around the rock groins that

surround the islands and on the mud banks along the rivers. The best results have come from using sandworm, either under a float or with a running sinker. Mullet are also plentiful throughout the system, with best results again using sandworm. Although a little early, anglers have been getting some good size estuary perch in the Snowy and Brodribb rivers using lures. Salmon and tailor

People are taking full advantage of the run of bream in the system at the moment.

are also in good numbers favouring the incoming tide. Most are being caught either casting or trolling lures. The surf beaches are fishing well and by all reports good size salmon and tailor can be found on most beaches most of the time. Anglers have had good results either bait fishing and using blue bait, squid, pipis and pilchards accompanied with a popper. Other anglers have reported getting plenty of action using light gear and casting metal lures. At this stage the gummy sharks are a bit hit and miss but it won’t be long before they come in close to the beaches in good numbers and then anglers will be out in force fishing in the early evening, taking advantage of the gummy run. Offshore fishing from Cape Conran is also firing with anglers reporting excellent bins of big flathead and gummy shark up to and over 4ft in length. Along with the flathead and gummy shark, anglers have been getting plenty of pinkie snapper, morwong, squid, barracouta, gurnard and leatherjacket.

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North Road jetty reconstruction Brighton’s North Road jetty will undergo a major reconstruction thanks to a $393,000 grant as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s 2014-15 Boating Safety and Facilities Program, Minister for Ports David Hodgett and Member for Brighton Louise Asher announced today. “The North Road jetty in Brighton is such a popular spot for recreational boaters and is in need of repair,” Ms Asher said. “That’s why I’m delighted that through this year’s Boating Safety and Facilities Program, over $393,000 is being invested to see this jetty reconstructed. “The works will breathe new life into the facility and ensure that boats have safe access at both launching and retrieval stages. “This is one of the biggest projects out of this year’s Boating Safety and Facilities Program and a great example of the initiative enabling councils and waterway managers to deliver necessary projects that improve recreational boating. “I congratulate Bayside

City Council on doing the necessary planning to get this project off the ground and I look forward seeing the project get underway,” Ms Asher said. Mr Hodgett said this year’s investment is a record amount in the history of the initiative and is a great example of the Napthine Government’s commitment to the industry. “The Victorian Coalition Government has a strong record of investing in projects to make recreational boating safer and more accessible for all Victorians,” Mr Hodgett said. “I’m proud to say that over the past four years the Victorian Coalition Government has invested over $40 million in total on around 250 recreational boating projects to address safety and improve accessibility across the state’s waterways. “Furthermore, we announced in the 2014-15 State Budget that the Boating Safety and Facilities Program will be increased to a record funding level of $8 million each year, meaning a bigger investment in local boating infrastructure. “This year’s package of projects includes over 50

grants for local councils and waterway managers in the areas of boating infrastructure, search and rescue and aids to navigation. “Through initiatives like the Boating Safety and Facilities Program, the Napthine Government is working with industry to promote recreational boating and support a broad range of projects that will make a real difference to local boating communities,” Mr Hodgett said. Bayside City Council Mayor Cr. Laurence Evans welcomed the announcement of the grant. “The boat launching facilities at the North Road Jetty are an important part of Bayside’s foreshore infrastructure and a valuable community resource,” Cr Evans said. “We are delighted that the State Government is joining Council in contributing towards its reconstruction. “With the aid of this grant Council can move forward confidently towards an expected reopening of this facility in May 2015,” Cr Evans said. – Premier of Victoria

Geelong man fined for illegal fish A Geelong West man appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court recently to face several charges after he bought illegally caught fish from a recreational fisher for sale through his retail business. DEPI Regional Fisheries Officer Paul Millar said the

Act, knowingly making a false statutory declaration and producing false documents. Mr Millar said the company obtained the snapper from a recreational fisher and when inspected by Fisheries Officers the man attempted to cover up the activity with

to those who are willing to take the risk. “The sale of fish caught under the cover of recreational fishing activity unfairly competes with legitimately sourced product in the market place, compromises food safety and sustainability,” he said.

man and a company he was the director of pleaded guilty to being in possession of illegally obtained snapper and several offences relating to creating false documents. “The fish were not taken by a licensed commercial fisher and it is illegal to catch fish for the purpose of sale without being a commercial fisher,” Mr Millar said. Both the man and the company were convicted and fined $3,000 and $5,000 respectively on charges of selling fish taken in contravention of the Fisheries

false records. “The retailer and another seafood wholesaler supplied false documents in an attempt to legitimise the company’s illegal fish, and a commercial fisherman assisted by creating false catch records claiming that he had caught the fish.” Mr Millar said the result demonstrates the efforts of Fisheries Officers to ensure the public have access to safe and sustainable seafood. “It is a reminder to people that recreationally caught fish cannot be bought or sold and significant penalties apply

“Fisheries Officers will be on the lookout for this activity leading into our summer season.” Mr Millar said this case follows on from a court hearing in May where a Geelong based fish retailer and a licensed commercial fisherman, both pleaded guilty to charges of knowingly making and furnishing false documents. Anyone who suspects illegal fishing activity is urged to contact the 24 hour fisheries offence reporting hotline 13FISH (133474). – DEPI NOVEMBER 2014

Open season for lovely lobster WEST COAST

Shane Lowery

November heralds the unofficial beginning of the spearfishing season, with the weather really heating up along with the quality and variety of species available. November is the last month of spring and is the transition point between our spring and summer species. Squid and scallops are still about and we start to see a real build up of snapper on the closer inshore reefs. This is my preferred month to target snapper on the far southwest coast, with locations including Killarney, The Crags and the North Shore of Portland being standout venues. The key to bringing snapper in close enough for a shot is the use of berley as they can be very timid fish. A small amount of berley such as pilchards, squid or chopped up fish gets the snapper in a feeding mode and a real difference in their behaviour is quite noticeable. They become aggressive towards chasing the berley and feeding and seem to take less notice of a diver cautiously approaching to make their shot. Other species to target on the inner reefs at this time

The author and a couple of season opening southern rock lobster. of year are trevally and King George whiting, which tend to increase in overall numbers. On 16 November we see the opening of the southern rock lobster season and that’s a great reason to get serious in mid November. In the southwest we are blessed with great stocks of southern rock lobster and collecting a feed is never hard in calm inshore sea conditions. Lobsters are best hunted on shallower reefs with large, deep rock ledges and generally like areas with plenty of weed around to help keep them camouflaged and safe. As with snapper, a small amount of berley pinned at the front of a deeper ledge containing

lobster can often attract them out into a position that is much easier to grab them. In Victoria divers must only take lobster by hand and no mechanical device can be used to assist in their capture. The bag limit per diver per day in Victoria is 2 lobsters and no soft shell or female lobster with eggs may be taken. Please check the fisheries regulations and make sure you have a current Victorian fishing licence before heading out to dive for them. Even though we tend to expect yellowtail kingfish in December, they are a possible

Paul Blackborrow with a great yellowtail kingfish. These green speedsters will be available around southern waters and the Wilsons Promontory area.

Jamie Ross took this very good-sized rock lobster. Remember to get yourself up to date with bag limits, legal sizes and capture methods.

quarry in November. Early season kingies are very possible on the south coast and equally around the Wilsons Promontory area. I have quite often bumped into unexpected schools of kingies in mid to late November, so if water temperatures are up, be prepared to encounter these fish.

Remember to always fly a ‘diver below’ flag on you’re float and always try to dive with a buddy to keep yourself safe. The cold weather is gone and the end of spring to the beginning of summer is a very special time for spearfishing so now is the time to get out for a dive.

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Hot Spot

Carrum, Port Phillip Bay CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

This month, Chappy looks at the southeastern Melbourne Suburb of Carrum. This wellknown launch site provides comfortable surrounds for visitors and some top access to Port Phillip Bay. SPECIFICS Carrum boat ramp is located on the banks of the mighty Patterson River. The facilities it has to offer include bait, food, drinks and petrol, which are readily available and this is what appeals to most snapper fishers. With 4 double or triple lane boat ramps and plenty of parking, it is the biggest boat ramp on the bay. While you’re there, drop in and have a chat to local legends Trevor and Lynette Hogan who manage the facility. They will be more than happy to help you with just about anything. PRIME TIME The prime time for snapper around here is November and December. The fish may not be in such big numbers yet but what they lack in numbers, they definitely make up for in size. Early morning or late afternoon with a tide change

is a key factor and will double your chances of hooking up to a few big reds. THE GEAR A lightweight 4-8kg spin outfit is the perfect match for snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay. The Shimano IFISH Port Phillip rod married up with a spin reel from 4000-6000 size, spooled with 15lb mono is ideal for bait fishing. If you prefer to cast soft plastics then a 3000

catch snapper in the bay. A small no. 1 ball sinker running down to a twin hook rig of 5/0 hooks works well. A good abrasive resistant leader like Instinct 40lb Supple will help stop fish bite offs and rubbing you off around structure, but still supple and soft enough for tying up rigs. BAIT AND LURES It always pays to take a variety of baits out because one

Matty Witherden with a typical Port Phillip Bay snapper taken off Carrum.

Adam Ring with a cracker early season snapper out from Carrum. size spin reel with a 3-6kg graphite rod is the go-to combo spooled with 10lb braid. THE RIG A running sinker rig is the most commonly used way to

day they will hit one bait then the next it will be something totally different. Pilchards, silver whiting, yellowtail scad and squid are all up there as go-to snapper baits.

For the lure brigade it is hard to go past the squidgy range of soft plastics with 110mm and 145mm flick baits in pillie and evil minnow all taking their fair share of fish throughout the season. BEST METHOD A quality sounder like any of the new Lowrance units is essential and is your best friend when it comes to snapper fishing. Have a plan in mind as to what depth of water you want to start fishing. If fish are being caught along the 16m line then head straight

out until you hit that depth and sound along that line until you find fish. You don’t want to throw the anchor out and hope the fish come to you. You want to go find the fish and start fishing once they are located. MOTHER NATURE Always check the weather reports before going out. Port Phillip Bay can be a very dangerous place when the weather turns sour, so take care. It can really chop up so if you do get stuck out there when it’s ugly, always attack the waves on a 45° angle, don’t

go over the waves head on as the nose of your boat can go under and take in a lot of water. HOT TIP Berley is the difference between an average trip and an awesome trip, but don’t overdo it. A little berley often, is better than a lot of berley less. Snapper are grazing fish and a little berley often will keep the fish around wanting more food, rather than filling up on lots and not wanting to eat at all. Remember this tip and watch your snapper fishing results skyrocket.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Staying in tune inshore MALLACOOTA

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With winter behind us and spring here it’s great to see the warmer days as we head towards summer. The past month has seen some good rain, which has been great for the fishing.

Good rainfall at this time of the year will see good fishing in the months to come. The sand around The Entrance is really shifting with the main wharf area through to Captain Stevens Point really silting up with Harrisons Channel taking most of the flow. Little fishing has been done offshore, those who have

The author with a black bream caught above Gypsy Point.

ventured out have been getting the odd gummy shark along with a few flathead gaining access via the lake. Work is still going ahead on the break wall and boat ramp with the completion date due in November as necessary adjustments how been made that change the expected completion. It will be interesting to see how much more fishing is done offshore once the new facility is up and running. All the local beaches have been fishing well for salmon. Fish to 2kg are not uncommon with plenty of salmon also being caught in the lake. The bottom lake has been fishing well for silver trevally and yellowfin bream with some great sand whiting caught around The Entrance area with squirt worms and beach worms the choice for bait. Dusky flathead have been taken throughout the system with the fishing

Head to National parks EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The warmer weather starts to liven up the town. The days are getting longer and visitors to the area can get out and enjoy all the things the area has to offer. Many of the fishers who visit the area head off fishing in the national parks, which are to the north and south of Eden. Good beach fishing for salmon has been had with good gutters along the beach holding plenty of quality fish. The salmon love the colder water and will be around in good numbers for a few more months. With the salmon, there have been a few good

size tailor caught. Plenty of good rock fishing platforms are found in these parks with salmon, tailor and snapper being caught and when the water warms in the months ahead the variety of fish available increases. Some of these ledges are recognised land-based game fishing spots with kingfish, tuna and marlin all available for anglers prepared to put in the time. The offshore game fishers use this time of year to ready their boats and fishing gear, as the months ahead will see the fishing fire up as the water warms. Closer to shore the inshore reefs have been fishing well with good catches of pinky snapper, morwong and flathead (both tigers and sandies) being caught. The

successful anglers are getting an early start and you need to be prepared to move around until fish are found. The past month has seen some good rainfall keeping the local creeks and rivers flowing, which is great for the bass population. This allows the fish to move, which is critical for spawning and higher river levels allow the fish to move back to their summer haunts. Black bream are being caught in the upper reaches; again these fish are there for spawning and can be hard to catch. Good yellowfin bream, big blackfish and sand whiting have shown up around the entrance area. Fishing this area with baits of nippers and worms will almost guarantee you a feed of fish.

A decent trevally caught on a blade in the bottom lake. improving as we move closer to summer. The days are really starting to warm up but the water temperature is still around 12°C. This makes the fish a bit doggy and catching them is a matter of persisting in the right spot.

They will eat, you just have to be there when they decide to come on the chew. Fishing for black bream has been good with fish caught from the top lake right through to the top of the system. This is spawning

time and because of this they can be hard to catch. Bait fishers have done well using fresh local prawns as bait while those fishing with lures have had to chop and change to find the lure that works for them.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Fish motels at Lake Boga Around 100 artificial timber ‘fish motels’ are being installed in Kangaroo Lake and Lake Boga as part of a $262,500 project to enhance native fish habitat and improve recreational fishing opportunities. Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, and Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh said the specially-designed timber structures, which mimic the natural habitat provided by submerged trees, would create new homes for golden perch and Murray cod.

Through this project up to 44 timber structures – also known as ‘snags’ – will be installed in the southern part of Kangaroo Lake, while a further 50 will be installed in the middle of Lake Boga.” Mr Walsh said the habitat project had been funded by fishing licence fees and the Coalition Government’s $16 million Recreational Fishing Initiative. “The Coalition Government understands the importance of recreational fishing to Victoria and the social and economic contribution it makes to

and inlets, and increased fisheries education. “The Napthine Coalition Government has done more to improve recreational fishing in threeand- a-half years than Labor achieved in more than a decade.” The habitat project at Lake Boga and Kangaroo Lake was developed in consultation with angling and community groups to ensure the structures do not impact adversely on other recreational users of the lakes. “All of the snag sites

“The Victorian Coalition Government stocks both species into these lakes to improve fishing opportunities so it is important we ensure they have the right habitat in which to shelter and feed,” Mr Walsh said. “As both lakes are water storages for irrigation, they lack woody habitat.

regional communities, including Kerang and Swan Hill,” Mr Walsh said. “We introduced the Recreational Fishing Initiative to improve fishing opportunities across the state. It has funded boating facility upgrades, more fish stockings, new fish cleaning tables, the installation of fishing reefs into bays

will be marked with navigation buoys clearly visible above the surface of the water so boating and skiing will not be impacted,” Mr Walsh said. “The effectiveness of the structures will also be carefully monitored and will help inform other lakebased fish habitat restoration projects.” – DEPI

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NOVEMBER 2014

Delicious seafood delights BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Spring is nearly finished. That means fishing is only going to get better as we blast into the summer months. All the following has been contributed to by the good winter rains. Estuaries have been replenished with fish stocks that were able to enter rivers and lakes that are now open to the ocean. Along with the fish, the prawn spawn will hopefully be one of the best prawning seasons for many years. Wallaga Lake has good prawns at present and so do many of the other systems. For those who like culinary delights, the oysters, of which the Bermagui area has some of the best in the country, are there for the taking. There are also lobsters and mussels, but you will have to visit to discover the rest. When the prawns are active in the estuaries it is my favourite time to work those soft lures. These lures resemble small fish or prawns when worked with the proper technique and you can manipulate them to

Oysters are a true seafood delight. There’s plenty to be found around Bermagui this time of year!

kick like a panicked food item. Early mornings on the bottom of the tide is a prime time, before the wind gets up. If you are in Bermagui, try around the main bridge at night where the lights fade out over the water. Prawns flooding out on the tide attract lots of predators here and some of the imprints left in the sand the following morning by flathead will leave even the most seasoned anglers gasping. Water temperatures are changing offshore and depending on just how warm they get will determine how hot the fishing can be this early in the season. November is notorious for early season tuna schools moving along the coast, which can create some of the best lure trolling sessions game fishers can experience. Not a lot of people visit here at this time of the year sadly, but for those who do, know that there has been plenty of yellowfin and albacore taken around the Melbourne cup weekend. Sharks are also prevalent following the schools of tuna and many a record mako has been captured at this time of year. With them, striped marlin can handle relatively

A result of a successful night, a full bag of fresh prawns! cool water and you can expect them to turn up this early as they love to feed on small albacore tuna. There is plenty of kingfish activity up at Montague Island where you should have little trouble gaining a feed. Bottom fishing out at sea is at its best, with large tiger flathead providing anglers with plenty of fresh tasty fillets. Anywhere from around 40m of water depth and beyond should see anglers encountering these fish. Mixed in are some very nice sand flatties, gurnard, gummies on the right moon, plenty of morwong and the close to shore reefs south of Bermagui are still holding reasonable numbers of snapper. This time of year

the northeast trade winds will kick in around lunch time so early morning starts are paramount. Moving down the coast providing beach and rock anglers plenty of action is Australian salmon returning south from their northern breeding grounds. Some of these fish are reaching in excess of 10lb. The beauty about these fish is the variety of ways you can target them, whether you lure, bait, fly or troll you would be hard pleased not to appreciate these hard pulling sportfish. Remember, there has been changes to NSW bag limits for fresh and salt water so please check the new guides to avoid embarrassment when crossing the border.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Estuarine madness in Merimbula MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Anglers fishing the Merimbula region are in for some serious fun with both offshore and estuary fishers getting among some quality fish. Those fishing offshore are getting great results on snapper. These fine eating fish have been excellent of late with good numbers coming from most reefs. The fish aren’t huge, averaging 1kg or so with the odd better model to 3kg but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers. Most crews are getting a dozen or more fish each session, which is a great feed with plenty of other species thrown in to make it interesting. It’s not uncommon at present to get snapper, morwong, sand flathead, pigfish and gummy sharks in one outing, which is awesome to see and great for the visiting angler as well. Almost all reefs are firing, although you may have to move around a bit to locate the bigger schools with Long Reef, Whitecliffs and Lennards Island all worth a look. A little further offshore there’s reports of yellowfin

tuna and SBT, but not in big numbers. I talked to a visiting angler that got 3 yellowfin around the 30-35kg and saw plenty more jumping about, so they are there. He said the fish were up on top for 20 minutes or so, but he was marking them consistently on the sounder. Unfortunately, they had no cubes or berley to hold the fish up top so they could only troll. It’s good to see these fish around so early in the season and I suspect we are in for a cracking

few months. There should be albacore around and if sharks are your thing, then a solid mako is definitely on the cards. In the estuaries, it’s all systems go with Merimbula and Pambula both fishing well despite Pambula receiving a flogging from the professional netters of late. To see multiple boats hammering this tiny system is a little disturbing to say the least, I wonder how long it can handle it…

Despite this, if you fish the lower sections towards the entrance on a flooding tide, you can expect salmon, tailor, flathead and a few trevally. It’s certainly not as good as it was before, especially in the main lake basin, but if you persist you should be able to get results. Casting smaller stick-style softies is the go with bait anglers fishing live prawns or nippers. In Merimbula it’s a different story; the fishing

Munnys and the boys had a cracking day on the black bream, which were all caught on softies and released.

Tyrone with the sort of black bream that any angler would be happy with. All these brutes were released. is excellent! Both the top lake and channels are fishing great for all estuary species. The top lake around the ribbon weed edges in 3-4m of water is dynamite with flathead, bream, trevally and blackfish all possible. Casting soft plastics, vibes and blades will all catch fish with flathead upwards of 90cm definitely a possibility at this time of year. Tailor are abundant as well, so try to cast your offerings at the back of the tailor schools to be a chance at mulloway and mega flathead. Every November sees some solid mulloway captured and going by the way the bait and tailor are stacked up, l can’t see why this month will be any different.

The lower sections in the channels will see the bait anglers come into their own. Anchoring up and using lightly-weighted baits like tuna strips, prawn and worms will see bream, whiting, blackfish and flathead all caught. I’d be fishing the draining tide with the last 2 hours of the run-out best. On the beaches, fishers targeting bream and whiting for a feed are doing particularly well. Lightly weighted baits like pipi and worms cast just past the shore dump on light gel-spun line is the go. Most beaches will hold fish but Tura Main and North Tura towards the island would be my pick. Try using a little berley but don’t over do it, or the stingrays will become a nuisance.

Wagonga warming and fish are swarming NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

It’s a cracking time of year to fish our local estuaries with most species on the fang. It really depends on what species you want to target and how, but anglers are catching plenty on bait and lures. Narooma’s Wagonga Inlet has really fired up of late, the water temperature is around 18-19°C, which is OK for so early in the season. The place is loaded with pilchards, whitebait, glassies and prawns. It’s a fish’s smorgasbord and if you have the right presentation at the right time, you’re in for some serious fun. The pelagic action continues like previous months with salmon and tailor in huge numbers. We had a recent guiding session there with Josh Hollis and his kids and they caught around 70 fish for 3 hours, all on soft plastics. To say it was hot is an understatement with triple hook ups the norm. This type of action is awesome for the kids, they learn the basics of casting, hooking and how to fight a fish properly using the rod to their advantage 42

NOVEMBER 2014

while catching fish, it doesn’t get much better than that in my books. Under the pelagic schools there’s plenty of scraps hitting the bottom from frenzied feeding, this action above has certainly helped the bottom dwellers like flathead, bream, snapper, flounder and mulloway. If you can get your lure to the bottom it won’t take long before one of these species takes a liking for your offering. We’ve managed some solid flatties to 86cm over recent weeks and I expect the big girls to really fire up over the next month or so. I’d also be concentrating my efforts around the weed edges in 6-8m of water, casting big soft plastics and vibes in the main basin. These areas will hold plenty of big lizards, but remember to let these breeders go and handle them with care. Up at Tuross, the water is warming up considerably faster due to it being shallower, especially the river section. This has really fired up the flatties with 15-20 fish the norm on most outings. Casting smaller softies and hardbodies has worked with live poddies doing OK for the bait anglers. It won’t be long before the surface action hots up and bream, whiting and flatties will

Josh Hollis with his kids Jack and Clare with some salmon from Wagonga Inlet. They managed 70-odd fish for the morning session, which is great fun in anyone’s books. be on the cards with walkbaits and poppers the go-to lures. I’ve said it before but this visual fishing is very exciting, if you haven’t done it before give it a crack this summer, you will be surprised how rewarding and fun it can be. Those fishing offshore are getting itchy feet with kingfish, tuna and an early marlin all on the cards. The water is around 19°C out wide, which is good for this time of year and I wouldn’t be surprised if it all starts to happen early. There’s already been yellowfin tuna to 30kg caught, mainly by anglers

trolling skirted pushers with a few decent-sized albacore thrown in to. These fish have been wide, with a 40km+ boat trip needed to get to the good water. That’s a long way in a small trailer-craft boat, but the rewards may just be worth it if you venture wide. Closer to shore at Montague Island, the kings have been all right but they will get better over coming weeks. They are still pretty sporadic but they are there, we just need some solid southerly current to get them firing properly. The kings are

school fish around 3-4kg with a lot of under-sized models in there. Jigs have definitely been the pick of methods working but once the currents change, live baits should produce bigger fish. There have been good quantities of bonito right through the cooler months with fish to 6kg still being caught. The majority of these fish are falling to smaller Xmas Tree lures trolled around the Fowl House Reef with the southern pinnacles also producing. For those after a feed the snapper, fishing is still excellent and will continue to fish well over coming months. These fine eating sports fish are a year round proposition, you just need to change your methods throughout the year to get consistent results. Most reefs are holding reds with Potato Point to the north of Narooma the pick of the spots. Concentrate your efforts in 50-60m of water. Drifting and anchoring will both work, but the method you try will depend on prevailing conditions. Anglers after a feed of flatties won’t have too many worries as the inshore flatty grounds are loaded with fish. I’d be fishing in 30-35m of water straight off Dalmeny Headland for the sandies. If you fish a little deeper in 60m

you should get plenty of tiger flathead. Don’t be surprised to nail a few gummy sharks doing this; there have been good reports of quality gummies right along the South Coast. The ocean rocks and beaches continue to fish well for salmon and tailor. These pelagics are in solid numbers on most headlands with Mystery Bay and Dalmeny Headland holding plenty of fish. You should see an increase in bonito numbers as well with the chance of a kingfish too. Casting metal slugs up to 40g will work, with whole pilchards rigged on ganged hooks a good option for the bait anglers. The beaches will also start to fire for the bread and butter species like bream, whiting and yellow-eyed mullet. These fine table fish will only get better as the water warms further with pipi, beach worms and tuna strips all working. Better beaches to try include Tilba, Hankerchief, Brou and Blackfellows beaches. Most of the beaches have plenty of decent gutters that will hold most species, fish the flooding morning tide for your best chance at a decent feed.

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VR Fish Update

State Election Wish List VR FISH

Dallas D’Silva

VRFish continues to invest considerable resources into the promotion of its State Election Wish List Growing Recreational Fishing in Victoria 2014-2018. The Wish List was developed by the State Council over a 2 year period and identifies future investment priorities for Victorian recreational fisheries. This initiative is all about promoting the enormous public good in recreational fishing and is vital in maximising government investment into key programs, projects and services. The current $16 million Recreational Fishing Initiative by the Coalition has provided many lasting benefits and we thank them for this commitment. The previous Labor Government also demonstrated a similar level of commitment to recreational fishing and many of these benefits remain visible today. Fishers may not be aware that the current initiative expires next June and our actions will help ensure a further significant government investment that is in addition to funding raised by our licence fees. There is much work still to be done and a new initiative is vital if Victoria is to continue to provide a diverse array of high quality fishing experience over the next 4 years and beyond. Rest assured this is a huge priority for VRFish. We are continuing to meet all of the major political parties and are confident we will receive a high level of support for our

After attending the 7th World Recreational Fisheries Conference, the focus going forward for rec fishers is about what we can do to minimise stress and harm to fish. policy requests. MEASURING THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION VRFish has been successful in securing grant funding for a comprehensive assessment of the economic contribution recreational fishing makes to the State of Victoria. The last study done by Ernst and Young was a landmark achievement for VRFish and Victoria. It was more than 6 years ago and done when much of Victoria was in drought and was surely an under estimate. A new study, using up-to-date data will be vital for future advocacy and to assist recreational fisheries policy and planning in the years ahead. 7TH WORLD CONFERENCE Russell Conway, VRFish Chairman, new State Council delegate Anthony McGrath of the Ballarat District Anglers Association and I have just

returned from the 7th World Recreational Fisheries Conference in Brazil. We were privileged to attend this important event with the support of the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and RecFishing Research. Of note, animal welfare activists protested at the start of the conference. Animal welfare was a major theme for the conference and the protest made the issue all the more poignant. The focus for recreational fishers going forward has to be about what we can do to minimise stress and harm to fish. This is not just about catch and release, it is also equally applicable to fish that a fisher keeps for the dinner table. VRFish is leading the way in this area by delivering education and awareness programs that teach fishers how to quickly dispatch a fish for the dinner plate or release a fish in a way that will maximise its chance of survival.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Just the Tonic needed for ET Rugby league legend and presenter of Escape With ET, Andrew Ettinghausen, has recently made the move over to Tonic Eyewear. Andrew wanted to wear the best polarised lens on the market and Tonic was his first choice. When filming any form of fishing the pressure is on and he was in need of a lens that would help him see structure, fish and be comfortable to wear for long periods. With a mix of Tonic’s neon lens for low light periods, the blue mirror for long days on the open blue water and the copper lens as a great all rounder; Andrew is covered for any fishing scenario. Best of all, Tonic lenses are all decentred so he never has to worry about headaches and fatigue out in the bright sun. You can catch the new series of Escape With ET from 13 December on channel 10 Saturdays at 4.30pm and then again Sundays on One HD. – Tonic NOVEMBER 2014

Here comes the sunshine TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

November is when anglers really start to get excited and get out and about. The season is marching ever closer and the number of fish that start to liven up are on the increase and there are lots of species that come back into the picture. The weather has finally started to play the game with daylight hours stretching out to around 14 and, when the sun is out, the temperature is peaking to an average of 19ºC. We all know that when things start to warm up, whether it’s the water temperature or just in general, the fish start to come on hard! TRUMPS ARE BACK Stripped trumpeter are back on the list. They have had a closed season over September and October while they

spawned. Anglers looking to target them do well with 3 hook heavy-duty bottom rigs with some quality bait. I am a huge fan of fresh squid as bait. It stays on the hook really well, which is important if you are getting some pesky gurnard bites. Fresh gurnard strips are also great bait, but be careful with them as if you get spiked you will not be happy! Look for these fish on reef sections from 50-150m and make sure you have a play with your sounder as you search for them. A well-sorted sounder will be a massive weapon in your arsenal to first locate and then keep on a nice patch of stripy ground. You will know if you have found a patch of striped trumpeter because they are not shy at gulping down your wonderfully presented bait and heading for home. They put up a good tussle and if you are

The best way to find a good spot is not to think about it too much – crayfish are like spiders and get in everywhere!

using multiple hook rigs, 3 at a time is not uncommon. If on a search mission, a large soft plastic like Berkley’s new Gulp 6.5 Nemesis on the top hook banging away can work to good effect. These are an Australian design and have a big ribbon tail that attracts a lot of attention. CRAY TIME Big news for November for a lot of Tasmanians is cray season. Crayfish have been closed for some months and the annual November pilgrimage is a favourite weekend for a number of Tasmanian families. It does pay to check the DPIPWE website as there have been changes to opening times across the western and eastern areas. Snorkelling and diving are very popular ways to find a few crayfish for the pot. Those that are not keen to get wet, can pot or use the good old-fashioned cray ring. Ringing for cray is a great way to get fine fare to the dining table. Growing up it was a fabulous way to spend time with friends and family. You can combine a bit of cray ringing with some rock spinning while you wait. The key is to find some suitable shoreline and set up camp. Like rock fishing you have to be very aware of what the sea conditions are like. Little back waters and holes in behind big rocks sheltered from the prevailing swell is a good start. The best way to find a good spot is not to think about it too much. Crayfish are basically underwater spiders and you know how spiders get in

Remember you need a licence for potting, ringing and diving for crayfish in Tasmania. everywhere! Crayfish will be backed up and squeezed into places you won’t even imagine. Just like a spider coming out for a fly so too will a crayfish, if you put the bait out under its nose. A cray ring is simply a piece of round mild steel bar bent into a hoop with a net attached. There is some rope attached in such a manner that allows the pulling of the ring back in quickly without spilling the craw daddies out. The name of the game is to bait your ring with some fish heads or the like and toss it into your hidey-hole. The ring

will sink to the bottom and the bait will do its thing. It is now a waiting game. The bait smell will be permeating the water down there and hopefully the crayfish will smell it and come looking for it. If you have another rod you can have a cast or if you have taken the kids explore the shoreline and rock pools. Come back a little time later and pull the ring in quickly. All things going well you will have some crayfish in the net section or tangled in the netting itself. It is a great way to spend some time with friends and family on one of

the best places in the world – the Tasmanian coastline. Get in and see Harry at The Boat Shack in Devonport for all the info you need about ringing for crayfish. The more adventurous can try their luck at diving and try and find where they are all hanging out. Diving for crayfish is an enjoyable pastime but it also needs to be paid the respect it deserves. We are land living and air breathing animals and as such need to pay attention and follow any instruction to the letter. Free swimming underwater

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICES

IFS undertakes fencing inspection at Lagoon IFS

Tim Farrell

IFS staff recently completed a full maintenance inspection of the fencing installed some years ago to keep stock out of Bronte Lagoon. Running from the walkway over Woodwards Canal all the way to Fly Corner and then beyond into thick bush, this fence has been successful in stopping cattle from entering the Lagoon along the Long Shore, which is well known for its fly fishing opportunities. Funded and managed by Hydro Tasmania, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and Inland Fisheries, this project was important to removing the environmental impacts arising from a large number of cattle grazing the sensitive margins of the lagoon. 46

NOVEMBER 2014

ARTHURS LAKE WATER QUALITY Due to drought conditions, Arthurs Lake level was drawn low in 2008. The lake started refilling in 2009 and has since reached very high levels. Hydro Tasmania has been monitoring Arthurs Lake periodically since 1991 and every year since 2008. The data indicates that there have been significant increases in phytoplankton, nutrients and turbidity levels following the low levels in 2008. These increases have remained during the recent high water levels and there are a number of possible reasons for this. A die back of macrophytes during the low lake levels may have resulted in more nutrients being available for algae growth in Arthurs Lake. Wind re-suspension of sediments as a result of low water levels may also have contributed to the pool

of nutrients in the water column. Input of nutrients from dying terrestrial vegetation following the increase in water level may have fuelled the ongoing raised nutrient and algae levels. A fire within the Arthurs Lake catchment in December 2012 may also continue to influence water quality as a result of nutrients from burnt vegetation being washed into the lake. Water quality results from Arthurs Lake indicate that a change from low nutrient concentrations towards moderate nutrient concentrations has occurred. It appears unlikely that in the next few years the water quality in Arthurs Lake will return to conditions similar to pre 2008. Monitoring of water quality will continue this year – Hydro Tasmania WHITEBAIT POACHERS ON NOTICE Unlicensed whitebait

fishermen are copping big fines for taking more than their fair share. Whitebait patties and fritters will be back on the menu next month when the Tasmanian fishery opens for 6 weeks. The limited season

prosecuted in the state’s northwest in the past year, attracting fines of up to $130 per kg. In May, two men from Stanley were fined more than $10,000. The Inland Fisheries Service’s John Diggle said

Arthurs started filling again in 2009 and has been sitting at a very high level since. is designed to protect the tiny morsels from over-fishing. Unlicensed poachers supplying a black market for the delicacy are an ongoing frustration. A dozen thefts have been

poaching threatened the sustainability of the fishery. “If they’re caught before they can spawn, their life cycle is basically broken and the fishery can collapse,” he said.

“That’s the biggest issue we’re trying to deal with, is protecting the true Tasmanian whitebait from over-exploitation. As we speak there are operations underway hopefully targeting more individuals.” Whitebait can be caught legally from 1 October to 11 November. During that period, fisherman Doug King will head out up to 4 times a week in search of the tiny fish, which he said were vulnerable to poachers. “They start spawning and they get there with their boats and they get masses of them,” he said. “Inland Fisheries can’t be everywhere but they try their best.” Inland Fisheries stakes out suspected hotspots but catching all the thieves requires a much wider net to be cast. Members of the public are urged to report suspicious behaviour.

with all the right gear, well serviced, is one of life’s wonderful sensations. The feeling of weightlessness and the surroundings are nothing short of amazing. Locating areas that crayfish frequent and live comes with time and experience. It is always a good idea to go diving with a friend. In most cases it’s about safety, but if your mate is a good diver and can recognise good

prevailing conditions. Hatches will progress throughout and the mayfly and caddis species should be well and truly hatched by the end of November. The word from experts in the flyfishing domain also recommend keeping an eye out for early terrestrial beetle falls. The gum beetle is a domeshaped critter that is often said to look like giant ladybirds.

Ringing for crayfish is a great way to get some fine fare to the dining table. ground and locate crayfish you can learn from them as well. Remember you need a licence for potting, ringing and diving for crayfish in Tasmania. TROUT FOOD Early November has some good insect hatches dependent of course on the

That’s a big call as they are twice the size and never as bright or covered in spots. Their actual colour varies widely with most being a yellowish or greyish green. They live in the eucalypt trees and on warm days decide going for a fly about is a great

idea. Good news for trout is that many lose their compass and end up in the drink. Lake surfaces littered with DUI beetle’s will stimulate spectacular summertime rises. My limited experience of fishing a lake littered with beetles is that it is very tough going and I expect this is what excites the ardent fly fisho! November is often favoured amongst flyfishers looking to fish classic style dry fly presentations. The lakes are all firing and the highlands are alive with people and good weather. Boating on the highland lakes in November is a delight and trolling around or bouncing a soft plastic in the sunshine is a fabulous way to spend a day. Low water levels can expose timber so concentrate plastics in and around those areas. The sea run trout fishing will start to slow towards the end of November so get out and make sure you get amongst them while they are still around. There have been some stonkers caught late October. MAKO SHARKS Traditionally November would be seen as too early to try for a mako shark. The thing is that the seasons are in some sort of upheaval and tradition has gone out the window. Example of this was the incredibly late run

of albacore and bluefin tuna we experienced recently in Tasmania. Mako sharks will arrive in good numbers mid-December, however those who want to try their hand in November may get a surprise. There are massive numbers of couta in Bass Strait, as well as big schools of salmon. Mako sharks are big apex predators that just eat and swim. The bigger the mako the more it needs to eat. These big schools of baitfish will be of interest to big mako sharks that have been around a while. If you are keen to have a go make sure you put a good plan

Matthew Howard put the time in and found some excellent trout. They will start to slow down at the end of November so make the most of them now.

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together and have plenty of berley. Set yourselves for a 6-8 hour session as there may not be heaps about, but what will be of quality size. If you are trying off Bass Strait don’t get too hung up over trying to find any great depth. People tend to drive over a lot of mako sharks looking for 70m+ in Bass Strait. If you have found a patch of baitfish in 30m and your drift is heading north, that is as good a start as any. The Strait does not have the bottom features of our other coastlines and as such is a bit of a raffle. There will be people that will tell you spot X is the go or spot Y, but given the featureless bottom 50m deep off Wynyard or Sisters Beach is a good starting point. It is not a huge trip out for smaller boats and when you get there you have the chance of coming across some nice flathead while you wait. When you come across

bristle with pride after they have successfully held the rope while you park the car. Teach them simple knots they can tie and untie at the wharf. Talk to them about which side of the pontoon to have the boat on in any given tide. They are little information sponges and they love soaking it all in to tell mum and their mates at school on Monday. Like with any fishing trip, preparation is the key. We can put up with things as adults because we make conscious decisions. When you decide

the classic]…bored”. If you can plan and address these inevitable claims you are on a winner. Pack some lunch and include a treat they would not normally have (can also be used as a bribe). Make sure you have a good supply of freshwater and some warm clothing. Games are a good idea, so is colouring in, but be warned, having your head down in a boat may bring them unstuck seasick wise. That leads me to another point. Don’t break the kid’s first trip out in 2m of confused

Mako sharks will arrive in good numbers mid-December, but those who want to try their hand in November may get a nice surprise. a large mako be mindful of catch and release as the bigger ones are normally the breeding females. If you are harvesting one for the table make sure you have played the fish out

Chloe Hammersley just sat her boat licence at 13 years old! Expect big things from this lady!

well and dispatch it quickly and cleanly. Mako sharks must be approached with care and think a little bit before setting a gaff. Have the deck of the boat clear and anything that can be put away stowed neatly. Lay your tail rope out ready (or the second gaff) so they are easy to put to hand, but not in the way. I say this as when you introduce the gaff to the mako – it’s about to get large. The Game Fishing Club of Northern Tasmania is going to have some club forum nights where everyone is welcome, not just club members. There will be a great night of fun and education and if there is ever a species where a few tips and suggestions are worth their weight in gold, it’s mako fishing. Find them on Facebook. ON THE WATER WITH KIDS The sun and the weather on the improve really brings our waterways alive, it is a great time of the year. The better weather allows all the family to come out and enjoy what fishing and boating has to offer. Trips with kids is always interesting in the boat, but just because it is tricky doesn’t

mean it has to be a non-event. The clever angler will realise that if you can get the kids along for a fish it doubles the amount of fishing you can get done over the season. Kids love to be involved. If you give them a job to do, however little or insignificant to you, they will love it. Helping Dad and being part of the action will bring a smile and a sense of self-worth to any son or daughter. Grunting and expecting them to know what you want done without saying will be a recipe for disaster. Take some time to explain any task given and for what reason. They need to know ‘why’, so tell them. This takes time and some effort on your part but it bears fruit in the long run. Often explaining to kids the consequences should something not go as planned is a good idea as well. If I want my four kids to listen and make sure they do as they are told, I normally finish with “…because if you don’t, a policemen will come along and lock Dad away and then who is going to get tea?” When you launch your boat watch your son or daughter

Get the kids involved and out on the water this summer. Zalee Fraser loves going out with Dad for a fish. to take kids out with you make sure you have packed to keep them comfortable. The biggest issue you will face when fishing with kids is a bad case of the “I am…hungry… thirsty…cold…[and of course

swell berleying. If they get seasick first trip it is a hard road back so walk them up to any conditions that may trigger motion sickness by making sure their first outing is on flat calm lakes.

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 9th October 2014 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Lake Augusta ...................................2.72 .......................................................Steady Arthurs Lake ....................................0.85 .......................................................Steady Great Lake .......................................14.52 .....................................................Steady Trevallyn Pond .................................0.85 ....................................................... Falling Shannon Lagoon ..............................0.16 .......................................................Steady Penstock Lagoon .............................0.14 .......................................................Steady Lake Echo ........................................7.38 .......................................................Steady Dee Lagoon .....................................0.27 .......................................................Steady Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah .............2.12 ....................................................... Falling Bronte Lagoon .................................0.97 ....................................................... Falling Pine Tier Lagoon ..............................1.17 .......................................................Steady Little Pine Lagoon ............................0.73 .......................................................Steady Laughing Jack Lagoon ....................2.28 .......................................................Steady Lake St Clair ....................................1.34 .......................................................Steady Lake King William ............................1.83 .......................................................Steady Lake Liapootah ................................0.94 ....................................................... Falling Wayatinah Lagoon ...........................1.55 ........................................................Rising Lake Catagunya ...............................1.22 ....................................................... Falling

Lake Repulse ...................................0.15 ........................................................Rising Cluny Lagoon ...................................0.21 .......................................................Steady Meadowbank Lake ..........................-.............................................................Spilling Lake Pedder ....................................1.01 ........................................................Rising Lake Gordon ....................................34.5 .......................................................Steady Lake Burbury ...................................3.82 .......................................................Steady Lake Plimsoll ...................................1.38 ....................................................... Falling Lake Murchison ...............................11.33 ..................................................... Falling Lake Mackintosh .............................2.91 .......................................................Steady Lake Rosebery .................................0.21 ....................................................... Falling Lake Pieman ....................................1.90.........................................................Rising Lake Mackenzie ...............................5.79 .......................................................Steady Lake Rowallan .................................11.19 .....................................................Steady Lake Parangana ...............................0.99 .......................................................Steady Lake Cethana ...................................2.09 .......................................................Steady Lake Barrington ...............................0.45 .......................................................Steady Lake Gairdner ..................................5.00.........................................................Rising Lake Paloona ...................................2.35 ........................................................Rising Woods Lake .....................................0.42 .......................................................Steady Whitespur Pond ...............................Null ................................................ Unavailable Lake Newton ...................................4.52 ........................................................Rising Lake Margaret .................................1.84 .......................................................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

NOVEMBER 2014

HAWK FISHING • FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION

All things beach fishing

ALVEY BEACH WORM BREAM BUCKET COCKLE DART EUGARIE GUTTER LINE TWIST METAL SLUG

MULLOWAY PILCHARD PIPI ROD SALMON SANDWORM SHARK SIEVE SOLDIER CRAB SPINNING

Name

SPOON SPRAY SURF TAILOR WADERS WADING BAG WEED WHITING WORM PLIERS

Address

P/Code Phone (day):

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 NOVEMBER 2014

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winners for September were G Sanders of Newtown, S Petkovski of Lalor, R Ottaway of Somerville and D Ayton of Mornington who each won a Ecogear lure and accessory pack valued at $125. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM

FIND THE SPECIALTY FISHING FISH WINNERS BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

The Find the specialtyfishing.com.au logo prize winners for September were: N Bryant of North Alburn, M Loebert of Boronia, I Hodgkinson of Kyabram, M Moulding of Red Hill, J Saunderson of Chelsea, G Easterbrook of Rosebud West, B Mark of Avoca, K Martin of Lavington, R Long of Flinders, C Mitchell of St Helens , M Cichy of Balwyn North, R McMillan of Grovedale, T Sweeney of Emerald, R Leathers of Romsey, B Stokes of Morwell, F Healey of Traralgon, J Randall of Torquay, R Carson of Wheelers Hill, J Valliagas of Lalor, T Mathieson of Patterson Lakes, J Kellett of Parkdale, L Milkins of Wonthaggi, G Bonner of Coragulac, J Neilson of Rochester, J Templeton of Emerald, P Clarke of Wonthaggi, G Parfett of Horsham, B Bell of Wodonga, B Cunningham of Mildura, G Smith of Stawell, G Richmond of Torquay, I Wild of St Arnaud, L Murray of Sale, M Harvie of Rye, B Rafferty of Maryborough, D Hill of Cranbourne North, R Waters of Temora, I Lovel of Bealiba, M Coates of Elliminyt, E Howarth of Cowra. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – VTFM FIND THE SPECIALTY FISHING SEPTEMBER LOCATIONS

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The answers to Find the specialtyfishing.com.au logo competition for September were: 5, 10, 18, 22, 33, 38, 41, 46, 55, 59, 65, 69, 72, 78, 88. – VTFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to Archer Roeding of Mount Martha, who was last month’s winner of the Hawk Tournament Find-a-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

NOVEMBER 2014

Six most common trout fishing mistakes WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

I get to fish with a lot of different people on a regular basis. I get to fish with experienced people like a few of my mates that I have been fishing with for many years, and I get to fish with a lot of inexperienced anglers, keen to learn more, some of which come through my guided fishing service. This puts me in a position to write an article based on the observations that I have made. This article is about the most common mistakes made by trout stream fishers

Behind this nice trout you can see the shallow water at the bottom end of a deep pool. This particular pool is close to 6ft deep, yet this trout hit my soft plastic right at the bottom of the hole in the very shallow water. Had I walked too far forward towards the deep water I would have spooked this fish.

Wayne Gardner about to cast into an unlikely looking spot in the creek. Many anglers would walk straight past this stretch as they race to the next hole.

1. WALKING PAST FISHY WATER If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it a million times. Anglers walking past productivelooking trout water in their desperate bid to get to the ‘good hole’ at the top of a run, or a set of rapids. Trout do not need to sit in the deep holes all of the time, and quite often they sit in the shallow runs and riffles between the pools. Trout barely need the water to cover their heads as they sit, facing upstream waiting for some

WHEN RESULTS MATTER ULTRALIGHT | ERGONOMIC | DURABLE

kind of food source to float down, be it a grasshopper on the surface or a worm washing along the bottom. Trout usually live in the deep holes, and hide in the deep holes where they can sit underneath an overhanging ledge or hide under a log, or amongst boulders. But when they are actively feeding the shallow water can be very productive for them, particularly in streams that have large numbers of trout where the hungry trout will often move out of the deep hole and upstream into the shallower water get away from the other trout to ensure it has less competition for food. So when walking upstream trout fishing, whether you’re casting an unweighted scrub worm or cricket, fly-fishing or lure fishing, make sure you make good use of the water you are fishing and don’t spook too many trout out of the shallows as you make your mad dash for the deep hole 50m upstream! 2. DON’T GET TOO CLOSE You can see a magnificent looking deep pool up ahead with overhanging tussocks that are almost alive with grasshoppers and plenty of fresh water spilling in from the upstream side of the hole. A large number of anglers will at this point walk straight up to the back of the hole and make a cast. Some anglers, who wish to keep their feet dry will walk up to the side of the hole and make their first cast.

A few of the more experienced anglers will quietly position themselves back from the hole a fair distance and launch their first cast from a long way back, out of sight of the wary trout. A lot of people do not realise this, but unlike us human beings, trout can actually see further upwards than we can. Combine that with the refraction of the light as it enters the water and trout can actually see behind them a little bit. Our eyes are at the front of our heads, just like most predators. We are built to look ahead of us as we hunt. Trout, like a lot of smaller animals

origin, trout have predators such as wild bears, wild cats, large fish eating birds and fat trout fisherman with beards. So if you barge straight up to a nice hole, you can expect that you will spook trout from the back of the hole, which will in turn dash into the centre of the hole and spook the trout in there too. Essentially, you have stuffed your chances of pulling a trout out of that hole before you even start. 3. WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING It’s no secret that trout are a flighty fish that can spook very easily. So it makes sense to wear some kind of dark or

Dark coloured fishing shirts are fantastic for this style of fishing that are preyed on actually have eyes that look forward, as well as up, enabling them to keep an eye out for predators that may harm them. Being of North American and European

even camouflage clothing. One of my best mates, Sandy Hector, has been given the nick name ‘The Camo Man’ as in every photo I have ever had printed of him

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Although it would have been easier to cast into this hole from further upstream, Wayne Gardner knows to always fish from as far back as possible.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Will O’Connor stands in the shade at the back of a nice hole. Never underestimate the benefits of standing in the shade to make your cast.

fishing, he is wearing full camo gear. This is his fishing costume and, to be honest, he has a stealthy approach like nobody else I have ever fished with and as a result is a very successful trout stream angler. There is no need to go all out like Sandy does, but it certainly won’t hurt. I usually just wear dark coloured clothing. I seem to have a closet full of black shirts, which I wear a lot. Admittedly, black is not one of the best colours to wear as it silhouettes itself against the sky very easily. It is OK

under heavy tree cover and in areas with plenty of streamside vegetation, but against the sky it can make it very easy for the trout to see you, particularly on bright days with high cloud, which is usually white. The best type of clothing is anything dark, preferably with some kind of pattern, which can break up your outline against the background. On overcast days, a grey shirt or windcheater can be quite effective against the overcast sky, however under heavy tree colour the brightness can really stand out if the grey you are wearing is too light in colour. Dark coloured flannelette

shirts, particularly dark green coloured ones are pretty much perfect. They have the patterns to break the outline and tend to blend in very well. Obviously, it all depends on the weather conditions as flannelette shirts are not the most popular forms of clothing on a 40°C day! These days, tournament style shirts are all the rage in the fishing circles. While these shirts are very effective at preventing exposure to the sun, and dry quite quickly, they tend to be quite bright. Dull coloured tournament shirts without too many bright colours on them will work fine. There are quite a few myths surrounding the trouts’

have been fishing at the small Stanley Dam in Stanley when yearling rainbow trout have been stocked. I have been catching fish at the western edge of the dam, and as soon as people come along and start talking, the trout seem to all move down towards the eastern edge of the dam and start rising, away from the voices. Even if the voices alone don’t spook the fish, they will certainly make them wary and cautious, and when your lure enters the water, you can expect the trout to follow, but not strike your lure. Whether the trout actually

SA022

No trout fisher in their right mind would walk past this lovely little pool without fishing it first. I do know however that a lot of anglers would walk straight past that shallow water directly above the hole on their way to the next hole. Water like that can hold feeding trout.

vision. Some people say trout are colour-blind. Some say they only see things that have UV in them and therefore it doesn’t matter what clothes you wear. From my experience, dark coloured clothing with some kind of pattern to break my outline seems to spook less fish than brightly coloured clothing. 4. LOOK FOR THE SHADE When you walk up to a nice pool and decide where you want to stand to place your first cast, try wherever possible to stand in the shade. Not only will you be much more hidden from the trouts’ view, but also any metallic objects you are using will not reflect sunlight. Believe it or not, the sun reflecting off the bail of your reel can be enough to attract the attention of a trout. While this alone may not spook the trout, it will be enough to make it look in your direction, and if you happen to be standing in the sun with the sky behind you, your cover will be quickly busted. 5. KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN Some people say noise doesn’t affect fish, and some people say it does. I am a big believer that loud voices spook fish, especially trout. I have observed in a small family friendly waterway the effects of voices over water. I

hear our voices, or just feel the vibrations of the voices on the water I am not sure, but for whatever reason I am a firm believer in keeping my voice down when trout fishing. 6. KEEP DOWN LOW As mentioned earlier, trout have the ability to look upwards as well as slightly backwards. By standing up on a high bank you leave yourself at risk of being spotted by the trout. If you walk along a high bank, you will almost definitely blow your cover. It is very important to keep yourself down low wherever possible. Often, walking in the water with the fish is less likely

This is a nice run. Where the water runs in at the top of the hole which is the most likely part of the hole to catch a trout. However by casting straight up there first, and catching a trout, you will spook the entire pool. But if you cast into the centre of the hole, and only fish the bottom of the hole first, and catch a trout, you will not spook the trout at the top of the hole.

to spook the fish than walking along a high bank. Even when you are walking downstream along the bank of a creek, before you get in and fish your way back upstream, you should walk as far away from the water as possible to prevent spooking wary trout. HAVE A GO As you can tell, I have put a lot of emphasis on using a stealth-like approach when trout fishing in streams, particularly small streams. I always catch more fish whenever I fish on my own and I usually put this down to the fact that I am quiet and stealthy. I think a few of my mates in particular think I’m pedantic. I know my mate Sandy ‘The Camo Man’ would echo my thoughts. In the past I have even used camouflage tape on a fishing rod to cover up the logo on the rod, which was holographic and reflected light too easily. In a nutshell, dress in dark clothing and always fish your way upstream. Ensure you make full use of the creek fishing, every little run and riffle, no matter how shallow, and fish them from well back, particularly in the shade and keep your voice down. You may be pleasantly surprised by how many trout actually strike your lure instead of just following it if you follow these simple precautions.

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Chopping and changing a must for tricky trout HORSHAM

Trevor Holmes

Spring is upon us in the Wimmera and the fish know it too with many reporting seeing trout putting on aerobatic displays while others are content to cruise around sipping bugs off the top. Frustrated by so many fish leaping clear of the water, anglers are turning to alternative methods to tempt them but it’s hard to trick a trout! These fish don’t get big by being silly and the number of anglers returning empty handed grows. Fly-fishing comes to the fore in these times but even then some are not putting a score on the board. Native fish are also starting to move with the warmer weather so exciting times for all. Water once again becomes a sore point up here with preferential flows being run down the Glenelg River and out to sea. Yes, I agree that rivers need them but a continual flow? Back in the day these didn’t occur and the river systems were thriving. Today, the

upper reaches of the Glenelg are struggling to produce a table fish while the lower reaches are at an all time best with magnificent bream and mulloway fishing to be had. A balance has to be reached here to keep all waterways alive and without careful management I fear some more iconic locations will be lost or destroyed. LAKE TOOLONDO Late spawning in the lake has seen many fish lethargic and unwilling to take baits and lures presented, combined with a maximum depth of 2.8m, it’s with much regret that I fear a downhill battle from here. The trout are not suffering yet from an early outbreak of algae and more favourable weather, light rain, windy days have all but cleared it up. Massive hatches here lately have turned the fish crazy and hard to tempt. Changes in tactics have produced a few fish with lure familiarisation becoming apparent. Changing lures has seen some nice fish taken. Looking at the same offerings has led to follows without takes, hits without hook ups and floats dunked under and popping back up again.

Changing until you find what’s working is the key this month and 12-year old Marcus Santilli from Melbourne did just that to tempt this beautiful Toolondo brown on the troll. Changing colours or styles has worked a treat the last week or so. Don’t get stuck with ‘old faithful’ here, mix it up and change often until you find the right one. LAKE FYANS You may recall me reporting for the last few

FISHING FILL-ITS

Black market abalone ring One of the largest fisheries enforcement operations undertaken in Victoria’s history has cracked an alleged seafood trafficking syndicate operating in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Department of Environment and Primary Industries and Victoria Police officers yesterday executed 12 search warrants, arresting 14

Police seized 12 vehicles and a large quantity of cash, froze assets associated with properties worth millions of dollars and laid numerous charges. DEPI Fisheries Acting Director of Education and Enforcement Ian Parks said the joint operation, codenamed Operation Quantum, involved 75 DEPI officers and months of planning.

people for alleged offences related mainly to the illegal sale of abalone, rock lobster and other shellfish. It is alleged that over the past 12 months, the abalone, rock lobster and shellfish were taken from coastal waters in South West Victoria, transported to Melbourne and sold on the black market. Following yesterday’s arrests, DEPI and Victoria

“The illegal take and sale of fish resources, or theft of a public resource, is a threat to the sustainability of Victoria’s fisheries,” Mr Parks said. “The black market unfairly competes with legitimately sourced product in the market place, compromises food safety and leads to revenue loss for community services. “Trafficking in priority

NOVEMBER 2014

fish species, such as abalone, rock lobster, southern bluefin tuna and Murray cod is an indictable offence, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.” Mr Parks said the charges laid included trafficking in commercial quantities of abalone, conspiracy and dealing in proceeds of crime. The 14 individuals have been bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court later this month. Mr Parks said detecting, investigating and dismantling serious organised fisheries crime was a high priority for DEPI. The DEPI Fisheries Victoria Statewide Investigations Group worked with Victoria Police and was supported by Warrnambool fisheries officers throughout Operation Quantum. DEPI works closely with Victoria Police, the Office of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Justice as part of Victoria’s asset confiscation scheme. Victoria’s asset confiscation scheme aims to ensure that “crime doesn’t pay” by disrupting criminal enterprises and deterring criminal activity. The public is encouraged to report suspected fisheries offences to 13 FISH (13 3474). – DEPI

months that Fyans won’t be far off the former glory days of pre drought. I’m happy to say there has been some magnificent catches recorded here lately. Plenty of rainbows have been smashing lures trolled with the odd big brown thrown in. Tassie Devils are once again the flat line favourite and recently we trialled some Balista Trigger lures with the LED technology down there with great success. Brown and rainbows were freely hitting these while turning their noses up at other offerings. Changing up is the key here with something a little different or unseen producing the goods. Mudeye fishing under a bubble float is also going well for the trout but adjustment is the key. Fish shallow in lower light and adjust from 2.5-4m when it’s bright and sunny. Fly fishers once again have done well both in deeper water sight casting or wading the shallows. Some good bags of redfin also taken on gudgeon drifted through the lake during the day. LAKE WARTOOK In the previous couple of months I have reported rainbows up near the wall since the lake opened back up, but now they seem to have gone deep or moved away as water flows out of the lake. Browns have been the common catch here of late. Trolling hardbodied lures that run shallow early in the morning such as Presso Minnows and Rapalas has done the damage. Colour changes are required regularly to crack the code. Fly fishers have found it tough with many reporting seeing large fish way up in the back bays unwilling to be tempted. Maybe an abundance of bait in these areas combined with crystal clear water makes it hard going. Redfin haven’t really come on as yet in this deeper lake that takes a while warm up being in a valley and not getting as much sun as neighbouring lakes.

ROCKLANDS RESERVOIR We’re still not seeing a lot of fish being caught here but those in the know have been able to locate and troll or baitfish some bags of redfin. They’re not the bigger fish we are accustomed to at this time of year but they will school very soon and start to go. Trout have made a welcome return to the fore with anglers targeting reddies taking a few nice fish. Condition wise they are not the lunkers of other lakes nearby but mainly in that 1.5-2.5kg bracket. The Glenelg redfin below the wall are nowhere near as plentiful as days gone by either so the lake is the prime option. Bank anglers have taken many carp on worms and these pests provide great sport fishing for junior anglers. LAKE BELLFIELD The Chinooks here are growing nicely and the average size now is 600-700g, providing some good sport on light tackle. Like the Crater Lakes models, these guys can be tempted in lower light from the banks on shallow running lures but become a deep diver or downrigger option once the sun comes up. Remember Bellfield is an electric-only lake. Trout have been gathering down the southern end where some inflows of freshwater have taken them. Anglers bait fishing have been surprised by some large trout with the odd redfin thrown in. With the Chinooks growing rapidly, I fear the days of blackfish in here may be gone but the creek will still be a good prospect at night. Daiwa Double Clutches, soft plastics and even the good old reliable Celtas and bladed lures have been the best producers here. TAYLORS AND GREEN LAKES Green Lake has probably been the better of these 2 lakes of late with a large number of large carp being landed from the bank. The surprise

packet has been the odd big redfin! Former columnist Al Vanstan has been taking trips out to Green Lake at night with his family and doing his community service on the carp but also landing some nice reddies too. Boat anglers have once again found it very hard to locate the schools and even harder to stick with them. With reddies reaching 1.8kg on here it’s well worth a go. A lack of food in here brings these guys into the shallows chasing a meal. Don’t forget to dispose of your carp! Taylor’s will improve in the coming weeks as the water warms up. With inflows still happening I can see the natives heading for the highway end for not only a cheap feed in the new water but to chase some warmth and become active. Boat anglers may have to wait a few more weeks to get the rewards here. WIMMERA RIVER Out of town has started to produce a few yellas again as the water temperatures rise. Scrub worm or small yabbies fished off the bank on a running sinker rig should see you get a feed here. Sorting through the pesky carp will take some doing but you’re doing the environment a favour by ridding the waterways of these introduced pests. They’re great fun on light gear for kids and who knows, they might even snag a beaut yella doing it. Spinnerbaits are the way to avoid the carp but with snaggy areas the domain of the yellas, be prepared to lose a couple too. Late afternoon or early mornings have been best times. LAKE BOLAC I don’t have a lot to report on Bolac apart from the standard catches of smaller rainbows on Powerbait and glassies below the caravan park by visiting anglers. Those prepared to put on a little time and use berley have lured the fish in closer and produced. Although not big fish they provide great sport and if not released are a good size for the smoker being around the 1.5kg mark. With water levels starting to drop I can see the lake suffering badly during summer, let’s hope we get some of those big thunderstorms and downpours to top it up and revive it. • Victorian Inland Charters now operates 3 extra Polycraft boats as well as 2 double kayaks and a single kayak. With one Polycraft available at Toolondo, the rest of them are now based in Halls Gap and available for hire at great rates. Contact myself for the Toolondo Hire, 0438 132 130 or Scott Peck down at Halls Gap on 0428 575 862. Stay safe on the water, remember your PFD at all times and be careful of snakes in the warmer months!

Victorian Murray cod catch limits are changing

From 1 December 2014:

• the minimum size will be 55 cm • the maximum size will be 75 cm • the bag limit in rivers will be 1. The changes will improve Murray cod sustainability long term and fishing opportunities for anglers. The bag limit for lakes will remain unchanged at 2 Murray cod. The closed season and permitted equipment remain unchanged. For more information call the DEPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186 or visit www.depi.vic.gov.au/murraycodslots

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

Yellas biting baits as water clears MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

The river has been running a bit dirty around Mildura for the past month or so, making lure fishing very difficult in the main parts. Fortunately though, water clarity is improving, which should see lures work better. In the mean time we have seen some nice yellowbelly caught on bait. Yellowbelly are coming on the bite around Mildura due to the warmer water temperatures and weather we have been experiencing lately. As the sun continues to shine, more and more of these fish will be caught

particularly easily below the locks and weir structures. It is not unusual to see yellowbelly activity at a high around spring time and once the water clears up we’ll be set for a bumper yellowbelly summer. Fishing with bait around most places near Mildura has been the best way to pick up a yella or two lately, particularly around Hattah. Baits that are working the best are shrimp and worms, even though live shrimp are still difficult to find, but the warmer weather should bring them out as the season goes on. It’s great to be able to take the family down the river for a few hours on a weekend and bag a few yellas and have some fun catching large

carp on light gear. Backwaters have been producing some good yellas, particularly around snag piles and in eddy currents. Even though water clarity has been poor, a slowlyworked lipless crankbait or small hardbody in the right spot has seen a few fish caught. Tying up to a snag to throw lures along the bank and slowly retrieve them is also a good method. Pick of the spots to target yellowbelly on bait at this time of year is around the Hattah area and downstream Mildura, close to the banks tight up on most major structure. Places like Wemen and Fort Courage are great spots to fish at the moment. Murray cod season will

once again open very soon and is set to be a cracker of a season with some very nice cod caught right up until the close in late August. In the meantime, anglers should not be targeting Murray cod in any way to allow them to nest without disturbing the breeding chain. Most anglers around Mildura will be waiting for summer when the cod season to officially opens again. By then, waters should be back in their banks and we should see a Murray cod season like no other. Redfin should also come on the bite and are fun to catch on light gear using soft plastics and blades. This summer should also be a cracker for surface fishing, especially in the

Brett Evans with a river yellowbelly caught on worms. Fish like this are a common catch during the spring months. shallow waters of local billabongs and creeks. Fly-casting is a great method

of surface fishing as you can present really small lures in hard-to-reach spots.

Plenty of gold to go around MOAMA

Ian Page

We’re deep into spring and the local waterways are producing some great opportunities, with water temperatures rising, the yellowbelly have been very aggressive and striking lures and bait. The Gunbower Creek and Kow Swamp have seen some top fishing with Jackalls accounting for many fish and for the baits scrub worms and shrimp would be my preference. If trolling upstream in the Murray above Torrumbarry, find the deeper banks and troll medium diving lures such as Oargees, Custom Crafted, StumpJumpers or something similar that will dive to a moderate depth around 15ft and work close to the banks trolling over the same areas several times and changing lures every couple of runs. If angling with bait I like to use a running

The Mathoura boys caught this tidy yellow on the troll recently. sinker rig with just enough weight to hold bottom and a circle hook with multiple shrimps or I run the small ball sinker down to the hook and ‘tea-bag’ the shrimp at

different heights above the bottom to entice the fish to strike. Up around the Five Mile boat ramp has been good with good reports

also coming from above the East ramp. The Goulburn has been more stable with water heights and this has helped the water to clear and rise in temperature and in turn the fishing has improved. Flicking lures and spinnerbaits from the bank on light gear can provide some great sport and good fish. Redfin fishing has been a little patchy but if you do manage to find them, you can get a fair number in small amount of time. This is also a good time to check your equipment to ready yourself for cod season, so service your reels, make sure rods and lines are in top condition and see that your lure selection is topped up. I always look forward to November as the weather is stable and the fishing is great! • 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 lovely brown trout was caught near the Bonnie Doon pub by Paul Knowles and went 43cm. The fish was caught using worms as bait on a $20 kid’s rod purchased from Yea tackle shop.

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Good weather and great fishing ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Who said good weather doesn’t make for good fishing? It’s been a cracking month for perch in most of our local waters made even more memorable for the picture-perfect weather that’s accompanied most trips. Swan Hills to the Pentel Island area has fished well on bait with perch up to 54cm. There is no shortage of fishing options in the Swan Hill at present with most locations firing. While it’s the closed cod season, numerous incidental captures of good-sized cod in the Swan Hill area along the Murray are a good sign for the coming season. It seems it’s hard to do a bait session without a heap of cod muscling in on the action. Some of these fish have been over the 1m mark and all have been released. The Little Murray, Lake Kangaroo and Lake Charm have good numbers of perch and plenty have been taken on bait. At other locations, cod captures have not been an accident; unless you consider 120mm lures the perfect perch selection. While we cannot stop cod from hitting lures we can downsize the offering and vastly increase the chances it will be subbed as not worth the effort. Those involved need to remember they are fooling no one and it’s poor form. The Murrumbidgee at Balranald has good numbers of perch and they’ve been hitting bait and lures. The water clarity is quite good and this location should fish well for perch for the next month or so for those using a variety of smaller lures and spinnerbaits. The Wakool River at Kyalite has perch taking bait and a few overzealous cod in the mix. In the Murray River good numbers of golden perch have been biting at many locations with some sizable fish among

A minimum size limit on Murray cod of 50cm in Victorian and 60cm in NSW waters will see confusion among anglers and fisheries come open Murray cod season. those getting in on the action. Robinvale has and should continue to fish well for perch. Anglers bobbing shrimp and small yabbies around the snags have reported great catches. Some of these fish are up to 56cms and most anglers are catching their bag. Below the weir at Euston good numbers of perch have been caught on lures and bait.

The bite continues downstream through Wemen and into the Hattah Kulkyne National Park. Carp have been about in good numbers and are quick to snatch a bait. It seems the beautiful spring weather has the fish on the chew at most locations. From here on the fishing should only get better as the weather and water continue to warm.

Redfin have been biting in most of the Kerang lakes and channel systems.

MURRAY COD SLOT LIMITS CONFUSING New recreational catch limits for Murray cod in Victorian and NSW waters will improve the species’ sustainability and improve fishing opportunities for anglers in the long term. In a recent press release Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh said recent public consultation had indicated substantial support for the introduction of a 50-70cm slot limit and a reduced bag limit in rivers of one Murray cod per day. “The current 60-100cm slot limit does not sufficiently protect the older, more valuable breeding Murray cod, which are the future of this iconic species,” Mr Walsh said. “Scientific modelling by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries indicates that Murray cod populations would be enhanced under a slot limit regime of 50-70cm.” Mr Walsh said scientists had also modelled other scenarios including a 60-80cm slot limit. “The results of the modelling indicated that under Victorian conditions, a slot limit of 50-70cm was better for the fish and better for recreational anglers,” Mr Walsh said. “The bag limit of 2 in lakes would remain unchanged because most Murray cod fisheries in Victorian lakes are stocked populations, where angler takings don’t pose a sustainability threat. The reduced bag limit in rivers would enable Victorian anglers to take one smaller fish for the table, while ensuring all large breeders are returned to the water and contribute to future populations.” The new Victorian regulations will be introduced by a Fisheries Notice before the opening of the Murray cod season on 1 December 2014. At the same time the NSW Department Of Primary Industries is also changing the existing size limits for Murray cod. A maximum size

Carp are about in good numbers and keen to scoff any bait that’s sent their way. limit of 80cm for Murray cod will provide protection for large breeding fish while the minimum size limit of 60cm will remain in place. These changes will apply from the 3 November 2014. As an angler I support the move on slot limits but can’t help but wonder why both states could not adopt the same sizes so they leave no grey areas surrounding the capture or keeping of Murray cod. At the moment, if I launch my boat in the Murray River in NSW and motor into the Lindsay River in Victoria and catch a cod of 50cm I am legally allowed to keep it. My question is how I get it back to the boat ramp in the Murray where I launched from where the minimum size limit on Murray cod is 60cm? This interpretation is open at many locations and remains confusing to all anglers fishing

for Murray cod. While slot limits are a welcome move, those imposing them might not have thought things through very well. One fish, one set of rules, no confusion. NEWS UPDATE Due to last minute legislative changes from NSW and Victorian Fisheries the Murray cod slot limit has now been changed to 55cm-75cm (please refer to the Ed Desk on the contents page). We were notified of the changes just prior to going to print, so unfortunately some writers’ comments may still have the original regulations. Next month’s issue will have an overview of all the updated changes. – Ed

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Yellowbelly fever forges ahead YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Not being Nostradamus or a fortune teller, predicting when and where the yellas will fire up in and around Lake Mulwala this NEWS UPDATE Due to last minute legislative changes from NSW and Victorian Fisheries the Murray cod slot limit has now been changed to 55cm-75cm (please refer to the Ed Desk on the contents page). We were notified of the changes just prior to going to print, so unfortunately some writers’ comments may still have the original regulations. Next month’s issue will have an overview of all the updated changes. – Ed

spring is only an educated guess at best. Water temperature, rainfall and who knows what else makes these lurebashing bruisers turn on. One thing we do know is it will happen! So it’s time to pack the lighter native gear and get among them. Traditionally the water above Majors Creek up to Bundalong and surrounding backwaters or areas with increased current flow should be your first port of call. Lipless crankbaits and hardbodied lures in the 50-70mm size range or smaller profile spinnerbaits in natural colours would be my preferred option. The last weekend of cod season proved fruitful for numerous visiting anglers with some nice cod reported. A 107cm beauty was the best reported while the unluckiest cod fell victim to local character Joe Linehan. A quick arvo jaunt with his

4 year-old daughter Emily saw the pair troll no more than 100m before they had hooked up to a nice 65cm model that made for an enjoyable outing. A few diehards have been out in search for perch throughout September with limited returns. George Jovanovic has been turning up the odd prize while Dave Adams had a reasonable day recently with a couple measuring well into the 40cm bracket. Cooper Bennett has snared the best so far, with a lump measuring a creditable 52cm. A small Yellaman Series Bassman spinnerbait was his weapon of choice. NSW and Vic Fisheries have recently implemented some new ‘slot size’ limits for cod on both sides of the border. For NSW the new slot size 60-80cm while Vic’s is 50-70cm. Once again, the interstate anomalies astound me and leave you wondering why both could not work jointly on this. Apparently,

relevant state authorities have worked together for a long time on studies that relate to fecundity levels, growth rates and breeding cycles but cannot agree on what their studies actually mean. My question: What happens if you catch and keep a legal size 50cm cod in the Ovens River (Vitoria) above Bundalong and then get intercepted by NSW Fisheries while fishing below Bundalong (NSW)? This means you are in possession of an undersized cod in NSW water, even though it was caught legally ‘interstate’. Everybody will have their own opinions but make sure you are all up to speed on these new legislations by December 1. Organisation is well under way for the 2014 Yamaha Cod Classic. The Cod Classic promises to be huge with $150,000 prizes up for grabs. Your choice of either a Ford Ranger or Ford XR6 Ute

Cooper Bennett with his 52cm yella. A Yellaman Series Bassman spinnerbait was the undoing of this fish. plus 7 Quintrex, Yamaha and Lowrance boating packages make for an event that shouldn’t be missed. Entry forms are now available at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp

& Ski, the official Cod Classic shop (Opposite the Post Office) or call 03 5744 1667 for further information. Until next edition, happy fishing.

Steady water levels, means steady fishing SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

I am going to steal a footy term and say local fishos are ‘up and about’ because this spring has been one of the best I have seen. Last month we had still not had our standard flooding of both Goulburn and Broken rivers. This has seen a nice steady river level with good water clarity We have had some slight river rises after a few millimetres of rain but this has been just enough to get the rivers to have a bit

of extra flow in them for a couple of days. The local yellowbelly fishing has been fantastic lately and bait and lure fishers have caught plenty of fish. The Goulburn River has fished very well out towards Murchison, Toolamba and Loch Gary. As I said earlier, bait and lures have worked well and trolling smaller lures seems to be the best method using lures. Using greens and purples has seen the best results. Now the water is warmer there are plenty of shrimp and yabbies out and about so it’s a lot easier to gather fresh bait. I have found either side of a

sandbar in Rafterys area is the best place for shrimp. It’s not surprising to get a day’s worth of bait within 20-30 minutes of putting your net in. Just remember not to take too much bait and to always keep it fresh as it’s a waste of time if you’re using old, lifeless bait. By the time this magazine hits the stands we could receive late spring rains and if that’s the case get out to the Broken River as early as possible prior to the river rising too much. There is normally a window of opportunity when the river gets on the rise and if you’re too late you will miss out. Fishing below the wall out

at Casey’s Weir near Benalla would have to be one of the best places to fish when the water is on the rise so don’t be afraid to jump in the car for 30 minutes to experience some quality fishing. The other exciting part about November is the annual Trelly’s Tackleworld Mega Sale; this is Shepparton’s premier fishing sale. I don’t think I have missed this night in 10 years, I find it’s perfect timing before cod season and with so many trade specialists on hand you don’t just leave with new tackle, you leave more knowledgeable. This year’s sale is

more information get into Trelly’s Tackle World. SHEPPARTON LAKE In September the lake was re-stocked with large amounts of rainbow trout. It was great to see the local kids from the Verney Road be a part of the releasing of these trout. Fishing at the lake puts smiles on kids’ faces and something we get caught up with is all the bells and whistles in this industry, but when you strip it all back it’s all about enjoying the experience so hats off to the Fisheries for getting these young kids involved. Fishing wise the recently release trout are well and truly

DAM LEVELS Lake/Dam % Full

Dam % Full

LAKE/DAM Aug Sep Oct Cairn Curran 64 62 58 Dartmouth 94 95 93 Eildon 84 87 86 Eppalock 74 74 73 Fyans 84 83 79 Greens 56 67 68 Hepburn 87 99 97 Hume 72 74 78 Lauriston 83 82 75 Malmsbury 42 37 34 Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 93 101 93

Newlyn 86 94 93 Nillahcootie 100 101 100 Rocklands 26 29 28 Taylors 25 32 17 Tullaroop 52 52 52 Upper Coliban 90 98 97 Waranga 91 85 71 Wartook 73 87 86 William Hovell 100 99 98

NOVEMBER 2014

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.

Ethan Peters with a nice yellowbelly caught in a local channel. different to others in the past, as this one will be held from the McIntosh Centre at the show ground. There will be food and drinks available and there are over $5,000 of prizes up for grabs on the night. I look forward to seeing you all there on Friday 14 November and if you need

feeding with reports for locals landing 3-4 in an afternoon session. Casting small spinners from the bank has been very successful. KIALLA LAKES Back to the bait is what I am hearing from the lakes with most catches of fish being on bait. There is not a

huge amount of shrimp and yabbies in the lakes so if you get your hands on some fresh bait I am sure you will be in with a chance to land some legal size fish. CRAIGMUIR LAKE Craigmuir is slowly becoming Mooroopna’s best fishing locations with many reports coming from younger fishos who have been landing solid 40cm+ yellowbelly by trolling small lipless crankbaits. This lake is perfect for kayaks and if you can keep the yak moving fast enough to troll you will be in with a chance to land a good-sized yellowbelly. As well as yellowbelly, redfin up to 45cm have been landed during the spring. Throwing soft plastics for reddies is also another good option if you’re not catching fish on the troll. WARANGA BASIN Like most springs it’s just been too windy to fish at The Basin for most of us. There has been a hand full of people braving the windy conditions to chase redfin but it’s been a waste of time. The fish seem to have gone right off the bite as the water temperature has risen, which is the complete opposite of most other water ways. The only decent fishing in relation to the Basin is in the inlet channel with some good-sized yellowbelly being caught using vibes. I have not used many vibes recently but either Boats & More or Trelly’s Tackle World will be able to suggest the best vibe to use in the channels.

Quality trout are reward for tenacious anglers card for the keen float angler. Downstream in the lower lands the yellowbelly should be on the chew in November. This is easily the best time of the year to target yellowbelly in Lake Hume and is the best time of the year to catch the really big yellas. Try casting lipless crankbaits like Jackalls around the rocky outcrops and steep drop-offs. Trolling medium sized hardbodied lures like No. 2 StumpJumpers can also be quite productive. Try

KEIWA VALLEY

Robbie Alexander

This month I am writing my report from the trout heartland of the Kiewa Valley, Mt Beauty. Sitting under the back veranda of my in-law’s house in the morning spring sunshine. It is just magnificent up here. Over the last few days I have fished several waterways including the Kiewa River itself, a few tributaries and am planning on heading over Trappers Gap and fishing the Mitta Mitta River soon. The fishing has been quite slow in the Kiewa River with a few fish being caught in dribs and drabs. Persistent anglers have been catching trout, but not in large numbers. I guess you could say it has been steady enough to keep the keen angler interested, but far from spectacular. As we head into November I am expecting little change in the trout fishing in the Kiewa River as the numbers of fish are just not there like they were a few years back. Persistent anglers will catch trout right throughout November as the water starts to warm up a bit and insect life abounds. Remember, fewer numbers of trout usually lends itself to bigger, and fatter fish. Try drifting mudeyes into the deeper pools in November, particularly on the really warm evenings when there are plenty of dragonflies around. Bladed spinners will account for trout as well, and so will small soft plastics and hardbodied minnows. Mornings and evenings will be more productive as the warm November sun shines down onto the water.

Allans Flat Waterhole is another place to head if you’re targeting yellowbelly, but don’t go there expecting to catch monsters. It is a family friendly waterway stocked regularly with rainbow trout and yellowbelly. During November the yellowbelly will be starting to chew, so too will the resident redfin, which are usually quite small. The trout will be few and far between as they are stocked prior to the September school holidays

A nice fat Kiewa River brown trout caught on a 40mm Metalhead soft plastic this season.

Allans Flat Waterhole is a great mixed fishery. Small redfin break the monotony when you are waiting for the yellowbelly to bite. This little fella took a bunch of tiger worms fished with the old faithful paternoster rig. The smaller tributaries will fish better than the main river if you can find the trout. I say find the trout for a reason, and that is because not all of the streams have an abundance of trout in them at the moment, but most seem to have a few in patches and in general are fishing better than the main Kiewa River. I have heard reports from the Mitta Mitta River

Will O’Connor nailed this lovely coloured rainbow trout on an unweighted scrub worm in a tributary of the Kiewa River.

recently that have been quite similar with not too many trout being caught, but enough to keep anglers interested. In November the Mitta Mitta River will be as good a river as any to visit. The river is very wide and is a fantastic place for trout fishers of all levels to head. Snowy Creek, which runs into the Mitta Mitta River at Mitta Mitta Township, has been ticking over OK with a few trout caught. Once again, the reports I have received have not been glowing, but there have been consistent reports of anglers picking up one or two trout for their efforts. Lake Dartmouth should still fish really well for trout during November. It’s hard to pick if flat-line trolling or downrigging is going to work best as it is solely determined by the weather. If we do not get too much hot weather before November, flat-line trolling will be quite effective in November, particularly during the low light periods of the day. If we have experienced really hot October and November weather, causing the water surface temperatures to warm up too much, then you may need a downrig to get down to the cooler water. As a rough prediction, trolling winged lures such as Tassie Devils at around 20-25ft during the day and flat-line trolling at sunrise

and sunset will be a great starting point. Khancoban pondage has received little attention from me this season as I have not heard too many reports and have not fished up there myself. During November, this small sub-alpine lake at the base of the Snowy Mountains is always worth a visit as it has large amounts of aquatic weed, which lends itself to large hatches of dragonflies. This can provide some red-hot mudeye fishing during November and is often a draw

This large brown trout took a 40mm Metalhead soft plastic in black metal colour in a small tributary of the Kiewa River recently. trolling back and forth past the rocky outcrops, keeping your lure swimming a little bit off the bottom.

and have usually all been caught by November, but you might just fluke one if you’re lucky.

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Sporadic speckled specimens WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Early spring has seen mixed reports for trout fishing in the Ovens and King River systems. The Ovens River has fished very poorly as it has done for the last few years since the large bushfire and flash flooding levelled the river from Porpunkah upstream. Thankfully, good news is on the way. Victorian Fisheries have just announced a once off stocking of 2500 mature trout for the Ovens River. The fish are to be stocked in several locations from Porpunkah upstream to Harrietville. This is just what the Ovens River needs. Although I practice catch and release, I never ram it down peoples’ throats. This is a little bit different though and I strongly encourage anybody who catches one of these 2500 mature trout to release it. The reason being that these trout will spawn next year in autumn. The Ovens River is a very healthy ecosystem and the water is a lot cooler than surrounding rivers due to the fact that it leaves the mountainous region so quickly and is a bit

the best trout fishing river across the region, like it was only 2 or 3 years ago. If we release these mature trout now and give them at least one spawning season, pretty soon the Ovens River will once again be

experiencing this ‘on-off’ trout fishing... they are experiencing no trout fishing! Trout numbers in the lower reaches of the King River downstream of Lake William Hovell have become so poor that

The upper reaches above Lake William Hovell should fish OK with the far upper reaches around Pineapple Flat and King River Hut being the best section of the King River to target trout during November.

A healthy brown trout caught in a tributary of the Ovens River on a 40mm Metalhead soft plastic in October. the king of trout streams across North East Victoria. During November I would expect the Ovens River to fish very slowly, but quite a few of the tributaries have trout in them if you look hard enough. The Buckland,

it is barely worth fishing for trout any more. From the perspective of a local fisherman that has been fishing this area for over 35 years, I find it very sad that what was once a premiere trout fishery when I was a young bloke has now deteriorated into such a poor trout fishery. The removal of willow trees along the banks may well have suited the tree-huggers, but it has not suited the cold waterloving trout, trout fishers, the caravan parks that lost land in floods, the farmers that lost land in floods or the local tourism industry that relies heavily on people visiting the area. I still cannot for the life of me work out why the willow trees needed to be removed. Anyhow, that’s enough of a rant from me.

A nice brown trout caught in a tributary of the King River. The trout are there to be caught, but require a little extra effort to find than usual.

The author’s youngest daughter Holly caught this rainbow trout on an Asari Minnow at Stanley Dam. Stanley Dam was stocked in time for the September school holidays. By November, trout numbers will be low in the dam, but there might still be a few trout left.

Garry Alexander was delighted to catch a few brown trout in a small tributary of the King River. The fish were not huge, but to come up from Melbourne to his hometown of Wangaratta, and do what he was doing over 50 years ago really put a smile on his dial. narrower than others. This means it has a lot of shade and cover from the streamside vegetation. Conditions are ideal in the Ovens River to make it 58

NOVEMBER 2014

Buffalo and Rose rivers are all fishing very much the same with trout being caught in patches. The lower reaches of the King River are not

Another lovely brown trout caught in the upper Ovens River catchment this season.

Lake William Hovell itself will be worth fishing. There are plenty of trout in there. Early in the month those trout should be quite easy to catch by simply flat-line trolling winged lures such as Tassie Devils and small minnows across the open parts of the lake at sunrise and sunset. During the day you may need to get your lures down deeper with the assistance of a downrigger or leadline. Bait fishing with mudeyes can be quite productive during November, especially up the top end of the lake where the King River runs in. If we get too much warm weather the trout may become harder to catch, particularly towards the end of the month. Once the water in Lake William Hovell becomes this warm, the redfin usually start to move and can often be caught in the shallower water. Remember, the deeper the water the colder it is, so during November the trout may be down deeper and the redfin may be in the shallows feeding in the warmer water. Around Wangaratta itself there will be some great bait fishing. Unfortunately there are very few yellowbelly or redfin or any bread and butter type fish species in the Ovens River catchment, so carp it is! There is always plenty of carp on the chew in the Ovens and King rivers close to Wangaratta if you wish to just get out and put a bend in your favourite fishing rod.

It’s an Eildon gold rush EILDON

Andy McCarthy

Last month the fishing was quite good with reports of nice yellowbelly coming in on a regular basis. It was a bit slower than last year, simply because of the unusually cold nights keeping the water temperature quite low for this time of the year and it seemed that a lot of the warmer days carried a bit more wind. The wind must have contributed to the cooler water. The next 6-8 week period is going to be what we’ve been waiting for all year. Pandemonium is a word that springs to mind and I can’t

wait to see just how fat the big females are this season after the mass explosion of baitfish. Just remember, if you are weighing a big fat yella, please do it in a net and not by hanging it by its lips because this will damage the fish really badly with so much strain on its spine and organs. Try to look after the big breeders and release them in the best possible condition. When you’re fishing this month, whatever you’re using, always have a suspending hardbodied lure such as a Cranka 59mm Minnow, Rapala X-Rap, Daiwa Double Clutch or Jackall Squirrel rigged up on a spare rod. If you can’t get your yellas to commit to the other lures, chuck the

suspender at them and just let it sit in front of their faces. Just tapping the rod every 10-20 seconds works a treat, they can’t help themselves and they just smash them. This is my favourite way of catching them, especially because of the visual aspect of it. President of the Snobs Creek and District Angling Club Steve Vidler recently caught a great-conditoned 10lb+ model on a TN60 Jackall. This will hopefully be the first of many for this season! It’s at this time of year that the cod will become a more prevalent by-catch until the season opens proper in December. There have been some

This is what Eildon fishers wait for all year – huge yellowbelly tipping 10lb! Always remember to handle these big fish with care and if weighing them, do so with a net. reports of good-sized reddies being taken but it certainly isn’t on fire. There have been a lot of questions asked about whether

there are any salmon in the lake. Simply, the answer is no, they are just very, very silver browns and I must say, I’ve had second glances myself.

There have been a few quality trout around lately with some 3-5lb browns being taken in good old Big River that always seems to produce the goods.

Set for a belter at Bonnie Doon BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

It comes as no surprise that the fishing up the top end of the lake was a bit more productive than the bottom throughout October. With the water temperature being on average 2-4°C hotter, it brought on the fish that congregate up the top of the lake tad earlier

than those in the southern reaches of the lake. Now that we will start to get some more balmy nights and more consistent water temperatures, it’s all looking prime for November to be a belter of a month. I’m sure that the fish will be very aggressive due to a later start in comparison to last year, so it will be interesting to see if they stay on the chew for longer or just go gang busters for a

short period. The Ford Inlet is sometimes forgotten about but is well worth a go at this time of year. The guys from the Snowy Mountains Outdoor Centre reported a recent Sunday arvo session where Kerryn Seeber, a local, was having a ball drowning a few scrubbies in the Ford Inlet and managed 3 nice yellowbelly. It was a good session and not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

FISHING FILL-ITS

First step in trout investigation The Goulburn River near Kevington was today stocked with 5,000 brown trout as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s investigation into the cause of declined trout populations in High Country rivers. A further 5,000 brown trout will also be released into the Howqua River near Sheepyard Flat tomorrow. Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Industries and Member for Benalla Bill Sykes said the trout had been marked by volunteers from Mansfield and District Flyfishing Club prior to being released as part of the Wild Trout Fishery Management Program, allowing the stocked trout to be distinguished from wild fish spawned naturally in the river. “Over the next three years, DEPI fisheries researchers will undertake annual backpack electrofishing surveys at sites along the two stocked rivers to check the progress of the stocked fish and wild trout numbers,” Dr Sykes said. “Anglers will also be interviewed along the riverbanks each year to

determine the proportion of caught trout that are marked. “All of this information is vital to inform the Wild Trout Fishery Management Program and help to establish what has contributed to reports of declined brown trout numbers in High Country rivers.” Member for Seymour and Liberal candidate for Eildon Cindy McLeish said Victoria’s northeast and Gippsland trout rivers were highly valued by freshwater anglers, local communities, the tourism sector and the fishing tackle industry. “This investigation also involves tracking trout in the Delatite River, conducting annual surveys of spawning success in 12 iconic trout rivers, and monitoring catch and harvest levels of trout,” Ms McLeish said. “It is an extensive and thorough program of initiatives that will allow Fisheries Victoria to better understand why numbers of trout have declined and how populations can be improved.” Further trout stockings in the two rivers is planned in 2015 and 2016 as part of the program, which is funded by fishing licence fees and the Coalition Government’s $16

million Recreational Fishing Initiative. Nationals Candidate for Eildon Jim Child said the Victorian Coalition Government was committed to supporting and improving the state’s recreational fishing industry. “The Coalition Government recognises the important social and economic contribution of recreational fishing and we are building a better Victoria by ensuring our state remains a top fishing destination for locals and visitors,” Mr Child said. The brown trout released into the Upper Goulburn River were stocked over 26 kilometres from Jamieson upstream to Edwards Creek. In the Howqua River, the trout were released from Running Creek Reserve 10 kilometres upstream to Sheepyard Flat. Mansfield and District Flyfishing Club President, Graham Godber, said being involved as volunteers in marking the brown trout, and then their release, was a partnership approach they valued with freshwater fisheries managers from Fisheries Victoria. – DEPI

James Dainton caught a specimen on a Balista Trigger in the glimmer pink pattern recently near Bonnie Doon on the troll. The Delatite Arm and particularly the mouth of the river will come on strong now and I’m expecting to hear a great deal of reports coming in thick and fast in November if previous seasons are anything to go by. Let’s hope we get a bit of spring rain in the near future, if not we might start to see the lake dropping even further than last year. For some reason they have been letting more water out a lot earlier than normal for this winter and spring prior to irrigation season. ‘Environmental flow’ seems to be a phrase I keep hearing. I heard a local angler picked up a 7lb brown in Goughs Bay. I will hunt down some pictures and keep you all posted. With a bit of luck the reddies will come back to the fore soon and satisfy the hunger many of us have for these tasty little fish. As fishers we are about to be invaded by our good friends, the skiers. The jet skiers and wake boarders will be showing us quiet, unassuming anglers just how cool they are by roaring nice and close to us. Please be careful on the water, the last thing we need is another tragedy so stay safe and tight lines.

Chunky yellowbelly like this will become more available to anglers as the weather warms. James Dainton took this chunky specimen on a Balista Trigger in glimmer pink.

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Gippy’s tricky trout CENTRAL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Finally, trout opening is here and everyone seemed to get out to test the waters to see if the trout were

going to behave this year. The good news is some of the rivers showed a lot of promise. The main river to get most of the attention was the Macalister River. If you spoke to a lure or fly fisher they would probably

Dave Johnson caught this lovely brown trout on a spinner from the Tyers River on opening weekend. He saw good numbers of fish in the river as well.

tell you that trout opening in this neck of the woods was a write-off, but in fact anglers using worms as bait did really well and a stack of brown trout were between Lake Glenmaggie and Licola. They were all brown trout and there were some real rippers caught up to 40cm in length. The river looks good and once it warms up, the lures and flies should start working a treat again. We have already had some good flying ant falls with some hot nights, which should get the trout going on the dry fly. The Tyers River was another creek that got well fished and I had mixed reports from some anglers only catching one fish to others catching half a dozen. Most of the trout caught were under 30cm and were caught on spinners such as Celtas, Mepps and Vibraxe. Small hardbodies and soft plastics are worth a shot as well. The lower Tanjil River only produced a handful of small brown trout, however, the upper section above Blue Rock Lake produced more fish than last season, but anglers certainly put in the effort, bush bashing their way through sections that hadn’t been fished hard as there were plenty of anglers

Brandon Morley caught a couple of nice brown trout locally on small bead head nymphs. and campers around. The best fish I heard of was caught by Mick Gned, who caught whopping 2.5lb brown trout in the upper Tanjil on a soft plastic, which is probably one of the biggest trout I’ve heard of coming from this area. The Traralgon was very disappointing once again. There is a tonne of food, I saw nymphs everywhere and schools of minnows or mosquito fish present in good numbers but I did not see a trout anywhere. I had the same feedback from other anglers I spoke to as well. A couple of my

mates managed to find two small brownies up high after about 5km of walking. So there is a couple of trout here, but the numbers are way, way down on what they were back in 2011. Merrimans Creek was a lot more promising, fly fisher Brandon Morley caught some lovely brown trout on bead head nymphs and spooked a few more as well so that’s a good sign. On the bass front, there have still been good numbers of bass caught out of Blue Rock from the bank but only on worms early in the morning and

evenings. Most of the fish are under 27cm. Lake Glenmaggie has produced some monster-sized bass over winter by anglers using worms fished just before dark and it seems there’s plenty of bass in this lake in the high 30cm mark. • For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 51748544. 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!

‘Lake Disappointment’ no more WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

Blue Rock Lake is fast becoming the local hot spot for anglers. Having been dubbed ‘Lake Disappointment’ in the past, the fishing in recent times has shaken off that tag with more and more anglers reporting good fishing. All of which is credit to the successful bass stocking program by Fisheries. While many still dispute the boat and engine limits for the lake, the positives that arise from such rules is that the lake is solely dedicated to small boat owners, kayakers and other passive recreation. Kayaking, whether fishing

or not is ever-increasing and with the warmer weather approaching we’ll start to see more of an influx of kayakers out on the lake. They feel safe not having big boats and jet skis zooming around, so the lake invites kayakers of all ages and experience levels. More and more local anglers are buying and decking out their boats just to suit Blue Rock too. It’s a great atmosphere out on the lake on a nice day when you see fellow boaters out on the water; I suppose it gives a little sense of safety in numbers. I’m sure the kayakers would feel the same way. Bass fishing on Blue Rock is starting to heat up as the water starts to warm up over the coming months. While bass were still being caught over the winter months, the fish were down deep and less

active, so fishing live bait proved to be the best way to target them. As the water warms up the fish will come to the surface chasing baitfish and feeding off insects on the top. This is when lures like hardbodies, soft plastics, surface poppers and blade lures will work a treat. When there is heaps of surface action after a hatch, it is also worth casting a fly out to match the hatch. On a recent outing I caught a few bass on scrub worms and in one of the fish’s mouths was still undigested food. At first I could see the remains of something white and fleshy that I thought could have been a young redfin but then, amazingly, in amongst the white meat was 3 small shrimp each about 15mm long. This got me very excited knowing there

is an abundance of shrimpstyled lures on the market for my next outing. I was also surprised as I wasn’t aware of freshwater shrimp being in Blue Rock, but having done my research since then I now know they are found all across Victoria. It was great to see that there was a natural healthy population of food for fish like bass and trout in the lake. The rivers of West and South Gippsland are flowing well. Over the next few months the stream trout action will intensify as the warmer weather brings more insect hatches, which excites the trout and fly anglers alike. Lang Lang, Bunyip and Tarago rivers in the Drouin district will all be worth a try over the coming months with the Latrobe, Loch and Toorongo rivers in the Noojee

Cate Haughton with her first Blue Rock bass caught and released on a scrub worm fished off the bottom in 9m of water. Bass will start to come to the surface in the coming months as the water warms up, which will be a lot of fun for the lure fishers. district also fishing well. Please remember the blackfish season is still closed until 31 December 2014. The Moe River is fishing well for eel with some big ones recently caught near the Highway overpass in Darnum.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories from the opening of the trout season. Please email me any questions you may have too. Happy fishing!

High water happiness delivers at the Yarra YARRA VALLEY

Ian Loft ringwood@compleatangler.com.au

The Yarra River is in good condition to fish at the moment. 60

NOVEMBER 2014

The upper section around Warburton is great for fly-fishing and spin fishing with cold semi-clear water and plenty of bugs to keep the fish happy. A couple of small flash

floods have sent the water up and down in the last month stirring up the fish and getting them ready to fire up when the water starts to warm. This period of high dirty water is as good for the

river as it is for the fish and anglers alike. With nutrientrich water coming down from upstream, the river pulses with life for a short period. Finding food is the easy part, sitting out of the

current is as tricky as can be and it’s what all the fish are looking to do. Undercut banks and huge snag piles are where you’ll find the fish when the river is running bank to bank and the

colour of a ‘white with two’. People want to cast out when they get to the riverbank when they should be casting at their feet! Under your feet is where the fish are and To page 61

Rivers running clear BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The catchments in the Bendigo region are drying out rapidly. At this stage, the amount of rainfall during spring has been well below average. The run-off into our catchments has almost stopped and some significant rain is needed to reverse this trend. On a positive note, the reduced rainfall has now seen the water clarity improve at most locations in the region. Water clarity is currently very good in our river systems and anglers are being rewarded with some good captures. LAKE EPPALOCK The fishing at Eppalock is best described as slow but improving. By the time anglers are reading this report the improvement should be significant. Water clarity is currently very good at Lake Eppalock. However water levels are dropping slowly and last month the numbers of redfin being caught were very low. This trend will unfortunately continue due

to the reduced amount of inflows into the lake. I believe the redfin fishing will remain slow this season and will not peak like the last few seasons. The majority of the redfin have been fishing in deep water. Over the next few weeks as water temperatures increase, greater concentrations of redfin will move into shallower water. There has been a small increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught in recent weeks. We should see the productivity in the golden perch fishing significantly increase thanks largely to the good golden perch stockings over the last few seasons by Victorian Fisheries. The best times to target the golden perch are going to be during those times of reduced light conditions. Early in the morning and late afternoons is prime time to target resident yellas. Casting to rocky shorelines, standing and lay me down timber are excellent habitat to target. CAMPASPE RIVER The productivity in the fishing has been improving in the Campaspe River.

The occasional quality redfin has been landed and the numbers of golden perch being caught has increased over recent weeks. Anglers casting and retrieving small profile spinnerbaits are catching the majority of fish. Casting and retrieving hardbodied lures and lipless crankbaits have also been productive options. The majority of the golden perch have been caught late in the afternoons. The productivity in the fishing should continue to improve over the next few weeks as water temperatures continue to increase and the fish become more active. CAIRN CURRAN The fishing continues to be good at Cairn Curran. Those anglers who are prepared to put the time in on the water are still catching reasonable numbers of redfin. The numbers of redfin being caught are not high, reasonable redfin can be caught with the occasional quality redfin measuring over 40cm being landed. Trolling deep diving hardbodied lures, casting soft plastics and jigging ice jigs have been the most

The productivity in the golden perch fishing has improved in the Bendigo region. productive techniques on the redfin. Small numbers of trout have been caught by anglers trolling winged styled lures and small hardbodies. In the next few weeks as the water continues to warm the numbers of trout being caught will decrease as they start to move deeper. At this stage the numbers of golden perch being caught at this destination have been low but we should start to see increased numbers being caught in the next month.

Trolling medium sized lures in the depth range between 4-6m will be a good option. LODDON RIVER The fishing in the Loddon River has been slowly improving over recent weeks. Water clarity is currently good at most locations down the Loddon River system but may reduce at times when water is being released for irrigation demands. If we do receive significant rainfall the water clarity will also reduce. At this time of the year golden perch are the main

target species. Casting hardbodied lures and lipless crankbaits are good options for the golden perch. Those anglers who are prepared to do the hard yards, walking the banks and fishing those areas that receive the least amount of fishing pressure, will again experience the highest catch rates. Anglers are always encouraged to do the right thing and take any rubbish home with them and always gain permission if seeking access to the river through private property.

Trout and goldens alive and well MELBOURNE METRO

Ian Debar iand@gottabite.com.au

Most of the local freshwater species around Melbourne are worth a shot this month. Trout have been reasonably active in the rivers and some of the deeper urban lakes with redfin, golden perch and carp also playing the game. Sugarloaf Reservoir has been fishing well for From page 60

because the waters so dirty they can’t see you and you can’t see them. Dropping or drifting a big bunch of worms into the undercut is a great way to snare a trout in these conditions. You can even suspend your bait off the bottom using your rod and keep a tight line to the bait at the same time - be careful though, if you get a bite and your not holding your rod you could end up with one rod less! Don’t expect to ‘kill the pig’ and bring home a bag full of monsters. Plenty of people go up and catch the local trout and think they’re pretty small. This is a small freestone stream with relatively poor water quality

golden perch and redfin recently and is a good place to check out if you want to head for a Sunday drive. Historically, November is an excellent month to target the golden perch, as they are increasingly active as the water temperature climbs. The average size of the perch in the lake is around 35-45cm, which are good fun to catch on light gear. One of the bonuses about fishing this lake is that the water clarity is normally good, and at times you will see the fish so the trout are never going to grow big and fat. Sure there are some nice ones in there but you can bet your boots that when they get caught, they don’t go back in to help the system make more nice ones! The average fish is about 200g and a good one is around 700g. Not big by any standard unless your fishing a small freestone stream. Relative to other similar streams that makes them not bad at all! Do the right thing and if you feel the need to take one, then just take one. There are plenty of fish in the river so it will be a good fun day out if you use the right gear to catch them. Ultra light spin gear with 2kg line or a nice little 7ft #3 fly rod will do you nicely.

following your lure back towards the shoreline before eating it. Speaking of lures, the most effective on these perch are lures that sink down and can be worked along the lake bottom. Most people are familiar with vibe-style lures now and there is a heap that will catch goldens and the best performers are normally in the 45-60mm size range. The best lures will sink on a 45° angle and they tend to rest at this angle on the lake bottom, which keeps them looking

natural and minimizing them from fouling on the line. Just be mindful that Sugarloaf Reservoir is an ‘artificial bait and lure’ waterway only, so no natural baits or berleys can be used in the lake. The Yarra River is still worth a look for anglers wanting to catch some stream trout. As the weather gets warmer and warmer the river will become a bit more hit and miss in the lower to middle reaches and the upper reaches will become more consistent for the trout. The

The Yarra River trout aren’t bruisers, but for a stream like the Yarra River they aren’t too bad either.

Jordan Cervenjak caught this beautiful brown trout from the upper reaches of the Yarra River on fly gear. Photo courtesy of Jordan Cervenjak.

reaches up above Warburton start to ascend a bit and the river becomes narrower with faster moving runs and pools, which can still produce a few fish. These small pockets fish well with bait, lure and fly, provided you have the right outfit to deliver a cast into these confined areas. Customer of the store Jordan has been poking around the river recently in search of a few trout on the fly, with a few taking small wet patterns in the moderately flowing runs. Jordan has found that small bead-headed nymphs in dark browns and black have been the most successful on the local trout. A small suspending hardbodied lure or even a #8 baitholder hook with 2 juicy trout worms

fished through the same runs will normally bring a trout out for a look as well. • If you have had some success in these areas lately send me a photo and go into the draw for your chance to win a store voucher valued at $100. 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 us 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. fishingcmaping.com.au NOVEMBER 2014

Great month for fluff chuckers BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Fishing in and around the Ballarat district has really fired up with our spring weather well and truly here. The warmer weather insects are starting to hatch and the trout in the district have changed from their winter slumber and are now feeding more actively. Their feeding habits have definitely changed and they are now targeting mayflies, damsels, midge, dragonflies and mud eyes as their main food sources and anglers need to change the way they have been fishing over the winter months. You now need to match the hatch with what the trout are munching on. Lake Wendouree has seen angler numbers increase day after day with warmer

Tom Shaw plucked this chunky redfin casting a hardbodied lure while drifting in the boat. Photo courtesy of Tom Shaw.

make for magnificent fishing platforms. Anglers using mud-eyes suspended under bubble floats have constantly been rewarded catching quality

Craig Mitchell pulled this 6lb brown trout stripping a black Woolly Bugger walking the edges of Wendouree. Photo Courtesy of Craig Mitchell.

and more settled weather. Anglers have been out in force fishing from boats, land-based or any of the new floating jetties we now have in the lake, which

brown and rainbow trout up to 5lb from the shore and boats. The boat anglers getting the best results have been anchoring their boats right on the edges of the lake’s main

weed banks and fishing out into the open waters. Early in the morning or just on evening have been the best times to bait fish the lake. The fly fishers are just playing the waiting game for the mayfly to start hatching. Lake Wendouree was renowned for many years as Victoria’s premier mayfly water with fly fishers travelling from all over Australia to fish ‘The Hatch’. Sadly, during the drought years when the lake dried up the mayfly larvae died, but now the lake has filled we have seen some very small hatches over the last few years, but nothing like years ago. We live in hope that something has changed and over the coming couple of months they’ll come back to what the hatches used to be. Fly fishers have been catching plenty of trout ‘loch style’ fly-fishing Lake Wendouree stripping Woolly Bugger patterns and Damsel fly patterns. On dark and into the evenings mud-eye patterns, with Craig’s Nighttime and Mrs Simpson patterns the flies of choice ,the most effective.

This method is best employed with a slow retrieve as this proved rewarding for the shore-based fly swingers. The lure casters and trollers still continue to reap the rewards on offer at Lake Wendouree. Whether you are land-based or drifting out in the boat or just trolling the main rowing channel, trout and redfin have been on the chew. Hardbodied lures seem to be the most productive with day break and evenings the best times to catch a fish but if we get some overcast days, you should get out there as the trout will bite all day. Newlyn Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon are both on the mayfly radar for the fly fishers with the overcast days being the best time to fly fish these waters. These are only land-based fisheries so walking or wading the shorelines waiting for a feeding trout is the go, but if there is no surface insect activity, searching fly patterns like Woolly Buggers, Tom Jones or the ever-reliable Brown Nymph with a slow retrieve should produce results.

David Bandy nailed this 5lb brown ‘loch style’ fly fishing at Wendouree stripping a magoo Woolly Bugger fly pattern around the edges. Photo courtesy of David Bandy.

For bait anglers, the humble old garden worm fished on a running sinker rig is as good as any but a spider or bug mud-eye suspended under a bubble float is the best bait. Trout just cannot go past a mud-eye, especially at Hepburn as the lagoon is full and the trout feed on them during the warmer months as their main diet. The fly anglers over the coming months at Hepburn should be prepared to also fish in the evenings and

This brown was caught ‘loch style’ fly fishing with an olive Woolly Bugger by Scott Xanthoulakis. Photo courtesy of Scott Xanthoulakis.

well into the night. When the mud-eyes really start to hatch, the trout will follow them out of the deeper water and into the shallows and this is when fly fishers will have the best chance to catch some thumping trout that lurk around in these waters. Wet or dry mud-eye patterns are the most successful with very slow retrieves. Don’t be afraid to wade into the water to cast back in along the shorelines, as the trout will chase the mud eyes into only inches of water to feed on them. Moorabool Reservoir, like others in the district, is another waterway that has the mayfly hatches, so there’s not much more to say on the method required. To be able to catch trout in this waterway, however, fly fishing needs to be done very early in the day to find the trout in the shallows, feeding on small midge or mud-eyes from the night before. The stealth approach needs to be applied when fishing for midge feeders with small flies and light leaders are a requirement to be able to catch these feeding trout. For the bait fisher mud-eyes and worms are the go in Moorabool.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Honda’s big sale continues Honda Marine’s 50th Anniversary has been a big one for the company, with Honda Dollars being offered on different outboards during every month since May. The celebrations are continuing into November and, for the first time ever, the all-new BF80 and BF100 will be included in a Honda sale. Until 30 November, customers who purchase either model will receive $500 Honda Dollars to spend in store on absolutely anything they want. Also on sale until 30 November are the BF75 and – an apt inclusion for the 50th Anniversary – the BF50. Like the BF80 and BF100, customers purchasing either of these 62

NOVEMBER 2014

two models will receive $500 Honda Dollars to be spent in store, or taken straight off the price of the engine or BMT package. “In the lead-up to summer, boaters and fishos are keen to get a great package on the water,” said Honda Marine National Manager, Chris New. “With these offers available on mid-range and high horsepower models, even more people will find themselves in a boat powered by a Honda. “Since we released them in April, the BF80 and BF100 have impressed our dealers and customers. Now even more people have the chance to get their hands on the latest in Honda technologies. With all the features Honda is renowned for –BLAST for low speed power, VTEC

for better performance and fuel economy throughout the rev range (BF100 only) and Trolling Control for fishing and low-speed manoeuvres – these models are sure to make a day on the water even more enjoyable.” Honda Dollars can be taken directly off the purchase price of the outboard or boat package, or any other product in-store at the time of purchase. All Honda outboards come with an industryleading, standard 5-Year Domestic Warranty and are backed by a network of highly-trained Honda service staff located across Australia. To locate your closest Honda Marine dealer and for full terms and conditions visit marine.honda.com. au. – Honda

For the first time ever, the BF100 and BF80 come with $500 Honda Dollars for all domestic customers until the end of November.

All methods are go for trout in November JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

November is a busy month for trout anglers in the Snowy Mountains. Since the environmental water releases down the Snowy River in October, the lake has been pretty stable and is looking great for all methods of trout fishing. We have seen some great catches of late with big

but the edge fishing is still very good. There was a lot of snow on the mountains this year to melt and so the rivers and streams are still looking great. If anything, we have a little too much water in some of the streams and it may be the end of the month before the best of the dry fly fishing starts. How the season will progress from now on will depend on how much rain we get. A wet end to spring may mean a continuation of the

of the hopper season may be happening soon as well. If you want to you can still use a small nymph dropper in the faster water just to double your chances at catching a fish. The flyfishing on the lake is still very good around the edges. Fishing the small bays and inlets will get some results very early and late in the day if you’re careful not to spook the trout. Woolley Buggers, Craig’s Nighttime and Williamson’s Goldfish have been the flies well worth

Bait fishing has been good in the lake, and teaming up your rig with worms and artificial baits are really producing. Put two hooks on the line and combine a worm and artificial bait to double your chances of a trout. If the fish are a little picky try using muslin on your line to keep it floating out of the weed and reduce the drag created by the water tension. Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been Waste Point area, The Claypits

TROUT Best method: Bank-based bait on the lake with artificial bait or scrub worms Best lake trolling lure: Rapala CD07 Scatterrap Gold and Tasmanian Devil green and gold number 111 Best lake area: Creel Bay and Waste Point area and Stinky Bay (The Haven) Best fly method lake: Black weighted Woolly Bugger and Williamson’s Goldfish Best River Fly Fishing: Black bead head nymphs and a size 12 Tea Tree Beetle Best River Lures: Gillies Feathertail Spinner and Trout pattern 3cm Bullet Lures Best lake spinning lures: Spotted Dog or Brown Trout pattern Rapalas and 7g Holographic Tassie Devil browns and plenty of rainbows captured. There is no place better than the other on Lake Jindabyne at present with the cooler water temperatures,

great lake fishing. On the rivers and streams, we are starting to see plenty of white moths and tea tree beetles, and the beginning

using at dawn and dusk. The shallow bays on the lake are well worth fishing at sunset with both Hayshed Bay and Hatchery Bay fishing the best.

Excited for chunky chooks CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Spring is well and truly here and the warm weather is certainly bringing out anglers in droves. The trout and redfin are responding in great numbers with Lake Bullen Merri being the number one destination in which to wet a line in the southwest. Locals and visitors alike are flocking to Camperdown to take advantage of the fishing bonanza that Bullen Merri is currently offering. Flat line trolling Loftys Cobra style winged lures well out back from the boat is tempting many brown and rainbow trout to 2.4kg into taking a bite. First light is the prime time to do this, otherwise try to get out on dusk on a weeknight when there is a lot less boat traffic. The big phenomenon is the Chinook salmon. Fish from several hundred grams to a whopping 1.8kg are on offer with the ‘old fashioned’ method of simply bottom bouncing saltwater chunks of pilchard in depths approaching 10m at anchor is certainly bringing results. The use of berley is recommended to not only attract fish, but motivate and entice them into your area. Many fish will take your bait, but the majority are going to be small. The use of a very damp towel to handle the small ones for release is mandatory as their scales are very

delicate. Don’t worry; plenty of releases have taken place here over the last 2 years, which means there’s plenty of solid fish on offer. Berley wise, it pays to buy several cans of cat food (the seafood variety) and get your hands dirty by moulding the cat food into tennis ball sized offerings and sending them down at 20 minute intervals. Do what I do and buy some rubber gloves! It certainly works! Remember the take only the limit and send any smaller ‘chooks’ back to stack on some weight. Many years ago these salmon were readily caught at weights exceeding 20kg on the old scale. Whether or not this will occur again, I don’t know, but the Chinooks are certainly capable of growing a lot heavier than 1.8kg. Wouldn’t it be great to come back in a year or so and catch these fish approaching 4kg? Just imagine the year after… Lake Purrumbete has

seen some solid browns taking mud-eye suspended under floats fished near the weed beds. Fish to an amazing 4.4kg have taken up the deal. Scrub worms fished unweighted on the bottom have accounted for many school sized redfin plus more than a few rainbow trout to 2kg. Lake Elingamite continues to amaze anglers with the quality, more so than the quantity of fish on offer. Beautifully coloured browns and rainbows exceeding 2kg have responded to lures trolled and cast on this smaller but equally viable southwestern crater lake. In this lake, there are some potentially trophysized redfin responding to lures and bait. In fact, to my knowledge, the biggest reddy to come out of Elingamite has broached the 1.7kg mark. After the massive winter rains plus the warm, sunny spring days, fishing could never be better in the sweet water than it is right now.

and at East Jindabyne near Rushes Creek. For the lake trollers, surface trolling lures at 2m deep and lead core lines will be the best methods to get a trout at the moment. It is also definitely worth trolling some minnow lures early in the morning off the lead core lines. The Scatterrap Rapalas have proven to be very effective

with their unique action and it would be wise to try one off your lead core line early in the day, especially before sunrise. Don’t worry about using bigger lures as they are best for the bigger fish. If targeting rainbows, and yes there are plenty being caught at the moment, smaller StumpJumpers along with Tassie Devils Canberra Killer and the Willy’s Special are still catching their share of fish. We are using leadcore lines and downriggers at the moment and in the middle of the day on those sunny still days we are downrigging to almost 40’ where the bigger rainbows are holding out. Best areas to troll at the moment with the high lake level have been the East Jindabyne Islands, Hayshed and Hatchery Bay and up at Creel Bay. Lure spinning has been good early and late in the day and should continue that way for a while yet. There are trout about and the best fishing is in the shallows early and deep water later in the middle of the day. Minnow lures like floating Rapalas, StumpJumpers and other minnow style lure in either natural rainbow trout and brown trout patterns or gold colours to represent the

Jindabyne goldfish that the trout love to chase and eat. Don’t stay in one place too long and only put in a couple of casts in each area. 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMP On 8 November I will be holding my 25th Anniversary Fishing Competition and my Celebration Dinner on Saturday night. The competition has limited numbers and you need to call my shop to see if there are any last minute positions available. There are also limited seats available for my official celebration dinner so get in while you can. A lot is happening this November especially with the Snowy Mountains Trout Festival week coming up (more information can be found at www. troutfestival.com). • Why not call into my shop next to the Shell Service Station at the intersection of Kosciusko Road and the Alpine Way or give me a call on 02 64561551 for more details and latest updates. Don’t forget that if you want the best daily update you need to become our Friend on Facebook – Steve Williamson’s Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.

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This 2kg hen rainbow was taken from Lake Elingamite on a Black Magic B-Max subsurface 60mm minnow lure.

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For more boats visit: www.polycraft.com.au NOVEMBER 2014

Science meets fishing

What is happening to Victorian trout streams? GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

Fisheries Victoria is responding to anglers’ concerns about the state of trout fishing in the State’s northeast streams, but how much of what’s happening is inevitable and irreversible? Anglers fishing for trout during the 2013/14 season reported poor fishing in Victoria’s northeastern streams. Many suspect that the wholesale removal of streamside willows has contributed to poor environmental conditions and low trout numbers. Anglers in eastern Victoria and in Tasmania are also concerned at the apparent build-up of cormorant numbers. Fisheries Victoria’s immediate response has been to commission Arthur Rylah Institute scientists to survey trout populations in 4 streams. Of these streams, there are 3 flowing into Lake Eildon: the Howqua, Jamieson and Upper Goulburn rivers, and one flowing into the Ovens River: the King River, above and below Lake William Hovell. Using electrofishing, the ARI researchers recorded historically low numbers of brown and rainbow trout in the lower sections of all 4 streams. Water temperatures were high in most rivers, particularly in the lower sections. High water temperatures linked with high summer air temperatures and low summer flows were considered to be the most likely causes of the low trout numbers in the lower reaches of these streams. The DEPI website report on this study notes that “water temperatures recorded during the survey were at or above the thermal tolerance of trout”. It also notes Bureau of Meteorology observations: “Since 1996, North East Victoria has experienced on average the lowest stream flows on record,” and, “In the summer of 2013/14, there were record numbers of days where air temperature was above 25ºC (at Mt Buller).” Water temperatures in some lowland streams reached 24°C in the mornings and up to 28°C in the afternoons during summer. Over the past 20 years, the number of summer days when water temperatures exceed 20°C has increased. Sustained water temperatures above 25°C are lethal to trout and, as cold water species, at above 19°C trout are likely to cease feeding and exit lowland reaches. In response, they are likely to head either up into cooler high altitude waters or down into the deeper cooler conditions in impoundments like Lake Eildon. Little wonder they are becoming hard to find and even harder to catch. Looking ahead, warming 64

NOVEMBER 2014

temperatures will bring about many other changes that will adversely affect wild trout populations. These include reduced dissolved oxygen levels, reduced pH, low flows during critical winter spawning seasons and wholesale changes to the nature and availability of food species. While highly suggestive, the ARI study cannot be said to provide a definitive link between poor trout numbers and climate change-linked elevated temperatures and low flows. Bear in mind the crippling state-wide drought that set in around 1995 and broke late in 2010 and the impacts it had on trout fisheries, particularly in

widespread warming pattern will result in a contraction in the range of trout. CSIRO’s projection of trends in air temperature (rising) and rainfall (declining) across much of Australia indicate a future of warmer waters and of declining stream flows and lake and impoundment levels. Combined with changes in vegetation, such as forest clearing, this future will include longer and more severe droughts. A 2008 study has shown that Victoria’s autumn rainfall had already fallen by 40% since 1950. Other work has shown that, while rainfall in the Murray-Darling Basin fell by 11% since 1950,

trout numbers are falling in many countries around the world and climate change is emerging as a major cause. Whether present naturally or through introduction, trout numbers around the world are falling and in some regions their decline is described as ‘dramatic’. In the USA, from the Appalachians to California, it is said that many natural trout populations could disappear as suitable habitat shrinks due to the projected continuation of warming trends. One study proclaimed that “Global warming is the greatest threat to the survival of trout in America’s interior west” and that 50% of trout habitat in

Increasing trends in the numbers of daily maximum air temperatures exceeding 25°C at Mt Bulla and 35°C at Lake Eildon and Dartmouth Reservoir. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

western Victoria. While such events are not unprecedented here, extreme droughts are expected to become more frequent in future. Taking a longer-term perspective, looking at what’s happening with the trends in Australia’s land and marine climate, the signs of climate change are clear and the scenario presented in these northeastern streams has been foreseeable for many years. Since the 1990s, DEPI recreational fisheries managers are among those to have foreseen the retreat of trout populations, and fisheries, across the State to cooler highland waters as the inevitable result of climate change. Of course, other factors may affect trout populations in these northeastern streams. These include fishing pressure, cormorant predation, competition from carp, poor stream habitat and the removal of streamside willows. However, to date there is no evidence that any or all of these factors can account for the recent trends and condition of the trout fishery. WHAT CAN NATIONAL CLIMATE TRENDS TELL US? From the growing body of work on the implications of climate change on Australia’s freshwater environments it’s clear that the continuing and

river flow declined by 55% compared to the long-term average. Warming air and land temperatures in future will render rainfall less effective in terms of land water resources, water quality and fish habitat. Predicted reduced flood events and flows are also expected to threaten streamside trees, including red gums, that provide shade and in-stream structure of importance to both trout and native fish. GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR TROUT FISHERIES DEPI’s Trout Response Plan (see below) acknowledges that wild trout stream fisheries in Tasmania, NSW and New Zealand have also recently reported poor results. In fact,

the Rocky Mountains region could be lost by 2100. A study of 20 of the US major trout rivers and streams has found a significant long-term pattern of warming. The story is similar in Europe where climate change effects are superimposed on pollution, water extraction, fishing pressure and other factors. Habitat suitable for trout has already been greatly reduced in Spain and Portugal and is projected to disappear totally by 2100. In one of the UK’s most popular waters in Wales, trout numbers have suffered as the result of warmer waters and reduced flows. Fears are held over the effects of further warming in coming decades.

FISHERIES VICTORIA’S RESPONSE Results of the ARI survey of 4 northeastern streams were presented to trout anglers at Snobs Creek and Mansfield in April 2014. In June, DEPI released “a response plan to investigate the decline in wild trout recreational fisheries in Victoria” referred to as the ‘Wild Trout Fisheries Management Program’. If funded, this program will examine a broad range of environmental, trout biology, fishing pressure and related issues. It will also look at the impact of reduced trout stocking in Lake Eildon on the inflowing streams and at the adequacy of current trout fishing regulations. As well as assessing the status of trout populations in 12 ‘priority wild trout rivers’, DEPI scientists will examine trout movements in the Delatite River, fishing pressure in the Howqua River and the effectiveness of stocking to enhance stream populations. Details of these and other facets of the program will be posted on DEPI’s website. Funding over 3 years will include $565,000 from the Recreational Fishing Licence trust account and $325 000 from other sources. One of DEPI’s key challenges will be communicating the results and the longer term implications

of these investigations to trout anglers. This applies particularly to the question: Will trout stocking help the wild brown trout river fisheries recover? Previous trout fishery research showed that, in all but a couple of western Victorian trout streams resident ‘wild’ trout populations are selfsustaining at levels up to the carrying capacity of the water conditions prevailing at the time. These long-adapted trout populations have demonstrated their ability to rebound in the aftermath of events like bush fires and droughts. This is one of the qualities that have led most trout anglers to prefer that wild trout are left undisturbed by what the Australian Trout

Foundation Inc has recently referred to as ‘pets’ that should be confined to stocked lakes. On the basis of that earlier work, annual trout stocking ceased in all but a handful of streams back in the 1980s. Despite Fisheries Victoria’s actions to improve understanding of the underlying causes of recent declines in trout fishing, climate change impacts are all pervasive. Key performance indicators of this program will include the extent to which anglers are engaged and informed and whether they adapt their future fishing expectations in the light of the results. WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE? The main message from broad international statements on current trends and future projections is that climate change will intensify its impacts on trout habitat, populations and fisheries. As cold-water species, the prospects for trout are bound to the shrinking regions, which provide healthy, cold and free flowing stream conditions. Short of global success in halting and reversing the effects of climate change, this is inevitable. However, local and overseas work shows that, in the medium term - our lifetime - there are a number of actions that can go some way towards securing our stream trout fisheries. Unquestionably, the work that DEPI is now undertaking, in conjunction with anglers, will have positive results in this direction. Already, there is enough completed work to show the importance of protecting and encouraging the growth of shading streamside trees as a means of moderating the effects of extreme daytime summer air temperatures on stream temperatures. Swedish studies have shown the importance of providing shallow flowing stream margins that provide young trout with relief from competition from older trout for habitat and food. Taking a fresh look at established trout fishing regulations and attitudes to stocking will be important parts of preserving the longevity and range of our trout fisheries. A WORD OF CAUTION The same factors that are adding pressure to trout populations are also having impacts on native fish and other indigenous species, many of which are already threatened or endangered. More than ever, the remediation of trout populations and habitats will have to be assessed as part of a whole-ecosystem approach to fisheries and environmental management.

VRFish is the peak body representing recreational fishers in Victoria. We provide a voice to, and advocate on behalf of, Victoria’s recreational fishing community and those with a passion for sustainable and vibrant recreational fisheries. Whether it be fish stocking, habitat improvement, research, enforcement and education, improving infrastructure and access, VRFish wants to hear from you. We all need to work together to make sure Victoria’s recreational fishing experience continues to be a safe, sustainable and family friendly activity. VRFish celebrated it’s 20 year anniversary this year. VRFish is underpinned by a State Council, comprised of members from inland and marine fishing clubs and associations, grassroots fishers and kindred interest groups from across Victoria. Our membership base, which is ever evolving to include fishers from diverse cultural backgrounds, has broad knowledge and expertise together with limitless enthusiasm, ensuring VRFish leads the way in advocating for better recreational fisheries in Victoria.

community

Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body PO Box 538 Williamstown VIC 3016 T: (03) 9397 6318 E: info@vrfish.com.au W: www.vrfish.com.au

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Less time mucking around on the ramp means more time fishing. Thanks to Boatcatch, slipping and sliding on the boat ramp will be a thing of the past. It’s a unique coupling device that allows you to quickly launch or retrieve your boat onto its trailer without setting foot on the boat ramp - especially convenient if you’re on your own. You can quickly motor off and on thereby eliminating the stress of holding up other boats. Boatcatch also reduces the dangers inherent in traditional launch and retrieval methods. It’s made of high strength, 100% marine grade stainless steel and comes with a lifetime warranty. Available in two sizes (Small for boats up to 6 metres long and large for boats over 6 metres) which include a universal mounting bracket to suit most boats (including Cats). Watch our video showing how easy Boatcatch is to use at www.boatcatch.com. Price: from $549 www.boatcatch.com

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JRoc LED Vibes

These water activated triple flashing LED 80mm vibes are irresistible to deep sea fish, eliminating the need for chemical lights to attract fish. The light spectrum produced is irresistible to finned predators, triggering a hunting instinct. These lures automatically glow and flash when immersed in water, and a self-contained non-replaceable lithium battery provides over 200 hours of use. The indicator sensor ensures that the flashing LED will automatically stop glowing if the light loses full contact with the water – a great power saving feature. These lures come pre-rigged with two hooks at the bottom and a clip on the top. The action can be adjusted by moving the clip to different holes. On top of all this, they are strong, durable and made from high quality anodised alloy. The RRP for a twin pack is $35 from the JRoc website, with free shipping Australia wide. Price: $35 (twin pack) www.jroctackle.com.au

Ugly Fish Ultimate Clarity

Ugly Fish have combined sophistication, safety and style to create the Xenon range: the ultimate set of summer sunnies for both keen-sighted and long-sighted anglers. Whether you’re down at the beach or in the tinnie throwing a line out, the Xenon range won’t let glare ruin your day. Made with an extremely tough and impactresistant polycarbonate lens, which is available in smoke or brown, these sunnies are strong enough to handle any situation. The Xenon is also available with bifocal nylon lenses, which make tying knots and baiting hooks a breeze and will provide maximum UV protection from the harsh Aussie sun without sacrificing comfort and style. The bifocal reader lenses come in +1.50, +2.00 or +2.50 magnifications. Both the Xenon and Xenon Bifocal range feature antiscratch, anti-reflective and water-resistant polarised lenses. Price: Bifocals from $129.95, originals from $149.95 www.uglyfisheyewear.com

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Tide is a brand that provides quality products to people who share the same passion for being on the water. Now Tide has released a new range for the summer season. If you are looking to get that special someone a Christmas present, check out the online store at www. tideapparel.com.au. The range is diverse, with apparel for men, women and children plus accessories like waterproof slogan stickers, boat towels, Buffs and iPhone cases, all with attractive, edgy designs. The clothing range includes hats (both with and without extra neck protection), board shorts, T-shirts, singlets, spray jackets, hoodies, vented sun shirts and sublimated fishing jerseys. Nick Richardson says getting your hands on some Tide apparel is quick and easy. “All it takes is just a few clicks of the mouse and it will be delivered to your door step,” he said. “Have a happy and safe holidays from everyone at Tide Apparel!” Price: from $35.00 www.tideapparel.com.au

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Enjoy your beach fishing with the only reel that will withstand sand and saltwater while giving outstanding casting distance: the iconic Alvey. You will also feel every fish bite because you are in touch with your rig through the line and handles on your reel. No other reel fishes this system or offers this sensitivity. Many top anglers use Alvey reels because of this feature. After you have hooked a fish, even a large one, the Alvey 1:1 direct winding power will control your fish with ease. The smooth multi-plate clutch will also protect your line during the battle. Match your Alvey reel with one of the quality range of Alvey rods, and make sure you get your distance when casting. Alvey’s rod range includes models to suit children right through to serious surf rods and deep sea rods for boat anglers. Buy a Christmas gift that will give years of pleasure to the angler in your life. Price: $244.95 www.alvey.com.au

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Shop online until midnight, December 24th to get a 15% discount on all full price products; checkout code: fish

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CliC Eyewear Discount

CliC’s clever magnetic connection makes it the perfect eyewear choice for fishing and boating. The sliding connectors adjust for optimum fit and the neck-band secures the frame and prevents them from ‘bouncing’ around or dropping off. If you struggle to see up close or you just need a pair of reliable and robust sunglasses, check out the range online at www.clicproducts.com.au. Reading glasses, sunglasses, bifocal sunnies – whatever your needs are, CliC eyewear will endure most rugged activities. CliCs are brilliant for baiting your hook, reading the instruments, tying a knot or reading the trail map. For maximum convenience, store them around your neck out of harm’s way! Australian shoppers can shop online until midnight, December 24th to get a 15% discount on all full price products. To secure your discount, use the checkout code: ‘fish’ Price: Sunglasses from $139.95, readers from $79.95 www.clicproducts.com.au

NEW AUSTRALIAN INVENTION • 4 Tonne Tuff • Forward or Reverse • Reliable and Economical • Sand, Mud, Snow

Xmas e d i u G t f Gi

Bog Out Recovery System

Bog Out, created by Cairns angler Paul Aubin, is the most reliable and economical vehicle recovery system globally. It’s easy to use, compact and likened to a ‘continuous snow chain for the tropics’. This super-strong harness can be tied to EITHER the front or rear wheels. It then takes the rotational capability of any vehicle’s wheel and turns it into a strong winch. Vehicles already have massive winch capability by way of their driven wheels; Bog Out captures that force and turns it into movement – exactly what you want when you’re stuck. 10/10/2014 10:11:18 AM Bog Out works equally well for forward or reverse, by 751 using the front or rear wheels. Mud, sand or snow makes no difference – simply attach one end to a wheel that’s lost traction, the other to an anchor point, and drive out of trouble. It’s economical, can double as a tow rope and can fit in your glove box. Price: $159 www.bogout.com

JRoc 3-in-1 Lip Grips

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Tacklesafari.com.au

NOVEMBER 2014

Xplorer Classic 2 Fly Rod

Award winning Xplorer fly rods offer various options for the novice, intermediate or advanced fly angler with the Classic 2, Guide 2 or the ultra fast actioned Xplorer T-50. The popular Classic 2 delivers a great balance between performance, durability and price. It’s a real workhorse, with a rod model for most applications. The fast action blank makes it a great rod to grow with as you improve your casting skills. It features fast action deep blue blanks, compact fourpiece construction, alignment dots and model coded sections for easy set-up and identification, Pac Bay Hard Chrome snake guides and Pac Bay stripping guides with hard alloy ring inserts, uplocking anodized aluminium machine cut reel seats with carbon weaved inserts, A grade cork handles in full and reverse half wells, Cordura rod tubes and an Xplorer No Fuss Lifetime Warranty. The Classic 2 starts at models and. Price: $200 for 2/3wt, $245 for 8/9wt www.tacklesafari.com.au

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JRoc 3-in-1 Lip Grips SRP $34.95 3

The 3-in-1 25kg lip gripper from JRoc Tackle combines a lip grip, digital scales and measuring tape. It’s an ideal multipurpose tool and it’s also easy to use. Stainless steel jaw construction and tough ABS/TRP plastic handle ensure the gripper is water and corrosion resistant. The non-slip rubber handle provides extra gripping power and control even when wet. Also included is an adjustable nylon wrist cord and a protective draw cord bag. The grip jaws swivel independently of the handle for safe and secure handling of the fish. With the battery operated, integrated 25kg/55lb scale that measures in lb/oz/kg, you can quickly weigh fish by holding the fish in the gripper’s jaws. The scale also includes ‘hold’ and ‘temperature’ functions. The display is back lit and shuts off automatically when not in use. Finally, at the end of the gripper you’ll find a handy 1m (cm/ feet) retractable measuring tape. The 3-in-1 gripper is available from the JRoc website with free shipping Australia-wide. Price: $34.95 www.jroctackle.com.au

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Spanyid Sniper Vibe

Soft vibes have become a lure of choice for many anglers, so when it comes to buying a gift for a fisho this Christmas it’s hard to go past a Spanyid Sniper vibe. This new, soft plastic UV-enhanced hybrid lure has a cutting-edge, effective design allows the angler to work every depth of the water column for almost any species. Robustly built with durable through-wire construction tested to 26kg and fitted with ultra-sharp VMC trebles, the Spanyid Sniper Vibe is available in eight proven fishcatching colours and four sizes ranging from 60-120mm, making them the most versatile vibe range on the market. These great lures are available from all good tackle shops and are great value for money. They are currently available in 6-30g weights. Price: from $14.99 www.shimanofish.com.au

Shimano Rarenium C14

The use of CI4+ (carbon interfused with polyamide) in the rotor and body of the new generation Rarenium CI4+FB spin reel series cuts down on weight without compromising strength, delivering better performance and greater comfort. Features include X-Ship (a double bearing supported pinion gear and a larger cold-forged drive gear), and Floating Shaft II for reduced friction where the spool drive shaft meets the pinion. Six shielded SA-RB bearings and one roller bearing ensure every turn of the machined aluminium handle is as effortless as it can be. CF (Cold Forged) gears deliver a great all-round retrieve speed of 5:1 across the range. Line capacities are generous given the size of the reels, and Aero Wrap II (a worm gear oscillation system) provides uniform line lay. The Rapid Fire Drags are all totally waterproof, and stopping power ranges from 3kg in the 1000FB, 9kg in the 2500 and 3000, and up to 11kg in the 4000FB. Price: from RRP $279 www.shimanofish.com.au

PowerAll Portable Charging

Powerful, convenient and ultra-portable, the PowerAll not only keeps all your portable smart devices charged on-the-go, but also has the power to jump start your car, outboard motor and multiple other vehicles. With an amazing 400amp max output, the Powerall can jump start up to a 4L petrol or 3L diesel engine. So whether you are hitting the road this summer, on a weekend boating adventure, or off to explore remote locations camping, the PowerAll is a must-have device for the entire family. All this, and its compact design means it can fit inside your pocket, bag or glove box, and it has a standby battery life of up to six months. Over current and over voltage protection are built-in to ensure the safety of your valuable devices and vehicles. Available at leading retailers nationwide, including Repco, Anaconda and Lawrence & Hanson. Price: $179.99 www.thepowerall.com

Glorify Unbreakable Gift

What do you get when you put innovative engineers, designers and extreme sports people in the one room? You get Glorify unbreakable sunglasses! Gloryfy sunglasses are based on maximum protection of the eyes, highest functionality, and minimized risk of injuries. This is all possible thanks to the intelligent materials and innovative technologies from this Austrian eyewear company. The patented technology used to make the frames and lenses (G-flex and I - Flex) make the lenses and frames extremely flexible so they always return to their original shape. Check out the YouTube clip showing how unbreakable this product is! Gloryfy lenses have the highest quality ratings and come in standard and polarised versions. You also have the option of getting them in prescription. If you’ve had problems with breaking sunglasses in the past, Gloryfy sunglasses are for you. Price: from RRP $250 to $279 (polarised). www.gloryfy.com

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NOVEMBER 2014

Tech Tricks

It pays to put on a paternoster plastic rig BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Over the last decade or so, soft plastics have become a large part of many anglers’ fishing effort. Whether you are targeting bass in the impoundments, flathead in the estuaries or snapper in the briny blue ocean, there’s a huge array of soft plastics that are ready and capable of getting the job done. There are numerous rigging options including jigheads and weedless worm hooks that can be used to rig your plastics. However, for anglers fishing deep offshore waters numerous problems arise when using these classic shallow water rigging options due to water depth and currents. Enter the paternoster plastic rig, which allows you to fish plastics in extremely deep waters and strong currents.

PATERNOSTERS There are many reasons to consider plastic presentation via a paternoster rig when fishing the depths. Once you require more than 3oz or so to get your plastic into the strike zone, the overall presentation suffers somewhat. When rigging the 6-8” jerk-shad style plastics, which are commonly used for this sort of fishing, with a jighead larger than 3oz, the combination looks rather odd. You end up with this large lead head and an out of proportion tail trailing off it. One of the easiest and more successful ways to fish plastics like this is by rigging them on a paternoster rig (often called a dropper rig) which sees separation of the plastic used to tempt the fish and the weight used to get it into the strike zone. This rig is the same as is often used for fishing baits, so we know it works. In fact, bait can still be offered on one hook of the rig

At the top of the loop, twist the shorter tag end of the leader material around one side of the loop approximately 4-5 times, leaving a small loop as shown.

Keep pulling evenly on all 3 pieces until the knot comes up tight. Do not pull this up too fast or jerk on the leader as you will burn and weaken the monofilament or fluorocarbon leader at the knot. Once the knot is secure, the dropper loop is complete.

Twist the loop around and then pass it back over the hook again so that it is crisscrossed over the hook shank as shown. Pull this up tight. 70

NOVEMBER 2014

if anglers new to lure fishing are hesitant. However most are usually surprised to note that the plastic is the one to produce the bites. For fishing plastics you do not need a double paternoster rig. I generally only use the one plastic offering. I will demonstrate the double hook rig for the sake of this month’s demonstration and you can make your rigs however you want. The paternoster rig can be fished with all kinds of tackle from larger overheads to baitrunner rod and reel outfits to quality light spin rods. The soft plastic and braided line combination has less drag in the water than baits fished off heavier rigs and therefore less weight is often required to get the offering into the strike zone. PATERNOSTER PIECES To make this rig you will only need a few fairly basic pieces of terminal tackle

and a couple of jerk shad or larger curl-tail plastics. I predominately use Gulp Jerkshads and Z-man StreakZ for fishing the depths but there is a huge array of good products that will catch most deep water dwellers. The main leader portion can either be fluorocarbon or monofilament, generally between 40-100lb depending on the size of the main line being fished and the type of tackle and terrain. I generally opt for around 60lb monofilament (I am dubious as to how much difference fluorocarbon makes in deep water where minimal light penetrates) as I commonly fish around 40lb braided mainline in 80-130m. There are numerous hooks that can be used for this application and the only stipulation is that the hook is strong enough for the task at hand and is also an inline (not offset) pattern such as an

Take the opposite side of the loop and pass it through the smaller loop that was just formed from twisting the two sections together.

Fold the dropper loop flat and pass it through the hook eye from the gape side of the hook. Pass the loop over the entire hook as shown.

Pass the hook through the plastic with the hook coming out through the belly slit of the plastic (if your plastic has one). Pull the hook eye just inside the head of the plastic. Turn the hook 180° in the plastic and then pass the hook point back through the plastic at the position where the rear of the hook bend is.

O’Shaughnessy. A selection of snapper leads or bomb sinkers will allow you to change the weight at the bottom of the rig, depending on the current. At the top of the paternoster we generally put a swivel to decrease the amount of twist and to allow easy attachment to the main line via a blood or uni knot. Let’s put all these together

to make the paternoster plastics rig. ASSEMBLY To make a double paternoster you will need around 2.5m of leader material, two hooks, a swivel, a bomb or snapper sinker and one or two plastics. For the sake of this knot tying demonstration I am using some cord to make it easier for you to see.

Make a basic loop in your leader material approximately 1m from one end. The larger the loop of leader material the longer the completed dropper loop will be. I generally start with a loop that is around 20cm across.

Pull the loop through further while keeping tension on both sides of the tag ends. Pull evenly on all 3 pieces of leader in a virtual triangle configuration.

You can push a short piece of piano wire or heavy (approximately 200lb) monofilament through the head of the plastic at the position of the hook eye. With this short section going through the hook eye, the plastic will be extremely difficult to pull back off the hook. I sometimes use a flame to mushroom each end of the monofilament after I have inserted it to stop it pulling through. If you want to use a second plastic, about a metre along the monofilament leader (on the long end) repeat steps 2-8 to form your second dropper loop with hook and plastic. On the end of the leader above this attach your swivel with a blood knot or uni knot. On the other end, use an overhand knot to form a basic loop. This can be passed through the eye of your sinker and over the bottom for quick attachment and easy changing of weights. Your paternoster plastics rig is now ready for use. These rigs can be made in many sizes and I even know some anglers who use these (using smaller sizes of plastics and leader) when drift fishing in shallower water. However it is in strong currents and deep water where it is the most productive way to fish your plastics.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Depth sounder basics PART 1 NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.me

These days, very few boat fishers venture out in search of angling action without a depth sounder, sonar unit or fish finder fitted to their vessels. Even kayak and canoe enthusiasts are increasingly relying on sonar technology to help find fish. But if you’re one of those people still struggling to interpret what you’re seeing on your sounder’s screen, then read on. Modern recreational depth sounders evolved from the SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) equipment developed during the First and Second World Wars to help surface ships detect and locate enemy submarines. These technologies have come a long way in a century, and the calibre of entry level sounder available to recreational anglers nowadays would’ve completely amazed those wartime destroyer captains! Today, very few boat fishers head offshore, or even onto our estuaries, lakes and rivers, without having some sort of sounder unit on board. These tools are now viewed as an almost essential piece of kit, with base

Here’s a very basic, un-tweaked sonar image. It shows the bottom, a little less than 6m below the boat, and a blob of ‘something’ in mid-water, plus some smaller possible scattered targets. The messy blue stuff near the top is just clutter and interference. All we can know for sure from this image is that the water is just under 6m deep, the bottom is pretty flat and that the boat has passed over something reasonably solid in mid-water… but that is actually a lot of information! Try to mount your sounder where it’s reasonably easy to see, both while you’re travelling and also while you’re fishing. If you spend a lot of time standing up in the front of the boat while fishing, consider placing the unit there instead of on the console or at the helm — or fit two units if you can afford to.

In this screen image we can see that the bottom is slowly rising as the boat travels along (the freshest part of the scrolling image is at the right). The water is currently around 12m deep under the boat. There are also half a dozen or more ‘things’ in midwater and they may well be fish. As a bonus, the sounder is telling us that the water is 15.7ºC. 72

NOVEMBER 2014

units priced keenly enough to fit almost any budget. Yet I constantly encounter anglers who struggle to make sense of what their sounders are telling them. Hopefully, this series of entry-level columns will help those people. Without going into all the technical details, sonar works by transmitting sound pulses into the water, then listening for their return as they bounce off objects such as the sea bed, rocks or fish. By measuring the elapsed time between the transmission of the sound pulse and the return of any reflected echoes, a depth sounder can very precisely measure how far away those objects are. Most modern sounders then use this information to illuminate pixels on a screen, providing a graphic interpretation of what lies below. Modern sounders are incredibly sophisticated and well-developed pieces of equipment. Rather like state-of-the-art cameras and computers, most casual users will only ever explore (or need) about a quarter of the potential power, functions and capabilities

of their sounders! In fact, just as with modern pointand-shoot cameras, in the vast majority of cases, these casual users are best served by simply turning the sounder unit on, setting it to auto and letting it do its own thing! So long as it has been installed correctly in the first place and you’ve remembered to switch off the showroom ‘simulator’ mode (a trap for young players!), the sounder should do a perfectly adequate job of telling you how deep the water is under your hull, showing you the basic contour of the bottom, and alerting you to any significant objects in the water column under the boat, all without you ever needing to push another button (except the ‘off’ switch when you get back to the boat ramp). At the most basic level, which is what most of us want our sounders to do most of the time: tell us the depth, show us the bottom and give some kind of indication of the presence of any ‘targets’ (which may or may not be fish) between our boat and the seabed. That’s really about it! So, don’t get carried away or confused by all of the other stuff you read about and see on TV or in DVDs. Start with those basics, study the images (carefully read the captions) and you’ll

already be well on the road to better understanding your sonar or depth

sounder! Next time we’ll move on to some slightly more advanced stuff.

Now things are getting interesting… The water here is 5.6m deep (we can see that from the large, numeric readout at top left of screen, and also the hard line separating the yellow section at the bottom of the screen, which is the lake bed, from the rest of the image). But there’s a stack of ‘something’ between the boat and the bottom too, some of it extending up to 2m into the water column. This might be weed, timber, small organisms such as baitfish, or larger fish.

The Albright knot: easy step-by-step guide BRISBANE

Kim Bain

The Albright knot (aka, more correctly, the Albright bend) is a knot used to connect lines of different diameters such as heavy monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders to either braided or nylon mainlines. A bend is a knot used to join two separate pieces of line (or rope) together. The Albright is arguably the best knot to be used when the leader is of fairly heavy breaking strain and in my opinion the stiffer the leader line then the better the Albright is than the alternatives. With lighter leaders, other knots such as the Double Uni and the Slim Beauty are often preferred. It’s likely that we will review these knots for lighter leader in a future edition. The Albright is relatively smooth and passes through guides most of the time, but if the tag end of the leader is too proud of the join then it will catch and this can cause the knot to explode or unravel. A lot of anglers carefully taper the tag end of the leader by cutting it at an angle so that there is a ramp at this end of the knot. Using glue or goo can also help you build this ramp. Obviously this isn’t a procedure that is

suited to constant retying situations. Even when tied carefully the glueless Albright is not without fault, especially if it bashes through the guides when casting, and also when it gets wet for the first or second time it can slip. My theory is that the bashing (through the guides) disturbs the ‘bind’ as I call it, or the wraps of the lighter line and this allows the knot to move and then slip. A word of warning, if you fish often enough your Albright will slip one day; be it laziness or a rushed technique, it happens especially in your early days of tying the knot or when you change brands or diameter of either leader or main line. A good example of a change that can trip you up is changing from mono leader to fluorocarbon leader. A handy hint is not to use the Albright when heavy-duty casting is involved. It is at its best used for trolling and bottom bashing. Another handy hint to remember is to trim the knot then glue it. Some anglers will glue the knot, let the glue set, then trim the knot’s tag ends after the glue is dry. To reduce slippage when tying, it is important to wrap the loops of lighter line neatly and firmly around the loop of larger diameter leader line.

The more wraps that you use the greater the surface area in the connection and the more friction that will hold the bend together. Another way to increase the surface area is to tie a double in the main line and then wrap this double around the leader. This double option is particularly popular when connecting braided mainline to mono or fluorocarbon leader. Many anglers, including myself, when I have the time, glue the knot and coat the knot with a rubber based goo that sets (which you taper by rolling between your fingers) to make it even smoother and more secure. Coating the knot and tapering a ramp from the braid to the leader, as well as cutting a ramp in the tag end when trimming the knot, helps the knot pass through guides and rollers even more smoothly. There are many variations of the Albright knot; often they are referred to as either the improved Albright, modified Albright or locked Albright. Some prefer the standard Albright with either a glue or flexible leader goo, others prefer a modified Albright. This article details how to tie a standard Albright – the one to use glue on. Next edition we will look at some of the variations.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Bright future for PPB snapper Recreational and commercial fishers can look forward to a bright future for Port Phillip Bay snapper after scientific surveys in March recorded the fifth best spawning success since surveys began 22 years ago. Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Ross McGowan, said the exciting news was made even better when considered alongside last year’s survey results, which recorded the equal third best snapper spawning in two decades. Mr McGowan said the combined effect of two consecutive years of very good spawning would mean a significant pulse of snapper into the fishery in coming years. “It takes three to four years for snapper to reach 28cm, the legal minimum size in Victoria,

and typically six to seven years to enter the adult fishery at 40cm. “Our assessment of the western Victoria snapper stock, which extends from Wilsons Promontory to south-east South Australia and includes Port Phillip Bay and Western Port, is informed by these annual surveys of small fish during March. “The number of juvenile snapper between three and ten centimetres that we find in March provides a measure of spawning success from the previous spring-summer period. “Spawning success in Port Phillip Bay is highly variable due to the combination of egg production and environmental influences on the survival of those eggs, and the tiny snapper larvae found in the water column.” “Some years, spawning

fails completely while in others, the baby snapper are highly abundant. “Over the past decade, we have found links between the productivity of the western stock fishery and previous successful snapper spawning seasons in 1997/98, 2000/01, 2003/04 and 2004/05. The offspring from these spawnings have dominated the adult fishery in recent years. “Port Phillip Bay is the major spawning and nursery area for the western snapper stock so the high levels of spawning success like we have seen over the last couple of years affects the future productivity of the entire stock, well beyond the Bay.” The monitoring and assessment of Victorian snapper stocks is supported by commercial fishing levies and recreational fishing licence fees. – DEP

Fluorocarbon or mono leader Fold

STEP ONE Make a fold in the leader, use both hands to fold the leader over at the end, pinch the loop for a moment to close it up and then hold the folded loop in the leader with your left hand. Take the mainline (doubled main line) in your right hand.

I like to have tension in the mainline, to achieve this I take the mainline from the rod tip and have the line from the rod tip to the knot in tension (rather than hanging loose) with a little bend in the rod. This gives you firmness for the knot that you are tying and helps with the neatness of the knot’s bind. Lay the double

under and along the leader. Complete this step by pinching the mainline to the leader with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. A handy hint is to learn to tie this knot with both hand orientations; otherwise you will only ever be able to tie this knot with the rod on one side of you.

Braided main line (underneath the loop)

STEP TWO Now wrap the mainline firmly away from the

tag end of the leader and bind the mainline towards the fold in the leader. Snug each wrap up against the

previous bind as you go. When using light braid you may execute around two-dozen wraps.

Tag end exits where main line enters

Variation; tag line exits underneath main line and then out to the side

STEP THREE In the standard Albright the tag end of the mainline is passed though the leader fold so that the tag end exits the fold on the same side that the main line enters the fold. ALTERNATIVE STEP THREE Many anglers suggest that this makes the bulb

in the fold sit too proud of the mainline and causes it to catch on guides, weed etc. If you wish to reduce this and at the same time locking the knot off within itself, then try passing the mainline’s tag end under the main line and out to the opposite side of the fold as seen in the diagram. This variation was developed by my father Steve Bain in the late

70s and is known as the Steve Bain Albright. This variation is easily achieved by pinching the bind with the thumb and index finger of the left hand to hold all of the wraps in place, then push the mainline towards the knot and a little loop will form in the mainline at the start of the bind, now pass the tag end of the mainline through the free loop.

Snug the bind and pull tight to finish, then glue and trim

STEP FOUR Moisten the lines in the join (using spittle from your mouth is a common option). Then pull all 3 ends carefully and slowly to snug the knot down. The 3 ends

are: the leader, the main line and the tag end of the mainline. I like to hold the tag end of the mainline loosely in my teeth in order to keep it out of the way when snugging the knot down. Ensure that you keep all

of the mainline wraps to one side of the fold, a fingernail (thumbnail) can help here. Sometimes you will find it advantageous to keep a little tension on this tag end as well. Always remember to test all knots before fishing. NOVEMBER 2014

2014 Cod Classic Australia’s richest freshwater fishing tournament and most eagerly awaited social event on the fishing calendar, the 2014 Yamaha Cod Classic and Wilson Slick Back Lure’s Junior Cod Classic is drawing near, 5-7 December will see Lake Mulwala come alive with an expected 3000+ anglers. Organisation is well under way for the 15th Cod Classic. This year a staggering prize pool that totals in excess of $150 000 including a Ford vehicle and 7 boating packages will be up for grabs. Incredibly, 83 boating packages will have been given away through the Cod Classic after this year. The Fishing & Outdoors Expo will be a main feature with the chance to grab a bargain not to be missed. Other popular parts of the competition include iconic entertainer Flathead Fred for the juniors; Cod Talk with Rod ‘Codmac’ McKenzie and Gus Storer, as well as the Samurai Rods Australian Pro Casting Championships. The Native Watercraft Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Championships enters its 4th year. Catering for the new breed of anglers

Expect big golden perch to get in on the madness as these waterways aren’t just famous for their cod! who fish from either a canoe and kayak, this event is a must for those who chose paddle and pedal over petrol and power. Designed for the family with all levels of fishing skills catered for, everybody has a chance of winning one of the many great prizes on offer whether using bait or lures. The majority of prizes are randomly drawn with you not having to catch a fish to be a winner! Those that are lucky enough to register either a legal size Murray cod or golden perch go into additional draws to win extra

2014

The Cod Classic promises to be a great day for all participants.

On 5-7 December, Lake Mulwala will come alive with over 3000 anglers expected to compete.

great prizes. There will be over 1500 prizes (adults) and all juniors will receive several prizes. A Ford Ute, boating packages, sounders, canoes, kayaks, fishing trips, holidays, fishing gear, camping equipment and clothing just to name some of the gear lucky anglers will go home with. Entry fee for adults is $90 and $40 for kids. This includes 4 meals, souvenir stubby holder, a free ticket in major boat raffle, Wilson Slickback lure and Bassman Spinnerbait (for the kids), entry into thousands of lucky

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door prize draws and the promise of a great weekend. You would be crazy to miss this great weekend in Yarrawonga/Mulwala and the chance to catch a legend on the twin towns’ famous cod fishing ground, Lake Mulwala. For more information check out visit www. codclassic.com.au. You can also call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski at 74 Melbourne St Mulwala (Opposite Post Office) the official Cod Classic shop or you can call Tony Bennett on 0439 441667.

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Nautical Marine’s Annual Fishing Competition Nautical Marine’s Annual Fishing Competition is proud to announce two new sponsors for its 2014 event – Compleat Angler and Portsea RSL Sorrento. In its fourth year, the 2014 comp will be held on the weekend 6-7 December. The presentations and

barbeque lunch will be held at Portsea/ Sorrento RSL on Sunday 7 December after the weigh in. Our aim is to ensure everybody has a great day whether you are a serious fisher or with your family trying to hook the catch of the day. There will

be a number of trophy categories with lots of prizes on offer to ensure a competitive edge. MAIN PRIZE CATEGORIES Entry fee for the Open Section is $30 per angler. Categories include: Snapper Open Section Heaviest Weight, Snapper

Open Section - Mystery Weight, Squid Open Section - Heaviest Weight, and Whiting Open Section - Heaviest Weight. Junior Section is for 12-18yo (on 1 Dec 2014) and the entry fee is $25. Categories include: Junior Snapper Section - Heaviest Weight, Junior Snapper Section - Mystery Weight, Junior Squid Section - Mystery Weight, and Junior Whiting Section Mystery Weight. Sub-Junior Section is for under 12yo (on 1 Dec 2014) and entry fee is $15. There is only one category: Sub-Junior Any Fish Heaviest Weight. For all sections only one fish can be submitted for each category.

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2014

DECEMBER

NOVEMBER

DATE DETAILS

CONTACTS

Nov 14-15 Dartmouth Women’s Fishing Classic Dartmouth

Robyn 02 6072 4233 Lorrae 02 6072 4263 www.dartmouth.net.au

Nov 29-30

Vic Bream Classic Invitational Mallacoota Inlet Dec 6-7

Nautical Marine Annual Fishing Competition Portsea Sorrento

Nautical Marine 03 5984 1666

Dec 5-7

2014 Yamaha Cod Classic Lake Mulwala

Tony Bennett 0439 441 667

Bill Hartshorne www.vicbreamclassics.com.au 0409 823 070

FISHING The fishing competition will commence at 6am Saturday morning and will close at 11am Sunday. Anglers can weigh in their fish from 11.30am until 2pm on Sunday at Portsea Sorrento RSL, 1-3 Hurley Street, Sorrento VIC 3943. Pr esent at i on of prizes and barbeque will immediately follow the weigh-in. To entry the competition or for more information download the entry form from the website www. nauticalmarine.com.au or call Nautical Marine on 03 5984 1666. All entries must be received prior to midday Friday 5 December 2014. – Nautical Marine made to fit your fugly head From $39.95 + p&h

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China Kayak Fishing Open Championship For the second year running, the Chinese Angling Association, along with their generous sponsors, have put together an international kayak fishing tournament. This time round they increased the total prize money from $55,000 to $80,000 and total competitors from 30-57 from 9 countries, all fishing out of identical Hobie Pro Angler kayaks, fitted with Lowrance sounders, Hobie livewell and wide angle camera mounted at the front. With Richard Somerton (last year’s Champion), Scott Lovig, Andrew Death and myself from the original 2013 Australian team available to return to defend our success from last year, selections were carefully made to complete the 11 man Australian team, including Chris Burbidge, Kris Hickson, Scott Baker, Carl Dubois, Jonathan Chen, Clark Wilson and Dave Hedge, all with a mixture of diversity and experience, working as a team, to give us the edge to again dominate the top end of the leader board. This year the rules were changed to the traditional weigh-in with the total combined bag weight from both days. Targeting a variety of 5 different fish from the red-tail and top mouth culter, expected to be the predominant bread and butter bag filler, to the rarely caught, yet prized catfish that could weigh 3 times heavier than the culter. PRE-FISH DAYS With only 3 weeks to prepare for this trip, all

DAY ONE RESULTS PLACE ANGLER WEIGHT (LB) 1..................... Richard Somerton........3.77 2..................... Scott Lovig...................3.36 3..................... Andrew Death..............2.69 4..................... Carl Dubois..................2.60 5..................... Chinese angler.............2.58 6..................... Kris Hickson.................2.51 7..................... Jonathan Chen.............2.48 8..................... Clark Wilson.................2.20 9..................... Chinese angler.............1.85 10.................... Chinese angler.............1.74 ___________________________________ 12.................... Chis Burbidge..............1.26 22................... Scott Baker..................0.40 25................... Matt Petrie...................0.35 26................... Dave Hedge.................0.32 An Aussie-filled podium! Matt Petrie, Scott Lovig and Carl Dubious with their winning cheques. to deeper water and were very productive last year and also on the pre-fish. We were prepared to fish these points all day if needed, with the occasional point swapping. I could see Richard was having a ripper day watching as he bagged fish after fish while I was really struggling

Despite the torrential rain, over 10,000 locals came out to celebrate the opening ceremony. experimented with a variety of untried lures on this waterway. After each pre-fish day, as a team, we sat down with a cold beer (yes cold) and shared our day’s experience and determined what lure worked and what didn’t. These daily team meetings were an integral part to achieving our goal with all

FINAL RESULTS PLACE ANGLER WEIGHT WINNINGS (LB) (USD) 1............ Matt Petrie................. 5.39.......... $30,000 2............ Scott Lovig................ 5.34.......... $15,000 3............ Carl Dubois .............. 5.03.......... $10,000 4............ Richard Somerton..... 4.62.......... $5,000 5............ Chris Burbidge.......... 4.51.......... $4,000 6............ Chinese angler.......... 4.39.......... $3,000 7............ Clark Wilson.............. 4.23.......... $2,500 8............ Kris Hickson.............. 3.88.......... $2,000 9............ Chinese angler.......... 3.34.......... $1,500 10........... Jonathan Chen.......... 2.96.......... $1,000 11........... Andrew Death........... 2.69.......... $500 members of the team, both past and present, put their heads together via a Facebook group and shared as much info we could to take this challenge head on. Starting with a plan on how to tackle the prefish days. Due to half the kayaks not being completely fitted out and still in dry dock, it was decided by the officials that all international competitors would have 2.5 hours fishing in the morning and the Chinese would have the water in the afternoon, with the following day in reverse order. With the knowledge of what lures smashed the fish last year, we first set out to confirm these lures and retrieval technique still worked, then 76

NOVEMBER 2014

back to the weigh-in waiting zone, disappointed to only have one fish to hit the scales. There were only 27 competitors booking a date with the weigh master, so it was straight onto the bus back to the hotel where we awaited for day one results to be posted up on the wall. Anticipation was high, as we knew that a number of the Aussie members

team members ready with a plan in hand to tackle day one of competition. OPENING CEREMONY With crowd numbers down from last year’s opening, possibly due to the morning’s torrential rainfall, the waterside outdoor auditorium still looked a picture with at least 10,000 locals turning up. Highlight of the event was seeing 4 new team members, Scott Baker, Clark Wilson, Dave Hedge and Carl Dubois representing the team as the Australian flag bearers. DAY ONE We had 6 hours to find a bag of 5 fish, so we all raced off in all directions to our preferred areas of the lake. Richard Somerton and myself headed straight to our favourite points on an island, roughly about 200m apart. These points had shallow banks that gradually dropped

The Australian team took out $70,000 from a possible $80,000 winners’ pool. The team accredits this amazing finish to team work by all 11 members. to get a bite. After 4 hours of pure frustration and still no fish in the well, I decided to change location to another island with deeper edges. It wasn’t until the last hour of the day that I managed to land a legal sized redtail culter. With time running out, I starting my way

Team meetings were essential for planning the team’s strategies in preparation for challenges from the Chinese anglers.

had good bags, expecting the top 10 to be well represented with Australians. During our team meeting, the results were up with 7 Australians in the top 10. DAY TWO After our team meeting we planned our strategies in preparation for a challenge from the Chinese anglers to try and pressure our fishing zones. With communication between anglers on the water prohibited, we all made sure we understood each other’s ‘body language’ when it came to how well we were doing. Little things like livewell lid up meant ‘no fish in livewell’ and our Hobie cap worn backwards indicated you were bagging out and smashing the fish, etc. We knew, with our experience and fitness levels on the Hobie Pro Anglers, that we could race to our preferred fishing areas before any other competitors could get there. Richard Somerton and myself raced back to the same points as day one, ready to

swap positions when a change was needed. I decided to change up my retrieve, as it was obvious it just didn’t work for me on day one. This change proved to be the ‘retrieval code cracker’, hooking up fish immediately, with fish coming in every second cast. Weeding through the undersized fish, I had a full bag within one and half hours had elapsed. Upgrades were coming in regularly for me in a stark contrast to day one. After 4 hours of fishing the points with Richard and with Scott Baker, Scott Lovig and Chris Burbidge now covering the area, I decided to make the move to another island, fishing deeper edges and finding more upgrades, before making my way back to the weigh-in zone. At this stage I was just happy to have a bag to present to the weigh master and knew it was bigger than the average bag, to help bump my position up the leaderboard. Being one of the first to weigh-in, to my amazement, the bag pushed the scales over the 5lb mark, prompting me to think this could get me into the top ten. With most of the Australians cementing their position in the top ten, with some good bags weighed in, we all climbed back on to the bus to race back for the closing ceremony, with the final results to be announced. While on the bus, the numbers were crunched and estimations were concluded that we might even have 7 in the top 10 places with the Chinese team not breaking the scales with their weigh-ins. It wasn’t until just prior to presentations that the top 20 placegetters were sat down in order of placing that we knew we had 9 Aussies in the top 11 and to my disbelief, I had taken out 1st place with Scott Lovig closely behind in 2nd and Carl Dubois filling the final spot on the podium. With the Australian team splitting up $70,000, of a possible $80,000 guaranteed this trip was one to never be forgotten and was only achieved due to extraordinary team work by all 11 team members. – Matt Petrie

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NOVEMBER 2014

2014 Hobie World Championships The finest kayak anglers from around the world converged on the Vinkeveense Plassen, 20 minutes outside Amsterdam, during early October for the 4th Hobie Fishing World Championship presented by Rhino-Rack.

Pro Angler 12s. Each kayak was rigged with Lowrance Elite-4 HDI sounders, Power-Pole Micros and Ram mounts and accessories. The identical kayaks level the playing field. THE LAKE The competitors’ first

predatory pike, zander and perch ambush their prey. Anglers were able to put what they learned into practice during the Daiwa Pre Fish Day, taking on the perch, zander and massive pike. The day’s fishing was cut short by the Tournament Director Keeton Eoff for

today,” he said. “I fished with Richard Somerton [2013 World Champion from Melbourne] but I dropped a couple of perch early on and Richard caught a few. Then we headed into a bay, came out and I got a 68cm pike, and my legs started to shake. I couldn’t even pedal I was that excited. I dropped a couple of other fish near the boat, but that’s fishing. I watched Richard land some absolute behemoths, so that was great fun.” Steve Lessard from Louisiana, USA,

The 2014 Hobie World Champion, Steve Lessard, was thrilled with his win.

Home base was a hive of activity, humming with a dozen different languages.

Steve Lessard from the USA with a hefty pike. They came from four continents and 20 nations to take part in the first Hobie Fishing Worlds to be held in Europe. Hobie Cat Worldwide, its subsidiaries and partners have worked together for over a year to put together an event of this scale. The event, born out of Hobie Cat Australasia, was first held in Port Macquarie in 2011, then in Bastrop Texas in 2012 and again in Australia in 2013 at the Bemm River and Marlo in Victoria. As with all Hobie Fishing World Championships, anglers compete from identically rigged Hobie-supplied kayaks. This year they were 2015 model Hobie 78

NOVEMBER 2014

taste of what was to come was on the ‘Lowrance Navigation Day’ when anglers hit the waters of Vinkeveense Plassen for the first time. Fishing was prohibited but anglers used their time on the water to gather information about structure, locations, distances, water conditions and survey the arena with their Lowrance Elite-4 HDIs. Vinkeveense Plassen is a huge artificial lake created over centuries of peat harvesting. It has stretches of water that separate long, narrow strips of land. The deep cut-out canals offer protection from wind and related heavy chop and provide structural overhangs from which the

safety reasons, but not before more than one angler landed a 90cm+ pike – a taste of what was to come over the next three days! DAY 1 On the first day of competition at daybreak, anglers stood for the national anthem of the Netherlands and then with the cry of “Power-Poles up” the tournament director sounded the starter’s siren. Winds of 35km/h+ tested the anglers’ patience, resulting in many heading for the protection of the canals away from the more open southern lake. The 2011 World Champion Scott Baker from Mornington in Victoria was upbeat about the first day of competition. “I had a really good day

Many anglers tried their luck at catching a zander during the comp, but none succeeded. enjoyed his first day in a Hobie Fishing World Championship. He was interviewed after coming straight off the water and unknown to him at the time had finished in second place on day one. “I had an awesome day,” he said. “I got a pike and a perch: a very nice pike and my perch is a legal perch, it’s a 25cm which is good enough. I’m very

excited to try to duplicate that tomorrow.” Richard Somerton came out of day one leading the tournament. “It started off pretty slow,” he said. “I could find fish but getting them to bite was hard. I ended up getting a couple of perch early. Then I gave Scottie (Baker) a bit of a hand with one of his fish and then I picked up a nice

Competitors were supplied with 2015 model Hobie Pro Angler 12s with Lowrance Elite-4 HDI sounders, Power-Pole Micros and Ram mounts and accessories.

pike myself. I upgraded a cracking perch later on, while looking for zander.” Pike and perch continued to be caught in good numbers throughout the competition and it was the anglers who landed more than one species who made it into the top of the Lowrance leaderboard. A 26cm could be enough to push you into the top five when added to an 85-95cm pike. It was definitely a game of tactics when it came to targeting species. Many competitors hit the pike early, got one on film, then went for the perch and later (time permitting) tried to upgrade the pike and repeat. The zander remained elusive. On the third day of competition, Richard Barth offered up a Hobie Revolution 11 as a prize for the largest zander caught over 53cm. Many anglers tried, and it became quite crowded in the zander’s preferred murkier waters, but not a single one was caught. DAY 2 There was a lot of movement on the scoreboard on the second day. Day one favourite Richard Somerton (VIC)

came back empty-handed, making way for the USA’s Steve Lessard to jump into the top spot. Canada’s Kyle Moxon climbed seven places to move into second for the day while the UK’s Rob Appleby-Gouberg moved into third. Somerton’s day one perch measuring 47cm was the largest of the species caught, with Jason Reid from Sydney giving chase and landing a 45cm specimen. Lessard’s (USA) day one 106cm pike remained the largest for the competition.

perch to move him 14 places up the leader board. Varty’s tactic was to hop soft plastics across the bottom in 2m of water under the cover of trees. He soon got a couple of quality fish, again proving that catching two or more species was the key to getting ahead. Having won the St Georges Basin NSW round of the Hobie Fishing Bream Series just two weeks prior to qualify, and with limited preparation time, Varty was amazed by his podium finish.

One day you’re catching peacock bass in your home waters of sunny Singapore, the next you’re in freezing Amsterdam chasing fish you’ve never seen before!

Australian competitors Scott Baker and Patrick McQuarrie get in on the action.

what to expect. Could I get another pike? I didn’t know, but I just went back to the same spot and did the same thing. Just casting under the trees and letting the lure sink to the bottom, slowly hopping it back to the kayak. It paid off, I got my pike at 95cm.

here and I’ve had a great time. Great sponsors, great people, everybody’s been awesome. I couldn’t have imagined it could be so good and I’m stoked to be third in the world.” Even happier was Steve Lessard from Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA, who was

83cm and a perch at 29cm was enough to win him the world championship. “Wow! What a tournament! I am so excited to have won,” he said. “Thank you to all of the competitors for being so courteous, working together and for the tough

DAY 3 RESULTS LENGTH LENGTH LENGTH LENGTH TOTAL PLACE ANGLER COUNTRY FISH PIKE PERCH ZANDER DAY 3 DAY 2 DAY 1 TOTAL FISH 1............. Steve Lessard ..................USA ...............2 .......83 ....... 29 ............. 0 ............. 112 ........... 120 ........... 132 ............. 364 .............6 2............. Kyle Moxon ......................CAN ...............2 .......66 ....... 28 ............. 0 .............. 94 ............. 96 ............. 84 .............. 274 .............5 3............. Kevin Varty .......................AUS ...............2 .......95 ....... 35 ............. 0 ............. 130 ............ 76 .............. 0 ............... 206 .............3 4............. Edi Brader ........................AUT ...............2 .......76 ....... 25 ............. 0 ............. 101 ............ 95 .............. 0 ............... 196 .............3 5............. Justin Ritchey ..................USA ...............2 .......58 ....... 28 ............. 0 .............. 86 ............. 29 ............. 70 .............. 185 .............4 6............. Scott Baker ......................AUS ...............2 .......52 ....... 30 ............. 0 .............. 82 ............. 29 ............. 68 .............. 179 .............4 7............. Rob Appleby Goudberg ...GBR ...............0 ........0 ......... 0 .............. 0 ............... 0 .............. 76 ............. 98 .............. 174 .............2 8............. Jonathon Chen ................AUS ...............2 .......70 ....... 29 ............. 0 .............. 99 ............. 29 ............. 37 .............. 165 .............4 9............. Patrick Mcquarrie.............AUS ...............1 .......76 ........ 0 .............. 0 .............. 76 .............. 0 .............. 85 .............. 161 .............2 10........... Lars Lundberg ..................SWE...............1 .......82 ........ 0 .............. 0 .............. 82 ............. 75 .............. 0 ............... 157 .............3 crowned Hobie Fishing World Champion after consistently landing two species on each day of competition. Lessard was ecstatic after finding out his day 3 score of 112cm from a pike measuring in at

competition. Anyone of us could have won, it’s just that it was my day and I want to once again thank everyone who has supported me. “Today I struggled for the first two hours with

the pattern that I was on yesterday. That pattern didn’t pan out so I had to make an adjustment and the power fishing that I had been doing was not working. The fish had moved and I went to finesse fishing. “I switched to a small jig and I caught my first pike and was able to stay with that pattern and upgrade to another one. I went from a 65cm pike up to an 83cm with my second pike. Then I went perch fishing and immediately I got it in the area that I wanted to be in. It was the biggest perch that I caught in the tournament – a 28cm. So I’m just very, very excited.” At the awards presentation dinner, anglers were asked to pick a fellow competitor who they thought best exemplified the spirit of the event. Each participant could vote for one angler that they thought best represented the highest level of sportsmanship, ethics, character, camaraderie and acts of selflessness in what was to become the “Hobie Fishing Worlds Sportsmanship Award.” The award was picked up by the UK’s Ian (Dizzy Fish) Harris. He was overwhelmed to find out he had been awarded the honour by his peers, and also to find out that he had been awarded entry, travel and accommodation to next year’s Hobie Fishing Worlds by naming rights sponsor Rhino-Rack. The Australian team stayed on in Amsterdam for an extra day’s relaxation where Jonathan Chen (NSW) and Simon Morley (NSW) both managed to land the elusive zander while fishing in the built-up city canals of Amsterdam. – Peter Costello

The 47 competitors set out to see who is the world’s best. DAY 3 The third and final day of the competition saw things mix up again, with four Australians finishing in the top 10. Lessard (USA) and Moxon (CAN) held on to first and second, but third place was picked up by NSW, South Coast Fisho Kevin Varty, landing a 95cm pike and a 35cm

“On day one I didn’t catch any fish at all and I was pretty unhappy with that,” he confessed. “On day two I got a 76cm pike on 3lb braid and 3lb leader and that put my heart in my mouth for a few minutes. Just as I got him in the net the line broke, but I had him so that was all good! “Today I wasn’t sure

“Then I went after the perch. I got one at 30cm and I was just about to take the photo when he flew off the measuring board and into the drink. I was really panicking then! I quickly cast back into the same spot and fortunately pulled out one at 35cm. “Seriously, this is a great place. I love being

Ivan Aznar from Spain tries his luck on the perch. NOVEMBER 2014

SERIES BREAM 3 Fishing

d by 1 Presente

Scott Butler, a 30 year old boat salesman from Nitro Marine on the Gold Coast, has gone back-

Butler serves up win at Gold Coast to-back by winning the 13 Fishing Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier. The event-defending champion stamped his authority on the tournament early by weighing in the largest

tournament limit on day one of 2.39kg. Butler followed this effort up on day two with 5/5, 2.20kg to secure the event win by 460g. Butler, who has secured multiple tournament victories on the Gold Coast, made the conscious decision not to prefish the event. Confident that his locations would produce, the decision was made to rest the areas he intended to head to as much as possible. Day one saw Butler head north to within sight of the northern boundary (Powerlines at Russell Island). It was at this location that Butler targeted a number of small, selected areas. Butler said, “I fished a combination of different structures in different areas,

Scott Butler has retained his champion title by winning the 13 Fishing Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier. Photo courtesy of lurenfly.com.

Zipbaits Khamsin Tiny in clear ebi, shad and mellow shad

Fast retrieve

Lure close to structure

pause

rocky areas, moored boats, pontoons. Most fish were caught in around 3-4’ of water. All areas were holding a huge amount of bait.” Butler found the fish willing to bite and in good numbers in both sessions, “Both days I caught my limit within the first 30 mins, catching in total around 50-60

legal fish. 90% of them were around the 25-26cm fork length, but I had to work through the smaller ones to get the larger ones”. Butler’s technique involved casting Zipbaits lures specifically the Khamsin Tiny in colours 021 clear ebi, 801 shad and 325 mellow shad close to structure and

bringing the lure back with a fast retrieve. The retrieve was occasionally punctuated with a quick pause. None of the lures were altered or retro-fitted. The win caps a great season for Butler with victory delivering him his first overall Angler of the Year title. With the event trophy and Angler of the

Year title Butler looks forward to heading to the Hawkesbury River to contest the Grand Final. “Given the size of the system I am looking forward to getting down to Sydney and giving the area a solid prefish prior to the event. I am looking forward to the challenge,” said Butler.

McKeown speeds into second CE 2ND PLA

ABT, PO Box 7196, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Alternatively Alternativelyyou youcan candownload downloadan anentry entry form formfrom fromwww.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au At Atany anytime timeyou youcan cancall callABT ABTon on(07) (07)3387 33870888 0888 for forhelp helpwith withyour yourentry entryduring duringbusiness businesshours. hours. 80

NOVEMBER 2014

Jamie McKeown, a 35 year old plain clothes investigator for Queensland Police, finished runner up at the 13 Fishing Gold Coast BREAM Qualifier. McKeown, who was in fifth place after day one, moved within striking distance of victory with a 5/5, 2.06kg tournament limit.

Jamie McKeown moved within striking distance of victory with a 5/5, 2.06kg tournament limit and taking out second place. Photo courtesy of lurenfly.com.

Unfortunately the late charge wasn’t enough to run down Butler’s combined total. McKeown discusses his tournament preparation and approach during the event. “I worked hard leading into the pre fish ban. I soon realised it was going to be a very tough comp. There seemed to be a lack of baitfish around the Gold Coast. I didn’t pre fish any spots I knew I would fish during the comp on the official pre fish day. I did this knowing how hard it had been fishing and I didn’t want to add any pressure to the spots I wanted to

fish. I believed that two consecutive 2kg bags would easily see a top 10 finish, even possibly a top 5. “My original plan was to fish around the Broadwater on day one and then head up to around Broadbeach canals on day two. But based on the catches in the Nerang and the adjoining canals I opted to stay in the Broadwater system on day two. I knew the bite on day two was going to be really tough.” McKeown initially targeted locations that would supply legal fish in good numbers to fill his tournament limit. His first location, an edge near Seaworld, produced two fish in two casts giving McKeown all-important confidence at the start of the session. A move to the outside of Sovereign Island saw McKeown targeting fish in the current to fill

The Austackle Big Bream was caught by Victoria’s Cameron Whittam. Photo courtesy of lurenfly.com. his tournament limit. By 10.30am the tournament limit was filled and upgrading began.

Day two saw a slower start with McKeown only pulling one fish and losing another at his Seaworld

location. A move to Runaway Bay proved fruitless before he returned to Soverign Island. McKeown talks us

through day two and his lure selection, “It was 11.45am when I moved to Sovereign Island. I was trying to wait as long as I could for the tide to start running out. I bagged two fish here, but it was 12.30pm and my options were running out along with the time. I moved to the trawlers thinking it was lunchtime and hopefully that someone might be feeding the bream. Unfortunately there was no one feeding them, but I nailed a 33cm tip bream first cast. The bite soon dried up so I made a short run up the Nerang River and fished a set of canals close to the start line. There seemed to be fish everywhere, but they were all 25.5cm long. It all came down to my last cast at 1.49pm and I was lucky enough to pull a 26.5cm fish from the last pontoon. I was

-BOATER 1ST NON John Galea, a 39 year old machinist at Coastwide Engineering, took out the non-boater division. In doing so Galea, like Butler, secured his maiden Angler of the Year title.

and the walls in-between them. I used soft plastics rigged on a 1/32oz jighead, casting close to structure and watching for the bite on the drop. The plastics I used were a Berkley 2” Crabbie in camo colour and Berkley 2” Shrimp in camo colour. The rod I used was a Daiwa Black Label BL691 MLFS with a Daiwa Certate 2004 reel spooled with 10lb Daiwa Tournament 8 braid and 4lb Sunline V Hard leader”.

Like Butler, John Galea also took out the Angler of the Year title as well as the event winner. Photo courtesy of lurenfly.com.

Winning Tackle Rod: Lox Ambassador 610 Hybrid, Lox Yoshi LS7023. Line: 4/5lb fluorocarbon fished straight through Lure: Zipbaits Khamsin Tiny in assorted colours

Heading out for day two, Galea knew what was at stake, “On Sunday I was teamed with Scott Butler. We fished the northern boundary of the arena crankbaiting boat hulls. I slow rolled an Ecogear SX40 in brown blue gill colour along the hulls waiting for the take. Once a fish was hooked we would use the electric to pull away from the structure and guide the fish away from the hull. The rod I used was a Diawa Black Label BL SSS6011 ULXS with a Daiwa Certate 2004 reel spooled with 3lb Sunline sniper fished straight through.” Finally Galea highlighted the key to securing the bites in the tough conditions, “Due to the fish’s unwillingness to leave the structure and chase the lure, casting accuracy turned out to be the difference”. Galea, like Butler, was excited at the win and shared the fulfilment of a maiden AOY titles in the post tournament celebrations. Galea also looks forward to the challenge of the final BREAM event of the season, The 13 Fishing BREAM Grand Final, at the Hawkesbury River, Nov 14-16.

TOP 10 BOATERS

absolutely stoked”. “All my fish were caught on 40mm Ecogear Aqua Bream Prawn in salt ‘n pepper colour. I rigged these lures on a 1/50oz hidden weight jighead. I cast the lures on a 1-3kg Ecooda Black Hawke rod teamed with a Ecooda Black Hawke 2000 reel. Using 2lb Fammell spinning fluoro was the difference between getting bites and not. I was simply casting or skipping the lightly weighted Bream Prawn into the pontoon or boat or even just randomly along the canal walls and waiting for the rod to load up.”

WINNING NOTES

Galea secures victory and AOY It was quite fitting that both boater and non-boater AOY contenders fished together on the final day to determine the AOY result. In session one Galea fished the canals of Runaway Bay with Chris Britton. Galea said of the approach, “I didn’t have a chance to prefish for the event so I was going into the event somewhat blind. On Saturday we fished the canals at Runaway Bay targeting wind affected pontoons

BREAM SE RIE

S Presented by 13 Fish ing

Winning Edge

“Experience on a local waterway and fishing a large number of events throughout the year made me capable and aware of needing to work through numbers of smaller fish to get the bigger ones to bite. Also getting away from the field and fishing a quieter area (I did not see a boat all weekend) meant the fish were fresh with no extra pressure on an already tough bite,” said Butler

BIG Bream The Austackle Big Bream was caught by Victoria’s Cameron Whittam during the first session on an olive coloured, heavy Cranka Crab. The location was a bridge near Chevron Island. The technique involved casting the Cranka Crab past the bridge pylons on the first cast and having it hit the bottom at the base of the most upstream pylon. Whittam said, “ After the lure hit the bottom I would then ‘dribble’ the lure along the bases of each pylon on the bridge. I would subsequently cast the lure to the top pylon and then the middle pylon and see if it would get eaten on the drop. If not I moved to the next pylon. The fight was a typical solid yellowfin bream fight. The fish was trying to get back home but I had him turned and coming my way fairly quickly.” Whittam used Sunline products and the fish was caught using 10lb Castaway braid and 20’ of 6lb FC Rock leader.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 9/10 9/10 8/10 10/10

4.59 4.13 4.04 3.99 3.76 3.63 3.61 3.60 3.49 3.38

$2500 + Bonuses $1500 + Bonus $1200 + Bonus $1,000 $850 $850 + Bonus $600

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

John GALEA Callum DOWELL Alan LISTER Ben SHUEY Mark SHANNON Grayson FONG Brady WHITE James HICKSON Taigan HEATH Jesse GOUGH

9/10 6/10 5/10 6/10 5/10 5/10 5/10 4/10 4/10 4/10

2.75 2.52 2.18 2.17 1.95 1.56 1.54 1.48 1.41 1.36

Scott BUTLER Jamie MCKEOWN Ben RICHARDS Chris BRITTON Nabeel ISSA Kristoffer HICKSON Michael TORLEY Daniel BROWN Steve MORGAN Anthony WISHEY

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

Payout Prize pack Prize pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au NOVEMBER 2014

Carl has completed his journey to the Elites Toowoomba angler Carl Jocumsen, has finally completed his quest to qualify for the highest level of tournament bass fishing on the planet – the USA’s Bassmaster Elite Series. It’s a journey that’s taken him much more than the recent fouryears Stateside to achieve. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of thinking, breathing, sleeping and living fishing and fishing tournaments. Surviving and excelling in a ridiculously difficult pathway proved that Carl (who is yet to reach his 30th birthday) not only had the technical skills to compete with the world’s best, but he also has the mental and

“Whatever it takes” is Carl’s motto. Particularly on the water.

In a very short time compared with other competitors, Carl has become in tune with the American largemouth bass. INTERVIEW

Here’s an example of the kit Carl uses to compete on the USA Bassmaster Tours. physical aptitude to mix it with the big guns. After all, none of the current Elite series pros had to travel to the other side of the world – to a different hemisphere – to ply their craft. All of them grew up fishing for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. None of these fish exist in Australia. All but a few of the Japanese pros didn’t have to contend with Visas, travel and a government that gives you limited scope to follow your dream and become a truly professional angler. Carl did. And on Saturday the 13 September, 2014, Carl weighed in a limit of bass in his final Central Bassmaster Open event of the year to seal the deal.

Soon afterwards, Fishing Monthly (FM) caught up with Carl via phone to hear from the man himself about the successful climax to his Stateside campaign. (Click the QR code to listen to the full interview.) PRESSURE COOKER To say that Carl had a lot of pressure on him to perform in this final event of the season is a huge understatement. He’d made himself a solid platform for qualification by coming into the event at 4th in the Central Opens Angler of the Year (AOY) points. This was through great finishes at Lake Amistad (6th) and the Red River (23rd). These results were in fields of near-200 boats. To gain an invitation to the Elite Series, Carl

Scan to watch a recording of Carl’s final weigh-in.

needed to finish in the top three anglers in the AOY points race. Possibly lower if qualifiers ahead of him were already Elite Series anglers. Carl had come close before. In 2012, Carl was the next-in-line for qualification through the same series. Unfortunately, the anglers above him all took up their invites. And after an underwhelming 2013 campaign, this year saw

Carl’s first success for the 2014 season was at Texas’ Lake Amistad with a 6th place – and some donkeys like this to show off.

Carl on his last year of his USA Sportsman’s Visa, which allowed him to stay in-country. “I don’t think I’ll ever have as much pressure on me as I had fishing that last day of the event. I only weighed 4 fish on the first day and knew that I needed to catch a limit to seal the deal,” Carl explained. Trouble was, though, with a cold wind blowing, heavy rain, depleted batteries on his electric motor and all of his best spots blown out with muddy water, Carl had no fish in the livewell at noon on that final day. “One thing I’ve learned through the past four years is that I should never let a negative thought in myhead. I knew that I had to catch them and I knew that I was going to catch them,” Carl continued. And that’s exactly what he did. Picking up a spinning rod and finesse fishing like he did so well back in Australia, Carl used his Power Poles to hold position on stumps and root mounds in shallow water to accumulate a limit. “As soon as my 5th fish was in the livewell, I didn’t really have time to celebrate, I just got my lure back in the water to fish for upgrades.”

CARL’S SPONSORS

Want to help Carl out from a sponsorship perspective? Have a product that needs exposure in the USA? Email xtremeangler@yahoo.com 82

NOVEMBER 2014

Being the top level of bass fishing on the planet means that Carl can now seriously expect to make a living from fishing. Each event of the Elite trail is broadcast domestically in the USA and internationally.

If Carl makes the top cut of an event, he’ll get some serious air time. And that means some serious value for his sponsors. Entry fees are big (approaching $5,000 per event), payouts are big (how does $10,000 for 50th

INTERVIEW

Scan to hear Carl’s interview after qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series.

Carl’s Skeeter/Yamaha has a distinctive wrap with an Aussie theme – thanks to Richie Potter’s design prowess from X-Factor signs in Sydney. Carl upgraded twice, with his last fish – a solid three-pounder – ensuring that his fate was secured. “It didn’t really hit

me that I might have done it until I was loading the weigh-in bag. It was then that I started getting tears in the eyes,” Carl continued.

WHAT IS THE ELITE SERIES? So, what’s the big deal about qualification for the Bassmaster Elite Series?

2015 BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES SCHEDULE Mar 19-22..................................................................Sabine River, Orange, Texas Apr 9-12................................................ Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Alabama Apr 30 - May 3.................................... Sacramento River, Sacramento, California May 7-10................................................Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, Arizona Jun 3-7............................................................... Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tennessee Jul 30 - Aug 2.....................................St. Lawrence River, Waddington, New York Aug 13-16............................................ Chesapeake Bay, Cecil County, Maryland Sep 24-27............................................................Lake St. Clair, Detroit, Michigan

Here’s Carl’s first 10 pounder. First of many, we bet.

place sound?) and running costs are high. As such, Carl now has to pick up enough cash sponsors to cover a $120,000-ish operating budget for the year. Sounds scary? Sure, but we reckon that raising the money will be easier than the qualification process that he’s been through so far. “Currently I’m backed by some of the best companies in the industry and I’m grateful for their support to date. I hope that I can give them back their value ten-fold when I fish the Elites in 2015,” Carl finished. We’re sure he will and like you, we’ll be following him throughout his 2015 Bassmaster Elite campaign!

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What’s New FISHING

BUSHNELL BINOCULARS

Bushnell’s range of optics and gadgets encompasses a vast range of outdoor activities, and the Marine is the latest set of binoculars tailored specifically for boating. Fully fog-proof and waterproof to stand up to the changing conditions on the water, the Marine Binoculars are covered with a durable, non-slip rubber armouring perfect for wet conditions. The tough exterior also helps protect them from knocks and bumps. The 7x magnification provides ample power while maintaining focus in unstable environments, such as on-board a boat on the open sea. The Marine also features an advanced internal rangefinder that enables you to determine distances to objects with ease. An illuminated compass has been built into the viewing optics and bearings are read out in precise one degree increments, making the Marine the ideal set of binoculars for navigation and locating objects accurately. And despite their power and impressive capability, the Marine binoculars weigh just over 1kg. Price: RRP $329 www.tasco.com.au

PFLUEGER PATRIARCH XT

Bream and bass anglers take note, Pflueger’s all new 172g Patriarch XT is here and it’s the lightest reel in its class. The body, rotor and sideplate are constructed from a magnesium alloy to keep the reel ultra light. The skeletonized, braidready spool is a bold approach for improved skirt design and reduces spool weight. The carbon handle with its lightweight EVA knob and carbon fibre core is 21% lighter than other handles. The stem is ported and the spool drag is inlayed with carbon fibre. Nine shielded, stainless-steel bearings plus an anti-reverse bearing ensure a smooth performance day after day in the salt. Line retrieval is enhanced with the antitwist titanium line roller and solid aluminium wire Sure-Click bail. For added strength the reel features a solid titanium main shaft. The gear ratio is 5.2:1. The Patriarch XT comes in sizes 30 and 35. Match it with a 40 ton Patriarch XTR rod for the ultimate lightweight finesse outfit. Price: RRP $349.95 pflueger.com.au

MIMIX POPPERSAURUS

Beautifully designed both in look and action, the Poppersaurus is definitely the ultimate lifelike popper that produces a loud popping sound on the water surface. The Poppersaurus lure was designed and 100% hand-painted with great details to imitate a T-rex dinosaur. It’s equipped with two sharp and strong treble hooks that make every single Poppersaurus the perfect lure to attract and drive fish into a frenzied feeding mood. It weighs 23.5g and measures 9cm long. Besides its popping action, the Poppersaurus is also able to produce a ‘pop-walk’ action, so you can easily make small twitches to work it like any other walkthe-dog style surface lure. Price: RRP $19.99 www.jml.net.au

OSPREY TRANSPORTER

Osprey are luggage experts, and their Transporter Series makes the oncefeared job of hauling luggage incredibly easy. The Transporter’s sleek, compact design makes it the perfect choice when you need to fit in more than you think. It’s as easy as throwing your gear in the bag, slinging it over your shoulder and chucking it in the boot of your car. There’s a large U-zip for the main compartment and zippered front and side pockets, allowing for easy access, and the large handle converts to a shoulder harness. Made with 900D nylon packcloth and 420D nylon hex rip, the Transporter Series is built tough. Whether you need a duffle bag for a quick trip to the beach, or to lug camping supplies to your site, just sling it over your shoulder and head off. These bags come in your choice of red, blue or grey, and there are four models: 130L (RRP $159.95), 95L ($139.95), 65L ($114.95), and 40L ($99.95). Price: from RRP $99.95 www.ospreypacks.com

NOVEMBER 2014

2 3

TTS FROGGERZ JNR SPINNERBAIT

The FroggerZ Jnr is the latest spinnerbait release from TT Lures. These frog profile spinnerbaits are built from quality components, loaded with features and are already proving effective on Murray cod, bass, golden perch and saratoga. Features include a hand sculptured, realistic frog profile with 3D frog eyes and lively, 10X tough Z-Man web-foot frog leg trailer. A HeadlockZ grub keeper ensures your Z-Man, or other soft plastic, trailer stays locked in place and the included stinger hook turns short strikes into hook-ups. Other quality components include a silicone skirt, matched to the head and trailer colour, chemically sharpened black nickel hook and nickel and 24K gold plated Colorado blades for plenty of flash, vibration and a frog leg thump under the water. FroggerZ Jnr are available in two weights, 3/8oz and 1/2oz, and nine colours. Price: RRP $16.95 www.ttlures.com.au

UGLY FISH KRYPTON

Aussie eyewear label Ugly Fish have released the new Krypton range, which combines protection, functionality and comfort. With maximum UV protection (category 3) and polarised lenses, this range is perfect for anglers. Offering superior optical clarity and extremely high polarising efficiency, the Krypton cuts out glare off the water and helps you make out the light and dark shapes lurking under the surface more clearly. The lenses are polycarbonate plastic, making them super lightweight and impact resistant, so next time you drop your pair in the tinnie they won’t fall to bits. Combine that with the anti-scratch, anti-reflective and hydrophobic lens coatings, you’ve got yourself a damn good pair of sunnies that won’t leave your head. Available in smoke, brown or red revo lenses, Kryptons are perfect for those who live hard, play hard and are always out and about. Price: RRP $149.95 uglyfisheyewear.com/krypton

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

STRIKE PRO CYBER BAIT

SONY ACTION CAM AS20

Juro Oz Pro Tackle has released a much anticipated new model from Strike Pro, the Cyber Bait. The Cyber Bait is a floating lure that’s 8.5cm long, weighs 9.8g and dives to approx. 12ft. This new lure has an irresistible swaying action and features a Weight Transfer System to eliminate tumbling during casting and increase casting distance. It’s fitted with quality Owner hooks and has loud in-built rattles for added attraction. It comes in eight colours and is deadly on barramundi, mangrove jack, flathead, salmon, tailor and large trout. Price: RRP $16.99 www.jurofishing.com

10 11

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

Sony, manufacturers of the hugely popular Action Cam, have now added a new model to the range: the AS20. This camera captures clear, noise-free images even in dimly lit environments with the powerful Exmor R CMOS Sensor. You can turn your fast-action adventures into smooth and sharp motion with Full HD recording at 60p/50p and 28Mbps. You’ll also enjoy clearer images with Steadyshot Image Stabilisation that compensates for any vibrations in motion, enabling smooth blur-free shooting. Scan the QR code on this page to see a video comparison of the Action Cam’s stability vs that of its competitors, or search for ‘stability comparison Action Cam’ on YouTube. Other features include: capture breathtaking panoramic scenes such as winding trails with the 170° wide angle lens; control up to 5 Action Cams simultaneously with Multi Camera Control, with optional Live-View Remote (this feature enables you to capture scenes from multiple angles); and enjoy up to 150 minutes of recording time with a longer battery life, ensuring more shooting opportunities wherever you go. Price: $279 www.lustyindustries.com

ZMAN 5” POP SHADZ

The 5” Pop ShadZ popper is constructed from Z-Man’s buoyant, 10X Tough, supersoft and flexible, ElaZtech material. With a baitfish profile and cupped face designed to pop and spit water, the Pop ShadZ appeals to barra, cod, jacks, trevally, tuna, mackerel and more. Unlike hard-bodied poppers, Pop ShadZ feel real so the fish continue to strike, even after making contact with the lure. Rigged weedless on a worm hook or unweighted TTs 6/0 ChinlockZ jighead, the Pop ShadZ will float, allowing you to work the lure quickly across the surface or pause it and pop it. The ability to weedless rig the Pop ShadZ allows you to target the nastiest of timber, weed, lilies and other structure that would be difficult with traditional poppers. Once a fish strikes, the hook point emerges and hooks the fish. Pop ShadZ come in eight colours with three per pack. Price: RRP $11.95 www.z-man.com.au

VIVA UV TORCH

UV torches can dramatically improve your rate of catch by supercharging your lures. The use of UV when fishing for squid is well known, but there are many other marine dwellers that respond to UV, ranging from smaller fish up to and including the marlin family. It seems that if it swims it loves UV! To a human’s eye UV light is invisible, but to fish UV really stands out. Most lure paint coatings hold material that will be activated by your UV torch. Just turn in on and scan over your lure, giving your lures an extra edge in the water. At just $14.95 this neat little single battery UV torch will bust open your tackle box in a brilliant display of UV fluorescence. It’s available now from leading tackle retailers. Price: RRP $14.95 www.vivafishing.com

FISH ARROW BABY CICADA

ABU GARCIA REVO 3 BEAST

Last year the 45mm Cover Cicada from Fish Arrow became a favourite with many bass fisherman, and now building on that success comes the release of a small version. The Fish Arrow Baby Cover Cicada is 35mm in length and weighs 3.5g. This soft bodied cicada imitation is completely weedless, soft and supple, yet tough as well. It’s perfect for throwing right into thick weeds, lily pads and snags and it’s extremely easy to work. Simply hold the rod at a 45° angle and retrieve the lure. Its soft wings do all the work for you and work the lure in a way that bass and bream just cannot refuse! When not being used in weedy areas, a stinger hook can easily be added to maximise your hookup rate. The Baby Cover Cicada is available in eight colours. For more information visit the distributor website at www.searingtackle. com.au or call 0404 719 944. Price: RRP of $19.99 www.searingtackle.com.au

Armed with a 22lb max drag and deeper spool for extra line capacity, the new Abu Garcia Revo Beast will change the way anglers fish. The reel weighs 266g and is equipped with oversized, ergonomic handles and EVA power knobs to harness the muscle of this powerful reel. Titanium-coated sideplates provide increased scratch resistance. An X-Cräftic alloy body gives the Beast a durable corrosion-resistant framework to complement the lightweight, well balanced platform. The Carbon Matrix drag system delivers smooth, consistent drag pressure at any drag setting. The Duragear brass main gear and D2 Gear Design extend gear life and maximize performance. The line guide is titanium coated to reduce friction, and the Infini II spool design is super smooth. There are seven stainless-steel High Performance Corrosion Resistant (HPCR) bearings plus one roller bearing and 7.1-to-1 gear ratio, while the Infini brake adjusts for a variety of lures or wind conditions. Price: RRP $599 www.purefishing.com.au

visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS! NOVEMBER 2014

What’s New FISHING

SLINKY MINNOW 75

Juro Oz Pro Tackle has released the new Strike Pro Slinky Minnow 75, a fantastic new surface slide bait that darts and swims like an injured or fleeing baitfish or prawn. It floats at rest with its tail underwater at 45° and can be worked with an erratic swimming action, skipped like a fleeing garfish or prawn or can be worked like a traditional diving minnow and even trolled (it runs at around 1m with a superb rolling action). This lure is 75mm long, weighs 4.6g, has Owner ST36BC trebles and comes in seven colours. It’s deadly on bream, estuary perch and bass. Price: RRP $16.99 www.jurofishing.com

NEW BIGFISH RANGE

Bigfish has just released their latest prints in time for summer fishing. Muddie is the latest creation, an incredibly detailed illustration that’s a must for every serious crabber. The new snapper design and the camo styled water of the flathead look awesome, and topping off the summer collection is ‘razor gang’ – a Spanish mackerel and wahoo image of these speedsters chasing down a lure. Keep a lookout for the new speciesspecific Skelefish shirts that will also be released before Christmas: Skelefish snapper and barra. Every shirt in the Bigfish range is printed, cut and sewn in Australia. They are incredibly soft, cool, lightweight, UPF 50 and made from the highest quality Australian knitted polyester. These shirts are not only stunning to look at, they’re extremely comfortable, stylish and provide superior sun protection. See the Bigfish website for their entire range of shirts, hats, fish heads, jumpers and package deals. Price: RRP $89.95 www.bigfishgraphics.com.au

DAIWA BLACK LABEL

The foundation for the impressive Black Label range is Daiwa’s HVF graphite. Light, responsive and crisp in action, Black Label blank performance is further enhanced courtesy of X45, 3DX and Bias Wrap Construction blank technologies, delivering a lighter and small diameter blank with enhanced strength. The blank maintains its form when loaded, allowing the rod’s power to be located at the lower section of the blank for maximum power and reduced angler fatigue. Other key features include Daiwa’s Surround Reel Seats, cork and Air Foam fore and rear grips, and ultra-light Fuji SIC guides. The current models are: 601HFB BC (183cm, heavy action, fast taper, 10-28g cast weight, 6-10kg line rating); 641MLFB BC (195cm, medium light, fast, 4-12g, 2-5kg); 641MHFB BC (198cm, medium heavy, fast, 7-21g, 4-8kg); and 681MHFB BC (204cm, medium heavy, fast, 7-21g, 5-8kg). For more detailed information and specs visit the Daiwa Australia website. Price: N/A www.daiwafishing.com.au

SHIMANO SUNGLASSES

NOVEMBER 2014

Shimano have released 13 new pairs of sunglasses in time for the summer season. Naturally they’re polarised, Australian standards-compliant, light to wear thanks to the use of polycarbonate lenses in black and amber tints, and this makes them ideal for everything from freshwater to offshore fishing. There’s one metal-framed pair and 12 fashionable wrap-around models in black, blue-grey, turtle shell, white and burgundy frames. The wrap-around style cuts out peripheral glare, and to maintain optical clarity the lens is decentred (the optical centre is offset from the actual centre) to align properly with your eyes. These sunglasses are also very affordable, with the new models priced at RRP $69.99, and the existing classics in the range just $39.99. At those prices you could afford to have a spare pair in the tackle box, the boat, the car or at home. Price: from $39.99 www.shimanofish.com.au

The Zest Micro Leaf Jigs and Juro Twisty Lazer are two of the latest micro jigs from Juro. Zest Micro Leaf Jigs have been designed and are made to the highest quality featuring a wire through body. They sink effectively in the current and are scalloped out on the reverse side to increase the fluttering action on the drop. These jigs come in 40g and 60g weights and five colours. Each lure has a holographic finish and is pre-rigged with quality twin assist hooks. The Juro Twisty Lazer is a new take on the popular Lazer lure, a stalwart of the Aussie metal lure market. This new lure has an increased body twist to increase the flutter on the drop, and comes pre-rigged with a high quality Gamakatsu G-Stinger assist hook. Like the rest of the Aussie-made Lazer range it has a wire through body. It comes in 20g, 30g and 45g sizes and six colours. Price: from $14.99 (Lazer), $19.99 (Micro) www.jurofishing.com

MICRO JIGS FROM JURO

Spiderwire Stealth features Tefloncoated microfibers for smooth casting. Made from 100% Dyneema fibers, Stealth is smooth and round to resist digging in on spools, is whisper quiet and shoots through rod guides with less friction – adding distance and accuracy to casts. The new Stealth will maintain all these properties, with improved strength – up to 25% stronger! All of this, plus Colourlock technology that locks in colour for long lasting colour retention. Stealth braid is available in two colour variations: Stealth Code Red and new Glow Vis. Stealth Glow Vis features a unique UV reflective coating that appears to ‘glow’ in sunlight for better visibility, allowing you to track your line like never before. High visibility for the angler and low visibility to line shy fish. Stealth braid is available in 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 65 and 80lb tests and 150m and 300m lengths. Price: from $34.95 www.purefishing.com.au

15 17

SPIDERWIRE STEALTH BRAID

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FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

What’s New FISHING TESTED:

Senshi Hooks

Senshi fishing products offer premium quality terminal tackle. ‘Senshi’ means ‘warrior’ in Japanese, and all Senshi products are manufactured using the finest quality Japanese raw materials, made to the highest standards in a state-ofthe-art facility in Korea. The manufacturing facility has ISO 9001 Certification and has also been awarded many government awards and achievements, so anglers can rest assured that the build standard and quality control is up to scratch.

TESTED:

The initial Senshi Hook range available in Australia includes the models Live Bait, Octopus Beak, Mutsu Circle, Long Shank, O’Shaughnessy, Bait Holder, Wide Gape and Finesse and offer a vast array of sizes so they have most angling situations and species covered. All Senshi hooks are produced on high-grade carbon steel, feature superior chemically sharpened needle points and have a high quality black nickel finish. All Senshi hooks are available in a Pre-Pack format with 10 hooks in each pack. The only exception is the Live Bait series, which comes with five hooks in each pack. The Senshi hook range delivers exceptional quality and pricing and give anglers superior fishing hooks at the most important connection to the fish. Prices vary across the range but start from as little as RRP $2.99. This brand is distributed in Australia by Juro Oz Pro Tackle, and you can find out more information by visiting their website at www.jurofishing. com. Juro’s brand stable also includes such well-known brands as Strike Pro, TiCA, Relix, Daiichi, Kilwell and many more. - FMG

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE TESTED:

Samaki Vibelicious

I’ve never really been a fan of soft lipless baits. Not because they’re not any good – the genre catches loads of big fish all over Australia – but just because I wasn’t any good at fishing them. And nearly every river system on the east coast now has a posse of anglers that excel in slinging these baits. They catch anything from barra in the north to mulloway and snapper in the south – with a host of freshwater species in between. When a couple of review samples came across my desk I knew I had to learn. So I did. I tied a loop knot in the end of some 60lb leader and attached a clear/pink, 20g model (20 and 30g versions are available). Dropping it into the current and twitching the rod tip, I could see the appeal of these baits. Shake the line and the dance in the water like a dying baitfish. Let them sink and they drop rapidly to the bottom. Rip them hard and they swim true. They’re a great tool for probing the depths and using them with braided line will let you know if the lure is wobbling or fouled up. You can feel the

The in-your-face nature of these baits means that often the predators swallow them. action through the no-stretch connection. I used mine to probe depths in fast flowing water that I can’t sink a stickbait into. And the results were pretty much instantaneous. A couple of mulloway and threadfin salmon fell victim before the baits found a permanent home on the bottom of the Brisbane River. Important safety tip: when the bait hits the bottom in current, don’t let it drag along. Pop it up straight away. Otherwise it’ll snag. These baits retail around the $20 mark. Although the supplied hooks look a tad too small, I couldn’t bend them out in some fairly full-on situations. More information from www.samaki.com.au – Steve Morgan.

Maverick Hammock Swag does it all

A swag that doesn’t sit on the ground, a hammock that looks like a swag, a mozzie dome that floats in mid-air, have I got your attention? Well let me elaborate. It’s the Maverick Hammock Swag, a hybrid hammock that will change the way you go camping. It’s a versatile lightweight new product designed by a very clever Queenslander Jeff Mee, having a motorcycle background and sick of the size and weight of his old swags. Jeff set out to revolutionise personal camping gear, and he has certainly kicked some goals. The hammock is made from Dyneema reinforced nylon material and is tear-proof. Support comes from an alloy frame with fibre cross braces that keep the hammock rigid and yet still very comfortable. You can set the hammock up in a few different ways. The original design is to hang the hammock as you would a normal hammock (between two trees). The hammock’s ratchet cinch buckle are adjustable, which offers a wide range of flexibility in location when setting up. But now you’re thinking, what if there are no

trees around? Well don’t worry, this hammock can be attached between anything – vehicles (roof rack, bull bar, etc), boats, or any stable structure. And if you’re out on your own, then one end can be attached to a pole. The hammock can also be setup on the ground using the frame pole inserts as uprights. This allows the hammock to assume its correct profile and attachment of the bug netting and tarp. Another major benefit is that you can use this hammock in any type of terrain, be it on a hill, over sand, over rock, mud, the list goes

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on. It’s the easiest and most versatile personal sleeping product on the market. My first trip was on South Stradbroke Island, not far from home but still a night away from the TV and the usual. I found a position close to the bank where I could keep an eye on the boat. Set up was very simple: I wrapped the straps around the tree twice, threaded the cinch buckle through the ratchet and pulled tight, repeated the other side, clipped the hammock to the straps at both ends, turned over the hammock, inserted the base alloy frame with the cross braces, turned back over, zipped on the mozzie screen, tighten both ends to make the hammock taut and I was done. That easy! It takes about 15 minutes to set up but I’m sure you could trim this down with practise. It also comes with a fly, to keep you dry. Again, it was easy to install: run a small cord from strap to strap, spread fly over, tighten and peg out the four corners and you’re ready for a shower or morning dew. Head and foot partitions also provide storage for your gear. The best thing I liked about its design is that you don’t need to use a mattress, just throw in your sleeping bag and a pillow and the calm rocking motion is enough to send an insomniac to sleep quickly. However, Jeff explained in cold climates a self-inflating mattress will prevent cold air rising and keep you warm. It is surprisingly very stable. When you are lying in the hammock you can’t make it tip if

you try. It is also very steady if you’re a side sleeper like me (I hate sleeping on my back). The hammock packs down to roughly 700x200mm travel size. It is the perfect for boats and kayaks where space is limited. I was lucky to test the hammock where midges were not a major problem, but there were enough around and the fine mesh keeps them at bay. I look forward to continue testing this product and have it pencilled in for an extended trip to Fraser Island this summer, which will really give it a run for its money. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for the results closer to Christmas. This would be a fantastic gift idea for the camper that has it all. The Maverick Hammock Swag is available from most camping outlets or you can visit www.maverickgear.com.au or give Jeff a call on 0400 902 624. – Greg Livingstone

visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS! NOVEMBER 2014

Understanding the different sounder frequencies BRISBANE

Nabeel Issa

Understanding the different frequencies your sounder is capable of using can make a great deal of difference to what you see on your screen. The frequency that I’m referring to is the number that is shown on your screen in kilohertz (kHz). This is frequency of the sound pulses that are sent through the water from your transducer. When these sound pulses are sent and hit an object, they are returned to the transducer and an image is then displayed on the sounder screen. There are a various frequencies out there that sounders can use. Generally most sounders with a basic off-the-shelf transducer will have two frequencies – 83kHz and 200kHz. For

are also high frequencies that are used in Lowrance Structure Scan for giving us picture-like images, these come in 455kHz and 800kHz. If you aren’t already confused, we also have CHIRP, which is basically a variable range of frequencies that are sent (as opposed to a single number). I won’t go into too much detail about CHIRP just yet, it’s quite a complex topic and I think it deserves a whole article for itself! So what’s the point of different frequencies? The best way to explain the different sonar frequencies is in Fig.4. The lower frequencies such as 83kHz and 50kHz will have a wider cone angle, we can see from the image that the fish A, B and C are picked up with this beam (in the green cone). Compare that to the 200kHz (pink cone) and we are only picking up fish B.

This image compares the difference between 455kHz of Structure Scan and 83kHz of traditional sonar. Which one gives you more information?

Transducers come in many different shapes and sizes. It pays to make sure you have the right one to suit your fishing style. sounders that are designed for more offshore and deep water work, they have the option of the 50kHz and 200kHz transducer. There

Generally the narrow cone of the 200kHz will give us better detail and better target separation. It also shows us what is directly

Fig.5

Fig.4

Sound pulses are sent and when they hit an object they are returned to the transducer and an image is then displayed on the sounder screen. 88

NOVEMBER 2014

under due to the smaller cone. The lower frequencies and wider cone of the 50kHz or 83kHz will give us more information as it covers a greater area. The 83kHz is great for shallow to medium depths and the 50kHz is great for deep water, as it is able to see down in over 200m depths. Fig. 5 shows a top view of the cones, with the Structure Scan frequencies of 455kHz and 800kHz added. The red being the Down Scan and the yellow the Side Scan. The Side Scan will pick up fish that are wider than our conventional cones and the Down Scan will tell us what is directly beneath, but with much greater definition than the normal sonar cones. These are very narrow beams but give us amazing quality images due to such a high frequency.

When selecting frequencies for Structure Scan, use 800kHz when in shallow water (less than 5m deep) and then switch to 455kHz for anything deeper. When selecting between 83kHz and 200kHz go with the 200kHz in shallow water and move to the 83kHz when in water deeper than 30-40m. If you have the option to use 50kHz, this is best for water depths around 100m and beyond. It can all vary depending on your own set up so it pays to play around with it and see which one works better for you and gives you an image that you can understand. As long as you understand the basics of how the sonar works and what the different frequencies are capable of, you will be able to correctly pick the right frequency for your fishing scenarios.

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BLUEWATER MARINE CENTRE

35 SLIP ROAD PAYNESVILLE Phone: 03 5156 6613 Email: manager@bluewatermarinecentre.com.au Website: bluewatermarinecentre.com.au

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NOVEMBER 2014

Choosing the right brakes for your trailer SYDNEY

Christian Bold

There is always confusion about what type of brakes are needed for what trailer. The majority of boaters will have a mechanical override system fitted to their trailer. This is the most commonly used braking

RATED BETWEEN 751-2000KG As I mentioned earlier, most boat trailers will have a mechanical over-ride braking system fitted to them, however, there are 2 types of over-ride braking systems: one is mechanical and the other is hydraulic. Both types have a maximum rating of 2000kg with a hand brake attached to

If you have a straight electric brake system fitted with drum brakes then I strongly suggest you change immediately – electricity and water don’t mix! There are a lot of braking actuators out there that are capable of pulling up your boat and trailer; depending on the make of trailer will depend on what system you have. All work

The majority of boaters will have a mechanical override system fitted to their trailer.

These brake pads are rusted out - they won’t stop you when you need them to. system. The problem is that the bigger and heavier the boat, the higher the rating your trailer needs to be. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered when rating the capabilities of a trailer. The brakes are only one factor, however if you know the rating capability of your braking system you are able to know straight away whether you have the right one or not. NO BRAKES Not all trailers need brakes, if your trailer has an ATM of 750kg or less then by law you are not required to have a braking system on your trailer. Just keep in mind that although your boat and trailer unloaded (no fuel, equipment, water, etc.) may weigh less than 750kg when you load it you may go over. Not a big deal right? WRONG. If you are involved in an accident and the trailer is taken away for weighing and comes in over its rating then you have a problem, not to mention the insurance company having an excuse not to pay up for repairs. And do we really need to give insurance companies another reason not to pay? 90

NOVEMBER 2014

the coupling. They both also work on inertia, meaning that when you apply the brakes on your car, the force of the boat and trailer push on the coupling shaft, which applies pressure to the handbrake leaver that will either pull on the cable (mechanical) or pushing fluid in a cylinder (hydraulic). These systems require brake callipers fitted to one axle and both need the callipers serviced (usually when you have your bearings changed). There are positives and negatives for both systems, for example hydraulic callipers don’t need to be adjusted like mechanical callipers do, but the brake lines do get rusty and can create cracks and leaks that allow air into the system causing the brakes to fail. Overall, it really comes down to preference and practicality when choosing the right over-ride brakes for your trailer. RATED OVER 2000KG If you are lucky enough to have a boat that requires the trailer to have a rating of over 2000kg you have a lot more responsibility when it comes to the maintenance of your trailer. Your trailer will have a hydraulic over electric braking system fitted to it.

trailers brake actuator. The actuator then pushes brake fluid to the brake callipers. The amount of pressure applied to the brakes depends on the settings on your brake control unit (refer to your owner’s manual when setting your brake control unit).

break away battery is charged or not. The braking system is only one element when it comes to the rating of your trailer, you can’t change the rating of your trailer just by adding or removing a braking system, a lot more is involved, but at least you

of Bold Trailers he is a licensed motor mechanic, auto electrician and automotive body builder. Christian is also an AUVIS and e-safety examiner for the RMS. You can contact Christian and the team at Bold Trailers for any information regarding

Overall, it really comes down to preference and practicality when choosing the right over-ride brakes for your trailer. the same way and require you to have a brake control unit fitted into your car. Your brake control unit is connected to your brake light switch on your brake pedal, so when you apply pressure to your car brakes, a signal is fed to your brake control unit. From there a signal travels through wiring to your car trailer plug and when the trailer is connected through to the

You will also have fitted to the front of your trailer a ‘break away switch’ and ‘break away battery’. These are required by law and the battery needs to be always charged enough to apply the brakes for a 15 minute period if the switch is deployed. Your car is also required to have a ‘battery charge indicator’ fitted, to show you whether your

know the ins and outs of the different braking systems found on boat trailers. If you are unsure of whether your trailer needs brakes or if they are working, make sure you speak to an expert as safety is always number one!. • Christian Bold, also known as ‘The Trailer Guy’, is one of Australia’s leading trailer and caravan repair specialists. As the Director

trailer and caravan repairs, maintenance, modifications, legal requirements, imported trailers, parts and accessories and new and used trailers for sale. Their friendly technicians are always willing to help you to make your towing experience safe and enjoyable. For more great tips go to www.boldtrailers. com.au or Phone: (02) 8544-8114.

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Dave Hill Marine

59 Union St, Lismore, 2480

Boats & More 02 6621 2657

1131 Pacific Hwy, Cowan, 2082

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03 9465 8787

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02 6342 2590

www.allservicemotorscowra.com.au 03 6214 9999 allservicemotors@bigpond.com

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© 2014 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Terms and conditions apply, excludes commercial purchases. # Extended warranty covers MY11, MY12,

© 2013 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Terms and conditions apply, excludes commercial purchases. * 'Spring Cashback Promotion' offer valid on MY11, MY13 MY13 & MY14 Evinrude E-TECE-TEC engines 40HP40 and newlynewly purchased andand registered from participating authorized full terms and conditions please contact local participating dealership. BRP January 31styour 2014. Cashback will beEvinrude in the form of a Prepaid MY12, & MY14 evinrude engines HPabove, and above purchased registered from participating authorizeddealers. dealersFor between December 1st 2013 and Visa Card. the ** For normal recreational use. # Extended warranty covers MY11, MY12, MY13 features, & MY14 Evinrude E-TEC engines without 40HP and above, newly purchased and registered from participating dealers between reserves right at any time to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, models or equipment incurring obligation. Products are distributed in Australia authorized and New Zealand by BRP October Australia 1st and December 31st 2013. ^ 25hp-250hp consumer models. 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, PTY Ltd. Card Issued by Heritage Bank Limited ABN 32 087 652 024 AFSL 240984. designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Products are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by BRP Australia PTy Ltd. Card Issued by Heritage Bank Limited ABN 32 087 652 024 AFSL 240984. Visa Card Terms and Conditions apply. NOVEMBER 2014

Savage revamps 2015 range FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

At the recent Dealer and Media Conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast, local manufacturer Savage unveiled a refined and upgraded range of 2015 hulls – based on feedback from customers and dealers alike. Of particular interest to FM readers will be the aggressive pricing that will be seen on all Savage models. “Our motto is that we’re the ‘Oldest Brand with the Newest Boats’,” explained Telwater’s Marketing boss, Damien Duncan, and we’re sure that anyone looking in the marketplace for an aluminium Savage boat will be pleasantly surprised by the pricing.

The Savage 575 Bluewater holds a 150hp outboard.

Scorpions are available in a range of sizes and configurations – like this SC (side console).

The Savage 515 Beachcomber is an ideal family boat. Indeed, the flotilla of new and refined models presented for viewing was impressive. Well thought-out designs with impressive wraps powered by an assortment of Evinrude E-Tec outboards felt right at home in and around the

Gold Coast Seaway, but let’s break down exactly what’s happened to the range. NEW SCORPIONS Savage’s older Piranha line of boats has been replaced with the new Scorpion models. These hulls

will be right up any angler’s alley, with full floors, casting decks, high sides and 3mm plate aluminium throughout the hull. The smooth, non-clinkered sides hold a printed boat wrap well

Factory-installed boat wraps are available in a range of designs and colours. 92

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and there’s a variety of designs and colours available ex-factory for all of the new models.

Most of the hulls in the Scorpion range are available in a variety of combinations – tiller steer, side console or centre console – to help the buyer get the combination of layouts that they want. And key features have been retailed – like the low transom on certain Scorpion Pro models that’s popular with anglers and divers who like getting into and out of the boat with ease. 575 BLUE WATER The new 575 Blue Water is a new model, specifically designed do carry 7 people and 150hp of outboard on the transom. This has been a gap in the Savage range that has been addressed, as most outboard manufacturers carry excellent motors in the 150HPO class. NEW STRIPING AND WRAPS Although the Savage logo stays the same, the striping on Savage boats has all changed. Modern fonts for the models and a classy new combination of three stripes is distinctive on the water. If you like your Savage to standout on the water, the Telwater factory offers several designs and colours of factory-applied wraps. These protect the boat’s paint job.

BOTTOM LINE The take-away message from the Media Day was that Savage now has a more comprehensive range of boats available to their dealers and that the range had been rationalised where there were confusing or conflicting models. The 150hp Powered BlueWater will be a popular addition, as will the Scorpion range of fishing boats. And the pricing will be compelling. Check them out at your local Savage dealer of visit www. savageboats.com.au. INTERVIEW

Scan the QR code to watch the interview with Telwater’s Damien Duncan about the new releases.

Anglers will love the launch of the Scorpion line of Savages.

What’s new boating

GARMIN ECHOMAP DV COMBOS

Garmin’s new echoMAP dv combo units combine detailed mapping and powerful GPS performance with advanced highdefinition sonar and scanning sonar. The echoMAP 70dv and 50dv come with BlueChart g2 coastal charts, and include an all-in-one transducer to deliver both Garmin HD-ID (77/200kHz) sonar and DownVü scanning sonar. With the ability to display both sonar readings in split screen configuration, HD-ID tracking technology and DownVü scanning sonar deliver incredible underwater definition in shallow and deep water. You can see isolated targets and difficult-to-find secondary structure, plus variations in weed growth and bottom hardness. The optional GCV 10 black box adds DownVü and SideVü scanning sonar with CHIRP to the echoMAP 70dv, and both echoMAP dv models have a built-in 10Hz GPS/GLONASS receiver. Featuring a pinch-to-zoom 7” touchscreen, the 70dv outputs 4000W peak-to-peak power for sonar performance down to 700m (2300ft), as does the smaller 50dv 5” touchbutton model. RRPs start from $899, and there’s more info at sites.garmin.com/clearvuscanning. - Garmin

RAYGLASS USES MERCURY TDIS

NZ powerboat manufacturer Rayglass is installing Mercury DieselTDi diesels as its engine of choice in its Legend 2350, 2500 and 2800 models. “They are a premium product and are simply better for us on a number of fronts,” said Scott Little, Sales Manager for Rayglass. The TDi engines show their Volkswagen heritage by providing a diesel driving experience which is superior to any other. Lightweight, quiet and fuel efficient, the TDi engines are exceptionally reliable and suitable for both sterndrive and inboard applications. Rayglass are regularly using the 370hp TDi 4.2L V8 and the 260hp TDi 3.0L V6 in both new boats and repowers. “Our Legend 2800 is 8.5m long and weighs 3.5 tonnes so we usually install the V8, but even when we use the V6 there’s still enough power to reach 64 km/h and you can cruise comfortably as well,” Scott said. To find out more visit www.mercurymarine. com.au. - MM

LOWRANCE HDS PRICE DROP

Lowrance’s latest special deal will save you hundreds of dollars when you buy any fishfinder, chartplotter or combo unit from the HDS range. Lowrance customers will continue to have access to the HDS Gen2 Touch combo bundles which include a free 83/200khz skimmer and StructureScan transducer. The HDS Gen2 (non-touch) bundles with a free 83/200khz skimmer and StructureScan kit with HDS-8 and HDS-10 Gen2 models will also remain available but with a further saving of up to $800 for the HDS10 and $550 for the HDS8. The HDS-7 bundle with a free 83/200khz skimmer will continue with a further saving of $400, reducing the RRP to $1099. Pricing has also dropped by as much as $1000 on HDS-10 skus, $750 on HDS-8s, $500 on all HDS-7 skus and $300 on HDS-5s with and without transducers. The HDS price drops are available now while stocks last. For more info visit www. lowrance.com. - Navico

QUINTREX 610 FREEDOM CRUISER

Quintrex’s Freedom Cruiser is built for comfort, fun and durability. It features Quintrex’s renowned Blade Hull and Flared Bow to glide through rough water, offering a smooth and reliable ride. With new 5mm bottomsides and 3mm smooth topsides and a new raised aluminium top deck, the 610 Freedom Cruiser looks sportier than ever before. There’s a 120L underfloor fuel tank, room for up to eight people, and a stereo and speakers, cockpit lights and rod holders are all included as standard. Quintrex National Account Manager Cameron Wood said the new top deck created a sleeker look and allowed for the new low profile windscreen. “Powered by Mercruiser with a rating up to 220hp, you can’t go wrong with the Flared Bow and Blade Hull,” he added. “It’s a tried and tested formula.” The Freedom Cruiser is available as an Instant Boating Package including a Quintrex trailer and Mercruiser engine. For more info head to www.quintrex.com.au. - Telwater

STACER 429 SEAWAY

The 429 Seaway, always been popular as an entry level runabout, has now been re-worked to keep up with customer demand. It’s now wider and deeper, with a 2.04m beam and more freeboard for superb stability. It has been upgraded from the flat back transom in favour of a new podded style, which aids stability and provides better flotation. There’s a comfortable new dual position rear lounge, a lean-through windscreen hatch and new moulded anchor well. This craft can carry up to five people, and other changes include 3mm bottomsides and a rating of 50hp. Options include a live bait tank in the back deck, extra rod holders, radio, covers and canopies, a 50L underfloor fuel tank and a stereo. The 429 Seaway is available as a Ready 2 Go boat-motor-trailer package with a threeyear limited warranty. For more info head to www.stacer.com.au. - Telwater

GARMIN CLEARVÜ WITH CHIRP

Combining advanced HD-ID sonar, ClearVü scanning sonar and CHIRP technology, Garmin’s fully-networkable GPSMAP 820xs/1020xs series offers a powerful sonar/chartplotter solution. The GPSMAP 820xs (20.3cm/8”) and GPSMAP 1020xs (25.4cm/10”) come with an all-in-one 77/200kHz transducer to provide traditional sonar and DownVü scanning sonar with CHIRP. Adding a GCV 10 black box delivers both DownVü and SideVü scanning sonar with CHIRP (frequency bandwidth is 445-475kHz and 805-840kHz) for an ultraclear, near photographic picture of what’s beneath and to the sides. DownVü’s finer concentrated sonar signal helps anglers recognise variations in weed growth and bottom composition down to 800m+, while SideVü can scan the water up to 150m on either side. As advanced combo units, the GPSMAP 820xs and 1020xs also incorporate a 10Hz GPS/GLONASS receiver and come preloaded with a worldwide base map. Upgrading to BlueChart g2 Vision charts adds hi-res satellite imagery, 3D FishEye and 3D Mariner views and more. - Garmin

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Sterndrive advantages With the rise in efficiency and reliability of modern outboards, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was only one option for powering your trailerboat. But the outboard isn’t the solution for every single fishing or boating situation. Petrol and diesel sterndrive motors are available in plenty of configurations and ho rse po wer combinations in the smaller (<300hp) sizes. And it’s not just about having a rear cockpit free of an outboard protruding several feet from the boat to work around – although anglers that enjoy setting a spread of baits for everything from snapper to whiting will appreciate the options that an outboard-free boat offers. Whittley’s Angelo San Giorgio doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to separating sterndrive fact from fiction. “You’d be forgiven for thinking that marine diesels are heavy, noisy, unrefined lumps of iron that chug along at low revs belching smoke, and vibrating

“Mercury’s TDI sterndrives will use half the fuel of a comparable petrol powered V8 model, but that efficiency comes at a price – the TDI’s are more expensive to fit than both

transom to address this potential problem. “We position the sterndrives so their weight never contributes to the ‘pendulum’ effect often exhibited by the installation

Transoms on sterndrive boats are remarkably clear of obstructions.

Sterndrives allow trimming the boat with a tilt-able leg.

The compact Volvo Penta D3 diesels might be light in weight but are no lightweight when it comes to performance. be dictated by budget and intended application,” he said. “The diesel alternative comes at a premium, but still represents remarkable value, particular considering they are freshwater cooled, and burn fuel at up to half the rate of petrol options. In the case of Volvo Penta’s D-3 series, they are also lighter than the petrol equivalents while

packing prodigious torque at all revs.” SERVICE COSTS Both of our sterndrive experts agree that although the maintenance intervals are around the same, the service costs of a sterndrive are higher than an outboard. “Stern drives traditionally are a bit more expensive to service than outboards. Allow for an

extra couple of hundred dollars per year, but bear in mind that you would’ve saved more than that on your annual fuel bill not to mention that low initial purchase price if you purchased a boat with Volvo Penta’s V-6 200,” Angleo says. “Every year or 100 hours – the same as our outboards,” says Mercury’s Tony. THE LAST WORD Both advocates of the inboard-option stated some compelling reasons to at least consider the possibility of buying a fishing trailerboat with an inboard motor, but we let Angelo have the last word. “Since Volvo Penta’s V6-200 sterndrive is now the standard engine for every model in Whittley’s Cruiser (CR) and Sea Legend (SL) fleets, we can package this four-stroke 4.3L petrol engine for the equivalent price of a 70-80hp fourstroke outboard or less than half the price of a 200hp outboard,” he said. “That’s right... improved performance and handling for half the money!” Check ‘em out.

Clever sterndrive installations can enhance a boat’s rear end. more than a coin-operated washing machine down at the two dollar laundromat – hardly suitable attributes for compact trailerable craft,” Angelo said. “You’d be wrong. “Recently Volvo Penta released the second generation of its compact D3 diesel platform aimed squarely at the trailerboating fraternity. These lightweight, diesel sterndrives with Electronic Vessel Control (EVC) thumb their collective noses at conventional wisdom and are now offered across the entire Whittley Marine Group’s fishingoriented Sea Legend (SL) and Cruiser (CR) ranges.” When it comes to diesel sterndrives, Mercury’s Tony Smith agrees. 94

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petrol inboard or outboard options,” he said at a recent boat test of their Rayglass TDI project boat. That boat was fitted with the TDI 260HP and Tony continued about the advantages of the low centre-of gravity and different positioning of the engine. “In rough water the ride is definitely different in a sterndrive powered craft,” he explained. “A big 400kg Verado on the transom when coming off a wave behaves very differently from an inboard, which, being centrally located, is much more stable. Angelo said that Whittley sterndrives are buried low in the hull and forward of the

of heavy outboards on deep vee hulls,” Angelo said. “All our sterndrive installations can be upgraded to Volvo’s Duoprop drive which features an enhanced gearbox running a pair of counter-rotating props on the one shaft. The net result is instant holeshot with minimal bow lift and better tracking at low speeds, all while burning less fuel than its outboard equivalent.” In the coming months, you’ll read about a couple of Whittley Volvo-inboard powered boats that Wayne Kampe got to Melbourne to test. Whittley’s Angelo continues about whether petrol or diesel sterndrives are the best. “Either option works well and the choice would

Convenient engine access is a Whittley trait.

Bluefin Boats Tournament Drifter Pro 455 FMG

Simon Goldsmith simon@fishingmonthly.com.au

Bluefin Boats are synonymous with quality and attention to detail. The Tournament Drifter Pro 455 is a testament to their company motto of ‘Built with Pride’ and, as 4-5m sized aluminium lure fishing vessels go, it has few peers. Designed with tournament and lure anglers in mind, the Tournament Drifter Pro 455 integrates Bluefin’s build quality with advanced design and forethought to actual on-water use and practicality to deliver anglers a boat that delivers when it comes to looks, function, and performance. Partnered with a 60hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard, Power-Pole Micro Anchor, Bluefin trailer and Haswing Cayman bow-mount electric motor the package is tailor-made for lure and tournament anglers. A turn-key tournament rig at its very best, the package we tested and reviewed is to be presented to the champion team at the ABT BREAM Classic Open on Sydney Harbour, NSW, in November. Let’s see

how the package stands up and how it performed when we put it through its paces. LENGTH The Tournament Drifter Pro’s performance pedigree begins with its 3mm plate side and bottom pressed aluminium hull. Despite its 4.55m length and a 2.04m beam, the Drifter Pro drives and handles well beyond its length, thanks in large part to its rear pod. The rear pod enhances running speed and stability due to the extension of the hull-planning surface and combines with the Drifter Pro’s Ezi Ride hull design to allow it to cut effortlessly and quietly through the water. Bluefin’s Ezi Ride design features an increased deadrise that extends a long way forward towards the bow to create a sharper vee than traditional hull designs. This increased forward extending deadrise combines with a reverse chine to deflect water spray away from the hull to generate lift and achieve a smoother, faster planning hull. On the water the combination of the hull length, hull pod, and Ezi Ride hull design enables the Drifter Pro to cut through the water smoothly, efficiently, and quietly. On the day of our test

SPECIFICATIONS Hull length:..................................................... 4.55m Beam:.............................................................. 2.04m Max hp:................................................ 90hp (181kg) Capacity:........................................5 people (400kg) Motor:...................... 60hp 4-stroke Mercury (112kg, Trailer:......................................... Bluefin by Dunbier Shallow water anchor:..... Power-Pole Micro Anchor

Balance, power and comfort, the Bluefin Tournament Drifter Pro 455 is a cut above the rest. the Gold Coast Broadwater had its usually wind blown chop and the Drifter Pro powered through it without hull slap, banging and the reverberation that often occurs with this style of hull and in these conditions. The hull’s spray-chines further enhances its running performance and deflects spray outward from the hull for a drier and quieter ride. As impressive as it is on a straight run, the Drifter Pro definitely takes it up a notch when you start to put it through its paces, with its Ezi Ride hull allowing you pull into the tightest turn with ultimate ease, stability and comfort. Smooth under steering and willing to go where you want it, when you want it, the Drifter Pro makes child’s work of cutting through boat washes and threading your way through sandbanks and tight corners. At rest the Drifter Pro is

Left: Shallow water anchoring made easy, the PowerPole Micro Anchor provides finger tip control. Right: The Haswing Cayman bow mount provides the stealth and power out on true water.

equally impressive with its large beam extending well forward towards the bow of boat to maximise hull stability, particularly when fishing from the front casting deck. This stability is so good in fact that two large men can easily fish from the same side of the boat with minimal change to the boat’s position and balance in the water. Equally stable and assured at speed and at rest the Drifter Pro has the hull design and performance that all flared bowed aluminium boats strive to have but not all achieve to have. DECKED OUT The Drifter Pro’s impressive hull design equals performance and design driven above the waterline. A large raised forward casting deck offers plenty of room, and will easily accommodate two anglers up front, while the rear casting deck offers ample space for a tournament non boater or someone wanting their own area away from all the angling action. Both the front and rear decks, as is the floor, are fitted with a hookless carpet ensuring ultimate angling ease and comfort. Anglers who have had to pull trebles out of non-hookless carpeted or found themselves kneeling on rough and uncomfortable carpet when re-tying leaders or changing lures will appreciate the luxury of the Drifter Pro’s plush carpet. Housed beneath the Drifter Pro’s carpeted floor is full underfloor fuel-resistant

floatation, while a 60L underfloor fuel tank keeps fuel storage out of sight and out of mind and leaves above floor/ in-hatch storage space free for more important things, like fishing tackle. Tournament anglers and lure casting anglers are fully catered for their electric needs, with a full length, rock solid electric motor bracket located on the portside bow of the boat. A reinforced battery shelf is

walkaround deck and flat level platform to lay your rods on. Beneath the rod locker is a long lockable storage hatch that provides a great storage solution for items such as removable navigation lights, or your keys or wallet. The front deck is loaded with storage options with the portside main hatch fitted with a storage bin that comes pre-loaded with six tackle trays. An additional hatch next to it provides full access to storage below deck while an anchor locker fitted with an internal tie off point is located in the hatch closer to the bow of the boat. Located at the rear of the front casting deck is a 90L tournament ready livewell that’s fitted with a full Flowrite livewell system and divider for optimum fish welfare and management. CREATURE COMFORTS The Tournament Drifter Pro delivers when it comes to life’s creature comforts with twin custom upholstered foldable pedestal seats providing ultimate seating comfort. With five seating positions throughout the

The Drifter’s rear pod enhances running speed and stability and helps it cut through the water. located below deck at the bow of the boat and has space to accommodate two large deep cycle batteries meaning you’ll never get caught short when it comes to battery power. LOCKED AWAY When it comes to keeping your tackle safe, secure, and stowed away the Drifter Pro has it covered. A 7’ long carpetlined rod locker runs alongside the port gunnel and joins flush with the front and rear casting desks, providing a full

boat, there’s a host of seating options available to make full use of available space and layout of the boat. The primary seating position of course is behind the sports console, and it’s here that you’ll find a full screen, grab rail, sports steering wheel, and an assortment of modern conveniences. A multi-switch panel connects to the custom wiring harness throughout the boat and controls the LED navigation lights, bilge pump,

BUY A BETTER BOAT BACKED BY THE

BLUEFIN REPLACEMENT

GUARANTEE www.facebook.com/bluefinboats 96

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www.bluefinboats.com.au

livewell system, and LED under-gunnel cockpit lights. The Tournament Drifter Pro also delivers on the technological front with a Fusion radio and speaker system featuring an iPod dock and Bluetooth connectivity keeping you connector while on the water. POWER UP Powering the Bluefin on-water and controlled by the factory supplied and installed Teleflex steering system is a 60hp 4-stroke Mercury outboard. While the Bluefin is rated up to a 90hp motor the 60hp Mercury was a powerhouse on the back of the 455 Drifter Pro and powered the hull with effortless ease. Installed and water tested by Mercury Australia the 60hp 4-stroke generating exceptional hole shot, even when loaded with two 80kg+ adults, and a livewell full of water. Top end speed was equally impressive with the Mercury hitting maximum speed easily and without any hesitation. Sharp, nimble, and aggressive through the power range, the Mercury works flawlessly with the Drifter hull for optimum speed, performance, and economy. FULL CONTROL A Haswing Cayman bow mount electric motor offers

ultimate finesse control for the lure casting angler on the move. Its 80lb, 24-volt, cable steer set-up delivered plenty of thrust thanks in part to its large 12” diameter 3-blade prop; a 12-volt motor ensures optimum power longevity and thrust. THE PRIZE The boat package tested and reviewed will be presented to the champion team at the Bluefin/Mercury BREAM Classic Open to be held on Sydney Harbour, 1112 November. To enter or find out more about the event visit www.abt. org.au. A large foot pedal featuring a momentary power button (located on the top), speed adjustment dial, and a constant-off-momentary power switch (located on the side of the pedal) provides full underfoot control. Being cable steer means directional adjustment is instant, rather than a lag that’s commonly found on non-cable steer, electric steering units. Easily deployed and stowed with one hand the Cayman makes life for the casting angler effortless, efficient, and one

Top Left: The 7 foot long carpeted rod locker keeps your rods safe and secure, and below deck. Top Middle: The Drifter’s sports console gives you protection from the elements and houses the majority of the boat’s controls. Top Right: A port-side hatch in the front casting deck comes preloaded with tackle trays for ultimate tackle storage. Above: A 90L Flow-rite controlled livewell has the Drifter pimped and ready for the tournament trail. QX064

The Drifter’s Ezi Ride hull eliminates spray and increases lift for improved hull performance.

that’s not short on power. When it comes to effortless fishing the new Power-Pole Micro Anchor is equally giving, with the innovative shallow water anchor allowing you to stop on a dime with a simple click of a button. Featuring a small (3kg) motor unit, and a 8’6” spike that extends and retracts through the unit and into the bottom, the Power-Pole Micro Anchor makes holding position simple and worry free. Perfect for keeping your boat in the one spot when releasing fish, re-tying lures and leaders, or securing your boat on the shore while launching and retrieving, the Power-Pole Micro Anchor makes your time on water stress and trouble free. LAID TO REST The package sits on a fully galvanized, tailor-made, Bluefin trailer. Featuring powder-coated galvanized wheels, LED lights, swing away jockey wheel, and 3 year warranty. There’s no trailer better suited or better built to get your Bluefin to and from the water. As tournament-ready and lure fishing boat/motor packages go, the Bluefin Tournament Drifter Pro/ Mercury is hard to go past. Performance inspired and designed-focused the hull and motor deliver power, stability, economy and comfort that you need. The Haswing electric motor and Power-Pole Micro Anchor delivers the level of control and precision you need to maximise angling success. Performance meets power and price in the Tournament Drifter Pro/Mercury package. • 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.

Built tough by the best boat guys in the business. Trailers can be optioned up with a swing away draw bar if you have size restrictions in your yard or garage.

Swing up jockey wheels are standard across the range.

Extensively tested, undergoing a simulated 100,000km around a specialist Army ‘Torture’ test track. Constructed from rolled aluminium I-Beam creating an overall stronger frame with no weak points and less flex.

The first aluminium trailer suited for boats as small as 4.2m.

All Quintrex trailers have drive-on capability.

Our range has a proven lifespan 3 times longer than steel trailers (aluminium is extra resilient to rust and corrosion).

You love our boats, now you can love our trailers. The new range of Quintrex aluminium trailers are perfect for your current Quinnie or as an upgrade for your existing boat. We’ve built in some unbeatable features and created a range big enough to match a long list of old and new boat sizes. The Dunbier trailer is tailor-made for the Bluefin Drifter and makes launching and retrieving effortless.

See the full range and find your nearest dealer at quintrex.com.au NOVEMBER 2014

Whittley Clearwater 1750 with 90hp Yamaha BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Whittley Marine Group of Melbourne have turned out some very desirable boats throughout the last couple of decades. Curren t l y, the company’s range of fabulous Cruisers, the blue water based Sea Legends and value for money Clearwater Range are still turning heads wherever they appear whether that’s on the road, at the ramp or on the water. Whittley always have that special something that creates pride of ownership. Moreover, a casual glance at the Clearwater 1750 reveals an impeccable finish. Joins in fibreglass mouldings don’t exist, all corners and mouldings are neatly rounded. On the exterior we see the transom’s neatly swept back lines highlighting the attractive and contrasting toning on the side panels. Let’s take a closer look at the CW 1750. At 5.2m long, 2.11m wide it’s small enough to be towed with the family sedan or wagon, yet large enough to take up to 4 anglers out for a day on the bay, work for a feed of fish within an estuary or head offshore for some reef fishing and light game work. It’s undeniably an ideal rig for a family group to enjoy as a day cruiser, thanks to the handy features and high comfort levels. Stepping aboard the CW 1750, it’s obvious that attention to detail is evident from stem to stern and from the ease of access up front to the large storage areas there is little in the way of compromise;

NOVEMBER 2014

The Whittley under full throttle showed a very clean and unfussed passage through the water.

served as a footrest. The bulkhead section ahead of the first mate was equipped with 3 levels of storage. Uppermost was a glove box with 2 other shelves below. There was a grab handle by the mate’s arm. The bulkhead section to starboard was neatly fashioned as the craft’s dash. On the uppermost level paired Yamaha multi-functional gauges were joined by a compass. The next level down was taken up with the craft’s Fusion radio, a Raymarine Dragonfly sounder plotter, while the wheel linked to non-feedback steering was a little lower again with a bank of switches nearby. Forward controls for the engine were handily side-mounted. Seating for skipper and mate consisted of supportive, swivelling, pedestal-mounted buckets with the Clearwater logo on the rear. From the

always a factor with boat ownership. In the grand scale of things, the rig’s cuddy cab is not too large to inhibit fishing yet it’s great for a rest or stowing gear. The cockpit is not at all cluttered thanks to smartly designed side storage pockets and the work area also having a good share of the craft’s interior dimensions. GENERAL LAYOUT VERY PLEASING With a sensible-sized bowsprit and a split bow rail up front of the cab, there’s easy access to the Whittley’s large anchor well. This is largely due to the screen and cabin hatch hinging to the side to create a wide foredeck companionway. A moulded step in the bow allows

The Clearwater’s well-designed hull; note the rounded bilge and prominent under hull strakes.

A 6 cylinder sedan will tow the Clearwater with safety.

a deckhand to safely stand braced against the companionway to work the pick while entry or exit could not be easier thanks to the split bow rail and inner cabin step. The cuddy cab is equipped with a 5-piece windscreen and accompanying grab rail, neatly blending into the aft section in fine style. The cuddy was set up with well-padded paired bunks each side of a deep foot well and a large storage box under each bunk. There was overhead shelving all round and, thanks to a cut out in the bulkhead moulding down low in front of both skipper and first mate, there’s sufficient room for a passenger to lie down and stretch their legs out. The well-designed cut out also

skipper’s seat, I noted virtually unlimited visibility and a high degree of comfort thanks to the handy footrest below. COCKPIT The main cockpit with its clip-in carpet was surprisingly large. The first item of interest for the angler would be the under floor fish box located between the forward seating. The next would be the size of the inbuilt side pockets, which took up virtually all of each of the cockpit sides. These pockets were recessed into the 750mm high sidewalls and came equipped with paired rod racks, providing safe rod tip storage within the sides. Below these racks was quite wide and deep off floor shelves, with a toehold under them to assist an angler playing

a fish. Paired stainless rod holders were set into each gunwale as were cleats astern. Aft seating consisted of a removable 3-piece folding lounge, which if fishing is designed to be easily removed. The backrest section, with the lounge removed, would make a great brace point for fishing astern. The full height transom came set up with bait wells – or storage boxes for ice and drinks – within each neatly rounded corner while the craft’s battery and fuel filter were freely available below. Boarding platforms and handrails were featured each side of the 90hp Yamaha with a telescoping ladder linked to the port platform. EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE FROM 90HP YAMAHA Engines ratings for the CW 1750 were 70-125 hp, which saw the 90hp Yamaha 2-stroke a fair distance from top power. It did an excellent job of powering the craft’s 665kg hull with its 17° deadrise. The engine started first turn of the key and was not too noisy or smokey, despite the fact it was ‘old’ technology. The truth is that these conventional 2-stroke motors still work well. The craft easily planed with 2 aboard at 20.7km/h at 2600rpm quite smoothly. Bumping up to 3000rpm saw 33.2km/h on the GPS, 4000rpm got us up to 43.7km/h, at 5000rpm we were 59.4km/h and an open throttle speed at 5300rpm of 64.6km/h. The feeling I had from the Yamaha’s response was that the engine would just as easily have powered the craft even with a couple more people aboard. It certainly did not require much throttle movement to quickly gain more speed, that’s for sure. The hull’s ride impressed me. Even powering into 50cm chop at full throttle produced no pounding or bumps and with very little displaced water evident. I feel that the 1750 would make an excellent offshore or bay rig with little to worry about if things turned nasty. The stability of the Whittley was also an important point. The hull featured a 17° ‘V’, a rounded central bilge section, with several strongly formed strakes moulded into the under water surface. The end result was excellent inherent stability with even both of us to one side causing little leaning to develop. Our turns were pin-sharp with some decent G-forces being produced

Left: Paired live wells are featured within the CW 1750’s transom corners, which are great for storing drinks on a hot day. Right: The Clearwater’s cabin offered storage below bunks as well as within overhead shelving. Bottom: Many of the cockpit’s features can be easily seen in this shot. Note the removable lounge and those handy side rod racks. SPECIFICATIONS Length hull........................................................5.2m Beam................................................................ 2.11m Length on trailer...............................................6.4m Height on trailer..............................................2.18m Deadrise...............................................................17° Fuel capacity................................................ 90 litres Engine ratings........................................... 70-125hp Engine fitted......................... 90hp Yamaha 2-stroke Persons...................................................................5 Price..................................................... from $39,999

in the sharper turns and without the slightest prop slip whatsoever. FISHABILITY AND SUMMING UP I saw the CW 1750 as a great all rounder for either serious fishing or family boating pursuits. The level of features aboard and the sensible layout created a high level of creature comfort for virtually any manner of boating. A family of 4 would really enjoy time aboard, as would up to 4 anglers heading out for a day on the water. A bimini top is included within the package, as is safety gear for 5 persons. On a Mackay or Whittley trailer and with a Tonneau travel cover, Fusion RA 205 radio,

GME radio and aerial with front and side clears the rig would come home for around the mid forties, surely great value for money. Whittley Marine can be contacted by phone at (03) 8339 1800 or on the net at info@whittley.com. au to locate your nearest Whittley 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.

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101

Victorian Tide Times

AUSTRALIA, SOUTH COAST – PORT PHILLIP HEADS (PT.LONSDALE) LAT 38° 18’

LONG 144° 37’

TIMES AND HEIGHTS OF HIGH AND LOW WATERS Time 0400 0942 MO 1607 2204

1 2

0440 1017 TU 1642 2238



m 1.52 0.52 1.53 0.34 1.51 0.56 1.50 0.33

Time 0507 1025 TU 1651 2255



0554 1106 WE 1733 2336

m 1.59 0.50 1.51 0.26

Time 0421 1000 WE 1617 2211

1.50 0.56 1.43 0.33

0502 1037 TH 1657 2249

1.47 0643 1.42 3 0523 1055 0.61 18 1147 0.63 1718 1.45 1817 1.35

2314 0.33

1.43 0018 0.41 4 0611 1135 0.66 19 0734 1.34 1800 1.41 1232 0.69

2355 0.33

1909 1.27

1.39 0105 0.48 5 0705 1219 0.71 20 0829 1.29 1849 1.37 1325 0.74

2010 1.21

0.35 0200 0.55 6 0045 0809 1.36 21 0926 1.26 1314 0.74 1432 0.76

1951 1.33

2119 1.19

0.39 0313 0.59 7 0145 0920 1.36 22 1023 1.26 1422 0.75 1556 0.74

2109 1.32

0300 1030 MO 1543 2233

0.41 1.40 0.69 1.37

2230 1.21

0430 1115 TU 1708 2331

0.59 1.29 0.67 1.27

0.41 0532 0.57 9 0420 1132 1.46 24 1201 1.34 1700 0.58 1800 0.57

2347 1.46





NOVEMBER – 2014

OCTOBER – 2014

SEPTEMBER – 2014

1 2



m 1.57 0.53 1.45 0.26 1.53 0.56 1.41 0.28

Time 0516 1042 TH 1702 2301



m 1.52 0.53 1.37 0.35

1.44 17 0558 1122 0.58 1745 1.30 FR

2341 0.43

1.47 0641 1.36 3 0547 1117 0.59 18 1204 0.62 1742 1.37 1835 1.23

2332 0.32

1.41 0023 0.51 4 0639 1203 0.62 19 0729 1.30 1835 1.33 1252 0.65

1936 1.18

0.38 0112 0.59 5 0023 0740 1.36 20 0823 1.25 1257 0.64 1350 0.67

1942 1.30

2048 1.17

0.45 0213 0.66 6 0125 0849 1.34 21 0919 1.23 1405 0.62 1504 0.65

2107 1.31

2200 1.20

0.50 0331 0.70 7 0240 0958 1.36 22 1015 1.24 1527 0.56 1621 0.59

2230 1.38

0404 1101 WE 1644 2340



0.52 1.40 0.44 1.49

2304 1.27

0452 1107 TH 1718 2358

0.69 1.27 0.50 1.37

0550 0.66 0.51 9 0520 1159 1.46 24 1155 1.32 1802 0.41 1747 0.32

TIME ZONE –1000



Time 0530 1106 SA 1730 2317

m 1.52 0.52 1.36 0.34

Time 0555 1140 SU 1804 2346

m 1.42 0.55 1.23 0.53

1.46 0634 1.36 2 0617 1153 0.52 17 1222 0.57 1828 1.32 1900 1.19

0.43 0030 0.62 3 0009 0713 1.40 18 0720 1.30 1248 0.52 1311 0.57

1942 1.30

2008 1.18

0.53 0121 0.70 4 0110 0817 1.36 19 0812 1.26 1355 0.49 1407 0.56

2108 1.33

2119 1.21

0.61 0224 0.77 5 0222 0924 1.35 20 0908 1.24 1512 0.43 1513 0.52

2223 1.41

2226 1.28

0.64 0342 0.80 6 0344 1028 1.37 21 1006 1.24 1624 0.35 1619 0.45

2330 1.51

2323 1.38

0.63 0500 0.78 7 0500 1127 1.40 22 1103 1.27 1726 0.26 1714 0.37





0029 0603 SA 1220 1818

1.61 0.60 1.44 0.19

0015 0556 SU 1157 1800

1.48 0.73 1.31 0.29

1.69 0101 1.58 9 0121 0654 0.56 24 0641 0.67 1310 1.47 1246 1.36

1906 0.15

1842 0.22

DECEMBER – 2014 Time 0600 1148 MO 1827 2359

m 1.52 0.41 1.35 0.48

Time 0555 1154 TU 1826 2355

m 1.43 0.47 1.24 0.60

1.46 0633 1.37 2 0649 1242 0.39 17 1234 0.47 1945 1.34 1925 1.23

0.59 0040 0.69 3 0055 0746 1.40 18 0718 1.32 1343 0.38 1318 0.46

2100 1.36

2030 1.24

0.68 0132 0.77 4 0200 0849 1.36 19 0810 1.28 1451 0.35 1411 0.44

2210 1.42

2136 1.28

0.73 0236 0.82 5 0315 0953 1.34 20 0907 1.25 1600 0.31 1511 0.40

2314 1.49

2241 1.35

0350 0.84 0.73 6 0431 1054 1.35 21 1010 1.25 1615 0.34 1701 0.26



2341 1.44

1.57 0504 0.80 7 0012 0539 0.70 22 1115 1.28 1151 1.37 1715 0.27

1756 0.22

0104 0634 MO 1244 1845

1.63 0.64 1.39 0.20



1.54 23 0034 0604 0.73 1215 1.33 TU

1810 0.21

1.66 0123 1.62 9 0151 0722 0.59 24 0655 0.65 1330 1.40 1310 1.39

1930 0.20

1900 0.17

0.39 0024 1.35 10 0534 1229 1.54 25 0621 0.54 1807 0.45 1241 1.39

1.60 0045 1.47 10 0042 0621 0.48 25 0633 0.62 1250 1.52 1238 1.37

1.72 0145 1.65 10 0209 0740 0.53 25 0723 0.61 1355 1.48 1333 1.41

1.66 0210 1.67 10 0232 0805 0.55 25 0743 0.56 1414 1.40 1401 1.44

1.57 0109 1.44 11 0052 0635 0.37 26 0701 0.52 1320 1.60 1318 1.44

1.69 0127 1.56 11 0137 0713 0.46 26 0711 0.58 1338 1.55 1320 1.41

1.72 0228 1.69 11 0252 0822 0.51 26 0804 0.56 1436 1.47 1418 1.44

1.65 0254 1.70 11 0310 0845 0.52 26 0830 0.47 1455 1.39 1450 1.47

1.65 0148 1.51 12 0149 0728 0.37 27 0737 0.50 1406 1.64 1354 1.48

1.73 0206 1.63 12 0227 0758 0.45 27 0748 0.55 1421 1.56 1400 1.44

1.68 0310 1.70 12 0332 0902 0.50 27 0845 0.51 1516 1.44 1502 1.45

1.61 0337 1.70 12 0344 0925 0.50 27 0916 0.40 1533 1.37 1539 1.49

1.70 0227 1.57 13 0243 0815 0.38 28 0812 0.49 1450 1.64 1430 1.50

1.72 0245 1.66 13 0313 0841 0.45 28 0825 0.53 1502 1.54 1440 1.46

1.62 0351 1.68 13 0409 0942 0.50 28 0929 0.48 1556 1.39 1547 1.44

1.57 0418 1.67 13 0415 1002 0.49 28 1004 0.34 1613 1.34 1630 1.47

1.70 0304 1.60 14 0332 0900 0.41 29 0846 0.49 1531 1.62 1505 1.50

1.68 0325 1.66 14 0356 0922 0.47 29 0903 0.51 1543 1.50 1519 1.45

1.56 0432 1.64 14 0444 1021 0.52 29 1013 0.45 1636 1.34 1634 1.42

1.53 0500 1.62 14 0446 1040 0.48 29 1052 0.30 1653 1.31 1724 1.44

1903 0.32

1955 0.23

2043 0.18

2129 0.17

1842 0.48

1918 0.40

1952 0.34

2026 0.29

2100 0.27

1.66 0342 1.60 15 0420 0944 0.45 30 0922 0.51 1612 1.58 1541 1.48 MO

2213 0.20



2134 0.26

1842 0.22

1930 0.16

2016 0.14

2100 0.15

2142 0.20

1841 0.33

1917 0.26

1953 0.22

2030 0.20

2109 0.20

1.60 0405 1.63 15 0437 1002 0.50 30 0943 0.51 1622 1.44 1600 1.43 WE

2222 0.27

2149 0.23

1951 0.15

2033 0.18

2114 0.23

2152 0.30

2230 0.37



1924 0.18

2006 0.16

2049 0.18

2134 0.22

2220 0.28

0515 1.58 1.49 15 0518 1100 0.53 30 1059 0.42 1726 1.39 1717 1.29 SA



2307 0.45

2308 0.37

1.58 31 0445 1023 0.52 1643 1.40



2012 0.22

2051 0.26

2128 0.32

2203 0.38

2239 0.44



Height datum is Lowest Astronomical Tide Moon Symbols

 New Moon



1948 0.15

2036 0.17

2124 0.22

2212 0.29

2300 0.38

1.48 0542 1.57 15 0519 1116 0.47 30 1141 0.28 1737 1.27 1827 1.41 MO

2315 0.52



2347 0.49

1.50 31 0628 1230 0.28 1936 1.38 WE

2231 0.28



Bureau of Meteorology

National Tidal Centre

When daylight saving time is in force, add one hour to times

 First Quarter

 Full Moon

 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. 102

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5.99% COMPARISON RATE

OFFER ENDS 15 NOV 2014

VISIT MERCURYMARINE.COM.AU FOR DETAILS *Terms & conditions apply. Savings are based on RRP and subject to change without notice. Prices exclude local freight charges, Fit up and local statutory charges. Offer available on selected new consumer outboards from 25 to 350hp purchased from participating dealers from Sept 12 to Nov 15, 2014. Offer is subject to availability and engines must be 2013 & 2014 build product and installed and registered by no later than Dec 31, 2014. Offer not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or rebates. **Terms, conditions and credit criteria apply, offer available over a maximum 36 month term. The comparison rate is based on a secured loan of $30,000 for a term of 5 years at an annual percentage rate of 5.22%. The amount of credit provided to you and the term of the loan may be different to this. WARNING: The comparison rate only applies to the example given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Finance is provided by Mercury Finance Pty Ltd ABN 28 156 248 092. Australian Credit Licence Number 421347

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